One moment of spring

Don’t you just love springtime!  It has come early this year, everything is blooming,   rich colors replacing the drab winter browns and greys.  Outside activities have increased, I see more people out walking, jogging…hey, I need to get started on that again.  The sound and smell of lawns being mowed, and yes, that bright covering of dandelions is beginning to appear.  Don’t you just love springtime!

On Sunday morning we were unloading some items for the spring rummage sale in the church fellowship hall.  One young boy was helping by holding the door as we carried items inside.  What he said just stopped me in my tracks.  It was one of those statements made by a child that just makes you enjoy the day a little more.  I smiled, no…I really did LOL.  Holden Turner, in his simplistic way summed up the feeling of springtime.  He said, “I just live to wear shorts to church.”  He was not making a theological statement, nor was he discussing church policies, he was just making a casual remark (yes, pun intended).  That simple transition, from long pants to short ones, released in him a sense of thanksgiving.  Maybe that is the point of my rambling.  Jesus spoke of having a child-like faith.  I think that kind of faith is exemplified by this spontaneous statement of thanksgiving.  Perhaps the lesson Holden has for us today is this…take time to express thanksgiving, even for the little things in life.  A heart of gratitude surely must be fertile soil for the springtime in your spirit.  And, don’t just hold that thought in your mind… express it, for someone passing by might just receive a blessing they can be thankful for as well.

Sarah's Windy Day

It was March 1^st, and true to its lion fame, a windy day again, gusting up to 40 mph.  My wife had a couple errands to run during her lunch break.  She made a stop at the bank to cash a couple of checks for her mother, then in preparation for some guests coming to our home, she made her way to one of the local stores to purchase a couple of new pillows.  Walking across the parking lot with a cart full of pillows, a sudden gust of wind blew the cart over.  Now that was bad enough, but what happened next has played over and over in her mind.  Her little purse went flying and exploded upon impact.  Have you ever picked one of those little dandelions and blown the tiny, floating seeds?  Yep, that is what it looked like…money flying everywhere.  There was just under $300 one moment, and none the next.  A nice couple who had seen what happened, immediately came to help.  Across the large parking lot, across a vacant lot, across three lanes of the highway, across another parking lot, and finally in and around the back yard of a funeral home, much of the money was recovered, with $80 still missing.  She called me in to continue the search.  I walked the area for another half hour, covering another two blocks along the path of the wind, only to find one of my business cards…really?

    

A couple days later one of the ladies from the church was out walking and decided to walk in that area…and found a $20 bill – and returned it.  About a week later we received a call from a lady who had found our tithe check while cleaning her gutter, another two blocks further beyond where I had searched.  Then last evening at church a young dad approached my wife and handed her a dollar bill he had found in his yard, then he smiled, reached into his pocket and handed her a $20 bill.  He told her he had shared with his neighbor what had happened, and this good neighbor felt sorry for her and wanted to just donate to help in her loss. 

Last night I was leading a class in discussion on prayer.  We listed various elements in prayer, then prayed.  One of those elements of prayer is to take a look around at the things you can be thankful for, and give thanks to God.  I was thinking…while this big wind caused a calamity for my wife, it also revealed to us something else.  Contrary to much of the news you hear today on how bad people are, and how bad things in the world are…there really is some good out there!  I think of the kind, older couple who stepped out of their vehicle to offer assistance to a frantic lady with money blowin’ in the wind.  I think of the close relationships we have in the church with people who will go out of their way offer a helping hand.  I think of a lady cleaning her gutters and taking time to call.  I think of the generous spirit of a neighbor was moved to help a person he did not know.  You know…we all need to be alert, to keep watch…there are good people all around us with good hearts.  We have expressed our thankfulness to these wonderful people, and it also sounds like a great time thank God for the good in people.  Don’t let all the bad news rob you of the joy of seeing the good that is all around you.  Have a great, and blessed day in the Lord!

Comfort Overflowing

     If you listen to the news at all, it doesn’t take but a few seconds to be faced with a world in trouble.  There are problems on every side.  Most of us sense the weight of daily pressures and can become discouraged, even hopeless at times.  Twice in the last few days I have been reminded of a great word of our faith…the word hope.  It is just a small word, four letters, but it is a word with life in it.

     This morning I was reading my Bible when another verse of scripture just seemed to stand up and shout, “Hey listen to me, don’t just read right through this.  Stop here, and let’s think on this a while.”  As I lingered, meditating, digesting…my spirit was filled with words of encouragement and hope.  I’ll share them in hopes they will do the same for you. 

     I heard the words drawing my attention toward a cycle of overflowing comfort.  The source comes straight from the heart of God, once again moved by compassion.  Take time to remember that God has compassion in his heart for you.  In this reading, that compassion flowed out with comfort.  Could you use a little comfort in your day today?  Hear this word from the Word: 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

God of all comfort>Moved by compassion>Comforts us>SO we can comfort others

     I wrote in the margin of my Bible, “The Cycle of Overflowing Comfort.”  It was added blessing to think that this comfort is directed toward “all our troubles” not just some.  The comfort we receive then goes toward “any trouble” others around us may be experiencing.  It begins with God, and we need to receive comfort from God, but it should not stop there…we must also share comfort into the lives of others. 

     Now, don’t forget another important part of this formula.  The first word of this verse is an important one; don’t forget to praise God for the blessing.  You are blessed when your receive, but twice blessed when you pass it on.  Praise be to God!  Be comforted, and find someone today in need of being comforted to complete the cycle of overflowing comfort.

Stressful Days

     Take a look around you.  No, I mean really take a look at the life situation of people today.  Do you see the struggle, the heavy load of life that so many are feeling?  If you watch the news, if you listen to people talk, if you just stop and look around, it is not long before you feel the weight of the load of stress people are experiencing today.  You might even say one of the great struggles today is moving through each day under the oppression of some difficult times.  I was reading in the Psalms when a verse just stood up and brought peace and joy to my spirit, and I want to share that with you:  Psalm 9:9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

     It seems we have grown accustomed to looking to the government to solve our problems; and to some degree that happens.  BUT, we should never lose sight of the real source of help for our lives…the LORD. 

     Verse 10 is speaking about a personal relationship that is kept vital through contact.  Do you know the Lord by name?  Is your relationship one that is close enough to live in that trust?  Oh, this has such great meaning for you and I…the Lord has never forsaken those who SEEK him.  That word, “seek,” is an active verb, not a passive one.  It is your call to pursue, to seek, to commit to an intimate relationship with God.  That is found in prayer.  It is found in worship.  SEEK, daily!  Seek in those moments when you lack peace.  Seek in those times when you feel discouraged.  The Lord has never, never, never, forsaken those who seek him. 

A Distinguished Church

As a pastor I often think about what it is about the church that distinguishes it from any other organization.  People come into the group, set regular times to meet, follow certain customs, and so forth.  The same could be said about the pretty much any civic organization or club.  What is it that sets the church apart from any other group? 

     In my early morning reading one day last week, I read a statement that just answered that question in a powerful way.  It points to an incredible truth that could revitalize the life of any church, or perhaps even your personal faith.  The statement was made during a dialogue between Moses and the Lord: 

     Exodus 33:12 Moses said to the LORD, "You have been telling me, `Lead these people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, `I know you by name and you have found favor with me.' 13 If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people." 14 The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." 15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" 17 And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."

If anything will truly distinguish the church from other group it is in this…the presence of the Lord.  It is not programs or styles of worship.  It is a people gathered around one central factor…God’s presence.  And, it begins with one person in an intimate connection to the Lord, the kind of relationship that says I know you, and I know your name.  Today…have a blessed day walking in the Presence.

It's Monday Morning

Let me share a “brief” “short” word with you today.  I’m not sure what your Monday mornings are like, but if you are like most people…well, it’s Monday.  The weekend is gone…the busy-ness of the new week is facing you.  Maybe you feel overloaded with responsibilities, maybe stressed about some situation at work, or at home or church, maybe you feel a little discouraged.  Whatever that weight you are carrying may be, listen to these words and take a few moments to connect with God:

Psalm 5:1- Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing.  2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.  3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Your relationship with God is the greatest source of strength you have…don’t neglect it.  Prayer is your contact point to share your needs, but also to listen.  Begin your day with God.  AND…don’t miss one great action step for you to take from these brief verses… develop a focus to "wait in expectation."  Have a wonderful day, living each moment in the expectancy of God’s grace and blessing.