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What Would We See?

April 27, 2012 in Church Life, Daily Faith with 0 Comments

Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig was one of baseball‘s greats. People came to games just to see him play. He was one of the best and most popular players of all time.
Once, Gehrig’s team, the New York Yankees, played a pre-season exhibition game against a college team. The score was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning. The tension was building as the college team realized the possibility that they could win against a professional team. It was Gehrig’s turn to bat. There were two runners on base. The count on Gehrig soon became full, three balls and two strikes. The next pitch would make the difference. The local fans went wild. The pitcher waited for the sign. After a long pause, he lobbed a slow ball right across the middle of the plate. Gehrig walloped it over the left field fence.
The catcher went berserk, he ran to the mound screaming at the pitcher. “You Idiot! Didn’t you see my signal?”
“Yeah,” replied the pitcher, “But I got to thinking. I’ll never pitch a big league game, and I’ll probably never get to see a game at Yankee Stadium. But I sure would like to see Lou Gehrig knock one out of the park.”
All that young pitcher wanted was to see Lou Gehrig at his best. For a moment, he was willing to put himself aside in order to bring out the best in another. He put aside his own ambition, pride and even his skills so that another might be lifted up.
What if we in the church were willing to put our own ambitions, our egos, even our pleasure and convenience aside in order to see others at their best? What if we were willing to put self aside to see the church at its best? What would we see?

It’s Not Over!

April 9, 2012 in Daily Faith, Videos with 0 Comments

Get the Whole Message!

April 6, 2012 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

Historians tell us how the news of the battle of Waterloo came to England. There were no cables and telegrams in those days, so they used a system of signal flags called semaphore. Messages were sent one letter at a time.

A sailing ship would be sent to England from the battle and they would semaphore news to a signalman on top of Winchester Cathedral in London. He signaled to another man on a hill outside the city. The message was relayed across England from hill to hill.

Everyone knew that Wellington and his army were facing Napoleon in a great battle. They waited eagerly for the message. At last, the ship came into view and the signalman started the message. The first word was “Wellington.” The second word, “defeated,” was slowly spelled out. ” Just as the second word was finished being sent, a dense fog rolled in and the ship could no longer be seen. “Wellington defeated.” was the message that was sent across England. A despairing sense of doom came over all over England.

About three hours later the fog lifted and the ship could be seen. The message was sent again. “Wellington defeated” were the first words that came, but this time the message continued, “the enemy.” All of England rejoiced. Their sorrow turned to joy.

As we look at the cross, we see defeat. The torture and the agony of death that Jesus suffered seem tragic. The message of that Friday sounds like, “Jesus defeated.” The Easter comes and the fog of despair is blown away and we get the whole message, “Jesus defeated the enemy.”

So often, as we face the problems and frustrations of life, there is a fog that rolls over us. We cannot see the whole message and we think we are defeated. We often become discouraged and filled with despair. Let us remember that the difficulties of this life are but the pain and sorrow of Friday but the message of Easter is that Jesus has defeated the enemy and that the victory has been won.

Be Born In Me

December 4, 2011 in Daily Faith, Videos with 0 Comments

Where Does Jesus Live at Your House?

December 1, 2011 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

James Steen and his wife were explaining to their 3-year-old son, Harrison, how much Jesus loves him.
James asked him if he knew where Jesus lived, assuming his son might say, “In my heart,” or “In heaven.”
But Harrison thought about it and said, “He lives in the basement.”
The Steen’s were puzzled by the answer, but finally understood when they remembered that the basement was where they stored their nativity scene.*

If someone asked you where Jesus lived, what would be your answer? I’m sure we’d give the right “church” answer that He lives in our heart, but where does He really live? Do we keep Him in the basement. Do we store Him away and only bring Him out for special occasions? Do we only allow Him in certain parts of our homes? Do we have rooms that we don’t want Him to enter?
We need to remember that Jesus is more than an ornament with which we decorate our homes and our lives. To have Jesus live in our hearts means that He brings the very presence of God into our midst.

Where does Jesus live at your house? Your answer may say a lot more about you than it does Him.

“So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.”
(John 1:14, NLT)

*James Steen, “Kids of the Kingdom,” Today’s Christian (Nov/Dec 2005), p. 9

Ears Full of Wax or Hearts Filled With Song

November 4, 2011 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

Image via Wikipedia

Harry Emerson Fosdick, in his book, The Manhood of the Master. “When Ulysses passed the Isle of Sirens, he had himself tied to the mast and had his ears stopped with wax, that he might not hear the sirens singing-a picture of many a man’s pitiful attempts after negative goodness.

“But when Orpheus passed the Isle of Sirens, he sat on the deck, indifferent, for he too was a musician and could make melody so much more beautiful than the sirens, that their alluring songs were to him discords.

“Such is the Master’s life of positive goodness, so full, so glad, so triumphant, that it conquered sin by surpassing it. Have you such a saving positiveness of loyal devotion in your life?”

How do you handle temptation? Most people usually just grit their teeth and try not to think about it. Of course, that is like telling someone not to think about the color blue. It just doesn’t work. That is why most of us fail. Some people try to be like Ulysses, they tie themselves to the mast of the church with legalistic codes and doctrines and stuff their ears with pious babble. Yet, time after time, they fall just like anyone else. Besides, we weren’t created to be tied to masts, but to live the joyful life of our Master.

So, what do we do? Dr. Fosdick’s quote holds the key. If we would so fill our lives with His life, then temptation would have no room to dwell. Christ has given us a song. Like Orpheus, the music of our own soul drowns out the music of the world. Therefore, we will conquer temptation not because we are strong or superspiritual, but because the song of grace sings in our hearts.

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NLT)

O Be Careful Little Hands What You Type!

October 21, 2011 in Daily Faith, General with 0 Comments

There’s an industry in the job market that is growing. It is the position of Data Mining. What’s Data Mining? It is people sitting at their computers and looking for information. They are looking for information about you and what you are doing. These are not people who are trying to steal your identity or your banking information. In fact, they are not stealing anything. They are just looking at the information you are giving all of us.

Why this segment of the job market is growing is because corporations, banks and colleges are hiring these Data Miners to look for information about you. And the main place they are looking is in the social network sites.

They look at what you are writing about yourself and about your activities. They are looking at what you write about your current employer and your friends.

Some of this information is compared to statistical data to determine if you are a good candidate for a loan or a job. One example I found was this: you write how good friends of yours got a divorce. Statistics show that if your friends get a divorce, you are more at risk of getting one. If you get divorced, then you’re more likely to default on a loan. Therefore a bank might scrutinize your application more thoroughly than it would have.

However, many companies and schools are looking at your character. Does this person complain frequently? Are they critical of co-workers or other people? Does this person give out too much information about their employer, their friends? Is this person negative? Would what this person does after work impact their work habits? Would this person’s lifestyle reflect poorly on this company or school?

Basically, it comes down to this: what we say (or type) does matter. What you type does reflect who you are.

The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking;

the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.

Proverbs 15:28 (NLT)

Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,

but fools are consumed by their own lips.

Ecclesiastes 10:12 (NIV)

Making It Simple

October 12, 2011 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

In the 1980s, Tom Peters, having traveled around the world interviewing heads of large corporations, put together a two-day presentation with 700 slides on the subject of leadership excellence. He was to present it to the directors of PepsiCo, which was headed by a man named Andy Pearson. But Peters knew Andy wouldn’t sit through a long presentation. Mulling this over, Peters sat in his office overlooking San Francisco Bay, closed his eyes, thought for a few moments, then leaned forward, and jotted down eight things on a pad of paper.

Those eight principles became the basis for the book he coauthored that changed the landscape of corporate life in America. The title of the book was In Search of Excellence.

Today, you can find hundreds of books, magazines, newsletters and e-newsletters, videos, cd’s, seminars and probably a lot more, all dealing with how to live your life, how to be successful, how to have peace or security or whatever else you want. Jesus knew we needed it far simpler than that. He knew eight things would even be too many. So He told us this:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

We chase after so much in our lives. We fill our lives with busyness and stuff and still feel empty. When all we need to realize is that we need Him and to put Him first.

How Are Your Walking?

October 4, 2011 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

When the late actor Sir Alec Guinness began pouring himself into a new character, the first thing he focused on was the legs.

The goal was to discover how the character carried himself day after day. Once Guinness had the walk right, he could ask why the man walked that way. This would then affect his stature, speech, and mannerisms. If he could get the feet and legs right, the rest would follow.

Not only is this true for actors, but it is true for our Christian life as well. How we walk impacts everything else about us. If we as Christians are unwilling to walk in the light of God’s truth, we will find ourselves overwhelmed by the world. We will be forced into living by the world’s standards, trapped by the world’s limits and addicted to the world’s ways. Yet if we walk in His steps, our lives are filled with His joy, His peace, and His life.

How we walk determines the shape and the course of our lives. So be careful how you walk.

“Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going.” – John 12:35 (NIV)

So, how are you walking?

Are You Addicted?

September 15, 2011 in Daily Faith with 0 Comments

Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, author of Words That Hurt, Words That Heal, has lectured throughout this country on the powerful, and often negative, impact of words. He often asks audiences if they can go 24 hours without saying any unkind words about, or to, another person. Invariably, a small number of listeners raise their hands, signifying “yes.” Others laugh, and quite a large number call out, “no!”

Telushkin responds: “Those who can’t answer ‘yes’ must recognize that you have a serious problem. If you cannot go 24 hours without drinking liquor, you are addicted to alcohol. If you cannot go 24 hours without smoking, you are addicted to nicotine. Similarly, if you cannot go 24 hours without saying unkind words about others, then you have lost control over your tongue.”

How long could you go without saying something unkind to your spouse, your child, your parent, to the clerk who can’t seem to get your order right? How long could you go without saying something ugly about that person you are having a hard time getting along with, especially when the person you are visiting with can’t stop criticizing the other person. You might realize that you are addicted to harmful words.

Ask the Lord to help you hear what you are saying today.

“Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose.” – Proverbs 18:21 (The Message)

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