Smarter

A strong young man at the construction site was bragging that he could outdo anyone in a show of strength. He really picked on Morris, one of the older workers.

After several minutes, Morris had enough.

"Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" he said. "I will bet a week's wages that I can haul something in a wheelbarrow over to that outbuilding that you won't be able to wheel back."

"You’re on, old man," the braggart replied. "It’s a bet! Let’s see what you got."

Morris reached out and grabbed the wheelbarrow by the handles. Then, nodding to the young man, he said, "Alright. Get in."

Job 12:12 — Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?

Trust

This week I am working on a sermon from Deuteronomy 1. It’s about the 12 spies who explored the Land of Canaan. They found the land to be wonderful, but 10 of the 12 also saw things that scared them. There were big cities and big people!

"There is no way we can occupy this land!"

Those 10 men had a short memory. They looked at the obstacles and quickly forgot the promise of God. They forgot what God had done recently. Even with reminders, they could not grasp what God did or could do.

Deuteronomy 1:30-32 — The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the desert. There you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God. . .

It’s a tragic story. The bright spot in the story belongs to the 2 faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb. They remember, and they have faith in who God is and what he has done and will do.

There is a constant battle between the promises of God and perception of danger which brings fear. One is based on your ability, and the other is trusting in God’s. We choose one or the other.

I will have to make that choice again today. Lord, help me to trust in you and not me.

Good to Hear

Psalm 34:11-18

Come, my children, and listen to me,
and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?

Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
his ears are open to their cries for help.
But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
he will erase their memory from the earth.

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

I like this. A lot.

Encourage

 

Brett McKay presents a list of 10 things regarding giving compliments. It’s worth looking at, considering, and putting into practice.

He sets up the list by telling of a sincere compliment he received from a coach many years ago. McKay was not the most talented guy on the team, but the coach recognized his strong work ethic and spoke to him specifically about it.

That compliment turned into life-changing, not-forgotten encouragement that impacted the way he perceived himself. Still does.

I wonder how many lives we can change with a few sincere compliments that move into encouragement?

Here’s the list:

1. Start paying attention.

2. Compliment the small stuff.

3. Be specific.

4. Be sincere.

5. Avoid the backhanded compliment.

6. Explain how the person’s great qualities affect you.

7. Vocalize your thoughts.

8. Compliment someone in front of others.

9. Relay "second-hand compliments."

10. Don’t delay.

I'm Ready

Last Friday, Kedra and I, while traveling from Tennessee, stopped to eat in Kentucky. While we were eating, the hostess seated a solitary man at the table behind us. I was struck by his attire: white cowboy hat, suede vest, jeans, and white boots with long fringe coming from the top. The boots went to his knee; his pants were tucked inside.

Next the hostess brought in another solitary man, a very talkative man. I noticed he struck up a conversation with the cowboy. I heard the end of a speech, something about "all the atheists live in China." The cowboy nodded in silence.

As we were leaving our table, I heard, "Hey!" It was coming from the talkative man. I Ignored it. I heard it again and ignored it again. Then he said it too loudly to ignore. "HEY!" I looked at him, and he motioned while saying, "Come here!"

He leaned toward me, and I leaned in slightly, "Yes, sir?"

He then said, "When the trumpet sounds, make sure your feet get off the ground!" He smiled and waited for my response.

With a smile, I said, "I’m ready!" He smiled back, and said, "God bless you!"

1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 — For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Blessings

Thank you Laura Story!

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace.
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep.
We pray for healing, prosperity.
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering.

All the while, You hear each spoken need.
Your love is too way too much to give us lesser things.
Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this night, are Your mercies in disguise?
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear.
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near.
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love.
As if every promise from Your word is not enough.

All, the while, You hear each desperate plea.
And long that we'd have faith to believe.
Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this night, are Your mercies in disguise?
When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win;
We know that pain reminds this heart, that this is not, this is not our home.
It's not our home.

Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops?
What if your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?
What if my greatest disappointments, or the aching of this life;
Is a revealing of greater thirst that a world can't satisfy?

And what if trials of this life, the rain, the storms, the hardest nights;
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Listen

Are you a good listener?

Do you do what I do a lot? Kinda listen, just waiting for a pause from the other so I can say what I want to say. I’m working on being better.

Really listening to others requires us to actively hear their words and imagine the scenes they are describing, while feeling what they feel about them.

Some say listening is an art. That may be true, but it is also a learnable skill. Maybe a more important emphasis: it is a gift, a gift of hospitality to the other.

Henri Nouwen says this:

Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves. Listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully, and even to dare to be silent with you.

I’m trying to hear his words today.

James 1:19 — My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak. . .

Wrong place

It’s a very catchy phrase, descriptive too.

The wrong place at the wrong time.

Have you ever been there? Are you there now?

Most people know the Bible story of King David and his affair with Bathsheba. David lusts and then fulfills them. Bathsheba conceives a child, turning David’s fulfilled fantasy into a nightmare. David crafts a cover-up that includes murder. It gets really really ugly.

As the narrator starts the story, in 2 Samuel 11, he says this seemingly innocuous thing.

In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war . . . David remained in Jerusalem.

I think the narrator is saying, "David was in the wrong place at the wrong time." He should have been at war, but he was at home - wrong place at the wrong time.

When you start there, then things get worse. They certainly did for David.

It provides a powerful point about where we position ourselves. Are there certain places you need to stay away from, knowing the temptation there will be powerful?

I can think of a few for me. What about you?

Perspective

I really like this old, simple poem by Saxon White Kessinger. It helps me keep everything in perspective. It also reminds me to find identity in someone besides myself.

Sometime when you’re feeling important;
Sometime when your ego’s in bloom
Sometime when you take it for granted
You’re the best qualified in the room,

Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions
And see how they humble your soul;

Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that’s remaining
Is a measure of how you’ll be missed.

You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore,
But stop and you’ll find that in no time
It looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example
Is do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,
There’s no indispensable man.

This week I need to remember that I am a child of God, thanks to the work of Jesus.

That identity transcends all the temporary things that I am and do. I’m not indispensable now, which is liberating, when you think about it.

My true identity, my standing and status with God will allow me to live forever.

That’s Good News!

Be Careful

Jon received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude. The words out of the bird’s mouth were rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

Jon tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Jon was fed up. He yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. Jon shook the parrot and the parrot got even angrier and more rude.

Finally, Jon in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the belligerent bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then, suddenly there was total quiet, not a peep was heard.

Fearing that he had hurt the parrot, Jon quickly opened the door to the freezer.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto Jon's outstretched arm and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I am sincerely remorseful for any inappropriate transgressions. I fully intend to do everything I can do to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

Jon was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. He was about to ask the parrot why he had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, but the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

It’s true, isn’t it? That your mouth can get you in all kinds of trouble, take you places you don’t want to go, and make you think horrible things that might not even be true. Be careful.

A Song about Me

Think Along 198

Can you image someone writing a song about you?

"Oh, that’d be cool! A song about me!"

"About how good I am?"

"Or maybe about some heroic act I performed?"

What if I said the song is not be about your goodness but about something you did, something that was not so good?

For example, something like these:

A song about Mary, the Sunday school teacher, when she was caught shoplifting.

A song about Timmy, recently baptized, when Timmy was caught, by Susie’s dad, in the back seat of the car with Susie.

A song about Beth Ann, the honor student, when Beth Ann was caught plagiarizing a college paper.

A song about Joe the Christian, when his wife Mary caught him viewing pornography on the family computer late at night.

A song about Jan, when she was caught having an affair with Bill, her boss.

Still want a song written about you?

"We’ll not like that!"

What you need to know is the song, written about your worst sin, and your worst nightmare, which is likely getting caught in the act of doing your worst sin, reveals that things turn out OK.

Things turn out OK — ONLY by the grace of God.

King David from long ago knows all about it.

Psalm 51 — For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

It’s actually one of the most beautiful songs you’ll ever hear. Go listen to it. Psalm 51.

God is not Fair

Think Along 197

I sometimes hear people complain, "God is not fair."

It’s usually in the context of a person experiencing something unpleasant or painful. Death and disease often precipitate these sorts of comments.

We live in a fallen world as a fallen people. Stuff happens. Bad stuff. The complaints are understandable.

I have to agree that God is not fair, and that’s the best news you’ll ever hear. Really!

He does not treat us as we deserve; he does not administer the justice associated with his holiness.

Along time ago, David recognized that and wrote about it in Psalm 103.

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.

Uniforms

It’s hard to believe, but it is time for baseball!

Have you ever thought about why baseball managers wear a uniform? They do not wear suits like many basketball coaches. They do not wear team casual wear like many National Football League coaches.

Baseball coaches wear baseball uniforms.

Why? Seems like there are lots of reasons. It’s a tradition that is very old, and the reason I liked best from my brief research into the issue was this. "That’s baseball."

I would like to think that there is something there about identity, solidarity, comradery and community. The coaches and the players wear the same uniform because they share a common goal and purpose.

That reminds me, of course, of the Incarnation of Jesus -- God becoming human for our sake, to show us that he is one with us.

Speaking of Jesus, the writer of Hebrews says, "He had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might . . . make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Notice what happens in our baptism, according to Galatians 3:26,27.

By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise.

Now that’s identity, solidarity, comradery, and community! Hallelujah!

Fear Not

How about one of those "fear nots" for a Monday?

Lamentations 3:55-57

I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
You heard my plea: "Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief."
You came near when I called you,
and you said, "Do not fear."

Have a good, fearless week!

Too many words

A woman's husband had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months, yet she had stayed by his bedside every single day. One day when he came to, he motioned for her to come nearer.

As she sat by him, he whispered, eyes full of tears, "You know what? You have been with me all through the bad times." He started naming them, pausing for breath after each one.

"When I got fired, you were there to support me."

"When my business failed, you were there."

"When I got shot during the robbery, you were by my side."

"When we lost the house, you stayed right there with me."

"When my health started failing, you were still by my side."

"You know what?"

"What dear?" she gently asked, anticipating, smiling as her heart began to fill with warmth.

He replied, "I am beginning to think you are bad luck."

* * *

Proverbs 10:19 — When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise.