Greetings,
I wanted to post this to let you know I am taking a break from blogging this summer. Grandchildren graduating, celebrating 50 years of marriage, a trip to celebrate those 50 years and a few other things thrown in have made me realize I only have so many hours in the day.
God is using me to teach a Sunday School class so I will be spending time focused on preparing for class.
God has greatly blessed me and this summer I am going to enjoy those blessings.
CELEBRATE EACH DAY,
Mary
I just love to read and I picked up a book that is absolutely hilarious. As I turn page after page, I am sure my laugh will go from a chuckle to a full out belly laugh. Are you wondering what book has caught my attention? What author could cause such glee?
Page seven caused a visual image that made me smile: Formally, a man introduces another man to his wife. "Mr. Brown, may I present you to my wife?" I had to smile because my hubby has presented me with many things -- unending tomatoes to be canned, letters to send, work clothes to be washed and, of course, a few flowers and some nice shiny things to wear on my fingers -- but he has never presented me with a man. If he wants to present me with a man, Matthew Macconaughey would be perfectly acceptable.
Opening this book to page 464 brought a whole new revelation. Oh my! I am supposed to wear a hat with street clothes in the daytime but not with an evening dress. Plus, my hands are to be properly concealed in gloves when I go to church, when I am on the street in a city, in a restaurant, in a theater and when I go to lunch, a formal dinner or a dance. Thankfully, I can remove said gloves to partake of my meal but, heaven forbid, those gloves must stay on when I shake hands.
Standing in front of Bill's closet, I turn to page 483. Goodness! Bill is going to have to go shopping. Nowhere, among the jeans, slacks, shirts and sport coats, could I find a Tail Coat, a Single-breasted Tuxedo, a Double-breasted Tuxedo or even a Cutaway with Striped Trousers. I quickly concluded that the Frock Coat, Black Sack Coat with Striped trousers, Business Suits, Country Clothes, White Dinner Coat, White Mess Jacket and Sack Suit must be at the cleaners.
Have you figured it out?
Etiquette, by Emily Post, 79th printing, 1953.
I can hardly wait to get to chapter 53: In Official Washington. That will be the belly laugh chapter - me getting invited to the White House.
I do think people today need to pay more attention to manners. We need to hear thank you, please and you are welcome. BUT this book is 635 pages long. There is no way anyone could follow all these etiquette rules and regulations.
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Sometimes we read the Bible much like people read Emily Post. We see it as a list of do's and don'ts. We realize there is no way we can do everything that is written. We worry about what we should and should not do. Being a Christian - is it really that complicated?
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40
Start with the greatest commandment and the rest will be far less complicated.
I love going down a road when there are no other cars to be seen. Not one car ahead or behind for as far as the eye can see. It does not seem scary or lonely. It just feels neat.
Those are the rare times. Most roads are full of people going to work or soccer or off to see a movie. Roads allow people to --- "Watch out you idiot!"
"My gosh, are you blind? That is a stop sign you blew through. It is a good thing I am paying attention."
Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Roads allow people to travel and see the Grand Canyon and the mighty Mississippi and grandma. Roads wind around a -- "For goodness sakes."
"Have you forgotten where the gas pedal is? Drive or get off the road. Some people! Calm down, Mary, there will be a passing zone soon."
You would think the world is full of people with one goal: To make my life difficult. They run stop signs. They turn in front of me. They slow me down. And road construction! Of course I want smooth roads to drive on, but road construction seems to attract the "I will wait till the last minute to get over" driver. And the "I will turn down this side road my GPS says will miss the construction" driver who soon finds out the calm voice has sent them down a lane to someone's house.
Yet, even with all the bad drivers, I love to -- "Put down the phone!!"
"THINK! Your life. My life. The lives of your children. All way more important than a text message."
My goodness. All these crazy drivers! Will I even make it to the store for a loaf of bread?
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Does it ever feel like the universe has one goal? A single goal of making your journey through life one road hazard after another? One distraction after another. A road block here and a stop sign there. And someone slowing you down when you want to fly. People making it hard for you to stay on the right road. People making you think that loaf of bread isn't that important after all.
Well, listen up. Hang in there! It is important for you to be alert and complete your journey. To stay the course. To finish the race. To cross the finish line.
And all you have to do is listen to the voice of the greatest GPS ever. The voice of the Shepherd.
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:2-4, 14-15 NIV
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Psalms 23:1-3 KJV
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Do you know the voice of the Shepherd? The calm, sweet voice of the One guiding you on your life's journey? Trust the Shepherd to be your GPS. He will not lead down the wrong lane.
Chalk art fascinates me and I do not understand how something can be drawn on a flat surface and appear real. Lifelike.
This little guy is so cute.
Chalk art is whimsical and a crack in a wall becomes the home of a rabbit.
Then some are ----
Admit it. The bears look real!
These deer appear to be escaping under the sidewalk into a winter wonderland.
Looking at these make you believe there is a cute green character lifting up the sidewalk and that a rabbit lives in the roots of a tree.
If you were walking by the bears, you would, most likely, do a double take and wouldn't you love to walk into that peaceful winter scene with the deer.
Sometimes it is hard to tell what is real and what is not.
REAL? OR NOT REAL?
Life is like that. Many times something or someone seems real. Honest. Until, we realize we are being deceived.
For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:24
The Bible warns us to be on our guard because that ole Satan is a sneaky, evil being. He is false. He will lie.
He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. Revelation 13:13-14
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14
The beast - Satan - wants us to turn from God to him. He will try to convince us he is great by performing "great signs" and promising wonders he cannot give. Satan will even present himself to you in a disguise. He might just show up at your door looking like an angel. You see, Satan is a liar. His words are not real!!! Satan is a liar. He can fake how you see him.
God has not left us on our own to fight those that try to deceive - those that just plain lie to us.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
The words and actions of Satan are not real. THE WORDS AND ACTIONS OF GOD ARE! The scriptures are full of assurances as they tell us of God's character. They tell us God does NOT change. They tell us God does NOT lie.
He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind. 1 Samuel 15:29
To declare that the Lord is upright. He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. Psalm 92:15
For I am the Lord, I do not change. Malachi 3:6
In the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. Titus 1:2
One last scripture, from The Message, by Eugene Peterson, Hebrews 6:13-18:
When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, "I promise that I'll bless you with everything I have - bless and bless and bless!" Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they'll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee - God can't break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.
We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It's an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek.
I do not know about you, but I WANT THE REAL DEAL. I WANT WHAT IS REAL, TRUE AND UNCHANGABLE!
O God, Dress me in your armor so I will not believe lies nor be deceived by false prophets. Allow my grip on your promised hope to be strong so I will never let go, always trusting in Your unchanging truth. Amen
I have ridden with both my hubby and our daughter and realized they are two peas in a pod. Although Bill likes to listen to country music and Terri leans more toward Pink, they seem to have the same reaction when a song comes on they do not like. They switch channels or turn it off. Sorta annoying. Okay, more than sorta. It is annoying. That on/off just makes no sense because the next song, which they will now miss, might just be their all-time favorite.
BUT, sometimes I wish I could do that in life.
Life is not that way though. We cannot just turn off the things we don't like. Or capture the days that are perfect and rerun them tomorrow.
Life is life! There will be trials but there is great news about these trials!
We will make it through!!
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
Okay - no one considers trials pure joy, but maybe we should. When do we learn the most? When everything is going great? OR When life just plain throws us a major curve ball? Every difficulty we pass through, is a learning, a growing experience. We mature. We move from a child's simple faith to a mature complete faith.
Trials do not last!!
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7
What a comfort to hear "for a little while." Yes, a little while might consist of years but, compared to eternal life, a few years here is a snap of the fingers.
There is a reward for making it through our trials.
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. Revelation 3:21
Our trials may seem impossible to get through BUT with God all things are possible. Did you get the "ALL" things part. Not just the little mishaps. Not just the middle size headaches. Not just the major, life changing trials. We can make it through ALL of our trials if we call upon God to be there with us.
And when we get through them -- oh my: PEACE! A peace that only come from God.
And it just gets better! WE WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE WITH THE FATHER!!
AMEN!
Going down the road, not speaking -- comfortable silence
Watching TV, not speaking - comfortable silence
Sitting on the deck, sipping wine, not speaking - comfortable silence
We have been married almost fifty years, so have we run out of things to talk about? Heavens no! Or at least I haven't. It is not a lack of topics; it is just that - comfortable silence.
COMFORTABLE SILENCE
Do you have such a relationship with God? Can you sit and just enjoy the presence of God, not speaking - comfortable silence.
Can you read a verse in the Bible, close the Bible and just be still - comfortable silence.
The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. Habakkuk 2:20
a time to be silent and a time to speak, Ecclesiastes 3:7 second part
COMFORTABLE SILENCE
When we are experiencing comfortable silence, I can feel Bill's love. I can feel his presence. It is as if we begin to breathe at the same rhythm. Our hearts beat as one. Comfortable silence.
When we are comfortably silent with God, we can feel His presence. It is as if our breathing matches the rhythm of nature. It is as if our heart beats as one with eternity.
It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:26
The most important part of a comfortable silence with God is that we are prepared to listen.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. Psalm 143:8
COMFORTABLE SILENCE
So, do you ever enjoy a comfortable silence with those you love? With God?
I read a book Still Close To Heaven, by Kathleen Kane. It was a historical romance with the description: Jackson Tate was a ghost. Since he wasn't good enough for heaven, and wasn't bad enough for, well… "the other place," his spirit was trapped in a run-down saloon in the Washington Territory.
Although I do not believe that a ghost hangs around and is given another chance to make it into heaven, the book was a quick, "don't have to think" read. I have often tried to find words to describe being separated from God, but couldn't. Then, in this quick, "don't have to think" book the words appeared. At this point in the story, Rachel could see Jackson and (Are you ready to be surprised?) she had fallen in love with him. She asked, "What's it like? Being a … ghost?"
Jackson says there is no rest like preachers are always going on about. He said there was no peace or serenity. He admitted he had messed up nearly everything he ever did. Then he continued.
"I made my own Hell, Rachel. Built it fine and strong, all by myself. Stone by stone. Brick by brick. It's nothingness, Rachel. It's day after day of nothing followed by long nights where the only thing to do is sit in the dark and curse yourself for wasting everything you were given. It's watching others do the same things you did and being unable to warn them. To tell them that they still have time to change."
"It's listening to the wind and not feeling it. It's standing in the rain and not getting wet. It's hunger that can't be fed and thirst that won't be quenched."
"It's touching and not feeling. It's talking and not being heard. It's being more tired than you ever thought possible and yet being unable to sleep."
"It's an eternity of loneliness. I watch every sunrise. Each sunset. It's a marvel, Rachel. A miracle. Two miracles every day. And I never noticed until it was too late. There are so many things I notice now. When it's too late for any of them."
These were said with shaking of the head, shame, and a strained whisper that rose straight from his soul.
For a quick read, these words struck me hard. They were not easy to read and even harder to imagine.
WHAT WOULD THAT BE LIKE?
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power. 2 Thessalonians 1:9
We are not so different than Jackson Tate. We build our own hell and we do it brick by brick, stone by stone. And sometimes we have to sit back and watch those we love make the same mistakes we made. We are unable to make them hear.
Jackson Tate was describing what it was like to be separated from the humans he could see. If that is hell, what would it be like to be separated from God?
shut out from the presence of the Lord
What hell would it be to talk to God and God not hear you? To be shut out and suffer an eternity of loneliness? To be in nothingness day after day followed by long nights of cursing yourself?
from the majesty of his power
What hell would it be to watch the wonders of heaven and know it was too late to receive them? To see the majesty of God's power and know that for eternity, you were not allowed to join in that majesty?
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FIND OUT WHAT BEING SHUT OUT FROM GOD WOULD BE LIKE!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile -- the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:8-13
"Hey, barn. How ya doing?"
"I have seen better days. In the beginning I was just trees around the pasture, but the lumber from those trees became a barn."
"I remember the day the neighbors came to help. Slowly, one board at a time, I began to take shape. The men nailed and hammered me into a barn as the women prepared more food than the hungry men could eat. The children played, retrieved dropped tools and finally gave into taking a nap."
"Yes, I began as a tree and became a place where cattle found shade. A place for calves to be born. I was used to store feed and farming equipment. The farm children came here to hide when they were in trouble. I witnessed many first kisses. Noontime sandwiches were eaten as my farmer waited for the rain to pass."
"I was important and needed."
"But what happened? Hands carefully built me and took care of me. Then one day my usefulness changed. The cattle were sold. The farmer and his wife got old and could no longer farm. The children had long ago moved to town."
"And here I sit. Of no value. Oh, an occasional tourist will take my picture, but I can no longer protect against the wind. No one fills me with laughter or first kisses anymore. No one. No one......."
"I am so sorry. Do you have any words of wisdom? Any advice for me?"
"Advice? Simple. Take care of the things that are important or they will become like me: useless."
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As I thought about the barn's advice, I wondered if that is how I treat my faith. Do I take care of it? Do I use it daily? Do I fill my faith with laughter and joy? Do I use my faith to its full value? Do I repair my faith, by going to the Word of God, when life beats on me? Or am I allowing my faith to become useless?
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What about you? Do you have a strong faith, a useful faith? Is your faith strong enough to withstand trials and give you shelter? Or have you allowed your faith to fall apart like this barn?
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How do we keep our faith as important today as it was when we first believed?
WE ALLOW GOD TO KEEP US STRONG.
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Isaiah 40:28-31
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
In almost every Bible study, every devotional and Christian blog, the question comes up: Where does your faith come from? The answer? For me, I used to answer that question, "My grandma." And I thought that was the correct answer.
I saw my grandma read her Bible. Every day! Even those sections with all the names and begets. She did not skip over them. She actually read them. Grandma read the Laws and she read the Gospels. Grandma lived her life as a Christian. She lived what she read.
Yup. Where did I get my faith? Grandma, of course.
I have been answering that question wrong.
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. Psalm 27:4
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you….. Psalm 63:1
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8
My favorite Psalm is 139 and verse 13 says: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I know how to answer that question now.
Where did I get my faith? Well, duh. From God and he knit it right into my soul! As I read the Psalms, I discover over and over that my job is to seek the Lord. I am to seek the Lord because my soul thirsts for Him. Seeking the Lord is part of my soul. Part of my DNA. I seek the Lord to find rest. To be upheld. To find hope.
So what do I do about grandma? I will continue to give the honor to grandma that she deserves. Grandma allowed me to read the Bible to her when her eyes were weak. Grandma was the living example of the Living Word. Grandma was my earthly guide to my Heavenly Father.
+ + + + + + + + + + + +
Good afternoon God, I want to be sure you know my grandma did her part in making sure I found you. She was the light that led me to your Word. She was the example of what it looked like to be led by you. Please give her a hug and tell her I am very grateful. Amen
I do not think - no, I know I do not want to go to prison. One time, when I was a Brownie leader, we went to the county jail and, because there were no inmates in one section, we were locked in cells. I DID NOT LIKE THAT. I WANTED OUT!!!!!!!!!
Think there could be an issue with claustrophobia? I know there is because small rooms, rooms without windows or having all the doors shut make me nervous. Strangely, airplanes and elevators are a breeze. Hey, phobias are illogical but I refuse to be a prisoner! (They don't lock you up for speeding do they?)
This line of thought began when I was looking for a scripture about being in a prison.
Psalm 107:10 tells us: Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains.
Darkness? Deepest gloom? Iron chains? I do not like the sound of that! Darkness, gloom and iron chains just would not work with my grey hair. I am not going to be a prisoner.
OR -- am I already a prisoner?
The next verse pointed out why these prisoners were suffering. Psalm 107:11 for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.
Wow! I am in trouble. I have rebelled. Is there any hope? How do I break the chains?
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him (Jesus). Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." ..and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:17-19, 21
Freedom for the prisoners. I like that part and Jesus is anointed to do just that. I have found my hope! Jesus is strong enough to break the chains that hold me prisoner.
It would be great to say I am the only weak sinner being held captive, but the reality is revealed in Galatians 3:22 -- But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Each of us is a prisoner of sin. And our sins are different. What is placing you in darkness? In deepest gloom? What is keeping you in iron chains?
There is hope and all you have to do is go to the one that can set you free: Jesus.
Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name.
Psalm 142:7
I WANT IT ALL!!! Yes, I know what the Bible says about greed -- not good. But I want it all. Not some. Not half. ALL: the whole, entire, total amount, quantity, or extent of.
So listen up. Here is what I want:
ASSURANCE: the state of being sure or certain about something
BLESSED: having a sacred nature: connected with God
FORGIVENESS: overlook fault
GRACE: unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification -- a virtue coming from God
LOVE: an assurance of affection
PAYMENT: something that is given to someone in exchange for something else
PATIENCE: the ability to wait for a long time without becoming annoyed or upset
PEACE: a state of tranquility or quiet
UNDERSTANDING: the power of comprehending;
Oh, my goodness. The list of things I want is so long you would quit reading if I listed them all.
I WANT IT ALL
I want to be certain that I am connected with God and that He will overlook my faults (aka sins). I want God's divine assistance and the assurance of His affection. I want to accept the blood that was given in exchange for my sins. I want to be able to wait for God's direction without being annoyed or upset. I want to feel the state of tranquility and have the power to comprehend all God has waiting for me.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
What about you? Are you asking God for only a few things? OR Do you want it all?
We subscribe to one daily, one five-days-a-week and two weekly newspapers in addition to the free weekly paper. Do we read them front to back? Not really but they keep us informed. They reveal a slice of life.
I was looking at the free paper and discovered:
The paper has a new editor,
the local hospital's transition to a new owner is going smoothly,
a local township's records are being "looked at",
Chester, a neutered Jack Russell would like a new home,
local twins turn 90,
a furniture store would like to sell you a new recliner so you are "ready for the big game",
candidates are registering for election,
16 obituaries were published,
there are a lot of houses for sale,
a young couple announced their engagement,
churches heralded their times of worship,
and,
if you call the right number and for a fee, the snow on your sidewalk, driveway or parking lot will miraculously disappear.
This paper is a slice of life, but it is a slice of only the local community. The other papers fill in the slices from other states and other countries. It takes all of them to make a complete picture of life.
= = = = = = = = = = = =
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Did you notice these say the world? They do not name an individual. They do not say a street. They do not say a town. They do not say a country or continent. They say the world!
My life - your life - is a slice of the world picture. And it takes each of us to make the picture of the world complete.
You are important. You are a part of the very world the Lamb of God came to save.
Sunday, January 4, 2015
9:10 AM Leave for church, Matthew 24 Sunday School lesson ready
9:13 AM On the way to church
9:14 AM An idea completely different than I expected to use for class pops right into my brain -- and stays there. Not one of those, in/out thoughts that float around but one that I knew meant the whole lesson was now going in an entirely different direction.
9:30 AM Begin the class with this written on the board:
Elvis has left the building.
Jesus has left the temple.
Yes, the class was staring at the board with the has-she-lost-her-mind look. What did Elvis leaving and Jesus leaving have in common? Or how were they different? Well, let me tell you, once they started kicking around ideas it was one of the funnest (a word created by children that works here) class ever.
Right off they said they were both "Kings" but Elvis was a small "k." It was pointed out that Elvis had fans that were always his fans, but, although Jesus had his disciples and a few followers, those around him changed from town to town.
When Elvis left, he had a destination: his next concert. Jesus, also had a destination: the Mount of Olives. A big difference is that Elvis entertained and Jesus taught.
Elvis and Jesus both left. They quickly came up with the idea that the building was different when they left. When Elvis left the building, the energy he generated left with him. "But what about when Jesus left the Temple?" I asked.
We then thought, "What would our church be like if the Spirit of Jesus left?" The word "empty" seemed to be the final description. Yes, a concert hall would be empty when Elvis left, but only for a short time. Another performer would come along and fill the hall with music again. If Jesus left, it would just be empty. There would be no one to come along and fill the emptiness. The church would just be a building. We did not like that feeling.
Matthew 24:1 begins with, "Jesus left the temple.." Do you want the really great news? WE DO NOT NEED TO WORRY ABOUT JESUS LEAVING US ! ! !
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirt, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20
We are His. We are His disciples. He is always with us. ALWAYS - TO THE VERY END OF THE AGE.
What an amazing discussion came out of one crazy idea that just popped into a little brain. Or maybe, just maybe, the idea didn't just pop in. Maybe it was placed there for Sunday, January 4, 2015, 9:30 AM, Unity Sunday School Class.
If you are family, friend or a friend on Facebook, you know I am very outspoken in my religious and political beliefs. I post comments to articles put out by religious and political organizations. And yes, I watch Fox News. Never fear though, I also read newspapers and rely on other sources to make sure I am "fair and balanced." I must admit I know I am right and those that do not agree with me are wrong. (TONGUE IN CHEEK AND WITH SARCASM.)
We have Dish Network and they seem to have a problem with Fox News and renewing their contract, possibly due to greed on both sides. The result is that I have NO FOX NEWS!!! I ended 2014 and am beginning 2015 with NO FOX NEWS! How will I survive?
I have briefly listened to CNN. That is not an option. I tried HLN. Fluff. For the sake of my blood pressure, I know better than to even listen to MSNBC. What to do? What to do?
How will I survive without Fox News?
The answer: Just fine thank you. When Fox and Dish finally settle on a contract, I will again start watching. Until then, I am just fine. There is life without Fox News.
I can get through life just fine without Fox News but I cannot get through life without knowing God is real, Jesus died for my sins and the Holy Spirit is in my soul.
My God is real:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8
I do believe my God is real. He is not some figment of my imagination. He created this world and all I have to do is look around and I see His love for me everywhere. Water to drink. Food to eat. People to love. And I am His child.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on me, that I should be called a child of God! And that is what I am! 1 John 3:1 (Personalized)
Jesus is the Son of my God and Jesus died for my sins:
For God so loved me that he gave his one and only Son, that because I believe in him I shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (Personalized)
I do believe Jesus came to earth to be my Shepherd. To lead me to the Father. To show the way. To give me eternal life.
The Holy Spirit lives in my soul:
Peter replied, “Mary, repent and be baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And, Mary, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 (Personalized)
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved me, not because of righteous things I had done, but because of his mercy. He saved me through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on me generously through Jesus Christ my Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, I might become an heir having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 (Personalized)
I do not deserve nor can I ever earn the love of God nor the gift of the Holy Spirit but God gave me this gift anyway.
How will I survive without Fox News? Just fine thank you.
How would I survive without God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? I would not.
What about you? Can you survive without your favorite TV channel?
Can you survive without God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
My prayer for you during 2015 and beyond ---
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
