You're Repeating Yourself

A few days ago I gave my daughter these instructions as I left for work, “Do something with the chicken in the refrigerator for supper.” The problem is that my daughter does not always deal well with such ambiguous instructions. So after work, I decided to pick up something for supper just in case there was nothing ready to eat when I got home. When I got home she had indeed made something using the chicken in the icebox. I was pleased, to say the least. I told my family I brought home fried chicken. I also told them again the next day, at LEAST three times. I am not usually a nag so why go through the bother of repeating it that many times? Well, I know how easy it is to forget and I wanted them to be sure and eat it before it spoiled. So I went to the trouble to remind them. I am sure you have done the same thing in your home, for the same reason. It’s something you want them to remember. In addition, at a later point, you do NOT want to hear, “I didn’t know”, and you do NOT want the discussion that will follow. As I was thinking about it, I was reminded of the things in the Bible that are repeated. Things like: Do not fear, love your neighbor, love your enemies, God is faithful. I could go on but you get the point. I can’t help but smile as I think about this because I imagine God repeats himself for the same reason that we do. He’s hoping, like I was, that by the tenth time that we have read it, it will finally sink in and we will remember that he loves us; that we don’t have to be afraid; that he will help us. Can’t you imagine God throwing his hands in the air in joy and saying, “Finally, You remembered! Now you understand.” I’m learning to look for things that God repeats because if he repeats it, it’s because it’s important and he wants me to remember what he has said. By the way, there is one other thing that Jesus repeated, “I will come again.” I can’t wait!!!

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Live Fearlessly

As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the road. Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride. As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping. I could have and should have but I didn't. Why? I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid. It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into overdrive. Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting. Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy. As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid. Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know. As I was driving away from a missed opportunity, I began thinking about what it is that makes us afraid. I honestly am not sure what it is that causes us to be afraid when we should be bold, but I

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story. We were new parents. When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes. One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house. The next thing I heard was a thud. I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened. There was my son with a table on top of him. He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over. We put him in the car and dashed for the ER. It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches. Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike. She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road. I grabbed her up and checked her over there were no injuries, but

Just A Word of Praise!!

On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away. On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road. It was no big deal. We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home. Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat. Yikes! I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire. A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped. As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer. He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire. My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is. I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.” I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him. Within a few minutes, he had it hooked up and running. As it turned out, I was using it properly,

Inspirations

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