"Never Can Say Goodbye"

It takes a little darkness to see the stars, and a whole lifetime to reach them;
Michael's star now shines bright from Heaven .. . . A man when he was a boy; a boy when he was a man. Loved by the world; kings, queens, princesses and jesters alike .... breaking all barriers - "it don't matter if you're black or white" I was shocked to hear of his passing; it was as if a part of me went with him, and while it's hard to understand why those we love are taken from us, I find comfort in knowing he's in the arms of Jesus.

Goodbye for now beloved Michael Jackson. Memories are the legacy of God's love.

"TalkerCat"

"We make a living by what we get; We make a life by what we give" Winston Churchill

Role Models

From "Our Daily Bread" July, 2009

During a summer of international sports scandals involving gambling and substance abuse, two athletes were applauded for their character as much as their professional accomplishments. A record crowd of 75,000 cheered Cal Ripkin Jr. and Tony Gwynn during their 2007 induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. "Whether we like it or not," Ripkin said, "as big leaguers, we are role models. The only questions is, will it be positive or will it be negative?" Gwynn echoed the sentiment: "There's more than just playing the game of baseball ... You're responsible, you've got to make good decisions and show others how things are supposed to be done"

Every day people are watching us. As followers of Christ, we are guided by Paul's challenge to "become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15) Compromise causes others to become disillusioned, while character fosters hope. As the life of our Savior flows out from us, we can encourage others and point them to Him.

What kind of role model will we be for someone watching today? "TalkerCat"

"Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience"

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Getting Involved

"Isn't anyone going to help that poor guy?!" My mother exclaimed as she realized what had been holding up traffic. A old man lay sprawled against a curb, his wheelchair toppled over as vehicles simply drove around him. Mama turned on the emergency flashers as my sister jumped from the car and to the man's side. My mother and sister got involved as the Samaritan man did in Jesus' story in Luke 10. Like him, they overcame any reluctance they might have had to reach out to a man in distress.

The Samaritan also had to overcome racial and cultural prejudice. The people we would have expected to help showed indifference to the injured man's plight. It's easy to find a reason not to get involved. Busyness, indifference, and fear often top the list. Yet as we seek to follow our Lord more faithfully we become more aware of opportunities to show the kind of compassion He showed.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus commended the man who had acted out of compassion even though it was inconvenient, difficult and costly to do so. Then to us He says "Go and do likewise" (Luke 10:37)

The Lord is Gracious and full of compassion (Psalm 111:4)

True Compassion Puts Love Into Action ~~ TalkerCat

Choices

Watch as a young mother tries to get her 2-year-old to make a choice. "You can have fish or chicken" she tells him. She limits his choice to just two because he's too young to understand beyond that. Choice often allows a wider variety of options, but it also allows a person to reject them.

Adam and Eve were in the best possible environment. God had given them freedom to eat of all the trees in Eden. He drew boundary lines around just one tree! They had a choice, and it should have been a no-brainer to choose wisely. But their choice was tragic.

Some hate God for what they see as His restrictions. They may even accuse Him of trying to 'control' their lives. But God gives us a choice, just as He did Adam and Eve.

Yes, God draws boundary lines, but they're for our protection. David understood this. He wrote, "You, through your commandments, make me stronger than my enemies ... I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your Word" (Ps. 119:98-101)

".... Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat ...." (Genesis 2:16-17)

God cares so much about us that He gives us boundary lines so that we'll choose what's right. His commandments were given to fulfill us, not frustrate us.

"TalkerCat"

Walk The Walk

From "Our Daily Bread" July 2009:



The preacher was speaking tongue-in-cheek when he complained, "My wife is absolutely unreasonable. She actually expects me to live every thing I preach!"

It's so much easier to tell someone what is right than to practice it personally.

I suppose this is what is meant when we refer to athletes who 'talk the talk, but don't walk the walk'. Anyone can talk a good game, but actually performing well is far more difficult.
This is particularly true in the challenge of following Jesus Christ. It's not enough for us to talk about faith-we must live out our faith... Perhaps that is why Paul, after giving instructions to his young protege Timothy about how to preach, included this reminder: "Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in work, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity ... Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them" (1 Timothy 4:12,15) As Christs' followers, we do not have the luxury of just talking a good game - we must live lives of exemplary faith in Jesus Christ. We must walk the walk.

- - - Bill Crowder

"We please God when our walk matches our talk" TalkerCat