MANANA SYNDROME

MANANA SYNDROME

 I read an intriguing statistic this morning that resulted in some sobering self-reflection.  Here it goes: “Among Americans, 87% own running shoes but never run.”  WOW…they were all up in my ‘Kool-Aid’ and seemed to know the flavor!

 The path of least resistance is a familiar one that results in something we call “Manana Syndrome.”  Our Spanish compatriots would tell us that “manana” simply means tomorrow.  Honestly, don’t most of us have a tendency to procrastinate - delaying the ‘hard stuff’ until some future time or situation?

 In “Men Who Met God,” A.W. Tozer suggests that this behavioral tendency frequently carries over into our Christian discipline, or lack thereof.  He writes, “We must face the fact that many today are notoriously careless in their living.  This attitude finds its way into the church.  We have liberty, we have money, we live in comparative luxury.  As a result, discipline has practically disappeared.  What would a violin solo sound like if the strings on the musician's instrument were all hanging loose, not stretched tight, not ‘disciplined’?” 

 For many, discipline is a long-forgotten commodity.  In fact, cemeteries are loaded with unattended visions, incomplete projects, unfinished books, unfulfilled careers, etc. , etc., etc.  So what shall we do about it?  Instead of allowing life’s ‘running shoes’ to lie dormant in some circumstantial closet, let’s put them on, dash out the door, and dare to run!

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

SELFLESS SERVICE TRUMPS AMBITION

SELFLESS SERVICE TRUMPS AMBITION

 In the spring of 1883 two young men graduated from medical school.  The two differed from one another in both appearance and ambition.  Ben was short and stocky.  Will was tall and thin.  Ben dreamed of practicing medicine on the East Coast.  Will wanted to work in a rural community.  Ben begged his friend to go to New York where they could both make a fortune.  Will refused.  His friend called him foolish for wanting to practice medicine in the Midwest.  “But,” Will said, “I want first of all to be a effective surgeon, the very best, if I have the ability.”  Years later, the wealthy and powerful come from around the world to be treated by Will at his medical clinic...the Mayo Clinic.

 To offer genuine service to others is a priority for every Christian disciple.  Richard Foster’s “Celebration of Discipline” contrasts self-righteous service with sacrificial service: 

Self-righteous service comes through human effort.  True service comes from a relationship with God.

 Self-righteous service is impressed with the “big deal.”  True service finds it almost impossible to distinguish the small service from the large one.

Self-righteous service requires external rewards.  True service rests contentedly in hiddenness.

Self-righteous service is overly concerned about results.  True service is free of the need to calculate.

Self-righteous service picks and chooses whom to serve.  True service is indiscriminate in its ministry.

Self-righteous service is affected by moods and whims.  True service ministers simply and faithfully because there is a need.

Self-righteous service is transactional and temporary.  True service is a life-style.

Self-righteous service is without sensitivity.  True service is based on genuine compassion.

Self-righteous service fractures community.  True service builds community.

What kind of service do you and I offer and how will it be evaluated by God?

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD

 A young boy traveling by airplane to visit his grandparents sat beside a man who happened to be a seminary professor.  The boy was reading a Sunday school take-home paper when the professor thought he would have some fun with the lad.  “Young man,” said the professor, “If you can tell me something God can do, I’ll give you a big, shiny apple.”  The boy thought for a moment and then replied, “Mister, if you can tell me something God can’t do, I’ll give you a whole barrel of apples!”

 Amen, young child, Amen!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

THE FATHER NEVER LEAVES US ALONE

THE FATHER NEVER LEAVES US ALONE

 The early native Americans had a unique practice of training young braves.  After learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, on the night of a boy's thirteenth birthday he was put to one final test.  He was placed in a dense forest and required to spend the entire night alone.  Until then, he had never been away from the security of his family and tribe.  But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away from home.  When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods and was totally terrified!  Every time a twig snapped, he visualized some wild animal ready to pounce.  

 After what seemed like an eternity, dawn finally broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the forest.  Looking around, the boy discovered flowers, trees, and the outline of a path that would lead him home.  But then, to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with a bow and arrow.  It was his father.  He had been there all night long. 

Likewise, sisters and brothers, in the darkest of times, our Father (Jehovah-Shammah) is there – all night long.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

WHY DO FOLKS LIE SO MUCH?

WHY DO FOLKS LIE SO MUCH?

 It has well been said that a lie has no legs.  Indeed, once a lie is put forth, it becomes necessary to produce additional lies to support it.  Bottom-line: One lie told results in other lies to back it up.

 America is currently experiencing a major crisis, i.e. a cultural conflict between truth and falsity.  It seems that lying has become a centerpiece of our national identity and discourse.  If you find that to be implausible, just watch the evening news; or alternatively, tune in to various cable news networks and observe the pontification of politicians and talking-heads.  It has become a national disgrace.

 Augustine wrote, “When regard for truth has been broken down or even slightly weakened, all things will remain doubtful.”  Now, ain’t that the truth?  [It’s a grammatically flawed but an accurate query].  President Abraham Lincoln argued that “no man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.”  Now, ain’t that the truth?  There’s something so universally telling about lying.  Psychologically speaking, we humans have been designed by God to be truth-tellers.  Evidence?  Truth is relatively easy for us to remember; lies not so much.  Think about it.

 Lying is Satan’s home turf, not yours or mine.  And it may well be that liars do not carefully consider the weight of profound disappointment they could engender in the emotions of family and friends.  Friedrich Nietzsche once remarked to an associate: “What upsets me is not that you lied to me, but that from now on I can no longer believe you.”  My friends, whenever we are tempted to lie (and we will be), we should reflect prayerfully and remember that.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY AND MAN’S RESPONSIBILITY

 It is an indisputable fact that our GOD is sovereign.  No matter what circumstances confront us, He is ultimately in control.  However, we humans should realize that we play an integral part in the plan and purpose of God by embodying wisdom and exercising responsibility.  All too often, we fail miserably at both.

 As a lecturer at Calvin Seminary, R.B. Kuiper used the following illustration of God's sovereignty and human responsibility:  “I liken them to two ropes going through two holes in the ceiling with a pulley above.  If I wish to support myself by them, I must cling to both.  If I cling only to one and not the other, I will go down.”  Well said, Professor Kuiper, well said. 

 If we would only become determined, as a society and as individuals, to take responsibility for producing prudent actions and enacting sensible laws to govern and protect our people, we would have far less occasion to mourn the senseless deaths of our children.  When will we ever learn?

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

WHAT WILL YOU MAKE OF YOUR LIFE?

WHAT WILL YOU MAKE OF YOUR LIFE?

The noted Yale theologian, the late Henri Nouwen, recounted in “The Wounded Healer” the story of four fictional royal brothers in ancient India.  Each brother decided to master a special ability.  Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned.

“I have mastered science,” said the first, “by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it.”

“I,” said the second, “know how to grow that creature’s skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.”

The third said, “I am able to create its limbs if I have the flesh, skin and hair.”

“And I,” concluded the fourth, “know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete.”

Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their particular specialties.  As fate would have it, it was a lion’s bone.  One brother added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life.  Shaking its mane, that ferocious beast quickly rose up and leaped on his creators.  He killed them all instantly, then vanished contentedly into the jungle.

Lesson learned.  It seem that we, too, have the capacity to create that which can somehow devour us.  Goals and dreams can consume us.  Possessions and property can turn and destroy us--unless we first seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, allowing Him to breathe wisdom and truth into what we make of this life. (Matthew 6:33)

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

TO OBEY GOD, OR NOT?

TO OBEY GOD, OR NOT?

We all should be spiritually instructed by the teachings of Alexander Maclaren, regarding the relationship of faith and unbelief to one’s choice of obedience or disobedience.  He writes, “Disobedience is the root of unbelief.  Unbelief is the mother of further disobedience.  Faith is voluntary submission within a person’s own power.  If faith is not exercised, the true cause lies deeper than all intellectual reasons.  It lies in the moral aversion of human will and in the pride of independence, which says, ‘Who is Lord over us?  Why should we have to depend on Jesus Christ?’  As faith involves submission, so faith breeds obedience, but unbelief leads to high-handed rebellion.  The less one trusts, the more one disobeys; the more one disobeys, the less one trusts.” 

Think…then do.

The lyrics of an apropos old hymn wisely admonish: “Trust and obey…for there’s no other way…to be happy in Jesus…than to trust and obey.”

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

PAY ATTENTION TO THE STORM

PAY ATTENTION TO THE STORM

 The late great American evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, described rather troubling circumstance: “I was in the north of England in 1881, when a fearful storm swept over the country.  A friend of mine, a minister at Evemouth, had a great many  fishermen in his congregation.  It had been very stormy weather, and the fishermen had been detained in harbor for one week.  However, one day the sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky; it seemed as if the storm had passed so the boats started out for fishing grounds.  

 Forty-one boats left the harbor that day.  Before they started, the harbor-master hoisted the storm signal, and warned them of a coming terrible tempest.  He begged them not to go; but they disregarded his warning and away they went.  They saw no signs of the coming storm.  But in a few hours it swept down on that coast, and very few of those fishermen returned.  There were five or six men in each boat, and nearly all were lost in that dreadful gale.  In the church where my friend was pastor, there were only three male members left.  Those men were ushered into eternity because they simply failed to heed the warning.  I lift up the storm signal now, and warn you to escape from the coming judgment!” 

 Dwight Moody issued this sobering message pertaining to prevailing spiritual conditions.  It seems there is a current need for ‘spiritual harbor-masters’ to hoist red flags of warning regarding our current global circumstances and spiritual conditions.  My friends, it is high time for us to return to the biblical foundations of our faith, and to send fervent prayers upward that Almighty God would intervene with much needed healing for our people and our nations.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

SHOWING GOD'S MERCY

SHOWING GOD’S MERCY

 According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from aging and traveling, coming toward him.  Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent.  There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink.  The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing.  So Abraham asked him, “Don't you worship God?”

 The old traveler replied, “I worship fire only and reverence no other god.”  When he heard this, Abraham became incensed, grabbed the old man by the shoulders, and threw him out his tent into the cold night air.

 When the old man had departed, God called to his friend Abraham and asked where the stranger was.  Abraham replied, “I forced him out because he did not worship you.”  God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years although he dishonors me.  Could you not endure him one night?”

 Hmmm…

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

THOSE PESKY TINY THINGS...

THOSE PESKY TINY THINGS…

 During a recent decade, Chicagoans working in the booming downtown business district called The Loop ignored the city’s budget crisis because Washington's cutback of urban aid didn’t seem to hurt their business.  However, they learned the hard way about the considerable price of neglecting the foundations of economic growth.  Two hundred and fifty million gallons of murky Chicago River water gushed into the 60-mile network of old freight tunnels underneath The Loop and brought business to a soggy halt. 

 It was later learned that a top city official previously knew about the leak, but because the city was cash-strapped he delayed repairs which would have cost about 50,000 dollars.  The final cost of the resultant damage was in excess of one billion dollars. 

 In life, always attend to ‘smaller’ issues because, when neglected, they tend to become mighty big.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

WE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

 Sodium is an extremely active element, which is typically found in a combined form, linked to another element.  Chlorine is the poisonous gas that gives bleach its offensive odor.  However, when sodium and chlorine come together, the result is sodium chloride (common table salt), used to preserve meat and bring out its flavor.  

 Love and truth are something like sodium and chlorine.  Love without truth is flighty, sometimes blind, willing to combine easily with various doctrines.  On the other hand, truth by itself can be offensive, sometimes even poisonous.  Spoken without love, it turns people away from the gospel.  But whenever truth and love are wisely combined we become who Jesus called “the salt of the earth.” Thus, we're able to preserve souls by bringing out the nurturing flavor of faith. (Matthew 5:13)

 Our daily attitudes and actions are actually ‘Salt-Shakers.’  So you and I must always be self-aware.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

USE WHATEVER TALENT HEAVEN ISSUES

USE WHATEVER TALENT HEAVEN ISSUES

 If you are ever tempted to feel ‘less than others’ in terms of your talents or capabilities, DON’T.  Long before your birth, The Creator designed specific purpose in your life-DNA and formulated a plan and path for you to walk in it.  Therefore, any occasional feelings of inferiority or inability that trouble your conscious mind are mere satanic distractions, intended to minimize focus and marginalize goals.

 So what – if you aren’t the greatest artist, teacher, musician, minister, manager, janitor, or whatever?  So what?!?  Decide now to enthusiastically and systematically deploy whatever talents you possess.  Think.  The woods would be silent indeed if only aviary virtuosos dared to lift their voices.  ALL are capable of God-ordained achievement.  Consider the sage admonition of Philips Brooks: “It’s almost as presumptuous to think you can do nothing as it is to think you can do everything.”

 My friend, whatever your vision or mission in life might be, “Just do it.”  Be faithful; be committed; be consistent; be true to God and yourself.  Even the usefulness of a mere postage stamp is actualized through its ability to stick to one thing until it gets there.  Please allow me channel President Barack Obama in a closing note of personal encouragement: “Yes, You Can!”

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

ALL IS WELL

ALL IS WELL

 Robert Louis Stevenson tells of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction.  Contrary to orders, in the midst of that weather terror, one daring man went to the deck and made a dangerous passage to the pilot house.  There he saw the determined pilot at his post holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch-by-inch turning the ship out to sea away from those deadly rocks.  When the pilot spotted the passenger watching, he simply smiled. Then, the daring passenger went below and sounded a note of comfort and cheer: “I have seen the face of the pilot, and he is smiling at us.  All is well!”

 Unquestionably, these are troubling times.  But The Pilot is at the helm and He is in control.  It is well.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

WHY WE REALLY NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT

WHY WE REALLY NEED THE HOLY SPIRIT

 It has been said that our lives are fields that primarily contain weeds, therefore we may not naturally produce the right kind of fruit.  But what can be done about all those pesky weeds?  We could simply mow those weeds, but such effort alone would never rid us of them, nor will their presence enable us to produce a healthy harvest.  If we really want qualitative and quantitative harvests, we will need  capable assistance to dig deep enough to access the ‘root’ of our weed issues.

 That’s what the Holy Spirit does.  He leads and guides us into all truth.  That is, He holds up the mirror of God’s perfect will, thereby contrasting our present condition with our intended purpose and destiny.  Of course, there are so many more aspects of His divine person and work.  He endows us with help, protection, strength and comfort, just to name a few.

 To borrow from an old American Express commercial, ‘don’t leave home without Him.’  And no one should ever consider living in (or leaving from) this earthly plain without HIM.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

OUR STRUGGLE TO LISTEN AND HEAR (Part III)

OUR STRUGGLE TO LISTEN AND HEAR (Part III)

 I love how Robert W. Herron frames our communication issues in his book entitled “Homemade.”  Herron writes, “Good listening is like tuning in a radio station.  For good results, you can listen to only one station at a time.  Trying to listen to my wife while looking over an office report is like trying to receive two radio stations at the same time.  I end up with distortion and frustration.  Listening requires a choice of where I place my attention.  To tune into my partner, I must first choose to put away all that will divide my attention.  That might mean laying down the newspaper, moving away from the dishes in the sink, putting down the book I’m reading, setting aside my projects.”

 Amen, Mr. Herron, Amen!  With the help of the Lord, we shall do our best to comply.  Active listening and actual hearing require full presence.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

OUR STRUGGLE TO LISTEN AND HEAR (Part II)

OUR STRUGGLE TO LISTEN AND HEAR (Part II)

 Wow!  I must confess that the following story caused me to start some self-examination and adjustment of my own listening habits. 

 In Pastor Charles Swindoll’s book, “Stress Fractures,” he confesses a tendency to embrace too many commitments in too short a time frame.  He admits to getting quite nervous and tense.  “I was snapping at my wife and our children, choking down my food at mealtimes, and feeling irritated at those unexpected interruptions through the day.  Before long, things around our home started reflecting the pattern of my hurry-up style.  It was becoming unbearable.”

 “I distinctly remember after supper one evening, the words of our younger daughter, Colleen.  She wanted to tell me something important that had happened to her at school that day.  She began hurriedly, ‘Daddy, I wanna tell you somethin’ and I’ll tell you really fast.’ ”

 “Suddenly realizing her frustration, I answered, 'Honey, you can tell me -- and you don’t have to tell me really fast.  Say it slowly.’ “And I'll never forget her answer: ‘Then listen slowly.’ “ 

 Lesson learned.  It’s important to take time (quality time) to really listen and hear the heart of others.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

OUR STRUGGLE TO LISTEN AND HEAR (Part I)

OUR STRUGGLE TO LISTEN AND HEAR (Part I)

Since our Creator wisely designed us with one mouth and two ears, the implicit lesson is that listening is considerably more valuable and impactful than speaking.  However, the human tendency is to satisfy ego by doing exactly the opposite.  I came across a relevant evaluation tool on listening habits, reprinted below for your prayerful consideration.

 How good a listener are you?

1) Since you think about four times faster than a person usually talks, do you use this time to think about other things while you're keeping track of the conversation?
2) Do you listen primarily for facts rather than ideas when someone is speaking?
3) Do you avoid listening to things you feel will be too difficult to understand?
4) Can you tell from someone’s appearance and delivery that nothing worthwhile will be said?
5) When someone is talking to you do you appear to be paying attention when you're not?
6) Do certain words and phrases prejudice you and cancel your objectivity?
7) While listening do you tend to be distracted by outside sights and sounds?   

 Think.  Evaluate.  Adjust.  Improve and elevate communication.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

GRIEVING OVER WHAT DOES AND DOESN'T MATTER

GRIEVING OVER WHAT DOES AND DOESN'T MATTER

 Throughout life, know what really matters.

 When actress Sophia Loren sobbed to Italian movie director Vittorio De Sica over the theft of her jewelry, he lectured her: “Listen to me, Sophia.  I am much older than you and if there is one great truth I have learned about life, it is this--never cry over anything that can’t cry over you.”  Amen.

 You can somehow replace things, not people.  Today, we lost our eldest sibling, Bishop Joseph Edison Bass, Jr.  He will be dearly and deeply missed by his extended family, colleagues, church members and friends.  However, he is now an honored member of The Church Triumphant, and we are proud to celebrate his life-legacy and eternal victory manifested in that blessed and joyous communion with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Well done, big brother, well done!

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

NEVER BET AGAINST ALMIGHTY GOD

NEVER BET AGAINST ALMIGHTY GOD

 While crossing the Atlantic on an oceanliner, F.B. Meyer was asked to address the first-class passengers.  At the captain’s request he delivered a sermon on “Answered Prayer.”  An agnostic who was present at the service was asked by his friends, “What did you think of Dr. Meyer's sermon?”  He answered, “I didn’t believe a word of it!”  That afternoon Meyer went to speak to the passengers in the ship’s lower compartments.  Many of the listeners at his morning address also went along, including the agnostic who claimed he just wanted to “hear what the babbler had to say.” 

 Before starting out for the service, the agnostic put two oranges in his pocket.  On his way he passed an elderly woman sitting in her deck chair fast asleep.  Her hands were open.  In the spirit of fun, the agnostic put the two oranges in her outstretched palms.  After the meeting, he saw the old lady happily eating one of the pieces of fruit.  “You seem to be enjoying that orange,” he remarked with a cynical smile.  “Yes, sir,” she replied, “My Father is very good to me.”  “Your father?” he asked.  “Surely your father can’t be still alive!”  “Praise God,” she replied enthusiastically, “He is very much alive.”  ‘What do you mean?” pressed the agnostic.  She explained, “I’ll tell you, sir.  I have been seasick for days.  I was asking God somehow to send me an orange.  I suppose I fell asleep while I was praying.  When I awoke, I found He had not only sent me one orange but two!”  The agnostic was speechless.  Later, he was converted to Christ.  Praying in God’s will certainly produce answers.

 Whenever you think you’ve got God all figured out, go back to the drawing board because you don’t (and never will).  His awesome ways are incomprehensible – simply “past finding out.” (Job 9:10 – Romans 11:33)

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

IT'S TOO SOON TO QUIT!

IT’S TOO SOON TO QUIT!

 1972 was a very memorable year.  Fifty years ago marked the occasions of my oldest child’s birth, my graduation from Yale, and NASA’s launch of an exploratory space probe named Pioneer 10.  The space craft’s mission was to reach Jupiter, to photograph that planet and its moons, and to beam data to earth about Jupiter’s magnetic field, radiation belts and atmosphere.  Scientists regarded this as a very bold plan, for up to that time no earth vessel had reached beyond Mars, and they feared the asteroid belt might destroy the satellite before it reached its target.

 But Pioneer 10 accomplished its given mission and much more.  Swinging past the giant planet in November of 1973, Jupiter’s immense gravity hurled Pioneer 10 at a high rate of speed toward the very edge of the solar system.  At one billion miles from the sun, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn.  At two billion miles, it hurtled past Uranus; Neptune at three billion miles, and Pluto at four billion miles.  By 1997, twenty-five years after its launch, Pioneer 10 was more than six billion miles away from the sun.

 Despite that immense distance, Pioneer 10 continued to beam back radio signals to scientists on Earth.  Perhaps most remarkable was the fact that those signals emanated from a modest 8-watt transmitter, which radiates about as much power as a bedroom night light, and takes more than nine hours for its signals to reach Earth.

 Scientists nicknamed it ‘The Little Satellite That Could’ because it simply was not qualified to do what was done.  Engineers designed Pioneer 10 with a projected life of three years, but it kept going and going.  Its tiny 8-watt transmitter radio accomplished more than anyone thought possible. 

 And so it is when we offer ourselves in the service of our Lord.  God can work even through those of us with ‘8-watt abilities.’  However, God cannot work through anyone who quits.  Hang in there!

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

THORNY BLESSINGS (Part II)

THORNY BLESSINGS (Part II)

 My friend, even if your life seems to be ‘coming up roses,’ you’re bound to get your fair share of thorns to accompany them.  You see, thorns are no happenstance occurrences; thorns are intentionally designed and mission critical to personal growth and development.  Consider the eagle.  Most of us have observed photos of huge eagle’s nests situated in the branches of a colossal tree or in the craggy rock of a mountain cliff, but few have actually gotten a glimpse inside.  Let’s take a look.  

 When mother eagle constructs her nest, she lays a foundation of thorns, broken branches, sharp rocks, and other items that seem entirely unsuitable for the environment of her offspring.  She then lines the nest with a thick padding of wool, feathers, and fur (from animals she has killed) –  making it quite safe, soft and comfortable for eggs and hatchlings.  By the time her growing birds reach flying age, the comfort of the nest and the luxury of free meals make them rather reluctant to leave.  

 That’s the moment when mother eagle begins stirring up the nest.  With her strong talons she begins pulling up the thick carpet of fur and feathers, bringing the sharp rocks and branches to the surface.  As more of the soft bedding gets plucked up, the nest becomes extremely uncomfortable for the young eagles.  Eventually, this and other maternal urgings prompt the growing eagles to leave their once comfortable abode and move on to a more mature and independent behavior: FLIGHT.

 According to Isaiah 40:31, YOU too have the God-given capacity to “mount up with wings like EAGLES.”  Those discomforting thorns you encounter are simply your life-runway.  Fly high and soar!

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

THORNY BLESSINGS (Part I)

THORNY BLESSINGS (Part I)

 The story of Androcles and the Lion is one of Aesop’s Fables that often appears in children’s books.  Androcles escaped slavery only to face a lion in the forest.  It felt like he was jumping from the frying pan into the fire.  Feeling sure that the lion would kill him, he began to run away.  But as Androcles tried to escape, he heard the lion moaning in pain.  The cause of agony was a sharp thorn embedded in the lion’s paw.  

 What to do?  Should Androcles remove the thorn and risk death, or should self-preservation insist that he turn his back on the suffering lion?  Despite overwhelming fear, Androcles pulled the thorn out of the lion’s paw.  The relieved lion joyfully licked the face of his savior, and from that moment on they became bosom buddies.  But their friendship was tested when both were captured and had to face each other in the arena.  When the lion refused to kill Androcles, the emperor was so amazed that he pardoned Androcles and freed the lion.   And they lived happily ever after.

 Thorny situations don’t always have storybook endings.  At times, no remedies are available.

 Even the Apostle Paul had a thorn of his own, but there was no Androcles around to remove it.  So Paul asked God three times to remove his thorn, but God appeared to refuse his requests.  Paul concluded that the thorn, which he described as a “messenger from Satan sent to torment” him, must be God’s means of keeping him humble.  To wit, there was divine purpose seeded in his pain. (II Corinthians 12:7-10)

 While your thorny condition can cause considerable pain, there’s an underlying reason (and blessing) that may not be readily discernible.  When you cannot trace God’s hand, trust His plan.  Stay tuned…more to come tomorrow.

 Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!