A Cold Glass of Water by Mike DeCamp

Last Sunday, I shared about a couple of milestone decisions in my life.  First, on October 11, 1976, I made the decision to be baptized.  As a fourteen year-old boy from an un-churched family, it was no small matter.  I was bucking the family trend.  (One of my older brothers once introduced me as his “little brother that’s ruining my bad reputation.”)  I may have been ignorant of the finer details of Christianity, but I did love God and I did know that He expected me to make a commitment to Him.  I had been listening, and I understood the process.  Secondly, I had one of those life-altering moments a few months later while I was at church camp.  I can remember standing on the pavilion just outside the mess hall at Camp Indogan while contemplating the direction of my life.  I had begun to realize that just showing up once a week at church on Sunday morning wasn’t enough.  God wanted all of me, and I hadn’t been giving it.  I stood there…thought it over…and made a decision.

If I’m going to do this, then I’m going to do it all the way!

I wasn’t going to just show up on Sunday morning to fulfill my worship obligation.  I wasn’t going to hold back.  Instead, I was going to go all out.  I was going to attend all the functions.  I was going to build the relationships.  I was going to serve.  I was going to share.  I was going to be whatever and do whatever it seemed that God wanted me to do.

I wish I could say that I have always fulfilled that commitment.

There have been times in my life when things got a little “frayed;” times when my spiritual walk lost its bounce.  I have had times when I was racked with doubt about my choices and the validity of my decisions.  I’ve had other times when I have nearly tossed it all in out of discouragement.  Life isn’t always nice…it isn’t always simple.  Sometimes, life is just plain hard.

The truth is that I have to remake that decision from the camp pavilion every day.  Some days, I have to remake it more than once.  It really is a constant thing.  Jesus said in Luke 9 that it is a daily process of laying down your life and taking up His cross.

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”  Luke 9:23

There are days when I truly disappoint myself.  I can only imagine how God feels.  If only I could maintain that commitment without ever faltering!  If only I could remember how bad it feels to falter…BEFORE I falter.  The thing is…when I do crash and burn, so to speak…it’s just a matter of making that decision again. 

And, refreshment is on the other side.

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.”  Acts 3:19-20 

I will again follow Him.  I will put myself aside and take up His cross…again.  I will serve.  I will share.  I will build those relationships.  I will do whatever and be whatever He wants me to be.  "Ahhhhhh."  It’s like a cold glass of water after working in the sun all day! 

It is so refreshing to get back on track!

You, dear reader, stand where you are with your own set decisions before God.  Some of you may need to make the initial commitment…turn to God…be baptized.  Some of you need to decide to stop waiting and holding back, but rather to give your heart.  And even, some of you may need to stoke that flame and rekindle the fire that you once had oh so many years ago. 

Do you need a cold glass of spiritual water?

It all starts with a decision.

Yes He Cares by John Wright



John Wright

Yes He Cares

How often do I think about what God is doing in my life?  How often do you think about God and how he is intentionally moving in your life?  These are important questions because if we are honest the answers will move us to a better understanding of our complete dependence on God’s Love, Goodness, and Grace.

1 Cor. 2:9 says “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”.  That sounds like Heaven talk and heaven is beyond our comprehension.  The next verse goes on to say, “But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.  The Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God.”  (Verse 12, 16) “…we have received the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”  The world is unable to understand God, but we have the mind of Christ.  Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s Temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

Does God care about you and me, and as the song says “and all of life’s trifles”?  Yes, he cares.  I know he cares.   If Jesus cared enough to go to the cross and then send his Spirit because he was doing God’s will, then of course he cares about you and me;  the Father and Son are one on this.  There is nothing we ever do, say, or think that escapes their attention.

I know God has been an active and protective force in my own life.  First of all, it is because of God that I am in Christ, because God chose the weak things of this world to shame the strong.  I realize that I am weak, but that won’t stop God from using me.

Ten years ago I became gravely sick and almost died.  I came as close to the veil as one can go and not cross over.   For a long time, I thought about that experience every day.   What happened to me?  How did I get so sick?  And what saved me?  And am I so weak that something else bad is about to happen to me?  These thoughts and fears went on and on till now, ten years later I almost never think about it. What a shame because there is still a lot for me to learn.  During that time, God surrounded me and my family with his protection and with his servants.  I remember the prayers and encouragement of my family and the family of God, this Church (Southeastern Church of Christ).  I remember how we were supported and propped by so many of you.  I know it was God’s doing because you have the love of Christ that can only come from above.  I ask that God will give me the grace that I will never forget to personally express my gratitude to so many of you on an ongoing basis.  Thank God, I was saved!

So, with God’s grace I pray that we will all be reminded that God is with us and that God has done everything for us.  May the knowledge of the cross and the death of Jesus and the weight of his sacrifice always speak to us the answers to our questions.   Yes, we were that sick, but God saved us, and we are weak, but he will protect us.  May we never forget the answer “Yes he cares” and I know God is aware of me and you and he is doing his work personally through we who are in Christ.

When I Get Where I'm Going by Brian Potts

Brian & Rhonda Potts

When I Get Where I’m Going

Do certain songs (or pictures, stories, etc.) bring out strong emotions in you?  Do you get a tear in your eye or a lump in your throat when certain songs come on the radio?  The song may not necessarily be sad, it may just remind you of someone dear to you. Or you may be saddened as you are reminded of injustices in this world. 

Recently, as we were making the long drive back from a visit to my parents in Memphis, I was listening to the radio to pass the time. When I heard the opening notes of Brad Paisley’s song “When I Get Where I’m Going” I knew from long experience that very soon there would be tears behind my sunglasses.  Try as I might to hold them back, I just know that the words of this song will bring tears streaming down my face.  I know that this is not much of a surprise to many of you who know me and know that it doesn’t take much to get me emotional.  But why does a song about getting to Heaven make me cry? Especially since I love the chorus and the theology of comfort and forgiveness that it shares.

Yeah when I get where I'm going

There'll be only happy tears

I will shed the sins and struggles

I have carried all these years

And I'll leave my heart wide open

I will love and have no fear

Yeah when I get where I'm going

Don't cry for me down here

Actually, the first verse and the chorus don’t bring on the strong emotions. It is the second verse that brings a lump to my throat.

I'm gonna walk with my grand daddy

And he'll match me step for step

And I'll tell him how I missed him

Every minute since he left

Then I'll hug his neck

Because, you see, I lost the only grandfather that I ever knew when I was in the fifth grade.  He was a Godly man who was an elder in the church and had great compassion for helping others.  But most important to that young boy, he was a loving grandfather who always had time to play catch and wasn’t too busy to have my sister and I over to spend the night with he and my grandmother every Friday night.  And he didn’t say “give me a hug” like most of us would today.  He would say “Hug my neck”. Now you know why the words of this song trigger such a strong emotional response from me.

The song “The Little Girl” by John Michael Montgomery is another song that elicits the same response from me but for a different reason.  This song tells the story of a little girl in an abusive family who receives comfort from Jesus before finding love in a new family. If you are a Christ-believer and a parent, you will also be touched by this song (go to You-Tube and watch one of the videos).

Did I say all this to illustrate something about me that most of you already knew?  No, it’s the thoughts that came next on that drive back from Memphis that contain the point that I want to share.  As I sat there collecting my thoughts (and my composure) after the song finished, I started to think about why these songs bring such strong emotions to me.  Of course there is the obvious that I still miss my grandfather, but beyond that I think these songs help me to empathize with the pain of others.  The thought that came next was that when we hurt, God hurts also because he loves us so much.  We know that most of the miracles that Jesus performed were in response to the compassion that he felt.  He fed the hungry, healed the sick and raised the dead because “He had compassion on them” (Matt 14:14) and “He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled” (John 11:33).  Does Jesus care when our heart is pained?  Oh yes He cares, because our God is not a disconnected, unknowing and uncaring being on the far side of the universe. He is a God who knows our every hurt and every care and feels our pain.  Therefore, as the end of the song says, ultimately, as Christians we should only have happy tears…

But when I get where I'm going

And I see my maker's face

I'll stand forever in the light

Of his amazing grace

Yeah when I get where I'm going

There'll be only happy tears

I will love and have no fear

When I get where I'm going

Don’t cry for me down here.

On Location in Tanzania by Frank Black

Frank & Lou Ann Black

CHIMALA, TANZANIA:  Report from 8 time zones away.

 Chimala remains pretty much unchanged since we left here in 1997.  There is one glaring exception, however -- CELL PHONES!  It seems that every person who comes in from the bush has a cell phone around their neck.  And you think the “ring tones” are raucous in the USA, you should check out some of these.  And cell phone etiquette; it hasn’t hit Tanzania yet.  In fact, during my prayer at the hospital devotional last week, two noxious cell phones erupted.

 Lou Ann and I are privileged to be here with Janice Bingham and Patty Wilson - nurses we first worked with in Nigeria in 1981.  They are both nurse instructors in Searcy, AR.  Janice has seven senior nursing students with her from Harding University - [an excellent group]. We are also especially privileged to be with two young doctors:  Most of you know Kent Brantly, who is here with his wife, Amber, and their two kiddos – Ruby and Stephen.  Our second doctor is Stephen Snell, who is here with his wife, Amy.  Stephen is Jim and Jan’s and Bob and Joan’s nephew.  -- Oh, by the way; we’re eating excellently.  Thanks to the chef with us by the name of Lou Ann.

 How can I begin to tell you the drastic difference between our world in Chimala and your world in Indianapolis?  It would take a book to do this topic justice.  I’ll stick with the medical part.  Very simply I’ll just say that we do the very best we can with the supplies and staff we have here.   I’ll give a couple of examples of the drastic differences between these two worlds.   We lost four children in our first two days [this is unimaginable in any American facility].  I won’t dwell on the fact that our pediatric, male, and female wards have about 20 beds – all in ONE large rectangular room.  Nor that our women in labor and delivery receive no anesthesia or medicines [all natural!].   Oh, and by the way, there are four beds in that one labor room.   And of course there are no monitors and only oxygen for only one patient per ward.  Since I brought up the subject of pain management, I’ll elucidate.  We have four broken femurs in the hospital [large upper leg bone]; three bad burn patients; post-operative patients; and others in severe pain.  There is basically no pain medicine given to any of these patients.  Can you possibly imagine this in the USA?  Of course you are asking WHY?  The simple answer is that this is their cultural way.  They expect pain; they’ve seen and experienced pain; pain is not feared and it’s not their enemy. In short they are extremely stoic and tough people.  By our standards the amount of suffering and pain endured here is unimaginable.

 I mentioned the fractured femurs.  Three are young boys between 7 and 15.  The other is an older lady.  They are all being treated by various types of traction devices – kind of like American orthopedics in the 1950’s.  Surgical orthopedics is just not an option for them.  They lie in bed constantly in traction for six weeks or so.  Can you just imagine this!?  Just let me finish. They have no TV, no radio, no Ipod, no electronic games, no books, etc.  I don’t know about you, but I’d last only a few hours before going bonkers.  [We did take them some magazines with pictures and in addition some balloons and coloring books for the younger boy.].  I sum these situations up by saying that, “WE HAVE THE BLESSING OF LOCATION, AND THEY ARE THE VICTIMS OF LOCATION.”

We’re needed here in many ways – the medical side is obvious.  But we’re also needed spiritually just as much. Despite the stark medical differences, there are no differences in our need for Jesus.  We not only are trying to do our very best medically; we’re trying to model the Great Physician in all ways that we can.

[Physical needs versus spiritual needs:  the greatest of these needs are the spiritual.]

                        Jesu Kristo ni Mganga Mkuu = Jesus Christ is the Great Physician

                                                                                                                                    F. Black

                                                                                                                                   June 3, 2012

Surround Sound by Dale Robinson

Surround Sound

Eugene J. Polley died of pneumonia a couple of Sundays ago at the age of 96. He was an engineer for Zenith Electronics and is best known as the inventor of the first wireless remote. His ray gun-shaped Flash-Matic remote touched off a revolution that affected millions of lives, including my own. But I must admit, last Monday I found myself thinking it was a shame that his invention didn’t die with him.

The owner’s manual on our new speaker system promised “EZ Setup.” I should have known better. Actually the setup wasn’t that difficult. Once I familiarized myself with the nomenclature, pairing the speakers with my wife’s mobile phone (via Bluetooth technology) went smoothly. But getting all of the television/dvr/dvd/speaker remotes to play together nicely was an entirely different matter.  Let’s just say the whole experience brought out my “inner child,”  but I’ve matured enough to realize that hammers don’t work well on electronics.  I expressed my frustration. Loudly. Given all my antics, at one point Dana threatened to put me in time-out.   

I’m pleased to say that the “honey-do” item was completed, and Dana can now stream her iTunes to the speakers in the family room. Although the sound bar only “simulates” surround sound, music has once again returned to the Robinson home. I must say it sounds great.

The whole experience reminds me of a conversation that had taken place the day before around our dining room table. Last Sunday, we invited several people over for lunch. During the meal, I was struck by the diversity of our backgrounds, even within our own restoration movement. But even more amazing was the maturity being expressed.

One commented that there was a time in his life when he would not have set foot in the Southeastern building. But things were different now, and rather than striking discordant notes, he was learning what it means to live in harmony.  He said he had grown more over the past several months than at any similar period of time. 

I am reminded that relationships aren’t plug-and-play, even within the church. Living in harmony requires distinguishing one’s personal preferences from the core of the gospel so we can keep the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). As difficult and frustrating as the process might be at times, the end result is worth the effort—enabling us to stream the music of the gospel to the world.

Only the music isn’t “virtual” or simulated.  It’s the real deal.  It’s unity as opposed to uniformity—the full, rich, and robust surround sound that God intends to catch the ear of those desperately wanting a good tune (Ephesians 3:10). 

Perhaps remotes aren’t such a bad thing. Perhaps they can be programed to play nicely together.

“May our God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all.  Then we'll be a choir--not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus!” (Romans 15:5-6, The Message) 

Excuses, Excuses by Chris Kirby

Excuses, Excuses. 

Have you ever read one of those “Christian living” books that make you put it down feeling completely inadequate, hopeless, and more confused than you were before?  Over the last year or so I have been through a few of them.  They are almost always challenging and sometimes really insightful, but I often walk away frustrated and maybe even a little mad at the author.

In turn, I start looking for excuses that allow me to disregard content of the book rather than transform the content of my life.  I will needle through the book and find something rather trivial with the author and take issue with it hoping that I can excuse away the overall message and conviction that is being presented.  For example, many of these books generally have a passage of scripture or two that are really stretched to make a point.  So, I surmise that I can write off the entire message of the book because the author stretched a passage of scripture.  Or, the author and I disagree on some doctrinal or theological issue that may not even have anything to do with the book I’m reading.  So, the entirety of his or her argument can’t really be valid. 

The excuses and critiquing can go on and on.  But, here’s the real question: Why do I tend to find excuses to give myself a pass rather than implementing the challenges from the messages in my life?  At the heart of it….I guess I really don’t want to admit the weakness that I have within my faith when they are presented to me or to do anything about it when those weaknesses are made apparent. 

·         I don’t want to explore the nagging that hits me on occasion about entering a foreign mission field. 

·         I don’t want to give up some of the things I really enjoy in order to save money and have more to give to others in need, church, and other organizations.

·         I don’t want to teach certain things in class, even if I have conviction about them, because of what others might think about me.  

·         I don’t want to give up any more of my free time or money to serve the homeless or nurture those who are in desperate need of compassion and love.

·         I don’t want to give up certain “pet sins” that creep in and out of my life.   

·         I don’t want to make more space for the Spirit to work in ways that I don’t understand. 

·         I don’t want to…

Wait.  Wow.  All those statements really had a lot in common.  My personal desire is right at the heart of each of them.  It takes a lot of selflessness to change my desires.  It’s takes total submission of every part of my life to really live out what God calls me to.  It definitely sounds easier for me to dismiss an author about a theological difference or misused scripture than have to hand these things over to God. 

So, problem solved.  The authors of those books must be off their rockers and I don’t have to pay attention to any conviction that may have hit me during my reading.  Shew! What a relief!  I’m off to watch TV.  It usually doesn’t make me think too much.  

But, here’s the problem.  The concept of being transformed and led by the Spirit isn’t some *Radical idea created by contemporary authors about showing *Crazy Love in order to prove that I am *Not a Fan, but part of an *Irresistible Revolution.  Being transformed and sacrificial is something Jesus taught when people came to follow Him. Peter showed us the ups and down of learning to live completely dedicated to God.  It’s a profession of dedicated faith that Paul was inspired to write about to the early church as they navigated a culture that they boldly faced with an alternative approach to life and hope for eternity.  In Romans 8 he writes about the battle between us (flesh) and God (Spirit) and the call to give my life, every part of it, over to Jesus.  Later in chapter 12 he continues the push for submission.  He uses words about becoming living sacrifices for God by giving over our lives and minds to be transformed into Christ-like disciples, even when that requires yielding my own desires and forces me to change my actions. 

You know, I’ll never reach perfection.  And, I don’t have to.  Jesus provided the grace to cover my failures.  Paul wrote about that in Romans as well (Chapter 3).  But he didn’t stop there.  He went on to talk about what it meant to receive that gift and live it out.  So, I guess what I hope for today is that I look just a little bit more like Christ than yesterday by handing everything over to him as I live through His grace….whether I ever pick up another “Christian living” book again or not. 

*All are good books that I recommend you read for a challenge to your faith. 

Unforeseen Humility by Terry Gardner

Last week I was enjoying the magnificent scenery of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.  Their annual lectureship program was in full swing.  I was staying on the campus along with Connie and our friend Phil Stoops.  Friday dawned bright, clear and sunny.  It was a good day to be alive.  That morning I received a text message from work complimenting a recent project.  I then headed to a classroom to make a presentation on the remarkable life of Austin McGary.

There was an excellent turn out for my McGary presentation.  Lots of friends and new acquaintances.  John Wilson, the Dean of Pepperdine was present and Tom Olbricht, former head of the Pepperdine Religion Department gave me a very kind introduction.  I gave one of my better speeches on McGary's life and character.  Lots of very kind and encouraging comments after the talk was over.  I was feeling very good and perhaps a bit too pleased with myself.

Not long after my talk, as I left another speech, I made a hard right hand turn directly into a floor to ceiling plate glass window.  If you've ever seen a bird fly into a window you have some idea of my reaction to being stopped cold by a barrier I never even saw.  The impact points were my face and my right knee.  I was walking but still fell to the ground ... stunned!  As I sat there for a moment or two I was trying to discern how badly I had injured myself.  My right knee was bruised but not too badly.  The skin inside and outside my nose was broken and bleeding but not profusely.  I made my way to Lectureship central doing my best to keep from bleeding on people.  I picked up several band-aids and made my way to the restroom happy that at least I had not seen anyone I knew.  As I washed blood off my nose Robert Hooper, a friend and a long time history teacher from Lipscomb University came into the men's room, looked at me rather quizzically and inquired if I needed any assistance.  "No," I replied.  "I am fine."  We'll not exactly fine, but not in need of any assistance.

Solomon reminds us that "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."  (Prov. 16:18).  It is good to remember that we are all human, we all sin and we all need the love and mercy of Jesus.  God loves the humble and he resists the proud.  It also helps to watch where you are going.

Terry

Day by Day (by Greg York)

Day by Day

The prayer attributed to Richard of Chichester has been used and adapted for almost eight centuries, because the desire it expresses is timeless:

O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know You more clearly,
Love You more dearly,
Follow You more nearly,

Day by day.

How can I partner with God so that I know him, love him, follow him “day by day”? That’s a question that has occupied me for pretty much all of my adult life.

Everyone is wired differently in how we best “fund” our spiritual lives. In this post, I just want to share two of the practices that work for me in funding my (very imperfect) desire to know, love, and follow God “day by day.” These may not even be the most important of the spiritual disciplines I try to practice (maybe only God knows that), but the two below are my takes on the “right answers” we learn to give early on in church when asked what it takes to grow your faith. I do think the “right answers” in this case are in fact good answers—it’s putting content on that outline, though, that makes the difference for growth. (Anyway, perhaps in later posts I can unpack some more of the practices I find helpful.)

The first is a regular regimen of Bible reading (I know; there should be a “duh” immediately after that statement). There are so many approaches to reading the text devotionally.  I tend to mix two approaches.

Reading whole books of the Bible, so that I understand their message as a whole, resisting the urge to see the Bible as a collection of loosely related verses, has been very helpful. (If you only read a line here or there in an email, do you really understand the message or know the heart of the one who sent it?) Now, as one who is committed to following in Jesus’ steps, while I attempt to read (over time) through every book of the Bible, I try to “weight” my reading of whole books so that about every other one is one of the gospels.

The other Bible reading approach I use is to follow the Lectionary “Daily Office.” That’s probably something many in our tradition have not heard about (although it is not terribly different from one of the Bibles that divide the whole up into 365 doable readings; for some reason, those have just never “worked” for me—if it works for you, just file it under other ways in which Greg is weird and keep reading). The “Daily Office” includes multiple readings from the Psalms (after all, it’s the prayer book of the Bible), from an Old Testament book, from the Gospels, and from another New Testament book. In other words, you’re getting a pretty good sampling from around the whole Bible, and if you follow the “Office” regularly, you’re reading through (praying through, if you’d like) the whole book of Psalms each month. (I access the “Daily Office” online: www.satucket.com/lectionary/ , by the way.) 

I’m not slavish about either reading approach. So, sometimes if I’m reading through a book and it’s really catching my attention and driving me deeper, I’ll not worry about the “Daily Office” during that time. Sometimes, I’ll just do the “Daily Office” readings for weeks. One of the things I like (well, no, really, I should say, “One of the things I need”) about doing the “Daily Office” readings is that there’s a certain discipline, a certain submission, to reading what someone else has selected. When I self-select, I may end up just going back to the same set of texts over and over. That’s not bad, but I’d like to hear as much of what God has to say as I can.

The second practice is adding what some call centering prayer to my “diet” of prayer. Certainly, I have things to say to God, things to ask of him, but I find making it a regular practice to just be quiet and still in the presence of God is also vital to my spiritual health. Not just to be quiet, but as a way of saying, by being physically still in body and mind, that I submit to God’s agenda, not mine. Our minds are always flying about in so many directions. This is a way I may consciously show that my thoughts, my mental plans, my desires—all the things that fill my head—are not what I really want to drive my life.

Is this easy? No, because the chatter in my head is constant and so difficult to ratchet down. But it is exactly that chatter that crowds out my awareness that I live each moment in the presence of God. So, it may not be very easy, but it is very important.

Is it difficult to find time and a quiet place? Absolutely (I figure moms with small children have been laughing hysterically through the last couple of paragraphs…). But I have discovered that if I can just find even a few moments to just be still as an act of submission to God, to calm down the flow of “Greg thoughts” just enough to be aware of God’s presence, it is more than worth the effort to find that time.

A critical part of “Growing Our Hearts toward God,” learning to love God, being trained by Jesus, and allowing the Spirit to lead us, is having something to draw on. We can’t run, let alone mount up on wings like eagles, if our spiritual account is overdrawn. Two of the ways I’ve found to fund my account are reading the Bible holistically and praying without words.

JOYful Priorities by Mike DeCamp

A long time ago,…in a city not too far away,…I grew up without a church; without a sense of spiritual direction in a dysfunctional family wrought with selfish attitudes.  That all began to change, however, when I started riding the Joy Bus. 

It all started with the influence of a neighbor.  You see, my mother had a number of health issues which led to a number of stays in the hospital back in the 1970’s, and our neighbor had her minister visit my mom.  After a while, the minister and my mother conspired to have the youth minister invite (bribe) me to ride the JOY bus.  I say “bribe” because he enticed me…a 7^th grader…with trips to Kings Island, Cincinnati Reds games, and summer camp.  Thankfully, it worked.  (I heard “Reds games” and I wanted to sign up on the spot.)

The church that sponsored that bus ministry was the Fairlawn Church of Christ in Muncie, Indiana.  And, one of the key things that they focused on was defined by the acronym J-O-Y.

Jesus first

Others second

Yourself last

That’s why they were called Joy Buses.  It was a simple way to teach children (mostly from non-member homes) the most important and most basic set of priorities that they would need to lead a life in step with God.

Jesus first

“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”  Matthew 10:37-38

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  Matthew 16:24

Others second

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.  Philippians 2:3-4

Yourself last

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.  Not so with you.  Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.  Matthew 20:25-28

As a pudgy, insecure, self-conscious, and socially awkward middle-school kid, it was just the message I needed to hear.  I needed someone to define my spiritual priorities in a way that would lead me to maturity as a man and a child of God, and this simple acronym gave me that necessary direction.

Now, compare that message with the one communicated in a new acronym I came across on someone’s Facebook page this past week:  F-L-Y.

First

Love

Yourself

I’m sure the motivation behind this phrase is sincere.  So many people are burdened with a poor self-image and a sense of self-loathing, and this message is likely designed to help them pull themselves out of the depths of that valley.  However, I believe it is a misplaced idea.  The answer to a poor self-image is not to try to love yourself more, but instead to allow God to love you more.  To gain more confidence, you need to embrace how God loves you; how God has given to you out of that love; even more so how He gave everything for you.  On top of all that, God has a purpose for your life and a mission for you to accomplish.  The Creator of the universe desires a relationship with you, and that makes you incredibly worthwhile and important.

Today, I’m a successful industrial salesperson.  I am comfortable speaking or preaching in front of sizeable audiences.  I am confident in accepting leadership roles and responsibility.  I can tell you that the pudgy, self-conscious, socially awkward kid of 1974 didn’t grow out of that by being more FLY.  He did it by adopting the priorities of JOY.

Jesus first.  Others second.  Yourself last.

I’d say we need more of that….wouldn’t you?

Enough Quail Already by Craig Hill

I resigned my position last October and started up my own independent consulting company. This past February 22^nd I wrapped up my first independent consulting project with Chromalloy Castings in Tampa, FL. I had hoped to win a larger project with Chromalloy that would have required me to hire about 7 people, but I lost that project to a competitor. And Chromalloy changed their mind about having me manage a second project for them, which was my contingency project to work on. When the second project fell through I had a third plan in place:  to be re-hired by my previous employer. They had been asking me to re-join them since last October. So I accepted that offer, only to find out they had offered it to someone else due to how long they had been recruiting me.

So I faced an unemployment situation for the first time in my life. And I was scared. After 3 weeks without income, I was frightened that I would not be able to pay my bills, that I’d have to sell my home, and perhaps become homeless. And I think it’s safe to say Regina, my wife, was a bit concerned also.

So I came down to the front of the auditorium during Sunday morning assembly in February and I asked for prayers for work.

Looking back on it now, I can see I was like the Israelites in Numbers chapter 11. They were sick and tired of eating manna in the wilderness. Every day the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner: manna. Manna sandwiches, manna bread, manna casserole, manna surprise, Manna Manhattan, manna, manna, manna . . . We want some meat God! Please if we only had some meat. We had meat back in Israel. “We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!" (Not to mention they were in slavery back in Israel.)

So God gave them meat. Lots of it, a month’s worth, in the form of quail. Really?!? In the middle of the desert? For 600,000 men, not to mention the women and children? Is that really possible? Moses doubted it too in Numbers 11: 21-22. But God answered Moses with, “Is the Lord's arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you."

The Bible says, “Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to 3 feet deep all around the camp, as far as a day's walk in any direction.”

Okay, so how do quail and my work situation relate to one another?

God gave me a project. Out of the blue, a friend of my called me on Friday morning 3/2, and said, “Craig can you be in my office this afternoon? I have some work for you and some more people besides that.” I said, “In Columbus, IN?” He said, “Yes.” I was standing in the Midway Airport in Chicago at the time. I said, “Okay.” So when I got to the Indianapolis Airport, I rented a car and drove to my friend’s office in Columbus, IN. When I got there he asked if I could start the next Monday, and if I could bring in 2 more people? I said “Sure.”

And oh boy, did I work. I started on 3/5 and worked an average of 72 hours per week for the rest of March. I worked three 15 hour days. I worked twelve 12 hour days. I worked an average of 67.5 hours per week in February and March. And this doesn’t count the hours my 2 other consultants worked alongside me.

Why did I doubt God so quickly? Why did I pray so loudly for work!?! Oh, my! I am about worn out with work. Why wasn’t I more patient? Answer: Lack of faith, and focus on the wrong thing. And hopefully I won’t meet the same end as the Israelites who doubted God’s promise to take care of them (see Numbers 11: 33).

I like to say everything you need to know in life is in Mathew 6. And here is the point to this story from Jesus in Mathew 6:

“³¹ So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”