You must have some idea of the way things ought to be before you can protest the way they are. – Jason Lee Steorts
No reception
John 1:10-11. I am sitting at the departure terminal at the airport in Havana, Cuba. I have been out of the country for 12 days. Came down on a unique opportunity to peach the gospel in a county that has been closed for years. The work was hard, and the effort was successful, leading to over 130 people coming to Christ, it has been a wonderful thing to be a tool in the hands of the Father. But my mind is turning toward home now. I can’t wait to see Melissa, and my boys.
My boys, they are who are on my mind, especially. What will happen when I get home? How will they feel about me when they see me after such a long time apart?
My dad (aka Pappy) and Grandma came to visit before I left. Note: my boys talk constantly about thief grandparents, but when they were right in front of them they acted like they had never seen them, or ever wanted to see them. It’s that scene that is haunting me.
In the passage of scripture Jesus comes to earth, the long anticipated arrival, this should have been an occasion of great joy, but the Bible paints a different picture.
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” – John 1:11.
Now I can’t compare to the experience of Christ, but I can begin to appreciate what he may have felt when he came to this earth even if it’s in the slightest. The rejection, the unrequited love, the disappointment, the pain. That pain continues today, in every instance that we don’t run to the embrace of the Creator.
Lord, I received you today. Lets catch up. I’d love to be a part of what you got planned today.
Lest I Forget…
And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’
– Joshua 4:21,22 ESV
Again and again I have been shown that the past experiences of God’s people are not to be counted as dead facts. We are not to treat the record of these experiences as we would treat a last year’s almanac. The record is to be kept in mind, for history will repeat itself.
– Ellen White, Letter 238, 1903 (PM, p. 175)
Take the time this month to remember; how God has moved in your life, the difficulties that you have faced and how He has shown himself strong through it all, bad decisions that you made and God protected you in spite of yourself. And if you can’t remember don’t take it lightly, that is an attack of Satan, choose now to keep a journal or a record, do something creative so that you can remember all the things God has done and is doing in your life. After all – “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” – Last Day Events pg. 72.
Set an extra chair.
“If I have withheld anything that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow). – Job 31:16-18.
Just a few days ago I watch a video that presented in a convincing way the direct correlation between the neglect of fathers in their priestly duties in the home and the loss of children to the church in adulthood. It was sobering. Currently 1 in 5 children will remain in church beyond college age. This trend did not exist before we as parents began to hand the raising of our children to Youth Groups, Schools, and Television. My plea, as this is Family Life Month, is to the families – redouble your efforts against the attacks of Satan that would have you believe that there is anything on the face of this earth that is more important than your constant influence on the lives of your children. Those who have no children in your home remember that, in the US, 41% of births today are to an unmarried parent. You can make a difference in that child’s life if you choose to
Expect more.
Why is it that movies that are no more religious in content than any other family movie on the market are considered faith-based. This is a new Hollywood trend. There was a time when there was a glimmer of hope in the movies that were coming out. Movies like; Fireproof, Blindside, Letters to God, Amish Grace, Amazing Love, etc. But recently Hollywood has taken up this idea that as long as they have christian whispers then they can be called faith based.
Recent examples of this is the movie Man of Steel that had very little Christian basis for the big push for churches to advertise this movie. As well as the most recent example of The Butler. As a Christian community we need to expect more from these types of movies, we should get more out of a faith based movies more than just a Bible on the nightstand or a crucifix over the bed, we need to get more than just hints of Christianity but clear desirable Christian beliefs that are expressed in the script, in the acting, and the portrayals that we see on the screen.
It is not cheap to go to the movies today. Why not use the power that you have in purchasing a ticket and make it speak to what you expect to see in the movie theaters. Think about it – every time you make a purchase you also give the go-ahead for these Hollywood producers to put out a weak seemingly-Christian movies. So that the next time they are that much more resolved to sell us short. Expect more from your movie.
“Faith Marketing Brings Huge Support From Blacks in $25M Debut for ‘The Butler'” http://feedly.com/k/1avhF9K
Doesn’t sound like punishment.
Bradley Manning charged with multiple offenses totaling over 90 years in prison, could get parole in 8 years, with good behavior. During his stay his legal team are going to be fighting to have Manning receive hormone replacement therapy, on the taxpayers dime. This does not sound like punishment to me, that does not sound like paying your debt to society. It sounds more like increasing your debt to society.