Partaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!

"Rejoice with those who rejoice..."

Romans 12:15 (New International Version)

A real short entry....

This month marks an one year anniversary for two events.

1.  I have not been admitted into the hospital for a year.  Only one trip to the emergency room for my breathing.  Thank you God.

2.  One year ago I quit drinking pop (in Pennsylvania it is called soda).  I did have a sip of Mt. Dew New Year's Eve and a half cup of orange soda New Year's Day.  I have had one 20 oz bottle of of lemon lime when my stomach was upset.

I can relate to people who have addictions.  I was a popaholic.  I could drink a 12 pack in a day and not realize it.  I still want a Diet Pepsi.  A Mt. Dew would be great, but when I saw what it did to my heart, I'll be glad to do without it.

If I can give up my pop, I think others who have addictions can give them up.  Cigarette addiction is a slow killer.  I am 100% positive that my health is due to second-hand smoke from my parents smoking when I was a kid.  So not only does smoking cigarettes hurt the smoker, but family members also. Now I am not a scientist and I have not done any research or studies, but in my mind that is what I believe.

Rejoicing,

Jeff

A New Chapter

Yesterday, Tuesday March 8, 2011, I started a new chapter in my life.  One I never imagined I would be writing this soon in my life.  But as I have written in the past two blogs, you never know what life...God...has in store.

Yesterday I resigned from the mental health agency that I had been with for 5 1/2 years.  We used the acronym ACRP.  The official name was Alternative Community Resource Program.  You can see why the letters ACRP are used.  It was a great agency to work for and I was planning to be with them for many years.  However, I was noticing that I wasn't able to perform my duties 100% due to my health.

I am now retired from the ministry/youth ministry even though I still preach and still work with the children at the church we attend.  And now, I am going into early retirement at 47 years old (48 in July).  It has been a long thought-out decision and process.

Of course I want to share Scripture with you.  Hebrews 12:2...

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,

the author and perfecter of our faith,

who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,

scorning its shame,

and sat down at the right hand of God. (NIV)

Jesus is the author of our lives.  Have you ever seen the email "Where God puts a period, don't put a question mark."  What God says, do; don't question.  But as humans we like to question.  Young children go through the "why" phase.  Boy, is that an irritating phase!!!!  Some of us don't grow out of that phase and do the same with God. 

Moses questioned God when told to go lead the Israelites out of Egypt.  Gideon questioned God when told to fight the enemies of Israel.   Isaiah questioned God.  Ananias questioned God when told to go to Saul (Paul).  But notice that all these people were used by God.

What does God have in store for you?  Allow God to lead.  Commit your plans to God.  If it doesn't work out, overcome the disappointment and look for something else.

Trying to follow God's lead,

Jeff

Best laid plans....

I have always thought the saying was "the best laid plans of mice and men often go amiss".  But actually it is "the best laid schemes of mice and men/Go oft awry".  This is from a poem by Robert Burns.  John Steinbeck took a part of this phrase and wrote the famous book "Of Mice and Men".

Have you ever made plans and something has happened to change them?  You plan a day to go to the beach or an amusement park...and then it rains!  You plan to go on a vacation and something happens to the vehicle and you can't go.  You plan on going to relatives for Christmas and "bam!" a snow storm.  I'm sure you get the point now.

Twice, Jane and I planned on going to the Outer Banks to see the lighthouses and my cousin who lives in North Carolina.  Both times something happened with our van and we didn't get to go.  Therefore we stopped planning.  Remember the previous blog about unmet expectations being disappointments?  I was totally disappointed.

As children, we start making plans.  We always get asked that famous question "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  For years I wanted to be a teacher.  Then I wanted to be a preacher.  Then I wanted to be a psychologist.  Then I wanted to be a youth minister.  Then I wanted to be a deaf interpreter.  I have been a substitute teacher and a teacher's aide.  I have been a preacher and a youth minister.  I have been a deaf interpreter.  I have not been a pyschologist, but I did work for a mental health agency.

Notice all the phrases in the above paragraph have the words "have been".  Past tense.  Sometimes our plans are not God's plans.  That's why we need to read and remember Proverbs 16:3...

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

and your plans will succeed. (NIV)

I have had my plans changed many times in the last 25 years as an ordained minister.  But I always relied on Isaiah 40:31 "those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength; they shall mount upon wings as eagles; they shall walk and not be faint; they shall run and not become weary" (Jeff's paraphrase).  Then there is this verse in the book of Esther.  Mordecai says to his cousin Esther, after she becomes queen, that maybe she became queen when she did was to save her people (again my paraphrase).  He uses the words "for such a time as this" (Esther 4:14 New International Version).  Then I discovered Jeremiah 29:11...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,

"plans to propser you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV)

I realize these last two blogs have been kind of "downers".  But I am working through some personal issues so I am trying to encourage myself and hopefully encourage you also.  Afterall, the Bible has many verses about encouraging one another.

Planning the next blog,

Jeff

Aching-Breaking Heart

Have you ever been disappointed?  We have all had disappointment.  It starts in childhood when we wanted something really bad for Christmas and didn't get it.  It continues in our school years when we study really hard only to get a lower grade than we were hoping for or expecting.  Then it carries over into adulthood.  We get a job, work our tails off only to be passed up for that raise or promotion.  It also spills over into our married life when our spouse does not meet our expetations.  And along come children who do something that disappoints us.

Disappointment is unmet expectations.  Children are taught about Santa Claus and think they are going to get everything they ask for/want for Christmas.  That's impossible...unmet expectations. 

We get married and have certain expectations of our spouse..."that's woman's work" or "that's his job".  There are many times I have disappointed my wife and there are times I expected her to do something and it doesn't happen.  We are long past the caveman/Tarzan days.  I would rather cook then do yard work.  My wife would rather be outside in the dirt then do housework.  I like to give friends a hard time when they do something nice for their wives telling them it gives us husbands a bad name.  But that is an expression of love to do for your spouse what they don't like to do.  We were created for each other.

We live in a world that's not fair.  How many times do you hear your children say that.  Or your spouse comes home and tells you they did not get the raise or promotion..."that's not fair".  Satan is the prince of this world and he doesn't play fair, therefore life isn't fair.

So the next time your heart has been broken here is a Scripture.  Write it down on a 3x5 notecard.  Tape it to yur computer monitor.  Slide it into the casing around your mirror.  Put it somewhere where you will see it often.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18 (New International Version)



And to you who have had disappointments with your work; to those who are facing financial disappointments; or maybe disappointments with family relationships; here is another Scripture for you...

And we know that in all things God works for the good

of those who love Him,

who have been called according to His purpose.

If you are not His child; if you have not been born again through immersion into baptism; you should not/cannot expect God to work things for the good.  "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!  The reason the worl does not know us is that it did not know Him." (1 John 3:1 New International Version).

Let Him heal your heart.

With a healing heart,

Jeff