I Just Don't Have It In Me Tonight

I'm not in a bad mood, depressed or otherwise upset tonight. I actually had a pretty decent evening with my wife; running to the grocery store after work so that we could fill up our cupboards. Then, dinner and a few DVR'ed episodes of "How I Met Your Mother" were on the agenda.

It was a nice simple evening. I just don't feel much like blogging right now. I'll scoot out of the blogosphere in a minute, but please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers. God bless you.

Good Night

God Bless The Salvation Army

After Thanksgiving, the volunteers for the Salvation Army begin their annual trek to the fronts of grocery and department stores. They stand for hours on end in the rain, snow, wind and ice, ringing their bells and gathering money for the less fortunate souls of our society.

Most people simply walk on by; ignoring the sound of the bell. Some shoppers avoid making eye contact with the volunteer, or rush past the doorway with heaping carts in an attempt to project how busy they are. I've been guilty of these same things in the past. However, tonight as my wife and I walked past one of the famous red buckets, we pulled out our last $0.31 of cold hard cash from the car's ashtray. The thought behind this token gift was that although it was practically a monetary insult, it was all of the cash we had on hand until payday. Even if it only bought someone a hot beverage, it was well worth it.

In the book of Matthew, a parable of Sheep and Goats was illustrated in chapter 25. The people whom had loving hearts toward their fellow man and reached out to help were classified as "Sheep". Those who were too involved in their own selfish desires and didn't show compassion toward others were called "Goats". Let's see what the Lord has to say about these two types of people:

Matthew 25:31-46

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Don't be a Goat.

This Christmas season, please consider giving to the Salvation Army, or a local mission, community toy/food drive, adopted church family, struggling friend or relative. No matter how "tight" our budgets are this year, there are those within our community who aren't making ends meet. Even if you cannot give currency, consider volunteering your time or providing a hot meal. Even the smallest of gifts can make a big difference, and sometimes just letting people know you care is more than enough.

Good Night

It Had To Be God

I'm totally slammed with last minute "to do" lists for work tomorrow, but I wanted to share this really neat article with you (Honestly, I had nothing for tonight's blog, but when my wife told me about it- I just had to share). It's about the journey of three teenagers, who were lost at sea for more than 50 days.

Since late September, the Lord provided for them. Rainwater for drink, jumping fish and strategically placed birds offered up just enough sustenance to get them through the ordeal. A watchful eye from a boat more than 800 miles from land, that just happened to spot them. So many things had to go "just right" for their survival. I'm reminded of the prophets and how the Lord took care of them in similar ways, too.

Jonah was sheltered from the harsh sun by a plant that the Lord provided, and he survived the experience of being within the stomach of a whale for three days, before being vomited out onto the beach.

Elijah was fed by ravens in the desert during a severe drought. The miracle of the never ending flour and oil also proved adequate provision for Elijah, the widow and her son for many days.

Paul barely escaped a shipwreck, among many other trials.

There was always "just enough" to keep them going; no more, no less. Coincidence? No. It was all the work of God. After discussing the events of the article above, I'm convinced that the Lord is doing important work within these three young men from Fiji.

Good Night

What Is God Telling You?

Tonight, our guest pastor shared scripture from James chapters 1 and 2. The thrust of the message was to get up and start living our lives with faith and works. Not action without faith, nor idle faith- it's faith in action that God wants from us.

James 2:19-26 (The Message)

19-20Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

21-24Wasn't our ancestor Abraham "made right with God by works" when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn't it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are "works of faith"? The full meaning of "believe" in the Scripture sentence, "Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named "God's friend." Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?

25-26The same with Rahab, the Jericho harlot. Wasn't her action in hiding God's spies and helping them escape—that seamless unity of believing and doing—what counted with God? The very moment you separate body and spirit, you end up with a corpse. Separate faith and works and you get the same thing: a corpse.

I'm still not certain of what God is telling me. However, I want to have ears to hear what he's trying to say, so that I can be obedient and listen to His will for my life and walk in it. What is He telling you?

Good Night

Transition To The Christmas Season

It's only a day after Thanksgiving; the tastes and smells of a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings are still fresh in my mind. However, today's focus shifted toward Christmas. After crashing into bed last night, my wife and son and I headed back out to Stayton first thing this morning, to reunite with our other children and their grandparents. The goal of the day was to remove the Fall/Harvest decor and set up for Christmas. This is a well established tradition for our children, whom know especially well that the day after Thanksgiving means decorating the tree and listening to their grandfather tell the story of the meaning of the candy cane.







That's pretty neat, isn't it? I'll bet you'll never view a candy cane in the same way again.

In the days that follow, especially as consumerism shifts into high gear, it's important to remember the true meaning of Christmas. It's all about the birth of Christ.

Good Night

Happy Thanksgiving!

No matter where you are, or what you've gone through, it's time to pause and think about the people and things in your life that you're thankful for.

Personally, I'm grateful that my family is healthy and we were able to fill our bellies today. We've got shelter and warmth to cradle us tonight and the freedom to sleep soundly. Life is good.

Philippians 4:10-14 (The Message)

Content Whatever the Circumstances

10-14I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess—happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. I don't mean that your help didn't mean a lot to me—it did. It was a beautiful thing that you came alongside me in my troubles.

Good Night

Nothing Is More Important Than Family

Although nothing should take center stage in our lives more than our relationship with Jesus, it's important to mention that aside from God, nothing matters more than family.

"Thank you, Lord for giving me such a great family; a loving wife and wonderful children. I swear to you that I'll protect them and honor them. Thank you for entrusting them to me. Amen."

Good Night