God Likes Me
I have turned another year older this week, and I hope that I am a wee bit wiser. When I get close to my birthday, I find myself contemplating the past year. To be honest, since my birthday falls very close to Unleavened Bread, I start introspection at Passover and continue it until my birthday.
ENCOURAGING AND BEING ENCOURAGED
During the Days of Unleavened Bread, my wife, daughter, and I had the opportunity to visit with three different congregations, encouraging them, and discussing the meaning of those important days as we celebrated them. We have had the privilege many times to take such trips, with the stated purpose of giving a message of encouragement from the Scriptures, and to fellowship with the brethren.
Speak No Evil
I have a friend that tries to live his life by the motto, “Speak evil of no one. Speak good of everyone.” It is a very good motto to go by, and it is also Godly. Paul tells Titus, “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men” (Titus 3:1-2, emphasis mine).
God’s Desire
God desires none to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He desires all to come to repentance and to accept Christ as their Savior. He desires us to love Him with all our heart and soul (Deuteronomy 6:5; Joshua 22:5; Mark 12:30). He desires us to love our neighbor (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). He also desires us to forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15), to serve (Galatians 5:13), to edify each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11), and many more Godly characteristics.
I Love To Tell the Story
At a recent Christian Women’s Conference, I had the opportunity to lead the “Get to know you” activities. It is always exciting to bring people together and learn new things about folks you haven’t met before or those you haven’t seen in a long time. The fact that you can get people to become vulnerable and share stories in a place they deem a safe environment is such a freeing experience. When people give a little of themselves, it creates a special bond.
Are You Neglecting Your Gifts!
Are you using the gifts that God gave you to benefit His word? In the bible God says He’s given each of us a gift that we should use to not only serve one another, but to also serve God & His church! (1 Peter 4:10) Are you using the gifts that God has blessed you with to spread His word? All of us in the church have a gift or a few gifts that God has blessed us with that we can use to grow & spread His word. I guess the biggest question is why God’s people won’t put their gifts in to use for His church/gospel. Why do we give our all at work, but come to services & we’re happy to sit there not really participate?
THE GIVING AND THE BEING
This coming Sunday evening at sunset, many of us will memorialize the death of our Savior by taking the symbols of the New Testament Passover. We will meet, quietly and reflectively, to review the meaning of these symbols, and participate, by washing one another’s feet (John 13:3-17), eating unleavened bread, and drinking what amounts to a sip of wine (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), to commemorate the killing of Jesus Christ as the perfect, sinless sacrificial Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19; 1 John 3:5), slain for the sins of mankind (John 1:29; Revelation 5:9).
“UNFRIENDING” YOUR BROTHER
For those who are on Facebook, we know what it means to “unfriend” someone. On occasion, you will accept someone into your “inner circle” by accepting their friend request, only to find out that they are a person that you have little or nothing in common with. Maybe you knew them in college, but since you saw them last, 20-plus years ago, time and circumstances have led you down different paths.
There are No What Ifs
I find myself sometimes asking, “What if I had done so and so differently? Where would I be now?” Or “What if such and such didn’t happen?” Basically, I have a tendency to say “what if” as if I could go back and change the present outcome. It is all hypothetical nonsense, really. It also causes me to keep looking backwards instead of watching where I am going, which may cause me to “run” into something or miss out on things right now. The truth is, there are no what ifs, there is only what is.
A Walk With God
In my morning walk today, thoughts just began to flow and by the end of my walk, I had tears streaming down my face. These tears were a mixture of humbleness and thankfulness, tinged with a bit of sadness and maybe even longing.
Sparked by a blog post and a Facebook post, I had been mulling over thoughts about coming out of a former church organization, the same one these people posted about.
Two are Better than One
My children wanted to have an unplugged camping trip on our property, meaning no devices, not even a cell phone. They scoped out the spot, planned supplies, put everything together, and set out yesterday to camp. They did have long range walkie-talkies so that I could stay in touch with them. It was so neat watching them go with their backpacks and tents. I am sure it made them feel very grown-up.
LEANING OUT INTO THE WIND
The smoke stacks at the power plant I worked at were over 600 feet tall. We were building the coal-fired plant and we had to line the inside of both stacks with brick. There was a cable drawn elevator for hauling people, bricks, and mortar that went all the way to the top on the inside of the stack. One of the workers told me, “If you stand out on the edge of the stack on top, the wind is so strong that you can lean out into the wind and not fall.” Visions of what would happen if the wind stopped raced through my mind, but, I guess there was no real danger of that happening in Wyoming. I never tried it because I was not allowed on the elevator. But, crazy as it may seem, I always wanted to. As a young man, I was a risk-taker. It is amazing I have lived as long as I have.
Growing Your Talents
This past weekend I attended the New Church Lady Women’s Conference in Lindale, TX. I also was given the opportunity to speak during the conference. The conference was great. It was uplifting and edifying. I always enjoy meeting new people and catching up with those that I already know. It is also a blessing to be able to visit and learn from each other. It is a rejuvenation for our Christian walk.
SHOWING THE FACE OF OUR FATHER
Every boy looks up to his father, and when he is young, wants to be just like him. I believe that is something that God placed into boys. Boys want to be like their father, and girls want to be like their mother. Unfortunately, as boys become young men, and girls become young ladies, all too often they don’t want to emulate their parents. Why is that? Because Satan is trying to destroy the family, and because as humans we are imperfect.
What’s Your Standard?
It is becoming increasingly obvious that many people seem to have the inability to listen. Unless the news is exaggerating about how people are behaving these days, it seems that a lot of people want to be heard, but they are unwilling to calmly listen to the opposing side. This in turn creates a shouting match of chaos. The real problem is people want others to treat them in a way that they are unwilling to treat others. The idea of, you listen to me only and do not attempt to disagree.
A SPECIAL TIME OF YEAR…
This is a very special time of year. We are only six weeks away from remembering the work of us being reconciled to our Father, and the salvational work, produced by the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. For those keeping the Holy Days as outlined in Leviticus 23, this time of year focuses our attention on the Passover, a ceremony that was a “shadow of things to come” (Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 10:1). Passover represents many things, but, one of the main things it points to is Jesus Christ as our perfect Passover Lamb being sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Who is Your Neighbor?
I know that we all know the parable of the Good Samaritan. I have read it many times, but the other day my husband modernized it in such a way that it made me think about it in a different light. I can’t remember word-for-word what he said, but I will modernize it in my way.
I want to first point out why Jesus tells this parable. A lawyer decides to test Jesus and asks, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Jesus then asks him what is written in the law.
THE DAY AFTER…
The day after Jesus Christ returns, I will be a spirit being, living as a part of God’s Family (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). I will no longer have physical aches, pains, or imperfections in my body. All of the restraints caused by birth defect, accident, abuse, or age will no longer bind me or slow me down (1 Corinthians 15:35, 42-44). I will be able to jump around if I so desire, or zip from place-to-place at the speed of thought. The first time walking through a wall instead of using the door will be really fun. There will be a lot of firsts, and they all will be fun. I am really looking forward to, the day after…
God Listens
There are never small miracles because every miracle is wonderful. It is always awesome when God answers prayers, whether it is healing or just Him taking our anxiety away. I am realizing that I need to stay aware of all the answered prayers that I have because every single one is an awesome miracle. It is so uplifting when our prayers are answered. In fact, Proverbs points out that a “desire fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). Therefore, an answered prayer is life giving to our soul.
Complete
This week my husband had to go on a long business trip. He is currently in Indonesia and about to go to China. It is not a normal thing for him to have to travel so far, but it happens every so often. When he is gone, though, I feel incomplete. My husband balances me. I truly understand the concept that two people become one when married because I feel like half a person when my husband is out of town. Therefore, I really dread these times when we are apart.