Have you ever had the opportunity to use a GPS unit? They come in many shapes and sizes and offer a variety of features but the general idea is the same on all of them; turn by turn directions from where you are to where you want to go and all you have to do is punch in your destination. You never have to get lost again; just don’t tell my dad that.
Several months ago my dad bought himself a GPS and had it installed in his truck. Not long after that he and my mom headed on a trip to Tennessee, GPS in hand. They got lost. I mean seriously how do you get lost with a GPS? It has a map on the screen, it gives you a warning before you get to your turn and it tells you when to turn; and if you do miss a turn it recalculates and gives you a new route to get to your destination. So how do you get lost when you have something giving you correct directions? It is actually quite simple. You may be doing something else instead of listening to the directions or maybe you just weren’t listening. There is also the possibility that you heard the directions and knew what you were suppose to do but you still wanted to go your own way, maybe you saw something down the road that looked appealing and you drove to it instead.
The Bible is our GPS, it has all the directions we will ever need, guiding us to where we are supposed to go, but we all start out lost and many of us lose our way even after we get on the right path. We hear the directions and know where we are supposed to go but perhaps we are doing something to distract us from our directions and we miss a turn. Perhaps our ears have grown deaf to the directions and we either just don’t hear them or we question what we hear. Maybe you saw the turn you were meant to take but something down the road looked more appealing to you. Or maybe you have turned off the GPS and are driving blindly down the road, not knowing where you are headed. In any case the recalculation has already been made and all you need to do is follow the directions.
Sometimes the directions lead us down some tough to navigate roads, maybe because you missed the turn you were meant to take or maybe because this is the best road to get you to where you are going, but if you stay the course you will arrive at your destination. True you may get dirty or banged up on the way but isn’t that better then never getting where God wants you to go?
* I want to thank my mom for this idea; I hope I did it justice for her. I love you MOM!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Lost Purse
Have you ever lost something important to you? A few months ago BRCC (Blue Ridge Community Church) organized a clothing giveaway event for people in need of clothes. The event was a huge success with enough clothes donated to rival The Rugged Warehouse and despite torrential rain, members of the community poured in quicker then the weather. No doubt many families were touched through this outreach yet I believe one of the most moving stories was not that of free clothes received but that of a purse found.
One woman, her name eludes me, did not stand out in the crowd of the masses searching through pants, shirts, dresses and every size style and type of clothing but her story is the one that stuck with me. Medication, keys, money and many personal possessions were what was in her purse; a purse that was lost in the crowd. After more then an hour of searching including dozens of volunteers and loudspeaker announcements the purse was gone, likely a prize claimed by a random visitor. The woman was not ready to give up, she couldn’t – her life was in that purse and she couldn’t go home without it. One final search through her vehicle in the hopes that it was overlooked the last time she searched, and one unlikely “saint” to help her search. A former atheist, Will, offered to walk her to her vehicle to search for that which she knew would not be there.
After an emotional breakdown in front of a man she had never met before, Will told her he wanted to pray for her (this in itself took a great deal of courage and obedience to God). After Will finished praying he looked at her and told her “I am going to go and get your purse”, in his retelling of this account he couldn’t believe he had said this, he knew the purse was lost but now he had made a vow to this woman (God only knows what strange thoughts she was having about Will at this time) and he knew that he had to deliver. As Will walked back into the church he prayed to God saying “OK God I made this promise and I think it was from you so I could really use that purse now”. What Will did not know was that while he was outside, praying with the woman, the purse was found. As Will entered the church he was handed the purse to take to the woman; a miracle had been performed, God had answered a prayer and a life was touched.
I do not know what has become of the woman since that day but I do know that she was touched by God and after you are touched by Him you are never the same. So many people were touched by this story and it has spread from out of the church and into the world; my dad had the opportunity to share it with a nurse that was attending to him during a recent hospital visit for some tests. I may never know what has become of the woman who lost her purse and ended up finding much more then she lost, I will also likely never know how this story has affected others who have heard it but what I do know is God is at work all around us and is constantly touching lives. Have you ever been touched by God? If not, maybe you should ask yourself why.
One woman, her name eludes me, did not stand out in the crowd of the masses searching through pants, shirts, dresses and every size style and type of clothing but her story is the one that stuck with me. Medication, keys, money and many personal possessions were what was in her purse; a purse that was lost in the crowd. After more then an hour of searching including dozens of volunteers and loudspeaker announcements the purse was gone, likely a prize claimed by a random visitor. The woman was not ready to give up, she couldn’t – her life was in that purse and she couldn’t go home without it. One final search through her vehicle in the hopes that it was overlooked the last time she searched, and one unlikely “saint” to help her search. A former atheist, Will, offered to walk her to her vehicle to search for that which she knew would not be there.
After an emotional breakdown in front of a man she had never met before, Will told her he wanted to pray for her (this in itself took a great deal of courage and obedience to God). After Will finished praying he looked at her and told her “I am going to go and get your purse”, in his retelling of this account he couldn’t believe he had said this, he knew the purse was lost but now he had made a vow to this woman (God only knows what strange thoughts she was having about Will at this time) and he knew that he had to deliver. As Will walked back into the church he prayed to God saying “OK God I made this promise and I think it was from you so I could really use that purse now”. What Will did not know was that while he was outside, praying with the woman, the purse was found. As Will entered the church he was handed the purse to take to the woman; a miracle had been performed, God had answered a prayer and a life was touched.
I do not know what has become of the woman since that day but I do know that she was touched by God and after you are touched by Him you are never the same. So many people were touched by this story and it has spread from out of the church and into the world; my dad had the opportunity to share it with a nurse that was attending to him during a recent hospital visit for some tests. I may never know what has become of the woman who lost her purse and ended up finding much more then she lost, I will also likely never know how this story has affected others who have heard it but what I do know is God is at work all around us and is constantly touching lives. Have you ever been touched by God? If not, maybe you should ask yourself why.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Turkey Day
Turkey Day, does this depiction of Thanksgiving pluck anyone else’s nerves like it does mine? I hope it does. Why do all of our holidays end up so far from their original meanings? Easter turns into a day celebrating a bunny that lays eggs instead of a day remembering the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; Christmas has went from a day acknowledging Immanuel (God taking the form of a mortal body to be with us) to a day where people expect gifts under a tree in their living room; and Thanksgiving, a day so filled with meaning, has turned into Turkey Day – Football game watching day – and perhaps the biggest, the day before Black Friday. How many people truly reminisce all that they are thankful for on this day of Thanksgiving? I have a suspicion that more people complain during this time of year then any other and yet it is suppose to be a day to be thankful.
Let us entertain the idea that there is much to be unthankful for. Long lines in grocery stores trying to buy food for all of our family that many of you do not really want to spend time with anyways. Bumper to bumper traffic in a car that continually costs more and more to fuel up; your annoying in-laws or siblings, overcooked turkey, having to work on the holidays and let us not forget all the annoying people you will be running into on Black Friday that are in your way taking the last item that you had to have to give to a family member (that you probably only talk to during this time of year) for Christmas. So much to grumble about during this holiday season, is there anything to be thankful for at all? I think I just made a list of many of the things to be thankful for.
You have money and means to go to the grocery store to buy food for your family, while not perfect (no family is perfect) it is still uniquely yours. A car that gets you from place to place and money to put gas in that vehicle, your in-laws and siblings (I am sure if you try really, really hard you can find much to be thankful for with them-even your in-law who fills their plate then comfortably positions themselves on your couch watching a football game on your TV while you clean up the left overs) the overcooked turkey that was provided to you; true it may be a little dry but we can’t all be Emeril. Maybe you are stuck at work for the holiday while your extended family is sitting in your home (yet another thing to be thankful for) eating your food and watching your TV but you do have a job, something that not everyone can say. And to those of you who are working (Police, Fire, Hospital employees, Food Service, and the biggest of all our TROOPS) I am thankful for you and I want you to know that I appreciate your service and the time you are spending away from your family to serve your community and your country – Thank you. And you have something to be thankful for as well, while you may not like having to spend your holiday in a Police car, Fire Dept, Hospital or another country you are employed which many people cannot say. You even have something to be thankful for when you missed out on a great sale because the old smelly person, or young rude kid grabbed the last item on display; you have the means and money to be out shopping for yet another holiday that you have likely forgotten the true meaning of.
Yes, there is much to be thankful for when you look at it through a different set of eyes. If you are reading this you can even be thankful for a computer and Internet access. But what if you have no money, no car; no family, no TV, no house, no food, no job and you have accessed this through an Internet café or public library. What do you have to be thankful for? You may have more to be thankful then you realize. I could say that you have your health, but you may have just gotten news that you only have a few months to live. You are alive, I think that would be a safe assumption as you are reading this but you may not be thankful for that and you may even wish you weren’t alive. So what is there to be thankful for if you are in this situation? If you are a child of God you have more to be thankful for then someone who is not His child but does have a job, food, car, house, and health and so on. Your current situation may seem bleak but God sacrificed Himself for you when none of us deserved it. No matter the baggage of your past or your current situation you can be thankful that God has given you eternal life. One of the first known Thanksgiving feasts that we know of in America was celebrated by a bunch of people who left their homes for an unknown and dangerous place and many of their friends and family did not make it through even the first winter. And yet they celebrated Thanksgiving. They celebrated for what they had even though the list of what they didn’t have was much longer. What can we learn from this Thanksgiving?
I had the privilege of delivering food baskets, distributed through my church, to people in need, some which thought they would not be having a Thanksgiving feast at all. Through this I was touched more then those who received the baskets. I remember one family in particular. They lived in a single wide trailer with busted windows and rags attempting to stop the harsh wind from entering their “home”. They had two small dogs which looked like overgrown rats (actually they may have been rats) and one of the family members was on oxygen. Not much to be thankful for at all and yet they were smiling and shouted out a big “Praise the Lord” when we delivered a basket of food that will get them through one meal. No, you may not have a fancy car, big house, flat screen TV, a job or even food but that doesn’t meant that you cannot be thankful for that which you do have – no matter how little.
Maybe you have much to be thankful for but for some reason you aren’t. If that is the case maybe you are looking for peace and joy in all the wrong places. Why can someone who has nothing (at least in the world’s standards) be so joyful and thankful while someone who has the world is so negative and unthankful? Perhaps it is your soul that bankrupt, jobless and desperate for something else. John 10:10 says that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV) Do you have life to the full? If not then perhaps what is missing is not money or possessions but maybe you are missing He who came to give life. Maybe it is time to reach out for something that truly matters, something that will last through times of need and times of blessing. Is it time for you to take up your cross and follow Christ?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Let us entertain the idea that there is much to be unthankful for. Long lines in grocery stores trying to buy food for all of our family that many of you do not really want to spend time with anyways. Bumper to bumper traffic in a car that continually costs more and more to fuel up; your annoying in-laws or siblings, overcooked turkey, having to work on the holidays and let us not forget all the annoying people you will be running into on Black Friday that are in your way taking the last item that you had to have to give to a family member (that you probably only talk to during this time of year) for Christmas. So much to grumble about during this holiday season, is there anything to be thankful for at all? I think I just made a list of many of the things to be thankful for.
You have money and means to go to the grocery store to buy food for your family, while not perfect (no family is perfect) it is still uniquely yours. A car that gets you from place to place and money to put gas in that vehicle, your in-laws and siblings (I am sure if you try really, really hard you can find much to be thankful for with them-even your in-law who fills their plate then comfortably positions themselves on your couch watching a football game on your TV while you clean up the left overs) the overcooked turkey that was provided to you; true it may be a little dry but we can’t all be Emeril. Maybe you are stuck at work for the holiday while your extended family is sitting in your home (yet another thing to be thankful for) eating your food and watching your TV but you do have a job, something that not everyone can say. And to those of you who are working (Police, Fire, Hospital employees, Food Service, and the biggest of all our TROOPS) I am thankful for you and I want you to know that I appreciate your service and the time you are spending away from your family to serve your community and your country – Thank you. And you have something to be thankful for as well, while you may not like having to spend your holiday in a Police car, Fire Dept, Hospital or another country you are employed which many people cannot say. You even have something to be thankful for when you missed out on a great sale because the old smelly person, or young rude kid grabbed the last item on display; you have the means and money to be out shopping for yet another holiday that you have likely forgotten the true meaning of.
Yes, there is much to be thankful for when you look at it through a different set of eyes. If you are reading this you can even be thankful for a computer and Internet access. But what if you have no money, no car; no family, no TV, no house, no food, no job and you have accessed this through an Internet café or public library. What do you have to be thankful for? You may have more to be thankful then you realize. I could say that you have your health, but you may have just gotten news that you only have a few months to live. You are alive, I think that would be a safe assumption as you are reading this but you may not be thankful for that and you may even wish you weren’t alive. So what is there to be thankful for if you are in this situation? If you are a child of God you have more to be thankful for then someone who is not His child but does have a job, food, car, house, and health and so on. Your current situation may seem bleak but God sacrificed Himself for you when none of us deserved it. No matter the baggage of your past or your current situation you can be thankful that God has given you eternal life. One of the first known Thanksgiving feasts that we know of in America was celebrated by a bunch of people who left their homes for an unknown and dangerous place and many of their friends and family did not make it through even the first winter. And yet they celebrated Thanksgiving. They celebrated for what they had even though the list of what they didn’t have was much longer. What can we learn from this Thanksgiving?
I had the privilege of delivering food baskets, distributed through my church, to people in need, some which thought they would not be having a Thanksgiving feast at all. Through this I was touched more then those who received the baskets. I remember one family in particular. They lived in a single wide trailer with busted windows and rags attempting to stop the harsh wind from entering their “home”. They had two small dogs which looked like overgrown rats (actually they may have been rats) and one of the family members was on oxygen. Not much to be thankful for at all and yet they were smiling and shouted out a big “Praise the Lord” when we delivered a basket of food that will get them through one meal. No, you may not have a fancy car, big house, flat screen TV, a job or even food but that doesn’t meant that you cannot be thankful for that which you do have – no matter how little.
Maybe you have much to be thankful for but for some reason you aren’t. If that is the case maybe you are looking for peace and joy in all the wrong places. Why can someone who has nothing (at least in the world’s standards) be so joyful and thankful while someone who has the world is so negative and unthankful? Perhaps it is your soul that bankrupt, jobless and desperate for something else. John 10:10 says that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV) Do you have life to the full? If not then perhaps what is missing is not money or possessions but maybe you are missing He who came to give life. Maybe it is time to reach out for something that truly matters, something that will last through times of need and times of blessing. Is it time for you to take up your cross and follow Christ?
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Journey into the world of Blogging
OK, so I have had this incurable appetite to write but I hate journals, my hand cramps after a few minutes and to keep myself from going insane due to boredom I am making an attempt at blogging. Writing has always interested me, in fact English was one of the only classes I truly enjoyed at college. I believe anyone who has ever truly enjoyed reading, especially on a leisurely level, has always had the idea of writing professionally in the back of their minds. Perhaps you have even made attempts at writing books or articles and many of you may even have some published works. Well I would love to be able to write professionally, who wouldn't want to get paid for what you enjoy, and I have actually begun work on a book.
The problem with writing, at least for me, is that I see what I want in my head but often times the impact is lost in translation. When i was into drawing I would see this beautiful work of art in my head but my hands were incapable of taking that which was in my head and get it onto a medium. Sigh. I know that there are naturally born artists and writers but the majority of them are people who took time, practice, patience and hard work. This is where the blog comes in, I need to practice and learn how to get my thoughts and ideas out of my head and onto a medium (in this case a blog) in a way where it makes sense and I can look at it and go, wow!
This first entry is just me saying hello and giving a little insight into my reasoning behind the blog. I am not keeping my family up to date with the latest fiasco that my little three year old princess has managed to cause or how my eldest is a human calender, but I am here for the straggler that for whatever reason fell into my blog. I will attempt to write regularly, which is highly unlikely but if I want to hone my skills I will need to practice. So the journey has begun and now it is up to me to drive ever forward. I will be interested to see if anyone comes across this in your random Internet searches from lol cats and social networking. Have a wonderful day, whatever day this is. God bless.
The problem with writing, at least for me, is that I see what I want in my head but often times the impact is lost in translation. When i was into drawing I would see this beautiful work of art in my head but my hands were incapable of taking that which was in my head and get it onto a medium. Sigh. I know that there are naturally born artists and writers but the majority of them are people who took time, practice, patience and hard work. This is where the blog comes in, I need to practice and learn how to get my thoughts and ideas out of my head and onto a medium (in this case a blog) in a way where it makes sense and I can look at it and go, wow!
This first entry is just me saying hello and giving a little insight into my reasoning behind the blog. I am not keeping my family up to date with the latest fiasco that my little three year old princess has managed to cause or how my eldest is a human calender, but I am here for the straggler that for whatever reason fell into my blog. I will attempt to write regularly, which is highly unlikely but if I want to hone my skills I will need to practice. So the journey has begun and now it is up to me to drive ever forward. I will be interested to see if anyone comes across this in your random Internet searches from lol cats and social networking. Have a wonderful day, whatever day this is. God bless.
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