Falling Water

Falling Water

Here and Now with a promised Future

I am thinking today of something my pastor said in a sermon. He compared our lives to the rushing water over a waterfall and a stream. If we catch the water in a fish bowl, that’s our present time.  He reminded us of the condition of our hearts. Jesus encourages us to look inside, at this moment, to see our attitudes and our concerns. We are, as in Pastor Bill’s analogy, in our fish bowl existence of now.

Others are in the fish bowl too. How we relate to each “fish” is the value of today. We can chose to fight for our food, hide ready to attack, or live in compliance with the rules and limitations of the bowl.

“Don’t worry about tomorrow,” Jesus said, “for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Pastor Bill points out that much of what Jesus has to say about living in the present concerns our attitudes and actions toward other people.  “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”; “do to others what you would have them do to you”; “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged,” and many other commands like those.

We will show others the Kingdom of God by the attitude of our hearts and how we treat each other. But it doesn’t end there (or here). Jesus talks about eternity. Bill put it like this; Just as Jesus talked about living in the present, He also talked about living in the future eternity.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

“All the nations will be gathered before me (God), and I (He) will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,”

To me, one of the most important facts that Pastor Bill claims, is not our fear of the end times, “but because the life, death, and crucifixion (and resurrection) of Jesus Christ was the most defining event of history since God’s act of creation.”  

As Christians, we do not fear an approaching apocalypse and fire, but a joyful anticipation of meeting Jesus in a new way, free from every distraction. So now we can live in peace, even in our troubled world. There is a promise, a hope, and a future.

                                                            God Bless Your Day

Go And Tell No One

Go and tell No one

Really? - Like, nobody?

       I have asked many leaders and believers this question before. Some answers sound so profound, I think “Oh that’s it”, until I hear another viewpoint and think “Oh that sounds more like it.”

                        It is when I focus on asking God that I realize I need to trust my faith.

 Why Jesus would say to be silent after He healed someone;

·       Might have been so that He would be able to reach more people on this earth, before being arrested.

·       Might have been that He would be detained and the rest of His ministry on earth would not be complete.

·       Might have been to test their obedience.

     According to the “gotquestion.org” ministry, it is a focus dilemma. Are we focused on the miracles of healing so much that we miss the Message of Jesus and our salvation through His death on the cross?

http://www.gotquestions.org/

“Finally, Jesus did not want people focusing on the miracles He performed, but rather the message He proclaimed and the death He was going to die. The same is true today. God would rather that we be focused on the healing miracle of salvation through Jesus Christ instead of focusing on other healings and/or miracles.”

In any case, it is a question that is on my mind occasionally and I intend to put it on my list of the things to ask Jesus, face to face.

           (Although when we are face to face, I have a feeling there will be no need to question anything, just sayin’ .)

The Art of Work by Jeff Goins

Get @jeffgoins new book #ArtofWorkBook for FREE today! Details at http://www.artofworkbook.com  - Live a life that matters.

One quote taken from this book (and there are many)

"How the boy heard and answered his call led to many significant events in Israel's history, including the anointing of two kings, one who became the most famous the country would ever know. Samuel was called, and he answered. But the scary part - the part we should pay attention to - is that he almost missed it. ... that voice sounds different to every ear."

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My take on this quote is that I believe God really does the calling. To some it is an audible voice, to some it is through others, and to some it is a feeling deep down that guides them.

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 But however the calling manifests itself, it is our attitude and attention that makes it our own.  Each person, with any set of beliefs or values, can claim a direction.  I pray that I don’t judge others in their own calling. Do not let someone else’s life become so big of an issue that it clogs up our lives. We might miss our own calling.

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The Art of Work is a great book that could start a conversation, if nothing more. I think it will make me more aware of where I am headed.

God Bless Your Day

Caring

CARING

I heard a phrase the other day that has me questioning my whole outlook.

As one person was talking about something, I don’t recall what was being said, the listener replied “I don’t give a rats a** about it”

That’s right; “I don’t give a rat’s a**”

Now is that supposed to mean, they “don’t care”? Since when does a rat’s a** mean you care? And if someone does care, will they give me said item?

I don’t believe that I WANT someone to care about what I am saying. I certainly have no need of a rat’s a**.

So I guess next time I am talking to someone and they look like they care, I will ask them if they are planning to give a rat’s a** if they are interested before I continue.

(btw, I guess it’s a good thing I can’t remember what was being said by that first person, b/c  I don’t have one of those to give anyway)

Christmas is Gone

“Christmas is gone”     by Sheryl Anne Lehman                 2013

My son’s words echoed in my mind. Yes, he meant it as a joke. He is old enough to know that we celebrate during this time of year with decorations that are meant for…yes, the season’s celebration. We have sometimes left the said decorations up for an unusually long time, but they are eventually packed up until the next Christmas/Hanukah time of year.

One year, I convinced my employer to leave the tree up and decorate it with symbols from the upcoming holiday. (We got some complaints from customers so we only left it up for 5 1/2 months. It was a conversation piece at first, but an experiment that we gave up on.)

 I was not surprised when my family noticed that I had removed the tree, the nativity set, and the village with snow covered houses. I know that they expect me to take down the lighted star in the window, but am I also taking down the light from within me as well?

I have heard from well meaning preachers that we need to keep the Christmas story throughout the year. Church mentors from my past, told me we couldn’t have an Easter without a Christmas. This, I believe to be God’s true design. Christ came as a baby to live among us, in order that He could chose to take the punishment for our sins on the cross.

The questions I ask myself are simple. Do we keep the Christmas Light in our hearts even after the star is removed? Do we let it shine for 5 ½ months until someone complains? Do people feel that Christmas is gone when our house decorations come down?

We have choices. We could box up our wishes of hope and good-will until the next season; We could let our joy be kept inside, knowing that our Easter is coming; Or we can continue to let the outward show of a Christmas blessing be for others all year.

 So, as the statement circles in my mind, I can say;

“No, Christmas is most certainly not gone.”