Paying Attention

Most people who know me know that for me, paying attention to directions is difficult. So you can imagine what it is like to train one hundred to one hundred and fifty junior high school students a lesson in paying attention.

Yet each summer for five years, my task for a Christian wilderness camp was to train young people to learn about the signs of nature and that  paying attention could save their lives. On Sunday night we would set up camp, and a group of twenty to thirty students would listen while I presented them with facts on surviving in the wilderness at night. It entailed everything from reading constellations, looking for paths, following creek beds, and the moss on the north side of trees. We would continue the discussions for about two hours until about 10:00 p.m. Then we took them on a night hike.

The camp had 98 acres with about 55 acres being wooded. I would be at the head of the group and meander through the woods. At times I would make a circle and cross over the path. This would go on for about ten minutes and the students would be led to the edge of the wooded area at the far end of the property. The students were then told to get us back to base camp. The counselors went to the back of the group and just followed wherever the group led us.

The “cool” kids would immediately take the lead and off the group would walk. After wandering in the woods for up to one or two hours and enduring the grumbling of being tired, the real leaders would emerge. It was usually a quiet camper who had remembered the training. This new leader would talk about the signs they were taught earlier and look for an opening in the woods to study the sky or find the moss on the side of trees. Once they followed the signs God had placed before them, they arrived at the base camp within fifteen minutes.

The Lord has given us Scripture and friends to teach us about love, hope, joy, and direction for living a fruitful life. Sometimes, though, we do not pay attention to His directions with signs that our lives are wandering in circles or heading into dead ends. It  is only when we get back to the basics that the Lord has taught us do we get home and find the peace we are looking for in life.

So my question toady is, why wait until your life is a mess before turning back to the Lord?   Why not pay attention to the directions God gave us in the Bible and avoid the pain of some of our mistakes?

Talking with the Lord and studying His word daily can help us stay on the path of living a fulfilling life.

Even if we do not naturally follow directions.

Remembering our Tea Parties

         Today is my daughter's birthday and my mind continues to playback my beautiful daughter as a child.

  Reflecting on years gone by, I recall my desire for success, approval, and the “good” things life had to offer.  Working 50-60 hours a week in an office was a way of achieving those things.  On the drive home each night, I mentally would lay out my plans for the evening (or what was left of it).   There was the lawn, the garden, repairs to the house, church activities, and softball.  Today, I regretfully realize that I often forgot that “just spending time” with my children was part of their life training, and not just teaching them to help with work around the house.

            My daughter, Stephanie, a four-year old, was so special in her desire for a  relationship.  She had a little table in her room and loved to have “Tea Parties”. 

I can still hear her say, “Daddy, let’s have a tea party.”  To which so often, I would make some excuse and ignore her.  But that never stopped her from asking again.  She would prepare the table with dishes, cups, forks, spoons, and knives, but even when I absent, she would set the table for three.  One for her make believe doll friend, herself and for me.

            When she strongly insisted, I would rush in and join her tea party. 

            Can you imagine a six foot plus man sitting on chairs, which were about ten inches off the floor?  My knees were up in to my chin and you had to be able to touch your chin to your knees in order to reach for the cup of make-believe tea. 

My daughter was a great make-believe cook and had a wonderful imagination for tasty food.  We would sit together and drink tea, eat something yummy and just talk.  She would tell me of her day’s activities (As much as a four year old could think of). 

It was there I’d answer questions about life and about Jesus.  You know the ones that continue with “Why?’.

The best part of the party came when it was time to pick up the dishes and clean them.  My little girl would just say, “Your busy Daddy, so I’ll clean up”.  I’d thank her and give her a little kiss.  As I would go out the door of her room, the words, “I Love You Daddy” echoed behind me.  I’d say, “I love you too” and journey off to the task ahead.

As Father’s Day approaches, I wish I could go back and have more of those tea parties again.  I would train more in showing the love that Jesus had for us and the importance of relationships.

That was many years ago and my little girl has little girls of her own.  In Proverbs, it notes that we should train up a child in the way it should go and it will not depart them.  There is nothing about the past that I can change, but I encourage young fathers everywhere to slow down the drive for physical success and spend more quantity time with your sons and daughters.

Happy Birthday Stephanie!

Proverbs 22:6 – Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it

The Dreamer of Fortune Cookies

One of the best parts of eating in a Chinese restaurant is not having all the wonderful dishes at the buffet table, but rather at the end of the meal when we receive the fortune cookies. 

About a month ago,  I got my fortune cookie after the meal and quickly ripped it in half.  Laying the cookie aside, I went right for the fortune.  The small strip of paper had these encouraging words, “You will have a long and healthy life.”  That’s a good one.  Come to think of it, I never have opened a fortune cookie that told me something bad, although I have heard there are some cookies in special packages that are downright mean predictions. 

So I did a little research to see how this all got started.

To my amazement, the fortune cookie, like chop suey, is not Chinese but the results of a U.S. dreamer and inventor.   Fortune cookies actually originated in Los Angeles, where Canton-native David Jung, a baker and restaurateur, began making cookies with thin slips of paper inside sometime around 1920.  His purpose was to give people good feelings about themselves, even during troublesome times. Jung founded the Hong Kong Noodle Company, which was producing more than 3,000 cookies an hour in the 1920s.

In some ways, the Bible is like a fortune cookie.  It has words of encouragement, love, forgiveness, and hope that are perfect for everyone today.  Everywhere we study the Scripture we find direction for our lives. 

But reading and studying Scripture should never be as casual as eating a fortune cookie, yet how often do we do just that.  We open it up, take out the words we want to read and toss the rest aside. 

Instead God’s Word is just giving us a smile but we need to take the time to build a relationship with the One who gives us a fortune each day.  It is the thrilling fortune (message) along with blessings seen and not seen in which demonstrates that the Creator of the universe is in love with us. 

Meditating on the words and making them live in our hearts will give us more wonderful fortunes than the 3,000 cookies baked in an hour back in the 1920s.

1 John 2:14   I write to you, my children, because you know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you know him who has existed from the beginning. I write to you, young people, because you are strong; the word of God lives in you, and you have defeated the Evil One.

Blame Game - It's Not My Fault

Recently, it was announced on TV that a man who smoked all his life is suing a tobacco company for an enormous amount of money.  His legal claim is that although he had developed terminal cancer from smoking, he was not responsible for getting lung cancer.  It was someone else’s fault.  Today a lady, who was texting while walking in a mall, fell into the center fountain.  She is suing the mall for not have rails to block her.  It wasn't her fault.  My bride said that if someone ran into her texting, she would be suing them too.

 You see this scenario played over and over again in today’s society.  People who break many laws are claiming in court that it was not their fault.  A terrorist claims he was tricked into killing 277 people and it is not his fault.  People blame environment, society, other people, and corporations.  This stand has resulted in lengthy court cases and sometimes in financial awards and some with no consequences whatsoever.  What is this world coming to? 

Strange, but this approach is not new.

 God created us with the ability to make choices.  While there are circumstances that focus our lives toward acts of sin and crime, we must look at the director of sin.

 Satan wants us to believe that there are no consequences to our actions.  Adam and Eve were told this lie and they believed it.  They even repeated the lie back to God.  And Adam even blamed God for the sin. 

 When you get a moment, read Genesis 3:1-24.  

As you read the entire story, Satan goes head to head against God’s word.  At the end of this chapter, you see the grave consequences to Adam and Eve for lying and blaming someone or something else.

Today, our society believes Satan’s lies and we hear people say, “Influences beyond our control made us steal, kill, or cause damage to our own bodies”.  We take no responsibility for our actions.   Yet God’s laws say that there are still consequences to sin.

Going through the process of suffering consequences does not mean the end of your life, but can be a growth time in your life that the Lord can use for His glory.  Jesus Christ wipes the slate clean of our sins when we give our lives to Him.  So you do not need Satan’s lies and deceit.   You can use your past to make a difference in a person’s present, so they can be assured of a wonderful future in Heaven. 

 It’s time to take responsibility for our actions, ask forgiveness, and tell Satan that it is his fault and not other people, plus we know Satan’s future.  Be different!  Be true to yourself!

Genesis 3: 12-13   Then the man said to God, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.”  And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”  The woman said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.”

Crying Out for Help - Not a Dream

It was the fall of 1988 and I thought my life was breaking apart.  I worked in a Christian corporation and events beyond my control had forced me to take some steps I did not want to take.  After several weeks of keeping my thoughts inside, I went to the woods to be alone.  In a small clearing in the center of the woods, I screamed out to God at the top of my lungs, “Why?  Why?  Why are you allowing this to happen?” 

I was hurting, and angry with God for not doing something about the situation.  For the next few minutes I began to tell God what I thought He should be doing and told Him how much I had done for Him in the Christian corporation. 

When I stopped crying out in pain and tears, I waited for the Lord’s reply.  No booming voice from the sky.  No rumble of thunder.  Just a couple of blue birds singing and a gentle breeze.  At that time I slumped to the ground and leaned up next to a tree.  After the tears subsided, I noticed an anthill to my right.  Unknowingly, I had kicked their mound and tore up their nest.  Instead of getting angry or crying out, they just began working that much harder to rebuild their nest.  It was then that the Lord spoke through my thoughts to rebuild my life.  I realized that I had built my life on those accomplishments for the Lord and the world while not focusing on my relationship with the Lord.

Think about the times you experience the most pain in your life.  It may be your finances, your home, relationships with others, your job, loss of a loved one, or your spouse and crying out to God will be a healing part of the situation.  He understands.  He loves you.  He wants to care for you. 

Look around you and ask the Lord to show you His plan for your life.  It may be a lifestyle change.  It may just be an attitude change.  Or it could be just a heart change to realize that you have done it on your own for such a long time that you need to really depend of the Lord for your daily strength and guidance.

From personal experience, the Lord WILL deliver you out of your troubles.  As I look back at 1988, I realize that if I had not experienced the situations, then I would have missed the best relationship possible with the Lord and then with other people.  Don’t be angry with God for the situation that may have your life turned upside down.  Talk to Him.  Listen to Him.  Then discover what great things He has in store for you. 2011 is going to be a GREAT Year!

 Psalms 34:17 - When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.