AN HONEST MAN

Hi, Please enjoy this devotional. We are going on vacation so the next post will be March 19. Celebrate each day, Mary

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

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

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers -- not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be: not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 1 Peter 5:2-4

AN HONEST MAN

I cashier auctions and try as I might, I will - and I hate to admit this - make an occasional mistake. Sometimes I file a ticket behind the wrong number. Or the clerk will put the wrong bidder number down. It is hard to hear when the crowd is noisy and 51 and 61 can sound alike. When the sale is over, we go through those lone tickets and try to figure out where they belong.

Occasionally a person will say, "I know I have another ticket. I bought a periwinkle marble for $ 35.00." If a quick search does not turn up the ticket, we take the money, note the amount and try to find a match when we balance out. And there it will be. A single ticket with the wrong number or (Regretfully my error.) filed where it does not belong.

Last Saturday, I waited on an Honest Man. This young man regularly comes to our auctions and usually has his son with him. When I told him the amount he owed, he said, "You must be missing a ticket. I know I had another $ 20 item." I looked and could not find it. Asking if he was sure it was $ 20, I told him I would find the ticket later and tear it up. He paid his bill and turned to leave.

That is when I embarrassed him. I said, "Do you realize the example you just set for your son? Your son saw his father being an honest man. He will not forget that."

The son grinned from ear to ear, as he realized how special his father is. The father turned a bit pink and started to say something. Then he grinned and said, "Thank you."

Train a child in the way he should go

Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care

Because you are willing

You will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away

And right there, in the middle of a very busy auction, stood an honest man who was training his child in the way he should go. He was being a shepherd to the flock that is under his care. And he was doing it willingly and without even realizing it, he was training his child. He will receive his crown of glory.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Have you set an example for someone lately?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

Dear Chief Shepherd, I pray that my Spirit is a willing Spirit. I pray that I am a good shepherd to the flock you have placed around me. I pray that I live my life in such a way that I exemplify Your works to children. I pray that family, friends and strangers will observe me serving and want to serve the same God. I pray that I serve, not to be seen, but to teach by example. And when you, the Chief Shepherd, appears I will humbly receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Amen

KEEPING CURRENT

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress. Isaiah 33:2

Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11

Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16

KEEPING CURRENT

Our church is SLOWLY entering the age of technology. Since I have been the one pushing to get a website and facebook page established, I have spent hours and hours researching. I took an online United Methodist Web Ministry Course and learned why web ministry is important and who is most likely to use the website.

Now website research has started. Enter Christian web design and web hosting into Google and you get 815,000 sites. No, I did not check each one but have narrowed my search down to four. Let me tell you what I found when searching for just the right service.

"Special until January 1, 2010." Sounded good except for the fact that it was February 13, 2010. If they could not keep their own site current, why would we want to trust them to stay on top of ours?

The Google info on one site sounded good until I went to their home page. Not sure what language it was, but I know it was not English. Mark that one off the list. Another was marked off because if your church did not hold the same beliefs as the site host, they would immediately shut your site down. Some were too expensive and would make our church treasurer faint.

Do you know the main reason I put a red line through most of the sites I checked? Their own sites did not work! I would try a link and it would go to a blank page or not come up at all. One site was still showing 2008 information. They were not keeping current and they lost out.

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Are you keeping your faith current?

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

O Gracious Lord, Every morning I long for your strength and my salvation. Every day I desire that you renew my Holy Spirit. Daily I turn to Your Word to be fed. And day by day, I deny my wants and desires so I can follow You and take up Your cross. Day by day. Daily. Every day. Every morning. Lord I desire to keep my faith working properly. To keep my faith current. Amen

YARN ART

TODAYS SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 3:13

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for wisdom is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

YARN ART

Our favorite nine-year-old grandson, Nathan, loves to do art stuff. We are never sure exactly what we will do or how it will look, but we sure have fun as we sit at the table creating and talking. Some days it is watercolor. Sometimes markers. One day he told about his art class making a picture with yarn. While he worked with watercolors, I got out the yarn and a needle. Because I did not have a pattern to follow, Nathan did not think I was doing my project correctly. I told him, "I am not sure how this is going to turn out. Guess we will see."

This is how it turned out.

Nathan took one look and said, "What is that?" And, by the tone of his question, I could tell he was not impressed.

As I looked at my creation, I saw my life. The orange yarn, starting in the top left corner is my life. It is not straight. There is one place where it is sideways. My life has been like that. All lives are. We hit snags. We make detours. Sometimes we just have to be in one place. Sideways. Waiting to get back on track.

See the white yarn? White represents the people who have been in my life since the beginning or for most of it. Family. Husband. Children. These people have had the greatest influence on my life. They helped craft my personality.

Notice the red yarn? Red is for the people who were in my life early. My grandmother taught me so much before she died. She was in my life until I was a freshman in high school. Also, childhood friends. People who, because of death or circumstances, are no longer in my life.

Notice the brown yarn? See how it is there at the first and again later? Brown represents people who have been important at different stages of my life. Teachers. Additions to our family. Or people I did not meet until I was 40. Or 50. Or 60.

Look for the black yarn. Sometimes a person can influence my life by just walking through it. A chance encounter with a homeless man in Tucson, Arizona. A stranger who gives me a smile just when I need it. Hearing about the tragedy in one person's life, I do not take for granted the blessings in mine.

The yellow yarn? Yellow is for the people I have never met who have influenced my life. Beth Moore and the Bible Studies she has written have lifted my understanding to a new level. The writer of The Shack. The person who cut out the first jigsaw puzzle. I love to do jigsaw puzzles. The person that discovered Mirapex. Mirapex has changed my life because now - at least most nights - I can sleep instead of being awake with Restless Leg.

Can you see the invisible yarn? The invisible yarn is the love of God. And that love is interwoven in all of our lives.

As I looked at my creation, I saw my life. I saw all the people who offered me wisdom. Who helped me gain understanding.

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

What would your yarn picture look like? Could you put names to the white yarn? The red yarn? The brown yarn? The black yarn? The yellow yarn?

LET US PRAY

This week, please say a prayer for the people who have helped you during your life. Those that have been in your life for a long time or a short time. Say a thank you for those that have touched your life without even knowing it.

THE BRAVE CALF

TODAYS SCRIPTURES:

Then I will go back to my place until they admit their guilt. And they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me. Hosea 5:15

When he came to his senses, Luke 15: part of 17

So he got up and went to his father. Luke 15:20

THE BRAVE CALF

A few years ago, I watched as a young bull calf slept on a sunny afternoon. He was just lying there, oblivious to the world, enjoying the warm sun. But then he woke up, lifted his head and looked around. That is when it got funny.

You see, while the calf slept, the rest of the cattle went to the woods and when the calf woke up, he realized he was by himself. Never fear. Remember this is a bull calf. That calf looked to the right. He looked to the left. Then he stood up. All the time being calm and brave, as only a bull calf can be.

I can still see that calf stretching his neck, back and legs. Stretching out the stiffness that a long nap leaves behind. Then the calf, all the time keeping his bull attitude, looked behind him. It was then that I noticed a change.

All of a sudden, the head was not held as high. And the tail drooped. And there was just the hint of a bellow. The bellow got louder. I could tell the calf was crying, "Mother! Mother! Where are you?" Now the calf was scared. The calf realized he was totally, completely alone. Where was his mother? Where was his milk? He cried again. This time as loud as he could yell, "Mother!"

From the woods came a reply, "Here I am." That big, brave all bull calf tucked its tail between its legs and ran as fast as those scared legs would carry him. He knew where to go.

How often I have been like that calf. Big and brave. I can do this on my own. I can handle anything that comes my way. I, I, I am alone. I am scared. I cannot do this on my own. Where will I turn? Who can help me? And then I yell, "Father!"

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY

Are there times when you are like the calf, trying to do everything on your own. Afraid to ask for help? Afraid to admit you need God?

(Luke 15:20 continues: But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. This is how God feels every time we go to Him.)

Please use this as a beginning of your prayer. Finish in your own words, words from your heart.

LET US PRAY

Father, I have come to my senses. In my misery and my joy. In my trials and my triumphs. In every moment of every day, I seek your face. I earnestly seek you. I have come to my senses. Where can I turn? I turn to you. Amen