That old saying, “what goes around comes around” has not been a motto that I have lived my life by. I have no desire in seeking vengeance as that is best left for the Master. He is suited for that type of work. There are different understandings one could have from this motto. I am best trained to listen and follow His call, letting the chips fall as they may. The scriptures are filled with wisdom for dealing with crises, choices, and responses to situations and experiences. I have known individuals who have repeatedly acted the say way expecting difference results. That mindset may provide you with the sense of being a “positive thinker” but it is all false senses. Without corrective actions in our lives, and thoughts we are set to repeat the same experiences without change. We can make adjustments, we could tweak our reactions and we could set out on a new course, if we would dare.
I announced 1 John 4:10 was my scripture for 2011 and I have begun my studies in learning more about Jesus and His will and plan for my life. One of the keys to making a difference is for us to individually understand why some things are as they exist. “In this act we see what real love is: It is not our love for God but His love for us when He sent His son to satisfy God’s anger against our sins.”
Have you battled within yourself to make changes while all along remaining on the short end of the stick not able to accomplish your goals? It is an understandable assumption that if this describes you and where you’ve been, then if could be you have missed the key to a turning your life around totally. It would be great to say “I made a change”, “I have worked to resolve this”, “I fixed this, I, I, I, & I”. Most of us miss the answer we seek because we are looking for the answer within ourselves. Recovery from old habits involves us making one confession. We are dependant upon God and His gifts. It is His work through us that makes us able to lead in the area of change and to survive the most challenging of situations that will seem to max us out.
The recovery I am writing about in this column has everything to do with us tapping into His resources. Jesus has provisions and His grace is sufficient for our every hour. The problem some find themselves battling is that they have no patience for His timing and their demand for an immediate response removes not just opportunity from Him but ability too. My yearly scripture I selected clearly states what real love is, and in my journey this year I have already learned that in order for me to live a life filled with promise, hope and faith, I must practice love in restoring broken relationships so the cycle of “what goes around comes around” in a new way. I have already learned that having fellowship with believers is also most important to our healing and new vision for our lives. Real Christians will automatically demonstrate the love we are so in need of and without even asking, God will be meeting our needs through the obedience of others. In every fashion of phrasing and understanding, this is the type of “what goes around comes around”, I want.
Now this first month of 2011 I have been reminded that Love is the Key to Life, just as the Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 13: It is not everyday we begin the right searches in our lives, but I am confident this is one search I don’t want to miss.
Until then
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The first decade of 2000 is past
The first decade of the new century has passed and if you are like me you could be wondering where the first 10 years of the 2000’s went? Y2K didn’t end the world as was predicted and I guess I will hold on to those books in my personal library for a historical perspective and wonder in the eye of those that will look them over in the future years to come. They will no doubt be wondering how this was ever a crisis in the United States and the world with both a smile and laughter.
I have found myself facing a new problem in this year of 2011. Never before have I had such difficulty in writing the date out numerically until now. I keep writing 2010 instead of 2011 when I am writing the date on nearly everything. I’m not stuck in a time warp but for whatever reason my fingers just don’t want to write 2011. I really laugh at myself when my friends, co-workers and family members point out I have written the wrong date. It is a serious issue with legal contracts and documents that require the correct date for binding and authentication. Even on submitting my newspaper column I’ve catch myself struggling with the correct year when attaching the date of publication to my submissions. I’m glad that folks haven’t called the authorities to report me having lost my mind. Although if there was some time of payment I could receive from such a revelation that might not be a bad think all together….yes, I’m laughing at myself and smiling ear to ear as I type this out.
Considering time there are many scriptures in the Bible that make reference to time. Scriptures says that “He does all things well, in His time.” The Bible also reads that “there is a time for everything”. When you read that scripture in Ecclesiastes is records that there is both a time to remember and a time to forget. Learning to wait on time is not an easy discipline. Sometimes in cooking fried potatoes I find myself not wanting to wait, rather I opt to eat as I go when helping to cook at my parents home on holidays. The biggest problem I have at that moment is keeping my brother Jim Jr, and my sister Bridget’s fingers out of the frying pan. Wow, wouldn’t life be great if that could be the biggest problem I had? Life has it challenging moments and waiting upon the Lord is difficult. The reward for waiting upon the Lord is that He will renew our strength if we will only allow Him His time.
With the speed of passing days the time is certainly now that we seize the moments we have and use them to honor and glorify the Lord with our time and energy. I normally say Happy New Year to folks until at least Valentine’s Day arrives. I have occasionally had folks ask me if I’m stuck at the beginning of the year when I give that type of salutation. I believe it is certainly reasonable to celebrate the New Year for at least the first month of every year but from the rush of some folks they press on for another day quickly. When you think about the last days of the life of Jesus it appears that He didn’t rush through the time, but allowed with great patience a process to be completed that he personally didn’t want to experience. Only once did he tell someone to go quickly. He instructed Judas to go quickly but history records the patience Jesus practiced even in that situation. My prayer is that I can only be so willing to wait and to allow the proper time to arrive when it is best and not when I want such to be completed. Rushing time could very well set us up for a bad experience. Allowing things to move at their own pace is difficult but we are best served by learning to practice this mentioned trait from the Bible.
Until then
I have found myself facing a new problem in this year of 2011. Never before have I had such difficulty in writing the date out numerically until now. I keep writing 2010 instead of 2011 when I am writing the date on nearly everything. I’m not stuck in a time warp but for whatever reason my fingers just don’t want to write 2011. I really laugh at myself when my friends, co-workers and family members point out I have written the wrong date. It is a serious issue with legal contracts and documents that require the correct date for binding and authentication. Even on submitting my newspaper column I’ve catch myself struggling with the correct year when attaching the date of publication to my submissions. I’m glad that folks haven’t called the authorities to report me having lost my mind. Although if there was some time of payment I could receive from such a revelation that might not be a bad think all together….yes, I’m laughing at myself and smiling ear to ear as I type this out.
Considering time there are many scriptures in the Bible that make reference to time. Scriptures says that “He does all things well, in His time.” The Bible also reads that “there is a time for everything”. When you read that scripture in Ecclesiastes is records that there is both a time to remember and a time to forget. Learning to wait on time is not an easy discipline. Sometimes in cooking fried potatoes I find myself not wanting to wait, rather I opt to eat as I go when helping to cook at my parents home on holidays. The biggest problem I have at that moment is keeping my brother Jim Jr, and my sister Bridget’s fingers out of the frying pan. Wow, wouldn’t life be great if that could be the biggest problem I had? Life has it challenging moments and waiting upon the Lord is difficult. The reward for waiting upon the Lord is that He will renew our strength if we will only allow Him His time.
With the speed of passing days the time is certainly now that we seize the moments we have and use them to honor and glorify the Lord with our time and energy. I normally say Happy New Year to folks until at least Valentine’s Day arrives. I have occasionally had folks ask me if I’m stuck at the beginning of the year when I give that type of salutation. I believe it is certainly reasonable to celebrate the New Year for at least the first month of every year but from the rush of some folks they press on for another day quickly. When you think about the last days of the life of Jesus it appears that He didn’t rush through the time, but allowed with great patience a process to be completed that he personally didn’t want to experience. Only once did he tell someone to go quickly. He instructed Judas to go quickly but history records the patience Jesus practiced even in that situation. My prayer is that I can only be so willing to wait and to allow the proper time to arrive when it is best and not when I want such to be completed. Rushing time could very well set us up for a bad experience. Allowing things to move at their own pace is difficult but we are best served by learning to practice this mentioned trait from the Bible.
Until then
Monday, January 17, 2011
A Christian Response to the Arizona Shooting
The shooting of Congressman Gabrielle Giffords at her Congressional Community Gathering in Arizona at a local grocery store has shocked and stunned a Nation. For me it is impossible to write about this moment in American History without sharing the names of those that were killed: Gabe Zimmerman; Federal Judge, John M Roll; Christina Taylor Green; Dorothy Morris; Phyllis Schneck; Dorwan Stoddard; The loss of human life is always a tragedy but the senseless extinguished life leaves you empty and filled with questions.
Political correctness is something that those seeking public office and those serving the general public are concerned about. It means your comments and actions are welcoming and not offensive to individuals being mentioned or not hurtful regarding subjects and topics of discussion. As a Christian I believe in respecting people. This includes not intentionally hurting folks or acting out of improper motives that might include jealously, or selfishness. Christians must speak truth in love and there is no doubt that Biblical positions by themselves cause division of positions and ideas. I see no reason why people cannot disagree and still remain friends and cherish the varied opinions held but for some this is a battle and struggle.
Health Care is not an easy subject to discuss. If you have health care through your employer you are blessed. You might not agree with the coverage or the deductible but you still remain blessed. All you need to do is talk to someone who once had insurance but today is uninsured. I have a very close friend whose total income was $12,500.00 in 2009. With a mortgage his life allowed for not even the basics, much less added necessities. 7 jobs in one year is not exactly the career path he would have selected, rather it was the life that was handed to him. Talk with a diabetic who needs insulin and cannot afford the strips to test their blood sugar levels. That is not the position anyone wants to find themselves in, yet it is a reality for many.
There are many issues for which debate should be conducted and I’m confident that there will be many disagreements with folks divided by gaps of differences and thoughts but nothing that should ever lead to violence for any reason.
I believe that those of us that call ourselves Christians have a role to play in our Nation and the call to service and action is being sounded loudly. What can we do? As Christians we can help ease name calling and divisions by treating others with respect and by permitting differences of opinions all along respecting others to hold different views. We can treat people with love and our motivation for this is quite simple. The Bible says the greatest gift is not Faith, or Hope, but Love. I can only imagine what would have happened if someone had listened in love, helped in love and been involved. It is most important that Christians and Churches are involved in individual lives and in families. We all have neighbors that live next door, across the street and down the road from our home. We must move from our pews to become an active Army of God’s love and heal a Nation by beginning with the folks we go to school with, work with, see at sporting events and we must begin today. Love can build a bridge and God’s love is the answer even when folks don’t know that what they are looking for. Let’s help by demonstrating the answer without them even asking.
Until then
Political correctness is something that those seeking public office and those serving the general public are concerned about. It means your comments and actions are welcoming and not offensive to individuals being mentioned or not hurtful regarding subjects and topics of discussion. As a Christian I believe in respecting people. This includes not intentionally hurting folks or acting out of improper motives that might include jealously, or selfishness. Christians must speak truth in love and there is no doubt that Biblical positions by themselves cause division of positions and ideas. I see no reason why people cannot disagree and still remain friends and cherish the varied opinions held but for some this is a battle and struggle.
Health Care is not an easy subject to discuss. If you have health care through your employer you are blessed. You might not agree with the coverage or the deductible but you still remain blessed. All you need to do is talk to someone who once had insurance but today is uninsured. I have a very close friend whose total income was $12,500.00 in 2009. With a mortgage his life allowed for not even the basics, much less added necessities. 7 jobs in one year is not exactly the career path he would have selected, rather it was the life that was handed to him. Talk with a diabetic who needs insulin and cannot afford the strips to test their blood sugar levels. That is not the position anyone wants to find themselves in, yet it is a reality for many.
There are many issues for which debate should be conducted and I’m confident that there will be many disagreements with folks divided by gaps of differences and thoughts but nothing that should ever lead to violence for any reason.
I believe that those of us that call ourselves Christians have a role to play in our Nation and the call to service and action is being sounded loudly. What can we do? As Christians we can help ease name calling and divisions by treating others with respect and by permitting differences of opinions all along respecting others to hold different views. We can treat people with love and our motivation for this is quite simple. The Bible says the greatest gift is not Faith, or Hope, but Love. I can only imagine what would have happened if someone had listened in love, helped in love and been involved. It is most important that Christians and Churches are involved in individual lives and in families. We all have neighbors that live next door, across the street and down the road from our home. We must move from our pews to become an active Army of God’s love and heal a Nation by beginning with the folks we go to school with, work with, see at sporting events and we must begin today. Love can build a bridge and God’s love is the answer even when folks don’t know that what they are looking for. Let’s help by demonstrating the answer without them even asking.
Until then
Sunday, January 16, 2011
2011 Scripture Focus of the Year
The selection of a yearly scripture to focus upon is a great way to memorize God’s word and to learn how to apply scripture to your everyday life. I have said on many occasions that the Bible without application to our lives would be just another book to read. Instead, it is the guide book for decisions, value and goals just to mention three. The scripture I selection for 2011 is 1 John 4:10, it reads, “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins”. Today in society there are so many questions being raised about life and love. Life for many is based upon what a person has in possessions. Things are important, no denying that but the value we place on those “things” along with our interpretation of their value hands us the struggle that is not easy to overcome. I know folks who believe the automobile they drive is the most important thing, while others would say it is the type of home they live in. Could be you would say it is where you live or maybe your educational achievements are the king of your list. My parents always said the gift of possessions is what you do with them. As a Christian using our possessions as a gift makes perfect sense and using them in service to others demonstrates the love of God. With love as an issue to address again we see the answer based upon the point of view and our interpretation of what love is. Some folks believe love is all about happiness while others might chalk love up as it was in the 1970’s…remember the phrase, “love is……” and you were left to fill in the blank. There is a great need for caution in using this method to define love. For a teenager, love might be that that special someone or possibly playing on a sports team. It could be achieving a standard of recognition that seems to complete. Adults are no different than teenagers; the focus of what we love just changes with our age. From the scripture 1 John 4:10 we see a light for our definition that can help us to clarify what we hold about both life and love. The Bible says that in Jesus we can find life, not that it just comes to us, but rather we must seek after Him and in doing that we discover real value and purpose. The best example of Love is found in John 3:16, while the best application and definition is to be discovered in 1 Cor 13: Reading and understanding might be difficult for some but I believe most would agree that the difficulty would be apply those things we’ve learned and understanding By no means do I think I have the knowledge of the issues of life or love, but I am confident that by focusing on 1 John 4:10 for this year I will have a better understanding of what Jesus did by obeying the Heavenly Father and how his decision to following a plan He didn’t fully understand applies to me. In the Christian faith we talk about taking steps of faith and while sometimes it is only one step I might see before me, nevertheless it is a growing step to continue to press forward. 2011 could be just another year if you so choose or it could be the year of a lifetime that provides answers to your questions if you began the journey. Ric Todd Edwards in Birmingham, Alabama is always talking to folks about taking the journey, which means reading the Bible. Not sure what challenges you are accepting this year, but learning to apply God’s word would be a great start if you are ready to make a focus on His word.
Until then
Until then
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