Kingdom Hearts

Here are some things for us to all strive for:

1. Give people more than they expect–cheerfully (Philemon 21).
2. Do not believe everything you hear.
3. Smile (even when answering the phone). Callers can hear it in your voice.
4. When you say, “I’m sorry,” look the person in the eye.
5. Spend some time alone (Matthew 14:23).
6. When you say, “I love you,” mean it (1 Peter 1:22).
7. Don’t let a dispute ruin a friendship (Proverbs 27:10).
8. Do not judge people by their relatives (Matthew 7:1).
9. Do an anonymous kindness each day (Ephesians 4:32).
10. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson (James 1:2-4).
11. When you make a mistake, admit it and take the immediate steps to correct it.
12. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling, threats, or bringing up history.
13. Love deeply and passionately. It is the only way to live completely.
14. Never forget that your identity as a Christian hinges upon your love for others (John 13:35).
15. Take time during the day to pray (Luke 18:1) and give attention to God’s word (1 Timothy 4:3).

It is no fun for someone to say unkind things to us or to someone that we deeply care about. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of such a scenario is not listening to it, but rather keeping ourselves in check and making sure we don’t bite back. Boy, do I ever struggle with this!

Jesus found Himself in similar situations often throughout His ministry. Sometimes He responded with questions of His own. Sometimes He had a direct answer. And sometimes He chose to say nothing at all. And the only conclusion we can draw is that however He responded, He did it without sinning (Hebrews 4:15) and therefore left for us the perfect example. Obviously God wants us to follow Christ’s example (1 Corinthians 11:1). Jesus Himself reminds us that part of what characterizes those who belong to His kingdom is serving others as lights and salt in the world (Matthew 5:15).

Paul in his letter to the Colossians gives us a tremendous charge:

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:5-6).

What is the purpose of salt? We have all heard before how it preserves, purifies, and enhances. That is one lesson here about the effect our speech ought to have on others. I remember one day as a child, I was with my step dad feeding our cows and I pointed to a salt block and asked him what that was. After telling me it was a salt block, I then preceded to ask him why it was there. He told me it was to make the cows thirsty so they would drink water. Does our speech, which is supposed to be seasoned with salt, make others thirst for God?

Also, notice, Paul says to let our speech ALWAYS be this way; not just when it is convenient. But even when we are not treated in the same way. This is an example of why I believe that it can be really difficult to be a Christian at times. But in reality, instead of griping about being in fishbowls, we should accept with gladness the fact that we should be held to a higher standard. The reward is great. Not only in that we have a heavenly home to look forward to, but what a great sense of peace and security it can be to walk in this life, knowing we are hand in hand with Jesus, and not allowing the world to negatively affect us!

Please pray for me that I will do a better job with this; accepting the fact that I am held to a higher standard as a child of God.

Friendship is a beautiful thing. I don’t know where I would be today without the blessing of friends. I am grateful that my wife is my friend. I am fortunate that my parents are friends. I have been blessed with lots of people in my life that I can call true friends. I believe establishing friendships are very important to Christianity. The fellowship that we are able to enjoy with one another is a tremendous part of what should get us through difficult times.

Friendship is at least in part what helped Peter and John get through what I would perceive as a difficult time. In Acts 4, the church is in its infant state, and as Peter and John were out preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, the Jewish leaders grew quite annoyed with them. They had recently healed a lame man who was a beggar, thus establishing credibility among the people as to what they were teaching. And although the authorities could not find anything inherently wrong with their message, it was still a threat to them. So they arrested Peter and John and “charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18). Of course, the reaction and response of Peter and John to all of this is quite interesting in that they said they could not help but speak about Jesus (v.19) along with their affirmation that they will place God over man (Acts 5:29). Eventually, due to these leaders’ inability to find a reason to punish Peter and John, they let them go. It was what Peter and John did immediately upon their release that catches my attention.

“When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them” (Acts 4:23).

I am certainly grateful for the reality that it is very unlikely that we will ever face this type of persecution in our great country for preaching Jesus. But I do often wonder, if ever this were the case, who would I run to? When I face any challenge in life for that matter, whether it be a sin I am struggling with, persecution of some type, grief over a loss, or in need of Godly counsel and wisdom, do I have the type of friends that I could go to, confide in, and ask to pray with and for me? Notice how Peter and John’s friends responded to their immediately going to them.

“And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them…..” (Acts 4:24ff).

They prayed together! What a beautiful picture of what friendship is all about. Do I have the type of friends that I have no doubt in my mind I can run to, and know that they would stop what they are doing and pray with me and for me? The ones I am closest to in life, am I comfortable enough around them to pray with them?

You bet!

Thank you Heavenly Father and Creator of life for the friendships I have in my life! And please help me to be such a friend to those who are so dear to me.

And I stand, I stand in awe of You.
I stand, I stand in awe of You.
Holy God to Whom all praise is due.
I stand in awe of You.

I have a story to tell before sharing an awesome video.

Some of mine and Cody’s best friends, Clay and Joanna Martin, live in Hobbs, New Mexico. He preaches there. While attending college at what is now called Texas State University in San Marcos, Clay was my roommate and he dated Joanna at the same time me and Cody were dating. So we all became quite close. We were very involved with the church there together and with the Bible Chair there. I attribute a lot of my growth as a new Christian to Clay and his encouragement. There is nothing quite like staying up til 3 AM talking bible, knowing you have a 8:00 AM class that same morning. He challenged me. He grew with me. Those are truly some of the greatest years of my life. And I will forever be indebted to him.

In the summer of 1997, we all went our separate ways. We still see each other and talk frequently. But we all got married that summer. First, John and Amber Johanson, then me and Cody, then Clay and Joanna, later that summer Patrick and Melissa Hammack, then Travis and Melissa Herbelin. Well, while we were all engaged, the running joke was undoubtedly, Clay and Joanna would be the first to get pregnant. They didn’t disappoint. About 3 months after they were married, they showed up at the door of our apartment to announce their good news. Of course, I laughed at them. But at the same time I was happy for them. We all knew it would happen, accident or not. I remember going to visit them at the hospital on the night of Caleb’s birth day. Just a few hours old, he was crying and Joanna held him and sang to him, while saying, “Mommy is here. It’s okay.” I wept. Then Clay laughed at me. So I guess he actually got the last laugh.

Great memories! Well, this coming July Caleb will be 11 years old. He is growing up. What a great young man he has turned out to be and Cody and I love him as if he were one of our own. Clay and Joanna have obviously done a great job with him, along with their two daughters, Faith and Jenna. And he is as strong as an ox. I found out this past December when we saw them, that I can no longer easily pick him up and manhandle him like I used to do.

Well, I wanted to share with you a video of Caleb preaching his first sermon. I hope all will take the time to watch this. It is incredibly encouraging and refreshing. It is only 3 1/2 minutes long so it won’t take up too much of your time. His brevity in and of itself is a great example to us preachers, right? HA! He has us all beat I think, with regard to his age for preaching his first sermon. And what an awesome topic, Jesus is the only One who saves. Great job, Caleb!

Clay and Joanna Martin, we love you. You guys are incredible. Thank you for the encouragement you are for Cody and me. And thank you for your wonderful example of raising a young boy who is learning more and more every day how to love Jesus and walk with Him. And may God’s richest blessings continue to shine on your beautiful family!

It is amazing how truly blessed we are, materially speaking! I remember going to Jamaica for the first time in 1997 on a mission trip and while there, thinking to myself and aloud, “Man, the poor people in the United States are much richer than the rich people of Jamaica.” I am not sure if we can really know how blessed we are until we see how unfortunate some circumstances are in which others are forced to live. And this especially lies true with regard to our material wealth.

• Can you imagine being so hungry that you would be willing to go to the city dump and find food that was thrown away in order to eat and feed your family?
• Are we able to fathom what it must be like to want to move your family to live at the city dump in order to have access all day to food thrown away?
• What would it be like to live in shelters put together at the city dump; shelters made of sticks and garbage bags?
• How would you feel about living in a place that has an odor so bad that most people would gag when they smell it?
• How did Jesus respond when He walked upon such a place?

Here is an article written about such a place in Santa Ana, Honduras. Please take a couple of minutes to read this. It is powerful. For a video with some footage of what life is like here, along with an interesting perspective on this, click here.

Thankfully we have missionaries there to help these people with food and clothing, as well as to teach them about the good news of Jesus Christ. There is always a need for funds to help feed these people. And it doesn’t take a lot. There are a lot of hungry souls at this dump, but $20 per day allows the missionaries and workers there to make sandwiches to feed these people. What could you give up for a week to save $20? It wouldn’t be much, and think what it would mean to the dump people in Santa Ana, Honduras.

Tuesday, May 5th, in 12 days from today, there will be a very special day and I pray that you will participate. You can read more about “Feed the Dump People Day” right here but what Trey Morgan wants to do for his friend who is a missionary there is help raise $2500 to feed hungry people who live at this dump. This is an opportunity for each and everyone of us to help fulfill what Jesus discusses in Matthew 25:31-46. Here is an opportunity to have the kingdom hearts Jesus promoted throughout His ministry. We make a daily habit of asking, “What will we eat today?” while the dump people are asking, “Will we get to eat today?”

What can you give? Can you give $50? $20? $10? Whatever you can give will be appreciated and it WILL make a difference. Please consider this. More importantly, please pray for these people that the efforts here will not only noursish and strengthen them physically but that spiritually speaking, these precious souls may come in contact with the gospel. I will provide more details soon on where you can send finanical help. But for now, please take note of May 5th and consider making a commitment to help out with “Feed the Dump People Day.”

Thanks for reading!

Obviously one benefit of believing in God is to avoid dying in our sins. Jesus states:

“I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

There is little doubt that our faith must be in Jesus if we are to have any hope of salvation. All of us want to avoid spending an eternity apart from God. But as we mature, I believe our faith lies much deeper. There are also certain positive motivational factors that should serve as an impetus for our belief in God to become stronger and stronger as each day passes.

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

The more we put our trust in Him as our Savior, the more we will seek to please Him, hopefully. That we are rewarded and because our love for Him increases as a result should be more of a motivator for our belief than merely seeking to avoid hell. This should come as we mature spiritually. There are a lot of rewards that come with our faith, as the Hebrews writer suggests. Salvation is certainly something that we look forward to in the next life that has far more to offer than this life. However, let us never forget how much we can enjoy our status as citizens of God’s kingdom in the here and now also. Jesus and His apostles, throughout His ministry, in preaching on the kingdom, promoted it as a citizenship to be gained and enjoyed in this life. Salvation is something we can relish today. And this in turn, should effect how we choose to live.

Obviously there are many passages that suggest that we can lose this status as citizens when we cease to live in such a way that confesses Christ (Matthew 10:32-33). Paul implies that when our heart is not set on serving Him, we no longer make Him our Lord (Romans 10:9-13). We “call on the name of the Lord” by living in such a way that reflects Jesus as our Lord. So, as we become a part of God’s family, when we know we are walking in the light (1 John 1:7), we have every reason to rejoice with confidence that we are in God’s grace. And man cannot take this away (Romans 8:31-39).

Because of God’s grace, in addition to the ultimate reward of an eternity in Heaven, we can enjoy the benefits that come with our belief now. Our faith in God allows us to cope with the evil, pain, and suffering in this world. It allows us to not fear our own death. It gives us the security of rejoicing when a loved one leaves this life and goes on to a much better one. Our belief in God hopefully changes our entire perspective on life. It allows us to look at things differently so as to not be so tied to this world. It gives us every opportunity to put our stock in the “bigger picture,” a much greater citizenship than what this world has to offer. Our belief helps us to see that this world was never intended to be our home.

Thank God I can live a life of rejoicing, with a positive mindset rather than focusing on all the negative in this world. I am so happy that I can enjoy a life where I can optimistically look forward to the next one.

Here is something I ran across over the weekend when cleaning off my desk here at the house. I don’t know who wrote this, but it is excellent. I hope you enjoy:

• Return everything you borrow
• Stop blaming other people
• Live within your means
• Be humble
• Listen more; talk less
• Every day, do something nice and try not to get caught
• Strive for excellence, not perfection
• Be on time
• Don’t criticize anyone
• Be even kinder to unkind people
• Take time to study God’s word and pray
• Admit it when you make a mistake
• Understand and accept that life isn’t always fair
• Let someone cut ahead of you in line
• Don’t argue
• Know when to say something
• Know when to keep your mouth shut
• Don’t make excuses
• Don’t sweat the small stuff

–Author Unknown

(Chorus)
Singin halle, halle, hallelu
All the glory is due You
For You are the Holy One
You’re the One, You’re the only One

Bless You’re name Lord Jesus
Only name that frees us
For You are the Holy One
You’re the One, You’re the only One
We will praise You right here and now
Lest the hills and rocks cry out
For You are the Holy One
You’re the One, You’re the only One

(Chorus)
Singin halle, halle, hallelu
All the glory is due You
For You are the Holy One
You’re the One, You’re the only One

If we had ten thousand hands
We would bless You as You command
For You are the Holy One
You’re the One, You’re the only One
If we had ten thousand tongues
We would praise You with every one
For You are the Holy One
You’re the One, You’re the only One

(Chorus)
Singin halle, halle, hallelu
All the glory is due You
For You are the Holy One
You’re the One, You’re the only One

Here are some things to consider in marriage. Sometimes it is what seems like the “little things” that add up to the big things and make a marriage happy. God has blessed me with almost 12 years of marriage to Cody and as I anticipate the privilege of growing old with her I pray that I will always remember these “little things:”

• We are never too old to hold hands with our spouses
• Remember to say “I love you” to your spouse at least once every day
• Compliment your spouse each day. Make sure they know they are valued and important to you.
• Stay romantic
• Try not to go to sleep angry at your spouse
• Believe the best. Live in the appreciation room rather than the depreciation room
• Always stand together with your spouse to face the world as a team
• Express gratitude to your spouse
• Never go too long without doing a thoughtful deed or act of kindness for your spouse
• Develop the capacity to forgive and forget
• Live by encouragement rather than by expectations that are too high. Allow your spouse to be human and provide an atmosphere for growth
• Always remember the positive qualities that made you fall in love with your spouse
• Remember that it is not only about marrying the right partner, but it is also about BEING the right partner
• Thank God every day for blessing you with your spouse

I have always admired so much the “older couples” that I have known throughout my life who have set such great examples of what happy marriages mean. I hope my wife and I can do the same for others as we get older.

Have a great weekend!