Quotable quote for the day....

"I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of, so they can see that it's not the answer."

-- Jim Carrey

I forgot this one for Halloween!!

I meant to post this for Halloween, but with the accident and the surgery, it got put on the back burner. You can go to John McPherson's page at: http://www.gocomics.com/closetohome/ He is one of my favorite cartoonists. (I think I'll get one of these for my house for next year.... )

Pardon me while I whine...

I try to be positive and encouraging, but allow me to express my puzzlement just a bit. I was delivering a bunch of magazines one day and noticed a headline on the cover of Jet magazine back in August and it has intrigued me ever since. This guy is the founder, president and CEO of a record company that obviously is doing very well. His name is Bryan "Baby" Williams. He talked about his newest purchase, "something I did for myself" he says. Car? House? Hummer? Condo? None of the above...he had 17 individual, 18 karat white gold and platinum crowns put on his teeth, encrusted with ascher-cut diamonds. Six hours of dental work later, his grill is permanently in place for the meager sum of $500,000 (that's a half million dollars, folks).

I'm sorry, but there is something wrong with this picture (see picture). While God has no problem with people having the good things of this world and having them in large quantities, there comes a point where one has more dollars than sense and chooses to exchange those funds for selfish pleasures. He dropped a half a million dollars on his TEETH, so he could continue to be the "flyest guy in hip hop." Oh, please. Most people won't ever make $500k in their lifetime, working their whole career at the same place, but this dude forks out all that cash on his mouth, so he can be trendy and cool. New Orleans residents could have used that money a whole lot more than his mouth could have. The article stated that he and his brother fed 2,000 people last Thanksgiving. That's a nice gesture, but at $10 per person, that's $20,000. That wouldn't even cover the cost of ONE of his crowns ($29,411 each). My eye is having trouble catching the perspective here.

The Bible speaks early and often about money and how it is to be used to further the Kingdom of God. So many of God's people sacrifice to tithe and God is faithful to meet their needs. Jesus spoke of the woman who dropped just 2 copper coins into the offering plate one day and He told the Pharisees that she had gave more than anyone that day. Not in monetary amount, but because she gave out of her poverty, not her excess (Lk 21:1-4). Back in the older testament, the prophet Elijah visited the widow who lived at Zeraphath and told her that before she made a cake with the handful of flour she had left, she had to make one for him. The promise from God was, as long as they did what God said with the resources they had, she and her son would always have their needs met. God is faithful to His promises and what Elijah said came true (I Kings 17:8-16).

The Bible encourages us to be faithful with the "stuff" of this life, so we can be entrusted with real riches (Lk 16:11). Jesus said in Matthew 6 that our treasures should be stored up in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and thieves don't break in and steal. It's not that we can't own or control stuff, it's just that as humans, we have a tendency to allow the stuff to own and control us. We worry about not having enough (I'm talking to me too!!) and as my dad used to say "get our bowels in an uproar" over it, but Jesus said that we're to NOT worry about that stuff, cause God's got it under control. We're to seek first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness. Then, the stuff we worry so much about and allow to control our lives will be given to us, as God sees fit...as we have need (6:33).

A reminder to us all...if you have lots of money and stuff, ask God how you should distribute it before you exit this life. This will benefit God's kingdom and minister to many people and save a fight over it by your children when you die. If you have a spare $500,000, God's probably got a bunch of good alternatives for it, other than your teeth!!!! For those of us who currently don't have much, we still need to ask God how we should distribute it, in order to maximize its effectiveness for building the Kingdom of God. I'm learning more and more, it's about building His Kingdom and not my own. May we all be found faithful and obedient in our handling of the stuff on loan to us by God.

Ok, whine over.

SO WHAT???

This question has haunted me ever since my sophomore year in high school. My Modern World History teacher, Ralph Witkovich, started it and it has never left my mind.

A bit of background (stay with me now...), before his class, I had always been conditioned to put the answer on the paper when a question was asked. Like Dragnet, I believe....:"the facts...just the facts." When I got to his class, our first quiz had one question, "Describe the something something something of 1549." I wrote one paragraph, nice and succinct and turned it in. When I got it back, I was astounded to see that I had gotten a big "D" and what followed is what stuck with me "SO WHAT???"

I learned how to deal with Mr Wit. He didn't want you to just put down the facts. He already knew them. He wanted you to elaborate (BS, even) about how they mattered in the grand scheme of things. One of his exams went this way "Take out a pack of pens and a ream of paper and start writing, you chumps!" In his 6 ft 4 in, 235 pound voice. I learned in that class and his American History class my junior year, the fine art of regurgitation, giving him back all of the detail that he covered from quiz to quiz, exam to exam. Do I remember all of the history??? Nope. Not one of my stronger subjects, tho' he made it a whole lot more interesting than it would have been if I had had any other teacher.

The lesson of the first quiz is the most valuable thing I've learned out of all that he taught. Since becoming a Christian, I've tried to carry that same attitude over to my Christian life. So what?? So much of what we do as Christians is because we've always done it that way, or it is what is expected of us, for whatever reason.

Recently, I've become affiliated with a new church. They ask that question pertaining to everything they do. If it doesn't bear fruit for the Kingdom of God, they stop it and go seek God for His direction to do something else. "Ok, we come to church on sunday morning....so what? How is this going to bring people into the kingdom, or equip them so they can lead someone into the kingdom?"

I've been asking the same question lately of my entire life. I work...so what? I go to church...so what? I spend time with my kids when its my turn....so what? I fix computers...so what? I have a blossoming relationship with a great gal....so what?

If what David wrote in the Psalm 90:10 is correct and we get 3 score and 10 years (70) or if be measure of strength four score (80), over half my life is gone. What have I done that has made any difference in the Kingdom of God????? If I can't answer that as positively as I would like, then what am I going to do about it, so it does make a difference???? My time is short. I gotta be about the King's business...and so do you.

To me, Jesus' most indicting comments appear in Matthew 7:20-23 20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons and in Your name perform many miracles?' (Hey Lord, I went to church, had bible studies and revival meetings with dinner on the grounds and prayed in tongues and know my theology so I could win every argument with the cult members!!)

Jesus' reply is sobering. 23 "And then I will declare to them, (in essence, SO WHAT????) 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.' NAS

Wow!!! Come on, God....lawlessness???? Can't you cut these people some slack?? They did all these "good things" for you!! But God doesn't care about the things we do. He can make donkeys talk and do His will. He can make rocks cry out if we will not praise Him. He cares about our relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus, first. Then He cares that we understand how being a Christian fits into the grand scheme of things, Eph 2:10--we being His workmanship, created IN Christ Jesus for good works... He wants us to understand that the Christian life isn't about us, but about building His kingdom and Him getting glory. He wants us to do as the Apostle Paul...that we know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering, that we may be conformed to Him in the likeness of His death (Phil 3:10). It's not about us doing stuff, just because we've always done it that way. It's about examining every area of our lives and doing only what He leads us to do, so we operate at out maximum effectiveness for Him, so we're not wasting our time out and about in the world. God wants us to "redeem the time, for the days are evil" (Eph 5:16).

This is a hard thing for me. I'm a 21st century, western cultured Christian. I've got it easy. Will people around me hear, "depart from me" cause I've got my life on cruise control?? Because this is the way it's been for the last 20 years??? What are you and I doing with the days and hours of our lives, so that others will benefit and hear Jesus say "enter into the joy of your master?"

May we all be found faithful and may we never hear that dreaded question from the Lord, "so what??"

What a week

I am thankful to God for His hand upon me this past couple of weeks...this last one especially. It has been a time of great blessings and a time of great challenge, all at the same time.

I had the chance to gather with some online friends from The Cafe a couple weeks ago. My kids survived the ordeal, seemingly no worse for the wear. A great time of fellowship was had by all and relationships were deepened that weekend. Just previously, I was diagnosed with 2 types of skin cancer and between diagnosis and surgery, have been involved in a motor vehicle accident at work, where God was with me yet again. On top of that, the financial difficulties continue as they have been since the divorce of 3+ years ago. Surgery just this last Monday was quick and painful and recovery continues. But God is faithful in all things and will bring me through this and that by His marvelous, wonderful and matchless grace.