Up in the Air

How do those Olympic ski people go backwards up in the air and do somersaults. And land on their feet backwards.

We watch and are dumbfounded. The answer is, they are trained for the impossible by years of doing small jumps? And not being afraid of falling because they know now to roll. Of course it is. Dangerous and to the non expert skier it looks well nigh impossible.

Every excellent in sports involves training and experience. No one gets to the top without discipline and self denial and a good coach. It is in the life of the spirit. We need to listen to our instructions. We must know who we are serving and we are not competing for an earthly gold medal but for something much more lasting.

We will feel pain. We will be disciplined for our own good, but if we stay the course, we will be able to do things for God, we could never have imagined.

Good Old Fashioned American Service

Businesses spend lots of money on figuring out how to win customers. There are all kinds of little words that banks use now to sound more engaging to customers. As for example: How is your day going? Have a nice day! Or any plans for the weekend?

Are we won over by these pasted on programs? The answer is I am not buying into it. Very few people on the other side of the counter really listen to what the customer says.

So, I had a big surprise when a teller remembered something I said from making a transaction with her before. She asked about the class I was attending. It was like a real person listening to me and expressing interest. Was she really interested? There is too much pretend service.

Young people today need to be trained in order to serve. If they are fortunate enough to have basic Christian values taught them in the home, they may extend this in their work area. We need to get back to real service by thanking and underlining when someone really does listen and respond to us in the business area.

And reality check: Are we, am I, becoming sucked into superficiality by the culture? Jesus took people one at a time. He was never too rushed to hone in on the needs of the individual before him. Our basic service values in this country come from a Biblical base. We need to serve each other and we need to know each other and be as real as we can in a very phony plastic society that is fast loosing its moorings in what made it great.

Don't fool yourself. If you want to build up your business or grow a church, you better become more real and work real hard at that. Results are not from programs or slogans or false interest. Results happen when we find that we can be real as we transact our business and that the person on the other end is trustworthy and will do more than just go through the motions.

People Change People

We are greatly influenced by those around us. If we are at a sports club we may be much more aware of bodies, and ours, in particular. The values that the leaders are holding out is the importance of fitness so we will tend to "measure up" and "work out" harder than if we were somewhere else.

When we are in church or around people of faith we may feel more influenced toward praying or thinking about a supreme being. When we have friends who are people of faith we become attuned to faith waves and our faith can grow as we see how God works in real time and situations.

If we have parents who expect us to do well in school, unless we are rebellious, we will tend to study, do our homework, and aim for a higher education. If on the other hand, our parents do not have these values, we will be influenced to be just like them. Recently, I have been reading how no matter how much money gets pumped into school systems like Chicago and Kansas City, the level of achievement remains very low. Because, it is people that influence people, not the buildings they are educated in.

In mentoring a child, a teacher must be a real model who cares for each child. This is really impossible in over crowded class rooms. There is no time for the one to one.

That is why Project Lost Sheep encourages tutoring programs for elementary students inside churches in poorer areas. The place is safe but the love and care of the people doing the tutoring is even more important.

In San Jose high school students come in for one hour to tutor in math or English, the children who have no one who can help them at home. In the joyful atmosphere of food, games and community that happens in the first hour, the door is opened for the timid child to try hard to do his homework.

People influence people. Never forget that those who carve their initials in your life and stamp you with their attitudes will make a difference in you, and in your children, for good or for evil.

Children are out there who do not have a chance of surviving without intervention. See yourself as a problem solver by becoming involved in influencing a child. You won't be sorry you gave a few hours of your time.

GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER WHOSE HEART IS IN HIS GIVING.

After Christmas Blues

After Christmas can be a time of low spirits for many. The lights are put away. The parties are over. Normal life begins again. And yet, and yet, God still gives us a bright spots to feel and see.

Today, in northern California, it a remarkably spring like day. The sun shines. We need rain badly but still it is a day to enjoy and be outside. I had lunch outside by a pool. This is not normal in January.

It is a bright spot: a gift to enjoy. I can rejoice in it and enjoy it or not as I choose but God really likes to see us enjoy the bright spots, the peaceful moments. It is hard not to love a day like this. This bright spot is given to us to enjoy "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it."

There are bright spots all around us in winter. I have discovered music on I pad and enjoy my own play list. We can rejoice and listen in winter and have the time to hear the notes of accomplished musicians.

I always am amazed at the thought of how many hours went into the practice that is presented in the finished album. With amazing sound quality I am present, a little audience of one, to hear masterful performances.

God has given us all things to enjoy.

The laugh of a child. A kind word from a friend. A show about birds: the life of birds on Netflix. look for the color under the water! See the diversity of God. The Lord knows that we need these bright spots to lift up our spirits.

Look for the bright spots in your day today.

Meditation On The Wise Men

One of my favorite carols is about the wise men who came to Bethlehem following the star. They came from the orient. They were learned men. The were astrologers. When they saw the new star, signifying the birth of a very important child, they were intrigued.

The wise men were humble enough to know when something astonishing was happening and by interpretation at some point they knew it was the birth of the Kind of the Jews. Before the journey they prepared their gifts to be presented to this king. Each of the three, picked a present to carry on what must have been a long, dangerous journey with only the star to guide them. They were in constant movement. They slept when they could, mainly in the daytime because they had to follow the star's light at night. They were tired, dirty, hungry at times but they persisted because they believed that they would find what they sought if they continued.

Finally, the wise men arrive in Jerusalem. At that time the area was under Roman authority. King Herod was ruler. And, if you read Mattthew chapter 2 you will find out that he was very mean and devious.

The wise men are important enough that they get an audience with King Herod, himself. "Where is the King of the Jews?" they ask. This causes pandemonium to break out. Herod calls in his people: the chief priests and scribes and asks where Christ should be born.

The answer is Bethlehem, in the land of Judah. "...for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." The wise men receive this and are directed onward on their journey. I don't imagine they spend much more time in Jerusalem. They are very focused in their quest. There journey continues.

At last the star stops moving. They rejoice. They know they are at the right location. They go inside and they see the young child and Mary, his mother. They fall down and worship the child, Christ the Lord. Then they present their gifts each one brings a very good gift.

Being wise, they do not return to visit Herod (see Matthew, chapter 2) but go back to their country another way. The wise men came prepared to worship and to give.

Finding the child was worth the time, energy, danger and journey because they were filled with joy and got to experience the presence of the miracle of the child born King of the Jews.

Some of you have been on journeys that lead you away from finding the Christ child, but now you are hungry, thirsty and tired and you are looking for something out of this world. You are ready to start the journey. Prepare your gift and prepare your heart to follow the light, as the wise men did long ago. You won't be disappointed at journey's end.

The Greatest Gift

Christmas is in the air. Gift giving is all around us. In the stores, on the shelves. We are thinking of others and what we can give them. The perfect gift for the person is what we would really like to give.

For some people on your list, the perfect gift might just be a phone call. They'd like to hear your voice. For some without food, they would like you to put canned and other non-perishables in the bins provided. I love that there are so many opportunities to give. I like to see overflow in those bins because I know there are hungry families and those who will eat and be glad over these offerings.

There may be somebody on your list who you need to forgive. Forgiveness would be a gift you could give to God and to yourself. We all need to let go and grow larger by the gift of forgiveness. We know that one of the greatest gifts we have received at Christmas, if we are believers, is the gift of forgiveness.

We have been forgiven so we can extend forgiveness to others. It doesn't matter if we don't feel like it we can reach way down in the bag of grace and be given the moment to pray like this.

"Father, because I have been forgiven by your son Jesus Christ who died on the cross, I want you to help me to forgive x from my heart."

When we act out of the gift we have received at Christmas of salvation and love and the incredible humility of God delivering us to himself in such a small package as Jesus, helpless, sinless, but fully God we can only say "thank you" and fall on our knees and worship, no matter how far we have wandered or how long the journey has taken us to get to this moment in time.

My prayer for each of you this Christmas is that you will receive the perfect gift of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS

into your life, into your family, into your community. I pray that you will have fresh eyes to see the work that is there for you to do. I pray that you will get together with others and reach out in love to those who need to know that Christian love is real because God really is real and God is love. I pray that you will be blessed as you work and as you give to extend His Kingdom down here in this world that needs the perfect gift of Christ more than every before.

What is your part to bring God's perfect gift into real time?
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights... " James 1:17

Safety of Children

Children need to be protected. Sometimes from themselves and sometimes from others. In urban environments where there are dangers on every corner, unsupervised children can be shot, kidnapped or abused. This is America today I am talking about.

Adults who are used to protecting their own children with constant paid for after school activities may not realize the plight of the poor who have no helper. But, God has promised to be "a father to the fatherless". Wonderful programs like PAL and others can provide help for those who need it, but most programs cost something.

Project Lost Sheep encourages tutoring programs inside churches for no cost.  First, children who get discouraged in elementary school are not likely to go beyond 8th grade. They will then be "on the streets" and targets for gangs. Children in many immigrant groups do not have parents who can help them even with basic homework. Survival is literally what many of these parents care about. I mean food and rent..

Against this backdrop we have the all seeing, merciful eye of God and His goodness that reaches out in so many ways to tend these needy ones. There is a mountain of need. They children need help with their school work but their parents often need help and resources that the community centered church can provide. Because of the overloaded classrooms, the child who is behind, may only get further behind and be passed onto the next level to face more challenges of failure.

I will never forget a Project Lost Sheep meeting in which a teenager stood up and cried in front of us all because she was so glad that her little sister was in a tutoring program and wouldn't have to go through the embarrassment and humiliation that she had gone through in school.

Can a few hours a week of your time make a difference? Look back on the blogs and find the one with children from Onurri Church in San Jose. These children have smiles and self confidence because they know that they can get help in a caring environment. Every week there are adults and teenagers there to help them. They get food. They get to play games. They sing Bible songs. They sit down and have homework help.

Grace abounds as we expand our hearts to help. Let's inspire change by rolling up our sleeves and finding a place to serve. What would happen if every child in your city had a good old American chance at help getting the basics: reading and math? Would more of them make it through high schoo and beyond? And those who can will do a great deal for the community they grew up in by way of being models for change.

There are needy children all over the world but look out your window and see the little ones in your city.

Thankfulness

Have you noticed that the "thank you" note is almost extinct? People are just letting that go. Also, the habit of thanking people for opening a door or picking up something you drop.

This is too bad. Because thanksgiving is an acknowledgement of a favor done for us that we didn't earn or deserve. In our walk with God, and even if you are not there yet, I suggest you start the good habit of thanks-giving.

Thank God as soon as you wake up for something good. Allow a few seconds or minutes and more thanksgiving items will come.

What good came to you yesterday? Thank God for sunshine. A cancelled meeting. A good meal. A conversation with a friend, etc. Once you go down the thanksgiving trail you will become aware, more than ever, that you are not alone in the day that is facing you.

"Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

For others, it may be a different trail. But, if you want to be getting closer to God today then start the day and keep going on the thanksgiving train. Count your blessings one by one.

For others, it may be a different trail. But, if you want to be getting closer to God today then start the day and keep going on the thanksgiving train.

Count your blessings one by one.