Mechanic or Angel?

Bill: Jim, I was blessed so much Labor Day!

Jim: Whatcha ya' mean?

Bill: Me and some friends were on the road on Labor Day when I had car trouble. A good mechanic came to where I was, fixed the car in the heat right where I was. And it was a holiday! Get this: He did it all for free. All he wanted was a handshake.

Jim: What?

Bill: Yeah, you heard me. Amazing, huh?

Jim: Sure nuf!

Bill: Jim, do you think he was an angel, or was it just God blessing me?

Jim: Good question. Sounds like the good Lord is tak'n a likin' to ya'.

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God told Moses He would harden the heart of Pharaoh so He (God) could do His signs and wonders.

Why?

"...THAT YOU MAY TELL...." and "... THAT YOU MAY KNOW... ".

What would develop if you told your family of God's working in your life?

Do you have good fortune to relish?

Are you saved by His mercy?

Tell your family and friends who God is to you, and what He has done!

Burn Out

It looks sad.

You see the portable basketball goal for the little children in the front yard. There is a heap of warped corrugated roofing. Chard lumps of ??? are everywhere. A charcoal wall teeters. The soot-covered chimney weeps for the better days.

In the heart of winter I rode by this same place, as I had many times before. But this day was sad. The red, rotating lights on the fire truck, from the nearby rural volunteer fire department, flashed as the flames blazed from the second story windows. A disconsolate firemen held a dripping hose, having used all the water available. 

In the evening the family picked through the debris, looking for anything. This day was sad.

All this reminds me of a struggle I face frequently, although not alone. John said to "Love not the world, neither the things of the world." (1 John 2:15). Paul wrote Colossians 3:1 to keep seeking the things above. Possessing the possessions, instead of vise versa, is the continuing struggle. 

But when possessions are lost, suddenly, traumatically, as in the case of a fire, those with the proper command of them should be the first to show compassion. When a scene, like the one above occurs, Christians should be first on the scene with help. Now in words, but in deeds (1 John 3:18).

I am completely unsure what I would do in the event of a burn out, but these might be helpful?

• Collect money from friends to add to your sacrificial contribution. It will be days before insurance matters are settle, but this same day they will need clothes, food, a place to stay, etc. Don't let the smoke settle before help arrives.
• Don't offer your home as a place to stay. Insist on it. Cause them to use your home for a few days as they study and consider their options.
• Give them a week with your cell phone and charger. Communications with be in high demand.
• Don't be concerned as to whether they are members of your fellowship or not. There spiritual state is not your concern, but God's. let Him handle that part. As for you, remember Gal 6:10 begins, "As we therefore have opportunity, let us do good to all men....

If you have experienced a traumatic or sudden loss of possessions such as this, or a flood, tornado, etc. would you please add to these suggestions, or revise them. Let us know what did work for you, or what would have been better. PLEASE, teach your fellow readers!

Christmas Card Lessons

Hey!

You know I am not into mailing traditional Christmas cards, and more into email, blogs, and FaceBook. But I will share with you three ideas that belong in a Christmas card.

Jesus temporarily vacated heaven for me. I can think of two reasons why He left, but I can't figure out which was more important to Him. Was it more important to Him to be guided by His Dad's love for me? Or was it that He saw me as priceless? Either way, I win.

And I am thankful He sees you as priceless, too.

My second idea is how Jesus' life began in poverty and misery. Have you considered His unwed mother making the long trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a donkey, and not in a Lexus or a VW bug? There were no vacancies at the Ramada, La Quinta, or Motel 6. They made the drafty, cow-chip-filled barn behind the inn their home. When Jesus arrived, He was not wrapped in a new flannel blanket, but long pieces of cloth from ????? He was not laid in a fine, germ-free, frill-lined bassinet. Joseph and Mary placed Him in a feed trough with hay as a cushion. (Imagine how hard it was for Joseph to keep his donkey from eating Jesus' bed-stuffing.)

I understand starting out poor and unfortunate. Being born in '55 at a Catholic hospital, and immediately being put up for adoption may have meant I was the offspring of a teenage girl who had made a huge “mistake”. Now, I identify with Jesus. He still sympathizes with me today.

My third Christmas-card idea considers the gifts to His kingship, divinity, and His suffering. Regardless of how many wise men came, they gave three very expensive gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold was a vestige of Him being King. Frankincense is a costly fragrance used in worship of divinity. And myrrh was an antiseptic used in preservation of the deceased. Was this symbolic of His life?

Everything I ever received from my parents, the Lionel train, a white paper mustache, two parents who delighted over everything I did (well, at least in the early days), a Tonka truck, and the portable record player (that I wore out). There was the pine branch stuck in a bucket and covered with whipped Ivory Snow for “snow” that served as a Christmas Tree (Mom always had a very sensitive nose). But in that little house on Frazier Street, I lived like a young King.

He deserved it. He IS a king. I did not. I am not.

Aren't these three good reasons to like Christmas?

I do hope you, all your family, and all the readers of this blog will have a magnificent and joy-filled Christmas. Please, take time to remember what Christmas is really all about. It was not about getting presents. It is about Jesus being THEGIFT to you and me from God.