Good News
from Bob Pickering
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A resource you may want to try is Search the Bible at Crosswalk.com.
Good News
from Bob Pickering
Subscribe to Good News
September 24, 2009, Be the Best You Can Be
“David found strength in the Lord his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6)
Last evening I sat alone with a friend who is in the middle stages of MS, the part where the disease is starting to really take hold; starting to win. The discussion was not about having an end of life experience or about being disabled. It was about doing things differently; but doing them. It was about being more tired than before and taking longer to recover; and being OK with it. It was about waking up sore and trying to use massage, heat or cold to feel good enough to function for a while. This lady has heart.
In our apartment complex where June and I have lived for the last three years, there are several people that went from walkers to electric wheelchairs or scooters. Afterwards we observe that the person rapidly loses physical capabilities because they have found it necessary to trade up in technology and no longer uses their bodies. I recognize that it is often a necessity and the following is a different story. Recently, a lady in our building traded her scooter for a walker and now crutches! She makes it to the indoor swimming pool at nine every morning and swims for an hour. She is determined to recover what she can from a surgical issue from back surgery. I see weekly improvement and pray for her recovery every time I see her and note the intensity in her eyes.
June also drives a ninety-two year old to exercise classes three days a week. The lady does two classes, an hour long. Oops- June says she often takes a break or sits down for a while. She is amazing and one of my goals is to have that kind of heart at her age.
I do not know where each of the above is in their spirituality. In one case the lady is in a 12 step program with my daughter and is into spiritual growth through prayer and meditation. In the other two I believe that the Lord is with them whether they feel Him or not. You can see it in their attitude and the results of their efforts.
Thought for the Week: This week we will all have a chance to observe people with handicaps or terminal illnesses. Let us take a few seconds when we do and say a prayer for them and contribute to their quality of life through our God.
September 4, 2009, Peace
“Who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?
—(2 Samuel 22:32
It is the time of year when ministry teams in Christian churches make a lot of phone calls and home visits. In August and September our “Pastor Ed” calls everyone in the church directory and invites them to the fall programs. With the help of a ministry team there will be home meetings, visits in coffee shops around the city and often just messages on answering machines saying that we care. It is a time of invitation, a time to lead people back to the Rock: the Rock of stability and peace.
For families, school is about to start, the fall activities are about to begin, the summer slowdown and vacations are over. We empty nesters are looking at the fall leaves starting to turn and thinking about the winter season, warm weather travels and the holidays. For the most part, the human race is kicking into high gear- back to being too busy. In many cases it means not being at peace.
In the next few months many of us will find ourselves in busy and challenging situations, we need to be reminded not to leave the Rock, our Lord, behind as we move forward into these exciting times. We need to keep Him in our lives to maintain our tranquility and keep us on an even keel. It is a time to accept the invitations from our ministry teams and keep the Lord in our everyday lives.
Thought for the Week: This week let’s take our look at our calendars every day and schedule a few minutes with our Lord; a few minutes for meditation; a few minutes to give thanks and a few minutes for ourselves. Let’s do this so that we will be at Peace and be better able to help others.
In the 40s and 50s, public school in Massachusetts always started with the 23rd Psalm, the Lord’s prayer and the salute to the Flag. Wow, by today’s standards, that is powerful stuff. Let us take a look at this and see if we can apply it to our lives today.
The first two lines above, lead us to tranquility. Faith will take care of our wants and lead us to that inner peace we desire and lead us to the restful place beside still waters.
“He refreshes and restores my life;
He leads in the paths of righteousness
for His namesake”
(Psalm23:3).
There are always periods when things in our lives need rebuilding. There are temptations to take the easy way. These verses point out that the way to get out of the “dumps” is to follow Him.
“Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff to comfort me.”
(Psalm 23:4).
In the biblical context, the rod is an instrument used for guiding, rescuing and protecting (sheep) and the staff is an instrument of support. The Psalm points out that the Lord is with us and will guide and support us throughout our lives.
Yes, today our lives get filled with stress. As Christians we are given wonderful tools to work within our daily lives. The more we let God lead us, the more we will be at peace.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, many times stress builds up in our lives. It is a combination of hurts, anger and resentments kept hidden inside of ourselves. I pray that when this occurs, I find a way to let you help and can accept the guidance, protection and support promised through our Christian faith.Thought for the Week: Let us reflect on this fall season. Read the 23rd Psalm and accept the help that God has available to us as we move into the winter and holiday season. It will be a big help in locating those still waters we all seek.
August 24, 2009, Eyes Open
I experienced a “God Moment” today in a Triathlon. That story follows this week’s message if you are interested.
Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
(Psalm 119 vs.18)
We all know people who look at the glass as half empty. Sometimes we can fall in to that same pitfall and have one of those “Nobody likes me” kind of days. As Christians we have the tools to deal with that and through meditation and prayer we can develop a positive attitude. That is when most people use their daily meditation books or prayer journals.
However, when things are going really well, we are often blinded by the light of our good fortunes. The good times are when our bibles, prayer journals and meditation aids gather dust. Wow, that leaves an open door for the negative to seep into our lives.
So the message this week is to follow what the Psalmist said in both the good times and the difficult; keep our eyes on the prize.
Thought for the week: We will have some great moments this week, let’s not forget why— our Lord is with us and we need to keep our eyes open for him in our daily lives. Not on the bad days, not on the good days; every single day.
The Triathlon story
Today my granddaughter Ashley, daughter Karen and I did the St. Paul Triathlon. We each started in different swim waves four minutes apart. There were hundreds of people in Lake Phalen and the odds of seeing someone you would like to see is extremely low. As I was running out of the water to find my bicycle, Ashley was along side of me. We had the rare privilege of riding near each other on the bike and doing the run and finishing together. After we finished, we went back out on the course and ran in with my daughter Karen. It was a great 70th birthday present. Some people would call it a coincidence— I prefer to think of it as a birthday present from a higher power— God.
August 16, 2009, What We Give Back
“Treat others as you want them to treat you... Never criticize or condemn or it will all come back to you. ... If you give you will get. Your gift will return to you in full and overflowing measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more and running over. Whatever measure you use to give, large or small, will be used to measure what is given back to you.” Luke 6:31, 37-38(TLB)
Every day as people and Christians, we are giving. In the 60s the expression was “giving off vibes” (That probably came from the Beach Boy’s” Cool Vibrations”). What we give has an overwhelming effect on our lives, our social environment and those around us. Whether we are in the work place, the family arena or driving alone down the street, we are participating and giving to those around us.
Let’s take a look at the place where being positive is the easiest. The family, where love is the strongest. Certainly, within each of our families, we have always been positive, loving and "real cool.” If you say that, you better take a reality check and be sure your other family members see it the same. Most of us do not meet that standard.
Sometimes we are tired, sometimes the career is not working well, sometimes we anger when we should stop and meditate. Perfection is our goal, perhaps not our reality. When we are down, it is important to remember that we are the children of God, and we have His support in both the good and testing times. He wants us to work with Him to bring peace and good while sharing His love with others. Sharing His love instead of “our frustrations” with others is a lofty goal.
Thought for The Week: This week when we feel stressed out, let us focus on not bringing it home. Let us remember that it is OK to ask the family for support during stressful times, but unfair and destructive to pass our stresses on to them.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, through your love, we are truly blessed. We stand before you covered with your love. This week we pray that during tough times, we can reach out to you and feel and share that love.
Amen
August 9, 2009, 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.
Throughout 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 affects our lives. Working with others in twelve step programs for the last 25 years, I have seen many people turn their lives around by accepting the concept of “spiritual growth” and making amends to those that they have harmed. Yes, 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.
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.
July 27, 2009, The Lords Will
“Be very careful, then, how you live‚
not as unwise but as wise,
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”
(Ephesians5:14, NIV)
In life and business there are temptations. Opportunities to take more than we know we deserve. In many parts of the world, that is thought of as the American way; the relentless pursuit of things or money. After all, that is what makes our economy run.
A classic example is the negotiations between young athletes and the team that drafted them. Often, these people are grappling over extra millions and the relationship and respect between those involved is permanently damaged.
Harvey McKay, one of my favorite people, recently wrote about this subject in his weekly article. He pointed out that good negotiations were not opportunistic, but “win-win.” The temptation to go for it all leads to ultimate failure because the team spirit is damaged.
Harvey is a business man, tennis player, marathon runner and author. In all of his endeavors, he is a winner and has that burning desire for excellence. Harvey built his life around playing by the rules and constructing a win-win lifestyle. I do not know Harvey well enough to know his spirituality, but from a casual observation, he does God’s work very well.
Thought for the Week: This week, let us search out the temptations in our lives. Let us recognize them for what they are and follow good Christian ethics in our decisions. Everyone can win.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, our World seems to be full of ungodly events. Kidnappings, suicide bombers, illness and many others cause us to focus on the negative. This week, please help us maintain our focus on the good things in our lives and give us the will to spread goodness in our confused world.
Amen
July 19, 2009, Family and finishing
“It is better for you to finish now what you began last year.
You were the first, not only to act,
but also to be willing to act.
On with it then and finish the job.”— 2 Corinthians 8:10-11(TEV)
In the spring my thoughts gravitate toward the good old days when my friends and I trained 10 -14 hours a week for endurance events. The camaraderie or the group, the support offered by the group when one of us was having a bad day and the feeling of spirituality in the early mornings as we traveled on our way was priceless. Last year on June’s and my 40th anniversary, many of these people came and the warm feelings were instantly present. There was an interesting bond.
As an unranked runner but former elite masters swimmer and Triathlete, there were many times that finishing a running event near the bottom of the pack was more rewarding to me than a swimming or triathlon trophy. The trophy is are a nice memento, but often become unimportant dust collectors. As an elite, you are supposed to be near the top but that really is not what it is about.
In the early 80s my friend Billy (a good news recipient) and I ran a half marathon. He finished a good half an hour ahead of me and felt great. I was not ready and thought I was going to die out there. The following year, Billy was again a half hour ahead of me but I met my personal goals and expectations. I fondly remember that day and have that finishing picture on my office wall. It reminds me that being at the bottom of the pack is not a bad thing when you are at the top of your game. The goal is personal, to be the best you can be. Neither of us won that event or our age group. Both of us were proud winners because we finished. Life is like that— when we finish what we start, we win.
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| Grampa, Karen, Ashley |
This year we Pickering family is at it again. My daughter Karen, Arlene’s daughter Ashley and I will each do two sprint triathlons. We will finish an hour after the elite winners but we will be winning the real prize— family pride and togetherness. We are looking forward to setting a family standard and enjoying the day.
Thought for the Week: It is Spring, a time of renewal. God brings us flowers, green grass and warm temperatures. It is easy to be busy enjoying it all and put a few serious issues on that famous “back burner.” This week let us identify what we need to finish; who we need to help; who needs our prayers; who could use a visit. Let us complete the tasks that the Lord has put before us.
Prayer For the Week: Heavenly Father, we need your guidance on how to use your love to succeed. In our cities, our neighborhoods and the world we pray that we can find a way to contribute so that Your love will somehow “finish” the race for peace and security.
Amen
Was Popeye a philosopher? Cartoonists often are. When Popeye was confronted with difficult situations he would state “I yam what I yam?”, gulp down his spinach and defend right!
We are not all Popeyes and we are expected to conform, often to standards below those of our Christian faith. We often face difficulties if we do not. We do need to understand who we are, what we are and keep the Lord in our daily lives. We need our "spinach".
In many ways we are continually fighting an image syndrome. Conformity is the word, and clones are the result. Quite often we get flack because we don’t fit.
If there was a right way to be, how would some of the prophets or John the Baptist fit in with the rest of their society? Probably not too well at times.
The truth is you are you. You are who God created you to be. He wants you to know who you are and understand your unique characteristics. You were created by God and then the mold was broken. No one else is exactly like you.
You are unique. You are special and it is all right to be you. Don’t let others shape you. That is God’s task He started with you, he will finish with you and he will be with you. He is our spinach.
He really does want you to be you.
Thought for the Week: Let us search for the person that God wants us to be so that we may serve him better.
Prayer for the Week: Heavenly father, as we travel through our weekly chores, we need to see a way to help You. We often lose track of your plan. Sometimes we are too busy and do not understand it. This week we pray that each of us may find a better way to serve You and make life better for everyone.
Amen.
July 3, 2009, Real freedom
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves
be burdened again by a yoke of slavery...
You who are trying to be justified by law
have been alienated from Christ;
you have fallen away from grace.
But by faith we eagerly await through
the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”—
Galations (5:1,4,-6,)
In our society today we find too many ways to become slaves. Along with our careers we take on church projects, the youth sports, charity events, etc. Then we become aware that we have little time left for meditation and rest. In today’s world we tend to create our own brand of slavery; all in the name of lifestyle?
Often our pastors ask us to put down the morning paper, turn off the TV news and pick up the daily meditation book. Start the day with meditation and love! I think at some time we have all tried it and then backed off. That’s how Good News was started. My will power kept letting me down and I would go back to the news and sports!
We are better people and have a better life when our faith is at the forefront. When we keep our spiritual batteries fully charged. When we are charged with faith, large problems seem to have less impact, it is easier to show others we care and tranquility comes to the surface. As Paul said above, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Let's take the advice of my favorite philosopher, NIKE, and “Just Do It.”
Thought for the Week: Let us keep meditation at the forefront this week. Yes, we are too busy and need to get to the lake home, mow the lawn, the kids have three games etc. But no one says we need to be formal in our thoughts regarding our faith. Take a mini-break a day; at a stop light, in the parking lot— a few minutes of charging the batteries goes a long way.
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