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Lost and Found

Lost and Found            It was a warm autumn day, and people gathered to celebrate with a couple who were committing their lives to one another. They filled the small college chapel and awaited the bride to be brought in to begin the ceremony. There were a couple brief delays, as often happens with weddings. First there was the true rumor that the bride forgot her veil, and the groom went to retrieve it. Next was an incident with a fabric steamer and the wedding dress - already wrapped around her. And finally, before the journey up the steps and down the first path of the marital journey, they were all awaiting the bride’s Uncle who was incorrectly rumored as wearing no pants. But instead, he brought the wrong pair of pants - jeans, in fact. At least, it gave rise to a smile that bode well in photo of that moment she walked toward her soon-to-be husband, patiently waiting her..            That memory snippet was part of a day I cherish. It is some of what comes to mind when
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Hard Heart

Hard Heart Luke 22:66-71 And when it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, 67 "If You are the Christ, tell us." But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will not believe; 68 and if I ask a question, you will not answer. 69 "But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God." 70 And they all said, "Are You the Son of God, then?" And He said to them, "Yes, I am." 71 And they said, "What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth." (NAS) The Elders are so certain of their authority that they taunt Jesus to condemn himself. They have paid men to lie before the court and even that is bungled so badly it fails. It raises and interesting point though. Jesus willingly walked into the conviction of the Council. He condemned Himself, and the sentence was
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Following the Instructions

Following the Instructions  Genesis 6:22 (NIV)-Noah did everything just as God commanded him.  How often do you buy a new product such as a computer, phone, or television that comes with a long list of instructions? Do you take the time to read the instructions? Or do you plug it in, turn it on, and learn as you go?  Do you then end up going back to the instructions, anyway?  Isn’t it easier to follow the instructions step-by-step, and do things right the first time? In Genesis, we find the story of Noah. God was displeased with the corruption and violence on earth. God planned to wipe out the humans and animals from the earth with the exception of Noah and his family. Noah had found favor with God. Noah received specific instructions from God on how to build the ark that would provide safety for its inhabitants.  Twice in Genesis we find the passage which says that Noah did what God had told him to do. First, God instructed Noah to construct an ark and fill it with animals. After
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No Man is an Island

No Man is an Island No man is an island - except of course unless he or she is a Christian, right? What is it about us that makes us think we have to hold it in, and pretend everything is okay all the time? Every man and woman needs one or more men or women to help them live the life that we are called to live. Hebrews 10:23-26 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, Encourage one another to live out God's love through good works. Come together regularly to encourage one another. This is really important, as the world at large gets worse and worse. We
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Long Suffering

Long Suffering Luke 22:63-65 And the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him, and beating Him,  64  and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, "Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?"  65  And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming. In the Gospel of Luke, just after Peter leaves in grief after the rooster crowed, we find Jesus being beaten. Were these the Temple Guards? It is not clear who the group is that beat Jesus. One could get the impression it was the Sanhedrin itself, or the group that arrested Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Matt 26:67-68 Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him,  68  and said, "Prophesy to us, you Christ; who is the one who hit you?" In the record of Matthew, it appears that the beating could have taken place right in the room in which the trial had just taken place. Here we get a stronger impression it was the members of the Council who h
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Stop Overthinking

Stop Overthinking             Have you ever been practicing something and found yourself overthinking it? As a member of more than one choir over the years I recall moments of overthinking my breathing spots. Instructors would go over the best places to focus on a breath, to allow for desirable results in hitting notes and getting though phrases without sounding as though we were all gasping for air like an athlete during the final fifty yards of a marathon. And while in the end it worked well the process could be tedious and challenging. When I played on the basketball team, the coach had us working on doing proper layups. She got us to focus on the right foot leading off for a left-side layup then the left leading off for a right-side layup. The proper footing better ensured a consistent successful shot in game time. For a while, many of us, during practice, seemed more inclined to have increased failed attempts as opposed to successful ones - apparently, we were still overthinkin
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Somebody Else Will Do It

Somebody Else Will Do It When Richard and i were dating, we spent a lot of time doing research papers and readings for our college classes. We would alternately study at his parents' home or my parents' home. One evening, in the midst of our studying, we were suddenly startled by a very loud boom that sounded like a small explosion. Naturally, we wanted to see what had happened, so we walked toward the sound until we came upon a motor vehicle accident in which a car had knocked down an electrical power pole, subsequently cutting off power in the neighborhood.  Amazingly, no one was injured, but there were a lot of spectators. We thought about calling the power company, but we both looked at each other and said, "somebody else will do it." My reasoning was that with all those spectators, not to mention the houses right by the power pole, I was confident that someone else had already called Duke Power, and that there was no need to flood their operators with repeti
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