Rejoice Always

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.   Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.   And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 4: 4-7, NIV) 

        In our very active, overcrowded lives, we are often "stressed out". Often conversations start out with how busy we are. Fitting things in seems to be the norm. Even retirees like to say that they do not know how they ever had time to work! Then they go home and take their blood pressure medication.

        Several years ago, a very good friend had both serious back problems and high blood pressure. She had tried too many chemicals to work on the problems and was addicted to the pain killers. The addiction  upset her tranquility and effected her blood pressure. A very common and viscous cycle for a young lady.

        In desperation, she and her physician reduced the chemicals and substituted hypnosis and meditation. The meditation evolved into prayer! Well, I can't say that all her problems were solved. She had a bad back disease and a family history of high blood pressure. This is not a story of healing.

        However, most of her problems went away. The meditation and prayer brought her peace and relaxed her back muscles and her blood pressure went down. The disease did not leave, but the symptoms were relieved. She found peace and a better life.

        The effect of slowing down and taking time out for prayer will make God's peace be yours.

Thought for Today: Slow down, pray for peace, pray for the tranquility and serenity that God has for you when you are willing to let it in.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, with these words we pray for the ability to live serene and peaceful lives doing your work:

"God grant me the serenity,
to accept the things we cannot change
The courage to change the things we can
and the wisdom to know the difference."

 

Everlasting Faith- September 11th!

" I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly."
(Psalm 40:10,11)

 
            We all remember where we were on nine-eleven. The physical world changed that day. For several months thereafter, Christian churches experienced a measurable increase in attendance. The best piece of news regarding that is the very high increase in "un-churched guests" that came and the percentage that actually have kept on coming. There is certainly good that comes from bad events.

            We will all probably remember that day forever. I would like to share a few memories of my own with you. On November 22nd, 1963 while donating blood in Salem Massachusetts, the nurse told me that she had heard that the president had been shot. I told her that she should not even joke about stuff like that. Many people remember that day.

            Solidly burned in my memory is sitting in front of a radio on Haverford Street in Hamden, Ct, very afraid, listening to reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7th, 1941.  So what is the big deal? I was only 27 months old. (I just called my mom to be sure that is all true and we think that is my first memory.) Both those events changed the physical world in which we live. They changed operations, but not our hearts.

            In summary, remember the event and accept the changes. Keep the Lord in your heart and share Him with others. He will be with us. Worldly events cannot harm our spirit. 

Thought for Today: Today let us find a friend and share the story about how September 11, 2001 has not changed our faith or how our faith is helping us through societies’ changes.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and father, today we give thanks for the joyous summer that we experienced and look forward to the fall colors as they arrive. We are thankful for the opportunity to do your work here on earth and the pleasure we receive from it. 

 Amen

Rally Day

“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?

Or am I trying to please men?

If I was trying to please men,

I would not be a servant of Christ”

(Galatians 1-10) 

            As we go through life, we are trained at a very young age that life is easier and more rewarding when we please those around us. I see my eight grand children working diligently to do things to please nana and gramps. Helping June in the kitchen, the garden and doing other non-child-like chores. Often they help me with the pool and fixing whatever needs fixing. They love to help and love the approval they receive in return.

            When looking at Paul’s message to the Galatians, what are we teaching children? To please others gives good feelings. When I think back to my youth, it seems that in my case, I was in my thirties before realizing that being a “people pleaser” was not always in everyone’s best interest. Sometimes when pleasing people, honesty is sacrificed and everyone involved misses a chance to be closer to God.

            What is the best way to get this message to the next generation?

 

Christian education, Sunday school as we used to call it, is probably the best answer. Somehow through the Christian education process, the children learn what is important and meaningful. As they grow they will make a choice to follow Christ and please God rather than people.

            Soon it will be Rally Day at most Christian churches. It is a time of coming together for the Lord after a long summer. There will be thousands of children returning and thousands not coming. In one instance we have a friend who was not raised in a Christian environment whose husband enrolled their two children in Sunday school. He sees the need and she is confused and so far a non participant. Pray for them.  

Thought for Today: As leaders in our community and family, let us focus on visibly doing God’s work in our lives.

 

Prayer for Today: Heavenly father, we give thanks the Christian educators that work with children and youth. Those that teach the belief and faith that will guide them throughout their lives.

Amen

Peace!

“Who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock except our God?”

(2 Samuel 22:32) 

            It is the time of year when ministry teams in Christian churches make a lot of phone calls and home visits. In August and September our “Pastor Ed” calls everyone in the church directory and invites them to the fall programs. With the help of a ministry team there will be home meetings, visits in coffee shops around the city and often just messages on answering machines saying that we care. It is a time of invitation, a time to lead people back to the Rock: the Rock of stability and peace.

            For families, school is about to start, the fall activities are about to begin, the summer slowdown and vacations are over. We empty nesters are looking at the leaves starting to turn and thinking about the winter season, warm weather travels and the holidays. For the most part, the human race is kicking into high gear- back to being too busy. In many cases it means not being at peace.

            In the next few months many of us will find ourselves in busy and challenging situations, we need to be reminded not to leave the Rock, our Lord, behind as we move forward into these exciting times. We need to keep Him in our lives to maintain our tranquility and keep us on an even keel. It is a time to accept the invitations from our ministry teams and keep the Lord in our everyday lives.

Thought for Today: Let’s take our look at our calendars and schedule a few minutes with our Lord; a few minutes for meditation; a few minutes to give thanks and a few minutes for ourselves. Let’s do this so that we will be at Peace and be better able to help others.

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today let us be cool and relaxed, patient and observing, caring and loving as we deal with others. Let us shine your light so others will recognize we are at peace.

Amen

 

Birthday Special- August 21st

Today, August 21, 2012, is my birthday. Last year I celebrated by doing the St. Paul triathlon with my brother, daughter and granddaughter. It was a fun day. This year June and I will spend a quiet day in the country. I want to thank all of you, my Good News Buddies, for making each year special.

Blessings,

Bob

“Always be joyful. Keep on praying.

No matter what happens,always be thankful,

for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus Christ.” 

(1 Thessalonians 5:15-15) 

Each year on my birthday, I give thanks to something that I learned in my youth as a YMCA brat. The symbol for the Y is a triangle, each side has a meaning, “spirit, mind and body”. Each year I give thanks for my role as a father, son and my place in society. But let’s talk a bit about what it takes to be in a good place with ourselves. It is selfishness. Yes, being selfish in pursuit of a healthy self: mentally, physically and spiritually. 

In each of our lives, we must fit into some basic places in society; a family, a workplace and a social setting. We fit best when the three sides of our personal triangle are in a healthy balance. That is to say we focus on each a little every day so that we minimize life’s problems. 

In all areas of our lives, it is important to demonstrate the forgiveness and love that comes from a strong spirituality. We need to be physically fit enough to deal with the long days without being fatigued and run down. Also, we need to be mentally sharp enough to make the decisions that are expected of us. That is a lot to ask of mortals and not an easy task. So be a bit selfish, take care of yourself so that you may be all what God wants you to be and be capable of doing God’s work when the opportunity presents itself to you. Take care of yourself so that you can be all that your family needs you to be. Remember the logo of the YMCA, spirit, mind and body. Keep totally fit and enjoy life! 

Birthday Thought: Today is the day the Lord has made, a day for me to enjoy. Friends will recognize it, family will celebrate it and I will enjoy it. It is a blessing that we all have and a great day to give

thanks to the Lord for all of our many blessings. 

Birthday Prayer: Heavenly Father, today is a very special day, the day that you brought me into your service. Throughout this day, I give thanks for all the opportunities that you have given to me; the opportunity to have a healthy relationship with family and friends. Today I will often hear the words “happy birthday.” 

To those words I say, “Thanks be to God.”

Amen

Straight to our Heart

Good News 020512 Straight to our Heart

“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the LORD^[a];
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.”

(Isaiah 40 vs. 3)

            When driving in the UK where the roads are windy and twisty, occasionally we come to a long straight road that goes on for miles. My wife, a Brit, explained to me that those are ancient Roman roads laid out 2000 years ago. I found that impressive.

            In ancient times leaders built roads in the desert for their armies to move. They are long and straight and efficient so they could move quickly. The valleys are filled by pushing the tops of the hills. They facilitated the need. In New England where I grew up there are very few straight roads. They paved the cow paths and horse trails which tended to follow the river beds. It is tough for strangers to find their way.

            The message today is that we need to be sure of our road to the lord; that it needs to straight. There needs to be a straight connection between God and our heart. We need to allow the simplest two way travel possible in our complex world; straight to our heart. 

Thought for Today: Today let’s think about where our road takes us; where are we going. Perhaps we can take a few bends out and travel straight. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, we live in a complex world and are surrounded by too much activity and we are over committed. Today we thank you for being with us and pray that we may keep our hearts open to you and stay on a straight and holy path.

Amen

Winning

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of

compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so

that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have

received from God."

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4). 

    Who in our lives are the winners? Some say the one with the most toys wins. That is a materialistic one liner that gives me goose bumps. However, in our society today, we pursue "things" instead of happiness and peace. So who are the real winners and how do they win?

    God placed us here to be his stewards with our first priority to be sharing the gifts we received from Him with others. That seems to be a very tall order. However, we always feel great when we have reached out and helped a friend or stranger. In fact, is that not when we feel the best?

      God gives us resources in many different forms. We have money that we earn and knowledge that we have learned. We graciously share these things with our families and children and that makes us feel good. Many people also reach out beyond their own family units and share. There are many ways to share and sow the seeds that God has given us to plant, and we are real winners when we reach out and share our gifts.  

Thought for Today: Let us look for an opportunity to help someone; perhaps someone who is sick, someone hurting or someone lonely. If we fail in finding someone, let’s share some extra with our Church. Sharing a bit  will make us feel better.  

Prayer for Today:  Heavenly Father, we are living in a troubled world. Suicide bombings, road rage, families in strife and many other incidences confuse people. Today we pray for an opportunity to help and share with someone, an opportunity to demonstrate your Grace through our actions.

Amen.