Moments

Then they came to the city of Jericho. When He was leaving the city with His followers and many people, a blind man was sitting by the road. He was asking people for food or money as they passed by. His name was Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus. He heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. He began to speak with a loud voice, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, take pity on me!” Many people spoke sharp words to the blind man telling him not to call out like that. But he spoke all the more. He said, “Son of David, take pity on me.” Jesus stopped and told them to call the blind man. They called to him and said, “Take hope! Stand up, He is calling for you!” As he jumped up, he threw off his coat and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Lord, I want to see!” Jesus said, “Go! Your faith has healed you.” At once he could see and he followed Jesus down the road.

~Mark 10:46-52 

Moments.  Think about this!  Our lives are made up of moments.  Every photograph we take is merely a moment in time.  Every memory is of a moment in time.  

      * I don't remember being born; 

      * I can barely remember this morning;  

      * I do remember the moment my daughter was born. 

      * I have lots of pictures of friends and moments spent with them.

      * I remember the face of my first girlfriend (3rd grade. She gave me a baseball sized wad of Plasti-Tack and that won me over).

I recently took time to look back through my high school yearbook from my senior year.  WOW! And we thought we were on the cutting edge of awesome.  Then I started reading the comments people wrote in my yearbook....many of them were the cliche: "Have a great summer" and "Don't ever change" written by people in a hurry and who didn't know me all that well (or found me annoying but wanted to appear to be nice).  But then there were the people who wrote about specific moments in our friendship. Like when we rode innertubes down the Saluda River, or when we pulled a prank that backfired and ended up squishing into the midnight movies because we were soaked from head to toe.  And then there were some that we won't discuss.

But each represents a moment in life.  A memory.  I am convinced that, while we live in a continuum, our minds work on a stream of moments.  

Think about Jesus' ministry.  The writers of the Gospels captured moments in Jesus' life.  Look at today's passage...Bartimaeus was blind.  During this time in history, if you were different from everyone else, you were thought to be cursed by God.  Bart was blind, so he must have been cursed by God and he lived each day going through the same motions of the only job available to him which was begging.  Then Jesus comes along.  Bart hears the crowds of people and probably believes that a lot of people in a group could mean he could get a little extra from begging.

THEN Bart hears someone in the crowd say that Jesus is in the crowd.  So Bart has a quick decision to make, he can continue to live his life as a blind beggar or he can seize the moment and see if Jesus really can help him.  So Bart takes his moment and starts to yell at the top of his lungs calling for Jesus to take pity on him and help him.  Now, some of the crowd want Bart to shut up and not interfere with this great teacher, because Jesus has "more important" things to attend to than a God-cursed-blind-beggar. BUT Jesus stops!  He tells those close to Bart to bring him over, which they do.  Then Jesus asks Bart what he wants.  

Again, Bart has a choice to make.  Again, Bart seizes the moment and tells Jesus that he wants to see.  Jesus, in that moment, heals Bart and in that moment removes Bart excuse to continue expecting others to care for him.  In a moment! 

Our lives are made up of moments! Bart seized his and made it count.  Will You? 

Take Time To Live!

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
    so that we may grow in wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Have you ever had someone you love die?  Do you miss them?  Do you ever think about things you should have said....should have done?  Ever wish for another chance to spend time with them?

When my Grampa died, I would have given anything to spend one more day with him listening to his stories, smelling his pipe as he smoked Carter Hall tobacco, learning him, seeing life through his eyes.  Just one more time.

I think I speak for all of us when I say we tend to take life for granted!  We put things off until "tomorrow."  We don't say the things that are important because we just KNOW we'll have that chance "tomorrow."  We care too lightly.  We take ourselves far too seriously.  We let the people who drag us down stay in our lives far too long!  We waste far too much life focused on the negative aspects of everything.

A wise person once told me, "Life is far too brief to waste on inconsequentials! If someone is dragging you down and sucking the life out of you, CUT THEM OFF!  Stay close to those who truly love you! Laugh! And for goodness' sake, LIVE!"

You see, we are not guaranteed tomorrow!  Scripture tells us to plan for it but don't count on it (Matthew 6:34)!

I challenge each of you to LIVE LIFE ON PURPOSE!

     *  Remove those who drain you!

     *  Build up those who love you!

     *  Carry only the burdens worth carrying!

     *  Laugh a LOT (especially at yourself)!

     *  Love passionately!

     *  Live on purpose every moment of every day!

Every single moment of every single day is God's gift to you!  It is YOURS!  Invest it wisely!

We Really ARE One....When We Want To Be!

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. 

~Hebrews 12:14-15

During the flooding which overwhelmed the residents of Columbia this past week, people worked together to help each other.  Entire communities reached out to those who suffered.  First Responders worked themselves to the point of exhaustion and still pushed on, because we became a single community of people.

Never once did I hear anything about race, beliefs, gender, preferences or any of the other irrelevant barriers WE have put in place.  For once, we realized that we all are part of the community of humanity.  People pitched in with manual labor; jumping right in to help with the clean up.  People opened their bank accounts and pantries to help provide for those who were without.  People gave and gave and gave!  

True, there were some who sought the spotlight, there were also some who became greedy, and even some who took this disaster as their opportunity to take what wasn't theirs.  But overall, people banded together; prayed for and with each other, accepted each other, cared about each other.

If God intended for us to be all the same, He would have stopped with Adam or Eve.  But God created us to join together as community, showing love to others regardless of our differences.

My question and challenge to ALL of us is this: When things return to normal, will we continue to see each other as a community or will the irrelevant divisive issues return?  

So...You Like To Argue?

Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools,
    or you will become as foolish as they are.

Proverbs 26:4

Ever know anyone who enjoys arguing just for the sake of arguing?  No matter what the issue, they will take the opposite stance of everyone else, just for the sheer enjoyment of arguing.  And guess what?  We fall into their trap time after time after time.  

Let's face it, we don't like being wrong!  We don't like being anything but right! Why? Because we are just that full of......we can call it "pride" if you want, but we know what we are truly full of stinks and makes pretty good fertilizer.  Yet we will quite literally beat each other to death just to prove that we are "right."

A number of years ago, Monty Python's Flying Circus did a skit called "The Argument Clinic" that does an outstanding job of showing how arguing just for the sake of arguing is among the most idiotic exercises in futility ever. I have talked with several people who love to argue and have not been given a reason why they get so much enjoyment out of just being disagreeable.

But notice what Solomon tells us: If you engage in stupid arguments then guess what that makes you?

We need to reach the point where we are wise enough to concede that we are wrong (if we are truly in the wrong) and apologize.  BUT we also need to become wise enough to understand that not every argument is worth the fight.  Sometimes the best way to settle a petty argument is to simply smile and walk away.

What Do You Mean I'm A 'Captive'?

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

~Jeremiah 29:11-14 

 

We like to quote verse 11 of today's passage where God tells us that He has incredible plans for us that will be good for us and bring us hope.  But we don't usually bother to read beyond that because, after all, we cling to the promise and are content to wait for God to rain down His blessings on us.  But read the rest of the passage!

 

God does have plans for us that will be good for us and will bring hope for us, but He also ways WHEN YOU PRAY, I will listen.  When was the last time you and God had a heart to heart chat?  Did you do all the talking?  THEN God says, "IF you look for me WHOLEHEARTEDLY, you will find me."  Before you ask, NO God is not hiding from us.  Let me put it this way, if I am wearing my sunglasses I cannot read my radio display even though I am looking directly at it and it is less than a foot away.  Why, because my sunglasses filter out the color of my display.  The same applies to us when we "look" for God and can't find him...we casually look expecting to see the bright light and mighty powerful warrior ready to smite those who have hurt our feelings.  But we don't see that God has sent someone to help us who is rather ordinary, because we are not looking for ordinary, we are looking for nuclear fireworks!

 

God promises that if we seek Him will all our attention and desire, we will find Him AND He will end our captivity.  WHAT? Captivity here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave?  Yup! We are captive to our STUFF!  We are captive to our CAREERS!  We are captive to our BANK ACCOUNTS!  We are captive to our SPORTS!  We are captives because we find so many things (which will eventually end) to hold our attention rather than God!  How many people do you know who can quote the latest stock trends but can't remember a single verse of Scripture?  How many people do you know who will faithfully attend every single football game and have had season tickets for generations, but "don't have time" to talk with God about their marriage falling apart or their children who have gone wild for lack of parenting?  WE ARE CAPTIVES!!  We are held captive by our own desires!!!

 

A gilded cage is still a prison!

But What Do I DO With It?

You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.

~Psalm 56:8

November 17, is a date that has become, and continues to be, one of the most painful of my life.  You see, it was on November 17, 1981 that my conversations with my Grampa ended.  God called him home and my life changed that day.  

To say that I was angry would be such an understatement!  I was angry with him for leaving me.  I was angry with everyone who told me that "it was his time" or "your pain will end."  I was angry at those who piously quoted Scripture to me as if that was supposed to remove the pain!  I was especially angry at God for taking my Grampa from me.

I was angry for YEARS and YEARS!  With every single loss I endured, I grew more angry.  Did I talk with anyone about it? Of course not because "men don't talk about feelings."  So what did I do with all that pain? Just kept stuffing it down and, on the outside, pretended everything was okay.

It wasn't until I was almost 45 years old that I heard something that finally broke through the pain and anger.  I don't remember the speaker's name, but what this wise person said was: "Let's say you have a broken arm with the bone protruding.  It hurts like nothing you have ever experienced.  Are you going to sit there and be angry and upset that it's broken?  Not a good idea, because it will get infected and cause you even more problems.  You could dull the pain with alcohol and self medicate, but does that fix your arm? Nope!  Your BEST course of action is to go to the doctor who can fix your arm.  Setting the arm is going to hurt, no doubt!  And it will take a long time before you can use it again.  And you may not be able to use it the same way you did before.  But over time the pain will subside."

It was at that moment that I realized that God was reaching out to me.  My heart was broken and I had spent all these years being angry that it was broken instead of going to the Great Physician who could help.  

Now, have I recovered?  Not completely, but I'm better than I was.  Does it still hurt? Yes, very much.  And each time the pain comes, I run to the Great Physician and pour it all out to Him.  Am I still angry? I have my moments.

God records our every tear.  God records our every pain.  God loves us so much that when we hurt, so does HE!

"In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." - 1 Peter 5:10

 

If you are hurting, take your broken heart to the Great Physician.  Show Him your pain! Show Him the broken pieces of your heart!  Show Him the flood of tears your soul has shed!  Let Him comfort you! 

It Starts With You!

Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

 

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.

~Ephesians 4:2-6 

As you know, I like to think.  Not just think, but contemplate.  Contemplation is exploratory thinking.  You take a thought and you explore it; you look at it from as many possible perspectives as possible; you turn it over and over in your mind; you touch every crevice and edge; you delve into the every corner.  

Well....I started contemplating Morale. And guess what I discovered?  Morale starts with me!  Good morale is MY decision!  Bad morale is MY decision!  I cannot always control my circumstances, but I can control my responses to my circumstances.  

Look at the words Paul writes to us...."Always be HUMBLE and GENTLE."  Does it say always be ticked off and aggravated because I don't think things are being done the way I want?  Absolutely not!  

"Be PATIENT with each other..."  REALLY?  Do we do that? I'm not always so good at doing that, but I am learning and trying.  Be patient..."making allowances for each other's faults."  Will this one punched me in the forehead!  I am not only am supposed to be patient with others, I am supposed to make allowances for them too!  WOW!  

And just when I am ready to punch the Venerable Apostle in the face, "making every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit."  Well now....if we are to be united in the Spirit [of God] then we are to be completely honest with each other.  If you ask my opinion, I should respect you enough to tell you the truth, even if it's not what you want to hear.  If I tell you only what you want to hear then THAT is proof that I have NO respect for you.  We lie to those we have no respect for.

Paul is reminding us that WE are either uniting or dividing.  We are either part of the same body or we are the cancer within the body.  WE must choose which we will be; honest and truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient or dishonest because it will get us what we think we want.

Bottom line: We CHOOSE to our morale!

 

Loner's Got To Be Alone

One who has isolated himself seeks his own desires;
he rejects all sound judgment.

Proverbs 18:1

We've all seen them...the "loner" who is portrayed as some hardcore survivalist who can do everything alone and they like it that way.  Nothing bothers them. They don't follow anyone's rules but their own.  They eat when they want (whatever they can find or catch), do what they want, where they want and no one is going to tell them anything! They believe they can live all by themselves without going insane or paranoid.  And yet...

Remember God?  When He created everything He said it was good...until He got to man.  When He breathed life into Adam, God said "It's not good for man to be alone."  Why?  Because God created us to be interactive with each other.  But somewhere along the way, the interactive part became rather cliquish and exclusive.  If you didn't fit into the cliques then you were considered a "loser" and, thus, a loner.  

I admit that I enjoy doing some things alone. When I go for my mandatory walks, I like to go alone because that is my thinking time.  When I write, I like to do that alone because my train of thought doesn't have to make frequent stops due at Chatty Town.  Understand, I am an Introvert!  Very much an Introvert.  In a large gathering, I am perfectly happy to stay on the fringe, quietly watching the people interact with one another (why YES I did notice this is your 4th trip to the buffet line.  Yes, I did note your 3rd trip to the dessert bar. I absolutely noticed how quickly that bottle of wine disappeared.)

But look at today's verse...it is reminding us that when we have only our own counsel to listen to, we will eventually spiral into a place where sense makes no sense anymore. When we reach the point where we stop listening because we are such a loner that we know everything (or so we think) we are doomed to ruin.

It might be a bit uncomfortable, but, as a devout Introvert, I can tell you that people really are pretty nice.  Why else would God allow so many of them? 

Treadmills are EVIL!!!!

And my God will supply every need of yours 

according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:19

While you are reading this, I am having my Nuclear Stress Test (aka, my cardiologist's idea of fun for me).  Last time I had one of these, I admit I was terrified.  The entire night before the test I was anxious, worried, not looking forward to enduring such torture.  I was stressed WAY before the stress test!

But the more I thought about it over the years, I have come to realize that God is the one in control.  And He is in control of EVERYTHING!  So why worry?

Grampa once told me: "What have YOU got to be worried about? God gave you life and it's HIS job to get you through it!"  So....today I am letting God do His work with me and I will be grateful when the snack breaks come around.  I need coffee!!!