Catching Up

I apologize for the lack of posting this week. Last week and this as well have been very busy for me. I hope to catch up in the next couple of days and let you know what has been going on.

Thanks for all of those who have prayed for Sis. Irma Jones. She is doing some better and was even able to be in church this past Sunday.

If I may pass along another prayer request, we have a man in our community who is dying of cancer. This man does not know the Lord and is unwilling at this point to do anything about it. He only has a short time left, please pray that the love of God will draw him to the Savior.

Be blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Be sure to give thanks and don’t eat too much turkey. Those tryptophan comas can sure lay you out!

 In honor of the holiday, let me share with you this recitation that George Younce of the Cathedral Quartet used to quote.

Today upon a bus, I saw a lovely girl

with golden hair.

I envied her, she seemed so happy

and I wished that I were as fair.

When suddenly she rose to leave

and I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one leg and wore a crutch,

but as she passed, she smiled.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two legs, and the world is mine.

Later on the way to work I stopped to buy some sweets.

The lad who sold them had such charm,

I stayed and talked with him a while.

If I were late, ‘twould do no harm.

As I left, he said, “Thank sir, you’ve been so kind.

It’s nice to talk to folks like you.”

“You see,” he said, “I’m blind”.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two eyes, and the world is mine.

Later in the street I saw a child with eyes of blue.

He stood and watched the others play,

it seemed he didn’t know what to do.

So I said, “Why don’t you join the others dear?”

But he just looked straight ahead without a word,

and then I knew, he couldn’t hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two ears, and the world is mine.

With legs to take me where I’d go,

With eyes to see the sunsets glow,

With ears to hear what I would know,

I’m blessed indeed, and the world is mine.

Thank you, Lord!

I’ve Been Interviewed

Oak Tree Idea is a Christian website designed to promote Christian writing and provide an online community for believers to network and communicate.

 They periodically interview a Christian blogger or author. I am honored to be the most recently interviewed Christian blogger. You can read the interview here.

Weekend Survey

This coming week is a very special week. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Amidst the travel, turkey and football, let us not forget to take time to be truly thankful.

 I am thankful for my salvation, my family and good health.

What are you thankful for?

Taking a Little Break

I am sorry I haven’t been more active in blogland this week than I have. I have been laid up with a cold that robbed me of all of my creative abilities. (Sounds pretty pathetic, doesn’t it?)

I will try to post the standard weekend survey later today and probably something meaningful around the first of next week, but most likely will not be blogging much until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

My brother and his family are coming down next week and I am looking forward to spending some time with them.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Sis. Irma Jones. She is home now, but is still pretty weak. She and her family really appreciate your prayers.

A Rose Among the Thorns

Please don’t read this and feel sorry for me. I am going to share a lot of frustration to just let you know what was going on in my life this past weekend, and then to share with you how God let me know He is still in control.

It actually started during the beginning of last week. My telephone suddenly developed the habit of just cutting out. (Yes, I payed the bill for those who are curious ) In the middle of calls, or for hours on end, I would be without a telephone. It has something to do with technical problems that my provider is experiencing.

On Friday and Saturday, absolutely nothing went as planned. Not everything was a catastrophe, but it seemed like no matter what I had planned, it went awry. Once my phone finally started working again, the battery in the thing went as dead as a hammer.

I had great intentions concerning visits, events, etc. I was supposed to leave yesterday to attend the Georgia Baptist Convention, none of that worked out.

The one thing I thought would be good, turned into an absolute disaster. I took my son, Clay, to the Florida State-Wake Forest game Saturday evening. The weather report called for a mildly cool evening with no rain. WRONG! Just before kick-off, it poured rain on us, soaking us to the skin. This was followed by a cold wind that felt like it was going to cut through us. On top of that, the Seminoles looked like they had never even seen a football before. Cold, wet, miserable and getting disgusted with our team, we left at half-time.

It continued at church the next morning. For some reason attendance was low for the day. Just before Sunday School, I got word that one our deacon’s wife was taken to the emergency room with congestive heart failure.

Between Sunday School and morning service, another of our deacons asked me if he could share a testimony in the service. I asked him to come up when I finished the announcements.

He got up and thanked the church for praying for him. For a little over a year now, he has been battling an aggressive form of lymphoma. The doctors opted to use an advanced schedule of chemotherapy to treat him which was nearly more than he could stand. He stood before our church body yesterday and proclaimed, “The doctors told me that three times they had given up on my chances of survival. I am here today by the grace of God in answer to the prayers of God’s people.” As of his last report, there is no cancer in his body.

As he stood there praising the Lord for the gift of life itself, the problems of the last week returned to their proper place in my perspective. I repented for my self-pity and went on with the service. God blessed and we had a great day.

God is good.

Weekend Survey

In the past, I have told you about my cat, Marshmallow and her knotheadedness. Yesterday, I told you about my new dog, George.

For this week’s survey, why not tell us about your pet (past or present)?

Hope you have a great weekend.

Now I R 1

I used to laugh at the owners of Dachschunds. I used to call the dogs, “weiner dogs”. While always impressed by the fact that these little fellows didn’t realize they were little fellows, I never was impressed by the way their owners carried on about them.

 Now I R 1.

That’s right. The Lord chose to answer the prayers of my boys today. They have been praying for a dog. My wife’s co-worker, Rod, came in today and asked her if she would be interested in a registered Dachschund hound.

He is 11 months old and his name is George.

Rod told me he was cold-natured. When I was in Wal-Mart earlier getting some dog food and stuff, I noticed the little doggy sweaters. I almost bought one. Strange is the effect these little fellers have on their owners, is it not?

I hope to post some pictures soon. He really is a fine specimen of doghood.

The Demonstration of Love

Hereby  ^{perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.  I John 3:16-18}

^{How do we show the love of God? Is it enough to simply go around saying, “God loves you and so do I”? Just as faith without works is dead, so love that is not shown is vain also.}

 ^{The first step in demonstrating love is having a full understanding of the love of God to begin with. We must observe and experience the love of God in our own life, and then focus upon that love as the benchmark for how we are to love others.}

^{We are then to mimic that love in our relationship with the brethren. This is my commandment, that ye love one another as Ihave loved you. Our life should become one of service and sacrifice as we minister to the needs of others. I believe it was George Mueller who said, “Love is not measured in how much you give, but in how little you keep back for yourself.”}

^{Love is not demonstrated as much in word as it is in deed. True love is compassionate toward the needs of others. It has no agenda and is given with no strings attached.}

^{In short, we are to love the brethren according to the model of I Corinthians 13. Anything less is not loving one another as Christ has loved us.}

The Dimension of Love

In this the children of God are manifest,and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore,slew he him? Because his own works were evil,and his brother’s righteous. Marvel not,my brethren,if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death unto life,because we love the brethren.He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no, murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.  I John 3:10-15

As Christians, we are to identify with the love of Christ. Jesus declared this to be the defining mark of discipleship. This text would lead us to understand that righteousness and love are connected. Someone who does not love their brother is not righteous.

From the very beginning, it has been God’s desire that those who are created in His image love one another. Man was made with a capacity to love that no other creature possesses and yet, we often make ourselves the focus of that love rather than others. The only thing that will ever keep me from loving God and others as I should is self-love. Self-love that is ambitious, selfish, proud, defensive and easily offended, will always prevent us from obeying God’s commands to love others.

In these verses, hatred is identified with death. This world that is in the process of dying as we speak hates us just as it hated Christ. However, the transformation from death unto life that all believers experience awakens within us the ability to love.

There are times when a person can have such an absence of love in their heart, that they can have murderous feelings toward their brother. This is an indication that the person does not have a relationship with God. No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Love can only be found in the dimension of eternal life. It is not passive in our lives. It cannot remain sealed up in our hearts, but is shed abroad by the Holy Spirit.

If love is in us, it will be demonstrated.