Saturday, January 9, 2010

Holy Humor - Preacher's Kids


One Sunday the preschoolers were dismissed to go to Churub Church and the most energetic was the preachers son. He raced down the center aisle as though behind the wheel of a imaginary racing car. He even provided the congregation with sound effects at the top of his lungs. “Varooooom and Schreeeech” he cried as  he leaned into a hairpin curve.

His father pastor was unshaken and said in a strong fatherly voice, “Park it Henry and give the keys to your mother!”

Friday, January 8, 2010

Women of the Bible - Hagar


Hagar The Egyptian


On their journey into Egypt Abraham and Sarah acquired a slave girl named Hagar as a servant for Sarah. As it happened Sarah was frustrated that she was unable to become pregnant and give Abraham a son. In the culture of those days that was a big problem for a wife and she had passed the normal age for childbearing. Sarah came up with the idea of a “Surrogate Mother” to produce a son for her and Abraham.
Chin
Sarah took her slave girl Hagar to her husband and proposed the idea. Abraham was agreeable and a son Ishmael was born. All was well for a while but then low and behold Sarah conceived and bore Isaac. In those days the first son inherited everything and that meant Ishmael. Sarah begged Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away so that Isaac could be the first son.
Angel
Hagar realized that they would starve to death but an angel showed her a water well and promised that Ishmael would be the father of a great nation. Today we call them Arabs.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

A Loving Legacy


When I was pastor of a church in Missouri one of the saints was a woman who took to heart Romans 13 verse 8, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the who loves another has fulfilled the law.” She was frugal but generous with her money and truly loved Jesus and loved other people. When she died the church was filled with people who recounted her life long many acts of kindness in the community.
Angel
Some people leave a precious legacy behind them and she did. A few months later I was officiating at a graveside funeral not far from her grave so I stopped by for a moment. Her tombstone had just been placed and had the usual information place a phrase her husband used at the service. “Let it be said that she loved Jesus and it showed.”

Now that is a Legacy!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Absentminded


Sometimes I can be so absentminded it astonishes me. I am responsible for taking care of our two cars. When it is time to wash them I will drive one to the car wash and clean it then come back home. I take a break and have a cup of coffee and take the other one to do the same. One day during the last mild days, I took one of the cars to wash it and returned home. I drank a cup of coffee and talked to a neighbor. Halfway to the car wash I realized that I was driving the clean car. I laughed all the way back home.
ExplodeLaughRoll Eyes
Usually my absentmindedness involves unimportant things but other times I forget bigger items and it is no laughing matter. In a moment of distraction I give into temptation and commit a sin. Yes it even happens to pastors. From time to time we all fail to give God our full attention and love. We tend to put physical things above spiritual things and become careless with God’s greatest gifts of love, forgiveness and compassion.
Angel
I am thankful that God loves us enough to forgive us our senior moments and is always there to return too when we remember.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Josiah Was Eight


Josiah was only eight years old when he became King of Judah. Both his father and grandfather had been evil kings who did what was evil in the sight of God. One would think that give his family traditions that such a young prince would follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. That would be a natural progression. Under the rule of his father King Amon the Temple had fallen into disuse and disrepair and the people did not know the Law of God or keep the commandments.
Banned
Ten years after becoming King Josiah decided to repair the Temple and a life changing experience occurred. During construction a storage room was opened and an old copy of the Torah was found and the brought it to the King. The young Josiah read the Book of the Law and cried aloud for he knew that his father and his people had disobeyed God for a very long time.
Bash
Reading the Torah for the first time in his young life brought about a religious experience that brought repentance for the whole nation of Judah. The King commanded that the Law of God would be kept from that point on. King Josiah took a stand and broke the chain of evil holding the people away from God.
Angel
Every now and then we drift away from God and we are in need of renewal. Like Josiah what we need to do is read for ourselves the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit move our spirits to repentance and renewal. Open the book and read.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Predictions


I have been reading about predictions for 2010 and remembering that most of the predictions for 2009 were dead wrong. That is the nature of predictions and those who make them. Some are educated guesses and some are just guesses.
Chin
A prediction that amuses me is the one for 2012 and the end of the world based on the Myan long count calendar.  It ends on 2012 so these people assume the world will end then. Har har har! My 2009 claendar just ended and the world is still here. Remember the Y2K predictions?
Bash
People read into things - including the bible - what they want to see. It is a waste of time and effort to predict the future. The better thing is to live in the present and plan our lives so that we will be remembered with honor and love.
Cool