Category Archives: Attitudes & Behavior

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November 14, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Church & Worship, Love & Works, Sharing Our Faith

REAL BEAUTY

11-14-14WEBDon’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. [1 Peter 3:3-4 (NLT)]

I’m ashamed to admit it, but I nearly didn’t go to church last Sunday. Early Sunday morning, I thought of all the excuses I could use to justify my absence but the Holy Spirit convicted me on every one! I had no excuse but one: vanity! And that excuse just wasn’t satisfactory to Him! You see, because of a dermatological treatment, my nose is bright red. By bright red, I mean if it was Christmas Eve, I could give Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer a run for his money! My foolish vanity had made me self-conscious.

Reluctantly, I went to church and, as I do every Sunday, took photos for the church website. That afternoon, while editing my pictures, I pondered the meaning of beauty. I looked at the faces of the people I’d photographed. Some were old and wrinkled (actually, this being Florida, most were old and wrinkled.) Some faces were heavy, others gaunt; some wore smiles, others were serious. None of them would win beauty contests but they were beautiful just the same. The faces of the people who donated blood at the blood mobile before church were beautiful; they were giving the gift of life. The faces of the people who set up the chairs, handed out programs, or served coffee were beautiful; they were giving the gift of kindness. The faces of the choir and band members were beautiful; they were giving the gift of joy. The faces of the veterans who stood to be honored were beautiful; they had given the gift of service. The face of the preacher as he gave his message was beautiful; he was giving the gift of insight and hope. The faces of the congregation were beautiful; they were filled with the love of Jesus.

Father, forgive us our vanity and keep us from confusing outer beauty and appearance with the inner beauty of the soul.

Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul. [Saint Augustine]

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. [Proverbs 31:30 (NLT)]

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November 7, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Obedience, Patience & Perseverance, Salvation: A New You, Trusting God

CROSSING THE RIVER

Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don’t hang your head in shame. Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right. Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don’t go one step off the right way. [Proverbs 4:25-27 (GNT)]

Obey everything that I have commanded you today. Then you will be able to cross the river and occupy the land that you are about to enter. [Deuteronomy 11:8 (GNT)]

We’d been on horseback for a week and tent camping every night. The last day had been especially challenging with the toughest terrain we’d encountered. A novice rider, I was sore, tired and unsure of myself. The only thing that got me through it was the promise of a luxurious dude ranch at the end of the trail complete with indoor plumbing, a hot shower, clean clothes and a soft bed.

We finally crested the mountain and there, in the valley below, lay the promised ranch. Between us and the ranch, however, was a fast running river. I was frightened when we were told how high the water was, yet I knew there was no turning back. As we descended into the valley, the wrangler gave us explicit instructions. He would lead the way into the shallowest part of the river. We were to follow him exactly and hold steady if the horse began to swim. Above all, we were to keep our eyes looking straight ahead. If we looked down at the rushing water, we’d likely lose our balance and fall off the horse. As the water crept up over my boots, I grew nervous but I trusted our guide’s instructions; he hadn’t steered me wrong yet. I kept reminding myself that a prize awaited me on the other side of the river.

That wrangler’s advice holds true even when we’re not on horseback. Trust your guide and obey him. Plan your steps carefully, look straight ahead, maintain your balance and keep your eye on the goal. Instead of a ranch, however, we can look forward to fellowship with Christ in the Kingdom of God!

…the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize, which is God’s call through Christ Jesus to the life above. [Philippians 3:13b-14 (GNT)]

Sovereign Lord, I know that you have shown me only the beginning of the great and wonderful things you are going to do. There is no god in heaven or on earth who can do the mighty things that you have done! Let me cross the Jordan River, Lord, and see the fertile land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and the Lebanon Mountains. [Deuteronomy 3:24-25 (GNT)]

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November 6, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Patience & Perseverance, Sharing Our Faith

BACK IN THE SADDLE

10-21-14 saddle-cropWEBIn every way be an example of doing good deeds. When you teach, do it with honesty and seriousness. [Titus 2:7 (NCV)]

Only a half day into a week-long horseback trek across the Continental Divide, I already regretted doing it. On the spur of the moment, we had joined a group of hearty souls for a “once in a lifetime” adventure. Well, “once in a lifetime” quickly began looking like once too often for me. I was unprepared and inexperienced, the terrain was rough, the mountains steep, and my horse was ornery; there was no way I could survive the challenges of the journey. When the woman in front of me hit her head on a low hanging branch and fell off her horse, my first thought was, “Thank God! She’ll quit now; they’ll take her back to town and I can go with her.” After getting up and dusting herself off, however, she climbed right back onto her mount! It was her example that kept me on my horse for the rest of the day and on the expedition for the rest of the week; if she could do it, so could I!

Paul calls us to be good examples in our lives; after all, a preacher of good works must also be a doer of good works. Christians want to present a wise, patient, loving, faith-filled life to the world. I wonder, however, if this nearly perfect façade sometimes discourages others in their faith journey. They may feel too soiled and marred in comparison to people who appear to be so strong in their faith.

Christians can be good examples by sharing their difficulties and weaknesses as well as their good works. We all have had occasions when we were knocked to the ground. Our response to those personal struggles, be it a troubled past, abuse or addiction, or times of adversity, doubt and despair, can motivate and encourage others. It’s inspiring when one sees how another has picked herself up, wiped off the dirt, and gotten back into the saddle to keep going on her journey!

I learned from the example of my father that the manner in which one endures what must be endured is more important than the thing that must be endured. [Dean Acheson]

But in every way we show we are servants of God: in accepting many hard things, in troubles, in difficulties, and in great problems. … We show we are servants of God by our pure lives, our understanding, patience, and kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by true love, by speaking the truth, and by God’s power. [2 Corinthians 6:4,6-7a (NCV)]

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October 22, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Holy Spirit, Love & Works

CUTTHROAT COMPETITION

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. [Romans 12:9-10 (NLT)]

Although I enjoy the various cooking competition shows such as “Chopped,” one Food Network program troubles me: “Cutthroat Kitchen”, with its phrase, “Sabotage is back in season!” Four competitors start with $25,000 each. During the various cooking challenges, they bid on ways to handicap their opponents, such as making them cook the assigned dish on an iron, removing all their knifes or bowls, or even taking away an essential ingredient, such as sugar when the task is brownies. The host chuckles with glee as the hampered chefs struggle to complete their cooking task in the allotted time. The bidding gets fiercer and more vengeful as the show goes on. The winner isn’t necessarily the best cook; it’s the one who is most devious and underhanded. The victor only gets to keep the money that remains after he or she has paid out thousands to destroy the other chefs’ chances; often it is a just pittance.

It’s just a television program and, admittedly, it’s interesting seeing how the cooks manage to rise to the challenges. Most of the time, however, they can’t overcome the hindrances. It’s disturbing that watching people take delight in limiting other individual’s opportunities in a contest (or life) is ever considered entertainment. Unfortunately, much of “reality” television is just that. Every time we find it amusing to watch someone get hurt or humiliated, our humanity erodes just a little. We may become more willing to sabotage others to win at all costs in our own lives. Our schools talk a lot about bullying; let’s be careful that we don’t ever find bullying entertaining lest we become bullies ourselves.

Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I follow your guide to life.

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. [Romans 12:17-18 (NLT)]

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October 20, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Family, Friends & Fellowship, Temptation & Sin

POISON

10-20-14web2People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. [James 3:7-9 (NLT)]

“Something is eating my flowers!” I said. Immediately, I got out the pesticide and started spraying with a vengeance, until I met the culprit! There he was, in his glorious bug beauty: a praying mantis! Coming face to face with my target, I just couldn’t continue to spread the poison. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him. After his initial shock, he left my garden quickly; if he was lucky, he lived to see another day in someone else’s garden.

Gossip is like that bug spray; while it is easy to spread and looks harmless, it is poison. Just as a few teaspoons of pesticide made the water toxic, a few poorly chosen words can turn an innocent conversation into gossip. Unlike the bug spray, gossip doesn’t come with a label that easily identifies it as such. How do we know when we’re harmlessly chatting and catching up or when we’re gossiping? An easy test is asking ourselves if we’d say those same words if we were face to face with the person about whom we’re speaking. There’s nothing like being eye to eye with our prey to stop us from spreading poison! Just as the praying mantis quickly fled from my pesticide, we also need to make a quick exit when someone is spreading poison (or gossip)!

The gossip of bad people gets them in trouble; the conversation of good people keeps them out of it. [Proverbs 12:13 (MSG)]

Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly? [Proverbs 18:8 (MSG)]

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October 16, 2014

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Attitudes & Behavior, Joy, Today: Make it Count

OPEN THE PRESENT

Both day and night belong to you; you made the starlight and the sun. You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter. [Psalm 74:16-17 (NLT)]

Seasons come and seasons go and it seems as if we’re never satisfied with the season we’re in. In the fall, we can’t wait for December and the holidays, but by January we’re protesting the cold and wondering when spring will arrive. Spring finally appears; we complain about the rain, saying we can’t wait for summer’s sun. In the summer, it’s too hot and humid for us; we grumble about the garden work and wish for the cool of autumn. When autumn arrives, we gripe about the shortened days and piles of leaves and anxiously await the first snowfall. Of course, we complain the first time we shovel snow and the cycle starts again.

Life has seasons, too, and some of them, like the weather, are more pleasant than others. We can’t wait until we get out of college, only to miss the flexibility, fun and long holidays we enjoyed in school. When we’re poor newlyweds, we can’t wait until we’ve got great careers and a big house, only to discover how much stress goes along with high pressure jobs and large mortgages. When our children are babies, we can’t wait until they’re bigger and then, when they’re teens, we realize how nice those toddler years were!

Let’s not make the mistake in life’s seasons of dreaming so much about the rewards of the future that we miss the gifts of the here and now. We all probably know of someone who put off vacations and time with his family so he’d have a big “nest egg” in retirement, only to die or become incapacitated before ever having a chance to enjoy those golden years. Today is called “the present” for a reason; let’s be sure to enjoy every last minute of it.

9-20-14 presentWEBLord, sometimes we’re so anxious about getting to tomorrow that we miss the beautiful scenery of today. Help us find joy in our present circumstances, whatever they may be. Keep us from wishing away the pleasures of this season for another one that may not be any sunnier.

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today. [Dale Carnegie]

One today is worth two tomorrows. [Benjamin Franklin]

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. [Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)]