Life Blogs Archives - Page 14 of 21 - GraceAndWorks

It was Sunday morning and time to get up and get ready to worship God. I jumped in the shower and got cleaned up and dressed. Then it was time for my usual Sunday morning breakfast of 2 blueberry muffins and a diet Pepsi.

It was cold, windy, and rainy outside. This particular Sunday, I was headed to Pahrump, Nevada to teach class and bring a sermon to them. It is 8:15 and time to get going. We had planned on leaving a little early because of the weather being nasty. It’s about 65 miles from my home in Las Vegas to Pahrump or usually about an hour and a half drive. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that there is a mountain range in between. Sooooo, it’s raining here in Vegas and raining in Pahrump, means snow over the mountains. As we, my wife and I, were driving along, everything was going OK–just rain and windy. We got to the mountain range and sure enough—snow. The roads weren’t too bad, just kinda’ slushy. I was grumbling a little that we should have stayed in Vegas, but kept on going. We got over the mountains and I told my wife Paul had walked many miles in this kind of weather and here I am in a nice car complaining. Makes no sense!! We have arrived in Pahrump with basically no problems.

This congregation in Pahrump is a small Church of Christ with only about 10-15 people in worship services. We walk in and the smiles and hugs started. The love, caring, sincerity, and devotion in this little congregation is unmatched in any congregation I have ever been in. This morning there were 11 in worship including my wife and I. We had a class on faith and a sermon about Jeremiah and what God expected him to do. They thanked as for being there and helping out. I told them that I thought they had done more good for me than what I did for them. It does my heart good to help this congregation and see their faith, steadfastness, and the sincerity they have about God. We go up once a month and now we look forward to the next time. What an inspiration you are, Desert Church of Christ in Pahrump, Nevada. Thank you!!

It was a cold night and the fireplace was sparking and warming the room. The man living there was calm and at peace when he heard a knock at the door. When he answered the door the preacher stood there without word. The man had not been to Church for several weeks, so he knew why the preacher was there. He invited the preacher in and asked him to have a seat. The preacher sat down, still without word. The two just sat there as the time went by. The preacher got up and went to the fireplace and picked up a hot ember. He took the ember and set it aside by itself. Soon the glowing ember was going dim and losing is glow and effectiveness. The two of them continued to sit without word. The preacher looked at his watch and deemed it time to leave. Before he left, he went to the fireplace and put the piece of wood back in the fire and it once again was glowing. As the preacher was leaving the man said to him, “I’ll see you in Church Sunday.”

Farming is a gamble. You’ve tilled the ground in the right manner. The seed you purchased has a good germination rate. All things are ready for planting, but, there doesn’t seem to be enough moisture. You gamble on the fact it will rain. The rain came and all is good. The plants are coming through the ground. WHEW!! If you’ve planted winter wheat, you hope the winter isn’t too severe so the crop doesn’t winter kill. Spring comes, the winter wasn’t bad, and the crop is growing. We need rain!! The rain comes and all is good. The crop is fine and getting ready to harvest. Hope it doesn’t hail. Sure enough here comes a terrible storm and hails out the crop. Farming is a gamble. All things were done right, yet, there is no crop. YUCK!!

Getting in your car for a drive is a gamble. You’ve had the car checked out and the mechanic said everything is OK. The tank is full of gas, the seat belts are fastened, and we’re off for a drive. You’re driving the speed limit, watching out for other drivers, and all is going well. When all of a sudden, out of nowhere, someone crashes into you. The trip is over!! Driving is a gamble. All things were done right, yet, you didn’t get to finish the trip. YUCK!!

Life itself is a gamble. Your health is good, have a nice home, good job, a lovely family, and everything is OK. All of a sudden you lose your job and can’t find another one quick enough. The house is foreclosed on, you and the spouse start arguing. Divorce proceedings start and the family starts to go south. Depression sets in and you’ve got that feeling that life, as you knew it, is over!! Life itself is a gamble. All things had been done right, yet, things didn’t finish like you had thought. YUCK!!

Salvation is not a gamble. It is all laid out for you in the Bible. Follow the directions that God gives you and all will be well, Those directions are plain and easy to follow. Read, study, and remain steadfast in your Christian walk. God says, “All you have to do is obey My commands and I will prepare for you a place.” Sounds easy enough. Now just be like Nike, do it!! All things were done right. Salvation is yours!! No gamble–no YUCK!!

I have watched a lot of football and half time shows this weekend, probably just like you. As I watched everything, the talent shown by individuals and teams was absolutely amazing.

The bands, as they came onto the field, were all dressed in uniforms and carrying different instruments. It was a team and yet they were individuals. Each member had a different talent, a different place to be on the field, different responsibilities, and different instruments. Yet, as they came together as a team, they performed as one and were remarkably good.

The referees, for the most part, did a good job. They also work as individuals and as a team. Each ref has his own spot on the field, responsibilities, and a different talent. It takes all of them doing their job to keep the game fair and orderly.

The football team has 11 players on offense and 11 players on defense, with many more on the bench serving as substitutes. Each player is an individual, has a certain place to be, responsibilities, and a different talent from others. Each play they have a different responsibility to perform and a different talent used. Yet when the play starts, they come together and perform as a team.

It came to me as I watched the 3 1/2 to 4 hour showing that everything from announcers, cheerleaders, bands, players, and referees, all was based around individual talent and team effort.

The more I thought about this subject, I could see that life itself was the same way. Whether it be work, family, government, friends, or….. we all have different talents and yet need to perform as teams in order to be successful.

Paul tells the Christians, in the 4th chapter of the letter to the Ephesians, that God has given each individual different talents. We see in God’s Kingdom that it is made up of congregations (Teams) and the congregations are made up of individuals. We do our work in the Kingdom and in individual congregations based upon our own talents. When we put those talents together, we can become successful in our journey towards Heaven. Don’t try to make this journey on your own. You’ll need the rest of your team, to be successful.

A New Years resolution for one and all: I WILL ATTEND WORSHIP SERVICES ON EACH SUNDAY.

Have a good year. SMILE God loves YOU!!

When is enough, enough? When do you throw your hands up in the air and say, “NO MORE!!??” When do you just walk away and move on? We draw imaginary lines for these situations and then we tend to move them. We try to go along to get along. Everyone has different tolerances and different patient levels, however, we all will reach a limit when enough is enough.  What is your limit?

There are lines everywhere we go and look. Football, baseball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. They all have lines to show out of bounds. When you go out of bounds play stops. Highways have lines to separate your space from some else. They separate the traffic to keep drivers in line and help stop accidents. Kids draw lines in the sand and tell each other not to cross the line. The back seat of a car gets divided with a line by the kids so they don’t get in each others space. When these lines are crossed, there are usually fights, squabbles, and different reactions. There are lines on paper to help us with organizing what we are doing. There are rulers to help us draw straight lines. Unfortunately life doesn’t have these lines and we have to draw our own.  When is enough, enough.? When do friends, co-workers, and family, cross the line and go out of bounds?

In our Christian lives, we have lines and don’t have to draw imaginary ones. God has given us His written word for us to stay on line. He says, “Obey My commands, and I will prepare for you a place.” The Bible has these commands (Lines) all spelled out for us. We don’t have throw our hands up in the air in disparity, or draw imaginary lines. We don’t have to say, “Enough is enough.” The lines are given to us by God and if we follow the lines, all will be good. Just don’t let yourself go out of bounds.

Awwwwww….The hustle and bustle of Christmas season. The lights are twinkling, the trees are decorated, the crowds are maddening, and some of us spend more than we can afford so we can enjoy the happy faces of kids, family, and friends. We all have memories of different times we have had at Christmas. I thought I’d share a couple of mine.

We lived on a farm in Western Nebraska and money was always tight. However, we always had a nice Christmas. I was some where around 8 or 9 years old this particular Christmas. It was Christmas eve and we were starting to open our presents. The first one I opened was a screw!!! Well I tossed that thing right into the pile of wrapping paper garbage. Dad did a swan dive to recover it. The next package I opened had some kind of wood thing inside. The next one had some kind of metal thing in it. I had no idea what was going on!! The last one had a gun barrel in it. Dad finally put it all together and low and behold, there was a 22 caliber bolt-action rifle. Oh, how funny it became when all the pieces were found and put together. I was totally surprised!!

The other story I want to share was the Christmas right before my Dad went to be with God. The family all gathered at my Mom and Dad’s house in Dix, Nebraska. The food and fellowship was beyond compare. Fabulous, you might say. It was a bitter sweet time knowing that Dad didn’t have much time left. Christmas eve it snowed and Christmas morning when we got up, it was spectacular looking outside. My sister and her family were living in Dallas and snow was a rare occasion there. My nephew, Kevin, had his girlfriend with them and when she saw the snow outside, she said, “Oh, look, it snowed, just for me!!” We all had a good laugh over that. The cheer and the gifts were plentiful. Good times for all. Dad joined God about a month later. Fabulous memories of that last Christmas with my dad.

This Christmas is also going to bitter sweet. It will be the first Christmas, in many years, that Peg and I will spend the holidays with out any of our family around. It’ll be quiet, but, a fun time for us. It’s a time for giving and receiving. We were able to help a good friend of ours and a family member financially this year. We are sooooo blessed to be able to do this for them. It warmed our hearts to be able to help those that reached out in their time of need. We in turn received a warm tingly feeling knowing how much they appreciated the help.

This is also the time of year that most will rmember and give praise to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Churches will have special events to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We don’t know exactly when Jesus was born, but, this gives every one an opportunity to remember Him. God wants us to go to Worship services each first day of the week. We, as Christians, remember Jesus’s birth, death, burial, and resurrection every Sunday and not just on “Special” days. Will we see you in Worship this Sunday? God wants it that way.

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!!

God maps out a plan for salvation in the scriptures. There are many denominations that profess infant baptism. Is it right, wrong, or OK? We’ll take a look at the scriptures that God uses to help clear this matter up.

The plan for salvation has key words that are used and we need to take heed of them. Those words are: 1) Hear, 2) Believe, 3) Confess, 4) Repent, 5) Baptism.

1) Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by HEARING, and HEARING the word of God.” We must have an understanding of God and what faith is. That will occur in people at different ages, but, not as infants.

2) John 8:24 says, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not BELIEVE that I am He, you will die in your sins.” An infant dos not have the mental capability to know God and BELIEVE in Him.

3) Romans 10:10 says, “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth CONFESSION is made unto salvation.” An infant does not have the ability to believe with the heart, nor can an infant mouth a CONFESSION..

4) Luke 13:2-3 says, “And Jesus answered and said to them, Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, NO; but unless you REPENT you will all likewise perish.” Acts 2:38 says, ” REPENT, and let every one of you be BAPTIZED in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sis, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.” An infant does not know right from wrong, therefore, does not know what sin is. Not knowing what sin is, one cannot REPENT of their sins.

5) Mark 16:16 says. “He who BELIEVES and is BAPTIZED will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” An infant does not have the capability to BELIEVE or understand God.

The “PLAN FOR SALVATION” is God’s plan and is well described in the scriptures. In 2nd Timothy 2:15 and following, Paul tells us to study to show ourselves approved being able to rightly divide the word of God. That simply means that we cannot pull verses out of context and have them say what we want. We need to able to discern the WHOLE TRUTH as God would want from us.

Acts 8:26-39 tells the story of Philip and the eunuch. He taught the eunuch the truth and the way for salvation. When he was done teaching, they went down into the water and Philip baptized the eunuch.

Finally, Matthew 10:22 says, “And you will be hated by all for my names sake, But he who endures to the end will be saved.” Once the “Plan For Salvation” is taken care of, through obedience, we must live a righteous life thereafter.

Enjoy your study. Have a good day all!

Back in the early years of my sales career, I did a lot of traveling. I remember one winter when I was traveling Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. It seemed like every day when I got up to go to the next town, I encountered icy roads. This story took place in the late 1970’s.

In late October/early November, we had an ice storm and then it snowed on top of the ice. The winter was cold and stayed that way for several months. Well the roads were horrible. It had gotten so bad that there were pot holes in the ice. Travel was slow and treacherous. I had to go slow and watch every thing I did as I was driving on these roads. Besides the rough pot holed road, there were other drivers to worry about, curves to navigate, the worry of sliding off the road into the ditch and getting stuck. It became a long, tough several months of navigating those awful driving conditions. However, every day I continued to do my job, and at the end of this horrible winter, I had gotten done what was needed. It was a struggle but a successful few months.

As I thought about this story, I realized life can be the same way. Every day we get out of bed, we have a journey to travel. Sometimes it’s like the icy roads, full of potholes, curves, other people to work around, Satan to worry about, and the thought that we need to stay on the right path, though it may be slow going, so as not to end up in the ditch, stuck in the muck of life. These can be horrible times, however, even though it may be a struggle for a while, you will find the same success at the end of the “Storms.”

God says that He will never forsake us and that He will never leave us. If we believe in God and have the proper Faith, we can navigate the path of life much easier. Let the Bible be your guide to stay on the right path as you travel down the icy roads of life. So, grab your Bible, talk to God, and have a good journey!!

I’ve never had the opportunity to climb a mountain and at this stage and age of life, I don’t intend to!! However there are many that have and many more that want to and will. There are knolls, hills and mountains. For  this blog we’ll deal with mountains.

There is special equipment that is used and warm clothing to be worn. You need picks, ropes, harnesses, spikes or cleats on your boots so as not to slip, warm clothing, and good instruction from someone with experience. As you climb, you will encounter steep terrain and will need to secure yourself with ropes and harnesses in case you slip and fall. Once you have reached the top, you have a feeling of great accomplishment. It was in the valley where we prepared ourselves for the journey to the top.

Life has the same mountains to climb. You will encounter disappointments, short comings, job loss or failure, family struggles, low self esteem, depression, and sickness. As you climb the mountain of life, you will need special equipment. Books for learning, friends to stand by you in times of trial, advisers for your professional life to keep you on track, and family to lean on when things seem bleak. Use them as you would the ropes and harnesses in climbing the “Other” mountains. I’m not sure we ever reach the top of this mountain of life, but, we can keep striving to be the best we can. It’s in the valleys that we learn to cope and prepare ourselves for the obstacles and climb.

You will also encounter valleys to learn in and mountains to climb in your Christian life. However things seem to be much simpler in this climb. The only special equipment you will need is the Bible. When you are in the valleys and need help, God’s word is there for the instruction. As you climb the mountain of Christian success, when you get in trouble, instead of picks, ropes, and harnesses, just grab a hold of God. He is there for you whenever you need Him. Here, you will reach the top of the mountain and that pinnacle is Heaven. Grab your Bible and talk to God and have a good journey!!

Today upon a bus, I saw a very beautiful woman

and wished I were so beautiful.

When suddenly she rose to leave,

I saw her hobble down the aisle.

She had one leg and used a crutch.

But as she passed, she passed a smile.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two legs; The world is mine.

I stopped to buy some candy.

The lad who sold it had such charm.

I talked with him, he seemed so glad.

If I were late, it’d do no harm.

And as I left, he said to me,

“I thank you, you’ve been so kind.

It’s nice to talk with folks like you.

You see,” he said, “I’m blind.”

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two eyes; the world is mine.

Later while walking down the street,

I saw a child I knew.

He stood and watched the others play,

but he didn’t know what to do.

I stopped a moment and then I said,

“Why don’t you join them my dear?”

He looked ahead without a word.

I forgot, he couldn’t hear.

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I have two ears; the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I’d go,

With eyes to see the sunset’s glow,

With ears to hear what I’d know,

Oh, God, forgive me when I whine.

I’ve been blessed indeed, the world is mine.

God blesses us abundantly. I’m thankful for my family, my health, and my home. Mostly I’m thankful for God, who sent His only Son to die on a cruel cross that I might have forgiveness of sins. And, by simply obeying His commands, have a promise of a home in heaven.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING all. Have a wonderful holiday!!