Don't Worry, BE HAPPY!

Not a very good picnic spot, is it? Why? Because I would worry about it falling on me, that's why. Yet, its probably been there thousands upon thousands of years and will still be there hundreds of years after my great grandchildren are a dim memory. I like what Jesus had to say about worry, because it deals with a central issue of Christianity... status. IF we are the children of God, then GOD will take care of us and therefore worry is a lack of trust.

Matthew 6:24-34 says: "

24 'None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.
25 'Because of this I say to you, be not anxious for your life, what ye may eat, and what ye may drink, nor for your body, what ye may put on. Is not the life more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing?
26 look to the fowls of the heaven, for they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into storehouses, and your heavenly Father doth nourish them; are not ye much better than they?
27 'And who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit?
28 and about clothing why are ye anxious? consider well the lilies of the field; how do they grow? they do not labour, nor do they spin;
29 and I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these.
30 'And if the herb of the field, that to-day is, and to-morrow is cast to the furnace, God doth so clothe — not much more you, O ye of little faith?
31 therefore ye may not be anxious, saying, What may we eat? or, What may we drink? or, What may we put round?
32 for all these do the nations seek for, for your heavenly Father doth know that ye have need of all these;
33 but seek ye first the reign of God and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you.
34 Be not therefore anxious for the morrow, for the morrow shall be anxious for its own things; sufficient for the day [is] the evil of it.YLT

In other words... Don't Worry, BE HAPPY!

Home

When I saw this picture I thought of upstate New York where I grew up. Florida is a nice place to live, but it really doesn't have a "fall" season, yet it feels like "home". Funny, but I feel a little confused about the concept of "home". I have lived in a quite a number of places and after awhile they all felt like home, but the best one is yet to come (heaven). Although Linda and I have been blessed with some nice dwellings, we never have lived in a mansion. I wonder how I will feel about Florida when I get there?

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2

Enough already

When I saw this picture I immeadiately thought of politics. I don't know about you, but I am tired of listening to people talking politics. I do however, really like the current Einstein quote on the blog:

"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut. "

Now, if I could only learn this.... I would be doing great!!!!!

Hello, are you listening?

When you have you mind made up about something, does it take something as powerful as a bolt of lightning to get you to change? I don't mean something trivial like what shoes you want to wear today (although for some of us this may seem very important). Instead, something foundational like your commitment to your spouse, your country or God? Saul of Tarsus had the belief he was absolutely right and did something about it; he was a zealot for the Jewish religion. God however, had other plans for him. I really like the story of God's intervention in Saul's (later Paul's) life because God knew his heart and didn't reject him even though Saul was doing something wrong.

The Bible says: "
Act 9:1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
Act 9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
Act 9:3 Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
Act 9:4 And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
Act 9:5 And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
Act 9:6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

This passage is quite dramatic, but think of God's intervention with Elijah where he spoke to him in a still small voice. Hummm, perhaps God knows you well enough to do whatever it takes to get your attention, whether it be large or small. Look around, God is speaking to us every day, in little things as well as the grand. The question is: Are we listening?

What now?

Please listen to the lesson "What do we do after the election?". It is on the Westside church podcast list on the right (down a page). I wish I had said this!

Bamm

Imagine what it would be like to be on the edge of the wave, gliding along by its mighty power. Then, you make a little mistake and BAMM, you wipeout. The wave hits you like a ton of bricks. I can only wonder what that might feel like? But, in 1973 something powerful did hit me and it was this Bible verse: "'And Jesus having earnestly beheld, said to them, "`With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.`"YLT I realized that my unregenerate life could change and that with God ANYTHING WAS POSSIBLE!!! Oh, I thought of myself as a pretty nice guy because I had two lists; one of the good things I did and another of the bad things I didn't do, but still there were some notable problems that I couldn't seem to get over (I still used some bad language when I became angry). Yet, this verse held the possibility that I could overcome my failures and with God's help, be all that I could be. This concept of growth is as true today as it was then and the power and excitement of the Almighty still amazes me. I encourage you to reflect on the meaning of this verse in your life and you never know, you just find that power and BAMM!

If

When I saw this picture, it just seemed to say "you talkin' to me"? Its amazing to me that people seem to remind me of animals and the other way round. I think this one probably came from a major city like NYC. It seems to have an "attitude" which says I will do what I want, when I want and who do you think you are for even bothering me? At this point you might be saying to yourself, "I'm glad I am not that way" but wait, perhaps it could be that maybe I am "just a little bit". Take a minute and look at the picture, notice that this Bison "with an attitude" has a lot of hair covering its eyes and maybe it can't even see the road its on. Now is a good time to think of the words of Jesus "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Webster Bible Jn. 13:35 Many years ago, a beloved brother loved me enough to challenge my attitude and after awhile I saw that he was RIGHT. And IF I can realize something like that, perhaps others can as well.

Wisdom

The Bible says: "Prov 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous. "

In high school I remember those who managed to score a 1000 or more on the SAT's and thought they were "smart". Unfortunately, some of those same people failed at life. Either they couldn't make it in the workplace or their marriages fell apart. Don't misunderstand, many of the "smart" ones did do well, but shouldn't all of them have succeeded in every aspect of their life?

Part of the problem is that we live in a society where financial gain and the accumulation of possessions is considered paramount. Many people who do not know God seem to be successful, but without God in their lives that success is but an illusion. Success is more than just getting "things" and being "happy" it is in living a life guided by the maker of the universe. Without HIM our efforts will eventually turn to dust. Be wise, seek God; it is the smart thing to do.

Changing waters

Remind you of something? For me, its a little like being in the Newcomb area of upstate New York. There is something very, very, calming about a waterfall. Perhaps its the contrast between the deep waters at the base and the torrent above, I really don't know. One thing is for sure, life is like a waterfall, sometime its quiet and sometime not. If The God of heaven is with you, it really does not matter whether the waters are churning about you, because you are NOT helpless and alone, He will help if you just ask... so ask already!

Boom

When I was growing up, this picture probably meant either we were having another bomb test or someone was predicting total disaster like the movie "Dr. Strangelove". Today, I had an interesting conversation with some gentlemen in a local eatery and the consensus was this would be caused by some radical extremist. Whatever the cause might be, one thing is certain, if this were for real, it would be a fearful thing indeed. For those who follow Jesus, it just might mean the end of one life and the continuation of the current spiritual one. I think the following picture says it all!