"Why Do You Stand Gazing Up Into Heaven?"

Greetings,

 In the book of Acts I thought about Jesus disciples when they
were gathered together and witnessed Jesus' ascension into
heaven. (Acts 1:9-11). They continued looking up even after
the cloud received Him out of their sight. That was no doubt a
grievous moment for them as He had lead them, mentored them,
and loved them during the three-and-a-half years of His earthly
ministry. Some of the disciples were probably in anguish and
grief. 
 But as grievous as it no doubt was for Jesus' disciples, He had not
really left them, for He had told them that the Holy Spirit would
come to them before His ascension and that they would receive the
Spirit's power. (Acts 1:8)
 All that had happened was a transition of Jesus' ministry from Jesus
to His disciples, who were now His apostles. And the work Jesus
had them carry out was the Good News that Jesus had conquered
the power of sin and death and that anyone who received Him as
their Savior would escape the torment of everlasting punishment in
hell.
 Now all this could not have been done had Jesus not left them
physically. At first Jesus left them physically when He was buried
three days after His crucufixion, but He returned to His disciples
in a glorified body. But it was His second departure that would
have the ultimate significance.
 The change must have been rough on His disciples but that did
not deter them from the purpose as to why Jesus ascended back
into heaven.  In fact it was for this very reason He had chosen
His disciples so that they could carry out what Jesus had started.


I too,have experienced change which had taken place over a year
ago at our church and one personal change just recently. Those
changes were grievous to me as well and I admit I do not handle
change too well. In fact, in one case I actually had some moments
of anxiety. But the Lord and some fellow believers had helped me
through it just as God did with Jesus' disciples. I had the Comforter
(Holy Spirit) just as Jesus' apostles did.

 I too, realize that I must continue with the ministry the Lord has given
me which for right now is the greeting ministry of my church along with
certain other things. I can't let grief  or anxiety deter me from what God
has allowed me to have; especially if I am going to represent God's
house to fellow believers as well as visitors. Jesus is also with me in the
form of the Holy Spirit as He was with the Apostles after he ascended
into heaven. And I must continue on with what He has given me.

I leave you with this verse from Acts 1:9-11;

 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He
was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.  And
while they looked steadfastly toward heavenas He went up, behold,
two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of
Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?  This same
Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in
like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

 Have a blessed day.

Made in the USA: I support American-made Model Kit Manufacturers.

Greetings,

 As of recent I purchased a few 1/32 scale automotive
model kits at a local bargain outlet called Ollie's and
one from Hobbytown USA.  The one shown in the
picture is a 1949 Ford Tudor coupe.
 Now when I saw the American flag on the boxes of
these kits that gave me hope for the USA as still being
a country that can produce things.  I only wish I could
see more real cars being built in America rather than
across our borders to the north and south.
 I realize by buying American-made products that I am
not only supporting the company but the workers who
do the work in making them. And I can think of no better
way to do it than with my hobby.
 There are other American kit manufacturers here in the USA
however, their products once produced here in the US are now
made in China.  One particular brand(s) AMT/MPC, which were
taken over by a company called Round 2, has shipped the tooling
for their products over to China. As much as I love the AMT/MPC
brand of hobby kits, I sometimes wonder if I am being a disgrace
to all those workers who got laid off when Round 2 shipped their
operations overseas. 
 I think I can see now why I see the encouragement from some
patriotic groups to 'Buy American.'  To support American workers
rather than the corporations that employ them.
 Now I am not against corporations in general but I am against those
American corporations that sell their workers out so as if you buy
their products; you support that greedy corporation only rather
than the workers that were once employed by them. These
companies have sold America out.  The corporate elite do
not care about the plight of America because they are global and
their pockets get lined regardless of where an item is made.
 I just hope no other kit manufacturer offshores their production
operations because I may have to stop buying their products which
could mean the end of my hobby.
 The thing is, most items made overseas are everyday items we need,
and you, me and the rest of us are supporting greedy corporations
whether we like it to or not and whether we want to or not.
 Well, hobby kits aren't considered a basic necessity so that can be
sacrificed with no loss.  (Though I'm not thrilled at the idea) But while
I still can, I will support the workers of American-made kits along with
any other item that carries the American flag such as the kit in the pic
does.


Have a blessed day.

Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd.

        The Lord Is My Shepherd.


 "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside still waters.

 He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the

paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

 Yea, though I walk through the valley of 

the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for

thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they

comfort me.

 Thou preparest me a table before the

presence of mine enemies: thou annointest

my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 Surely goodness abd mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the

house of the Lord forever."

Psalm 23:1-6

Sound the Warning! Jesus is Coming!

  Greetings,


When I was little, I had a phobia about sirens. On police cars, ambulances
and fire trucks they were actually entertaining to listen to as well as watching

these vehicles roar by, especially fire trucks as there was usually two or more
of them with a variety of different siren sounds. Scary to listen to but also
entertaining as well.
 I remember playing with these friction-powered tin toy police cars, ambulances
and fire chief cars which had a whining friction motor that made the characteristic
WHEEEEEEE! when pushed.
I remember getting for what I think was my 5th birthday was this toy bicycle
accessory called the 'VRRROOM!' which was made by Mattel then. It was a
a gadget you fastened on to the handlebar of the bike. It was a large black
plastic piece that was shaped like an air-cooled two-cylinder motorcycle
engine with a large silver grille plate to resemble an air intake grille. The
function of this toy was to create motorcycle engine sounds and siren sounds,
which was done by means of a long, red plastic lever which you pulled
back repeatedly to create the desired sound. A red switch on the back of
this device changed the sound from motor to siren and even to silent.
I frequently kept it in siren mode, despite my phobia with sirens.

Okay, now you are probably thinking, why did I play with toys that

had sirens when at the same time I had a phobia about them.
Okay I should have mentioned one type of siren which I did
genuinely fear and that was the air-raid siren. Those monstrosities
with their monstrous howls that made my skin crawl and hair stand
on end. I would have nightmares about these things as hostile beasts
screaming at me and throwing me around with their sounds.
 The first time I actually heard one wasn't in real life but on TV.  It
was a scene from the old movie War of the Worlds where they
showed the air-raid sirens sounding and that distinctive sound they
made which was not unlike a loud dial tone.  My mother was in the
living room with me watching this movie and stated, "Those are air-raid
sirens."  And it was then I associated the name to that ghostly sound.
 Of course my phobia of air-raid sirens (a term no longer in vogue)
has long departed, though I do heed them if tornadoes are coming.

 Now there is one warning that I believe everyone needs to hear
and this warning isn't sounded off like a siren. The warning here
is the news that Jesus Christ is coming back to take us home with
Him and to warn others to not get left behind.
 We must also warn others of the dangers of hell which is everlasting
punishment for those who do not know Jesus Christ as their personal
Savior.
 The 'siren' in this case is the word of God and to those that spread the
word to those who need to hear it.

 Sound the warning, before it is too late!



Have a blessed day.

Psalms 128:1-2

 I find nothing more encouraging than that scripture from Psalms 128:1-2.
 You may not live the easy life but according to the word of God it will
go well with you because He will supply all your needs according to His
riches and glory.  Does God not keep His promises acording to His word?

Building a Masterpiece Like God Molds a Masterpiece.

Greetings,

 Just recently like in earlier of this year I completed my first
skill level three scale automobile kit of a 1953 Hudson Hornet.
 A skill level three kit is a more advanced kit and is for the
more experienced hobbyists.  Well, I thought it was high time
I graduated to the next level. But that isn't the only reason for this
topic as you will see.

 I believe I have created something of a masterpiece being this
kit of my topic was an advanced kit.  To one who just bought
one, they can be a little different than your typical model car
kit.  And I had many setbacks with this kit as well.
 You could say I was building a masterpiece with my kit like
God  molds a masterpiece with those who are His.
 Now the setbacks He may have with us is when we sin, but
like the corrections or repairs I made on my model kit, God
does the same with us. If we pray and ask Him to restore us
He will. Sometimes He has to make us much the way I had
to make some things fit right. Both take a bit of persuasion.

I think of the potter and the clay in chapter 18 of the Old
Testament book of Jeremiah in verses 4 thru 6:

"And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the
hand of the potter: so he made another vessel, as seemed
good to the potter to make it.
 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
 'O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?'
said the Lord.  'Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand,
so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.' "

As the model kit was in my hand , so are we in God's hands.

We that are His are His masterpieces. He can take the most
ordinary and undesireable person in the eyes of the world
and mold him into a great masterpiece for His glory.

Isn't that praiseworthy?  It sure is!


Have a blessed day.

The World is not My Home.

Greetings,

Two year ago I decided after my last visit to a mall that I
would not visit, browse or shop in malls anymore. I found
that it was vanity and served me no purpose as I have no
need of things mall shops have. The fancy items mall shops

have do not appeal to a common, modest, ordinary man

as myself as I prefer the quiet, unglamorous life. In fact

I can safely say that going to the mall was a voyage into

alien territory. I feel more at home shopping for necessities

at Family Dollar or Dollar General and as far as buying

something I want, the only brick-and-mortar store I

go to is Hobby Lobby. And if it doesn't have what I am

looking for I buy online.

The world and all of its glamour and fashion hype simply

does not turn me on. It is why I do not watch TV anymore.

I only use my TV to watch my favorite DVDs and there will

come a time when I will do away with the TV set and watch

DVDs on my computer. Time to get rid of things I don't need

and simplify.

I am a man who is content with his wages (Luke 3:14) and

in all things I am content (Phillipians 4:11) and have no need to

"keep up with the Joneses." It has been said, "You can't take

it with you." How true that is!

I admit I never was a very ambitious man when I was much

younger and I paid dearly for that. But since converting to

Christianity in 1993 I began to take another look at my

present state. I had the things necessary to survive in this

life and even did things I liked. I lived in a mobile home which

I payed on a modest income, and did the same with a car.

I paid my bills on time, I cooked my own meals, did my own

laundry, my trailer kept me warm in the winter and cool in the

summer, and I even enjoyed my hobby of model car building

which I still do to this very day. All of that was done while

employed at a hospital as a laundry truck driver and later a

supply delivery driver. Did not God say that if a man didn't

work, neither shall he eat? I worked, so I ate. And quite

well, I might add.

Well, here I am now employed as a forklift operator in

the coin vault of a well-known armored transport company

and living in a spartan, one-bedroom apartment and doing

the things I enjoy and now add storyblogging to the picture

with my other blog Newberry. I don't need a lot of glamour

or unusual events to be happy. The world is not my home so

I don't need to buy into the world's idea of what it means to

be happy. I used to be that way and there are times today

I still struggle with that. But I see how God has provided

and it was from Him all along.

Yeah, what would it profit me, if I gain the whole world and

lose my own soul? The fashion of this world does indeed pass

away. (Luke 9:25) (1 Corinthians 7:31)

Have a blessed day,

 

Servant's Heart

Greetings,


Since our recent transition last year at our church which
brought about some changes, the Lord made me take a look
at my own heart and I realized that there was some things
in me that needed changing, too. Satan knew it as well and
attacked me with almost blunt force trauma. I really set
myself up for that one, I did.

But the Lord also with it sent one of His own messengers in
the form of a fellow church member who I am also friends with
on Facebook, along with the rest of his family, and we talked over
the phone and one day got together for lunch one Saturday.
In listening to the gentleman I began to look at my own heart
and found that I was too focused on me and my failings, as I have
stated in one recent blog post. And I knew then that this was my
turning point. I actually started realizing the idea of a turning point
just after the recent incident and it was laid upon my heart that
everyone there would need me (along with others, too, I might add)
more than ever.
Satan did indeed attack me as I stated earlier, and attacked the church
as a whole as well. Yes, the incident got me down, and sad to say, many
folks left as a result. Change can be quite rough in this case, but it also
means that we are a genuine church and Satan hates that, and much to
everyone's grief, he found an Achilles' heel.

Knowing what took place as a result of recent events I knew I had to
"buck up" for the sake of the remaining folks and also for the folks who
were considering leaving as a result. If I started showing signs of
discouragement and despair, especially with me practically the
face of the church (no bragging intended) that could spread to the
others and more people WOULD leave. It was time to put on the
armor of God and go into battle.

I went about my duty as church greeter with more fervor and
enthusiasm knowing that a smiling, cheerful attitude can be as
contagious as misery and despair. They say misery loves
company and while that may be true, I think cheerfulness loves
company even more. It has worked thus far, praise the Lord!

At the suggestion of my aforementioned friend, I began to sit
with a few of the men who came to church alone when their
wives didn't (or couldn't ) come with them and I revived my
card ministry which was an extension of the greeting ministry.
I also found encouraging another card ministry being ministered
by a young gal which can help boost morale in the congregation.
It's such a blessing to see young kids get involved in ministries
such as these, and in these times too!

I also started to attend service on Wednsdays and aid in projects
around the church and its grounds.

This is only the beginning , but it's the beginning of molding a
servant's heart. Did not Jesus come not to be ministered to,
but to minister?

My Thoughts on the Church Family.

Greetings,

When one becomes a Christian, he/she is a child of God and when
a Christian joins a church he/she is considered part of the church
family as well as the family of Christ. Family is definitely a great
thing and that is what forms the body of Christ.
But there seems to be a bad side-effect to this and I have seen
and read about this more and more. The church seems to worship
the family, as if that is what is suppose to make a Christian spiritually
complete. And I have noticed as of late there is among the body of
Christ a marriage mandate movement which not only stresses marriage
but at the same time marginalizes singles, or even worse condemns them.
As a single Christian man that disturbs me because as believers we are
called to serve and worship God regardless of our marital status. Was not
Jesus Himself a bachelor? I have had many thoughts on these marriage
mandaters and I could name the names of two that I have read about but
I won't mention names lest I make it sound as if they are my enemies.


Now before I go any further on this I am no more anti-marriage nor anti-
family any more than I am pro-bachelor, even though I am a bachelor
myself at the age of 51. But I think the family values thing is getting
overrated. I believe so if they start getting critical of singles, especially
single men.
I had found the church of which I currently attend in late 2003 and
became a member a few months later. I am also the church's soul
greeter. Now when attending I noticed the church congregation was
made up of mostly families and that there were few singles. If I
remember correctly there were at least four or five there when I first
went to the church I attend with me counted among them. But they
were either divorced or widowed, they weren't never-married like
I was (and still am). As much as I liked the church for how it believed
I was for awhile somwhat leery of it. But more on my church later.

I came across a pamphlet one time by a certain marriage mandate
speaker and he stated that marriage and fatherhood were the highest
callings for a Christian men and that it should be the goal of every
Christian man to become a husband and father. Hmmmm_ Really?
In one certain blog I came across a link and when clicking on to this
link I came across an interesting topic which quoted a well-known
female Christian speaker. It went something like this: "Everywhere
my husband and I go we see lovely, well-dressed, Christian women
who are deeply spiritual, thoroughly feminine, and single. They long
for marriage and to have children. But what is it with the men? When
are the men going to go through the process of courting and winning
a wife according to God's command to be fruitful and multiply."
I'd go on with the rest of what she said but she ended with stating
that she didn't regard lightly men who were called to be single, she
claimed God called most men to marry and those that didn't were
disobeying Him. Wow! That's a pretty serious accusation to make
against Christian men, accusing them of being disobedient to God.
I thought that remark was way out of line. I remember she
quoted the verse, "Be fruitful and multiply." Yes.
Yes, God did give the command to be fruitful and multiply, but
that is Old Testament scripture which is found in the book of
Genesis. God gave that command to Adam and the Old Testament
patriarchs in order to populate the earth and to form the nation of
Israel, God's chosen people. The command to be fruitful and multiply
is nowhere in the New Testament. I believe the marriage mandaters
push marriage in the body of Christ in order to produce more Christians
or "Godly seed" as it is called. Hmmmmm_? Produce Godly seed, eh?
Well now if I remember, the way Godly seed is produced is when one
accepts Jesus as his Savior in which he becomes born-again. I don't recall
Godly seed being produced by physical birth just because one comes from
Christian parents. Uh-Uh. And here is something else that is noteworthy,
just because a child comes from a Christian home is no guarantee that
he is going to give his life to the Lord. You can throw Proverbs 22:6 at
me but that still is no guarantee.
Now good Christian parents should train a child in the way he should go
and the children of my church are prime examples of that. I definitely
cosider them a breed apart and the parents and families overall have
earned my utmost respect and admiration for that. But the harsh reality
is that it is still no guarantee they will walk worthy in the Lord although I
will say they do have a very good chance of that when exposed to the Word
at an early age. Parents need to pray for their children as well. Maybe we
all should pray for their children. I think I need to as well.
Being born-again produces Godly seed.

The other problem with family-oriented congregations is that churches can
get so wrapped upo in being one big happy family that they forget what
church is really all about, and that is to make disciples of Christ and to tell all
the world about Him. But if a congregation focuses on making each other
comfortable, isn't that kind of like choking the Word? Usually in making one
comfortable you don't want to offend them and often times the word of God
can be offensive. But sugar-coating the Word of God is choking the Word of
God because the truth helps us grow. (No one understands that more than me)
but a happy family does not want to be offended. To be blunt, a church which
gets too wrapped up in family is more like one big, happy clique. What about
those weak in the Word who need guidance? Has the church lost its first love?

There was a book on Christian singleness which I bought in the late 1990s
and it told of a story of a single man looking for a church and upon entering this
one church he was asked if he was single and BOOM! They knew right where to
send him and he did not want to go there. He claimed they made him feel like
part of a database, not a member of the body of Christ, go figure. It sounds as
if this church compartmentalized singles. That is sad.
Something is wrong with a church that sees single adults as misfits or has no
place in the body for unmarried folks. Because they are few single people in
churches and more families, families get priority as far as needs go. And most
married people cannot relate to singles and they are at best tolerated.
Married or single, we as Christians have one thing in common, we have Christ
as our Savior and singles can be as much used for God as families can. Stop
forming cliques and treat your single brothers with the same love as married
people. Stop focusing on the nuclear family as the fundamental building block
of a godly civilization. When one accepts Christ he is given a name better than
sons and daughters. Single guys can be spiritual "dads" to those "Babes" in
Christ (new converts). There IS a place for singles in the church, contrary to
the opinion of marriage mandaters.

Now I will end on a happy note. My church while small in size and yes does
consist of mostly families, has accepted me as part of the church family
despite my singleness and there has been no pressure from anyone in
particular for me to pair up. The folks are as kind to me as they are to
families and I have been named Family of the Week a few weeks ago in
the church bulletin, and I am one person. I am considered family because
I am a member of the body of Christ, not because I am married with
children.

Thank you for reading and God bless.


Modelautoman


P.S. To those of my church who follow this blog, any negative remarks
made about church or family was not about our church, it was churches
in general. It was no church in particular. Thank you and God bless.

The Results of God's People Working Together.

Greetings,

 A few weeks ago our church had a Work Day one Saturday where

members would get together and do various projects in and around

the church and its grounds.  We did things such as general cleaning,

groundskeeping, and maintenance.  I, along with a few other members

got the assignment of painting the fire escape behind the church annex,

which we use as a fellowship hall and for various other activities.

 While projects can be a daunting task, as is setting up for them, the

love and teamwork of fellow Christians working together more than

makes up for that. I confess that I am not easily motivated in doing

projects nor starting one (you have to start a fire under me) but

times like this are the exception, and that can only come from the

Lord Himself.  Once I got to work with the paintbrush I wouldn't

stop. Haha!

 We also had a picnic out back of the annex while taking a break

and it was a good time of food and fellowship, much like our

Fellowship Sundays.  But the work time was a great time of

fellowship as well.  As you can see from the pic that I posted

below, there is the result of Christians working together to

beautify the Lord's property.  We had gotten good comments

from those who saw it when they drove by.  That, folks is one

way of glorifying and giving testimony to the Lord.  That, my

friends, is a trues labor of love! :)

Have a blessed day.

You are Somebody Because Jesus Loves You.

There was a song that was performed by Dean Martin called  "You're Nobody Till
Somebody Loves You."  I thought a lot about that old tune and it got me to thinking
that a person is basing his self-esteem on a pretty flimsy foundation if he/she needs
the feelings of someone else to feel he/she is somebody.  Feelings of love, as nice
as that can be, are fickle at best and fleeting at worst. Not everyone is going to like
or love you and in this worldly culture, people seem to base love on the outward or
in what a person has (e.g. money) And basing love on the aforementioned things
is basing that on a flimsy foundation as well. Physical appearances and wealth are also

fleeting.

 But there is a love which is by far, greater than any love human love could ever give

and that is the love of Jesus Christ, who loved you and I so much that He gave His

life willingly for us to pay a debt we could not pay.

 Jesus' love is the kind of love with the sturdiest and strongest foundation and all we

have to do is accept Him as our personal Savior.  He loves you, why not invite Him

into your heart? He sees you as somebody special.

Have a blessed day.

I'm Blessed to Have Found a Church to Call Home.

Greetings,

Only the Lord could do this, and that was to lead to a church which

preached and taught right out of the Bible and went by it accordingly.

I thought I was going to have a long search ahead of me when I moved

here to Cincinnati from Portsmouth, Ohio in November of 2003.

 I had tried out many churches but none seemed to have what I was

looking for.  Now it wasn't that I was looking for a church where my

needs could be met; if it truly preached the word of God and the

congregation showed unconditional love to strangers, that was all I

needed.

 I 'm not saying the churches I went to during my search period

didn't make me feel welcome, they did, I just didn't feel the spirit

in them. While I was living with family (parents) it was a lonely

time. I felt lonely because even though I was with family I was the

only Christian among unsaved family.  That lonliness became more

apparent when I started browsing the cards that were given to me

by the folks of my old church in Portsmouth and the lonliness

actually became homesickness.  I was home yet I was homesick.

It was a tough transition.  I lived in Portsmouth longer than I lived

anyplace else and the last ten years there were as a born-again

Christian.

Well it came to pass that as I was making deliveries for a plumbing

supply company I worked for then, I passed this church as I was

coming back from a delivery in Hamilton, Ohio that was on the

way. I got a look at the sign which was near the road which

read:  Valley Chapel Community Church.  The part below the

title was what got my interest. It read; Non-denominational,

Bible-Teaching.

 I looked from the sign and then to the church itself and noticed

the classic appearance of the white building with its gray steeple

and enclosed belfry. I thought to myself, This must have once

been a small country church. It actually was, as I would find out

later.

 Anyway the Sunday following the week I discovered Valley

Chapel, I would visit this church for the first time.

 As near as I can remember, I think I arrived there while Sunday

School was still in session, because I don't recall seeing anybody

when I first got there.  I don't remember whether it was the pastor

I first met or the other gentleman whom I made mention of in my

previous post.

 Either way, I guess it doesn't make much difference because I did

meet both of them that day, and they both made me feel welcome

and at home to, I might add. While I was not immediately sold on

the church nor did I make a decision to join right then and there, I

did feel the need to come back, because I did feel a spirit there and

something in the pastor's preaching, that made me check out this

church further.

 This church was not charismatic like my last church yet there was this

desire to come back because, well, for lack of a better word, different.

Valley Chapel was indeed different from the other churches I visited so

I had something to compare it to, but there was something else, and this

is what I believe it is. I have found a church which, I could say, stands out.

Stands out in what way, you might ask? Let's say for starters, I was among

genuine, spirit-filled people who were genuinely happy in the Lord.  Let's

say there wasn't this hypocritical, phony front some people put on, be it in

church or out. Words to describe it escape me, so I'll go with what I just

said.  Contentment, maybe?

 Well, after many return visits and attending a Christmas fellowship dinner

I chose Valley Chapel as my place of worship.  I also noticed they didn't

have a greeter and I told them that I used to greet at my old church. So

I became a member in early 2004 and then began my duties as church

greeter sometime after that.  There were times when I thought maybe the

Lord lead me to this church so I could be greeter, of course it's only a

thought.  Well, whether the Lord lead me here for that reason or not, I

found myself settling in to the duties rather quickly, much to the delight

of the congregation. Remembering names would be my biggest challenge

but it was also an important part as well.

 What has really brought me joy in my years as greeter of Valley Chapel

was seing the children who attended grow. I don't feel I have been there

that long and WOW! Most of the kids have graduated high school and others

are now coming of that age. Man, makes me feel old.  And I'm not even a

parent myself.  But seriously, I believe its a privilege to watch them each Sunday

grow.  I even got the blessing of seeing a few children when they were born.

While not my own children, just watching them is a gift in itself and one I feel

is a blessing from God.

As greeter, I have seen folks come and go, some for good reasons, some not so

good, have seen changes, one very recently, though I can't say it was a great

experience. I had the privilege of greeting special guests, our missionaries on

their return visits, seen one couple get married at our church, greeted friends

and relatives of members, and recently got to welcome back two young

ladies that were away overseas. Only God can give me such a gift.

 Folks, greetings and welcome to Valley Chapel! Come and worship with us

and enjoy great fellowship!  God bless!

The Fowls of the Air.

Greetings,

This past week was a battlefield of the mind, what with OT at the

coin vault  and certain other issues.  Though it was rough, the Lord

has seen me through them. But anyway, on with my topic.

 I take great comfort in Matthew chapter six verses 26 to 34 where it

begins with:

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap,

 nor do they gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much better than them?

Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?

And why take you thought for clothing?  Consider the lilies of the

field, how they grow; they don't toil, neither do they spin:

And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not

clothed like these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which is today

and tomorrow cast into the oven, shall He not clothe you as much,

Oh you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry about what shall you eat drink or being

clothed.

(For all these things the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father

knows that you need these things.

But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and these

things will be added to you.

So do not worry about tomorrow: for tomorrow will take care of its

own things, sufficient today are the evils thereof."  (Matthew 6:26-34)

That is great comfort and assurance especially in these hard economic times.

It was reading and meditating on this chapter of Matthew that made me

feel so blessed to be employed and have a place to live. I may not be living

well according to the world's standards, but if I have food, clothing and a

place to live, I believe wholeheartedly I am living by God's standards. I

also believe he'll allow you to enjoy certain hobbies, provided they don't

take the place of God. He certainly allowed me that privilege with my

model car building of which part of that skill I used in heading our

church's pinewood derby assembly fellowship and serving as "pit row

mechanic" during the main event.  Can one ask for more?  Yes, even

one's hobby can be used for God's glory.  Isn't that a great blessing?

In this world I am a man of modest means, but in the kingdom of God

the Lord sees a valuable treasure.  And that's a big AMEN!!

Have a blessed day.

The Leper Colony.

Greetings,

 There was a term 'leper colony' which reminded me of the 1949 movie 

 "Twelve O' Clock High."  It was the scene where General Savage

(Gregory Peck) calls air executive officer Lt. Colonel Gately

(Hugh Marlowe) into his office and harshly reprimands him for

dereliction of duty, reduces him to an aircraft commander and orders

him to paint the name "Leper Colony" on the nose of his plane.

Savage tells Gately the reason for the name and says that Gately

would get every deadbeat in the outfit (the 918th Bomber Group). 

 e.g. A navigator who couldn't find the rest room, and a bombardier

who couldn't put a fork to his plate.

 Later, when Gately inspects his plane for a training run, he assembles

his flight crew together to inform them the reason for the unfavorable

nickname given to his plane and crew and why the men of his crew

were assigned to him.  He then adds with, "Well, how do you like it?

Well you'll like it a lot less the first mistake you make! We've got a 

blowtorch turned our way and nobody's going to shove me into it!

Is that clear?"

I thought about those two scenes in that old classic film about a

World War II bomber group and I started thinking that there was

more to General Frank Savage's decision of demoting his air exec

to an aircraft commander and giving him the deadbeats of the bomber

group. While the general's decision was for disciplinary reasons as 

Savage made that very clear to Lt. Col. Ben Gately,  I wonder and

it's a good guess that Savage did it also to reform the men that were

assigned to Gately. I had that idea when Gately was briefing his crew

in the latter scene. He did look like a determined leader.

 It turns out Gately was later reinstated after being injured when he

had to ditch his plane in the English Channel after a mission and I 

noticed the next B-17 he flew had a different name. He even lead

the entire group on a bombing run when Savage fell ill.  

 Yes, General Savage did indeed have a bigger plan, for Gately

as well as his crew.  

I thought about the scenes from said movie and read in the New

Testament of the Bible the kind of people God chooses, and many

of them were far from perfect, either physically or mentally. But God

had a bigger plan, much like General Savage did for Ben Gately and

his crew of misfits in the movie Twelve O'Clock High.

 In Old Testament times you really had to abide by God's 

commandments to the letter. And the times I spent reading

through the OT book of Leviticus, I saw that keeping the

Lord's ordinances and statutes along with peace and sin

offerings was indeed hard work. Back then you really did 

have to do good  works to stay right with God. And on

making peace and sin offerings?  That not only was labor

intensive, but no doubt messy and smelly.

 And the thing with OT sacrifices for sin, was that the sacrifices

were no doubt constant because if you broke one of God's

commandments you broke them all.  There had to be very few

who could ever be so righteous as to not break even one of

the Ten Commandments.  Worse, if one made no offering for his

sin he was cut off if he wasn't stoned to death. 

 But it gets better.  For the Lord already had a plan in mind even

in the OT times and in fact there is mention of Jesus in the Old

Testament.

When Jesus came on the scene as written in the four Gospels, he

chose as His disciples those that were least esteemed in society;

those who didn't by Hebrew standards then be worthy of God's

servants.  While they were not physically handicapped nor had

any other physical defects to man these were by nature unholy

men. The Jewish leaders of the time may as well considered them

a leper colony as they saw them unworthy.  Jesus also dined with

tax collectors, and they were so despised by Hebrew society as

they worked with the Roman government in collecting taxes.

Matthew was himself a tax collector whom Jesus chose as one

of His twelve disciples, not to mention writing the first of the four

Gospels with the first in his namesake. 

 The Pharisees saw what Jesus was doing and complained that

He was eating with tax collectors and sinners, which to them was

an abomination.  But Jesus just said to them,  "Those that are

whole do not need a physician , but those that are sick. But

you go and learn what that means, I will have mercy and not

sacrifice: for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners

to repentance."  (Matthew 9:12-13)

On the surface it looked as if Jesus was doing unrighteousness in the

eyes of man when He was seen fellowshipping with those least esteemed

by men.  But none of them could see the bigger picture, much the same

way Ben Gately could not see the bigger picture when General Savage

assigned him the undesireables of the 918th Bomb Group.  While Gately

saw his demotion as punishment, Savage used it for a bigger purpose.

Even though Savage rebuked Gately for dereliction of duty, he also saw

in him good leadership material, and used the punishment as a way for

Gately to mold and shape the undesireables assigned to him as his bomber

crew.

 God was using those least esteemed in society's eyes to fulfill a bigger plan,

to make disciples of men to spread the word to all nations. And the Lord
came down in the likeness of man to be among men. None of us would have
ever known Jesus if it weren't for those "least esteemed" men He chose that
helped to fulfill His ministry.  Jesus said to Peter,  "Follow me, and I will
make you fishers of men."  (Matthew 4:19)

 From what it might have looked like to one who ever saw the movie Twelve
O' Clock High, it looked and sounded as if  Gregory Peck's character hated
Hugh Marlowe's character and tells him as much, but unbeknownst to the
Gately character, his CO saw something better in him.
 God may at times chasten us, but He also sees something in us that we ourselves
can't even see, let alone people outside us. Does God use deadbeats? My answer
is yes. Jesus says to come as you are. Is there anything righteous about a deadbeat?
No there isn't, but like Jesus said, He didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners
to repentance. He even let the maimed , the feeble, the mentally deranged and
the demon-possessed come to Him and He healed them all. (Matthew 4:24)

The world may see us as castaways, or as Gregory Peck's character put it, a
"leper colony" but Jesus sees a child of God.


Have a blessed day.