Fire Chaplain

Today I prayed for the graduating Fire Academy class and wore my new class A uniform.

 

Refused Entry

An Elder of her church would visit the elderly widow each Sunday afternoon to serve Communion, pray and read scripture. He was faithful in his duties for many years.

 

One day she was told some bad things about the Elder so when he came she refused to let him in and sent him away. Each Sunday she would miss the communion, prayers and scripture. Then one day she received an advertisement from another church and among other statements she read the words, “Men have usurped the judgment of God.” Startled she applied the statement to the person who told her bad things about the elder and then she applied it to herself.

 

She called the elder and apologized for her actions and told him why she acted the way she did. Only then did she discover what she had been told was a lie.

Acts 10:28 “God has shown me that I should not call anone profane or unclean.”

A Good Trend

During the 70', 80' and 90's there were more pastors retiring than students entering seminary and most of those entering seminary were older second career people. Conditions for smaller congregations looking for pastors was getting bleak. With "Baby Boomer" pastors now starting to retire in droves many denominations and seminaries have been in crisis.

A new report shows that there are now more 20 something men and women entering seminary than older second career students. Perhaps the new generation is more willing to answer the call of service to God and the church and it helps that there are more of that generation. Prayers are being answered.

It's All In The RE-

Being retired I am sorting through and cleaning out my paper files stacked up through 40+ years of ministry. It’s intriguing how many files I have under the letter ‘R’ that begin with ‘re-‘:  retreat, revival, recycle, research. This prefix ‘re’, used as ‘back’ or ‘again’, can inspire changes to re-organize our lives. “Re-What-ever is an important concept to consider.

 

          Why not re-write your will this summer? Or re-turn a borrowed item and re-new a friendship? Perhaps re-consider a poor habit and re-vive a healthier one. This could be a good time to re-duce the clutter in your home and re-consider the things you collect.

 

          Now might be the right time to re-concile with an estranged family member, or re-build a damaged relationship. You might re-claim a good intention, and re-commit time and energy to an important cause. We do well to re-call what we value, and re-solve to give due attention.

 

          We can all re-cycle and re-use many items now thrown away, or re-pent of criticism and re-frain from harmful words. We can re-trieve a rusty skill, or re-flect on a new idea. Maybe re-furbish an old treasure and re-place dead batteries. We can re-inforce a helpful practice and re-cruit others to make a change.

 

          Most of all, this is a time to re-lax the body, re-fresh the mind, and re-store the spirit with rest, good food, and re-creation. As we re-view our lives and loves, may we re-tain what is valuable, re-lease what is completed, re-cover what we desire, and re-joice in the present. 

                     

Four More Years

Yesterday August 10 was the last day to file for office in Kentucky. This morning I check the Jefferson County Clerk's web site and discovered that I am un-apposed for re-election as Mayor of the City of Bellemeade Kentucky.

There is no need to campaign all I have to do is vote for my self and I will be Mayor for four more years.
 

Sumerwind

We took a two week trip to Texas for family visits and on the way in to Dallas we stopped and visited a long time Journalspace online friend Summerwind and her family.

Reagan, Anita, James Me and Melanie

What a joy to finally meet her and her family. She posted so many wonderful pictures for West Texas.

My Morning Prayer

O God of every new morning my soul awakes to your wisdom and word for the new day. My spirit sings a new song as my love for you plucks the strings of the lyre of my heart.

You O Lord are the source and sovereign of my life and indeed of all life. My soul is empty with out the presence of your spirit and love.

As the light of dawn breaks across this gift of a new day guide me to be a blessing to everyone I encounter and lead me safely home to rest again.   

Control Yourselves

The human sex drive is powerful to ensure the continuation of the species. Lack of control of our sexual urges has gotten many people in deep trouble and cause considerable pain to those around them. A civilized society demands a certain amount of restraint in our sexual activity and is willing to punish those who do not comply.

 

Political and religious leaders often let power go to their heads and suddenly find themselves in public disgrace and even jail. I often wonder at how stupid people can be to think that they will not get caught. In today’s world with TV cameras everywhere and police sting operations much in the news the evidence for getting caught is high.

 

In the case of child sexual predators every community is on the alert and police are on line with officers pretending to be juveniles. We all know this and yet it still works. Men thinking that they are talking to youngsters take time to build up relationships and propose a meeting in explicit terms. They are in shock when they are arrested and their computer is seized for evidence. It is a sign of being stupid. I am glad that the police are being successful.

 

Confusing Church Language

Alpha and Omega are words that the church often uses to describe Jesus. It is part of the “Church Language” that often confuses those who do not attend often or do not belong to a church. I have known the meaning since I as a teen boy at home in Lamesa, Texas. My mother always took great care to explain these arcane terms to me.

 

Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last to it is the “A” and the “Z” in the English alphabet. The first and the last is intended to equal the eternal nature of Jesus. It can include the sense that Jesus is the completion and the fulfillment in history. I feel that way about Jesus so that in Him my spiritual fulfillment is complete and my relationship with God is strong.

 

I am willing to answer  your other questions about confusing “Church Language” or any other questions about faith, scripture and life.