Maybe Tomorrow

I’m a procrastinator and I know I’m not alone in this practice. It’s not that I’m afraid to do things, and I suppose one could say there’s an element of fear in procrastination, but I have to convince myself I’m going to do something correctly the first time. I simply hate doing the same thing twice. So, the more I ponder doing a task the more I change my mind about how I want to do it and the longer it takes to get it done. For a simple example, I’ve been driving a vehicle for nearly two years, since my purchase of it, and I’ve noticed, every once in a while, a strong smell of raw gasoline while driving. I would rationalize it away noticing a gas station very near by or I would be around an older vehicle which I felt was probably emitting the odor. By the time I would reach my destination I would forget all about the odor, as it didn’t last very long, and I was confident I had already explained it away. I knew something had to be wrong as my gas mileage was really beginning to wane away. Then the smell episodes became more frequent and the rational explanations didn’t make sense any longer. As a long time past mechanic I was forced to investigate the latest smell the other morning. Under the hood I found the fuel pressure regulator soaking wet in gasoline. It was an easy fix that could have produced a car-b-que if I had dragged my feet any longer. Well, as long as life continues to feel like three steps forward and two steps back, my procrastination principle will probably maintain its hold on me. The job jar is sure getting full.
One summer day a farmer sat in front of his shack, smoking a corncob pipe. Along came a stranger who asked, “How’s your cotton coming?” “Ain’t got none,” the farmer answered. “Didn’t plant none. ‘Fraid of the boll weevil.” “Well,” the stranger pursued, “how’s your corn comin’?” Again the farmer responded, “Didn’t plant none. ‘Fraid of the drought.” “And your potatoes?” the stranger asked. “Scairt of the tater bugs,” the farmer replied. Finally the stranger asked, “Well, what did you plant?” “Nothin’,” said the farmer. “I just playin’ it safe this year.”
A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother asked him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, “I don’t want to go out there, it’s dark.” The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. “You don’t have to be afraid of the dark,” she explained. “Jesus is out there. He’ll look after you and protect you.” The little boy thought about that for a minute and then went to the back door. He cracked it open and peered into the darkness. Still not wanting to leave the light he asked, “Jesus? If you’re out there, would you hand me the broom?”
[2 Timothy 1:7] “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” It was once said of a man: “He made no mistakes; He took no wrong roads; He never fumbled the ball; He never went down ‘neath the weigh of a load; He simply did nothing at all.” Fear can paralyze. Fear can control. Fear can cause us to do nothing. And when we do nothing we fail ourselves, others and God. When we do nothing we sin. The Bible calls such a person a “sluggard”. Proverbs 24:30-34 “…A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” What are you doing about your salvation? Nothing? How much time do you truly have before you need to be saved from your sins? If you were to die this night, would you know you’re going to heaven?

I'm Not Dead!

What beautiful weather we’re having. It’s pouring down rain and everything is soaking wet. I awoke this morning to the sound of birds singing their praises to there maker for the rain and it won’t be long before all nature will be blooming, dressed in its new spring garb. Everyone is anticipating a wonderful season of Texas wild flowers this year and rightfully so. There’s nothing like it when a late winter wet spell entices the dormant seeds of spring, rewarding those of us on the top side of the dirt with a spectacular array of colors. Millions of pictures will be taken and shared because it’s hard to let the awesomeness of the moment to be stored only in ones memory. Well, I for one look forward to a beautiful display of spring, coming soon to a neighborhood near you, but as any South Texan knows, don’t miss it, because it doesn’t last long. Mind you I’m not complaining, but my schedule and the rain have been clashing for the past few weeks. The lack of drying time matching the lack of spare time on my part has my lawn looking like an embarrassing jungle. The weeds are loving the attentive watering their getting and they’re standing tall mocking my displeasure in them. That’s okay. My day is coming and they’ll rue the day of their insubordinate display. Sunshine, ambition and a sharp mower blade is all I’ll need to end their reign. The sunshine is promised; the new blade has been purchased; the ambition is on back-order.
Five-year-old Johnny was in the bathtub and his mother was washing his hair. She said to him, “Wow, your hair is growing so fast! It looks like you need another haircut already.” Little Johnny replied, “Maybe you should stop watering it so much.”
An irate subscriber stormed into a newspaper office waving the current edition demanding to see “…whoever wrote the obituary column”. When referred to a young reporter, while marching toward his desk the man barked, “You can see I’m very much alive, but you’ve put me in the obituary column. I demand a retraction!” Calmly the young man replied, “I don’t retract stories, but I can do this for you. If you’ll give me your mother’s full name, I’ll put you in the birth column, giving you a fresh start.”
Another man was dumbfounded when he opened the morning newspaper to read that he had died. He quickly phoned his best friend. “Fred. Did you see the paper?” he asked. “They say I died.” “Yes I did”, Fred answered. “Where are you calling from?”
[John 3:1-8; 1 Pete 3:8-22; Romans 6:1-4] “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 3:23). The resulting death is death of the spirit. Remember, we are first spirit, for we are made in the image of God and God is Spirit. We must conclude that heaven is a spiritual place and we cannot enter it as a physical being. Jesus told Nicodemus that he could not enter heaven unless he was “born again”. Peter wrote to the churches in northern Asia Minor explaining to the believers the importance of living a spiritual life, even suffering for living God’s will for man, because it is the life that leads the way to everlasting life. Paul’s letter to the Romans deals with the subject of sin quit a bit. In the reference given, Paul, writing to those already baptized, reminds them that they cannot continue to live their old life and expect the grace of God to abound. In baptism they died to their former lifestyle and have entered into a new way of life, one guided by the Spirit, not by the world and self indulgence. An obituary is inevitable, but my name is also in the Book of Life.

Another Year, Already

“Click” “Wha …what was that?” Uh oh, the hands of time just moved ever so slightly and there went another year whizzing by. I have to agree that another birthday still beats the alternative though. With age the holidays throughout the years seem to pop up with more frequent regularity almost making one think someone has shortened the calendar year. I think the toughest feelings to overcome at birthday time is when the mind drifts back over the years rehearsing all the “what if’s” and the “if only’s” that experience and wisdom could go back and correct. But alas, we can’t go back, only press forward and pray to leave a legacy behind that will help insure that the young people following us might have better sense, make fewer mistakes and live with fewer regrets. Enough with the nostalgic notions, “Brighten The Corner Where You Are”, because that’s where it’s happening right now and the right now is what matters.
Two elderly gentlemen were enjoying a friendly conversation when one asked the other, “Fred, how was the memory clinic you attended last month?” “Outstanding”, Fred replied. “They taught us all the latest psychological techniques: visualization, association, focus and repeat. It was great!” The other man asked, “And what was the name of that clinic?” Fred went blank. He thought and thought but he couldn’t remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, “What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?” - “You mean a rose?” - “Yes, that’s it.” Fred turned to his wife and said, “Rose, what was the name of that memory clinic?”
A woman went to the emergency room where she was seen by a young new doctor. After about three minutes in the examination room, the doctor told her she was pregnant. She burst out of the room and ran down the corridor screaming. An older doctor stopped her and asked her what the problem was. After listening to her story he calmed her down and sat her in another room. Then the older doctor marched down the hallway to confront the younger doctor. “What is wrong with you?” he demanded. “This woman is 68 years old, has two grown children and several grand-children, and you told her she is pregnant?!” The new doctor continued to calmly write his report on his clipboard, and without looking up asked, “Does she still have the hiccups?”
The top ten signs you’re getting older: 1. You and your teeth don’t sleep together any longer; 2. You try to straighten out the wrinkles in your socks and discover you aren’t wearing any; 3. At the breakfast table you hear snap, crackle, pop and you’re not eating cereal; 4 You wonder how you could be over the hill when you can’t remember reaching the top yet; 5. When you’re on vacation and your energy runs out before the money; 6.The local pharmacist becomes your best friend; And, I can’t remember 7-10.
[Proverbs 16] I can’t say I’ve always been happy with what I’ve done with my life, but I can say I’m totally satisfied with what God has done with my life. It is said that you’ll never get out of this world alive and through my studies of God’s Word I’ve learned the Greek word for that thought is “hogwash”. I’m leaving this world more alive than when I entered it. This body that’s growing older is only temporary living quarters for my true spiritual self. “This world is not my home, I’m just a passin’ through; My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue; The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door; And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” Praise God

Bitter Tastes

I have two pecan trees in my yard and over the years I’ve enjoyed several pounds of fresh nuts throughout the winter months. The two trees are not equal in quantity nor quality of their fruit each and every year. One tree is a “native” type which produces lots of fruit but very small in size with a shell like granite. With patience, one can extract the nut meat which is very flavorful, but one could also be expending more energy than the reward is worth. The other tree, on the other hand, was grafted as a pup with, what I’ve been told, is a walnut tree. The quantity of fruit from this tree doesn’t compare with its neighbor, but the quality is totally different. The nut is larger and the shell is much easier to crack to extract the pulpier meat inside. Oddly enough, the two obviously different nuts on the outside, taste the same. Now, if you’ve ever sat watching television, cracking and pealing pecans, and eating them fresh out of the shell, you’ve also gotten that wickedly bitter membrane that grows in the middle of the nut in your mouth. Yuk! Pt-to-wee!! I know that nasty bitter slice of uneatable material is there, yet I inevitably let some slip by because I’m not paying close enough attention to what I’m doing. When the senses alert the brain of the intruding bitterness the reaction is, “Spit it out! Spit it out!” Self preservation is immediate and swift.
There’s a fellow who lives just down the road and he’s just about the smartest person I’ve ever known. He figured out that brain cells come and brain cells go, but fat cells live forever. He also has studied a lot about time. He says that in just two days tomorrow will be yesterday. This guy is also generous with good advice. Just the other day I over-heard him tell a neighbor, “If it ain’t broke, fix it till it is”. I’ve had a question in my mind for a long time and I think he’s just the man who can come up with the answer. I’m confident that he can tell me what disease cured ham had.
Some people exercise about as much tact as the young preacher at his first funeral. Being very nervous and not knowing how to begin, he pointed to the casket and blurted out, “What you see there is nothing but an empty shell …the nut is gone.”
Youngsters have a way of expressing their feelings and confessing their faults that we seem to lose with age. One wrote: “Dear God, I bet it’s very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it.” It seems when we are unlovable we always want to blame someone else.
[James 3: 13-18] “…I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:31-33). I still have a problem with running my mouth before engaging my brain which can lead to saying things I immediately regret, leaving a super bitter taste in my mouth. The spiritual senses immediately alert the brain, but the brain says, “Oops! Sorry, but we can’t take that back or spit it out or cover it up or blame someone else. You’ll have to go to a higher power.” We say and do things we know aren’t right and we shouldn’t do, but because we aren’t paying attention and relying on the wisdom of God, we trip over our worldly tongues. But, because we can find ways to smooth over our blunders and we don’t feel physically threatened, our worldly brain dismisses the bitter taste and moves on. The guilt is not so easily dismissed. Spiritually we’re unsettled. We have not been wise in our relationship with others. I thank God I have forgiveness in prayer through Jesus my Lord and my spirit is preserved for eternal life.

Red Light!

I came close to experiencing the same kind of auto accident my wife had a year or so ago, and, in fact, at the same intersection. The “protected left turn green arrow” turned on, and as I normally do, not always, I looked the cross traffic over and sure enough here comes a one ton dually with a long trailer in tow loaded with some sort of building materials. Needless-to-say, I could tell this truck wasn’t about to stop for the red light clearly displayed right in front of the driver’s eyes. As the truck illegally sailed through the intersection, I couldn’t help but notice the driver holding some papers in one hand and a cell phone in the other, obviously conducting business, not driving the truck. If I had impatiently pulled into the intersection I too would have been another statistic of cell phone brain disengagement, which renders human beings mute to all things surrounding them. It seems the whole world has to be put on hold anymore when a cell phone screams out like a spoiled child for attention. Nothing seems to over-ride the non-importance of an incoming cell phone call. Hey, unless you’re expecting a phone call from the President of the United States looking for your advice on an important matter, give everyone a break and give your phone a rest when your brain needs to be protecting the rest of your body. The cell phone has put everyone in overloaded overdrive, speeding through life day after day, all the while being warned to slow down before we blow a gasket. I don’t know how to address the abuse of the cell phone. I do know one thing though; the cell phone is negatively influencing our young people worse than rock-n-roll and “the pill” ever did in my generation.
[Galatians 3:1-5] Paul wrote to the church in Galatia with the query of, “Who steered you away from your faith?” Someone had dragged the Law back into the church and held it up as to being the only way to heaven. The Galatians were being taught that the only way to heaven was through their worldly human efforts and observing the law. Paul reminded them that it is belief and faith that gets you into heaven not following the Law. In Paul’s letter to the Romans he said if you want to fulfill the Law, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:8-14). Jesus taught the same (Matthew 7:7-12; 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34) It is so easy for us to run right through the red light of an important intersection of our faith when all we do is listen to someone else, believing on them, and not studying the Bible, believing on it. What would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone? What if we carried it around in our purse or pocket everywhere we went? What if we flipped through it several times a day? What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it? What if we used it to get messages from the text? What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it? What if we gave it to our kids as gifts? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? Are you thinking right now “…Hmm, where is my Bible?” Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about it being disconnected for none payment for Jesus has paid the bill in full for a lifetime of use. Oh, and no dropped calls! In Paul’s letter to the Colossians he spelled out what Holy living should be like (Chapter 3). He topped it off with this, (v.17) “…And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Our love and concern for others is muted in our selfishness. Slow down and care a little more.