Where the Camera when you need it?

What a wonderful service today. As I have said before, being able to attend corporate worship and the preaching of the Word is the highlight of my week. I did have a temporary reprieve from most of the abdominal discomfort until the afternoon. I have decided to eat more on the vegi side and less on the meat and bread type foods. I have found that soups are easier on me, too. Hey, some of the healthiest people groups around the world eat soup one or two time a day.

My brother Mike and his wife Eva passed by on their way home from an out of state wedding. We were looking at the rabbits to see if he thought they were large enough to ‘harvest’. He took one out of cage to check it out and it started kicking and bucking and got away from him for a few seconds – man I wish I had the video camera rolling! Eva and I got a good laugh off of that one. He did get it back in the cage, but not without a few scratches. Also, Mike has raised several orphaned squirrels in the past similar in age to our new ‘Rocky’. The ones he raised eventually took off into the trees and never came back. He says he used to walk around with one of the squirrels in his shirt pocket. We will see about that with Rocky. He is eating well and sleeping as any baby would be at this point.

Here is a ‘scenario’ that ran through my mind today. Ya'll know by now how I think. Here goes . . . You are sitting in your living room with your family. The temperature outside is in the 30’s. The front door to your home suddenly blows open, letting in waves of cold air. What would you do? Just sit there and leave it open? Or would you leap to your feet and immediately slam the door shut? I would venture a guess that all of us would slam the door shut. This has so many spiritual applications, I do not know where to begin.
On a National level, the door has been open for years – or should I say for decades. We have allowed our Country to be overrun with things that the less educated and more primitive (in our eyes) countries around the world would - and do - consider to be shameful practices. Is it any wonder why the radical Muslims want to blow us up? Have you seen the garbage playing in the movie theatres lately? It is all about how psychotic, twisted and horrifying can we make it? How many people can we dismember and torture and in the process, make it look as real as possible. That is what they think we like – ‘we’ as in you and me. I know the populace as a whole has been ‘sickened’ mentally/emotionally due to years of desensitization and now readily accepts this type of garbage as entertainment. I know I have watched my share of Hollywood trash, only to live to regret it and its’ effects on my own mind. (I have recently considered clocking the amount of time I watch T.V. - regardless of what it is - and either read, pray or a combination of both for an equal amount of time). The world sees this stuff and not all of the good that America has done and does around the globe. The Word says to overcome evil with Good. May God raise up a generation of our young people to ‘jump up and slam the door shut’, and may we 'old people' allow God to also move in, on and through us to also bring about positive change.

On a personal level, I know that I have to – almost daily in some form or fashion – slam that door shut. In addition to that, I have to keep the fire stoked – keep putting more fuel on the fire of my heart – by reading the Word and praying. It all boils down to the basics, just like in sports. Do the fundamentals. They never go out of style. Good enough for Jesus, good enough for me. He read, He prayed and fellowshipped with the Father regularly and went to Synagogue. He stayed with the basics and yet led the most extraordinary life.

One last question, kind of a side line thought. When you think of Jesus, what is the one thing that stands out about Him in your mind, more than anything else? The first thing - don't keep thinking . . . . got it? Me? The first thing that popped into my mind was/is His love for people. Many other things come to mind too, but His love for people is the first.

I hope the cold wind story is not perceived as me passing judgment, for that was not my intention. I do feel that we as a Nation have not risen to the heights that God positioned us to rise to. We are so very blessed in so many ways unlike any other Nation in the history of the world. It is just something that came to mind. I pray we can all stir up the fire of God within our own lives and live according to His purpose for each of us. That is where we will find we will be the most content and fulfilled.

A new week is upon us and back to school and work we go. We did get to spend some good family time together this holiday. Here is a scripture Pastor Don used as his text today.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

God bless and continue to be a blessing this coming week. George