Oct
29
Oct
28
A true “journey” with Joe
GPS systems are truly wonderful. I have thought a great deal about the one Elaine bought me for my birthday. On our recent family vacation to “Nowhere, Arkansas” (Mary Anne’s reference to where we were) we used it extensively. The vacation home we rented was the last home on a peninsula that jutted out into Greer Lake. Things were going well as we left Bald Knob, Arkansas. We were making every turn the system told us to make. The further we went on our trip the more we depended on our GPS. Oil Trough, Arkansas was a metropolitan area compared to Rose Bud, Arkansas. We finally made it into the area we were going to stay, but no home was in sight Finally the sweet lady on our GPS said, signal lost!
I am so thankful that I have a roadmap/GPS that is going to get me where I want to get. God’s word tells me the do’s and don’ts as I journey through life. It lets me know how to act and not act. It shows me what to do to please God. We all remember the words of David who said; “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Up until this trip, I have trusted my GPS to take me where I needed to go. Sometimes in my mind I have said this is not right, only to arrive at my destination safe and sound. Have you ever found yourself saying; why does God want me to do this or that. Surely there is a better way. Maybe it is like not trusting your GPS to get you to your destination.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like not to have God’s word to direct you. Would you have a lost feeling as to what to do. I know it is hard to imagine what it would be like without the Bible because we have always had it to direct our thoughts and actions. But imagine waking up one morning and not being able to find your Bible! It was nowhere to be found. Everywhere you went to get another copy, none were found. How long would the knowledge you have stay with you. Could you remember what Paul told the Philippians about being content? We rely so much on God’s word, even to the point of taking it for granted sometime. When my GPS lost its signal I didn’t panic. It was still daylight, I had a cell phone and felt I could get where I wanted to. As darkness fell, one by one our children called wanting to know how do we get to the place we were staying. “Nowhere”, Arkansas proved to be worth the journey. I am certain that Heaven will be worth it all.
Oct
21
Light Affliction
I trust that none of the parents who sent their child off to college this year receive a letter like one set of parents received. One can only imagine the reaction of the parents as they were at first startled then….
The letter reads as follows:
“Dear Mom and Dad: I have so much to tell you. Because of the fire in my room set by rioting students, I suffered lung damage and to go to the hospital. While there, I fell in love with an orderly. Then I got arrested for my part in the riots. Anyway, I am dropping out of school, getting married, and moving to Alaska.
Your loving daughter
PS: None of this really happened, but I did flunk Chemistry class, and I wanted you to keep it in perspective.”
What if you received a note like this in the mail? What would race through your mind? I guess we all would question the student’s method of breaking bad news to her parents. I did however find her PS about “proper perspective” to be intriguing. Reflect back to a letter written to the church at Corinth. Paul had dealt with a variety of matters, trying to get the attention of the members, prayerfully motivating them to take more seriously their walk with the Lord. To help them gain the proper perspective, Paul list a series of trials and tribulations that he had to deal with. He talked of beatings, and imprisonment, as well as being shipwrecked and stoning. The list of things he endured for the cause of Christ makes my hardships pale in comparison. I am certain that was true also with the Corinthian brethren. Then to drive his point home, to make the brethren really think, Paul by inspiration said “Our light affliction is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” In some way, our perspective is more important than our experiences. Paul went on to say in the next verse; “The things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” The truth is that our suffering, no matter how severe or painful to deal with, will diminish in importance when compared to the glory that awaits us. Maybe, just maybe we can be helped through our difficulties by remaining focused on the wonderful place we call heaven. May the Lord bless each of us as we stay focused on the eternal as opposed to the temporary
Oct
21
Streaming Audio and MP3s
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Oct
7
Not Them
When I received the call, I didn’t realize all that had happened. As the wife of one of our missionaries spoke to me, I understood more fully that his was not a social phone call to check on how Elaine and I were doing. It wasn’t to see if Mary Anne was doing well. It was about them. Two of our missionaries (Ricardo Guerra and Juan Carlos Santamaria) were robbed at knife point in Talanga, Honduras. They had been working on and off in this city for a couple of weeks. Already they have had two baptisms in the city. We can praise God that neither were hurt.
As I lost connection with them on the phone, I began to think, that events like this happen all around the world all the time, but all of a sudden this was a little closer, more personal. I have spent time in each of their homes, worshipped with them, shared meals with them. Both are like another child to Elaine and I. Things like this are just not suppose to happen to people you know. I could have just as easily have been writing about their deaths.
Charles Spurgeon once said; “May we live here like strangers and make the world not a house, but an inn, in which we sup and lodge, expecting to be on our journey tomorrow.” When we know that heaven is our real home it makes it easier to pass through the tough times here on earth. We can take comfort in the knowledge that the perils of a journey on earth will be nothing compared to the glories of heaven. Do you remember the story of Abraham. Remember what the Hebrew writer penned “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country…for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Hebrews 11:9-10). His sojourn was that of a traveling foreigner, who by faith sought an eternal city constructed by God. It is interesting to note that both missionaries are from El Salvador and are sojourners in Honduras. It has been said by one writer that we may walk a desert pathway, but the end of the journey is the Garden of God. Whether death is near or far away, let’s exhibit a faith that focuses on our eternal home. Lord willing I will see both of these men in December. Our yearly reunion will be even more special this year. We will talk of their work and families. We will share some laughs plays with their children. We will also praise God together for their love for the lost and desire to make a difference in Honduras
Oct
1
Oct
1
Oct
1
Interesting Data
I recently ran across some data from a 2009 study called The Obstacles to Growth Survey. The data that was collected from over 20,000 Christians in 139 countries throughout the world. The survey found that on average, more than 40 percent of “Christians” around the world say they “often” or “always” rush from task to task. The survey went on to reveal that 60 percent of Christians say that its “often” or “always” true that the busyness of their life gets in the way of developing their relationship with God. It seems that busyness truly does distract us from our relationship with the Lord as well as the work that we know that we should be involved with.
This however is not anything new. In the days of Jesus, there was a gentle reminder from the master to Martha. It seems that Martha too allowed busyness to distract her from spending time with Jesus. When she welcomed Him and His disciples into her home, she was occupied with preparing the food, washing their feet and making sure they were made comfortable. All of these things needed to be done—they were important items. Luke however, seems to tell us that Martha’s busyness in preparation degenerated into busywork that distracted her from reflecting on Jesus words as well as simply enjoying the time that she had with Him (Luke 10:38-42). A once in a lifetime opportunity to have the savior of the world in your presence and you are too busy. What about us? Are we rushing from task to task, allowing the busyness of life to keep us from having an intimate relationship with Jesus? Maybe we are allowing the busyness of working for Jesus to distract us from enjoying the sweet fellowship that He has to offer. I rush home from work and go straight to Bible study simply to say that I made it! By the time Bible study is over, I have finally forgotten about the worries of the day only to catch the last part of the class. I don’t take time to visit a sick friend or fellow Christian because of the busyness of my life. Remember if the data is correct that is about 60 percent of us! It has been said that if you are too busy for God, you are too busy. Maybe it is time for us to slow down long enough to ask God to help us diminish our distractions by making Jesus our main focus. I believe that it is at this point that we begin to really make a difference for the Master because He is making a difference in our life.