September 16, 2008, Encouraging
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (1 Corinthians 12, 4-7; NIV)
One of these gifts as mentioned in Romans 12 is “encouraging.” As leaders and teachers we need to recognize that those around us often need encouragement. As heads of a family, the often the old school seemed critical. Their slogans included: walk softly and carry a big stick; I’m taking you out behind the woodshed, etc. Parenting had yet to be enlightened.
Recently while jogging around a soccer field during a game I listened to opposing coaches with different approaches. One encouraging the players to do things the other advising them what not to do; one encouraging, one scolding. The encouraged team had a totally different look. The “don't do this” team had the negatives fresh in their minds and showed it. You could see their reaction in their posture and body language. Guess who won the game!
In business management, the annual employee review is the one time each year that management can encourage, inspire and coach an employee. Wow, that is often not the case. Unenlightened managers tend to give unbalanced reviews, “yes-but” style. When that happens, it leaves the employee flat regardless of the pay increase and the company loses a chance to pump up and motivate an asset. Enlightened modern managers understand the value of a pumped up employee and give a balanced but positive review. In my life I had two coaches that stand out.
My high school football coach was a negative motivator. In my senior year my best friend and I left football and went to a private school to swim for a great coach. The news paper published an article regarding our coaches comment that two of his best juniors had left a big hole in the program. That was the first positive thing we had ever heard from him—we were shocked! The swim coach was a positive motivator and sent several swimmers to national championships and Olympics in the 50s and 60s. In fact, our small prep school defeated both the Yale and Harvard freshmen teams that each had several guys that made the 1960 Olympics. When one of us lost, we were surprised—Coach Al had us believing in ourselves. Today’s teachers seem to be trained in the art of positive reinforcement and it seems that most parents have learned. I suspect that future generations will benefit greatly enlightened parenting and teaching. People with the gift of encouragement are blessed and I pray all of you have it.
Thought for the Week: This week we will all have an opportunity to “encourage” someone. To some it will be a natural “gift” to many it will be a chore. Let us recognize where we fit and utilize God’s gifts in our lives to make God’s world a better place.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father we are often confused. The book says, “There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.” However, faith is used by many as a reason to exclude others. We pray that we can understand this, we pray that all persons can come to understand this. This week we pray that all the world come to understand your many “gifts” and use them to lead to “common good.”
September 9, 2008, Teaching
Here is an interesting aside story before this week’s good news. June and I are in the UK in the village of Polgooth, St. Austell, Cornwall and our B & B is next door to a small chapel. We attended services there with 19 other people yesterday. This week’s good news is on the gift of teaching and was prepared last month prior to our trip. Their church bulletin included the following quote from St. Thomas Aquinas. ”To teach in order to lead others to faith is the task of every preacher and every believer”.
"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; " (Romans 12,6-8; NIV)
Webster says that a teacher is someone who “... gives knowledge or insight to another.” Yes that is part of it all and if that is the case we are all part time teachers. It is doubtful that we ever get through a day without sharing part of personal knowledge base with someone. The scary piece is that we do not always know when we are teaching. Think about the following three examples. Think of the formal teacher, the professional, whether it is a Sunday school teacher or K-12 teacher. These are people that very intentionally share knowledge. Often there becomes a magical attachment between them and their students. Most of us have a strong memory from our early days about a teacher that was special. That person shared a gift from the Lord with us. We are always teaching others through our public actions and behavior. We unknowingly share with those who are observing us. One Sunday morning in church, I observed an older gentleman, Ralph, holding hands with his wife. Later he had tenderly had his arm around her in a show of affection. Ralph and I shared a business relationship and he was not my favorite customer. In fact, I dreaded seeing him in church. That day however, he and his wife set an example for me and all of us around them. I grew to know them better and use his behavioral teaching and example to improve my relationship with June. As my family has grown up, June and I have observed a lot of behaviors in our children that make us proud. Also, we often observe something that we wish they had not learned from us. Yes, we often teach our children the wrong stuff! Wouldn't it be great if they only saw us at our best? My dad used to say “Do as I say, not as I do.” OOPS, that is not reality. Within our families, parents are always teachers.
Thought for the Week: This week let us recognize our God given roles as teachers. We did not ask for it, we can not avoid it, so let us do it well. Each day let us share through our behaviors, words and actions, teachings that will make us proud.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father This week let me feel your spirit act like a disciple of Christ. This week let my behavior teach those around me that there is good in the world. Please do some good work through my humanity.
September 3, 2008, Service
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you:
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment,
in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
I like the term “…measure of faith.” in any context. It causes us to stop and wonder exactly what scale we would measure it with, yards or meters? Euro vs. dollars? Pounds vs. kilograms? The measure that probably matters is how well we use God’s gifts.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
If a person’s gift is … is serving, let him serve.” (Romans 12, 6 & 7; NIV)
Service is perhaps the greatest gift that we can be blessed with. Let me share with you how some of our Good News buddies use this gift. There is a lawyer born to “old money” that gave up his business career and started a series of group homes for the handicapped, another relatively famous lawyer who is a big brother to several convicted felons, a busy pastor that has time to work with people released from jails to find them shelter, education and jobs, several engineers who helped establish a company that develops systems to feed people in Africa, a fellow that established a charity to equip Jamaican schools with books and computers, and the list goes on and on. We do not have time to list the efforts of all of you but I need to mention that these services are above and beyond the tasks of every day life; they have careers and family that keep them busy also.
The reward of service is an intangible gift from the Lord and one of life’s greatest pleasures. The gift of service fulfills an internal need and gives a satisfaction that exceeds other needs. As an interesting aside, once a former senator once told me that what he missed the most about being in Washington is the ability to serve!
When serving others is done as a passion it is truly a gift from God. The warm feeling of having helped is always worth the efforts. The best part of it is we all have it and can feel it and at some time will have the opportunity to be the “good Samaritan”. We need to use this gift when we can.
Thought for the Week: This week let us think about how we may help. Is there someone with an ill family member that could use a visit? Can we make time for coffee with a friend? If we can’t plan an opportunity to serve, let us look during the week for a chance to use this gift.
August 24, 2008, Gifts
Note:
This is long because of the two versions of the passage. It is the start of a six week series. Be patient and read about our gifts from the Lord and how to apply them in life.
For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Romans 12 vs.3-8 NIV)
Or from Peterson’s “Message”
I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me and especially as I have responsibilities in relationship to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, It is important that you do not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you.
The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what He does for us, Not by what we are and what we do for Him. In this way we are like the various parts of the human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we are talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped off finger or cut off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
There are many different styles of responding to life. You do not have to be a replica of all the other persons you have known. God wants you to have the freedom to express your unique personality in what you do.
The seven gifts described in Romans 12 are to be considered gifts of joy. If you are aware of your gift and use it, you will be a person that brings joy and gladness.
The first gift mentioned is prophecy. It means speak out or declare. It also has a connotation of proclaiming in a very direct manner. A person reflecting this gift will be seen as one who is telling, declaring or speaking out about something. A person with the gift of prophecy doesn't waver. The truth is spoken without much hesitation. The prophetic person acts on whatever their perception of right is, and many times without concern over the consequences. Other people know where the profit stands and can trust that person's word because he or she do not waver. The prophet is usually a person of action- persuasiveness and even competitive.
People with the gift of prophecy attract other people, but can also push them away. They have strong convictions and the unusual capacity to stand alone. Is this one of your gifts?
Thought for the week: Let us try to recognize our gifts and how we apply them in our personal lives, within our community and our business lives. Let us use our gifts to bring joy and peace to others and ourselves.
August 17, 2008, Winning
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Who in our lives are the winners? Some say the one with the most toys wins. That’s a materialistic one liner that gives me goose bumps. However, in our society today, we tend to pursue things instead of happiness and peace. So who are the real winners and how do they win?
God placed us here to be his stewards with our first priority to be sharing the gifts we received from Him with others. That seems to be a very tall order. However, we always feel great when we have reached out and helped a friend or stranger. This reward is explained in Paul’s message to the Romans, 2 vs. 6 “God will give to each person according to what he has done.”
God gives us resources in many different forms. We have money that we earn and knowledge that we have learned. We graciously share these things with our families and children and that make us feel good. We also reach out beyond our own family units and share. We share at work, in Church, through volunteer activities and in too many ways to list. We share and sow the seeds that God has given us to plant, and we are real winners when we reach out and share our gifts.
Thought for the Week: Let us look for an opportunity to help someone this week. Perhaps someone who is sick, someone hurting or someone lonely. Let us see if we can share a bit of ourselves to make someone else feel better.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we are living in a troubled world. Suicide bombings, road rage, families in strife and many other incidences that confuse people. This week we pray for an opportunity to help and share with someone, an opportunity to demonstrate your Grace through our actions. Amen.
August 10, 2008, Pleasant Temptations
“Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those that love Him.” (James 1:12)
In the words of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, “Temptation is the urge to do or say something wrong, something contrary to the will of God and the law of Christ. Temptation often comes in pleasant and seductive form and the mind always attempts to rationalize it to make it seem right.” That certainly hits home for us. We face it every day.
Through out our lives we are given the opportunity to chose, the correct path or the wrong path. The opportunistic path from the Godly path. None of us has always chosen the right path, the path that follows the law of Christ. We have all crossed that line and felt the remorse, the guilt or the doubt that follows. Yes, admit it, you just are not quite perfect.
It is common for us to hold on to the memories that we have of the times when we slipped and took temptation. Often this sorrowful thinking leads to a bad self image or a sub conscious guilt that effects our lives. Working with others for the last 25 years, June and I have seen people turn their lives around by accepting the concept of “spiritual growth” and making amends to those that they have harmed.
We are not perfect, but when we are growing spiritually, we feel good about ourselves and turn down the temptations that confront us in our daily lives. The secret of success is spiritual growth through prayer and daily meditation.
Thought for the Week: In our personal lives there are many temptations. Ways to cheat, subtle dishonesty, procrastination, lust etc. We all have the opportunity break the law of Christ. This week, let us be conscious of these opportunities. Let us note our wise decisions and give thanks for the spirituality and maturity that gets us through the week.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, our world is a very confusing place. Religious wars and terrorism abound in the east. Neighbors use their version of God to discriminate against others. Within our society, there are many opportunities for us to help. This week we pray that we will recognize that part of our lives. We pray that we may find opportunity to help bring peace and love. We pray for the time to counter act the fear and hate in our world. Amen
August 3, 2008, Rewards of Faith
“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you, our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” (Psalm 22 vs. 3-5)
We live a long time and quite often the road is bumpy. The statistics on our world economy indicate that we are either entering or already in some economic decline. Economic difficulties always hurt the lower third of the income range first and hardest. This time with the decline in real estate values, the lay offs occurring in middle income jobs and the drops in the equity markets are reaching far beyond the bottom third. Globally, decisions are being made and priorities are changing. The world is being challenged.
My thoughts are not about policy, elections or the economy. They are about prayer and priorities. First, we all need to pray for the lower third of our socioeconomic world. Not just in the USA but world wide. Food here is expensive, but in many nations it is scarce and unaffordable. There will be more people starving around the world in 2009 than this year. We need to pray for those that are suffering and starving.
One of the ways to measure impact here is looking at charities and non profit organizations that require donations from the public. Right now, food shelve inventories are at an all time low, churches in our neighborhood have closed because of a lack of funding and many charities are making special appeals for extra. That says something about us- we are tight and holding back.
OK- where is this going! When times get tough we need to stick with our faith and beliefs as followers of Christ. We need to pray for our neighbors and those less fortunate. We need to give more of ourselves and our resources and follow the basic principals of our faith. We need to remember that the Lord is with us and demonstrate or faith. The Psalmist states that we will not be disappointed- we need to believe. It is now that we all need to gather our resources to help. We need to believe that the Lord will be there for us and we need to be there for Him.
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” (Psalm 71 vs. 14)
Thought for the Week: This week let’s think about trusting the Lord to be there when we need Him. There are some on this email list that need help and some that can help. This week let us all do what we can in the name of the Lord. Let’s trust and show our faith.
July 25, 2008, Marriage 40th
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value."
(Proverbs 31:10,11 NIV)
Many of you know that Monday, July 28th is June’s and my 40th wedding anniversary and some of you know that we were married on her 30th birthday. She has been a blessing to me and I often refer to her as being the light at the end of my tunnel. She helped escort me from my dark period of the 60s into something better- that seems to be still growing. Forty years is a long time and it was not all romance and happy times. There was alcohol treatment, recovery, career moves and stress, the challenges of raising four children and just living with Bob who does not always make sense!
Many of you have heard me discuss the many wonderful benefits of a good marriage: the great mutual support, the care when illness arrives, the mutual celebrations of the many events that occur. Yes, marriage is truly a great institution when things are well and blessed by God.
Many times it has been stated that marriage is the world’s toughest job. Let me quote from The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason.
" Marriage, even under the best of circumstances, is a crises; one of the major crises of life. It is a dangerous thing not to be aware of this. Whether it turns out to be a healthy, challenging and constructive crises or a disastrous nightmare depends largely upon how willing the partners are to be changed, how malleable they are."
"Crises" seems a bit extreme to me, but certainly marriage is a great opportunity for the fulfillment of life and it certainly is not without it's "opportunities" for either success or failure. A marriage blessed by God, one in which the partners have allowed God's love to grow in their relationship is one of the world’s greatest experiences.
June and I have been blessed.
Thought for the Week: We are facing many distractions in our daily lives; work, busy schedules, terrorism, war, and financial issues are some. This week let us look at our primary relationships. Let us focus introspectively, up close. Let us understand that when things are fine in our relationships, the outside problems seem less intense. Basically, let's focus on our loves.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, today we give thanks for the people that you have placed close to us in our lives. We pray that as this week progresses, we can share our love with friends, family and others who we meet. Amen
July 20, 2008, Love must be sincere
“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves....
keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” (Romans 12:9-11).
Do we love each other as God loves us? If so, why do we have negative thoughts about people? Have you ever sat in the office complaining about the boss, your work associates, the drive to work? Our focus when we are in that mode is not on what is right, but on what is wrong with our surroundings. When we really analyze the problem, it is never 100% wrong or bad. We are generally choosing to focus on the negative. We lose big time when we are in that mode. Each and every one of us has good times and bad. Paul’s message in Romans 12 clearly helps us focus outward toward others good points rather then inward on our parochial negative funk. In my own case, when I am in "the funk," I am generally being selfish!
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:12-13). The message is quite clear that if we want to be at peace, we need to love and respect others and allow God’s work to be done through our presence.
Thought for the Week: Let us focus on the positive aspects of live and other people.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, the world is full of challenges for us. Some of us are so busy that we forget and harm our children. Sometimes we are angry and frustrated with careers and jobs. Our introspective and sometimes self centered nature is our worst enemy. This week we pray that we may remain open to seeing the good in our lives and taking the time to share it with others. Somehow through this positive view, we will be doing your work. Amen
July 14, 2008, Accepting Forgiveness
“Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
When we truly believe, we will be at peace. Not because we have been perfect, but because we will know that we are forgiven through our faith. That is a powerful and moving statement because most of us have erred and tend to hold on to that memory forever.
There are many twelve step programs and clinics full of people that have never let go of their negative memories. They have let them pile up into what is often referred to as their “pity bag.” They are searching for peace. It will find them when they “...turn their will and their lives over to the care of God....” We all need to do that! In our lives, we have an obligation to turn negative memories and thoughts over to God. I.E. the expression: “Let go and let God.” How do we accomplish that? Perhaps through the forgiving of those who have harmed us. When we can truly forgive it becomes easier to accept forgiveness. Colossians 3:13 says “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Thought for the Week: As we go through this week, let us focus on the many positive things we accomplish, the people we help and the positive memories that we all appreciate. When a negative or remorseful memory comes to the forefront, let us stop a moment, pray and remember that God is forgiving.
Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord, thank you for the opportunity to find grace and live in peace. This week, please help me focus on the positive things in my life and help me see the good in others. Amen
July 5, 2008, Forgiveness
“Flee the evil desires of youth,
and pursue righteousness, faith love and peace...
...The Lord's servant must not quarrel;
instead, he must be kind ,able to teach and not resentful.”
(2Timothy22:24)
Forgiveness is the way of Christian life. It is not always an easy path. We Christians are challenged through out our lives with anger and resentment. Sometimes we grow vindictive and just want to get even. Wow, what a curse. Is it possible to find peace through revenge? Absolutely not.
Resentments demonstrate a serious challenge that we Christians need to deal with. How do we find peace when someone has done us wrong? How do we keep God at the forefront of our lives when our livelihood is being attacked? The answer is in good Christian friends, mentors, readings and prayer.
Many of us today are challenged with issues. Some have lost jobs, some have divorced, others have significant others who are terminally ill. It is easy to develop anger, fear and resentment. How do we deal with negative issues without destroying the peace in our life. Psalm 34: 12-14 says:
“Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.”
The Christian message is clear; we will find peace only when we have a strong enough faith to forgive and keep God at the forefront of our lives.
Focus for the Week: This week let us focus on the positive. Let us challenge ourselves and those around us to look forward and up to make great and positive things happen in our lives. We are exposed to friends, family, business associates and many others, this week let them see our positive side!
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly father, our lives are full of the challenges that are placed before us. Sometimes these challenges create fear and hurts that are difficult to deal with and easy to hang on to. Friendships and relationships often become challenged. Please help us keep the many great and positive gifts you have given us at the forefront of our thoughts and give us the power and wisdom to deal swiftly and honestly with the challenges.
