HEAL THE BROKENHEARTED

Monday, November 06, 2006

God is “close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Ps.34:18). One of the ways God heals the brokenhearted is through his church. As his members, we are his hands to touch each other’s pain. He has commanded us to love and minister to one another with compassion, mercy, confrontation, help, and strength.

God doesn’t like it when his people do not help his hurting ones: “You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured.” (Ezek. 34:4).

It is God’s love that heals the brokenhearted through his people and his Spirit. When someone has a broken heart, they need the love of other believers. The Bible says that loving one another is a manifestation of the grace of God (l Peter 4:8).

If we fail to heal the brokenhearted it is not because we do not know we should. We let other things take priority and we just don’t get it done. What a shame!

ACCEPTANCE OR DESPAIR

Sunday, November 05, 2006

When Abraham was 75 years old, he began receiving promises from God that he would become the father of a great nation. What followed the promises were long periods of silence on the subject. Abraham’s wife had tried for 40 years to have a baby. Yet Abraham accepted the promise and waited for its fulfillment. But no child came.

Sarah however, did become pregnant when she was 90 years of age and Abraham was l00. A son was born. God had performed a mighty miracle just as he promised.

“Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:19:22)

Abraham believed God even when God didn’t make sense. The facts clearly said, “It is impossible for this thing to happen.” The Lord had made “empty promises” for nearly 25 years, and still there was no sign of action. Nevertheless, Abraham “did not waver through unbelief.” Why? Because he was convinced that God could transcend reason and factual evidence.

What about you?

INS AND OUTS, UPS AND DOWNS

Saturday, November 04, 2006

SCALES – Don’t even own them unless you plan to use them. I weigh every day. Today I didn’t like what the scales “said.” Tomorrow, I begin a brief diet. I will cut back on my eating until I like what the scales “say.”

BIG BREAKFAST – I said, “Tomorrow I begin a brief diet”—not today. This morning we went out to the Deer Valley Airport restaurant and I ate the breakfast buffet—well I didn’t eat the whole buffet, just most of it. I had biscuits and gravy, bacon, sausage, eggs, potatoes, and fruit. It’s almost 2:00 p.m. and I haven’t eaten since breakfast. I’m still not hungry. Tomorrow I begin a brief diet.

FREEWAY FOUL UP – After that great breakfast I was in a great mood. We were cruising down 101 smiling all the way until we came to the off ramp for those cars headed for Los Angeles. IT WAS CLOSED! No big problem, we will just cross over the freeway onto 10, go to the next off ramp and come back on 10 headed for Los Angeles. When we got headed back west and out of town toward L.A. the freeway was closed and we were sent back onto 101 and heading back toward home. Have you ever heard the old expression, “That’s enough to make a preacher cuss”? Well, I didn’t cuss but I thought about it (which may be just as bad). I thought a lot of nasty stuff. However, it didn’t come out of my mouth and mess up Charlotte’s spirit. We got back off 10l onto a side street and finally ended up at our destination. We weren’t going to Los Angeles, it just seemed like it. We were just going way out west.

THE CRAFT FAIR AT THE WIGWAM RESORT – Man, this is a great craft fair. Great, if you like craft fairs, horrible if you don’t. There were over 300 vendors with a lot of beautiful and interesting “stuff.” The winding pathways, the green grass, the shade and the cleanliness of the place made for a great morning. I had a big breakfast and couldn’t eat a bite but the food booths were offering great food. They had everything from bar-b-qued turkey legs (which I hate) to fry bread (which I love) to huge snow cones (which I love) to homemade fudge. I didn’t eat a thing! I had a serendipity experience at this fair. Some organization was having a book sale. I found and bought seven great books. Made my day.

SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOOTBALL – The game I am interested in is only on the radio today. So I will listen to it and take a nap at the same time. Of course, I will not be listening while I am napping, but since there will not be any pictures to watch I will doze off. I know. I have done it before.

Selah

MARSHALLS AUTOBAHN

Friday, November 03, 2006

Marshalls is a great place to shop. It is also a great place to get killed.

I have been on the Autobahn in Germany where there are no restrictions on speed. The same holds true in the shopping aisles at Marshalls. I expect those aisles to be renamed, “Blood Alley.”

Mothers race up and down those aisles “driving” at ridicules speeds. The huge, truck like things the kids are riding in were once called, “strollers.” Forget that. There is no more strolling. These dune buggies come in all shapes and sizes.

Old men should never go shopping. It’s just too dangerous. Our reactions are not what they once were. These mothers meet you head on in a narrow aisle and they don’t give an inch. If you are fortunate enough to see them in time you can dive into a rack of clothes and let them whiz by. If not—you're going home banged up.

Let’s face it old men, we need to be at home, in the garage carving something. MOTHERS RULE THE DEPARTMENT STORES!

CAN YOU TELL A JOKE?

Thursday, November 02, 2006

The real question is not, “Can you tell a joke?” but “Can you tell a joke right?” That is, can you tell a joke so it is funny?

Senator John Kerry cannot tell a joke!

My sister-in-law could not tell a joke. She rarely ever tried. My brother and I were shocked one day when out of the blue she asked, “Do you know what the Indian said when his dog fell over the cliff?” We smiled at each other and admitted we didn’t know. She quickly blurted out, “Dead dog!” “Dead dog?” what’s funny about that?” Now she was shocked. “Oh, I meant to say, Dog gone!”

I never heard her tell another joke.

John Kerry needs to learn a lesson from my sister-in-law. However, her misfire was funnier than if she had told the joke the right way. John Kerry’s failure at joke telling was a disaster.

BE YOURSELF

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

My homiletic professor at Abilene Christian encouraged young preachers to be themselves. He knew the tendency to try to act like and sound like older, respected preachers. He told us to just be ourselves and that we would communicate the Word of God forcefully and sincerely. This is good advice not just for preachers but for everyone. We just need to be who we are instead of always trying to be somebody else. Many times we do this in an effort to please other people. Stop it! Be who you are! Be the best you can be, but be real.

In his excellent book, Truman, David McCullough says this about people from Missouri: “…they could be tough, courageous, blunt, touchy, narrow-minded, intolerant, and quarrelsome.” I do not know a lot of people from Missouri but two I do know fit this description perfectly. Radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh and my friend Paul Covey are from Missouri and what McCullough said about people from Missouri describes them both.

Rush is a fantastic communicator and is beloved by millions. At the same time he is probably despised by an equal number. That’s the way it is with people that are tough, courageous, blunt, touchy, narrow-minded, intolerant and quarrelsome. So be it. If Rush tried to be somebody he is not, we would turn him off. The ones who dislike him would not start liking him, even if he changed. My friend Paul is an elder in the church. He is effective only when he is being who he really is. Occasionally, because of critics, he tries to be somebody else. He loses his effectiveness. We all need to be who we are. There is a lot of stuff that goes into making us who we are—like being from Missouri.

I’m not from Missouri but I like who I am and I am going to continue to be me. You don’t like me? Ok. I wish you did but I’m not going to change for you because it wouldn’t do any good. As the old song says, “I gotta be me…”. I’m having fun and I have no desire to change—not even for you.