How are you doing?

The other morning at my workplace someone asked one of the
men, "How are you doing?" He responded: "I'm alive, awake and
God loves me, you can't do better than that!" I loved how he responded! I
just wish I could claim to have said it first. What a positive attitude that
man had. Does that mean he doesn't have any problem? No, of course not, but he
is keeping them in perspective.

Right this minute how would you respond to a question like
that? Be honest, can you be as positive and upbeat as that all of the time; honestly,
not many of us can be. Don't you wish you could be like the apostle Paul and
say, "I've learned to be content what ever situation I get into."
Again, honestly, I have had limited success in doing that. Limited how? Limited
in my mind because I always expect more of myself, I am my own worst critic. Limited
sometimes, because I just flat mess up even when I'm trying to do my best.

Do you know what that makes me? Human! You may not
appreciate that fact and others may not appreciate that fact, but the best we
can be is flawed human beings. We mess up! We sin! And if you don't think so,
then you don't understand who we are.

I met
a man one time that told me, "I never sin." "Since I became a
Christian it's not possible for me to sin." I asked him to turn in his
bible to 1 John1:8-10 and read it
with me. It reads, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not
sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

I
asked him what those verses meant, he responded: "I don't know, but they
don't mean what they say." He didn't have much to say about Romans 3:23 either, which read, "For
all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

So,
knowing that we all sin and struggle with problem of this world, how can we
possibly remain upbeat and positive? We do it because we know, as the man said,
"I'm alive, awake and God loves me." Paul also said in " Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So
how are you doing? Could it be time to put a little more trust, a little more
faith in what our God can do for you, in you and through you? Think about it,
you will never find perfection in yourself, but only through your relationship
to God.

Shaving the Cat

A friend, Daryl, shared this story with
me and it got me to thinking about other applications.

Daryl has a real problem with
allergies, especially to hair cat. When he was a youngster he often
visited his best friend who had a cat. Daryl was hesitant to visit,
because of the cat. One day his friend told him he had solved the
problem and Daryl should come on over for a visit. He didn't know
what to expect, but when he got there he was confronted by a extremly
bald and unhappy cat. His friend had shaved the cat for Daryl. Of
course the young man then had to deal with the consequences with his
parents, but can you imagine what he had to go through to shave a
cat? Would you have been committed enough to a friend to do that?

In our world we are constantly
challenged to step up and come to the aid of others. Every day we are
bombarded with advertisments about donating to organizations that
help others. Those are great and needful, but the majority of the
time it requires only the gift of money, not a presonal commitment.
We don't put ourselves at risk, we are not required to become
personally involved.

The question we need to ask ourselves
is who we would be willing to shave the cat for? Do you have friends
and family that are struggling in some way? Maybe someone that you
have just heard of that could use some help that you could supply.
Could it be that your church needs something that only you can
supply.

So the question is, what cat are you
going to have to shave for the benefit of someone else? I would
imagine that shaving a cat has its draw back, cats have claws and
teeth. There is pain involved and it takes more than just a casual
commitment to get the job done. You can't just throw money at the cat
and hope it goes bald. You have to grab hold of it and perhaps suffer
someone else's benefit.

The thing I want you to remember is
that the young man in the story was willing to suffer for the benefit
of his friend. Could it be that you have a friend that needs the
peace and security that only comes from having a relationship with
Christ? Are you willing to shave the cat (so to speak), to give them
what they really need. To face the pain and possible rejection just
because you care for them?

The scripture tells us that: “God so
loved the world that he gave his only son”, (John 3:16). He is not
asking us to do that, but it is our example of what real love is
like. What are you willing to do?

Silence is Golden

If you are a "Baby boomer," or just like music
from the 60's (like me), you might remember Frankie Valli belting out in
mournful tones the words to the song by the name, "Silence is
Golden". In the song he proclaimed the sorrow in the heart of a young man
who saw the girl he loved mistreated by another.

My wife was commenting last night on the changes we go
though in our lives. When we are young, there is rarely a time when we think
that silence (quiet time) is something to be desired, much less valued as much
as gold. As we get older though, we learn to appreciate more and more the times
of quiet in our lives. We have discovered the most important button on the
Television remote control is the "mute" button, followed closely by
the "off" button. Why those buttons? We like those buttons, because
we have learned to appreciate silence more at this time in our lives.

It's was interesting to me to learn that the first recorded use
of the phrase was in 1848. Actually the entire phrase was, "Speech is
silver, Silence is golden". We might say, "just stop speaking and
listen".

I would suggest that in this day and age that we need to
think about those words. Our world is filled with chaos, the daily news reports
seem to carry nothing but reports of unrest, danger and tragedy. When do you
find time to escape the turmoil and pressure of this world?

The writer of Psalm
46 had this to say about our world and the need for silence.

"The nations are in chaos, and their
kingdoms crumble! God's voice thunders, and the earth melts!

The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among
us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Interlude

Come, see the glorious works of the LORD:
See how He brings destruction upon the world.

He causes wars to end throughout the earth.
He breaks the bow and snaps the spear; He burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the
world."

The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our
fortress." (Psalms 46:6-11)

Yes, sometimes silence truly is golden (of great value), be
cause unless we can shut out the world we can never hear the voice of God. The
storms of life rage, the mountains shift and crumble, fires burn, houses fall,
accidents come, death takes loved ones, but God's voice is a constant source of
strength and promise for us.

Can you stand a little silence in your life? Maybe it's time
to spend time listening to God!

Reunions

I just noticed on my calendar that we have a family reunion
coming up very soon. It will be the first one we will be able to attend in
about 10 years, so I'm looking forward to being reunited with many of my (extended)
family. Yes, we exchange the occasional email and share pictures and family
events on Facebook, but there is nothing that is better than being face to face
with folks.

That's not something new! We still have around us something
which has picked up the name "Snail Mail" or actually writing a
letter with pen and paper and mailing it to someone. But again that's not the way
that touches us in our hearts the most. The apostle John wrote about doing
this. In 2
John_1:12 he wrote: "I have much to write to you, but I do
not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you
face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

I believe that contained within
those sentences is the key to what reunions give us. John wrote: "I
hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be
complete". Our joy is made complete, we share our love of one
another and our spirits are renewed and refreshed, in the presence of those we
love, our joy is made complete.

We have many family members in our
lives who are not blood relatives, but who are made brothers and sisters
through the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Many of those we have not seen
for many years and may never see in this life, but they are no less missed and
loved.

Of course there is the great
reunion yet to come for Christ and His children. Several hymns come to mind
with phrases such as: "Face to face with Christ my Savior,"
or "What a happy day it will be when my Savior's face I see."
I'm sure you could list many, many more, but these express the basis of our
faith don’t they? It's all about reunions. Reunions with loved ones, reunions
with other Saints we have never met, and the great reunion with our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ and His Father.

I don't know about you, but I'm
looking forward to that reunion. 1
Thessalonians 4:13f gives us some insight into the reunion with those who
have gone on before us. But we will only attend the reunion if we first accept
the invitation to come. Jesus said in
Revelation 22:17, "The Spirit and the bride say,
"Come!" And let the one who hears say, "Come!" Let the one
who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." And in verse
14 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that
they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into
the city."

Do you want to attend the reunion?
It's all about being a blood relative in Christ. Another old hymn reminds us,
"There is power in the blood," and asks, have you been cleansed by
the life giving blood, washed and made part of a new eternal family? I'm
planning on going to my family reunion, the one at the local pizza parlor and
the one in heaven that provides for all of my needs for eternity. What about
you?

IF THE CREEK DON'T RISE

I had a conversation with my oldest son this past week about
the meaning of the phrase, "The good Lord willing and if the creek don't
rise." I've heard that phrase all of my life and never really thought
about it. For us it always meant that if the water in the creek (crick or
stream) got high it would prevent you from traveling.

I did quite a bit of searching and found there is no
agreement as to the source of the phrase, nor what is the true meaning of the
phrase. One of the more colorful claims is that Colonel Benjamin Hawkins
(1754-1816) first penned these words. It is said that he wrote in response to a
request from President Washington to travel to the capital. It is supposed to
have been written in reference to The Creek Indian Nation; so if The Creek rose
up, he would be unable to leave his post. I like this explanation, but there
doesn't seem to be enough evidence to prove it conclusively.

To tell you the
truth I think I still prefer the local concept of the saying referring to the
local streams (creeks) raising and preventing travel, especially in the times
of storms. Living in the Mid-West we have seen many of those this year and
many, many creeks overflowing their banks.  

Of course it is
the first part of the saying which is really important isn't it. It follows the concept
found in James 4:13-15 of God being
in control of our world. Notice what James writes:

"Now
listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend
a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what
will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a
little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the
Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

There
is no questioning of the fact that storms often come into our lives. The thing
about storms is that you can never completely plan for them in advance. Their
intensity varies greatly with each occurrence; they are simply never the same. The
truth of the matter is that the only way you can survive is truly trusting in
The Lord. We live in an uncertain world and as James says, you ought to say, 'If it is the
Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'"

I
don't know about you, but I still have a problem in putting that into practice.
So often I plan my plans in infinite detail and then pray that The Lord will
allow things to work out as I have planned. We (and I) need to learn to involve
God in our plans from the very start, before we put the first line on our to do
list or our itinerary.

I
pray that things go as you plan in your life, "The Good Lord willing and if the creek don't rise!"

YOU ONLY LIVE....

I was talking with a man today about some of his life goals.
I told him many of those sounded good and someday, perhaps I would get to do
some of the things he mentioned. He replied with the well know American cliché
"Do it now, after all you only live once!"

Later in the day I reviewed that conversation and thought,
"that's really not a true statement." The truth is that you only get
one life here on this earth, but if you live a life obedient to God you get a
much better second life!

Maybe that is what we have so many miserable and depressed
people in our world today. They honestly believe that if they don't get to
experience everything they want before they die, their life will be a failure. They
believe that they have missed the experience of "living fully." The
advertisers of this world make that claim everyday don't they? If you don't
drive their car, drink their beer, travel on their mode of transportation or have
not ended up at their destination, then you have not fully lived. They make
their living trying to make you believe that you are missing out on something
essential to your happiness.

It seems to me that most people in this world are miserable
and depressed because they have lost hope of things ever getting better in
their lives. They know they are not in the position to do or have all of the
things the advertisers say they need to make them happy; therefore they are
convinced that they are unhappy. They have forgotten the most important thing
about hope! Hope that is true hope is about something entirely different. The
Psalmist wrote in Psalm 62:5, "Yes,
my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him."

If
you are hoping against hope for something better, perhaps you need some
direction as to what to hope for that really matters. The apostle Paul wrote to
some folks who were having a "hope" problem. Listen to his word of
encouragement: "Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to
be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like
the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have
fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are
still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not
precede those who have fallen asleep", (1 Thessalonians 4:13-15).

Jesus
said that he is the resurrection and life and for those who believe in him, for
those who obey his word, you can have a second life. You can have a life that
goes on forever with the son of God.

So
what are you hoping for? What are you planning for? What is on your list of
things to do before you die? If it's not serving God, then you will "only
live once." Why? Because the second life is one you live with God. Oh, and
just in case you are wondering, there is a "second death," take a
moment and ready Revelation 21:8 to find out more.

Russ
Lawson

The Fourth

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite of all of the
American holidays! It always has been! Even when I was a young boy I
understood, at least somewhat, the sacrifices it took to make our country what
it is. I have always loved to read and in my younger days I came into contact
with lots of patriotic writings. I actually dreamed of the day when I could fly
a flag outside of my own home and let everyone know how proud I was of our
country.

My father was a WWII Navy veteran and I followed his example
and joined the Navy also. I never had to go to distant shores as he did or walk
patrols on deserted beaches of South Pacific islands as he did, but I wanted to
keep our country great if my participation would help, I chose to do that.

With the Fourth of July celebrations we keep alive the
memory of all that it took to make our country both free and great. We remember
those who were willing to give whatever it took to make sure that their
descendants were able to live free. To have freedom of religion, freedom from
persecution, freedom from unreasonable government control, freedom to live
where they wanted and pursue career and raise their families without
intervention by the government.

In the 1942 movie, "Holiday Inn" there is a
"Song of Freedom" that has some tremendously powerful words. Notice
just a few:

"I'm singing
a song of freedom; For all people who cry out to be free;

Free to sail the
seven seas, Free to worship as we please;

If the birds up
in the trees can be free, Why can't we?

Free to speak and free to hear; Free from want
and free from fear

Sons of freedom far and near who agree, Sing
with me, That all God's children shall be free."

(If you have never watched the movie I highly recommend it).

Notice what the apostle Paul had to say about true freedom: Romans 8:16-21,
"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's
children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also
share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in
eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was
subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its
bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children
of God."

Enjoy your Fourth of July celebration, but don't forget that
our freedom, both physical and spiritual was bought by the sacrifice of
another. Of course our true freedom is only through our love of and obedience
to Jesus Christ.