Tag: examples

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Add it up

Last night I was given the opportunity to hear Rich Little speak.  No, not that Rich Little, the preacher Rich Little.  He’s heading out to be a professor at Pepperdine and was speaking in town last night.   He was very engaging as he spoke of sharing the grace with have received with other people.  The whole time he was whittling away on stage, I keep thinking to myself, that these ideas seem like they are a little risky, and radical.  He spend most of the night exposing hidden secrets from Matthew 7, part of Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount.  However, it was the place he ended that really started me thinking:

12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.  Matt 7 :12

How simple!  The entirety of the law in 11 words.  “Do to others what you would have them do to you”.  But how complex and how radical.  How many times have your heard this relay in word or action as “Do to others before they do to you?” or “Do to others as they do to you?”   But Jesus, always the radical, says “Treat them how you want to be treated.”  How many times to I tell my boys those exact same words?

But can we really live that way?  I mean, I know that I want the people I work with to bring me ice cream at 3pm every afternoon.  Hm, I wonder maybe if thats what I want then I should bring ice cream to them at 3pm.  Or I should find out what they like and bring that to them.  For many of my co workers that may be a bowl of gajar halwa.

But I guess its more then ice cream.  Its the words we use, its the way we listen.  Its the attention that we give to others.  Its our concern.  It’s a text message of encouragement, a smile, forgiveness and mercy and grace.

Hm, sounds radical and risky.  Maybe its worth some serious prayer and attention.  I know that I would want you to do it for me.

Are you summing it up today?

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Highway to Hell

Franticly trying to cancel out the doldrums of driving 300 miles last night, I was scanning the radio dial looking for Art Bell to keep me awake with his caller’s stories of human eating cows.  However, all I could turn up was two for Tuesday on a classic rock station.  So I crossed the Savannah River into South Carolina,  ACDC finished up Black in Black and starting rocking out Highway to Hell.  Could this be fitting I wondered.  And since I had started my trip by passing a church with a sign that said “No, its not as hot as hell!”, I thought maybe someone was trying to get a message to me!  
Anyway, as I arrived at my hotel, I was told that all they had was a small room with a small bed, not the majestic spacious king bed in the gianormous suite that I usually am granted at this establishment.  Then as I was brushing my teeth to head off to dream land, I discovered the stopper in the sink was stuck on stop.  (two strikes?).  Finally this am after I awoke and prepared to hop in a day starting shower, I came to the brutal reality that there was no hot water in this room! ( I would find out after the cold shower, that the entire hotel was without hot water).  Man, welcome to hell!  I could only think what else does this day have in store for me.  
But really, the entire time, as I tried to complain to myself, I was always stopped short by realizing how fortunate I am to be able to sleep safely in a cool dark room in a comfortable bed, and that I am actually able to take a shower in clean water ( hot or cold.)  And about the stopper, I just reached up under the sink and pulled the lever by hand – not really much of a problem at all.  None of these things even remotely resemble hell.  But boy, don’t we let them ruin our days often!  Little things that appear to be so big take us away from the blessings we are giving. 

This sort of reminds me of some of the words of Paul over in Philippians  

Do all things without grumbling or questioning,  Philippians 2:14 ESV 

 10I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength.   Philippians 4:10-13 (New International Version) 

 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4 (NKJV) 

Well that reminds me of another sign I saw on this trip, at the Big Biscuit Barn just a few miles from my home.  “Praise the Lord, Eat A Biscuit”.  Hm,, I think I am heading to breakfast….

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Living It Out

Yesterday on the way home I was listening to the radio trying to stay awake.  After a particular song was played, the DJ came on and told a story about how he loved that song and that it meant so much to him because his son’s youth group had performed a “phenomenal” black lite presentation to that song at his local church.  hm…

Later in the evening, I was given the opportunity to watch  Harding University’s drama team called Theatron perform several skits with a message.  In one particularly impressive skit, the final message was, “it took us two minutes to write and practice this skit, and it may only stay with you for two minutes – unless you do something about it”.

So since I received the same message twice within two hours, it seemed fitting to share it with you this morning.  We can’t just talk it.  We can’t just say love each other.  We can’t just say, yes I care about people.  We can’t just say I love the Savior Jesus, we have to live it out!  We can’t just sit in our churches and bounce the message off the interior walls.  Live it out today!

22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.   James 1:22-24 (New International Version)

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Comfort Zone

Wow!  What a fantastic week!  Ray and Joel did a great job sharing their experiences and trials this week, and I want to thank them for that.  Amy and I are heading to meet up with the boys this morning.  They just finished up a week of skim boarding camp in Delaware.

The interesting thing about that is that one of them was just not really excited about this at all and was quite nervous about the proposition.  It was the whole concept of a new endeavor that had him a little worried.  Turns out, or so it seems, he has had a very enjoyable experience. And it was the same for us, this is the first time we had left both boys and gone our own way for YEARS ( maybe FOREVER).

And so it is with our lives.  Ray even referred to it yesterday.  Sometimes, we feel so comfortable in our own place that its hard to leave that comfort zone and experience new things, or even to challenge our selves to grow.  But as Mary Poppins says “a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down” and as our Lord and Savior says ” a mustard seed of faith moves mountains”.

Step out there today.  Whether it is forcing yourself to speak to someone, sharing your faith, expressing your thoughts, experiencing something new, or even ordering something different from the menu!  Or Maybe you need to let go, as Amy and I did, but in a larger sense and put more of the handling of life’s events in the hands of the Lord.  Do it today, step out of your comfort zone and see where you get taken.

8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:8-10 (New International Version)

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Its a Jolly Holiday

Last night Amy and I were blessed to be able to watch Mary Poppins at the Kennedy Center as we kicked off another week of summer holiday.  And of course Mary is one to remind you of the good things in life and to take advantage of all the opportunities for treating others right.

So I go off for a few days, and a few of my fellow buffeters keep up the encouragement for the remainder of the week.  But before I do here is a simple reminder to always consider others and and keep  a check on the words you use throughout the day today.

11 A word aptly spoken
is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11 (NIV)

You can never underestimate the power of the words you use.  Make sure they are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.