Life is a “kick!”
We have just completed a study in Bible Fellowship of I Peter, and God gave us many words of comfort and encouragement through that great apostle, especially about suffering and about how to deal with all that life gives us on our journey. One of the great lessons we have discovered as we have studied this book is that our lives are all temporary; it is the way in which we conduct ourselves that ultimately brings honor to God. In other words, even when things are difficult, our eyes should always be looking forward, striving to see the lessons that are learned by trials.
I am reminded of a quote I heard recently that was attributed to Kay Yow, the former head coach of the North Carolina State women’s basketball team, who passed away this year after a battle with breast cancer. She said, “When life kicks you, let it kick you forward.” This is a rather amazing statement, especially coming from someone who was facing a life-threatening illness.
The idea is that life is going to punch us, smack us, and beat us up at times. As Peter reminded us, we are not to be surprised when those things happen. What we are responsible for is how we react to those beatings. Coach Yow offered a biblical principle, urging us to press forward, learning lessons from defeat, and trying our best to fall forward when we do fall.
Christian, be encouraged today to fight the good fight, even if your circumstances seem overwhelming! And when life knocks you down, don’t fall backward in defeat, but fall forward with your eye on the impending victory!
Can You Spare Any Change?
Change is one of those things that most of us associate with negativity. After all, isn’t it easy to keep things as they are? Why bother with all of the fuss and hard work that comes with doing things differently? Besides, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
I wonder what would happen if people applied that logic to every area of life. Most of us probably don’t remember, due to our age, but imagine how drastically different the world became at the advent of the automobile. I think it’s safe to say that most of us are far happier with a change that reduced horse-and-buggy use! Speaking of cars, who wasn’t a fan of air conditioning when it became a regular feature? Not too many complaints about that, either.
What about communication? Think anybody complains about the speed and convenience of, first telephones, then fax machines, and now computers? Probably not too many of us want to go back to the good ole days of smoke signals or hand delivered written notes.
How about some more modern changes? Anybody really complain about the seating expansions at Neyland Stadium? Or about that new-fangled Thompson-Boling arena with the fancy scoreboards and huge seating capacity? Nope.
When we think about it, we actually DO enjoy change. We adapt to it, we accept it, and ultimately find out that our lives are radically different as a result of it. Change can actually be a good thing!
Sometimes change in the church needs to happen. As Christians, we should always be focusing on what we need to do to reach our world for Christ. That means we always need to be staying up with or ahead of the “change” curve.
Just think how cool it will be one day to “teleport” our bodies on mission trips!
A Moment in Time
The Greek language offers us many deep insights into specific word meanings, as it is a more colorful and descriptive language than English. That can sometimes limit our true grasp or understanding of words or phrases that we find in the Scriptures. Now, this doesn’t mean that we get the meaning wrong; it simply means that sometimes we miss the full dramatic impact of what the original text indicated. A great example of this is found in I Corinthians 15:52, a tremendous passage of hope for all believers.
Paul wrote that “in a MOMENT, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet,” we shall all be changed. He was writing, of course, about the time of the rapture, when the saints of God will be called home, whether we are dead or alive at the time. The Greek word that is translated as “moment” is atomos, which is a negative form of the word meaning “to cut.” What this literally meant to the ancient Greek mind was that something was “indivisible.”
Think about that just for a moment. God will call His children home in such a brief flash of time, and at any moment, so quickly that that exact moment will not even be able to be divided up into smaller chunks. Talk about nanoseconds! Paul goes on to give an illustration, describing such a rapid event as happening in the twinkling of an eye. In his day, things didn’t move as fast as they do for us, so this was likely one of the speediest things he could write to help his readers understand just how quickly the believers will be taken away.
The question is, when that MOMENT arrives, will you be among those who are called home? If not, don’t delay any longer! When it happens, there won’t be any small division of time for you to make a hurried decision, or to “jump on the bus.” It will happen faster than anybody will realize. Won’t you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior this MOMENT by asking Him to forgive you of your sins and to make you a new person? When that moment happens, you’ll spend eternity rejoicing in the fact that you did!
Are We Really Independent?
When the upstart young country that had, for so many years, been a colony of the British empire won its independence at the end of the eighteenth century, it was indeed a time of tremendous celebration. After all, those people who lived in the new land were now free from the tyranny and taxation of the English king. But what other freedoms were gained during those early days of our country?
* We won the freedom to give our lives during times of war to protect and preserve our independence for future generations.
* We earned the right to be independent of any support from the British, financially, militarily, or in any other way.
* We gained the responsibility of establishing a new form of government, with all of the corresponding difficulties and heartaches to match.
* We became free to expand our borders from sea to sea, sacrificing many lives in the process of exploring and settling the west.
* We won the potential to become the greatest nation in the world, which also meant being the leader in peace-keeping, human-rights, and sometimes fighting other countries’ battles.
* We became poised to be the largest target for those who hate our way of life, including capitalism, democracy, and religious freedom.
Obviously, gaining independence also meant gaining a very difficult path to travel. For 234 years, we have “enjoyed” our independence, at great cost. But honestly, would any of us have it any other way?
May God continue to bless this great country, and may America never forget the God who provides that blessing!
VBS – Very Busy Schedule!
We are just finishing up another great year of Vacation Bible School at CHBC, and it has been a blast! Over 100 volunteers took part this year to help make Saddle Ridge Ranch a huge success! From the real-life barn in the Worship Center to the classes that were decorated to the nines, every single part of VBS was done with excellence. Add to that the multiple salvations that we have seen, and the huge offering the kids have taken to present to the Western Heights Baptist Center, and God truly has done some amazing things this week.
Please pray as we follow up on many who have made decisions or who have asked for more information about becoming a Christian. This is the single most important reason that our church invests so heavily every year in the incredible VBS outreach ministry: to see boys, girls, and students come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!
Thanks again for all who have served so well. And…..
a special thanks to Cowboy Andy and his horse Segbiscuit!!
See ya’ll next year!!
A “Perfect” Attitude
My apologies about missing a blog post last week. I actually submitted one, but for some reason, the post didn’t make it through the cyber jungle, and is now floating through space. I’m sure some Martian is reading it now, trying to make heads or tails out of it!
I wanted to comment on the recent near-miss in baseball, which took place when an umpire missed a call on the last out of what should have been a perfect game. For those of you who aren’t baseball fans, a perfect game is one of the most rare accomplishments that can ever happen. It is when a pitcher retires 27 consecutive opposing batters without allowing any runner to reach base, via a hit, a walk, an error, or anything else. It’s so rare, in fact, that since major league baseball started keeping records in the mid- to late-19th century, there have only been 20 perfect games!
What was most amazing about this game last week was not just the fact that the umpire blew the call, but the incredible reaction of the pitcher who had the perfect game taken from him. Rather than ranting and raving to the umpire, he simply smiled. After the game, he was quoted as saying that everybody makes mistakes, and was very gracious. The umpire was also visibly upset, and quickly realized that he had made a terrible mistake. He owned up to his error, and apologized to the pitcher for ruining something that might never happen again in his life.
The most powerful impact of this situation is not that a perfect game was lost; it is that two men brought incredible poise and grace to an otherwise difficult circumstance. The “perfect” attitude that each man exhibited will last far longer in many memories than any perfect game ever could!
The Rescue
OK, i have to brag on myself a little bit this week. Over the weekend, I donned my superhero cape and saved a life! Now, before your thoughts get too carried away, let me explain.
I was in my neighbor’s backyard looking for a lost baseball (a story that i’ll not delve into here) and I stumbled across a baby bird that was lying on the ground, in obvious distress. The mommy and daddy bird were nowhere to be found, and the baby appeared to be in deep trouble. I decided to watch the situation for awhile to see what would happen, or if the parents would show up.
After an hour or so, the mom and dad returned, and immediately began squawking and chirping, and walking around their baby, then flying to the trees, and then back. It was obvious that they had no answer to the dilemma that their chick was in.
Now, for the superhero part! I brought out a plastic dustpan and began searching the tree for a nest. When i found it, i scooped up the baby bird and carefully deposited him (or her) back into the nest. The parents were not too sure what i was doing, but in a matter of moments, the noisy squawking died down, and they returned to the nest to find their baby safely back in its home.
I don’t write this to brag on my own amazing ability as a bird rescuer, however. What i was reminded of during this whole process was just how hopeless we are without Jesus. When we ponder it for awhile, we will realize that all people who are lost are like that baby bird, struggling and hungry and confused and out of place, with no way to get back where they belong. In fact, not only are we helpless ourselves, but others are just as helpless to save us, just like that mommy and daddy bird. In other words, salvation and forgiveness of sins can never be dealt with by us, or by anyone else on our behalf…..except through Christ.
The reason that I could rescue the bird when it couldn’t save itself, and when its parents could offer no hope, was because i am much bigger and more intelligent than they are. I could see things they couldn’t see, and had power and strength that they didn’t. That’s exactly who Jesus is! He is the only One that can provide the salvation that we so desperately need, and it’s all because of who He is and what He has done for us.
Thank the Lord that we who have been redeemed are no longer like that little bird, out of place and struggling in the mire and muck of sin. Through the power of Christ, we have been rescued and made safe.
The most exciting part of our rescue is that one day we will all be safely delivered to the nest, our home in Heaven! Praise the Lord for salvation that we could never provide for ourselves!
If…
“If” is a big little word! When it is used, there is an assumed condition that accompanies it, as in, “If you give me a dollar, I will wash your car.” When “if” is stated, there is always something that comes along with it.
The inspired words of the prophet Jeremiah include this big little word: “IF you will return, O Israel, says the Lord, Return to me, and IF you will put away your abominations out of My sight, then you shall not be moved. And you shall swear, The Lord lives, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness. The nations shall bless themselves in Him, and in Him they shall glory” (Jeremiah 4:1-2).
Sometimes we may wonder why God puts up with us, or why He chose to provide forgiveness and mercy to us when humanity so clearly doesn’t deserve it. The biggest part of that equation lies in who God is and His very nature. But there is another element, as well, which is found in that big little word, “if.”
“If” we will return to God, and “if” we will put away our sinful deeds, then the Father can and will be merciful. Just as this promise was delivered to a sinful Israel, the same holds true for us today. “If” we will turn away from the world and from the activities that pull us away from the Lord, He will restore us, and He will do that for His glory!
God wants to restore His people so that our testimony will forever be that He is gracious and merciful! Now, “if” we will only listen and obey….
Cookie Monsters!
For several years now, CHBC has been blessed by a local business that provides huge cookies with a custom message in icing for all of our first-time visitors. Great American Cookie Company in Knoxville Center Mall has been very generous in offering these delicious treats that we can provide as unique welcome gifts when we visit peoples’ homes. We have several people who make what we call “cookie visits” each week, and there is rarely a week when we don’t have at least one cookie to deliver.
Obvious thanks goes out to the good folks at Great American Cookie Company; however, we also need to thank those of our members who make the effort every week to deliver those cookies, along with church information, with a big smile and a friendly attitude. These are the true “cookie monsters” in the process!
We have had dozens of positive comments over the past few years about how much people enjoy those delicious cookies, but also how appreciated and thought of that they felt when they received them. You know, it really is easy to express kindness and appreciation to people when we try hard enough.
While our cookies are different and unusual, it is our hope that our kindness and love isn’t! All of us can be cookie monsters, even if we aren’t toting around a free treat. Offer a smile or a hand shake, hold a door open, or any other simple expression of kindness every day. You’ll be surprised how well people receive being treated well!
Remember, it’s always better to be a cookie monster than a “grouch!”
Choose Before Choosing
When we really sit down to think about it, it’s easy to see that most of our time is spent making decisions. The choices we make may be minor, such as how long to brush our teeth or how much milk to pour on our Cheerios; or they may be major, such as choosing which house to purchase or what retirement fund to invest in. When we make these choices, we are, in effect, making judgment calls.
Sometimes we might view these calls, or decisions, as a series of independent, unrelated events in our day. However, the choices we make are, in reality, based upon the cumulative experiences in our lives, which means there should be a foundation upon which we rely when making decisions. In a book entitled “Good Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls,” Tichy and Bennis write the following: “In the real world, good judgment, at least on the big issues that make a difference, is usually an incremental process.” As this process evolves, the hope is that our ability to choose wisely increases. That’s where the strong foundation comes in to play.
In most of our major decisions, we must embrace the concept that our choices have actually been made long before decision time. For the Christian, that means having a strong foundation of God’s word, and the willingness to honor the Lord with our choices. A teenager doesn’t decide to get too physically involved while in the back seat of a car; that choice has usually already been made in the mind and the heart before the opportunity ever presents itself. A man who embezzles money from the company has usually already “chosen” according to his desires long before the chance to steal comes around.
Many of our tough choices are actually made much lighter when we decide ahead of time which way we shall turn, and exactly Who we will serve. In a sense, the pressure is off at the critical time of choosing because the hard work has already been done. Don’t think about choosing as a singular event; think about it as a lifestyle of obedience to God!