Thursday, September 28, 2006

From Calm To Chaos

From Calm To Chaos
Could it be that after only a few weeks of blogging that I have finally found out how to change my time stamp to Central time? Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Time Right?

Imagine. After only a few weeks of blogging, I think I finally discovered how to set the time stamp so that my posts would be in central time. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Dad To Cherry Hill

From Calm To Chaos: Chaos, Not Calm
Dad was moved from the hospital to the nursing home at Cherry Hill Healthcare on Tuesday. All is going well so far. The folks there could not have been more kind and helpful and he seems to be adapting pretty well, though his mental condition continues to be quite a bit worse than before he went to the hospital. The facility is very nice and clean as could be. It was only built a few years ago. I have visited a lot of nursing homes and this one does not have the one thing that stands out most in my mind when I think of them- the bad odor. It smells good from one end to the other.
Mom seems to be adjusting well to being at our house. We have been quite busy up until now. Thanks for your interest.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Chaos, Not Calm

From Calm To Chaos
I haven't "blogged" much this week. This has been one of those weeks of more Chaos than Calm. My Dad, who has Alzheimer's, fell last week and Mom fell as well trying to get him up. He is now in the Hospital at Walker Regional and plans are to move him to Cherry Hill Healthcare at Forestdale next week. I would appreciate it if you would remember him and our family in prayer.

Are You Listening?

From Calm To Chaos
Perhaps you heard the late Bro. V. E. Howard preach, either in person or on the radio. He had a very popular radio program that became known by his constant reminder as he spoke, "Are you listening?" This is a question that we need to ask more of ourselves. I once attended a class on counseling called "Human Relations." It concentrated on the idea of carefully listening to the one that you are counseling, and making sure that you heard what he "really" said. I guess I already knew it to some extent, but that class taught me that it was not easy to be a good listener. I have heard a lot of people say such things as, "My Mom(or child) just won't listen to me," or "My husband never hears a thing I say. He has 'selective' hearing," but I have never heard someone admit that they are a poor listener. Do you wonder why?
In fact, it may be quite an insult not to listen to what another is saying to you. The other day I wrote to my congressman about a matter of concern to me. I strongly disagreed with a bill that he had sponsored. I got back a very cordial letter thanking me for writing and saying that the congressman agreed with me, that is why he sponsored the bill. Obviously, neither he nor his staff read my letter. The letter added insult to injury. Why? Because he tried to give the appearance of concern, but he did not take the time to listen to my concerns. It would do us all well in our families, in the church, and in other relationships to give our listening skills a check-up. One cannot obey the "Golden Rule" (Matt. 7:12) if he does not listen to others closely enough to acknowledge their concerns.
Another passage of scripture that we should consider here is James 1:19, "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." The "swift to hear" part goes along with the "slow to speak." Often we are too busy talking to listen. Another thought here is that hearing has something to do with our anger. How many times have you been angry about some matter that was just a misunderstanding? Listening more carefully can help to resolve many difficulties.
On a personal note, many people have physical hearing problems. I am one of those who has a hearing loss in one ear. It usually doesn't show up until I am in a noisy place(like a church lobby). The doctor tested my hearing and said a hearing aid would do no good. Sometimes those who cannot hear well fail to inform others of the problem, but there are those who do not speak loudly enough to be heard.
Yes, it is a problem when we fail to hear each other, especially if we won't listen to those who are close to us. Consider Proverbs 1:8, "My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother." Of course parents need to hear their children, as well, that they might know how to teach and correct them.
But it is an even worse problem when we fail to hear God. Since faith
comes by hearing(Rom. 10:17), one may be lost because of a failure to listen. Jesus often
said in Revelation 2 and 3 to the seven churches of Asia, "He who has an ear, let him hear."
Are you listening to the word of God, or have you neglected to hear it?
A serious pronouncement is made about that in Proverbs 1:24-26, "Because I have
called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no has heeded, 25 Because
you have ignored all my counsel, And would have none of my reproof, 26 I also will laugh at
your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you.(ESV)" We had better listen to God.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

"I Think You Have Fleas"

Can you imagine my daughter Kim's shock when her new doctor examined her and then seriously remarked, "I think you have fleas." I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall. Well, no, Kim doesn't have fleas but she did kid me about them after last Sunday night. My sermon was about staying far from sin, instead of seeing how close you can get to it. I illustrated by talking about Crocodile Hunter and how his always getting so close to danger led to his death. Then I used 4 passages in the New Testament that speaks of things we should "Flee". That is "Flee sexual immorality(1 Cor. 6:18), flee youthful lusts(2 Tim 2:22), Flee these things(1 Tim 6:11), and 'flea'(sp)idolatry"(1 Cor.10:14).Yes, "Flea" is what I put on my beloved powerpoint. Kim about had a come apart, along with Rachel Garrison and some others. Kim kidded me about it and even left a note on my blog.
Well, Kim had an appointment with Dr. Williams, the same doctor I have used for years, an hour and a half after I had one on Tuesday. He is a fine man with a great sense of humor and delighted in helping me with this little practical joke. I told him that Kim would take it well, and she did, after realizing just what was going on, and no, that she did not have "fleas".
The moral of the story- "Don't mess with the preacher's "fleas", please." If the spell checker didn't catch them, neither should you." Have a great day.

Monday, September 11, 2006

ICYC "Great Roof" Singing


From Calm To Chaos
If you love to sing like I do, you don't want to miss the "Great Roof" Singing that is coming up on September 23rd from 6:00 p.m. until ? at Indian Creek Youth Camp. There will also be a fish fry costing $7.00(Children $4.00) starting at 4:30 p.m. We plan for this to be an annual event. If you are a "blogger" who is interested in the camp, would you please put a note about this on your blog? If you want more information you can contact Clay Custred at claycustred@yahoo.com. "Is any merry? let him sing psalms."(James 5:13).

Saturday, September 09, 2006

I Say No To "Fried Green Beans"

One of the dieters best friends has to be green beans. As I recall, they have 20 something calories in a whole cup. And in spite of my dear daughter's hatred of all beans(Will she ever grow out of it?), they taste great! Even with some seasoning thrown in, they don't have many calories. And now, TGI Friday is advertising a new appetizer- Fried Green Beans. The ad shows them coated with some kind of breading, and dipped in something(I don't know what it is, but I guarantee it is fattening. This may be the best new food item since the invention of ketchup, but I am just saying no.
I like broiled shrimp, but fried is better. Grilled catfish is great, but fried is finer. Why is nothing as good as fried? And now, for the safe and Weight Watcher approved green bean, to be fried. I am just not going to try it. Pass the french fries, please.

Friday, September 08, 2006

Jesus' Disciples Had Hard Hearts

From Calm To Chaos
Thought you might like to read my bulletin article this week. You may access past articles at:

www.sylvanspringschurchofchrist.com

The Bible tells of many who had hard hearts. Zedekiah is an example of one Old Testament king who had a hard heart, “And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord God of Israel.” (2 Chron. 36:13). Moses encountered this with Pharaoh in Exodus when he hardened his heart. The law of Moses permitted divorce because of the “hardness of your hearts”.( Matthew 19:8). Jesus often met those with hard hearts. We know of unbelievers that Jesus taught and did miracles before, that remained unbelievers, because their hearts were hard. A good account of this is in John 12:37-40. “But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, [38] that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: "Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" [39] Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: [40] "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them." Paul encountered this same thing in Ephesus in Acts 19:8-9, “And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the kingdom of God. [9] But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.” In teaching the gospel today we meet those who will not hear because they have hardened their hearts. We expect this.
But what we may not expect is to find Christians who have hardened their hearts. If we studied Jesus disciples, we would find that even they, at times, had hardened hearts. We read in Mark 6:52, “ For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
In Mark 8:17 we see, “But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, "Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?”. Yet again in Mark 16:14 we read, “Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” Even after the resurrection had taken place, the Apostles allowed worldly thoughts to harden them to the point that they did not believe that Jesus had come forth from the grave. This was serious.
There are many lessons that we can get from this, but the one that stands out is that we really need to be on guard lest we allow our own personal feelings, experiences, and temptations, to harden us to the truth. We need to continue to work and pray that our heart will be soft and receptive to the gospel of Christ. It is easy to look at God’s word and apply it’s lessons to everyone else. It is difficult to see ourselves and change our actions and attitudes.
The writer of Hebrews gave a warning that all of us would do well to heed, “but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13). David Courington

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Pigs Gone Wild

From Calm To Chaos

We all hear, and probably tell, a lot more bad news than good. We lament that all of the "TV and newspaper news" is bad, but what about the news that we tell? Sometimes we tell more bad news than we realize.
In Mark 5 there is an account of a man who had multiple demons that the Lord cast out of him and into some pigs that then ran into the sea. No doubt, if that had happened today the headline would have been "Pigs Gone Wild" instead of "Man Healed By Jesus".
The man who had been healed wanted to stay with Jesus, but He would not allow him to do so. Instead, He told him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.”(Mark 5:19). Have you told a friend about Jesus lately? The next verse says, "And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled."
Although the miraculous healing of diseases passed with the apostles and those that they layed hands upon, Jesus still saves! You can come to him through faith(John 8:24), repentance(Ac. 2:38), confession(Rom. 10:10), and baptism(Mark 16:16). That's the good news for today, and every day!
Have you told any "Good News" lately?

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Did I Start A Family Feud

From Calm To Chaos
It was great to have much of the family over for Labor Day. Paul cooked some fantastic hamburgers while I went to get Mom and Dad. Everyone seemed to have a great time, but at the end of the day I helped contribute to one of life's great mysteries. That is, "What happens to a person between the time they are a parent and they become a grandparent?" I first began to ponder this years ago when I spanked one of my children at a family gathering and my grandfather began to cry out loud, said he couldn't stand it, and went outside on the porch.
As the Kelseys were about to leave last night, Addi came in and ask me in the way only a grandaughter can, "'Namps, can I borrow this and take it home with me?" In her hand was an old bugle that I got at a flea market for a couple of bucks. I told her that I wanted it back and asked her how long she wanted to borrow it. At age 3, Addi always has a ready answer and her reply was "Six Days." The question is, "Six days from now will Paul and Kim still love me?"

Monday, September 04, 2006

The "Crocodile Hunter" Is Dead

In case you haven't heard, the "Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin has been killed while filming on the Great Barrier Reef. Ironically, he was filming a segment for a series titled "Ocean's Deadliest." He provided a lot of interesting entertainment as he took so many risks. I was sorry to hear of his death.

A great lesson in life should not be ignored here. If a man spends his whole life seeing how close he can come to dangerous things, instead of seeing how far away he can stay from them, he will eventually get hurt.

Spiritually speaking, many people fail to follow the many admonitions to "Flee". Consider these verses, "Flee these things"(1 Tim. 6:11), "Flee sexual immorality"(1 Cor. 6:18), "Flee idolatry"(1 Cor 10:14), "Flee youthful lusts."(2 Tim. 2:22). Getting as close as you can to sin, will eventually be deadly.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Just A Thought

I heard a man on the radio the other day refer to someone as a "blabber." It got me to wondering- Is there really much difference between a "blabber" and a "blogger?" What about a "booger?" Bet you can't say "Blabber, blogger, booger" three times fast.

Hmmm. What kind of thought did you expect? It's Saturday and a holiday weekend and I am "off" today.

Friday, September 01, 2006

"John Done Burned Down The Liquor Store"

I woke up the other day with this song on my mind from the CD, "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?". I could not get that phrase and tune out of my mind. I have no idea why I thought of it, because I haven't even listened to that CD in a while. Maybe it was because I talked to John Brown for a while the night before. He is a good friend and brother who likes to sing some crazy old songs, but he is not the John that burned down the liquor store.
Well there are lots of other things like cares and burdens, hurts, past sins, evil thoughts... that we have a hard time getting out of our mind. One way to do that is to put someting good in your mind instead of the bad. Paul said, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (Phillippians 4:8) I am writing a sermon on this and might post some other thoughts later.