Archive for September 2011

September 30, 2011

“Remember Who is Waiting for You!” 
“Joyful are those who listen to me, watching for me daily at my gates, waiting for me outside my home!” –  Proverbs 8:34 (New Living Translation)

Waiting (like listening) for a number of people is not their best quality!  Remember this phrase, “Wait upon the Lord?”  Those words used to carry a great deal of significance some years ago but today—well—we are in far too much of a hurry to even consider what this phrase even means.  Our not learning to be patient (whether it is with ourselves, others, or for God) is kind of like not paying attention to the “fine print” and then regretting it when the contract comes due and we’ve lost out! 
Here is a very important question and one that I want you to consider very carefully: are you waiting for something to happen in your life before giving yourself entirely to God?  Are you waiting for someone else to change before you accept them?  And this may be the most important one—are you waiting to change some things in your life before you think God will accept you?  DON’T!!  in any of these cases! 
I recently read a story about an experience a woman had on a short flight from Tucson to Phoenix.  Across the aisle from her sat a young woman and her baby, both dressed in white pinafores.  The baby had a little pink bow where there would eventually be hair.  The mother was smiling, as the baby kept saying "Dada," every time someone walked down the aisle.  The mother said her Daddy was waiting for them after they had been gone for a few days.  She was so adorable – quiet – that all passengers enjoyed watching her.  Unfortunately, there was a lot of turbulence, making the flight extremely rough, which of course was hard on the baby.  But the mother had some fruit and a little Thermos with orange juice in it.  Every time the baby cried the mother fed her a little bit more orange juice and a little more fruit.  While this seemed like a good idea at the time, the turbulence seemed to spread from the air around the plane right down to that baby’s gastro-intestinal system, and pretty much all of the fruit that had gone down came up. 
However, the process of coming up was considerably messier than the process of going down had been.  It also seemed to have increased in volume tremendously between the going down and the coming up, so that not only were the baby and the mother pretty much covered in it, but so were several of the passengers within a significant radius of the baby, including the woman who was telling the story. 
Fortunately for the mortified mother, the passengers were gracious and tried to help her and tell her it was OK.  After all what could she do about it??  The baby was crying, and she looked awful.  Even though they didn’t cry, her fellow passengers looked – and smelled – pretty awful, too.  The mother was so sorry about it. 
As soon as they landed, the baby was fine and returned to calling: "Dada, Dada."  The rest of the passengers didn’t recover quite so quickly, being covered as they were in pre-digested fruit.  The woman telling the story said, “I had on a suit, and I was trying to decide whether to burn it or just cut off the sleeve.  It was really bad.” 
Waiting for the plane was a young man who had to be “Dada.”  He was wearing white slacks, a white shirt, and he carried white flowers.  Now what do you think that clean Daddy all dressed in white did when he saw his baby who had that sticky, smelly stuff all over her clothes and her face and her hair?  He ran to the young mother, who handed the baby over pretty quickly so she could go get cleaned up.  That Daddy picked up that baby, and he hugged her and he kissed her and he stroked her hair.  As he held her close, he said, "Daddy’s baby’s come home.  Daddy’s baby’s come home."  All the way to the luggage claim area, he never stopped kissing that baby and welcoming her back home. 
The woman (in the story) thought, “Where did I ever get the idea that my Father God is less loving than a young daddy in white slacks and white shirt with white flowers in his hand?” 
Life can be messy to say the very least!  We mess up—our friends mess up.  And what do we do in return?  Aren’t you glad the Father overlooks our messes and loves us anyway?  He is always waiting to hear from you—to see you at His House!!  And He will accept you just as you are!  So what are you waiting for? 
Pastor J. T. Carnell

September 29, 2011

“I Told You So!” 
“Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not disregard it.” –  Proverbs 8:33 (NIV)

“Hear instruction and be wise, and do not refuse or neglect it.” ( Amplified Bible)

“Blessed the man, blessed the woman, who listens to me, awake and ready for me each morning,
alert and responsive as I start my day's work.” ( Verses 32-33, The Message)

“Listen to my instruction and be wise.  Don’t ignore it.” ( New Living Translation)

“Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.” ( King James Version)

I am always intrigued by the number of “interpretations” that there are and how each puts a unique “spin” on what the text is saying.  Of those listed above I would have to say I like what the Amplified Bible does (and says) and that is not only should we be careful to listen (as hopefully we learned yesterday) but that we not ignore what that voice is saying!!  There is no such thing as “selective spiritual instruction” you might say! 
Listen to this description of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in northern Ukraine: "There were two electrical engineers in the control room that night and the best thing that could be said for what they were doing is they were 'playing around' with the machine.  They were performing what the Soviets later described as an unauthorized experiment.  They were trying to see how long a turbine would 'free wheel' when they took the power off it. 
"Now, taking the power off that kind of a nuclear reactor is a difficult, dangerous thing to do, because these reactors are very unstable in their lower ranges.  In order to get the reactor down to that kind of power, where they could perform the test they were interested in performing, they had to override manually six separate computer-driven alarm systems. 
"One by one the computers would come up and say, 'Stop!  Dangerous!  Go no further!'  And one by one, rather than shutting off the experiment, they shut off the alarms and kept going.  You know the results: nuclear fallout that was recorded all around the world, from the largest industrial accident ever to occur in the world.  This city, which formerly had 55,000 people, is now largely abandoned.” 
Here is another I rather like: There was an interesting story some time ago in an issue of Focus on the Family magazine about a man who bought one of those cars that had replaced warning lights with spoken instructions in a female voice.  In a soft voice, his "little woman"—as he called her—would say, "Your door isn’t closed properly." " Your key is still in the ignition." " Your seat-belt isn’t fastened properly."  On one occasion he recalled how the voice of his "little woman" said, "Your fuel level is getting low."  The driver thanked her and figuring he had sufficient fuel to take him a further 50 miles, ignored the voice and kept driving.  A few minutes later, his "little woman" repeated, "Your fuel level is low."  The further he drove the more often his "little woman" repeated her warning.  Getting frustrated, he stopped his car, searched under the dashboard, and found the appropriate wires.  One quick jerk and his "little woman" was silenced.  Imagine the "grin"; that is "cha-grin" on his face when, a few minutes later his car spluttered and jerked to a standstill—out of fuel.  If the “little woman” could have spoken on her own I could well imagine her words would have been: “You should have listened to me…I told you so!” 
We all have seen the warning signs and have all probably heard at one time or another that little voice within.  It’s called the voice of conscience.  It can get very annoying at times, and sometimes we "pull its wires."  It is only too late we discover that we cannot stop the reactor or we have run out of fuel.  Why is it that we have such an aversion to following instructions? 
Here (and listen closely) is God’s instruction!  You are wise when you listen so don’t ignore it!  Don’t wait until it is too late to hear…”I told you so!” 
Pastor J. T. Carnell

“Listen Up!” 
“Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.” –  Proverbs 3:32
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake….” –  Psalm 23:1,3
“I am the good shepherd.  I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” –  John 10:14
“All we like sheep have gone astray...” – Isaiah 53:6
How good of a “listener” are you?  Most of us are not very good at either listening or retaining what we hear.  This is what often gets us into trouble—believing and then repeating false information because we do not do our homework or we did not pay attention in the first place.  I did an experiment one time with a group of teens to illustrate this to them.  I took one of the teens out of the room and said this phrase: "There were three brothers; Larry, Jerry, and Harry.  They married three sisters, whose names were Mary, Sherry, and Terry."  I then asked another teen to step out and he repeated what I said to that teen what I had said to him...and then that new one told another.  By the time it got to the 10th one and then had that one repeat what she heard to me.  Let's just say I heard an almost entirely different story than the one I had told! 
The Bible often compares us to sheep as the verses above remind us.  It is actually a very good comparison except for one area—listening.  The following illustration is proof of that. 
Charles Stanley tells the story of traveling with a church tour group to the Holy Land, and during one of their stops they observed a very unusual thing happen right before their eyes.  Two Bedouin shepherds, along with their flocks, crossed paths on a road.  The sheep mingled momentarily with sheep being led by the shepherds.  The members of the tour group looked on with awe as the sheep—who looked alike on the road that day—seemed to have no problem mixing with sheep from the other flock.  Until it was time for their shepherds to move in separate directions. 
When one of the shepherds decided to move his flock, he spoke softly to his sheep and without hesitation they followed his voice.  The other shepherd did likewise, the sheep following their shepherd.  With no confusion or uncertainty about whose voice to follow, the sheep instinctively followed their own shepherd.  How did this happen?  The sheep recognized the voice of their shepherd, and when he spoke, they followed—with total certainty that it was the right direction to take. 
Today there are voices from north, south, east, and west—urging us to buy their product, attend their function, embrace their beliefs, or support their cause.  What should we do?  Jesus said that he “calls his own sheep by name and leads them…and his sheep follow him because the sheep know his voice.”  If dumb sheep understand this principle, why are we so slow to figure it out? 
So I ask again—how good of a listener are you?  Are you listening now to what the Spirit is saying through these words and these messages?  Are you listening on a daily basis to what and where He wants to take you?  Here is a prayer to use for today:
“Gentle Shepherd, teach me how to listen more carefully to what you have to say to me.  Help me to identify your voice above the other voices that want me to follow them.  Remain close to me even in times when I am tempted to stray.  Keep me from making the wrong decisions.  Help me to focus on the right direction to take.  Discipline me as necessary when I miss the mark.  Forgive me for my tendency to go off in a new direction on my own.  Teach me to study your Word so that it can be a light to my pathway.  In the name of the Great Shepherd of the sheep I pray.  Amen.” 
Here is another message!!  If you read this message simply hit your reply button and say, "I Read it!"  This message goes out to a number of people and it would be great to hear from many.  It will only take a minute!  Please reply! 
Pastor J. T. Carnell
Editor's note: On the WC Blog leave a comment.  Thank you. 

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
8 And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way. 
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it. 
9 No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there. 
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and those the LORD has rescued will return. 
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads. 
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away. 
- Isaiah 35:8-10(New International Version). 

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let
the righteous be shaken. 
- Psalm 55:11(New International Version). 

A QUOTE
Do you have a friend you can express any honest thought to without fear of appearing foolish? 
- Patrick M. Morley -

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
He is either Lord of all, or He's not Lord at all. 
- From Reflecting God -
It isn't our position but our disposition that makes us happy. 
- From Reminisce Magazine -
Your words are windows to your heart. 
- From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
Had lunch with Charley and then to the post office.  A nap in early afternoon.  Rascal joined me before I got up.  I lay down again at 5:00 p.m. for about 30 minutes and Beau joined me.  I put out treats and food for the outside animals at 5:30 p.m. At 6:00 p.m. I watched a Billy Graham Crusade Classic.  This one tonight was from Meadowlands, N. J. in 1991.  Last week the Classic was from 1961 and tonight from 1991, 30 years between.  In 1961 Mr. Graham was 43 and in 1991 he was 73.  I thought about the differences in his message.  In 1961 he had more energy and moved around on the platform more.  In 1991 he stayed at the podium and seemed to speak quieter.  The Message certainly had not changed and hundreds of people came forward in both services.  The attendance usually overflowed the arena he was speaking in.  If anyone else watched the program tonight send me an e-mail and tell me.  Many people have already taken their vacations this year.  Others have yet to take their vacation.  I remember trips with Flonnie and the kids when the kids were very small and other trips as they grew older.  I remember the trips with Flonnie after the kids grew up, sometimes a short trip sometimes a long trip.  One trip we made to California in 1976, our daughter, June, came with us and Flonnie's mother, Cloie, also was with us.  Flonnie and I made a few more trips to California when Ron and family lived there and also Treva and family lived there for a while.  Sometimes Flonnie would say, "Lets play hookey today" and we would drive a few miles just to shop, to places like Atoka, or Eufaula, or Holdenville, or Muskogee, or Wilburton, etc.  Now my vacation days are over but one of these days I am going to take another vacation with Flonnie.  Here is the chrous to the song "When I Take My Vacation In Heaven."  Won't you join us on that vacation? 
"When I take my vacation in heaven what a wonderful time that will be
Hearing concerts by the heavenly chorus and the face of my Saviour I'll see
Sitting down on the banks of the river neath the shade of the evergreen tree
There I'll rest from my burdens forever won't you take your vacation with me?" 
The cats are fine.  Little Girl on a blanket on the couch.  Rascal has been by a few times.  Smokey came by once.  Itty Bitty came through a little while ago and Emmy was just here for a bite of food. 
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 90 degrees.  Low temperature this morning was 51 degrees.  At 10:25 p.m. skies are mostly clear with a temperature of 66 degrees. 
I will see you next time,

September 28, 2011

GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS HOLY WORD
26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 
- James 2:26(New International Version). 

GOD'S PROMISE TO US FROM HIS HOLY WORD
19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights. 
- Habakkuk 3:19(New International Version). 

A QUOTE
Dying is a very natural part of living.  It is not an ending but a beginning.  A transition into the life God has promised to all of His children.  He wants us home with Him when we finish the work He created us to do.  He loves us - believe it. -  Trudy Harris, RN, from the book "Glimpses of Heaven." - 

THOUGHTS TO REMEMBER
The least expensive thing to spend on others is your time. 
- From Reminisce Magazine -
There is no such thing as an idle rumor. 
- From Reminisce Magazine -

NOTES
I had lunch with Charley.  I went to the post office.  I took my nap in early afternoon.  At about 3:15 p.m. I went to Walmart and Petsense for some items.  I filled my van at Walmart at $3.26 per gallon.  I went outside with the cats at 6:00 p.m. After putting out the food and treats I read until about 7:15 p.m. Thanks to the ones who send e-mails and thanks to everyone who reads the Good Things.  As always if you would like to be dropped from Good Things, send me an e-mail. 
The cats are fine doing the things they are normally doing at this time of evening. 
Today has been a sunny day with a high temperature of 86 degrees.  Low temperature this morning was 54 degrees.  At 9:35 p.m. skies are mostly clear with a temperature of 64 degrees. 
I will see you next time,
In Christian Love, Everett. 

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