Time to give up?
Have you ever felt like giving up–just cashing in and calling it quits? If so, you’re not alone. I would have to raise my hand as one who has known despair and desperation. Os Hillman, in his Today God is First devotional tells us about someone else who faced opposition and almost gave up–department store entrepreneur, J.C. Penney:
By 1932, he had to sell out to satisfy…creditors. This left [Penney] virtually broke. …Crushed in spirit from his loss and his health suddenly failing, Penney wound up in a Battle Creek, Michigan sanitarium. One morning he heard the distant singing of employees who gathered to start the day with God: Be not dismayed, whate’er betide, God will take care of you…. Penney followed the music to its source and slipped into a back row. He left a short time later a changed man, his health and spirit renewed, and ready to start the long climb back at age fifty-six.
Sometimes, my defeat is where the victory begins. Sometimes, the way up first goes down.
Not the World
The message that has been repeating itself to me lately concerns focus: Am I primarily to be concerned about myself? About my family? About my work? About you? How should I react when it all seems to be coming down around me–when I keep running up against wall after wall and there just seems to be no chance that I will ever accomplish those desires that have long filled my heart?
Here’s a bit of what the Word says, concerning the issue:
IF then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3: 1-3, NKJV).
I guess that the thing I love most about the Christian journey is that the learning continues as we walk on after Him and His kingdom. Every day give us a further opportunity for growth. Praise Him from whom all blessings flow…
Survival
Have you ever had the curtains pulled back and you realize that the opposition you are getting has nothing to do with people or circumstance–that you are not battling against “flesh and blood”?
I received a reality check along those lines recently and it has been like cold water on the face. Thank you, Lord. When things are going along fairly smoothly it is easy to get complacent. But when you feel the heat of the enemy and the pressure of his attack it becomes apparent that the spiritual battle is not just a symbolic idea–it is real.
Please pray that I gain strength and wisdom for these perilous times. I’ll do the same for you.
God Bless America
Today marks seven years since the 9.11 attack on the land of the free. Wishing you the best Patriot Day ever. God bless America and God bless you.
Umbrella
Anyone brave enough to watch the America’s Got Talent television show last week had to wade through a whole lot of travesty to get to something worth seeing. The Taubl Family showed us the beauty that comes from working together. Here’s their song, “Umbrella.”
The Message
What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him Makes it. Is there any god like God? (Psalm 18:30-31, MSG).
If you have yet to check out the The Message: The Bible In Contemporary Language
Some say that one version (usually the King James) is the only accurate translation. For my part, I enjoy reading and comparing the various translations and transliterations. There is something about the enthusiasm behind The Message
Read and see.
Revival in Florida
We are in Florida tonight and so are a whole lot more people. Thousands are here to see Mickey and friends at Disney World. Thousands more came to see a Canadian revivalist named Todd Bentley. He has set up a tent not far from Orlando and in the three months he has been preaching here, the crowd is growing steadily. There’s not even standing room–the attendees are gathered outside and in two adjoining overflow areas.
According to a report by the Associated Press, the whole thing is causing disruption amongst even the faithful. Here is a blip from an article by writer Travis Reed:
His tactics, sometimes violent, have made skeptics even of Pentecostals who believe in concepts that aren’t accepted by all branches of Christianity such as speaking in tongues, miraculous healing and spontaneous twitching from the Holy Spirit.
“Some of the language used during the Lakeland Revival has created an almost sideshow atmosphere,” wrote J. Lee Grady, editor of the Pentecostal magazine Charisma, in an online column. “People are invited to ‘Come and get some.’ Miracles are supposedly ‘popping like popcorn.’ … Such brash statements cheapen what the Holy Spirit is doing.” Grady wrote another column this week expressing concern that the Lakeland event has the potential to cause a “charismatic civil war.”
It’s doubtful that I will be able to get out there and see for myself, and it is just about certain that I wouldn’t be able to get inside anyway, but I sure am tempted to try. Todd is rocking with something–is it the Spirit of God? Look and see what you think…
How to Parent
As I travel on down the path of life, it is becoming more and more apparent that the most important job in the world is that of being a parent. Those of you who don’t have children will probably shake your heads at that one. The first time I heard someone say that their children made the whole deal worthwhile, I was absolutely amazed. What in the world were they thinking?
Some of you who do have children are so beleagured that you wonder why you ever had them. I didn’t say that it is an easy job–only that it is the most important. And the more I realize how crucial the position of being a parent really is, the more I feel my own inadequacy for the role. I can’t always make the right choices for my own life. The truth is that I fail daily. How can I direct the future of these precious children? Tough one, isn’t it?
As I ponder that thought this morning, one thought seems most pertinent: Isn’t it perfect that the most important being in the universe–the Creator–is referred to in scripture as “Father”? I mean think about it. There is no higher office than the one who owns it all, made it all, is in control of it all. Wouldn’t you think that God would want to be called “Your Holiness” or “CEO Extreme”?
But that’s not the case, is it? Scripture even goes as far as to refer to God as “Abba” (e.g. Romans 8:15). Abba is akin to our word, Daddy. It is a term of very close endearment. What an incredible thought. Father God, Creator of All, has given life to me and draws me to Himself like a daddy draws his boy–like I drew my own boy this morning and kissed him as he slept. I love him with all of my heart–the same way that the Father loves me…and you.
How can I parent then? Why not take a few hints from the supreme Parent? How about if I study how God deals with me and look closely at Scripture to see what recommendations He has given me for accomplishing this huge job? And what’s the first thing I see? God is Love (1 John 4:8, NKJV).
Our family started about a year ago to work on the practice (not theory, but practice) of being loving and kind to one another. If that is an easy, no-brainer in your family, then I am glad for you–God is with you mightily. For us, though, loving and kind is often difficult. We often get sideways and snappy. We speak with more than a hint of anger. We gripe, badger, and belittle. I hate to say that, but it’s true. That’s why have been stuck on that one principle for so long-we haven’t got it down to well yet.
I do believe that this is the beginning of good parenting, though, is loving kindness. Sometimes it’s easy–every time the baby laughs or smiles, my heart melts–but much of the time I am so caught up in my own concerns that I am perturbed by an interruption to my concentration on me.
God help me to realize the importance of being a daddy. God help me to point them towards You…towards Love. God help me learn simple loving kindness.
A Good IZEA
Some of you have taken up blogging or have begun your own websites recently. Congratulations on taking that big step. The learning curve is steep, but it levels out after awhile and you will soon be surprised at how much you know. Don’t quit before the miracle happens. Read more
Seeds for Survival
If the Food vs Fuel controversy is another sad example of a world gone mad, then an organization in Florida, is helping to counterbalance the insanity.
ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) is a non-profit ministry whose stated mission is to network with community leaders in developing countries to seek hunger solutions for families growing food under difficult conditions.Their demonstration farm, not too far north of the Florida Everglades, provides on-site training and a source of seeds for plants that can thrive under harsh conditions.
A fellow worker told me about ECHO this evening. He served as a missionary in Mexico for many years and leaned on assistance from them to help local farmers become more productive. He showed me some cilantro plants that were growing near his house and offered me a taste of the herb.
Returning home, I checked out the ECHO website and realized that my earlier dismay over grain supplies being used to fuel automobiles had given way to a hope that there is still a bit of wisdom remaining in the human race. God provides.
One thing for sure: I’ll be buying as many of my seeds as possible from the ECHO seed catalog from now on. By the way, the ECHO vision is to bring glory to God and a blessing to mankind by using science and technology to help the poor. You can’t beat that.
Food versus Fuel
In response to a request to help publicize the Glenn Beck Summer Political Tour, I visited the Glenn Beck website to get a taste of his views and philosophy. I’m not here to critique his political or religious correctness, but Glenn’s suppositions about the value of ethanol production, in a video interview entitled Food vs Fuel, really rung my bell.
Food vs Fuel is an interview clip with Michael Grunwald of Time Magazine. Some of the points made by Glenn and Michael are these:
- Global food prices have risen 83% over the past three years, sparking protests and riots around the world.
- The amount of grain needed to make enough gasoline to fill up an SUV tank could feed a person for one year.
- Government subsidies and mandates have prompted many farmers to grow fuel instead of food.
- Deforestation accounts for about 20% of carbon emissions.
I assume that the deforestation point is talking about the effects of demolishing the world’s rainforests and ecosystems, rather than from the operational aspects, and I realize that Michael Grunwald is strongly against deforestation–but these are eye-opening suppositions. Could it be that our materialistic, got to have it now, I’ve-got-mine-and-I-don’t-care-about-yours actions could have something to do with the state of affairs on this planet? Could be.
Being a household without television, we miss out on much of what goes on in the news, but if I lived in the city I likely would go to the picture show on July 17th. Glenn Beck will take his Summer Political Tour to Dallas, Texas, on that day and Fathom Events will be broadcasting the event live to movie theatres around the country. I’m not the kind who jumps on every bandwagon that passes by, but I sure do enjoy hearing different views discussed–that’s part of what has kept the USA free.
Independence Day in America
This poem is presented in honor of those who have worked to found and keep this “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Some say that America isn’t mentioned in Biblical prophecy. Others find that she is. My hope is that America is synonomous with Israel–that we will continue to stand and be identified with the people of God, that we will not turn back on our commitment to Israel’s defense, and that we shall never forget nor deny that “In God We Trust.”
These are amazing times. Every generation has perhaps deemed themselves the last; but the signs have never been more ominous than now. Look and see that these next few years (be they granted unto us) portend great change. The tension is palpable. Hold on to your Faith and continue in Love. Hosanna!
A Nation’s Strength
by Ralph Waldo EmersonWhat makes a nation’s pillars high
And it’s foundations strong?
What makes it mighty to defy
The foes that round it throng?It is not gold. Its kingdoms grand
Go down in battle shock;
Its shafts are laid on sinking sand,
Not on abiding rock.Is it the sword? Ask the red dust
Of empires passed away;
The blood has turned their stones to rust,
Their glory to decay.And is it pride? Ah, that bright crown
Has seemed to nations sweet;
But God has struck its luster down
In ashes at his feet.Not gold but only men can make
A people great and strong;
Men who for truth and honor’s sake
Stand fast and suffer long.Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly…
They build a nation’s pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.
God bless America!
And consider the words of an Arapahoe spokesman, Nippawanock: It’s time. If you are to walk the path of heart, then it is time…
Yes, you know who you are. You know that it is time. It is time for us to realize that the night is far gone; the day is at hand (Romans 13:12). It is time for us to wake up and not just go to church, but to be the Church. As America yearned for, fought for, and declared its independence; so must we. We are not slaves of this world’s incessant demands. We are the children of the Living God.
Amen.
