Thursday, August 11, 2011
It's not me
God expects us to do things that we don’t like to do, things that we don’t feel comfortable doing, things that we know we can’t do with the skills we have, things that we find creative ways to avoid. He does this so that we, when we are in the midst of doing these things, recognize that it is really Him accomplishing the task He delegated to us. The task is not ours to do, it is His to complete, and God merely allows us to come along for the ride. I think it's time.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Forgiveness
I’ve been walking by a terrible reminder for a little over a week. It’s an ugly reminder, one I’d rather not see. It reminds me of how fragile we really are. The reminder is the broken and twisted remains of a Harley Davidson Road Glide. Every time I look at it, which is normally about 4 to 6 times a day, I’m filled with feelings that weigh on me the same way a missed opportunity makes me feel once I realize that one has passed by me.
When I was in the car business, the first lesson of sales that was drummed into my head was to always (always, always, always, always) ask every person you meet if they’d like to buy the car. It had to be done every single time. There were times when I “shortcut” the process, and I let the client go without asking the question. Inevitably, that person would go to another lot and buy from someone who did ask them for the business, or worse yet, they came back on my day off and bought from another salesman one the lot. In the latter situation, if I shortcut the process, I got cut out of the deal, or received only a minimal part off the commission. That didn’t happen very often before I learned the importance of exploring every opportunity.
“So Sal, how does this lesson from the car business tie into a wrecked HD that gives you the “willies” every time you see it,” you might ask? It goes back to a couple of verses in the bible where God teaches us to make forgiveness and showing our love to each other paramount over almost everything else in life. In Matthew 5:23&24, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. FIRST go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” God in this passage tells us He does not want us to bring our worship before Him if we have unfinished business with someone else. He puts the NEED to reconcile our Earthly relationships ahead of even our offerings of to Him. Think about that for a moment.
(No, seriously, stop right now, think about that, carefully.)
God does not want you working for Him while you knowingly ignore those in your life that you have wronged (or who have wronged you without you forgiving them). Do you realize how much importance Jesus placed on this teaching? In Matthew’s Gospel, it was the 4th thing Jesus spoke of during the Sermon on the Mount, grouping it together with the topic of murder. Jesus said to leave the place of worship and seek forgiveness; worship in the absence of forgiveness is not pleasing to God.
The reason that pile of twisted metal causes me to pause each time I pass it is that it reminds me of all the times I let forgiveness and restoration slip through my hands. I was too busy, too offended, or too full of myself to take the time to be the one to go to my brother to reconcile our broken relationship. I can lose the chance to reconcile in a moment, and what then? There’s no ‘fixing’ things once I’m dead. There’s no repairing a friendship once the unthinkable happens; and IT does happen, everyday. A week hardly goes by that I don’t read about a biker’s life being cut short. It’s not something we like to talk about, but we think about it in our quiet moments. Nowhere in the Bible does it say God is going to give us a free pass until we get our ‘stuff’ taken care of, on the contrary, time and again we are reminded how fleeting our life is. Today is what we have.
Forgiveness is hard; it is not something that we humans do with ease. It takes a lot of practice to get to a point where we can be comfortable with it, but the good news is that we can get better at it, with time, effort and practice, we can become more comfortable when giving or asking for forgiveness. The key is to start. Don’t worry about all the details, focus on saying the words, “I forgive you,” or for the times it was your fault, “I am so sorry, please forgive me.” It’s going to feel about as comfortable as walking on glass the first few time you do it, but cheer up, it gets a little easier as you practice it.
Before I close, allow me to relate a story about forgiveness avoided. A man leaves home for work as he always does, early in the morning, before the kids are up. The night before, his son came to him with bad news about an unplanned pregnancy in his life. The father went off as most of us probably would. His last words to his son were hard and callous, and then he slammed the door to his bedroom, shutting his son out. For the rest of the night he heard his son’s weeping, he heard the conversations the son had with his mother, and with the girl. Again and again, he ignored the pleas for forgiveness and help from the hallway. He went to sleep thinking how hard this was going to make it for he and his wife. At the office he gets a call from his wife, she tells him his son is dead, some kind of accident... A lifetime to spend with the bitter taste of forgiveness missed.
Today is what you have,
Peace… and Joy
Sal
When I was in the car business, the first lesson of sales that was drummed into my head was to always (always, always, always, always) ask every person you meet if they’d like to buy the car. It had to be done every single time. There were times when I “shortcut” the process, and I let the client go without asking the question. Inevitably, that person would go to another lot and buy from someone who did ask them for the business, or worse yet, they came back on my day off and bought from another salesman one the lot. In the latter situation, if I shortcut the process, I got cut out of the deal, or received only a minimal part off the commission. That didn’t happen very often before I learned the importance of exploring every opportunity.
“So Sal, how does this lesson from the car business tie into a wrecked HD that gives you the “willies” every time you see it,” you might ask? It goes back to a couple of verses in the bible where God teaches us to make forgiveness and showing our love to each other paramount over almost everything else in life. In Matthew 5:23&24, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. FIRST go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” God in this passage tells us He does not want us to bring our worship before Him if we have unfinished business with someone else. He puts the NEED to reconcile our Earthly relationships ahead of even our offerings of to Him. Think about that for a moment.
(No, seriously, stop right now, think about that, carefully.)
God does not want you working for Him while you knowingly ignore those in your life that you have wronged (or who have wronged you without you forgiving them). Do you realize how much importance Jesus placed on this teaching? In Matthew’s Gospel, it was the 4th thing Jesus spoke of during the Sermon on the Mount, grouping it together with the topic of murder. Jesus said to leave the place of worship and seek forgiveness; worship in the absence of forgiveness is not pleasing to God.
The reason that pile of twisted metal causes me to pause each time I pass it is that it reminds me of all the times I let forgiveness and restoration slip through my hands. I was too busy, too offended, or too full of myself to take the time to be the one to go to my brother to reconcile our broken relationship. I can lose the chance to reconcile in a moment, and what then? There’s no ‘fixing’ things once I’m dead. There’s no repairing a friendship once the unthinkable happens; and IT does happen, everyday. A week hardly goes by that I don’t read about a biker’s life being cut short. It’s not something we like to talk about, but we think about it in our quiet moments. Nowhere in the Bible does it say God is going to give us a free pass until we get our ‘stuff’ taken care of, on the contrary, time and again we are reminded how fleeting our life is. Today is what we have.
Forgiveness is hard; it is not something that we humans do with ease. It takes a lot of practice to get to a point where we can be comfortable with it, but the good news is that we can get better at it, with time, effort and practice, we can become more comfortable when giving or asking for forgiveness. The key is to start. Don’t worry about all the details, focus on saying the words, “I forgive you,” or for the times it was your fault, “I am so sorry, please forgive me.” It’s going to feel about as comfortable as walking on glass the first few time you do it, but cheer up, it gets a little easier as you practice it.
Before I close, allow me to relate a story about forgiveness avoided. A man leaves home for work as he always does, early in the morning, before the kids are up. The night before, his son came to him with bad news about an unplanned pregnancy in his life. The father went off as most of us probably would. His last words to his son were hard and callous, and then he slammed the door to his bedroom, shutting his son out. For the rest of the night he heard his son’s weeping, he heard the conversations the son had with his mother, and with the girl. Again and again, he ignored the pleas for forgiveness and help from the hallway. He went to sleep thinking how hard this was going to make it for he and his wife. At the office he gets a call from his wife, she tells him his son is dead, some kind of accident... A lifetime to spend with the bitter taste of forgiveness missed.
Today is what you have,
Peace… and Joy
Sal
Saturday, April 2, 2011
What?!
Sometimes I find myself wondering WHAT!?
What did I do?
What did I say?
(What didn't I do or say?)
What just happened?
What was that all about?
What has me so ripped?
What do I do next?
What is the reason this is happening?
What am I going to do about this?
What unseen thing is going on that I haven't caught onto yet?
What?
In the past 3 weeks, every plan that I have made has gone "kaput." I mean everything from visiting my father to riding my bike to work yesterday. Big plans and little plans have been dashed. I planned for my end of year review at school only to forget about it right up to when my boss showed up with me looking like a deer in headlights. I planned to visit an motorcycle accident victim 2 times only to be "broomed" out by the nurses caring for him. I think I need to give up on planning, it doesn't seem to be working for me. The thing is, most of the plans, all of the plans that I've made were made for other people, not for me. I could almost understand things going sour if I was making plans in a self centered way, but I'm not... really.
So now that I have planned to not make plans, will the same thing continue to happen, or will the phenomenon disappear like a tooth ache does as soon as you're on the way to the dentist. Ugh!
Phil 4:12 I have learned to be content in all situations, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (gotta remember this dude.)
Peace... and Joy
What did I do?
What did I say?
(What didn't I do or say?)
What just happened?
What was that all about?
What has me so ripped?
What do I do next?
What is the reason this is happening?
What am I going to do about this?
What unseen thing is going on that I haven't caught onto yet?
What?
In the past 3 weeks, every plan that I have made has gone "kaput." I mean everything from visiting my father to riding my bike to work yesterday. Big plans and little plans have been dashed. I planned for my end of year review at school only to forget about it right up to when my boss showed up with me looking like a deer in headlights. I planned to visit an motorcycle accident victim 2 times only to be "broomed" out by the nurses caring for him. I think I need to give up on planning, it doesn't seem to be working for me. The thing is, most of the plans, all of the plans that I've made were made for other people, not for me. I could almost understand things going sour if I was making plans in a self centered way, but I'm not... really.
So now that I have planned to not make plans, will the same thing continue to happen, or will the phenomenon disappear like a tooth ache does as soon as you're on the way to the dentist. Ugh!
Phil 4:12 I have learned to be content in all situations, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (gotta remember this dude.)
Peace... and Joy
Sunday, March 6, 2011
She is...
She is…
My Bride
My next breath
My every heart beat
The reason for my strength
The one who gives me pause
I see…
My love
My life friend
My first smile each morn
The best part of this day
The joy God made for me
My Bride
My next breath
My every heart beat
The reason for my strength
The one who gives me pause
I see…
My love
My life friend
My first smile each morn
The best part of this day
The joy God made for me
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Ouch! I knew that was going to hurt!
Just got done getting punched in the chest, hard, repeatedly, and I’m glad it happened. I know what you’re thinking, “why are you glad about something like that?” you’re wondering. Let me clarify. I am not happy about the pain, but I am glad that I went through the experience that brought the pain. This morning, evangelist and author, Bill Fay gave the sermon at my church, and then he spoke again this afternoon on the same topic; why believers are sinning against God by not evangelizing. Mr. Fay is a teacher who would have probably gotten along well with Paul especially on the topic of sharing the Gospel. He believes that we as Christians must do a better job of obediently sharing the Gospel with the world, starting with those in front of you. He also teaches how to unapologetically go about doing it in such a way that we are able to overcome the normal fears that keep us from doing it. He also practices what he preaches; he has shared the Gospel countless times and has stories of all kinds that show God’s guiding hand present when believers follow the direction of the Holy Spirit.
I mentioned pain earlier, but I feel that I must first give some vision to what I’m talking about. In the last three posts I wrote about sharing the Gospel. I wrote about it from several points of view, but all of them had one single focus; my dissatisfaction with the job I have been doing of evangelizing. That sheet on my mirror that I mentioned has the number 3 on it. 3…… I shared Jesus with 3 people last year that actually prayed to receive salvation. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t lead those three people to Christ, the Holy Spirit did, I merely talked with them and allowed the Spirit to work through those discussions. I talked with others about Jesus, but never took the chance to really get serious about the discussion; I was too casual. All three were prisoners I met during a Bill Glass weekend this past year. All three were led to the point of decision through the use of a tract written in large part by Bill Fay, so I know what he said tonight was not frosting on a cake. The pain came from hear him so easily and casually disarm every excuse for not sharing Christ that was brought up during his discussion. There were a dozen or more excuses voiced by audience members tonight. Every one of them was heart-felt excuses given by people I know are people of faith. Every one of them I have used myself, for good reason. Every one of them he shot down, giving biblical reasons why we had been disobedient in our lack of sharing the Gospel.
So it looks like I knew this was coming. The question is, what will I do with it?
I mentioned pain earlier, but I feel that I must first give some vision to what I’m talking about. In the last three posts I wrote about sharing the Gospel. I wrote about it from several points of view, but all of them had one single focus; my dissatisfaction with the job I have been doing of evangelizing. That sheet on my mirror that I mentioned has the number 3 on it. 3…… I shared Jesus with 3 people last year that actually prayed to receive salvation. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t lead those three people to Christ, the Holy Spirit did, I merely talked with them and allowed the Spirit to work through those discussions. I talked with others about Jesus, but never took the chance to really get serious about the discussion; I was too casual. All three were prisoners I met during a Bill Glass weekend this past year. All three were led to the point of decision through the use of a tract written in large part by Bill Fay, so I know what he said tonight was not frosting on a cake. The pain came from hear him so easily and casually disarm every excuse for not sharing Christ that was brought up during his discussion. There were a dozen or more excuses voiced by audience members tonight. Every one of them was heart-felt excuses given by people I know are people of faith. Every one of them I have used myself, for good reason. Every one of them he shot down, giving biblical reasons why we had been disobedient in our lack of sharing the Gospel.
So it looks like I knew this was coming. The question is, what will I do with it?
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Hidden Treasures
I was scanning the Internet the other day when I came across an article about a motorcycle that had been found by a group of guys over in Germany rummaging around in an old warehouse. The bike, as it was later discovered, was an old concept bike, dubbed the M7, which BMW had developed back in the mid 1930’s. When 1937 rolled around, German auto manufacturers found themselves producing Stukas, half-tracks, and Panzers instead of sedans and coupes. Many, like BMW, hurriedly put into storage everything that was of value to the futures of their companies; the things they would use to build bright futures if ever they found a way out of the war. The M7 was one of those valued items; it was a work of mechanical art, more sculpture than machine. It was a vision of the future that BMW engineers brought to life, but before their creation could make an impact on the world it was unceremoniously crated up and sent to a warehouse. Remarkably, it was sent to one of the few warehouses that were left untouched by Allied bombing and remained there for decades. When the M7 was rediscovered, the once beautiful lines and flowing forms of the dream bike had nearly succumbed to the onslaught of humidity and time. The men knew that they had found something unique, but it was so degraded that they had little hope it would ever be a fraction of the beauty it had once been. Thankfully they did not give up on the treasure that had been forgotten. Today, after a careful and extensive restoration process, we are able to marvel at the beauty that its creators had envisioned. Even by today’s standards, this is a beautiful piece of art. It’s the kind of bike many of us would proudly put on the road.
Can you imagine how the designers of this bike must have felt knowing that their creation would never get a chance to have its intended effect on the world? How hard must it have been to for them to enclose that unique creation in a box, knowing it would never again see the light of day? You’d think this story was a once in a lifetime tale, right? The sad truth is that it happens every day. Every day one of God’s very own takes the gifts with which he has been blessed by an all-powerful God and buries them in a deep dark hole. Every day one of God’s followers takes a talent with which she has been uniquely gifted by an all-knowing God and hides it away from everyone around her. Some hide their gifts because they’re scared of what others will say about them. Some hide them because they’re afraid of how others will treat them. Some hide their gift because they’re fearful that they will fail to live up to others’ expectations of how that gift should be used. Whatever the reason, that same all knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God watches His beloved creation doubt the love that He has for him or her. He watches as the wonderful gifts He gave to them are relegated to the shadows to collect dust and rust. He watches as His children allow fear and doubt to keep them separated from His blessings.
If you think, as I do, that the bike in the picture is a thing of amazing beauty, how much more beautiful are the followers of God when they are obediently blessing others with the gifts that God gave them to share with the world.
Can you imagine how the designers of this bike must have felt knowing that their creation would never get a chance to have its intended effect on the world? How hard must it have been to for them to enclose that unique creation in a box, knowing it would never again see the light of day? You’d think this story was a once in a lifetime tale, right? The sad truth is that it happens every day. Every day one of God’s very own takes the gifts with which he has been blessed by an all-powerful God and buries them in a deep dark hole. Every day one of God’s followers takes a talent with which she has been uniquely gifted by an all-knowing God and hides it away from everyone around her. Some hide their gifts because they’re scared of what others will say about them. Some hide them because they’re afraid of how others will treat them. Some hide their gift because they’re fearful that they will fail to live up to others’ expectations of how that gift should be used. Whatever the reason, that same all knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God watches His beloved creation doubt the love that He has for him or her. He watches as the wonderful gifts He gave to them are relegated to the shadows to collect dust and rust. He watches as His children allow fear and doubt to keep them separated from His blessings.
If you think, as I do, that the bike in the picture is a thing of amazing beauty, how much more beautiful are the followers of God when they are obediently blessing others with the gifts that God gave them to share with the world.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Biker Bill
Are we having fun yet?
I’ve been thinking about Biker Bill lately. I don’t know why, because I really never got a chance to spend time with him. I vaguely remember meeting him a couple of times when he came by the property to visit with my father-in-law. At that time I was not yet a member of CMA (Christian Motorcyclists’ Association), but dad and Bill were. I do remember one thing very clearly about Bill, that he was joyful. When I walked up to greet him and ask dad a question, he shook my hand vigorously and asked, “Are we having fun yet?” This struck me as odd; I hardly knew him and “we” weren’t doing anything. I was just looking to borrow a hand tool of some sort from the shop, I think. Most folks don’t start conversations that way, but he had such a genuine smile and happy disposition that, somehow, I didn’t think it odd coming from him.
Over time, I’ve heard stories about Bill from a number of sources, and they almost always include a description of him saying that famous line, “Are we having fun yet?” Bill seemed to be a guy who others were drawn to because he was fun to be around. And if that’s where the story ended, I guess it would be a great epitaph for anyone to have on his or her tombstone, “He was fun to be around.” But Bill stories rarely end there. Bill, it seems, never missed a chance to talk about the thing that made him so happy, about the person who had changed his life. When you met Bill, if you hung around with him for any period of time, he was going to tell you about Jesus. He wasn’t going to wait years to build a relationship or wait for the “perfect” opportunity. He was going to share Jesus with you within a short time. That’s how he shared joy with people; he shared Jesus.
I have heard stories of him giving out toy bears. I’ve heard of him doing some downright juvenile stunts on his bike, I’ve even heard people tell about how he just sat with them, listening for long periods of time while they got through a “rough spot” in their lives. In each story I’ve heard about him, the teller mentioned how Bill talked to them about Jesus. He didn’t pound them over the head about how they were bad and needed to get right with God. They talked about how Bill just said that Jesus loved them, then and there, as they were, and how much they meant to Him. He left a mark on their heart, because he took time to share his greatest treasure with them, he shared Jesus, openly, plainly, and non-judgmentally. He left them feeling joyful, and uplifted.
Bill died a couple of years ago. A young man driving a van hit him. He wasn’t looking at the road and probably never saw Bill coming when he crossed the centerline on a county road near Bill’s home. When I went out for Bill’s memorial service, I was taken aback, and I dare say that I felt a bit of envy by the scene. There were dozens and dozens of people there, on that county road, on a blistering day, to honor a man who had touched their life in a positive way. There were CMA members; Bill had been their Chaplain. There were members of 3 or 4 other bike clubs; Bill had been their friend. There were office girls and salesmen from the local Harley shop; Bill had made them all smile on more than one occasion. There were members of local law enforcement; Bill had been there to pray with, and over, them on occasion. There were family members, as you might expect. One after another people stepped up to say kind words about this man who had touched their lives. For over an hour they spoke, and no one left. Their words wove a story, a legacy if you will, about Bill’s life. Two threads that kept showing up in this fabric of Bill’s legacy were the way he had made them laugh and smile ("Are we having fun Yet?"), and how he had shared with them about Jesus.
I see Biker Bill shirts and stickers from time to time, and each time, I find myself a little feeling a little jealous. I want to have that kind of effect in the lives of others. I want to be bold in my love of Jesus and my love for others. I have a long way to go, and a lot of lessons to learn, if I want to be that effective in sharing Christ.
Step one, be humble, obedient, and filled with joy…. Yeah, that’s the hard one.
I’ve been thinking about Biker Bill lately. I don’t know why, because I really never got a chance to spend time with him. I vaguely remember meeting him a couple of times when he came by the property to visit with my father-in-law. At that time I was not yet a member of CMA (Christian Motorcyclists’ Association), but dad and Bill were. I do remember one thing very clearly about Bill, that he was joyful. When I walked up to greet him and ask dad a question, he shook my hand vigorously and asked, “Are we having fun yet?” This struck me as odd; I hardly knew him and “we” weren’t doing anything. I was just looking to borrow a hand tool of some sort from the shop, I think. Most folks don’t start conversations that way, but he had such a genuine smile and happy disposition that, somehow, I didn’t think it odd coming from him.
Over time, I’ve heard stories about Bill from a number of sources, and they almost always include a description of him saying that famous line, “Are we having fun yet?” Bill seemed to be a guy who others were drawn to because he was fun to be around. And if that’s where the story ended, I guess it would be a great epitaph for anyone to have on his or her tombstone, “He was fun to be around.” But Bill stories rarely end there. Bill, it seems, never missed a chance to talk about the thing that made him so happy, about the person who had changed his life. When you met Bill, if you hung around with him for any period of time, he was going to tell you about Jesus. He wasn’t going to wait years to build a relationship or wait for the “perfect” opportunity. He was going to share Jesus with you within a short time. That’s how he shared joy with people; he shared Jesus.
I have heard stories of him giving out toy bears. I’ve heard of him doing some downright juvenile stunts on his bike, I’ve even heard people tell about how he just sat with them, listening for long periods of time while they got through a “rough spot” in their lives. In each story I’ve heard about him, the teller mentioned how Bill talked to them about Jesus. He didn’t pound them over the head about how they were bad and needed to get right with God. They talked about how Bill just said that Jesus loved them, then and there, as they were, and how much they meant to Him. He left a mark on their heart, because he took time to share his greatest treasure with them, he shared Jesus, openly, plainly, and non-judgmentally. He left them feeling joyful, and uplifted.
Bill died a couple of years ago. A young man driving a van hit him. He wasn’t looking at the road and probably never saw Bill coming when he crossed the centerline on a county road near Bill’s home. When I went out for Bill’s memorial service, I was taken aback, and I dare say that I felt a bit of envy by the scene. There were dozens and dozens of people there, on that county road, on a blistering day, to honor a man who had touched their life in a positive way. There were CMA members; Bill had been their Chaplain. There were members of 3 or 4 other bike clubs; Bill had been their friend. There were office girls and salesmen from the local Harley shop; Bill had made them all smile on more than one occasion. There were members of local law enforcement; Bill had been there to pray with, and over, them on occasion. There were family members, as you might expect. One after another people stepped up to say kind words about this man who had touched their lives. For over an hour they spoke, and no one left. Their words wove a story, a legacy if you will, about Bill’s life. Two threads that kept showing up in this fabric of Bill’s legacy were the way he had made them laugh and smile ("Are we having fun Yet?"), and how he had shared with them about Jesus.
I see Biker Bill shirts and stickers from time to time, and each time, I find myself a little feeling a little jealous. I want to have that kind of effect in the lives of others. I want to be bold in my love of Jesus and my love for others. I have a long way to go, and a lot of lessons to learn, if I want to be that effective in sharing Christ.
Step one, be humble, obedient, and filled with joy…. Yeah, that’s the hard one.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Why are We Here?
(Why do we do what we do?)
It’s a new year and I sometimes find myself sitting around wondering where the previous year picked up speed and passed me on its way to a final hurrah. My dad once told me that time would seem to speed up as my years added up, I thought him foolish at the time, but now as middle-age surrounds me fully in its tightening grip, I find his words both prophetic, wise and encouraging. His words came to me last week as I sat around watching my children and my nephews roaming about the property. He’d say, “Don’t close your eyes too long as you get older son, you’ll miss too much.” I think about my dad a lot these days because he is so far away from me. It’s not the distance that separates us; you see, my dad is in the throws of progressive memory loss due to Alzheimer’s. It started a few years ago with simple repeating of details during discussions and has now gotten to a point where he remembers things from 20 and 30 years ago better than he remembers the previous hour.
(Have you talked to someone about Him recently?)
That’s where the encouraging part comes in. I know most folks wouldn’t take a father stricken with Alzheimer’s as encouraging, but I can. You see my father is already saved; he gave his heart to the Lord back in the mid 70’s. I can’t pinpoint the exact day, but I remember the period. I remember when he and mom were on fire for Jesus and the church. I remember seeing the change in their lives. Sure, they changed a lot as their lives went on, there was and still is some bitterness that crept into their lives, but Jesus promised us that once we are His nothing could remove us from His hand. And so I am encouraged, because if I had waited to talk to him about Jesus till the time was right, I would have failed…. it would be too late, because he’s not there anymore.
(Do you have a missed-opportunity regret in your past?)
A friend challenged our chapter last month; he gave us each an index card to put a number on. That number was the number of people we helped lead to salvation through Christ last year. That number is sitting on my shaving mirror and everyday I am faced with reality of the effort I put forth for the kingdom of God last year; and I have to tell you, some mornings it’s all I can do to stand there for the few minutes it takes to brush up for the day. I closed my eyes too much last year, and for that matter, for the past few years. I don’t want that to be my legacy, I don’t want to stand before Christ having to answer the question, “what have you done with the talents I gave you?” by saying the number on that card.
(What would you do with your card?)
So what are we here for? Why do we surround ourselves with reminders of our Christianity? Why are we a part of a church? Our answer must be centered on one thing; to be instruments focused on bringing the good news of salvation through Christ to the world. That’s it; there is no other reason for the existence of the church. As we go through each day that we have left, we have fewer and fewer days left to share the gospel with the lost, so when you look at the percentage of time, my dad was right, time will begin to “go” faster. Why did I waste so much time these past few years? Did you? I heard a definition for insanity once: The act of doing the same thing again and again while expecting something different to occur. If nothing changes, nothing will change. If I don’t make evangelism THE priority that number on my mirror won’t change, and that is not an acceptable outcome.
(Why are we here?)
It’s a new year and I sometimes find myself sitting around wondering where the previous year picked up speed and passed me on its way to a final hurrah. My dad once told me that time would seem to speed up as my years added up, I thought him foolish at the time, but now as middle-age surrounds me fully in its tightening grip, I find his words both prophetic, wise and encouraging. His words came to me last week as I sat around watching my children and my nephews roaming about the property. He’d say, “Don’t close your eyes too long as you get older son, you’ll miss too much.” I think about my dad a lot these days because he is so far away from me. It’s not the distance that separates us; you see, my dad is in the throws of progressive memory loss due to Alzheimer’s. It started a few years ago with simple repeating of details during discussions and has now gotten to a point where he remembers things from 20 and 30 years ago better than he remembers the previous hour.
(Have you talked to someone about Him recently?)
That’s where the encouraging part comes in. I know most folks wouldn’t take a father stricken with Alzheimer’s as encouraging, but I can. You see my father is already saved; he gave his heart to the Lord back in the mid 70’s. I can’t pinpoint the exact day, but I remember the period. I remember when he and mom were on fire for Jesus and the church. I remember seeing the change in their lives. Sure, they changed a lot as their lives went on, there was and still is some bitterness that crept into their lives, but Jesus promised us that once we are His nothing could remove us from His hand. And so I am encouraged, because if I had waited to talk to him about Jesus till the time was right, I would have failed…. it would be too late, because he’s not there anymore.
(Do you have a missed-opportunity regret in your past?)
A friend challenged our chapter last month; he gave us each an index card to put a number on. That number was the number of people we helped lead to salvation through Christ last year. That number is sitting on my shaving mirror and everyday I am faced with reality of the effort I put forth for the kingdom of God last year; and I have to tell you, some mornings it’s all I can do to stand there for the few minutes it takes to brush up for the day. I closed my eyes too much last year, and for that matter, for the past few years. I don’t want that to be my legacy, I don’t want to stand before Christ having to answer the question, “what have you done with the talents I gave you?” by saying the number on that card.
(What would you do with your card?)
So what are we here for? Why do we surround ourselves with reminders of our Christianity? Why are we a part of a church? Our answer must be centered on one thing; to be instruments focused on bringing the good news of salvation through Christ to the world. That’s it; there is no other reason for the existence of the church. As we go through each day that we have left, we have fewer and fewer days left to share the gospel with the lost, so when you look at the percentage of time, my dad was right, time will begin to “go” faster. Why did I waste so much time these past few years? Did you? I heard a definition for insanity once: The act of doing the same thing again and again while expecting something different to occur. If nothing changes, nothing will change. If I don’t make evangelism THE priority that number on my mirror won’t change, and that is not an acceptable outcome.
(Why are we here?)
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