Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Garland, Judy Garland, was born in 1922 and died on this day in 1969. She was one of America’s favorite singers and film actresses. She was originally named Frances Gumm. She sang in her father's theater from the age of four as one of The Gumm Sisters and later toured in vaudeville. Beginning her film career in 1935, she endeared herself to the public in the Andy Hardy film series and in the all time classic, The Wizard of Oz (1939). Her later films include Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Easter Parade (1948), A Star is Born (1954), and Judgment at Nuremburg (1960). In The Wizard of Oz she sings a very familiar song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The words are as follows: Somewhere over the Rainbow Somewhere over the Rainbow Way up high Bluebirds fly There's a land that I heard of Birds fly over the Rainbow Once in a lullaby Why then oh why can't I? Somewhere over the Rainbow If happy little bluebirds fly Skies are blue Across the rainbow And the dreams that you dare to dream Why oh why can't I Really do come true Someday I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds Are far behind me Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me Don’t you sometimes feel like that? We all wish for that “somewhere” that we can go to and be free from all our trial and difficulty. There is such a place. It is not some mythical or magical place hidden over a rainbow. It is the very home God has been preparing for all of those whom He has loved and called to be His adopted children. It is what the Apostle Paul wrote of to the Roman Christians who were suffering some of histories most heinous persecutions. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:26-30 ESV). And, he writes to us today the same comforting promises. Today, no matter how it looks, believe that He will make all things work together for your good! Your rainbow is as close as your heart!

Who Am I?

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:4-10 ESV). Who am I? I was born in 1725, and I died 1807. The only godly influence in my life, as far back as I can remember, was my mother, whom I had for only seven years. When she left my life through death, I was virtually an orphan. My father remarried, sent me to a strict military school, where the severity of discipline almost broke my back. I couldn't stand it any longer, and I left in rebellion at age of ten. One year later, deciding that I would never enter formal education again, I became a seaman apprentice, hoping somehow to step into my father's trade and learn at least the ability to skillfully navigate a ship. By and by, through a process of time, I slowly gave myself over to the devil. And I determined that I would sin to my fill without restraint, now that the righteous lamp of my life had gone out. I did that until my days in the military service, where again discipline worked hard against me, but I further rebelled. My spirit would not break, and I became increasingly more and more a rebel. Because of a number of things that I disagreed with in the military, I finally deserted, only to be captured like a common criminal and beaten publicly several times. After enduring the punishment, I again fled. I entertained thoughts of suicide on my way to Africa, deciding that would be the place I could get farthest from anyone that knew me. And again I made a pact with the devil to live for him. Somehow, through a process of events, I got in touch with a Portuguese slave trader, and I lived in his home. His wife, who was brimming with hostility, took a lot of it out on me. She beat me, and I ate like a dog on the floor of the home. If I refused to do that, she would whip me with a lash. I fled penniless, owning only the clothes on my back, to the shoreline of Africa where I built a fire, hoping to attract a ship that was passing by. The skipper thought that I had gold or slaves or ivory to sell and was surprised because I was a skilled navigator. And it was there that I virtually lived for a long period of time. It was a slave ship. It was not uncommon for as many as six hundred blacks from Africa to be in the hold of the ship, down below, being taken to America. I went through all sorts of narrow escapes with death only a hairbreadth away on a number of occasions. One time I opened some crates of rum and got everybody on the crew drunk. The skipper, incensed with my actions, beat me, threw me down below, and I lived on stale bread and sour vegetables for an unendurable amount of time. He brought me above to beat me again, and I fell overboard. Because I couldn't swim, he harpooned me to get me back on the ship. And I lived with the scar in my side, big enough for me to put my fist into, until the day of my death. On board, I was inflamed with fever. I was enraged with the humiliation. A storm broke out, and I wound up again in the hold of the ship, down among the pumps. To keep the ship afloat, I worked along as a servant of the slaves. There, bruised and confused, bleeding, diseased, I was the epitome of the degenerate man. I remembered the words of my mother. I cried out to God, the only way I knew, calling upon His grace and His mercy to deliver me, and upon His son to save me. The only glimmer of light I would find was in a crack in the ship in the floor above me, and I looked up to it and screamed for help. God heard me. Thirty-one years passed, I married a childhood sweetheart. I entered the ministry. In every place that I served, rooms had to be added to the building to handle the crowds that came to hear the gospel that was presented and the story of God's grace in my life. My tombstone above my head reads, "Born 1725, died 1807. A clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he once long labored to destroy." I decided before my death to put my life's story in verse. And that verse has become a hymn. My name? John Newton. The hymn? "Amazing Grace." Perhaps you need to call out to His amazing grace today also! It is available even to the worst of sinners. Trust in Him today!

Ob Portu

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV). In 1269 Kublai Khan sent a request from Peking to Rome for “a hundred wise men of the Christian religion… And so I shall be baptized, and when I shall be baptized all my baron and great men will be baptized, and their subjects baptized, and so there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts.” The Mongols were then wavering in the choice of a religion. It might have been, as Kublai forecast, the greatest mass religious movement the world has ever seen. The history of all Asia would have been changed. However, the opportunity was lost. Pope Gregory X answered by sending two Dominican friars. They got as far as Armenia, could endure no longer and returned home. So passed the great missionary opportunity in the history of the church. Much has been said about “opportunity.” Some have come to believe that they could have done so much better in their lives if they would have had a better opportunity. While it is true that some people do not have the same advantages as others, there is ample proof that a person’s past circumstances does not determine success. The truth is that we often fail simply because we don’t take advantage of what IS before us! In the days before modern harbors, a ship had to wait for the flood tide before it could make it to port. The term for this situation in Latin was ob portu, that is, a ship standing over off a port, waiting for the moment when it could ride the turn of the tide to harbor. The English word opportunity is derived from this original meaning. The captain and the crew were ready and waiting for that one moment for they knew that if they missed it, they would have to wait for another tide to come in. Shakespeare turned this background of the exact meaning of opportunity into one of his most famous passages. It’s from Julius Caesar, Act 4, Scene 3: There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat; And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. Regardless of your past, look for those present opportunities that God has placed before you and move forward in them. It may be very subtle and seemingly small, however each step taken in faith leads to more and more blessing. It is never too late to catch your “tide.” God constantly provides us with opportunity. Seize yours today!

Just A-Swingin'

And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” (Luke 10:25-37 ESV). A city councilman in Erie, Pennsylvania has identified an important issue. He thinks something should be done about it. His proposed remedy won’t work. Jim Casey thinks a relationship with one’s neighbors is important. On his view, television, computers, and other devices that tend to close us in our houses or apartments have made neighborliness obsolete for many people. Security, civility, and quality of life would be enhanced if people got to know each other. So Casey put an idea before the Erie City Council to study whether it should require all new homes in that city to be built with front porches. “We need to get out and meet our neighbors,” he said. “If porches can help us get back to that good quality of living, then good.” I can just see it now – everyone in Erie, just a-swingin’ on their front porches! It would be great if it was that simple, wouldn’t it? But front porches don’t change people’s hearts. It takes a lot more than that! This is the point of Jesus’ teaching in our reading this morning. The point of the parable is that a basic flaw in the fallen nature of man is a lack of respect for one another. According to Jesus, the way to love your neighbor is to take a risk, extend a hand, and do something positive in the life of a person outside your customary circle of friends. In your neighborhood, workplace, or church, you know who and where “they” are. This week is your chance to approach just one. There’s someone waiting for you to be a “Good Samaritan” to today. Find them and help them!

Connecting With Others

The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly. A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:23-24 ESV). Loneliness is a growing problem in our society. A study by the American Council of Life Insurance reported that the loneliest groups in America are college students. That’s surprising! Next on the list are divorced people, welfare recipients, single mothers, rural students, housewives, and the elderly. To point out how lonely people can be, Charles Swindoll mentioned an ad in a Kansas newspaper. It read, “I will listen to you talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5.” Swindoll said, “Sounds like a hoax, doesn’t it? But the person was serious. Did anybody call? You bet. It wasn’t long before this individual was receiving 10 to 20 calls a day. The pain of loneliness was so sharp that some were willing to try anything for a half hour of companionship.” It is amazing that so much has been said in recent years about friendship. You would think, with the ability to “connect” so easily with so many people from all over the world, that finding a friend would be no challenge at all. However, the opposite seems to be true. In such a crowded world there are many that need a friend and simply can’t find one. Some have offered that they simply aren’t friendly. That provides an easy excuse for not befriending another, but it does not solve the problem at all! We are called on in the Body of Christ to be that close brother to another, to be a friend. I like the following paragraph of definition from Bits and Pieces: Friends are people with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with them. They ask you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. They do not want you to be better or worse. When you are with them, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, as long as it is genuinely you. Friends understand those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you. With them you breathe freely. You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meanness and absurdities, and in opening them up to friends, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of their loyalty. They understand. You do not have to be careful. You can abuse them, neglect them, and tolerate them. Best of all, you can keep still with them. It makes no matter. They like you. They are like fire that purges to the bone. They understand. You can weep with them, sing with them, laugh with them, and pray with them. Through it all—and underneath—they see, know, and love you. A friend? What is a friend? Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself. Do you have such a person as that in your life? Are you such a person in another’s life? You can be. You should be. Ask God to bring a friend into your life today, AND ask the Lord to show you someone to be a friend to today!

Always Positive

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! (Psalm 84:11-12 ESV). Why are some people always positive and others are not? Everyone has the ability to be happy and positive. All of us make a decision when we first wake up in the morning whether or not the day is going to be a positive day, a negative day, or a miserable day. It is a choice we make. What happens during that day or what your responsibilities are have absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you have a positive day. You make the choice on how to deal with things that occur, and how you approach problems and opportunities. Here are some suggestions to have a positive day keep the following in mind:  Every problem has a solution. No matter how difficult a problem seems to be there is a solution. Keep looking until you find it. Even putting something “on hold” is a solution of sorts.  Failures always lead to learning something you can use later. Failure is never final when you are a child of God. Failures are momentary setbacks.  Many times you must take a step back before you take two steps forward. That step back may be a launching pad for one of the biggest steps forward you have ever taken.  After a crisis is always an opportunity. God’s promise to us is to work ALL things toward our good!  You control your thoughts and feelings. Don’t let past failures or future fears rob you of your present joy.  You make the choices that determine your fate. Don’t let outward circumstance rob you of your inward joy. Let me suggest a few things to do as soon as you wake up each morning:  Wake up, look out the window and see how beautiful the morning sun is.  Say to yourself, "I am going to have a great day today".  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, eat a breakfast.  Tell your spouse and children you love them.  Plan your day and set your daily goals.  Listen to music that makes you feel energized.  Smile and get on with your wonderful day. The world is a beautiful place. There is an opportunity around every turn. No wonder David could say: No good thing will the LORD withhold from those who do what is right. O LORD Almighty, happy are those who trust in you. Trust in Him to make your day wonderful today. Believe that it will be so and no matter what happens; know that there are good things in His plan for you. Walk in that confidence and your day will be positively GREAT!

Good Gifts to His Children

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7-11 ESV). Sometimes it’s easy to take things for granted. When we do, it is also easy to loose sight of the protective care and love of our heavenly Father. Recently I read an excerpt from a book by James Kennedy. It’s kind of a "Did you know?" piece that puts the simplest gifts given to us in perspective. He writes: The world in which live shows clearly the care and concern of God. Here’s why: If our earth were just 10% closer to the sun we would burn up. If it were 10% farther from the sun we would freeze to death. If the moon were one fifth closer to the earth we would have 50-foot tidal waves twice a day covering most of the earth’s surface. Now here’s something I did not know. Most liquids contract when they freeze. Yet, when water freezes, it expands! If it didn’t, all of the lakes (and there are lots of em’) and rivers would freeze from the bottom up and all of the fish would be killed. We live on something like an apple. The solid part of the earth is relatively thinner than the skin of an apple. Most of the rest of the earth is molten lava capable of burning us instantly to a cinder. Above us there are ultra violet rays and other rays also capable of destroying us. We are protected from the heat below and we are protected from the killer rays above by the atmosphere, and definitely by the hand of a higher being. Our balanced atmosphere with 21% oxygen is just right for humans to breathe and just thick enough to keep us from being killed by millions of meteorites that constantly strike this planet every year and are burned up in our atmosphere! Be careful that you don’t just read these facts and come away with a “That’s nice, so what?” attitude. It underscores the love and care of God for us. When I get the feeling that God has forgotten me, or worse, that He is punishing me, it is helpful to do two things. First, I always go directly to Him. Sounds silly to be reminded of that fundamental principle. But, most of the time we forget to go to the real source of life. Like David did when he found himself feeling abandoned, I cry out to the Lord. Second, I ask Him for His gifts of life. There are those times when I have made mistakes that have brought some consequence of difficulty into my life. However, God’s desire for me is to lift me out of those things and place me back on a path of peace and joy. He delights in giving to all of His children good gifts. We turn ourselves toward the negative so quickly and play the part of martyrs. Jesus died so that we might have life. Trust in that truth. As you read the things God did in the creation to insure that we would be safe on earth, does it sound like He wants to hurt us? Of course not! He wants to give us good things. Ask for them! Accept them!