Give Thanks Always

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; GIVE THANKS in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:15-18

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Love

Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.

Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help.

That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

1 Peter 4:7-11 The Message

Strength

"The Law for the Wolves" by Rudyard Kipling is worth reading and reading again.

Probably the most popular and quoted line is this:

"The strength of the pack is in the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is in the pack."

So true!

Be Careful What You Say

A 5 year-old girl goes to the hospital with her mother to visit her grandfather. When they get to the hospital, she runs ahead of her mother and bursts into her Grandpa's room.

"Grandpa, Grandpa!!" she says excitedly, "as soon as my mother comes into the room, talk like a frog!"

"Well okay dear, but why?" replied her Grandpa.

"Talk like a frog because mommy said that as soon as you croak, we're all going to Disney World!"

Precious Memories

The other day I was going through some books and found this sweet little note from my sweet little girl. Still so sweet, she’s 20 now, so this note is several years old. It warmed, and continues to warm, my heart.

I have little notes and cards from all my children, scattered in books and in drawers. I love bumping into them from time to time, even though they sometimes make my eyes mist a bit.

Soon we will decorate our Christmas tree. On it will be crudely crafted ornaments made by little loving hands. The cards and crafts transport us back to days of loving and adoring innocence.

Good days from back then provide precious memories now. It reminds me of that old hymn.


Precious memories, how they linger,

How they ever flood my soul;

In the stillness of the midnight,

Precious, sacred scenes unfold.


As I travel on life's pathway,

Know not what the years may hold;

As I ponder, hope grows fonder,

Precious memories flood my soul.

My hope is to live forever in the presence of a God who highly values childlike innocence and love.

Can you see it?

Earth’s crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes —

The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, "Aurora Leigh"

Lord, open our eyes!

Old Farmer Wisdom

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.

Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered not yelled.

Meanness don't just happen overnight.

Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.

It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.

You cannot unsay a cruel word.

When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.

The best sermons are lived, not preached.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with watches you from the mirror every mornin'.

Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.

Good judgment comes from experience and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

God is our Refuge

Let’s get the week off to a good start! You know there will be all kinds of challenges and tests this week, as usual. Remember, you are not alone.

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

Two Boy Two Views

Once there were five-year-old twin boys, one a pessimist and the other an optimist. Wondering how two boys who seemed so alike could be so different, their parents took them to a psychiatrist.

The psychiatrist took the pessimist to a room piled high with new toys, expecting the boy to be thrilled. Instead he burst into tears. Puzzled, the psychiatrist asked, "don't you want to play with these toys?"

"Yes," the little boy bawled," but if I did I'd only break them."

Next the psychiatrist took the optimist to a room piled high with horse manure. The boy yelped with delight, clambered to the top of the pile, and joyfully dug out scoop after scoop, tossing the manure into the air with glee. "What on earth are you doing?" the psychiatrist asked.

"Well," said the boy, beaming "There’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!"

~ Author unknown ~

Throwback Thursday

To participate in Throwback Thursday, using social media, on Thursdays you post a picture of yourself from the past. It’s fun and funny in lots of ways. I suppose it is a healthy way to remember the past.

A lot of us participate in another kind of throwback, which is not healthy and is every day, not just Thursdays. We remember the wrongs others did to us. We become amateur archeologists, digging up the painful past, demanding wrongs be made right.

One day a man was talking to his friend about his wife. "Every time we argue, my wife gets all historical." His friend, correcting him, said, "You mean hysterical." "No, I meant what I said. She gets historical. She brings up everything from the past."

Grudges are heavy things to carry, harming mostly the carrier, but also destroying the possibility of relationships being restored. What’s the answer? Forgiveness.

Forgiveness in many ways is complicated, yet in other ways it is fairly simple. Jesus provides the perfect example. Peter, writing to persecuted people, reminds them they are following in the steps of Jesus. I love what he says in 1 Peter 2:23.

When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

Jesus absorbed the pain and the injustice of people behaving sinfully. The key, it seems, is found at the end of the verse, "He entrusted himself to him who judges justly." To forgive, I must follow the model of Jesus absorbing pain and injustice, while trusting in a God who will make things right.

Great Qualities

Two of the greatest qualities in life are:

1. Patience

2. Wisdom

The Other Side

A terminally ill man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side."

The doctor humbly and quietly said, "I don't know."

"You don't know? You're a Christian man and don't know what's on the other side?"

The doctor was holding the handle of the door. On the other side was scratching and whining. As the doctor opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him, clearly delighted to see him.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, "Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. All he knew was his master was here. When the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death. But I do know one thing. I know my Master is there and that is enough."

Hello My Name Is

Hello, my name is regret
I'm pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I'm the whisper inside
That won't let you forget

Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I'll drag you right back down again

‘Til you've lost all belief
These are the voices, these are the lies
And I have believed them, for the very last time
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I've been saved, I've been changed,
And I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it's true
Just take a look at my life

What love the Father has lavished upon us
That we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King
                                             –Matthew West

Be Real

Bill grew up in a small town and moved away to attend college and law school. He decided to come back to the small town, thinking he would be honored for doing well. He really wanted to impress everyone, hoping to find significance from the praise of others.

He opened his new law office, but business was very slow. One day, he saw a man coming up the sidewalk. He decided to make a big impression on this new client. As the man came to the door, Bill picked up the phone, motioning the man in. Bill began talking.


"No. Absolutely not! You tell those jokers in New York that I won't settle this case for less than one million."

"Yes. The Appeals Court has agreed to hear that case next week. I'll be handling the primary argument and the other members of my team will provide support."

Bill continued in similar fashion for about five minutes. The man sat patiently through it all. Finally, Bill put down the phone and turned to the man. "I'm sorry for the delay, but as you can see, I'm very busy. What can I do for you?"

The man replied, "I'm from the phone company. I came to hook up your phone."

A lot of us spend a fair amount of time trying to find significance and validation by impressing others. I’m guilty. Perhaps you are too.

If we belong to Christ, then our significance and validation are found in being his brother and being a beloved son or daughter of our Heavenly Father.

Galatians 3:26,27 — So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Facing Fear

Recently a few friends and I volunteered at Ironman Florida. An Ironman is a long course triathlon consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a bike ride of 112 miles, followed by a 26.2 mile run. It’s truly an endurance event lasting all day and, for many, into the night.

Some of my friends have done them, and I want to do one too. (Insert "Crazy!" "Nuts!" comments here.) I can ride and run the distance. My problem is swimming. Two years ago I couldn’t dog paddle to save my life. Literally. The water terrified me, but my desire to learn to swim was greater than my fear of drowning.

It has been a long journey and I’m still not there, but I’ve never been alone. From the first frightful night in the pool, my friends have encouraged and helped me. While at Ironman, I donned my wetsuit and made my way into the rough water. Two friends went in with me, while two watched from the shore.

The nearby presence of accomplished swimmers, coupled with watchful eyes on shore, took away (most of) the fear. I gained confidence and believe, a year from now, I will complete the open water swim.

Reflecting on this experience, I see a picture of God’s presence and protection. God, I believe, often makes his presence known through other people, reminding us we don’t have to face our fears alone. I am thankful for supportive and protective friends. I’m sure you are too.

I am thankful to receive support and protection, and I hope to be representative of God’s support and protection in the lives of others facing fears. Maybe you would like to too? Let’s keep our eyes open for opportunities today.

What do you think?

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.

Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself.

— Philippians 2:1-5a

All sin and all problems are rooted in selfishness. Jesus was selfless and sinless, thinking of others before himself. A friend of mine once said, "I’m not much, but I am all I think about."

That made me laugh, but there is a lot of truth in it for most of us. Read those words from Paul again. Wow! This could really change the world.

In This House

What’s your home like?

We are getting closer to experiencing the empty nest, but that transition will not exert its full-force thanks to the arrival of a grandchild before our last child flies the coop. Regardless of how all that plays out, it’s a time in my life to reflect a little about how we did "home."

The picture is pretty close to what we intended to do. One key element in our home was/is the table and simple meals shared together with a loving prayer. No TV; no distractions. Our intention was/is to reflect the love of God and his way of dealing with us. We want our kitchen table to reflect the communion table.

Centering a home on a table that reflects the unconditional of God allows it to be a place of peace and joy, a place of security. It’s not easy, but with God’s help and intentional practices, like the ones pictured, it can be done.

May God bless your home.

Waiting in Hope

Lamentations 3:28-33


When life is heavy and hard to take,
go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:
Wait for hope to appear.
Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.
The "worst" is never the worst.

Why? Because the Master won’t ever
walk out and fail to return.
If he works severely, he also works tenderly.
His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.
He takes no pleasure in making life hard,
in throwing roadblocks in the way.