A Builder Or A Wrecker

As I watched them tear a building down
A gang of men in a busy town
With a ho-heave-ho, and a lusty yell
They swung a beam and the side wall fell

I asked the foreman, "Are these men skilled,
And the men you'd hire if you wanted to build?"
He gave a laugh and said, "No, indeed,
Just common labor is all I need."

"I can easily wreck in a day or two,
What builders have taken years to do."
And I thought to myself, as I went my way
Which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care,
Measuring life by rule and square?
Am I shaping my work to a well-made plan
Patiently doing the best I can?

Or am I a wrecker who walks to town
Content with the labor of tearing down?
"O Lord let my life and my labors be
That which will build for eternity!"

-Author Unknown

Remembering To Sit At The Feet Of Jesus

The other day I woke up and reminded myself to spend some time reading my Bible and praying.  Well before I did my phone rang and the doorbell sounded and in what seemed like a moment my whole day was gone and my opportunity to slow down and hear from Jesus was gone....
Has that ever happened to you?
It seems like it happens a lot with me and I don't think it's because I don't have time but because I often don't set my priorities clearly.
Needless to say setting priorities should be a constant task on my list and on top of that list needs to be to quiet my heart and sit at My Lord's feet and enjoy our time together.
Just some important thoughts on a random day.

Earning Our Voice Again

The Church in America has been portrayed negatively by much of the media and Hollywood for some time now. How many times have you observed a news story where some church (cult rather) is picketing a soldiers memorial service and harassing the grieving family during the most difficult time in their life.

In a world where the Christian Gospel is so challenging to the current self-centered attitudes rejection would only seem to be the logical response to concepts of sacrifice and service. And when some in the Church are more known for what they are against rather than the love of God we give those wrestling through such a challenging message reason to reject the Gospel.

But what if The Church renewed their voice through love and kindness again? What if we placed a tremendous emphasis on loving our neighbor as ourselves again? What if we had the goal of bringing the message of Christ to people by earning their time by acts of service and love?  These are questions that should be foremost on our minds during this season of increase skepticism towards The Church and our Lord's Gospel.

I believe we live in a country of great opportunity for the Gospel of Christ. But are we willing to earn the right to be heard? A bullhorn and a Bible are a negative cultural stigma these days.

Let me also give some practice advice....  Often we take the Biblical call for personal holiness as a call towards isolation from the very people Jesus wants us to reach. Personal holiness is a real call, but so is the non-believer who needs to know the door is open and the welcome mat is there to walk across. If they are ever to check out our gatherings they need to understand our love. If they are ever to understand our love they need to get to know us. We can be a friend without comprising the Gospel Message. We can enjoy relationships with non-believers as we seek to build bridges and look for opportunities to be a blessing.

Who Is My Neighbor?

I first met Jim right after I moved in next door to him Ten years ago. He had told me he was an alcoholic for over Forty years and was sober for the last Two months. He seemed serious about his sobriety and I congratulated him for it.
A few weeks later I was taking out my trash early in the morning and noticed many undercover law enforcement vehicles in front of my house. They all got out of their vehicles at once and before I knew what was happening they had my neighbor Jim in handcuffs on his front lawn. It turns out they were serving a warrant for one of Jim’s prior roommates. But when they asked me what I knew about Jim I remember saying he was a nice neighbor and a sober alcoholic.
Over the years we have had a rather friendly and casual relationship.
Over the next Ten years Alcoholics Anonymous became his life. Our church reached out to him by helping with his house projects and I would mow and edge his lawns often. I shared The Gospel with him many times and he was always respectively positive but never had time to pray with me or come to church.
Well over a year ago he developed liver cancer. I remember the first day he told me about it because he said it was his own fault for drinking for over 40 years and did not blame anyone. We prayed….and after his surgery it seemed he was going to make it. He came over more often and our relationship took a more personal and sensitive turn.
Then his liver cancer came back and the Doctor gave him Two months to live. I remember making a point to spend more time with him when he told me. We invited Jim and his girlfriend of twenty years over for dinner and a swim. My family really made a special time for them. We went swimming and had dinner and desert. Also Jim loved to go to the movies so two weeks I took him to see The Avengers. We had a really great time. I remember the feeling I had before taking him to the movies was one of pressure to share the Gospel again but also just wanting to show him a great time. My wife said that he would probably bring it up and before my car left the driveway he did. We had a great time and Jim said he was ready to meet Jesus….Two weeks later he did. My only regret is that I did not spend more time with him over the last ten years.
Watch The Video Testimony

Dodger Stadium Is Pleasant Again

Well I went to a Dodger game tonight and was pleasantly surprised with the security and generally friendly atmosphere. The amount of security personnel onsite was wonderful and the overall attitude was baseball again. I still feel ashamed when Dodger fans boooo their opponents but other than that I felt proud to be a Dodger fan again. I even saw fans with shirts from the Brewers (team they played tonight) who were enjoying themselves without fear of hospitalization. Even though we lost tonight I am proud to be a Dodger fan again. A big Thank you to the new owners.  BTW... there were even extra lights in the parking lot!