Secrets?

I've got a secret.  Do you want to hear it? Then again we all have secrets. So I ask you, what are you hiding?  Do you hold a secret you wish no one will ever find out?  Remember when you were a child and you did something wrong. Maybe broke that brand new toy? So you hid it under the bed, in the bottom of a drawer in your dresser, even under the mattress. Just think about this for a second, never hide food under the mattress. Just believe me. You hid it because you were afraid someone would find out.

Hiding secrets is nothing new and it's not just something children do. Unfortunately this still occurs throughout our life times. Yes, even with adults. Hopefully you are not still breaking your toys. Everyone of us has something we wish and pray no one ever finds out about. We do. Don’t deny it. So we hide it from everyone. In many cases we have our hiding places. In our minds, in our hearts. It’s always something we are not proud of. Now don’t get me wrong, none of these secrets are earth shattering, world stopping secrets. Maybe our world will change if someone finds out, but earth shattering, not likely. Life changing possibly.
Think about this as well. No matter what we have done, and I include myself, God knows. WHAT! Yes, God knows. We can hid nothing from His gaze. It doesn’t matter how dark it is, God has seen it and watched us. Turn all the lights out, He still sees. Cover it with ........ blankets, God sees. And He is sad.
Even in this place we don’t want to be or remember, know that God is a forgiving God. A loving God who is saddened by our actions, but He still forgives. The scripture is full of failures, what makes us think we are any different. How about David and a naked lady... What about Peter and a noisy rooster.  This is what I read; “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. 1 John 1:9
That’s the God I love and serve. I know He has forgiven me many times. And He may not be finished hearing me confess my sins. But I know, he has and will forgive. My role is to come to Him with pain in my heart, tears in my eyes, and seek to never have to bow before Him about the repeating that secret ever again. Is that something you need to do? Don't wait, He knows.
Something to think about.
Rob

Taped

A number of years ago our granddaughter was into cellophane tape. Always creative, we decided that her gift that year would be a month’s supply of tape.  Don’t know if the twelve rolls lasted the month but someone was really happy.  And we all smiled.
Even though the original name for this tape was cellophane tape, it changed in a moment. I don’t know if the story is true but I was informed that Henry Ford had decided to start painting his cars more than just black.  The problem was, they were having difficulty painting a car more than one colour. To paint two-tone this way they needed to paint the first colour and then tape it off and paint the second colour. The first try didn’t go well as the tape pull off the first colour when they removed it. 3M went to work on developing the tape that would do the job. The first time they tried it there wasn’t enough glue on the tape. To which Henry Ford is reported to say; “take this tape back to your stingy Scotch bosses and tell them to put more adhesive on it.” 3M then adopted the name we now have, Scotch Tape.
Recently I needed to put a sign on a plastic bag.  My first thought was, do it the easy way, get some masking tape (the first Scotch Tape). So I did that. Taped it and put it outside. Well, masking tape does not like the cold and before I came outside the next time the sign and the tape was not attached any longer. That was when I grabbed the stapler.  Bang, Bang, Bang. Now it won’t come loose!
Now that I think back on that experience, I see similarities in our spiritual lives. Some go to church on occasion, mainly Christmas & Easter. They come in out of the cold and get warmed by God only to go out in the cold again for a good while and all they learned and experienced comes unglued. I ask myself, what does it take for people to realize the warmth of God’s love and His light in the world can be theirs year round? They only have to use the tape that holds fast? The tape that holds you to God is having a relationship with Christ.
A hymn writer wrote about it in a different way when he wrote;
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?
-We have an anchor that keeps the soul.-
Totally attached to Jesus Christ, and not with staples.
Something to think about.
Rob

Hurry Up And Wait!

Is waiting easy for you?  Just wondering out loud. Interesting what the dictionary says about waiting. There are a number of options but this one stood out to me which said, “to delay moving forward as others catch up.” For many people waiting is not something they are good at. Me, it’s not usually a problem.
A few years ago now, I was to meet another person for coffee. The problem was, I was at the wrong coffee shop. When I realized it, I was forty five minutes late and there he sat patiently, waiting. He knew I would be there sometime. Of course I have done the same thing. Waited for someone as well, with patients I might add. If you are in the right frame of mind, time goes by quickly as you don’t mind the wait as you sit and watch people and just enjoy the moment.
Then there is waiting to board the plane, or waiting in line to check out. Ladies in waiting. How about waiting ‘till your father gets home.  Can you think of one yourself? Wait on tables? There definitely are different times and ways of waiting.  One of the more interesting definitions I came across is this one; “to be ready and available.” My brother is just that right now.  You see he is a snow plow operator.  He sits, listens to the weather report hourly and then, if he is needed he is ready for the call.  If he is not needed, he gets a good night sleep. (For those who love the Lord, are you ready for His call?)
For Christ followers there are other times of waiting when we ask God for something. Things like peace in our lives, or healing, or help with an emotional, physical, spiritual problem, or even some enlightenment, what is my purpose? We even ask that He do something. But He is not our servant, we are His. And so we wait for that moment when we have a chance to hear His voice. That to is waiting. And sometimes it’s a long wait and we’re tired. Real tired. We ask, Where are you? Or, Are you there? What then? David wrote a wonderful line in Ps. 40, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
I believe if David received an answer, we will receive one as well. I also realize that the waiting is hard and long and our patience is getting thin. That is until I think of how long God had to wait for us to come to Him in the first place. Oh my.
Isaiah waited a long time to. And just like millions of people before us and many more coming after us, we will hear the echo of Isaiah’s words in our hearts; “but those who wait in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
The best part of God is He always hears and He always answers. Just wait, He will answer, you’ll see.
Something to think about.
Rob

Another Gift?

All this talk about the doldrums of January never come and park themselves at my home. In fact, I feel like Christmas just keeps coming. We have just passed the Orthodox Christmas the other day, but that’s not what I’m referring to here.  Last summer I wrote about how I continued to find Christmas decorations or ‘stuff’ around the house and I believed that I had finally found the last vestiges of Christmas past, only to find another a week later. Well, I’m not talking about that either.
This week places us at approximately four weeks past Christmas. Well wouldn’t you know, Christmas arrived once more. No, it’s not the present for someone else that still rests here in the livingroom waiting delivery. It was a gift to me that was over a year in coming. After the Christmas Eve service of 2011 a women came up to me and offered the gift of a child’s toy from the distant past. I had brought one such toy to the service from my childhood and this person said they also had some and wondered if I would be interested in having them. Well, like many things in life, it was forgotten until this Christmas when I received an surprise email asking if I still wanted them. After a few stops and starts I was able to pick them up this past weekend.  What a gift. A whole box of Minibrix.  You will have to look that one up. As I said to them, “these items bring the child out in me all over again.
The exact same thing happens to each and everyone of us when we open the bible and read a passage we read a long time before. Something in that passage renews our hearts where the words of God connected in the past and unites it with the reality of how it moves and creates in us a joy of just knowing Jesus in a renewed way today.
One thing I know about people coming to the Lord for the first time is they are excited about finding Him and finding a faith that transforms. They are excited. They want more and more and they want it yesterday. It’s something akin to a child seeing something for the first time. Wide eyed and excited. Sort of wishing for something for Christmas many many years ago and waiting in anticipation to open the gift and finding not only what we want but what we need.
That is how it can be each and every day of our lives as we pray to a loving God for those things in our lives that make it rich and rich in Him. And it happens each time we open our bible.
Something to think about
Rob

Blow Up The Box!

We are already two weeks into a new year. Even heard about not making resolutions in church this past Sunday. But let’s forget about them for a few minutes.  Have you ever considered doing something that it totally not you? Just go out on a limb and jump off and pray you land on something that will either break your fall or at least it will give you a soft landing. No, not landing on someone else.
This could place you out there somewhere just totally exhilarated and spontaneous? Most men are not spontaneous and I know that because I’m a man. For me to be spontaneous I would have to plan on being spontaneous for about a week. Or maybe two. I recently had a conversation with someone who just started attending church. He just got up one Sunday morning and said to himself, “self, I think we should go to church.” Something inside of him prompted him to do just that and he found a faith he never knew existed. Probably had something to do with the church door he entered as well.
I know most you who read this column is spiritually inclined so I will talk to you because the question I want to ask you is, “are you just going through the motions?” Church should never be routine. If it is, write me and we can talk. (barlowrw@yahoo.com) I believe we need, yes, it’s a need, to give something and get something from the experience of church. How we do that is all up to us individually. We give worship to God and we receive some instruction on going and changing the world we live in for God, or even changing ourselves.
So, here is the plan. When you go to church next, and by that I mean this coming Sunday, I want you to do something new, different, totally not you. If the organist or worship team said something to you this morning either in playing or singing, tell them. Or if the minister actually said something that you needed to hear, let them know and what it means to you. Freak them out by telling them what you heard them say. Here is another couple of things, maybe volunteer for one Sunday in the nursery, greet people as they park their cars, shovel some snow, Help the ladies hang up their coats, if it’s raining, go to people at their car with an umbrella and walk them into church, or maybe even join the choir even if you don’t think you can sing. How about showing up one day during the week and doing something to help keep the place looking wonderful and clean.
Secondly I want you to learn something from being part of a community of faith. Take notes during the sermon, or in the adult Sunday school class. After all you will forget most of it as soon as you get in your car to go home. And when you get home, read what you wrote and then find ways of taking what you have learned and applying it to your life.
These are only a couple of ways you can jump out of the routine of church. Don’t just think outside the box, blow the box up! It’s all about making every Sunday an event. An event where you give and get all at the same time.
Something to think about.
Rob 

I Will Follow Him.

Yes, this is the beginning of a new year. All that the Mayans seemed to have been pointing to never happened. We are still here. The world did not end and we now have to face up to the fact that we have to pay the bills coming in the mail any day now. But really people, we will now be jumping into this new year with both feet. No leaving one foot in the old. Time to embrace what’s right there in front of us.
But what does that mean to each of us. Someone said yesterday on the radio about starting a new year fresh. Clean the slate if you will. Their thought was that we could do the same thing every month, and even every day. Sounds like a plan. Actually sounds like something I said thirty-five years.
If we are indeed going to jump in with both feet, are we going to follow the leader or are we going to take the lead? Which leads me to this question. Who will lead the charge? Are you going to be the one to not only be the first to get going but is the example? I don't know if that is my role. Not saying I can’t lead but to surge ahead and be first, not so much. Could have something to do with not feeling exactly adequate for this particular task. Which gets me to thinking. Maybe, just maybe, I might be better off just leading myself. After all I don't know where you are going this year or where you want to end up three hundred fifty days from now. We all have our own particular idea of where we want to go, who we want to follow and what will be accomplished by this time next year.
I believe we are fit for our own course in life. We might know where we would like to be at this time next year, or at least have an idea. We just have to start somewhere. That somewhere is found in looking to a role model who is perfect in every way for each one of us individually.
That role model can only be Jesus Christ himself. Remember His words to the disciples, ". . . follow Me.” Are you ready?  Are you willing? Are you able? I know you are. You can do it. You will do it. After all, we are following the only one who knows where we are going and how to get there. Take up His call and you will get to where you are going better than you could ever imagine. And you will become a true Christ follower.
Something to think about
Happy New Year
Rob