Unexpected

Last night I went to my Toastmasters club expecting to enjoy some fun speeches during our annual Humorous Speech Contest.

I was not expecting to take part in the contest but two of the contestants could not be there and only one speaker was there ready for the contest. It looked like there would be not contest. I was asked if I could come up with a funny speech so that we could  have a contest.  Now that was a challenge! As I was not prepared or practiced it would have to be off the cuff so to speak. The other speaker went first and I worked on an idea that I have been kicking around for my next speech and changed it to make it funny.

The speech was titled "Was That In English?"  It was about the differences between the way men and women use the English language. I have plenty of examples, after forty years of marriage counseling, of how males and females interpret the same English phrases very differently. That can be very funny if you tell it right.

Oh yes I won the contest and will advance to the Area Humorous Speech Contest in September.

Support Freedom of Religion

One of the basic American freedoms guaranteed in the constitution is our Freedom of Religion. Every American has the right to freely choose their religious expression to worship or not worship as they please. From the time of our founding we have been a country of multiple religions. We are predominantly Christian but we have always protected the rights of minority religions to practice their faith. Christians, Jews, Islams, Buddhist, Hindus, Native Americans Great Spirit, Mormons, and many others all share the same basic right of faith.

That right includes our ability to build our house of worship on land we own.

As a Christian Clergy I support right for every American. It is good that our Christian President supports that right for all Americans too.

Colic Cure

From a sound sleep I heard an all to familiar sound of my infant daughter crying. It was almost constant for months and the reason was colic. TV commercials today teach us about acid reflux in older adults but it is called colic in babies. The poor things can not tell you what hurts they just cry that ear piercing sound in the night. She rarely slept for more than two hours so we were in a constant state of exhaustion.     

 

The country doctor suggested a teaspoon of whisky in a bottle of warm water and a spoon of sugar for the baby. Then he suggested we split the bottle between us.

It worked for the baby.

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.