(Neglected to write these down so far this week and am catching up. That's on me! Here are my notes if you trust them from Dr. Chris' sermons, the continuing series on James.)
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
James 4: 2-3 -- "You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."
*Many of our problems are spiritual; spiritual problems demand spiritual solutions.
* Other problem-causers: Satan, sickness, other people's sinful behavior. But MOST problems are pilot error -- our sinfullness, choices, behaviors, attitudes, not doing things God's way.
How To Attack Disobedience to God
1. Really PRAY: "...you don't have because you don't ask God." (v. 2)
* On average, pastors in America pray only 7 minutes a day. So most laypeople, you would figure, pray less than that. Pray pray pray!
Phillipians 4:6 "Don't worry but through prayer and supplication make your requests known to God..."
* This demands we be right with God. Matt 6:14-15 -- we have to forgive if we are going to have a prayer life
Isaiah 59:1-2 -- "...your sins had hidden His face so he cannot hear you..."
God hears prayers of men and women who are trying honestly to be right with God
*This demands we understand some basics of God.
* This demands we pray with a pure heart (v. 3)
"Purify my heart, Lord. May you be glorified by this. May your will be done, which is always best."
Real prayer changes things, and it always changes us.
------------------------------------
WILL YOURS GET YOU THERE?
James 2:14-26
* Do I have what it takes to get to heaven?
2 Corinthians 13:5 asks us to examine ourselves to see if we are 'in the faith.'
Faith in Christ is what will get us to heaven
* (v. 19) "You believe in one God; even the demons believe that, and shudder."
* Do I have faith in Christ?
* Do I have a faith in Christ that will get me to heaven?
3 Things About Saving Faith
1. It involves your head (Romans 10:9-10)
2. It involves your heart, opening your heart to him (John 3:3)
3. It affects your hands; it changes your behavior (James 2:15-16)
Real saving faith moves from your head to your heart to your hands
* When did you give your life to Christ? TWhat was the date, or at least the year or time of year or time of day? This is an EVENT, not a process, like sanctification is. When did the old self die and the new self begin to live? Has your life and behavior been changed?
* Are you a Jesus follower or are you a 'genuine replica'? ... in other words, a real fake.
*Unless we've possessed a faith that's possessed us and it's changed our behavior, we are at best genuine replicas.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
You are the woodwind beneath my wings
(This was Sunday's column in the Times and The News Star. I can't remember the last time I didn't write my own headline -- until now. Craig Durrett wrote this one a couple of weeks ago when I told him what i was writing about -- a parachutist accidentally falling onto a marching band's flute player, and he immediately said this headline, and I immediately started laughing...)
She left this message when returning my call.
"Hello! This is Rachael Drella, the flute/piccolo player of Louisiana Tech's Band of Pride? I was the one you were asking about, the one who was 'attacked' by the parachute during our pregame performance. I would be glad to talk to you about it. What an interesting night that was!"
You can see why I couldn't talk to her fast enough.
It happened before Tech's Bulldogs pounded Nicholls State during the team's home opener at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston. The hardest hit of the night might have been the parachuter's landing, loose and panicky and nearly atop poor, innocent Rachael, on about the 35-yard line. Such barnyard tactics in a pregame show, I have never seen.
But the football gods were good to me on this day. I was locked in.The band, post-national anthem, was marching and playing — the game was less than 10 minutes from starting — when here came the first of four skydivers, dodging the band and landing awkwardly on the sideline, sending cheerleaders and pepsters scrambling.
No one pieced this together until later, but one reason this seemed odd was because in the past, these regular pregame skydivers would time their drops into the stadium for AFTER the band had stopped marching and were standing at attention on the north half of the field, leaving skydivers more than 50 yards of clear landing space.
But the timing was off on this day. The anthem ran long. So the divers dove too soon. All four of them.
Tech band director Jim Robken was standing proudly on the sidelines, watching his team's pregame performance, enjoying the weather, when the guy beside him said, "They're out."
"Who's out?" Robken said.
"The skydivers," he said, looking up at four, little midair dots and a passing plane.
"But they're not supposed to be out."
"But they are," the guy said.
"How long before they hit the ground," Robken asked.
"Thirty seconds."
"Oh no," Robken said. "We're not going to be out of the way."
The die had been cast.
"Once guys jump out of a plane, there's a certain degree of inevitability there," Robken would say later. "You've got yourself a pretty predictable chain of events after that."
Hello Mr. Gravity!
"It was the weirdest thing," said Rachael, a Tech senior and Band of Pride section leader who'd never experienced such an air attack while marching for Airline High in Bossier City. "Halfway through our march, I saw the first parachuter land pretty hard on the sideline and people scattering. I thought, 'Gosh, I'm glad he didn't hit me.' We were in a shadow so there was nothing to warn me when ..." she starts laughing, though it wasn't funny right then.
The strings of the next skydiver's parachute hit her, wrapped her, caused her to stumble. From the stands, we saw the parachute guy land, trying like a cartoon character to skid to a stop but quickly approaching Rachael, who was marching away and suddenly enveloped, like by The Blob.
The chutist attacks the flutist. (I'd like to see the skydivers try that sort of thing with bass drummers or, worse, the tuba guys; I'd bet on the tuba corp, every time.)
"I didn't fall down, but I stumbled quite a bit," said Rachael, who is on scholarship and this night deserved even combat pay. "I got tangled, untangled, and kept marching."
"She was so cool," Robken said. "She maintained her poise in an unbelievable way."
Impressive. Like a running back breaking a tackle, she and her flute suddenly re-appeared out of the chute and, on the run, caught up to her bandmates and fell into step. The next parachutist landed harmlessly downfield as the band had continued marching upfield and had by then turned around so as to face the skydivers head on and have a fighting chance. The final skydiver hit the field's center, right on the Tech logo, as planned.
"After the game I called my parents like I always do and said, 'We won, this happened, that happened, and oh, by the way, I got hit by a parachute,'" Rachel said.
"We've viewed the video during rehearsal several times since then," Robken said. "What a hoot. It's funny now. As we say in the band, 'We're makin' memories!'"
-30-
She left this message when returning my call.
"Hello! This is Rachael Drella, the flute/piccolo player of Louisiana Tech's Band of Pride? I was the one you were asking about, the one who was 'attacked' by the parachute during our pregame performance. I would be glad to talk to you about it. What an interesting night that was!"
You can see why I couldn't talk to her fast enough.
It happened before Tech's Bulldogs pounded Nicholls State during the team's home opener at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston. The hardest hit of the night might have been the parachuter's landing, loose and panicky and nearly atop poor, innocent Rachael, on about the 35-yard line. Such barnyard tactics in a pregame show, I have never seen.
But the football gods were good to me on this day. I was locked in.The band, post-national anthem, was marching and playing — the game was less than 10 minutes from starting — when here came the first of four skydivers, dodging the band and landing awkwardly on the sideline, sending cheerleaders and pepsters scrambling.
No one pieced this together until later, but one reason this seemed odd was because in the past, these regular pregame skydivers would time their drops into the stadium for AFTER the band had stopped marching and were standing at attention on the north half of the field, leaving skydivers more than 50 yards of clear landing space.
But the timing was off on this day. The anthem ran long. So the divers dove too soon. All four of them.
Tech band director Jim Robken was standing proudly on the sidelines, watching his team's pregame performance, enjoying the weather, when the guy beside him said, "They're out."
"Who's out?" Robken said.
"The skydivers," he said, looking up at four, little midair dots and a passing plane.
"But they're not supposed to be out."
"But they are," the guy said.
"How long before they hit the ground," Robken asked.
"Thirty seconds."
"Oh no," Robken said. "We're not going to be out of the way."
The die had been cast.
"Once guys jump out of a plane, there's a certain degree of inevitability there," Robken would say later. "You've got yourself a pretty predictable chain of events after that."
Hello Mr. Gravity!
"It was the weirdest thing," said Rachael, a Tech senior and Band of Pride section leader who'd never experienced such an air attack while marching for Airline High in Bossier City. "Halfway through our march, I saw the first parachuter land pretty hard on the sideline and people scattering. I thought, 'Gosh, I'm glad he didn't hit me.' We were in a shadow so there was nothing to warn me when ..." she starts laughing, though it wasn't funny right then.
The strings of the next skydiver's parachute hit her, wrapped her, caused her to stumble. From the stands, we saw the parachute guy land, trying like a cartoon character to skid to a stop but quickly approaching Rachael, who was marching away and suddenly enveloped, like by The Blob.
The chutist attacks the flutist. (I'd like to see the skydivers try that sort of thing with bass drummers or, worse, the tuba guys; I'd bet on the tuba corp, every time.)
"I didn't fall down, but I stumbled quite a bit," said Rachael, who is on scholarship and this night deserved even combat pay. "I got tangled, untangled, and kept marching."
"She was so cool," Robken said. "She maintained her poise in an unbelievable way."
Impressive. Like a running back breaking a tackle, she and her flute suddenly re-appeared out of the chute and, on the run, caught up to her bandmates and fell into step. The next parachutist landed harmlessly downfield as the band had continued marching upfield and had by then turned around so as to face the skydivers head on and have a fighting chance. The final skydiver hit the field's center, right on the Tech logo, as planned.
"After the game I called my parents like I always do and said, 'We won, this happened, that happened, and oh, by the way, I got hit by a parachute,'" Rachel said.
"We've viewed the video during rehearsal several times since then," Robken said. "What a hoot. It's funny now. As we say in the band, 'We're makin' memories!'"
-30-
Monday, October 26, 2009
One way...
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” -- Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
We learn from our mistakes. My hope is that you can learn from mine without making them yourself.
What I say and write and whether you agree doesn’t matter. Always judge it against scripture. And what the Bible says, as I’ve come to understand it, is that I can never be good enough for God on my own. But I sure did try.
And I can never be bad enough to convince myself that I can outrun God, outthink him, or pretend he’s not there. I tried that too.
Being very good or very bad are ways to try to control God. But he won’t be controlled.
The Bible tells me I was born with a human heart, centered on self, into a world I’m not made for. And the only thing that will change that heart of mine or yours is radical love.
I sat in a pew for a lot of years. Read my Bible. Said I believed. And I did believe there was a God. The demons believe the same thing.
Nothing I did saved me. I finally responded to God by admitting being empty and by asking for faith. He allowed me to see my heart. Not pretty. And he allowed me to see the cross. Perfect love.
“Jesus Loves Me.” I know that song. But do I know Jesus? Do I believe he loves me? And do I love him? Have I really, really, really thought about this and set my mind? Or is it sentimentality? A clear picture of Calvary will move any information into sensation, and that's what starts to change the heart.
So ... have I really surveyed the cross? Is my identity today based in God and what he has done for me through his Son? Can I tell you when the old man died and the new one was born? These questions are worth thinking about. Until you know for sure, they’re the only questions that matter.
-30-
We learn from our mistakes. My hope is that you can learn from mine without making them yourself.
What I say and write and whether you agree doesn’t matter. Always judge it against scripture. And what the Bible says, as I’ve come to understand it, is that I can never be good enough for God on my own. But I sure did try.
And I can never be bad enough to convince myself that I can outrun God, outthink him, or pretend he’s not there. I tried that too.
Being very good or very bad are ways to try to control God. But he won’t be controlled.
The Bible tells me I was born with a human heart, centered on self, into a world I’m not made for. And the only thing that will change that heart of mine or yours is radical love.
I sat in a pew for a lot of years. Read my Bible. Said I believed. And I did believe there was a God. The demons believe the same thing.
Nothing I did saved me. I finally responded to God by admitting being empty and by asking for faith. He allowed me to see my heart. Not pretty. And he allowed me to see the cross. Perfect love.
“Jesus Loves Me.” I know that song. But do I know Jesus? Do I believe he loves me? And do I love him? Have I really, really, really thought about this and set my mind? Or is it sentimentality? A clear picture of Calvary will move any information into sensation, and that's what starts to change the heart.
So ... have I really surveyed the cross? Is my identity today based in God and what he has done for me through his Son? Can I tell you when the old man died and the new one was born? These questions are worth thinking about. Until you know for sure, they’re the only questions that matter.
-30-
Friday, October 23, 2009
Baseball's championship series (or serieses...serii? what's the plural of 'series'?)
I have enjoyed the baseball playoffs on television. So there you go. I don't understand the horrible, really non-understandable poor umpiring, but it's still been fun because I have no real team interest, just the game. Gun to my head, I'd like Phillies-Angels; but please don't put a gun to my head. And Casey two weeks ago picked Werth to be the Series MVP, so I've been pulling for him. He's the Phillies right fielder and I guess he was born with a little bitty dip of Copenhagen in his mouth. His lip seems permanently pooched out.
But when you watch two weeks of playoffs you see the same commercials over and over. Not good. Except I really do like these two. (They may have been on for months but really, I haven't watched much TV for months so they're new to me!) One is the Travelers dog trying to protect his investment -- click here for the minute-long version. And the other is the ETrade baby; I love the guy who sings. The ETrade baby schooling a guy in golf, the Shankapotamus, is a good commercial too.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Grammatically incorrect but still purty good
Tick gave this book to me for my birthday. You know I loves me a title that's not quite correct, English-wise. How the title came to be is a neat and quick story in itself. The first book by these authors, Same Kind of Different As Me, I liked; this new one reads much faster. More info is easily available by Googling; I might still have a copy unless I loaned it to someone, and you are welcome to borrow mine. Tick's got this one right now, but you can use it when she's done.You can read it in three hours or so. It's a compact size too.
Out of five loaves and two fish, I'd rate it three loaves and one fish.
"Most people want to be circled by safety, not by the unexpected. The unexpected can take you out. But the unexpectedd can also take you over and change your life. Put a heart in your body where a stone used to be." -- Denver Moore
Cost: $16.99 retail
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (Sept 29, 2009)
Pages: 224
Below is an online editorial review:
WHAT DIFFERENCE DO IT MAKE
New thoughts and reflections from the authors of the inspirational New York Times bestseller Same Kind of Different as Me.
The more than four hundred thousand readers stirred by the story of Ron Hall and Denver Moore will resonate with the all new, stand-alone true stories of hope and healing offered in this intimate, authentic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Same Kind of Different as Me.
With new "Denverisms" and reflections from Denver on his personal dealings with homelessness and disrespect from others, additional insights from Ron on what we can learn from people not like us and from those dealing with a terminal illness, and the stories of readers who have been impacted by the book's central themes, this inspirational reader will generate a host of new fans. Topics include:
*Faith and friendship
*Racial reconciliation
*Community outreach
*Compassion
*Healing
Book also includes for the first time samples of Denver's paintings.
The more than four hundred thousand readers stirred by the story of Ron Hall and Denver Moore will resonate with the all new, stand-alone true stories of hope and healing offered in this intimate, authentic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Same Kind of Different as Me.
With new "Denverisms" and reflections from Denver on his personal dealings with homelessness and disrespect from others, additional insights from Ron on what we can learn from people not like us and from those dealing with a terminal illness, and the stories of readers who have been impacted by the book's central themes, this inspirational reader will generate a host of new fans. Topics include:
*Faith and friendship
*Racial reconciliation
*Community outreach
*Compassion
*Healing
Book also includes for the first time samples of Denver's paintings.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Near Perfect
I have a friend whose heart is soft and gentle as morning rain, a man strong in conviction and purpose, a husband and dad who long ago accepted God’s command to love the Father with all his heart and soul and mind, and to love his neighbor as himself.
I have discovered one of his secrets to maintaining conscious contact with his Creator. It is fixed on his heart because for a long time, he’s had it fixed on the dash of his car. It’s written on a little card wedged into the gauges and control knobs so he can read it while waiting in line at the drive-thru, while stopped in traffic, while at a red light.
I want every detail,
of every circumstance,
of every moment,
of every day,
to awaken my heart
to the reality of God and His nearness.
I want to see
and sense
and savor
the nearness of God
in all things.
We live “brinksman” lifestyles. I like that word, that phrase. It’s tossed around often in foreign policy circles, but it hits us where we live. We manipulate dangerous situations to unsafe limits, trying to gain an advantage. We create one crisis to avoid or lessen another. And we keep running into brick walls. That’s the real us.
But to think of God’s nearness is to demand of myself a clear image of what I’m about. Without Him, I’m rushing toward failure. With Him, I’m protected by mercy, purified by grace, powered by hands that scattered stars.
To know God’s nearness is to run on a heavenly timetable, to rest in a divine peace, to remember an eternal hope, to lean on arms everlasting.
“Kinder, gentler thoughts prevail,” my friend told me, “when I continually admit to God's reality and His nearness.”
Philippians 4:5 -- Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Psalm 73:28 -- But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge…
I have discovered one of his secrets to maintaining conscious contact with his Creator. It is fixed on his heart because for a long time, he’s had it fixed on the dash of his car. It’s written on a little card wedged into the gauges and control knobs so he can read it while waiting in line at the drive-thru, while stopped in traffic, while at a red light.
I want every detail,
of every circumstance,
of every moment,
of every day,
to awaken my heart
to the reality of God and His nearness.
I want to see
and sense
and savor
the nearness of God
in all things.
We live “brinksman” lifestyles. I like that word, that phrase. It’s tossed around often in foreign policy circles, but it hits us where we live. We manipulate dangerous situations to unsafe limits, trying to gain an advantage. We create one crisis to avoid or lessen another. And we keep running into brick walls. That’s the real us.
But to think of God’s nearness is to demand of myself a clear image of what I’m about. Without Him, I’m rushing toward failure. With Him, I’m protected by mercy, purified by grace, powered by hands that scattered stars.
To know God’s nearness is to run on a heavenly timetable, to rest in a divine peace, to remember an eternal hope, to lean on arms everlasting.
“Kinder, gentler thoughts prevail,” my friend told me, “when I continually admit to God's reality and His nearness.”
Philippians 4:5 -- Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Psalm 73:28 -- But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge…
Thursday, October 15, 2009
So it's raining cats and dogs...which is bad for the rats and the mice. But seriously folks...
... it really IS raining cats and dogs. I just stepped in a poodle.
The old jokes are the best jokes.
Or maybe not.
The above is "inspired" by my friend Rob, who sent out the note below to his Sunday school class "up to" the Methodist church. He keeps me on the list. Glad he does. Some of his note to his class this week follows...
".......What I'm tying to say is that it's raining so hard that the statue in front of City Hall is soaked to the skin.
"All right already, enough about the weather. Remember this, as bad as it's storming now and looks like it'll be that way for the rest of the day; seeing how the gray skies and rain have overhung us for many days now; and we wonder when we're going to get some relief from the skies - look forward to Friday, Saturday, et seq. When you see the blue heavens and the brilliant sun, think back about how dark and scary it looks this morning.
"Isn't that just like life? Whatever storm is whipping around you right now, it won't last, don't you know? The promise of God is there behind the clouds for above all this stormy weather is blue sky and sunshine. We just can't see it today, but it's there. Hold on to His promise that some pretty awe-inspiring days are just around the corner, weather-wise, and for each of you, too.
"So, between now and Sunday, when I pray we're all together, endure storms with prayer and thanksgiving, and enjoy the celestial brilliance that I believe we'll see after the deluge.
"We'll be finishing up the book of Jimmy - James if you prefer to be formal - with Chapter 5. Here we'll see the admonition to the wicked, you know, the bad guys; the need for patience; a word or two about @$%&# swearing; the power of prayer; and reclaiming those who are wayward, e.g. 'doing' church.
"May God's loving hands be on each of you and may you be safe."
"All right already, enough about the weather. Remember this, as bad as it's storming now and looks like it'll be that way for the rest of the day; seeing how the gray skies and rain have overhung us for many days now; and we wonder when we're going to get some relief from the skies - look forward to Friday, Saturday, et seq. When you see the blue heavens and the brilliant sun, think back about how dark and scary it looks this morning.
"Isn't that just like life? Whatever storm is whipping around you right now, it won't last, don't you know? The promise of God is there behind the clouds for above all this stormy weather is blue sky and sunshine. We just can't see it today, but it's there. Hold on to His promise that some pretty awe-inspiring days are just around the corner, weather-wise, and for each of you, too.
"So, between now and Sunday, when I pray we're all together, endure storms with prayer and thanksgiving, and enjoy the celestial brilliance that I believe we'll see after the deluge.
"We'll be finishing up the book of Jimmy - James if you prefer to be formal - with Chapter 5. Here we'll see the admonition to the wicked, you know, the bad guys; the need for patience; a word or two about @$%&# swearing; the power of prayer; and reclaiming those who are wayward, e.g. 'doing' church.
"May God's loving hands be on each of you and may you be safe."
-30-
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Sermon-on-a-Stick: 'Just Do It'
(Sunday's sermon if you trust my note-taking)
Just Do It
* "Take in'' the Word properly
Better information leads to better living. How do we 'take in' the Word?
a. Hear it.
Romans 10:17 -- Faith comes from hearing, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Put myself in position to hear the Word -- go to church, Sunday school, Bible studies...make sure I put myself in a position, regularly, to hear the Word.
b. Read it.
Get a Bible you can understand and one you enjoy reading. (Google to find out which translations are on which reading levels, or go to the bookstore and look for a Bible you like. Pray about it. Ask friends what they read and look at their Bibles. Lots of Bibles contain good study guides and notes and commentary.
1. How to approach studying my Bible
*Just read it: Maybe just read the New Testament once a year (less than a chapter a day will do it), and the Old Testament once every three years (three chapters a day or so). The way you can tell the Bible is the inspired word ... it never gets old. You almost always see new things each time you read a passage.
* Study it: look 'intently' at what the text says. Maybe read five verses a day or 10 in a dedicated study time. Pray over that text. Read it over and over. But then ...
* Just Do It --
Live out what the Bible says to live out. Bible studies and reading the Word is a good thing, but the main thing is doing what the Bible says, doing what God is telling us, through this letter to us, to do.
*A lot of us "audit" God. We don't need more Bible studies. We have lots of Bible information. But we need to DO, to live out, what the Word says. A lot of us are good "practice" players but not good in the game. And God always has us in the game.
* Mark Twain: "It's not what I DON'T understand about the Bible that scares me; it's what i DO understand but don't do."
* Am I tithing?
Do I forgive people?
Am I an instrument of reconciliation?
Am I faithful to my church family?
Do I love people?
Am I living out the Word?
Am i doing or only hearing?
* Let's say my parents leave a list of things for me to do the weekend they are gone. When they come back, they ask me if I did those things. And I say, "I studied the list. I memorized some of the list. I studied the list with friends, in a group. We argued about the list, agreed with some of the list, but felt that it was definitely an inspired and divine list. It's a good list for sure."
And my parents say, "But did you DO anything on the list we asked you to do?"
And if we say "No," it's the same principle as when we read the Bible, maybe even agree with the Bible, but decide not to do everything God asks us to do, commands us to do, in His Word. He won't ask us one day if we read the Bible; he'll ask us if we did what he asked.
God speaks through James with a passionate plea: when it comes to the Word of God, just do it.
-30-
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Oswald Chambers
It is always humbling to read Oswald Chambers. His "My Utmost for His Highest" is the best-selling devotion book ever. You can find it online here. Today's effort, I've pasted below. Read about him sometime when you have a chance; he was not without early struggles. But when he "got it," God used him, and still does. He makes you think, for sure.
Getting into God’s Stride
"Enoch walked with God . . ." — Genesis 5:24
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30 ). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— "He will not fail nor be discouraged . . ." (Isaiah 42:4 ) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
Getting into God’s Stride
"Enoch walked with God . . ." — Genesis 5:24
The true test of a person’s spiritual life and character is not what he does in the extraordinary moments of life, but what he does during the ordinary times when there is nothing tremendous or exciting happening. A person’s worth is revealed in his attitude toward the ordinary things of life when he is not under the spotlight (see John 1:35-37 and John 3:30 ). It is painful work to get in step with God and to keep pace with Him— it means getting your second wind spiritually. In learning to walk with God, there is always the difficulty of getting into His stride, but once we have done so, the only characteristic that exhibits itself is the very life of God Himself. The individual person is merged into a personal oneness with God, and God’s stride and His power alone are exhibited.
It is difficult to get into stride with God, because as soon as we start walking with Him we find that His pace has surpassed us before we have even taken three steps. He has different ways of doing things, and we have to be trained and disciplined in His ways. It was said of Jesus— "He will not fail nor be discouraged . . ." (Isaiah 42:4 ) because He never worked from His own individual standpoint, but always worked from the standpoint of His Father. And we must learn to do the same. Spiritual truth is learned through the atmosphere that surrounds us, not through intellectual reasoning. It is God’s Spirit that changes the atmosphere of our way of looking at things, and then things begin to be possible which before were impossible. Getting into God’s stride means nothing less than oneness with Him. It takes a long time to get there, but keep at it. Don’t give up because the pain is intense right now— get on with it, and before long you will find that you have a new vision and a new purpose.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Happy Anniversary! ...
to my little sis and to Jeeves, married 13 or 14 years this very evening. (I know it's something in the low teens and I meant to ask her when I was on the phone with her a second ago but forgot because we were talking about, of course, Madea.)
Tinker and Jeeves rock out and are your kind of people.
Happy Birthday to ...
me.
Yesterday. Columbus Day Eve.
The Big Five O.
It was a good day. I spilled prune juice on me only once. I dozed off just three times, but only twice while i was talking. I'll write about it for Sunday I think, if I live that long. That's a serious jump ball.
If I don't, I'll die knowing my family loves me, that's for sure. And I love them, but only because I know how now. They went all out and I appreciate it. (Wish I could remember it.)
Sorry for the blogging delays. Computer woes. Lots of work to do. I'm taking a class at Tech, honestly. Probably failing it. I know I'm failing Sunday school. Who fails Sunday school? (Got Noah confused with Moses and it costs me 30 points on our last test.)
Mad at the Red Sox, Twins and Cardinals, swept unceremoniously. Costs us a lot of free baseball. Thanks a lot! And it was my birthday and everything, too....Losers...
Broom and Biscuit are making me supper tonight: cheesy chicken spaghetti and a surprise dessert. Good for me! And I hope they'll let me watch the last few innings of the Rocks/Phillies game. Pull for Colorado so we can get one more free game, OK?
Talk to you soon.
Yesterday. Columbus Day Eve.
The Big Five O.
It was a good day. I spilled prune juice on me only once. I dozed off just three times, but only twice while i was talking. I'll write about it for Sunday I think, if I live that long. That's a serious jump ball.
If I don't, I'll die knowing my family loves me, that's for sure. And I love them, but only because I know how now. They went all out and I appreciate it. (Wish I could remember it.)
Sorry for the blogging delays. Computer woes. Lots of work to do. I'm taking a class at Tech, honestly. Probably failing it. I know I'm failing Sunday school. Who fails Sunday school? (Got Noah confused with Moses and it costs me 30 points on our last test.)
Mad at the Red Sox, Twins and Cardinals, swept unceremoniously. Costs us a lot of free baseball. Thanks a lot! And it was my birthday and everything, too....Losers...
Broom and Biscuit are making me supper tonight: cheesy chicken spaghetti and a surprise dessert. Good for me! And I hope they'll let me watch the last few innings of the Rocks/Phillies game. Pull for Colorado so we can get one more free game, OK?
Talk to you soon.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Tiny boys and baseball, old men and baseball
If my Granddaddy Teddy were still alive, he'd be turning 100 tomorrow. He died 6 days after he turned 61, 4 days after I turned 11. Fifty years older than me, almost to the day.
I wish he would have lived longer. I could have taken him to ballgames. But maybe I wouldn't have. I'd like to think I would have. I would today.
He'd take his vacation from the paper mill in West Monroe and watch the World Series on television. He'd have enjoyed today and yesterday: three games in one day, of playoffs. He was a sweet man. When he got sick, a lot of guys at the paper mill split time and worked his shifts. I wish you could have met him.
Sunday's column is called "Watch the Ball into Your Glove." It really doesn't have much to do with baseball; it just uses baseball, hopefully to make a point. But this following note does have to do with baseball. Scooter works at the paper and has already read Sunday's story. He wrote me this note today after he did. He and Melissa, a couple of years ago, had Hadley.
"Melissa flew out of town recently on a Sunday afternoon for a business trip. After Hadley and I dropped her off at the airport, we went home and watched Sunday Night Football. He decided early in the first quarter that he wanted to "watch Copper" (The Fox and the Hound) instead. So we watched that until he said "I wanna watch football." When we got to Monday night, same drill - football, Tod and Copper, then more football. Tuesday night he started with Fox and the Hound and was disappointed when there wasn't any football on. Then I hit pay dirt - the "Battle at Bricktown" featuring the Memphis Redbirds and the Durham Bulls. Now all I hear is "I wanna watch baseball."
"The other day he found one of my 12-inch souvenir bats. He walks around the house now swinging at anything he can find, or anything you toss his way. He's stepping into the swing with his back foot, and he's a sucker for the high fastball. But he's playing baseball.
"Life is good...
"I hope you have a great weekend.
"Scooter"
I wish he would have lived longer. I could have taken him to ballgames. But maybe I wouldn't have. I'd like to think I would have. I would today.
He'd take his vacation from the paper mill in West Monroe and watch the World Series on television. He'd have enjoyed today and yesterday: three games in one day, of playoffs. He was a sweet man. When he got sick, a lot of guys at the paper mill split time and worked his shifts. I wish you could have met him.
Sunday's column is called "Watch the Ball into Your Glove." It really doesn't have much to do with baseball; it just uses baseball, hopefully to make a point. But this following note does have to do with baseball. Scooter works at the paper and has already read Sunday's story. He wrote me this note today after he did. He and Melissa, a couple of years ago, had Hadley.
"Melissa flew out of town recently on a Sunday afternoon for a business trip. After Hadley and I dropped her off at the airport, we went home and watched Sunday Night Football. He decided early in the first quarter that he wanted to "watch Copper" (The Fox and the Hound) instead. So we watched that until he said "I wanna watch football." When we got to Monday night, same drill - football, Tod and Copper, then more football. Tuesday night he started with Fox and the Hound and was disappointed when there wasn't any football on. Then I hit pay dirt - the "Battle at Bricktown" featuring the Memphis Redbirds and the Durham Bulls. Now all I hear is "I wanna watch baseball."
"The other day he found one of my 12-inch souvenir bats. He walks around the house now swinging at anything he can find, or anything you toss his way. He's stepping into the swing with his back foot, and he's a sucker for the high fastball. But he's playing baseball.
"Life is good...
"I hope you have a great weekend.
"Scooter"
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
You don't get many of these...
* Shreveport's Scott Baker will start for the Minnesota Twins today in the sudden-death game against the Detroit Tigers in the Metrodome. Starts around 4. I might brew a pot of decaf and strap in. Don't know if I've seen an entire game this season but I'm going to try to watch this one. The winner gets the Yankees.
And last night I kept thinking about how frustrating it was for the Metrodome grounds crew, waiting for the Vikings-Packers Monday Night Football game to get over -- and it lasted a LONG time -- so they could start getting the field ready for today's baseball game. I like my grounds crew guys.
* Sweeter's Peyton Manning poster, rescued months ago from the trash heap by Linnea and given a safe home with one of Peyton's biggest fans, suffered a slight injury after last week's Monday night victory. (A post from a couple of weeks ago will explain all this, if you missed it.) Sweeter was too tired to put Peyton up so she left him hanging overnight, which might have resulted in a slight tear, a couple of inches, on his throwing shoulder. It might have just been the weight of his hanging there all night, looking in the pocket toward the kitchen to see if the sink and microwave were playing two-deep coverage, that caused the injury. I found all this out Sunday at dinnertime, just before Peyton's noon kickoff. Sweeter had fixed the problem with tape; you can't even tell he's been injured. And it didn't hurt him since he won and Eli won, leaving Sweeter undefeated and rolling along in this young NFL season. Eli is suffering from a bad heel this week, but that is in real life and not on a poster so all Sweeter can do is pray, which I'm sure she has and is.
Sweeter could not put on her Official Peyton Jersey for Sunday's noon kickoff because she didn't want to get gravy on it. Tinker and Jeeves were there, Sissy and Keith, Lacey and Champy, Pops of course and also Casey. Roast and gravy, homemade mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole (we are big potato people), green beans Tinker had cooked down, deviled eggs Sissy brought, gallons of tea, some crescents, chocolate pie and also this strawberry shortcake-like stuff. We might have had something else -- corn, and some peas I think -- but that's about it. It was fun and more fun. Jeeves embarrassed himself (the word 'cod' had something to do with it) and I've never seen him laugh so hard. Of course Sissy and Keith had to stop at Sam's on their way back home. It was beautiful. And my little sis might fry chicken for us Sunday. I am blessed. And hungry.
* Starting to feel like autumn! I didn't know until this morning, reading an inspirational writing by my friend Ray, that when the leaves change this time of year, it's because of stuff that leaves the leaves. That causes the 'change.' Here's some of what he wrote...
"With shortening daylight, the green of the chlorophyll simply exits the leaves revealing the remaining reds, yellows, oranges, and browns that before had remained hidden.
"We all have some true colors that remain hidden until a change occurs in our circumstances. Our underlying colors may not be pretty and may present a side of us that we would prefer remained hidden. However, as we walk closer and closer to the Lord, led by the Holy Spirit, our carnal nature will subside and the new revealed colors will be those of the maturing fruit of the Spirit, as in Galatians 5:22, 23 . . . love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
"Those around us may notice our change of season; however, our greatest joy will be in the praise of God when we see the Lord in His time. The Apostle Paul wrote, 'My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.'" 1 Corinthians 4:4-5
-30-
Friday, October 2, 2009
Happy Birthday wishes to ...
... precious little Lucie Ramsey in St. Louis, who is getting big!
And Happy October Baseball to everybody who cares about that sort of thing.
And thank you to all who donated to the Jack Witte FCA Golf Touranment yesterday; a few of you asked that I send you invoices after the fact, and I'll do that today. It was a pretty sweet afternoon ... golf without drinking or smoking or cussing. Who knew?
Today's a gorgeous day. Though we sit surrounded by sorrow, we can sip from the cup of coming joy --- because Jesus, though no one else knew it at the time, once sat at a wedding party in Cana, in the middle of joy, sipping the cup of coming sorrow.
-30-
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Happy Birthday wishes to...
both Jaybo and Matth, my old train-riding buddies, stadium builders, and traveling companions. You are good husbands and good dads, and a good example for me. Good men. I love you both and always will. SEEYA!
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