A Free Glass of Milk

A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches. A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die. Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. (Proverbs 11:16-21 ESV). We never know how our lives may be affected by the kindnesses we show to others. While I do not know of the truth of the following story, it serves as an interesting muse as we think of the many opportunities we have each day to show a simple kindness to others. One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry and so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness." He said, "Then I thank you from my heart." As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened also. He had been ready to give up and quit. Years later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case. After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested from the business office to pass the final billing to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words: "PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK.... (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly." A simple kindness ultimately led to a much greater kindness. This story is very dramatic, however, the truth remains the same. We all have opportunities each day to show simple kindnesses, perhaps no more than a kind word spoken, and each of those cannot be measured in the whole of God’s plan. Commit yourself to being kind to others.

Because of Who They Are

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127 ESV). Today my thoughts turn to family, especially children. There is a message that needs to be drilled into the hearts and minds of every mom and dad: You don't love your kids because of what they do, but because of who they are. Simply rewarding children with affection because of their accomplishments is like a circus trainer giving a dog some food every time he jumps through a hoop. The dog isn't loved for himself, but for his actions. The Scripture is very clear that our children are gifts from God. Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the popular talk show host, has a new book for children titled, "Why Do You Love Me?" Part of the story includes a mother explaining to her son that it is not what he does that makes her love him; she loves him because he is unique and because he is her son. It is a very poignant story as it emphasizes the impact of such love in a child. I know it is difficult for some parents to love their children’s actions. There are those times when the choices they make are very destructive and negative. However, I also know that they are much les likely to make some of those choices when they realize the unconditional love that parent’s have for them. Our best example of this kind of love is in the story of the Prodigal Son (cf. Luke 15). There are two things that stand out most in this story for me. First, there is the patience and love of the father who waits for the son to come home, looking for him every day. And second, I see the forgiveness and acceptance when the son returns. I wonder how much embarrassment he suffered because of the foolishness of his son? I wonder how many times he had to endure the peculiar stares and whispered comments from the local town gossips? How did he endure? I believe the answer is in the fact that he knew the real hurt was not in what others thought about him, but in what his son was doing to himself. Selfless love always focuses on others. That truth is at the heart of loving our children for who they are and not what they do. No wonder he could stand gazing to the horizon, praying and waiting for his son to return. Today, focus your love on who they are, not what they do. God loves you in that way!

Big Mouth

We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds. “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity. When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’” (Psalm 75:1-5 ESV). I read the following story recently that illustrates the danger of a “big mouth.” Two geese were about to start southward on their annual migration, when they were entreated by a frog to take him with them. The geese expressed their willingness to do so if a means of conveyance could be devised. The frog produced a long stalk of pond grass, got the geese each to grab an end with their beaks, while he clung to it by his mouth in the middle. In this way the three began their journey. Some farmers below noticed the strange sight. The men loudly expressed their admiration for the travel device and wondered who had been clever enough to discover it. Whereupon the vainglorious frog opened his mouth to say, "It was I," lost his grip, fell to the earth and was dashed to pieces. True humility is hard to find, but God places great honor in such a trait. Booker T. Washington, the renowned black educator, was an outstanding example of this truth. Shortly after he took over the presidency of Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, he was walking in an exclusive section of town when a wealthy white woman stopped him. Not knowing the famous Mr. Washington by sight, she asked if he would like to earn a few dollars by chopping wood for her. Because he had no pressing business at the moment, Professor Washington smiled, rolled up his sleeves, and proceeded to do the humble chore she had requested. When he was finished, he carried the logs into the house and stacked them by the fireplace. A little girl recognized him and later revealed his identity to the lady. The next morning the embarrassed woman went to see Mr. Washington in his office at the Institute and apologized profusely. “It’s perfectly all right, Madam,” he replied. “Occasionally I enjoy a little manual labor. Besides, it’s always a delight to do something for a friend.” She shook his hand warmly and assured him that his meek and gracious attitude had endeared him and his work to her heart. Not long afterward she showed her admiration by persuading some wealthy acquaintances to join her in donating thousands of dollars to the Tuskegee Institute. Leonard Bernstein, the late conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra, was once asked to name the most difficult instrument to play. Without hesitation, he replied, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.” How’s your humility?

An MD Degree

He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away. (Job 6:14-15 ESV). The title for our devotional today has nothing at all to do with an academic degree. The initials “MD” stand for “morale destroyer.” I have found that there are some people who are so adept at this negative influence they might as well have a post graduate degree in the technique! You have heard of the cup that overflowed. I recently read an analogy of a bucket that is like the cup, only larger, it is an invisible bucket. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favorable things that made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your bucket was full. A bucket can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your bucket is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another's bucket. Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listing to him. Raising the level in someone’s bucket is no more than raising their level of morale. When one's bucket is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a bucket and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your bucket. This, too, can be done in a million ways. Lets say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of water that spills over the tablecloth. I am embarrassed. "MD" across the table says, "You knocked over your water." That took a lot of analysis! Of course I know I made a mistake and spilled the water. But, when he told me about it, he got his dipper in my bucket! Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake. That is a morale destroyer! Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their buckets. When a person has a hole in his bucket, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their buckets. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his bucket because he keeps losing. The story of our lives is the interplay of the bucket and the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the bucket and the dipper is that when you fill another's bucket it does not take anything out of your own bucket. The level in our own bucket gets higher when we fill another's, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another's bucket we do not fill our own ... we lose a little. For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the bucket of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfillment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Don’t be an MD… lift others up and you will be lifted up.

Unique

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27 ESV). Over the years as I have watched my twin grandchildren, Faith and Logan, grow and develop, I have noticed them become two very different children. One is not “better” than the other. They just have different personalities and gifts. They are unique, just as all of us are unique. There is a story told of a man who died and met Saint Peter at the pearly gates. Realizing Saint Peter was a wise and knowledgeable person, he said, "Saint Peter, I have been interested in military history for many years. Tell me who was the greatest general of all times?" Saint Peter quickly responded, "Oh, that's a simple question. It is that man right over there," as he pointed nearby. The man said, "You must be mistaken, Saint Peter. I knew that man on earth. He was just a common laborer." "That's right, my friend," replied Saint Peter. "But he would have been the greatest general of all time, if he had been a general." Our reading this morning comes from the very beginning of time. It is the heart of God’s design in Creation. He never intended to create people with identical characteristics and gifts. We are all created unique with abilities designed to best fulfill a specific purpose. That purpose is intended to bring us happiness and joy. I wonder if you have found that purpose? You were created with natural abilities and an internal compass that guides you toward a particular focus for your life. That's only the starting point; the next step is yours. You have an obligation to expand that potential to its ultimate destiny. Michelangelo said, "It is only well with me when I have a chisel in my hand." Discover what you are supposed to do and do it! Thomas Carlyle said, “A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder—a waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life, and, having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as God has given you.” Whatever it is God has given you to be, do it with your whole heart. Whatever God has given you to be with, use it with your whole heart. You are unique and therefore wonderful!

The Sistine Chapel

Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone. If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it. (Proverbs 25:14-16 ESV). The artist Michelangelo often stirred up the opposition of the contemporary artists of his day. Many of them envied his magnificent abilities. One example was the architect Bramante. Pope Julius retained Michelangelo to build him a splendid tomb. Michelangelo gladly accepted the project and spent eight months in a marble pit personally cutting and selecting the most perfect stones. When he returned, he found the pope had second thoughts. Bramante had turned Pope Julius against the project. The Pope cancelled it. Later the idea for another special project entered the Pope's mind. Bramante saw the project as a time consuming trap for which there would be little public recognition. Bramante recommended Michelangelo for the job. The great artist saw the trap. He knew what Bramante was up to. He wished to turn the project down but did not want to refuse the Pope's request. So Michelangelo went to work. He spent many years doing the slow and tedious labor the project required. It was the Sistine Chapel. The inspiration that flowed through Michelangelo can likewise flow through any human being. That is what the inspiration wants to do. It cannot be stopped. It is a living, powerful river that easily circumvents all obstacles. Michelangelo collected his inner forces for a complete victory. Likewise, we must not fear to face the trickery of some people and expose it for what it is. This is not negative, but intelligent protection and spiritual perception. In his many books on inner development author Vernon Howard refers to Michelangelo several times. He quotes him as saying, "The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows." And, "I released the statue from the stone." He chiseled away all that was unnecessary, and David emerged. Perhaps there is a daunting task that you face. If it is a worthy goal, then face it with patience and perseverance. You will find that as you begin, the end seems much closer than you thought. In the hands of God even those things others mean for our harm turn out for our good.

Wei Chi

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (Exodus 14:10-14 ESV). Our family has been very fortunate to be able to travel to many beautiful places. There is one place that I particularly recall because of its breathtaking view. From the edge of the Grand Canyon we sat and watched the sun set. Even with the pleas to hurry and leave from the younger boys who were ready to get going again, I recall the awe we felt as the colors of the canyon walls began to change with the fading of the light. It was inspiring. I also remember the caution Mary advised as I sought to get a better view by getting closer and closer to the edge. In fact, she told me that she would not allow me to get the boys that close. Something about, if I wanted to fall that was fine, but not her boys! She always has been a little wiser about those things than I. There's good news and bad news about getting real close to the edge. The bad news is that it is dangerous at the edge, you can fall off. But the good news is the view from the edge is spectacular! For you, that might be right now. You are at one of those points we all reach several times in our life, sometimes several times in a year! You're at the edge financially; with a son or daughter you don't know what to do with, or maybe in your marriage. It could be you're at the edge emotionally; you're not sure how much more you can take, or your responsibilities have gotten so heavy that they're taking you to the edge. Being close to the edge is dangerous, and it's an exciting place to be, too. If you're not so sure about that "exciting" part, you need to spend a moment in our reading today. If ever a group of God's people were at the edge, it's here. The ancient Jews have been delivered by God from their enslavement in Egypt and now they have made camp with the Red Sea in front of them. And the Bible says, "All Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen, and troops pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea." Oh, great! Red Sea in front of them ... the most powerful army on earth behind them, in hot pursuit. We are at the edge, folks! But remember, it was God who led them to the edge. It usually is. If you're in the middle of a Red Sea Moment, it is most likely part of the great and loving plans of God for you. You know what happened when God's ancient people were at the edge. The Bible says, "The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left." So why did God bring His people to this dangerous edge where there clearly seemed to be no solutions, no rescue? Perhaps it is for the same reason He has brought you to the edge. Perhaps He desires you to see a more spectacular view of Him than you have ever seen before! The Chinese word for "crisis" is the word "wei chi." The word has two figures in it, the top one means "danger," the bottom one means "opportunity." Now, in many ways, that's a Biblical view of a crisis moment you or I face. Yes, there is real danger. But, even more, there is a real opportunity for God to do something that will bring Him great glory and allow you to see His power in amazing ways, and to tighten your grip on His hand as never before. If God has led you to this edge, then you have every right to expect the miracle of God’s redemptive work in Christ to keep you safe. In any Red Sea moment you will ultimately see God part it. And once He does, you won't remember the danger much. What you'll remember is that spectacular view of God, and you'd never see it if you didn't go to the edge! It will change your life forever!

Risky Business

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3, ESV). To have hope you must have faith. Faith forces us to take risks. To have hope you must take action. To have any outcome worthwhile you must take risks. When you really think about it, our every action is at risk because there aren’t any guarantees. What I’ve learned is that the more risks you take, no matter how small, you’ll accumulate enough faith in yourself to plow through most challenges life offers every single day! You may be thinking that you are not a risk-taker. Okay. Let’s talk about risk. You will risk an awful lot to act on the things that are most important to you. If someone you love were drowning, you might risk your life to save him or her. Or if you believe strongly in justice, you might risk ridicule to stand up for someone who is being treated unfairly. All risks, reaching out, testing yourself, trying new things, accepting challenges, involve putting your values on the line. Sometimes the greatest risk may not be climbing the steepest mountain or sailing around the world, alone. It may be more risky to tell someone you care about that you are lonely, or to say, “I’m sorry.” There are many kinds of risks in life, emotional, intellectual and physical. The important ones are those that help you grow and express your values. The following examples I’ve compiled are risks we should learn to take in order to challenge ourselves and discover who we really are. For example:  To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. (So what!)  To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. (Do it anyway!)  To reach out for another is to risk involvement. (Go for it!)  To expose feelings is to risk rejection. (Know where you stand!)  To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule. (Who cares? Its’ your life!)  To love is to risk not being loved in return. (Its’ a two way street!)  To live is to risk dying. (Its’ inevitable!)  To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure. (Can you imagine if all the great leaders didn’t?) Faith is risky business! However, without risk, there is not faith. And, without faith, there is no hope. Take a risk today!

Do Your thorns Have Roses?

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4, ESV). I may have discovered a new “proverb” for adoption: "Don't grieve that your roses have thorns. Rejoice instead that your thorns have roses." It is a different perspective for many of us. Most people naturally grieve because of the thorns in their life. The roses are there, however they are blinded to them because of the thorns. I guess it came at just the right time. I went to my cardiologist a few weeks ago to begin a regimen to control the Atrial Fibrillation I experience. I thought I was doing pretty well. I was recovering a little ahead of schedule from surgery and felt pretty good. The news was not as good after the exam as I had hoped it would be. He scheduled me for a procedure to get it back into rhythm. Arriving at the hospital I waited for the procedure to begin only to be told that I didn’t need it after all. I was very happy at that news. Then the doctor told me that I needed to wear a monitor for a month. After that we’ll know more about treatment. Really it was good news. But, I was disappointed. I saw the thorns, not the roses! We can't change the reality that life is full of pain and suffering. Life has dealt some of us bad hands, but we can change the way we look at "bad luck." Our lives, for the most part, are governed by factors beyond our control, but we can control our attitudes. The freedom to choose our thoughts is really the only freedom we have. God blessed America in that our forefathers recognized this when they drew up our constitution. It does not guarantee happiness. It does grant the right to pursue happiness through freedom of speech and religion. We need to learn how to fail. It is not the failing that destroys, but how we handle the failure. Some people seem to be born winners. For most of us, failure will be a greater part of our lives than victory. The same is true of pain, both physical and emotional. Pain is inevitable. The more we love and are involved with other people, the more pain we will have. The joy and love that comes from these relationships are the roses among the thorns. As we age, physical pain is inevitable. We can decide if the pain rules us or we rule the pain. Pain is a thorn, but if we rise above it, the roses there are sweeter and more fragrant because of the price paid for them. The pessimist looks at the flower garden and sees the weeds growing. He looks at the clouds and despairs that it is going to rain. Two people can live in the same world with the same set of circumstances: for one, it can be exciting, joyous and hopeful. For another, it is a sorrowful, limiting and painful one. Each can view a rose. One sees a rose with thorns. The other sees that the thorns have roses. Which do you see?

The Antichrist

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. (2 Thessalonians 1:1-3, ESV). Barney is the Antichrist. At least that’s the newest gibberish circulating the rounds on purported prophetic web sites! Here’s the reasoning offered in support of this outlandish claim: 1. Start with the given: he is a CUTE PURPLE DINOSAUR 2. Change all the U’s to V’s (which is proper Latin anyway) CVTE PVRPLE DINOSAVR 3. Extract all the Roman Numerals: CVVLDIV 4. Convert these to Arabic values: 100, 5, 5, 50, 500, 1, and 5. 5. Add them up. Total = 666 Now before you go into a panic and throw away all your children’s Barney videos and ban him from your list of approved television programs, read this morning’s Scripture again. This is the beginning of a chapter in which Paul deals with a question about the timing of the Second Coming. He does go on to say that there will be a “Man of Sin” revealed in the last days, an antichrist. However, the impact of the verses is to encourage his readers to be encouraged and alert to the lies of false prophets. I do believe we are closer than ever to the Second Coming. That’s really an easy statement to support. After all, there have been nearly 2,000 years pass since Jesus said he was coming again! That’s definitely closer. Is it today? It certainly could be. He said that day would come suddenly and “like a thief in the night.” There wouldn’t be a lot of warning as to the specific time. There would be signs that would precede that day to warn those of the impending judgment, but no one would know the exact day or hour. Even the description that Paul uses for this day is not time specific. So, why even discuss it? I believe it was simply to encourage us to more warning than watching! Here’s what he writes at the end of this chapter: We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. (2 Thessalonians 1:3-7, ESV). Let me summarize a little this morning. First, it is next to impossible that Barney is the Antichrist. And, second, don’t fear the future. Rest in the comfort and assurance that God is in control of that day. Encourage others toward a stronger faith. Help those who do not believe to see the truth of Christ.

A Daring Adventure

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62, ESV). Helen Keller wrote: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” To think of the situation faced by the woman who wrote this and to know that she made her life a daring adventure amazes me. What an ideal to live up to! How can we ever do it? Those are fair questions. Our reading this morning points to some answers. The starting place for me is to find the truth about myself. If we are who we really are, we can say no to the roles others try to place on us, and the things pulling us in every direction every day. We suddenly know what is not true, and we can turn away from that. More importantly, we can now give full energy to our real selves, and with abandon, knowing we cannot be hurt when we pursue the truth. This requires knowing our truth. We can decide the role in our lives of the mundane, earning a living, tending the house and yard, or doing our civic duty. On the other hand, we can decide our role is essential to the plan and purpose of God. If we do, then we’ll still do those mundane things, though now they will be goal centered and purposeful. This thought can be immensely freeing. The second step is to act without delay. We all want to give ourselves some outs, like "reasonable" or "after appropriate study." We study and plan things to death. A recent article said that business plans are a waste of time for most businesses. One can be too reasonable. If we want to move this life and this planet along, we need to start moving. Planning is not doing. The doing will create its own momentum and new ideas and new plans we could never have forecast. Can I guarantee this will all work, and that you won't get hurt? Of course not. I am still working up the courage to be more daring myself. But I can tell you this, daring in the pursuit of the truth sets you free. You turn out to be more than you are. You find out you always were. Most people say "I wish I had done it sooner." Don't cheat yourself and the rest of us: Be your true self. "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." Are you looking back with your hand on the plow? If you are, look forward and focus on what lies before you. Take a risk and trust the One who will never lead you in the wrong direction!

Confidence

But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1:12-14, ESV). I like to think of myself as a positive motivator for those around me. I am often asked how I can be so positive all the time. I wish I had the answer. The truth is, I can’t explain why some people are eager to tackle life with confidence while others live in doubt and shy away from stepping outside their comfort zone. But I have learned one thing after all these years of motivating others to keep going on. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you have confidence that you can do it. It’s a choice. You can choose to believe in yourself and your goals. Confidence, like every good gift, comes from God. If you didn’t receive the gift, you can make the choice. There are many people who were not particularly bright or talented who have gone on to be highly successful. Some discovered hidden talents. But so many others simply chose to aim high and surprised themselves by hitting their target. They trusted the source of their confidence. Certainly this is what the Apostle Paul meant as he wrote to young Timothy in our reading this morning. Major Daniel W. Whittle, during the Civil War, wrote a very familiar hymn that echoes this truth. The chorus is as follows: But I know whom I have believed, And am persuaded that He is able To keep that which I've committed Unto Him against that day. Don’t let your dreams die for lack of confidence. Don’t let others transfer their fears to you. And don’t wait until you “know enough.” If you do that, you’ll never begin. How will you know what you can accomplish if you never try? Even if God did not endow you with the multiple gifts, He has confidence in you. He created you for a purpose and gave you an incredible mind and body to do important work. He has a plan for your life, and His plan is not for you to fail. Have confidence that God wants you to succeed. You CAN do it! Just don’t quit!

The Berlin Wall

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-3, ESV). I’m not sure what brought the Berlin Wall to mind today. Perhaps it’s the news from the Ukraine as Russia has taken the Crimea. The fall of the Berlin Wall provided some of the most dramatic images of the last half of the 20th Century. There are pictures of the barbed wire along the top of the wall, the armed guards, the people who risked everything to escape from behind the wall, and the people who died trying. I’m not sure anyone really believed it could ever come down. But go to Berlin today, the wall is gone. And it came down almost overnight. The wall we thought would always be there is gone. In fact, I have seen a piece of it on display at the George Bush Library in College Station, Texas! Perhaps there's a wall in your life that looks like it's always going to be there. It's hard to imagine how it would ever come down. But God doesn't know anything about unmovable walls. He's been tearing them down for a long, long time! In our reading this morning the Jewish people had been in captivity in another land for 70 years, living under the rule of the pagan King Cyrus. It was hard to imagine how they would ever get back home. But God had other ideas! This was about as likely humanly as the Berlin Wall coming down, but God moved the heart of the most powerful man on earth. And the wall between Persia and Israel came crashing down. This kind of miracle is reported all through scripture. God changed the hard heart of Pharaoh to let the Jews - his major labor force - just walk out of Egypt. Who would have figured? When Saul didn't want to be Israel's first king, the Bible says, "God changed Saul's heart." When God wanted Peter to take the Gospel to a Gentile military commander, Peter's strong Jewishness and his lifetime dislike of Gentiles was a major wall of prejudice. But with one vision, God tore down that wall, and Peter went willingly into Gentile territory for Jesus. When Saul of Tarsus was determined to stamp out Christianity before it spread, God changed the heart of the persecutor into the heart of a disciple of Jesus in a moment. Walls. Impossible walls. Things that look like they will never change. God specializes in these kinds of things. Perhaps you should call on the Lord for a wall in your life to come down. Whether it's a wall in a relationship, a person who seems like they will never come to Christ, maybe a son or daughter who looks like they will never leave their prodigal ways, people who are standing in the way of something God wants, or another wall that stands in the way of the will and the working of God. No matter how high the wall, no matter how long it's been there, it is not unmovable. If God wants it gone that wall is coming down! Trust Him!

Me, Me, Me!

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4, ESV). I have thought many times that the selfishness of our present culture could be overcome so simply. The first step in overcoming the “me, me, me” selfishness is to realize that not everything is about you! I was interested to read how a similar thought helped a woman recovering from her husband's suicide. She was in deep pain and depression. She didn't feel like going on, even though she had two children whom she dearly loved. She took an overdose herself, and ended up in the psychiatric section of the hospital for a week. She went to a therapist who finally broke through the fog and terrible grief that filled her by saying, "This has nothing to do with you. Sometimes things just happen. Your job is to recover from great loss. This isn't your fault. This is not a lesson to be learned." And somehow that was what she needed to hear as she began the excruciatingly slow journey out of depression and grief. Your boss tears apart your latest written report. What you often don't realize is that her boss has just torn apart something she did and passes her frustration on to you. Now of course sometimes there are criticisms that we need to listen to, that we need to learn from, but there are times when we would benefit from saying, "This is not my fault. Now where do I go from here?" So it is important to be able to sort out when it is a problem you need to deal with, and when it is the other person's problem. Sometimes a second party listening ear is helpful in sorting out those kinds of things. There are many examples we might cite. Someone cuts you off in traffic. Remind yourself: This is not about me, it is not my problem. He did not do it to make me mad or cause me problems. He's just a jerk. What is his problem? Anyone who has a dysfunctional family, abusive parents or relatives, or has a just plain difficult, hard-to-live-with family member, would do well to remember this line. When your mother criticizes your Christmas present for the 10th year in a row saying, "Whatever will I do with this? I really don't need any more sweaters," you can realize: "This isn't about me or my gift. This is my mother's problem." It is true that you may try and fix the other person's problem, though often that doesn’t work. You can confront them, you can love them, you can care for them, but if they don't care enough to try and correct their own problem, you will only beat yourself up if you keep trying to fix the other person. And in the paradoxical way that is true of many ironies in this world, you end up fixing your own problem. You end up taking care of yourself, which helps you be a more whole person to all the loved ones around you. This kind of selflessness works to your benefit and others as well.

Oak Trees and Pumpkin Patches

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you. Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. (Proverbs 3:1-7, ESV). An old poem describes a woman walking through a meadow, meditating on nature. While strolling about, she came upon a field of golden pumpkins. In the corner of the field stood a majestic, huge oak tree. She sat under the oak tree musing on the strange twists in nature, which put tiny acorns on huge branches and huge pumpkins on tiny vines. She thought to herself, "God blundered with Creation! He should have put the small acorns on the tiny vines and the large pumpkins on the huge branches." Nodding off, the woman stretched out under the oak tree for a nap. A few minutes after falling asleep a tiny acorn bouncing off her nose awakened her. Chuckling to herself, she rubbed her nose and thought, "Maybe God was right after all!" I was amused when I read this little story the first time, then I began to think of the implications. I wonder how many times God has proven to us that he is right about our lives? I wonder how many times we have neglected to follow God’s direction for us and received the same results in life? Perhaps it is because when we are faced with the absolute truth of God’s direction, we still question it with “Maybe God was right after all!” That statement is funny in a story, but tragic as a philosophy of life! Trust in God is the only sure means to success. Whenever the Lord assigns us a difficult task, He gives us what we need to carry it out. John Wesley wrote, “Among the many difficulties of our early ministry, my brother Charles often said, ‘If the Lord would give me wings, I’d fly.’ I used to answer, ‘If God bids me fly, I will trust Him for the wings.’” Trust Him when dark doubts assail thee, Trust Him when thy strength is small, Trust Him when to simply trust Him Seems the hardest thing of all. Trust Him, He is ever faithful, Trust Him, for his will is best, Trust Him, for the heart of Jesus Is the only place of rest.

The Pearl of Great Price

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46, ESV). Jewelry can be fascinating. Have you ever thought much about the gemstones listed in the Scripture? One of those is in our reading this morning. The more I thought about this parable, the more I wondered why Jesus chose to use a pearl instead of a diamond? At first thought I would question the choice the Lord made choosing to leave the Father's side for a pearl instead of what we would think of as having greater significance. You probably know that the diamond is graded in value according to the 4-C's: Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat-weight. The answer to my pondering was right there! The diamond receives a substantial portion of its value from the way a person cuts it. The work of man's hand! The only natural gemstone that has more value when it is found than when men finish with it is the pearl. Like the pearl, men can add nothing to the value of their salvation. The pearl is formed when a foreign object somehow enters the inside of the oyster, and instead of ejecting the object or irritant out, as most humans would try to do, the object is covered by the oyster with layer upon layer of a substance secreted from it's own body. The object that came into the life of the oyster as an irritant, instead of being cast out is turned into something lovely within the oyster. We are like that “irritant” with our sin coming to Christ. Think about other details of the pearl. The longer the pearl stays in the oyster the more valuable it becomes. Isn't that the character of our God? When He found us we were worthless in our sin, but by God's grace, we can be of value to His Kingdom! God is using our time now to conform us into a beautiful image of His Son. The pearl is formed in a Living Object! No dead rock is the pearl, it comes from life. The very life of the oyster is given to the pearl. In Him we enjoy eternal life, and much more! The true value of the pearl is not seen from the outside. To the world around it the pearl is just another barnacle covered nasty looking shell. So we cannot truly know what we are like by looking merely at the outside. It is inward character that God desires to develop in all of us. Sometimes that development is painful. Persevere in your walk with Christ and let Him transform you from merely an “irritant” to a pearl of great value! Trust Him to bring only good from every experience in your life. You will find that in His hands there is nothing that can harm you.

Sound Asleep

Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you? You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them. (Psalm 89:5-9, ESV). Recently I read a story from an unknown source about a farmer who owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows." Enraged by the old man's response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew. There is a great lesson for us in this story. When you're prepared, you have nothing to fear. There are many different kinds of storms that blow through our lives. We can be at rest through them all when we know that we are prepared for them. The key to being prepared is in knowing where your security comes from. In our reading this morning, David’s declaration is that the Lord is the source of all security. His very character is that of faithfulness. I am not diminishing the need to do other things to prepare for the future, however don’t leave undone the most important thing. Keep yourself centered in Christ. Even when it looks like the boat is about to sink, he is ever-present to rescue you from all harm. Get a good night’s sleep! Trust the Lord!

Noah's Faith - Pt 4

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14-16, ESV). There is one last reminder that we have from the faithful life of Noah. A life of faith is a reminder to others. I saw a sign the other day, which read, "What is right is not always popular and what's popular is not always right." Noah knew what that sign means. The sun that melts the wax hardens the clay. Sun's properties do not change but the properties of the different materials on which the sun shines is revealed by its heat. In the same way, Jesus showed that the same seed scattered on different places produces entirely different results. Not because the seed alters but because the seed reveals what kind of soil it has landed upon. Whether it is the sun shinning, the seed landing, the word being preached, or the glowing testimony of a godly man or woman, the same rule applies. Faith is a reminder to the faithful Jesus said in Matthew 24:38, " For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark." They were just getting along with their lives ignoring this strange little man in their midst who was building a massive boat with nowhere to go. Perhaps they had grown used to seeing him working and preaching. Nothing else ever seemed to happen. They chose to believe that Noah was wrong about his dire predictions. But judgment fell. Matthew 24:39 says, "And (they) knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Noah's faith and faithfulness are powerful reminders to God's people who look for the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus. Noah still has something to say to God's people when they are tempted to settle into lives just like unbelievers! God's righteous judgment fell. But in the midst of the horror sailed a man and his family secure in the arms of God. Noah's faith released God's blessing upon our new world. The great advantage of Noah's faith is that it inspires us to learn, trust, and obey. These blessings are only for those who launch out into the deep. It is a fearful prospect, but one which will bring untold blessing both to you and those who will listen to your testimony. Dare to be faithful. You won’t regret it!

Noah's Faith - Pt 3

The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. (Genesis 7:17-23, ESV). We have seen that faith is a relationship of trust and faith possesses a readiness to obey. Today I want us to look at the third truth found in the life of Noah’s faith. There is power found in a responsive faith. Noah’s faith releases the blessing of God. When Noah responded in faith God released his blessing. God telling Noah what to do before the flood was a blessing. But the reality of that blessing would not be released until Noah responded in faith. Noah's faith spilled over into his family's lives. Noah expressed his faith through obedience. As he walked in obedience he preached righteousness to the condemned world. They chose to ignore it. Noah's faith continues to speak to us today. Our task is to examine our response to his message. No man could ever have expected to find within himself the resources to live as Noah lived. He had the power to take decisive action as his society plummeted toward certain destruction. Noah had the power to preach to those who refused to listen. That's hard! He walked a lonely road. There is a tapestry in a home for recovering alcoholics in Germany. It is a picture of a stream with a shoal of fish heading one way and one solitary fish swimming in the opposite direction. Underneath were the words: "Any dead fish can float downstream, it takes a live one to swim against it." Noah chose through faith to be a live one. How does your faith respond to the challenges of life? How does your faith respond to the calling of God in your life? It is always much easier to “go with the flow.” However, I have found that the greatest blessings come when I go with God! Sometimes that has stretched my abilities and capacities to more than I dreamed possible. However, each time I think I cannot take another step, God has proven more than enough. How about you? Are you having difficulty imagining taking another step? Respond with a willingness to merely incline yourself forward. You will find the power flowing to you, as you never dreamed.

Noah's Faith - Pt 2

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. (James 2:14-18, ESV). Yesterday we saw that faith is a relationship of trust. The second principle of faith is that it possesses a readiness to obey. It was only by faith that Noah set to work building a mammoth ark. Noah's Ark was huge! If you wrongly imagine the Ark looking like some of those little cartoon arks in some children's story books, with a couple of elephants' trunks and giraffes' necks sticking out the top, think again. According to the dimensions given in Genesis 6, Noah's Ark was three stories high. Its total deck area was equivalent to the area of about 20 standard college basketball courts or 36 lawn tennis courts. The interior cubic volume of space would have been equivalent to 569 modern railroad cars. Not until 1894 would another ship this size be built! Only faith that possesses a readiness to obey would not scoff at this daunting instruction. He was further instructed to take with him “seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth." The best of modern science helps us at this point somewhat. Our first question is to ask how many is that really? If we take out all the aquatic species and others not requiring actual floor space, Noah would have had to gather some 50,000 animals! That’s quite a zoo! Again, without the readiness to obey, it would have been an impossible task to imagine. No wonder so many people thought of Noah as crazy! Noah didn't seem to worry too much about what others would think or say. In spite of the incongruity of what he was doing his faith worked. Noah's faith not only led him to believe that God exist, it also led him to do as he was told to do. Is that so different than our calling today? Faith that doesn’t show itself in works is dead. Victory is achieved when we work through the doubts and derision of others. I have often wondered what victories I might have missed simply because I didn’t possess a readiness to obey in the face of doubt. Take Noah’s example as a guide for your life today. Watch the difference it will make!

Noah's Faith - Pt 1

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. (Hebrews 11:1-2, 7 ESV). Noah's Ark hasn't lost any of its fascination over the centuries. Men are climbing the icy slopes of mountains in faraway countries hoping to find fossilized remains of the masterpiece. Whether or not they'll be successful is open to question. Just this week I saw a program detailing the description of the flood and the possibilities presented by the Scriptural evidence. It is interesting that references to a flood are to found in ancient traditions and myths in all parts of the world. They vary dramatically in detail and credibility. They do suggest that somewhere in the human experience there was a flood. There was a common knowledge of such an event. Over the generations the record of such an event was corrupted for the most part. But the earth bears evidence of a flood. The Bible is the only trustworthy record. However, the great lesson to be learned from this experience is not in the fact of the flood or the scientific possibilities of the ark. The great truth is in the faith of Noah. Such faith is a lesson all of us could learn more about! For the remainder of the week we’ll look at several truths that emerge from the life of this faithful patriarch. Faith is better understood as we see it in the lives of the great men and women of the Bible. The truths of Scripture become clearer when they breathe. First, we learn that faith is a relationship of trust. You have heard others say, "Trust me." That was God’s message to Noah. It was a huge step of faith. There had to be fear and trepidation in his heart as he faced the unknown. He built the ark, stepped into it and "the Lord shut him in" (cf. Genesis 7:16). I'm sure that it was reassuring to have God to shut him and his family in. It is probably like the comfort of a child at night when the parent goes and tucks the child in bed. This probably reassured Noah that he had done the right thing. There is no biblical record where God spoke to Noah while he was building the ark or while he was on the ark for a year. Through the cataclysmic flood Noah had to go on trusting God. He trusted God regardless of his lack of understanding or his ability to see the outcome for himself. I read a story sometime ago where a man was in a dry parched land. He had no water. He was about to die. He came upon a ranching homestead in that dry parched land. There was an old water pump there. It was the type you have to pump by hand. Next to the water pump was a container of stagnant water with a note attached. The note read you must take this container of water and pour it into this pump to prime it. When you are finished drinking, fill the container and place this back upon the pump so the next traveler can prime the pump and have some water. Well, for a man about to die he had to make the decision. Is this note still valid or do I drink the container of water? The man decided to believe the note. He poured the water into the old pump and began to pump and water came forth. It was fresh water. He had all he wanted to drink. He filled the container and placed it near the pump for the next weary straggler. Noah decided to pump. What’s your decision today?

All the Way

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:14-17, ESV). Though I have only been to Miami a few times, each of those were wonderful experiences. The weather was always perfect and the accommodations great. One particular occasion we stayed in a brand new hotel for our conference, the Ritz-Carlton South Beach. It is billed as a 1950’s Art Deco styled hotel. I’m not sure what that means completely, although I do know the style of architecture and furnishings were right out of the fifties! It was a very nice hotel. It reminded me a little of the opulence you see on some of the documentaries detailing that time. I remember one evening late, after a group dinner off-site, Mary and I decided to go to the hotel restaurant and have desert. In the background they had some 50’s music playing. One of the songs was by Frank Sinatra, titled, "All The Way." One particular line of the romantic ballad goes like this, "When somebody loves you, it's no good unless they love you all the way." There is a great truth in that line. Love should be all encompassing and able to overcome even the most difficult of circumstances. Anything less than total love will crumble at the slightest wind of turmoil, and perhaps this is why so many marriages do not make it for the long haul? Love can come in many shapes and forms, such as love from parent to child and love amongst best friends, but the sacred bond of matrimony demands that the special type of martial love it takes to sustain a happy and lasting relationship between husband and wife must be present. Such a love offers our partner the best of our being, forgiving and compromising when roads become a little rough. This love endures all; the sweetness along with the bitter tears, and no longer are the two individuals regarded as separate, but one. God's relationship with His children is no different. He is not just with us when waters are smooth, but He is there when waves come crashing over the sides of our boat, and sinking seems inevitable. His love for us is so great that it can succeed where even man has failed, overcoming the worst of odds through His miraculous ways. When man may turn his back on us, our Heavenly Father never does. God offers us total love, but it is up to us to make a relationship with Him. Today, won't you invite God in to your heart and life, and there you can begin to experience love all the way!

Stop a Minute

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:10-11, ESV). I read a story about a four-year old boy. Since he is a normal little boy, his dad had an unusual way to remind him to stop a minute from what he is busily involved in and take a bathroom break. Knowing that his son understands video player functions very well, his dad just said, "Time for a bathroom break. Don't you think it's time to hit 'pause'?" Without looking up from his current project, he said in all sincerity - "I don't have a 'pause.'" I am reminded of our reading this morning as I think of that statement from the little boy. We have a father - actually, a Heavenly Father - who's saying to us, "It's time to stop a minute, to hit 'pause.'" But we're moving very fast. We're focused on the demands and projects in front of us - and we're saying, "I don't have a 'pause.'" Not a good idea. God may be trying to get you to slow down or to stop right now so He can show you some things that you will never see on the run. It could be that you've been running ahead of the Lord's timing... or pursuing what you want instead of what He wants. Isaiah quotes the Lord as saying: "Woe to the obstinate children... to those who carry out plans that are not Mine..." (Isaiah 30:1) Sobering words. All too often we can't see that we're trying desperately to make something work that wasn't God's idea in the first place. He has to pull us over to the side of the road for us to realize that we're on the wrong road. Or maybe you've been neglecting the regular timeout that God calls a "Sabbath" - you're all accelerator and no brakes, violating God's created order of taking regular rest. It's possible that God's been trying to say some very important things to you, things that would bring sense to your swirling world - but you can't hear Him because you're running so fast. Whatever the reason for your non-stop pace, I know there has to be someone reading right now to whom God is saying, "It's time to stop a minute. Don't ignore His call to "be still - and know that He is God." He's wants you to slow you down for work that needs to be done, for refueling that you desperately need, for retooling, or for redirecting you back into the center of His will. And He's actually wired us to do what His Son did at the beginning of His unbelievably busy days here on earth - to spend quiet time with Him. You see, when you don't hit stop a minute from your hectic schedule, you end up running right past the God that you cannot do without.

The Great Pyramids

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:10-15, ESV). Thirty years ago an international panel overseeing the restoration of the Great Pyramids in Egypt overcame years of frustration when it abandoned modern construction techniques in favor of the method employed by the ancient Egyptians. Located at Giza outside Cairo, some of the oldest manmade structures on earth were showing severe signs of decay by the early 1980s. Successful repair work began on the 4,600-year-old Sphinx in 1981, but restoration of the pyramids proved destructive when water in modern cement caused adjacent limestone stones to split. On January 12, 1984, restorers stopped using mortar and adopted the system of interlocking blocks practiced by the original pyramid builders. From thereon, the project proceeded smoothly. King Khufu, his son, and his grandson in the Fourth Dynasty, built the three enormous pyramids situated at Giza outside of Cairo. The largest, known as the Great Pyramid, was built by Khufu and is the only one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" from antiquity that still survives. The largest single building ever erected on the planet, the Great Pyramid was built of approximately 2.3 million blocks of stone and stood nearly 50 stories high upon completion. Its base forms a nearly perfect and level square, with sides aligned to the four cardinal points of the compass. The Great Pyramid is composed primarily of yellowish limestone blocks and was originally covered in an outer casing of smooth light-colored limestone. This finer limestone eroded and was carried away in later centuries, but the material can still be found in the inner passages. The interior burial chamber was built of huge blocks of granite. It is believed that construction of the pyramid took 20 years and involved over 20,000 workers, bakers, carpenters, and water carriers. The exact method in which this architectural masterpiece was built is not definitively known, but the leading theory is that the Egyptians employed an encircling embankment of sand, brick, and earth that was increased in height as the pyramid rose. Our reading this morning compares our lives to construction. When we use good materials and sound techniques in construction, the building lasts. The same is true in our lives. If we are incorporating good things in our lives through our experiences and activities, we can expect results that will stand the test of time. What kind of things do you “build” with in your life?

Working for Tips

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10, ESV). Much of what I know about persistence I learned early in life from the jobs I was given to do. One of them was a sacker at a grocery store owned by my uncle. It was a little larger than the one my dad owned, so there were more opportunities to earn tips. I did not get a salary, whatever money I might earn came solely from the money given to me by customers that I helped with their groceries. That seems awfully strange in today’s world, but as a ten-year-old boy this was a vast resource of income. There were days when I could earn $5.00! That was a lot of money in the 50’s! The most important ingredient for success in this venture was persistence. Not everyone gave me a “tip.” Some only gave me a few pennies. But there were those who might give me a quarter! Since I never knew which one would be the “big tipper,” I always believed that it was the one I was helping at that moment. I made sure their groceries were packaged carefully and they were treated with the utmost courtesy. I knew if I just kept at it, there would be plenty at the end of the day. Working for tips at the Minimax provided lessons in persistence that has paid dividends for a lifetime. Persistence is the single most important ingredient for success in life. It’s more important than intellect, athletic ability, good looks, or personal magnetism. If you’re willing to stumble and fall and still keep on going, you’ll succeed. Early in my career in the car business I was well rewarded because of my persistence. My first year I sold a few cars, though the number of calls I made to prospects far outweighed the number of sales. The second year I continued to persist in calling prospects and the number of sales increased. My third year, with persistence as the basis for my strategy, I led the entire dealership in sales. You see I had decided that when confronted with failure or a disappointment, you have only two choices: give up or persist. I decided to persist. After five years and managing the store, those lessons still applied. In fact, now that I am pastoring again as well as full-time counseling, I still recall those early lessons. They have worked well! If I could pass on one character trait to others, one single quality that would help them achieve success in life, it would be persistence. It’s a God-given compensation for what we lack in other areas of our life. Never underestimate its power. Whatever goals you have before you, don’t give up. Even when you feel “pressed on every side,” don’t quit! Your “big tip” is right around the corner!

Not Too Late

“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’” (Luke 13:24-25, ESV). There are some famous brothers in history. Two of the more infamous brothers were Frank and Jesse James. They were both legends in their own time, though Jesse is better remembered today because of his more dramatically violent death. The two Missouri brothers drifted into a life of crime after serving in Confederate guerilla forces during the Civil War. They began robbing banks in 1866, and their bold and impudent style won them a good measure of popular admiration. After the brothers murdered two innocent men during an 1881 train robbery, though, the state of Missouri came to its senses and offered a reward of $5,000 each for the capture of Jesse and Frank. Shot down for reward money in 1882 by one of his own gang members, Jesse achieved a false but enduring reputation as a martyr in the cause of the common people against powerful interests. One Kansas City newspaper mournfully reported his death in a story headlined, "GOODBYE JESSE." Had Frank suffered the same fate, no doubt he too would have achieved martyrdom and been the subject of popular songs like the "Ballad of Jesse James." However, Frank wisely preferred long life to martyrdom, and he turned himself in a few months after his brother was murdered. Prosecutors were unable to convince juries that Frank was a criminal, and he was declared a free man after avoiding conviction at three separate trials in Missouri and Alabama. Entering middle age and having grown weary of the criminal life, Frank James was not so foolish as to tempt fate and the watchful eyes of Missouri law officers by resuming his old ways. For the next 30 years, he lived an honest and peaceful existence, working as a race starter at county fairs, a theater doorman, and a star attraction in traveling theater companies. In 1903, he joined forces with his old criminal partner Cole Younger to form the James-Younger Wild West Show. Frank retired to his family's old farm in Missouri, where he died at the age of 72 in 1915. As I thought through the story of the James’ brothers, I recalled Jesus’ story in our reading this morning. While it is never too late to change your way of life as long as there is breath within you, there is an end to God’s patience. Death brings judgment. We all have an appointment with god to answer for our lives. Only one answer is sufficient. Without faith in Christ and his atoning work applied to our lives, there is no hope of entrance into the kingdom of God. Grace is the only answer. Frank James realized his folly in life and turned away from his old life. If you’re reading this, it’s not too late for you either.

Who Do You Love?

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4, ESV). A young boy with leukemia is fighting for his life. He is sick and vomiting from high levels of chemotherapy. As he prepares for a bone-marrow transplant, a psychiatrist comes into the room for an interview. Why? Part of her job is to determine if this boy is a worthy recipient. You have it. If the psychiatrist were to determine that this boy, or anyone else, was not a worthy recipient for the treatment, the hospital would have the option of passing on to someone who was worthy of the treatment. We live in an amazing age. The world is the stage of life. And the actors have authority over life and death. Should this be the case? It depends on your worldview. If you believe we are the products of evolution, then it is the survival of the fittest. And the job of the psychiatrist is to help determine the most fit to receive treatment. It is all quite logical. On the other hand, if you believe God created human beings in His image, the scene changes. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. And we are to give to our neighbor the treatment we would desire for ourselves. The criterion for judgment changes when God is in the picture. But, some say, there is evidence for evolution, and there is no evidence for God. Our reading this morning makes a very clear declaration about the reality of God. Beyond that, it is true that Christianity is not a game! The church is not an entertainment center! You don’t go to see a make believe play on a stage. Christianity brings a serious message for a world in need. There’s a scene in one of my favorite movies, The American President, when the president is speaking at a press conference about some serious issues and he says: “These are serious times that demand serious people.” There is a lot of truth in that statement for our culture! This is not to say that we cannot enjoy life. Jesus came so that our “joy would be complete.” However, that joy must be rooted in an unshakeable faith in God and a relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the only appropriate basis for decision-making in our lives. That changes every decision we make. It keeps us from acting like we are God and forces us to recognize our limitations without Him. Isn’t it time to stop acting and start being?

Fingerprints

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. (Romans 2:12-16, ESV). In the past few weeks I have had some time to watch some of the older reruns of favorite shows. I have just about caught up on all the “Law and Order” series. It is an older series that has gone into syndication now and has numerous reruns playing. The kernel of each of the episodes revolves around the solving of various crimes through forensic investigation. Of course, DNA and fingerprints are staples of the investigations. It is next to impossible for anyone to make anything without leaving behind their fingerprints. That's why criminals take so much care to wipe away their fingerprints. By the same token, because God made you, God's fingerprints are all over you. Too often, like the criminal, we attempt to cover up God's fingerprints. For many people in our culture, it is true that they ignore God. Some of them may pay Him a little lip service on Sunday morning, but for the most part, God is ignored. Then there is a small minority, which vocally rejects God. These people want Him banned from business and education, and especially from government. God's moral standards are to be set-aside in business. Work in the classroom must also be done without acknowledging the Author of truth. And religious convictions are to be left outside the halls of government. Unfortunately, all this maneuvering is really an effort to escape from God. But you can never really escape from God. You see, God's fingerprints are all over you and even inside of you. For example, every time you do something, your conscience gives its approval or voices its disapproval. Why? Because you are made in God's image. As a result, there is a special knowledge of right and wrong within you. That special knowledge of right and wrong is based upon what God says is right and wrong. This is the meaning of our reading this morning. God’s law is written in our hearts. So in the end, as much as you may try, you cannot escape from God, your Creator. Why don’t you turn to Him today and renew your commitment to His wonderful handiwork in your life? There is still much more that God desires from all of us. It requires our permission for Him to complete the work He has begun in us. Turn Him loose in your life!

Cowboys and Heroes

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. (Matthew 7:15-17, ESV). Several weeks ago I saw a special on TV that chronicled the life of William Boyd. For those of you who did not grow up in the early 50’s this name may not be very familiar. William Boyd made the character of Hopalong Cassidy come to life. He was a genuine hero for thousands of children. When I was a kid, cowboys were my heroes. There was Hopalong Cassidy, Tex Ritter, Tom Mix, Buck Jones, the Lone Ranger, Red Ryder, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers. Then later, there was Marshall Matt Dillon, Hoss and Li'l Joe Cartwright, Paladin, Maverick, and Rawhide's Rowdy Yates. They all had a common list of attributes. Here are a few of those:  They were never looking for trouble.  But when trouble came, they faced it with courage.  They were always on the side of right.  They defended good people against bad people.  They had high morals.  They had good manners.  They were honest.  They spoke their minds and they spoke the truth, regardless of what people thought or "political correctness," which no one had ever heard of back then.  They were a beacon of integrity in the wild, wild West.  They were respected. When they walked into a saloon (where they usually drank only sarsaparilla), the place became quiet, and the bad guys kept their distance.  They always won. They always got their man. In victory, they rode off into the sunset. Those were the days when there was such a thing as right and wrong, something blurred in our modern world, and denied by many. I still like cowboys. They represent something good, something pure that our modern world has been missing. Today’s culture is more interested in outward appearances than inward character. William Boyd sacrificed everything he owned and risked his entire future to purchase the rights to Hopalong Cassidy solely so that he could continue to portray the character to influence children toward doing what was right and good. His story had a very successful ending. He was beloved by many and his character emulated in the lives of thousands of boys and girls. There was another individual who has influenced many. He has been a hero to some. His character certainly ought to be copied into our lives. His name is Jesus. He wasn’t a cowboy, though I think had he been born in that era, he would have been! Who is your hero today? Who are you seeking to emulate? Make it Jesus!

Different Folks

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12, ESV). The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth an important principle about the differences in people. Our reading this morning is the beginning of that principle. The short version is that people are different, but all of these differences are essential. You’ve seen this in your work, at church, or in your home. How we understand what is going on with differences in personality, and how these differences affect our relationships is very important. What we learn about getting along with each other in marriage can be instructional in workplace relationships, and vice versa. John Gray has written a wonderful book that describes these differences as if men and women were from different planets, “Venus and Mars.” I recommend the book heartily, however, it may be more helpful for you to see some differences in styles as Patrick Fraleigh and Susan Gilmore have outlined. They are psychologists who have described four basic, common work styles:  The Human Radar - A person like this always keeps their antenna up for other people. The strengths of a person like this are sensitivity, tactfulness, sociableness and flexibility. Their weakness is the problem of saying yes to too many people, becoming a doormat.  Turtle with a Computer - This is an analyzing person who needs lots of data before moving ahead. This person is full of questions about any idea, and will never be accused of being "half baked;" they can be frustrating to idea-generating people.  Semi-Truck - Picture a semi-truck barreling down an interstate in the left lane and you'll get an idea of this work style: barging ahead and expecting others to do likewise or get out of the way. The positive thing about this type is they give you lots of room to come barging in with your own ideas.  Bicycle Built for Two - This is the kind of person who gets much more done if someone else is around. She needs someone to check with, talk with, and bounce ideas off of. God has created all people delightfully unique. The good news about all this is that understanding these key differences between you and your spouse or a co-worker can help you avoid situations where you are driven up the wall. Just as each part of our body is unique and essential, so are all the differences in those around us. Don’t be frustrated by them. Celebrate them. Rely on them!

Into the Unknown

Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. (Psalm 37:3-5, ESV). Ron Hutchcraft tells a story about “mystery trips” with his children. He writes: “When our kids were growing up, we tried to take advantage of Sunday afternoons for some special family time. Like a ride to the country or to some other neat spot in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. Since I like surprises, I would tell the kids we were going on a mystery trip. That was good enough for Lisa and Brad – but not Doug. No, he was the one who always had to have all the information before he decided how he felt about an idea. I’d say mystery trip, and Doug would respond with 43 questions – ‘Where are we going? How long will we be there? Where will we eat? What’s there to do? How long’s the drive?’ My answer was always the same. Two words. ‘Trust me.’” While I have never taken my children on such outings, I’ve certainly been on a few of those trips into the unknown. God has asked me to go on a lot of mystery trips with Him. Perhaps you’re on one now. The destination isn’t clear . . . the outcome isn’t clear . . . the risks are many . . .the path is unfamiliar . . . you have a lot of questions. In fact, maybe you’re hesitating to follow the Lord in the direction where He seems to be leading. There are too many unknowns. This is a good time to meditate in our reading this morning. The Lord wants to take you somewhere good. And it’s also true that He wants you to trust Him, not a goal. We’re always so focused on knowing His will. He wants us to focus on knowing and trusting Him. There’s an old Gospel song that says, “We cannot see what lies before, and so we cling to Him the more.” So your Heavenly Father is waiting to take you into the unknown, to some wonderful things He has planned for you. You’re hesitant to go. You’ve got all these questions and fears about where He might take you, and He’s just smiling and saying, “Trust Me.” He can be trusted. God’s track record in your life goes all the way back to His giving His one and only Son for you on the cross and to all He did to bring you to Him. He’s so wonderfully supplied so many needs. His mercies have been new every morning. You’ve always had your “daily bread.” Your past obedience’s have brought you into some special places. You know your Father loves you, that He knows so much more about what’s good for you than you do, that He thinks of everything. Why can’t you trust Him on this one? If your Heavenly Father is taking you on another mystery trip, just get in and let Him drive. “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him.” You don’t need to know where you’re going. You only need to know that He’s driving – and He can be trusted.