Being a Hybrid

Well it’s spring again and for many people it is time to begin planting seeds for herbs and vegetables. Our family has a strain of green bean seeds passed from generation to generation which are called, “pure” seeds. These climbing beans give a lot of fruit when they are kept away from all the other bean seeds.

During the year, we would save one healthy plant for seeds for the next year. I was told by my dad to never plant these seeds next to any hybrid seeds. I had read that hybrid seeds were seeds developed by laboratories to give high yields and are pest, drought, and mold resistant. Therefore, as a young man on his own I did not listen to my father, and planted the pure seeds next to hybrids. The first year I had great results. I saved some seeds from that crop and the next year planted them and got good results. It was not until four years later that I realized that my dad was quite a smart man.

The plants were green and large and loaded with bloom. I gloated about what the harvest was going to be that year. When the bloom feel off there were no beans. The plants remained green but there was no crop. It was my dad who reminded me of how the hybrid seeds were produced. You take seeds from pure strains and mix them to get the hybrid. While the laboratories will develop a better seed for this year, you can not keep planting those seeds every year and get crops. The hybrid runs out.

The Lord created us as “one of a kind”, but we often take that to the point of thinking we can be pure in our lives and not need the Lord. It may be a season in our life or it could be a lifestyle. Nevertheless, we think we are like the pure seeds. If we keep ourselves away from television, radio, other people, and the world, we might remain pure. But, that’s not God plan for our lives.

When the Lord comes into our hearts, we become a part of Him. We are now hybrids that were bought with the price of Jesus’ grace and love for us on the cross. The trouble is we never get our lives renewed daily to keep the hybrid link strong. Instead we try and do things on our own time and time again until our strength is gone.

Make sure that you take the time each day to read, pray and just talk to the Lord. You be amazed how strong the hybrid relationship can be and help others desire such a hybrid relationship. 

Luke 18:27 . . . "What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Serving and Loving it

Have you ever walked into a restaurant and waited at the podium to be seated only to not be noticed? When you finally get someone’s attention, they make you feel as if you are an inconvenience for them?   To top that off you have to flag someone down just to get a glass of water. What do you do when you encounter such poor service?

We had an experience like that not too far from where we live. It took forever to get seated. They ignored us for some time until I asked for our waitress. It seemed like we were bothering her just to give her our order. Next, after waiting for twenty-five minutes with no food, we got up, found the manager and advised her of the situation, and left.  

To this day, Lynnette and I comment about that restaurant every time we drive past. People feel more at home when in finding themselves in a strange setting have friendly service. A few years ago, we visited a church at Easter with my daughter and grand-daughters.

 First, the sign on the front of the church said the services started at 10:45 a.m. We were walking into the church about five minutes early, but heard singing in the main worship area. An usher was guarding the door and so I asked when the services had started. He noted that they had started at 10:30. I said but your sign in front says 10:45. He laughed and said,  ”I guess we need to change that someday.” The church was filled for the Easter service and so I asked the usher where we should sit. He stuck his head inside the worship area and said to us, “just anywhere you can find a place”.

We were strangers to the setting, but I pushed my way down the aisle only to get looks from people who were sitting on the outside of the aisle and would not move in for us. Finally, all six of us had to climb over several people just to get inside.

Since the worship leader was singing gospel songs that I knew, I quickly began singing along. What I did not know was in that church the leader is the only one to sing the verses and the congregation sings the chorus. Not knowing the rules and guidelines, I began to sing away. You should have seen the looks that I got from people in front of me.

That ended my worship experience for the morning.

Have you ever had similar experiences? Have you ever wondered what visitors may think when they arrive at church? Are they being served and do they feel comfortable? Think about the poor restaurant service or the seemingly unfriendly church.

In Ephesians 5, we are called to “Watch what God does and then do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents” (The Message). Christ came to serve. As the church grows we must learn to serve more. A wise pastor advised us that we need to give our lives away every day. If we are to be imitators of Christ, then we need to start at home, at work, at school, and at church.

Happiness comes in service to others because it takes the focus off our own issues and problems. If you’re looking for happiness in your church home, try giving your life away in service to the Lord and others.

Funny, but it took five years and a new electric sign for that church to change the sign for the starting time of worship. Why don’t look at your church as a first time guest and see where you personally can improve and serve.

Life's Storms

Luke 8: 22-24 “One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm all around.”

It was an early morning flight that would normally be uneventful, but today was different. As ten of us boarded the thirty seat propeller driven airplane, the flight attendant asked if we would all sit in the back portion of the plane to balance the load.

Once I settled into a seat, I tried to close my eyes as the smell of fuel and the sound from the start of the engines filtered through the compartment. I glanced at my watch and thought, “Wow, we are getting an early start.”

As we climbed up to 15,000 feet then leveled off, I tried to catch a few moments of sleep. Suddenly, the plane began to bounce and drastically move side to side. As I looked out of the window in the early twilight hours, I could see before us an approaching thunderhead cloud.

Immediately, I remembered that in my morning quiet time with the Lord I had forgotten one thing. “Lord, forgive me of the things I’ve done wrong.” The more we bounced around the more I became sincere in making sure that I had everything covered and was at peace with the Lord. What seemed like hours later (but was only minutes), the plane rose above the clouds and all became stable.

Now out my window I could see the sun rising and the soft billowy clouds below the plane. All was at peace at 17,000 feet above the earth. In our lives we often live each day and forget to talk to the Lord about either trivia or important issues that could impact our lives.

It is not until a storm in life starts to bounce us around that we remember to petition Him for help. The Lord does not always lift us out of the storm, but does give us a peace that He is in charge of all things.

As we go through life we come to expect bounces and unstable times, and we pray that we can find a way around the storm. The reality is that sometimes we must just go through the storm. We are not always protected from the storms but we can know that our relationship with the Lord can bring us peace.

When you have friends going through rough times try not to give them a pat answer like, “Just turn to God”, because they knew that answer before they talked to you. Instead, just love them where they are at that moment and pray for them to get that peace.

The reality of life is that I have peace in my soul while going through the rough weather of life, but on this plane flight it was not until the plane was taxiing into the gate that my blood pressure went back to normal.

The Lord is still working on me for total piece and understanding in all situations as I sometimes get anxious about life situation, an unfinished work of the Lord’s art.

A time for a Praise and Thank You

First I want to thank you for your prayers as the Lord did put his protection around me during the trip and the events upcoming from yesterday's blog. 

The winds were calm in the parking lot when I arrived but as soon I started loading up by display to haul into the supplier center big gusts of wind tried to take everything across the parking lot.  This continued the entire time I was taking the display and samples inside.   A nice elderly lady stopped and helped me load everything back on the cart and then she followed me into the Center.  It would have been difficult without this good Samaritan’s help to get everything inside without damage.

Just so you know that your prayers were being heard, the assistant to the buyer came to take me downstairs to the meeting area.  While we were waiting on the elevator, three unrelated buyers stopped and asked about the product.   Soon I had a crowd of five people asking questions while my buyer’s assistant was holding the elevator door and just quietly saying, “Gary, Gary,  Gary, I’m over here.”

We went to the room the assistant helped me set up and then stayed asking questions also.  When the Buyer came down we spent the first few minutes just looking at and operating the display of the Attic Trac.  I then took one full carton into the conference room and she explored the contents of the carton.

We talked for a few minutes and she then noted that she would like to trial it in 200 stores.  I told her my goal to be in all stores and she said for me to send her a note today for what 200 stores would make the best test area.  We talked some more about advertising opportunities and she continued to be interested. 

So the bottom line is that she is willing to place it in 200 stores and we will try to see if she will place it in all stores. 

Thank you again for your support and the praise is not finished as the Lord’s grace is sufficient.