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
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
2 minute warning
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Gramps
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Million Dollar Fail
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/
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/
Friday, May 21, 2010
Taste and See
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!
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!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Mistakes in the Bible!
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)
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)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Through the Fire
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!
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
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!
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!
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