Never Tire!

“Never tire of doing what is right.”

(1 Thessalonians 3:13)

            One of my Pickeringisms is that there are two types of people in the world; givers and takers. That is certainly a gross oversimplification I use to describe humanity. It came from my sales and business training and has overflowed into my teachings on living.

            In business I was taught to watch for those who would want to win at any cost; those who would think they were climbing a corporate ladder rather than building a pyramid of support. On a ladder you step on the rungs as you climb and often the ladder breaks. In the pyramid you build a base wide and tall as you move forward and up. I like that.

            It Christian life there are also givers and takers. We are all people in need and the level of that need is relative. Often our needs vary from year to year, decade to decade. When June and I were raising four children we were active in our Christian family. However, we often needed love and support from our peers. I feel there were times when we took a bit more than we gave; emotionally and financially.

            Today we give more than we take. That gives us a much warmer and more rewarding feeling.

Both being a taker and a giver in the Christian sense is OK. You see, if there were not people in need, there would not be anyone to give to and that would be a conundrum.

            Paul’s message says never tire of doing what is right; my experience is that when you are doing what is right you will not get tired! OOPS- is that a Pickeringism?

Bless you all for being my friends in Christ.

 Thought for Today: Today let us live as good Christians. If we need support let us accept it without guilt and recognize that we have made the giver feel good. If we are givers, let us give freely where there is need.

Prayer for Today: dear Lord, today we pray for those in need. Whether the need is great or small, physical or emotional, we pray that we recognize it and give them support in your name.

Amen

 

Punxsutawney Phil

For my international visitors, this is as much about Idols as it is an American oddity!

 

Punxsutawney Phil 

We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world”

and that “There is no God but one.”

For even if there are so-called gods,

whether in heaven or on earth…

…for us there is but one God,

(1 Corinthians 8 vs. 4 & 5) 

            On Groundhog day every year in Pennsylvania they forecast the end of winter. Today Phil’s shadow was seen and it was declared that winter will end in six weeks. Well, you see Phil is never wrong because somewhere in the world in six weeks it will be warm; probably not here at my home here in Minnesota.

            Phil is a character, not even a legend. He is no Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed or Ichabod Crane. He is just a ground hog being disturbed for a group of people in Pennsylvania to have fun. Frankly he is not a good idol!

            I would love to see them open Phil’s den next year and have Jesus step out in a white robe, the sun beating down on him in a heavenly glow, and have the crowd speechless. Imagine Jesus saying something like, “Sorry folks but even I refuse to do a long range weather forecast. There will be more bad weather here in the north country but do not fear for the Lord will be with you.” He would then give is his blessing and arise toward the heavens. 

            Bless you all and may we have an early Spring! 

Thought for Today: The Lord blesses us and keeps us every day of the year. 

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord and father, we pray for those in the north that deal with fire and ice. May they take the time to appreciate the seasons and the beauty of it all.

           

 

Faith Foundation

 Faith Foundation 

“The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress."

Psalm 46:7 

Quite often when a crime occurs in "our neighborhood", we ask "How could this happen

here?"  The truth is that tragedy and violence can happen anywhere. None of us is immune to them. Real security cannot come from walls and fences; real security comes from having a relationship with God. 

The author of the 23rd Psalm realized this centuries ago when he wrote these familiar words, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me." The psalmist does not say that we will not have to walk through the darkest valley or that evil does not exist. Rather, the psalmist reminds us that we need not fear or be overwhelmed because God is present with us at all times and in all places. God will see us through. The ground and content of our hope is the promise that nothing in all creation can separate us from God's love.  

Thought for Today:    Those who walk with God are never alone. 

Prayer for Today: Almighty God, when the foundations of our lives are shaken, hold us close to you and remind us that you will never leave or forsake us. You alone are our hope and security.

 Amen.

 

Love and Hospitality

Love and Hospitality

 "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears re-lieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour that I first believed.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace."
(Amazing Grace, Vs 4 & 5)
(Words by John Newton, 1779)

           There are almost as many ways to find joy and peace as there are people. It can be found anywhere at any time. It is something that we all measure in our own way. As Christians we have the tools to and knowledge to reach out and find it.
            However, often we let our everyday tasks and challenges disturb our peace. This winter it seems that the traffic situation has been a threat to many people's tranquility. The temperature and constant snowfalls have created danger, fear and frustration across the country. Even in the deep south there were days when rustration replaced grace on the highways.
            One of our Good News buddies wrote a book called Finding Grace. In regards to traffic his comments were "...leave early, take the pretty route and listen to good music." He is right on.
            As Christian's when we find our tranquility threatened, we need to use our tool kit; prayer, meditation and even a chat with a friend. They all will work. God did not put us here to be frustrated; experience grace as He wants you to.

Thought for Today: This week let us all keep grace at the forefront of our daily prayers. Let us expect the daily challenges and be ready with our tool kit. This week let's experience grace and joy every day.

Prayer for Today: Heavenly Father, we recognize that your joy and tranquility are always available and you are always with us. This week we need you to help us daily. This week we pray that we may keep you on our minds and in our thoughts as we work through the challenges of our Christian lives.

MLK Day!

Good News MLK Day

“It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me,

But it can keep him from lynching me,

And I think that’s pretty important."

Martin Luther King 

            There are many quotes from the great Martin Luther King and when I researched them I picked the one above because I had not heard it before. It does not make a great philosophical statement, there is not a spiritual or social justice meaning; it is a simple truth. Living and having the right to pursue freedom always needs to be protected.

            Other quotes by MLK have deeper meaning, spiritually and are more often used. Below are the ones that seem to be popular in the media: 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.

"Strength To Love," Martin Luther King, Jr. 

One that I personally like is:

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. 

And as Christians we need to demonstrate that we have the faith, we need to always take the first step.                                                                                                                                           

Prayer for Today: Dear Lord, today we do not pray for forgiveness of the past discrimination and separatist social acts of our forefathers. We need to accept them and move forward. Today we pray for the guidance and will to contribute to peace and acceptance through Jesus love.

Happy Landing

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because,

having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life

that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

(James 1 vs. 12)

            Perseverance is life, we need to persevere in many ways and the easiest way is through meditation, prayer and having the faith that the Lord will bring us through our lives. We all hope for an easy life without illness or discomfort; always having a job; a life partner to share things with; and the list goes on. In other words, we want to be born to live happily ever after!

            If we were we would not build character or learn. As I write this in beautiful Minnesota, we are in the in the middle of winter. Some winters we cancel outdoor events because there is no snow, the ice is not safe on the lakes and because it is too warm! This we are having a character building winter!

            We will all get through it and when spring comes it will be later than usual and appreciated more, We will experience growth and appreciation of good times. In 1974 when we moved here our real estate agent talked about our beautiful Minnesota summers and said they were worth the wait. Praise be to God, we need help this year!

            There is a church that I drive by that posts a weekly slogan that describes it very well. I do not know the author but it said something like “Life is not about having a bumpy flight. It is about having a happy landing!” We need to keep our faith to persevere on our bumpy ride. The best part will be the landing!

Thought for Today: Today will be the first day of the rest of our lives. Let us be spiritual and use it well.

Prayer for Today: Dear Father, we are experiencing a very bumpy ride. We have concerns about money, pollution, terror and more. Today we give thanks for having the spirit and will to get through it all so that we may experience the landing. Amen

 

Soar like an Eagle!

Today I feel a need to ask for prayers for the people of the world and for the elimination of hatred and aggression. We need to recognize that we are involved in world war three and that it is different than any other conflict. I do not have any solutions or suggestions but I do have an interesting question.

As Christians we know that love is the answer; My question is who is going to love first? 

Soar Like Eagles 

“...  those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.”

(Isaiah 40: 31) 

            Growing up in the 50’s a bald eagle was a rare sight, in fact I do not think I ever saw one. Now 60 years later they are soaring over shopping centers, eating fish out of the local lakes and generally hanging out with us. Now that we see them more often, it is easy why our founders selected it as a national symbol. They are big, majestic and beautiful birds. Their revival as a species shows us how humans can contribute to God’s creations and the world we live in. We changed a few rules, respected the Lord’s way and the Bald eagle is now a common sight.

            We are always searching for ways to make a better world, a way to soar. In my early years in engineering working for a very large company, many of the rules seemed restrictive and bureaucratic. The younger engineers in the department, including myself, thought we were going to change the world, right NOW! That was not the way big company systems worked. When frustration with the system came to the surface our trainer and mentor often advised us to “Rise above it and move on.” Eagles do that.

            There is a story about Eagles rising above storms. They sense the storm coming and use the wind to rise above the dangerous winds and ride out the storm.  In many instances in life we need to keep our faith while staring at negativity, the storms of life. We count to ten, punch a pillow, and when we are smart we ask the Lord for support.  When we involve our faith while handling our personal storms we minimize our stress and greatly improve our quality of life. 

Thought for Today: Let us use our faith in the Lord to rise above the problems of everyday life. 

Prayer for Today: Let us pray that as a country we can find a way to serve "God's will" rather than "our will".