Change

Somethings never change.

"What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun." Ecclesiastes 1:9

Change for the sake of change is usually a preemptive strike against the things that haven't changed in a while.  Change in worship styles is one of the things I have seen over the last few years.  I am amazed at our thinking that change is the answer.  It is!  What needs to change is not necessarily our worship style but our hearts about worship.

We need to begin to realize that when we come together to worship it is about God and not us.  We are not the recipients, nor should we be, of the blessings that come from worship.  We are blessed because we have worshipped and honored our God and Father.  God should  be the center of our worship and the blessing we should receive come from understanding that we are there to worship Him, praise Him, and honor Him above all else.

Can I receive a blessing by worshipping?  Absolutely!  But, when my worship focus is on how worship affects me, then we are wrong.  We are always going to be affected by what we do, but the focus of our spiritual worship as a church family should always be to promote our thankfulness, love and devotion to our God for the gift of salvation that He poured out on us through His son.

It is time for us to change our focus and look to God the inventor and perfecter of our faith.

I'll see you later.

Sometimes!

"Pappa, why do some people stay upset all the time?" asked the little boy about someone he saw become vocally upset because someone annoyed them for some reason or another.  "Do they know that what they are doing is what they are angry about others are doing?"

Talk about out of the mouth of babes!

I was amazed at the insight this young child had as they viewed the reality of adulthood's most difficult aspect, living in harmony with each other and allowing others actions and reactions to be overlooked out of love for them just being there.  This is difficult for us as humans to understand, on either side of the situation.

My answer?  "Sometimes!"

I'll see you later.

How Long Is Enough?

There are so many things that I have done in my life that have been hobbies and fun ones at that!  Over the years I had to start making concessions and giving them up.  Let me share just a few of those with you that I have done.  Some I still participate in but then there are many I have given up.  I'll indicate the ones I have given up with an  in front of them. Now this is participation hobbies.

These are a few I have given up: Baseball,  softball,  bowling,  skating,  water skiing,  snow skiing,  motorcycling, umpiring baseball, officiating basketball, trapping wild game, and raising hogs (literally).

These are a few I still participate in: Fishing, hunting, swimming, camping, radio broadcasting sports, golf, hiking, playing music on my mandolin, singing, did I say hunting and fishing?

Why do you think I gave up some of my hobbies.  There are several reasons!  First, I became incapable of doing some.  Physically was unable to perform these to the point of enjoyment.  Others I gave up because of health reasons.  Still others I just became to old to do, which I never thought was possible.  Those were the things I gave up, yet there are some that I still participate in and enjoy.

Life does this to us.  There are things we would really love to continue in our lives, but there comes a time when it has been "Long Enough."  We have done our time and we need to move on to other things.  We may not want to, but it has been long enough.  We may feel we can still perform in some ways, but it has been long enough.

I have several friends who over the years have talked with me about this and I understand better now that I am getting older how they feel.  Many of my peers are having to give up things that they really don't want to give up but realize that it is necessary to listen to those around them who care about them and want nothing but the best for them. 

This very thing is happening at the church where I serve as the pulpit minister.  Several of our elders who have served for so many years have said "enough."  Not that it was a problem that caused them to leave, but the came to realize that it was time to step aside and listen to their bodies and hearts to know what to do.  I admire their desire to be honest with themselves and understand that they will never stop leading others in Christ.  I pray for them in their transition. 

Think about your life.  Have you reached a point to where you have had to say, "Enough?"  Have you come to the point where you have understood it was time to give up some of the things you really loved?  It is okay to give up the things you can't do physically or spiritually, as long as you don't give up doing what is right for God. It is time to become a blessing for others by allowing yourself to stand back and enjoy watching and listening to those who have come after you and be there to give them the wisdom and encouragement they need to do what it is they do.

I'll see you later.

Sometimes I Wonder

I love social media!  I love being able to keep up with all of my friends without, sad to say, picking up the phone and calling them to talk.

I know it is not as personal, but considering every one's time and memory, mine because I'm getting old, keeping up is a lot easier.  There are those who don't like social media and they have their right to not participate, or to complain about those who do. God gave us the right to feel how we want to anyway.

Some times I wonder, however.  Why is it that you see things on social media pages from someone that you know they would never say with their mouths or in your presence?  Folks, what is written is no different than what is verbally spoken.  It hurts my heart to see foul language and innuendo placed upon the computer screen that is blatantly done without thought.

I am not talking about virus attacks or share's that you were unaware of. (I have had plenty of those myself)  But, to willfully use language that is unbecoming of a Christian is just above and beyond my comprehension.

So, I wonder!  Why don't we just use the idea of WWJD when writing on Facebook, My Space, Twitter, etc.?  Wouldn't that solve the embarrassment issues?

I wonder!

I'll see you later.

Today the Music Died

I write this after learning that an hour ago my mother left this world.  It is hard to put into words how I feel other than to say that at the same time I am sad and feel the void growing, I know that there are a myriad of reasons to rejoice.

My mom was a Christian.  She was a faithful follower of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  She has a home in heaven because of the forgiveness offered by God's gift of His Son's blood.  She re-enacted the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus in baptism for the forgiveness of her sins as so many have done through the years.

My mom was not perfect.  She was human.  She made mistakes and some that she lived to regret.  The one thing I am thankful for is that she knew she was forgiven of those mistakes and that her family grew in spirit because of her ability to overcome her mistakes and be a Christian example to the best of her ability.

The one thing I have missed over the years as an adult and living away from her for so many years was her singing.  She could sing, and I could write for days about those times. I have missed her singing and will continue to miss singing with her.  It is a blessing she handed down to her children and grandchildren, and even her great grandchildren, the love for music of all kinds and the enjoyment of singing.

Today, the music died in her life, but lives on through the lives of those she has left behind.  I would have loved to have sung once more with her.  But I know I will in heaven.

I love you mom.

I'll see you later...Wow, that will be neat.

Easter

Easter!  This is a special day throughout the Christian world, a day that many celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This has always been a special day as we look at it through the eyes of a world that has walked away from the truth the Bible speaks of.  So many in our world have not taken time to honor God with a true understanding of what Easter is supposed to be about.  To many it is a time of gathering eggs and candy for children.  For others, it is one of the only days that they attend worship to thank God for the blessings they have received in their lives.

I am not sure why the world hasn’t gotten the grasp of what the resurrection celebration is supposed to be about.  When Jesus was crucified and placed in the tomb after His death, God raised His body up three days later from a cold and lonely grave.  Jesus came back to life and we have called that day Easter.  We are able to calculate, according to the days and weeks of the Jewish calendar, when that Easter day, that resurrection morning occurred. But that isn’t the main point of why this day is special.  It is a special day because the people of the world stop and recognize, for the most part, that Jesus actually did come back to life.  It was a first day of the week.  It was a Sunday!  But what makes the celebrating even better is that we serve a risen Savior.  We don’t serve a dead God!

For me, I celebrate this wonderful and blessed day each and every Sunday as I come together with my family and worship God thanking Him for the resurrection of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The reason we are to come together is to remember His Death, His Burial, and His resurrection from the dead.  We partake of communion each and every week to remember that sacrifice and the blood that was shed for our forgiveness of sin.

No, I never get into a rut when I partake every first day of the week.  This is my focus!  This is my sign to God that my heart is His each and every week as I come to worship, praise and thank Him for all He has done in forgiving my sins and giving me the opportunity to join Him in heaven.  It is not something to be taken lightly, but thought out, remembered, and practiced as often as we come together.  I am proud that I am a Christian and proud to have Him as my Savior.  I am proud to remember Him, not only today, but every time I come into His presence and into the presence of my spiritual family.  I love Him and want to remember Him all my life.

                                                                                                                                       

Sometimes I Wonder!

I had a terrible experience this morning.  I really feel badly about it, but it just really got under my skin.  I know I shouldn't get angry with folks, but when they basically call you a liar without a reason, it makes me wonder!

I was at a local eating establishment, McDonald's, to order Lisa and I some breakfast items. I order off the dollar menu because if you get the meal deal they charge you more.  I placed my order for two sausage burritos, two cinamon melts, and two large diet cokes.  (I order this twice a week most weeks, but today was a little different.)  When my order was ready, I looked at what was given to me and it was two burritos, two cinamon melts and two small diet cokes. 

I politely told the "guy behind the counter" that I had ordered two large drinks.  He began to argue with me that I had ordered small drinks with my meals.  I tried to tell him that I never order the meal deals because they are higher in cost than the dollar menu for the same amount of items and that way I could order "large drinks" and not have to pay the extra for the meal deal up charge.

Well, that went over like a lead baloon! 

I left upset because the guy made me feel guilty (or I felt guilt for getting him upset, which made me upset).  I hate confrentation.  I love people and most of you who know me that I usually try to be nice to everyone I meet.

Sometimes I wonder why the devil has so much influence on the people I come in contact with.  He puts me in some very procarious situations in life at times, where anything I do can be manipulated into someone being upset with me or what I have done.

Sometimes I wonder about how many times I have stood "behind the counter" and allowed an "upset person" to be right?  I just know what I asked for, and wouldn't be so concerned if it had been someone who just acknowledged that they had misunderstood what I ordered and calmly changed my order without making it into his mission of the day to make me feel guilty.  I do!  He won!  I feel bad! 

Sometimes I wonder.

I'll see you later.