Pray for Peace Makers?

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:9 

 

 How many times have we gone through the motions of our day without every praying?  Are we thankful for waking up?  Are we thankful to have a roof over our heads, food, water, clothing, people who love us?  What about the people who protect us?

 

We have SO much to be thankful for, and today I as that you join with me in praying for our First Responders (naming the ones you know by name).  Pray for their safety.  Pray for the strength and courage to do their jobs.  Pray for their families.  Thank God for their dedication to face the ills and evils of society we don't want to face.

 

I'll be honest, there are days when I am so wrapped up in what I'm doing or thinking that I don't notice the police cars, ambulances, and the EMTs who work them to save lives.  Please forgive my oversight.  I have become more aware and if I see a face I recognize, I will pray specifically for them right then and there.  If not I will sill pray for them right then and there and hope to make a new friend.

 

So I ask you, will you join me?

Appreciation and Appreciated

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.

Philippians 1:3 

 

In this age where everyone is supposed to get a trophy for trying, it's sometimes hard to truly express to someone that they are really appreciated, even if they aren't the best of the best.  Let's face it, when we feel appreciated we are willing to go that extra mile.  But how do we do that without becoming cliche? 

 

There are many ways to show appreciation:

     How about a handwritten note reminding the person that while no one says it, but their hard work has not gone unnoticed and they are appreciated?

 

I have shared this with several people and I think it still holds true, back when the flooding caused so much damage and chaos, the Deputies were working long hours in the heat and were having to listen to people vent their anger about their situation.  And I appreciated being allowed by some of these officers to tag along with them.  But the thing I found to be most meaningful was a relatively small church came to one of the Regional substations with coffee, cold drinks and some food for the Deputies and each one of the paper cups used for the beverages had a handwritten note to the Deputy expressing appreciation (and here's the kicker) written by children.

 

Many months later, the cups have long since gone to the landfill, but several of those messages still have a place in the visor of some of the Deputies.  

 

Let me put it this way, gifts are easy.....expressing appreciation isn't so much, but is worth the effort. 

It Only Took A Breath...

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. 

He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, 

and the man became a living person.

Genesis 2:7

 

My Bride and I have a dog, Woody Bear, who loves to dig in our back yard and has running trails all around our back yard. Woody Bear is of undetermined lineage as he looks rather like a Chocolate Lab, with the head of a Pit Bull, and the blue tongue and strong curled tail of a Husky.  So he's pretty much a "Near Miss" of anything on the grid.

 

One of the times I was out with him in the back yard, I noticed that our yard is made of different kinds of dirt. Some sections are dark while others are light. And that cranked up the thought generator....when God gave Adam the breath of life, what color was Adam (having been formed from the dust of the Earth)?

 

And you know what?  The Bible doesn't tell us that, because the skin pigmentation is irrelevant!  The only thing that matters is that God's Breath of Life was breathed not only into Adam, but into everyone of us who draw breath.  God breathed into us the ability to love and the desire to be loved.  God breathed into us the ability to think.  God breathed into us the ability to be compassionate.  God breathed into us the ability to help each other.  God breathed Himself into us!

 

So with that within us, why do we focus on what is outside us?

What Gift Did YOU Give?

They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished

Luke 2:16-18 

While reading today's passage, and having had to deal with some of the traffic on Harbison Boulevard, I had a bit of a re-epiphany.  Re-epiphany is an epiphany that you had before and has smacked you in the noggin' one more time.

Do you know what gifts Jesus got for Christmas?  Shepherds!  That's right, people who smelled like sheep.  You may say, "But Padre, the Bible says the Wisemen came and brought Him gold, frankincense and myrrh."  True, but that occurred about two + years later.  On the first Christmas, Jesus got a visit by a bunch of sheep scented men.  And they were SO impressed that THEY had been chosen to see this child Jesus, that they ran through the streets telling everyone they saw about Him.

Then we look under our Christmas Trees at the stacks and stacks of gifts.  We spend weeks and even months sweating, fighting, and getting frustrated on the safari to gather the gifts for Christmas.  And on Christmas morning, we shred through the wrapping paper in seconds, boxes are torn apart in a few more seconds like a shark feeding frenzy, and then we sweat the bills that will arrive in January.

We may say we remember the True meaning of Christmas, but do we?

Time is Fleeting!

By the sweat of your brow
    will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
    from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
    and to dust you will return.

Genesis 3:19 

 

Stop for a moment, and consider how much of our lives are merely routine.  

     *   We get up

     *   We shower (hopefully)

     *   We get dressed 

     *   We get something to eat

     *   We go to work

And on, and on, and on.  Meetings, travel, activities, even our vacations are crammed with events.  Our lives are so full of stuff!   

 

But are we making a difference?  When your time on this Earth is over, will you be remembered for all your activities and work and stuff, or will you be remembered as one who made a difference in the lives of others?

 

We are told in Scripture that we were made from the dust and we will return to the dust.  Between those two dusty times is what we have to offer.  When I was a bit younger, a group called Kansas, performed a song called "Dust in the Wind" and part of the lyrics included the line "All we are is dust in the wind." 

 

Our routines will simply be taken over by someone else, but will our lives leave a memory worth remembering?

Apathy

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

James 4:17

I admit it, there are days when I just have the attitude of "Why even bother?".  I can sit in my recliner and zone out pretty much all day, (ask my Bride).  I have coursework I should be doing but "I just don't feel like it."  Ever feel that way?

Sadly, this is quickly becoming a mindset that is truly setting in to many of us.  We just don't seem to care much anymore.  

   *  Doing a job we were once so gung-ho about?  Nah, no one notices so why bother?
   *  Getting up to go attend services?  Nah, no one will miss me so why bother?
   *  Work ethic? Nah, who cares? I'm stuck in this spot forever so why bother?

When we become apathetic, every single aspect of our lives becomes tainted.  We slowly just stop caring.  Then we have the audacity to wonder why our lives have turned out so far from what we imagined.

How do we solve the issue of apathy?  When we notice it creeping into our lives, confront it and do the right thing the best way you can.  Always do your best!  

Gratitude or Greed?

Greed causes fighting;
    trusting the Lord leads to prosperity.

Proverbs 28:25 

 

Is it just me, or do the Christmas decorations and "Black Friday Previews" seem to come earlier and earlier?  I was having coffee (go figure) with a friend (yes, I have friends) and said, "We should just do away with all the holidays from September until February and have just ONE holiday celebrated throughout the month of December."  Surprisingly, they agreed with the idea.  It seems like we can't get through Labor Day before the Christmas ads start creeping out and it only increases.

 

When I was a child, I was given the Sears Wish Book and got to choose 3 items I hoped for that were less than $50 and I may get one of them or something completely different that my parents thought more appropriate.  Then there were the requisite clothes, socks, and underwear.  Oddly enough, at my age now, the prospect of socks, t-shirts, and underwear are the most exciting part for me.  Toys and gadgets, while appreciated and enjoyed) come in second place.

 

But year after year, we see hordes of people lining up in front of stores sometimes for days, just to get the few specially priced items stores use to tempt shoppers.  Then when the doors open, chaos ensues!  People begin to stampede and trample other human beings.  Fights break out over STUFF!  Insanity becomes the rule of the day!  And it's fueled by GREED!  And then there are the overwhelmed store employees who have to try to deal with the mobs of greedy, frustrated, angry, demanding people who act as though no one matters except them.

 

We seem to have completely forgotten to be grateful and thankful because GREED takes over and we lose our wits.  For some Greed is a sport.  For some, Greed is a lifestyle.  But in the end, Greed is nothing more than GREED!

 

Learn to be grateful.  Gratitude is a gift that will continue to give and has no expiration date.  It cannot be purchased because it is a free DECISION! 

Details, Details, Details

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1 

 

My loving and longsuffering bride hates watching television with me because I pick out errors of detail.  

 

But think about this:  What kind of detail did God put into creating the universe and all that's in it?  Did He start with the tiniest detail and work His way out or did He start with the big picture and then fill in the details?

 

 God is the God of details!  For it is in His design that all the details function together to make life happen and possible.  Imagine if God had been putting Adam together and decided a brain was not needed.  Imagine if, when He put Eve together, God decided she didn't need a mouth.  How odd we'd look if God had not paid attention to the details.

 

Now bring this into your own life.  We aren't expected to be perfect, but we ARE expected to do our best!  God gave us the ability to know right from wrong, an intentional detail we are expected to exercise.  God gave us the capacity to love, an intentional detail we are expected to share.  God took great pains to make sure we are created to fulfill the specific mission He has for us, an intentional detail we are expected to execute.

 

God is in the details!   

Morale Is A Problem!!!

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

Colossians 3:23-25 

 

You're probably not going to like what I'm about to say, but I dare you to read it anyway.  People tell me how their morale is low because of  (insert your favorite reason here: not enough money, hours too long, boss is too demanding, coworkers are suck-ups, etc.)

 

Well....let me tell you the REAL reason your morale is low...look in the mirror!  Here's what I mean: 

     *     your boss could promote you and give you a raise, but that would only raise your morale for a while, then the downward spiral would begin again. 

     *      Your job may require long hours.  But you were the one that accepted the position knowing the hours would be long.

 

The point I'm trying to make is simple:  The only person who can boost your morale is YOU!   YOU are the one who decides if you are going to do your best or not.  If your supervisor tells you to do something (provided it's not illegal) then it's your responsibility to do it.  If you choose not to do it, then be prepared to accept the consequences.  

 

A good supervisor or boss knows that if they make their people look good, then that boss or supervisor looks good.  And the opposite is also true.

 

I don't like doing everything that is expected of me, but I do it because I want to do a good job.  Now, I may rant and cuss in the car to and from, but when I am on scene I do my best.

 

My boss does have high expectations.  And I knew that when I began working here.  I don't expect an "Atta Boy" every time I do my job well, because eventually the "Atta Boys" will become meaningless.  I do, as most of us, thrive on positive reinforcement, but my morale is MY responsibility!

 

Do your best in EVERYTHING you do, because God is the one you are really working for and His rewards program far exceeds any plaque, certificate, trophy or raise!