That's the title of one of my favorite Inspirations songs. It also describes the whirlwind of the last few weeks.
I was blessed to be able to work a few days with the great folks at WMLJ radio in Summersville, WV. The station is a part of the Fundamental Broadcasting Network. The network and station were holding their semi annual call-in fundraiser; they call it a "Share-A-Thon." I was able to be there for the first two days of the week, and had a great time of fellowship and blessing. The Lord helped us meet every goal, and the station and network exceeded their goal for the week. In fact, additional money above the operating expense of the network went to purchase over 20,000 Arabic Bibles to be sent to Iraq.
The worldwide ministry of FBN is helping fulfil this scriptural command: Mark 16:15 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Radio doesn't plant local churches, but it does sow the seed of the gospel to the unsaved and edify the saved.
God bless the good folks at WMLJ and FBN.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Jumping the Gun
I think our calendars have been hijacked. What does yours say? As I'm writing this, it's October 11, 2007. Every calendar I have says that, but I think they're all wrong.
In the last couple days, I've been in a couple of "big box" retail stores. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, even one of the stores in the TJX family. What do they all have in common? They all believe it's Christmas! No, that's not true. They believe it's holiday season. Some of them actually have policies that prohibit their employees from even acknowledging Christmas. Even so, they've been dragging out their Christmas goodies for a couple weeks already.
A second reason I think that my calendar is off is that the presidential election season began a year ago, and it's still over a year until the election. What's going on? At this rate, a sitting president becomes obsolete as soon as he wins election to his second term. Evidentally, the price Americans charge for their vote is going up. I wonder what the amount spent per vote received is, on average? I should look that up!
And, the third reason I think my calendar is off is that, after the Redskins beat Detroit last Sunday, I've seen several posts in online boards talking about the Redskins and the playoffs. Are you kidding me? I even saw one computerized prediction that says the Skins have a 55% chance of making the playoffs.
Oh, the last reason why I think my calendar is off is because I've seen the church attendance numbers for the average church. I think some of the folks are showing up on other days, because they're not showing up on the day that my calendar says is Sunday.
In the last couple days, I've been in a couple of "big box" retail stores. Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart, even one of the stores in the TJX family. What do they all have in common? They all believe it's Christmas! No, that's not true. They believe it's holiday season. Some of them actually have policies that prohibit their employees from even acknowledging Christmas. Even so, they've been dragging out their Christmas goodies for a couple weeks already.
A second reason I think that my calendar is off is that the presidential election season began a year ago, and it's still over a year until the election. What's going on? At this rate, a sitting president becomes obsolete as soon as he wins election to his second term. Evidentally, the price Americans charge for their vote is going up. I wonder what the amount spent per vote received is, on average? I should look that up!
And, the third reason I think my calendar is off is that, after the Redskins beat Detroit last Sunday, I've seen several posts in online boards talking about the Redskins and the playoffs. Are you kidding me? I even saw one computerized prediction that says the Skins have a 55% chance of making the playoffs.
Oh, the last reason why I think my calendar is off is because I've seen the church attendance numbers for the average church. I think some of the folks are showing up on other days, because they're not showing up on the day that my calendar says is Sunday.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
A Song for You
I don't have time to write a great deal today, so instead here's a song I sung, Wish You Were Here. It's just a live recording, warts and all... It's from last Sunday Night, and I hope it'll encourage you today.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Fabricated Stress
Did you know that humans were designed to work? Even before the fall of man, God gave Adam the jobs of naming the animals, and of tending to the Garden of Eden. A certain amount of stress, from deadlines perhaps, or even the exertion of physical activity, is healthy.
When a person lives without goals, without purpose, without direction, something will become their focus. I believe that many obessions such as hypochondria or paranoia are either caused or fed by a lack of real purpose in life. It's a matter of perspective. When there are no true big things in life, such as goals or plans, small things become big things.
In my experience, retirees who get involved in other projects after retirement maintain a much more healthy attitude, and attitude can greatly affect a person's health and well being. According to one article I read, a person with a negative attitude is up to four times as likely to develop a cold than someone with a positive outlook. Having real purpose and fulfilment in life will often help a person develop a positive attitude. Conversely, a person without purpose will often magnify the problems in their lives and fabricate stress. To quote a famous pastor, "Discouraged people always overstate their problems." Be careful not to magnify problems, and if you find yourself doing that, find something positive on which to focus.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Looking Sharp
Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Friends are important for so many reasons. David's life was most certainly sharpened by his friend Jonathan. There are also friends who are more like Job's or Rehoboam's, who give such poor advice that, should it be heeded, would bring calamity.
A good friend is one who can be as "iron" to his friend. While each of us should speak with tact and consideration, a friend should be able to address even difficult matter with his friend. Don't be afraid to stand as strong as iron, but remember the ultimate purpose of the whetstone not simply to be abrasive, but helpful. The whetstone may create some friction and heat, but he does it to make the edge better for it. A friend may speak firmly when need be, but he'll lose that friendship unless his purpose is to build up his companion.
Lastly, sometimes the "sharpening" that is needed is simply to follow the example of our Savior. Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;)"
When He put down sin, He picked up the sinner. Sometimes we can become discouraged, defeated, and downtrodden, and a friend can be an immeasurable tool for encouragement in the hand of the Lord.
Friends are important for so many reasons. David's life was most certainly sharpened by his friend Jonathan. There are also friends who are more like Job's or Rehoboam's, who give such poor advice that, should it be heeded, would bring calamity.
A good friend is one who can be as "iron" to his friend. While each of us should speak with tact and consideration, a friend should be able to address even difficult matter with his friend. Don't be afraid to stand as strong as iron, but remember the ultimate purpose of the whetstone not simply to be abrasive, but helpful. The whetstone may create some friction and heat, but he does it to make the edge better for it. A friend may speak firmly when need be, but he'll lose that friendship unless his purpose is to build up his companion.
Lastly, sometimes the "sharpening" that is needed is simply to follow the example of our Savior. Isaiah 61:1, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;)"
When He put down sin, He picked up the sinner. Sometimes we can become discouraged, defeated, and downtrodden, and a friend can be an immeasurable tool for encouragement in the hand of the Lord.
Greetings Guests
I've considered writing a blog for a long time, and finally I've taken the plunge. There are a lot of reasons for wanting to blog, but rest assured, this will not be a play by play of my life. There will be thoughts about the Bible, thoughts about music, thoughts about current events, and comments about life.
My main goal, at least initially, is to sharpen my writing skills so I can better communicate for the Lord's glory. Writing is something I love to do, but often my writing is, in my opinion, cumbersome and cluttered. My hope is that with practice my prose will become prettier. Okay, that's an awful attempt at alliteration (Look there's another one!), but twisting terms is a tremendous tool to try. (Yes, he did it again...)
Comments, questions, concerns, challenges, and cheers are welcome!
My main goal, at least initially, is to sharpen my writing skills so I can better communicate for the Lord's glory. Writing is something I love to do, but often my writing is, in my opinion, cumbersome and cluttered. My hope is that with practice my prose will become prettier. Okay, that's an awful attempt at alliteration (Look there's another one!), but twisting terms is a tremendous tool to try. (Yes, he did it again...)
Comments, questions, concerns, challenges, and cheers are welcome!
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