When I was a kid I was the type that had to take everything apart and figure out how it worked. I enjoyed this part of my childhood, but my mother did not. I was fascinated by how stuff works and I still am today...
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Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Friday, February 02, 2007
Time Capsule
A while back I taught a lesson on the time capsule of our life. The lesson showed how our very life is a time capsule with all the things that get put into our life. We often find these things later in life or forgot they were even there until we remember/discover them one day.
King David had this type of experience one day as he was running from Saul who wanted to kill him. He went to Ahimelech the priest in 1 Samuel 21 and there a time capsule was opened up in his life.
1 Samuel 21:9
And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
The sword of Goliath brought back memories from his youth when he stood up to the giant and slew him with a sling shot and a stone. David then used Goliaths own sword to triumphantly cut off Goliaths head. No doubt the sword had been hidden from David and he had forgotten about it, until this day when God open a time capsule in his life.
The time capsule was opened to remind David of what God had done for him and how Davids faith had brought victory to his people. There are time capsules in all our lives waiting to be opened up and give us a 'blast from the past' if you will. God wants his people to know that he does not change and if he has protected his anointed in the past then there is no reason for them to flee from the enemy in fear today. God will fight our battles and cause those who love him and serve him to be victorious.
Be encouraged in the Lord today by those things God has done for you in the past. Open up a time capsule in your life today and remember what the Lord has done in your life.
King David had this type of experience one day as he was running from Saul who wanted to kill him. He went to Ahimelech the priest in 1 Samuel 21 and there a time capsule was opened up in his life.
1 Samuel 21:9
And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.
The sword of Goliath brought back memories from his youth when he stood up to the giant and slew him with a sling shot and a stone. David then used Goliaths own sword to triumphantly cut off Goliaths head. No doubt the sword had been hidden from David and he had forgotten about it, until this day when God open a time capsule in his life.
The time capsule was opened to remind David of what God had done for him and how Davids faith had brought victory to his people. There are time capsules in all our lives waiting to be opened up and give us a 'blast from the past' if you will. God wants his people to know that he does not change and if he has protected his anointed in the past then there is no reason for them to flee from the enemy in fear today. God will fight our battles and cause those who love him and serve him to be victorious.
Be encouraged in the Lord today by those things God has done for you in the past. Open up a time capsule in your life today and remember what the Lord has done in your life.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
As A Little Child
The other day when I cam home from work my oldest daughter came to me and said her day at school was horrible. I was concerned and asked her what happened. She began telling me about a boy in her class named Brandon. She had mentioned him before on other occasions but this time my heart was touched with compassion for this boy.
During lunch that day there were three girls who were laughing and making fun of Brandon because he had prayed for his food. My daughter felt sorry for him and it had made an impact on her that day.
A couple of the girls were friends of my daughters so she confronted them about it and told them that what they did was wrong. I have had several occasions to talk to my daughter about choosing her friends wisely and I began to talk to her again about the issue. I told her that God had put her in a unique place and she could be an encouragement to Brandon.
In the United States today prayer organized by school officials is not permitted but our school does allow the children a moment of silence each morning. My daughter has used this time to pray for her friends and people in need. I have also prayed for God's blessing on our children at school. But after this story I have seen up close and personal the heart of a child that desires to reach out to God and it has blessed me. I now feel that I have a responsibility to pray for the Brandon's of our world and help my children to stand up for God and be an encouragement to others.
Let us come as a little child in prayer despite what others around us think or say. People today put too much stock in what other people think about them, myself included. I believe God is calling his people to stand up everywhere and be counted as a Christian who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let our attitude be as Brandon and pray everywhere despite what others might think about us.
During lunch that day there were three girls who were laughing and making fun of Brandon because he had prayed for his food. My daughter felt sorry for him and it had made an impact on her that day.
A couple of the girls were friends of my daughters so she confronted them about it and told them that what they did was wrong. I have had several occasions to talk to my daughter about choosing her friends wisely and I began to talk to her again about the issue. I told her that God had put her in a unique place and she could be an encouragement to Brandon.
In the United States today prayer organized by school officials is not permitted but our school does allow the children a moment of silence each morning. My daughter has used this time to pray for her friends and people in need. I have also prayed for God's blessing on our children at school. But after this story I have seen up close and personal the heart of a child that desires to reach out to God and it has blessed me. I now feel that I have a responsibility to pray for the Brandon's of our world and help my children to stand up for God and be an encouragement to others.
Let us come as a little child in prayer despite what others around us think or say. People today put too much stock in what other people think about them, myself included. I believe God is calling his people to stand up everywhere and be counted as a Christian who is not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let our attitude be as Brandon and pray everywhere despite what others might think about us.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Ready and Willing to Respond.
The other day I was at my sisters house visiting and while I was there we were listening to her medical radio. She is a paramedic and works for our local hospital on the ambulance service. Sometimes when she is not on duty she is on backup call and has to respond if the primary shift is working on an emergency call.
I have been around her several times when she is on call and there has been times when she would simply drop everything she was doing and take off running out the door. She has left many of her meals sitting on the table in order to respond to an emergency where someone was hurt and in need of medical attention.
It is interesting to watch her listening to the radio. Sometimes I cannot even tell what the people are saying but she can pick out every word clearly and she is keenly in tune to what is going on. When she sleeps while on call the radio is right by her bedside and she sleeps ready to respond at a moments notice.
I am thankful to God for the many times when I was in need of emergency attention and someone was on call ready at a moments notice to pray for me. In our day and time God is looking for more men and women to become prayer warriors which are on call 24 hours a day ready to respond when a need arises.
I have heard testimonies of people who have felt the need to pray only to find out later that something tragic was happening at that time. As my sister is in tune with her radio and ready to respond at a moments notice so let the church be in tune with Christ and be ready to respond when his spirit calls on us.
It was such a saint of God that was on call and listening to Gods voice one day when God told him to go to the street called straight and find Saul of Tarsus. The saint questioned God since Saul had persecuted the church but in the end he was on his way responding to the call of God. Saul was converted and later became known as Paul. By the had of Paul God did great works and miracles all because someone was on call and ready to respond when God called.
Do you hear the call today? God is looking for someone who will prepare themselves and listen for his calling that he might reach a lost and dying world. All He needs is you to be willing and ready to respond.
I have been around her several times when she is on call and there has been times when she would simply drop everything she was doing and take off running out the door. She has left many of her meals sitting on the table in order to respond to an emergency where someone was hurt and in need of medical attention.
It is interesting to watch her listening to the radio. Sometimes I cannot even tell what the people are saying but she can pick out every word clearly and she is keenly in tune to what is going on. When she sleeps while on call the radio is right by her bedside and she sleeps ready to respond at a moments notice.
I am thankful to God for the many times when I was in need of emergency attention and someone was on call ready at a moments notice to pray for me. In our day and time God is looking for more men and women to become prayer warriors which are on call 24 hours a day ready to respond when a need arises.
I have heard testimonies of people who have felt the need to pray only to find out later that something tragic was happening at that time. As my sister is in tune with her radio and ready to respond at a moments notice so let the church be in tune with Christ and be ready to respond when his spirit calls on us.
It was such a saint of God that was on call and listening to Gods voice one day when God told him to go to the street called straight and find Saul of Tarsus. The saint questioned God since Saul had persecuted the church but in the end he was on his way responding to the call of God. Saul was converted and later became known as Paul. By the had of Paul God did great works and miracles all because someone was on call and ready to respond when God called.
Do you hear the call today? God is looking for someone who will prepare themselves and listen for his calling that he might reach a lost and dying world. All He needs is you to be willing and ready to respond.
Friday, January 26, 2007
One Hundred Eighty Three Thousand Miles
A while back I was working on an outdoor wireless network we have at work and had to use our bucket truck to get up to where our antenna was mounted. The bucket truck is just like the ones the electric company uses to work on electrical lines or the telephone company uses.
I had used the truck several times before but this day the engine had died and I had to call the mechanic to come get it started again. He asked me to get the owners manual out and see what year model the truck was. I found the manual and told him the truck was a 1993 model. I thought for a second about that year and began remembering what had occurred in my life in 1993.
That year in my life was very memorable and several major events happened in my life so my mind began to drift back to that year while I waited for the mechanic to get the truck running.
It was 1993 that I married my wife and we started our married life together. But the events that brought us to that summers day in 1993 were what made that year so memorable. Those events I will save for another day and other posts but this day I had now been married for 12 years and we had 3 children together.
Our marriage had been wonderful but the last few years had been rough because of financial trouble we were having due to a business I had started several years earlier. The business was struggling financially and I was working another job just to make ends meet. All this put allot of stress on our marriage and our family.
Through much prayer God had provided me a job opportunity and financially things were getting better. I was only working one job now and had more time to spend with my wife and family. All these memories were going through my mind as I remembered how it all started in 1993.
Soon the mechanic had the truck running and I was in the drivers seat reeving the engine as he would give the thumbs up. While sitting there I looked down and seen the truck now had 183,000 miles on it. I thought this old truck has seen allot of miles but it is still a good ole truck and just needed a little work to get it going again.
How many times do we drive our marriages and relationships without every realizing the miles we have put behind us. We drive until something breaks and then we frantically call for the mechanic to help get us out of the jam and get us back on the road.
I realized that day that our marriage had been successful but at the same time there had been allot of water flow under the ole bridge, allot of pavement under our wheels. The truck was still a good old truck and still had lots of mile left and would still be very useful to us at work but it was probably going to require more frequent attention to keep it on the road.
Let us realize our marriages do not just run forever without any maintenance. We must take time to keep this in proper order and in good running condition. But when we do have a problem let us call the Master Mechanic and he will be able to get us back on the road and help mend our relationships.
I had used the truck several times before but this day the engine had died and I had to call the mechanic to come get it started again. He asked me to get the owners manual out and see what year model the truck was. I found the manual and told him the truck was a 1993 model. I thought for a second about that year and began remembering what had occurred in my life in 1993.
That year in my life was very memorable and several major events happened in my life so my mind began to drift back to that year while I waited for the mechanic to get the truck running.
It was 1993 that I married my wife and we started our married life together. But the events that brought us to that summers day in 1993 were what made that year so memorable. Those events I will save for another day and other posts but this day I had now been married for 12 years and we had 3 children together.
Our marriage had been wonderful but the last few years had been rough because of financial trouble we were having due to a business I had started several years earlier. The business was struggling financially and I was working another job just to make ends meet. All this put allot of stress on our marriage and our family.
Through much prayer God had provided me a job opportunity and financially things were getting better. I was only working one job now and had more time to spend with my wife and family. All these memories were going through my mind as I remembered how it all started in 1993.
Soon the mechanic had the truck running and I was in the drivers seat reeving the engine as he would give the thumbs up. While sitting there I looked down and seen the truck now had 183,000 miles on it. I thought this old truck has seen allot of miles but it is still a good ole truck and just needed a little work to get it going again.
How many times do we drive our marriages and relationships without every realizing the miles we have put behind us. We drive until something breaks and then we frantically call for the mechanic to help get us out of the jam and get us back on the road.
I realized that day that our marriage had been successful but at the same time there had been allot of water flow under the ole bridge, allot of pavement under our wheels. The truck was still a good old truck and still had lots of mile left and would still be very useful to us at work but it was probably going to require more frequent attention to keep it on the road.
Let us realize our marriages do not just run forever without any maintenance. We must take time to keep this in proper order and in good running condition. But when we do have a problem let us call the Master Mechanic and he will be able to get us back on the road and help mend our relationships.
Do Something Instead of Nothing
In the last few months I have been loosing weight. I have changed my diet to include healthier food and more exercise. Through it all I have realized just simply doing something to make me healthier is better than what I was doing before which was nothing.
When I started walking on the treadmill my nutrition counselor told me just to start out walking at a pace where I could still talk and not be badly out of breath. Then increase from there as my endurance increases. To put it in my simple thinking is I just needed to start doing something even if it wasn't much. This gave me a starting place from which to build on, a foundation from which I could gauge my growth. Without this starting point being something easy for me to achieve I believe I would have become very discouraged and would have quit.
Through all of this I have learned another valuable lesson in life. That is in whatever I want to accomplish I must find an entry point, a place in which I can easily get started and continue to build upon without becoming overwhelmed and giving up. If I come to a point where I become discouraged I simply allow myself to fall back to my starting point and start over again.
Let me give an example of this. I began walking on the treadmill at my beginning pace I found this pave become very easy after a week or two. Once that happened I become excited at what I had accomplished and this drove me to push harder, to increase my pace even more. My fault was I increased the pace too much and became discouraged after a few days because this was much harder than before and I was not seeing any increased results. My weight was not falling any faster and it was hard work for me to keep up the pace. So I decided I would drop back to my original pace even though it had become easy and I would continue there for a while longer.
Over the next few weeks I realized I could increase my pace slightly every week or so and it did not seem too hard for me. Before I realized it my pace had increased significantly and I could not believe I had made so much progress. It was then I learned there was a powerful principle in what I had done. Simply find an entry point into what you want to achieve and "Just Do It". Keep going at a comfortable pace not pushing so hard you become discouraged or began to think your efforts are not bearing any fruit. Continuing at this pace for a while will strengthen you and encourage you to move to the next level.
I realized that my problem before was I was not doing anything to better my health. I, like everyone else, had tried before and become discouraged and quit. But with my "New Found" method I can apply this to anything I do and be successful.
The bottom line is that this is not a new method or new technique but simply common sense that we can all apply to everything we do and we can achieve our goals and dreams. They will not happen overnight and you will not see amazing results immediately but you will succeed and you will accomplish what you want to. I have lost 44 pounds in about 3 months and have not become discouraged enough to quit. I have become discouraged during this time but when that happens I just drop myself back a notch and continue doing something which is better than doing nothing.
When I started walking on the treadmill my nutrition counselor told me just to start out walking at a pace where I could still talk and not be badly out of breath. Then increase from there as my endurance increases. To put it in my simple thinking is I just needed to start doing something even if it wasn't much. This gave me a starting place from which to build on, a foundation from which I could gauge my growth. Without this starting point being something easy for me to achieve I believe I would have become very discouraged and would have quit.
Through all of this I have learned another valuable lesson in life. That is in whatever I want to accomplish I must find an entry point, a place in which I can easily get started and continue to build upon without becoming overwhelmed and giving up. If I come to a point where I become discouraged I simply allow myself to fall back to my starting point and start over again.
Let me give an example of this. I began walking on the treadmill at my beginning pace I found this pave become very easy after a week or two. Once that happened I become excited at what I had accomplished and this drove me to push harder, to increase my pace even more. My fault was I increased the pace too much and became discouraged after a few days because this was much harder than before and I was not seeing any increased results. My weight was not falling any faster and it was hard work for me to keep up the pace. So I decided I would drop back to my original pace even though it had become easy and I would continue there for a while longer.
Over the next few weeks I realized I could increase my pace slightly every week or so and it did not seem too hard for me. Before I realized it my pace had increased significantly and I could not believe I had made so much progress. It was then I learned there was a powerful principle in what I had done. Simply find an entry point into what you want to achieve and "Just Do It". Keep going at a comfortable pace not pushing so hard you become discouraged or began to think your efforts are not bearing any fruit. Continuing at this pace for a while will strengthen you and encourage you to move to the next level.
I realized that my problem before was I was not doing anything to better my health. I, like everyone else, had tried before and become discouraged and quit. But with my "New Found" method I can apply this to anything I do and be successful.
The bottom line is that this is not a new method or new technique but simply common sense that we can all apply to everything we do and we can achieve our goals and dreams. They will not happen overnight and you will not see amazing results immediately but you will succeed and you will accomplish what you want to. I have lost 44 pounds in about 3 months and have not become discouraged enough to quit. I have become discouraged during this time but when that happens I just drop myself back a notch and continue doing something which is better than doing nothing.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
End of Another Round
Recently I faced some challenges at work that has caused me to see some things at home in a different light and I am going to blog these things today.
Conflict upon our jobs creates stress in our lives every day and how we deal with that stress determines several things in our life. The stress in our workplace can and does come home with us everyday. When this stress comes to our home it interferes with our personal lives and can cause tensions in our marriages and in our relationships with our children or other family members.
After praying about my situation my thoughts were directed to this analogy that put several things into perspective for me and has caused me to take a different approach at home.
After this one particular day at work I felt like I had been beat up. As I left work my mind was captured by the events of the day and I could not get my mind off of the situation. Mentally I had taken a beating and it was causing spiritual and physical pain within me. All I wanted to do was get over the day and let it all go but I could not seem to do that.
After the 20 minute drive home in which I replayed every punch and every blow I had taken earlier in the day I finally arrived at home. As I walked into the house I was greeted by my children which helped to take my mind off of the situation temporarily. For a moment I felt as if I had been in a boxing match and had just returned to my corner after the bell rang. The kids were my cheering section and I needed the encouragement.
This didn't last long as they finally went on about there busy evening of homework and playing. My mind slowly slipped back to the memories of every punch and every blow I had taken before the bell had rung and the round of the day was over. Then I met my wife.
As I met her she began to pour over me her frustrations and things I needed to do. This made me feel as if I was getting beat up in my own corner. The cheers of the children were far gone and now I was receiving more of a dose of reality. This did not help my mental and emotional state and I felt as though the next round had already begun and I had not recovered from the previous beating I had just taken.
Now with every good Rocky movie that comes out it seems that the boxing king gets beat to a pulp and just as it would seem it is all over he goes to the corner and begins to receive his pep talk from his trainer. When the next round starts it is as if Rocky was back in the first round and he starts pounding the other guy into the ground and he comes out on top as the champion. But then the movie ends and we all have to go back to reality.
This day was reality for me. Taking a beating all day at work, feeling as if I was trying to defend myself from every puch and every blow. I was not able to be on the offense because I was just trying to survive another round. I felt as if I were Rocky yet the next round would be the same as before and there would be no glorious victory in sight.
Then I realised something I had not really thought of before. Rocky's trainer was not in the fight physically and his only job was to coach, train, and encourage. When I came home to "My Corner" after the round of the day I wasn't coming home to the strength of a coach or trainer that would be there to back me up but rather I was meeting my wife where both of our corners met. The day had just ended for her as well and she had just ended another round in her fight. She was coming home to "Her Corner" looking for encouragement, looking for strength because she knew the next round was approaching as well as mine.
We met that day where the boxing rings of our lives all me and adjoined each other, in our home. The home is the place of encouragement that each of us need to be refreshed and encouraged from the battle of our daily lives. When we meet each other in this place we are all bringing the aweful memories and feelings that we remember from that day with us. The home is the place where we should receive encouragement from one another in order to prepare ourselves for the next round we face. The strength and encouragement we get from one another is what will drive us to victory in the upcoming rounds. We cannot simply forget our problems and memories of that day and take them off like our shoes at the door. They haunght us sometimes and torment us all along with the purpose to weaken us and cause us to loose in the upcoming round. Let us cherish the time we have in the corner of the boxing ring of life, which is the home. Let us encourage one another that the whole family can be victorious in the end. And most of all let us look to the one who can give us all renewed strength in the battle, the one who can encourage us and lead us to success in all we do. That is Jesus Christ our saviour and redeemer from who all our strength comes.
Conflict upon our jobs creates stress in our lives every day and how we deal with that stress determines several things in our life. The stress in our workplace can and does come home with us everyday. When this stress comes to our home it interferes with our personal lives and can cause tensions in our marriages and in our relationships with our children or other family members.
After praying about my situation my thoughts were directed to this analogy that put several things into perspective for me and has caused me to take a different approach at home.
After this one particular day at work I felt like I had been beat up. As I left work my mind was captured by the events of the day and I could not get my mind off of the situation. Mentally I had taken a beating and it was causing spiritual and physical pain within me. All I wanted to do was get over the day and let it all go but I could not seem to do that.
After the 20 minute drive home in which I replayed every punch and every blow I had taken earlier in the day I finally arrived at home. As I walked into the house I was greeted by my children which helped to take my mind off of the situation temporarily. For a moment I felt as if I had been in a boxing match and had just returned to my corner after the bell rang. The kids were my cheering section and I needed the encouragement.
This didn't last long as they finally went on about there busy evening of homework and playing. My mind slowly slipped back to the memories of every punch and every blow I had taken before the bell had rung and the round of the day was over. Then I met my wife.
As I met her she began to pour over me her frustrations and things I needed to do. This made me feel as if I was getting beat up in my own corner. The cheers of the children were far gone and now I was receiving more of a dose of reality. This did not help my mental and emotional state and I felt as though the next round had already begun and I had not recovered from the previous beating I had just taken.
Now with every good Rocky movie that comes out it seems that the boxing king gets beat to a pulp and just as it would seem it is all over he goes to the corner and begins to receive his pep talk from his trainer. When the next round starts it is as if Rocky was back in the first round and he starts pounding the other guy into the ground and he comes out on top as the champion. But then the movie ends and we all have to go back to reality.
This day was reality for me. Taking a beating all day at work, feeling as if I was trying to defend myself from every puch and every blow. I was not able to be on the offense because I was just trying to survive another round. I felt as if I were Rocky yet the next round would be the same as before and there would be no glorious victory in sight.
Then I realised something I had not really thought of before. Rocky's trainer was not in the fight physically and his only job was to coach, train, and encourage. When I came home to "My Corner" after the round of the day I wasn't coming home to the strength of a coach or trainer that would be there to back me up but rather I was meeting my wife where both of our corners met. The day had just ended for her as well and she had just ended another round in her fight. She was coming home to "Her Corner" looking for encouragement, looking for strength because she knew the next round was approaching as well as mine.
We met that day where the boxing rings of our lives all me and adjoined each other, in our home. The home is the place of encouragement that each of us need to be refreshed and encouraged from the battle of our daily lives. When we meet each other in this place we are all bringing the aweful memories and feelings that we remember from that day with us. The home is the place where we should receive encouragement from one another in order to prepare ourselves for the next round we face. The strength and encouragement we get from one another is what will drive us to victory in the upcoming rounds. We cannot simply forget our problems and memories of that day and take them off like our shoes at the door. They haunght us sometimes and torment us all along with the purpose to weaken us and cause us to loose in the upcoming round. Let us cherish the time we have in the corner of the boxing ring of life, which is the home. Let us encourage one another that the whole family can be victorious in the end. And most of all let us look to the one who can give us all renewed strength in the battle, the one who can encourage us and lead us to success in all we do. That is Jesus Christ our saviour and redeemer from who all our strength comes.
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