Sermon Connection

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsIf It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

It is the Responsible Thing To Do

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

We were probably all taught from an early age to be responsible. I remember when we got our first pet. It was a big deal. We spent a lot of time trying to pick out just the right name. At the time, my older brother Kenny and I were involved in two activities that helped shape our lives. We were in the Cub Scouts and we both played Little League Baseball. The team just happened to be the Cubs. It made perfect sense to name our dog Cubby.

Cubby was more than just a pet. He very quickly became part of the family. My parents never wanted to waste a teachable moment and Cubby became the tool by which they would begin to teach us responsibility. Everything we have and every relationship requires a certain level of responsibility. Just as with my dog Cubby required food and water every day to thrive, I have to be responsible in tending to the relationships that I want to thrive in my life. If I neglect my responsibilities, my relationship will falter and if left unattended long enough, fail.

There was one more thing that really added to the responsibility. Someone was always watching what you did. My parents were watching to make sure we did what was needed. However, we had a younger brother in the house. I learned that he watched our every move and copied what we did. We are role models to those around us, whether we realize it or not, and what we do affects them.

Randy Bennett writes “Many of you I’m sure remember Charles Barkley, the NBA Basketball star who didn’t want people watching him too closely. People were disappointed with his actions and attitude on and off the court and challenged him to be a better role model. His response was basically, “Hey, I’m a basketball player. I didn’t ask to be anyone’s role model and I don’t need that added responsibility.” As an NBA star, Barkley didn’t have the option to choose whether or not he wanted to be a role model. That decision had already been made for him when he signed a contract to play in the highly publicized NBA.

The same is true for those of us who call ourselves Christians. Once we make that decision to follow Christ, people are watching. Whether you like it or not or whether or not you think it’s fair, you’ve become an example for the family of God.”

I am reminded in Luke 12:48b, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.” There is simply no escaping it, responsibility is a part of life. How are you doing with yours?

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the blessings of life! Help me to live out my responsibilities well knowing that others are watching. Please give me grace for the journey and your mercy when I fail. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsIf It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Preventative Maintenance for the Family

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

When I think of preventative maintenance on all the things I have, I am trying to make the investment of money go farther. However, the investment in my family has eternal value. How much time do I spend strengthening those relationships? The following story was found at www.omaha.com and it reminds us that our children are a sacred trust.

To say the least, I was at first shocked to read the headline, Baby Ate Cocaine Dad Left Nearby. According to the Associated Press a father from Ravenna, Ohio was sentenced to one year in prison for endangering his daughter, who was six-months-old at the time of the incident. He evidently stashed his illegal drug in her baby swing and she ate some of it. The mother noticed the white powder around the daughter’s mouth and took her to the hospital for treatment.

I take this as a wake-up call to fathers from God. He is calling us to protect our children. Obviously, this man carelessly endangered his child, but what about us father’s possibly putting our children at risk in very subtle ways. I believe it is not enough for us dads to house, feed, clothe, and educate our children. We dads need to empower our kids to turn from evil and do what is good and right, and to have the best possible harmonious relationship with them as we can.

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University reported recently in a survey which suggests “….most teenagers find it easier to talk about drugs with their mothers than with their fathers, and those who don’t get along with their fathers are at far greater risk of smoking, drinking and using drugs….” The survey reported that “teens in two-parent families who have fair or poor relationships with their fathers are 68 percent more likely to use drugs than those in average families.”

Dads, we can to have a relationship with our children that fosters openness and care. We can be responsible to do what is in their best interest, safety and welfare.

We dads can be emotionally and spiritually connected with our children. “’Too many fathers are just AWOL in their kids’ lives,’ said Joseph Califano, the research center’s chairman. ‘They’re not there to help with homework, and kids don’t go to them with important problems.’” We can best share with them helpful lessons from life and God’s Word by maintaining a positive relationship.

Jesus Christ said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:11-12).

Fathers, even though none of us always hit the mark, we can still give our children good things. Let us search our hearts and ask God to reveal the attitudes and habits that can hurt or hinder our children. Then let us jettison them for the sake of our kids, ourselves, our community and our Creator. For “….children are a reward from [the Lord]” (Psalm 127:3).

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

I know that my family is a precious gift from You. Please help me while I am giving myself to my career and other responsibilities to save the best of who I am for them. Thank You for giving them to me and help me to live in such a way that I lead them to love You. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsIf It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

God’s Creation

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

While none of us want to fix what isn’t broken, we sure spend a lot of time trying to improve on what God created. God gave us the responsibility of being stewards of all He created. However, the following story illustrates how crazy we can get. Enjoy!

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature, what in the world is going on down there in the U.S.? What in the world happened to the dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of green. ST. FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are called the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers “weeds” and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD: Grass? But it is so boring, it’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms. It’s temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want grass growing there? ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing it and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. GOD: The spring rains and the warm weather probably makes the grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites very happy. ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a little, they cut it……sometimes two times a week. GOD: They cut it? Do they bale it like hay? ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? ST. FRANCIS: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. GOD: Now let me get this straight…they fertilize it to make it grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir. GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. ST. FRANCIS: You aren’t going to believe this Lord, but when the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD: What nonsense! I think I like my original plan a lot better… (copied from Steven Grant)

For, “ALL FLESH IS LIKE GRASS, AND ALL ITS GLORY LIKE THE FLOWER OF GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND THE FLOWER FALLS OFF,  BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER.” And this is the word which was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:24-25 (NASB)

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

You have created a big beautiful world. Help me to be a good steward of all you have created. May Your creation remind me of you and my need to know You. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

 

Sermon Connection

Sermon-Connections

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

Labor Day

Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain. Psalm 127:1 (NASB)

Labor Day started as the brain child of either Matthew or Peter McGuire. The first holiday was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. It gained momentum over the next ten years and on June 28, 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September a legal holiday.

Peter McGuire was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. He also cofounded the American Federation of Labor and he stated “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” However, Matthew McGuire was serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York when he proposed the holiday in 1882. The records seem to support Matthew. Either way, it is a holiday created by the labor movement dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. (Information provided by the US Department of Labor)

Labor Day, like many other holidays, is a time for cookouts and recreation. For some pursuing recreation takes them to the golf course, ocean, amusement parks, and cookouts. For some other, they recreate at the shopping malls. I like working in my shop and tinkering with different projects. I use it as a time for doing preventative maintenance on things around the house. Hence the old adage, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So many of us wait until something breaks before we are forced to fix. This usually happens at the worst possible time and cost far more than it would have otherwise. A little preventative maintenance would have solved the problem.

The same is true in our spiritual lives. When is the last time you did maintenance on your walk with Christ? The C. S. Lewis Institute posted an Annual Spiritual Check Up that give ten items to consider:

  1. How is my relationship with God?
  2. Am I actively serving God?
  3. Am I growing in my desire and actions to give sacrificially to God’s work in the church, in caring for the poor, and in other ministries?
  4. Am I living in humility before God, my family, friends and co-workers?
  5. Is there evidence of grace growing in my life?
  6. Am I loving my family as I should?
  7. Am I forgiving others?
  8. Am I growing in fellowship with other believers?
  9. Have I personally witnessed to anyone in the past year?
  10. Am I focusing part of my time and money to help the poor and disadvantaged?

 

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

My relationship with You means more to me than anything! As I reflect on these simple questions, I realize how much of the world has crept into a position of influence. Help me to do preventative maintenance on my spiritual life and may it begin with spending time each day with You. In Jesus Name, I pray, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-Connections

What Makes You Angry?

Sometimes Forgiving is Hard

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 (NASB)

Being able to forgive is not for the weak of faith. It takes faith if God to follow his commands even when it is hard to do, even when we do not want to. How do you forgive when it seems all you have is anger for what has happened? Jeannette Williams write a piece entitled “Forgiving When You Can’t” that might help…

“Her car had killed my husband, a school crossing guard. She had struck Tom down while he was on duty, helping the children. The investigating officer and witnesses had told me it was a “no fault” accident. I didn’t want to believe them.

In the sad, lonely weeks after the funeral, my thoughts turned again and again to this woman–blaming her, accusing her, resenting her.

One afternoon my preacher, Garth Steele, stopped by, “I’ve seen her,” he said. “She wasn’t speeding. She wasn’t careless. She was blinded by the low, glaring sun. It honestly wasn’t an irresponsible accident.”

“That’s what everyone says,” I replied. “I know I should feel sorry for her–that God wants me to–but I can’t.”

He patted my arm kindly. “When you can accept what’s happened, perhaps you can forgive. Please, Jeannette, ask God to help you.”

My angry feelings were still there a few weeks later when Brother Steele came back “I want you to go see her,” he said.

“See her?” My voice was shrill. “Why? I’m the one who’s alone–she has a husband! I’m the injured party.” I was hurting so much inside. “Is it wrong that I’m angry?” I finally asked.

“No, it’s human. With God’s help, you’ll work your way through this. You must pray about it.” He took my hands. “She’s a teacher. She loves children, the way Tom did.”

She loves children. The words echoed in my head long after he’d left. I tried to imagine the woman in her classroom–guiding, encouraging, concerned for her students. I sank into Tom’s chair and bowed my head: “Father, I can’t go on like this. I know You want me to forgive her. Help me have the heart to do it.”

The next day, God did. I was putting away some sympathy notes from Tom’s schoolchildren, and as I reread the caring messages, Tom’s favorite bible verse slipped into my mind: (Eph 4:32 NIV) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

My preacher had asked me to pray, and I had. Now, I found, I was ready to try the thing that God seemed to be asking me: Be Kind.

Brother Steele phoned ahead, and the following morning I walked up the brick path to the woman’s house.

She had a frail look and her face was drawn. We sat down stiffly. At first it was difficult for both of us to talk, and then she began to tell me how her heart went out to me, and how miserable she was. She was afraid to drive a car now, she couldn’t work, and she couldn’t eat. Could it be, I wondered, that she was suffering even more than I? And then I heard my own voice blurt out: “I know you didn’t mean to hit my husband.”

Her lips trembled. “If only I hadn’t left home that day!”

Without thinking about it, I put my arms around her. “I forgive you,” I said. “Now you must forgive yourself.” And, with God’s help, she did.”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Sometimes the hurts are so deep that it seems impossible to forgive. Help me today to trust you by faith and obey Your Word. Please give me the strength and courage to forgive. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsWhat Make You Angry?

Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 (NASB)

God has given us the answers to the toughest questions we will ever encounter. However, we must trust Him and do our part. This story, originally shared in Pulpit Helps, illustrates the power of forgiveness. It really works, but only if we apply it.

A woman wrote to “Pulpit Helps” to explain a miraculous lesson her family experienced. During one of their family Bible readings as new Christians, they ran across the verse, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him” (Romans 12:20 RSV). She writes:

Ours sons, 7 and 10 at the time, were especially puzzled. “Why should you feed your enemy?” they wondered. My husband and I wondered too, but the only answer John could think of to give the boys was, “We’re supposed to because God says so.” It never occurred to us that we would soon learn why.

Day after day John Jr. came home from school complaining about a classmate who sat behind him in 5th grade. “Bob keeps jabbing me when Miss Smith isn’t looking. One of these days, when we’re out on the playground, I’m going to jab him back.

I was ready to go down to the school and jab Bob myself. Obviously the boy was a brat. Besides, why wasn’t Miss Smith doing a better job with her kids? I’d better give her an oral jab, too, at the same time!”

I was still fuming over this injustice to John Jr. when his 7 year old brother spoke up: “Maybe he should feed his enemy.” The three of us were startled.

None of us was sure about this “enemy” business. It didn’t seem that an enemy would be in the 5th grade. An enemy was someone who was way off… well, somewhere.

We all looked at John. Since he was the head of the family, he should come up with the solution. But the only answer he could offer was the same one he had given before: “I guess we should because God said so.”

“Well,” I asked John Jr., “do you know what Bob likes to eat? If you’re going to feed him, you may as well get something he likes.” “Jelly beans,” he almost shouted, “Bob just loves jelly beans.”

So we bought a bag of jelly beans for him to take to school the next day, and decided that the next time Bob jabbed John Jr., John was simply to turn around and deposit the bag on his “enemy’s” desk. We would see whether or not this enemy feeding worked.

The next afternoon, the boys rushed home from the school bus and John Jr. called ahead, “It worked, Mom! It worked.” I wanted the details: “What did Bob do? What did he say?”

“He was so surprised he didn’t say anything – he just took the jelly beans. But he didn’t jab me the rest of the day!” In time, John Jr. and Bob became the best of friends – all because of a little bag of Jelly Beans.

Both of our sons subsequently became missionaries on foreign fields. Their way of showing friendship with any “enemies” of the faith was to invite the inhabitants of those countries into their own homes to share food with them around their own tables.

It seems “enemies” are always hungry. Maybe that’s why God said to feed them.

Today Prayer

Dear Lord,

Thank You for the guidance Your Word gives me. Please give me the courage to apply it daily. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsThe Best Defense…

Encouragement

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17 (NASB)

Most people cringe when they think of this passage. I think it is because we see it in a negative light of confrontation. In our society today, we have the idea that all confrontation is bad. However without it, there would be no standard. Following a standard gives people direction on how to live together in society. It is a crucial part of society, even a small one such as the family unit. I see this passage leaning more towards encouragement. Encouragement because verse 15 concludes with the reason to use this with someone: “if he listens to you, you have won your brother”. Encouragement makes all the difference in this life and just maybe in the life to come.

Fred Craddock tells a story “about vacationing with his wife one summer in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One night they found a quiet little restaurant, where they looked forward to a private meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. Craddock leaned over and whispered to his wife, “I hope he doesn’t come over here.” He didn’t want anyone intruding on their privacy. But sure enough, the man did come over to their table. “Where you folks from?” he asked in a friendly voice.

“Oklahoma,” Craddock answered.

“Splendid state, I hear, although I’ve never been there,” the stranger said. “What do you do for a living?”

“I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips University,” Craddock replied.

“Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I’ve got a story to tell you.” And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with Craddock and his wife.

Dr. Craddock said he groaned inwardly and thought to himself, “Oh, no! Here comes another preacher story! It seems like everybody has at least one.”

The man stuck out his hand. “I’m Ben Hooper,” he said. “I was born not far from here across the mountains. My mother wasn’t married when I was born, so I had a pretty hard time. When I started to school, my classmates had a name for me, and it wasn’t a very nice name. I used to go off by myself at recess and lunch time because the things they said to me cut me so deep. What was worse was going to town on Saturday afternoons and feeling like every eye was burning a hole through me, wondering just who my father was.

“When I was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to our church. I would always go in late and slip out early. But one day the preacher said the benediction so fast I got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. I could feel every eye in the church on me. Just about the time I got to the door I felt a big hand on my shoulder. I looked up and the preacher was looking right at me. ‘Who are you, son? Whose boy are you?’ he asked. I felt this big weight coming down on me. It was like a big black cloud. Even the preacher was putting me down. But as he looked down at me, studying my face, he began to smile a big smile of recognition. ‘Wait a minute!’ he said. ‘I know who you are. I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God.’ With that he slapped me across the rump and said, ‘Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.’

The old man looked across the table at Fred Craddock and said, “Those were the most important words anybody ever said to me, and I’ve never forgotten them.” With that, he smiled shook hands with Craddock and his wife, and moved on to another table to greet old friends.

And as he walked away, Craddock – a native Tennessean himself – remembered from his studies of Tennessee history that on two occasions the people of Tennessee had elected to the office of governor men who had been born out of wedlock. One of them was a man named Ben Hooper.”

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Help me to be an encouragement to someone today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsThe Best Defense…

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Matthew 18:15-17 (NASB)

“The best defense is a good offense” was the favorite saying of heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. I have heard it used in many situations both in and out of sports. I think it is especially true when it comes to being a father. Fathers are needed for so much more than procreation and money. Fathers teach their children how to deal with the one thing that touches all our lives: interpersonal relationships.

Children learn by watching us. Two of the things they will see will impact them for a lifetime. They see how we relate to others, especially in our family unit, and how we relate to God. It is no coincidence that the way we relate to God determines in large part how we relate to others. When fathers understand this and take the offensive because it can make all the difference in their children.

Ed Sasnett tells the story of… “Victor Hugo, who is famous for his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, also so wrote a story called “Ninety-Three.” It tells of a ship caught in a dangerous storm on the high seas. At the height of the storm, the frightened sailors heard a terrible crashing noise below the deck. They knew at once that this new noise came from a cannon, a part of the ship’s cargo, which had broken loose. It was moving back and forth with the swaying of the ship, crashing into the side of the ship with terrible impact. Knowing that it could cause the ship to sink, two brave sailors volunteered to make the dangerous attempt to retie the loose cannon. They knew the danger of a shipwreck from the cannon was greater than the fury of the storm.

That is like human life. Storms of life may blow about us, but it is not these exterior storms that pose the greatest danger. It is the terrible corruption that can exist within us which can overwhelm us. The furious storm outside may be overwhelming but what is going on inside can pose the greater threat to our lives. Our only hope lies in conquering that wild enemy.

We cannot cure the storm that rages within us. It takes the power of God’s love, as revealed in Christ Jesus. It is only as the character of Christ is formed within that we have any hope of stilling the raging tempest that can harm our souls and shipwreck our lives.”

When we teach our children how to navigate these interpersonal relationships, we help them avoid many of the conflicts that shipwreck lives. Fathers are crucial for teaching both in word and deed the importance of following Christ.

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

I thank You for loving me and seeing in me the worth and potential you placed in my life. Please help me to respect others and see their worth and potential as well. Give me a forgiving attitude that I might extend it to others because You have so graciously extended it to me. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsIf I Only Knew…

Faith for the Journey

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB)

I recently read a story entitled “Jason’s Praying Pencils” written by Hugh Chapman. Faith is a necessary part of life. Faith in our creator gives us the courage to face insurmountable odds and experience life with a joy that defies logic. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

“I was an hour-and-a-half into my new teaching career when I saw him at the other end of the hallway. He was the reason I almost didn’t take the job; before long, he became the reason I stayed.

Though I had never met Jason Banning before, I knew his situation. He was a 13-year-old special needs seventh-grader who had been confined to a wheelchair virtually all his life.

As Izard County (Arkansas) Consolidated School’s newest special education teacher, I was hired to teach Jason and attend to his personal needs. He had medicines that needed to be administered and diapers that needed to be changed twice a day; odd tasks for a man who had made a habit of fleeing his own kids at medicine and diaper-changing time.

My educational certification is in business, but there had been no positions available in that area. Special education was the only job open. It wouldn’t be easy: I would have to go back to school during summers and evenings to be certified in special ed. But because my own kids were in the school system, I wanted very much to be involved.

So I stood at my end of the hall, watching Jason being pushed toward me by his friend Delbert. I whispered a quiet prayer. “God, please help me with this.” I expected an angry child, resentful of the life he had been dealt.

More than a student

As I watched him, I had to admit that he had every right to be angry. Jason had spinal bifida, a congenital defect of the vertebrae. He had already undergone a dozen surgeries and his family anticipated more. He was being cared for, full time, by elderly grandparents.

His prognosis was poor. I remember seeing Jason at the school’s sixth grade graduation. His grandmother had invited the entire family and had ordered balloons and flowers for the event. She wanted the celebration to be special for Jason, because, as she later explained, it might be the only graduation he would ever see.

Yet if Jason was bitter, I saw no sign of it that day. Wheeling up to me in the school hallway, Jason realized who I was. Holding out both arms in greeting, he said, “Welcome, friend. It’s good to see you.”

Though it took us a while to adjust to each other and our new surroundings, we eventually settled in. During our conversations, Jason often shared his heart. He told me he had attended church for as long as he could remember, and a couple of years before he had given his life to Jesus. Someday he hoped to become a preacher.

Prayer in the school

One time my first year, when his 80-year-old grandfather was ill, Jason asked me to pray with him. Not wanting to jeopardize my future, I was reluctant. Tactfully I explained that our government had regulations about teachers and students praying together on school grounds. Jason seemed to understand.

Two hours later, though, when Jason was in band class, God spoke to me—not in an audible voice—but through a feeling of deep remorse that weighed heavily on my heart. It is a sad world indeed, when a public school teacher is so wrapped up in the system that he is afraid to pray with a frightened child, I thought.

I dropped what I was doing and found my friend among the tubas and clarinets. I wheeled him back to the nurses’ station and there, in the quiet of the room, Jason and I prayed for his grandfather. He recovered soon after.

Secret code

Many times after that, Jason and I prayed together. I told Jason I often prayed silently in my classroom, and he suggested a way the two of us could pray silently together. He would lay his pencils (he always had at least two) on his desk in the form of a cross, as a signal to me that he was praying. From wherever I was in the room, I would join him.

Once when I was having a bad day, Jason’s friend Delbert came to class without a pencil. Jason and Delbert knew that I expected my students to be prepared for class, and Jason would often secretly loan paper or pencils to Delbert. I noticed Jason slipping a pencil to Delbert. I was annoyed, but said nothing.

Later, I gave the students an in-class written assignment. Jason wheeled up to my desk with tears welling in his eyes. “I don’t have my pencil,” he said.

“Jason,” I said, irritated, “if you didn’t keep giving your things to Delbert, you’d have a pencil, wouldn’t you?”

Then I noticed a pencil in Jason’s shirt pocket. Annoyed that the disruption had been unnecessary, I pulled out the pencil and held it in front of him. “Jason, here’s a pencil in your pocket!”

A tear rolled down his cheek. “That’s the pencil I write with,” he explained. “It’s the pencil I pray with that I don’t have.”

I choked up, ashamed for jumping all over him. I immediately found him a pencil. From that moment, I made a point to have lots of spare materials on hand.

No longer afraid

As the school years went by, I realized how I had been changing inside. At first, I had thought of Jason as a student, then a friend. Now, he was much more than a friend. Jason was like a son to me.

I had a chance to pray another time with Jason, when he was frightened because of an upcoming hospital stay. “Will you pray with me, Mr. Chapman?” he asked. “It seems to work better when you help.”

I explained that God listens to everyone’s prayers, but that I would be honored to pray with him anyway. Then, I gave him an assignment.

I had noticed Jason’s T-shirt with the opening words from the 23rd Psalm printed on it. “The Lord is my Shepherd …”

 

“Jason, do you know where to find that verse?” I asked. He nodded. “Then for homework, I want you to memorize the words.”

To my surprise, he came back the very next day and recited the entire chapter flawlessly. I smiled, and told him I was proud of him, then we discussed what each line meant. Finally, I told him to recite the verses to himself whenever he felt afraid at the hospital. It worked.

In the fall of 1997, before he went in for a scheduled heart surgery, Jason, now an eleventh grader, and I prayed for the last time. He hugged me as he left that day, and as I returned to the classroom to gather my belongings I glanced at his desk. Two pencils lay in plain view.

Jason died from complications two weeks after the surgery. When I think of him now, one word comes to mind: remarkable. I miss him, but I’ll never forget his courage.

And I know that I will see him again one day—without his wheelchair. In my mind, I see Jason in the distance standing with his friend Jesus—the same friend who answered his many prayers and watched over him as he struggled with life here on earth.

The struggles are over, and the radiant smile and laughing eyes once again draw me. With open arms, Jason says, “Welcome, friend. It’s good to see you!” (Copyright © 1998 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today’s Christian magazine. July/August 1998, Vol. 36, No. 4, Page 77.)

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

Forgive me for the times when I lack faith. Help me to have faith for the journey. I want to praise you no matter what comes my way. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sermon Connection

Sermon-ConnectionsTransformers: Age of Extinction

Extinction

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; … Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NASB)

Extinction is defined by Dictionary.com is the fact or condition of being extinguished. A casual search of a thesaurus yields many words that evoke deep emotion such as annihilation, extermination, obliteration, ruination, termination, and the list continues. A further search on the internet reveals the countless different organizations focused on the extinction crisis. When there is this much talk about extinction, Hollywood will not be far behind help to fan the flames for profit and entertainment. A movie that will be in the theaters by the end of the month is “Transformers: Age of Extinction”. This looks to shape up as a classic sci-fi battle between good vs. evil set in the future.

The Huffington Post wrote “Scientists Worried About ‘Extinction Crisis,’…” The article quotes Noah Greenwald saying “The fear among scientists… is that by 2050, 30 to 50 percent of all the species on the planet could be headed toward extinction.” I, too, am concerned about extinction.

The extinction of which I am speaking is happening at a possible rate of 146,357 of deaths each day! Now to be completely fair the birth rate for this species is 353,015 births per day. A little quick math reveals that this species is not dying off, but growing. These figures come from World Almanac 2010 and it is referring to humans.

In Psalm 139.14 we read “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” While each person is uniquely made in the image of God, we are in danger of extinction in His kingdom. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:9 “that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God”. John records Jesus saying “”For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. “For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3:16-21 (NASB)

When we die without Christ, the hope of Heaven is extinguished. If we die without Christ, there is no redemption, no forgiveness, and no salvation. If we are concerned about the destruction of mankind, share Christ! Don’t just save the planet, save a Soul!

Today’s Prayer

Dear Lord,

You made the Heavens and Earth and all that is in them. Thanks You for Your grand design. It is beautiful. Help me to be a faithful steward by sharing Your love with everyone I meet. I pray others will come to know You as Lord of their life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

1 2 3 4 5 >»