Old Life and New Life

Over the past few days I have had the distinct honor of witnessing a new life, my grandson. What a marvel God has given us in new life! It is indeed the greatest wonder of our world. There is a certain perfection in the tiny faces, the tiny fingers, the tiny toes, all fresh and new. We usually find a crowd around the nursery viewing window with a chorus of "He's so cute!" or "She's beautiful and so petite!" or "Look how tiny he is" remarks. We often take for granted the introduction of new life into our world. We see it as the natural progression of love and marriage to reproduce offspring that looks like one of us. It is indeed the preservation of the species but it is a marvelous event that eclipses what we may consider as "way cool" things in our lives. When you first hold that squirming tiny person in your arms you MUST be awestruck. The fresh innocence of a newborn is incredibly emotional. Seeing the ultimate results of love and marriage that we call a baby is a precious gift from God that warms the heart. In the midst of turmoil and tribulation a baby brings new hope and a renewal of the spirit. As that tiny face looks up at you seeking a fulfillment of his needs you see why the adage, "it takes a village", has a significance that perhaps you haven't considered. Those little eyes can't focus on who it is providing his needs so you must be prepared to do whatever it takes to satisfy him. When he cries out for sustenance he has little regard from whence it comes. When he is uncomfortable, he has little regard for whose arms hold him just that his expectations of relief are met. The urgency of his needs are accompanied by a tiny voice expressed as a whimper or a bellow but always audible and heart wrenching. We cannot choose to ignore it as he will persist until his needs are met. His facial features can go from angelic to downright mad in an instant. The attitude of "perhaps you didn't hear me" couldn't be plainer. Now comes the delicate balance that precludes all knowledge, what exactly is his need, it becomes a perplexing dilemma for new parents. Thousand of clean diapers and half empty bottles are thrown out. No matter how adept we are at satisfying the needs of those in the workplace or society at large, we are reduced to ineptitude by the cry of a baby. Suddenly our relative self importance becomes secondary to the needs of the baby. That cry for help becomes primary and all important. Suddenly the person who can handle anything becomes putty in a baby's hands. A tiny voice, a pitiful cry, your world has changed, a new purpose for your life is mirrored in that tiny face.

At the same time we were witnessing new life we were simultaneously addressing the needs of an old life. An elderly parent recovering from surgery that left her a bit helpless had needs that must be met as well. The old life has many years of communication so that the helplessness is not so pronounced in terms of defining the need but it is often just as urgent. It is usually not punctuated with loud crying but the look of responsibility and the air of need is certainly not diminished. There is a sharp focus on the face that seemingly MUST address the need and there is usually no mistake to whom the need is addressed. Food and creature comforts are much the same in the old life as it is in the new life but with a defined preference. Fortunately, with reasonableness, the urgency can be abated for a short time. The urgency of the needs of the new life isn't negotiable. Interestingly, there seems to be pacifiers for both and to date neither new nor old has refused.

We wish to see the first smile in the new life and wish to see a smile again in the old life. The new life has a peaceful countenance when satisfied, the face of the old life has a face of discontent that has become somewhat permanent. Take time to notice old faces, where has their joy gone? At the same time make an effort to observe as many new faces as you can. There is a joy for you in this observation in case you have forgotten. New faces make old faces smile. Be grateful for old faces and new faces. Find joy in them both. Know that God has provided this joy for you and have a grateful heart. Love old and new faces. Most of all, Love God.

The Cross in My Pocket- A Children's Sermon

Some of us are given a rare privilege in life of presenting a Children's Sermon during the worship service. This experience is seldom eclipsed and becomes etched in one's memory. Lots of folks who don't have the first hand experience enjoy those short vignettes as they watch the faces and hear the remarks from the smallest in our congregations. Inspirations for these short lessons come from a myriad of places and often are predicated on the availablity of some tangible reminder of the lesson. "The Cross in My Pocket" provides inspiration for this lesson. Perhaps you have seen the small 2-inch Crosses inscribed with the words "Jesus Christ is Lord" or "God Loves You" and with an accompanying poem that reads;

THE CROSS IN MY POCKET

I carry a Cross in my pocket
A simple reminder to me
Of the fact that I am a Christian
No matter where I may be

The little Cross is not magic
Nor is it a good luck charm
It isn't meant to protect me
From every physical harm

It's not for identification
For all the world to see
It simply is an understanding
Between my Savior and me

When I put my hand in my pocket
To bring out a coin or key
The Cross is there to remind me
Of the price He paid for me

It reminds me too, to be thankful
For my blessings day by day
And to strive to serve Him better
In all I do and say

Its also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who know my Master
And give themselves to His care

So I carry a Cross in my pocket
Reminding me, no none but me
That Jesus Christ is Lord of my life
If only I'll let Him be...

by Mrs Verna Mae Thomas, from McGehee, Arkansas

There are probably millions of Crosses in pockets all around the world and the verse by itself is an inspired message, beyond the obvious, other factors make the small Cross a viable tool to teach the meaning of the Cross and its importance to the religions of the world. There's also a simplicity in the Cross that we often overlook that relates directly to children and condenses the lesson to a viable Children's Sermon.

Reach into your pocket and pull out the small Cross. "Have you ever seen one of these?"; Who can tell me what this is?...; Look around, do you see any more Crosses in the Santuary?... Sure, there are many Crosses around the church. See, there's a big one on the wall, here's one on the altar, one on top of the flag pole, there's one outside on the steeple. Now, take a look at the Cross, "What letter of the alphabet does it bring to mind?... That's right, "T". To me it's a reminder to "trust" in God. Trust that God will tell you what's right and wrong. Trust that God is always with you. Trust that God will protect you and comfort you in times of trouble.

Is there another letter that you notice on the Cross?... What about "L"?... Yes, there's lots of "L's" on a Cross. Actually if you turn it anyway you will see an "L" (Use the cross to demonstrate) . The "L" is the best reminder of all! The "L" is visible in so many ways on the Cross to remind you that God Loves You! The Cross is surrounded by Love! Today I'm going to give each of you a Cross to carry in your pocket to remind you that God Loves You and that He gave us Jesus! Let's pray together and thank God for His Love and for His Son, Jesus.

Have a grateful heart and love God as He loves you!!

Jots and Tittles

As the new President restated his oath of office, a thought occurred to me, it is about our need to dot our "i"s and cross our "t"s to insure that we would concur with the strictest letter of the law in order not to suffer repercussions. In light of all the many things that are wrong in our world, we choose to concern ourselves with the tiniest of details for fear of retribution. We must look very foolish to the world. We seek to make magnanimous gestures to improve our image so as to convince the world that our way is the right way. We tell the world it should live to our standards and practices because it is the right thing to do. We take action to erase what could be misconceived to be selfish in our intent. We allow our actions to dictate the very substance of the global picture we present and if we object to those actions, WE condemn them for the world to see. Our media seems to concentrate on the negative aspects of life and government in the name of full and transparent disclosure. Are we so naive as to think that the world is not looking? We see our weaknesses as "breaking news", we delight in the fact that someone has broken the law. We splash the headlines with evil, corruption, degradation, and murder; then we seek to change the world to our way. We spend billions of dollars and effort attempting to change the hearts and minds of the world population to see that our relative wealth is achievable within the bounds of "our way". The woes of our economy are portrayed as disastrous and akin to the Depression of the 30's. There are more than a few people who would gladly trade our Depression of the 30's for their reality of today. Yet we wring our hands at the failure of our banking systems as the world starves. We are hopelessly "wrapped around the axle". We are bogged down by our very effort to save the world. We are focused on what's wrong to the extent that we can't do what's right.

Sadly, it is a trickle down effect to the individual. We align ourselves directly with the media and the bad news of the day. My observations are that we face such negativity in our world that we actually cry when a common act of kindness occurs. Doesn't it seem strange that we have become so calloused that we cry out for a little kindness. Jesus faced much of the same frustration as He preached the Sermon on the Mount. He found a people so wrapped around the particulars of the Law (Torah) that they failed to see the true basis of Scriptures. He found it necessary to point out to them the good things around them. The insistence on the complete compliance with the Law had made the people calloused to the soft side of life. He blessed the meek, the poor, the peaceful, gentle, the hungry, the poor spirited and sorrowful people to show them it was OK to be everyday people with everyday problems. He turned to the interpreters of the Law and said they were wrong in their strict interpretation. He began to write the love of God and their fellow man on their hearts and minds not only in a book of Laws. He describes them as the salt of the earth and the light of the world so they could see their worthiness for the love of God. In Matthew 5: 17-20, Jesus explains, "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled" The authorities were afraid this new religion was going to usurp their authority and make the people see them in an unfavorable light. Jesus was telling the people of His intent not to sweep away that established religion but to fulfill its prophecies. Jesus wants the commandments of Love written in the hearts and minds of all men. Love God and love one another is the simple truths that we must live everyday moment of everyday. Have a grateful heart filled with love.

Negatives

As we watched the weather tonight we were astonished by the number of negative temperature readings we saw. The forecast is not much better, perhaps worse, lots more negatives as we are assaulted by an Arctic blast of cold. As we watch the news each night we see negative reaction of the stock market to negative news of the day. Negative news? Do we have negative news? The job market is teeming with people who are a part of the negative jobs figures we have experienced. Job cuts lead the negative news of the day. We are bombarded by negative news associated with persons of high office, persons seeking high office, and the current President's negative approval rating. Negative statistics concerning our real estate markets, foreclosures, and the economy. There's the huge negative reports of the looming recession or depression that must be softened to allay the fears that fuel negative responses to the banking and securities markets. There's negative news about the mismanagement of banks, the mismanagement of companies, the mismanagement of investment funds, the mismanagement of wars, the mismanagement of $750b in bailout money, our mismanagement of our health that somehow has caused the mismanagement of our health care system and the news of mismanagement goes on resulting in more and more negative news. There is negative news about the heroes of victimization, the Israelis, the people of God, as they seek retribution for the endangerment of its citizens by Hamas or whoever they're currently fighting. We have mismanaged our environment resulting in a negative look at the future of our Earth. There seems to be more than enough of us to blame for all these negatives. In the scheme of things there seems to be an inordinate amount of negative news of late. No wonder we are depressed and fearful, we're all weighed down by the negatives of the world. A precious few fleeting moments of positive news is squeezed in between the negative news stories.

There is a piece of positive news that can't be denied, God so loved the world He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in Him should not be lost, but should have eternal life. That news should bring a smile to your face. Even with all the negatives we face we must be grateful that those pale in comparison to the knowledge that eternal life awaits us who simply believe. Trust in God. Love God. Love one another. Have a grateful heart!

Laughter is the best medicine

The simplicity and innocence of childhood is best exhibited in a child's laughter. Here's a short video of how giggling is very special in children. This is a YouTube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P6UU6m3cqk, to copy and paste. As you can see giggling is contagious and makes us feel good. Nothing complicated and certainly not limited. Just a word or an action seems to be sufficient to tickle the giggle mechanism. Perhaps it's a response to the attention that we shower on babies. Funny faces, noises, or hand movements begin a repetitive action of giggles that go on and on. Is it a learned behavior? Does the baby realize that happiness is derived from their giggles? Does the baby equate enhanced attention to his giggles? Attention getting behavior seems to transcend age, whatever it takes to get a little attention becomes an essential part of our being. Laughter or giggling actually reverses its role as we age, the laughter we get will manifest itself in attention getting behavior. For example, comedians or class clowns search for ways to make people laugh. Why? Is it an unselfish act to bring joy and happiness or does it satisfy an inner longing for the same attention we sought as a child?

As we grow older that lack of attention seems to rob us of our sense of humor, steals our laughter and smiles. A pat on the back that is not forthcoming makes us unhappy and we know happiness is a prerequisite to smiles and laughter. When mom can no longer provide those delectable dishes that she is famous for and the compliments wane, the smiles and laughter also wane. What was a joy becomes a task. Tasks don't lend themselves to smiles and laughter. Laughs aren't so easy to come by and frowns supplant smiles. Sadness overcomes joy and health becomes poor. It almost seems characteristic of the elderly, an inability to smile or laugh easily. An old proverb says, what soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. In Chapter 15 of Genesis, God made Abraham laugh at age 99 when He told him that his wife, Sarah, age 90, would have a child. Of course, it came to pass as did Abraham's lineage.

As we "lol" at jokes sent on the Internet we wonder why that conveyance of communication has become so popular. No small talk, no howyadoin?, just a joke in hopes that you would "lol". We are truly in need of smiles and laughs. So keep them coming, smiles and laughter, make it a point to do it everyday. Display your love for one another by making someone laugh or at least smile. Be grateful that you still have the ability and the desire. Laughter IS the best medicine!

In Good Hands

Recently as we were walking in the gym, I noticed a younger fellow running ahead of us, as he passed a casual "Good Morning" was exchanged. As we made a round I noticed that his cap that laid next to his jacket said "Life Flight". Guess he was somehow associated with the organization that transports emergency patients and transplant organs. He finished his run and stood putting on his jacket and cap as we came by again. Coming by he said something, an earphone kept me from hearing clearly so I said, "Pardon?" and he replied "I'm leaving this in your hands", my reply was, "I'll do my best to keep it up". As I walked on I thought about my reply and what perhaps could have been a better response. A couple of thoughts came to mind, one was "I'm on it" and the other was "You've left it in good hands". The latter response probably was as a result of the Allstate commercials that inundated the airways during the Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship. As I walked I began to think about the concept of being insured by Allstate and being "in good hands". Of course, the idea was supplanted by a better look at being "in good hands" as I thought of the simplicity of Christianity and the immensity of God's Love, the thought of paying a company to be "in good hands" took on a new light. Indeed it is nice to have your car insured against the possibility of accidents or your house insured for fire or damage but what about your spirituality? Being in the good hands of God seems to be far more important. By simply trusting in God we put our lives in Good Hands. He will see us through all of the trials and tribulations that we face. When in God's Good Hands we should be worry-free and without the stresses of life.

In Luke 12:22, Jesus tell his disciples, "This is why I tell you not to worry about food to keep you alive or clothes to cover your body. Life is more than food, the body more than clothes. Think of the ravens; they neither sow or reap; they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. You are worth far more than the birds! Can anxious thought add a day to your life? If, then, you cannot do even a very little thing, why worry about the rest? Jesus tells us how God keeps us in good hands. All that is ask of us is that we believe, that we have faith, that we love and trust God. We should have grateful hearts as we think of being in God's good hands!