He Delights In Surprising Us

Tags

God

Though I have walked with God for several decades, I must confess I still find much about Him incomprehensible and mysterious. But this much I know: He delights in surprising us. He dots our pilgrimage from earth to heaven with amazing serendipities.
— Charles Swindoll

 

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A Devilish Hub-Bub

Tags

Music

All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul’s refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub.
–J. S. Bach

 

Games For When We Are Older

Tags

Aging

Sag, You’re it.
Pin the Toupee on the bald guy.
20 questions shouted into your good ear.
Kick the bucket.
Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
Simon says something incoherent.
Hide and forget why you’re there.
Spin the Bottle of Mylanta.
Musical recliners.

 

Glorifying God In Every Stage Of Life

Tags

Aging, Christian life

George Macdonald said, ‘If you knew what God knows about death you would clap your listless hands,’ but instead I find old people in North America just buying this whole youth obsession. I think growing older is a wonderful privilege. I want to learn to glorify God in every stage of my life.
–Elisabeth Elliot

 

Only A Nickel … Or Is It?

Tags

Honesty, Integrity

I was in the depot; it was really an airport in Buffalo, New York, and there was a small boy hawking papers. He left a stack of them and carried some of them under his selling papers. A man, a well-dressed man, graying at the temples, saw the boy turn his back on the little stack that was left, and he picked up one, leaving no quarter. Under his arm it went, and he walked away. Ah—twenty-five cents … How small. I followed this fellow in the cafeteria line. He was awfully slow, just poking along, so I got to watching his tray as well as mine. We came to those little pats of butter–what are they–a nickel? He took one, lifted a saucer, and put it under there. And when he went by the cashier, he didn’t pay. That’s only a nickel—I mean, come on, now–let’s get with the big stuff, it is only a nickel. In the courtroom it’s a nickel, but in character, it is a felony of the grossest proportions, for if a man will steal a quarter from a child, if a well-dressed man will sneak under the saucer a nickel, we’re dealing with a criminal.
–Fred Craddock

 

If You Don’t Hear Crying, The Church Is Dying!

Tags

children, Church

(NOTE: The following appeared on the Facebook page of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Williamsburg, Kentucky. I was unable to find the name of the pastor who wrote this.)

To You Who Bring Small Children to Church:

There you are sitting in worship or Bible study. Your child, or toddler, is restless. Perhaps they’re even a little rowdy. You try to silence them, and nothing. You try to pacify them with food or toys, and nothing. Eventually, you resort to the last thing you wanted to do: you pick them up, and before a watching audience, you make the march out of the auditorium. All the while, you’re feeling a little embarrassed. Maybe you’re a little frustrated too. You might even think to yourself, “There’s no point in coming to church. I get nothing out of it because I have to constantly care for my child.”

I want you — you mothers and/or fathers — to know just how encouraging you are to so many! The little elderly woman who often feels alone beams with a smile at the sight of you wrestling with your little one. She’s been there before. She knows how hard it can be, but she smiles because to hear that brings back precious memories. To see young parents and their small children brighten her day, and she may have just received bad news this week about her health, but seeing the vitality of young ones removes — if but for a moment — her fears.

The older man who always seems to be grouchy notices you too. He’s always talking about how children in this day have no respect or sense of good. But, he sees you — a young family — in church, and you don’t miss any gathering. Like clockwork, he can depend on the sight of you and your young family. You give him hope that maybe the church isn’t doomed after all, because there are still young parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to worship.

The family who’s unable to have children notice you too. They’d love to be in your shoes, but for whatever reasons, they are unable to bear children. They’ve thought about adopting, but they’re not sure if that’s what they want to do or if they will keep on trying to have children of their own. They’d love to talk to you for a little while about the joys of your children. They need you!!

Then there’s everybody else. Yes, some people will honestly become frustrated by noisy children in church. They have this WARPED idea and notion that reverence includes absolute silence. IT DOESN”T!!

When parents brought their children to Jesus, the disciples rebuked them (Matt. 19.13-15), but Jesus rebuked His disciples. He said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” The term translated “children” in Matthew and Mark is paidon. The root of the word “pedagogue” is from this word. It defined children of either an infant state, or more particularly, it was with reference to those who were half-grown and could be either males or females.

When Luke wrote his account of this narrative, he used the word brephos; which means “infants.” Luke wasn’t contradicting Matthew and Mark’s account, because Luke wrote that they brought the infants “also” (Luke 18.15-17). They would have squirmed, maybe even cried. This was likely why the disciples rebuked the parents; as well as that they might have thought that the children were too young to understand the blessing Christ pronounced over them.

Bring your children to church. IF YOU DON’T HEAR CRYING, THE CHURCH IS DYING!! As hard as it might be for you as a parent, keep on doing what you’re doing!! I love you and your crying children! You are an encouragement, and you’re starting off your children’s lives as you should!

 

Hmmm…Perhaps We Could Get Them To Find A Few Of Our Church Members!

Tags

Church attendance

Hmmm…Perhaps We Could Get Them To Find A Few Of Our Church Members!

Publishers Clearing House makes the following claim on their website, in answer to the question, “What if I’m not home when the PCH Prize Patrol comes?”

“The Prize Patrol has never failed to track down the winner of our SuperPrize awards!”

Let’s put ‘em to work finding church members whom we haven’t seen in years!

 

A Simpler Solution

Tags

Fear, Problem-solving

Sometimes the solution to something is not quite as complicated as we think it is.

A man went to a psychiatrist and said, “Every time I get into bed, I think there’s somebody under it.”

“Come to me three times a week for two years, and I’ll cure you of your fears,” said the doctor. “And I’ll charge you only $200 a visit.”

The man said he would think about it. Six months later he ran into the doctor, who asked why he never came back. “For $200 a visit?” says the man. “A friend of mine cured me for $10.”

“Is that so! How?”

“He told me to cut the legs off the bed.”

 

Millenials Unsure About Jesus

Tags

belief, Culture

While most Americans believe “Jesus was God “ millennials are more likely to see Jesus as merely a religious leader who committed sins like anyone else, the Barna Group reports. Even millennials who have made a personal commitment to Christ are less likely than others to believe Jesus is the way to heaven. Though 56 percent of that group say they accepted Christ as savior, they are less likely than their elders to hold that belief. Twelve percent think they will go to heaven because they are basically good people, and four percent believe they won’t go to heaven at all, despite their personal commitment to Jesus.
–Facts & Trends, Winter 2016

Wow. Sounds as though we preachers and Bible study leaders have a lot of work to do.

Missing the Point of Worship

Tags

Worship

A truck pulled up to the border, and a customs officer was suspicious. So he ordered the driver out and searched the vehicle. It was a thorough search: the panels, bumpers, and wheel cases are all pulled off and examined, but not a single bit of contraband could they find. Finally, the driver was waved through.

The next week, the same driver pulled to a stop at the border. The same official was there, and he was determined to find what this guy was smuggling. Again the official searched, and but again he found nothing illicit. As time went on, there were full-body searches, X-rays, and sonar, but every week the same man drove up, and no mysterious cargo was ever found.

Finally, after many years, the officer was nearing retirement. Here came the same driver. “I know you’re a smuggler,” the customs officer said. “Don’t bother denying it. But I can’t figure out what you’ve been smuggling all these years. I’m leaving now; I’m getting ready to retire. Won’t you please tell me what you’ve been smuggling?” “Trucks,” the driver said.

The customs official totally missed the point. Are we missing the point when it comes to worship and what it’s really supposed to be about?