Reflections…

Reflections...
It is interesting to me how “reflective” people seem to get around the end of every year. We look back and assess, then comment on what the year was like from our vantage point. One may say that the year was “good”, another may say it was “bad” or “both good and bad”. When I sign a birthday card, I often note that I hope the year ahead is “good” for them, fully realizing that it may not be. I suppose that this is normal, and yet a favorite verse for many Christians is Romans 8:28, “All things work together for the good of those who love Him.”


Living by faith, we must always be reminded that our vantage point is extremely limited and short-sighted. That being said, I hope that this past year God was glorified through my life, and that in the coming year my life will be “good” for Him.

All the Preparations…

During the Christmas season I am always amazed at all the preparations that have to get done to make such wonderful impressions. From the big Christmas productions and neighborhood yard displays to the small samples of secret family recipes shared with a select few of special friends. As “busy” as we all seem to be these days… we manage to find a way to make sure certain things happen or else, “It just wouldn’t be ‘Christmas’!”

I am more amazed at all the preparations the Lord manages to get done to make sure certain wonderful things happen. Sometimes I need to be better at “giving”; and other times I need to be better at “receiving” what others give. With God, I believe we all need to get better at both giving to Him, and receiving His gifts (not only at this season, but all through our lives.)

Thinking about Jesus...

This time of year, so many more are thinking more about Jesus. (I wish more were thinking LIKE Jesus). How did Jesus think? He thought about other People. He thought that the most important things in life were not “things”, but relationships with others. I want to think more LIKE Jesus (not just about Him). What could we do to think more like Jesus to the people we work with, or go to school with, to our co-workers, to our family, even to our church family?

Philippians 2:1-5 (CEV) “Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God’s Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Don’t be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought.”

Thanksgiving (In the Midwest)

The weather was cold and the reception was warm. It was good to be with family from both sides. Yet…it was difficult. (Not just the 2 days driving time each way.) It was hard to see my father in such poor health (5+ heart attacks will do that.) All my life he seemed like nothing ever got to him. One of our elders reminded me to “say everything I needed to say”, and I believe I have (to my father). But those words reminded me to connect with some other important people in my life and let them know how thankful I was for them. Relationships are our most valued treasures, and it is always good to be reminded of that. I am better for the trip, and hopefully others are as well.
Well, it is December in Houston, and I’m off today. (I need to mow the yard one more time!) Texas is my home, and I love living here. This is where I belong, and it is good to be “home”.

Good Samaritan - Luke 10

Sunday I did something that I have talked about doing for over 20 years. I simply told what Jesus said and then sat down. You see, for most of my ministry, I have said that “the lesson of the Good Samaritan is so clear, you could just tell it and sit down.” Up until now, however, I have always gone on to explain the details…(like: how dangerous the route was, who the Priests and Levites were, what it meant to be a Samaritan and the 4 or 5 things he did for the person in need.) These were all good points, for a Bible class. But as far as the message goes, the details seem to have little (if any) affect on whether or not we will take the admonition of Jesus to: “Go and do likewise.”
(By the way, Jesus did not call the Samaritan “good”. We call him that; maybe because the lesson is just so challenging! Oh, and Jesus didn’t say it was a “parable” either.)

Riding With God

The 1st lesson in our new series “Life on Loan” needed a strong testimony to show how seemingly small events or acts of kindness can have a major affect on our lives in relation to what God is doing. Our Creative Team felt that it would be good for me to share MY testimony, even though I had already shared much of it in parts in other lessons over the past 3 years. I was amazed at how immediately powerful the memories of my childhood were as I looked at some of the pictures, and the strong emotional affect they had on me as I recounted my thoughts and feelings. In the 2nd service, I added some light-hearted comments so the story wouldn’t seem so “heavy”. Later, I realized that I had done this more for me than for the congregation. (You see, humor was one of the childhood defenses I often used to deal with pain or disappointments that were unavoidable).

After each lesson, I really didn’t feel like talking with anyone. I just wanted to return to the present day. However, I was so glad that I made myself available to others so that I could hear parts of THEIR stories. I was quickly reminded that EVERYONE has pain and disappointments in life. We all have been hurt and we all carry around some baggage from our past. I felt so validated and affirmed as a person. I felt honored as a person of faith as several people saw how God used events to shape my life and form sensitivity to others in my character. It was not a “contest” to see who had the better story, or who had the most pain, or whose life had been the hardest. No. The sharing of our stories is a powerful way to see the hand of God working in all of our lives. Although each of us is as unique as our DNA, our relationship with God brings us together. We all are parts of God’s big story! Listening to others stories reminded me of that truth, as I hope listening to mine did for them.