June
18
2010
June
17
2010
While kayaking in southern England off the island of Wight, Mark Ashton-Smith, a 33-year-old lecturer at Cambridge University, capsized in treacherous waters. Clinging to his craft and reaching for his cell phone, Ashton-Smith’s first inclination was to call his father.
It didn’t matter to the desperate son that his dad, Alan Pimm-Smith, was at work training British troops in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, some 3,500 miles away. Without delay, the father relayed his son’s Mayday message to the Coast Guard installation nearest to his son’s location. Ironically, it was less than a mile away. Within 12 minutes, a helicopter retrieved the grateful Ashton-Smith.
This real life drama gives us some wonderful spiritual lessons. When faced with danger we should always call upon our Heavenly Father. It should be our first impulse and not our last resort. No matter how far away we think God is, He is closer than we imagine. Our Heavenly Father is never too far away, nor too busy to help His children.
So next time you need help. Call on your Heavenly Father. You don’t have to be clinging for life on a capsized boat. Just call.
“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”
Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
May
18
2010
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
According to an often told story, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes series, once decided to play a practical joke on twelve of his friends. To each he sent an anonymous telegram that simply read, “Flee at once . . . all is discovered.”
Within twenty-four hours, all twelve had fled the country. Evidently, they all had something to hide.
Most of us do have something to hide. We have some secret we don’t want discovered? We have regrets, real and imagined. We’ve made bad choices. We live hoping that all will never be discovered. Guilt tugs at our souls, nags our minds and saps our spirits. In fact, I’m convinced that most of us live lives robbed of peace and joy because of this. What can we do?
There are just two answers. One, we can go on just as we’ve been doing. Hoping that we can keep up appearances. Hoping that no one will find out. Letting our past drain our present and future of joy. Or two, we can confess to God and receive His forgiveness. The first answer fails miserably, the second is our only hope.
God doesn’t want you to live in guilt and shame. He doesn’t want your life empty of peace and joy. He wants you to live in the joy of forgiveness. He wants to free you from the chains of the past so that you can experience the fullness of His life today.
“If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”
1 John 1:8-9 (NLT)
May
14
2010
Jim Morris
A movie I enjoy is titled, The Rookie. It is based on events in the life of Jimmy Morris, a high school teacher and baseball coach in Big Lake, Texas who became a major-league baseball pitcher. Several of the high school players who had been on the receiving end of Morris’s fastballs encouraged him to try out for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Because of his age and past injuries, Morris dismissed their encouragement as wishful thinking. Morris knew the major-league scouts would not consider a prospect unless he could throw 90 miles-per-hour.Inwardly, however, Morris can’t shake his curiosity. While driving his pickup down a deserted country highway, Morris spots a sign that displays the speed of oncoming traffic. Morris slows his truck and pulls to the side of the road. Looking to see if anyone is watching, Morris grabs a baseball, walks into the road, and tosses the ball past the sign. The number 46 quickly flashes on the sign. It works.
Morris smiles and walks swiftly back to the truck to grab an old baseball glove and another baseball. He walks back on to the road and takes one more look to see if any cars are coming. Then he winds up and throws the ball with everything he has. The sign stares blankly back at him for a moment, and then it flashes 76.
Discouragement falls over Morris’s face. He walks slowly to retrieve the baseballs. What Morris does not see is the sign blinking for a moment, and the 7 becoming a 9. Morris has actually thrown a fastball at 96 miles-per-hour! Yet he remains unaware of his own strength.
Too many Christians are the same way. The world deceives them into thinking that they are less than they are. Satan convinces them that they can’t do a thing. He tells them that their lives have no value, no purpose and no power. But it’s all a lie.
You are important to God. You are a child of God. Your life matters to Him and to others. You have a purpose in life. So don’t listen to the world or Satan. Listen to God. Read His Word. You have more power than you can imagine.
April
6
2010
At the beginning of World War II, as the German Army was taking over all of Europe, the people of England became increasingly anxious. The British Ministry of Information issued a series of three posters. Their intent was to assure the nation and keep the nation focused and not give in to fear and panic.
The posters were initially distributed in September 1939 and immediately began to appear everywhere. However, a third design was not widely distributed and remained virtually unseen by the public, until a copy turned up more than fifty years later in a box of dusty old books bought in auction.
This poster was simple. At the top it had a crown, the symbol of their king, King George VI. Underneath the crown was the simple message, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” It was meant as a message from their King to not give in to the fear of the world, but to stand firm.
We have a message from our King as well. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reminds us to stay calm. Our King tells us not to give in to the fears and pressures of this world, but to look to Him. He says that to carry on is to seek Him first. Jesus reminds us that if we put God first in our lives and trust Him, we won’t be living fearful chaotic lives, but lives of purpose and contentment.
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:31–33 (NLT)
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- Check this video out -- RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us http://youtu.be/u6XAPnuFjJc
- There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud. Author, poet Carl Sandburg
- http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ff9d5f014cd513df28fb - Dad Life
- "Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish." Michelangelo http://www.bsfurl.com/45Sk/16WJ
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