There's hope for me!

I'm encouraged! I was reading an article today and came across this:
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Warren is 2007 'Sexiest Preacher Alive'
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"The Wittenburg Door has released its choice for 2007 Sexiest Preacher Alive, and it's Rick Warren, the 50-something, seeker-friendly love god of evangelicalism."
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This may not do much for you, but for an old, overweight, balding pastor this is heartwarming news! This article made my day....there's hope for me!

Quote of the day

One of our ladies on staff, Nancy, gave me this quote on a card. She thought it was really good, and so do I so it's the quote of the day.

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"The cycle of escalation can be broken when a courageous, faith-filled person refuses to strike back." -David McCasland

Beginning with thanks

Today has a simple beginning for me. I just want to take a minute to say thank you to the Lord for all he has done.

Lord, thank you for all you have done for us even when we don't say "thank you." Thank you for your amazing love that changes our lives forever. Thank you for forgiveness...that amazing grace so richly given and so clearly undeserved. Thank you for food today. So many are hungry, and we are not. Thank you for clothes, and a place to stay. Thank you for holding us together every moment. Thank you for thinking about us. We are so blessed. There are not enough pages to write about all that you do for us. So much of it we simply take for granted. Thank you most of all for your son, Jesus Christ, who gave himself to provide for us the life and eternity we could never attain on our own. We are so blessed...thank you.

Emir Caner

I'm really thrilled to announce that Emir Caner will be speaking at our church on February 3rd. Emir and his brother, Ergun, grew up Muslim, but came to faith in Christ. Both are now serving at different seminaries. Emir is a gifted communicator, and will be talking about Christianity and Islam. I hope you will be sure to join us for this great morning.

A book you need to read

There are a few books that every Christian needs to read.

This is one of them.

The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer is one of the most important books you will read. I try to read it at least once a year. This little book of 117 pages focuses on the attibutes of God. Tozer does a wonderful job teaching who God is and what he is like. It's an inspiring work.

If you have never read it I encourage you to get a copy and read it at least once a year. You will find that it will change how you view almost everything!

You write the story...

I had taken this post down for lack of response, but was told by one reader, "I'm still thinking about it." So let me repost this photo. As you know if you read this blog, photos are part of the inspiration (see "Ripples" below). So, I want to invite you to write the story or devotional with this photo as your inspiration. I will leave it up this time, response or not, so have fun. I'm looking forward to your ideas.

Today I'm reading....

This morning in my reading I came to one of my favorite Psalms. Here's a portion of it:

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Psa 37:1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
Psa 37:2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Psa 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psa 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Psa 37:6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Psa 37:8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

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I love these verses because they give me instruction, direction, assurance and God's promise of care. By nature I'm a worrier....when there isn't anything to worry about....I worry about that! It has been a weakness for me for years. "What if....?" is the motto of the worriers club of which I was a member for many years.

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Over time I have learned to trust the Lord more, but it's been an odyssey to leave this sin of worry behind and trust God. These verses have helped me do that. I often have to go back to this chapter to get my bearing and remind myself of these basic instructions. What I have learned is this- because of who God is I can relax and trust him. When I worry I'm really saying that God isn't big enough to handle my problems....I'm really insulting the sovereign God who takes care of me every moment.

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In my counseling I have often given these verses to others as the prescription for their problems. It is a great help for those who have yet to quit the worriers club. If you are still a member I encourage you to spend some time meditating on these verses and decide whether God is big enough to handle your life's problems or not.

A post you need to read

John Dennis posted a great poem he wrote on his blog called "If Jesus was Enough." It's really well written and thought provoking. I encourage you to stop by and read his recent post.

Monday's cartoon

Someone should do something

A few years ago one of our men, Ron, drove by our church and noticed that someone had run over a skunk right in front of the church driveway. He thought, "someone should do something about that." And off he drove not thinking another thing about it.

The next day, as Ron drove by the church once more, there was the skunk still lying right in front of the church driveway. He told me later that once again he thought, "I wish someone would do something about that skunk," but he knew it wasn't him so off he drove without another thought.

He said that this skunk in the driveway of the church really bothered him, and he was upset that no one had moved it....Sunday was coming and it would really "cause a stink" for those coming to church.

Saturday night he went to bed as usual, but at about 2 AM Sunday morning he was startled awake by a voice that said to him, "YOU move the skunk." He told me later he had always wanted to hear from the Lord, but he never expected this to be the message. But in obedience he got up, dressed, got his shovel and went to the church and moved the skunk at 2 AM Sunday morning.

We all see things in our world that should be done by someone. "Someone should do something about that," we say and off we go to live our lives, but the truth of it is that if you noticed what needs to be done you are the one to do it. A servant doesn't wait for that "someone" to come along, they simply "take care of the skunk." This little story is a true one. Ron tells the story so much better than I do, so on behalf of Ron let me encourage you to be that someone so the Lord doesn't have to wake you up at 2 AM on a Sunday morning.

Saturday's cartoon

Ripples

It doesn't take much to make a ripple in your life or in the life of another. A little touch ripples through you and out into your world and causes other ripples that extend out to touch the lives of those around you.

I'm in the business of helping people deal with the ripples of life. Often the people most affected didn't make the ripples, but now they have been touched by them, affected by them and they have to decide what to do about it. It always amazes me how much damage little ripples make...an unkind word, a mean look, a thoughtless comment......there are hundreds of ripples we could add to this list. They seem so small, so insignificant, what damage could they possibly do? And yet ripples gradually mold us, affect us, change us.

Yesterday I spent about 4 hours talking to people who are struggling with the results of ripples...what an interesting phrase...the results of ripples. Little things that make a big difference in a life.

For one it was the thoughtless actions of a mate over many years that have gradually worn down his love. For another it was a sin of a relative that has affected his whole family in a way that will ripple down several generations.

You may have ripple damage in your life...little ripples that have touched you and affected you so that now they seem like they were waves, harsh crushing waves, meant to hurt. But for the one who started the ripple it was just a small thing, nothing meant, they have already forgotten about it.

To the one who caused it...a ripple, to the one who felt it...a crushing wave that they haven't forgotten to this day. They may still hurt from the sting of your ripple.

Let me offer a simple remedy, some ripple control if you wish, that has directed my life and one I must often remind myself of. It's the solution to ripple damage-

John 13:34 "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another.
John 13:35 This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other."

These are amazing words to me. They speak of something I simply cannot do on my own. I must depend on Christ to do it in and through me....to love as he loved. I often find myself praying, "Lord, I can't, will you do it through me?" And he always does. If we could ever see people the way God does it would change our lives forever! Living in his love, and then loving others because of the love we have received would turn all of our ripples into calm waters, lives that easily reflect his image in us to those around us.

Unrequited Love by Jude Simpson - for rejesus.co.uk

I really like Jude Simpson's work. This is a new one. I think you will like it too.

Inspiration for your new year

Here's a story to start your year off right. When you face a challenge you have never faced before think of Cliff. When you try something you have never tried before think of Cliff. When you don't think you can do it think of Cliff.

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The Legend of Cliff Young: The 61 Year Old Farmer Who Won the World’s Toughest Race
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by: Shane Sunday, December 30th, 2007
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Those who are in the ultra world already know about the legendary Cliff Young but those outside may not have heard the story.
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The whole nation thought he was a crazy old man to undertake an almost impossible feat. Most feared that he would die trying. But this humble old man proved all the critics wrong. Cliff Young, at 61 years of age, participated in 1983’s Sydney to Melbourne race. Considered to be the world’s toughest race, with the distance of 875 (543.7 m) kilometers and took at least 5 days to finish, Cliff Young entered the race against world-class athletes. Read how he achieved the unthinkable and inspires the whole nation.
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The Beginning

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Every year, Australia hosts an 875-kilometer endurance race from Sydney to Melbourne - considered to be the world’s longest and toughest ultra-marathon. It’s a long, tough race that takes five days and normally participated in by world-class athletes who train specially for the event. Backed by big names in sports like Nike, these athletes are mostly less than 30 years old men and women equipped with the most expensive sponsored training outfits and shoes.
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In 1983, these top class runners were in for a surprise. On the day of the race, a guy named Cliff Young showed up. At first, no one cared about him since everybody thought he was there to watch the event. After all, he was 61 years old, showed up in overalls and galoshes over his work boots.
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As Cliff walked up to the table to take his number, it became obvious to everybody he was going to run. He was going to join a group of 150 world-class athletes and run!

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Everybody thought that it was a crazy publicity stunt. But the press was curious, so as he took his number 64 and moved into the pack of runners in their special, expensive racing outfit, the camera focused on him and reporters started to ask:
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“Who are you and what are you doing?”
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“I’m Cliff Young. I’m from a large ranch where we run sheep outside of Melbourne.”
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They said, “You’re really going to run in this race?”
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“Yeah,” Cliff nodded.
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“Got any backers?”
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“No.”
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“Then you can’t run.”
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“Yeah I can.” Cliff said. “See, I grew up on a farm where we couldn’t afford horses or four wheel drives, and the whole time I was growing up– until about four years ago when we finally made some money and got a four wheeler– whenever the storms would roll in, I’d have to go out and round up the sheep. We had 2,000 head, and we have 2,000 acres. Sometimes I would have to run those sheep for two or three days. It took a long time, but I’d catch them. I believe I can run this race; it’s only two more days. Five days. I’ve run sheep for three.”
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When the marathon started, the pros left Cliff behind in his galoshes. The crowds smiled because he didn’t even run correctly. Instead of running, he appeared to run leisurely, shuffling like an amateur.
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Now, the 61-year-old potato farmer from Beech Forest with no teeth had started the ultra-tough race with world-class athletes. All over Australia, people who watched the live telecast kept on praying that someone would stop this crazy old man from running because everyone believed he’ll die even before getting halfway across Sydney.
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Turtle vs rabbits

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Every professional athlete knew for certain that it took about 5 days to finish this race, and that in order to compete, you would need to run 18 hours and sleep 6 hours. The thing is, old Cliff Young did not know that!

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When the morning news of the race was aired, people were in for another big surprise. Cliff was still in the race and had jogged all night down to a city called Mittagong.

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Apparently, Cliff did not stop after the first day. Although he was still far behind the world-class athletes, he kept on running. He even had the time to wave to spectators who watched the event by the highways.
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When he got to a town called Albury he was asked about his tactics for the rest of the race. He said he would run through to the finish, and he did.
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He kept running. Every night he got just a little bit closer to the leading pack. By the last night, he passed all of the world-class athletes. By the last day, he was way in front of them. Not only did he run the Melbourne to Sydney race at age 61, without dying; he won first place, breaking the race record by 9 hours and became a national hero! The nation fell in love with the 61-year-old potato farmer who came out of nowhere to defeat the world’s best long distance runners.
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He finished the 875-kilometre race in 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes. Not knowing that he was supposed to sleep during the race, he said when running throughout the race, he imagined that he was chasing sheep and trying to outrun a storm.
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When Cliff was awarded the first prize of $10,000, he said he did not know there was a prize and insisted that he had not entered for the money. He said, “There’re five other runners still out there doing it tougher than me,” and he gave them $2,000 each. He did not keep a single cent for himself. That act endeared him to all of Australia. Cliff was a humble, average man, who undertook an extraordinary feat and became a national sensation.
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The Inspirational Run Continues

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In the following year, Cliff Young entered the same race and won the 7 th place. During the race, his hip popped out of the joint socket, his knee played up and he endured shin splints. But those didn’t deter him from finishing the race. When he was announced as the winner for most courageous runner and presented with a Mitsubishi Colt, he said, “I didn’t do it near as tough as old Bob McIlwaine. Here, Bob, you have the car,” and gave the keys to him.
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It was said that Cliff Young never kept a single prize. People gave him watches, because he never had one. He would thank them because he did not want to hurt their feelings, but will then give it away to the first child he saw. He did not understand why he would need a watch because, he said, he knew when it was daylight, when it was dark, and when he was hungry.
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Cliff came to prominence again in 1997, aged 76, when he attempted to become the oldest man to run around Australia and raise money for homeless children. He managed to completed 6,520km of the 16,000km run before he had to pull out after his only permanent crew member became ill.
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His love for running never diminished but in 2000, after collapsing in his Gellibrand home a week after completing 921 kilometers of a 1600-kilometre race, he lost his strength for running. The mild stroke ended his heroic running days.
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After the long illness, Cliff Young, the running legend passed away on 2nd November 2003. He was 81.
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Current Race
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The “Young-shuffle” has been adopted by ultra-marathon runners because it is considered more aerodynamic and expends less energy. At least 3 winners of the Sydney to Melbourne race have been known to use the ‘Young-shuffle' to win the race.
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Now, for the Sydney to Melbourne race, almost nobody sleeps. To win that race, you have to run like Cliff Young did, you have to run all night as well as all day.

Copyright 2008 Coolest Inspirational Quotes for All Ages

Happy New Year!

Enjoy life more, worry less

Listen more, talk less

Smile a lot, cry a little

Care about people, not things

Take time to relax and don't feel guilty about it

Read the Bible more, the newspaper less

Talk to God more, but don't ask for so much

Watch TV less, read good books more

Trust God, not man

Go fishing, don't worry about catching anything

Look for ways to send "thank you" cards

Fear will come, trust God when it does

Walk in the rain and don't use an umbrella

Meet new people, they need a friend

Travel if you can, read about it if you can't

Read a biography this year

Give money to someone who needs help

Don't be so critical, God will sort it all out

Be merciful, you will want mercy in your own life

Be kind, it makes life easier

Be patient, relax, enjoy your life

Have a great year!