Gods Love

A week and a half ago our church had a spiritual time together.  Martin Weber came to our church as a guest speaker and talked about Gods love.  One particular incident inspired me.   He and his church were able to show the love of God through their actions to a disenfranchised group of people in their community.

As Christians we often talk about the love of God and we mention good texts like John 3:16 but then we don’t follow through with our actions.  Unfortunately I have, at times, not followed through with the actions of love for my fellow man.  And yet if we as Christians are supposed to be the light of the world, a city on a hill that can’t be hid, salt to those around us shouldn’t our actions match what and who we say we are?  If they don’t, it seems to me, we have lost the love of God and have become impotent Christians.

On the other hand aren’t we supposed to be doing everything that we can to spread the love of God to everyone we meet?  There is an excellent video/song from Matthew West that is very meaningful and made me realize that I should and can do more for Christ.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=c377c388df7477a84ec4

A Ticket!

Ok… Right now I am still seething.  It wasn’t but an hour ago that a police officer pulled me over.  I wasn’t speeding or driving reckless.  After all I had my kids in the car.  A few months ago the city integrated cameras at a few traffic lights in town and since that time the traffic in this small town is crazy.  I mean I can sit on one road for upwards of half an hour and still only get a few blocks.  While waiting I got into a side lane and used fifty yards of the shoulder to get to a turn off lain.  After all, I rationalized, it would help with the traffic and hopefully we would actually get home.  BIG MISTAKE!  The officer, whom I could not see until I got closer, was waiting for me and motioned me over, how infuriating!

As you can tell I am venting a little and I am also trying to justify myself.  The realty is I did break the law and knew better than to drive on the road even if I felt it was justified.  That police officer was just doing his job.  He wasn’t rude, mean or cocky.  Rather he was polite, matter of fact, and efficient.

What I have felt for the past hour or so is not pleasant.  The anger inside me changes me into someone that is not nice to be around.  It is at times like these, when I have cooled down enough to think rationally, that I realize how much God still needs to work in me.  As a Christian I shouldn’t be getting so furious over a small ticket.  And as a Christian I should be staying on the road!

God’s Chisel

For those of you that have been to my blog you will recognize that I have not been writing as much recently.  I won’t make any promises but I hope to write more in the future.

Sometimes I can’t help but watch and listen to all that is happening in the news especially in regards to our government.  There seems to be one issue after another that is important and pressing and of which I should be aware.  But these endless streams of media at times become depressing and weigh me down.  Some of the stories are so sad.  The other morning I heard about another dog fighting ring that was busted up.  Some sick people were hosting dogfights at a day care facility and they were using puppies as bate to get the fighting dogs ready for the fights.  I almost hurled when I heard this!  It makes me feel physically ill.  So, it is at times like these, when I need to hear something uplifting and funny, that I turn to the “Skit Guys”!  I personally think that they are incredibly funny.  However, not every one of their sketches are funny.  There was one that I saw a while back that I have found quite memorable and deeply moving.  If you haven’t seen it, settle back in your chair and for the next half hour let the message these guys have to share wash over you.   If you have already seen it take a moment and view it again.  “God’s Chisel”.

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=849dc7c803281df74bb2

The Chisel

This summer I have had the opportunity to take some vacation time with my family.  As we have traveled over the country, seeing friends and family, I was struck by the way that God works in people’s lives.  There are some people who have changed over time and while they were always wonderful people are know even more of a joy to be around.  There are others that, well… I just don’t want to be around.  You know what I am talking about!  People who are mean, unfriendly, and just take the joy out of life.  I then started examining my life… And I didn’t always like what I saw.  It is always easy to look at others and judge them based on our own set of criteria but when I looked at my life it became evident that I had, at varying times, been both types of people.  Sometimes giving joy and sometimes taking joy away.  How depressing that at times in my life I have taken the joy out of life for others and myself!  And then this summer I ran across a video that helped me to visualize how to be more consistent with giving joy and being joyful.  When I let the God of the universe shape me…

Click on the following link and take a look at the video:  http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=849dc7c803281df74bb2

The Value Of Rocks

While visiting my parents recently my children were blessed to be able to spend time with two of their cousins (all of the children are 3-6 yrs old).  One day we went out and walked on a train track.  The children had fun picking up rocks and deciding which ones were the best rocks.  They brought a lot of the rocks back to my parent’s home and decided to try and sell the rocks to people passing by on the road.  Of course the rocks didn’t sell; except for a few family members who were willing to give some pennies for the rocks of their choice!

As an adult observing what my children were doing it seemed crazy to try selling rocks on a gravel road!  However, they valued the rocks and because of the value believed that others found them just as valuable.

This incident reminds me that each of us places value on different things in life.  I have an old radio, which still runs on tubes, and I can even get a few stations.  The radio is most likely not worth much.  It isn’t in mint condition and the antenna was broken long ago so I most likely could not sell the radio for much money.  However, its value to me is quite a lot.  It used to be my great grandmother’s radio and so it reminds me of her and for me the value is very high.

What do we value?  What is the most important thing to value?  Jesus told a parable that talked about the value of a precious pearl.  “Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45,46 NRSV)  Jesus, in this parable, mentions the search for the ultimate pearl, a pearl of great value.  When the merchant finds the pearl he is willing to sell all he has for that one pearl.  The main meaning of the parable is quite profound.  We are the merchant and Jesus is the pearl of great value.

At different times in my life I have put the highest value on all sorts of things.  However, I have found the pearl of great value, Jesus, and am sure that He is the most valuable thing to have above anything else.  The value of Jesus is so great that there is no nothing in the world that is more valuable.  Have you found Jesus?  Have you spent time with Him to understand His matchless value?

Being Real

While on vacation one evening my boys were in bed.  In another room my wife and I were talking with relatives.  All of a sudden we saw my youngest (3 yrs old) poke his head around the corner and then the rest of his body came around the corner.  Next I saw my oldest son (6 yrs old) poke his head around the corner followed by his body.  As I saw both of my children there I realized that my youngest son had changed out of his pajamas into cloths, just like he was ready to go somewhere.  My oldest son was still in his pajamas.  As I observed what was happening I asked my youngest son what he was doing.  He said he was going to go outside and see the stars.  It was real late; they were both supposed to be asleep so they both went back to bed.  I changed my youngest into pajamas again shut the door and they did eventually go to sleep.

In the middle of the night my oldest son got up and complained about being hot.  The rest of the night he didn’t sleep with any blanket or sheet on him.  He was too hot!  The next morning we found out why.  He had thought through the entire escape to go outside and see the stars.  He had put his pajamas back over his cloths so that we wouldn’t know that he also was going to go outside!

In Matthew 18: 3, 4 it says, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.   Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

I have thought about that incident with my boys several times since then and laughed.  I have also thought about this episode in the life of my boys in relation to Matthew 18:3, 4.  I think that I see a new side of what Jesus was saying when he said that we should become like children.  It seems to me, in addition to being humble and building our faith, we should be real.  In my 3 year old I saw a child that had complete trust, honesty, humbleness, boldness, and no fear.  He was able to come to his parents and let us know what he was doing.  He was as real as it gets.  My oldest son, on the other hand, had decided that he was going to cover up some of what he was going to do so that his brother was the one that got into trouble.

I believe that quite often we are afraid to be real with others.  I see Jesus also saying that being real with others is of great value.  When we are not real with those in life that we associate with we miss out on relationships that could be free and unfettered.

Grandparents & Coming Home

I just got back from vacation.  My immediate family and I visited family that lived in the south.  On the way back from the vacation the realization struck me that I am the kind of person who likes to leave on vacation and I really like to come home.  For me there is something about having a place that we call home.  While it is fun to travel, visit places, play, visit family, etc., for me those things become boring after a while and I just want to be in my own place with my own stuff.

We were able to visit my grandparents and I had a wonderful time with each one talking on an assortment of topics.  My grandparents are now at the age where many of their friends have passed away and the majority of the people that they know are younger.  My respect for my grandparents has grown over the years.  Now that I have children of my own I realize the tremendous wealth of practical knowledge that they posses.  However, their knowledge goes far beyond understanding children.   They can now see, in hindsight, life that I cannot understand until I get there myself.

It seems to me in today’s fast paced culture that my grandparents have more to give than ever before.  Many of us have missed out on a more abundant life by not being willing to obtain the input of the generations that have gone before us.  Many of us we have grandparents around and we have missed opportunities to dialogue with them about the life they have lived, the experiences they have had and the beauty they have seen.  However, if your grandparents are anything like mine they have gained wisdom, patience and do not give advice until asked.  So, if you want to know the things they would do different in life, how they stayed married all those years, what they value the most; You will have to ask!

It seems like yesterday that I was a kid climbing up a tree picking oranges for my Grandma or trying to out swim my Grandpa underwater (which I couldn’t do).  As I looked at my grandparents this past trip I realized that life really isn’t all that long.  Each of us are on this journey we call life.  As we go through life we will eventually come to the end and then what?  For my grandparents and for me I know where I am going.  I am going to be resurrected (if Jesus doesn’t come first) into life eternal when Jesus comes back to this earth.  I am grateful that my grandparents have imparted to me a desire to know Jesus and have Him as my best friend.  They have also shown me a hope that some day soon Jesus will come back to this earth to take all those who love Him home.  As one of my grandparents said just a few days ago, “Jeffery (they always use my full name) stay close to Jesus, that is the only thing that matters.”  Why did she say that?  She wants to see me in my permanent home, the one in heaven.

Sharing Christ

I was just at camp meeting in Missouri.  For me it is a fun intense time of planning, participating and hanging out with teens.  For those who might not have been at a camp meeting before it is a time to come together as Christians for a few days and get rejuvenated spiritually.  We have teens come from all across Iowa and Missouri.  This year what impressed me the most was that instead of bringing in a speaker for youth we asked youth across the two states to preach.  They were incredible!  Each young person gave real, passionate and pointed talks about the spiritual life.  This confirmed in me that young people can and do have the potential to become the leaders of the church.  Not just tomorrow but today as well.

Biggest Loser

A little while ago I was watching the biggest loser final show.  As I watched it I was blown away by the incredible fact that Jerry was the one that won the weight loss from the people that got kicked off the show.  Here is an older man who did not have the help available to him and still, he was able to lose the most weight.  I really admire Jerry.  This guy has a lot of will power and an incredible drive to be able to do what he did.  Lose 177 lbs in those few weeks.  I think it is interesting that he said he and his wife, “look forward to the opportunity to make the major changes needed for a better future and quality of life (including playing with grand-kids and dancing more)!”  http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/contestants/current_cast/jerry/.

Having a quality of life is so important.  I see people every day that do not have a quality of life.  Over weight people, depressed people, people stressed out, people with out any direction in life, people living the American rat race.  While it is tough, I believe that I want to have more of what Jerry has; will power.  But that is tough to do.  Especially when I really want another blizzard.  I have noticed that I don’t  consistently have will power and often I make the wrong choice when trying to change my life and have a better quality of life.  While I don’t do it everyday it seems to me that if I want to have a better quality of life, if I want to have will power, I must be willing to tap into a power outside of myself.  I must be willing to connect with a power outside of myself on a daily basis.  If I don’t do that then I fail over and over again.  For me that power is asking Jesus Christ into my life every day.  When I do that I have power that is incredible.

What do you think?  Do you believe that in order to make life changing choices, to make your life better, you have to access the power of Jesus Christ every day?

Helping Someone In Need

My wife had prayed that morning for God to give her an oppertunity to help someone in need.  That evening our family was driving into town for a meeting.  Coming to the exit off of the highway we drove onto the off ramp and passed a car with it’s hazards flashing.  Walking up the exit ramp 25 yards from the car was a woman with her head down caring some food.  We passed by her and then in a moment of inspiration we backed up.

Normally I don’t pick up hitchhickers or people beside the road.  Especially with my family in the car.  It is dangerous and I wouldn’t want my family hurt.  However, I felt impressed to at least see if this woman needed help.

Backing up the exit ramp my wife rolled down the window to ask this woman if she needed help.  The woman looked at us and we saw a tear streeked face.  After asking her if she needed help she told us that she was running away from her husband and her car had run out of gas.  She needed to get gas to get to her next destination.  She also mentioned that her husband had beaten her for the last time.

We told her to wait by the car and we went and bought a small gas can filled it up and then I walked back down the exit ramp while my wife went to the nearest gas station.  After putting enough gas in her car to get her to the gas station I got in the car and rode with her to the filling station.  While driving she told me that over the last 10 years she had been beaten by her husband and that she wasn’t going to take it any more.

At the gas station I filled up her car with gas.  My wife talked to her making sure that she was ok and that where she was going she would be safe.  Then we helped to point this lady on her way.

I have thought about that incident several times over the last week.  I don’t always spend time helping people in need.  However, there are so many in need.  It seems to me, as a nation, that we are pretty selfish people.  We don’t like to get messy with the lives of other people.  And yet there are so many people that need help, that need someone that is willing to help with their messy lives.

I don’t feel that we did enough.  I wish that I could have done more and yet I know there are more people out there that need help even if it is just getting gas for a lady on an off ramp along the highway.