Archive for 'Articles'

This week I went to the Junior High for lunch. I would be lying if I said the only reason was for some great food, although it did sort of take me back. As I sat with Austin I found that I was sort of in the same boat as I was 12 years ago – Being Awkward. It takes a lot to make me feel awkward which came in the form of a bunch of young teens. I remember junior high as being a time when I was not coordinated, stinky, bad with words, and overall weird. Needless to say, junior high was not my favorite time. As I was sitting there laughing with all of the younger youth I found that I stuck out like a sore thumb, yet again. Although as I write this I hear the teens saying “you are always the sore thumb” (I guess the only option is to accept this reality and move on.) So, as I was saying, here I am in a cafeteria with a bunch of people that are shorter with less facial hair and more top hair trying to strike up a conversation, and it worked. This story has a happy ending. Not only was I able to visit and meet some people that I would have never had the chance to normally, but I also learned a lesson in the process. Good things do come from placing yourself in an awkward position.

Now I know there are some places that we really don’t need to go as Christians. However, what I am referring to is when we restrict ourselves from doing something good because we don’t want to be around those people. This could be reflective of what I have written about in previous weeks, but I think this may be deeper than before. Sometimes I find myself avoiding certain people and/or conversations because I don’t want to get involved with them. But if we look at Christ and the apostles….. what kind of people and situations did they get involved with?…. So what does that tell you about how we should live.

Let’s go be awkward

 D-man

I am hoping that this space will be a place where I can show you a little bit of what I do and how I interpret some experiences. I know at times we tend to get bogged down with the routine of life. We would like to “switch it up” but maybe we don’t know how or we fear the unknown of stepping outside our routine. Let’s be honest sometimes it just isn’t comfortable. We like to do things the way we have always done them because we know that it’s safe. Having a place that we sit at ball games and during worship. Saying “hey” to the same people as last week and the week before and the week before. I get it. We all get caught up in this I think. I was at the basketball games on Tuesday and as I sat next to Allison Szabo I leaned over and said “You played a good game tonight,” she replied, “thanks, again”. I gave her a look of not understanding. She had thought that I had already told her “good job”, but I hadn’t. However, every week I go to these games and I sit in my seat and then I walk and talk and tell people good job, but it nothing new so it all runs together. I don’t want to be like that – both in my life and to other people. I don’t think Jesus was that way. I don’t think people could figure Him out because he was always doing something different. Same with the apostles. They didn’t blend in. They preached and walked and healed and loved. None of it was uniformed or monotonous. So I guess the question is: Do you blend in? (and) How’s that working for you?

The challenge is to switch it up. Encourage someone that you wouldn’t every other day. Give someone a hug or conversation that is normally not in your routine. Talk about Jesus, become His instrument. It’s not easy, but we are called to do great things.

 D-man

Eccl. 3:1-8 “There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.”

It is my prayer that you all will know when it is your time. I love you all.

God bless you and have a great week,

Michael

    Have you ever uttered the words “Why is this happening to me?” I mean after all, we try to live right. We pray, we go to church, we read our bible, we try to be a good husband (or wife), but still this terrible thing has happened to me. What did I do to deserve this? Why did they treat me so badly? Why do things happen to hurt me so much? Where is God when I need Him? Why did He allow this to happen?
    If you are looking for some fantastic, new revelation to answer these questions you’re going to be disappointed, because I don’t have one. I have only the old answers you have heard before, but that doesn’t make them any less true.
    You see, more than likely you don’t deserve all the bad stuff that is happening to you. Where is God and why didn’t He stop it? He’s still in heaven watching over His creation. Why didn’t He stop it, for the same reason He didn’t stop it when they came and took His Son to be crucified. Some things we just have to see through to the end on our own, not because He doesn’t care, not because He doesn’t love us, but because that is one way our faith and reliance upon Him grows and is strengthened.
    There is a good chance you have heard the following story, because it is a favorite of preachers. A man tells that one morning he had discovered a cocoon in the bark of a tree. He noticed that a butterfly was trying to emerge from the cocoon. He waited a while, but it took so long. Finally, he decided to help the poor creature along. Slowly and carefully he tore the cocoon to help the butterfly escape. The butterfly started to come out, but its wings were folded back and crumpled. The butterfly valiantly struggled but could not make it and soon died. The man had forced the butterfly to come out before its time without a struggle. As he held the little body in his hands he realized the terrible thing that he had done. It was the struggle to come out of the cocoon the butterfly needed to pump the fluids into its wings and give it strength, without the struggle it died.
    If you are going through tough times right now or if you do in the future, don’t label God as uncaring and don’t give up on Him. It may be that you need to strengthen your wings of faith to be what you’re supposed to be. If He reached out and interfered you may never grow into what He has intended you to be. Paul writes in I Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
    May you find the way to endure the test! - Unknown

God bless you all and have a great week,

Michael

    Have you ever thought about yourself in the terms of whether you are an optimist or a pessimist? Perhaps you have heard the old saying, “a pessimist sees a glass as being half empty, while an optimist sees it as being half full”.
    I love this old story that makes a great point about this problem. It seems that an avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him.
    He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, a pessimist by nature, and invited him to hunt with him and his new dog. As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by, they fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet.
    This continued all day long; each time a duck fell, the dog walked across the surface of the water to retrieve it. The pessimist watched carefully, saw everything, but didn’t say a single word
    On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, “Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?” “I sure did,” responded the pessimist. “Your dog can’t swim.”
    I believe that God intents for us to be optimists! Yet the truth of the matter is that we are many times the victims of our circumstances. In other words, we become so caught up in what is going wrong in our world that we can’t see past it to see anything good. God’s instructions to us through the apostle Paul however is found in Philippians 4:8. Paul writes, “and now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you”.
    The question then is, “are you looking for the good things in life or can you only think of the bad?” “Do you make it your habit to praise or to criticize?” “Do you see the glass half full or half empty?” - © MFTH

God bless you all and have a great week,

Michael

   An old lady had been married for many years when suddenly her husband died. This is what she put on his tombstone: THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HAS GONE OUT.
   Not long afterward she met, fell in love with and married another man. After thinking at some length about it, she went to the monument maker and had him add this to the tombstone:

THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE HAS GONE OUT.

P.S. I Found A Match.

    Reminds me of what happened to the church at Ephesus. There was a lot of activity in that congregation. They were commended for their perseverance, their refusal to tolerate false doctrine, and their labor for the cause of Christ. But there was something missing. The “light of their life” had gone out. They lost the first love they had for Christ, and it had reached the point that they were doing lots of “religious works” without love as a motivator.
    Rev. 2:4-5a “”Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works….”
    Perhaps you’ve found yourself in a similar situation. You’re doing all the “right” things, but that love you once had for Christ just isn’t there anymore. Perhaps you need to find a match and rekindle the flame. It’s important to do that before the light truly goes out in our lives: Rev. 2:5b “….or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place.”
    May you find again your “first love” throughout 2011. - ©TFTD

God bless you all and have a great week!

Michael

    A local policeman had just finished his shift one cold November evening and was at home with his wife. “You just won’t believe what happened this evening. In all my years on the force I’ve never seen
anything like it!”
    “What happened?”
    “I came across two guys down by the canal, one of them was drinking battery acid and the other was eating fireworks.”
    “Drinking battery acid and eating fireworks!! What did you do with them?”
    “I charged one and let the other off.”
    Spiritually speaking, those of us who are Christians have been both “charged” and “let off.” We are charged with sin (and rightfully so, for we are guilty). “For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.” (Rom. 3:9)
    But, those of us who are Christians who have put on Christ have also been “let off” because Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins. We have been justified, “just as if I’d” never sinned. “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38-39)
    To be charged is a frightful thing (those of you who have received tickets can vouch for that). To have a judge say, “I find you guilty, but I’m going to pay the fine for you” is inconceivable. Yet, that’s exactly what has happened! May our lives demonstrate the gratitude we feel. - ©TFTD

God bless you all and have a great week!

Michael

    How much enthusiasm do you show in your daily walk as a Christian? It’s rare it seems, to see someone who is enthusiastic and active in sharing the joy they find in Christ. I understand that we are concerned with how people might perceive us or react to us if we are enthusiastic in proclaiming what Christ has done for us. We don’t like to be thought of as “odd” or “different,” so for the most part we approach life and relationships pretty low keyed. Because of that, even if we feel that special link to Christ, we often miss opportunities to share that with others.

    Have you ever wondered what it might be like to get excited about Christ and let it show? I think the following little story illustrates that for us.

    “Before the advent of wireless microphones a preacher was wired for sound with a lapel mike on a long cord. As he preached, he moved briskly about the platform, jerking the mike cord as he went. Then he moved to one side, getting wound up in the cord and nearly tripping before jerking towards him again.

    After several circles and jerks, a little girl in the third pew leaned toward her mother and whispered rather loudly, “If he gets loose, will he hurt us?” (David L. Roper, Judsonia, Ark. Christian Reader, “Kids of the Kingdom).”

    That kind of illustrates the way Satan tethers our hearts far too much of the time, doesn’t it. Oh yes, we may occasionally give it a good jerk to allow us to move in some direction, but we are still chained by Satan and unable to show the joy of Christ in our lives.

    I am reminded of Peter in Acts 8:6ff. Peter was arrested for letting his enthusiasm and conviction be seen, notice what happen: “The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, chained between two soldiers, with others standing guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel tapped him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So, Peter left the cell, following the angel.”

    Our hearts might be bound by chains forged by Satan. It might be sin, it might be fear of embarrassment or ridicule and it might even be fear of physical persecution. Sometimes our chains are the people around us, that forge chains with words and actions that keep us from being “loosed to proclaim the love of God”.

    I would suggest to you today first, that what we need to remember is that just like Peter we have the angels of God watching over us. I would remind you second that our real life, the one of a Christian, doesn’t depend upon the things that happen in this physical body to be full of the joy and enthusiasm. Our real life and freedom comes from being in Christ Jesus. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, “For me to live is Christ,” how about you? - © MFTH

God bless you all and have a great week,

Michael

     In the days of the circuit riders a minister was out riding one afternoon and came upon a man out working in his field. “Fine day isn’t it?” the minister called out.

     “Its fine for you”, the man replied, “All you have to do is ride around on that horse thinking about God all day long, while I have to sweat here in this field and then walk home afterward. I don’t think its right you should have things so easy while I have to work so hard.”

     “On the contrary”, the minister answered, “thinking about God is one of the most difficult things you can do. And to prove it, I’ll give you this horse if you can think about God and nothing else for one minute.”

     “You’re on,” said the man and immediately he sat down in silence. Thirty seconds later he looked up at the minister, and said, “Does that include the saddle?”

     Thinking about God is not difficult. Thinking about nothing BUT God is very difficult indeed.  There are so many things in the world around us that compete for our time and attention.

     When Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matt. 5:6), He described people who want nothing else and think of nothing else than to be right with God. Many of us want to be righteous. However, few of us crave it so that it becomes the consuming passion of our lives. But Jesus assured us that only those who have that intense desire will receive what they desire.

     I leave you with this question for thought — what is it that you find yourself thinking about today? My prayer is that, more and more, your thoughts may be focused on God and Him alone.   

     Psalm 63:3-6 “My lips will praise You because Your mercy is better than life [itself]. So I will thank You as long as I live. I will lift up my hands [to pray] in Your name. You satisfy my soul with the richest foods. My mouth will sing [Your] praise with joyful lips. As I lie on my bed, I remember You. Through the long hours of the night, I think about You.” – © TFTD

God bless you all and have a great week,

Michael

    Most of us don’t like something about ourselves–usually something we had nothing to do with or can do nothing about. 

    Such as: “Why can’t I be taller, skinnier, better-looking? Why couldn’t I have been born rich? Why couldn’t I have been born in another place, or another time? Why couldn’t I have a more pleasant singing voice or a better jump shot?”

    You might be dissatisfied with the raw material you were given to work with, but the Bible says that God made you just as you are, and He specifically had you in mind at the time.

    Here’s how David expressed it in Psalm 139:13-17 “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous — and how well I know it. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in Your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are Your thoughts about me, O God!”

    Abraham Lincoln said, “It is difficult to make a man miserable when he feels worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.”

    Do you remember the gospel story of the man born blind? Jesus was asked who was at fault — the blind man or his parents? Jesus said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (John 9:2)

    Instead of grumbling about who you are, take some time to thank God for how He created you. He chose your parents, your birthday, your physical attributes, your talents, your intellectual capacity — you are just as He wanted you to be. He even knows about your weaknesses and limitations.

    Just like the man who received the gift of sight, remember that you are who you are so that, somehow, God’s work can be displayed in your life. That’s what He had in mind when He created you. How might you display His work today? - © Steve May

God bless you all and have a great week,

Michael