You Can't Dribble a Football

 

 

            You can't dribble a football - why? It was not designed for that purpose. You were not designed to serve yourself. You were designed to serve and worship God.

 

            But serving and worshipping God in this physical world can cause confusion. Why? Because we live in a physical world and there are demands.

 

            When Adam and Eve sinned and were expelled from the garden, they left feeling a sense of shame and guilt. They left, being separated from the Tree of Life. They left having to work harder and in more painful ways - both to have a family and to support that family. Ecclesiastes is "wisdom" literature, designed to tell us how to live, being weak and mortal.

 

            The theme of the book of Ecclesiastes is identified in 1:2 - "vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities! All is vanity." Observe also the phrase - "striving after wind" (vs 14) - "It is a phrase that expresses frustration; it describes the pursuit of something that is futile" (Dave Bland, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Song of Songs, 315).

 

            There is a great deal - or seems to be - of skepticism in the book. The author seems to suggest that you work and work and work and it is all pointless - all is vanity and striving after wind. We are all going down the road and we can't stop ourselves, we can't get off the merry-go-'round - death is the final result and it happens to everyone. All is pointless.

 

            But Solomon also tells us how to live life with a purpose. In 3:12-14, he says everything God does remains forever. What is done in the name of God and for God is what lasts forever. According to 5:7, there is emptiness in dreams but we should "Fear God."

 

          What is Solomon's message for teenagers looking to get prepared for life and be successful in life? His point is to seek God above all. Life is a gift from God and should be used in service to God.  Listen to his words from 12:1, 7-8, 13-14.

 

          Where is the center of your life? Solomon would say make sure your life is centered in and grounded in God. "[L]et your whole perspective on life be informed by the view that God is creator of everything" (Craig Bartholomew and Ryan P. O'Dowd. Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction, 204). When you are serving God, you are serving the purpose for which you were created.

--Paul Holland

March Madness

   Yes, today is one of the best days in sports on the whole calendar, the start of March Madness. Brackets will be busted. Cinderella stories will be written. Usually, juggernauts will eventually reign. It is a big day for Colorado basketball, as the Buffaloes make the field for the first time since 2003. Tad Boyle, the head coach who has rebuilt a once-struggling program, summed up CU's mission by saying, "We've got to stay humble and hungry." He is talking about not letting success go to their head, to know their strengths but realize their vulnerabilities.

     There is an arena in which this mindset is infinitely more valuable. In living the Christian life, no matter what roles we play in the church, we must remember to stay humble and hungry. Pride and apathy may be polar opposites, but they are equally deadly. With pride, we have an inflated view of self. Yet, God roundly condemns arrogance as wickedness. It is one of the things God hates (Prov. 6:17). He resists it (Prov. 3:34). It may be unattractive to us, but it is repulsive to Him! Paul understood that in and of himself he was nothing, but his power and ability came through Christ who strengthened him (Phil. 4:13).

     Equally damaging is the spiritual lethargy that displays a "couldn't care less" attitude toward God's Word and the Christian's work. This comfortable, lukewarm approach to spirituality makes God sick (Rev. 3:15-17). People are dying lost. Many are struggling with temptation, doubt, and fear. Good works wait in the wings for eager, zealous people of God (Ti. 2:14).

     Consistently, the New Testament likens Christianity to athletics and competition. Among the needed qualities of the "competitors" is enthusiasm (Rom. 12:11) and humility (1 Pet. 5:5). Winning (the crown of life) means everything, so run to win (1 Cor. 9:24). --Neal Pollard

Just A Game

When my family is ready to play a board game, they hesitate before asking me to
join in.  The nice word for my personality is "competitive"; some would say I'm
just a sore loser.  Yes, I get much too involved at times.  I need to remember
that it's only a game.

You'll no longer be able to convince Clay Carpenter that golf is just a game.
This 48-year-old resident of the Dallas-Forth Worth area was playing a round of
golf with friends earlier this year.  The group in front of them were slower
than most, and the course marshal told Carpenter's group to play through.  One
in the slow group didn't take kindly to the gesture and began swinging his
putter.

The next thing he knew, Clay's leg was gushing blood; the putter had sliced open
his femoral artery.  He feared for his life (with good reason), but was
thankfully rushed to a hospital where appropriate care was given.  One question
remains: Can his leg be saved?  There's a real possibility amputation may still
be needed.  No, golf for some is clearly not just a game.

March Madness is in full force; 68 college basketball teams were recently chosen
to compete for the national championship.  Would any of us say these are just
games?  When you see the tears at the end of the games and consider the millions
of dollars that will be wagered on outcomes (illegally, we should note), we
again must conclude - no, these are more than games.

Someone has observed about our American culture that we play at our work and
work at our play.  That doesn't apply to all, of course; maybe not even to most.
But some clearly need to reevaluate their priorities.  Life is not a game.  Yes,
it can be fun at times, but there are certain objectives that must be met.  

A powerful king once reflected on his life and saw many examples of
meaninglessness.  His opening words show how he viewed most of his life:
"'Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher; 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity'"
(Ecclesiastes 1:2).

This assessment of life did not come from a "loser".  In his writing he mentions
various things he had pursued: pleasure, houses, gardens, servants, precious
gems and metals, etc.  He had tried it all at one time or another.  "Whatever my
eyes desired I did not keep from them.  I did not withhold my heart from any
pleasure ... [but] There was no profit under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 2:10,11).

Not until the close of his book does the author (probably King Solomon) reveal
the one true pursuit that makes life meaningful: "Let us hear the conclusion of
the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all"
(Ecclesiastes 12:13).  In fearing God, he is saying, our lives will be based on
the correct priorities.

One even wiser than Solomon affirmed that God's way of life is the correct
approach.  Jesus said this in John 10:10: " ... I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  His apostle Paul would later
elaborate on the enjoyment that life brings: "Command those who are rich in this
present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the
living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17).

Life can (and should) be enjoyed!  But we have to begin with God to make that
happen.


 Timothy D. Hall

 

What does inspiration mean?

Many times I begin an editorial by telling you what inspired me to write on a particular topic, but today our topic will be about "inspiration" itself. As in, what inspires us? By definition and usage the word "inspiration" means things like "an infusion" or "being moved." We even see it applied as "firing us up." So, what "moves" us? What "lifts" our spirits? And we know of a certainty that our spirits need to be "lifted" at times, don't we?

Another definition of "inspiration" is "encouragement." Same as being "lifted" we need to be "encouraged" from time to time. Sort of like getting a "shot of adrenalin" right at the time we need one. And, speaking both medically and spiritually, where does "adrenalin" go? To the heart of course. That's why we say that we "take heart" when we're encouraged in some way.

I love the way Paul expressed this thought on two occasions. The first one was after he finally arrived in Italy after all the problems with the passage there (storms, shipwrecks etc.) and we read in Acts 28:15 that he "...thanked God and took courage." The second expression by Paul that I'll cite is found in 1Cor. 16:18 where he has been visited by several brethren who supplied him with things he needed and he says "...they have refreshed my spirit..."

Let me make a point by asking some rhetorical questions here. Are our "spirits" lifted and refreshed when our brethren remember us in some way? When the sick and shut-ins are visited? When we know that our brethren are concerned about us and in some way show their care for us? Of course we are!

Personally, I'm "encouraged," my spirit and heart is "lifted," by some things referred to as "visual examples of faith" but I like to call them "walking sermons." And, let me tell you a fact - they're all around us and I'll say more about them in a moment. Before I do that though, I'd like to relate an example of a "walking sermon" that was told by one of our brethren who was serving in the military in Germany. He said that in all the years since that time, he's never forgotten this "visual sermon."

It happened on a Sunday morning on a bitterly cold and rainy day in November. He had gotten out of bed and looked out the window, seeing everything covered in ice and saw that snow had even fallen during the night. He was trying to decide whether or not to try and make it to worship service or just stay home and study the Bible. Because he was the only song leader for the congregation and would certainly be missed, he made the decision to brave the cold and rain and go.

He was riding the bus to the church building about 3 miles away and was looking out the window when he saw two people trying to walk through the snow and rain and he recognized them as being faithful members of the congregation and knew that both were elderly. Not only was the man in his 80's, he was blind. His wife was his only guide and she was 75 years old and lame in one foot. They lived in a small apartment and had hardly any income, which was why they couldn't afford to ride the bus and were walking to church.

Knowing them to be faithful members who attended every service, he now realized that they walked to church every Lord's Day. Here he was, riding in a warm bus, having almost been unwilling to attend the worship service because of the weather and here before him were two elderly Christians who, despite their age and infirmities, were walking to worship in that same weather because of their love of the Lord. He has never forgotten that "sermon" and the impression that it had on his heart and his faith.

Inspiration comes to us in lots of ways and in many forms. We are inspired by songs and hymns and poetry and I think it's because those things come into being by "inspiration" themselves. It also comes to us in the form of events, both tragic and good. But, the direction of my lesson today is aimed at the "inspiration" I get from the "visual examples of faith" that I see around me. And they're there for you to see too. Just look around you.

I see "walking sermons" in our faithful Christian family members, some of whom don't "walk" so good anymore. They come to services on crutches, with walkers, in wheelchairs. Some with barely enough health to get dressed and make it from the parking lot into the building. Yet, they are there. Why? For the same reason the old couple in Germany walked 3 miles through rain, snow and cold to church - the love of the Lord. Like the serviceman, I'm "inspired" by their dedication to God.

Plus, I feel my spirit "lifted" and my faith "infused" when I see the "good works" being done by my fellow Christians in helping others in whatever the need may be. Why are these works done? For the same reason the German couple and our infirm members come to worship services - the love of the Lord.

I once read a quotation by an unknown author that simply said; "What's on the inside will eventually show on the outside." In Matthew we see that our thoughts and our actions are controlled by our "hearts," our "inside." (Mt. 12:36) We also see in chapter 5, verse 8 that Christians are to have "pure hearts."

What we produce, what "shows on the outside," stems from a location that is either dedicated to God or is dedicated to self. Ephesians 6:6 tells us that "as servants of Christ" we "do the will of God from the heart." I know that my "walking sermons" are doing what they do because their "heart" directs their actions and their "heart" belongs to God.

In closing, do you ever get to thinking like our serviceman stationed in Germany? That our faith and resolve might just be weak at times? Well, I'll let you in on a little secret - at times, we all get that way. And then, without them even knowing it, a brother or a sister "preaches" a "walking sermon" to us and we get that "shot of adrenalin" to our "heart." Like Paul, we are "encouraged and refreshed."

One more thing: never, ever forget this - you don't know but what you might be a "walking sermon" to another "heart" that might just happen to need an "infusion." That needs "lifting" right at the time you are "preaching your sermon." What happens if you're not there to be a "visual example of faith."

It's impossible for me to enumerate all of you that serve to "lift" my spirits. Who "moves and refreshes" me and I can only echo the words of Paul and say "I thank God for you" and I "take courage."

Ron Covey

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the d

I was studying the book of Philippians this week and had a great thought,
(well I thought it was great). I thought, "Wouldn't you like to see God's
refrigerator?"

OK, where am I coming from with this, what refrigerator and why would God
have one? I am speaking metaphorically or using a figure of speech or just
one of my weird ideas, but follow along with my reasoning. You see, in
Philippians 2:12-13 we read, "Dear friends, you always followed my
instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more
important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with
deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire
and the power to do what pleases him." (NLT)

Now the first 11 verses in this chapter deal with our lives as Christians
and our relationship to other Christians. Paul is urging the Philippian
Christians to follow Christ's example in their lives; to live lives of
humility, love for others and in obedience to God. Then he says that working
hard doing this will not only result in our salvation, but it will please
God.

I got to thinking about what we do when something our done by our children
pleases us. In our home when our children were growing up we stuck a lot of
things on the refrigerator. Even now as grandparents we have lots of things
sticking to the door and sides of our refrigerator. Those things are
pictures of people, school papers and pictures our grandchildren have drawn.
It doesn't matter if anyone else appreciates the art or the scores on the
papers, we do and we proudly display them.

If you are a child of God, wouldn't you like to see his refrigerator (if he
had one of course)? Don't you think he would proudly display your picture
because you are his child and you bring him pleasure? What about the test
you go through here on earth? You may not get a perfect score, but as long
as you are trying it pleases God and he proudly sticks your test paper up on
the refrigerator.

Paul said, "Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God
with deep reverence and fear." Isn't that the same thing we tell our kids,
"Just work hard, do you best to do what you know is right." If they do that,
it pleases us doesn't it. Paul said it pleases God too.

Yes, if God had a refrigerator, I'd sure like to see it, just to see my
picture or my amateurish attempts to do something good stuck up there right
beside yours! "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the
power to do what pleases him."

Russ Lawson,

Is Sasquatch real?

Have you had any encounters with Sasquatch lately?  If so, you might be invited
to make a television appearance to talk about it.  "Finding Bigfoot" is a show
that appears weekly on Animal Planet, and a recent episode focused on the region
in which I live!  Who knew that one of the most famous humans / beasts was my
neighbor?

Of course, the vast majority (I suspect) don't believe there is such a creature.
The "proof" that is put forward is sketchy or subjective at best.  Photos that
purport to show Bigfoot are usually out of focus, and even at that more resemble
someone in an ape costume.  Stories that are told of encounters are fanciful.
To this point I've seen no convincing evidence that Sasquatch has actually
lived.

But what about Tim Hall?  Is there proof that he has actually lived?  An email I
received recently posed it this way: "A birth certificate shows that we were
born; a death certificate shows that we died; but photographs show that we
lived."  By "photographs", they meant photographs that we might take while doing
things or visiting people; experiences of life that we enjoy.

Doesn't everyone enjoy life?  Couldn't everyone point to proof that they have
"lived"?  Unfortunately not.

Jesus was once asked to intervene in a financial dispute between two brothers.
Our Lord responded with these words: "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for
one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses" (Luke
12:15).  When Jesus Christ speaks about what life is not, we really should
listen.

Much of our world today is caught up in the very thing Jesus warned against -
covetousness.  Just think of the TV commercials you've seen; they typically urge
us to want something that we don't have, and to want it enough to buy it.  A
catalog came to me in the mail entitled "Things You Never Knew You Needed".  If
I don't know that I need it, there's a strong possibility I really don't need
it.  But cravings take hold, and we reach for even more things.  But does
accumulation equal living?

Life consists of more than an abundance of possessions, Jesus stated.  Stated
positively, here is where to begin looking if you want to leave behind proof
that you lived: "... I have come that they may have life, and that they may have
it more abundantly" (John 10:10).  

Living as Jesus teaches us to live - that will leave plenty of evidence that we
actually lived.  Deep, compassionate relationships will be formed.  Deeds of
kindness and service will be remembered.  Memories of relaxed joy and laughter
will be abundant when we approach life as God teaches us.  God created life; He
certainly knows the traits that will lead to an abundant life.

Stephen R. Covey wrote in his "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" that we
should think of what we would want others to say at our funeral, and then begin
living in such a way as to make that happen.  His point is just what we're
saying here: Make a difference in others' lives by loving them, spending time
with them, and doing good for them.  In being like Jesus, no one will ever
question whether we actually lived.

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit

--Timothy D. Hall

 

Female golden orb

"Collective Effort"

I have a definite fear of spiders.  It's not a panic-type fear, but I'd rather
not have one sharing my space.  I don't think I'm unique in this; spiders seem
to be on the list for most people's dislikes.  There's just something about the
way they look ...

Maybe this common uneasiness with arachnids is at the root of a fascinating
exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England.  A story from
January 26, 2012 on CNN.com tells about a stunning golden cape on display there
that is made entirely from the silk of the golden orb weaver spider.
(http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/25/world/europe/spider-silk-cape-on-
display/index.html)

To be exact, the cape was made from the silk of 1.2 million female golden orb
spiders.  The project took seven years to complete, and had to be carried out on
the island of Madagascar, the spider's natural domain.  Nicolas Godley, who had
previously manufactured handbags, converted his factory into a "spidery", where
the creatures were "milked" and their silks woven into fabric.  The only hint at
the cost of such an item was Godley's statement that it was "hugely expensive".

This is not likely to become a fashion trend, due to the cost of production.
Also to be considered is that the fabric shrinks if washed.  You may have to
plan a trip to London if you want to personally view a garment made from the
silk of spiders.

You couldn't call the spiders that participated in this project willing
participants, but it was certainly a collective effort.  Without the spiders, no
silk would have been available.  Without human workers to collect the silk, no
fabric could have been woven.  Working together, a remarkable cape came to be.

God put into motion a long time ago another collective effort that yields
stunning - and practical -  results; it's called the church.  "Church", as you
may know, is from the Greek word ecclesia, a word that means "those who have
been called out".  In our case, God has issued the call; it is a call that
extends to everyone, regardless of nationality, race or any other background
(see Acts 10:34,35).

But why has God called us?  Peter gave the answer to that question: "But you are
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people,
that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His
marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).  Those who respond to God's call will proclaim
God's praises as they live according to His plan.

Paul agreed with this idea in Ephesians 3:10: "To the intent that now the
manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities
and powers in the heavenly places."  When God's people from multiple backgrounds
weave together the works God has given for them to do, the world is made a
better place.  More than a garment on display in a museum, the fruits of
Christian service grace the lives of people all around, whether they follow God
or not.

Jesus challenged us all with these words: "Let your light so shine before men,
that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven" (Matthew
5:16).  "Your" in the Greek is plural.  When each of us, collectively, give our
best efforts for the Lord's sake, beautiful things will happen.  More than a
golden cape, God will be exalted as our works adorn Him in the eyes of the world
(Titus 2:10).

Come to the light God offers!  Study His word, the Bible.  Worship Him in spirit
and truth (John 4:24).  Get in touch with us if you'd like to discuss these
ideas further.

Timothy D. Hall.