The Perfect Place to talk about People

Prayer is the perfect place to talk about people!

This morning I am thinking of Nanny (my sweet Grandmother who is now with the Lord) and a simple little song she used to sing that goes like this. "Just go and tell Jesus on me, whatever my weakness may be, if you are my brother don't go tell another, just go and tell Jesus on me."

It's interesting how people will talk about others for whom they are "concerned", and yet have never bothered to pray for them. I think we all know that this approach is due to a desire to gossip rather than to bear one another's burdens.

If I have a problem, which I suspect I do :-) I really need someone to talk to the one who can change it!

Although there are  times when others need to be made aware of the need so that we may agree in prayer, very little is accomplished  in our discussions until it is sincerely brought to the Lord in prayer, the PERFECT place for the discussion!

If you must talk about me, feel free! But, please take it to the perfect one: Jesus Christ, in the perfect place: Prayer!


There may be some very pressing issues in your life right now. May I encourage you to never neglect the perfect place to discuss this issue. "Take it to the Lord in prayer"!

God Bless!

When Children are Cheated by "Quality Time"!

 "Quality Time", what is it? Quality time is special, focused time we spend with someone. It is time when the other person becomes the center of our attention and we focus directly on them. A time without distractions, a time when we are giving and receiving and enjoying one another. Aaaahhh, how we love quality time!

Without a doubt, these "quality times" are beneficial and certainly bring quality to our relationships. Such times are quite necessary and beneficial, particularly, between us and our children. These "quality times" are needed because they let our children know they matter, that they are of great quality and great value. And indeed, our children must know that they are worthy of our undivided, special attention!

However, "quality time" can become a trap by which our children are actually cheated! They may really receive a small quantity of our time, while we justify ourselves by giving them "quality time". Our children need more from us than quality time, they need "quantity time", time that is just mundane, ordinary time.

If our children only experience time with us during "quality time" in which they are the focus, they may become spoiled and expect that they should always be the center of attention. It is good for them to experience some mundane family time, a time when they are not the center of the universe. They need opportunities to observe Dad, "just being Dad" and, Mom, "just being Mom" . It's those mundane evenings with Dad working around the place and Mom tidying up from dinner or mending some pants that Johnny tore at recess, that they observe how to be a Mom or a Dad! What about that mundane time around the dinner table where they learn manners and things like, how to not interrupt adults when they are speaking, yet how to respectfully enter the conversation when invited! You see, invaluable lessons are learned in mundane, "quantity time" when we are just together.

All of this is not to say that in the quantity of time there can be no "quality” or “special" time. On the contrary, it is important that we take time to focus on building relationship with each of our children individually. Come on Dad, put down the tools or the newspaper from time to time, get in the floor (your wife, children and neighbors can help you get up!) roll around with those kids, go outside toss the ball, etc. Come on Mom, drop the dish rag, let the sewing machine go silent, and enjoy those darlings that are growing up sooo quickly. Don't worry, the work will be there tomorrow, but in a flash, the kids will be gone. The time that we give them is of great value.

So, slow down, take some time: time for your family, time for your children. Let's refuse to spend much time at our hobbies and careers and very minimal time with our families, then justify ourselves with statements like, "Boy I'm so busy I can't be at home much, but when I am I give them my full attention; we have "quality time".  

Time is a resource we only spend once, let's spend it wisely, and not cheat our children by giving them very little, but "quality time"!

Servitude: A remedy for stress and offense!

I recently had the opportunity to sit down and talk with an esteemed elder , who had pastored for 52 years. I was very grateful and excited to have the opportunity to visit with him and honored that he would take close to three hours of his time to talk with me. As you might imagine we had opportunity to discuss many things during that time, and I won't try to disclose them all here. However, there were a few things that jumped out at me and I would like to share them with you.

After completing a nice meal that he and his wife had so graciously served us, I led in to the conversation with this question. "Elder can you speak to me as a young new Pastor about how a man keeps his peace of mind while Pastoring"? Without hesitation the elder gave me an answer that I was not expecting. He folded his hands together, sat forward slightly, and explained, that I should be careful to never elevate myself in ministry. " Seeing what must have been a bit of a somewhat curious and very interested look on my face, he continued on and began to explain.

You see, excessive focus on one's self elevates a man to a place of unrealistic expectations, both from himself and the people he serves. These expectations become greater than what he can live up to. This creates stress, drives him to secrecy in his failures, and leaves him easily offended.  The stress comes when he is trying to perform at a level of "near divinity" which the people have come to expect. He is tempted to hide his sin because he cannot admit his faults or failures with this perceived level of perfection at which he lives. And the offenses come because he feels that he deserves better than what he is getting! And all of this because he built himself up instead of the Lord!

The remedy, the elder said, is for a man to view himself as a servant. When he views himself as a lowly servant he won't build these unattainable expectations. The elder paused and smiled as he said, "you can't knock a man down when he's already on the ground, you can only knock him down if he has elevated himself. Furthermore, you can't offend a servant. When you tell him to go get your water or to wash your feet he will only smile at you, and say, "I would be glad to!" The servant isn't offended because the servant doesn't feel he deserved better than what he got! "

Close to the end of our conversation, he said to me, "Jesus is our example, and he came as lowly as anyone could come. He lived an humble life with the attitude of a servant and was not offended. Not to say he wasn't hurt, for Jesus knew what it was to hurt and even weep, but although He wept he never pouted!" 

I left that evening with much to think about, and today I am still thinking … and trying to put it into practice! And although you may not be a minister, the lesson here is good for us all. Each of us should strive to humble ourselves and live a peaceable life, seeking to build up others and be happy that life is really better than this servant deserves. Think about it, if we got what we deserved, we would be lost for eternity…! May we follow the example of our Lord, seek to serve, and consequently avoid much stress and offense!

First Service @ CAC Granbury

Finally, the day had arrived! After three months of exciting and challenging work, the little building that has been everything from a game room to a tattoo parlor, now looked like a nice little church building. The walls nicely painted, decorations in place, chairs lined in neat rows, a sound system in place, refreshments available, and a Sunday School lesson and sermon all ready … now all we needed was people to come!

Thankfully they came! What a nice feeling for people to come through the doors. The first lady who came , walked in and handed us an offering. She said, "I want to be the first one to give an offering." It wasn't much, but it was huge! As they continued coming we ended up with a total of 19 people in attendance (including my Brother-in-law and family who are not in the picture above).

Service went well. We had a good time of worship, a bit of singing and illustrated sermon for the kids and preaching! As we prayed at the conclusion of the service there were tears and people hungry for God. One of the ladies informed us she had no Bible. When we told her we were getting her one, she asked, will you help me understand it? !!! She is also wanting to be baptized, so we will be having our first baptism real soon!

Please keep us in your prayers! God is going to do a great work throughout Hood County, beginning at Oak Trail Shores (our Community), into Granbury and into all of the county! May the Lord raise up an army to declare His kingdom has come!

To Speak or not to Speak...!

When we want to speak up the most is usually the best time to remain silent.... As an African proverb states, "silence is never misquoted". 

 

Words, once spoken are powerful, both in our mouths and in the mouths of others!Speaking freely and often puts our words in the mouths of others, allowing them to use them however they see fit. This is why we must be very careful in whom we confide. Often times our words can be used to inflict horrible pain in others, not directly from our own lips, but from the lips of someone we confided in, as they quote, or perhaps misquote you.

 

Keeping our mouths shut is the surest way to stay in control of our own words! While there are times that we do need to confide in someone, it is highly important that we can trust their character. Silence can be golden!

 

On the flip side, silence can be harmful. Certainly there are times to speak. The discernment of when to speak and when to be silent is the challenge, and this must be a matter of prayerful and careful consideration! 

 

So then, to Speak or not to Speak this is the question!

Welcome!

As I sat contemplating how I could make a difference in this world, the idea of blogging came to me. I thought, now there is an idea I bet no one has ever thought of! So, today I have set out as a pioneer on the web, forging ahead with this blog and certain I am the only one with this brilliant idea! ... :-) who knows, this could become a trend!

Obviously, I am being a bit facetious ... It certainly seems that everyone and their pet lizard has a blog these days, and so I have asked myself is there really any purpose in joining the crew. But, as must be obvious, I have decided to join the crew, and me and the pet lizards can entertain ourselves and perhaps even post something edifying to someone else!

As I strive to navigate this life in a manner pleasing to the Lord, I search His word for bits of wisdom that are beneficial to me and may serve as a help to others. So, I will use this blog to reflect on those things and make them available for your perusal as well... Thanks for reading!