“Living under Pressure, correctly, can produce Peace in the very midst of Tragedy!”

“Living under Pressure, correctly, can produce Peace in the very midst of Tragedy!”

There are two quotes that I find to be excellent illustrations concerning how we should act while under pressure:

1) “The tea kettle does not sing until it gets into hot water.”
2) “The full strength of a tea bag isn’t drawn out until it gets into hot water.”

And I believe it would be safe to say that all of us face pressures in this life. And it is how we respond to pressure that determines whether we mature and grow, both in God and in life, or fall in serving Him and others. Some when facing pressure crack and fall apart. Others permit the pressure to make them grow in maturity and in the Lord, just as a pearl is formed.

The very professional athletes that give us so much pleasure as we follow them are not champions necessarily because they have the best talent. But rather, they play their best when under pressure because they are champions. And on the other hand, we occasionally see very talented athletes who crack repeatedly under pressure. And when we see this, we have discovered that these athletes become known for their failures in big contests rather than for their overall statistics, regardless of how impressive they may be.

So in this instance, we need to learn the lesson of the tea kettle – that when life’s pressures fall heavily upon us, let’s begin to whistle! [Personally, this very tool has been the precise response that has brought me through, time and time again.]

But another incident comes to mind when I think of the horrific events that confronted America and most all of the civilized world, on the morning of September 11, 2001, that left so many in mourning. For it reminds me of Horatio Spafford, who wrote the well-known hymn, “It is Well with My Soul” and the tragedy that birthed the words to that song.

Horatio Spafford, a lawyer and teacher, scheduled a trip to France for he and his family, but was eventually forced to delay his own departure because of business. Instead, he sent his wife and four daughters on to France aboard the Ville du Havre, with plans to join them soon after. The ship however collided with another vessel in the deep waters of the Atlantic and sunk shortly after. All four daughters drowned. Mr. Spafford’s wife, who somehow survived, sent a cablegram with these brief words, “Saved Alone.” Yet Mr. and Mrs. Spafford experienced great peace and strength, knowing that their daughters were in heaven, as they all had been converted to Christianity during a meeting led by the well known evangelist, D. L. Moody.

Horatio later penned the words to “It is Well with My Soul” after that tragedy. And to this day, many quote the words to the first verse, “When peace, like a river, attended my way, When sorrows like sea-billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.’ “

The third verse speaks to a peace that goes beyond the temporal tragedy they faced. It is the peace of sin forgiven. Think of these words: “My sin – oh, the bliss of this glorious thought, My sin – not in part, but the whole, Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

Horatio Spafford’s burden of sin and guilt was an even greater burden to him than the children he had lost at sea. Yet he and his wife could know the peace of God for their grief and for the burden of sin that had been taken care of by the Lord. His heart was calmed by the work of Christ on the cross. Horatio knew the peace that only God could bring, and I would encourage all of the readers to know that His Amazing Grace is available to each of us today, regardless of the panic on Wall Street, or the fear that would try to overtake your heart. Rest in knowing – HE IS IN CONTROL!

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“Proud To Be An American – or Thankful?”

“AMERICA, Prideful or Thankful – Is There A Difference?”

Following 9/11, the expression “Proud to be an American,” became a popular expression, and even became a part of our musical lore. In her defining speech, Mrs. Obama made a statement to the effect that because her husband had become the Democratic nominee for President; she was for the first time proud of her country. My thinking is that pride is a derivative of a personal accomplishment of one’s intention and effort, or the success of others in which one shares an effort. If I hit four home runs in one game, I would be proud, not thankful.

When I stand among others where there is a division of nations, then I am “Proud to be an American.” When I watch the raising of our beautiful flag and listen to our national anthem as one of our Olympians is honored, I am proud, because as a fellow American, I share in their success. However, I am not likely to be heard saying, “I am proud to be an American” in any other context. What you will hear me say is, “I am thankful to be an American.”

Being an American does not relate to anything that I have done. It has nothing to do with any choice I made in order to be an American, nor does it indicate that I had to accomplish a particular thing. I am American by birth and by choices made by others long before my time. For that, I am indeed thankful.

Now my wife, Shirley, can justly say that she is “Proud to be an American.” She has that right because she made a choice to leave her country to live with me in mine. She sacrificed much to gain what I was born with. She had to live here as an alien with few rights and no inheritance. She had to study, pass an examination, go through a physical exam, and take an oath and be sworn in by an officer of the U.S.A. She can justly say, “I am proud to be an American.” I, on the other hand, can only be thankful. Others suffered; many gave their lives so that I could be American. To them all, I can only say, “I am thankful.”

This week Americans paused to observe a national day of Thanksgiving, an act initiated by our country first President, George Washington. No one was more qualified to do so. I am appreciative of the fact that this first national holiday was initiated by him and not some later President. He was the Commanding General of our military, such as it was. He had experienced and shared with those men through their long ordeal, he had prayed for them and for the cause for which they were fighting. He knew better than any other person that their victory was due to what he described as Divine Providence. No one understood as he did that without the Divine guidance and favor of Almighty God, there would never have been a United States of America and generations would pass before the opportunity would come again to break free from the oppressive powers of government.

Today, by and large, our nation is revealed for what it is in pride and arrogance. Today, we are not nearly so thankful for that Divine Providence as the generation that celebrated that first Thanksgiving in quiet piety, around the family table. The hunger, the cold, the loss of fortune, the vacant chairs around the table, were yet too fresh in their memories of the price that had been paid to secure this God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

There may be no more damning sin than the sin of unthankfulness. God’s Son, Jesus, addressed this issue when, after healing ten lepers and having only one return to give thanks, He asked where were the other nine.

Truly, I sincerely believe that it is possible for us to turn things around in our world if we – one by one – would choose to be thankful, and then express it around everyone we come in contact with. The only things that cannot be changed are the things we THINK cannot be changed, and everything begins one-by-one. Let’s give it a shot and see where it takes us as we depart this “Thanksgiving Season 2008” – for after all, what do we have to lose?

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“The Inspiring ‘Carly Story’ makes the Real Us to Stand Up!”

“The Inspiring ‘Carly Story’ makes the Real Us to Stand Up!”

It doesn’t take us long in life to realize that we will NEVER Rise above the image we have of ourselves in our mind. And as I chew on that thought this morning, a beautiful story comes to mind that perfectly illustrates it:

By most standards, Carly should not have made it. Overweight, with one leg slightly shorter than the other as the results of a childhood accident, Carly was the lone woman employed in a largely male-dominated field. She had to earn her right to be heard nearly every day. Some people laughed at her appearance or her halting walk, some made snide remarks behind her back, some Were inconsiderate to her face, but Carly paid little attention to it. She knew who she was and she knew she was good at what she did, so when other people attempted to put her down, she regarded them as having the problem. “Emotionally challenged,” she often quipped about her detractors.

Despite the factors working against her, Carly continued to receive one promotion after another, eventually becoming the CEO of her company and a highly-sought-after expert in her field. How did she do it?

Carly’s secret is her incredibly positive self-image. A devout Christian, Carly believes that she has been made in the image of God, and that He gives her life intrinsic value. She doesn’t strive for the approval of other people, or depend on compliments from her superiors or peers to feel good about herself. Bright, friendly, articulate, and extremely competent in her work, Carly goes through life with a smile. While others shake their heads in amazement at her attitude, Carly is living her dream every day!

CONSIDER THIS: Your self-image is much like a self-portrait; it is who and what you picture yourself to be. Do you base how you feel about yourself on false, fickle standards such as what neighborhood you live in, the style of car you drive, or the opinion of power-lunch groups? If so, your self-image may not be an accurate reflection of who you really are. Every person has an image of themselves. Who do you think you are?

IN CLOSING: If you think you are just ordinary, then understand, even if that were so – God loves to use ordinary people, just like you and me, faults and all, to do extraordinary things. And even if you don’t feel capable in your own strength, that is okay, for God tells us that He always causes us to triumph! So let’s continue to grow and learn to guard our mind, our thought life, and start dwelling on what we ‘Can Do’ and NOT on what ‘we can’t do’!

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“Today’s Problems vs Tomorrow’s Opportunities!”

“Don’t let the Financial Crisis rob you of your Future Opportuniites!”

With the Stock Market and Banking Business roller coaster ride this week and so many things taking a nose dive, it is far too easy to slide into an almost unconscious depression. But let us not forget that looming dark clouds are usually followed by fresh rain, which quickly cleanses the air!

BUT PROBLEMS ALWAYS PRODUCE OPPORTUNITIES!

In fact, almost every problem in life comes with renewed opportunities that we would have otherwise never realized. And as a wise man once said – even an eagle’s largest obstacle to flying faster is the air that faces it; but if you take away the air – it will immediately fall. The very same elements that make it so hard for it to fly are the ones that offer the indispensable conditions for it to do so.

The same law may be applied to humans: Obstacles often are conditions to success. A life without obstacles or trials will reduce your possibilities and power to zero. For if you eliminate your problems, your life will loose the very creative pressure that produces miracles, just as priceless pearls are produced by the grinding grit in the oyster.

Needs are what push you to do what you must to be successful:

• The problem of ignorance gives meaning to education.
• The problem of sickness gives meaning to medicine.
• The problem of social disorder gives a meaning to government.

Throughout our lives, we want to be set free from problems, pressures and responsibilities, but when this situation comes to your mind, try to remember a young man who asked a lonely old man: “Which is the heaviest load to carry in life?” And the old man answered: “Not having any load to carry at all!”

Today, is case in point – down over 700 on the Dow in the middle of crazy Monday yesterday – and at nearly 4:00 PM Today – it is over 500, spurred on by the pressures of yesterday on the Market and the hopes of a better tomorrow! KEEP YOUR OPPORTUNITIES IN SIGHT!

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“Don’t Buy into the Bill Maher Foolishness!”

“Don’t Buy into the Bill Maher Foolishness!”

The wise member of the TV Talk show, ‘The View’, hit the nail on the head when he was foolishly running off at the mouth about his total disbelief in God and saying extraordinarily stupid things like, “anybody who would say that God spoke to them needs to be admitted to an insane asylum”, by asking him, “you say all this stuff about what God isn’t, but have you ever asked God Himself what He thinks?”

The Bible is bluntly clear on the existence of God and even more so on how important it is to Him that we know Him as God and know His Name and the power that resides in speaking it:

Because the name of a person, place, or thing embodies all of the attributes, characteristics, and qualities of the particular person, place, or thing, only the use of that name can convey to another person all of those qualities that, when fused together in one person, place or thing makes that one unique – that is, the only one of its kind.

I believe that one of the reasons there is a growing understanding, acceptance, and usage of God’s name – Yahweh, is that only by using His name can we convey Yahweh’s uniqueness that causes Him to be set apart from all others that might be called gods. And, Yahweh IS unique. So, in order for the believer to declare unashamedly that he or she believes in the one and only true God, he or she should use “Yahweh” to convey that truth.

Throughout the scriptures, God reveals His Holy name, and in these last days is expressly moving upon His children to use His name, that His very Oneness might be revealed. Isaiah 12:2 declares, “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation (Yah simply being the shorter form of Yahweh).” He reiterates it in 26:4, as well as in so many other references in the Word.

Then, by further emphasizing some of Yahweh’s characteristics by the compounding His name, i.e. Yahweh-Rapha: Yahweh is my Healer, Yahweh-Jireh” Yahweh is my Source, Yahweh-Shalom: Yahweh is my Peace, etc; we expand our ability to proclaim His name. His Name is worthy to be praised, and Bill Maher is but one other foolish voice trying to convince the world that there is NO God. Let us be wise enough to let God’s own Word speak for Itself and NOT take our cue from any distracters who are mere human beings like ourselves and obviously know nothing about which they speak! And that includes myself as well – I am but one voice out here saying, “Read God’s Word and let it speak on It’s own and listen quietly, for if it weren’t real, you would have lost nothing!

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“A Legacy of Blessings!”

“A Legacy of Blessings!”

As Parents, we can profoundly influence the direction of our children’s lives by the words we say to them. I believe as husbands and wives (and this comes form the experience gleaned in 40 years as a Senior Pastor), we can set the direction for our entire family. As a business owner, you can help set the direction for your employees. With our words, we have the ability to help mold and shape the future of anyone over whom we have influence.

And each of us has influence over somebody. You may not consider yourself a leader, but you have a sphere of real influence nonetheless; somebody or some group that looks up to you. Even if you’re a teenager, you have somebody who values your opinion. It is vital that we speak “good things” into our children’s lives. That doesn’t mean we will never disagree with them, or that we will not have to confront and correct them. But the general tenor of our conversations with our children, our words to them and our words about them, should be positive blessings.

A well-meaning mother was constantly nagging her teenage son, “You’re so lazy; you’re never going to amount to anything! If you don’t shape up, you’re never going to get into college. You’ll probably wind up getting into trouble.”

Those kinds of negative words will destroy a person quicker than you can imagine. You cannot speak negatively about someone on one hand, then turn around and expect that person to be blessed. If you want your son or daughter to be productive and successful, then you need to begin declaring words of life over your children, rather than predictions of doom and despair. The Scripture reminds us that with our words we can bless people or we can curse them. Today, make a choice to bless those around you with your words.

CONSIDER THIS: What are you passing down to the next generation? It’s not enough to think it, you must vocalize it. A blessing is not a blessing until it is spoken. Your children (and all the children in your life) need to hear you say words such as, “I love you. I believe in you. I think you’re great. There’s nobody else like you. You are truly one of a kind.” They need your blessing. And even if your children are grown, it’s never too late to begin.

Think back to your own childhood. Were there words of acceptance and approval in your life or only negative, discouraging words? Now, thinking of how those words shaped you into the person you are today and – “Pay it Forward”, meaning, do things and say things in your children and others lives, that will shape and change their future to that of a bright and prosperous tomorrow!

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“Love Is Blind…” (w/humor)

“Love Is Blind…”
(W/humor)

How we treat other people will have a great impact on the degree of blessings and favor of God we are experiencing in our lives. Are you a good to people? Are you kind and considerate? Do you speak and act with love in your heart and regard other people as valuable and special? Friends, we can’t treat people poorly and expect to be blessed. We can’t be rude and inconsiderate and expect to live in victory. And I am not asking these questions because I want to blame anyone – but simply to jog our thinking so as to cause each of us today to take inventory, that we may be certain all is well in this area, since it so powerfully effects the outcome of our blessings and victory in life!

When you are placed in awkward situations where someone doesn’t treat you right, you have a golden opportunity to help heal a wounded heart. Keep in mind, hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain. If someone is rude and inconsiderate, you can almost be certain that they have some unresolved issues inside. They have major problems – anger, resentment, or some heartache – they are trying to cope with or overcome. The last thing they need is for you or I to make matters worse by responding angrily.

Evil is never overcome by more evil. If you mistreat people who are mistreating you, you will make matters worse. When you express anger to a person who has been angry with you, it’s like adding fuel to a fire. No, we overcome evil with good. When someone hurts you, the only way you can overcome it is by showing them mercy, forgiving them, and doing what is right.

Keep taking the high road, being kind and courteous. Keep walking in love and having a good attitude. God sees what you’re doing. He sees you going the extra mile to do what’s right, and He will make sure your good actions and attitude will overcome that evil. If you’ll keep doing the right thing, you will come out far ahead of where you would have been had you fought fire with fire.

CONSIDER THIS: If someone is not treating you right today, go out of your way to be kinder than usual to that person. God sees your acts of kindness and mercy. When you are kind to people, when you go around doing good to people, God arranges for others to leave “Handfuls” of good things for you on purpose. You will find a handful of blessings over here, a handful of blessings over there, supernatural favors over here, unexpected promotion over there. Everywhere you go, you will discover the supernatural blessings of God lying in your path, left there on purpose for you by God.

Just a funny your funny-bonefor :

Fred had been a faithful Christian and was in the hospital, near death. The family called their preacher to stand with them. As the preacher stood next to the bed, Fred’s condition appeared to deteriorate and he motioned frantically for something to write on. The pastor lovingly handed him a pen and a piece of paper, and Fred used his last bit of energy to scribble a note, then he died. The preacher thought it best not to look at the note at that time, so he placed it in his jacket pocket.
At the funeral, as he was finishing the message, he realized that he was wearing the same jacket that he was wearing when Fred died. So he said, “You know, Fred handed me a note just before he died. I haven’t looked at it, but knowing Fred, I’m sure there’s a word of inspiration there for all of us.” He opened the note, and read, “You’re standing on my oxygen tube!”

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“Whew! Too Much Stress Today – It’s Time to Crack Up!”

“Whew! Too Much Stress Today – Time to Crack Up!”

Eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter, ten men and one woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all, so they decided that one had to leave, because otherwise they were all going to fall. They weren’t able to name that person, until the woman gave a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because, as a woman, she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids or for men in general, and was used to always making sacrifices with little in return. As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping.

Kentucky: NEWS FLASH! – Kentucky’s worst air disaster occurred when a small two-seater Cessna 150, piloted by two University of Indiana students, crashed into a cemetery earlier today.

Search and Rescue workers have recovered 300 bodies so far and expect the number to climb as digging continues into the evening. The pilot and copilot survived and are helping in the recovery efforts.

Tennessee: A Tennessee State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-65. The trooper asked, “Got any ID?” The driver replied, “Bout whut?”

Bubba had Shingles

Those of us who spend time in a doctor’s office should appreciate this! Doesn’t it seem that more and more physicians are running their practices like an assembly line? Here’s what happened to Bubba:

Bubba walked into the doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Bubba said, Shingles. So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aide came out and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, Shingles. So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Bubba to wait in the examining room.

A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, Shingles. So the nurse gave Bubba a blood test, a blood pressure test, and electrocardiogram, and told Bubba to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.

An hour later the doctor came in and asked Bubba what he had. Bubba said, Shingles. The doctor asked, Where? Bubba said, “Outside on the truck. Where do you want them delivered?”

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“Take A Break and Laugh, for it is Often NOT what you Thought it was!”

“Take a Break and Laugh, for it is often NOT what you thought it was!”

All one has to do is listen for a few hours to the Verbiage on TV or read them in the Daily Newspapers and Articles regarding the “Financial Crisis” and Political Standoffs as they attempt to handle it, and you know that most of the time they seem to be talking about two different issues, and that reminds me of a hilarious incident that happened awhile back that so vividly illustrates the confusion on the ‘table’ of consideration in all of this:

For there was a nice lady, a minister’s widow, who was a little old-fashioned. She was planning a week’s vacation in California at Skylake Yosemite Campground, but she wanted to make sure of the accommodations first. Uppermost in her mind was bathroom facilities, but she couldn’t bring herself to write, “toilet” in a letter. After considerable thought, she settled on “bathroom commode,” but when she wrote that down, it still sounded too forward, so, after the first page of her letter, she from then on referred to the bathroom commode as “BC.” “Does the cabin where I will be staying have its own “BC?” If not, where is the ‘BC’ located?”

The campground owner took the first page of the letter and the lady’s check and gave it to his secretary. He put the remainder of the letter on the desk of the senior member of his staff without noticing that the staffer would have no way of knowing what “BC” meant. Then the owner went off to town to run some errands.

The staff member came in after lunch, found the letter, and was baffled by the euphemism, so he showed the letter around to several counselors, but they couldn’t figure it out either. The staff member’s wife, who knew that the lady was the widow of a famous Baptist preacher, was sure that it must be a question about the local Baptist Church. “Of course,” the first staffer exclaimed, “BC” stands for ‘Baptist Church.’” And he sat down and wrote:

Dear Madam,
“I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure in informing you that the BC is located only nine miles north of the campground and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit, it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it. They usuall arrive early and stay late.
The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now there is a supper planned to raise money to buy more seats. They are going to hold it in the basement of the “BC.”
I would like to say that it pains me very much not to be able to go more regularly, but it is surely not a lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather.
If you decide to come down to our campground, perhaps I could go with you the fist time, sit with you, and introduce you to all the folks. Remember, this is a friendly communiity.”

So Friends, take a deep breath, and realize that as with all things, though it may all seem to be an ‘unworkable’ situation, that given enough time and clarity, surely it will all work out for the best of everyone. Though we doubt very seriously that this dear lady made that planned trip – Ha Ha!

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“In This Day of Everyone Slamming Everyone – Do We Really Have a Right to Judge, and When is it Gossip?”

“In This Day of Everyone Slamming Everyone – Do We Really Have A Right to Judge, and When is it Gossip?”

Our Freedom of Speech is both a dynamic privilege as well as a potentially very powerful weapon, and we must be very careful to use it properly. When we use our opinion to edify, we garner blessings unto ourselves. When we use our opinion we can likewise alter the course of history. So, we must really be objective when we are about to express our opinion, and when our opinion affects someone else, we might very well be “judging”, and our opinion is how we judge what we think.

For those who care, God’s express word to us in the Bible states, “Do not judge, or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in our own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Many people emphasize the first verse alone, and think that the Bible prohibits us to judge…but that is impossible, and that is why verse 2 warns us: “…for the same way you judge, you will be judge”. Verse 3 and 4 exhort us to judge what we have within before sharing our opinions about others.

Now about the matter of Gossip:

The Bible inserts its instructions: “He who is trustworthy and faithful in spirit keeps the matter hidden.” Proverbs 11:13 (Paraphrase)

In 1752, a group of Methodist men, including John Wesley, signed a covenant that every man agreed to hang on his study wall. The six articles of this agreement were as follow:

• That we will not listen or willingly inquire after ill concerning one another.
• That if we do hear any ill of each other, we will not believe it.
• That as soon as possible we will communicate what we hear by speaking or writing to the person concerned.
• That until we have done this, we will not write or speak a syllable of it to any other person.
• That neither will we mention it, after we have done this, to any other person.
• That we will not make any exception to any of these rules unless we think ourselves absolutely obliged, and then only in conference with each other.

**Fellow humans,
what say we join these our forefathers and be (1) person – each of us, who likewise commits ourselves to live accordingly once again!

Always remember, the person who says to you, “Don’t tell this to another soul,” has undoubtedly told all the souls they know. Confront them in love about what they are doing and don’t carry it a step further!

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