Plenty of Support

Posted on September 1, 2014 by jesustrek

My father-in-law, Bill Mauk, died suddenly this past Saturday night at the age of 86. The outpouring of support from family and friends has been tremendous. We truly appreciate the prayers, the comforting words and the various deeds of kindness people have performed to express their compassion.

An elder in our church gave an example yesterday that illustrates how we need a good support system to help us through difficult times. He pointed out that it would seem unbearably painful for a person to lie down on a bed of nails. If there were only a few nails, this would be true. However, the secret is in the large number of nails. Because the pressure is spread among so many nails, the pain is bearable.

So it is with our grief. The more people we have holding us up, the easier it is to bear the pain.

Let’s appreciate those who support us in times of difficulty, and let’s vow to help others through their hard times as well.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”—Galatians 6:2.

 

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Now That’s Coaching!

Posted on August 29, 2014 by jesustrek

disciplineThe coach of our high school volleyball team brings her pre-school daughter to the games. Friends help keep an eye on the little girl while her mother coaches. This can be quite a task, because the young lady is very feisty and energetic.

At a recent game, the little girl, despite warnings from her mother and her babysitters, ran down on the floor while the players were warming up. Her mother saw what was happening and intervened. Swooping her daughter up in her arms, she marched out into the hallway of the school.

Several of us in the stands were watching with amusement. I turned around and commented to some of my friends, “I think some special coaching is about to take place!”

Many parents don’t understand the importance of disciplining their children. They, and their children, often pay a terribly high price for that lack of understanding.

“Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.”—Proverbs 29:17.

 

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Young Worshipers

Posted on August 28, 2014 by jesustrek

drummer boyI couldn’t help but notice a couple of small children at church this past Sunday, and how they seemed to be fascinated with the worship experience.

1-year-old Ava couldn’t take her eyes off the praise team as the music part of our worship started. She was seated on her grandmother’s lap on the front row, but she managed to wiggle her way to the floor and take a couple of steps toward the platform. She seemed to comprehend that something very important was taking place.

After the worship service was over, Tate, 2-and-a-half, showed interest in the drum set on stage. With permission of the praise team and his parents, Tate gave us a memorable drum solo! People filing out of the worship center left with smiles on their faces as the sounds of the drums permeated the room. When it was time to go home, Tate had to be literally dragged away from the drum set.

Humans seem to be designed to worship. Colossians 1:16 says, “…All things were created by him and for him.” Even small children instinctively know that there is a higher Power that we are to honor and praise.

It is our duty to help them come to a better understanding of God and how he is to be worshiped.

Proverbs 22:6—“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

 

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Time to Admit It

Posted on August 25, 2014 by jesustrek

On Friday, August 8, 2014, a Georgia peanut plant manager testified that his company had been shipping contaminated nuts. Sammy Lightsey admitted that the Peanut Corporation of America had knowingly sold nuts with fake documents showing them to be free of salmonella. Later the company was identified as the source of a nationwide outbreak that killed 9 Americans and made more than 700 ill. Company officers and managers are being charged with covering up lab tests and obstruction of justice. The Georgia plant was shut down and Peanut Corporation went bankrupt after the 2009 outbreak, but by then the damage had already been done.

It would have been much better if plant owners and bosses had admitted up front that the peanuts were contaminated. However, our sinful human nature often prevents us from telling the truth.

The Bible exhorts us to confess when we have made mistakes, and promises that things will work out better for us when we do.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”—James 5:16.

Peanut Corporation of America

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The Danger of Anger

Posted on August 22, 2014 by jesustrek

angerIn Wishful Thinking, Frederick Buechner writes: “Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back—in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.”

It is no wonder that there are so many admonitions in the Bible to correctly and carefully deal with our anger, and to offer forgiveness to all who have hurt us.

“In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”—Ephesians 4:26-27.

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Pulling Weeds

Posted on August 20, 2014 by jesustrek

picklesA Pickles cartoon strip had the grandmother asking her husband, “You’re back so soon? I thought you were going out to pull weeds in the garden.”

“Yeah, I was,” he answered. “But I forgot something.”

“What did you forget, your work gloves?”

“No, I forgot how much I hate pulling weeds.”

The Bible says that God expects certain fruit in our lives, such as: love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). However, the previous verses talk about getting rid of some sinful actions that are part of our human nature. I suppose we could say that if we want to live fruitful lives, we have to weed out some sinful behaviors.

Sometimes we hate pulling weeds, but it has to be done.

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Just Be Yourself

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jesustrek

gorillaThe gorilla at the zoo died. The zookeeper couldn’t afford to buy another gorilla, so he hired a man to dress up in a gorilla suit. The man ate bananas, beat his chest and swung on a rope, fooling all the visitors at the zoo.

One day, the man swung out too far and lost his grip on the rope, falling into the lion’s den. Frightened out of his mind, he started screaming, “Help! Help!”

Before anyone could tell where the screams were coming from, the lion jumped on the man in the gorilla costume and held him down. Then the lion whispered, “If you don’t keep quiet, you’ll get us both fired!”

Sometimes we are tempted to pretend to be someone other than who we really are. The Bible urges us to be honest with our self-assessments. Romans 12:3 says, “…Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”

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Call for Help

Posted on August 18, 2014 by jesustrek

transasia airwaysLast month TransAsia airways Flight GE222 crashed while attempting to land on the resort island of Penghu in Taiwan. The accident took the lives of 48 people. There were 10 survivors of the crash, including 34-year-old Hung Yu-ting. Hung escaped the wreckage through a hole in the fuselage. She then made her way to a nearby home where she used the telephone to call her father, who fortunately lived just a few hundred yards from the crash site. Hung asked that her father come right away to get her.

It isn’t always the case that our earthly father will be so near at the time of our greatest disaster. However, our heavenly Father is always close by, and he is always available to help us, any time we call on him.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me…”—Psalm 23:4.

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Being Known

Posted on August 15, 2014 by jesustrek

Sally had a heart attack and was taken to the hospital. In the emergency room, she had a near death experience.

When she saw God, Sally asked, “Is my time up?”

“No,” God replied. “You have another 42 years, 7 months and 3 days to live.”

Sally did indeed recover, and since she was told she would live quite a while longer, she decided to stay in the hospital and have some cosmetic surgery done. She had various parts of her body lifted, tucked and enhanced. Feeling like a million bucks, she walked out of the hospital and was immediately hit by a bus and killed.

When she arrived at heaven, she asked God, “I thought you said I had another 40 years? Why did you allow me to walk out in front of that bus?”

God replied, “Sally, is that you? I didn’t recognize you!”

Seriously, it’s important that God recognizes us.

“…Sir, open the door for us.” “But he will answer, “I don’t know you or where you come from.”—Luke 13:25.

Like I said, it’s important that God recognizes us. But I think he goes more by behavior than physical appearance.

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Abundant Life

Posted on August 14, 2014 by jesustrek

Sean ConneryMany men would love to live the kind of life Sean Connery has lived. Tall and handsome, Connery played the glamorous part of 007 in several James Bond movies. He has traveled the world to film movies in many exotic places. Connery has also produced several films.

Yet when he was asked why he continues to act, Connery gave this surprising reply, “Because I get the opportunity to be somebody better and more interesting than I am.”

Many people feel like Sean Connery. Their lives aren’t all that they could be. They aren’t as good as they should be. Something is missing that even glamorous acting roles cannot fulfill.

Only Jesus Christ can give true fulfillment to a person’s life. He says, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”—John 10:10.

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