Silence

(silence)

          (more silence)

                (even more silence)

Silence can be awkward.   A long silence when waiting for a call is stressful.  Some people have to have the radio or television on all the time so there never is any silence.

In the Book of Amos, the Lord speaks through the prophet to tell of a famine. This famine isn't caused by a drought but by a lack of a word from the Lord.

I submit to you today that is where we are now.

There is no word from the Lord in our schools.  There is no word from the Lord in our workplaces. There is no word from the Lord in our government.   There is no word from the Lord in too many of our churches.

It is up to you and me to repent and get right with God so the word of the Lord will return. We need to teach our children and our grandchildren the word of the Lord.

      (silence)

Or the silence will be deafening!

Resolutions

Resolutions

I have made a New Year’s resolution to loose weight. So, you might ask, “What are you doing here?” This is only one meal among many. I’ll do better at the next one. I’m not going to give up just because I slipped up.

I hate it when people say “I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I know I won’t keep them.” That is such a defeatist attitude. They have failed before they even begin.

Nazarite Vow

In a previous Sunday School lesson I learned about the Nazerite Vow. I guess you could say that a vow is much more involved than a resolution. At least these people took it more seriously than we take resolutions.

This vow took a lot of resources to enter into. There were sacrifices and offerings to be made. If you slipped up accidentally or even unintentionally, you started over. The same sacrifices and offerings were made which again were of great value. And you started again from day one.

Jesus’ Life

Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice – a painful death on a cruel cross for my sins and your sins.

Resolutions for God

Can’t you make a resolution for God? It’s not too late – you can start today. Can’t you sacrifice a little of your time – a little of your resources to do something for Him who loves you so?

Resolutions for Family

Can’t you make a resolution for your family? It’s not too late – you can start today. Maybe it could be to be a better dad, a better grandfather, or a better husband. Maybe it could be a simple overnight trip that got the family away from everything including the cell phones and video games.

Resolutions for Church

Can’t you make a resolution for your church. It’s not too late – you can start today. Maybe to increase your attendance, your giving, or your responsibilities.

It’s not too late – you can start today.

Thank you.

The Cross

When I look at the cross, I see two beams, one vertical and one horizontal. I notice that the vertical beam is longer than the other. I notice that if I don't have the horizontal beam then I just have a post. If I don't have the vertical beam then I have a beam laying on the ground for the vertical beam supports the horizontal beam.

To me the vertical beam is symbolic of my relationship with God. It being longer indicates that it is more important. The horizontal beam is symbolic of my relationship with others. If my relationship with God isn't right then my relationship with others won't be right for just as the vertical beam is supporting the horizontal beam so is my relationship with God supporting my relationship with others.

So if I find that my relationship with others isn't right, I know that I need to work on my relationship with God. For if my relationship with God is out of alignment then my vertical post is leaning and the horizontal beam is no longer level. Once I get my relationship with God right then I can work on my relationship with others.

Who are these others? My wife, the mother of my children, my children, my parents which includes on this Mother's Day eve, my Mother. It also includes other relatives and friends and acquaintances and those that I'm witnessing to.

The challenge for me and for you is to keep our relationship to God truly vertical. To keep our relationship with God strong to hold up the relationships with others.

Alzheimer’s Diaease

My wife gave me a medical test from the newspaper the other day. You know, those ones, if you answer a couple of questions wrong way, you have clogged arteries and you’re going to die! Well fortunately this was the Alzheimer test. It was “nip and tuck” there for a while but I don’t have Alzheimer’s disease.

Okay. Now where was I?

The Lord does not have Alzheimer’s and never will. He has a great memory. However, God has selective memory.

If we mess up, if we sin and if we go to God in sincere repentance the He will forgive us. Not only will He forgive us but He will forget that sin. I submit to go that is selective memory.

The challenge for us is to fill God’s mind with good memories.

Neighbor

We had a fire in our neighborhood a while back. Everyone gathered a respectable distance away to watch the fireman do their job. One of them said something that really surprised me. He said he didn’t know who lived there and didn’t know their names.

Do you know your neighbors? Do they know you?

We went to grandparents day at our grandson’s school. We met his teacher, went to his room, all the usual stuff. Then we attended the chapel service. The story lesson was the “Good Samaritan.” Who is neighbor to the man who fell among the thieves?

Do you know your neighbors? Do they know you?

Today everyone is so busy. Both parents work. The kids are in school and after school care. Everyone gets home at the same time. There’s a rush to get dinner, get homework done, get baths and in bed and tomorrow it starts all over again. Who has time for anything?

Do you know your neighbors? Do they know you?

I hope that your house never catches on fire. But imagine for a moment, as your neighbors gather to watch, what will they say about you? “I didn’t know them. They seemed like a nice family.”

To me that is a sad commentary on our culture. I didn’t know them isn’t acceptable to me.

I challenge you to meet your neighbors and make the offer to be their neighbor in more than just living on the same block.

Shoes

I want your shoes: old or new, high heels or flats, sneakers or dress, or anything in between.

Why do I want your shoes?

To give them to the “Shoeman,” that’s why. The Shoeman runs a warehousing operation in Fenton. He processes the shoes and sells them by the pound to South America. The money that he makes from the sale of shoes goes to one of two projects. The first project buys well digging equipment which is delivered and installed in Kenya to provide drinking water for villages that don’t any water suitable for drinking.

The other project purchases water purification systems that are delivered and installed in Haiti. These systems provide drinking water for the people of Haiti. A trip to Haiti. is planned for the near future.

What do I need from you is shoes. I need complete pairs. If the have laces, please tie matching pairs together. If the don’t have laces, please use a rubber band or some twine to secure them together. Once that is completed, please bag them so it is easy for me to load them.

Today, I delivered five tall kitchen bags full to the local drop off point. These all came from one family. And I thank them very much.

See what God can do with some old shoes. Just think what God could do if we gave him our best.

http://www.shoeman.org/

Truth

The other day we talking to some friends. They made a point one way. We made the same point a different way. This went back and forth with a somewhat heated discussion. Finally, one of our friends said, “Well, at least we can agree to disagree.” I hate that statement and it isn’t because I think I’m right all the time either.

Somewhere there is truth.

In this culture, truth is determined by the courts. In the old wild west days, it was whoever had the fastest draw. On TV it was the Lone Ranger who fought for justice then Super Ninja Turtles. But now it is the courts and the court of public opinion.

I don’t like the courts and I really don’t agree with most of public opinion. So, if you believe as I do that the courts don’t always have the truth, then where is truth? We have the Supreme Court. Surely they dispense truth. If you don’t believe them, then where is truth?

Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the light. It turns out that truth rests with Jesus Christ. He has the final judgment. He judges whether or not you are telling the truth. He judges if you belief that He is the truth. How will He judge you?