FAMILIARITY

Familiarity.
The word simply means a state of close relationship or a close acquaintance with something.
Sometimes we become so familiar or comfortable with something or someone that we take it for granted.

We find that objects in our surroundings have become so commonplace that we seldom recognize that they are missing or it takes us a long time to do so.

I was familiar with my hair until the age of 18. I have been without it so long now that I forget what it was like; until the Summer sun turns my naked pate an unsightly shade of red and the inevitable peeling begins a week later. When I say that I am bald, Carson quickly corrects me, adding that I have hair, just on the sides.

We can become so familiar with the people around us that we often feel we know what they are thinking and the actions they are about to carry out. We build relationships based on these feelings and it brings us closer in our marriages, jobs and friendships. It is just when we become too familiar that we often overlook the big scheme of things and plod along, doing things in a repetitive motion, falling into a rut.

Can we be guilty of this in our prayer life as well?

How about our worship?

Do we sing praise, or do we just sing a song?

Can 'church' become so familiar that we lose focus?

We need to take a survey introspectively and ask ourselves a few questions and then answer them honestly.( you make up the questions because only you know the answers)

HIGH ON A MOUNTAINTOP

Ok...so we go through a lot of valleys.

It is when we have our 'mountaintop' experiences that we feel most alive. It is not necessarily when we feel that God is most with us. Many times when we feel we are at the top of the world, we think we made it all happen and fail to give God the glory. We often say: "look at me! look at what I did! I'm so great!" When all along He allowed us to shine, and the shine should have glorified Him and not us. We need to learn to be humble in these situations.

Why don't most of us feel the presence of God when we are at these extremes? Why do we most feel His presence when we are on level ground and in our safe places. Being on a mountaintop, while it feels great to us is not what it is all about. God wants us to be full of life all the time.

John 10:10.....and He is come that we may have life, and have it more abundantly.

Savor the mountaintop experiences, look around, enjoy the scenery, but remember the One that put you there!

DOWN IN THE VALLEY

Wikipedia describes a valley a type of landform. A valley is a long "depression" or (low part) in the land, between two higher parts which might be hills or mountains.

When we think of our spiritual life, the second part usually applies. A depression or low part.

Some valleys are deep, some are wide, some are desolate, some are lush, but they all have the same thing in common; when you stand in the midst of a valley, your vision to the horizon and the goings on in the rest of the world or life is very limited. You can't get a complete picture of the landscape as you could while atop a mountain, where you can survey all God has created.

Let's look at some valleys and see where we fit in:

Death Valley, Great Rift Valley.

Nile Valley, Mississippi Valley.

Happy Valley, Shenandoah Valley.

You go from the most desolate, to the sublime, then to an area of complacency as you feel yourself climbing up the sides till you are beginning to finally see your surroundings. It is then when we are able to see all around ourselves that we feel most at home and somewhat at peace. While we are never alone when we walk those valley floors, devoid of what we perceive as joy. We must understand that He is always with us. Just as He is with us when we stand at the rim of a valley and decide which way to go next. Do we take a step backwards or do we trudge onward and upward?

We make the choice.

THERE WILL BE NO TEARS IN HEAVEN

No tears in heaven. Only rejoicing.

I know I shed my fair share of tears, and if combined with Sharla's we could probably start a small flash flood.

This evening found us in a tearful prayer time, rebuking the devil and seeking guidance in a ongoing matter in which we struggle. As we prayed, Carson prayed along with us, thanking the Lord for his day and to help him be good. Then he said " I'll be your tissue Mommy" as he noticed the tears in her eyes.

Immediately I'm reminded of the passage in Revelation 7:17..and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Carson didn't want to see his mommy cry and wanted to wipe away her tears.

Just as the Lord will comfort us in our time of need. We look forward to that day when there will be no more tears, what a day of rejoicing that will be!

INTEGRITY?.. GO ON, NO ONE IS WATCHING YOU.

Integrity.

I've often heard it defined as: 'the person you are when no one is watching.'

Wikipedia defines it as:Integrity is the basing of one's actions on an internally consistent framework of principles.. Depth of principles and adherence of each level to the next are key determining factors. One is said to have integrity to the extent that everything he does and believes is based on the same core set of values. While those values may change, it is their consistency with each other and with the person's actions that determine his integrity.

This brings about my take on the steroid issue in Major League Baseball.

Last year I picked up a magazine at church; HomeLife. On the cover was a well known player and his wife. The magazine article was all about his family life and most importantly, how his Christian faith guides him in his daily activities and gives him the strength to succeed. After reading this, I held this guy in high esteem. He is standing up for his beliefs and being a witness for Christ and a role model for young men.

Then the Mitchell Report hits the media....naming names of all the known steroid users in the league and his name was near the top of the list! "Say it ain't so!!!!" My 'radar' tuned instinctively to him, waiting and watching to see how he would respond to the allegations, and hoping as a Christian that he would prove to be a man of integrity. Almost 2 months go by without a statement. Roger Clemens is plastered all over the airwaves and emphatically denies using any type of performance enhancing drug although his best friend and trainer claims in an affidavit that he injected him many times. The same trainer (Brian Macnamee) also said he injected Clemens' wife and Clemens' teammate Andy Pettitte.

Andy Pettitte. The man of integrity. Would he deny the allegations as Clemens did?, or would he tell the truth?

My faith was restored last week when Andy Pettitte delivered a 55 minute apology to the sporting world that he did use HGH (human growth hormone): a performance enhancing drug. He claims he used it in rehabilitation to get back into the game faster. He said he never used it to get an edge or to 'bulk up". He only wanted to help his elbow heal faster. He admitted that he was wrong and stood before the world to offer his repentance.

I know that many judge others by their actions. I was guilty of that. I immediately began to watch Mr. Pettitte to see that as a Christian man he would do the right thing.

We as Christians, are watched daily. We seem to be held to a higher example for those living in the world. They watch us from a distance, waiting for us to trip up, say the wrong thing or be in the wrong place. I admit that I was being 'one of those', watching to see what would happen. I was not watching to see 'IF' he would do the right thing, but 'WHEN' he would do the right thing. I knew he was a man of integrity.

While we are not to judge the salvation of another, we can judge the 'fruits' that they bear.

While Andy Pettitte may have fallen slightly ( as we all do), he has shown the world that the fruit he bears is ripe.

Pray for Godly people like Andy Pettitte, and those that surround you in your daily walk with Christ. Pray for them and hold them in high esteem, help them up when they stumble.

JUNGLE FEVER? DOCTOR JOHNNY FEVER? BOOGIE FEVER?

The little guy has been down and out this week. It all started Monday after school with a low-grade fever that slowly escalated into a full-blown trip to the ER Wednesday evening. Sharla had an appointment scheduled for Thursday, but the fever took over and drove us toward the hospital early. Carson has some kinda immune system. He rarely gets sick, usually fighting off any cold or case of sniffles. However, when his fever spikes he becomes lethargic, clingy and lifeless. He was all three as we took our seats in the KDMC waiting room awaiting our turn with the doctor. In triage, they gave him a dose of Ibuprofen and 30 minutes later as he was in the cubicle, reclining in the bed watching the Disney Channel on a TV on a swing-arm, he was practically back to normal.
A quick check-up by the Doc, a prescription, and out the door we went. Walking
(Yes…he walked out of the hospital, didn’t want to be carried) to the car he said “thank you for taking me to your hospital and letting me watch TV.” From ‘lifeless’ to ‘Superman’ in less than an hour. He talked to PawPaw the other evening on the phone and told him “it was dark when I left the hospital and my surgery didn’t last very long” Funny how a fever affects the body.

The fever is still hanging on after a trip to the pediatrician on Friday and she is just letting it run its course. He is on the mend.

When our fevers rise we often feel out of sorts with our surroundings, not in touch with reality and our judgment is often blurred. When the enemy turns up the heat we feel the ill effects. However, we can counter the attack with prayer and keep the heat down.
The Great Physician offers us a cure for our ills, pain and sorrows, an unlimited supply of grace, and it’s free! Try getting that kind of service at your medical facility of choice.

Pray, Keep the fever at bay!

TAKING UP SERPENTS IN KENTUCKY

Mark 16: 18 “They shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.”
Here in eastern Kentucky and scattered throughout Appalachia, the practice of the literal interpretation of Mark 16: 17-18 is clandestinely performed in small congregations of “Jesus only with signs following” churches.
I’ve never personally witnessed the practice, and don’t have plans to in the future. Not that I have an aversion or fear of snakes, just that I prefer to worship in my own way.

There have been many documentaries, news specials, articles and songs associated with the churches that adhere to this ritual as a small part of their worship experience.
I admit I have had a fascination with it as well. You can’t help but be intrigued as you see those images in living color splashed across the television. The church service seems as normal as any holiness service on any given Sunday. The music, preaching, and testimony are the norm, but then the flames from a bottle of kerosene are passed around, and sips are taken from a jar of strychnine and then the flat boxes are opened and the serpents are draped upon the believers and passed freely around the altar, all amidst the rhythmic drone of guitars and tambourines.
I first read Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington over 10 years ago. It is a captivating work that takes the author; (a Southern Baptist deacon) on a journey into his past, discovering that two decades earlier his family practiced the faith. His research lead him throughout Appalachia and into the world of the “serpent handling” church.
Another great read is Faith, Serpents, and Fire Images of Kentucky Holiness Believers by Scott Schwartz. Schwartz documents his research with images that depict the practice as it is actually performed in Kentucky.
I remember my grandparents telling of attending a revival near Wheelwright in the 40’s and hastily retreating out the front door as a side door was opened and a box was carried to the front. They didn’t stick around to see if it was copperheads or rattlesnakes, or both!
While the worship styles vary greatly, even in our churches of the same denomination, we are all expressing our faith and testimony to the same God. Although our music might be loud to some, our prayers different to others, we are here to exalt.

I have to add that several prominent people in the 2 books mentioned are no longer in this world. Victims of the deadly poisons and serpents that they held dear to their faith. These believers never feared the bite of the serpent. A quote from a believer in Sand Mountain.
“Let me tell you, the bite of the serpent is nothing compared to the bite of your fellow man.”
That is so true. I guess in a way we have all been bitten at some time or another in our Christian life. Hopefully as the ‘swelling’ goes down, our forgiveness will go forth and show the true love of Christ.

p.s. no child was harmed in the taking of the photograph and it WAS NOT taken at OABC.

Plastic snake compliments of the Kentucky Highlands Museum 2007.

THE ROCKS CRY OUT AND TUMBLE DOWN

In geological terms a 'slump block' is the term used to describe a large boulder or piece of rock that breaks off from a larger piece and descends a slope by the force of gravity. My backyard and surrounding woodland is practically littered by many of these odd creatures. Hence the name of my road..Rockwood.

The rocks in my neck of the woods are sandstone, with the occassional band or fragments of limonite. The weathering of the limonite make for some beautiful and interesting designs. The pock-marked walls teem with ripples that resemble the beach with a ebbing tide.



My favorite place in my woods, lies about 200 yards behind my house, just past the giant boulder that is half the size of our dwelling. A rock shelter, carved by a now tiny seeping spring that runs silently down the western face and disappears into the gully eventually spilling into Hurricane Creek and a hundred feet later empties into Keys Creek and a mile further mixes with the Ohio River

When Sharla and I first moved here 17 years ago, I found the rock shelter. It is 20 feet deep at the greatest and about 80 feet wide. Nice and dry. There was a fire ring built by kids some years ago, and the rocks remained stacked perfectly and the remnants of charred wood filled the bottom.



While this place struck me as 'my kinda place', I noticed something ominous. Right in the middle of the face, jutting out over the fire ring, the rock had a crack about 3 inches wide about 3 feet up and about 20 feet across.. It looked as if it could come crashing down at any time. I guess I pressed my luck everytime I walked beneath it, but I had no idea how long it had been there. Had it been a week?, a year, a hundred years?

Fast forward 17 years.....

It all came tumbling down this winter. I never heard the thump, but i'm sure it made a great one. The whole piece came down in one great block, burying the fire ring and leaving no trace of the tell-tale soot coating the now bottom. The force of gravity that may have been building for 'who knows how long" only took a split-second to transform the image that I had for 17 years.

Rewind 17 years....

17 years ago I noticed the crack in the rock and felt the weight of that rock squarely on my shoulders. I was like that rock spirtually; broken and ready to fall. It was just a few short months later that my life was transformed as I gave it all to Christ. While that rock may have fallen and the landscape will never be the same, I too will never be the same as Christ changed me in that split-second that I believed in Him and confessed Him as Lord.
Look around, 'for old things will become new'.

ME? ENVY A PIG?

Envious of a pig? How much lower can you get?
There are times that we live on the mountaintop and there are times we live in the valley.
That perpetual rollercoaster of life that slowly ascends with the jerky motion only to slide into a free-fall that leaves us breathless and wanting the ride to stop.
Those mountaintop experiences are when we feel the euphoria of life and often consider ourselves bulletproof.
The journey through the valleys, often leave us empty, drained and exposed.
Just as the prodigal son took his inheritance and lived the life of luxury upon his mountaintop. He soon found himself destitute, broken, and alone in a valley.
To survive, he worked feeding pigs and ‘he longed to eat his fill from the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him any.’
He envied the pigs!
We can easily slip into that same type of situation spiritually. The sin of overindulgence that often leaves us empty. We can become’ spiritually bankrupt’, hitting rock bottom, feeling that the whole world is against us.
When we finally realize where we are we need to immediately stop and assess the situation. Ask God for direction and He most likely will show you that the only way out is to look up, keep your eyes turned toward Him and don’t look down.
I have definitely been down in some deep, dark valleys in my life, and I have stood atop some mountains where the light shines brightly. I long to live on that flat plain of abundance, where the sun never sets and the darkness hides its face.
I am committed to looking up! I want to live for Christ and show His love.
I pray that I will never covet the trappings of a pig.

WOODSTOCK 2008 2 whole days of sex, money and pride.

Woodstock 2008
WOW! What can I say?
20 + hours of driving time, various pit stops, food and fellowship and they let me ride up front so I wouldn’t get car-sick.( my scopalomine patch didn’t hurt either).
Nine of us guys from Oakland Avenue Baptist Church headed south Friday morning for the Men’s Conference at First Baptist Woodstock just north of Atlanta. Upon arrival, we were eating a great steak dinner within 5 minutes! This church has their stuff together. The organization is unbelievable. 8500 men assembled to be challenged and ministered to. 4 hours Friday night and 4 more on Saturday morning. 3 sessions with the pastor Johnny Hunt and 20+ breakout sessions that left you wanting more and hard pressed to choose which to attend. Luckily all the sessions are recorded so you can study them later at home.
The worship services were extremely moving. Tears flowed, voices lifted up the praise in song and hearts were broken. The ride back to Catlettsburg was filled with thoughts and questions about the event along with a little vicarious entertainment; each guy taking his turn for a friendly joust.
Wish I could have stayed for Sunday services as Mike Huckabee was delivering a message.
We left with many ideas for growing our Men’s Ministry at OABC and can hardly wait to get into the action.
Thanks to Jon Wellman for arranging the trip. I have been blessed.
January 30-31, 2009 Super Bowl weekend….I’ll be there.

BLESSED ASSURANCE

I know it seems that most of my postings revolve around the comings and goings of my son, but for good reason he is quite often my inspiration.

Last night (here we go again) as we were doing the bedtime routine, Sharla left the room soon after the prayers. It was my turn in the floor beside the bed awaiting the peaceful sound of his slumber. We sang a song and I told a story and all started to settle down.

The room was bathed in a warm red glow compliments of 'Lightning McQueen" and the soft drone of the humidifier beckoned the arrival of the 'sandman'.

I became lost in my own little world. My feeble mind was overrun with a play-by-play of the unpleasant events of the day. Carson had spent the better part of his school day in 'time-out".My finances(or mostly the lack thereof) weighed heavily upon me. My thoughts were consumed with how to provide for and protect my family. I was overwhelmed.

Then I felt a soft touch on my arm and heard the sweet words "Everything is gonna be OK Daddy, I'm right here."

Tears welled up in my eyes immediately. How could he have known what I was feeling? How did he know how much I was hurting? How did he know those words would touch me?

There were no more sounds. Just gentle breathing.

I left the room, still teary eyed, and shared with Sharla those comforting words.

I can only assume that his prayers had been answered and he was sharing with me the faith he has in me to be a father and husband.

It had to be his prayer, because in my selfish attempt to 'take care of it myself' I had neglected to ask for God's help. I know I'm not alone on this as many of us believe that we we can handle the 'small' problems. The problem is; all the 'small' ones add up and eventually become one 'BIG' problem.

I know Carson prays for me every night, and I hope he always will.

THE POWERS THAT BE

Carson’s bedtime prayer Sunday night was filled with the usual thanks and blessings for all the people in his life, but that night he ended his prayer with “and I thank you Lord for my Super Hero powers”.

Several years back there was a movie called Mystery Men. A futuristic tale of a group of wanna-be super heroes that band together to try and save the real super hero that had been taken captive and held for ransom. The wanna-be’s consisted of The Shoveler, Mr Furious, Blue Raja, The Bowler, the Invisible Kid and my favorite…the ‘Slpeen’. They all had talents, but they had yet to develop into the kind of talents that could be used to benefit society. Especially the talent of the Spleen. His claim to fame was ‘flatulence’ the 'SBD' type and with a flick of his coat tail he could dispose of a foe from across the room.
They formed a band of crime fighters and used the mediocre talent of each member to build the power of the group to super hero strength.
The Mystery Men relied on the talents of many to serve one purpose.
We as Christians often feel that we don’t have what it takes to perform at the Super Hero level but we don’t need to be super heroes to do the work of our Father. We do need to band together and work as one unit, combining the many talents and gifts that dwell within us to reach those that don’t know the power of God’s saving grace.

Don’t think for a second that you don’t have the power in you to be a ‘Super Hero’ for the Lord.
He gave us the talents and expects them to be used!

Don’t keep your talents a ‘mystery’. Expose them, expound upon them, exercise them, but most of all… excite others about what Jesus means to you.

BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE

Don’t take shelter under a tree, stay away from metal objects, don’t be the most prominent object, stay low, seek shelter in a depression or ditch.
Sound familiar?
These are ways we have all been taught to protect ourselves from being struck by lightning during a storm.
We all have the common sense (hopefully) to follow these rules and get out of the rain, seek shelter and avoid becoming a target of a potentially fatal lightning strike.
We see the storm clouds rising, the skies darkening, we hear the rumble of distant thunder and we take action to protect ourselves and the ones we love from being harmed. I love a good summer thunderstorm. I love to watch the lightning streak and hear the crackle. I love the feel of thunder that sometimes rattles your bones and seems to move the earth. It gives the feeling that you are alive. The smell of ozone that sometimes envelopes the eerie yellow-like landscape preceding the onslaught is a sensation I’ll never forget.
However; I like to experience this when I know I am safe. I like to experience this from the confines of my porch, where if the rain starts to come in sideways, I can retreat inside and continue watching from the picture window in the living room. I am not afraid of a storm. I AM afraid of lightning! I avoid lightning at all costs and will continue to do so.

But what about that rare form of lightning that can strike without warning from a seemingly cloudless blue sky?. That proverbial ‘BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE’ .
A bolt from the blue is a term which refers to a form of lightning that strikes out of an apparently cloudless sky. It carries around ten times the current of an ordinary bolt of lightning.
Ten times more current? That packs a wallop!

The sky Friday was blue and sunny. There were no clouds looming on the horizon. No sounds of thunder rumbling in the distance.
Seems like the conditions were perfect for a “BOLT OUT OF THE BLUE’, and then KABOOM!!!!

I was struck!

At first I felt no pain, just a tingling and then a numbness overtook my entire body. I didn’t know you could be hit while inside the safety of your own home.
While I was not physically harmed, my spirit had been crushed and bruised. I learned of a so-called joke gone awry aimed at my wife that over-stepped the boundaries of decency and was a full-on frontal attack of MY Christian life, My marriage and My integrity.

I felt so violated.

While this has been a long 48 hours, I have found the forgiveness for this man. I have sought the support and prayers of my wife, son, pastor and my ‘band of brothers’ prayer group and my Sunday School class.They always have my back!
I know enough to seek shelter from a storm. I live my life to the utmost and don’t want to walk around in fear; and I won’t!

Continue to remember us in your prayers.
Pray without ceasing!

THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE

I have long been an amateur astronomer. I built my first telescope in the early 90’s from plans found in a book at the library written in the 1930’s. It is a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian base. I ordered my mirror set and constructed the whole thing from plywood, nuts and bolts and plumbing fixtures. It is not much to look at but does a spectacular job. I used to spend countless hours peering through the eyepiece awaiting the heavens to pass over my tiny window to the sky, as I live in the ‘holler’ and the hills rise steeply and there is no view to any horizon.

I once heard someone say that ‘to look at a star is to look back in time, as the light that falls on your retina left that celestial body many years ago. A light year is defined as ‘the distance that a beam of light travels in one calendar year.’ Light travels at approximately 300,000 km per second ( pretty darn fast!) and to put that distance in perspective, it takes 4.3 years to reach us from the nearest star in our galaxy and the light from the Sun takes 8.3 minutes to reach Earth.
So..now to borrow a phrase from that prior sentence and tweak it ever so slightly to make a point about what we see with our own eyes, let’s say ‘how far away is the ‘Light from the Son’? Is it, as Carl Sagan would have said; “billions and billions of miles away?” or is it omnipresent, forever emanating from us as Christians?
As Christians, we should strive to be Christ-like, flooding the darkness with the light of Jesus, embodying ourselves as to the lampstand and not hiding the light beneath the bushel. Some of us, me especially, have those moments where we tend to keep the wick so trimmed down as if to nearly snuff the flame. At other times we burn so bright that soot visibly rises and the wax flows in rivulets, cascading to collect at our feet.
How do we achieve that ‘light’? How do we appear to those around us? (bright, dim, shadowy, blinding?)
The light of Christ will forever glow within us; it is up to us to let that Light shine outward to others. The Light we exude through Christ shouldn’t take years to reach the eyes of someone else. It should be inconceivably fast in closing that distance.

I love the words to the song by Graham Kendrick:
Shine, Jesus, Shine

Fill this land with the Father's glory

Blaze, Spirit, blaze,

Set our hearts on fire

Flow river flow,

Flood the nations with grace and mercy

Send forth Your Word Lord, and let there be light

But I still like to sing along with Carson:
“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! let shine, let it shine, let it shine!

MUSTARD SEEDS

It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth is less than all the seeds that be in the earth. But when it is sown. It groweth up and becometh greater than all herbs… Mark 4: 31-32

One little seed can pack so much punch!

I admit..I’m a mustardholic, and have been since I can remember. Mustard has always been my condiment of choice, far surpassing ketchup and mayo. I probably inherited this trait from mom, who said she put mustard on her pizza the first time she ever tried it back in the 50’s.
I love the stuff. I slather it on sandwiches, use for dips, coat chicken and fish for grilling, I add it to a great many dishes I prepare.
I started out with the yellow stuff for years, did'nt know it came any other way. I was a teen before I found brown or Dijon and that only made me crave more. When I traveled I was always in the mustard aisle of the local grocery store looking for strange new tastes. I happened upon a jar that looked like nothing I had ever seen before. It was nothing but little golden seeds packed in vinegar and spices. I still remember the first taste, and that sensation of the ‘popping’ of the seed between my teeth, and the pungent aroma and bite.
My preferences then shifted to the seeded mustards that were so unique and more flavorable. My tastes haven’t changed much over the years except for the fact that I dislike any that is sweetened yet I am still find new exciting forms to try.
I currently have 8 different opened jars in the fridge at the present time thanks in part to my sister giving me a gift pack from the Mustard Museum ( yes it is a real place in Mt.Horeb,(a biblical name)Wisconsin. http://www.mustardmuseum.com/.
My other sister sent me lots of the stuff when she lived in Germany, many of which were contained in squeezable tubes just like toothpaste.
So whether you call it moutarde, senf, or just plain mustard, I promise you I will have the faith to eat it!

GET YOUR 'GAMEFACE' ON

Not knowing the rules shouldn’t keep us from enjoying certain games and activities.

While we sit in large stadiums, filled with rabid fans yelling till they are hoarse, and how many of them fully understand what is actually unfolding before their very eyes?
This doesn’t keep them from fulfilling a need to belong to a certain faction and join in the revelry.
We can play games without knowing the rules and have a good time doing it. During my short-lived days playing football in junior high, I had a teammate that just moved to Catlettsburg from the far eastern part of the state, He was twelve and probably never witnessed a real game of football. On the first day of practice, he showed up. The coach asked him what position he wanted to play. He responded with an enthusiastic “I wanna be the feller what packs the ball” Thankfully our coach and a few of us knew what that meant. Coach slapped a number 44 jersey on him and put him in the backfield. Did he know the first thing about running the football? Nope, but it didn’t stop him from having fun and he became better as the season went along.
While I enjoy joining a crowd on occasion, I often wonder why we can’t get that excited over Jesus and fill the churches to the brim every Sunday. A person can drive hundreds of miles and spend hours of driving to attend an event and then can’t get up and drive 2 miles to go to church. Or, if the game is not over till late on a Saturday will make the decision to sleep-in on Sunday morn.
Several years ago a co-worker of mine told me she golfed every Sunday morning and that was her “church” she was out in God’s country enjoying what He had created and that was her quiet time. She immediately saw the skepticism on my face and “you’re not buying that are you?’ This opened up an opportunity to share the gospel.
Many people attend church for different reasons; fellowship, commitment, sense of belonging and even guilt but it should only be for one reason and that is ‘to worship’.
We should join together as a group of baptized believers to worship and then go forth willingly to share the love of Christ to a lost and dying world.
Can we share the love of Christ without knowing all the rules? What if say something wrong? What if the person we are witnessing to turns a deaf ear? What if we are just plain scared to speak up?
Should any of the reasons keep us from enjoying the game and being part of the revelry?
Get out there and play! The fields are white already for the harvest!

UNRESTRAINED

How did we ever survive to see adulthood?

Many of us older folks bounced around the car as kids, unrestrained, never knowing the inherent dangers we faced. If I recall, our seatbelts were stuffed into the crack of the rear seats and the only time we ever saw them was when we flipped up the seat to search for loose change. We got to ride in the floor, the FRONT seat, and my favorite; over the rear seat on the ledge beneath the window. I would lie there in the big maroon Ford Galaxy on my back pretending I was flying, taking in the sights with my face pressed to the window, watching the scenery whiz by until I became dizzy.
We even got to drive! We sat on Dad’s lap and steered for miles, he would often correct the trajectory by turning the wheel ever-so-slightly with his knees if we started to veer off course.
Kids today will never have those experiences as they are now banished to the backseat to be strapped down in car seats, booster seats and with seatbelts. They will never get to ride beneath the rear glass and stare into space as the car rockets down the highway; they simply sit and watch a DVD!

Whodathunkit?
But, they are safe there in their little restrained world, as they should always be.

Just think how we would feel as Christians if we were able to ride through life unrestrained. We would be bounced, beat and bedraggled. I’m just thankful we have the Holy Spirit to convict us and occasionally “jerk a knot in our tail” as he steers us down life’s highway.

X-RAY VISION?

You are being watched!

Every eye seems to turn upon you when you least expect it. We go about our everyday activities, often times seemingly drifting through the day without a care in the world, minding our own business, other times we can be one on one in a witnessing situation sharing Christ with a co-worker or we can be clandestinely observed sharing Christ. (or more importantly NOT).

Our daily walk is constantly being scrutinized even when we don't actually sense the observational powers of those living in the world burning holes through our souls, waiting to find a chink in our armor and being able to thrust a sword into our soft flesh.

Our actions as Christians should be laid out for all to see and judge. We strive daily to live and show the love of Christ that lives inside us so that others can see Him through us.

One of my past Sunday School teaches used to tell the kids that "you may be the only "Bible" that someone ever reads", always be an example of what a Christian should be.

This brings up the title of my post...................

What if a fellow Christian, a stranger, a lost person, sees us in a situation that is not what it appears to be? How do we defend our actions when we have done nothing wrong, only being in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Case in point! A few weeks ago, a friend ( I'll call him Joe) in my prayer group shared a story of just this.

He is in his late 70's and care's for his older brother that still tries to live as independently as he can. Joe takes his brother out to pay bills, eat and buy groceries. On this day he was at the store and as his brother tries to be independent, he was giving him space so as not to appear as he was helping him. As the brother was picking out an item from the freezer case, Joe was watching him from about fifty feet away while shopping for himself. Joe kept his brother in his sight without him thinking he was being watched. Joe's eyes were focused solely upon his brother and his concern for him.

Then......as Joe was watching his brother, a young lady stepped in about halfway between them to pick out an item. Joe was still focusing on his brother and peering around the lady to make sure he was OK. The lady quickly picked her item and was gone. Just as quick, a friend of Joe leaned in from behind and said " you might as well follow her to the car and go home with her." and he just as quickly slipped away before Joe had a chance to explain that his brother was fifty feet away. All that friend saw was Joe in a situation that was very unbecoming to a Christian family man.

Joe has of yet to be able to explain his actions and is even wondering if it would help. He was moved to tears, concerned that his motive of love for his brother was misconceived as an image of lust in the eyes of another.

If only Joe had used his X-RAY Specs!

Keeping our eyes focused on the important things in life is what it is all about. There will always be detractors of our motives and witness, and most importantly we need to uplift one another constantly in prayer.

"AND THEN....DISCOURAGEMENT SET IN"

To quote a line from one of my favorite movies, "and then... depression set in" it is from the movie Stripes. Bill Murray had just had his car repossessed, lost his job and his girlfriend in less than an hour. As she walked out the door, he slumped to the floor and uttered that memorable line. I think discouragement was not even a part of his vocabulary.

A very interesting lesson this morning in Sunday School The lesson was titled “When You’re Discouraged”.
The lesson in the quarterly was written by Tara Nye and she used the following parable to open the study....
Once upon a time it was announced that the devil was going out of business and would sell all his equipment to those who were willing to pay the price. On the big day of the sale, all his tools were attractively displayed. Amongst the tools were envy, jealousy, hatred, malice, deceit, sensuality, pride, idolatry, and other implements of evil. Each of these tools was marked with its own price tag.
In a corner by itself was a harmless looking, well-worn, wedge-shaped tool, but it bore a higher price than any other tool. Someone asked what it was. The devil answered “That is Discouragement .” the next question came quickly, “and why is it priced so high even though it is plain to see it is worn more than the others?”
“Because,” replied the devil, “it is more useful to me that all these others. I can pry open and get into a man’s heart with that when I cannot get near him with any other tool. Once I get inside, I can use him in whatever way suits me best. It is worn well because I use it on everybody I can, and few people even know it belongs to me.”
The tool was priced so high that no one can buy it, and to this day it is never been sold. It still belongs to the devil, and he still uses it on mankind.

This lesson really hit me hard....I know I sometimes feel that wedge whenever my best laid plans get pushed to the wayside. I know it is a feeling of pride that gets in the way of me doing the Lord’s will. We all feel discouraged in our daily life, discouraged in our jobs, discouraged when our children don’t do what we tell them to do, discouraged when someone else succeeds without paying their dues, or so we think.
We all need to evaluate the cause of our discouragement and ask God for a fresh vision of his purpose for our lives.
I just try to go with the flow, and not let discouragement turn into depression.
It is a hard battle to fight, that the rewards will be great when the battle is over.