Where is your heart?

Yesterday was a day full of drama in the Hulk household. I'm interviewing applicants to replace our financial secretary as she is retiring after 25 years. Interviewing church members can be touchy, you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but you must make sure they can handle the finer points of dealing with the various intricacies of a church office.

In addition, my wife is filling in for the registrar at a school where she doesn’t know anyone nor does she know the details of that particular school. My oldest daughter sent three emails between 8 and 11 pm with 40 pictures of shoes. Her boyfriend wants to buy her a new pair of Nike’s for her birthday and she wants her mother and I to decide which ones. (Granted she doesn’t particularly agree with our taste but still makes us help her to decide!)

To top it all off, my youngest daughter and her first little boyfriend have broken up. He’s a senior so this will affect the prom. I am forced to console this princess who feels rejected and ugly while trying to hide the dance of glee. (There's no room in my baby’s heart for any old hair-legged ruffian, her heart belongs to daddy!)

I’ve had my schedule rearranged 4 times. The trips I was scheduled to take have both been canceled, my dad’s surgery is happening today but it’s too late to get out there, so I’m gonna stick around close.

We get so “whacked out” about schedules and problems and work and stuff. We lock up our houses full of stuff we don’t use, to go to work to pay for the stuff we’ve already thrown away, go to the store to buy new stuff to replace the old stuff that we’re still paying off, and never have the chance to enjoy the stuff we have.

I have heard that the most important things in life aren’t things. I would have to agree with that. Too often in life we use people and love things, rather than use things and love people.

Jesus said in Matthew 19, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

The question for us all to answer today is, “Where is your heart?” As for me, a good portion of it is spread among you, my dear friends. Have a great day!!! Remember, God made you…on purpose!

There's more than ME

Last night I attended a choir concert because my youngest daughter is in said choir. I became pretty exasperated with some of the audience members and their apparent disregard for others. I wondered if they really didn’t know the different between a tractor pull and a choral concert, or if they just didn’t care.

I share Camel’s wonderment at how little regard many drivers seem to have for anyone else on the road. As I watch the news or read the paper I wonder how depraved someone has to be, to be able to commit the crimes they have committed. The answer, no surprise, is found in God’s word. II Timothy 3:1-4 says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

Society has bought the lie that “it’s all about me”. The idea of taking care of number one has invaded and pervaded our society to the point that no else is even regarded. This will be our undoing. God clearly desires that we love our neighbor as ourselves. That we not think too highly of ourselves (to the detriment of others) and insists that we serve one another.

That’s the beauty of the PGR, a group of people who regard the sacrifice of others highly and show reverence and respect to a total stranger. To cry with and to share the grief of a grieving family and to really care about someone that heretofore we didn’t even know. May we continue to regard others at least as well as we regard ourselves and to not become self-absorbed and insensitive to those around us, not only strangers, but to those whom we know yet may be hard to love! Make it a great day…it’s a decision!!!

Be lovers of truth

You guys are suckers for punishment. Since I received the feedback from yesterday's post I thought I would just hit it again! However, I did delete yesterdays in the interest of saving space on the server. This may become a regular rant, a daily devotion, a recurring nightmare if you will. Maybe we'll call it, "Chaplain Chatter", or "Ministerial Musings", heck...maybe we'll call it, "Out in the Pasture!" anyway...here's the thought for today.

Yesterday, I walked across the street from the auto service center to drown my sorrows in an overpriced cup of coffee. While in there looking at the motorcycles for sale column of the local paper (no I'm not in the market..but!) I couldn't help but overhear a group of retired ladies discussing politics. What a hoot...until! They started ranting about someone who had the nerve to disagree with them in the supermarket line and how one of them gave the ole' sap a piece of her mind (it didn't appear to me she could spare it!), anyway. She then went on a tirade about Obama not saying the pledge of allegiance and taking the oath of office on the koran (note the lower case k) and other fodder from internet spam. While I am certainly not a proponent of Obama's (at this point I ain't voting for anyone...just against!) I wondered just how much truth there is in the world. Snopes.com is famous for straightening out the untruths and the rumors about a myriad of subjects, including Obama that seem to be just that...again, not a recommendation, just an observation. (More later if you are interested).

But hearing this drivel made me appreciate TRUTH. Jesus said, "I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life...no one comes to the Father except through me". I can hang my hat on that. Jesus is the litmus test for religion...what do you believe about Jesus? Do you believe who He says He is, and do you put stock in what He says? Anyway, the Bible also says, "You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free". May we all be seekers of truth, and not swayed by lies and manipulation. May we never be ones who speak with forked tongues. Have a great day my friends. I love you...and that's the truth!

Keep On

Last week (and several previous to it) were especially busy, eventful, even burdensome for some of our group. As I begin to try to put things in order for this week I get to include things to handle like..."the brakes are making a funny grinding sound" from the wife, and "Dad, I dropped my cell phone in the toilet, can you meet me at Alltel after class?" "Don't forget this is trash day," etc.

Also understanding that I will be out of town Th/Fr this week and Mon/Tue of next on business and trying to put it all together. So I stopped a moment to ask the Lord's help. There is no way I can get it all together, keep it all together, and get anything accomplished except with His help. I am reminded from His word, "Greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world", also "Be not weary in well-doing, for your efforts are not in vain", to the little children's song, "we are weak but He is strong". I prayed a prayer of help and guidance for myself this week, and while I was there I went ahead and asked a special blessing on each of you.

I hate that I missed three wonderful opportunities to fellowship with my PGR family this week, but I was blessed to participate in a great mission and to break bread with you at least after the visitation, thanks again BC! Hope you all have a good week. If I can grease the gears for you, just let me know. I'm either here or gone somewhere!