The Washing Machine Story

Passing the washing machine recently brought back a memory which made me smile to myself, but also brought to mind a Spiritual application:

Years ago, when I was first learning to do my own laundry, I apparently did not listen closely enough to the instructions I was given, because on inspection of the washing machine I saw that it only had two options for laundry load size: small or extra large. My load was neither small nor extra large, but more like a medium load; so, with a bit of work, I managed to get the dial to stay pointed at the line separating the two sizes and deposited my load of clothes. I then moved on to the next item of the day. 

Shortly, I had occasion to pass the laundry area and was quite surprised when I stepped in a puddle of water from the overflowing washing machine. Confused as to why the washing machine would do such a thing, I quickly turned it off and asked a sibling to aid me in cleaning up the mess.

I have thought of this crazy memory before, but somehow when it popped into my mind this time it seemed to be accompanied by the thought that this kind of incident happens in the life of Christians far too often. We try to make our own way work, get confused and frustrated when it does not and we end up in a mess, and then we seek the help of a human friend instead of turning to our Ever Present Help. If we simply followed His way to begin with, we would avoid much heartache, hurt, frustration, and confusion; instead we stubbornly work, at times quite hard, to get our own way and then wonder why we ended up in such a mess. At times even this is not enough to turn us to our Guide and we instead turn to the aid of friends before realizing only He is able to bring “Beauty for ashes.” 

Oh that we had a closer walk with the Lord, a sweeter communion, and a more complete trust in His wisdom and working.

Memorial Day Poem

 

If Only Our Founding Fathers Could See

 

If only now our founding fathers could see

What’s happened in the “Land of the Free,”

The nation they founded and sacrificed for—

A people who tyranny did abhor.

 

At Griffin’s Wharf British tea enriched the sea

By protesting Sons of Liberty!

With the signing of the Declaration done

Together they’d all fight, or all be hung.

 

As the Revolutionary War began

Past the end of its seven year span—

All could see the guiding, Providential hand

Aiding, establishing this new free land.

 

And when in World War Two, the Nazi regime

Whet its despot sword in blood-red gleam,

We knew we must not stand and watch idly,

For Hitler was a foe to liberty.

 

But again in Korea and Vietnam,

When communistic power broke the calm,

We were not afraid to go and fight abroad,

When we saw a threat to our home and sod.

 

But today, selfish people indwell the land

Who love not freedom, nor claim her brand.

They understand not to what lengths she was sought,

Nor by the countless lives wherewith she was bought.

 

If personal safety ranks above everything

Then my friend, you deserve a ruling king,

For some day you’ll sadly come to realize,

A priceless, blood-bought gift you did despise.

 

 

If we want to remain the Land of the Free

One nation under God we must be!

It’s possible to be the “Home of the Brave”,

When you have no fear of eternal grave.

 

So teach our children the values we know and love

And of our Father in heav’n above,

May the heritage of our posterity

Be gratitude, faith, and prosperity.

 

H.R. 

 

I am very grateful to all who have sacrificed for the freedom I enjoy today. I hope I am not alone in the prayer that America will turn back to the God of her youth and once again be "One nation, under God."

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States when men were free." --Ronald Reagan.

"Autopilot" By My Grandmother

Autopilot

Recently I watched a short documentary about an airplane crash and the investigation into why it happened. From the cockpit recording they determined that the pilot had allowed his 15-year-old son to sit in his seat and wanted him to experience actually piloting the plane for a few minutes, so he shut off the autopilot. Just before he did so, the boy took the wheel and began trying to turn left. He was actually fighting the autopilot at the time, but after a few seconds he prevailed. His dad was giving him instructions and the boy tried to carry them out, but the plane seemed to have a mind of its own. Even the co-pilot was unable to make the corrections. The plane started diving almost straight down, and the dad frantically told him to pull the nose up. Nothing happened. The pilot needed to change places with his son, but due to the speed, they were all pinned to the seat or to the wall, so he could only call out instructions, which the son followed, but to no avail. 

All of their efforts were futile. The plane crashed, killing all on board. The airline company could not believe just one error could cause an unrecoverable event, so they hired someone to duplicate the events using a simulator and the two black boxes. When the pilot who was duplicating the flight responded the same way the crew had, he found that fighting against the autopilot for just three seconds causes it to shut down one third of the autopilot--a feature no doubt designed to allow a pilot quick control in an emergency if the autopilot failed to work properly. Pilots had never been told of this feature, however. The pilot of the doomed plane was puzzled by the fact that some of the autopilot features were working, but not all. That explained some of the plane's erratic behavior. The plane had banked at a steeper angle than it should have, eventually resulting in a corkscrew roll as it plunged at speeds in excess of the design of the plane. The man who was helping the test pilot plug in the right numbers in order to duplicate the flight asked the pilot if there was anything the crew could have done at that point to recover. The pilot lifted his hands from the steering wheel and autopilot reengaged and brought the plane safely out of the dive. What a simple solution! But the pilots were never taught that either. Pilots are often advised to trust their instruments when they don't have good visuals. The autopilot is one of their instruments.

How like our lives is this experience! We have an Autopilot, but sometimes we wrestle control away from Him because we feel like we can handle things on our own, or we want to take a detour, or we think our life isn't exciting enough. Sometimes He allows us to take the controls so we can realize how inadequate we are. Sometimes we may run our lives into the ground when all we would need to do is take our hands off the controls and return control to our Autopilot. The plane would have suffered some damage, but would have been able to complete the journey safely. Like the plane, our lives might suffer some damage, but could be put back on course for a better future. What a simple solution! Pilots must initially tell the autopilot where they are and where they want to go, and from time to time make adjustments--like move into a holding pattern, change altitude, etc. Our Autopilot knows where we are, where we need to be, how to get there, what storms lie ahead of us, how to get us safely through them, and then to get us home. How foolish to trust ourselves more than we trust Him!

Happy Easter!

What a day of rejoicing for Christians as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. We serve a Risen Savior! 

One day the grave could conceal Him no longer,
One day the stone rolled away from the door;
Then He arose, over death He had conquered,
Now is ascended, my Lord ever more!

Refrain:
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely, forever;
One day He’s coming: O glorious day!
(One Day by John Wilbur Chapman)

Romans 6
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him. For in that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Hymn: I've Found A Friend

This is currently one of my favorite songs! Jesus is such an incredible Friend! No friend on earth begins to compare.

I've Found A Friend
By James G. Small

I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
He loved me ere I knew Him;
He drew me with the cords of love,
And thus He bound me to Him;
And round my heart still closely twine
Those ties which naught can sever,
For I am His, and He is mine,
Forever and forever.
(Romans 5:8)

I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
He bled, He died to save me;
And not alone the gift of life,
But His own self He gave me.
Naught that I have my own I call,
I hold it for the Giver;
My heart, my strength, my life, my all
Are His, and His forever.
(1Peter 1:3-4)

I've found a Friend, O such a Friend!
All pow'r to Him is given
To guard me on my onward course
And brings me safe to heaven.
Th'eternal glories gleam afar
To nerve my faint endeavor,
So now to watch, to work, to war,
And then to rest forever.
(Psalm 48:14)

I’ve found a Friend, O such a Friend!
So kind and true and tender,
So wise a Counsellor and Guide,
So mighty a Defender!
From Him who loves me now so well,
What power my soul shall sever?
Shall life or death, shall earth or hell?
No! I am His forever.
(Romans 8:38-39)

Brain ANTS

 A few weeks ago our Pastor did a really good message on brain ANTS. If you just read that and thought what? Then you know how I felt when he first said it--lol. 

🐜 ANTs is an acronym for Automatic Negative Thoughts. Before I dive in let me give due credit to DR. Aaron Beck as our Pastor did--it's his list and work. Pastor preached a message on it and included Scripture. I'll make the disclaimer that I don't know that much about Dr. Beck, so I'm sharing this because it helped me but I do not necessarily agree with everything Dr. Beck says/stands for.

Let's admit it. We all have more negative thoughts than we want to own up to. At least I struggle with them. And it's not just about other people, more often I find myself thinking negatively about myself--or criticizing myself.  What's the solution for this? Does the world have the answer right that I just need to think more positively about myself and have a higher self-esteem? The Bible says no.  Romans 12:3,

"For I say to every man that is among you, through the grace given unto me, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."

 

We are neither to wallow in self pity, (I'm a failure. I'll never amount to anything,) nor are we to think highly of ourselves, (I am good enough, I can do this because I am smart). The answer is to recognize the ANT (automatic negative thought/thinking) for what it is and go the Scripture to refute it.  God has given us the most powerful tool on earth and/or in heaven to defeat all of Satan's lies--His Word: the Truth. 

ANTs are a result of our fallen nature. Our thoughts are important. They are the foundation of our actions. Here is Dr. Beck's list of 9 brain ANTs:

🐜1. Always Never Thinking. 

"She always does that. He never listens."  This thinking is rarely accurate and emphasizes negative feelings and destroys relationships and demolishes hope. Think depression--my situation is never going to change.

🕮Truth: People and circumstances can change. Nothing is impossible with God.  Matthew 19:26 and Philippians 4:8.

 

🐜2. Focusing on the Negative.

"No one cares anyway; so it doesn't matter." Blowing the "bad" out of proportion and focusing on it only.

 🕮Truth: You can choose what you think on.  Psalm 34:1 and Romans 8:28.

🐜3. Fortune Telling.

Predicting the worst possible outcome. "Nothing good is going to come from this." Pessimistic outlook on life. Worry

🕮Truth: Our lives are in God's hands and we can trust Him with our future. Matthew 6:24. Concentrate on reality instead of creating in your mind what might happen. 

🐜4. Mind Reading.

Assigning motives and intentions to others. "I know what you're thinking. They meant to hurt me."

🕮Truth: Only God can see the heart. Give others the benefit of the doubt. Romans 12:17-18 and Matthew 7:1.

🐜5. Thinking with Your Feelings. 

These ants come from the nest of memories. "I feel like a failure."--if you've failed before. "I don't feel like I'm loved." This type of thinking often leads to hopelessness and often ignores evidence to the contrary. Our feelings and emotions change but God does not. Going by how you feel is not wise.

  🕮Truth:  I know I am loved because God tells me so in His Word. 1 John 1:3 and Hebrews 13:8.

 

 🐜6. Guilt. 

Motivating others or ourselves with guilt. "I'm not a good Christian unless I witness to that person," or "I have to do this." This focuses on obligations and duty rather than joy. "With the Lord's help, I'm going to be a better witness for Him." 

There is a just guilt according to Scripture. If we sin we ought to feel guilty. And the correct response to God-given guilt is to confess and repent.

 🕮Truth:  I am blessed to be able to serve the Lord. It's my joy to grow in Him. Psalm 100:2.

🐜7. Labeling 

Calling a child ADHD just because they have to work harder to sit still and concentrate. Or calling someone dumb because they take longer to learn. Labels tend to stick with us to adulthood and cause us serious problems. Labeling someone treats them like their a victim and can't help who or what they are. It takes the personal responsibility off and can become a handy excuse. We even label ourselves. "I'm not that smart."

Labeling creates expectations that almost seem to guide the results. If we label ourselves a failure--we're quicker to give up and tend to exaggerate our own failures.

🕮Truth: God created us and only He has the right to name us. In Scripture we often see the Lord giving someone a new name and changing their heart. Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Peter, and Paul all had their names changed by God. How special! Revelation 2:17.

🐜8. Personalizing

Giving simple and common events personal meaning. "Pastor didn't speak to me. Maybe he's upset with me." Taking things personally that were not done intentionally to harm or offend. the most devastating form can be when a loved one commits suicide and those left behind might wonder if they did something to contribute to the fatal decision.

 🕮Truth:  Give others the benefit of the doubt and don't try to assign motives. Only God can see the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7.  Luke 13:4.

 

 🐜9. Blaming

Probably the worst ANT, came shortly after the fall of mankind. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. When you blame something or someone you have made yourself a victim--in other words you're not responsible. If you're not responsible than you don't have to change--or not able to change.  It's out of your hands--it's not your fault. We have to take personal responsibility for our own problems before we can hope to change. That thought is the very foundation to the Gospel. The idea of salvation is that we recognize that we are personally responsible. We quit blaming the environment, our parents, our circumstances, society, or even the time of history we were born in and come to grips with the fact that ultimately we made our own free choice and have to answer for it.

 🕮Truth:  Every man shall give an account of himself at the judgment day. We're accountable to God for every thought and action--regardless of what others have said or done to us. Romans 14:12.

 

ANTs become habits (a learned routine by practice and done without thought). What ANTs do you struggle with? It's more than one for me. The answer to squashing these ANTs is to first look for them and then squash them with the Truth! Automatic Negative Thoughts destroy our relationships, plauge our minds, and deteriorate our lives and happiness.

Giving God Credit

One day when I was making lunch, I decided to fix something in the pantry that I knew wasn't really a family favorite. I had put off making several times for that reason, but decided to go ahead and make it since it was in the pantry and needed to be used. When my siblings got home from their jobs I made some statement to that affect...only to be surprised by them enjoying the meal. Immediately my prayer that they would actually enjoy the food prior to fixing the meal popped into my mind and I was convicted about how little credit I had just given the Lord. If I was going to make excuses for the meal why did I bother asking His blessing on it. I asked the Lord to forgive me and thanked Him for His kindness.

Recently I made from-scratch dinner rolls for the first time by myself and they turned out drier than I wanted them to be. I was a little disappointed and said something about them not being what I had hoped for. (There is a lady at our church who makes delicious dinner rolls). Every roll disappeared and by then I was feeling rather small. I had failed to give God much credit again! I had prayed for the Lord's blessing on my efforts and here I was dissatisfied that my first attempt was not perfect. Once again I had to repent and thank the Lord for His goodness. 

I wonder how often I pray as those who were praying for Peter's release from prison. They did not really seem to believe God capable of freeing Peter, but dutifully prayed for his deliverance anyway. And when Rhoda told them Peter was standing without they didn't even believer her. Then, when they finally went and looked, they were "astonished." (Acts 12) 

How little credit we, God's children, give Him. Oh that our faith were even as "a grain of mustard seed!" (Matthew 20)

And, praise the LORD, the second batch came out even better!

The Responsibility of Choosing

One of my tasks at work Thursday was putting together a bookshelf. I had never put a bookshelf together by myself before, but this didn't look too hard (I had helped pick it and order it) and it would be a good experience, so I opened the box and started pulling the Styrofoam protective pieces out. Here was the first "challenge:" several pieces of the Styrofoam had been partially crushed and the tiny balls that it separated into were sticking to everything! My hands, my clothes, the shelf pieces, the plastic, and my hair. So my hair went up into a bun and I resumed the task at hand with little balls still sticking everywhere. I think I might have looked like a dalmatian by the end of it had I not stopped to brush myself off numerous times. "Oh well, I can choose to not let these little things bother me," was the thought that went through my head. 

Shortly thereafter, I found myself getting frustrated when the pieces were being more difficult to put together than I thought they should have been. I then realized that my earlier thought had apparently only passed through my head instead of sinking in because here I was letting inanimate objects frustrate me. 

When I had the bookshelf almost completely together I realized that I had put one piece on wrong and would have to disassemble most of the project in order to fix it. Hmm...another opportunity to choose to be cheerful--I was able to have the good experience of putting the bookshelf together twice! 

I actually enjoyed putting the bookshelf together and am thankful for the opportunity, experience, and reminder to choose to control my attitude! And now the back room of the office is more organized too!

Happy New Year!

What a blessing to gather as a church family and close 2021 by spending several hours together praying, singing hymns, sharing, watching and setting off fireworks, playing games, eating, and enjoying sweet fellowship. I love my church family and am so thankful for the sweet times of fellowship the Lord has blessed us with! 

I am grateful for what the Lord has done in 2021 and excited to see what He will do in 2022! 

May the LORD be magnified through His people in 2022!

Psalm 40:16
Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: let such as love Thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.