How do we walk the line of motivation when we don't want to do something, but know it is the right thing? This line of obedience can get quite blurry in life. This is especially true as we navigate life using the Word of God.
This past Sunday, I made a statement about not really wanting people to give money if they were only doing it out of a sense of obligation. A dangerous statement to be sure. One that could easily beg the question: what about obedience to God?
How many times does the Bible give us a command that really we are not all that motivated to do? Love your enemy. Love your neighbor as yourself. Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought. Do not covet. The list goes on and on calling us away from selfishness and self pleasing. So, should we do them anyway out of a sense of obligation or wait until we feel like it?
I actually believe the answer to be neither. I don't think we should do the right thing simply because we "have "to. I also don't think we should wait until we feel like doing the right thing either; our flesh most likely will never get there on at least some things. Somewhere, we have to make the decision to please God and let that become our motivation.
We give, share, go, follow, sacrifice, serve, love, and so on because it pleases God. We should not do these things out of fear or obligation or compulsion or guilt or in trying to punch the right buttons on a vending-machine-god to get the right results. When we do these things of a wrong motive, there is no reward and it does nothing to bring us closer to God or closer to His will.
The Pharisees did everything right. They obeyed completely. Many, if not most, did so with wrong motives and as such were called, "Hypocrites," "White washed tombs," and a "brood of vipers." Not exactly what we should hear from God. The Pharisees who did desire to please God, realized that their obedience was a result of a right heart, not anything else.
Today, if we are doing things for the wrong reasons, it does not matter at all if they are the right things, we are not pleasing God. We can only please God when the heart behind the action is right. Even if we don't feel like doing it: even if it is unnatural for us to do: we do the right thing to please God, not self or anyone else. Our motivation must be Him.
So, yes, we can obey with a right motive even when we don't want to do that specific act. As long as that motive is our love for God.
Back to a previous example: when I tell my daughter to do something she doesn't want to do, she can do it with a right motive (love for me), or a wrong motive (selfish gain, fear, etc.). True it is obedience either way, but one is much better all the way around than the other. Much less painful also.
We do what we do for Him and His glory. That is the right way to approach life. This mindset makes it easier to follow and obey, even in the hard things.
to be continued...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday Unwind
This is going to be a different post, because, well, it was a different day.
It could be the subject, it could just be one of those days, it could be a number of things, but I never felt "the groove" this morning. It is always tense to deal with the subject of giving and money. It probably shouldn't be as the Bible has much to say on the subject. It always seems to be. Could be it is more on my end then on the other end. Either way, it is what it is. I felt very compelled in my spirit to say what I did this morning. I did receive some good comments and encouraging words after, which, while not necessary, is always nice to hear. :~)
To be honest the whole day had a "plowing" kind of feel. That is natural and normal in the life of a church. Not every day can be "off to the races." That isn't healthy and it isn't real. It was a good day, but just seemed to take a little more effort than some days do. Some Sundays just flow and everything is smooth and feels "in the groove."
Don't get me wrong, I am not disappointed with today by any stretch. There are a couple of technical things that we will work to improve as always. I am just being honest and open. Truth is, those that were there probably felt at least some of it as well, so why be any other way about it?
I did have the privilege of praying with a couple of people. That is always a great honor as a pastor. We said goodbye to three individuals today who have been studying here in the US for the past four months. They will return to Indonesia on Saturday.
Next week, we will continue the "What if...?" series. We also have a couple of people getting baptized, which is one of my favorite things I get to do as a pastor. I am greatly looking forward to next Sunday! It is going to be off the hook!
It could be the subject, it could just be one of those days, it could be a number of things, but I never felt "the groove" this morning. It is always tense to deal with the subject of giving and money. It probably shouldn't be as the Bible has much to say on the subject. It always seems to be. Could be it is more on my end then on the other end. Either way, it is what it is. I felt very compelled in my spirit to say what I did this morning. I did receive some good comments and encouraging words after, which, while not necessary, is always nice to hear. :~)
To be honest the whole day had a "plowing" kind of feel. That is natural and normal in the life of a church. Not every day can be "off to the races." That isn't healthy and it isn't real. It was a good day, but just seemed to take a little more effort than some days do. Some Sundays just flow and everything is smooth and feels "in the groove."
Don't get me wrong, I am not disappointed with today by any stretch. There are a couple of technical things that we will work to improve as always. I am just being honest and open. Truth is, those that were there probably felt at least some of it as well, so why be any other way about it?
I did have the privilege of praying with a couple of people. That is always a great honor as a pastor. We said goodbye to three individuals today who have been studying here in the US for the past four months. They will return to Indonesia on Saturday.
Next week, we will continue the "What if...?" series. We also have a couple of people getting baptized, which is one of my favorite things I get to do as a pastor. I am greatly looking forward to next Sunday! It is going to be off the hook!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Motivation - part 1
Let me ask you a question. It is one question, but I'm going to ask it more than one way...
What keeps you going? What is your motivation? Why do you do what you do each day?
Ultimately our true motivations will determine our actions and our actions will be what we are defined by with others.
What we are on the inside DOES matter. It matters to God. He is who we are trying to please. But is that really WHY we are and WHY we do? Or is there something more to our motives? Do we do the "right things" for our own benefit or because we really do want to please God?
There is a difference between wanting to please God for His sake and wanting to please God for our sake. When my daughter cleans her room for no other reason then she knows I want her to, then she is doing it for my sake. When she cleans her room to butter me up to ask for something, then it is for her sake. Same action, two very different motivations. I just wonder how often we do that with God?
As I read through God's Word I see that if our motivation is correct, then we will do the right things (mostly) and will eventually become known for what we do. That may or may not be positive, depending on the context. Jesus was known for what He did, but there were many that didn't appreciate that at all. This primarily was the religious leaders. His motives were not known, but His actions were. He was judged by His actions. Most saw these actions as good, but many did not.
I know I have opened up some things and not wrapped them up nice and tidy. I have more to say but am going to come back to it in another post or posts. So, until then:
What motivates you?
Thoughts and answers are welcomed.
What keeps you going? What is your motivation? Why do you do what you do each day?
Ultimately our true motivations will determine our actions and our actions will be what we are defined by with others.
What we are on the inside DOES matter. It matters to God. He is who we are trying to please. But is that really WHY we are and WHY we do? Or is there something more to our motives? Do we do the "right things" for our own benefit or because we really do want to please God?
There is a difference between wanting to please God for His sake and wanting to please God for our sake. When my daughter cleans her room for no other reason then she knows I want her to, then she is doing it for my sake. When she cleans her room to butter me up to ask for something, then it is for her sake. Same action, two very different motivations. I just wonder how often we do that with God?
As I read through God's Word I see that if our motivation is correct, then we will do the right things (mostly) and will eventually become known for what we do. That may or may not be positive, depending on the context. Jesus was known for what He did, but there were many that didn't appreciate that at all. This primarily was the religious leaders. His motives were not known, but His actions were. He was judged by His actions. Most saw these actions as good, but many did not.
I know I have opened up some things and not wrapped them up nice and tidy. I have more to say but am going to come back to it in another post or posts. So, until then:
What motivates you?
Thoughts and answers are welcomed.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A few thoughts
I've got that random feeling again today...
I've been reading some incredible blog posts lately, here's a couple to check out:
I played racquetball yesterday. Have really regained my enjoyment of that sport and am less sore after each time I play. However, I did hit my left hand with my racquet once when I missed a shot. Sliced my finger right open and ripped part of the nail off. That was not the way I wanted to take a break. We did play two or three more games after that. It is not throbbing much today, thankfully.
My wife and I started the South Beach diet again yesterday. I lost 50 pounds on it a couple of years ago and have kept off all but 15 of it. I want to lose that 15 again and maybe 15 more. I'm not allowed to say much about my wife's results and goals, but she is serious right now, I can tell you that.
I woke up this morning with the old song by Greg Volz, "The Exodus", running through my mind. Specifically the line from Exodus 15, "The Lord is my strength and song, He is become my salvation... my Father's God and I will exalt Him." It has just been there in my mind today. In fact, I'm listening to that song on my iTunes right now. It is also a great thought to carry us through our day. When He is my strength and song and salvation, it is not about me and I can focus on exalting Him and not myself, my agenda, my ideas, or my way.
I've been reading some incredible blog posts lately, here's a couple to check out:
- Ben gives a quick encouragement on living life here
- Mark has a great post on trusting God here
- Steven has a good word on being mindful of what is happening in our lives here
- Carey speaks here about clarity
- ...and Dave discusses friendship here
I played racquetball yesterday. Have really regained my enjoyment of that sport and am less sore after each time I play. However, I did hit my left hand with my racquet once when I missed a shot. Sliced my finger right open and ripped part of the nail off. That was not the way I wanted to take a break. We did play two or three more games after that. It is not throbbing much today, thankfully.
My wife and I started the South Beach diet again yesterday. I lost 50 pounds on it a couple of years ago and have kept off all but 15 of it. I want to lose that 15 again and maybe 15 more. I'm not allowed to say much about my wife's results and goals, but she is serious right now, I can tell you that.
I woke up this morning with the old song by Greg Volz, "The Exodus", running through my mind. Specifically the line from Exodus 15, "The Lord is my strength and song, He is become my salvation... my Father's God and I will exalt Him." It has just been there in my mind today. In fact, I'm listening to that song on my iTunes right now. It is also a great thought to carry us through our day. When He is my strength and song and salvation, it is not about me and I can focus on exalting Him and not myself, my agenda, my ideas, or my way.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday Night Unwind
AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME!
I really felt "in the groove" this morning as we kicked off the series "What if..." this morning. God was speaking and moving as only He can. The vibe and energy in the room were, to borrow the phrase, OFF THE HOOK! There is no end to the possibilities if we really would live our lives actually believing the words of Jesus in John 14. He promised that if we lived by faith we would do the same kinds of things He did, and even greater things. What an incredible thought!
We are going to start offering our sermons as a podcast. I have already uploaded today's sermon here. We will be working out some glitches and the actual host site name may change, but the link on the main website will always be updated. Also, you can listen online or download it into iTunes by clicking the sunbscribe link on the page. This works easily for both Mac and PC. We are working on this to be as compatible as possible and will be improving it more all the time. Thank you for your patience as we work out the kinks and issues.
Elena sang a song this morning that was written by some youth in Steubenville a couple of years ago. She rocked it. I love her voice and the power and passion she puts into her singing. It was the first time many in the church heard her sing, very cool response. Sorry, I like to brag on my wife, she deserves it.
After service, Elena hosted an open house for the ladies of the church at our house. She said it was a very good turn out and a lot of fun. She also wants to convey her thanks for all those who came and for the very nice expressions and gifts. She cooked and prepared for 12 hours or so yesterday. I say she is insane when she is getting ready for a party, but she loves it. The food was incredible. I had to check it out first of course, and then I had to help "clean up." :~)
Due to the number of females in the house, I was no where near here this afternoon. So, I took the girls out for a daddy/daughters' date. We went to Bravo's for lunch. (Bre lost a front tooth in the middle of the meal which is always exciting.) Then we went to the church and hung out for a little while. We played some pool and ping pong. Before coming home, we hit the Chocolate Café for dessert. Yummy to say the least. We arrived to find that our house was still not quite empty. The ladies were having way too much fun.
It's getting late, until...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Snotty Noses
I just spent a few minutes in the nursery. While there God reminded me of something.
Let me back up. Every Wednesday I float around the building and just talk to people. It gives me a chance to get to know the people here better and a chance to experience what is happening in each of the ministries and classes. I pop in and say "hi" to the classes and chat with the teachers.
Tonight, I walked into the nursery and there were 7 children in there. I think 5 of them under the age of one. The three ladies in there each had one that they were tending to and one more was on the floor crying. Not screaming, but crying. I picked her up for a minute, wiped her nose, and walked around with her. To be honest, I haven't held a young one like that for more than a minute in quite a while. I definitely haven't wiped a snotty nose that wasn't mine in a looooong time. My girls are old enough to wipe their own. Anyway, she was still fussing so I gave her a bottle and walked around with her some more. While she was drinking I looked down at her and the thought crossed my mind about how God takes care of us. This little girl is fussy, not just because she was hungry, but she has had an ear infection lately as well. She doesn't feel good. This is hard enough for an adult to deal with, almost impossible for an infant.
As we walk through our daily routines we have moments and circumstances and times we go through that just have us out of sorts. We don't know how to handle it. It's not that we are being immature or are wrong in any way, it is just where we are at the moment. The little girl tonight wasn't being unreasonable or immature, she was acting appropriately for her age and situation. In our journey with God, we will have those times that we end up not knowing what to do with ourselves and our noses are snotty and we don't know what we need. God does. He picks us up, wipes off our noses, and gives us what we need.
He does this because He loves us. He isn't offended at our imperfections or our situation. He isn't upset by our condition. He doesn't blame us. He cares for us. He holds us.
Now, there are times when the situation is our fault and we do have the ability to do at leats something about it. That isn't what I am talking about. There are also times when it is just what we are dealing with at that the point of our journey.
God loves each of us, snotty noses and all.
Let me back up. Every Wednesday I float around the building and just talk to people. It gives me a chance to get to know the people here better and a chance to experience what is happening in each of the ministries and classes. I pop in and say "hi" to the classes and chat with the teachers.
Tonight, I walked into the nursery and there were 7 children in there. I think 5 of them under the age of one. The three ladies in there each had one that they were tending to and one more was on the floor crying. Not screaming, but crying. I picked her up for a minute, wiped her nose, and walked around with her. To be honest, I haven't held a young one like that for more than a minute in quite a while. I definitely haven't wiped a snotty nose that wasn't mine in a looooong time. My girls are old enough to wipe their own. Anyway, she was still fussing so I gave her a bottle and walked around with her some more. While she was drinking I looked down at her and the thought crossed my mind about how God takes care of us. This little girl is fussy, not just because she was hungry, but she has had an ear infection lately as well. She doesn't feel good. This is hard enough for an adult to deal with, almost impossible for an infant.
As we walk through our daily routines we have moments and circumstances and times we go through that just have us out of sorts. We don't know how to handle it. It's not that we are being immature or are wrong in any way, it is just where we are at the moment. The little girl tonight wasn't being unreasonable or immature, she was acting appropriately for her age and situation. In our journey with God, we will have those times that we end up not knowing what to do with ourselves and our noses are snotty and we don't know what we need. God does. He picks us up, wipes off our noses, and gives us what we need.
He does this because He loves us. He isn't offended at our imperfections or our situation. He isn't upset by our condition. He doesn't blame us. He cares for us. He holds us.
Now, there are times when the situation is our fault and we do have the ability to do at leats something about it. That isn't what I am talking about. There are also times when it is just what we are dealing with at that the point of our journey.
God loves each of us, snotty noses and all.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday Night Unwind
What a privilege!
Today was definitely a God day!
The band sounded good today and "How Great Is Our God" was powerful in worship! There was a good sense of expectation from the get go!
We had a guest speaker today, Mike Froitzheim. He is a missionary who provides glasses and other eye care in some of the poorest areas of the middle east into Asia. He shared his story of the grace and power of God throughout some extraordinary circumstances in his life. All I can say, is in the 1980's it was not a good idea to be in a car with this guy as many serious accidents as he was in! Wow! The miracles God performed saving his life over and over again! Since a life changing encounter with God 15 years ago, he and his wife have been a part of some incredible adventures as they have seen so many miraculous healings around the world. A couple of dozen people came forward to be prayed for and a few committed their life to Christ today! I NEVER get tired of that! It is what we are about!
I am looking forward to hearing the results of what God was doing today in that time of prayer.
Before service someone shared with me a great account of the blessing and provision of God. This person is struggling financially, as so many are. They were trying to figure out how they were going to give their tithe and still be able to put gas in their car for this week. In the middle of their dilemna, a perfect stranger provided for them a full tank of gas! God takes care of every detail when we trust Him!
This afternoon we enjoyed a great lunch with some friends from out of town. I recommend the Philly Cheesesteak at the Rusty Bucket. :-)
Then we had our annual members meeting at the church followed by a wonderful meal. We elected four new board members: Ove Fladburg, Allen Markarian, Christopher Minter, and Don Rowles. I am honored to have these men join the three that are remaining on the board; Jim Barnett, Scott Crawford, and Frank Howse. A huge "THANK YOU" goes to Dave Ewing, Cori LeMasters, and Adam Scheetz for their service on the board.
Looking forward to a fantastic week and I'm already getting pumped about next Sunday as we start the series, "What if...?
Today was definitely a God day!
The band sounded good today and "How Great Is Our God" was powerful in worship! There was a good sense of expectation from the get go!
We had a guest speaker today, Mike Froitzheim. He is a missionary who provides glasses and other eye care in some of the poorest areas of the middle east into Asia. He shared his story of the grace and power of God throughout some extraordinary circumstances in his life. All I can say, is in the 1980's it was not a good idea to be in a car with this guy as many serious accidents as he was in! Wow! The miracles God performed saving his life over and over again! Since a life changing encounter with God 15 years ago, he and his wife have been a part of some incredible adventures as they have seen so many miraculous healings around the world. A couple of dozen people came forward to be prayed for and a few committed their life to Christ today! I NEVER get tired of that! It is what we are about!
I am looking forward to hearing the results of what God was doing today in that time of prayer.
Before service someone shared with me a great account of the blessing and provision of God. This person is struggling financially, as so many are. They were trying to figure out how they were going to give their tithe and still be able to put gas in their car for this week. In the middle of their dilemna, a perfect stranger provided for them a full tank of gas! God takes care of every detail when we trust Him!
This afternoon we enjoyed a great lunch with some friends from out of town. I recommend the Philly Cheesesteak at the Rusty Bucket. :-)
Then we had our annual members meeting at the church followed by a wonderful meal. We elected four new board members: Ove Fladburg, Allen Markarian, Christopher Minter, and Don Rowles. I am honored to have these men join the three that are remaining on the board; Jim Barnett, Scott Crawford, and Frank Howse. A huge "THANK YOU" goes to Dave Ewing, Cori LeMasters, and Adam Scheetz for their service on the board.
Looking forward to a fantastic week and I'm already getting pumped about next Sunday as we start the series, "What if...?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
New Series
We are starting a series on February 15 entitled, "What if...?"
We are going to explore the ramifications of this question from a few different angles and see what God has for us. Get ready for your faith to be stretched, your thinking challenged, and your journey to move closer to God.
The question "What if...?" is a powerful question. What if you suddenly received a million dollars? What if you could start over? What if you knew then what you know now? What if you got that new job? What if you could hear God speak to you every day? What if your prayers were answered? What if your dreams came true?
Also with this series we are going to begin podcasting our messages. This is something I have wanted to do since arriving and we are going to get it up and running. You will be able to subscribe through iTunes or from our website. More details to come.
Updates
Yesterday afternoon I received a notice from my computer that updates were available for some of my software. This is not that unusual as software developers are constantly working to improve their products.
As the updates were downloading and installing, it occurred to me that as people we need to make sure we are getting our upgrades. My computer checks on a regularly scheduled basis for new versions of my software. It could check daily if I desired.
From time to time, the updates stop and the developer will issue an upgrade. This is different in that it often involves more features, not just improvements, and it usually requires spending more money for the upgrade. Updates are free.
We need to check daily if there are areas in our life that need to be updated and even at times upgraded. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible and our prayer time to help us make sure we have the newest “updates” with what God is doing in our lives. There are times that the Spirit will show us an area that needs major attention and we must “upgrade” by changing how we do some thing(s) or the way we think in some area(s).
If we are not participating in God’s plan to keep us up to date, we will miss out on the latest thing He wants to do in us.
A computer that doesn’t get proper maintenance and updates will over time begin to slow down and loose its efficiency and eventually crash as files get corrupted and programs get fouled in their source code: conflicts arise and the operating system gets clogged with too many processes (PC's anyway :-)).
A Christian that doesn’t receive the proper correction and instruction from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word will begin to slow down in their faith. They will loose their trust in God and eventually become cynical and jaded causing a “crash” in their walk with God. This will cause conflicts and compromise to arise within them and their thinking will become clogged with too many distortions of truth.
Romans 12 tell us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. In computer speak this would be a low level reformat of the hard drive which cleans out the old junk and preps it to receive new uncorrupted code. Once that is done, a plan of proper, on-going maintenance is needed to keep the junk from coming back.
As the updates were downloading and installing, it occurred to me that as people we need to make sure we are getting our upgrades. My computer checks on a regularly scheduled basis for new versions of my software. It could check daily if I desired.
From time to time, the updates stop and the developer will issue an upgrade. This is different in that it often involves more features, not just improvements, and it usually requires spending more money for the upgrade. Updates are free.
We need to check daily if there are areas in our life that need to be updated and even at times upgraded. The Holy Spirit uses the Bible and our prayer time to help us make sure we have the newest “updates” with what God is doing in our lives. There are times that the Spirit will show us an area that needs major attention and we must “upgrade” by changing how we do some thing(s) or the way we think in some area(s).
If we are not participating in God’s plan to keep us up to date, we will miss out on the latest thing He wants to do in us.
A computer that doesn’t get proper maintenance and updates will over time begin to slow down and loose its efficiency and eventually crash as files get corrupted and programs get fouled in their source code: conflicts arise and the operating system gets clogged with too many processes (PC's anyway :-)).
A Christian that doesn’t receive the proper correction and instruction from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word will begin to slow down in their faith. They will loose their trust in God and eventually become cynical and jaded causing a “crash” in their walk with God. This will cause conflicts and compromise to arise within them and their thinking will become clogged with too many distortions of truth.
Romans 12 tell us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. In computer speak this would be a low level reformat of the hard drive which cleans out the old junk and preps it to receive new uncorrupted code. Once that is done, a plan of proper, on-going maintenance is needed to keep the junk from coming back.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Sunday Night Unwind
After that game, unwind is the right word. My heart is racing like I just got done running. :-)
Great game! One of the best Superbowls in a long time! Unfortunately, the Cards couldn't hold on in the end. Congrats to the Steelers, they earned it.
Today was a fantastic day!
The band was on today in worship. The song "Enough" was powerful. The congregation seemed very engaged through worship also. We celebrated communion today, always a great addition to the service.
There are some incredible days ahead. We are preparing for those that God is going to send to us. Today we took a couple of steps that way. There are some more steps we are going to take in the weeks to come. Keep an eye out and see what those steps are.
We are working on an overhaul of the website. We have made a few updates already, but the complete makeover should be done by the end of February at the latest.
Our annual members meeting is next Sunday at 5:30 followed by a dinner. Should be a great time.
In two weeks, we will start a series entitled "What if...?" My previous blog post will give you a very brief snapshot preview. Looking forward to what God is going to do through this. That will be followed by a series called "Under Par". You can guess what the theme will be, but these are not sermons about golf. That's all I have to say about that. :-)
Enjoyed the evening with a few families from Capital City as we watched the first half of the game together. The food was very good and the company was even better. Lots of fun.
On a very somber note:
Funeral Arrangements for Gary Harris (Tricia and Jill's Father):
Calling Hours: Tuesday, 5 to 8 pm and Wednesday, 10 to 11 am
Funeral Service: Wednesday at 11 am, reception to follow
Location for both:
Walker Funeral Home
98 West Main Street
Norwalk, OH 44857
Donations in memory of Gary may be made to:
American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
Abigail Pregnancy Services
PO Box 68
Norwalk, OH 44587
Flowers:
Betschman's Flowers
419-668-6323
Great game! One of the best Superbowls in a long time! Unfortunately, the Cards couldn't hold on in the end. Congrats to the Steelers, they earned it.
Today was a fantastic day!
The band was on today in worship. The song "Enough" was powerful. The congregation seemed very engaged through worship also. We celebrated communion today, always a great addition to the service.
There are some incredible days ahead. We are preparing for those that God is going to send to us. Today we took a couple of steps that way. There are some more steps we are going to take in the weeks to come. Keep an eye out and see what those steps are.
We are working on an overhaul of the website. We have made a few updates already, but the complete makeover should be done by the end of February at the latest.
Our annual members meeting is next Sunday at 5:30 followed by a dinner. Should be a great time.
In two weeks, we will start a series entitled "What if...?" My previous blog post will give you a very brief snapshot preview. Looking forward to what God is going to do through this. That will be followed by a series called "Under Par". You can guess what the theme will be, but these are not sermons about golf. That's all I have to say about that. :-)
Enjoyed the evening with a few families from Capital City as we watched the first half of the game together. The food was very good and the company was even better. Lots of fun.
On a very somber note:
Funeral Arrangements for Gary Harris (Tricia and Jill's Father):
Calling Hours: Tuesday, 5 to 8 pm and Wednesday, 10 to 11 am
Funeral Service: Wednesday at 11 am, reception to follow
Location for both:
Walker Funeral Home
98 West Main Street
Norwalk, OH 44857
Donations in memory of Gary may be made to:
American Red Cross
www.redcross.org
Abigail Pregnancy Services
PO Box 68
Norwalk, OH 44587
Flowers:
Betschman's Flowers
419-668-6323
What if......
What if... ? Powerful question.
What if we let go of all of our pre-dispositions to the way things are supposed to be done and started with a new slate, a fresh look at what needs to be done. Is that possible? Is it possible to open our minds and let our creativity expand beyond what we know to what could be? What if we could?
I am becoming more and more able to cope with questions without answers. I like knowing why. I want to know what is going on and have a fix on everything around me. Yet, as I journey through life, I am finding that is not as often possible to have the answers as I would like. In dealing with this, we can either scream louder for answers and demand our way; deny the fact and pretend we have the answers; blame the questions and declare the right things aren’t being asked or it is wrong to ask; or we can accept it and learn to walk in the understanding that some things are bigger than us and beyond our ability to know.
With this last mindset comes a few other things: amazement at life; wonder at nature; joy in little things; peace in storms; hope for tomorrow; and a new way of seeing situations. Instead of looking at everything for the sinister plot, the evil motive, or the hidden conspiracy, we come to the point where we are seeking the opportunity of God to impact a life, expand His Kingdom, and serve His purpose.
What if we let go of all of our pre-dispositions to the way things are supposed to be done and started with a new slate, a fresh look at what needs to be done. Is that possible? Is it possible to open our minds and let our creativity expand beyond what we know to what could be? What if we could?
I am becoming more and more able to cope with questions without answers. I like knowing why. I want to know what is going on and have a fix on everything around me. Yet, as I journey through life, I am finding that is not as often possible to have the answers as I would like. In dealing with this, we can either scream louder for answers and demand our way; deny the fact and pretend we have the answers; blame the questions and declare the right things aren’t being asked or it is wrong to ask; or we can accept it and learn to walk in the understanding that some things are bigger than us and beyond our ability to know.
With this last mindset comes a few other things: amazement at life; wonder at nature; joy in little things; peace in storms; hope for tomorrow; and a new way of seeing situations. Instead of looking at everything for the sinister plot, the evil motive, or the hidden conspiracy, we come to the point where we are seeking the opportunity of God to impact a life, expand His Kingdom, and serve His purpose.
- What if we moved beyond fear and trepidation and boldly proclaimed the love of God and reality of Christ to those around us?
- What if we stopped seeing church as a form of worship on Sundays and Wednesdays?
- What if we went to where people already are instead of expecting them to come to us?
- What if we found new ways of presenting the Gospel in real and relevant ways in real situation in real life?
- What if we stopped relying on programs and models and forms to get the job done and started trusting in the power of God to work through us?
- What if each person in the body of Christ got into “the game” and did their part?
- What if we put aside petty differences and juvenile arguments and joined in unity to accomplish God’s mission?
- What if we followed the example of Christ and not the traditions of man?
- What if each one of us ventured out to do what God has called us and an individual to do with reckless abandon?
- What if we lived out of our faith that God is real and is working instead of by our sight and human understanding?
- What if we dared to ask God for the big, the impossible? And, then actually lived in expectation?
- What if we looked for what we can offer and give instead of what we can get?
- What if you accomplished that dream in your heart?
- What if ... ?
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