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.

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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!

Sermon-on-a-Stick: The James Chronicles, cont...

(From Sunday's sermons, if you trust my note-taking)

SUCCESS FOUNDATIONS
James 1:17-20 (NIV)

(This is "The Message" translation: "16-18So, my very dear friends, don't get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.

"19-21Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." )

1. Be QUICK to listen

2. Be SLOW to speak

3. Be COOL --- slow to anger
a. neither slow simmering anger,
b. nor passionate anger

* Jesus seldom got mad, and when He did it was when religious people acted like idiots or when the church acted ungodly.

* He didn't get mad at the drunks and prostitutes; He didn't get mad when people did things to him. He got mad for appropriate and justifiable reasons, and he acted justly in his anger. But he didn't remain mad.

* Most anger comes when we don't get our way

* If we get angry often, we have too much anger. (Prov 29:11 -- A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.)

* Man's anger does not honor God; no one sees a Jesus believer angry and says, "Man, I want to be an angry person like that angry follower of Christ!

* Will Rogers said that when we fly into a rage, we always make a bad landing.

* Don't overcomplicate and overspiritualize things. Do these three things and every area of your life will improve. Keep your temper and tongue under control. Use your ears more. Concentrate on changing you.



*********


THE PROBLEM
James 4: 1-3 (NIV)



(From "The Message" translation: Get Serious 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3 You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. )



I. There is strife in a lot of places
* In geographical places but also in our hearts, in our churches, in our homes...
* This has been going on since Adam and Eve -- and it was going on in James' church in Jerusalem



II. WE are the problem
* Strife comes from the desires that battle within us/me.
A. The problem is within my heart: about control, power, prestige -- sinful fallen people acting in a sinful fallen way.
B. The problem is within groups of hearts, in a business or family or, what James is most likely talking about here, in churches.


III. Let's change us

When Jesus prayed for the church (in John), he prayed for UNITY, not great music or great preaching or even great mission work. How can we be salt and light to the world if we're vinegar in the church?


Again, this is uncomplicated and simple. Hard to do sometimes, but simple in concept and a simple teaching. The problem is always in the mirror. It is always ME who needs changing.


(From Dr. Chris Sunday morning and night.)


(Teddy note: Was reading Romans 14 and 15 Tuesday night and it's got good stuff on this very thing, church unity and accepting one another, majoring in the majors, etc. Romans 15: 5-7 seems like a timeless summary: "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.")



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Good stuff

You know your love is real when you weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. You know your love is real when you feel for others what Catherine Lawes felt for the inmates of Sing Sing prison.

When her husband, Lewis, became the warden in 1921, she was a young mother of three daughters. Everybody warned her to never step foot inside the walls. But she didn’t listen to them.

When the first prison basketball game was held, in she went, three girls in tow, and took a seat in the bleachers with the inmates. She once said, “My husband and I are going to take care of these men, and I believe they will take care of me! I don’t have to worry!”

When she heard that one convicted murderer was blind, she taught him Braille so he could read. Upon learning of inmates who were hearing impaired, she studied sign language so they could communicate. For 16 years Catherine Lawes softened the hard hearts of the men of Sing Sing.

In 1937 the world saw the difference real love makes. The prisoners knew something was wrong when Lewis Lawes didn’t report to work. Quickly the word spread that Catherine had been killed in a car accident. The following day her body was placed in her home. Three quarters of a mile from the prison.

As the acting warden took his early morning walk, he noticed a large gathering at the main gate. Every prisoner pressed against the fence. Eyes awash with tears. Faces solemn. No one spoke or moved. They’d come to stand as close as they could to the woman who’d given them love.

The warden made a remarkable decision. “All right, men, you can go. Just be sure to check in tonight.”

These were America’s hardest criminals. Murderers. Robbers. These men the nation had locked away for life. But the warden unlocked the gate for them, and they walked without an escort of guards to the home of Catherine Lawes to pay their last respects.

And to a man, each one returned.

Real love changes people.

-- From "A Love Worth Giving," Max Lucado

Writing tip: always chek your spelling

Wordguy, presidential speechifier, Pulitizer Prize-winner and columnist William Safire (1929-2009) died this weekend. You might enjoy the following, his "useful writing advice."

1. No sentence fragments.
2. It behooves us to avoid archaisms.
3. Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration.
4. Don't use no double negatives.
5. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, "Resist hyperbole!"
6. Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
7. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.
8. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
9. Writing carefully, dangling participles should not be used.
10. Kill all exclamation points!!!
11. Never use a long word with a diminutive one will do.
12. Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
13. Take the bull by the hand and don't mix metaphors.
14. Don't verb nouns.
15. Never, ever use repetitive redundancies.
16. Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague.
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Went to the play at the Dixie Friday night then went to the Waffle House where some nice people said hey to me; they knew me when I was 4 years old! "You look the same," they said. I asked them, "You don't think I'm taller?"...

Got tires Saturday morning, and it hurt me as I figured it would. Love my tire people though. Oil change after that. (The early morning was vehicle-oriented.) Worked out and studied and ate at 2 with my son and the Von Frapps. (There was 'an incident' at Chili's so we had to go to the Mexican place.) Actually, watched them eat. Walked a few miles and watched the Florida game with Jeeves and my little sis, a big Gator fan. I watched until her team had things well in hand: in other words, I watched the first seven minutes.

Worked and walked Saturday night, watched some ball. Pretty neat Texas Tech-Houston game. For the first time since I've moved to Ruston, went to Wal-Mart. Went at 1245 Saturday night because I couldn't sleep and because I wanted to surprise my son with a Key Lime Pie Sunday. But they didn't have Key Lime juice at Super One during reasonable shopping hours and Wal-Mart didn't have any either at the unreasonable time I went. It wasn't crowded though, except for the four police cruisers that pulled up while I was there. Maybe someone had shoplifted all the Key Lime juice.

Sunday was good news at Sunday school in that all seven of our starting day lineup showed up, plus one new member. Only two fell asleep! Will post Sermon-in-a-Stick notes later.

Saw news clips of a flooded city overseas where they, too, have been getting lots of rain. The people were walking down the street in thigh-deep water -- and several were holding umbrellas. Think about that...

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Wish I were already tire-d

Could go watch Cedar Creek play awhile tonight. Iffy...

Got plenty to read and write at home.

Get tires in the morning. I like my tire people but I don't like having to buy tires. But you've got to have tires. Tires are a must.

Could go to Tinker's for a while after tires. Possibly. See Tick and Jeeves. Watch some football. Don't know. Got a free ticket to the community play at the Dixie. So that'll happen. Sunday matinee, I'm thinking. But I could go to the play toNIGHT, skip Cedar Creek, do the writing and reading Sunday and Saturday.

Do you have weekends like that, where you don't know what to do when? Sort of like weekdays, sometimes? I am certain about the tires; I'll use that as a focal point and build around it. Tires, Sunday school, church house, a Bible study, and everything else, we'll just have to see. Could zip over to the Cowboys game but I've already agreed to let some other people use my luxury suite. Plus it's not 'til Monday night. Plus I'm just joking.

OK. The two memory verses for the past two weeks. I forgot to post one last week. How am I going to memorize a verse if I can't remember to post it?

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."
John 15:5

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God."
Psalm 20:7

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Happy Birthdays Belated (Douhh!)

Catching up. . .

I sent cards on time, but not balloons. So...

Last Monday was Gregg and Heather's birthday. They are the twins and they are my nephew and niece.

Then the next day was daddy's birthday. Happy birthday again, daddy!

And tomorrow is Andi's birthday, another of my nieces. Happy Birthday!

And finally yesterday was Jake's birthday. He is four. He is on the left and an apprentice to one of my favorite farmers, Ben, who is on the right and currently the president of the FFA Chapter at his elementary school. Ben kept us in pickles throughout the late summer.

I like birthdays now. I hope theirs were/are/is happy.

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