Have you ever had one of those days?
It’s late in the day; already half past supper. You’re on the way home. Traffic is getting worse every day, and today is a doozy. Your mind is racing with the things you need to do before you go to bed: Wash a load of clothes … finish up tomorrow’s presentation … help the kids with their homework … You have everything planned in your head and you might just get to go to bed while it is still today.
Then your heart sinks when you get the phone call. “Can you stop by H-E-B and pick up something for supper?”
“And while you’re there …”
Of course, you’re already tired … and you have another full day of work ahead of you before you go to bed … and you’re at your wits end; but you stop at the store, nonetheless. After several minutes, you find a parking spot WAY in the back of the lot. You pull in and resolve yourself to get in and out as quickly as possible. You decide that frozen pizzas are easy and quick, so you pick up a couple … and some Blue Bell Tin Roof … and a package of Oreos.
“That’s enough,” you think to yourself and make your way to pay for your groceries.
When you get there, all the self-check kiosks are full, with a 30-foot line waiting. The person in the Express (12 items or less) line didn’t understand the concept and put 40 items on the conveyer. You see a regular line just about to finish, so you get out of line to go to that one; and a lady with a basket-full beats you to it.
You decide to just suck it up and wait in this line.
After several minutes, the cashier announces the total; so, the lady pulls out her wallet. Of course, she’s paying with cash. And now what’s this? She doesn’t have enough money, so she must put some things back.
Do you help her out? Or do you mutter discouraging words in your head?
You do know what the Christian thing to do is, don’t you?
Just then, you remember the verse you heard the other day, which just happens to be our …
Focus of the Month
Joel 2: 12 – This is what the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping and mourning.”
It’s not very big.
The Book of Joel is a small one – just two chapters. It is Joel’s message of God’s judgement and salvation. In it, he recounts the devastating plague of locusts that consume everything in the land of Judah. It is a warning to the people of Jerusalem of the consequences if they continue along their sinful path, and a promise of redemption if they turn away.
You often hear this verse on or near Ash Wednesday, and for good reason. The forty days of Lent is a great time to turn away from the things in your life you know you shouldn’t be doing and re-dedicate your lives to God. Of course, if you’re like me you are probably thinking, “Why does it have to be fasting?”
I think fasting is frequently misunderstood. Many people think of it as giving up food or drink. And while that is a perfectly good way to fast, there are many other ways to observe the Lenten season.
I once heard it said that, “Lent is a good excuse to become a better person.” I really like that. While Lent is a special time of prayer, confession and self-denial for many, it can also be a time for self-improvement … A time when we eliminate something that we shouldn’t do or add something that we should. And when you think about it, if you do something for six weeks or more, it tends to be habit forming.
What if, during Lent, you decided to …
GIVE UP complaining about the things you don’t like or don’t have and replace it with giving thanks for things that you do have. My family started a tradition during Lent a few years ago. We make it a point to frequently find something that we are thankful for in our lives, write a brief note about it and place it in our “gratitude jar.” At the end of the year, we read them all and remember the many blessings in our lives.
You can (and should) turn the bad things in your life into something to be thankful for. For instance:
• Instead of mourning over the loss of a loved one, thank God that He placed that person in your life.
• Instead of being angry over the loss of a job (or client), thank God that He closed that door so that another can be opened.
• Instead of complaining because the person in front of you is holding up the line, thank God that He has blessed you with enough money to help the lady in front of you.
Here are a few ways you can become a better person this Lent.
GIVE UP a few minutes of your time each day to spend in prayer or meditation with God. Resolve to spend 15 minutes with no distractions – no phone … no TV … no radio … NO FACEBOOK! Just be in the presence of God for that time. And I know that it’s hard to find 15 minutes to do anything, but you can do it if you make it a priority.
GIVE UP one evening a week. Use that time to visit with somebody. It can be somebody that you know and haven’t talked to in a while, or it can be a stranger in a senior assisted living home. Give somebody else the best gift you have – your time.
This is a very short list. And since none of us are perfect, we can all find something to give up and replace it with something more Christ like. This Lent, let us all work on becoming a better person.
Patrick G Howard
I’m not too crazy about fruitcake, either.
By Patrick G Howard
Tis the season.
You know what I mean. The Halloween candy has all been eaten. (How did that happen so quickly?) That first little bit of cold air descends on Houston. (And it didn’t come from your air conditioner.) Pumpkin spice is in the air. (Do we have to pumpkin spice our coffee?) The person you voted for lost, and your weird brother’s guy won. You wonder how your favorite team will win enough games to become bowl eligible. All these things can mean only one thing.
It’s time for Thanksgiving!
That’s right. Thanksgiving is that day when it’s OK to stuff yourself senseless, so you can take a two-hour nap in front of the TV while the Cowboys lose. That day when you get to listen to your crazy brother tell you why the country is going to be so much better because his guy won the election. That day when you re-discover why you despise pumpkin spice anything.
Thanksgiving and its associated traditions are uniquely American. We have so much to be thankful for, yet we take so much for granted. Before we dive head first into our Thanksgiving routine, let’s take a moment to focus of the month.
1 Chronicles 16:34 – Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever.
We serve an amazing God. Not only has He given us the gift of eternal salvation, but he provides for all our mortal needs as well. When we say the Lord’s prayer, we ask Him to supply us with our needs (our daily bread); and He is always faithful in providing for us.
If you don’t believe me, let me ask. Did you wake up this morning? Did you sleep in a bed under a roof last night? When was the last time you went hungry? Do you have clothes in your closet? Do you have people in your life that love you?
We are truly rich with God’s blessings, but it’s never enough. Think about the answers to your questions above. (If you’re like me, your answers may be something like this.)
Did you wake up this morning?
Yes, but it was too early.
Did you sleep in a bed under a roof last night?
Yes, but my mattress isn’t very comfortable.
When was the last time you went hungry?
Never, but I would like to eat at Perry’s instead of McDonalds.
Do you have clothes in your closet?
Yes, but they don’t fit me anymore.
Do you have people in your life that love you?
Yes, but my brother never votes for the right guy.
God has given us everything we need, and most of what we want, but it still isn’t enough. Why do we complain? Why can’t we just be thankful for the blessings that God gives us? Why can’t we accept that God has a plan for us and be thankful that He will faithfully provide for all our needs? Why do we complain that we hate brussel sprouts, when there are many who will be hungry tonight?
I have heard this said many ways, but this is my favorite: Being happy doesn’t mean you have it all; it simply means you are thankful for all you have.
Make this your mindset this month. Whenever you start to complain about something, turn it around and find a reason to be thankful for it instead.
Instead of complaining about getting up too early, be thankful that you were healthy enough to wake up.
Instead of complaining about your lumpy mattress, be thankful that you slept in your own home last night.
Instead of complaining that your brother voted for the wrong guy, be thankful that you live in a country where you are allowed to vote for the wrong guy.
Instead of complaining about eating at McDonalds, be thankful that Whataburger is just down the street.
Instead of turning your nose up at the bowl of brussel sprouts in the middle of your Thanksgiving buffet, move over and grab some mashed potatoes instead. Let those brussel sprouts be a blessing for your weird brother. Then be thankful that you have so much food available to you that you can stuff yourself senseless and take a two-hour nap in front of the TV while the Cowboys lose. There are a lot of people who can’t.
This Thanksgiving remember the words of our focus and give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
Interest rates are almost triple where they were just a little over a year ago. The prices of goods have skyrocketed over the past two years. Two major banks have failed in the past week. As of December 2022, the US Debt to GDP ratio is 129. That means, for every dollar of goods and services we produce in the United States, the government owes $1.29 in debt.
Imagine you make $100,000 per year, and you have $129,000 in non-asset debt obligations. (Not including mortgage, car, etc.) That is the United States right now.
You can’t turn on the TV or radio without hearing bad economic news; and it is impacting our businesses. Sales are down, because customers’ buying power isn’t what it used to be. And what sales we make come with a much lower profit margin, due to rising cost of goods sold.
It makes me long for the days when our biggest worry was, “Who shot JR?”
MAYBE …
We just haven’t been praying hard enough about this. Surely, if we just asked God to improve our situation, He would get right on that. That’s what God is for, right? You would think that, if we just clearly articulated the situation here, and asked Him to fix it, He would do it. We’re good Christians, and we deserve to live lives of smooth sailing on the world’s rough seas.
Those who know me, know that I love quotes. And one that is apropos to times like these is from one of my favorite presidents – John F Kennedy. He said, “Do not pray to have easier lives; Pray to be stronger men.”
Our focus this month …
Psalm 55:22 ~ Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
I know. That’s what you’ve been doing, and He hasn’t removed those barriers standing in the way of your success … of your happiness. For days … months … maybe even years … you have been praying for God to remove these hardships so you will have a better life … a less stressful life.
Fire Strengthens Steel
Swords are made from steel. Iron is heated in fire until it is yellow. (Approximately 2,100 – 2,500 degrees F) When it is in this malleable state, it is pounded into shape using a hammer on an anvil. Just as the steel begins to cool, it is thrust back into the fire to ready it for yet more blows. This process is repeated, over and over, until the desired shape takes place, and then it is heated and cooled a few more times.
Steel that has been forged and tempered in this manner renders it ready for the fiercest battle imaginable.
Have you ever considered …
You may be going through your current struggles, so that you will be better prepared for greater adversity in the future. The battles you face now, may be the fire, hammer and anvil that will shape you into the warrior you need to be to conquer your fiercest battle yet.
It is difficult to do at first, but instead of asking God to remove the troubles from your life, ask Him to make you a stronger person who is better able to handle life’s difficulties. Ask God, not to remove you from the battle, but rather to make you to into the warrior you must become to fight the next battle.
Your troubles will not ever go away. They only get bigger. However, this simple shift in mindset will transform you from being a victim into a victor.