New Location

I read about a law firm that sent flowers to an associate in another city to celebrate the opening of a new law office. Through some mix-up, the card that accompanied the floral piece read, "Deepest Sympathy."

When the florist was informed of the mistake, he cried out, "Oh no! That means the card that went to the funeral home reads, ‘Congratulations on your new location’!"

If we are in Christ, then that is appropriate!

2 Corinthians 5:8,9 — We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

I don’t know fully the nature of the New Heaven and the New Earth, but I know people who have seen it. Jesus, Paul, and John all saw it and communicated it is the ultimate place to be. I’m staking my whole life on it, living in preparation and anticipation.

He's All I've Got

Poor old Jeremiah! He had such a hard task and received such a hard time. He lived and worked for God in the 6^th century B.C. He was a prophet of doom, and his message was the last thing the people wanted to hear.

They turned on him, and he felt God had done the same. Lamentations 3 is hard to read. Jeremiah accuses God of lots of things. He vents! But then, in his utter brokenness he turns back to recognizing God as good.

Lamentations 3:22-27


God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left.

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God.
It’s a good thing when you’re young
to stick it out through the hard times.
There are some powerful messages there for us, wherever we are.

Gossip

Proverbs 26:20 (The Message)

When you run out of wood, the fire goes out;
when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.

Be. . .

"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

- John Wooden

Prayer for the Week

I need to start the week off with prayer, a prayer that encourages me to consider the amazing dimensions of God’s love. Here is one that works really well. Wow! It’s Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, but I’m pretty sure it’s for us too.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. – Ephesians 3:16-21

Read, say, and pray this a few times each morning before starting your day. It will change things and change you for things!

Men & Women

A husband and wife’s journal from the same day:

HER JOURNAL:

Tonight, I thought my husband was acting weird. We had made plans to meet at a nice restaurant for dinner. I was shopping with my friends all day long, so I thought he was upset I was a bit late, but he didn’t mention it.

Conversation wasn’t flowing, so I suggested that we go somewhere quiet to talk. He agreed, but he didn’t say much. I asked him what was wrong; He said, ‘Nothing.’ I asked him if it was my fault that he was upset. He said he wasn’t upset, that it had nothing to do with me, and not to worry about it.

On the way home, I told him that I loved him. He smiled slightly, and kept driving. I can’t explain his behavior. I don’t know why he didn’t say, "I love you, too." When we got home, I felt as if I had lost him completely, as if he wanted nothing to do with me anymore. He just sat there quietly and watched TV. He continued to seem distant and absent.

Finally, with silence all around us, I decided to go to bed. About 15 minutes later, he came to bed. But I still felt that he was distracted and his thoughts were somewhere else. He fell asleep. I cried. I don’t know what to do. I’m almost sure his thoughts are with someone else. My life is a disaster.

HIS JOURNAL:

Boat won’t start; can’t figure out why.

I Love Her

Think Along 262

I Love Her

I bought a dress this week! I’m not one to buy dresses, but I saw this dress in a store that I’m associated with and just had to have it! It’s for my granddaughter who will be born in January.

Even though I’ve not met her, I have a love for her that almost makes me melt when I think about it. How can I love someone so much?

I love her because she is a part of me and related to me. I love her at a very deep emotional level, and later on, when I may not feel all these feelings, I will still love her unconditionally. I’ve made that decision.

It’s very helpful to realize God loves us like that! From the moment of your conception he has loved you and will love you forever. Look at these interesting passages of Scripture.

 Psalm 139:13-16

. . .You created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Job 10 (The Message)

Oh, that marvel of conception. . .
What a miracle of skin and bone, muscle and brain.
You gave me life itself, and incredible love.
You watched and guarded every breath I took.

Oh, how he loves us!

So Simple

Karl Barth, who died in the late 60s, was a famous theologian of the 20^th century. He is known, among other things, for his thirteen volume theological work, Church Dogmatics. He was a brilliant thinker and thoroughly thorough, probing depths of knowledge beyond many.

On his only trip to the U.S., in 1962, after a lecture that wowed the crowed of theologians, someone asked him what was the most important and profound thing to consider. The audience waited, anticipating some great truth to be eloquently articulated.

It was indeed a great truth eloquently articulated, but it was not what the crowd expected. After a short, but dramatic, pause, Barth said, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

God’s love is beyond full comprehension yet it is accessed simply by the simplest.

John 3:16 — "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

What's Your Focus?

A small town chamber of commerce invited a speaker for its annual dinner. The community’s economy was bad and people were discouraged. They wanted this motivational speaker to give them a boost.

During her presentation, the speaker took a large piece of white paper and made a small black dot at the center. Then she held the paper up and asked the audience what they saw.

"I see a black dot."

"Okay, what else?"

Others said: "A black dot."

"Don’t you see anything else?"

A resounding "No!" came from the audience.

"What about the sheet of paper?"

Then she added this:

"We tend to overlook and take for granted many wonderful things we have or happen around us, focusing our attention on small, dot-like failures and disappointments. The problems we have are usually like the black dot on the paper: small and insignificant if we can widen our horizon and look at the whole picture."

– Author Unknown

As Paul followed Jesus in this world, he suffered a lot, but instead of focusing on black dots, he saw them against the backdrop of God’s love, knowing God would use those dots for eternal purposes.

We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Lord, help me keep the dots in perspective, focusing on you.

Get Over Grouchy!

In our last post we talked about being grouchy. Two days later I saw an article entitled, "6 Ways to Un-Grouch a Grump." Wow! Timely.

Here are the 6 ways listed:

1. Schedule grouchy time. Get by yourself and let it rip. Complain and enjoy your misery. Then stop.

2. Do something silly. Intentionally. Jump in a rain puddle.

3. Eat happy food. Some foods can change your mood: muscles, seafood, eggs, and leafy greens.

4. Do something kind. Think of ways to bless the lives of others. Acts of kindness, random or otherwise, can help you.

5. Name your grouch. Give your grumpy side a name. Naming it helps you to realize it is not your true identity.

6. Be good to your gut. One word: fiber.

OK, what do you think about that? I’m not sure about all of them. Jump in a puddle? Silly for sure.

The one that stands out to me is #4. I have learned that when I think of others and do something for them, I feel better. Consider this:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 2:3-5

You get over grouchiness by following Jesus! Have a grouch-free week!

Grouchy?

I didn’t see until late in the day, but it didn’t really matter. Last Tuesday was National Grouch Day! I’m usually not grouchy (that’s my perception of me, anyway), but I felt that way a little on Tuesday. When I feel that way, I try to avoid people. You’re welcome.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a grouch is described as a person who complains frequently or constantly or a habitually irritable or complaining person. Do you know anyone who is chronic grouch? They don’t celebrate it once a year. No, it’s their way of life. Gripe, complain, grouse, mutter... Grouch! And they are not as much fun as Oscar on Sesame Street.

There are lots of reasons, I suppose, for people to be grouchy, but for the followers Jesus, well, we shouldn’t be that way. Sure, we have our moments, but we have been baptized into peace and joy.

One time someone said, describing a grouchy church member, "I think they were baptized in vinegar." That’s pretty funny and, sadly, an accurate description! I hope you will join me as I strive to live by the song that is rooted in deep theological reflection:


Booster, be a booster, don’t be grouchy like a rooster. . .

Have a great weekend!

Vacation!

It’s Fall Break where I live. It sure seems a lot of people took off to go somewhere. I am a bit envious ( in a God-honoring way, of course).

Why is that we want to get away, to go somewhere, anywhere but here? As soon as an opportunity presents itself, vroom vroom, we are gone! Out of here! G.O.N.E.

Since I’m stuck here, wishing I was somewhere else, I’ve been thinking about this. Is our desire to vacate tied to the way we live? Probably. Alabama captured it pretty well:

I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I’m in a hurry and don’t know why

We proudly embrace a self-validating "busyness" and take so little time to experience reflective rest. That’s the way it seems to me anyway.

Jesus knew about busyness at a level beyond our imagination. He even tried to control the crowds, it seems, by telling people he healed to not tell others.

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. (Luke 5:15)

Can you imagine the crowds? Jesus was compassionate and loving dealt with them. I don’t think he took vacations, so how could he do it? Maybe this is the key:

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. (Luke 5:16)

Key words: Often, Withdrew, Lonely Places, Prayed.

I need to work on this. Maybe a vacation would help? Oops, there I go again.

Adding Insult to Injury

Over the weekend, Matt Schaub, the quarterback for the Houston Texans, went down in the third quarter of the game with an ankle injury. To add insult to his injury, some of the fans in the stadium cheered! They were happy he was hurt.

Who cheers for a man who is injured? In Houston it was people frustrated and angry with him, disappointed because of unmet expectations regarding his performance and that of the team.

Has anyone ever "cheered" for your misfortune/pain, adding insult to an injury? Yeah, me too, but I also know this. I have celebrated the pain of others, and I’m guessing you have as well. Whether adding insult to another’s injury or receiving it from another, it’s probably for the same reasons the fans in Houston cheered. Disappointment. Anger. Unmet expectations. Lots of other stuff.

Sometimes we like to see others suffer, just a little at least. We need to repent, realizing that our Lord does not add insult to our injuries, even though, I’m sure, we disappoint him a lot. What does he do? He invites us to bring our injuries and insults, and the burdens they bring, to him.

Matthew 11:28,29 — "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

I want to continue to grow, becoming more like that, more like him.

One

One SONG can spark a moment

One FLOWER can wake the dream

One TREE can start a forest

One BIRD can herald spring

One SMILE begins a friendship

One HANDCLASP lifts a soul

One STAR can guide a ship at sea

One WORD can frame the goal

One VOTE can change a nation

One SUNBEAM lights a room

One CANDLE wipes out darkness

One LAUGH will conquer gloom

One STEP must start each journey

One WORD must start a prayer

One HOPE will raise our spirits

One TOUCH can show you care

One VOICE can speak with wisdom

One HEART can know what is true

One LIFE can make a difference.

Author Unknown

You are important! Your life is important, and you can make a difference for good or bad. The choices you make, one at a time, are the determining factor.

Focus on following The One, the one and only Son of God, and be aware of the ones around you watching the way you live.

One life, your life, can make a difference forever.

Friday Funny

The local news station was interviewing an 80-year-old lady who had just married for the fourth time. The interviewer asked her questions about her life and what it was like to marry again at 80. Then he asked about her new husband’s occupation.

"He's a funeral director," she answered.

"That’s Interesting," the newsman responded. He decided to ask a follow-up question.

"What occupations did your first three husbands have?"

She paused for a few moments, needing time to reflect on all those years. A smile came to her face as she explained she married a banker in her 20s, then a circus ringmaster in her 40s, and a preacher in her 60s, and now, of course, in her 80s, a funeral director.

The interviewer looked at her, quite astonished, and asked why she had married four men with such diverse careers.

She smiled and explained, "I married one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go."

Have a great weekend!

What time is it?

It’s getting about time to craft your Christmas wish list. How about this? A Tikker Watch!

This watch is really different. You enter your age, weight, eating habits, exercise patterns, vices or lack thereof, and family history. It considers, calculates and then displays years, months, days, minutes, and seconds, counting down until your death!

Fredrik Colting, the inventor, explains it is not meant to be a morbid reminder of death but a way "to cherish the time and the life that we have been given, to honor it, suck the marrow from it, seize the day and follow our hearts. And the best way to do this is to realize that seconds, days and years are passing never to come again."

An investor in the project says it is not about how time you have but what you do with it. OK, I like that. I like the idea of living with an awareness of my mortality and the promise of eternity.

From Hebrews 9:27,28, I know this:

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation.

So I/we say this everyday:

Psalm 118:24 — This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I don’t need a Tikker. I can live each day joyfully and with confidence in the future. How about you?

Silent Presence and Protection

During the long dark nights of suffering and uncertainty, we long to see, hear, or feel the presence of God, but sometimes we feel nothing but the silence and the darkness. Here is a story I found and find helpful.

A tribe of Native Americans had a special rite of passage that transformed boys into young braves. When a boy turned thirteen he was blindfolded and taken deep into the woods. There he was left to fend off the fears of the night.

The young man had never been apart from his family until that night. He had been thoroughly taught about the night, its dangers, and how to survive. The training was now put to the test. Would he trust the training and be courageous?

After being placed in the middle of unfamiliarity, he removed his blindfold and saw nothing but loneliness barely illuminated by the thin slice of the moon and distant stars. The darkness and solitude magnified every sound of the woods. What dangers lurked nearby?

After a very long night, the first signs of daylight broke through heavy tree canopy. The young brave, successfully enduring the night, began to see trees and then a path. As his eyes began down the path, he was startled.

His eyes focused on a fierce warrior only a short distance away. The warrior had bow and arrow in hand, ready to stop any threat. It was the boy’s father. He had silently kept watch through the night.

Silent presence and protection. Thank you, Father.

Spinning Plates

The other day while doing a little yard work, I noticed a lot of things that needed my attention. A quick tinge of "overwhelmedness" hit me. It’s a familiar feeling. You know it too; I’m sure. It was easy to get rid of in the yard. It was all stuff that can wait and not that important. Life outside the yard is a bit different.

Have you seen those plate spinning people?

They start spinning more and more plates, trying to keep them all going at the same time. Tension mounts as they have to run back to first ones to keep them going and then rush to others that are about to crash. I don’t like watching them. It reminds me too much of the way I live life.

As I move on in years, I see the impossibility of keeping all the plates spinning. Everything we are spinning may be good, but if we spin too many things, then we are replacing joy with stress. Anyone hear me?

What to do? Prioritize. Spin the important ones and spin them well. Won’t some plates crash to ground? Yes. Carefully prioritize in/with/through prayer, and then let it be and be at peace.

Here is the key. The Kingdom of God and its priorities are the true path to peace. Jesus said this in Matthew 6:33.

Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Spin the important plates first–faith and family–then the other stuff will fall into place, and if a few plates fall to the ground, then so be it.

I'm Back

Back at Thinking Along with you and back from a recently attempted trip to Honduras. Let’s think about that.

We asked, and St. Vincent Dunn Hospital said yes. We could have an ambulance for a small hospital in Ojojona, Honduras. The plan was to drive it there. We prayed and planned, weighing out lots of things. Aware of the various risks involved, we made a decision to trust God, believing the trip to be his will (James 4:13-15).

At the Mexican border, we ran into frustrating obstacles. Hours later, it became clear the complete driving trip was not going to happen. We peacefully accepted it, knowing the trip to the US/Mexican border was not in vain, and that by shipping it, the ambulance will still be used to serve the poor.

A verse came quickly to mind as we were leaving the Mexican border, Acts 16:6,7.

Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

I’m not Paul and our trip certainly was different from the one he was on, yet there are some important principles for us. You carefully plan, pray, and persist, striving to discern the Lord’s will. Even when you do that, there are going to be times when those plans are changed.

I wonder why, but I have no specific questions. The essence of faith is living in the unknown, living with change, and still trusting God.