Think About It

"One day as he saw the crowds gathering, Jesus went up on the mountainside and sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them."

Matthew 5:1-2

Have you ever thought about the method Jesus used to teach and preach?  I have.  Quite a bit of His teaching was done as He and the Disciples were walking from one place to another.  His sermons were spoken so everyone could understand them and learn.  You see, Jesus didn't use "Seminary Words" or cliches.  He spoke to those who needed to hear His message.

Several years ago I visited a church that I had heard a lot of good things about.  I was ready to learn...until the service began.  The music was so loud that I could, quite literally, feel it pounding inside me.  It was as if I had returned to my college years going to concerts.  This church had lots of "satellites" where one could watch the service on a theater screen.  When it was time for the sermon, I was rather taken aback that the pastor never used Scripture, instead it was a "feel good" talk.  By the time the service was over, the persistent ringing in my ears were driving me nuts, I felt as though I had just wasted my time.  

Think about this: 

When did Jesus ever have a rock concert when He preached?  

When did He "entertain" the people who came to listen and learn?

How did Jesus get His message across to people?  He talked to them! He didn't browbeat them. He didn't yell and holler and condemn them.  He talked to them and loved them. He was genuine. He was simply engaging.  Shouldn't we do the same? 

Each person has a testimony to share.  Let me share something I am still learning, when you talk with people...talk to them like a normal human being.  No need to be all Pius and 'Holy' because until you are actually in Heaven, we are just a beggar who needs to tell others where to find bread.  Be open and honest about your struggles and your failures and what you have learned from them.  He genuine!  

Mentor Others

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29 

 

Remember the movie "The Karate Kid" when Mister Miyagi taught Daniel about karate?  Mr. Miyagi's approach was not what Daniel was expecting or what he wanted, but it was ultimately successful.  ALL Daniel wanted to learn was how to beat up a bully, Mister Miyagi taught Daniel much so much more.  Daniel learned about respect, hard work, patience, concentration, focus, and self-respect.

 

When we encourage others, should we not do the same?  Just shouting "You can do it" is not exactly helpful.  Clapping and cheering, while they have their place, don't exactly teach.  When we truly encourage, we become teachers helping others either figure out a solution to their dilemma or helping them discover and refine the skills to achieve a goal.

 

You see....true encouragers are mentors!

This Is Going To Irritate A Few People But.....

Train children to live the right way,
    and when they are old, they will not stray from it.

Proverbs 22:6 

 

What I am about to say will most likely irritate some, but here goes.....  Children do NOT come first in the marriage. I know that isn't what we are being told, but who came first....the children or the parents?  Remember, God?  Didn't He put Adam and Eve on the Earth BEFORE their children, Cain and Abel?

 

Children learn things by watching and imitating, and they soak it all up like sponges!  Don't think so?  How many times have you seen parents portrayed in the media as idiots who teach their children bad habits or that parents answer to the children?

 

Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest person in Scripture, tells us to train children to live the right way so, when they get older, they will know the right way to live.  And just how are we to do that?  By being a living example for them!  We are to EXAMPLE that the spouse comes first in the marriage.  We must EXAMPLE the proper ways to deal with life's issues.  We must EXAMPLE life for our children.  

If we don't example respect for each other in front of our children, we shouldn't be surprised when they grow up not respecting anyone else. Think about it...

 

 

Angry With God?

When God saw what the people did, that they stopped doing evil, he changed his mind and did not do what he had warned. He did not punish them.

But this made Jonah very unhappy, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “When I was still in my own country this is what I said would happen, and that is why I quickly ran away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a God who is kind and shows mercy. You don’t become angry quickly, and you have great love. I knew you would choose not to cause harm. 

Jonah 3:10-4:2 

Have you ever been mad at God?  I have.  And then I was angry at myself for being mad at God.  I was mad at God when He called my Grampa home.  I was mad at God when my life fell apart.  I was mad at God when, just when I thought things were looking up, the bottom dropped out again.  I was mad at God, and I let Him know it in no uncertain terms!

I remember being so angry I just had to get away, so I went to my favorite spot and I just told God exactly how I felt.  I even dared Him to take me out!  But He didn't.  Instead, He sent people across my path to remind me that I am loved.  He sent people into my life that needed what He had taught me.  He sent people into my life that I needed to learn from. 

One of the wisest people I have met, aside from Grampa, is a Rabbi.  He told me the main reason we get mad with God is because we can't see the whole picture.  We know there's more, but God doesn't show us everything.  Our perspective is limited, which is why we learn to Trust God to love us through our hurt and anger.  He said when he felt angry at God, he says this prayer, "God, I don't like you right now and You know it!  Thank you for loving me anyway."  

It's okay to be mad at God, that's not going to stop Him from loving you!

Empowerment?

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. 

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

Romans 12:10

I hear quite a lot about "Empowerment."  Entire seminars, programs, communities, and facilities have been dedicated to "Empowerment."  Yet, at the same time, while I'm hearing the call for "empowerment" I am seeing the need more for RESPECT to be the topic to be shared, taught, embodied and lived out.

  

You see, when we have respect for ourselves AND we also respect others, our world will become much more tolerable and tolerant.  The Apostle Paul reminds us that we shouldn't be selfish or try to impress others, instead we are to be humble (not humiliated, but humble also known as respectful!).  

Jesus, Himself, reminds us that we are to treat others as we want to be treated.  So think about how YOU want to be treated and then treat others the same way.  It's really quite simple: If you want to be respected, then BE respectful and in so doing you ARE empowered because YOU control how YOU treat OTHERS!

This means we will need to step out of the ME FIRST AND ME ONLY mentality!

I once had a professor who was to teach our class of learned imbeciles about how to help people who are hurting.  On the first day of class, he walked in an we were all talking amongst ourselves, not realizing that he had entered the room, until he raised his voice and informed us that we had just failed his course, at which point he walked out.  On the second day of class, about half of us bothered to show up and when the professor entered the class, conversation stopped and we gave him our attention.  He told us, "One of the lessons about helping people who are hurting is helping them realize that forgiveness is always an option.  And with that comes respect.  From this day on, I will treat you with the respect and forgiveness or disrespect and selfishness with which you treat me."

To be truly EMPOWERED is to have the power to show respect even if or when it is not shown to you, because YOU have that power!

Let Our Father Be Our Father

Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it.

Proverbs 22:6

That great theologian, Jimmy Buffett, spoke of this in his song "Delaney Talks To Statues" where he describes how his daughter talks to statues in her own special way (as children are wont to do), how her childhood was spend enjoying life with her Father and how he would tuck her into bed and think she's growing up too fast.  We never truly believe that we have enough time to share everything with our children that we think they need to know.  

I'll admit that most of the wisdom I was told when I was growing up, I didn't really think was relevant at the time.  HOWEVER, I have since learned that most of it isn't just relevant, it is vital to existence.  Things like "don't jump off the roof, the umbrella is NOT a parachute"; "I don't care what your brother told you, frogs aren't supposed to fly."  

But some of the things are beginning to make sense:

     *  Take time to look around and enjoy God's beauty.

     *  Take time to laugh.

     *  Love others.

     *  Share your life with others.

     *  Talk with one another.

     *  Teach respect and courtesy by example.

And listen to this: Delaney

Rescued!

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
    He rescues them from all their troubles.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
    he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

Psalm 34:17-18

We've seen people get rescued.  We see the effort that is put into rescuing a puppy from a dogfighting ring.  We see what it takes for the Coast Guard to search for and rescue someone at sea.  We see the undertaking of Firefighters rescuing people from a fire.  And it gives us a good feeling that rescues are happening.  

 

What is one thing you never see when someone gets rescued?  You never hear the person to be rescued say "You only brought a single helicopter?" or "Why can't that pretty blonde from the Firefighter Calendar be the one to rescue me?"  Why don't we hear such things?  Because, when we need rescuing, we just want to be saved from the peril and we aren't picky about who does the rescuing!

 

Now, think about this: When we cry out to God to rescue us....don't we put conditions on Him?  "I want You to rescue me, but I want it to be done like this and here's when I want it and here's who I want to handle things on this end."  In short, we want God to rescue us the way WE want!  We want to put conditions on God, as if we're doing Him some kind of favor for allowing Him to rescue us.

 

Here's a principle:  "When God rescues us, He also teaches us!"  This means God's plan for our rescue will probably not be what WE had in mind.  It might even be a painful learning experience.  He might use people we don't like, who might *gasp* hold us accountable and have expectations that we should actually DO something to keep this situation from happening again.  

 

There's a story I heard back when carved tablets were the hottest form of communication:

 

"A man built a strong, sturdy house.  Rains came and the river flooded.  The man prayed for God to save him.  The flood waters rose, the man moved upstairs and prayed for God to save him.  The flood waters rose more, the man moved to the roof and prayed for God to save him.

 

After a while, a man in a boat came by and asked if he could be of help. The homeowner said, 'NO, I have prayed and God will save me.'  Later, a helicopter came and the rescue crew asked if they could help. The homeowner said, 'NO, I have prayed and God will save me.'

 

The flood waters rose and the man drowned.  When he stood before God's throne, he shook his fist at God and yelled, 'I prayed that You would save me!  And You DIDN'T!'  God said to the man, 'I sent a boat.  I sent a helicopter with a crew.  What MORE did you want?'"

 

God uses weird ways to rescue us in weird ways.  God uses weird people to teach us in weird ways.  When we pray for rescue, remember that God has THE plan....not us."

 

 

What Kind of Farmer Are You?

Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 

Galatians 6:7-8

I have a confession to make, I do NOT enjoy gardening in the least.  If I were the only farmer left on earth, we'd starve....that's how much I do NOT enjoy gardening.  I know there are some who find it extremely relaxing to dig in the dirt, swat the gnats, mosquitoes, and whatever other annoying bugs decide to descend upon you, and I am glad for those....I applaud them.....I thank God for these people with every salad I eat!  

Here's a rule of thumb for those who like planting and all that goes with it: "If you want oranges, plant oranges; if you want weeds, do not plant anything."  While, on the surface, this is self explanatory, but if you look beyond the surface, you will see the true meaning: 

          *     Study = Good Grades

          *     Job = paycheck

          *     Teach children respect & boundaries = Respectful & Respectable Adults

          *     Teach children responsibility = responsible adults

You see, if we choose (and YES we do choose by our actions or inaction) to do nothing, should we be surprised when we have a generation who thinks everything is owed to them?

Honestly, I take umbrage with the Halo Orange advertisements that seem to encourage parents to fear their children, while it teaches the children that THEY, not their parents, are in charge.  We've seen it for years, children are smarter than parents.  Children know better than parents.  And parents are too busy, too tired, too career focused, or to apathetic to teach their children the way they should GO!

We get what we plant! And here's another consideration, it's never too late to clear your fields and replant your garden.  

  

And We Wonder Why We're Lost?

The Lord is good and does what is right;
    He shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them His way.

Psalm 25:8-9

When did we reach the point in life where we know everything?  When did we become so unteachable?  

Here's an observation, we are willing to learn as long as it follows the way we already think.  If learning something "new" is from another perspective, we tend to be wary of learning.

Notice that the Psalmist reminds us that "The Lord is good and does what is right."  God has never done wrong!  He has kept His promises to do what is good FOR us.  The fact that we don't like His methods doesn't bother God in the least, because, like a loving Father, God knows that what is best for us isn't always what we consider pleasant.

Next, the Psalmist tells us that "He shows the proper path to those who go astray." Hmmmm....let us ponder this for a moment.  Have you ever been shown the proper path to take, perhaps by GPS, and you decide you know a "shortcut" which took you way out of the way or even got you lost?  if you don't want to admit it, that's okay, just claim you know someone who has done just that.  You see, God shows us the proper path to get back to the path He has designed just for us.  But just because He's shown us the path to take, doesn't mean we are willing to take it.  

There have been times when I have messed up so badly that I could not figure out how to get back to where I needed to be.  God's way was to be completely honest, take the reprimand, and lesson learned.  Sometimes I followed that.......and then there were the other times.  Did my decision to follow my own way shut God up?  No a chance. Just sayin'.

Finally, the Psalmist tells us that "He leads the humble in doing right, teaching them His way."  The word "humble" here does not mean a person who is willing to get trampled by others.  The word, quite literally, can be translated "teachable."  Why?  Because only the teachable can be taught.  In order to be teachable, we must be humble enough to realize we don't have all the answers and understand that we aren't that smart or God wouldn't need to teach us His ways.

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor." - James 4:10

We must learn to be teachable!

Teach Your Children Well!

 Always remember these commands I give you today. Teach them to your children, and talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 

~Deuteronomy 6:6-7

When I was a child, I remember wanting to sit at the adult table at family gatherings.  Their stories always fascinated me and I learned quite a bit just from listening.  It was in listening to these stories that I learned that my Grampa's father abandoned the family when Grampa was in second grade and, as a result, Grampa had to leave school to go to work.  And I learned that he was a "coal monkey" on the locomotives.  Life was hard during the Depression.  As I get older, I like to think I have learned a few things along the way and can share nuggets of wisdom with those coming after me.  

How do we learn if no one will teach?  How can we know if no one tells us?  How can we become wise if we don't listen to the wise?

Here's the point: Your legacy that you will leave on this earth will be what you have invested in others.  Will you teach love or will you teach hate?  Will you teach caring or indifference?

One of the most amazing songs I have heard is a Jimmy Buffet song called, "The Captain and the Kid."  Listen closely to the lyrics and you will hear the tale of an old grizzled Captain teaching a young boy.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtxmgBYlrTs

For the record, I want my legacy to be that, while my name may not be remembered, the investment in the lives who listened and learned were forever changed for the good.  THAT is a great return on the investment.