What I’ve learned, and sometimes the hard way

I’ve learned- that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I’ve learned- that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.

I’ve learned- that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I’ve learned- that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I’ve learned- that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.

I’ve learned- that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.

I’ve learned- that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I’ve learned- that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I’ve learned- that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I’ve learned- that you can keep going long after you can’t.

I’ve learned- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I’ve learned- that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I’ve learned- that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I’ve learned- that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I’ve learned- that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I’ve learned- that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I’ve learned- that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I’ve learned- that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I’ve learned- that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I’ve learned- that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I’ve learned- that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I’ve learned- that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I’ve learned- that your family won’t always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren’t biological.

I’ve learned- that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I’ve learned- that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

I’ve learned- that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I’ve learned- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I’ve learned- that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I’ve learned- that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I’ve learned- that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I’ve learned- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I’ve learned- that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I’ve learned- that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don’t even know you.

I’ve learned- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I’ve learned- that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I’ve learned- that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I’ve learned- that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings and standing up for what you believe.

But the most important lesson of all is that no matter how bad I mess things up….no matter how far I stray…now matter how much of a sinner I have become…Jesus died on the cross, I am forgiven, and God always loves me. Now that is a lesson I cannot afford to forget.

No Sunday Morning excuses

To make it possible for everyone to attend church this Sunday, we are going to have a special “No Excuse Sunday”:

Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say, “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.”

There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel that our pews are too hard.

Eye drops will be available for those with tired eyes from watching TV late Saturday night.

We will have steel helmets for those who say, “The roof would cave in if I ever came to church.”

Blankets will be furnished for those who think the church is too cold, and fans for those who say it is too hot.

Scorecards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present.

Relatives and friends will be in attendance for those who can’t go to church and cook dinner, too.

We will distribute “Stamp Out Stewardship” buttons for those that feel the church is always asking for money.

One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature.

Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday.

The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who never have seen the church without them.

We will provide hearing aids for those who can’t hear the preacher and cotton wool for those who think he’s too loud!

The whispers of temptation, do you listen to them, or turn a deaf ear?

Temptation…it whispers to us. It appeals to our pleasure, arouses our attention, and can make us fall quicker that a ton of dynamite. Temptation is like stepping into the quicksand of sin and sinking fast.When temptaion leads to sin, people respond in many different ways. Some cry like they’ve never cried before, filled with shame and remorse, but most hide in the deepest parts of their hearts, afraid, alone, hurt and ashamed with waves of guilt crashing around them like the ocean waves. These, and feelings like them, are common when we know we’ve gone to far, made the wrong choices, and and led a reckless life. We self-destruct, but it was our chosing that got us there.

Temptation seems to creep around when we least expect it. We fool ourselves into thinking that we’re strong and can handle it. Satan knows just when to push our buttons, however. At just exactly the wrong time, when we least expect it and our defenses are down, the enemy shows up with His bag full of temptations. He has a way of tricking us into thinking it’s all right, aking us see various shades of grey rather than the black and white of right and wrong.

Sometimes temptation comes in the form of things, places, and people to bandage the wound in the soul that cannot humanly be met. The need was created by God and for only God to fill. Everything else will feel empty and incomplete. Everyone has emotional needs that they try to meet in inferior ways, like ungodly friendships, emotional affairs,  obsession with work, food, and money, and the list goes on and on into infinity. In other words, they they grab on to false ways to meet their needs that only the Lord can satisfy.

We have to look at temptation for what it really is. Temptation, when it stands alone, is just a withering, shrinking lure. Despite how often we see it, it has no power unless we just give in to it. Remember that temptation itself is not a sin, Jesus was tempted, but giving in to the lure is where we fall into the catagory of Sinfulness.

Remember that we are never alone in outr struggles with temptation. We have a mighty God who has the transforming power to change us into Godly people, satisfy our deepest needs, be our greatest defense against the enemy, protect us, keep us from temptation, and deliver us from evil. Our victory over Satan has already been won through Christ.

Some passages to study the issue of temptaion include:

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

James 1:12-16 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Hebrews 2:18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple …

Is your Church a fortress, or a refuge?

There’s a Church accross the street from us that has one of the most unique neon signs in Las Vegas (And there’s a lot of them here) always flashing some new catchy phrase or message. That sounds pretty cool, right? Well, while I don’t really oppose it, I do wish they would change the message and mindset.

On this sign, they are always running a brightly colored slogan about what the Church has to offer and inviting them to come in. The problem is that they expect people to take the first step and go to the Church, when if you look at the Biblical concept of God‘s House, it should be going to the world.

It’s easy to stay behind the security and safety of walls, but if we really want to make a difference and become a Church like Jesus and the early Apostles showed us, we would be going out on the streets to where the people are. It’s very rare that someone will look at a sign and just pop into a house of worship, they need to be invited. They need to know that there are people who care about them, and most of the time that’s not going to happen with an invitation, but it will happen if someone from the Church takes a step outside and SHOWS them they care.

Now I’m not bashing this Church at all, I’m sure it does a lot of great things, but here’s what concerns me about this congregation. This Church is right in the middle of the foreclosure capital of the nation, and they are constantly building onto the grounds while people are losing their homes a block away. I would love to see them coming out from behind the fortress that they are building, and going out among the people that live nearby and seeing how, or if, they could help. Imagine what kind of a ministry that would be. I can just picture the scenerio…someone is losing their home and don’t know where to turn. Suddenly they get a knock at the door. It’s someone from the Church accross the street. The heart-broken person breaks down crying while telling their visitor from the House of God how they feel like they are losing everything and are scared. The person from the Church offers to help them with groceries and starts to pray with them. They may still  feel scared, tbut now there’s renewed hope. They see that the words of Jesus are more than just words, they are demonstrated though His followers. They have a new found sense of hope, it’s called Jesus. Now that’s evangelism.

I know a lot of Churches would love to do more outreach, but in most cases the interest from the congregation isn’t there. Having said that, ask yourslef this morning if you’re active enough in the Church to where they can come out from behind their walls. If the volunteers are there, and your Church still isn’t doing outreach, pray on it and see where the Lord leads you. Maybe simply ask someone how you can help to reach more people for Jesus. Often times encouraging your Pastor through the gift of volunteering will inspire Him.

Please read the scripture below that backs up what I’m talking about this morning, and please help someone outside of the walls today…

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Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

 

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

——————————————————————————————

Luke 10:25-37

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii^[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

The latest news story from the Christian Post…no age restriction or permission needed for the morning after pill.

The Story below just shows how little value is placed on the life of our unborn children these days. What do you think?

A federal judge in New York ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday to make the Plan B emergency contraceptive pill available to young teens and girls without a doctor’s prescription. The White House promptly responded by saying the age restriction was the “right common-sense approach.”

While today’s women need to prove at the pharmacy they are 17 or older to be able to buy the morning-after pill, U.S. District Judge Edward Korman for the Eastern District of New York ruled Friday that women of any age should be able to buy emergency contraception without a doctor’s prescription, according to The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama had supported a 2011 decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius setting age limits for Plan B One-Step and its generic versions, which can prevent pregnancy if taken soon enough after unprotected sex. Obama had then supported Sebelius, saying she acted because she wasn’t sure that an 11-year-old “should be able, alongside bubble gum or batteries…to buy a medication that potentially, if not used properly, could end up having an adverse effect.”

Korman, too, acknowledged that the case was controversial, as “it involves access to emergency contraception for adolescents who should not be engaging in conduct that necessitates the use of such drugs,” but he called Sebelius’ decision “politically motivated, scientifically unjustified and contrary to agency precedent.”

Justice Department spokeswoman Allison Price said Friday that the decision of whether to appeal would be taken soon. “The Department of Justice is reviewing the appellate options and expects to act promptly,” she said.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Friday the president hasn’t changed his position. “He believes it was the right common-sense approach to this issue,” Carney said.

The Family Research Council expressed “serious concerns” regarding the court ruling.

“This ruling places the health of young girls at risk. Making Plan B available for girls under the age of 17 without a prescription flies in the face of medical information and sound judgment,” said Anna Higgins, director of the Center for Human Dignity at the FRC, in a statement. “I am very troubled that the court has not fully taken into account the concerns expressed by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and many public health advocates that there is not enough data on the health effects of Plan B on young girls.”

The court order was in response to a lawsuit filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights in 2005. “More than twelve years have passed since the citizen petition was filed and eight years since this lawsuit commenced,” Korman wrote. “The FDA has engaged in intolerable delays in processing the petition. Indeed, it could accurately be described as an administrative agency filibuster.”

“Today science has finally prevailed over politics,” Nancy Northrup, president and chief executive of the liberal advocacy group, said in a statement. “This landmark court decision has struck a huge blow to the deep-seated discrimination that has for too long denied women access to a full range of safe and effective birth control methods.”

The morning-after pill contains a higher dose of the female progestin hormone – to prevent ovulation or fertilization of an egg – than is in regular birth control pills. However, if a woman already is pregnant, the pill has no effect.

About 19.7 million new sexually transmitted infections were reported in 2008, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Based on the CDC’s estimates, that brings the total number of STIs in the country to just over 110 million, and most of the new cases crop up in young men and women aged between 15 and 25. “Making Plan B available over-the-counter for any age will put many of these young girls at further risk because it circumvents necessary medical screening for sexually active girls,” Higgins said.

There is also a real danger that “Plan B may be given to young girls, under coercion or without their consent,” Higgins added. “The involvement of parents and medical professionals act as a safeguard for these young girls. However, today’s ruling removes these commonsense protections.”

However, some see the morning-after pill as a way of reducing teenage pregnancy.

The New York City Department of Education last year decided to make the morning-after pill available without parental consent to high school teenage girls as young as 14, at 13 public schools, expanding a program that began in 2011.

Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, then told The Christian Post that the decision was “the kind of imperial edict that demands a lawsuit.”

“Whenever it comes to sensitive issues such as sexuality, the government must always play an ancillary role to that of parents,” he said. “The provision that parents can opt out smacks of governmental arrogance and must be resisted: the government has no business eclipsing parental rights.”

Love in a mirror.

Now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.—1 Corinthians 13:12

The city of Corinth was known for the mirrors it made. They were distributed throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. They weren’t the same as mirrors we have today—made of glass with a silver backing. Corinthian mirrors were highly polished metal. Even the best were blurry. You could see yourself, but it was like looking into a car’s shiny hubcap or bumper. And the cheaper models gave a hazy reflection at best.

That’s a picture, says the apostle Paul, of our current level of knowledge and understanding. We can see the broad outline of things. But there’s a lot we don’t see; there are many things we don’t understand. What we know about God, about ourselves, and our world is limited. Our knowledge is incomplete. So anyone who takes pride in having great knowledge is a fool.

In the era of unclear mirrors other people knew better than you did how you actually looked. They could see you face to face. But God’s Word promises that one day we shall see things as they really are. Even better, we will see God. Clearly. Face to face. It won’t be like looking into a hubcap or through a haze. Meeting God will take our breath away—and our pride.

Until then, wise and helpful people major in love. Because love lasts forever.

Prayer:

One glorious day, Father, we will see you face to face. We will be filled with a wonder that is everlasting. We long for that day. Amen.

Important recall notice

RECALL NOTICE:

The Maker of all human beings (GOD) is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart.

This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.

This defect has been identified as “Sub sequential Internal Non-morality,” more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

Some of the symptoms include:
1. Loss of direction
2. Foul vocal emissions
3. Amnesia of origin
4. Lack of peace and joy
5. Selfish or violent behavior
6. Depression or confusion
7. Fearfulness
8. Idolatry
9. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this defect.

The Repair Technician, JESUS, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required..

The number to call for repair in all areas is:

P-R-A-Y-E-R.

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure.

Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the
heart component.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it
with:

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-Control

Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions
Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction
voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and
problems too numerous to list, and will result in the human unit being
permanently impounded.  For free emergency service, call on Jesus.

DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will
have to be scrapped in the furnace.  The SIN defect will not be
permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that
facility. Thank you for your attention!

- GOD

P.S. Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important
recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by ‘Knee mail’!

Because HE Lives!

Patience…how did you measure up?

Love is patient …—1 Corinthians 13:4

A thousand things try our patience. You buy something that needs assembly, and the instructions are in French. A huge project is due, but your coworker is chatting in the break room. You spend days potty-training your four-year-old with no results. And then your neighbor informs you that her child mastered the job at age 2!

Specifically, love is patient with people. It’s one thing to be patient with computers or fishing rods or an old Buick; it’s another thing to be patient with your bigmouthed nephew or your crabby neighbor. Sometimes we become impatient with patience. We think of patience as the virtue of the elderly, the infirm, or those too weak to have other options.

But Christian love is patient because it is realistic. The Bible states what we already know; there’s something wrong with all of us. Sometimes people call that depravity. As darling as your three-year-old daughter can be, you don’t need a theologian to tell you she’s got an “evil twin” inside her as well. We all suffer from a curvature of the soul. All of us live with people who are imperfect. The world is filled with failures, and we soon discover that people will fail us. All of us fall short of being what we want to be.

We need God’s grace to be patient with others. And we can be patient, because God is patient with us.

Prayer:

Patient Father, thank you for sticking with us, even when we fail you. Give us your strength to love in your patient way. Amen.

Angel tongues

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love …—1 Corinthians 13:1

Imagine a person able to speak every language on earth. Imagine what an effective engineer or salesperson or Doctor that person could be. The moment they landed at an airport, they could speak to anyone. They would be a huge asset at a United Nations meeting or an international trade conference.

The apostle Paul imagines such a person, and then ups the ante: this person could also speak the languages of angels. We might suppose that a person who could communicate with angels might also be a brilliant speaker, able to leave a crowd hanging on their every word. Paul imagines such a person but says that if they lacked love, they would be “only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Suppose on Christmas a relative you loved deeply gave your eight-year-old twins a gong and a pair of cymbals. You might survive Christmas day. Christmas cheer covers a multitude of bad gifts. But if your twins paraded into your bedroom the next morning banging the gong and crashing the cymbals, those gifts would strain your nervous system to the breaking point. All they would mean to you was a loud noise to be rid of.

That’s what the Bible says about remarkable gifts of language and eloquence and teaching—if separated from love, they are only noise.

Just a thought for today as you go out unto the world.

What goes around comes around

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to eke out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman‘s sparce surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the little boy Farmer Fleming had saved. “I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my boys life.”

“No, I cannot accept payment for what I did,” the farmer replied, waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel. “Is that your son?” the nobleman asked. “Yes,” the farmer replied proudly. “I’ll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll grow to a man you can be proud of.”

And that he did. In time, Farmer Fleming’s son graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Someone once said what goes around comes around. Jesus said it much better. “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38