We are jewelry to God

There was that sinking feeling again. It doesn’t happen often but it does happen. I get it, and you get it. We all get it. It comes out of nowhere and you are never ready for it. It happened again just a little while ago. Life was going along well and if I can be pretentious, life was good.
Then BAM! I thought I had misplaced something. The search was on. You think you left it there. In fact we all follow some similar scenarios. You are sure you left it in a certain spot. It wasn’t there so you think of other places you left it. Then your mind starts retracing your steps and everything you did leading up to your realization it isn’t there. Then it hits you. It’s gone. Someone has decided they need it more then you. Polite, just like the word absconds. In English, it means, someone stole something of yours. Not a great feeling, especially if it is some important object or keepsake.
A good number of years ago my daughters had a similar experience. One of their friends was over. Seemed like a nice girl. They all got along and had fun together. Or so it seemed. She came back later that day or maybe it was the next day, when the girls weren’t home. Said she had forgotten something and asked if she could get it. Thinking nothing of it I let her in and went about my normal routine. A day or two later one of the girls asked if I had seen their jewelry. After a little while we realized what happened. Unfortunately we only got back a few pieces at the pawn shop. But what a feeling. The feelings that day were, betrayal, deception, hurt and later resentment followed by pity.
Recently I had a chance to hear the next generation and what they think and feel about stealing. One of our amazing teachers at the Drumbo School was dealing with a missing item of one of her students. Finding one of the other students had picked it up, we decided to use the situation as an object lesson. We asked then how they feel when something goes missing or something like a Game Boy goes missing and you realize someone stole it. There were some great answers that showed feelings and hurts. Then one of the students said, “I don’t care, my parents will just go and buy me another one.” Hummmm. (We’ll let the parents figure out if it was their child).
My bible says in Exodus 20:15, “You shall no steal.” When did this change? Is it now, “Don’t get caught stealing.” Or maybe, “Go ahead, my grandma will buy me another one.” Somewhere, something changed and it doesn’t look good.
I believe God gives us those sinking feelings when we have something stolen, for two reasons. The first is to let us know what it feels like to miss something. It hits you in the pit of your stomach and it doesn’t feel good. The second reason is, when you are tempted to steal, you will remember your feelings and realize someone else will have to feel like you did. The results, you stop, resist and move one. I think this God given feeling will also spur us on to return things that someone lost and you found.
Our spiritual nature is also directly connected to this in the words of a father when his son came home. “He was lost, and is found.” God is missing you. Let Him find you today.
Robin

Whose Leading Who?

There seem to be a good number of dogs in our area. They are big, small, lots of fur and short hair. A number of years ago, when we had a dog of our own, we knew each dog and each master. It was a community thing. Something to do with shared interest. We all loved our pets. Every time we passed on the street we would stop and talk, “dog.” Not barking as in dog language, but about dogs, our dog, their dog, someone else’s dogs. The most interesting characteristic of most dogs is not something you see on the outside but something that presents itself from the inside out. You can call it character or you can call it their temperament. Most of the time our dog was quiet and docile. She would wander out to the front street, sit on the bottom sidewalk step and watch everyone going by. She would get up to greet each person going by especially the children. It was different when other dogs came by. For some reason she looked at most every other dog in the neighbourhood as a playmate. We would even use that old word, ‘frolic’ when the beagles came by. Each one provoked a different reaction, response and a different set of activities. The old spaniel deserved respect and received it. The lab and Kala rolled on the grass together. With the border collie, they went nose to nose and moved on. It was not unlike watching the interactions as seen in Disney’s animation of 101 Dalmatians. Which leads me to asking, why do they call it a lead? Who is leading who? Some dogs lead and pull, pull and pull. Kala was like that when you tied her on. She did not wear a collar very often but when she did, she pulled you all the time. With the spaniel and the setter, they walked beside their master enjoying the time together. Unfortunately for the owner of the Pekinese they were the one leading or should I say, pulling. Different temperaments, different personalities and decidedly different responses to their masters command. Watch out for that other work, command. We are like these pets, each with our own personalities and idiosyncracies. And people in our lives bring out different things in us. Some bring out the best in us while other motivate us in unpleasant ways. Some we party with, some we lock horns with and some we just walk away from. Oh, by the way, we affect others in similar ways. It is this interaction that helps us recognize the best in ourselves and share it with those around us. Around all of us. We study with some, we share with others, we help many and we grow from all of it. This is all part and parcel of having a God given purpose in life. God put within each of us a DNA that makes us who we are and what we do in life. He takes us and uses us where we can best be used. And just like the dogs walking down the street of life, we walk with our Master. I pray that God will use me wherever He wants with whoever crosses our path. Take time to ‘frolic’ or just spend time with others. How you walk with God is really the question. Are we in a hurry, content to walk beside or does God have to drag us? Which one have you chosen? Rob

Connected

Every person who has a computer knows about Spyware Doctor or Spybot. They are two of many programs which check your computer for unwanted intrusions. These intruders can “corrupt” your computer, slow it down or totally disrupt its proper functioning processes. I will list a couple of things that cause problems. Tracking cookies, Advertising, Known bad sites, and Comet cursors are all unwanted additions our computer can do without. There are many more and most anti-virus programs take care of most if not all.
Computers, when they are going right and working perfectly can be fun and exciting. They are part of our lives now and there is no turning back. There is so much you can do and learn from them. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are. Works perfectly and we love it especially when we are ‘connected’.
We are also encouraged but everyone out there to not open any attachment or address we do not know something about. My computer always warns me of problems. It will ask if either I really want to go there or it may inquire with a warning, recommended or not recommended. If you want to say it this way, “I am very lucky I have not had any serious problems yet.” Computer wiz kids state that the operative word is “Yet.”
Somewhere out there, someone is concocting a virus to cripple, maim, or destroy our computers. I wonder who these people are. Don’t they have anything better to do? Do they make money at doing this or are they just malicious people who want to hurt someone somewhere? Why can’t they take all their knowledge and skills and do something to build up the computer domain?
So many questions and so many unknowns.
But we have the same thing in our spiritual lives don’t we? We want to have a wonderful spiritual life and connection to God. It energizes us and enables us when the connection to God is great and wonderful and exciting. And here goes that famous word again, but things get in the way. Life gets in the way, other people get in the way and Satan gets in the way. Speaking of Satan, he wants to disconnect us from God. He wants to injury or disable our faith. He doesn’t want us talking to God, reading about God, i.e., bible. Just like Jesus in the desert, Satan does this by asking us simple questions. Wouldn’t you like to be on the golf course instead of in church? Why read the words of Exodus when you can watch The Ten Commandments? Why pray to God, after all doesn’t the bible say He already knows what we are going to ask before it is on our lips? He doesn’t listen does He? The more of these “viruses” we have the more we move away from God and the slower we function the way God intends us to. God does have a purpose for each of our lives and that purpose only comes to fulfillment when we are connected to God.
This last week someone sent me an email with Mary Had a Little Lamb. It concluded that the Lamb of God cannot come to school anymore. Take a moment and think about this child’s rhyme. Put into it all that things you know and believe about Mary, the Lamb of God and us the children. God in Christ came to be part of all of our lives and all of our life. If we eliminate Him from one part of our life it won’t be long until He is gone from most parts of our life. If 80 percent of Canadians believe in God, why don’t we see the connection to Him? While we are on the subject, why do the 80 Percent sit idly by and let the 20 percent tell us what to do?
Two last question. How well are you connected and how well are you protected against sin?
I’ll tackle scams another time.
Rob

Lot's of Time

Just thought I would tell all of you, You are not too busy. All of us have more time then we realize. We have more free time today then any other generation. We have brains that are underused. On top of this I need to tell you that we are built to be multitaskers. In all the leadership books and recordings, they talk about using time well. When on a plane have work to do, or books to read. While driving, forget about music, listen to prerecorded cd’s that talk about your job or occupation, or listen - ready - to a sermon.
I really started thinking about this the other day. I guess I didn’t have enough to do myself. Where can I get an extra ½ hour in my day? Where do we find the time to get done all the things we need to get done? The self help books (maybe I have been spending too much time reading) tell us many ways to accomplish this, and most of them work. One book tells us to make a list and only completely finish the top ten items each day. Another well-meaning writer tells us that it is not how much of the ten you get done, but how you fill the time. Then another writer comes up with the idea of mapping out your day. He didn’t mention that making out the schedule robs you of that precious time we are trying to create.
We know where our time goes. It goes into thin air when we trivialize our lives. We do too many things that mean nothing and create nothing in our lives. Case in point, reality tv. Back in the good old days, our day wound down with entertaining tv. We watched the Red Skeleton Show, laughed with Laugh In and who would ever miss, Ed Sullivan? Today we watch people doing unreal things in unreal situations. And we have the distinct pleasure of watching crime shows that show us how crimes are committed and then change channels so we can learn how the case was won in court. When was the last time you could use that information in your life?
So, getting back to the original thought, where does the time go. I believe our times goes because we live in a society that is built on being busy. If we are not doing something, we are wasting our time. This is so wrong. When I lived in Saskatchewan, I learned all about trivialities. They didn’t use the radio in the back ground to keep them company. They listened for five minutes a day at lunch, just enough time to catch the grain report. You see, we fill our days to dispel our loneliness. We crowd our lives with the trivial, the inane, the mindless drivel that fills the gap that would normally be categorized as loneliness. And so, we are still lonely in a crowd.
We also think we have to accomplish something each day. We grade ourselves on what we accomplish. I even remember church asking us, What have we done for God today? God only gives you so much time on earth to accomplish His will, don’t waste time. Too many pastors have burned themselves out trying to live up to this ideal.
So, where is that extra time? That time is in all those minutes that are filled with STUFF. Take away the stuff and you have time for what is really important. Spend time with people and we need to have time for God. One verse comes to mind; “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Notice this is not about things and stuff but about getting to know Him. Spend a few meaningful minutes with God each day will lead to He spending time with you all day.
Have a great day.
Rob