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Building A Dream Life

How Do I Change My Perspective…Because I Want to Know the Truth

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Our Perception of Things Depends on What Lens We Chose to Look Through

How we see things is too often something that we don’t give much thought to. We drift through life assuming things we hear and see are reality, when in fact they may not be.

Doug Miller made a statement in Sunday School once about people in Ireland dying after eating potatoes.

There was a time in the 1700s when everyone that ate potatoes in Ireland died.

What’s your first thought after reading this statement? If you’re like most people you’re wondering what was wrong with those potatoes.

The rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, was this. There was nothing wrong with the potatoes. Because…everyone who lived in Ireland in the 1700s has died whether that ate potatoes or not. That was more than two hundred years ago, and no one lives that long. The point of the story is this…

A true statement may not be the truth.

It’s easy to make assumptions based on what we hear or see. But is it the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth? Being aware that we make prematurely make assumptions about situations is where we begin to understand this problem.

So, what do we do about it?

We are intentional about what lens we use to look at things. We need to ask questions like a little kid and keep on asking them over and over, seeking the truth.

In Luke 4:14-30 Jesus was preaching in His hometown and what He was saying was not what his childhood neighbors expected. He was a carpenter’s son after all. He shouldn’t be saying that He was the fulfillment of the Scripture. That He was God come to earth.

This preconceived perception by people was what lead them to take Him to the edge of a cliff to throw Him over. Verses 28-29

Then Jesus leaves and goes to Capernaum (Luke 6:17-27) There He does preaching and healing and people came from all over to listen and be healed. It was an amazing thing that was happening. These people didn’t want Him to leave.

He told those who were following Him that things were going to be different than they seemed. What they thought was backward.

  • People who are poor will be blessed
  • People who are hungry will have plenty to eat
  • People who are crying will laugh

God will bless you when others hate you.

  • You rich people who’ve had an easy life will have struggles
  • You well fed people will go hungry
  • You who are laughing now will be crying and weeping

The Pharisees and teachers of the Law didn’t like this. They were feeling their power and authority being threatened by Jesus and they began to look for a way to get rid of Him. (Luke 6:6-11)

This is not to say that if you have money, food and are happy that you can’t be blessed. Look at King Solomon. God says is that our blessings come from what we believe and where our focus and loyalty is.

Are we looking at things through a worldly or Heavenly lens?

You can choose to build your life on the solid foundation of Christ or on the shaky one of the world. (Luke 6:46-49) Seek the truth and look at things through a Heavenly lens.

Repentance is More Than Just Saying “I’m Sorry”, It’s a Commitment to Change

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Saying “I’m Sorry” is a Lot Easier Than Actually Living It Out

Changing is not an easy thing to do. It’s a lot easier to say the words than it is to really change. Words come out of our mouths and roll off our tongues like warm butter on a hot biscuit. Then we move on to the next thing we’re going to need to say “I’m sorry” for.

When we get caught doing something wrong, it’s natural to feel embarrassed and even truly sorry. However, we can get stuck in a rut of saying “I’m sorry” but not actually change anything. The Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins to God, he can be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away.” (1 John 1:9)

So according to the Bible, we must say that we’re sorry, but it doesn’t stop there. “Turn back to God! The kingdom of heaven will soon be here.” (Matthew 3:2)

Saying I’m sorry is not enough.

The children’s message given by sisters Lesa and Jodi illustrated this very well.

Banana Smashing Skit
Jodi: Ooh…I love bananas. I see you have some tasty bananas there.
Lesa: Yep! I do! Would you like one?
Jodi: Oh yes! I would!
Lesa: Okay, I’ll get you one. (Places a banana on the table away from the bunch and smashes it.)
Jodi: Hey! You said you were going to give me a banana, not smash it. How can I eat a smashed banana?
Lesa: Oh dear! I am so sorry. Truly sorry. Let me get you one right now. (Gets another banana and smashes it.)
Jodi: Have you gone bonkers? That was my banana. You said you were giving me that. Now there are two smashed bananas. I don’t think you are really sorry.
Lesa: (Puts down the mallet.) Yes, I am truly sorry. Look, I am putting down my hammer. Would you like a banana?
Jodi: Well, yes, I would but no more smashing.
Lesa: No problem. Now close your eyes.
Jodi: No way. You might smash a banana on me.
Lesa: Never. I am sorry, really.
Jodi: Okay. (The volunteer closes his eyes.)
Lesa: (Picks up a banana, peels it, and takes a bite.) Yum!
Jodi: (Opens her eyes.) Hey!!!!

Well, what do you think? Was she really sorry? I don’t think so. How could we tell? Because she didn’t change her behavior.

To repent is to regret so deeply as to change the mind or conduct and develop new mental or spiritual habits.

Last week Pastor Buffum asked us to read through the first 3 chapters of Luke. This week she went through them pointing out the connections of cousins John and Jesus. Their similarities and their differences.

In Luke 3:3-18, John is telling people to turn back to God and their sins will be forgiven. He told us to get ready and stop just saying we’re sorry and to do something to show that we’re really giving up our sins.

John said that just because we say that we’re Christians doesn’t mean that we are. God can turn stones in to Christians if He wants to.

God has an axe ready to cut down any tree that’s not producing good fruit and throw it in the fire.

I don’t know about you…but I don’t want to be thrown in the fire.

The crowds asked John, “What should we do?” He said to share your food and clothes with those who don’t have any. To stop charging people more than they owe and not to scare people into paying you to keep them safe.

Repentance requires more than just words. It is being aware of the need for change and doing something about it.

Repentance is a commitment to change and do better.

There is a Time and a Season for Everything Here on Earth

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God Knows What He’s Doing, Get Onboard or Get Out of His Way

Many of us don’t like change. We’re comfortable with a “This is the way we’ve always done it” attitude. A few weeks ago, I told you about changes happening in our church. We discussed that change is inevitable whether we embrace it or not.

The past several months our church has been dealing with a lot of change and unknowns. The unknown part is what makes us so apprehensive about change.

As a United Methodist church, our congregation had some concerns about the direction of the denomination. These concerns created questions which led to other questions. This question-and-answer process went on for months.

Were we going to stay United Methodist or we going to leave?

If we left, what were our options? Which of these options was the best? What did this mean for our property? What did this mean for the pastor? How long would this take? The questions went on and on.

This is where faith comes in.

As Christians we should trust in God and His “blueprint for life”. His Word gives us the instructions for living the life that He wants for us. This brings us to where we are now and this week’s message from our new pastor.

Welcome Lisa Buffum.

She started her message with her story and how God brought her to us to be our pastor.

Being a member of a United Methodist church and aware of what was going on in the denomination, she knew about the things our church was going through. She came to one of the meetings our church held as we were working through the process of what to do. She actively prayed for churches that were going through this process of answering the question of what to do.

The night that we had our vote for what we were going to do going forward, she drove to our church and sat in the parking lot praying.

We voted to leave the United Methodist and become Global Methodist as have several other churches in the district and conference.

There has been a shortage of pastors for a long time and with this split came the question of who would pastor these new churches. As she heard of more and more churches separating, she was concerned that there wouldn’t be enough pastors for the new Global Methodist churches.

She was thinking about this and had the thought that church laity might need to step up and fill some pulpits.

As she was praying, she heard God ask…” Why not you?”

This is a question that we all tend to push back on. Why me? Because I don’t have what it takes. Because I’m not good enough. I must have not heard that correctly. We’ve all done this at some time or another.

Why not you?

As a lay person she is going to be leading our church. She will be going through the process of becoming ordained. Becoming a pastor is not something that was a part of her life plan…surprise.

Looking back, it is clear how these things were happening separately and simultaneously. This is how God works. This is us getting onboard with His plan.

It’s up to us to do accept the changes that are part of God’s plan. If we don’t, we will suffer the consequences. In Isaiah 43:16-21 we are told to not get hung up on the past and accept the amazing new things that God is creating.

We need to remember that this is God’s story…not ours.

Life is a great adventure, and we need to embrace it. There is a time and season for everything here on earth, it’s up to us to open our minds to be aware of and embrace these changing seasons.

Having a Plan for Building Something isn’t Any Good if You Don’t Use it

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The Bible is a Blueprint for Building Our Best Life

We live in a world of idea bombardment, and it’s hard to sort through it all to know what is real. We see things on the news, social media, the internet, and TV programs. We hear things from our family, friends, neighbors, and community. So many different opinions.

The world thrives on conflict.

How can we determine what is real and what’s not, what’s right and what’s wrong? This is a subjective question that can be hard to answer. Who do you believe and why?

Just like building a structure can be done in a variety of different ways…so can your life. Ultimately some things work, and some things don’t. A house without a roof is going to get wet inside when it rains. A house without a foundation is not going to stay standing when the ground erodes.

A house built on a solid foundation will weather the storm.

Back to the question of how can we know how to build our best lives? Just like building a good building, we need a plan…a blueprint. Just like how a building project doesn’t go well when the blueprint is ignored, so it is with our lives and ignoring the Bible.

The Bible is our blueprint for building our best life.

Using a blueprint requires some work. Just because you have a blueprint in your office doesn’t mean it’s going to help you if you don’t get it out and use it. This doesn’t mean that unrolling it and flipping through the pages is enough…it’s not. You need to study it, learn it, and implement it or the building will not turn out well.

The same is true for life. If we don’t get the Bible off the shelf and study it, learn it, and implement it, our lives won’t turn out well.

A good builder doesn’t just look at the blueprint once and then put it away. There are questions and problems that come up constantly throughout the project. He uses it every day until the project is finished. The more he studies it, the more he knows about what is expected.

We should use the Bible in the same way. We should study it daily so that we know what is expected.

Another problem that can happen with blueprints is when a builder doesn’t fully understand or misinterprets the blueprint. Just looking at the foundation plan doesn’t tell us about the roof. Just looking at one page of the print will lead to mistakes in the construction as well as subcontractors being led to do the wrong things. This is why it’s important to ask questions and discuss it with the architect and other builders.

This happens with the Bible as well. We can’t just pick and choose a verse here or there and not know the whole plan.

You need to take the whole Bible into account so that you don’t make a mistake when building or lead others to.

Blueprints let us see what the architect expects from the builder. He shares all the different aspects of a building and how they should fit together. A builder who has built buildings before can begin to think he knows how to build and doesn’t need a blueprint. Inevitably this is when mistakes happen and can be very costly.

God is the architect of our lives and when we begin to think we know more than Him problems are sure to happen.

A builder must decide if he’s going to trust the architect’s plans or not. He can ignore them and build the building however he wants. The problem is…the building doesn’t belong to him, and if it’s built wrong, he won’t get paid.

The same is true for us. We have free will, and we can live our lives however we want.

The problem is, in the end, the payment we receive will be what we earned.

Use the Bible as your life blueprint. Get it off the shelf, study it, learn it, ask questions, and build your best life.

This past Sunday, Jim Miller shared the message to “Just Tell Them the Truth”. Here is a list of Scriptures that he used throughout his message.

  • Matthew 6:33
  • 2 Corinthians 11:2-3
  • Ephesians 4: 14-15
  • Colossians 2:8
  • 2 Timothy 4:1-4
  • Hebrews 2:1
  • Revelation 2:4-5
  • Revelation 3:3
  • Romans 3:23
  • Romans 6:23
  • Romans 5:8
  • Romans 10:13
  • Romans 10:9
  • Romans 12:1-2

Change is Going to Happen, Whether We Embrace it or Not

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Memories From the Past, Looking to the Future, Living in the Present

This past Sunday was Pastor Lee’s last Sunday serving as our pastor. After more than eight years of him being a part of our lives, it was an emotional day. You don’t spend this amount of time with someone without there being a significant impact made.

Change is inevitable and we need to embrace it.

We need to remember that if we get stuck, we will become stagnant. Think about how fresh and clear a running stream is. Then compare that to a stinky, muddy, moss ridden pond.

A large portion of Sunday’s service was spent sharing what he means to us and what we have meant to him.

He shared that over the years we have learned a lot from each other. He knows us, who we are, what we like, and how we act. We learned the same about him and his family. Three things that he said he learned were…

  • People are searching for God, knowingly or unknowingly
  • The Bible is still as relevant today as it was when it was written
  • The Church is necessary

Embracing these truths rather than pushing them away makes for a better community and world.

Embracing is hugging, taking up readily and gladly. There was a lot of embracing (hugging) done Sunday.

As a church we’ve been going through a lot of change in the past year and Pastor Lee’s leaving is just one part of that change. This is why it’s important to be “flexibly rigid”. (link to post)

We need to be true to who God has called us to be without getting distracted by things that are fleeting.

A good example of this is one of the stories that was shared. It was about a milk cow that was bought. It was kicker. It kicked over the milk bucket. It kicked over the milking stool. Milking this cow was not going as planned.

At the same time there was a cow in the pasture that was not feeding its newborn calf. After giving this situation some thought, it was decided to see if the kicking cow would feed the calf…it did.

So, the pasture cow became the milk cow and the milk cow became the pasture cow. This is being flexibly rigid. They got a milk cow and the calf got fed. This was not their plan, but it worked out.

This is embracing change.

Let’s embrace the past and what we’ve learned from it.

Let’s embrace the future and the possibilities it holds

Let’s embrace the present and not forget to live every day in the here and now.

Thank you, Pastor Lee, for your leadership, friendship and making us better people!

Being a Hero Doesn’t Mean That You Have to be More Super Than Anyone Else

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It Just Means That You Need to Connect with the One and Only “Superpower”

This past Sunday’s service was a treat as we were given a message by the kids. It was the annual Bible School program. The kids spent the five weekday evenings prior, experiencing the…

“Hero Hotline, Called Together to Serve God”.

The focus of this Bible School was how the Bible is full of “normal people” who did heroic things without knowing they were heroic.

A hero is someone admired for having done something brave or achieved something great. The question is what is brave or great? This is something that is going to be different for different people.

The heroes in these Bible School examples were “normal people” who at this particular time did something outside of their comfort zone that affected situations that we are still experiencing the results today.

  1. Heroes are called to follow Jesus.

Jesus builds the team.

In John 1:35-42, Jesus began building his team. The first hero was Andrew. He was a follower of John the Baptist and witnessed John baptizing Jesus, “the Lamb of God”. Andrew then started following Jesus. He told his brother, Simon, about Jesus, and Simon, also known as Peter, began following Jesus. Then Jesus found Philip and Philip found his friend Nathanel, and they both started following Jesus.

Anyone can be a follower of Jesus.

He wants us all to follow Him. Once you know Jesus, you can tell someone else about Him, and they can tell someone. Before long there are more and more people who know Jesus. This is God’s plan for the church.

Be a hero and follow Jesus.

2. Heroes are called to help others.

God’s wonder women.

We would consider Moses a hero because of what he accomplished, but what about the women that saved his life? The Pharaoh decided there were too many Hebrew boy babies so he had issued an order to have all the Hebrew boy babies killed at birth.

In Exodus 1:15-22, we meet Shiphrah and Puah, midwives that were heroes. They didn’t want the babies killed so they told the Pharaoh that the Hebrew women were so healthy and strong that the babies would be born before they got to them.

Then there was Moses’ mother who hid him as long as she could and then put him in a basket at the river where the Pharaoh’s daughter would bathe. Miriam, Moses’ sister, watched and kept him safe. The Pharaoh’s daughter saw the basket and sent her maid to get it. When the maid brought Moses to the princess, she knew he was precious and wanted to raise him.

All these “normal women”; his mother, the midwives, his sister, the princess, and her maid, all had a part in saving the life of Moses who grew to be a great man of God. They were all called by God for a special purpose.

God has a special purpose for you too.

3. Heroes are called to work together

Jethro mentors Moses

After Moses had led the millions of people out of Egypt, he was trying to settle all their problems and disagreements. Can you imagine how overwhelming this would be? He was getting worn out and unable to get any rest. How was he going to lead the people and keep the peace?

This is when Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, shows up. He could see how big this issue was and offered Moses some advice.

In Exodus 18:17-26, Jethro told Moses to find some wise and fair people to help with this. He told him to select capable people who fear God and are trustworthy and honest, and to appoint them over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. This would lighten Moses’ load and let him focus on leading the people.

 Even though Jethro was not as famous as Moses, he was able to give him some good advice about how to lead this large group of people by sharing the load with other people.

God called Jethro to be a problem solver. Maybe that’s what he’s called you to do. But remember that you don’t have to do everything…

You can share your load.

4.Heroes are called to listen to God

The magnificent magi

We’re all familiar with the Christmas story of how the three wise men followed the star and brought gifts to baby Jesus. A part of this story that might be a little less known is in Matthew 2:7-16. King Herod told the Magi to let him know if they found the baby king because he was afraid that a new king might put him out of a job.

After the magi found the baby and realized He was special, they worshiped Him. Before they left on their long journey back home, they rested. While they were sleeping, they all had the same dream. They got a message warning them to not tell Herod what they found because he was going to kill Jesus.

We don’t know anything about these wisemen other than their part in the Christmas story, but their part was important. They felt very strongly about the warning they received and listened to it. Things might have been much different if they hadn’t.

It was good that they listened. We need to listen too.

5. Heroes are called to show grace

Giving Paul a basket ride

Another normal person who played a heroic part in the Bible was Ananias in Acts 9:10-19. We all know about Paul and his conversion experience, but if it wasn’t for Ananias, it might not have gone so well.

Prior to being called Paul, his name was Saul. Saul was tracking down Christians and persecuting them. When he was on his way to Damascus to round up Christians and take them back to Jerusalem to stand trial, he was confronted by Jesus and became blind. He was lead to Damascus where he met Ananias.

Ananias explained who Jesus was and restored Saul’s sight.

Then Saul began sharing Jesus’ message, so the Jewish leaders set up guards outside the city gate of Damascus to catch him. Ananias came up with a plan to lower Saul over the wall in a basket so that he wasn’t caught.

Saul then became known as Paul. He shared God’s message and started churches all over the place.

Ananias initially feared Saul and was not very fond of the idea of helping him, but he listened to what God was asking him to do and did it. He showed Saul grace and the rest, as they say, is history. Ananias wasn’t as well-known as Paul, but God used him anyway.

You may not think you are very important, but you are important to God. God knows you and calls you by name.

You are called to –

  • Follow Jesus
  • Help others
  • Work together
  • Listen to God
  • Show grace

Tap in to the “Superpower” of God and go out and be the hero you were meant to be.

How Using Sermons as Sunday School Lesson Content Has Been a Win

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The Unexpected Benefit of Leading a Sunday School Class

This week’s sermon was the best one ever…

This inside joke was said again this week in our Sunday School class. It has been said many times and for multiple weeks in a row. Actually, there is some truth to this.

You know how when you’re watching a television series or reading a book series and the most recent one is so good that you don’t think it can ever be topped…and then the next one is better.

This is how Pastor Lee’s sermons have been. We are surprised about how they just keep getting better.

Several years ago, our Sunday School class was looking for some lesson material, and we decided that until we found something, we would discuss each week’s sermon.

This happened back in November of 2013, and we been using sermons as our lesson topic since…that’s a lot of sermons…almost 500.

As we began this process, I realized that as the leader of this Sunday School class, I was going to need to pay close attention to the sermons. Now the pressure was on…

One of the things that I did to help me focus on the sermons was to take notes. The act of taking notes was one of the most beneficial things. It made listening, a higher priority. This listening allowed me to get a lot more from the sermons.

Pastor Lee is only going to be in our pulpit a couple more weeks. We are going to miss him and his wonderful messages more than he knows. He has been here at Tisdale for eight and a half years, so our Sunday School class has discussed his sermons more than any others. How will we ever manage…

There are three elements that Pastor Lee puts in every sermon…humor, knowledge, and inspiration. He connects these three things to God, the Bible and life. These are the things that make up our faith stories. Everyone’s faith stories are different, but…

God and His message are universal, eternal, and absolute.

Now to this week’s sermon –

The humorous story – There was a young police officer who was testifying in court against a man arrested for robbery. The defendant was being represented by a hard-nosed attorney known to be tough on police officers. The attorney was trying to undermine the policeman’s credibility.

The attorney asked the policeman, “Did you see with your own eyes my client committing this crime?” The officer replied, “No, I didn’t see him do it, but my partner did.” The attorney asked, “And you trust your partner that much?” The police officer replied, “Yes, I trust him and all of my fellow officers with my life.”

Now the attorney thought he had the officer right where he wanted him.

“Officer, do you have a locker in a locker room, and do you keep your locker locked?” The policeman said, “Yes.” Then the attorney asked, “If you trust your life to these people, why do you not trust them with what’s in your locker?”

The young police officer said, “You see sir, we share this building with the court complex and sometimes lawyers walk through the building.”

The court room erupted in laughter and was adjourned.

After Jesus’ crucifixion, His followers were not sure about what they were supposed to do. In their uncertainty someone like this attorney could make them doubt what they were supposed to do going forward.

In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus, after being raised from the dead, met with his eleven disciples and told them what to do.

Knowledge – The disciples were given authority and were told to go out into the world, to all the people and to share His message. The same thing we’ve been called to do.

Jesus doesn’t need us. He could make everyone believe if He chose to. He can do anything and everything. But this isn’t the way He chose. He wants us to share His message. We are to build the church, share the Sacraments, and share ethics and morals.

Inspiration – Bob Pierce was inspired to start World Vision by three women missionaries, but the vision started with his high school Sunday School teacher, Elizabeth Hunter (Sales).

Every week she would make stories from the Bible come alive for a group of active teens, challenging them to use their lives to make a difference in Jesus’ name.

Throughout his life, Bob credited Miss Hunter with first challenging him to ministry. His daughter never realized how deep that challenge went until she discovered a small blue book in her father’s library.

On the first page there was an inscription dated Christmas 1928: “To Bob from Miss Hunter. My prayer and deepest desire for you is Matthew 28:18-20.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. …”

Your prayers were answered, Miss Hunter.

The disciples were sad at Jesus’ leaving and felt lost.

They used what they had learned from Him and their time together and went out and spread the Word to everyone everywhere. We now need to do the same thing as the disciples.

We are sad that Pastor Lee and Kay are leaving but we need to take what we’ve learned from him and our time together and share that message with those we encounter.

Sharing the humor, knowledge, and inspiration from his sermons in our Sunday School class has been an unexpected benefit that will have a lasting impact on me, and those I have shared them with.

Thank you, Pastor Lee!

There’s a Good Reason We’ve Been Give Two Ears and One Mouth

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It’s Because Good Communication Takes Twice as Much Listening as Talking

Miscommunication happens too often but doesn’t have to if we weren’t so quick to jump to conclusions.

Our Pastor told a story about visiting a lady in the hospital who had had a stroke and was unable to speak. She kept pointing at something, but he was having trouble understanding. She was getting frustrated and kept pointing. He kept turning around and going to different things trying to figure out what she was pointing at.

This went on for a while until he realized that she was pointing at him…his zipper was down.

Then they both had a good laugh.

Even in the middle of this difficult situation they were able to share a good laugh.

There are more than 7000 different languages around the world. The one word that is most universally understood among all of those different languages is the word “huh?”.

This is what Pastor Lee kept asking the lady in the hospital.

Not asking enough questions and listening, really listening, to the answers is where communication begins to break down. We presume we know what the other person is going to say before they even open their mouth.

I believe this is why God gave us two ears and one mouth. We need to listen twice as much as we talk if we’re going to understand others.

In Acts 2:1-21, Jesus’ followers were all together when a noise like a mighty wind came from heaven. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking in whatever language the Spirt led them.

There were many different people from different countries in Jerusalem at that time. When they heard this commotion, a crowd began to gather, and they were surprised because they were all hearing everything in their own language.

Communication can be hard, but it doesn’t have to be if we are just willing to listen.

The Holy Spirit can help us communicate better, but we must be open and accept the help. The Holy Spirit will help us to see clearer, understand better, and give us ideas for sharing God’s love (Acts 2:17).

13-year-old Abraham Olagbegi needed a bone marrow transplant due to a rare blood disorder. He decided to use the Make-A Wish gift he received to help others rather than getting a gaming console or taking a trip somewhere. He wanted to use it to help feed the homeless.

Abraham’s Table planned to provide meals once a month for a year to homeless people in Jackson, Mississippi. Abraham’s mom always says, “It’s a blessing to be a blessing.” This was a big undertaking for a 13-year-old but, the Holy Spirit gives us thoughts and ideas that God wants us to do. It’s up to us to do it.

When you come up against a big mountain, you need to remember you have a big God.

Listen to the Holy Spirit. Listen to others. Ask questions. Communicate clearly through your words and your actions.

We Are Left Sitting on the Edge of Our Seats with a Good Cliffhanger

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We’re Eager to Know What’s Going to Happen Next

A cliffhanger is a plot used in fiction which features a precarious or difficult dilemma or a shocking revelation at the end of an episode. A cliffhanger is hoped to incentivize the audience to return to see how the characters resolve the dilemma.

Cliffhangers became prominent with the serial publication of narrative fiction, pioneered by Charles Dickens. Printed episodically in magazines, Dickens’s cliffhangers triggered desperation in his readers. This was evident in the anticipation of those waiting for the next installment of Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop. A story about a thirteen-year-old orphan named Nell Trent, living with her grandfather.

In 1841, Dickens fans rioted on the dock of New York Harbor, as they waited for a British ship carrying the next installment, screaming, “Is little Nell dead?”

Dickens’ installment format and cliffhangers would typically culminate at a point in the plot that created reader anticipation and thus reader demand.

The popularity of Dickens’s serial publications saw the cliffhanger become a staple part of the “sensation serials” by the 1860s. The DNA of Dickens’s busy, episodic storytelling, delivered in installments and rife with cliffhangers and diversions, is traceable in everything.

The apostles were living out a cliffhanger in Act 1:6-14. They ask Jesus. “Are You now going to give Israel its own king again?”

He answered them, “You don’t need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls.” After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, He was taken up into a cloud.

Can you say cliffhanger?

They were wanting to know what was going to happen next, and Jesus left them standing there wondering. Then two men dressed in white clothes were suddenly standing there beside them. They asked, “Why are standing here looking up into the sky? Jesus has been taken to heaven. He will come back the same way.”

You know the apostles were sitting on the edge of their seats wondering when, how, why.

Cliffhangers in fictional stories can be exciting and stressful, but ultimately, we know that they are just a story. The writer of the story can keep us guessing and anticipating what’s going to happen next. The author can take us where they want us to go.

In our real-life story, cliffhanger levels of excitement and stress are ramped up. There are real trials and consequences in this story. This unknown can be pretty scary. We just want to know what’s going to happen next and that everything is going to be alright.

Sure, our life stories have drama and cliffhangers, but the Author will write a good story if we just let Him. In verse 8 Jesus tells the apostles, “The Holy Spirt will come upon you and give you power.”

We have the power to choose who writes our story. Let God write your story.

If we will let God write our stories, then the cliffhangers become a driving force to move forward to the next episode of our lives.

Enjoy your cliffhanger!

Getting a Backhanded Compliment Can Be a Good Thing

by

It’s Important to Know Who You’re Talking to and Speak Their Language

This past Sunday was Mother’s Day. Too often we take our mothers for granted. We are used to them taking care of us and loving us even with all our flaws.

A mother was working late one day, and her husband and daughter decided they would clean the kitchen for her before she got home. They washed the dishes and put them away. They cleaned the table and the counter. They swept and mopped the floor. They had the kitchen looking great and were excited.

When the mom got home, she came in through the kitchen. She took off her coat and hung it over the back of a chair and sat her purse on the table. She went into the living room and sat down and turned on the TV. The husband and daughter stood there waiting for a compliment.

After a while they asked her what she thought about them cleaning the kitchen. She looked at them and said, “It’s a thankless job, isn’t it?”

Don’t forget to tell your mom thank you.

A backhanded compliment can be a little confusing.

A woman was greeted after singing a solo by a gentleman who said, “You sang that song well, and you didn’t sing too long.”

Or what about the man who was always getting reprimanded at work getting a comment from his supervisor, “You’re stinking less at this job all the time.”

We all speak such different languages. It’s hard to know how to take a backhanded compliment.

In Acts 17:16-31 Paul gave the Athenians a backhanded compliment. These people were searching for God but were trying to make Him fit their wants and desires, so Paul spoke to them in a language that they understood.

While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. 17 He went to the synagogue to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. 18 Some of them were Epicureans and some were Stoics, and they started arguing with him.

People were asking, “What is this know-it-all trying to say?”

Some even said, “Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That’s what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death.”

19 They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, “Tell us what your new teaching is all about. 20 We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean.”

21 More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new. 22 So Paul stood up in front of the council and said:

People of Athens, I see that you are very religious.

 23 As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, “To an Unknown God.” You worship this God, but you don’t really know him. So, I want to tell you about him. 24 This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn’t live in temples built by human hands. 25 He doesn’t need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. 26 From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.

Some of the people who heard Paul made changes and put their faith in God. Just like the people in Athens, if we listen to backhanded compliments, discern the good from them, make the right choices and apply those changes…we’ll be better for it.

Too often we try to make God what we want Him to be. This isn’t how it works. God is God and we were made in His image…not the other way around.

Remember that we all speak different languages, and it’s important to find out the language someone else is speaking before we start talking. We also need to be careful how we complement each other.

Oh…Thank you Mom for all you’ve done and the love you’ve given me throughout my life.