SCRIPTURE: John 11:25 (TM)
You don't have to wait for the End. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live.
STORY told by Marion Gilbert:
One morning I opened the door to get the newspaper and was surprised to see a strange little dog with our paper in his mouth. Delighted with this unexpected "delivery service," I fed him some treats. The following morning I was horrified to see the same dog sitting in front of our door, wagging his tail, surrounded by eight newspapers … I spent the rest of that morning returning the papers to their owners.
OBSERVATION:
Aren’t we just like the little dog in Ms. Gilbert’s story? If we get a reward for a little task, we expect a greater reward if we do it more often and in a larger scale. And then there seems to something buried deep within our emotional and spiritual psyche that causes us to believe that we have to wait until the very end of life’s journey to get any reward. And then, even further, there is something built into the American way that has us believing that the only way we can achieve any reward is by our own effort as in, “pulling ourselves up by our spiritual bootstraps.”
We have heard it so often that we even begin to transfer it over to our Christian belief. Namely, if it sounds too good to be true … it is. And so the promise of an ongoing special relationship with Christ in the here and now without us “doing” anything just seems too good to be true, so we don’t believe it … we think that we have to bring the owner of it all “a newspaper” (substitute whatever you understand the means of grace to be in the context of your life for newspaper) every morning … and if one “newspaper” works, why not 8 or 28 or 78?
It is the Catch-22 of works righteousness. No matter how good we are, it is never good enough to be worthy of God’s rewards. We have to always being doing something in order to achieve success … the special relationship … heaven’s reward … abundant life. It really is as simple as JUST believing that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life! … It is just that simply and there is nothing that we can do to achieve it!
Otherwise we will just wear ourselves out retrieving those dang newspapers.
PRAYER:
Save us from ourselves and our wrong thinking, Gracious God. Save us from thinking that we have something to prove to you, to others and to ourselves. Save us from weariness of trying to achieve what you have already given. Amen
Monday, February 20, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Beaten, battered and bruised but the song goes on - Mark 15:19 with the Max Lucado's story about the parakeet Chippie with an observation
SCRIPTURE: Mark 15:19
“Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and pit on him.”
STORY as told by Max Lucado:
Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A few days after the trauma, the reporter who'd initially written about the event contacted Chippie's owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It's hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
OBSERVATION:
Many times we are just like Chippie. We never knew what hit us, but somehow we have survived to live another day. To this old preacher that is the power of grace. The ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and continue to live. Our song might have changed a little because of the experience. We might not fully understand the full purpose behind the “dust-up” … but here we are. We have survived. We too shall conquer.
The key to it all is not to let it steal the song from our heart.
Following the example set for us by Jesus who was beaten, battered and bruised we too shall discover that hallelujah is our song because resurrection is in our future.
PRAYER:
Most Holy God, there seems to be a lot of people who wish nothing more our life than defeat. Help us realize that you bring the victory and the song continues through you. Amen.
“Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and pit on him.”
STORY as told by Max Lucado:
Chippie the parakeet never saw it coming. One second he was peacefully perched in his cage. The next he was sucked in, washed up, and blown over.
The problems began when Chippie's owner decided to clean Chippie's cage with a vacuum cleaner. She removed the attachment from the end of the hose and stuck it in the cage. The phone rang, and she turned to pick it up. She'd barely said "hello" when "ssssopp!" Chippie got sucked in.
The bird owner gasped, put down the phone, turned off the vacuum, and opened the bag. There was Chippie -- still alive, but stunned.
Since the bird was covered with dust and soot, she grabbed him and raced to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and held Chippie under the running water. Then, realizing that Chippie was soaked and shivering, she did what any compassionate bird owner would do . . . she reached for the hair dryer and blasted the pet with hot air.
Poor Chippie never knew what hit him.
A few days after the trauma, the reporter who'd initially written about the event contacted Chippie's owner to see how the bird was recovering. "Well," she replied, "Chippie doesn't sing much anymore -- he just sits and stares."
It's hard not to see why. Sucked in, washed up, and blown over . . . That's enough to steal the song from the stoutest heart.
OBSERVATION:
Many times we are just like Chippie. We never knew what hit us, but somehow we have survived to live another day. To this old preacher that is the power of grace. The ability to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and continue to live. Our song might have changed a little because of the experience. We might not fully understand the full purpose behind the “dust-up” … but here we are. We have survived. We too shall conquer.
The key to it all is not to let it steal the song from our heart.
Following the example set for us by Jesus who was beaten, battered and bruised we too shall discover that hallelujah is our song because resurrection is in our future.
PRAYER:
Most Holy God, there seems to be a lot of people who wish nothing more our life than defeat. Help us realize that you bring the victory and the song continues through you. Amen.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Setting an example by what we do - Hebrews 12:2 with a story from the life of Robert E. Lee
SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”
STORY:
One Sunday morning in 1865, a black man entered a fashionable church in Richmond, Virginia. When Communion was served, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of resentment swept the congregation. How dare he! After all, believers in that church used the common cup. Suddenly a distinguished layman stood up, stepped forward to the altar, and knelt beside the black man. With Robert E. Lee setting the example, the rest of the congregation soon followed his lead.
OBSERVATION:
Each of us sets forth an example for others to witness. We never know what eyes might be on us. We never really know what they are looking at or for, but nevertheless they are looking. Some of those who are looking know others, others probably not. But in every case we are setting an example for others to follow.
Life is filled with challenges – some of the easy, but most of them rather hard and difficult. Facing these challenges takes a great deal of internal fortitude and commitment especially if we desire to meet them head-on with victory.
If we look to Jesus as the model for our behavior we will bring the victory every time. I’m not sure about the depth of relationship the Robert E. Lee had with Jesus, but this one thing is for sure – he was in church that Sunday and he had the internal fortitude to do what needed to be done. Others followed because in their eyes Mr. Lee set the example. Who will do what should be done by following our example?
PRAYER:
We acknowledge that our faith is a gift from you gracious Lord. Help us to be worthy of this sacred trust by living out the life that Jesus has set before us not simply because others are watching, but because of the gift of faith is becoming a living spring in us. Amen.
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.”
STORY:
One Sunday morning in 1865, a black man entered a fashionable church in Richmond, Virginia. When Communion was served, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of resentment swept the congregation. How dare he! After all, believers in that church used the common cup. Suddenly a distinguished layman stood up, stepped forward to the altar, and knelt beside the black man. With Robert E. Lee setting the example, the rest of the congregation soon followed his lead.
OBSERVATION:
Each of us sets forth an example for others to witness. We never know what eyes might be on us. We never really know what they are looking at or for, but nevertheless they are looking. Some of those who are looking know others, others probably not. But in every case we are setting an example for others to follow.
Life is filled with challenges – some of the easy, but most of them rather hard and difficult. Facing these challenges takes a great deal of internal fortitude and commitment especially if we desire to meet them head-on with victory.
If we look to Jesus as the model for our behavior we will bring the victory every time. I’m not sure about the depth of relationship the Robert E. Lee had with Jesus, but this one thing is for sure – he was in church that Sunday and he had the internal fortitude to do what needed to be done. Others followed because in their eyes Mr. Lee set the example. Who will do what should be done by following our example?
PRAYER:
We acknowledge that our faith is a gift from you gracious Lord. Help us to be worthy of this sacred trust by living out the life that Jesus has set before us not simply because others are watching, but because of the gift of faith is becoming a living spring in us. Amen.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
In the aftermath of St. Valentine's Day - 1 John 4:9 with a story and an observation
SCRIPTURE: 1 John 4:9
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."
STORY:
On May 2, 1962, a dramatic advertisement appeared in the San Francisco Examiner: "I don't want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will therefore offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication."
One of San Francisco's greatest attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, read or heard about the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was about to be tried for the slaying of an elderly antique dealer. Kidd's fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim's shop. During the trial, Hallinan proved that the antique dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd's fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were both out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty. Attorney Hallinan refused Gladys Kidd's offer of 10 years' servitude.
OBSERVATION:
To what lengths will any individual go in the name of love to prove a point. We have just celebrated St. Valentine’s Day. The stores will overrun with individuals purchasing boxes of chocolates, flowers, greeting cards, huge heart shaped balloons, cakes, cookies, and probably some intimate bedroom attire all in the name of love or what they understand love to be.
In this mornings newspaper was a story of a husband who gave his wife a kidney. The papers are quick to pick up on stories of such nature. They are the feel-good stories that we all like to read. They lift our spirit and to some degree inspire us. But that could be expected since they are husband and wife. There is an understanding of commitment growing out of the love they share with each other.
But what about a deeper love … a selfless, self-sacrificing kind of love ... the kind of love that we see in and through Jesus Christ? Would we buy flowers for a stranger? Would we give someone that we did not know one of our kidneys? The challenge for me every St. Valentine’s Day is not how am I going to express my love for my spouse of 46-years, my two beautiful daughters and their dynamic hard working husbands nor my two great grandchildren. Those decisions are easy. The real challenge is how am I going to express my love to the strangers I meet on the street or in the checkout line at Wal-Mart or the hallways at various locations.
God was willing to sacrifice his son for us when were not even worthy of his love. As Max Lucado shares in his book, And The Angels Were Silent, “God will do what it takes – whatever it takes – to bring his children home.” Which raises a deeper question for us, are we willing to do what it takes to let those around us, including the stranger in our midst, to know that someone loves them? Maybe we should make every day St. Valentine’s Day to remind us that we are meant to be instruments … channels of God’s love.
PRAYER:
Holy Father, it is so easy for us to speak about love, but oh so difficult to put it into actual practice. Guide us today to make it a reality in all that we do and say. Amen.
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him."
STORY:
On May 2, 1962, a dramatic advertisement appeared in the San Francisco Examiner: "I don't want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will therefore offer my services for 10 years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication."
One of San Francisco's greatest attorneys, Vincent Hallinan, read or heard about the ad and contacted Gladys Kidd, who had placed it. Her husband, Robert Lee Kidd, was about to be tried for the slaying of an elderly antique dealer. Kidd's fingerprints had been found on a bloodstained ornate sword in the victim's shop. During the trial, Hallinan proved that the antique dealer had not been killed by the sword, and that Kidd's fingerprints and blood on the sword got there because Kidd had once toyed with it while playfully dueling with a friend when they were both out shopping. The jury, after 11 hours, found Kidd to be not guilty. Attorney Hallinan refused Gladys Kidd's offer of 10 years' servitude.
OBSERVATION:
To what lengths will any individual go in the name of love to prove a point. We have just celebrated St. Valentine’s Day. The stores will overrun with individuals purchasing boxes of chocolates, flowers, greeting cards, huge heart shaped balloons, cakes, cookies, and probably some intimate bedroom attire all in the name of love or what they understand love to be.
In this mornings newspaper was a story of a husband who gave his wife a kidney. The papers are quick to pick up on stories of such nature. They are the feel-good stories that we all like to read. They lift our spirit and to some degree inspire us. But that could be expected since they are husband and wife. There is an understanding of commitment growing out of the love they share with each other.
But what about a deeper love … a selfless, self-sacrificing kind of love ... the kind of love that we see in and through Jesus Christ? Would we buy flowers for a stranger? Would we give someone that we did not know one of our kidneys? The challenge for me every St. Valentine’s Day is not how am I going to express my love for my spouse of 46-years, my two beautiful daughters and their dynamic hard working husbands nor my two great grandchildren. Those decisions are easy. The real challenge is how am I going to express my love to the strangers I meet on the street or in the checkout line at Wal-Mart or the hallways at various locations.
God was willing to sacrifice his son for us when were not even worthy of his love. As Max Lucado shares in his book, And The Angels Were Silent, “God will do what it takes – whatever it takes – to bring his children home.” Which raises a deeper question for us, are we willing to do what it takes to let those around us, including the stranger in our midst, to know that someone loves them? Maybe we should make every day St. Valentine’s Day to remind us that we are meant to be instruments … channels of God’s love.
PRAYER:
Holy Father, it is so easy for us to speak about love, but oh so difficult to put it into actual practice. Guide us today to make it a reality in all that we do and say. Amen.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
About detours in life and working God's plan with a reflection on Whitney Houston with a story about Oswald Smith
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
STORY as told by Brian L. Harbour:
The year was 1920. The scene was the examining board for selecting missionaries. Standing before the board was a young man named Oswald Smith. One dream dominated his heart. He wanted to be a missionary. Over and over again, he prayed, "Lord, I want to go as a missionary for you. Open a door of service for me." Now, at last, his prayer would be answered. When the examination was over, the board turned Oswald Smith down. He did not meet their qualifications. He failed the test. Oswald Smith had set his direction, but now life gave him a detour. What would he do? As Oswald Smith prayed, God planted another idea in his heart. If he could not go as a missionary, he would build a church which could send out missionaries. And that is what he did. Oswald Smith pastored The People's Church in Toronto, Canada, which sent out more missionaries than any other church at that time. Oswald Smith brought God into the situation, and God transformed his detour into a main thoroughfare of service.
OBSERVATION:
While on the journey through life Whitney Houston took a detour. Her struggles have been well documented in the media. It is unfortunate that her life ended the way it did. It is a tragic ending to one of the most beautiful voices to grace the airwaves. Pure, angelic, graceful, soulful are but a few words that come to mind to describe the quality of that powerful voice. But she took a detour.
God has a plan for our lives as he did for her. We choose to take detours away from his plan. Our detour might not make it into the news nor cause the world to pause in tears, but our detour is as tragic as Ms. Houston’s. It is a tragic anytime that one of God’s children, one of his chosen ones decides to go off on their own because the Kingdom of God suffers. The Family of God is less than what it could be when we choose a detour instead of his plan.
We think we know better. We think we have a better way. We think that we are wiser and more informed. But, alas, it is only a detour that always ends up being a dead end … a road to nowhere.
God created us with purpose. God created us for beauty. God created us with meaning. God created us with a destiny far beyond our imagination and well beyond our ability to reach it on our own. We just have to put up a sign and adhere to it – NO DETOURS IN THIS LIFE!
PRAYER:
Gracious God, we have staked our life with a NO DETOUR signs, but the temptations are tremendous and powerful. We need your strength to hold to the course that you have set before us. Help us on our journey to stay the course.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
STORY as told by Brian L. Harbour:
The year was 1920. The scene was the examining board for selecting missionaries. Standing before the board was a young man named Oswald Smith. One dream dominated his heart. He wanted to be a missionary. Over and over again, he prayed, "Lord, I want to go as a missionary for you. Open a door of service for me." Now, at last, his prayer would be answered. When the examination was over, the board turned Oswald Smith down. He did not meet their qualifications. He failed the test. Oswald Smith had set his direction, but now life gave him a detour. What would he do? As Oswald Smith prayed, God planted another idea in his heart. If he could not go as a missionary, he would build a church which could send out missionaries. And that is what he did. Oswald Smith pastored The People's Church in Toronto, Canada, which sent out more missionaries than any other church at that time. Oswald Smith brought God into the situation, and God transformed his detour into a main thoroughfare of service.
OBSERVATION:
While on the journey through life Whitney Houston took a detour. Her struggles have been well documented in the media. It is unfortunate that her life ended the way it did. It is a tragic ending to one of the most beautiful voices to grace the airwaves. Pure, angelic, graceful, soulful are but a few words that come to mind to describe the quality of that powerful voice. But she took a detour.
God has a plan for our lives as he did for her. We choose to take detours away from his plan. Our detour might not make it into the news nor cause the world to pause in tears, but our detour is as tragic as Ms. Houston’s. It is a tragic anytime that one of God’s children, one of his chosen ones decides to go off on their own because the Kingdom of God suffers. The Family of God is less than what it could be when we choose a detour instead of his plan.
We think we know better. We think we have a better way. We think that we are wiser and more informed. But, alas, it is only a detour that always ends up being a dead end … a road to nowhere.
God created us with purpose. God created us for beauty. God created us with meaning. God created us with a destiny far beyond our imagination and well beyond our ability to reach it on our own. We just have to put up a sign and adhere to it – NO DETOURS IN THIS LIFE!
PRAYER:
Gracious God, we have staked our life with a NO DETOUR signs, but the temptations are tremendous and powerful. We need your strength to hold to the course that you have set before us. Help us on our journey to stay the course.
Monday, February 13, 2012
The power to act if we would but only take it - Proverbs 3:27 with a story and an observation
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 3:27
“Do not without good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.”
STORY:
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said that he could get any number of men who were "willing to shed their last drop of blood." The problem, said Lincoln, was that he found it difficult to get anyone willing to shed that first drop!
OBSERVATION:
The power to act ... the power to do good works ... the power that is within our grasps but seldom used. Why? Is it out of fear – fear of failure, fear of being misunderstood, fear of rejection? There is something that holds us back from using the power within us to act in a positive and transforming way.
Maybe the story from Lincoln’s day speaks to our reality. It is not the last drop of blood, but that first. We don’t want to be the first to step forward. We don’t want to be the first to speak up. We don’t want to be the first to react. We don’t want to be first because it might draw attention to ourselves. We don’t want to be first just in case we could be wrong. We don’t want to be first so, we don’t do anything.
And yet the power is within us to act in a way that no one else can – a God given way.
PRAYER:
Help us to be aware of what is happening around us, O Lord, and give us the courage to act with the power that comes from above. Amen.
“Do not without good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act.”
STORY:
During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said that he could get any number of men who were "willing to shed their last drop of blood." The problem, said Lincoln, was that he found it difficult to get anyone willing to shed that first drop!
OBSERVATION:
The power to act ... the power to do good works ... the power that is within our grasps but seldom used. Why? Is it out of fear – fear of failure, fear of being misunderstood, fear of rejection? There is something that holds us back from using the power within us to act in a positive and transforming way.
Maybe the story from Lincoln’s day speaks to our reality. It is not the last drop of blood, but that first. We don’t want to be the first to step forward. We don’t want to be the first to speak up. We don’t want to be the first to react. We don’t want to be first because it might draw attention to ourselves. We don’t want to be first just in case we could be wrong. We don’t want to be first so, we don’t do anything.
And yet the power is within us to act in a way that no one else can – a God given way.
PRAYER:
Help us to be aware of what is happening around us, O Lord, and give us the courage to act with the power that comes from above. Amen.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
On living a life of excess - reflections on the cruise and Dr. DeSilva comments about the Book of Revelation
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 23:2 (NIV)
“…put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.”
STORY:
It was the end of VBS for my seminary church. Everybody in the community would be gathering in the fellowship hall for the closing covered dish dinner. Remembering those events from my formative years I requested that the congregation bring two dishes. They questioned me concerning my request, but I stayed with my original plan. It would not reflect well on our church if we had all these town folk and run out of food. So two dishes remained the norm for that gathering. As the congregation began to gather that summer evening the food just kept coming through the door. Little did I know at the time, but a dish meant a salad, two vegetables, a starch, a meat and a dessert - we enough food to feed the whole community for a week. We were guilty of gluttony that evening.
OBSERVATION:
Upon boarding the cruise ship recently we were ushered towards the buffet since our staterooms were not ready. The two people ahead of me in line piled on the food onto two large plates and they went back for seconds. Someone in our group observed that they had hoped to see some whales on the cruise, but didn’t think they would see them lounging around the ship’s pool area.
Dr. David DeSilva, the teacher and inspirational speaker on the cruise, while addressing the subject matter of the Book of Revelation spoke to his difficulty of address the excesses of time of the writing of the book and doing it on a cruise ship which thrives on meeting our excesses of food, leisure, entertainment, gambling, and shopping. The two just quite match up … but he did it anyway.
We live in a world of excesses even as people are going jobless, children going to bed hungry every night, and we focus on getting more. Or as one MSNBC commercial mentions, “The Haves and the Have Mores.” Therein is the challenge … the real challenge for us trying to live out the Christian faith. To enjoy the benefits of our hard work, but to do it in such a way that lifts up our neighbors and those in need.
Wasn’t John Wesley who said, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” He hits the Christian life balance squarely on the head.
PRAYER:
Help us to discover the proper balance in our life and within our lifestyle. Amen.
“…put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony.”
STORY:
It was the end of VBS for my seminary church. Everybody in the community would be gathering in the fellowship hall for the closing covered dish dinner. Remembering those events from my formative years I requested that the congregation bring two dishes. They questioned me concerning my request, but I stayed with my original plan. It would not reflect well on our church if we had all these town folk and run out of food. So two dishes remained the norm for that gathering. As the congregation began to gather that summer evening the food just kept coming through the door. Little did I know at the time, but a dish meant a salad, two vegetables, a starch, a meat and a dessert - we enough food to feed the whole community for a week. We were guilty of gluttony that evening.
OBSERVATION:
Upon boarding the cruise ship recently we were ushered towards the buffet since our staterooms were not ready. The two people ahead of me in line piled on the food onto two large plates and they went back for seconds. Someone in our group observed that they had hoped to see some whales on the cruise, but didn’t think they would see them lounging around the ship’s pool area.
Dr. David DeSilva, the teacher and inspirational speaker on the cruise, while addressing the subject matter of the Book of Revelation spoke to his difficulty of address the excesses of time of the writing of the book and doing it on a cruise ship which thrives on meeting our excesses of food, leisure, entertainment, gambling, and shopping. The two just quite match up … but he did it anyway.
We live in a world of excesses even as people are going jobless, children going to bed hungry every night, and we focus on getting more. Or as one MSNBC commercial mentions, “The Haves and the Have Mores.” Therein is the challenge … the real challenge for us trying to live out the Christian faith. To enjoy the benefits of our hard work, but to do it in such a way that lifts up our neighbors and those in need.
Wasn’t John Wesley who said, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” He hits the Christian life balance squarely on the head.
PRAYER:
Help us to discover the proper balance in our life and within our lifestyle. Amen.
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