Playing God?

Well this may be off the wall, but I have a concern that we are experiencing people playing God.  I recall when I was young that I learned of cloud seeding.  If you are not aware of cloud seeding it is the government flying in an area and depositing silver iodine into the air.  The results are suppose to be to bring rain to drought areas.  They even tried this to put out forest fires in the past.   But it was not that successful.  

During the past few years since hurricane Katrina I have watched the pattern of hurricanes changing.  A tropical storm develops in the Atlantic Ocean and is heading straight for Florida.  As many of you are aware a hurricane develops out of a low pressure area.  Suddenly a HIGH pressure ridge comes in from the west and your will see a hurricane make a sharp turn and is pushed by the high pressure away from the coast line.

In 1985 only two of eleven hurricanes did not make landfall.  You can check each year and you will notice something has changed.

So has the High Pressure we are experiencing been caused by people playing God and thinking they can control weather?  As two more storms develop today in the Atlantic, watch them to see how they will turn before the the current weather changes in the middle of America.

My only thought is, "God will not be mocked."  As we move away from God we will see less and less of His blessings.

Just my dreaming thoughts.

Some Day There'll Be a Rainbow

We are experiencing dry hot weather here in East Tennessee right now, but as I got ready to get into my car, I saw a spider's web as it glistened in the sun.   As I walked by it, I saw a rainbow of colors throughout the web from the dew.  As I stopped a moment I was amazed that the color pattern in the web was in a rainbow pattern.

In our small group a few weeks ago we discussed rainbows and the way God left us with a reminder of His connection with us.  Our discussion was light hearted as we discussed what the colors mean and the other colors found in the Bible.   One thing is consistent from a rainbow.  A full rainbow has many colors within it but our naked eyes can only see seven colors but in those seven colors they blend together to give us a picture to what God said that started with Noah and continues with us today.

"And God said: 'This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

"'I set My RAINBOW in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the RAINBOW shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The RAINBOW shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.' ” (Genesis 9:12-16, NKJV throughout)

The real issue is not that there will never be a flood like the one Noah experienced but rather that the rainbow is a reminder that God made a Covenant with you and me because he loved us!  Even in our darkest days know that a rainbow will come to remind us of God's love.  

This came again to me in the rainbow this morning and then while listening to an online Hawaiian radio station at 3:00 a.m. HST (Hawaiian Time) I heard this song which re-enforced my rainbow this morning. (God's cool like that to give us nudges all around us.)  We just need to take a moment and look.  

Take a moment and click on the link to hear the song  Another Rainbow.  It says a lot about looking for another rainbow no matter what is going on in your life.

If you ever get to a waterfalls during the day, move around until you see a rainbow. Then remember God's Covenant.   Even though our friends in Florida are trying to get out of excess water from storms and the people in the West are fighting the fires, know that a rainbow in your life will come.  

It's God's Promise.

Switching Churches

Below are my thoughts in red to the LifeWay research.

Here are the top ten reasons LifeWay Research found why people switch churches:

 
1. The church was not helping me to develop spiritually. (28%)  Not the church’s responsibility but is resolved in small groups.  Growing larger and smaller at the same time keeps people around for more than seven years.
2. I did not feel engaged or involved in meaningful church work (20%)  Maybe the church does not communicate opportunities to be involved.  People get involved with things they become comfortable and learn not to do not fear the work in the church.  Commit to everything else but the work of the Lord.
3. Church members were judgmental of others (18%)  We are all sinners and fail each day.  Focus on the Lord and not on people to find ways to help others understand and love people where they are today in life.  We have not walked in their shoes so when point at others you have three fingers pointing back at you.  Try it.
4. Pastor was not a good preacher (16%)  Pastor’s dynamics for presenting the message is known at one month as it is in six years.
5. Too many changes (16%)  Excuse - since every day of our lives we encounter change but this excuse is just that an excuse.
6. Members seemed hypocritical (15%)  See # 3
7. Church didn’t seem to be a place where God was at work (14%)  Seeing life change is evidence of God at Work.  Having one child giving their life to the Lord is important but not the call of the church as commanded in Matthew. 
8. Church was run by a clique that discouraged involvement (14%)  This happens more than we like because it is a slippery slope that usually takes seven years to develop and mature.
9. Pastor was judgmental of others (14%)  Pastors can “play” to the big givers and stay away from others then in small groups talk down other churches. Members, and pastors.
10. Pastor seemed hypocritical (13%) As a youth I heard the singing group, “Happy Goodmans” and helped them break down after the show.  They had a great testimonial but as I was loading equipment in the bus one of them was smoking a cigarette and dropped a box on his toe. (No correlation)  He let out with a string of curse words and everything he had said on stage was gone.  It is a shame but pastors can be caught up in the same situation of not living what the preach. 

Don't look for an excuse to move from one church but evaluate if the church where you are serving is meeting the vision of the church which brought you to a local church in the first place.  The vision should be to reach the lost and not just be a social setting to show off your outfits.

Jump in to the cause or find a place where the reasons for leaving do not creep in.  Leave because you are being called to do more for the Lord so you can be blessed by the departing church and experience the vision found in Matthew 28.

Remember the Good Times - Father's Day

Psalms 4:1-4 “My children, listen to what your father teaches you. Pay attention, and you will have understanding. What they are teaching you is good, so remember it all.

When I was only a little boy my father would teach me many things by saying, "Remember what I say and never forget it”. 
With Father’s Day approaching, there are so many emotions that swell up within me. The first emotions are the memories of my childhood and the training I received at my father’s side on the farm. 

He was a strict and serious man from the depression era who wanted his children to learn to survive and love life. After hearing some quartet music recently, it reminded me of some more important lessons learned during my childhood. Dad’s activities in the church included teaching, leading and particularly singing in a quartet. 

Listening to the blends and recalling his bass voice in several quartets brought reminders of pride and awesome respect that I had long forgotten. It was this silent training by example that taught me how service to the Lord can be the most rewarding experience of our lives. 

Isn’t it interesting how once our fathers have passed from this world we recall so many things we have wished that could be said to them?  One year after my father had passed away, I wrote him a three page letter to just say what was on my heart.  

Yet in reading the letter again today, I feel like I could just write him another letter to catch up on what has been happening in my life. He became a close friend to me before he passed away. His wisdom in times past was like that spoken in the scripture above. 

The second emotion is that of my life and what my children have learned from me. They know of the many mistakes I’ve made and I see them working hard not to duplicate issues from my past. But the most important words I relish today from my children are, “I Love You”. 

As we approach Father’s Day, how are you remembering your father?  Is there strife or pain from years ago? Can you focus on the positive training you received from your father?   If alive, when was the last time you called and said, “I Love You”?  

The best encouragement I can offer is to build a renewed relationship with your father. Love him wherever he is in the journey of life. Enjoy being with him as often as you can. The Lord gave me the time with my father to have a great relationship and build wonderful memories. 

Maybe the Lord is giving you this year to build a renewed relationship. We are all children of God, so why don’t we recall the words of wisdom in today’s scripture?

Smile! Think about the good times with the person you call father.  Make more memories that will last in your children and their children for generations to come.

Ever Changing Cloud Characters

Yesterday before dawn, we were on our way to church from the mountains to the city of Maryville and as the dawn broke we could see the sun lighting up the skyline.  As you could see the gold and orange lining on the clouds, my eyes began to see characters in the formations of the clouds.

I could see a duck that looked like it had raised itself out of the water with its wings flapping.  Then in about five minutes the cloud changed to where it was a dog's head from a side view but as the sun rose into the clouds there were two holes in the clouds and you could see the bright eyes of a monster staring at us. 

But that was not the end of it.  It changed from the eyes to a dragon  to later seeing a dragon breathing fire out of the side of its mouth (check out the picture below).  Watching the road was becoming a challenge but we safely made it to the church parking lot and as I scanned the sky one last time before the sun revealed it brilliance, I found a peaceful kitten's head as it appeared to be looking out of the clouds to see what fun it could have for the day.

Have you ever taken the time to watch the clouds for the formation of characters or are you just too busy to ever see anything more than clouds?  Life is ever changing and we have to learn to believe that God is in control and only wants the best for us, even when we are going through hard times.  I figure, I'll only know the answers when I see God face to face but I don't think it will matter then.  So don't blow it here on earth or you will never find the answers in a heaven less eternity. 

At that moment yesterday as I walked through the parking lot, I thought of Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

In your busy day you need to take a moment and be still to see and listen to what God is showing you about His creation.  You have been given sight to see, ears to hear, a nose to smell, touch to know the varieties of textures and a mouth to keep shut so you can realize what blessings you have individually and what blessings the Lord has given each one of us in our nation.    A great way to really have peace is to find a place where you can use your senses WITHOUT the noise and commotion of the day. 

You will find that something as simple as a could character can make smile thought your entire day.



Take a close look at the sky and see how many characters you can find.  I found four in this photo.