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All Rights Reserved. http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=56 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=56&article_id=417 2010 Bulletins2009 Bulletins2008 Bulletins2007 Bulletins Mon, 8 Mar 2010 14:44:09 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=115 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=115&article_id=580 March 28March 21March 14March 7 Mon, 8 Mar 2010 14:41:37 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=115 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=115&article_id=556 February 28February 21February 14Feburary 7 Mon, 8 Mar 2010 14:41:37 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=115 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=115&article_id=544 January 31January 24January 17January 10January 3 Mon, 8 Mar 2010 14:41:37 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=579 Some men came bringing a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of them (the crowd) they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying one. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son your sins are forgiven." Mark 23-5 All right bring out the popcorn, the soda and the chocolate candy bars. It's time to go to the movies. You must have all those goodies before you can watch a movie don't you? That's what The Lovely Susette tells me anyway. By the way, have you checked out the price of concessions at your local theater lately? Yikes! You almost have to take out a loan to buy those after you've bought your ticket. Anyway, the Academy Awards ceremonies were held this past Sunday evening. I always watch those on television. Sometimes when I drag off to bed with tired, bleary-eyes and have to get up early the next morning, I wonder whatever possessed me to stay up to the bitter end. I've been doing this for so many years now you'd think I would remember how boring parts of the show are. Also, how put off I am when some actors think they can use the podium to make a political statement. Still, I enjoy the glitz and glitter. The recognition of excellence in the various tasks required to make a movie is intriguing to me. TLS and I are probably among the very few, who go to the theater, watch the movie, then sit all the way through the closing credits after the movie ends. Those credits go on for a while. In fact, the parking lot is cleared out by the time we get out there. I'm always amazed at how many people it takes to make a movie. The actors and actresses, director and film editor just barely scratch the surface of all those folks required to complete a movie. There are always hundreds of names on the closing credits. They pass by on the screen so quickly you can't focus on one name too long or you miss the others. But, we like to watch them to see if we can discern any recognizable names, or which songs and song writers were involved, and the locations where various scenes were shot and myriad other interesting tidbits contained within the lengthy list of credits. We always make a mad rush to see some of the pictures nominated for the Best Picture award. This year we had seen four (Avatar, Crazy Heart, Up in the Air, and The Blindside). In previous years that would have been all but one of the ones nominated. This year they changed it, however, and nominated 10 pictures. Being an author, I am particularly interested in movies that were adapted from books for the screen. Three of the four we saw fit that category this year. When we watch a movie we become immersed in the lives of the characters. We feel what they are feeling so intensely that it is almost as if it is happening to us. The better the acting, the greater affect it has on us. That's why I was interested to read John Ortberg's view that you should read the Bible the way you watch a movie. He proposes that we pick a character out of the particular scripture we are reading and try to see the entire scene or story from that person's point of view. Researcher Ellen Langer has studied how our minds work and found that we learn best when we view a situation from several perspectives when we see novel information being presented. So as we read a Bible story, especially one we have read many times before it's good to change our perspective and see what we may have missed in other readings. Is there more in the story than we realized? I've heard people say, "You know I bet I've read that verse of scripture 50 times in my life and that's the first time I ever noticed that" or "I never thought about it in that way before." I've experienced that also. I always thought that God just reveals certain things to us as we are ready to understand and use them. The reason we didn't perceive this particular slant before is we might not have matured enough at that point. Or our life circumstances might have been in conflict with or blocking the lesson that would best fit our lives. I think one way to gain additional wisdom and have more revealed to us is to focus our mind on a different person or character in a Bible story. For example, you've probably read the story in Mark 2:1-10 of Jesus healing the paralytic whose four friends lowered him through the roof. Usually you might consider of the paralytic's plight, or focus on Jesus and how he healed the man and wow-ed the crowd. Read it again and put yourself in the place of one of the four men. Maybe the one who first heard Jesus was coming to town. Think of his relationship with the paralytic. Think of how he helped the others find a way to get the man to Jesus even overcoming the logistics of the over-crowded room. Put yourself in his mind. What was he thinking as they lowered the man. Was he apprehensive? Worried? Scared? What did he feel as he saw Jesus confronting the teachers of the law before he healed the man. Then, put yourself in his place as he saw his friend healed. Doesn't the story seem more important? Larger? More dramatic when you look at it that way? Or maybe you want to cast yourself in this movie in a minor role. Say...you are a women sitting on the dirt floor next to Jesus. All of a sudden part of the thatched roof starts falling in and straw floats down and settles in your hair. You are startled in a what-the-heck-is-happening-sort-of-way. Then view the story through her eyes. What she would be thinking. Was she annoyed at the interruption? Amazed at the loyalty and boldness of the friends? Impressed by the way Jesus handled the whole thing. Would this affect her thinking about Jesus when later events took place? That's what I call a Moviegoers Bible. We have King James, New International, The Message, New Living Translation, Amplified, New Revised Standard, Sports Devotional, Archaeological and numerous other translations of the Bible. Why not a Moviegoers Version? The only difference is you don't have to go out and buy a new Bible to have a Moviegoers Bible. Just use the one you have and reprogram your mind the next time you read scripture so you put yourself in a different person's sandals. I feel confident you will come up with an Academy Award Winning performance. :) Monday Prayer: Lord there are so many ways you can speak to us through your word. Help us to stay excited about discovering new aspects and nuances in the scriptures that you may communicate with us even more deeply and meaningfully. Amen. ***author's note: There are so many dimensions and nuances contained within the covers of your Bible you have merely scratched the surface. Happy reading! :) Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=577 Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Romans 12:2 You say, "OK, I'm going to sit down and think great thoughts." You try, but your mind is a blank. Or it drifts back to the same old things you've been thinking about and most of those are negative. Perhaps, you start with elevated thinking and somehow you get blocked, you lose your focus, or you simply say this is too hard, I can't do it. So you drift back into that old "stinking thinking." Stinking thinking has become a buzz word in psychotherapy these days because that arena is one that concentrates on what our mind is really up to and looks for ways to turnaround negative thinking. When you look in a mirror in the morning do you see what is wrong or what is right about your appearance? "Oh boy, I look like the wrath of God has descended on me today." Even you may not fully believe that little personal assessment, but the fact that it entered your self-talk does not put a positive spin on the approach you are taking to get your day started. But, if you take a glance in the mirror before you start out and say, "Wow the shade of blue in my blouse really brings out my attractive blue-green eyes." That assessment makes you smile and instantly feel good about yourself as you head out. A lot of what we accomplish has to do with our mindset. If we lapse into stinking thinking we just throw up another obstacle to overcome. There are enough problems out there to deal with without us creating our own. Oops, sorry a little stinking thinking just crept in. See how easily that happens! Thinking about the problem and imagining our inability to solve it, rather than taking an "I can do that" attitude that focuses on how good...how resourceful...how smart you really are. In an earlier devotion I implored all of us to "think about what we are thinkin' about." The purpose was to identify, head off and eradicate those negative thoughts before they take hold and become a habit. Avoiding or at least recognizing that stinking thinking is a way to overcome that "thinking problem." David Burns, M.D., identifies some stinkers you may recognize: 1) All-or nothing: Boy that's a trap we can fall into. It's a black and white category type of thing. If I can't get it done this way...I lose. My way or the highway thinking. 2) Overgeneralizaion: Seeing one negative experience or disappointment as a never-ending pattern of defeat that you feel will be replicated over and over. 3) Mental Filter: Picking out one negative occurrence and dwelling on it. Just bringing it up or referring to it over and over. 4) Discounting the Positive: Reject positive achievements by saying "Yeh, but..." Minimizing the good. 5) Jumping to conclusions: Automatically interpreting something as negative without proof that it is. 6) Magnification: Exaggerating importance of a problem or shortcoming and minimizing your desirable qualities and abilities to overcome it. 7) Emotional Reasoning: Assuming that your negative emotions are the way things really are. 8) Should Statements: Even if you do something well, you feel you made too many mistakes or you could or should have done it better...if only! 9) Labeling: Dr Burns says this is an extreme form of all-or-nothing thinking. Instead of saying "Oops, I made a mistake." You say, "Man, I'm just a loser." Or "I am sooo stupid." 10) Personalization and Blame: Holding yourself personally responsible for something that really wasn't entirely under your control. Any of those sound familiar? Join the club. I think most of us have been victimized by some of those stinking thinking examples. I don't bring them up to point a finger, accuse you or make you feel bad. But, if we look at categories of stinking thinking and understand them for what they are, the next time we are depressed or feeling bad because of some thoughts that have sneaked into our mind...maybe even took the old "sub-conscious entrance without our realizing it...then we can recognize and control or eliminate them. Paul wants us to let God transform us into the kind of person He desires¾the one we want to be; i.e. "the best version of ourself (see dev. on 2-22-10). In Romans 12:2 the apostle exhorts us to "let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." We all have room for improvement. And we have the ability to get better, but as John Ortberg says: "The real challenge is between our ears." He says the way to be the best is to "think great thoughts." OK how do we do that? Well, when a negative thought creeps in. The smile leaves our face and is replaced by a frown so we can recognize it and maybe even identify it as falling into one of those stinking thinking categories. When we do discern what it is and where it is taking us we just focus on some positive and desirable thoughts. Things that make us happy. Positive occurrences from the past. Ortberg adds that "People who live great lives are people who habitually think great thoughts. Their thoughts incline them toward confidence, love and joy." So when that stinking thinking creeps in, take out your mental baseball bat and just swat it out of the park. Prayer: Lord, sharpen our minds so we can recognize stinking thinking as it occurs and call on You to help us change it. Amen! Author's note: No time like the present to change our thinking. We can do it, one thought at a time, as we progress toward a more positive approach Author's note: No time like the present to change our thinking. We can do it, one thought at a time, as we progress toward a more positive approach Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=575 But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.For they are transplanted into the Lord's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. Even in old they will produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Psalm 92:12-14 Who are you? Really! Stop and think about that. If someone wanted to describe who you are to another person, how would they do that? What would they say? What version of you would be most obvious to them and be the one they selected to portray. Better still how accurate would that be? I'm reading a good book now. Surprise, surprise. Me reading a book. Actually I have about four books going at the moment...one fiction and three non-fiction. But, that's beside the point which is that John Ortberg has another book out which is called: "The Me I want to Be." The subtitle is "becoming God's Best Version of You." With that being said let me share a few things I came across in that book. Perhaps the most important thing is that we should try to get our version of us to coincide with God's version. You may say " Yeah, yeah, well I'm working on it. Nobody's perfect!" True! But, we are not talking about perfection we are always working toward that, but let's be honest about this and investigate how your life can be the best version of the real you. To do that you gotta discern who you really are. My pastor Betsy Ouellette recently said that one of the books she reads from most everyday...after the Bible and Oswald Chamber's "My Utmost for His Highest" is Richard Rohr's "Everything Belongs." Naturally I had to have a copy. One of my weak points or maybe it's a strength is that I can't resist books. Just mention a good one and I have to get it. So, please don't mention any good books to me right now, especially any great ones,t because my banker, The Lovely Susette, tells me our book fund is way past empty, it's totally fractured. Anyway, early-on in his book Rohr says: "We are a circumference people, with little access to the center. We live on the boundaries of our own lives..." He goes on to point out if those boundaries were "evil" we could moralize about them. But, drawing on an analogy using our skin as a boundary, he says that the skin is not evil, it is " just not our soul or spirit." Rohr points out that we can continue living on this circumference for a long time. Such a long time that it becomes a familiar and accepted part of us. In fact, it becomes all we know. Is that what we want? Comfort? Settling for less than the best version of ourselves? The easy answer to that is no. The hard part is determining how we can discover who we really are and how we can penetrate to the core and find the best version of us. Then, live out that one! The problem with all that is there are a bunch of different "me-s" we must go through to find the best version of us. You have to make sure you don't get trapped or stalled in one of these "circumference" or "superficial versionss. For example in Chapter 2 Ortberg points out these roadblock "me-s". They are:The Me I Don't Want to BeThe Me I Pretend to BeThe Me I Think I Should BeThe Me Other People Want Me to BeThe Me I'm Afraid God Wants Me to BeThe Me That Fails to BeThe Me I Am Meant to Be Obviously we have neither the time nor the space to fully investigate all of those different "me-s" or you-s in this short devotion. It's gonna take a little work to get through those "pretender versions." I would recommend that you read Ortberg's book for a more in-depth look at the different versions that you could lapse into and fail to present the best version of yourself. As the author says; "We do not just drift into becoming the best version of ourselves." It will take some effort, some introspection and analysis based on your past and where you want to go in the future. But, most of all where do you see God leading you when you become the best version of yourself. In Psalm 92 the Psalmist appears to be talking about our best version when he talks about the godly and how they will flourish. If we are godly we will flourish like palm trees. Those of us who live in Florida know about palm trees. They are very durable. Live a long time. The godly will also grow strong like cedars. The cedar trees of Lebanon that he was referring to grew to 120 feet in height and 30 feet in circumference. When I was growing up my mom, grandmother and aunts all had cedar chests in which they would store blankets, quilts, sweaters, etc. Cedar is very strong wood. I don't see as many of those cedar chests any more, but my favorite interior designer, The Lovely Susette, tells me that even some of the more modern closets are lined in cedar. The reason for this is that cedar will combat moths and silver fish and other little creepy crawlies that could sneak into an ordinary storage chest and make holes in items that are left there for months at a time. When we put on the best version of ourselves we will enjoy the same kind of success as these trees. The psalmist contends that " believers will be upright, strong and unmoved by the winds of circumstance" like these trees if they seek the best version of their lives. Maybe the godly part is throwing you off. You just can't picture yourself as godly or maybe even the word righteous is intimidating to you. Sounds like somebody who knows God a lot better than you do. Take heart Ortberg says: "God designed you to be you." When your life is over he won't ask you why you weren't Moses or David, etc. He will ask why you weren't you." And I love this next line. When you become that best version of you then "you don't just become holier. You become you-ier." God designed you to be a unique, one-of-a-kind person. He wants you to delight in the life you live. The way to do that is to make sure you discover "the best version of you." Then you are free to simply be "you." Monday Prayer: Lord help us to live out the best version of ourselves so that you will delight in the way we live. Amen! ***author's note: The best version of each of us is an exciting chapter in the story of our lives. Living out that best version makes the whole book dynamic. J Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=573 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 We are all winners, right! Nobody out there really considers himself a loser. But, winning can take on different forms. Most often we tend to think of winning in terms of athletic endeavors. Winning or losing a ball game seems to be the end that players, coaches and fans are striving for. All that practice and preparation is diligently engaged in to help the team or individual (in golf, tennis, etc) win games or matches. For a little different perspective on winning let me share with you a story I read in John Ortberg's book "When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box." that pertains to one particular football game. I must warn you ahead of time, however, you might want to have a Kleenex nearby. "The football team at Northwest High School in McDermott, Ohio, had a young man named Jake Porter on its roster. Jake has a disorder called chromosomal fragile-x, which means he is cognitively challenged." Now Jake loved football so much he went out for the team as a freshman. He was so enthusiastic that the coach didn't have the heart to cut him. So, all through high school Jake went to every practice, did every drill, dressed out in full gear for every game even though he knew he would never get into a game. As the schedule dwindled down to the final game of Jake's senior year, Coach Dave Frantz tried to figure out a way to get him into a game. He approached the opposing coach and asked him3/4if the game happened to be lopsided3/4would it be okay if they put Jake in for a play. They had practiced with Jake by having him take a handoff and touch a knee to the ground so he wouldn't get tackled. The opposing coach agreed. With five seconds to go in the game Jake's team was losing forty-two to nothing, so coach Frantz called timeout to put Jake in the game. Suddenly the opposing coach came running across the field. Jake's coach thought maybe his opponent had changed his mind. The opposing coach said he indeed had changed his mind. He didn't want Jake just to get in the game he wanted him to score and he had already cleared it with his defensive coordinator. Of course that meant his team would give up a shutout which is something a team places a high value on. But, Coach Frantz said: "We haven't practiced that. We've just done the down on one knee thing. "The other coach said, "Just give him the ball and we will make sure he scores." So, Coach Frantz went back to the bench, called Jake over and said, "Big Boy you are going to the house." Jake was ecstatic he started jumping up and down. The quarterback called the played and handed off to Jake. Ortberg says, "What happened next is an Ohio football legend. Jake had practiced taking a knee so much that he started to do that which would have ended the play and the game as soon as his knee touched the ground. But, as his knee started toward the ground the whole team yelled at him to stop. Then they started pointing to the end zone. The coaches on the sideline were doing the same thing. So, Jake walked slowly to the line of scrimmage and 21 players parted, like the Red Sea parting for Moses. Jake took off for the Promised Land. It took almost 12-seconds but Jake Porter scored a touchdown! Ortberg describes what happened next. "The bleachers exploded. Everybody was cheering. Grown men were crying; hardened football warriors were hugging each other. A lot of boys played in that game." When they grow old they may forget a lot of the details of this particular game and may even forget who scored touchdowns or even the final score. But no one will forget the day Jake Porter scored a touchdown. Jake's touchdown became everybody's touchdown. Jake's team lost the game. His opponents lost their shutout. No one cared. Everyone left that stadium a winner! The game became a legend in Ohio football history. Sometimes winning is not just about the final score. In fact, it may not be about keeping score at all. Overcoming the odds to accomplish something very difficult is winning. Getting up when you get knocked down and trying again is winning. In sports the winning team receives a trophy. But, the trophy is not the victory itself, it is symbolic of the victory. It stands for what was achieved and is not the achievement itself. When the New Orleans Saints shocked the football world by winning the Super Bowl their victory was more than a trophy and money. It was a tribute to what can happen in life if you don't give up. If you continue to have faith in God and believe in yourself you are already a winner and have a chance to accomplish great things. The City of New Orleans had been brought as low as city could go when Hurricane Katrina demolished most of the city. The morale was low, but the determination to bounce back was high. Likewise the Saints had once been the laughing stock of professional football even jokingly being called the "aints" as in they ain't never gonna win. But, they kept on working and believing and they became champions. On the national championship stage QB Drew Brees, first gave thanks to God for the victory. I remarked on Facebook that God had smiled on the Saints. That is not to say that he favored either team. Gosh, a few years before, led by a man of faith Coach Tony Dungy, the Colts were on that same stage and he talked about his faith. The thing that is key to winning is to stay strong in the faith, keep trying and don't get discouraged. God honors faithfulness. Therein lies the key to overcoming the challenge of winning in life. Prayer: Lord help us to stay strong in the faith so we may be winners in life. Amen! Author's note: I think you are up to the challenge of winning. Don't get discouraged and trust in the Lord! :) Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=572 Then the Lord turned to him and said "Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you." Judges 6:14 How strong are you? If someone asks that question would the first thing you think of be physical or mental strength? A child would probably show you his muscle. Little boys are fond of bending their arm, rolling up their shirt sleeve, tightening their biceps and showing off their "muscle" to demonstrate how strong they are. As adults we might be more inclined to think of mental toughness. What might come to mind is a difficult situation we made it through or a particularly trying time and how we persevered. Often we don't think about or we underestimate how strong we really are until we are forced to call on that inner strength. That's when we are most likely to turn to the Lord for an extra measure of strength. Philippians 4:13 says, "For I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength, I need." In interviewing athletes about their faith over the years, I've found that verse from Philippians to be a favorite. That is especially true among football players. Football is such a tough, physical game it requires a certain amount of physical strength. I think the players relate that kind of strength to what the apostle Paul is saying here. But, I think Paul is talking about being strengthened mentally, as well, for the battles ahead. He's not really referring to brute physical strength. The NLT Bible says: "Can we really do everything? The power we receive in union with Christ is sufficient to do his will and to face the challenges that arise from our commitment to doing it. He does not grant us superhuman ability to accomplish anything we can imagine without regard to his interests. As we contend for the faith, we will face troubles, pressures, and trials. As they come, ask Christ to strengthen you." We have more strength than we realize we have. When put to the test the human spirit can endure a lot. In fact, we have been endowed with the strength to accomplish things we may never have even considered. Take Gideon for example. He certainly never expected to be called on by God to do anything big. He just went to work as usual one day. Trying to provide food for his family. He was actually hiding out in the winepress while threshing his wheat so the Midianite warriors, fierce enemies of the Israelites wouldn't see him and come steal the wheat. Then, suddenly and dramatically an angel sent from God appeared to him and dropped this little bombshell on him. The angel told Gideon that he was going to be the one to rescue his people from the very ones he was hiding from. The Midianites were bad news. You didn't mess around with them. These desert people have been making raids and wreaking havoc on the Israelites for a long time. Gideon's thinking in regard to these enemies was safety and protection first. He certainly, in his wildest imagination. never dreamed of attacking them. God had other, much grander ideas about the strength he had given Gideon. NLT says: "Most of us want to know God's plan for our lives, but we are not always sure how to find it...In the Bible's description of how God guided many people we can see that often God's call came while people were completely immersed in the challenge of the moment, a good example of this is Gideon." Just imagine how incredulous Gideon was when he received the news. He was just doing his job. He certainly never viewed himself as a strong personality, one that could lead an entire nation. But, you see, God's plans are a lot bigger for us than the plans we have for ourselves and we "can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." The angel had to overcome three objections before Gideon was convinced that this was really what he was supposed to do. 1) Gideon's feelings of responsibility for his family's welfare 2) His doubts about the call itself 3) His feelings of inadequacy for the job. We can learn a lot from this story. First of all God does have a specific plan for each of us and we have to be open to receiving it for it to work. We can feel certain this plan is bigger than our paltry ones. It will be great, Second, He's not throwing us out there to accomplish something on our own. He's gonna be right there with us, encouraging us to call on his strength and and stretch ourselves beyond what we could have even dreamed of. Third, this call and his plan can involve what we are doing right now. It can be revealed to us at work or on some project we are involved in. It doesn't have to be some dramatic, lightning-bolt of heaven-sent information. It can come to us in our everyday, run-of-the-mill existence. So, we must be ready, remain available and be open to whatever the message is no matter how impossible it may seem. Once again NLT says, "Like Gideon, we are called to serve God in specific ways. Although God promises us the tools and strength we need, we often make excuses. But reminding God of our limitations only implies that he does not know all about us, or that he has made a mistake in evaluating our character. Don't spend time making excuses. Instead, spend it doing what God wants." We must be ready every day. God may be ready to reveal something, new and exciting to us while we work or play or even sleep. I think we can all relate to the perceived weakness Gideon viewed as innate in his character. Obviously God didn't see it the same way. He only recognized Gideon's potential and promised to help him use his own strength to accomplish something great in his life. He's waiting to do the same kind of thing in your life. Oh yeah, Gideon went on to defeat thousands of Midianites with just 300 men! Monday Prayer: Lord we pray for open minds to receive your instructions and the wisdom to know that you have given us the strength to accomplish the assignment you give us. Amen! author's note: Go out this week and do great things using the strength God has given you! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=568 Then the people of Judah began to complain that the workers were becoming tired. There was so much rubble to be moved that we could never get it done by ourselves. Meanwhile, our enemies were saying, "Before they know what's happening , we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work. Nehemiah 4:10-11 "Can't never could do nothing," my grandmother used to say, when I was being a whiny little kid and trying to get out of doing something. She refused to let me cop out just because some task had a degree of difficulty that stretched me a little and also contained the possibility that I might fail. Horrors! Failing at a task as a child. That's terrible!, It only gives you the rest of your life to learn how to do it. The point is that you not only won't know if you can do something or not unless you attempt to do it. More precisely it definitely will not get done if don't at least try. Recently I was reading a book that my friend Dr. Larry Thompson, pastor of First Baptist Church, Fort Lauderdale, FL gave me at Christmas. It's called "Side by Side" and is a 52-day journey through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah. It has some great life lessons for us based on Nehemiah's leadership example during the difficult rebuilding of a wall around the city of Jerusalem. Nehemiah provides us with an example of a godly man who left a secure position in the king's court to lead his people in this vital rebuilding project. His strengths were his ability to plan, organize and motivate. But, his real strength and power came from his deep-seated faith in the power of prayer, This took precedence over everything he did. Dr. Thompson does an excellent job of drawing on Nehemiah's strong suits to help encourage and motivate the reader. On Day 30 in Thompson's book the title caught my fancy and provides the backdrop for this devotion. Larry calls it: "Can't Never Did Do Nuthin" He starts it off by citing a poem by Tim Rose, who undoubtedly must have talked to my grandmother, Nanny Crosby, at one time.J As a former baseball play-by-play guy I think you'll quickly discern what attracted me to this poem. "When I was a little boy battin' at home plate The pitcher would pitch, I'd swing the bat, but I always swung too late So I'd head back to the dugout with my tail between my legs Saying, I just can't do it. I know I can't. I can't. I can't. I can't. But when my dad saw me, this is what he'd say. Can't never did do nothin' because can't never did believe That anything he wanted, would ever come to be. So change that gloomy face, boy, and get ready for what's coming Get back to home plate, son ‘cause can't never did do nothin'. I wonder how many things in our lifetime we could accomplish if we kept that little piece of advice from father-to-son, or in my case from grandmother to grandchild, in mind? How much have we missed out on by not having a "can do" attitude instead opting for the easy-out of "I just can't do it." Let's look at what was happening with Nehemiah, to make this "can't never could" attitude come into play. The NLT Bible says: "God is in the business of working through his people to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. God often shapes people with personality characteristics, experiences, and training that prepare them for his purpose and usually the people have no idea what God has in store for them." This point in our Nehemiah story takes place 70 years after God's temple had been rebuilt in Jerusalem. At the time Nehemiah was in a unique position. He was the cupbearer to Persian King Ataxerxes. While he didn't have much power he did have great influence with the king who trusted him and valued his opinion. Once Nehemiah was having a bad day. He had always managed to diguise any personal depression from the king and maintained an upbeat, positive attitude. That's probably one of the things the king liked about him. Nehemiah had received very disturbing news. His friends and family who had returned to Judah with the other captives had fallen on hard times. "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been burned." (1:3) Nehemiah was very troubled and this time he was not able to disguise his feelings. The king noticed and asked what was wrong. This frightened Nehemiah because he was supposed to be a supportive, not a disruptive influence in the king's court. Here's what he said: "Long live the king! Why shouldn't I be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been burned down." The king asked, "How can I help you." (2:3-4) Nehemiah had refused to knuckle under to a "can't do anything about this attitude." Consequently, he prevailed upon the king to let him return and lead the Israelites in the wall rebuilding project. That was just the first hurdle. When he got there he found a lot of opposition to this venture. But, as the work began we read in chapter three a marvelous example of organization and team work. Various sections of that wall were beginning to go up in a hurry. Then, the scoffers, the naysayers and the ridiculers went to work, especially Old Sanballat, governor of Samaria, located just north of Judea. "What does this bunch of poor, feeble Jews think they are doing?" (4:2). He probably had aspirations of becoming governor of Judea also. In light of the scoffing followed by threats what did Nehemiah do? He prayed. "Hear us O God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own head...(4:4) Next, the workers started getting tired and began to listen to the criticism and started becoming discouraged. "There was so much rubble to be moved that we could never get it done by ourselves." (4:10) Nehemiah called them together and gave them the old "can't never could do nothing" speech. As Larry Thompson says; "Life is hard by the yard, but it's a cinch by the inch." So they changed their focus and revved up their effort. The people worked from sunrise to sunset with half the men always armed and on-guard against trouble and others carrying weapons, too. The result? "On October 2 the wall was finally finished¾just fifty-two days after we had begun." (6:15). Yes, can't never could do nothing, but can certainly could. Monday Prayer: Lord thank you for Nehemiah's example of what a "can-do" attitude, shaped by humble prayer, can accomplish. Amen! ***author's note: My thanks to Larry Thompson for bringing to our attention that it's all about our attitude, approach, and praying to determine God's will that will help us remember that "can't never could do nothing." Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=566 What's more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this? Esther 4:14 "Every time someone says yes to God, the world changes a little bit." I like that! It's a quote I read some time ago in John Ortberg's book: "When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box." But, if you read on a little further the flip side of that situation is addressed. Ortberg says: "Everytime you say no to God, you change a little." He explains what happens when you say 'no.' "Your heart gets a little harder. Your spirit dies a little. Your addiction to comfort gets a little stronger." Take a moment and think about the things that you have said: "yes" to recently. Now reverse it. For a moment or two dwell on some of the things you have said "no" to. What feelings came back to you when you considered the things that you gave a thumbs up to? Weren't the majority of those "feel-goods?" Didn't it brighten the moment, maybe even the whole day when you were able to say yes? Now, stop and think about the times you have answered with a no lately. How did that make you feel and for how long did you feel that way? Most of the time it doesn't make you feel all that good does it? OK, so maybe most of those were justified. Some requests were ridiculous and you gave the obvious "no" answer immediately. Others you needed to take a little time, but after some analysis and unhurried contemplation you just decided that no was the best answer. Still, even if you did the right thing, wasn't there a little uneasy feeling that lingered for awhile. Let's face it there are a few weirdos out there with some cockamamie ideas. You have to pass on these and you really shouldn't feel bad when you issue a firm "no-can-do." I've shared with you on a few previous devotions that I used to be Mr. Automatic No. I could real off a "can't do it" so quick it would make your head swim. I became a master of creative excuses. But, let me tell you; afterwards, I didn't feel all that good about it. I would beat myself up over my selfishness because sometimes it really wouldn't have cost me anything, or at least, very little in the way of time or money or support to have issued a "yes." So, why did I say "no?" Most of the time it was a desire not to be inconvenienced. Didn't want to get out of my comfort zone. Too lazy or inconsiderate to lend a hand. But, I didn't feel good about myself for awhile after that. It was really a much better feeling, even if there was some cost to me, when I did agree to help out. So, I've gotten a lot better about not just arbitrarily dishing out a no. I've got a ways to go, but most of the time I at least give it some consideration, asking myself is there any reason why I shouldn't do this instead of how can I get out of it. But, the danger is always there that I'll drift back into the automatic-no-business. Just ask the Lovely Susette. She is such a good- hearted person...not a patsy although sometimes I think folks take advantage of her "yes" disposition. That annoys me when they do, but it doesn't seem to bother her. She just likes to help others and she has every right to feel good about that. And if I criticize her for that I have every right to feel like Ebenezer Scrooge. But, those occasions on which either a yes or no answer is the only one that will work will keep coming up because God is not going to let us sit and stagnate. You can't just do nothing because this world is continually moving forward and God is calling on us to make it move in the right direction. His call might take us out of our comfort zone, might makes us say yes, when we would like to weasel out of it and say no but we'll have to make a choice. Queen Esther was forced to make a choice. She had been crowned after she captured the heart of King Xerxes whenshe won a beauty contest to become the next Queen after her predecessor Queen Vashti fell into disfavor with the monarch. Esther was a Jew and Xerxes right-hand man Haman was persecuting the Jews. Among those being persecuted was Mordecai, who had adopted Esther. In fact, Haman was building a gallows to hang him on. So Mordecai went to Esther and asked her to intervene with the King. Esther had to come up with a yes or no answer. There was no middle ground. She was a little concerned that she would suffer the same fate as her predecessor. Haman told her "don't think if you keep quiet about this that deliverance of the Jews will not happen." It will just come from some other place. Then he told her "you were elevated to this position for "such a time as this." We all are put in the place where we are for "such a time as this." We are there because that's where God wants us to be. He has a plan for us. He doesn't expect us to sit still, to do nothing and to come with a bunch of excuses that lead to saying no. Ortberg says: "You and I were created to have a mission in life. We were made to make a difference. This is how the game is played." He says if we do not pursue the mission for which God made us, He will find a substitute. "We cannot live in the absence of purpose. If we do not live our God-assigned mission, we will live what might be called a shadow mission, playing a game we were not meant to play." So, getting in the habit of saying yes is important because when you say "yes to God the World changes." Monday Prayer: Lord, help us to no to overlook the power that resides in saying "yes." Amen! ***author's note: Speaking our mind is good, but being a yes-man in God's plan is even better. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=563 Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in one likeness to rule over the fish of the seas and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground. So God create man in his own image, in the image of God He created him.' Genesis 1:26-27 In the bestselling Novel "The Shack" during one of the conversations that Mack (MacKenzie) has with Papa (God) he asks, "Are you saying you have no expectations of me?" (pg206) "Papa now spoke up. "Honey I've never placed an expectation on you or anyone else." Whoa what kind of a God is that? You'd think the one who is our Creator. The one who made us in his own image would have lofty expectations for us. He wouldn't settle for anything less than what he expected us to do and be would He ? What is this, does God just have low or no expectations for us? Consequently, He leaves us out there to flounder around on our own until we sink into a state of "sorry-ness"? You'd think that God, who is perfect, would have such high expectations for us that we would always be striving to reach the perfection that Jesus modeled for us. But, let's read further what Papa has to say. "The idea behind expectations requires that someone does not know the future or outcome and is trying to control behavior to get the desired result. Humans try to control behavior largely through expectations. I know you and everything about you. Why would I have an expectation other that what I already know? That would be foolish. And beyond that, because I have no expectations, you never disappoint me." Still having a hard time with that? Don't you expect more of God than that.? When you look around and see all the bad things happening in the world don't you think God is highly disappointed and he just expects a whole lot more? Well, I can't believe that when people choose to do bad things it makes God happy. So, He has to have higher expectations than the results he sees. Better things than the way some people, maybe even all of us lead our lives. Well, let's read on a little farther as Papa begins to clarify that. Mack replies: "What You've never been disappointed in me?" Mack was trying hard to digest this, too. "Never! Papa stated emphatically. "What I do have is a constant and living expectancy in our relationship and I give you an ability to respond to any situation and circumstance in which you find yourself. To the degree that you resort to expectations and responsibilities, to that degree you neither know me or trust me." OK, let's think about this for a moment. Consider a relationship you are involved in. There are certain things you expect in that arrangement. Now, if your friend, spouse, partner, whoever you are close to views these things as expectations there is likely to be some pressure attached to that. He or she will feel if they don't live up to that expectation that they have let you down. They have failed in the relationship. But, as Papa says there is an air of expectancy instead that's different. It's more positive than negative. Your expectancy concerning the other person is that they will do the best they can. You await the outcome with expectancy. And if they are not able to pull off what you both were looking for that's okay. It's not like there was some "written in stone" expectation that ruins everything if it isn't met. You still support them and you both just regroup and change the direction based on the latest results. Is there disappointment. Well, naturally there could be. But, it just provides you an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive. Does this mean that you don't set priorities or attempt to do some things that stretch you and may or may not be beyond your means to achieve. No. Because there's expectancy on your part as well as your friend's attitude. You expect to get it done, but if you don't it doesn't end everything, you just regroup. In our scripture lesson from Genesis 1 we read that God created us in His very own image. Our pastor at Good Samaritan UMC in Tallahassee, recently preached on this scripture and said that "God's purpose in creating us was to bless us. So, he created us, male and female in His own image." How much more love could the Creator have shown for us than to create us in His own image. Now if that is His physical image or His spiritual image, it doesn't matter. He is the model from which we were created. In His perfection He created us and as I read recently: "God doesn't make junk." So, He has a right to ask a lot of us. He is certainly entitled to have lofty expectations. But the kicker is that in His love for us He gave us freedom. That was a risk because as Betsy stated: "the problem with freedom is we are free to choose to love Him or go our own way." So, in this act He established an air of expectancy. He loved us and looks forward to our wanting to be close to Him and do the good things He has planned for us. But, it is our choice. We can treat it as an expectation and rebel. We say we are not worthy cause we could never live up to those lofty expectations and not even attempt to do something hard. We can beat ourselves up over our failures. We can load up those we love with expectations, that if not met, leave us all feeling let down and strain our relationship. Or we can imitate the love part...the expectancy, the willingness to accept the fact that there are going to be failures in life. But, that's OK we accept those and just try to get better and work together. In isn't as if we don't have any responsibility. When God created everything He put us in charge. So, the air of expectancy that He has for us is that we will perform that job well. And when, with our human imperfections, we do a poor job, He forgives us. He picks us up and puts us on the right track. No lofty pursuits here. Just an air of expectancy and love that will help us be the best we can be. Monday Prayer: Lord thank you for a love so great that there are no hard and unforgiving expectations, just an air of loving expectancy and support. Amen! ****author's note: It's with an air of hopeful expectancy that I say that I hope you have a great week. Amen! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=561 In the beginning God created the heavens and earth. The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness. And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. Genesis 1:1-2With 2010 staring us down and saying: "OK, you've been given a blank page now put something on it, what are we going to do? We can't simply do nothing. We have to draw something (forget that I'm not an artist), or write something (more my style) or just do something of value with the time allotted. What will we do with the year ahead of us? Well, if you look closely at the blank sheet representing our new year you'll see a few little marks, or spots of color or print starting to form because we are moving away from the pristine newness of it. Some hours, days and even a few weeks are gone. We can't recover those. We must take control and fill in the rest based on our own efforts. What's happened so far is something to think about, but only long enough to figure out what amount of time has been wasted and how to avoid doing that in the future. Just a few minutes ago, I read on that vast reservoir of knowledge and information ─Facebook─this statementJ :) There are four things you cannot recover in life: 1) The stone after it has been thrown; 2) The word after it has been said; 3) The occasion after it is missed; and 4) Time after it's gone. Sitting around bemoaning the fact that you've missed an opportunity or that irrecoverable time has slipped right past you, only compounds the problem. You'll be commiserating about stuff you missed out on while even more will elude you. I'm writing all this with a somewhat guilty conscience because I did greet the New Year with great enthusiasm for all the things I want to accomplish in the 365 new cards I was dealt. Sadly, the first week passed with my having accomplished little in the way of making a dent in my optimistic "to-do" list. I didn't win a single hand. Now, I can sit around and mentally chastise myself and moan and groan about valuable time that has been lost, or I can do something about it. What I propose to do is "begin at the beginning." Doing the same old things in the same old way will surely yield the same old unsatisfactory results. So, I'm just looking at that page as being pristine. It is clear and ready to be filled in with great accomplishments. Only I can sabotage those goals, dreams, opportunities etc. Only I can dumb it up and ensure failure. In the real beginning of everything God decided that He would create something. He had a blank page to work with. Now, we have an advantage over God. He was creating something from nothing. He didn't have any prior experience, so far as we know, to help structure His endeavor, or conversely to hold Him back. Of course, God does have infinite advantages over us that we can't match. No need to go into those, it would take forever. Besides we don't even come close to knowing what all those are. But, here's the thing we can learn from God's creation story. We must begin at the beginning. We can exercise our advantage by letting the things that have helped us in the past influence what we put on this new page; then, make real progress through the year using up more and more of the blank space each day. Likewise we can let the baggage of past failures, insecurities, misconceptions and wasted opportunities hold us back and make this picture we are painting (could be a word picture or a painting or just the story of our life) be less than the best we can create. To make a beginning that leads to a gratifying ending by December 31 it takes some planning. Obviously God created everything in an orderly fashion. He didn't just bounce around randomly working on part of it, then leaving it dormant, and putting another iron in the fire while the first one cooled and fizzled out. God said, "let there be light" and he separated it from the darkness. Thus, he created the first day with light being called day and the dark was night. Then, He moved on and separated the waters thereby creating the heavens and earth. Now that he had dry ground his creativity was in full swing. Plants, animals, fish, fowl and man followed in orderly fashion. God was on a roll and what a grand result he achieved. He created everything in this world we live in. So, there's our example. If we make a plan, follow it in an orderly fashion, don't desert any of the important parts, we also will have a creation on the canvas that is 2010 we can then be proud of. Am I saying, work, work, work and let this drive for success consume us? No, that's where an intelligent plan comes in. Working in rest and relaxation, enjoying nature, stopping to assess and appreciate what you've been blessed with and what you have achieved so far are all key ingredients. For example, The Lovely Susette and I have our prioritized projects on the board and it's going to take some time and a lot of effort to get them done. We have small tasks and large ones. We are respectful of each other's need to work individually and recognize the times when a joint effort is necessary. We've resolved to not beat ourselves up when we aren't perfect in our execution, and things go awry. But, those will not defeat us. We'll get back on track. In fact, we've even resolved to have a Read-Only day. Now when I'm trying to work on a document in my computer and it comes up "read-only" and won't let me do any editing or make additions it can be aggravating. Our read-only day is going to be the opposite. We both love to read and got a lot of books for Christmas. So we are going to take one day and just read. We may start out reading at home, then spend some time reading in the park, then in the library or over lunch at a restaurant, wherever. Just enjoy the day and not beat ourselves up afterwards by being guilty of wasting time. That kind of relaxing day will lead to increased productivity on the next one. So, begin at the beginning and enjoy the process that will let you, at year's end view a dazzling 2010 version of your life, that started out as a page with nothing on it. Prayer: Lord we thank you for the blank page of 2010 and for giving us the tools to make it a beautiful picture in the coming days, Amen! ***author's note: Hope your week is super successful has you being to fill in the blanks spaces on the 2010 canvas. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=554 But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow wait patiently for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Habakkuk 2:3 Happy New Year! My wish for you faithful devotion reader is that 2010 will be the best year of your life so far. It is always exciting when we stand on the threshold of a brand new year! There is so much unknown that lies ahead. Things that lend an air of mystery. They cause us to look forward with eager anticipation. Of course, not everything that is going to happen will be pleasing. Some of it will be painful and distressing. That's life. We don't welcome those situations, but they are learning experiences and ones that can provide growth and strengthen character. Sometimes we get mired down in these and let them negatively impact other areas of our life, even parts of us that really shouldn't be affected. It's when these negative-impact events occur that we experience the number one thing that leads to our becoming impatient─STRESS. And chronic long-term exposure to stress can disrupt all our internal systems and cause health problems. In fact, the really bad thing about stress is that "the body doesn't distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you're stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be "on" most of the time. The more your body's stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off." (helpguide.org, "Understanding Stress). But, when you're constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. It's unavoidable in life. We will constantly face frustrations and hassles. These can come in the form of deadlines, time demands, dealing with unreasonable people or any variety of circumstances and events. But, stress is not always bad. In small amounts it helps us get things done, reach goals, focus on important things and better prioritize our activities. Achieving these things makes us feel good about ourselves and when we do we are just a bunch of fun to be around. However, there is a two-edged sword associated with stress. Stress can lead to impatience and impatience can lead to stress. Both can be harmful. Reading inside the front cover of Max Lucado's new book "Fearlessness" I found a good thought. It said that when we assess stressful things they can cause us to default to fear. But, the way to avoid that is to make "faith" our default instead. In other words, when we are concerned about something if we just call on our faith instead of being fearful then we can have peace of mind and become more patient. Our scripture today talks about the importance of being patient. We need to stay focused, no matter how difficult times are, on the fact that God is in control and He will ultimately bring about a good outcome for those who keep the faith. The prophet Habakkuk was upset about the same thing that we often stress out about. It just seemed to him that evil people were winning while the believers were losing out time after time. But God said to him; Write my answer in large, clear letters on a tablet, so that a runner can read it and tell everyone else. These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. It it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. God was telling the people to be patient. He knew just what was going on. He knew it was a rat race and the rats seemed to be winning. But, they should default to their faith and remember He is in control. They should be patient and not get stressed out, elevating their blood pressure and damaging their physical health. He will prevail. Seems like good advice for us in 2010. As we start the New Year, God is telling us to be patient, to default to our faith in Him and remember that we can win over stress and peace will prevail in our lives. Prayer: Lord grant us the patience we need to keep to our lives under control and headed in the right direction in 2010. Amen! ***author's note: I wish you and your family the happiest of New Years and pray God's rich and wonderful blessings on you in 2010. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=551 Publish His glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does. Psalm 96:3 Ok, so this is probably the most difficult devotion of the year to write. I say that only because and I think I've said it before; it's a "tweener." The other 51 present their own challenges, but because of where this Monday Devotion is positioned it requires some real forethought. It isn't one you want to run close to the deadline in creating. Consequently, I'm writing it before Christmas, which makes it even more challenging. When you finally read this the Christmas celebration will be quickly fading into the past and it will not yet be time to bring out the party hats and welcome in the New Year. As I recall when we last communicated we were talking about "the stockings being hung by the chimney with care" and one of those being an "empty stocking' which was not really empty (see the 12-21 Devotion). But, now the secrets that were wrapped in those pretty packages have been brought to light. All that wrapping paper and the boxes and bows have been thrown out, recycled or put away. What remains are lovely memories of a special occasion. So the question is: Do we linger longer over the fond memories of Christmas or look ahead to what's coming up? My first thought is that it's time to move on, but as TV football analyst Lee Corso says, "Not so fast my friend." There is value to be gained from revisiting those good feelings and we can be moving ahead while we are doing that as well. All that being said I found myself still stumped as to where I should precede with this devotion until my computer indicated I had email waiting. I think it was the Lord's way of helping me out because what I discovered in the email was the weekly Good Samaritan Church Newsletter. As I read Pastor Betsy Ouellette's words I knew where I wanted to go with this and the real message I needed to pass along. The scripture I had selected for this devotion, without knowing why, is one that my first publisher, Pleasant Word, who published, "Monday Morning Devotions' (2002) sent me. It says to "Publish His glorious deeds among the nations and tell everyone about the amazing things He does." (Ps 96:3) I have accepted that as my call. It's why I am a writer. It's a meaningful way that I can use the talents God has given me. It's how I have been truly blessed and feel compelled to pass these blessings to others. It's also the avenue through which I can reflect on and capture the joys and celebration of Christmas and use them in the New Year. Pastor Betsy began her newsletter by talking about her love for reading and how she loves words. She writes; "A unique turn of a phrase may stay with me for weeks. I love how the words of another allow me to see into their lives and in seeing into another person I learn to know myself better." How true that is. The words we read or hear can have a great impact on our lives. Something someone wrote or said can stay in our memory for years. These crop up and are remembered at odd times and are triggered by different situations. We are carrying them around in our subconscious without even realizing it. Ever think about something or say it out loud, then pause and consider, "Now where did that come from?" Probably came from words you read or heard. Betsy wrote further that being absorbed in the words of others affects her positively in that "When I read I don't feel so alone. The feelings and emotions of other people often resonate with my own and I recognize the reality that we are all connected to one another." One of the neat developments in my life in 2009 was the discovery of Facebook. Through this internet social networking tool I've been able to participate in the lives of many friends, acquaintances and even strangers. You can learn a lot about a person; his likes or dislikes, her priorities, what makes them angry, happy or sad and how they spend their time by reading just a few succinct words on their FB status update. You are made aware of how well they slept, what they ate, the movies they recommend and books they enjoyed or disliked. String these updates together over a few months and you get a pretty accurate picture of how a person leads his or her life. But, the point is this is done through words...simple typed words. Betsy also says, "It is fascinating to me to think that anything that happens begins with a thought and a thought is a concept made up of language...words. Even so words are limited and easily misunderstood. It is difficult to describe ultimate beauty and eternal love with words." If you are like me you find those thoughts/words to be very true. Even though I am a writer there are times when words just seem inadequate. Sometimes an experience is so powerful I feel that having to describe it in mere everyday language does not do justice. It deserves something better. Betsy addresses that when she writes: "At Christmas we celebrate the mystery of Immanuel, God with us. Letters and symbols on a page were no longer adequate to convey God's love, we needed God with skin so "The Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14). She concludes: "From the musings of the mind of God came the Word, the Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord. Out of love, Love was born." Very strong! You may not like to write. May not even be much on reading. Nevertheless, you use words and words are important because The Word became flesh. Consequently our words take on lives of their own and determine not only how we live, but how we affect the lives of others. Thank you Betsy for bringing the importance of words to our attention. Now that the celebration is past, we are encouraged to take those good thoughts and memories from Christmas and publish, write, speak, share, and give them to others in the coming New Year. Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for The Word who teaches us the importance of words and how they direct our lives. Amen! Author's note: When someone asks you "What's the Word?" I think you'll have a good answer for them now! Happy New Year! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=550 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign unto you. You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2: 11-12 For God so loved the world the gave his only begotten Son.... John 3:16 "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." (Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore) What if that stocking you hung from the mantelpiece was just as empty on Christmas morning as it was when you put it up there? Could it still be a Merry Christmas for you? Is all this ─"more blessed to give than to receive" stuff─ true and would you be able to take comfort just giving gifts, even if you didn't receive anything in return? Is just knowing that what you gave made someone happy enough? As we mature (notice I didn't say get older because thankfully we are all doing that, but none of is old) I do think that the joy of giving becomes treasured even more than the joy of receiving. Yes, there is happiness in receiving gifts. Most of it stems from the fact that in getting a gift, even if it's not something you would personally choose, it is a statement that someone was thinking about you. So, receiving gifts is special, but giving is even more special. Dr. Bill Hinson, in his book "The Joy of Giving: The Paul & Jane Meyer Story" says: "Giving has a way of having an immediate effect, then producing many, sometimes smaller, effects down the line. You could say it's like a stone skipping across a pond, except that the stone keeps on skipping, making one strike after another." You see, giving a gift not only makes that person feel special and important, but it usually makes them want to show or share it with someone else. "Oh Jim gave me that for Christmas, I love it." Or "Susette got that for me, wasn't that a thoughtful gift?" Then that person might tell another. "You should see what Jim got Susette or What a nice present Susette received from Jim, wish I had one for those." The Wise Men presented material gifts to the Christ Child. The Shepherds, who had less to give in a material way, brought awe and wonder and respect and praise. All of these were special enough that they are preserved in scripture and re-told to generation after generation at Christmas time. What the shepherds brought something simply by their presence and the wise men contributed by making the long journey is even more important than anything of a material nature. The frankincense and myrrh have long since been used up and who knows where the gold is? But, the gift that has lasted is their story. The action they took. The faith they had. The journey they made. There's a whole lot of happiness surrounding what happened in that manger. It wasn't an easy trip for any of them─ Joseph and Mary, the shepherds and later the wise men. But, it was all about a gift. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved us that He gave us the gift of His Son who was born in that lowly stable setting. Sanford T. Whitman wrote: "The Lord gives to us that we may give to others." (Hinson book pg. 22). So God loves giving us presents. You can see that by the awesome gift He gave. And what pleases Him is when we take that same attitude of giving to others. But, what really pleases Him is when we give from the heart. That way we do it cheerfully, not grudgingly. We give because we have love and caring in our hearts. That makes Him smile. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Truthfully no one will have an empty stocking on Christmas morning. Oh some may be more well stocked than others. Some may just be for show because all the gifts and goodies are under the tree in colorfully wrapped packages and on tables and counters. Some are able to give more, while others may have to be content with less. The happiness of gift-giving and receiving may be tempered by the sadness of having lost a loved one, who will no longer be here to share the joy of Christmas. I always miss my Dad on Christmas morning. He really made sure his boys and his beloved Lula Mae got nice things even if he had to do without himself. In the retail business in South Florida he worked long hours in December, on his feet selling clothes from 9til9, Monday through Saturday the whole month. So, he was worn out by December 25th, but was always up and enjoying that special morning. So, I'll miss Pop and my boys will miss PaPa this year again. But, those folks in the manger didn't have much on that first Christmas. No video games, jewelry, shirts and ties, cookware or really anything of a material nature. But, what was present there was a lot of love. God's love was changing the world forever and even though none of us was physically there, we have memories of that scene captured in our minds because of the telling and re-telling of the story. Likewise, no matter how hard the year has been, how depleted our resources may be, or who is no longer with us this Christmas...joy and happiness still await us. Our Christmas Stocking will be stuffed full and overflowing with precious, treasured memories. There will be memories of Christmases past and thankfulness that we are around to celebrate another one. Those who have made other Christmases so special will vie for space in our minds and mingle with the joy of the ones celebrating with us this year. "For unto you is born this day, a Savior who is Christ the Lord," so we will never have an empty stocking at Christmas! Merry Christmas Everyone! Prayer: It's the best time of the year Lord. Thank you for your precious gift and may everyone's Christmas Stockings be filled with plenty of goodness and happiness this year. Amen!Author's note: Thank you readers for the gift you give me at Christmas and all year around by sharing these week Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=548 In Him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:4-5 "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, Everywhere you go; Take a look in the five-and-ten glistening once again with candy canes and silver lanes aglow." (It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" lyrics) Got the Christmas spirit yet? The Decorations are going up all around us. It's hard to be a grump at this time of year isn't it? Even if everything seems to be going wrong and your day is progressing from bad to worse, once you look around and see the brightly lighted Christmas trees, the wreaths, the silver bells, the carols being sung and notice that one or more of those colorful packages under the tree has your name on it...then, you can't be a complete grump. Even old Ebenezer Scrooge couldn't remain a mean old man on Christmas day. That's the magic of Christmas. "There's a special kind of feeling in the air It only happens at this time of year. When everyone is filled with love and cheer That's what matters." (Greatest Time of the Year" lyrics) I really enjoy the lights of Christmas. We ride around and look at all the house decorations throughout the city and view them with the wonder of child once again. I remember the big event when I was a kid in Macon, GA. The one that signaled the beginning of Christmas for kids was a parade downtown. The last thing in the parade was the appearance of Santa Claus, usually riding in a fire truck. Guess his sleigh and reindeer were getting a tune-up for the big trip they would be making later that month. Santa would disembark and go up on a balcony, pull out what looked like a pistol and fire it up into the air. At that exact moment all the Christmas lights downtown would come on simultaneously and the yuletide season in central Georgia would officially be under way. Let the shopping begin! The Christmas lights are a big part of the entire celebration especially those on the Christmas tree. As a child I was always fascinated by "bubble lights." These tube-like lights, once they warmed up, send bubbles up and down the tube and each light is usually a different color. Neat, huh. Those are still around. We don't have any on our tree. Ours are all-white. In fact, our tree already has all the lights on it. We just take it out of the box. Put about four sections together, plug it in and magically all of them come on. At first, I complained about using all-white lights. Told the Lovely Susette that we see white lights everywhere we go all year around, so a Christmas tree should be different. It should have colored lights on it. Even if they were all the same colors like blue or red. But, I prefer multi-colored lights. She pointed out to me how nicely the white lights bring out the colors of the ornaments on the tree. Never thought of it that way before. But, she's right. Besides, looking good we didn't have to string a bunch of lights on it and put on icicles, and keep sweeping up pine-needles even though real trees look great also. I'll admit that I like just about any Christmas decoration, but especially the lights. Even though some may look a little shabby or too understated, or some are too gaudy and overdone. They all express the joy of Christmas. Jesus is the light that shines on us all the time. He's the Christmas light, the light of Easter, the light of the third Monday in the 7th month of the year or the third Tuesday. John wrote that" life was in Him and that life was the light of men." Of course, the neat thing about light is that it dispels the darkness. Bad things may be lurking out in the shadows or in the dark, but if you are in the light you can see what's there. When John says that the "light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it" that means that evil hasn't and won't ever overcome God's light which is Jesus Christ. Before there was electricity miniature candles were put on the Christmas trees. Some people still use candles. There is something about candlelight that is special. It's speaks of cozy-ness, warmth, and love. It could also be dangerous if not closely watched as it does present a potential fire hazard. The first known electrically-lighted Christmas tree was created by Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison. This first tree was was hand-wired with 80 red, white and blue electric incandescent light bulbs the size of walnuts, on December 22, 1882 at his home on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Local newspapers ignored the story, seeing it as a publicity stunt. Johnson was Vice-President of Edison Electric Company (now Con-Ed). (Wikipedia) But, electric Christmas tree lights remained too expensive for most folks so they didn't really catch on until about 1930. In two different sermons recently I've heard that you need to get out in the country to fully appreciate the brightness of the stars in the heavens. That goes for the moon, too. These are best viewed and appreciated for their brightness out where there's no smog or competition from street lights, etc. Each star has its own brightness and sparkle. What really makes Christmas lights special, however, is their purpose. They are used to attract attention to a celebration. It's a big birthday party. The birthday of the Christ Child, the Savior or as John puts it "the light that shines in the darkness" and provides light to all men for all time. That's worth breaking out the best Christmas lights for. Prayer: The light of Christmas shines more brightly than any light at any time. Happy Birthday, Jesus. Amen! ***author's note: Enjoy the Christmas lights more than ever this year and pay special attention to how much brighter everything around them seems during this special time of celebration. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=542 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him. Matthew 2:1-2 I never tire of revisiting the stories about the birth of Jesus each year. At Christmas time my heart is warmed as I read of Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem. I like to read about the angels appearing to the shepherds in the field. And I especially enjoy the story of the magi or as we call them three wise men. Did you ever think out-of-the-box on any of these ancient, but still current stories? For example, did you ever wonder what would have happened if it was three wise women instead of three wise men who came to visit the baby Jesus? One person said if it had been females instead of males who were trying to find the place where Jesus would be born they would have: - Asked directions, - Arrived on time, - Helped deliver the baby, - Cleaned the stable, - Made a casserole, and - Brought practical gifts (like diapers!) That's funny! But, I still like the old, old story of the Magi following the star and bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby, Jesus. Each year, for the past 20 years or so, my former church, Killearn Methodist has presented the Living Christmas Story on the second weekend in December. This consists of 11 scenes from Bethlehem at the time of the Savior's birth. In promoting the event they say: "Follow the Star." In a way that's what we have been doing all of our lives. We have been following that star through the entire year and it leads us to Christmas near year's end. There have been a lot of adventures and mis-adventures along the way. Sometimes our lives just become too cloudy to see the star. We lose track of where it is and wander off the path we should be taking. When the Magi were following that unusually bright star they were actually following a star to THE Star. It was leading them to the one who 2,000 years later is still the star attraction, not only of Christmas, but an everyday All Star. We read about people who have "star appeal," and we hear about "star attractions." These so-called stars in sports, movies, politics have lots of followers who try to emulate them in actions or view points. But, they aren't real stars. They are humans and they are just a loss or a flop or a bad strategy away from being deserted. I saw this happen recently when one of my favorite people, Coach Bobby Bowden, was deserted by many who had been band-wagon followers of him and his teams. Bobby is second in wins among everyone who has ever coached a college football game. His teams finished in the top five in the final rankings for 14-consecutive seasons, have 27 straight bowl appearances, and two national championships. But, when they fell on hard times recently, all-of-a-sudden, Bobby became "too old" to do the job according to the fall-out. None of us sails through life unscathed. We pick up lots of bumps and bruises along the way. But, when we are following the star we can always get back to the place where we should be. Casey Kasem, radio host of American Top 40, a show that counts down the top 40 popular songs being played in America weekly, used to close his show after announcing the Number One song by saying: "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars." For it is in the heavens where the stars reside. We don't expect to accomplish anything, except maybe not tripping over something, if we are always walking around with our head down and eyes looking toward the ground. Night after night the Magi scanned the skies looking for that one special star that would lead them where they wanted to go. They had faith it would appear. When it did they proceeded confidently as it moved across the skies night after night. The combination of faith, confidence and patience eventually led them to the place they wanted to go and they discovered just as the ancient texts has told them they would, the "baby who was born King of the Jews." It's a beautiful story and it gives us pause to think about what star we are following. Who or what is the star in your life that guides you with it's unique brightness along the paths you tread. Have you set your sights on the right, bright star or is there a false star providing temporary light that leads you the wrong way? Science tells us that the star closest to earth is the sun or should that be spelled Son? If you follow the star to Him like the Magi did you'll end up where there is endless celebration...the place where it is Christmas all the time. Prayer: This Christmas, Lord, we want to follow the star that leads to the love, peace and righteous living that is not available in movies, books, parties, sports or shopping. Show us the star that leads us to You! Amen! ***author's note: To enjoy this Christmas more than ever keep following the Star! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=541 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God and listen to His voice and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 30: 19-20 "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Recently, I read that anonymous quote and it made me stop and think. It was during Thanksgiving week which really signals the beginning of the holiday season, so I was especially vulnerable to this kind of sentiment. During this holiday stretch from Thanksgiving to New Year's day is when I feel especially blessed. I'm blessed all year around, but during this time more of my blessings appear right in front of my face. They can't help, but be noticed. And as I grow older I've become more disposed to slowing down and recognizing these for what they are and being truly thankful for them. Being thankful is a good way to lead your life. Wish I did more giving thanks and less complaining about things in my life. We have our own ideas of how we want our lives to unfold. When any of the millions of things out there come along to confront and contest those ideas it is hard to give thanks for those. Still Paul tells us to be thankful for them also, because they are the things that help us grow. They teach us and broaden our horizons. But, who wants them? Probably nobody. We'd just as soon avoid them, but realistically we can't because as Frank Sinatra used to sing: "That's Life." And we could butt our heads against them or we can as the writer of Deuteronomy says "choose life, so that you and your children may live," Is that silly or good advice? I mean who, in his or her right mind would not choose life? But, here's the thing. Choosing life is not just our physical life and surviving on a daily basis, but it means choosing obedience. Moses told the people to choose life and blessing on the one hand or death and evil on the other hand. He actually equated life with obedience and death with disobedience. So it is more about choosing to obey God and appreciate life or disobey Him and not receive the bounty of his blessings on earth that will be topped off by eternal life. When you look at it this way the picture clears up a little. It's not as fuzzy. God has laid out some things in the Bible, especially in the 10 Commandments that He expects of us and knows that each time we obey one of those we will be blessed even more. In other words we will not "measure our lives by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." Often those breath-taking moments are spontaneous happenings.─things we never anticipated and are just so unexpected and joy-filled they take our breath away. God is the master of those. He loves to surprise us. He loves even more to reward those who are faithful to him. But, there are also those that are anticipated. Things we look forward to and know that they are going to be great, so we prepare to have our breath taken away, at least momentarily. Then we know that happiness will continue over the long haul. The Lovely Susette and I are preparing for one of those breath-taking moments. No it's not Christmas or New Year's, but it is on track for early January. We are set to welcome our first grandchild into the world. We know it's a girl...she will be named: Quinn Alison Crosby. We are gearing ourselves up for that breath-taking moment when we first lay eyes on her. That will be special. Think about the moments in your life that were so joyful they just took your breath away. Everyone has at least one, some have many more. There's no greater feeling. As the scripture for today says it is our "choice." We can choose life or more appropriately we choose how we will lead our life. God does want a relationship with us. He won't force that friendship upon us. Think how many friends you have who are friends because they forced that friendship on you. I doubt if there are any. If you do have some like that, I think if you are honest, you'll admit that they aren't really close friends. Maybe they are masquerading as friends and they aren't friends at all. So we have to make the choice. In choosing God's way, we are choosing life. Really we are choosing the good life. That's not to say that things won't go wrong from time to time, but we will better be able to work through them. And if we are obedient and faithful to seek God's wisdom and the leadership of the Holy Spirit we will get through them and then....be prepared for a "moment that takes your breath away." I feel certain that God's got one saved up for you. In Deuteronomy, God passed the word along through Moses to the people if they chose life they would be blessed, but if after they had lived in the land a long time and they got complacent and started doing evil he would call heaven and earth as witnesses to the fact that they would reap what they had sowed. In other words their bad choices could bring wrath in the form of natural disasters, bad harvests, etc. The choice was theirs. They could chose life and obedience and all the great things that entailed or they could chose disobedience leading to misery and death. It's your life. Choose how you will lead it. Prayer: Lord we want to prepare for those breath taking moments in our lives that you reward us with. We choose life and obedience and a close relationship with you. Amen! *** author's note: It's your life you can conduct it however you want. Choose to deepen and strengthen your relationship with the Lord and prepare for those moments that take your breath away. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=536 Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20 As I read our scripture for this devotional in the Quest Study Bible (QSB) I looked in the margin to see what the commentary said and discovered this question, "Can we honestly give thanks for everything?" Now the nice thing about QSB is that it not only asks the hard questions but it suggests an answer as well. Here's what it says: "Giving thanks is an act of worship, recognizing that despite difficult circumstances we may face from time to time, God's love and concern are unfailing." As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches and we begin to focus on family, turkey, and football (well, that one is optional) I am always reminded of the real importance of this holiday, which is one of my favorites. It is to give thanks. I'm told the Pilgrims started all this giving-thanks-stuff well at least they made a big enough production of it that it was made into a holiday. Not that people haven't been thanking God for all His blessings long before the Pilgrims came on the scene. It's just that, thanks to the Pilgrims who had survived a harsh New England winter without central heat and air conditioning and made friends instead of enemies with the Indians, a special feast was scheduled for the express purpose of giving thanks. And that's where this Turkey-thing became a tradition. I'm glad it did because I love Turkey and dressing and cranberry sauce and sweet potato casserole and biscuits and pumpkin and pecan pie and whatever else I can fit on my plate. It's the one day I give myself permission to overeat. But, the best thing about it is that it causes me to assume an attitude of thankfulness and focus on just how blessed I really am. As we think about that I'm going to insert a few quotes about what being thankful really means like this one: "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough." --Oprah Winfrey. The Lovely Susette and I were talking about our Thanksgiving plans for this year which include having each person say what they are thankful for before they get any food on their plate. Although this will be more difficult for some─we hope to have 3 of our 5 kids present (the two youngest won't be here)─if they want to eat they'll have to give at least one thing. "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." --William Arthur Ward In our scripture lesson from Ephesians the apostle Paul is telling them to think about the way they conduct their lives. He says that when we do that and analyze how greatly we are blessed that we can't help but give thanks. This will remind us how much God loves us. It will give us that warm fuzzy feeling and strengthen us for the difficult times that come into everyone's life. In fact, we will be so happy that we will sing and make music in our heart. "Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel." -- Anonymous. This past week many of us in Tallahassee experienced a shocking loss when local sportswriter Steve Ellis passed away because of a heart attack at the age of 54. When you lose a friend like that you search for anything positive, something you can be thankful for in this loss. Everyone touches the life of other people, often in ways we don't even realize and frankly take for granted until that person is no longer with us. As I thought back on the life of my friend Steve I realized that I could be truly thankful for the memories I was able to recall. They were plentiful and happy ones because we go way back in covering the sports beat in Tallahassee. As I was recalling the positive things in our relationship I came to the realization that Steve's parting gift to me was a dual blessing. First let me point out that Steve really was a workaholic. A fun guy, loved by many and a devoted husband and son, but he was so devoted to his job that he worked at it constantly. In fact, he was working on an article at home when he started experiencing chest pains that were becoming increasingly severe. Before he would agree to let his wife Karen call 9-1-1 he instructed her to, first, go to his computer and send in the article he had written. He made it to the hospital, but passed away several days later. But, here's the gift he left for me. As I said it is two-fold. First, he caused me to examine my own work ethic. I thought about my writing schedule, the projects I have on the board and the progress or lack thereof for each. When I examined them in light of Steve's dedication, I saw that mine really paled in comparison. I was able to see more clearly was I had let myself down, but even more than that I had let the Lord down because I had not worked hard enough on many of the ideas he had blessed me with. I resolved to do a better job of scheduling and working harder. Now here's the second part of the blessing Steve left me. I wish I had not have to receive it in the way it was passed on, but that is what happened. I realized that Steve had pushed himself so hard that his health had slipped probably to the extent he wasn't aware of. He probably didn't take time to take care of himself, consequently, he was not able to enjoy all the day-by-day blessings in his life. "Who does not thank for little will not thank for much." -- Estonian Proverb So, Steve left me the blessing of realizing that more care and hard work should be devoted to my projects, but I should also pace myself and approach each day with thankfulness. Never failing to pause and to praise God and practice thanksgiving every day, not just the fourth Thursday in November. In closing, let me express my thankfulness for each of you who took the time to read this devotion and do so throughout the year. May God's richest blessings truly be yours. "Silent gratitude isn't very much to anyone."--Gertrude B. Stein "Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. "--Henry Van Dyke Monday Prayer: Lord, we come to you in this season of Thanksgiving with grateful hearts for all your blessings. We thank you for the Thanksgiving Holiday tradition modeled for us by the Pilgrims and pray that this spirit of thankfulness will prevail all year long. ***author's note: Happy Thanksgiving! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=537 His master replied, "Well done good and faithful servant!" Matthew 25:21 It's become a universal gesture of celebration. Everyone from toddlers to great grandparents can do it. It's called the High Five. OK, on the off chance that there is someone out there on the edge of civilization who doesn't know what a High Five is let me call on Wikipedia for a definition: "The high five is a celebratory gesture, usually executed by two people at a time. To properly execute a high five, each person raises a hand to make contact, or slap, the opposing raised hand of the other. If the initiator offers the right hand, the reciprocator offers the right hand, as one would with a traditional handshake. The hand and arm are usually extended in an upward fashion to form the "high" part, and the palms of each hand make physical contact in final execution of the gesture." High Fives are fun. They bring on smiles. They speak of good things...ones that are cause for celebration and happiness. They just connect people in a positive manner. Where did this idea of the celebratory modification of a handshake get it's start? I don't think anybody can really pinpoint it although many lay claim to it. Some folks say the first one they saw happened in the 1970's in a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform (between Glen Burke and Dusty Baker). That is disputed because others point out that Dean Martin gave Louis Armstrong a high five on his television show on September 26, 1966 after his rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In." It's also reported that High Fives and High Tens (a gesture in which both parties slap both hands together) occurred in the 1941 movie, "Abbott and Costello in the Navy." The Andrews Sisters sang a song called "Gimme Some Skin My Friend" in which those were used. Still others point out that a different version of this started as far back as 1927 when Al Jolson executed a Low Five in the movie: "The Jazz Singer." Of course, high fives now run rampant in sports and because of the high visibility achieved by athletes this has spread to all areas of society. You see people giving high fives after a sale is made; after something witty or intelligent has been said; after a problem has been solved or in countless other situations. Go up to a little kindergarten kid and say: "Gimme Five" and I betcha he or she will immediately begin a high five. I wouldn't be surprised if the art of high-fiving didn't go all the way back to Biblical times. Of course Jesus is the prime candidate for receiving High Fives. Can you imagine anyone at the party where the hosts ran out of wine and Jesus turned the water into wine, not wanting to give him a high five? How about when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead? Certainly a High Fiving Moment. But, Jesus presents an easy example of high fiving moments. Just about everything he did was high-fiveable and worthy of more that that. So, let's see where we can find other high five moments in scripture. How about when Moses lead the Israelites through the Jordan River after God parted the waters. Then they turned to see Pharoah's troops drowning after the waters came back together. Bet there was a lot of high-fiving going on then. Daniel was thrown into the lion's den and came out the next day completely unharmed. He certainly would have received some high fives from the King. But, Daniel probably would have deferred them to God who he would give all the credit to for sparing him. Little David would have certainly been due some high fives, or maybe in his case some low fives since he was so small, after he felled the mighty giant Goliath with a rock from his slingshot. Noah was high fiveable after he completed the job of building the Ark. But, there were probably more high fives when they finally emerged from the ark after the flood. Gideon and his band of 300 men probably shared some very satisfying high fives after they routed the Midianite army of a million or more. Imagine the joy shared by Naomi and Ruth when Boaz fell in love with and decided that he wanted to marry the widow Ruth. After lots of sadness and uncertainty better times were on their way. Now, not only Ruth but the mother-in-law she loved would be safe and secure. Certainly a high fiveable time. How about when Mary Magadelene and the women who went to the tomb with her finally discovered that Jesus had risen? A big high fiving moment in time. John Mark probably exchanged high fives with Barnabas after being told about the agreement reached with Paul. Mark would now be going on a missionary trip with his cousin that would set the stage for eventually writing Mark's Gospel. Each of Jesus' disciples, as they joined the group of 12, were due high fives welcoming them as a follower. The four men who lowered the paralytic through the roof into the crowded house so Jesus could heal him probably exchanged a round of fives when the mission was accomplished. High fives have become so popular that there is even a National High Five Day celebrated on the third Thursday of April each year. On that day folks are encouraged to exchange as many high fives as possible. (http://www.nationalhighfiveday.com/). By the way, the Guiness Record Book for most high fives in a 24-hour period is 5,000 (by one person) at a UNICEF event in Dublin, Ireland in 2007. Now there's a record to try to top. It's undeniable. High Fives are a good thing. They make both parties feel good. I encourage you to indentify those High Fiving Moments that are all around you each day. Monday Prayer: Lord think you for all the high-fiving moments you bless us with each day! Amen! ****Author's note: Be alert for those high-fiving moments in your life this week. They'll make the whole week better. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=532 Jesus remains a priest forever, His priesthood will never end. Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through Him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf. Hebrews 7: 24-25 In researching his book "The Jesus I Never Knew" Philip Yancey spent months in three seminaries─one Catholic, one liberal Protestant, one conservative evangelical─ reading about Jesus. He says, "It was daunting, in the extreme, to walk in the first day and see not just shelves but entire walls devoted to books about Jesus." Want to throw "Google" into a state of semi-confusion? Just type in "how many books written about Jesus?" There is no direct answer available. Suffice it to say there would be a lot of libraries completely filled up with only books about the one we call Savior if they were "Jesus Exclusive" libraries. Jesus has impacted more lives than any other man who ever lived. He has prompted more controversy as well. The dividing line is whether a person believes Jesus is the Son of God or just a great moral teacher or prophet. Yancey says, "It would be easier, I sometimes think, if God had given us a set of ideas to mull over and kick around and decide whether to accept or reject. He did not. He gave us himself in the form of a person." One page later (pg 262) Yancey adds, "Jesus' audacious claims about himself pose what may be the central problem of all history, the dividing point between Christianity and other religions. Although Muslims and, increasingly, Jews respect Jesus as a great teacher and prophet, no Muslim can imagine Mohammed claiming to be Allah any more than a Jew can imagine Moses claiming to be Yahweh. Likewise, Hindus believe in many incarnations but not one Incarnation, while Buddhists have no categories in which to conceive of a sovereign God becoming a human being." Jesus is really not someone you can be neutral about. One way or another Jesus impacts everyone's life. But, each person establishes his or her own relationship with Him. Or a person has no relationship at all because they don't pursue one or don't acknowledge that Jesus is pursuing them to establish one. In the book "The Shack" when Mack is talking to Jesus about His relationships Jesus says:"Those who love me come from every system that exists. They were Buddhists or Mormons, Baptists, or Muslims, Democrats, Republicans, and many who don't vote or are not part of any Sunday morning or religious institutions. I have followers who were murderers and many who were self-righteous. Some are bankers and bookies, Americans and Iraqis, Jews and Palestinians. I have no desire to make them Christian, but I do want to join them in their transformation into sons and daughters of my Papa, into my brothers and sisters, into my Beloved.." Then Mack logically asks, "Does that mean that all roads will lead to you?" "Not at all," smiled Jesus as he reached for the door handle to the shop. "Most roads don't lead anywhere. What it does mean is that I will travel any road to find you." Obviously when we consider those thoughts about Jesus we see that he doesn't write off the possibility of having a relationship with anyone. He is openly pursuing the heart of every person. It doesn't matter what institution, system or organization you have allegiance to, you are not disqualified or ineligible from becoming friends with Jesus. Yancey calls Jesus a sinless friend of sinners. He writes (pg 258): "When Jesus came to earth, demons recognized him, the sick flocked to him and sinners doused his feet and head with perfume. Meanwhile he offended pious Jews with their strict preconceptions of what God should be like. Jesus was the friend of sinners. He commended a groveling tax collector over a God-fearing Pharisee. The first person to whom he openly revealed himself as Messiah was a Samaritan woman who had a history of five failed marriages and was currently living with another man. With his dying breath he pardoned a thief who would have zero opportunity for spiritual growth." Hey, all that makes it seem like we got a chance to be friends with the one who, without one ounce of braggadocio claimed to be the Messiah. It was the opposite of the modern "if-you've-got-it-flaunt it" attitude we so often see. Obviously it is difficult to fully-comprehend his ways. Yancey said "The more I studied Jesus, the more difficult It became to pigeon-hole him. ..One day miracles seemed to flow out of Jesus; the next day his power was blocked by people's lack of faith. One day he talked in detail about the Second Coming; another, he knew neither the day nor hour." Yancey further states that "God is, in a word, Christlike." He says that because "Jesus presents a God with skin on whom we can take or leave, love or ignore. In this visible, scaled-down model we can discern God's features more clearly." Hey, that's what God had in mind. How could we ever understand his infinite might, power, creativity and awesomeness unless we had an example togo by. Someone who looked more like us and experienced worldly pleasures and pain. The brilliance of his plan is astounding if we take time to think about it. Ultimately though, Yancey says that even though all the studying he did still raised a lot of questions he remains a Christian for two reasons. First, he finds no acceptable alternative. The second, is "Jesus!. Brilliant, untamed, tender, creative, slippery, irreducible, paradoxically humble─Jesus stands up to scrutiny. He is who I want my God to be." I don't think any of us could ever fully understand Jesus. There is a vast gulf between God and humanity because He is "supreme, omnipotent, transcendent, and any limited contact with him puts human beings at risk. The good news is we don't have to measure up. Through Jesus His love, friendship and saving grace is available to us no matter who we are or what stage of our life we are in. So, in a way we all continue to search for Jesus. Inevitably, Yancey says, "that search for Jesus turns out to be one's own search. No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same." Prayer: Lord Jesus thank you for making yourself available to us as friend and Savior and for the sacrifice you made because you love us. Amen! **** Author's note: I thought I might have chosen a topic that was beyond my ability to put in a single devotion. After all the books about Jesus fill many library shelves. Yet the things I included are what I needed to think about and I hope they will capture your focus as well this week. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=525 Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me if you know. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know? Job 38:4-5 But, He (God) said. You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Exodus 33:20 "Surely we can reject the image of God as humorless, autocratic tyrant without needing to reinvent him as court jester!" ‘Finding God in the Shack' pg 71 (Rauser) "Jesus had dropped a large bowl of some sort of batter or sauce on the floor, and it was everywhere. It must have landed close to Papa (Father) because the lower portion of her skirt and bare feet were in the gooey mess. All three were laughing so hard that Mack didn't think they were breathing. Sarayu (Spirit) said something about humans being clumsy and all three started roaring again." That paragraph from "The Shack" book is interesting because how many of us ever think of God as laughing, or even smiling? The main character, Mack, by invitation, has come to the Shack to meet with God and the above referenced scene depicts good-natured, fun interaction between the members of the Trinity. It is also cause for some folks to label this mega-best-selling book as heresy. So, why is that? Do we have to put God in this giant box that only allows for scowls, frowns, anger and judgement? Does God have a sense of humor? What picture do you see, in your mind, when you contact God? What does he look like? Is He too superior to even smile at our little human mishaps and funnies? Who does He think He is anyway...God? Randal Rauser, associate professor of historical theology in Edmonton, Canada states in his book "Finding God in the Shack:" "Some have embraced the image of an intimate, laughing God as a liberating and refreshing challenge to the picture of God as angry, judgmental, and distant. But others worry that a mirthful, giggling God does not liberate us so much as reflect the distortions of a culture that is widely skeptical of power, authority and reverence." Think about some of your close friends. What is appealing about them? Why do you call them friends? Do you enjoying spending time with them? Even if it is just a telephone conversation, is it pleasant? Now, consider this. How many of these friends have NO sense of humor? I'd venture to say that you can laugh with all of your close friends. That's one of the reasons they are your friends. If everything is always dead serious and you must take a "lets-solve-all-the-world's-problems' approach" with them, what fun is that? Seems it would create more problems than it resolves. We want our friends to be someone we can talk with about things. We want to laugh with them, get serious at times, but not have to fear receiving judgment and disappointment from them. Granted, friendships exist on different levels. Some are casual and others more intimate. But, any friendship that is always addressing doom-and-gloom is doomed. It is not one we would care to foster. So, if we want to establish and deepen a relationship with God what are we looking for? We certainly want to be friends with God. But, do we have to be quivering, weak-kneed yes-men to maintain a relationship with God? God certainly got Job told didn't He? When Job was whining and complaining about all the unjust things that were happening to him. God boomed out from that thunderstorm and put Job in his place. But, in the end as the Quest Study Bible says, "Perhaps the most comforting revelation of all for Job was that God was still his friend. Though he seemed silent or even absent at times, God was no mere spectator of Job's suffering. He was with Him through the experience." Jesus pointed out that we need a Divine friend to help us n our lives everyday when he told the disciples of his departure. Not just any friend, but an intimate friend who would have our well-being as a primary concern. "...when the Friend comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is. He won't draw attention to himself, but will make sense out of what is about to happen and indeed, out of all that I have done and said. He will honor me; he will take from me and deliver it to you. Everything the Father has is also mine." (John 16:13-15) Rauser said that he once saw a painting in an art gallery of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. He was riding, stone-faced on the donkey. He thought the picture implied that laughter was beneath Jesus, since God cannot crack a smile. It really seemed to be the antithesis of all the joy and cheering that was being bestowed on him by the crowd. Rauser adds: "Where did this strange idea come from? All the evidence suggests that Jesus was very witty and had an excellent sense of humor! What's wrong with Jesus telling a silly joke to the apostles around the campfire?" I don't think Rauser intends any disrespect. And certainly we can't bring God down to our level. Wouldn't want to. How disastrous would that be? But, the point I want you to consider in finishing up this devotion is your relationship with the one who wants to be your best friend. Think of Him in the light of love and joy and there's nothing sour-pussed about that. The Shack does a good job of stimulating our thinking about the importance of relationships...especially the one we have with our God. There is a whole lot more warmth and laughter and friendliness involved than cold, joyless, unfriendly communication. Certainly we need to respect and honor God. I don't advocate trivializing his Omnipotence or not praising Him and showing our gratitude for His blessings. I just think God loves smiling happy people and considering laughter and fun when communicating with Him doesn't make our God seem goofy at all! Prayer: Lord, thank you for the blessings of fun and laughter, happiness and joy. We treasure our relationship with you. Communicating with you keeps us happy and smiling as we celebrate your love for us. Amen! *** Author's note: Have fun with the Lord this week. Lighten up and smile as you pray and experience the joy! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=523 For I have learned to get along happily whether I have much or little .I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. Philippians 4:11-13 What is your plan for that time when the unexpected happens? Oh man, you say, "I've got enough trouble just dealing with the expected like the rent coming due on the first of the month; trying to live within a budget ‘cause I ain't gonna be getting a pay raise in this economy; Christmas will be here and I've got to find money for presents... is that enough yet." Well, most of that involves money and of course that's not the extent of it. We know there will be time demands, and pressure to keep up a busy schedule and still find time to exercise, eat right, get proper rest. The list of the "expected" is endless and you're asking me to expect the unexpected? Yes, that's what I'm doing because the unexpected is going to happen. In a recent talk and devotion I referred to expecting the unexpected as one of the ways to win in life. It's not that you can predict what the unexpected event will be. If you could then it would be expected...not unexpected. It's just that we know unexpected things will happen because no single day ever goes, exactly, precisely, 100% like you planned or hoped for. Not to say there aren't a lot of good days happening for us. Just that they don't usually happen just the way we expect for them to...doesn't make them bad days just ones containing unexpected things. So that brings up another point to consider. What if the unexpected thing that happens is something really good. Those things happen in our lives. You get an unexpected tax refund...yes, that does happen the Lovely Susette and I can vouch for that (Thank you Lord). Or an unexpected phone call from a dear friend or family member. Someone gives you an unexpected, totally unsolicited, not-even-thought-about gift. We've all had these kinds of things happen in our lives. Those are not a problem. It's when the unexpected is something bad that happens we have difficulty. The whole point of this devotion is to stress not letting these thinks throw you. They make knock you down, but you don't have to stay there. Realistically, some unexpected bad news or turn of events are harder to rebound from than others. But, if underlying everything you have a mind set that you will have some unexpected bad things happen that is a great start toward victory in your life. And if you are determined to turn these unexpected events over to the Lord for help you will rebound, recover and grow through them. The apostle Paul had a lot of unexpected things happen in his life. I'm sure the last thing he ever expected was to become a follower of Jesus after he had spent so much time and effort in persecuting Christians. But, the unexpected thing that happened to him turned out to be good in the long run and it completely turned his life around. In writing to the church at Philippi Paul talked about the unexpected. Basically he was saying that so many unexpected things had happened in his life that he had come to expect the unexpected. He had become a master at "making the adjustment" to fit the situation. Paul says I have learned to get along happily whether I have much or little. So it really didn't matter to him if everything was taken away due to unexpected occurrences he knew he could get by and even prosper because " I can do everything with the help of Christ who fives me the strength I need." Imagine that. Even when Paul was in prison he was able to adjust. He had a bit of advice along those lines. The NLT commentary says: "Imagine never worrying about anything! It seems like an impossibility; we all have worries on the job, in our homes, at school. But, Paul's advice is to turn our worries into prayers. Philippians 4:6 "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human min can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Paul is saying that God is not only God of the expected things we experience but He is God of the unexpected as well. He knows when the unexpected hurts us, but He will help us turn around those events and make lemonade out of those lemons. That sounds pretty simplistic doesn't it? Well, it is. God is listening. He hears our prayers He knows our hurts and He hurts with us when the world deals us an unexpected blow. In the book "The Shack," Papa (God) shares with Mack that God feels our pain. When Mack's daughter was murdered God deeply felt the pain as well. How does one deal with that kind of unexpected happening? But, together Mack and Papa begin to work their way through that "Great Sadness" and Mack begins to recover from the unexpected. Sometimes the unexpected changes us and we are never exactly the same again. But, it does not have to defeat us. If expect that the unexpected is going to happen in our lives and then we turn it over to God we are on the road to recovery before the unexpected even occurs. Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for always watching over us especially when the unexpected occurrences beat us down. You always help us get back up. Amen! ***Author's note: Expect the unexpected this week. Who knows? The unexpected might be something great. If it isn't it won't catch you totally off-guard and you will be able to handle it with God's help. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=520 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 Have you heard it said that "time means nothing to God." Well, if that's trueI wonder why "time" is mentioned in 625 verses of scripture in the Bible? (Strong's Concordance). When people talk about God in relation to time they probably mean that God is not time-bound. Nothing God has planned can be time-restricted because he can overturn it. But, God chooses not to overtly "mess" with time because He allows us to function freely and make our own choices. But, God is concerned about how we use this gift of time that He provides for us. Let's face it. No one likes to thoughtfully choose, gift-wrap, and personally deliver a gift only to see the recipient never use that gift. I think it is the same with God. Each day He gives us a fresh 24-hours and it pleases Him when we appreciate this gift by using time wisely. Our scripture lesson from Ecclesiastes 3 says that "there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven." As God created the universe He did so within a time-frame. There are certain activities that fit best under special conditions (seasons). Verses two through eight talk about the seasons in which various activities work best. Recently I spoke to the local Civitan Club about "The Importance of Winning." In researching the talk it was reemphasized to me that time is an important factor in winning football games and in the game of life. And a concept that I unearthed in my preparation and used immediately was that of "pocket time." It's probably something you were already familiar with, but may not have thought a lot about it. In fact, it is a simple, but valuable concept. Drawing on that talk here's what I learned and revealed about pocket time: "A little concept I discovered is called "pocket time." I have used it to great advantage since I learned about it. In fact, most of this talk was conceived on pocket time. Pocket time consists of those clumps of time that appear unexpectedly that can be put to great use. Say you wake up a half hour earlier than you usually do. As the saying goes you "have time on your hands." You can use this pocket of time productively. Rather than just sitting in the easy chair with your coffee and "veg-ing out" make a plan for the day or if you've already planned today then review the plan. Think about the kinds of things you want to get done and how you want to accomplish them. Or maybe you have a doctor's appointment. Now, how many times have you had a 9 am appt., walked in the doctor's office and actually got to see the "Doc" at the time of your appointment? I'd venture to say "none." Never happens! Usually you can count on waiting a half and hour, maybe even an hour before you get to see him. Use that pocket time wisely. Instead of sitting there for a half-hour reading a six-month-old copy of Newsweek or Good Housekeeping, do some planning. Make some notes. Or bring a good book along with you. Perhaps a motivational book. Something to sharpen and improve your mind. Since Labor Day, The Lovely Susette and I have been working with the FSU College of Medicine, implementing a grant they received for physical fitness training of elementary school children. This is a 3 year study measuring obesity in kids which will hopefully head off health problems in the long-run. While we were doing this there were little clumps of pocket time between classes and I always made sure I had a pen and notebook paper so I could jot down notes. I actually wrote most of this talk while sitting in a chair during breaks. Then, at night, I would type my notes into script form." So, I practically created that entire (23 minute) talk using pocket time. Of course, I had my Blackberry Cell Phone with me and could use Google to research my topic during that free time as well. So, pocket time was a valuable concept I uncovered in talking about how to be a winner. But, since we are talking about time and winning, let me also share what I believe is one of the most important things in having success in life. It really goes along with our scripture lesson from Ecclesiastes. Treat time as a valuable resource. Make it your ally, not your enemy. Treasure every minute and thank God for each new day. Ask Him to help you make the most of it. Don't just fall into another day. Yawn..."oh well here it is time to get up. Guess I'll go get some coffee and try to wake up." Then trudge on off to work. Or..."guess I'm gonna have to spend another day fishing. Same old, same old. Hope I don't catch anything or I'll have to take it off my hook." No, I'm saying get up and approach the day with vigor. Assess your situation. Think about what you are thinking about. Are these thoughts positive and constructive. Will they get me somewhere? Or are they negative, complaining, whining, going-nowhere thoughts? You see...what you are thinking is something you can do something about. No one has control over that but YOU. And conditioning your mind to start treating time as your friend...as a great resource, is a sure-fire way to make each day a winner. The other points I made in the talk about winning in life were: 2) Plan tomorrow, today. 3 ) Do it now...don't let things pile up. 4) Expect the unexpected and don't let those surprise occurrences throw you. When they happen make the adjustment. The final and most important thing is to Pray (about everything.) No doubt about it. Time is important. And pocket time is a true gift. In fact, since it rained-out our kid-testing today, I used that "pocket of time" to write and share this devotion with you. Monday Prayer: Thank you Lord for the gift of time and for the special gift of "pocket time" that delightfully occurs and enables us to refresh and renew our productive efforts. Amen! ***author's note: Hope you are blessed with some pocket time this week. It may be that you need to use that time to rest and relax. Sometimes that is the best use of pocket time. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=519 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. Hebrews 1:1 In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God and he was God. He was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2 A few years ago I was talking with a lady who was involved in a weekly women'ssmall group Bible study. She said that they always started their meeting by sharing God Nods they had received individually during the previous week. Say what? God Nods? What's that? Well since that conversation I've studied up on God Nods. I've tried to become more alert for the God Nods that occur in my life. I've also thought back to things that have happened in my life and come up with a kind of self-created definition based on personal experience: A God Nod is a communication from God to us that directs our actions. It may take any of a variety of forms, but is usually experienced as a strong feeling about a decision we should make. In other words, God is nodding in the direction we should go. He is urging, but He is letting us exercise our free will to decide what to do. It is important to think about communicating with God. How do we receive messages from Him? How do we let him know what we are thinking and ask for His help? First, let's analyze how we communicate in life. When you think of communicating with another person what is the first thing that comes to mind? Words! Speaking to another person is usually the easiest, most direct way to get your message across. Just tell them. Say what you are thinking. . So when it comes to how God communicates with us how does He do it? The same way? Well, sometimes he does, but most of the time he uses other, even more creative ways. . In the Bible we see instances of God communicating his message to people in a wide variety of ways. He did it through angels; dreams; writing on the wall; a talking donkey; pillars of cloud and fire; one guy was swallowed by a fish; and sometimes he communicated verbally. One of our key scriptures Hebrews 1:1 says that long ago many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. He is still communicating with us in many ways today. One of the ways that I think he communicates with us today is by using one of those God Nods I previously defined.. I think this is a way that God can reach us that renders words unnecessary. Let me explain how this can happen by referring to my book "Monday Morning Devotions", published in 2002. Chapter 13, pg 66. "Think about it. Have you ever done something that turned out well...something you were really proud of accomplishing? Later in thinking about it you remember, "Something told me I should do that. You don't know where the inclination came from, but you just felt a little inner nudge to do it and it worked out well. That was probably a God Nod!" "It was a move you needed to make and God just gave you a little nod to say "do it." He didn't hit you over the head with it. It wasn't a dramatic, earth shaking thing. it was just a little urge, maybe a small voice in your head or a feeling, that you should go ahead." You did and it worked out great. Sometimes we are so happy celebrating our success that we don't stop to think back and recall that little go ahead nod that God gave us." "Or maybe somebody showed up at just the right time when you needed information or help. Perhaps you came across a helpful scripture when you were searching for answers. Maybe you happened onto an informative article or discovered something on the Internet that gave you some much needed answers." "Although it may seem small at the time, a God Nod can lead to big things. We all have God Nods in our lives. Often we just don't recognize them for what they are. Nothing happens merely by chance. God knows our needs. He has a plan for us. He wants us to succeed. He wants us to know his will." There are various ways to receive God Nods. Just like God communicated in a variety of ways to His people in ancient times...he still does. He may send us a God Nod through prayer; Bible study; worship; conversation; or personal experiences and who knows how many other ways. Or he may just strategically put a random thought in your mind with the hope that you will follow up on it. God Nods tend to get us going in the right direction. Get started on the best path. Get us going God's way. If you are taking a trip you definitely want to start of going the right way so you will get to the desired destination. If you want to go to the North Pole you'd probably better head north. Because if you start heading south you might go to the South Pole instead. Sometimes you may ignore a God Nod for awhile. Or maybe you don't recognize it for what it really is. But, God can be pretty persistent. He may not let your avoidance of his God Nod just slide by. In 1998, I ignored a God Nod to start doing Monday Morning Devotions a work...for awhile. But, after some restless nights ensued and I couldn't stop thinking about this little Nod I had received to start doing devotions at work, I recognized it for what it was. A God Nod directing me to start doing Monday Morning Devotions. So, I gave in. Okay God you won again. And I started doing the devotions at work and that's why you are now reading an on-line Monday Morning Devotion. It all started with a God Nod. So be alert for those God Nods. Then, be prepared for something wonderful to happen in your life. Amen! Prayer: Lord, help us to be alert for those God Nods you send our way. We realize that you are urging us to go in a direction that will enrich our lives when we are alert and respond to them. Author's note: God Nods. Some will be coming your way this week. So be alert. Stay on your toes. God wants to communicate with you. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=516 My complaint today is still a bitter one, and I try not to groan aloud. If only knew where to find God I would go to His throne and talk with Him there. I would lay out my case and present my arguments. Then I would listen to His reply and understand what He says to me. Job 23:1-5 Do you ever feel like it is hard to find God? Just seems that he is elusive? Unfindable. It's like He is a big mystery. Hard to understand His ways and to even discover where He is. Old Testament character Job felt that way. Listen to his predicament in Job Chapter 23 verse 8. "I go east, but he is not there. I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden. It turn to the south, but I cannot find him. Let's do a quick review of Job's situation and see why he so desperately wanted to find God. His world, as it used to be, had fallen apart. The reason, unknown to Job, was because of a bet God had made. Well, maybe "bet" is not the proper term to use. It conjures up a vision of somebody placing money on-the-line. Of course money means nothing to God. What is important to God is our character. How our life plays out because of who we are, what we believer, and what we do. But, in this case God did accept a verbal challenge from Satan. Was God tricked, deceived, or sucked in to a compeition with Satan? Hardly. A confrontation with God is not really any competition. His omniscience gives Him a pretty big advantage. Satan challenged God, who had been bragging on Job calling him "the finest man in all the earth" to let him shake Job's faith. He said that given free reign to work on Job, i.e. take away his riches and sour his earthly relationships and "he will surely curse you to your face." God says, "You're on." But, he warned Satan that he could not harm Job physically. So it was "game on" and misfortune after misfortune began to plague Job. Got so bad he cried out to the heavens, but received no answer from God. Has this ever happened to you? Not the part about God betting with Satan concerning your welfare. Although there is a continuing battle for your soul. Satan is trying to usurp God's influence in your life and place his deceptively attractive plans in your path. Of course, his plans depend on how you react to the temptations he sends your way. The more you fall for them the greater your need to find God becomes because of the separation from Him caused by sins. Then, when you feel like you are on the verge of becoming totally lost and need God most it seems difficult to contact and hear from Him. So, how do you find God? In the mega-best selling book "The Shack," the main character, "Mack" (Mackenzie Allen Phillips), ,actually finds God. And what happens when he does is completely different than anything he could have imagined. The Great Sadness has descended on Mack. His youngest daughter has disappeared and there is evidence that she has been brutally murdered. So, Mack is not only angry, confused and of course deeply saddened, but he can't understand how a loving God could let that happen. What Mack discovers when he finds God completely rocks his world. In the novel he receives a letter from "Papa" which is the name his wife, Nan, has for God. The letter asks him to meet Papa at the Shack, the place where his daughter had apparently been murdered since her bloody dress was found there. So, what happens when we do actually find God in our life as Mack did? Sometimes we need to be prepared to be totally shocked, just like Mack was. You see, we can't formularize God. We can't put him in a box. We can never completely understand him and comprehend the totally mystery that surrounds him. In a number of devotions I've referred to Jeremiah 29:13 in which God flat-out says: "If you look for me in earnest you will find me." The NLT Bible says; "In times of dire circumstances, it may appear as though God has forgotten you. But, God may be preparing you, for a new beginning with him at the center." Ever get hit in the stomach and have all the breath momentarily knocked out of you. You can see and hear what is going on, but you just can't breathe. It's like you are a walking...uh, zombie. You feel suspended in time. You are still alive. But, you just can't breathe for a few seconds and to be considered to be alive you need to be breathing. Well sometimes life gives us one of those blows to the stomach. You are alive, but you are not really sure, at that particular time, that you want to be. You're gasping for air...for something positive you happen. You desperately need to find God. Well, hears the good news. You don't actually have to find God. He will find you. Just ask Him too. Call out to Him. He knows Satan is working on you. But, He won't let Satan have total control. Just like God finally rescued Job and turned his life around, so will He do that for you. But, you will learn some valuable lessons along the way. You will do some growing as a person and as a Christ-follower. Mack would have never come to an understanding of why bad things can happen to a good person, neither would Job, and neither would you and I without being available to God. Trusting Him, keeping the faith, and no matter what the circumstances always trying to find God. The beauty of it all is when you need him most and really try to find God, He will find you! Prayer: Lord, thank you for always finding us when we need you most! Amen! ***author's note: Hope you will remember to let God find you this week. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=513 The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. James 5: 16 bHow important is prayer in your life? Is praying something that you do frequently, seldom, or almost never? Where do you pray? At the dinner table before meals, at bedtime, in church? Who do you pray with your spouse, family, friends, Sunday school class or small group? All those are important questions and they are ones that we probably give little thought to. Prayer is either an integral part of our lives or it isn't. People who are not really "praying people" may become immersed in prayer when misfortune strikes. The NLT Bible says "Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails; this approach is backward. Prayer should come first. Because God's power is infinitely greater than ours; it only makes sense to rely on it─ especially because God encourages us to do so." Whenever we do a job whether it is making a sales presentation, building something, painting, writing, or something else we take advantage of the resources that are available to us. We have a plan as to how we are going to get the chore accomplished. We research it, we use the tools that are available and do it. "The Christian's most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer." So, doesn't it just logically follow that we would make use of this resource often...in fact in everything we do? If so, why don't we. I hate to say it, but sometimes we just don't think about it. We are busy people. Life comes at you fast every day. As I get a little older, I see at what a fast pace we are living. That's because I have something to compare it to...the changing times. I'm sure young folks don't see it that way. They've just grown up in a society that rushing past. They give little thought to this because it's just a way of life...the only one they have known. So, whether you have become acclimated to the rush of time or you've just taken it for granted....there is a tendency to not use the greatest resource you have...prayer. You've just gotten us to solving one problem after another and moving on. Maybe the solutions aren't always the best, but they are solutions. There is also a danger of thinking of prayer as just hollow words. You've heard public prayers that drone on and on. You've heard prayers that use such big words that only God would understand them. Maybe you even feel like, since you aren't getting an immediate answer...I mean, we do want things to have instant resolutions, don't we...that it is a futile exercise. Maybe even a waste of time. Well, let's look at what a guy who has preached to over 10 million people says about it. I'm not talking about somebody who could reach that many with some highly advertised television crusades. I'm referring to someone who wasn't even around when TV was invented, in fact he didn't see the 20th century come in because he died in 1892. Charles Spurgeon, who took over a chapel in London in 1859 and built it into a 14,000 member church. He preached over 3,561 sermons and at one time 25,000 copies of these were sold each week and they were printed in 20 languages. Spurgeon said: "True prayer is "a spiritual transaction with the Creator of heaven and earth...True prayer is a spiritual business from beginning to end, and its aim and object end not with man but reach to God Himself." So much for hollow words. My mom has always been the ultimate prayer warrior. She has always taken all her concerns as well as her "thank you Lords" to her heavenly Father. She really believes that prayer works. Who's going to argue with her? Certainly not me. She celebrated her 96th birthday last month. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that the more you think about, utilize and rely on prayer as a great resource then the greater chance you have of enjoying life for all the right reasons. James said that the "earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results." Then he cited as an example the great prophet Elijah who he says was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again." Jesus prayed throughout his ministry and his time on earth. It was the way that he talked with his Heavenly Father. It was a conversation. A dialogue. He received strength and instruction. We can receive the same thing. The human side of Jesus needed help. No matter how self-sufficient we may think we are ...we need heavenly help as well. Naturally there are going to be things that worry us in our lives. In fact, we can become pre-occupied with these. Worries can consume us if we are not careful. The apostle Paul has some good advice when this happens. Philippians 4:6-7: Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." I think what Paul is saying is the same thing James was trying to get across. Prayer is our most powerful resource. Prayer: Lord we offer up this prayer to give you thanks for our greatest resource...the power of prayer. We want to use this make everything better and to give you the glory in all things. Amen! ***author's note" Prayer is a wonderful resource and it's free. Make use of it and watch the positive changes occur in your life. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=511 Then the man said, "This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger one and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to myself. You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry. Luke 12:18-19 Had a conversation with The Lovely Susette in which she said that she prefers to focus on what's happening now instead of getting bogged down in the details of the future. I guess hers is an approach similar to a football coach who tells his players to take them one game at a time. The logic behind that line of thinking is if you are more focused on a future opponent, maybe a higher ranked one, than the one coming up next Saturday you could lose to the team you are overlooking. By concentrating on "the future" you mess up "the now." TLS and I also agreed that I have a tendency to over-focus on what's coming up. While I don't totally ignore the present─still do a good job─ I just need to know what's coming up so I can more fully "enjoy the now." Truthfully, I think from time to time we are all a little guilty of not enjoying the now enough. You know that old "stop and smell the roses" advice. We forget about it. As I began writing this devotion, with pen and notebook, I was sitting in a lawn chair at an elementary school watching a group of first graders who had just passed through our station and was headed back to class. Let me tell you those kids were "enjoying the now." One little girl had on a t-shirt that said: "It's my brother's fault." Those kids didn't have one thought or worry about the future. We are working with selected elementary schools on behalf of the Florida State University College of Medicine. They have received a grant to do Fitness Testing among kids to combat obesity in youngsters. Actually by testing in the "now" hopefully health problems that could affect their "future" can be circumvented." So, "the now" is important for future considerations. But, the now is more important to be enjoyed and to get things done rather than putting them off. I read a Facebook entry recently that came at the end of a day. The person wrote: "Bulletin: Today will not be repeated." That's right when you tear this page off your calendar or put an "X" in that slot it is final. It ain't coming back. What ever you didn't get done ain't getting' done until another day. If you misses seeing someone or talking to a friend or loved one that opportunity is gone. All that is pretty simplistic. Am I wasting your time? Hope not. Because the purpose is train us to focus on the day and to wring the most out of it we can before it passes. Jesus told a parable about forgetting about the now and knocking yourself out with planning for the future to the detriment of the present. It's called the Parable of the Rich Fool. Our Pastor Betsy says a parable is "a true story that never happened." So, it is something to learn from so we aren't caught unawares since it really could and in the case of the parables of Jesus probably will happen. In the story, a rich man had it all going for him. His soil produced not just a good, but a great crop. In fact, so great that his barns weren't big enough to store it all. So he determined that he would tear those barns down and build bigger ones. He was not satisfied with what he had. He wanted more and more and more. He then said to himself that when all those bigger barns were filled to overflowing he would lean back, put his feet up, relax, eat, drink, and be merry. Then, he would really enjoy the now. But, read on. In verse 20: "But, God said to him, "You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you." All that work and he never got to enjoy it. So what was the purpose of the parable. What did Jesus have in mind when he told it. The Message puts it this way: "That's what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God." Jesus was challenging us to think beyond earthbound goals. He wasn't saying not to save for retirement or to make plans beyond today. Without plans the unexpected can make a mess of your life especially if it is a financial concern. But, he is saying that what you are doing right now is important. The way you live and the things you concern yourself with. The Life Application Bible says that the way to become rich toward God is through faith, service and obedience. Those are also ways to lead to greater enjoyment of the now. Mainly that's because by cultivating those areas of our life we are more easily able to cultivate Jesus' command not to worry. "Faith can free us from the anxiety caused by greed and covetousness. It is good to work and plan responsibly; it is bad to dwell on all the ways our planning could go wrong...the Creator of the Universe loves us and knows what we need. He promises to meet all our real needs, but no necessarily all our desire." Really it sometimes just becomes a case of redirecting our thinking. Sometimes we just need to step aside and take a look at what's going on in our life at the moment. Our we getting so uptight that all the enjoyment has been sucked right out of the day. What if we didn't ever see the fruits of all that worry, hard work and neglect of more meaningful areas of our life. When you look at it that way that should cause to just stop...well, at least pause for awhile...and enjoy the now. Prayer: Lord, show us how to enjoy the now by granting us the wisdom to strike a balance in our lives between working for the future and appreciating what we have already been graciously given by You! Amen! ***author's note: When you feel the stress piling up this week, just pause to enjoy the now. This will enable the Lord to show you all the things you have to be thankful for and what's really important. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=508 The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8 A few months ago I told the weekly devotion readers that I would be embarking on a SOAP journey. This is an idea I picked up from Wayne Cordeiro's book, "The Divine Mentor" recommended to me by Pastor Erick Ashley. Our church also encourages us to do the kind of journaling that SOAP involves. Quick refresher here. SOAP is a method of daily Bible study that involves journaling. Each day you pick the scripture that the Lord has directed you to. Could be something you heard in a sermon; or read in a devotion; or focused on in Sunday School or a small group study; or any of a variety of ways that the Lord chooses to put a particular scripture in front of you. Some people do this by reading the Bible through from cover to cover over a period of time. Or sometimes you may just open your Bible to no place in particular and see what scripture jumps off the page. I chose to find the scripture of the day in a variety of ways so I didn't get bogged down. Might be in the Old Testament one day, then the New Testament the next. But, I agree with Jeremiah, the prophet who told the people, on God's behalf, that when they sought Him they would find Him. And one of the best ways to find God is through Holy Scripture. So for the "S" part, you find and write down a scripture. Then comes "O"---Observation. You record what God is saying to you in that particular scripture. Next for "A" you personalize it...make the scripture your own by asking yourself how that scripture applies to your life at the moment. Then "P" Prayer. You ask God to help you use this scripture in your life. This has become a most enjoyable and informative exercise for me each day. It has made me think differently. Sometimes a scripture has hit me right between the eyes as if God put it there for me, personally. Other times it has made me feel good about the way some things were going in my life. Scriptures have challenged me; scolded me; softened my heart, encouraged me and run the gamut of emotions in my first 100 Days of SOAP Journaling. Let me share with you some of the highlights; some things that the Lord put in front of me since I started on May 13, 2009. Oh yeah, you make up a title for each day's reading and put it at the top of the page along with the page number, and date. It is good to keep your daily journal entry to one page: May 13, 2009: "No Problem." Scripture: 1 John 5:3-5 (Day #1) "His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes this world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. When I thought about this and tried to apply it during the day, I realized God was telling me not to get uptight...especially with my heavy writing schedule. God has overcome any setbacks the world throws out there and my faith in Him will help me do the same. Three days later: May 16, 2009: "Good Advice" 1 Thessalonians 5: 11, 16-18 "So encourage each other and build each other up. ..Always be joyful. Keep on praying, no matter what happens always be thankful for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. This verse spoke to me about having the right attitude despite what was happening. Just looking at and appreciating my surroundings and the beauty of His creation made me feel more disposed to how many joyful things I have to be thankful for, but don't always acknowledge. Day 24-June 8, 2009 "How God Decides" 1 Samuel 7b "The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions." 1 Samuel 7b When people judge by outward appearance they may overlook quality individuals who lack the particular physical qualities society currently admires. This is a good example to me not to judge others or make snap decisions based on how they look, but to search for the inner qualities and goodness that everyone possesses. Sometimes it can get pretty discouraging out there can't it. We all face rejection at times. Here's a day of SOAP that helped me. Day 30- June 15, 2009: "Help in Trouble" Psalm 9: 9-10 The Lord is a shelter fro the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble for those who know your name, trust in you. For you O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you/" Psalm 9:9,10 Let me quote my entry that day" "Recent discouragement due to a very cold, informal, tacky rejection from a Christian Publisher for a book proposal I submitted has made me think and reconsider my work and my motives. This verse reminds me God is still there and He has a plan and I am thankful for all His blessings." This verse reminded me of the coach's instructions in the movie, "Facing the Giants." He told the team that from that point on they were going to praise God when they won and they were going to praise God when they lost. So I keep on writing and praising him (sidenote here: three other writing and three speaking opportunities came my way thereafter.:) Day 53-July 13, 2009 "Integrity" Luke 16:10 Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won't be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won't be honest with greater responsibilities. My "A" response: "Paying more attention to what's before me instead of just dreaming about bigger things is important. Daily, I'm building a life, and while it's okay to dream big and make plans, paying attention to what God wants me to do day-by-day is important and doing these with integrity is ultra-important." Day 70-July 31, 2009 "No Grudges Held" Psalm 130:3-5 Lord if you kept a record of our sins, who could ever survive? But you offer forgiveness that we might learn to fear you. I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on Him. I have put my hope in His word. "This is comforting. It tells me the lines of communication are always open no matter how bad I have messed up. God is waiting to forgive me when I repent and ask Him." Day 91 August 22, 2009- "Be a Listener" James 2: 19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. Your anger can never make things right in God's sight. "I want to become better at listening and retaining the important things that others say. Not just what's important to me, but what's important for them to get out." And finally, this one on Day 90- August 20, 2009. It is significant because it was The Lovely Susette's birthday. It's entitled: "The Loveliest." Song of Songs 2:2; 4:1; 7:9; and 8:6b *Compared to other women my beloved is like a lily among thorns. * How beautiful you are my beloved, how beautiful. *May your kisses be as exiting as the best wine, smooth and sweet, flowing over teeth and lips. * Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame The application read: "I just want to sing God's praises and enjoy my time with TLS today. I hope the whole day is enjoyable for her." And yes it was one of the loveliest and most memorable of times for us. I In fact, everyday of SOAP journaling carries it's own special memories you can return to time and again. Monday Prayer: Lord, thank you for the way your Word inspires us and the potential it has for transforming our lives when we are open and available to You. ****Author's note: Sure would be a good week to start SOAP journaling. Any day, you open the Bible, and ask God to direct you, is a good day. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=506 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord's work, for you know nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. 1 Corinthians 15:58 "No one gets picked for a team and then wants to sit on the bench....We don't want a life on the sidelines...We are built for meaning the way Porsches are built for speed." Those observations by John Ortberg ("When the Game is Over it All Goes Back in the Box) take us beyond athletics. If you stop to think about the satisfaction quotient in your life, you'll discover that the more satisfying times have come when you were participating in something rather than observing. We want to make a difference and to do that we must search for our mission in life. Everyone has an assignment, but not everyone fulfills it. While on that subject let me relate a really neat story from Ortberg's book. It's the story of Johnny the bagger. Johnny was a 19-year old with Down's Syndrome who worked as a bagger in a grocery store. Along with 3,000 workers for this supermarket chain Johnny went to a training event. The speaker talked about "how people can make a difference." Basically she told the employee-gathering that included truck drivers, cashiers, stockers and others that "every interaction with another person is a chance to create a memory, to bless someone's life." The talk inspired Johnny and he decided that rather than sitting on the bench as simply a grocery bagger he would become a difference-maker. "He decided that every night when he came home from work, he would find a ‘thought for the day" for his next shift. It would be something positive, some reminder of how good it was to be alive, or how much people matter or how many gifts we are surrounded by. If he couldn't find one , he would make it up." Each evening, with his Dad's help Johnny would enter the saying on his computer, six times per page, then print 50 pages. Next, he cut out and signed 300 copies. Then he would bag a person's groceries, put his saying on the top of the grocery bag, look the person straight in the eye and say, "I've put a great saying in your bag. I hope it helps you have a good day. Thanks for coming here." About a month later the store manager was making his rounds and noticed that Johnny's check-out line was three times longer than anyone else's. He got on the loudspeaker and announced that other no-waiting lines were opening. But, he couldn't get anyone to move out of Johnny's line that was backed up all the way to the frozen food section. Nobody wanted to move. They all wanted to get Johnny's saying for the day. Johnny refused to be a benchwarmer. He got in the game. "Johnny is doing more than filling bags with groceries. He is filling lives with hope." Of course it is one thing to get off the bench and into the game. It is another to do it with great enthusiasm. Going through the motions, just to say you participated is not much better than sitting on the bench and cheering the workers on. Johnny put a lot into his game plan. The care he put into it came through clearly. Corinthians 15:58 reminds us to be enthusiastic about the Lord's work because whatever we do has meaning. It is never useless. Like Frank Lloyd Wright said, "God is in the details." Sometimes we might feel like what we are doing is unimportant and maybe it won't dramatically change the world around it. Often change comes in small increments that are hardly noticeable to begin with. But, you are changing. You are making a commitment to improve. In the long run that will pay off. "Paul says that because of the resurrection, nothing we do is useless. Sometimes we become apathetic about serving the Lord because we don't see any results. Knowing that Christ won the ultimate victory should affect the way we live right now. Don't let discouragement over an apparent lack of results keep you from doing the work of the Lord enthusiastically as you have opportunity. (NLT pg 1828) The way to get started with this change of lifestyle is to simply start where you are. You don't have to change jobs, or churches, or favorite teams or leisure activities. As radio sports talk host Colin Cowherd says, "It is more important to live in the ‘is', than to live in the ‘was.' " Maybe what you are already doing is very important and you don't realize it. Ortberg's wife, Nancy, relates the story of the husband who came home from work and right away noticed the house was a disaster. "The baby was crying, dirty dishes were all over the counters, dirty laundry was hanging from doorknobs, the TV was blaring, beds were unmade, carpets were unvacuumed, dust was undisturbed, and dinner was uncooked. When he wanted to know what happened, his wife told him. You know how you always ask me what I've been doing all day? Well, today I didn't do it." Yes, there may be times when we feel like a benchwarmer, but it is not until we don't do what we normally do before we realize our contribution is significant. We really are in the game and without our contribution the team loses. My suggestion would be to just take a few minutes at the end of the day, like Johnny did. Review and analyze your entire day...work, play, growth, accomplishments and things that were ignored or left undone. How do you gauge your impact? How could you do things better? And don't be too hard on yourself. Cut some slack, but just think about your overall performance that day. Were you in the game or more of a benchwarmer? Then make the adjustment. Prayer: We don't want to be benchwarmers, Lord. You've given us the uniform, the team, the talents and we want to use them to make a difference. We ask for your help. Thank you for hearing our prayers. Amen! ***author's note: Okay, no bench warming this week. Let's get in the game and be prepared to marvel at the results. May all your efforts be blessed. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=502 Then the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed"...When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd, he said, " I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all the land of Israel!" Matthew 8: 8,10 "Leap, and the net will appear." A statement in the book "The Artists Way" by Julia Cameron. She is basically talking about having faith. Sometimes we just have to be trusting and courageous to take that leap of faith, even though we can't see a safety net to protect us and break the fall. Some acts just require that we leap into the fray without concern that we will suffer harm. This leap might be spontaneous or considered. It could occur in any area of life. Might be job related, relationship driven, or family oriented. But, we take it because it's important and we have faith, even though we can't see the net or maybe haven't even considered the consequences if it's not there, Basically, the term "leap of faith" is associated with Soren Kierkegaard, a 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian. He purported that when you take this leap you make a transition that involves moving directly from one state to another never possessing both qualities simultaneously. That's why faith comes so strongly into play. You are voluntarily giving up this one state or position and assuming another. You'll be out there, in the air, heading in a new direction confident that the net will be there when you reach this new destination. Kierkegaard called Christianity a leap of faith. Wikipedia describes his rationale this way. "It is important to understand that Kierkegaard felt a leap of faith was necessary in accepting Chrisitanity due to the paradoxes that exist in Christianity. In his book "Philosophical Fragments," Kierkegaard delves deep into the paradoxes that Christianity presents. One of these is the belief that there existed a being (Jesus) who is both 100% man and 100% God. Since neither logic nor reason can reconcile this, one would require faith to believe it in light of the paradox. So, when one decides to have faith that a being existed as both God and man, one makes a qualitative change from non-belief to belief, and thus makes a 'leap of faith' that it is true." Of course, as Christians, we find the leap of faith in trusting Jesus to be a logical one. We have read about him in the Bible. We have accepted him as Savior. We step out in faith by praying, worshiping, and fellowshipping in His name. Jesus realized that his message was one that required a leap of faith for the hearer to believe that he was the Messiah and to trust in his healing powers. There were even times when the faith of others amazed even Jesus. An example of that is found in Matthew 6. There was a Centurion, a Roman officer, who commanded great respect from the 100 soldiers he had control over. He had a young servant who he was fond of who was lying in bed "paralyzed and racked with pain." (Mat. 6:6) The NLT commentary says: "This Roman Officer could have let many obstacles stand between him and Jesus ─pride, doubt, money, language, distance, time, self-sufficiency, power, race. But, he didn't let those barriers block his approach to Jesus." The Centurion took a leap of faith and approached Jesus. He didn't worry about a safety net. He could have appeared foolish or weak if the servant wasn't healed. But, he believed that Jesus could and would heal the servant and that's what counted. Unlike his neighbors in his home town of Nazareth, who limited the healing powers because of their unbelief, this "hated Gentile's faith put to shame the pompous piety of many of the Jewish religious leaders." In fact it was such a dramatic faith leap that it amazed Jesus, which I think would be hard to do. The soldier recognized Jesus as Lord and master healer and came humbly to him with his request. Jesus said, "Sure I will come to your house and heal him." The centurion felt so unworthy that he didn't even think Jesus should come to his house, but had enough faith that he didn't think Jesus had to go there in order to heal his servant. When he expressed that belief Jesus recognized how genuine his faith was and it amazed Him. It was unusual for a man with power over people's lives to subvert that control and willingly turn it over to another, especially a Jewish teacher, since he was a Gentile. Others were so entrenched in their own beliefs, customs and traditions that they refused to make the move that would free them up to follow Jesus. Their safety net had holes in it, but they were unwilling to admit it. The NLT cautions us not to make the mistake they did and "limit God by our mind-set and lack of faith." The Centurion leaped first and the net did appear. His faith was responsible for the healing of his servant. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth I have not seen faith like this in all the land of Israel." In his 1992 song, "Leap of Faith" Bruce Springsteen sang: "It takes a leap of faith to get things going It takes a leap of faith you gotta show some guts It takes a leap of faith to get things going In your heart you must trust."Leap, then look. The net will appear! Prayer: Lord, give us the wisdom and the faith to realize that when we leap you will cause the net to appear. Amen! ***Author's note: Pray in God's will this week, then don't be afraid to take that leap because amazingly the net will appear. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=498 "We alone will build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel...Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their aims. Ezra 4:1,4 "No one tries to tackle you if you aren\'t carrying the ball." Those words, read ona Facebook status update recently, got me to thinking. Yeah, it got me to thinking about football with another exciting season upon us. And it also made think it would be a good topic for a devotion. Additionally, it prompted me to consider the good side and the bad side of that statement. Hey, if nobody is trying to tackle you then you won\'t get banged up, right? You aren\'t gonna hit the ground, unless you just trip and fall on your own, if no one tries to tackle you. To take it beyond football terms the significance of this is if you just stay back in your comfort zone, don\'t take the lead or express an opinion, or make an extra effort to do something, then you it\'s true you probably won\'t catch any grief. But, will you feel fulfilled, like your life has meaning and you are living it to the fullest? On the other hand if you step out and try to get something started, or improve a situation, circumstance or event, there will be naysayers who crop up. They are the ones who won\'t do it themselves, but they can knock what you are doing. They won\'t get tackled but they sure can do the tackling. In 586 BC the temple that the Jews had built for God when Solomon was king, was destroyed. In fact, the entire city of Jerusalem was wiped out and the Jews were taken captive to live as exiles in Babylon. A little over 40 years later Babylon was overthrown by King Cyrus of Persia in fulfillment of the prophecy made by Jeremiah. He then sent a decree throughout the kingdom: "The Lord God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a temple at Jerusalem in the land of Judah. All of you who are his people may return to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives In Jerusalem. And may your God be with you." Okay, that all sounds just fine and dandy doesn\'t it. Really a no-brainer. They are being given an opportunity to go back home and rebuild a temple. That\'s something they would jump on, right? Wrong! Some chose to go back, but the fact of the matter was that many wanted to remain where they were. Some 48 years after Jerusalem was destroyed many had been born since then and didn\'t even remember the "good old days." The relaxed attitude of the Babylonians and the Persians towards captives enabled them to own lands and homes and to have jobs. On the other hand those who returned home would face a lot of uncertainty. The NLT Bible says, "The journey back to Jerusalem was difficult, dangerous and expensive lasting over four months. Travel conditions were poor, Jerusalem and surrounding countryside were in ruins; and the people living in the area were hostile." Doesn\'t sound so idyllic any more does it? Besides that there was going to be a lot of hard work ahead of those who went back. They had to build a temple from scratch...not to mention build new homes, etc. Those who remained where they were would not be tackled because they wouldn\'t be carrying the ball. Those who stepped up in service to God would face a gang of tacklers. NLT says, "We must not let our comfort, security, or material possessions prevent us from doing what God wants." A friend of ours recently was expressing hurt over some things a close friend had said to her. The things that were said hit directly at what her beliefs were. The fact that she had always been open about what she believed, in fact her whole life spoke to those things, made these slams even more difficult to deal with. So, I pointed out to her that if she wasn\'t carrying the ball nobody would have tried to tackle her beliefs. She could have kept them to herself...gone along a different path and not had to deal with this. But, that would not have been the way she wanted to live her life, thus she became vulnerable to stray tacklers as well as gang tacklers. Because when you have the ball others will come after it. The good thing is that she knew that God would sustain her and bring her through this just as He had been faithful to do on so many other occasions. Knowing that didn\'t take away the hurt, but it did strengthen her to withstand it. No runner can make yardage if he has to go it alone. He needs someone to lead the interference...somebody to throw some blocks. That\'s what the Holy Spirit does. He strengthens the believer, so he or she is not intimidated, then throws some solid blocks to knock the tacklers back. Those who were faithful to their Lord and vacated their comfortable surroundings to go back to Jerusalem and re-build the temple and the city encountered lots of problems. When they got there and started building they were taking the local residents, those who didn\'t believe in the one true God, out of their comfort zone. So these people started trying to discourage and frighten them. They told the Jews that they would never finish this temple. It would take so long most of them would die before it was finished. They used discouragement and fear as obstacles to the project. But, as always God was faithful to those who were faithful to him. He used a king, Darius, who was not a follower to make a decree so the workers would be left alone. His decree in Ezra 6:6 said: "Stay away from there! Do not disturb the construction of the Temple of God. Let it be built on its former site." Is that plain enough? God had provided the interference for the faithful who had stepped out and were running with the ball. All those would-be tacklers were blocked. In 515 AD the temple was completed. When God calls you to do something, don\'t be afraid to carry the ball even though those tacklers loom large on the horizon. God is bigger. He won\'t let you fail. Prayer: Lord, gives us the courage to carry the ball even though there are tacklers moving up to block our way. Help us use our blocking well. We know the Holy Spirit is a dependable blocker who will clear the way. Amen~ ***author\'s note: Enjoy your week. Make it one in which you don\'t hesitate to Carry the Ball. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=496 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely exclusivelyon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will smooth your paths. Don't imagine you've got it all figured out. Be afraid of the Lord and avoid evil. It will heal your body and bring refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8 (par) The ancient philosopher Augustine once figured out that "God being God offends human pride. If God is running the universe and has first claim on our lives, guess whoisn't running the universe and does not get to have things as they please." (Renovation of the Heart-Dallas Willard) Now, who among us would openly admit to being offended that God is running things and we aren't? Nobody. That would be a dumb thing to do. It's one thing for us to be offended by something, but on the other hand, we really don't won't to consider a situation in which we offend God. But, without actually verbalizing it, we do try to wrest control of our own little universe away from God. We may not say... "God, I know you are busy. So why don't you take a rest on this little matter and I'll handle it." No, we don't tell God we don't need his help, but sometimes our actions belie our words. The old axiom "actions speak louder than words" comes into play more times than we would care to admit. How many times do we barge into a situation without giving even a thought to God's will in the matter? Do we even pause a few seconds to pray for God's wisdom and guidance before we blunder on along and make a mistake? We don't have to shoulder that responsibility and take the chance we will do it wrong. Phillip Yancey quotes Tugwell who says; "God is inviting us to take a break, to play truant. We can stop doing all those important things we have to do in our capacity as God, and leave it to him to be God." Yancey then adds: "Prayer allows me to admit my failures, weaknesses, and limitations to One who responds to human vulnerability with infinite mercy. To let God be God, of course, means climbing down from my own executive chair of control. I must uncreate the world I have so carefully fashioned to further my ends and advance my cause." The founder of Alcoholics Anonymous wrote a book called "Not-God" in which he says that the biggest hurdle for a reforming alcoholic to surmount is to "acknowledge deep in the soul, not being God...the alcoholic must recognize individual helplessness and fall back in the arms of a Higher Power. First of all, they have to quit playing God and then allow God himself to play God." But, acknowledging God is not the key only for alcoholics in handling life problems, it applies to everyone. In some ways we all face the same kind of denial that an alcoholic battles.. Willard says this (denial) is what "accounts for the perpetual human blindness to the obvious." He further states: "Denial of reality is a capacity inseparable from the human will as we know it, and has its greatest power when it operates without being recognized as such." It is very easy to see things the way we want them to appear and ignore the reality of the situation. I'm not criticizing folks for doing that. Because we are fallible human beings, this will happen. But, we can make great in-roads into this problem by turning to God for help before we make a move that might not work out. Theologian Ronald Goetz says that "God acts in response to prayer, but with baffling unpredictability." Can you say Amen to that? I certainly can. Philip Yancey points out the alternatives. God could act alone and ignore our prayers or he could leave matters entirely in our hands with no involvement from Him. He adds: "The first option contradicts the whole motive behind creating personal beings. And the second option is too scary to even contemplate." Basically what becomes of our relationship with God is one of constant negotiation. "We inform God what we think should be done in the world, and in the process God reminds us of our own role in doing it. Rarely do we get everything we want and I imagine the same holds true for God," said Yancey. But, here's the great thing about just letting God be God. When you accept that fact and get in step it frees you from a lot of pressure. It frees you from the strain stress and strain that anger puts on your heart. It releases you from unforgiveness. Letting God be God takes away the need to retaliate...to get even, so to speak, when somehow you have been wronged. Dallas Willard says, "This by itself is a huge transformation of the landscape of our life. It removes the root and the source of by far the greater part of human evil we have to deal with in our world. Sometimes we consciously choose to let God be God and we don't see, hear, feel, or sense what we should do. In the book of James he says, "Come near to God and He will come near to you." But, James left out one thing. The time frame. Yancey says "keeping company with God involves two parties and I have an important role to play in the relationship. So, it just might be in God's timing that a crystal-clear answer is provided. Doesn't mean God has abdicated his throne or is shirking his responsibility. In His Omniscience God may have discerned that the time was not right for the kind of answer you are looking for. It may not be right for any answer at all. That is still God being God. His timing is always perfect. So hang in there. Exercise a little patience and God will provide an answer when the time is right because that's the way God does business. Prayer: God help us remember not to react too quickly or to over-react when we don't see the way opening up. Only You...God being God... can make our paths straight. Amen! ***author's note: Just let God be God this week. It really is the best way. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=492 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your heart as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you willbe filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:17-19 "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Humpty Dumpty had a great fall All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again." No, I'm not practicing to be a GrandPa...although I probably should since The Lovely Susette and are expecting our first grandchild in January. Been a long time since we had to tell a little one about Humpty Dumpty, Little Jack Horner and Jack and Jill. I guess babies are still interested in those characters. Maybe I should brush up on Wolverine; XMen; Spiderman and some other super heroes. But, I probably have a little time on those. Besides we're the grandparents we can tell whatever stories we want to. But, as I said. This is not about grandparenting. It's about us Humpty Dumpties who fall off the wall and what to do about it when we do. It is a fact of life that everyone will take a fall once in awhile. Probably more than one. Could be business-related; friendship-related; academic-related or love-related. There are always things floating around out there that are going to bump into us and knock us off of our perch. As Frank Sinatra sang in "That's Life"---"You're riding high in April; shot down in May." He adds, "I've been up and down, over and out and I know one thing. Each time I find myself flat on my face; I pick myself up and get back in the race." But, just because you get knocked down you are not a failure. Proverbs 24:16 says for a "righteous man falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of calamity." The difference is that the righteous Humpty Dumpty doesn't rely on the king's horses or the king's men. He relies on the King Himself for the repairs that get him back in business. Setbacks can be stumbling blocks or stepping stones. One thing that you may find helpful when difficulties set in is to remember the 10-90 Rule. "Ten percent of life is what happens to you---the other 90% is how you respond to what happens to you."(Wayne Cordeiro). Failure isn't getting knocked down off the wall. Failure is refusing to get up. Staying down moaning, whining and complaining. I know there are some things that happen to us in life that just aren't that easy to get over. I don't mention to make light of those steamroller situations. Granted those are not times when you can say okay, stuff happens, and bounce right back up. It takes time. Still the answer is the same. Only God can mend a broken heart. The Bee Gees asked the question in their hit song "And how can you mend a broken heart. How can you stop the rain from falling down. How can you stop the sun from shining? What makes the world go around?" Death of a friend or relative; end of a relationship; failure of a business; a child gets in trouble. Sometimes it seems these kinds of broken hearts abound in the world. But the Great Physician is a master at heart surgery no matter if it is physical, emotional or spiritual. Dallas Willard, opens his book "Renovation of the Heart" with this line: "We live from our heart." He says. "What is in our "heart" matters more than anything else for who we become and what becomes of us." Paradoxically the way a heart gets healed is not when we seek to control our heart, but when we freely yield that control. Turning control over to God is the first step in putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. Sometimes we just can't let go of what has happened. Our mind keeps dwelling on it. It's hard to get it back together when that is occurring. Ortberg says; "Trusting God means learning to let go of each moment so I am free to fully inhabit the next one." That's not always easy to do. It takes practice and being determined that you can and will accomplish it. John Wesley once said, "I can't stop a bird from flying over my head, but I sure can stop him from building a nest in my hair." Wrong thoughts are going to enter our mind from time to time. Things we would just as soon not think about. Maybe that fall we took cost us a great deal of money. Fleeting thoughts about it keep entering our mind. We can't help that. What we can help, with God's assistance, is not let them dwell there. As soon as they zip in we need to consciously change our thoughts to something else and to think about something positive. Then God can put Humpty Dumpty back together because he will be thinking proper thoughts and that is a starting point. In The Message, 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read, "We use our powerful God- tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by God." When we get knocked off the wall that is not the end. Rather it could be the beginning because that's when we must trust God and that's when He can go about the task of putting Humpty Dumpty together again. Prayer: When we take a big fall Lord help us to remember that you are equal to the task of picking up the pieces and putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. Amen! ***Author's note: Obviously God can use even a simple nursery rhyme to remind us of his love and awesome ability to get us going again. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=490 This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24 Ever get up on Friday and say, "Gosh, it's Friday, where did this week go?" No, we're more likely to open our eyes and shout: "Yesssss, TGIF...Thank God it's Friday." More probable is our coming to the end of a lovely Sunday and exclaiming. "My goodness where did the weekend go? Man, it really zipped past." Doesn't seem like we should be over halfway finished with 2009 does it? Has time accelerated? Are we moving at a more rapid pace than ever before?. Well, I guess it does depend on the perspective. Remember as a kid how it seemed like forever until Christmas would get here? My cousins and I used to get my Aunt Alice to agree to take us to the local swimming pool. As soon as she said "yes" we would run in the house, get our bathing suits, roll them up in a towel and dash out to the car. "Shotgun, one of us would yell, claiming the passenger seat, in the front of the car, next to the window. The rest would squeeze into the back seat and there we would sit. We would sit and we would sit. Aunt Alice never was one to move real fast, but to us kids, it seemed when we were waiting on her to take us swimming that time slowed down and she took forever.I'm sure in her perception she was moving fast enough and it looked like we wanted to move at warp speed. So, how fast time is moving depends on our perspective because as we all know it moves the same...day in and day out. Same number of seconds, minutes, hours in a day, a week, a month, a year.,,all the time. Still, it is a fact for all of us that we are so time-bound that in our fast-paced lives we just don't enjoy the ride often enough. We are project im-prisoned, agenda trapped, and progress determined. We've got to get this and that done. Tension builds. Stress levels elevate. Hypertension sets in. Whoa, slow down and smell the roses! Wayne Cordeiro says: "We miss the sunrises and sunsets, too often our children grow up without us, and the beauty of this ride called life goes unnoticed...We get so distracted with little details, we forget to enjoy the ride." He goes on to add: "We begin our days with a jolt of morning coffee, motor from task to task and return home exhausted---only to get up and do it all over again. Don't miss the ride! Instead of driving though at a relentless pace, let's slow down. God has given us a beautiful world to live in, a world filled with His wonder, His people and Himself. It's all there, if we will only take the time to enjoy." When I had an opportunity to visit the Crystal Cathedral in California, the church that Dr Robert Schuller started, as I sat there looking up through all that glass (the entire building is encased in glass) looking at the trees, the birds flying over, the skies and the sunshine, that magnificent choir began singing. "This is the Day. This is the Day the Lord has made. Let us be glad. Let us be glad and rejoice in it." This song is taken directly from Psalm 118:24. I looked at the planters in the middle of the aisles with the green, neatly trimmed plants growing in them and all the flowers in the sanctuary and I thought, "Yes, this is the day the Creator has made. It is a gift I will stop and enjoy." Hey, and that was even before the sermon. But, the point is, it was an environment that encouraged you to enjoy the ride...or as the saying goes "to stop and smell the roses." The NLT commentary on page 949 says, "There are days when the last thing we want to do is rejoice. Our mood is down, our situation is out of hand, and our sorrow or guilt is overwhelming. When you don't feel like rejoicing, tell God how you truly feel. You will find tht God will give you a reason to rejoice. God has given you this day to live and to serve him---be glad!" For a few days in succession, here in Florida's Capital City, we have awaken to a pleasant surprise. Instead of walking out into a blast-furnace of heat in the morning it has actually been cool. Can you imagine that in July in North Florida? Temps in the 60's. When I experience that I automatically say, "Thank you Lord." It starts my day off right. There is no reason that we can't start every day off in that manner, no matter what the weather is and I know weather can be a mood-affecter. But, having an attitude of gratefulness will do wonders for our attitude and will positively affect our day. Cordeiro suggests some things, four in fact, that will help you enjoy the ride. First, he suggests taking five minutes out of your day to write down the names of two people you appreciate. Then write them a note of thanks. Write as much detail as you can about how that person's actions have blessed you. Then, send it. Actually we email and text messaging you can get it to the other person instantly. One drawback to texting them is the word limitation, but it would still be a way of showing your appreciation if that worked best for you . Second, is don't forget to laugh. There really is a lot to laugh about in life if we make a little effort to find it. He even recommends keeping a record of how many times you laugh today, for any reason. Cordeiro recommends that you try to laugh at least five times today. Third, Do one thing for yourself today. Write it in your schedule and do it. You need it. You deserve it. Stop for an ice cream treat, take a walk, listen to some music, whatever. It's all good! Finally, make a new friend today. It only takes a few minutes to stop and be interested in another person's life. I've found that Facebook is a good way to make friends or renew old acquaintances and get up to date. It shows people you are interested in their lives. That's a way, but face-to-face is even better when the opportunity arises at work, at church, out in the community, wherever. So, there you have it. God is good and he has given us a wonderful life. So, please make sure you don't waste it. Enjoy the ride! Prayer: Lord, thank you for the ride. Help us to enjoy it. Amen ***Author's note: Just observing the things around you will provide opportunities to enjoy the ride this week. Have fun! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=487 The Lord passed by and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were turned loose. But, the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12 "May the gods also kill me if by this time tomorrow I have failed to take your life like those whom you killed." That was the message sent from Jezebel to the Prophet Elijah who had just defeated 450 of the prophets of Baal. What a sore loser. You can't win ‘em all. Here's the story. There had been a drought going on for three years. Ahaz was king at the time and he can be characterized in one sentence. "He did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him." (1 Kings 16:32). But, God had a plan to use the evil king Ahaz and his wife Jezebel, who was even more evil to fulfill it. The people had gone far astray and idol worship was running rampant. The idol Baal had become the god of choice for the Israelites who had drifted away from the one true God. According to the Bible Dictionary Baal was "a god who symbolized the productive forces of nature...Archaeologists have discovered rock carvings of Baal holding a club in his right hand and a lightning flash with a spearhead in his left. These identify him as the god of rain and storm." So the people thought Baal, who they felt was responsible for rain, which was essential to their agrarian economy could also withhold rain, thus he was responsible for the three years of drought they were suffering through. God intended to use that situation to bring the people back to the realization that there was only one God they should be worshipping and he would defeat Baal or any other pretender to the throne to make that point. So, he chose Elijah to go up against the 450 prophets of Baal. One man of God against 450 enemies. It's a familiar story of how Elijah soundly defeated all those false prophets, then had them eliminated. (1 Kings 18) Well, the thing that made Jezebel so angry was that these prophets had prophesied great things for her future, telling her everything she wanted to hear. So, she vowed to kill Elijah. This put him on the run. Despite his brave performance of outdoing these false prophets and honoring God, so the rains would come, he was now a fugitive...hiding out...fearing for his life. Elijah told God: "I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I alone am left, and now they are trying to kill me, too." (1 Kings 19:10) While Elijah was on the run for forty days and forty nights he ended up spending the night in a cave on Mt. Sinai. Notice how many things take 40 days to unfold in the Bible. Is that some advice to us as to how long it might be before something we want to happen, actually happens in our lives? On the mountain was where God chose to speak to Elijah. The prophet had to be wondering when God would do that. What was taking Him so long? Hadn't he been faithful, answered the call, and done what God wanted him to do? Had God forgotten about that? God told him to go out and stand at the mouth of the cave. When he did a tremendous storm hit the mountain. Rocks began to loosen and fall. Maybe Elijah became fearful, thinking this was how he would die. But, he remembered that God told him to go there, so this must be how He would speak to him and reveal what was next for Elijah. But, God did not speak to him in the storm. His might and power were evident as those boulders went flying past, but no communication could be detected. Then a big earthquake followed, but there was no sign of the Lord there as the earth trembled and shook. Elijah thought that in this mighty show of power there would be some sign of communication from God. But, there wasn't. Then, a major fire broke out. Everything in front of Elijah was on fire, but still the voice of God was quiet. But, while Elijah was standing there, in awe of these powerful events in nature that he had witnessed and God still had his attention, there came a gentle whisper. And in that whisper came Elijah's personal instructions from God. He was to go back the way he came and anoint a new king (Jehu) and also anoint and begin training his successor (Elisha). Sometimes we get frustrated because we just can't seem to discern what God is trying to tell us. We may even feel neglected like He isn't trying to tell us anything. Maybe he has forgotten all about us. He hasn't. Maybe we are so self-absorbed we are not hearing what he is saying. We think we deserve some big and dramatic communication from God because we are dealing with something real important. Well, God thinks it is important too. But, since His timing is always perfect and he knows stuff we don't know, he might have us on hold for 40 days. We might need to learn something different and or have some new experiences before He is ready to answer that prayer. We have to stay alert. The answer might not come in some big event. It may come as a gentle whisper. All of the things before may be leading us to a point where we can be still and quiet and hear the whisper that will affect things to come. Prayer: Lord, we want to be listening for your call. We realize that it might not come in a big, showy way, so help us to be still and know that the whisper we hear is coming from You. Amen! ***Author's note: Think of some times in your week when God could speak to you in a whisper and you would hear it. And just what form would that whisper take? Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=484 My job was to plant the seed in your hearts and Apollos watered it, but it was God, not we, who made it grow. The ones who do the planting or the watering aren't important, But God is important because He is the one who makes the seed grow. Yet they will be rewarded individually according to their own work. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 It was 1933 and the city of Chicago was celebrating "A Century of Progress" at a huge exposition, better known as the "World's Fair." On display were many products displaying the great technological advances that had been made in 100 years. The Fair's scenic location was along and adjacent to the shore of Lake Michigan. A first-ever Sky Ride, which was a transporter bridge suspended 215 feet above the ground, was built so the people could ride from one side of the huge exposition to the other. Cadillac introduced its V-16 limousine. Lincoln presented a rear-engine model. Pierce-Arrow showed off it's modernistic "Silver Arrow" to the theme of "Suddenly it is 1940." Packard walked off with best car honors. Star performers taking part in the included Judy Garland, the Andrews Sisters, and fan dancer Sally Rand. The World's Fair was originally scheduled to run from May through November of 1933. But, it was so popular that it was extended to a second season and also ran from May to October in 1934. It was during the 1933 fair that the first Major League All Star game was played in Chicago at Comiskey Park. The lineups included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Al Simmons, Joe Cronin, and Frankie Frisch among others. Fittingly the first home run in All Star history was hit by Babe Ruth as he lead the American League to a 4-2 victory. On July 14th the Major League All Star baseball game was played in St. Louis where 23 first time All Star players gathered along with some of the perennial stars to play for the 76th year of the Midsummer's Classic as it has come to be known. No doubt lots of flowery phrases and lofty adjectives were dusted off and used to describe the exploits of these players. All Stars? Yes! Superstars...well, consider this. Many players make it to the All Star game only once in their lifetime. Do the names Mazzilli...Hammaker...Krukow...and Blalock ring a bell? They are just a few of those who were playing good enough to get picked once in their careers, but never made it back. Here's the point. In baseball stardom must be subverted to the good of the team. Baseball teams must win games to make it to the World Series and become World Champions. Any player considered to be a star must play the game with that in mind. It is a team effort. Sure these great players are important, but the goals of the team are more important. Today's scripture features a battle of so-called Superstars. Back in the Apostle Paul's day a lot of the Christians were caught up in the fervor of this new way of believing. Their immaturity showed when they tried to look to human beings as the Superstars of the Gospel Message. This was especially true in Corinth. Paul had established the church on his second missionary journey. But, in his absence a lot of bickering and choosing up sides had taken place. They were rallying around different leaders and transferring allegiance that should have been devoted to Christ to these particular leaders who were bringing the Gospel message to them. Their zeal for the teachers was misplaced and was causing divisions within the church. Apollos was apparently a glib, dynamic speaker who was winning many to the New Way. But, their allegiance was misguided. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul tells them how it is. "...when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn't handle anything stronger. And you still aren't ready for you are still controlled by your own sinful desires. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other....When one of you say, ‘I am a follower of Paul,' and another says, ‘I prefer Apollos' aren't you acting like those who are not Christians." Does any of that sound familiar and relevant today? Not that we say we are a follower of Billy Graham or Rick Warren or Max Lucado. But, look at how many churches have split apart over arguments or differences of opinion. These are Christian folks, who supposedly believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, yet can't get along with each other. It's as if these brothers and sisters are enemies...not people on the same side. I recently read an article in "Christianity Today" entitled "Ministry Lessons from a Muslim." The article focused on Eboo Patel, a very unlikely Seminary Professor, I say "unlikely" because he is a Muslim teaching an class on Interfaith Leadership at McCormick Theological Seminary, a Christian school in Chicago. Here's what is so interesting. The article says: "While holding firmly to his belief in Islam, Patel also affirmed church leaders. He said, "I believe deeply that this type of evangelical Christianity is one of the most positive forces on Earth." Woo, hoo! How about that? Patel essentially told his audience to "be more Christian." He believes people of different faiths can live together despite their differences. The article says that the hardest thing about having a meaningful interfaith dialogue is Christians who are afraid to talk about Jesus. Patel says: "Embracing your identity as a Christian creates safety for me to be a Muslim." That way we are doing what we are called to do. Somehow I think this is what Paul was saying. There is only one Superstar. That is God. The rest of us are mere players on the team who are called upon to plant the seed in the hearts of others. When we do that the real Superstar will do the watering and harvesting that results. Prayer: Lord we praise you and recognize that you have a role for us to play on your team. Guide us in our attempts to be all stars working and playing under Jesus Christ, the Superstar. Amen! ***author's note: Play the game with the true Superstar in mind this week and reap the benefits of being an all star performer. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=481 This truth gives them the confidence of eternal life, which God promised them before the world began---and he cannot lie. Titus 1:2 "My name is Elmer Fudd." "My name is Elmer Fudd." "My name is Elmer Fudd." Three people standing in front of the television camera claim to be Elmer Fudd. Which one is telling the truth? In 1956 the first edition of the network television show "To Tell the Truth" aired on CBS. The program would go on to run, either on the networks or in syndication, for 25 years. That tops the popular "What's My Line" (24 years) and "I've Got a Secret" (20 years) according to Wikipedia. So, after the three Elmer-Fudd-Claim-to-Be's made their opening declaration, the Host would read an affidavit stating some true facts about Elmer's life. Then the three contestants would take their seats to be questioned by the four panelists. At the show's end each panelist would vote on who was "telling the truth" and was the real Elmer Fudd. The contestants would receive $100 for each wrong vote and $500 if they stumped the whole panel. How well do you know "To Tell the Truth?" Question #1: Who was the first host of To Tell the Truth? Was it: a. Gary Moore b. Bud Collyer c. Alex Trebek d. Joe Garagiola (make your pick...the answer is coming up later) I thought about that show this week because several things I read dealt with the importance of the truth. Have you ever talked with someone who, several times in the course of their conversation would end a sentence with "I'm not lying?" How did you feel about that? Did you wonder why they thought it was necessary to tell you they weren't lying, as if you had a reason to doubt what they were telling you. Did you, in fact, have a fleeting thought, that well, maybe this guy is lying to me? Nah...people wouldn't do that would they? Maybe people would but God wouldn't. When God makes a promise or reveals something to you that is His work you can take it to the bank. It's the uh...Gospel Truth. Answer to Question #1: Bud Collyer was the first host in 1956 and stayed on the show for 12 years. He was succeeded by Gary Moore who hosted from (1969-77) Now for Question #2: Which person was a not a regular panelist in 1956, but became a panelist in 1957 for the next 11 years? a. Tom Poston b. Orson Bean c. Kitty Carlisle d. Bennett Cerf In our scripture today Paul is writing to Titus, who had traveled with him for awhile, and who he had left on the Island of Crete to minister to the churches there. According to the NLT Bible the people of Crete could have easily qualified for a contestant role on "To Tell the Truth." They would have fit the role of the two who were not telling the truth about who they were. NLT puts it this way: "Apparently lying was commonplace in Crete." So, it looks like Titus had his work cut out for him. Paul told Titus to point out how important it was for them to tell the truth because God does not lie therefore he doesn't expect his people to lie. As Paul pointed out the "foundation of our faith is trust in God's character." People who lie to others are not trustworthy. As Christians we are trying to mold our own character to emulate Jesus. NLT commentary goes on to say: "Because God is truth He is the source of all truth and He cannot lie. Believing in Him leads to a God-honoring life-style." There is an interesting conversation in the mega-bestselling book "The Shack" on pg 187 between Mack and Papa (God) who tells him..."Life hurt you. Lies are one of the easiest places for survivors to run. Gives you a sense of safety where you only have to depend on yourself. But, it is a dark place isn't it?" Mack agrees, then Papa elaborates: "Lies are a little fortress; inside them you can feel safe and powerful. Through your little fortress of lies you try to run your life and manipulate others. But the fortress needs walls so you build some. These are the justifications for your lies. You know, like you are doing this to protect someone you love, to keep them from feeling pain. Whatever works, just so you feel okay about the lies." Does that hit the nail squarely on the head or not. Who among us has not concocted a lie to cover up something, or to gain some time, or to make us look or feel better? If you said: "not me." Well, you are probably ...uh, are not telling the truth. I hesitate to say that "telling a little white lie" is a natural thing to do. But, you know what? It seems like that is the easiest and best thing to do at times. Still, there is great relief in being truthful even in the most difficult situation. The truth is not going to change because it is, well, the truth. Lies or concocted stories can change depending on how good the memory of the one telling them are. Sooner or later they have a way of tripping up a person. But, we never have that problem with God. He does not lie. When something comes to us from above we don't have to worry about it's being genuine and dependable. It's the truth. God is the one telling the truth about who he is. He doesn't change. Therein lies great comfort. It also provides an example for us. Taking on the character of God means "to tell the truth." Answer to Question# 2 on To Tell The Truth: c. Kitty Carlisle So, Mack thought that "it felt safer to continue to throw new lies on the growing pile of old ones." He found out differently. There is a lesson in there for all of us! By the way, none of those game show contestants in our first paragraph could have been Elmer Fudd because he is a cartoon character, not a real person. So all of them were not telling the truth. Prayer: Lord thank you for this lesson on the importance of telling the truth and not remaining hidden in lies. Help us in this struggle because we know the truth will set us free. Amen! ***author's note: That's a start for us. When the temptation comes to stretch the truth into something it isn't hopefully we will all remember this lesson. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=478 Happy are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home. For whoever finds me finds life and wins approval from the Lord. But, those who miss me have injured themselves. Proverbs 8:34-35 With the extremely hot weather we have been experiencing the beach is a good place to spend some time. If you must endure 7 days of 100+ temperatures and a heat index reaching 111, then you might as well be near or in the water. I'm sure you've all experienced this. You go to the beach and put your big towel, books, radio, drinks, snacks and beach chair down, grab your rubber raft and run to the water. It's a calm ,but hot day and the water is clear and hopefully a little cool. You lie down on your back on the raft, (after a generous portion of sun tan lotion---SPF 30 in my case---has been applied to your skin) then adjust your sunglasses close your eyes and just float. As the Eagles sang: "It's a Peaceful Easy Feeling." After awhile, the saltiness accumulating on your lips makes you think about that cold bottle of water in your beach bag and you hop off the raft in the waist high water. You look to the shore to spot your belongings and they are nowhere in sight. What's up with that? Has someone surreptitiously come along and asbsconded with them. Who'd want that old faded beach towel you've had since 1998 or the second book in the Harry Potter series which has already topped out at seven? Then, you remember the Law of Sand and Surf. The beach ain't going anywhere but, you and the water are. While you've been floating lazily on top of the water the waves have been moving you down the beach. You've drifted and now you have a nice little walk in the sand, carrying your raft, to get back to where your stuff is. That can be the story of our lives away from the beach if we aren't mindful of what's happening. We can drift. If the forces that move us along the beach of life aren't monitored we can certainly end up way off course, far away from where we want to be and have to get off the raft in the waters of daily life and head back to the starting point. We can get the drift in another way, however. Often when deciding whether to buy and get involved in a book we may read the first paragraph or page, skim through the book, read the endorsements, etc. to decide if it is worth the time. We want to get the drift of this book before we put in time reading it and eventually discover it was not worth it. So, there are different ways to "get the drift." Some good. Some, not so good. I like a statement I read on Facebook by our pastor Betsy Ouellette, who said: "I'm just trusting God one minute at a time." Sounds like a great way to check and correct the drift. On day 14 in my new adventure of SOAP Journaling (I'm past 40 days now) I discovered today's scripture and labeled that reading "Daily Living-Get the Drift" Quick review about SOAP. First find a scripture, the one the Lord is directing you to read that day. Write it down word for word in your Journal. Then (O) observe what it is saying to you and how it is relevant in 2009. Then (A) try to figure out how you can apply that scripture to your life, today. Finally (P) pray about it asking God to help you make it a part of your life today. It's a great way to get the drift or stop the drifting if necessary. But more about Proverbs 8: 34-35. The person speaking in this case is Wisdom. In Proverbs wisdom is presented not just as an idea, but as a person. For some reason wisdom is portrayed as a woman. Wonder what that's telling us, men? In the intriguing book "The Shack" the main character Mack meets Wisdom and is totally awed by her. As he observes her astounding beauty he thinks to himself; "I'm Mickey Mouse about to speak to Pavarotti." Of course, he doesn't know that she is Wisdom at that moment, but he learns this in the course of their conversation. After receiving some amazing revelations about himself from her he has a conversation with Jesus who asks how he liked Sophia. Mack replies "So that's who she is!" Then a little perplexed he asks "But, doesn't that make four of you? Is she God too?" "Jesus laughed. ‘No Mack. There are only three of us. Sophia is a personification of Papa's (God's) wisdom." "Oh like in Proverbs, where wisdom is pictured as a woman calling out in the streets, trying to find anyone who'll listen to her," said Mack. To me this speaks of the awesomeness of God. A God who can transform a concept into a person in order to help us gain a deeper understanding of it. Wisdom can be right there with us. With wisdom leading and the Holy Spirit guiding we really can get the drift and understand what we should do. Pastor Betsy's comment about being available to be led minute-by-minute by God ensures that we won't be ahead or behind the place where He wants us to be. So Wisdom tells us in Proverbs 8:34 "to wait by the gate" for Wisdom. Like the commercial says: "Don't leave home without it." And in Proverbs 3:13-14 says: Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare with her." Not only that She can help you Get the Drift and make sure you are drifting in the right direction! Prayer: We pray for the wisdom that will stop the drift and help us get the drift as well. Only God can supply that. Amen! ***author's note-I'm writing this two days before The Lovely Susette and I headed for the beach, so it was good to know about drifting. Hope your drift-free day is a good one but you "get the drift" of what God has in store for you. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=473 Boaz gave orders to his men. "Even if she (Ruth) gathers among the sheaves, don't embarrass her. Rather, pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pickup and don't rebuke her" Ruth 2:15-16 One of the standard questions I like to ask athletes when I interview them for a magazine article is "Besides Jesus, who is your favorite person in the Bible?" That question has produced a variety of answers although David may be the one most of them choose. A few years ago I asked Andre Wadsworth that question when I was writing an article for Sports Spectrum magazine. Andre was an All American defensive lineman at Florida State University who later played with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. He came up with an answer no one else had given. He chose Boaz. When I asked him why, he said he had recently heard a talk by team chaplain Clint Purvis about Boaz and how he treated the women in his life. At the end Purvis asked the assembled players collectively: "Will you be a Boaz or a Bozo?" This was at a time when there were news stories out there about men, especially athletes, being arrested for violence against mates or significant others. That talk made an impression on Wadsworth and he said: "I want to be a Boaz to a wife one day. If I ever get a wife I would like to be that kind of a figure to her." So, who is this Boaz guy anyway? What's the deal? Well, you'll find the story of Boaz in the Old Testament book of Ruth. Short little book. Just four chapters sandwiched between Judges and Samuel. It contains a beautiful story. A love story, but beyond that it is a story of loyalty and overcoming odds stacked against you. And it has one of the most memorable and striking quotes of any OT book. Remember this one? "Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything, but death separates you and me." Wow! Is that something? Well, it is not what Boaz said to Ruth. It's what Ruth said to her Mother-in-law, Naomi. Here's what happened. Naomi and her husband Elimelech moved from Bethlehem to Moab. There their two sons Mahlon and Kilion married Moabite women named Ruth and Orpah. But, the three men died leaving the women to fend for themselves during a time of famine. Naomi decided to go back home to the land of Judah where she thought she'd have a better chance of finding food. She told her two daughters-in-law that they were released from any obligation to her and they should stay in their home country where they would have a better chance of finding another husband. Orpah took her up on it, but Ruth, who loved her mother-in-law deeply, refused to let Naomi go it alone. That's when she made the beautiful statement we just read. (Ruth 1:16,17) Now, here's where Boaz enters the picture. Back in the day, the poor people were allowed to go out and "glean the harvest." That means that they could go along behind the reapers and gather up the poor grain that had been missed and take it home to make a meal out of it. The Quest Study Bible says it was "established in the Law of Moses as a sort of welfare system." But, what was left for them was usually of poor quality and not much of it at that. So Ruth went out to pick up the leftover grain and found herself in the field of Boaz. When Boaz arrived at the field he saw Ruth and asked his foreman who she was. He was told that she was the "Moabitess who came back from Moab with Naomi. She went into the field and has worked steadily from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter." Now, suffice it to say that "ugly" or "homely" or "unattractive" would probably not be terms used to describe Ruth. Boaz was immediately stricken. So he immediately gave orders to the men as to how she should be treated. He told them not to embarrass or abuse her in any way. Further, he instructed them to pull out some of the good stalks from the bundles and leave them in Ruth's path so she would come upon them. Now Naomi owned a piece of land which she was forced to sell. First rights to buy it went to the "kinsman redeemer." That would a relative of Elimelech. He was willing to "redeem" the land until he found out the widow would have to be taken care of as well. When, Elimelech died the land had passed to his son, Ruth's husband, who then died. So it reverted back to Naomi. When the "kinsman redeemer" heard this he backed out. Said it might endanger his own estate. So, he passed the opportunity on to Boaz, which is just what he wanted. There is more to the story which I encourage you to read in Ruth. But, here's the neat part. Boaz and Ruth married and she gave birth to a son. They named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse, who was the father of David and as the Bible tells us Jesus was born in the family line of David. So, Boaz treated the poor girl Ruth kindly. He could have lorded it over her and taken advantage of her. He didn't. He fell in love with her and treated her with respect and kindness. Consequently, he became a part of the family line of the Savior of the World. You never know where an act of kindness will take you. Will you be a Boaz or a Bozo? Oh yeah, about Andre Wadsworth! That Boaz approach works. He now has a beautiful wife and three adorable children. Monday Prayer: Lord, thank you for the example of Boaz and the rewards that come to hearts filled with kindness and love. Amen! ***author's note: Boaz or Bozo. It's a simple choice. It's all about love, respect and kindness. Let those be a part of your life this week and reap the benefits. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=471 And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. Philippians 1:6 When today is over how will you be different from when it started? Good question to consider, especially in a devotion entitled: "Don't Disengage Your Brain." That's probably something we do more than we realize. We are busy doing familiar things, ones we've done so often we can do them by rote. Don't really have to think about them. We can disengage our brain and still get them done. I think it is sometimes that way in church especially if the pastor happens to be preaching on a very familiar scripture, one you have heard many sermons preached on before. So we really don't stop to think about how that scripture speaks to us. How is it applicable to our lives? When we woke up this morning we received a gift. God gave us a fresh 24 hours to use however we see fit. We can work hard or be lazy. We can be productive or not. We can learn something new or put our minds in neutral and coast along. God has a message specifically for you each day. You'll find it in His word or in nature or in activities or a variety of ways. Whichever way God chooses to communicate with you will be beneficial if you receive the message, but if your mind is disengaged and you are coasting along you might miss it. If you had started your day by reading this, "And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work, until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again." and you didn't disengage your mind just to get through the obligatory daily Bible reading, then you have the potential for a great day. Here's what the NLT commentary (pg. 1887) says: "Do you sometimes feel as though you aren't making progress in your spiritual life? When God starts a project, he completes it! As with the Philippians, God will help you grow in grace until he has completed his work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won't give up on you. He promises to finish the work He has begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember God's promise and provision. Don't let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to him." Knowing how many unfinished projects I have laying around that is comforting that God is not like that. He finishes his projects. Well, of course I intend to finish mine too...uh, when I get around to it. But, I can't say I have a specific plan for finishing each one of these. Maybe I should, but I don't. Realistically the ones that I take through to completion will be the ones that I just decide to make a specific plan for finishing it and stick to the plan. Thankfully, it's not that way with God. He has a plan for us and he will complete that plan. That's why it is important to try to get in tune with that plan and not disengage our minds while doing so. In the mega-bestselling book "The Shack" Jesus is talking with Mack, the main character who is trying to work his way out of what he calls "The Great Sadness." (you have to read the book to find out what that is). Mack asks, "So what do I do now?" Jesus answers "What you're already doing, Mack, learning to live loved. It's not an easy concept for humans. You have a hard time sharing anything." He chuckled and continued. "So yes what we (the Trinity) desire is for you to return to us, and then we come and make our home inside you and then we share. The friendship is real, not merely imagined. We're meant to experience this life, you life, together, in a dialogue, sharing the journey. You get to share in our wisdom and learn to love with our love and we get...to hear you grumble and gripe and complain and..." Mack laughed out loud and pushed Jesus sideways. What a great deal for God, huh? He gets all our grumbling and complaining and we get his love? But, I've included this little vignette because I think it says a lot about the kind of relationship we can have with God if we don't disengage our minds and just float along like always. It says that He loves us and is looking for ways to share that love. He wants to extricate us from these problems and bring joy into our lives. But, sometimes that requires out-of-the-box thinking. We have to look for and think about ways in which God wants us to receive His love and what we are to do with it. "Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Christ" it says in the NLT introduction to Philippians. The Lord wants us to be joyful. Awhile back I wrote a devotion called the "Great Spoilsport in the Sky" in which I wanted those who have not disengaged their minds to think about how much joy there is in doing things God's way. He ain't out to spoil our fun. He wants more of it for us and when we do things His way that's what happens. The conversation between Mack and Jesus shows the kind of relationship He wants to have with us. He wants to talk things over with us. He wants us to reach us through His Word, to talk to him through Prayer, and to build a relationship with Him by getting to know His bride better....the Church. When you determine not to disengage your mind and to see what's on God's mind you'll have the kind of day that you look back on before going to bed and smile with a sigh of contentment. Then that sense of peace that surpasses all understanding will descend upon you. Monday Prayer: Lord, we want to develop a deeper relationship and a greater friendship with you. Help us to keep our minds engaged and focused on that purpose. Amen! ***author's note: Keep that mind engaged while seeking the Lord's way this week and get set to enjoy a stellar week. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=469 But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green and they go right on producing delicious fruit. Jeremiah 17: 7-8 (NLT) Once again I'm going to borrow from Wayne Cordeiro's informative book "The Divine Mentor" to make a point in today's devotion. I'm sure Wayne won't mind because this is also an encouragement to you to read his book. There is a lot in there that is helpful in ordering your daily life. Wayne said that when he and his wife Anna moved into their first home that he needed a desk. He had always dreamed of having a genuine oak rolltop desk. They went to a furniture store and immediately saw one. It was on sale, so he threw caution to the wind and bought it. After all this "stately piece of history" that would be inherited by children, then grandchildren would only increase in value since it was solid oak. Then, one day he made a startling discovery. Only the rolls on the rolltop were genuine oak. The rest of the desk was pressboard. It was oak veneer covering the pressboard innards. Who would ever consider a pressboard desk as a family heirloom? To be considered authentic or genuine it had to be oak all the way to the core. Solid oak not veneer. Veneer means to give a superficially attractive appearance to something. You cover up the imperfections or the lesser quality with something of more value to give the appearance that the whole thing has more worth than it really does. It is only attractive on the surface. That's where the true value is. The rest is fluff. I bet you already know where I'm going with this, don't you? Yes, we do as Cordeiro says "live in a veneer world." A lot of things are not what they seem to be and we get fooled. We think they are one thing and they turn out to be something else. Image often takes precedence over reality. We are ripe for the next, newest, style until another bigger, or faster, or more colorful one comes along. We are never completely satisfied when it comes to stuff When it comes to our lives veneer is not enough. Sure we can manage to survive and even give the appearance of true happiness but the veneer won't last. Under it is pressboard. The success we enjoy today can lead to regret tomorrow if it's not genuine to the core. The way around this dilemma is an age old solution. It's to simply trust in the Lord. Now, I say "simply"but it isn't always that simple because there is a lot of veneer out there. There are things parading around disguised as goodness which are the opposite. In Jeremiah 17:5 the Lord says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, on the salty flats where no one lives." Then we read in our selected scripture...verses 7 and 8 about those who see through the veneer and only settle for solid oak. Their trust in the Lord has given them hope and confidence to the extent that they are like a tree planted by a river. Their roots go out into the water so it doesn't matter if there is a drought or not. They always have nourishing water to sustain them. The NLT commentary says "in times of trouble, those who trust in human beings will be impoverished and spiritually weak, so they will have no strength to draw on. But, those who trust in the Lord will have abundant strength, not only for their own needs, but even for the needs of others." It is easy to fall into bad habits. How soon we can forget and even forsake God. We're so busy doing things. That's why I'm happy I came across Cordeiro's book. As a writer of religious devotions and religious/sports books I'm going in and out of the Bible quite frequently. During my writing day I am constantly referring to scriptures, commentaries, other devotions, religious books, etc. In fact, I have been doing so much of that I forgot to study the Bible. Say, what? Yes, I hadn't really been taking any quiet time to let God show me the way to a scripture each day and to figure out how that particular verse fit my life. Where could I apply the lesson I learned from it? Obviously God had something specifically to say to me and I was missing it. I re-discovered what I had always known but sometimes forget. God will bless whatever time you give to him. You will not go away empty. By choosing a scripture, writing it in a journal, then writing and observation about it, i.e. what is this saying in contemporary terms? Then, thinking about and writing down how I could apply the principle in that scripture to my life that day. Finally, writing down the central thought of a prayer about that situation and asking the Lord to help me execute what I had just learned. The first thing I discovered in doing this was that a great sense of peace came over me. This enabled me to think clearly about what God was telling me through His word. You know how you wake up and a thousand thoughts assail your mind. All the things you have to do that day. The ones you forgot to do yesterday, et. al. I found that the peace and quiet of this time spent in His word enabled me to do a better job of organizing my day and subsequently accomplishing the things that needed to get done. In other words, the instruction I was receiving was genuine to the core. It was solid oak not veneer. Now, I can't wait each morning to see what scripture God will be using to start my day. Prayer: Lord, help us to discern what is solid oak and what is veneer as devote ourselves to the kind of success that is genuine to the core. Amen! ***author's note: Makes sense not to settle for anything, but the best. I've always believed in going first class and by immersing ourselves in God's Word we learn how to do that. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=467 Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him and he began to teach them... Matthew 5:1 John Riley came to town last week. Now, whenever he comes to Tallahassee or the surrounding area, the Lovely Susette and I make it a point to go hear him speak. He never fails to inspire and motivate us. Apparently, we're not the only ones that holds true for. John Riley has given more than 10,500 talks and has spoken in over 15 countries. Riley claims he is just an old country boy from the small town of Abbeville, AL. But, he's more than that. He is a true man of God who has been used by the Lord for over 30 years as an evangelist ever since he injured his knee and lost his place-kicking job with the Oakland Raiders. Well, this time was no exception. John brought with him "10 Powerful Phrases for Positive People." After hearing these I call them "The Big 10." And you thought this was going to be about a college athletic conference didn't you? So, since you weren't able to hear John's talk, I'd like to share these 10 Powerful and Positive Phrases with you. John did give a disclaimer up front. He admitted that he had borrowed these from Rich DeVos, the founder of Amway and his book by the same name. To put his own spin on these phrases John started off by reading the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12. They are also found in Luke 6:20-23. Early in his ministry Jesus went throughout Galillee preaching, teaching and healing. Once, when he saw a great crowd he decided to lay out some of his own Powerful Phrases for Positive People. They were called the Beatitudes. I hope you'll take some time to read and reflect on them. Riley said, to lay out positive rules is to emulate Jesus. So, the first one of the Big 10 that Riley gave us was; "I was wrong." That's a hard one isn't it? And John admitted that it seems to be harder for men to say they are wrong than it is for women to do it. But, he said it is a very strong statement and really makes it mark when you apologize to someone by simply saying, "I was wrong." When you get up enough nerve to do that then it becomes a little easier to say the second powerful phrase which is; "I'm sorry." In fact, you can back that one right up to the first one and say, "I was wrong. I'm sorry." That will have an impact. It shows that you are person who is concerned with the feelings of others and that you are not too big to admit a mistake. This is a tough twosome for some. Haven't you known people who tenaciously clung to a wrong opinion, argument or viewpoint no matter what happened? It takes character to simply say: "I was wrong. I'm sorry." Phrase number three was "You can do it." Encouragement is one of the best gifts you can give another person. Simply let them know you have faith in them. Every time I feel a little down and uncertain about a matter, the Lovely Susette, without hesitation, tells me I can do it. She has confidence in me and that means the world to me. She doesn't have to say anything more, but if she did it would be Riley's fourth phrase" "I believe in you." Coming from a person you respect and love that means a lot. My pastor once said those very words to me and it really stoked up my determination to excel in the task at hand. Simply saying, "I believe in you" is a great gift. Number Five is "I'm Proud of You." John said that in high school his football coach once came to him near the end of the season and told him that he wanted him to play center because the first string center and his backup were both injured. Only problem was Riley had never played center and they were in a crucial stretch of the season. They needed to win the game that week to get in the playoffs. But, Riley said he would. Then he practiced hard and played so well he helped his team win that game, the playoffs and the state championship. Later he was walking down the hall at school and his coach was coming from the opposite direction. The coach stopped and said. "Good job at center." But, then he added; "I didn't think you had it in you." How deflating was that? John said he has always remembered that statement and the disappointment he felt. How much better it would have been if the coach had said: I'm proud of you. I knew you could do it." Number six is simply to say "Thank You." I say simply because it's easy to say, but nowadays it draws a response that is inappropriate and has almost become commonplace. I know it's a comeback that drives the Lovely Susette batty, and lots of folks agree that when you say "Thank You" the appropriate response is not: "No Problem," but should be "You're Welcome." Phrase number seven is "I need you." That's often difficult to say. It is hard to admit that we can't just go on out there and do something by ourselves. Remember the song with the lyrics "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world." Jesus knows we need help. That's why He is always available. The eighth powerful phrase is "I trust you." That's a great one. How wonderful it is to have a friend that you can trust with your inner most secrets. One who is aware of your faults and weakness and still cares about you. It makes no difference what problems you have. Number nine is "I respect you." This is very important. One of the worst feelings in the world, I think, is to be disrespected by another person. To be looked at as a person of no importance or not worth the time and trouble, is terrible. Finally, John said that everyone had probably already figured out the 10th Powerful Phrase for Positive people. Yes, it's "I Love You." Perhaps, nothing is more meaningful than to be told that you are loved. It pumps you up like nothing else can. Thank You John Riley! Come back soon. We always leave feeling more determined to be better people after we hear you talk. Monday Prayer: Lord thank you for these simple, yet powerful phrases that will make our lives richer and more rewarding if we incorporate them into our daily lives. Amen! Author's note: If John Riley is ever speaking in your area, even if you have to drive awhile to hear him, don't miss the opportunity. It's a one-of-a-kind experience. Maybe your church would like to contact him. His website is http://www.johnsriley.com/ . Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=466 "Martha, Martha", the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things., but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." Luke 10: 41-42 During World War I the Polish government approached Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the revered pianist and composer and asked him if he would be willing to play concerts in order to raise money to help out during the war. According to Wayne Cordeiro ("The Divine Mentor") Paderewski said, "I will be part of the war effort under one condition. You must allow me everyday to continue playing scales, three hours a day. Pay me for eight hours; but I will play scales for three." Now, I'm certainly not a musical person...I enjoy music, just can't play or sing it very well. The only instrument I've been able to master is the Tonette. What's that you ask? Well, way back in 4th grade we were issued this black, reedlike instrument and during music class we learned to play simple tunes. I advanced all the way up to "Row Your Boat." Years later when I tried to learn how to play guitar I advanced all the way up to playing "Row Your Boat." But, one thing I did learn was that "playing musical scales" is the most basic of all the things you do in music. That's why I find it amazing that Paderewski, as advanced and accomplished a musician as he was, insisted on playing scales for three hours a day. Well, I'm sure he took scale playing to a little different level than I did on the Tonette. There is a great point here. It's about mastering and sticking to the basics. Cardeiro points out that Jerry Rice, the all time NFL leader in pass receptions said during his playing days, "I may be able to run and receive passes, but I also do a thousand sit-ups every day." So, why do great performers still spend time with simple, basic things? Paderewski said, "If I skip one day of scales when I play in concert I notice it. If I skip two days of scale, my coach will notice. And if I skip three days, the world will notice." Apparently by practicing these scales his fingers stayed more nimble and he could breeze through more difficult pieces with ease. What are our basics? What are the scales we need to constantly stay sharp on so we can breeze through or at least make it through those difficult times? Our basics come from the Bible. That is why we need to set time aside every day to read it and think about how the things we read are applicable to our daily lives. For ten days now I have been practicing the procedure that Cordeiro suggests in the formula he calls SOAP. For 30 to 40 minutes in the morning I have been going back to the basics. Opening up my Bible, finding a scripture to focus on. I read it and write it down in my journal. Then for "O" I observe what it is saying to me. What is really being said here? What's the message being directed my way. Next comes "A" I write down how I feel I could apply this to my life. Finally, "P" I pray about it. It makes for a neat little devotional time. As you can imagine, being a writer of devotions, I find this a good way to learn and grow. To help find a scripture you could use a book of devotions, (I would mention one here, but I'm sure you already know about "Monday Morning Devotions"). :) Here's what Cordeiro says about daily devotions. "When you miss your devotions one day, you notice. When you miss them two days your spouse and kids notice. And when you miss them three days, the world notice." You see if we aren't depending on something beyond ourselves for instruction and direction we slip back into worldly solutions and those are not always good. Certainly, they are lacking in the depth we attain from scriptural solutions and prayer. Jesus would slip away and go up into the mountains to pray and have quiet time. What better example could we have to point out the importance of uninterrupted and focused devotional time? Cordeiro tells the story of a young man who wanted to make a living in construction. He was talented, but short on funds so he went to a discount store and bought some cheap tools. (Let me hasten to say that I'm not knocking seeking discounts and making wise, money-saving purchases). But, continuing with the story when the foreman inspected the man's work he found that it was all "slightly askew." They had to redo all his work. Consequently, the foreman called the young man in and...well, fired him. When, he picked up his tools to leave the foreman said, "Wait a minute. Let me look at that tape measure." When he put it next to his own tape measure they discovered the problem. The cheap tape measure was off, so everything he measured was slightly askew. The young man had skimped on the basics and it cost him. In last week's devotion we talked about how the YAH, that little red-circle on our Census computer which indicated "You Are Here" told us if we were going in the wrong direction. That's what the Bible does it keeps us going the right way. Spending daily time in the scriptures in like a GPS (Global Positioning System) that tells you where you are and shows you the right road to take. By consulting God's word it helps us stay on the right road and going in the right direction. I'm sure you've gone in the wrong direction while driving, like I have. The problem is when you discover this and hopefully you find out quickly that you're going south when you should be going north, then you have to retrace your route. You have to waste time going back in the opposite direction, covering the same ground you just passed over, to get back to where you started, then go the right way. Colossal waste of time! Highly infuriating. It's the same in the daily actions we take. If our scripture reading and prayer get us headed in the right direction we don't have to back track and waste time. We are more productive so by following the basics; i.e. playing the scale our pay scale will also be improved. Monday Prayer: Lord, you've made it simple for us. Just stick to the basics. Play those scales first and we are warmed up for the task ahead. Keep us immersed in the word and we will look for great things to happen. Amen! ***author's note: A simple idea, but so important. Staying in touch with the basics of the Bible get us headed in the right direction so we don't have to back track. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=463 At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord. Genesis 4:26 b For the last couple of months the Lovely Susette and I have been following the YAH. You probably already have formed a mental picture of us sitting in a dark, incense-filled room chanting...uh... what do you chant when you chant stuff anyway? Well, that's not what we were doing. No, the YAH that has directed us along some unique paths and really just took over our lives for awhile was a little red circle with a small...I guess you'd call it an arrow or a pointer as a part of it. One of the first things we did every morning was to unplug our HHC, which had been charging overnight, turn it on and rub a finger across it so our fingerprint would be recognized and we could proceed to find out where the YAH would lead us that day. All right, enough already, you are saying. What the heck are you talking about? Okay, it's government talk, well, in a way it is. TLS and I have been working with the United States Census Bureau, helping get things ready for the 2010 Census. As most of you know the Constitution declares that we must take a Census every 10 years. It's the way we find out how many people actually live in America. It is also one of the ways that the Government determines how much Federal funding goes to each state based on the population. Businesses use census information in their developmental strategies. I'm sure there are many other reasons to take a census, but since I was just a temporary guy out there chasing the YAH, I'm not sure what those are. So, here's the deal. In the first stages of the Census you have to find out where people live whether it is in a house, mobile home, boat, retirement home, prison, wherever. So , the enumerators (that's us) are issued an HHC (handheld computer) and given AA's (assignment areas) to verify addresses. These verifications have to be accurate so the census forms can be mailed to the people. OK, so some get their mail at the post office, some live in one state and get mail in another and there are probably as many variations of that as there are grains of sand in my hair, sneakers, and lounge chair when I come home from the beach. But, to keep it simple enough to fit into this one devotion let's just say we were out there with a hand held computer finding out where people live. Now here's where the YAH comes in. Once you pull up your AA on your computer and zoom out to see how far it is from where you actually are then you start driving and the YAH starts moving on your computer in that direction, provided you are going the right way. Those of you who have more modern cars than we do are probably saying that sounds like your GPS (Global Positioning Satellite). A GPS is a constellation of 27 orbiting satellites that will tell you exactly where you are on earth at the moment. Thank you very much...Google! Now here's the deal. YAH stands for You-Are-Here! Cute, huh! So if that little red circle ain't in your AA you are in the wrong place and should not be verifying the addresses there. If you are in the AA and aren't heading in the direction that little pointy thing is aiming at you'll find the YAH going one way and you are going the other. In that situation guess who's going the wrong way, you or the YAH. Yep, you guessed it. So, the YAH pretty much guides your life during your work hours. I'll have to admit the first time I saw YAH I thought they had left off part of the word. All these years of Bible study have conditioned me to think about the whole word YAHWEH which is one of the names for God. So, just as the YAH directs the life of a census worker, YAHWEH directs the life of the believer. Pretty cool, right. There are a lot of different names for God in the Bible, but YAHWEH is one of the most important. In fact, in ancient times the name was considered so sacred that the followers wouldn't even say it. So they wrote it as YHWH, which of course, without any vowels is unpronounceable. YAHWEH actually comes from the verb for "to be" thus as Nelson's Bible Dictionary says it means simply, but profoundly. "He is!" Remember in Exodus 3:14 when Moses wanted to know who he should tell the Israelites sent him to deliver them from slavery. God said: "I am who I am." That meant He was the head honcho. Telling them that "I am" sent him would cause the Israelites "to think of God's absolute supremacy and their unique relationship to Him." (QSB pg 79). That was the only authority they needed. They had their YAH and they needed to follow his directions. Interestingly, I first looked when I up YAHWEH I actually came across the word YAH. The dictionary said that YAH was an abbreviation of the word Jehovah which is a name for God used more frequently in the Bible. Of course there are a lot of other names for God that stem from YAHWEH than just Jehovah. There is Jehovah-Jireh, which translated means "The Lord Will Provide." Also, Jehovah-nissi (The Lord is my Banner); Jehovah-shalom (The Lord is Peace); Jehovah-shammah (The Lord is There) and there are more. So, the Israelites depended on YAHWEH to be their YAH. Whenever they were following His directions they knew that they were in the right place. If they moved out in a direction on their own or took actions unpleasing to Him the YAH was not going the same way they were. This is still true today. If we go in a different direction from our YAH (WEH) we'll get off track, become lost and won't like the end result. Monday Prayer: YAHWEH we ask that you continue to be the YAH who leads us in the right direction and that we are wise enough to follow. Amen! ***Author's note: Look for your YAH so you know where you are, then look to YAHWEH for the way to go. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=461 Therefore this is what the Lord says, "I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape...Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress. Jeremiah 11:11, 14 Is there a time when God simply refuses to hear our prayers?. If we have been very lax in our prayer life and all of a sudden we have a major problem does He say: "Sure, now you come running to me. What about all those other days when I wanted to have a conversation with you, but you were too busy? How about the time I had a job for you to do and you just weren't available? Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not a God of convenience to be called on only in time of trouble." Maybe there are times when even you are bored with your prayers. Maybe it's the same old, same old...delivered without much interest. You think, "Gosh, if this is boring to me, wonder what God thinks about it!" Cheer up. The Quest Study refers to the above scripture in Jeremiah by saying, "God sees, hears and knows everything----including our prayers. Nothing escapes his attention." So, why did God tell Jeremiah, "Forget it. Don't pray for them." Well, this was a special case and judgment was unavoidable. So it was useless for the prophet to pray for them. This had been a long, on-going situation in which Judah had disobeyed God's laws continually and ignored his pleas not to turn to idol worship and refuse to heed his instructions. But, the commentary does point out that there are ways that we can sabotage our own prayers. One of the ways is through sin. Sin is basically anything that separates us from God. If it something puts a wall between us and God it is sin and will certainly not be a thing we could pray about. If it is wrong, hurtful, misguided then this sin will sabotage our prayers because you can't be sinning and praying simultaneously. We pray in order to be close to God, to be in His presence, to be heard and granted wisdom. So when we are thinking bad thoughts how can we expect a Holy God to be listening intently and favorably to our plea? I'm not saying He is not listening because as the QSB said, He sees and hears everything. But, if a prayer is being offered up with a sinful attitude, how can we expect God's favor on that prayer. Sometimes we have doubts that we need dispelled and that's okay. God can handle that. He can help you get over these especially if you just look around and count your blessings...just pause to see all the things you have been favored with. Another way to sabotage your prayers is through disobedience. We all know when we are doing something wrong. If we go ahead and do it anyway, I'm sure that puts a different slant on the way God views those particular prayers. Does God hold these things against us and keep bringing them up everytime we pray. No, I refer you to one of my favorite passages of scripture Micah 7:18. "Who is a God like you who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." One pastor said that when God throws those sins into the deepest part of the ocean he puts up a no fishing sign. Those sins will not be brought to the surface again. They are forgiven and forgotten. But, these are sins we have repented of and asked His forgiveness for. So, sin and disobedience, which is in itself a sin, can damage the effectiveness of our prayer. Prayers can also be sabotaged through hypocrisy and insincerity. In Malachi, 1: 7-9 God calls out the people for, uh...playing dumb. They bring less than their best to him. They were bringing animals to sacrifice that were blind or crippled or in someway defective and keeping the best for themselves. Then they expected God's blessing on their offering. I wonder if we give back to him, grudgingly and as an afterthought, dollars he has put us in a position to earn is that really worthy of praying for God's blessing? Or is it hypocritical and insincere? Praying with the wrong motives can deflect God's favor. In Matthew and Luke we find examples of hypocritical praying. Those who pray, loud and in public like the Pharisees who did so, not to honor God, but to direct attention to themselves. Sometimes our faith is just not strong enough when we pray. James says, (1:6), "But when he asks he must believe not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." Even marital difficulties can sabotage prayer. If we are unkind, or inconsiderate and do not function in a loving manner with our spouse. James says to "be considerate as you live with you wives (husbands) and treat them with respect as heirs with you in the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers." That's pretty clear. So, there is really never a time when God doesn't hear your prayers. As I told a congregation in a recent talk I gave, "prayer, at anytime, any place, any length, written, ad lib, delivered after great forethought or spontaneously, quickie prayers, prayers offered up while in your car (but keep your eyes open if you're driving)...all prayers are heard and honored by God." So, the least of our worries is whether God is listening or not. He is! It is just up to us not to sabotage our own prayers by having the wrong attitude, or doing the wrong thing, or lacking faith. In those instances it would be hard for even a loving God to find favor in our prayer. Considering prayer from God's viewpoint is a good starting place. When we do that we will not pray amiss, but our sincere and honest prayers will find favor with the Heavenly Father. Monday Prayer: Lord, thank you for the assurance that you hear all our prayers. It is our desire that our prayers are pleasing to you and will find favor in your sight. Amen! ***Author's note: Think about your prayer life this week and determine to be on God's wave length. You'll have a great week! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=460 This is what the Lord Almighty says: Consider how things are going for you! You have planted much but harvested little... Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes!...I am with you, says the Lord So, the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of...the whole remnant of God's people. Haggai 1:6,13 "Encouragement is God's native tongue." How about them apples? Well, you say, "If God is so great at encouraging people why do I feel so discouraged?" Maybe you have periods of time in which you feel heartened, but then something happens and you lapse back into despondency. The inspiration for today's devotion comes from a book recommended by Pastor Erick Ashley, Good Samaritan UMC, Tallahassee. He told our congregation about "The Divine Mentor" by Wayne Cordeiro, senior Pastor of New Hope Christian Fellowship in Honolulu, Hawaii.. Of course, all you have to do is mention just about any book that sounds intriguing to me and I'm there. I'll track it down and get a copy. And in following the Pastor's advice I got Cordeiro's book and the accompanying Life Journal. OK, it's true confession time. Maybe this will help you too. Even though I write a lot of stuff, almost daily, in which I draw on scriptures and I'm always alert for ideas that I can incorporate into a devotion or a book that I am writing, I have recently felt something is missing in my daily relationship with God. It wasn't that He wasn't speaking to me each time I looked for scriptures to support a devotional idea. God was always faithful to provide just the right Bible lesson although sometimes he made me dig harder to find it. But, I really didn't feel I was experiencing the personal growth that would enable me to live the way I thought He wanted me to. That is important because only when we are in touch with Him daily concerning our personal life can we do that. It is easy to become stagnated or disoriented and lose our way. Only when He's directing the paths we head down can we experience success and gain peace of mind. So, I opened up Cordeiro's book and read the "native tongue" quote about encouragement. The author followed that up by saying, "But, encouragement without change is like a bicycle with only one pedal. Our participation is required. Encouragement turns into hope when His instructions find our ready acceptance and application." If we want to be encouraged and shake off depression or a feeling of hopelessness we have to do our part. So, I went searching the scriptures for examples of God's encouragement. There are many. But, one that might not come to you immediately is found in the Old Testament book of Haggai. When's the last time you opened your Bible to Haggai and read a little? If you are like me you can't remember a time you did that. Even if you have it probably was because a sermon was being preached on a Sunday morning and the pastor instructed everyone to open to Haggai. Although I can't remember any sermons I've heard on that book either. One idea I immediately encountered in the NLT version of Haggai was in the area called "Mega-themes" with a sub-heading of "right priorities." Here's what it says: "God had given the Jews the assignment to finish (building) the Temple in Jerusalem when they returned from capitivity. After 15 years, they still had not completed it. They were more concerned about building their own homes than finishing God's work. Haggai told them to get their priorities straight." Think about that! Do you have some unfinished business on your plate? Maybe it was something you felt good about when you started, but somewhere along the way you lost your enthusiasm for it. You got side-tracked...too busy with other things. Perhaps, you still feel it's a good thing to do. In the beginning, you even prayed about it and thought it really was God-directed. Well, who lost interest? Was it you or God? If it was truly an assignment or a project from Him, rest assured He wouldn't abandon it. Sure, it might not be easy, but most good things we achieve or receive require effort. A certain amount of stick-to-it-edness must be come into play. An old Georgia-term I used to hear growing up was to have "gumption." I'm not even sure that's a real word, but if it is you could substitute backbone, determination, toughness or similar words for it. If you have gumption you stay the course. You are Noah building an ark or a Paul in prison or a Joseph sold into slavery, even a Daniel in the lion's den. You refuse to be defeated. So, Haggai tells them, "Sure you were all "hot-to-trot" and threw yourself into rebuilding the temple when God rescued you from slavery "Thank you very much, Lord?" Now, look at you 15 years later you are still piddling around. What's up with that? You know, that hit me right between the eyes. I've got writing projects sitting around. When, I started these, after a good deal of prayer, I was enthusiastic. Then, as the reality of working on them every day proved to be hard work my eagerness to approach the task waned, diminished and petered-out. They are still sitting where I left them. Some fresh idea, I was excited about, replaced them. I jumped into this new adventure and soon the degree of difficulty made me put it down and head off on another one. I'm thinking you can identify with that. Don't you feel bad about some things that you haven't completed and just can't get around to finishing? Some day you will, right? When? I think I can tell you when you and I will get back to finishing un-finished business. We will when we get our priorities straight. "So the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai. Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?" That's the key. God's blessings will come...projects will get finished...we'll understand the message He is sending...when we put Him first. I encourage you to find the encouragement you need from digging into God's Word and asking him for the specific message He has there for you. You'll discover it when you do this. Amen! Monday Prayer: Lord, it is so easy for our priorities to get out of whack. Please keep us on track, so we will seek Your will first and gain the encouragement that enables us to do great things. Author's note: I hope you receive the inspiration from this devotion to know that your list of unfinished business is not so intimidating when you rely on the Lord for encouragement. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=454 For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you HOPE and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 On April 23, 2009 a most unusual event occurred in these dire times. On that Thursday evening over one million people in more than 6,000 locations watched a live video streaming event, from Oklahoma City, featuring Dave Ramsey called "Town Hall for Hope" The unusual thing about this was the positive, refuse-to-give-in-to-fear approach Ramsey has espoused during the current recession and hard times facing America. Ramsey, a radio host and financial genius who has helped millions of people defeat debt and get back on their feet during these hard times, is all about not letting fear bring you down. Dave says that FEAR stands for False, Evidence, Appearing, Real. Frequently Ramsey refers to Bible scriptures to make his point and in addressing the fear factor he said, "fear is not a fruit of the spirit." He added, "fear is the enemy of hope." There is so much negativity in the news these days that Ramsey is kind of like a voice in the wilderness preaching hope and encouragement instead of gloom and doom. While the current recession is being blamed for a lot of ills Ramsey encourages people to simply say, "I'm not participating in the recession." He urges people to do three things. First, Dave wants people to "get up and take action." Second, he says, "stop listening to loser talk." The third thing he proposed as a cure for the current conditions is to start giving. Point one about taking action refers to not settling for being a victim. He says to choose activity, rather than giving up and just letting things happen to you. Dave wants people to take control of their personal money and follow the steps he outlines in his books and Financial Peace University course. These have helped thousands get out of debt, establish a plan and gain their financial footing. Ramsey says to get informed about what's happening in the economy and hold your representatives in Congress accountable. Write letters...emails...text messages however you choose to make your views known. His second point, about avoiding loser talk, is to inject positive messages and ideas filled with hope in the conversations you become involved in about the economy. Refuse to get involved in all the whiny, negative, poor-little-old me talk. The final point about giving is something that Ramsey believes is very important. He says, "when you give you take your eyes off of yourself." One of the major prophets in the Old Testament who faced a somewhat similar situation to Dave Ramsey's was Jeremiah. For 40 years he served as God's spokesman to Judah, the southern kingdom after the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms. Judah was quickly sliding toward destruction. They had disobeyed and rejected God's instructions. So, "Jeremiah wrote a letter to the captives in Babylon to the elders, priests, prophets and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzer (Jeremiah 29:1). He instructed them to move ahead with their lives, to stop bemoaning their predicament and to pray for the pagan nation that had captured them. The NLT Bible (pg 1156) comes to the same conclusion Dave Ramsey pointed out. "Life cannot grind to a halt during troubled times. In an unpleasant or distressing situation we must adjust and keep moving. You may find it difficult to pray if you are under the authority of evil people." During those times yit is hard to pray for those who are oppressing you. "But that is when your prayers are most needed." NLT says "When you enter times of trouble or sudden change, pray diligently and move ahead, doing whatever you can rather than giving up because of fear and uncertainty. It is in this letter Jeremiah penned the scripture that has provided me a lot of comfort and peace of mind over the past few years, since FSU women's basketball coach Sue Semrau introduced me to it. "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "Plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." God doesn't wants us to fail. He has not set us up to do so. But, the way that we become more closely attuned to His plan, is to pray, then roll up our sleeves and get to work. You might be thinking, "I'd like to but I lost my job during this recession." Dave Ramsey is encouraging you not to give up, but to leave no stone unturned in finding a place where your talents can be used. Being pro-active and creative can lead to good things. If nothing else just the activity will help your feelings. Jeremiah was saying the same thing. God has plans for us, but sometimes they take a hit because of a variety of factors often involving other people. But, he was telling the people to hang in there, not give up and to keep working. The NLT commentary on Jeremiah says, that "unfortunately when Jeremiah spoke nobody listened." People wanted to do things their own way, so God let them be taken into captiivity. But, that didn't mean He didn't still care about them. Dave Ramsey is telling us not to despair, we have "a new season of hope." But, as it was with Jeremiah, there are a lot of folks who are not listening and would rather concentrate on placing blame and feeling bad for themselves than doing something about it. But, for those who do heed the positive approach instead of dwelling on all the bad things that have been and are happening there will truly be a "new season of hope." Monday Prayer: Lord as we begin this new season of hope may we take a fresh approach. One that will keep us positive, active and giving in our actions so that we may embrace a new season of hope. *** Author's note: Why not let that new season of hope begin in your life right now?. Think positive, be hopeful and stay in touch with your Heavenly Father. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4 http://www.goodsamaritantallahassee.org/app/w_page.php?type=section&id=4&article_id=452 You say, "I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly. Psalm 75:2 "Time is of the essence." "That was right on time." "Well, it's about time." Stop and think about how many different sayings you've heard and use concerning the subject of time. Time seems to dictate how and when we do things. If a meeting is scheduled to start at 8 o'clock and we don't get there until 8:15 it will start without us. First pitch, kickoff or tipoff are scheduled to happen at a specific time. If we're not there, even if we have purchased front row seats (as if that were possible---unless of course we are celebrities) then they will start without us. Of course television dictates those strict starting times for athletic events. It TV says start the game at 2 a.m. then, that's when they start it whether anybody is watching or not. Everything has a starting time. Weddings, church services, trials, and even funerals are scheduled to begin at a certain time. No wonder I feel pressed for time so often. It's a feeling I don't really like. I'm the kind of guy who likes to get places ahead of time. I want to have a little time to find my seat, look around experience the atmosphere. Then, I'm ready to enjoy the event, when it gets started, right on time. Now, the Lovely Susette, that's another story! She's always trying to get one more thing done. Consequently she often rushes in at the last second. Or if there is an unexpected traffic tie up, or an extra long red light (can you say Tallahassee) or any unexpected happening she might be late. I have to admit, however, she's gotten better at getting ready ahead of time and meeting our D-O-D (Driving out of the driveway) deadline. But, I think that's mostly because she's trying to honor my wishes. Notice all the qualifying words I used such as "often;" "might be;" and "I think." That's because I read these devotions to TLS, for her feedback, and I don't want to get in trouble. But, the fact is that we all feel "pressed for time." It wouldn't matter if the Lord gave us a special dispensation and added more hours to the day─I have a feeling that even more things would crop up that would command our attention and we would still be pressed for time. Children have the most difficulty with the concept of time. Tell them to wait a little while before it is time to go or it will be time to do something, then seconds later they'll ask "is it time yet?" On a trip, when the kids used to ask: "Are we there yet? or "How much longer before we will be there?" Susette always had a stock answer. "About an hour," she would say. The kids had no conception of how long an hour was anyway, so it didn't really matter what they were told. And of course there is this statement. "Time doesn't matter to God." Well, maybe that is not entirely true. I'm sure He created the concept of time for our benefit so we could have some order in our lives. He certainly didn't need it. He created a universe that has run in an orderly fashion since the "beginning of time" to use another familiar phrase. So things happen when God decrees they will happen, not when we, in our limited knowledge think they should happen. Psalm 75:2 says: "You say, "I choose the appointed time, it is I who judge uprightly. The NLT commentary (pg 986) says "As limited human beings, we can't understand God's perspective about time. We want everything now, unaware that God's timing is better. When God is ready He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be as impatient as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God's timing. Wait for God to reveal His plan, Don't take matters into your own hands." Sometimes we are like the little kids in the back seat of the car on a trip. We are impatient to have things happen. We want to rush God's plan along. "Are we there yet?" we wonder. And if we aren't there yet, we wonder what's taking God so long to get us there. But, God's timing is always perfect. If we aren't getting to our desired place in life fast enough there is a reason. Maybe we need to learn more, grow more or have a change of heart. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what is best for us, even when we don't. Sometimes he holds us back and enables us to gain success in the future in spite of ourselves. But, rest assured, God does have a plan, and it does involve time. Ephesians 1:9-10 reads: "God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ designed long ago according to His good pleasure. And this is His plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ─everything in heaven and on earth. The NLT commentary says: "Many people still do not understand God's plan; but at the right time, he will bring us together to be with Him forever. Then, everyone will understand." Sometimes we wonder when God is going to bring about something in our lives. We ask and he says "In about an hour." But, keep in mind that God doesn't view time in the same perspective that we do. The One who created time, who holds eternity in the palm of his hand, doesn't look at time the same way we do. So, "about an hour" from God may seem as long to us as that hour seems to the kids in the back seat of the car on a trip. It could seem like an eternity and maybe it is because we, not God, are the ones who are always "pressed for time." Monday Prayer: Lord, grant us the patience and wisdom to know that time is only important from an earthly perspective. May we understand that the concept of time from your viewpoint is what is important and help us not to rush ahead of where you would have us be at this point in time. Amen! ***Author's note: I hope that you will feel less "pressed for time" this week, and more -willing to await God's leadership in time-related action. Have a great week! Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:01:12 MST