Selahtations

STAR in a Bible Study

2012-02-02T08:43:00.004-06:00

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
Kim Kardashian: "I Want to Start a Bible Study" http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/
I wasn't looking for Kim when I saw this, but it certainly caught my eye. These weren't words I ever expected to see together, and my first response was less than charitable: "Oh, she wants to STAR in a Bible Study, like she STARRED in a wedding, and STARRED in the TV show about her family, etc." But I quickly had to make use of that "second think" that I had coming. You know, "If you think that, you've got a "second think" coming!"
Truth is, if she and her friends come to the Word of God, I know it would have tremendous impact on them - and on their spheres of influence, and may be the very reason she has become so prominent in the entertainment industry, without demonstrating any talent beyond her appearance and her fame:
...And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)
After all, Esther - a name that means "Star" - reached a high position based pretty much on her looks, and from there God used her mightily. So, second thought now thunk!
Of course, I have known people who wanted to be the "star" of a home Bible study/cell group/church. They couldn't wait to be noticed for their erudition, education, elocution or whatever. They can't seem to hear -or heed - the warning from Jesus Himself: "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (Matthew 6:5)
Then again, maybe more of us should be alert to this kind of pseudo-religion in our own lives! The all-too-common hypocrisy of wanting to appear pious while doing nothing about a filthy heart and mind is a pretense we can never afford. Father, guard me from selfish ambitions and fake religious activity!
But back to Kim. Go for it, girl! For when you search for God with all your heart, He will surely find you! We're praying for you now, and I for one hope you will shine like Esther and find success with eternal implications.

Yada yada yada...

2011-10-12T10:16:00.002-05:00

Then they cried...in their trouble, and...their distress. Psalm 107:6

Do you know what an 'ellipsis' is? Telling a story to someone who already knows some of it? Throw in a "you know", and they can supply the part they remember, sort of a shortcut. Some people use the Yiddish phrase, "yada yada yada" in the same way - it could be from the Hebrew "yada", which surprisingly enough means "you know". As in, "I went to the store for an aspirin, and yada yada yada I spent 50 bucks!" I think we ALL know how that could happen.

It works in print, too. When you are quoting someone and you don't want to use all their words - maybe they (the words) are irrelevant or inappropriate or too long - you can insert three little dots as a shortcut to show that there are words left out. This could be good or bad, depending on whether or not what's left out changes the meaning of what was said. Take that Bible verse up there at the top. If you took it at face value without further research, you might say, "Well, that makes sense. I've had a trouble or two that got me so stressed that I felt like crying."

But if that's as far as you went, you've "yada yada-ed" over some important information.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and...their distress. Psalm 107:6

See? They didn't just cry, they cried (out) to the Lord! Bet you've done that, too. I've found that even people who would have no reasonable expectation that the Lord would favor them - willful sin, outright rebellion, careless ignorance - still hope in His mercy. And you know what? That's OK, since not one of us deserves His favor but all of us need it!

But wait, there's more:

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. Psalm 107:6

What's this? It wasn't just empty noise into a vacuum? Some One heard and acted? Why yes, He did. Matter of fact, this psalmist mentions 4 different groups who called out and found a Redeemer. You might even be in one of them, and be at the point in your life when glossing over the details won't cut it. You're ready to know.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. Psalm 107:43

So, find out for yourself, first hand. You might just be surprised at what you've "yada yada-ed" over. The best part could be in the "ellipsis" you've skipped!

Shaken, Not Stirred

2011-09-12T11:51:00.001-05:00

Recognize James Bond's martini instructions? Martinis are conspicuous by their absence from my experience, so I'm not exactly sure what possible difference it could make. Stirring supposedly "bruises" the gin, whatever that means, but it did speak to me about people's reactions to disaster, tragedy, and crisis.
Terrorism and tornadoes. Hurricanes and earthquakes and economies, Oh My! In the aftermath, people turn to religion seeking comfort, order, and explanation, but for many it's just a temporary thing. Memories fade. Fervor cools. Fear subsides. Shaking calms, and we settle back to old habits and ways, separating out into "religious" and "normal", until "religious" becomes less and less important and more and more neglected.
Thankfully, not everyone follows that path. Wonder what leads some to remain immersed in their faith even while others precipitate out? Maybe it's like orange juice.
Printed on the bottle of OJ in my fridge is the familiar phrase "Shake Well Before Using". I can see that there are two layers in the bottle before I shake, a thin upper and a thicker lower. After vigorously following instructions, they get mixed together into that fruity goodness I enjoy. But no matter how vigorous - even excessive - I am with that shaking, I have to do it again the next day.
I'm not saying that people will only stay close to God if He keeps rocking their world. We couldn't stand the strain! I'm saying we need a deeper, repeated stirring.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24 -25
"Consider" - apply all our powers of thought, observation, and imagination to seek solutions
"Stir" - provoke, poke, spur (I like spur, because I always wanted to be a cowboy.)
"Love and good works" - not mere religious activity, but life-changing action
"Not neglecting to meet together" - interaction with those who share the vision of a world changing faith
"Encouraging one another" - provoking, poking, spurring, and stirring so that our momentum isn't lost
Shaking comes to all of us. Our world is disturbed by events, and we try to find peace from the storm. Maybe we'd do better to enjoy peace IN the storm - a peace that is empowered by our transformation into the "fruity goodness" of the Church Triumphant! Don't just be shaken. Stir up yourself and each other to be part of God's eternal and imminent Plan.

Albuquerque?

2011-08-01T11:12:00.000-05:00

A Real "Hotspot"
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matt. 10:28

Ever been to Albuquerque? Growing up, I'd never been further west than Memphis, so when Bugs Bunny talked about making that "left toin at Albukoikee", I hardly thought of it as a real place. It was more like the "Land of Far, Far Away" in some fairy tale. When I finally went through it as an adult, it kept that fairy tale quality for me because of the stark, mountainous terrain (very different than rural Mississippi) and because we went through it so fast.

Fast forward to my kids. Sometimes, it was better they not know where we were going until we got there (dentist, doctor, playground, MickeyD's, etc.). We'd get in the car, and they'd always ask, "Where are we going, Daddy?" "Albuquerque" "No, we're not! Where are we really going?" I always had big fun with this, and would carry on with it until they started checking the landmarks and figuring it out themselves. Just recently, my daughter told me that she had never believed it was a real place herself, until she saw it on a map in school.

And I'm afraid that's the way a lot of people think about Hell. They've heard about it so many times without seeing it that they begin to think it's make-believe.

They have a hard time reconciling "God is Love" with "God is the Righteous Judge", and so they try to explain away the Scriptures that refer to Hell. So why should you and I believe in Hell?

Because Jesus believed in it.

He spoke about it like it was a real place, and He warned His followers about it, but the most compelling evidence is not in what He said, but in what He did. If there is no Hell, and no one is at risk, then the Crucifixion was the most horrible and pointless event in history. But Jesus was not a madman, nor was He a fool. He went through the agony of the Cross because He knew it had to be done, because He knew what was waiting those who came to Final Judgment. If there had been any other way, He would have found it before Gethsemane. Don't be fooled by clever words and phrases - or even best selling books by mega-church pastors. There are consequences for what we believe - and what we refuse to believe!

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matt. 7:13

We Are Butt Dust

2011-06-23T15:50:00.001-05:00

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are but dust. Psalm 103:13-14

You know how when you hear a word sometimes you think it means something different than what the speaker meant? As the pastor in his "spiritual prayer voice" quoted this verse, the little girl began to squirm and stare at the seat beside her. Then, in the kind of whisper that carries farther than a shout, she said "Mommy, what's Butt Dust?" Pretty much ended THAT service!

It occurred to me that that would be a great name for a great American product. Sadly, some bright entrepreneur beat me to the drawing board. I found a couple of barbecue dry rubs with that name, at least one baby powder, and even a rock band, so no million dollar payday for me. Maybe next time!

Carl Sagan said, "We are made of stardust..." based on the theory (his - not mine) that the stars came first, and all the elements were forged in the heart of stars that then blew up, were scattered and then regathered into planets, peanuts, penguins and people. I suppose that's more romantic (warm fuzzy thinking) than "butt dust" - not nearly as funny, though. I discovered recently that the dust found in most homes (dust "bunnies" - or in some cases more like dust "buffaloes") was found to consist mostly of people. Well, flakes of skin anyway. Reminds me of the kid who had been to a funeral - "For you are dust and to dust you shall return" - and refused to sleep in his room anymore, because "I looked under my bed, and someone's either coming or going!"

I personally prefer a fuller explanation. We really did begin as dust in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:7, 3:19), but that's not where we end up: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

So - you who trust in Christ - the next time you feel like "butt dust", remind yourself "I'm not what I ought to be, I'm not what I'm going to be, but thank God I'm not what I was." And any of you who aren't in Him? Butt dust you are, and butt dust you will be!

Castles on the Silt

2011-06-10T18:39:00.000-05:00

And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Matt 7:26

If you go up to northern Indiana and drive among the lakes where I used to live, you will occasionally see a house built on a small island. Usually, the only way to reach the house is by water (except when the lake is frozen). Most of them are modest cottages, meant for short stays rather than permanent residence.

But there are a few that are extravagant, and those that own them are always trying to outdo one another. One man decided to take his one-ups-man-ship to a ludicrous level by turning a cottage into a castle. What he did not know (but found out the hard way) was the island he was building on was made of muck. When the lake was being developed, they dredged out channels and swamps to make more lots accessible and piled what they dredged - silty mud, stumps, and a few rocks - into little islands. People would camp and fish on them, maybe put up a little shed for storage, and eventually a cottage.

Our castle-builder took one of those over and before you know it had a very impressive building on it that quickly began to sink into the muck. Engineers and contractors were quickly called in to try and solve the problem, but all they could do was slow it down. There was nothing under the house strong enough to serve as a foundation, so eventually that castle - if it hasn't already - will sink out of sight.

And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matt 7:27

How much was spent on that house? I don't know, but I know how much was lost - all of it. The price of foolishness is always high. How much of your life has been lost to the muck foundations of foolishness and sin? Build on the sure foundation of Christ Jesus and put a stop to all that waste!

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.. Matt 7:24

Laws of the Harvest Part 3

2011-04-09T18:08:00.001-05:00

You Reap More Than You Sow
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24
While it varies, an ear of corn can have anywhere from 200 to 400 kernels. A stalk of sweet corn can have anywhere from 2 to 6 ears. So - let me help you with the math - up to 2400 kernels of corn from one - that's ONE - seed. That's excellent design, and important information. If the spiritual is revealed in the physical - and it is, check out Romans 1:19-20 - then those things we do and say and think also produce more than is planted. That's good news for those sowing to the spirit, not so much for those sowing to the flesh.
Have you ever had a field taken over by brambles? It can turn even the most pleasant pasture into a war zone. Would you plow and fertilize and water a plot of ground and then sow greenbriar? I know it sounds crazy, but most of us do that to ourselves without thinking twice about it. We sow with wild abandon "...envy, jealousy, strife, fits of anger..."(Galatians 5:20) as if they weren't going to have any effect on us at all, but it's like planting brambles in your heart. If unchecked, they take over until the only remedy is a burn-off, and even then you still have to cope with the roots. Self-inflicted misery doesn't have an easy fix.
But ...love, joy, peace... and the rest? The kind of investment bonanza they bring makes the toil of nurturing them a small price to pay, indeed!
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8

Laws of the Harvest Part 2

2011-04-09T18:01:00.001-05:00

You Reap After You Sow
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
Potting soil. Empty milk cartons. Butter beans. All part of a kindergardener's introduction to farming. OK, not exactly "farming". We planted our beans in our little cartons and watered them carefully - well, we were 5, so our first watering was more enthusiastic than careful. After pouring out our "soil soup" and starting over, we carried our beans home to put on a window sill and wait for our harvest to come in. Did I mention we were 5? I can't speak for my classmates of 50 years ago, but when a few days went by without any home-grown beans on the menu, I dumped out the dirt to look at the planted bean. In case you were wondering, they don't respond well to that kind of treatment. Yes, I'm a bean-killer!
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8

We are living in the "Instant" generation. We no longer want it 'now', we want it yesterday. In today's world, patience is not a virtue. It's a sign of weakness. Waiting for anything seems to be beyond our ability - or maybe just beyond our desires. But in the Kingdom of Heaven (that realm of the heart where people willingly submit to the will of God), patient endurance is a vital part of God's design for our lives. We "wait upon the Lord" to renew our strength, until the fruit of the Spirit comes to ripeness, until the proper season. And if we don't? We short-circuit the blessing of God and rob ourselves of His provision. So, don't give up. Don't jump the gun. Don't pull your beans out of the dirt before they can sprout!

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Laws of the Harvest Part 1

2011-04-09T17:53:00.001-05:00

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22

There are a lot of crazy laws on the books. Here in Alabama, if you carry your ice cream cone in your back pocket, you're in violation. Next door in Mississippi, it's illegal to shoot squirrels from the State house - while Congress is in session. (I suppose they're afraid it would be too much like shooting deer over bait.) Out in California, if you detonate your nuclear device within one city's limits, it'll cost you $500. Up in Boston, you are forbidden to bathe without a prescription, and don't bring your peanuts to eat in church unless you want to spend a year in jail! I find a lot of humor - and not much sense - in many of the laws of men. Thankfully, the laws of men can be repealed (like these I mentioned), but there are laws that are unchanging, kept in place by an Almighty Hand. Gravity, motion, thermodynamics are all laws that demonstrate an incredibly wise and skilled Designer whose promises can be depended on, like those of Genesis 8:22, and I'd like to elaborate on a few of them.

Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7

Have you ever planted turnips and harvested tomatoes, or peas and got potatoes? One of the great things about the Master Designer is His consistency. You harvest what you plant, and that is true in the spiritual realm as well. Your deeds are seeds, and the Word says that the harvest will come in. So, if you're living by faith, hope, and love then you can reasonably expect a return of the same, and if you're doing the works of the flesh you ought not be surprised by the outcome. The harvest of sin is death - death of relationships, hopes, and dreams. Don't fool yourself. Sowing wild oats and praying for a crop failure is no way to prepare for a life worth living: For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8

2011-03-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

There was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a kab of dove’s dung for five shekels of silver. 2 Kings 6:25

How would you like to own that concession stand? "Dove's Dung! Fresh Hot Dove's Dung! Five shekels a pint! Got to Get your Dove's Dung! Can't watch the siege without your Dove's Dung! Get it while it's hot!" When you haven't eaten in a few weeks, almost anything can look pretty tasty. I guess I haven't really been hungry yet! It actually may not be quite as gross as it sounds. Some scholars believe there is evidence that this was a common name for field peas. And what good are black-eyed peas without a ham-hock? No wonder they didn't use them!

Either way, it was high dollar goods, desperate time, desperate measure "food" for those eager to pay for what they would usually turn their nose up at.

"Value" is based on a lot of variables, but their hunger gave value out of all proportion to such fare. And I have to wonder if those guys who had the donkey fillet with dung chutney didn't have a little buyer's remorse!

It makes me wonder if some of the things I've treasured over the years will be in the category of dove's dung, despised in light of the heavenly treasure I'll be enjoying in, well, Heaven. Truth is, some of them fall in it now, like Paul said, "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as dung, in order that I may gain Christ" Phil. 3:8

Don't treasure dung. Treasure what Christ values, and you'll never have buyer's remorse!

Useless!

2010-11-25T21:10:00.000-06:00

I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.)Philemon 1:10
Wonder dogs led busy lives,what with saving Timmy from the well, fighting Nazis, bringing Christmas to orphans, preparing 7 course meals and such."How did they do it?" you ask, and of course I've been waiting to tell you: Discipline. They were well-trained and -coached, and if they could bark on cue, the humans could always "read their mind" and give the kids at home some "exposition". "Woof woof woof" meant "Oh no! Little Timmy's in the well" "Woof WOOFwoof" meant "Ol' Heinie the butcher is a Nazi spy!" "Ruffwoof urrrrr" meant "So you want fries with that?"
But those were 'Celebrity Canines', far outside my experience. Take Useless for instance. He was a nondescript little Heinz 57 of a mutt. My dad took one look at him and declared, "There's a useless pothound if I ever saw one!" and the name stuck. Many a summer evening found me wandering amongst the fireflies and skeeters hollering for that dog: "Useless. U-U-Useless. UseLE-ESS!" But he must have been a collaborator, because we never got any idiots out of wells or nabbed any spies, and if there were fries, I never saw them. I did discover one thing though. For him to join the ranks of Wonder Dogs would require far more than I could do. It would need a change of heart. Useless liked me. He loved to have me pet him and play with him, but when it came to business, well, I minded him a lot better than he minded me!
I know, you see it coming, "Which Dog Are You?" So? Lassie or Useless? Selfless or Selfish? Famous or Infamous? Try it from this angle: Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 1 Peter 5:6

2 minute warning

2010-10-30T10:33:00.000-05:00

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and watchful in prayer.

The 2 minute warning is a good ol' American Football tradition. The game clock is stopped and the referee notifies each head coach that he's got 2 minutes of game time left. I don't know why we really still do this, since everybody in the stadium can see the clock, and I have to believe that any coach worth his salt is aware of it, but he still gets told. It's not like that in "futbol" (soccer for us in the US. The 'world' calls soccer 'football' because the ball is moved by the foot. We call football football because...uh...because...er...we're AMERICANS, and we SAID so, that's why!) Anyway, in "soccer", only one person in the world knows when the game will end - the referee. They play two 45 minute halves with a 15 minute break in the middle, and the ref decides to add time or not at the end, and HE DOESN'T EVEN HAVE TO SAY WHY! This can be frustrating and confusing for those of us used to clock management as practiced in football and gabbed about incessantly by on-air announcers. But in the world of “futbol” we get a glimpse of God as a timekeeper. It's His clock, His timing. Coaches, players, and spectators can have their opinions and reasons for them, but only the Ref has the power of decision. We all know that we're in the final moments of the Game. The last whistle is about to blow. It's time to put all our strength into finishing well, to get every possible score before the End, leaving nothing undone.

Romans 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already time for you to awaken out of sleep, for salvation is now nearer to us than when we first believed.

Gramps

2010-08-25T14:23:00.000-05:00

You may have heard I'm a Grandaddy now. August 6 marked a big change in my life, as my little girl produced her little girl. We got to go and marvel at her gorgeous red hair and sweet little fingers and funny little froggy feet (not webbed, the way she stands on them while lying down). After careful consideration, my completely biased and 100% subjective opinion is - wait for it - she is the most beautiful, perfect child in the universe. Those of you who believe their own grands fill that particular niche...well, you're probably wrong about other stuff, too. I'm carrying the pictures to prove it and I'm not afraid to use them!
Of course, this got me to thinking about spiritual things. There's nothing like seeing the promise of a new life in your latter years to turn your thoughts toward the Lord.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. 2Cor 5:17

In the moment we were born again, we passed from Death to Life. We moved from ruined and wasted to new and - dare I say it - gorgeous! It likely occurs to you that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's even conceivable that my personal attachment to sweet little Anne has colored my opinions. And in a wonderful way, that's true of me and my heavenly Father, too. All that sinful, miserable ugliness that was my life before Him, washed clean, made NEW! If I try and bring any of that up to Him, remind Him of how bad I can be, He just whispers, "Sea of Forgetfulness" "Covered by the Blood" "As far as the East is from the West". In His eyes - and by His Grace - I'm brand spanking new, just like that little Grand, with all of eternity stretching before us to make me into the image of His perfect Son. Talk about Grand! I can hardly wait to see what He does in me next!

Million Dollar Fail

2010-06-23T11:15:00.001-05:00

But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. (Matt. 22:11)
Did you hear about the million dollar failure? In a marlin fishing tournament off the coast of North Carolina, Andy caught an 883 lb. fish, more than 300 pounds larger than his nearest competitor. It set a tournament record, and set off a whole lot of whooping and hollering. Until they found out about Pete.
On that glorious day, while the celebration was at its height, Pete slipped away to a bait shop and bought the license he had told everyone he already had. I don't know why he didn't have it. If it was a cash flow problem, I guarantee the skipper or the contestant would have been more than happy to spend that $15 to save that million. Too busy? Too pig-headed? Forgot? Just excuses. One lie detector test later, tournament officials were forced to disqualify the catch. It's amazing how fast joy can turn into bitterness and tears. The rules were clear, and applied to everyone – no exceptions! A $15 failure cost them the prize.
In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, Jesus points out a man. This guy had just been walking down the street, minding his own business, when a royal servant grabbed him by the elbow and dragged him to the palace. “Stand here in this line and get a wedding suit, then go in and join the party.” But lines are bo-o-oring.
The clink of wine glasses and aromas of the feast got to be too much for him. He would just slip in for a bit. No one would notice, and then he'd come back for the suit. I'm sure he meant to, but one thing led to another and before he knew it, he was facing a very angry King in the stinky, mud-spattered rags he had come in with. Too late to change. Too late to get back in line. Too late for excuses. Judgment Day caught him among the goats. Don't be like Pete, and miss the Prize because of the Price. Get your eternal wedding suit today – no lines, no waiting!
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Rom. 13:14)
Here's a link to the story:
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/18199/angler+makes+1-million+mistake+in+north+carolina+marlin+tournament/

Taste and See

2010-05-21T10:28:00.001-05:00

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psalms 34:8 ESV)
Sometimes, when I surrender the remote (or have it hijacked – some fights are worth losing!), we watch the Food Network. OK, I'll admit it: I like a couple of the shows. I'll even watch “Chopped” on purpose. There's something about unusual combinations and panicky chefs that piques my interest. YOU try combining squid and chocolate and butter beans in 30 minutes!
As the chefs work furiously, the judges watch and talk about what they hope to get. Something that is apparently very big with them is “complexity of taste”. They love sweet-sour-crunchy-peppery-salty, arranged on a plate. When one of the chefs does something surprisingly edible, the judges often talk about how he/she “developed depth of flavor”, which as far as I can tell means “This was tasty!”
Maybe – just maybe – the Lord is like a chef. Or to use the language of the Parables: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a Master Chef in the kitchen...”
The Church is like God's signature recipe. He brings unusual ingredients together, spices it as only He can, brings heat and cold to work together until He has a unique, precious course, fit for a King!
In the world, there are sweet people and sour-pusses. There are tasty folks and bland ones, spicy, salty, vinegary, and hearty. God chooses from those who are there, and brings them into His kitchen/church, and begins to clean, combine, mix, chop, fold, reduce, until He is satisfied. The ingredients don't choose each other, nor the way they are combined. The pot and the stove have no say in what the Chef is doing. Salt and pepper to taste? He does that. 40 years for the dough to rise? His recipe. Develop depth of flavor? Comes from His cooking skill. Complexity? His Chosen Ingredients.
How will it turn out? Tasty. Very tasty indeed!
And whether you're the squid or the chocolate, you are an integral part of the whole, and welcome to add your flavors in the Hands of the Master Chef!

Mistakes in the Bible!

2010-04-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

I heard somebody say there were mistakes in the Bible, so I thought I”d better check it out. I was in for the shock of my life! I found hundreds of mistakes, and they started at the very beginning!
First, there was Adam and Eve. They ate the fruit, and Original Sin condemned all their future children. But that was just the start. Cain and the murder of Abel – what a horrible mistake! All the people who ignored Noah and perished in the flood – unbelievable! The Tower of Babel, Sodom, Lot – the whole book of Genesis was just one mistake after another. I jumped to Exodus, and there was Moses, committing murder. Then the so-called people of God made themselves a golden calf and worshiped it as if IT had any power. Page after page, book after book, mistake upon mistake. Was there no end?
Even in the New Testament, the mistakes kept coming. Herod and the murder of the infants of Bethlehem, Judas and the betrayal of Christ, Saul at the stoning of Stephen – errors so bad they could only be called SIN! The Bible is just full of them!
Oh wait, you thought I meant mistakes in the TEXT! Sorry, can't help you there. What I find when I search the text is reliability, miraculous consistency, life-changing truth. The “mistakes” in the Bible are all the record of sin and sinners, not the failure of an Almighty God. So don't fret, you can depend on what's there. It's good for what ails you! Oh, and by the way, those “mistakes” aren't the end of the story. The end was written in blood – the blood of Redemption, every failure willing, rescued. Every sin confessed, covered. The Rest of the Story? Good News, indeed!
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV)

Through the Fire

2010-03-17T15:11:00.002-05:00

In 1962, a garbage dump fire spread to an open vein of coal. At first, local authorities hoped it would just burn itself out. There were roads to pave, schools to build, parks to name. They reasoned that it wouldn't be able to maintain itself underground, and the problem would just solve itself.
Others believed that action was required to save their community from an impending threat, but no one wanted to spend the time and money to fight an enemy they didn't really believe in.
Time passed, and out of sight quickly became out of mind for most people. When they were warned of the danger, many refused to believe the fire was still burning. They would look at the cost of thousands of dollars, shake their heads, and go on about their business. Until the monster broke through.
Poisonous gases from the ongoing underground fire began to seep up into the water table – and basements. Underground vacancies left when coal was consumed began to collapse, taking roads and houses into the depths. Finger pointing and lawsuits followed, but no solution could be found. Centralia, Pennsylvania was no longer a safe place to live, and the federal government began to foreclose homes and businesses, forcing out life-long residents. $42 million dollars was spent (not counting attorneys fees) buying those properties, yet the fight still goes on. There are still (in 2010) a handful of holdouts, squatting in homes they no longer own, watching the end of their town.
There were plenty of warnings. In the beginning there were options and solutions, but a point of no return was reached, and after that, all that they had built was lost to the fire.
Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

Be sure what you are investing in can come through THIS fire!

Through the Fire

2010-03-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

In 1962, a garbage dump fire spread to an open vein of coal. At first, local authorities hoped it would just burn itself out. There were roads to pave, schools to build, parks to name. They reasoned that it wouldn't be able to maintain itself underground, and the problem would just solve itself.
Others believed that action was required to save their community from an impending threat, but no one wanted to spend the time and money to fight an enemy they didn't really believe in.
Time passed, and out of sight quickly became out of mind for most people. When they were warned of the danger, many refused to believe the fire was still burning. They would look at the cost of thousands of dollars, shake their heads, and go on about their business. Until the monster broke through.
Poisonous gases from the ongoing underground fire began to seep up into the water table – and basements. Underground vacancies left when coal was consumed began to collapse, taking roads and houses into the depths. Finger pointing and lawsuits followed, but no solution could be found. Centralia, Pennsylvania was no longer a safe place to live, and the federal government began to foreclose homes and businesses, forcing out life-long residents. $42 million dollars was spent (not counting attorneys fees) buying those properties, yet the fight still goes on. There are still (in 2010) a handful of holdouts, squatting in homes they no longer own, watching the end of their town.
There were plenty of warnings. In the beginning there were options and solutions, but a point of no return was reached, and after that, all that they had built was lost to the fire. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-- each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:12-15)

Be sure what you are investing in can come through THIS fire!

Difference in $40k classic and $40 junk

2009-12-23T14:23:00.000-06:00

Perfected in love.

It didn't look like much, just an old rusted frame with fenders. But he bought it, and began the mammoth job of restoration. He stripped it down to get off all the rust. He scoured the country getting parts, carefully testing and shaping each one to fit. His original investment paled in comparison to the money and time now being poured in.
Anyone who happened to see it during this process thought “What a waste of time! This won't ever become what he's planning.” But he kept laboring on, building and burnishing. He'd go on for hours, telling anyone who would listen about his plans and dreams for this car.
One year passed, then two. There were times the task seemed never-ending, impossible. Would this “sows ear” never become the silk purse of his dream? Then one day, everything came together. Motor and transmission, once clogged and worthless, purred like a kitten. The soiled and torn interior was replaced with gleaming beauty. Sad sagging fenders were now high and tight. The faded paint was long hidden under layer after layer of glowing brightness. What had been valued cheaply had now become priceless, and those naysayers? Their open-mouthed admiration quickly became envy and desire, as his small investment was turned into tremendous value.
I didn't look like much. Beat up. Ravaged by sin. Cast on the junk heap of life. But He valued me, paid my debt, and went to work to transform me. Lots of times I doubted I would ever be what He was working toward. In many ways, I'm not there yet. Restoration is on-going. Frustration with failure in parts I thought had long since been perfected. But He keeps fixing, shaping, polishing. “One day,” He says, “one day, you'll be perfect. Those naysayers out there, they'll see what I saw back there in the junk yard. They'll be amazed at what you've become, and so will you.”
When the time comes to put a value on my life (and yours), it will be what He has done that will stand out as precious, making what was originally considered worthless now priceless. Nobody makes Him do it. He does it for fun – and love. Does He get His money's worth? The open-mouthed admiration of a cynical world seeing the result of love poured out without reservation is music to His ears.
Therefore, my beloved, ... work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Phil 2:12-14

2009-10-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

The earliest scale was probably just a rope or string hung from a peg, and used to compare relative weights. “So what?” you're thinking. I'm glad you asked, since we are always eager for participation from our readers!
The word up there in the title of this column, “Selah”, is found over 70 times in the Psalms and Habakkuk, usually with a footnote saying that it's suspected meaning is some sort of musical information, but nobody knows for sure. Me? I'm suspicious that something repeated so many times is not mere choral direction, and that God put it there on purpose.
Selah is from a Hebrew root word meaning “to suspend, weigh”, as in “weigh in the balance”, or “judge”.
Reading the Psalms, I get the feeling that it's placed there for emphasis. “Ponder what was just said. Think about it. Consider. Measure this against what you know.”
You ever read something, then put it down and be unable to remember even a little bit of it? That's OK with a magazine article, or the TV guide or something, but too often we do that with our Bible readings. It's kind of like yard-mowing. With our riding mower, you have to engage the blade, or you're just going for a ride. The grass-cutting power is available, the time is being spent, the potential for accomplishment is there, but nothing comes of it. Just letting our eyes pass over the Scripture without being involved with it is just as much a waste of time and energy. Actually, it's more of a waste, because it gives the Devil an opportunity to steal the Word away before it can take root.
“So what can I do about it?” Well, I'm glad you asked, since God gives us what we need to know.
... his delight is in the LORD's instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalms 1:2-3 HCSB)
Meditate on the Word. Think about it, pick it up and look at it from all sides. Imagine how it could be put to use in your daily trials and joys. Remember how God has done great things . Get engaged with it, and you'll be doing “Selah”.
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable--if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise--dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8 HCSB)

2009-10-06T18:25:00.000-05:00

What are you good for? When George Washington Carver asked that question of the lowly peanut, he discovered anywhere from 100 to 300 uses. They ranged from food products (peanut butter, candy bars, cooking oil, instant coffee, sausage, meat substitute) to stock feed, from dyes and paints to medicines, wood filler to paper to laundry soap. They are used as an ingredient in dynamite and nitroglycerine. They can be made into gasoline and diesel fuel (and would probably smell better in use than either of those). When Carver was born in Missouri sometime in 1864, the peanut had been known and used for hundreds of years, but it took a man of faith to see beyond its snack value and uncover its potential.
Jesus was always discovering potential where others only saw problems. Zaccheus, the woman at the well, Mary Magdelene, Lazarus, Matthew were all damaged people. The religious authorities of His day were stuck in the mindset of condemnation. Their focus was on the cause and criticism of the problem, not its redemption, but the Jesus who saw the spiritual significance of the mustard seed also sees the spiritual significance of each of His children.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Eph 2:10

What are you good for? When the Master Craftsman asks that of you, what will He discover, someone who is hiding their talent in a napkin or someone who is investing that talent as if everything depended on it? None of us want to be on the wrong end of that conversation, but it remains for us to do something about it. Discover the value of the Gifts of God in your life. Put them into practice and unlock the “peanut potential” that lies in His provision and revelation.

Which Side?

2009-09-08T10:27:00.003-05:00

A teenager named Miguel was visiting the local jail with my father-in-law's jail ministry. He read a passage from the book of Jonah, then said to the prisoners, "This could be your fish. This time in jail could be the Lord reaching out to you to get you back on track, away from the destiny of your rebellion. Don't stay in the fish."
Which side of the fish are YOU on, in-side or out-side? Have your circumstances hemmed you in, so that you are drowning in a sea of despair? Cry out to the Lord, and let him put you back on His track for your life.
Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, saying, 'I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and He answered me'...And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land."Jonah 2:1, 10

The Name

2009-08-27T08:51:00.000-05:00

In the movie Toy Story, the hero (Woody) was depressed. He feared he was being replaced in the affections of his owner (Andy) by a newer, more exciting toy. He would look at the bottom of his shoe from time to time, where Andy had written his name. His world changed around him, he had trouble, disillusionment, discouragement, discontent.
He was lost, trapped in adventure with his nemesis, without hope of rescue, but the Name endured, written in permanent ink.
Sometimes, we’re kind of like Woody. We go along through life with scarcely a ripple of trouble, then suddenly everything falls apart, and disaster threatens to overwhelm us. “Where is the God who delivers? Why are the heavens silent? Doesn’t He care about the trouble I’m in?”
Maybe we can get some help from the Gospel of Mark:
And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" Mar 4:37-40 ESV

When we give our lives to Christ, He writes His Name on our hearts. We may face trouble and discouragement, fear and doubt, but those temporary trials cannot erase the Name. Listen to the Savior: "Peace! Be still!" The Name, and all the promises of God that go with it, is still written, still vivid, still untarnished.

Woody’s attitude toward Andy wavered during the adventure, but only briefly. In the end, he remained faithful. Let’s learn from his fine example, and not be blown about by every wind and wave of discouragement that comes our way.
Psa 20:7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Baptist Balloon

2009-07-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Ephesians 5:18

I got a bag of water balloons the other day. The picture on the bag showed a balloon bursting, spraying water all over.
So, I gleefully ripped open the bag and flung a red “Water Bomb” at the nearest heathen, but to my everlasting disappointment, no baptism took place. Just a whimpy little “whap” and then it flopped to the floor.
OK, I confess! I made that up. Shocking, I know. I don't expect that “balloon baptizing” will really catch on, but think how much fun it would be to show up at a community gathering and convert the whole crowd!
Did you ever notice how a balloon acts differently, depending on what it's filled with? If you don't put anything in it, it's like a rubber band, stretchy if not useful, having potential only. If you fill it with water, you are overcome with a Spirit of Mischief, and can't wait to find a victim. If you blow it up with your own hot air, it makes a fine toy for the young'un in you, to bat around or rub on your head to stick to the wall with static electricity. If left alone, it falls to the floor of it's own weight, and if not popped will eventually wilt down.
But put helium in it, and it soars to the heavens.
Balloons, then, are containers of potentiality, just like you and me. Filled with nothing, we are just colorful bits of decoration. Fill us with earthly liquids (like wine, see above), and we become explosive and dangerous. Filled with hot air, we might bob around playfully for awhile, then fall to earth. But fill us with the living Spirit of God, and we become high-flying, heaven-bound adventurers. Which would you rather be? Judging by the way the Scripture verse is worded, we have the ability to decide what we are going to be filled with. It might be important to note that others will be able to tell which choice we've made, and no picture on the container will affect their perception.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

2009-06-24T15:26:00.000-05:00

The Easter Egg Hunt of Life
I remember my early hunts. Real eggs, boiled and dyed them ourselves. A fair amount of anxiety if someone should find more than me. The incredible tension until someone found the Prize Egg (only one, in our day) containing 50 cents, and O what Joy! - if I did!
Then there was the transition from Hunter to Hider, and a certain perverse pleasure in seeing your younger siblings desparately seeking and...NOT finding, becoming the anxiety of seeing your own kids WALK RIGHT PAST the treasures you wanted them to find.
Now I'm making a new transition, thanks to my condition: Old-Timers. I'm developing a new devotion to the Hereafter, as in, “What am I in HERE after?” I've identified some stages of Old-Timers, having to do with stuff. First came “I'm sure I left it here”, followed by “I think I left it here”. These first two show that I still had some of my mind left, but that quickly moves into the next stage: “How did that get in here?” which is hard on the heels of: “Where did that come from?”
What really surprises me, though, is the pleasure that comes from these discoveries. I mean, I've been “finding” my glasses every day since I was nine, but now that the search is harder, the reward is greater. Who knew such joy could be waiting in such...humble circumstances. Now I think I finally can sympathize with the woman who lost a coin and swept her whole house, looking till she found it. (Luke 15) If I ever call you to rejoice with me over finding my favorite pen, now you'll know why. I'm in the Old-Timers Easter Egg Hunt every day!
Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10

2009-06-10T21:15:00.000-05:00

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1-2 ESV)
Some use Mac OSX. Some are in transition from Windows XP to Windows Vista. A few use Linux. But everyone who has a computer has to have an operating system (OS) to make it work. Without an OS, a computer is just a bulky dust collector. You can have power coming to it. You can tap the keys for hours, but without software to tell the hardware what to do, a computer is just a bad lamp: a lot of electricity for poor illumination.
But with an OS (and the knowledge to use it) the possibilities are practically endless.
In the Kingdom of Heaven, faith is the OS. By faith alone we have access to the amazing possibilities of God available to the believer, just as by the OS we have access to the world wide web, the educational and productive (and entertainment) capabilities of our computers. When God says "...the just shall live by faith." He is telling us to master the OS. Too many of us can't be bothered to become adept at faith. Would you believe someone was getting the best out of their computer if all they ever used it for was to play Solitaire? There's so much more! But we paddle around in the shallows of faith as if it were the deep end of the ocean.
"...we have ACCESS by faith into this grace..." All of God is available to us. All of His ability. All of His power. All of His wisdom. All that we need to turn our world right side up. All that we need to do is access it, and the only access key we have is faith in Him. By His plan, it's the only key we need!
And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. (Hebrews 11:32-34 ESV)

To Eternity...And Beyond!

2009-05-28T18:01:00.000-05:00

Psalm 68:1 Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. (NKJV)
If God rises up in your life, what's going to have to go? If the Light of Life were to shine into the dark recesses of your soul, what would scurry away into the black?
We've all turned on a light and discovered vermin making a mad dash for cover at some time in our lives. Gives me the "heeby-jeebies" just typing about it! Decay, disease, and even death are in their wake, and no housekeeper in his right mind puts up with them.
So why do we put with their spiritual equivalent? The Silverfish of Selfishness, the Cockroach of a Critical Spirit, the Rodents of Un-confessed Sin, the Flea of Spite, the Earwig of Lust, if left unchecked do far deadlier damage to the hearts and minds they inhabit than their physical namesakes.
Just had a thought: these sound like villains Buzz Lightyear might face in his TV adventures. He always fought his enemies with his laser - focused Light!
It's time to shine the Light into all the places spiritual vermin hides, leaving them no comfort zone. We are going "To Eternity - And Beyond!" and we don't need any hidden passengers.
...for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. (Ephesians 5:8-11, ESV)

Monster mash?

2009-05-06T15:14:00.002-05:00

Body parts taken from various dead. Cobbled together into a semblance of hideous life. Animated by arcane and mysterious arts. Raining death, misery, and destruction on its creators. It is either: A Committee, A Political Party, Frankenstein's monster, or All of the Above.
Mary Shelley's cautionary tale of science run amuk could be read as a critique of church history. Catholics vs. Huguenots. Lutherans vs. Anabaptists. Papists vs. Protestants. Plenty of blood spilled, justified from pulpits and entered into with great zeal. I don't think this was what Jesus prayed for in John 17, and it wasn't what the disciples modeled for us, which is amazing, considering their backgrounds. I mean, you've got professional fishermen – very likely competitors – mingling with a religious extremist, a national traitor, an entrepeneur, a couple of hard-headed “see it to believe it” types, a veritable pot waiting to boil, but no broken noses or bloody lips. There was no shoot-out at the Galilee Corral, no Thrilla in Gehenna. Why? What was the factor that kept these opinionated, aggressive, strong men from each others throats? They had many reasons to keep them apart, but only one to bring them together: Jesus. He took these dead-in-their-sins chunks of vileness, and built them together into His living church. Unlike Frankenstein, he did not create an engine of death and destruction, but of life and hope. The magic He used wasn't hidden from the world, but revealed through His masterpiece: “...by this will all people know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 He united them in Himself, the same way He unites people today. It doesn't mean that we won't ever feel angry or frustrated with one another. It doesn't mean that we won't ever have disagreements. It does mean that we have the highest standard of fellowship, and if we want to have fellowship with Him, our capacity to enjoy one another will be stretched to the uttermost.

Falling Star

2009-04-28T14:07:00.002-05:00

One evening a few weeks ago, I went for a walk. I was almost home when I saw it. A shooting star! It crossed the heavens before me, brightly lighting the sky for a moment, then winking out. I stood there open-mouthed, half waiting for the rumbling thunderous sonic boom Hollywood always seems to add to these moments. Nothing. Silence. A still moment, and I found myself thanking God for the Wonder.
In the back of my mind, the factoids began to roll. A bit of cosmic dust, intersecting the atmosphere. Not important in the general scheme of things. No armies will march in its service, no prophets cry out a doom in its wake. But the Wonder was there, and it was real. And it lasted longer than the star's journey across the night sky.
Then, thoughts about the brevity of life began to flirt with my mind, an almost Ecclesiastes-like pessimism. “Life is like a speck, burning across the sky, then gone. To an Eternal God, how quickly our lives must flash before Him, gone almost before they start.”
Psalm 90:4, 10 A thousand years in Your sight is but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night....The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Yet the Wonder remained, and a new thought came: “Yes, your life is brief, but the Lord rejoices to see it.”
In “olden days”, men were astonished seeing what they believed to be fixed points in the heavens fall. Their minds raced for reasons, and often hit upon coming disaster or warnings from the gods. Even with the comfort of education, it took a Still Small Voice to turn pessimism to praise, insignificance to security, for there is a Living God, and He sees me. He sees us, and he rejoices to see us carry His spark across the heavens.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your finger, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8: 3-5

April 2008 newsletter

2009-04-25T15:54:00.001-05:00

I thank my God every time I remember you, always praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
(Philippians 1:3-5)

Are we pets of the Savior, or are we partners in the Gospel?
A roofer once had a dog who could and would bring him tools and materials up a ladder. We've gotten used to the idea of seeing-eye dogs, rescue dogs, and police dogs. There are still many dogs who herd sheep and cattle, and we all know the value of a good hunting dog. But the vast majority of dogs live a different kind of life. Very little is expected of them. Eat. Sleep. Lick. Bark. If their owner is ambitious, maybe Sit, Speak, and Beg are added to their vocabulary. Most dogs are Pets, more decorative than useful. I think they'd be better off as Partners, even though it would mean a drastic change for them, and require much more of their time and effort.
Pets are treated somewhat differently than Partners. They are usually pampered, given special food, attention, even clothing. A Partner is trained, given instruction and expected to accomplish tasks. Pets must be protected. Any action they initiate will likely result in danger to themselves, so the owner carefully hems them in and watches their every move. Partners are trusted. Their training results in their obedience, their obedience results in their protection. Pets are Awarded. Their owners give them blessings which they have not earned out of indulgence. Partners are Rewarded. Blessings are bestowed upon them in response to their work, and both they and their masters are pleased. If things don't go to suit a Pet, he may sull up. If things don't go to suit a Partner, he still shows up.
There are too many Pets in the Body of Christ. Too many people desire the Pampering of Christ, too few walk in the Training of Christ.
Have you heard of Pet Psychology? There's even a Pet Psychic, who tries to tell you what your pet is “feeling”. Here's my psychic psychology for the week: Sulky, depressed, destructive dogs are that way because their lives lack Purpose. Trained, trusted, and involved, they are transformed. I urge you not to live your life seeking to be a Pampered Pet. Instead, pursue a Partnership with Christ and discover the joys of His pleasure.
... I have become all things to all people, so that I may by all means save some. Now I do all this because of the gospel, that I may become a partner in its benefits.
(1 Corinthians 9:22-23)HCSB

Selahtations

STAR in a Bible Study

Yada yada yada...​​​​​​​​

Shaken, Not Stirred

Albuquerque?

We Are Butt Dust

Castles on the Silt

Laws of the Harvest Part 3

Laws of the Harvest Part 2

Laws of the Harvest Part 1

Useless!

2 minute warning

Gramps

Million Dollar Fail

Taste and See

Mistakes in the Bible!

Through the Fire

Through the Fire

Difference in $40k classic and $40 junk

Which Side?

The Name

Baptist Balloon

To Eternity...And Beyond!

Monster mash?

Falling Star

April 2008 newsletter

Yada yada yada...