Black Friday?

Black Friday?

Where I live, It's Friday morning. I celebrated Thanksgiving, yesterday, with a wonderful group of students, staff, alumni, and guests, here at Pacific Islands University. Through the wonders of technology, I was able to be present at the table with my family on the US Mainland, just a few minutes ago, as they sat down for their Thanksgiving meal, at my elder son's home. Being in two days at once, and a couple of things that came up on the internet this morning remind me of the value of time. A friend used an old expression, that I heard many times from old-timers back in Virginia, "You're burning daylight." Generally, when I heard the statement, it came from an older man, addressed to some teens or young adults. The meaning/implication of the words is that this is no time to be goofing off. There are important things to be done. Then I read an email from a man about fifteen years my senior. He talked about others, in the generation before him, who had had an impact on his life. As I read his note I could feel the clicking of the cosmic clock throbbing in my bones. Which brings me back to Friday. It's already Friday here, and it's just a couple of pieces of pie and a turkey sandwich away for many of you. Is it a black Friday? There is nothing wrong with seeking a bargain. In fact, in many ways, it is virtuous, but the materialism and greed that mark the day are another matter. Maybe your's will be a blue Friday. There is a tinge of that in my heart. It was good to see Kathy on the screen a few moments ago, but in other ways it only made me miss her more. I think of a friend who has been separated from his wife for nearly a year, and another couple spending this Thanksgiving in the cancer ward. While we are thankful, the reality is that this is a world filled with pain and difficulty. Just this morning a good plan that I had ended up in a crumpled heap. It's not a metaphor. The remains are in the trash. My broken plan is no big deal. It'll be remedied. For many, earth has no cure. I look out the window, though, and I see a bright blue sky, with fluffy clouds floating along. I think it's a good day to plant some seeds. This Friday is neither black, nor a somber blue. It is bright with hope. The same God to Whom I gave thanks with my friends yesterday, and, via the internet, with my family today, is the God Who gives hope. Romans 5:1–5 1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. In Christ, it's a Bright Friday. It's STTA (Something To Think About).

Thank God for Who He Is

Before we discuss the reason for the season, what is the reason for your thanks?

I hope you have been thinking about something more than Something to Think About, because I haven't offered much grist for your thought-mill, lately. Out here way past what most of you consider West, it's Thanksgiving. I can smell the turkey cooking. As soon as I finish this I'll join my friends at church for a Thanksgiving morning service. I can truthfully say that I am thankful. I am challenged, though, by the unknown poet of Psalm 107, to ask myself, "Why?" Millions of people will recite today, "God is good, all the time," but I fear that most will not wrestle with the fact that God is good, even when He's not being good to me. Don't tune me out just yet, I haven't forgotten Romans 8:28. In this Psalm, though we read of hunger, thirst, wandering, sickness, imprisonment, storms, distress, and depression. Much of the language lays the cause of this at the feet of God. Is God good? The Psalm begins with this statement:          Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good,          For His lovingkindness is everlasting. It is not a statement of "good to me," but of God's character. As I give thanks today, will my gratitude be anchored in an appreciation of who God is? It's STTA (Something To Think About).

Thankful For Faithful Servants with Whom to Serve

Thankful For Faithful Servants with Whom to Serve:

"As long as you want us to, from now till the Lord returns, or whenever, I’ll be content to be your song leader, carry your bag, go anywhere, do anything you want me to do.”  Those were the words of Cliff Barrow, who continued to work with Billy Graham for six decades.  The song-leader and long-time associate of the most famous evangelist in the last century died November 15th.  You can read more about his remarkable life and career here. I was privileged to work with a number of people who displayed that same kind of loyalty.  Like Barrows, my associates were/are not primarily dedicated to their human leader.  They saw working with me as an opportunity to serve the Lord.  For my part, I came to realize decades ago that my primary ministry was to provide an environment in which these faithful folk could do their ministry.  Even now, as Kathy and I have stepped out of leadership at CBC, some of those who started with me, back at the beginning, remain my front-line encouragers. I'm thankful, more grateful than I can express. My prayers are with the Barrows family.  I'm encouraged by his life well lived.  I'm thankful for his ministry and wonderful example.  Let's live and serve so others will be thankful while we remain, and thankful for what we have done, when we are gone. To those with whom I have been privileged serve the Lord, Thank you.  And, Thank you Lord for those faithful associates. It's STTA.

Thankful to be Uninfected

Thankful For My Health, and Those Who Help Maintain It:

I just came home from my dentist's office.  It was a completely painless visit.  All I did was speak to the receptionist and returned home.  I have a fairly impressive array of metal in my body, so I'm supposed to take an antibiotic before I have dental work done.  I had forgotten to "pre-medicate."   You might be surprised to know that I'm not really aggravated.  I'm thankful.   Part of my memories from my childhood are of my great grandfather and a great aunt, who had broken their hips.  One walked with a terrible limp, the other was bed-fast.  My late Father-in-law broke his wrist.  He never regained full use of that hand, and it caused him a good bit of pain.  I have known folk with worn out knees.  Their lives have been severely limited.  The reason I need to take antibiotics is because surgeon put my broken hip and wrist back together, and another replaced my worn out knee with a new titanium and plastic model.  Sure, I'd rather have the original equipment than my metal parts, but I far prefer them to the crippled states I spoke of a moment ago. Not only am I a beneficiary of the incredible skill, and marvelous technology of orthopedic medicine, I live in an era in which people have been incredibly helped by antibiotic medicines.  I know it is popular to talk about the overuse, and misuse of antibiotics, but before the development of medications like penicillin: 90% of children with bacterial meningitis died. Among those children who lived, most had severe and lasting disabilities, from deafness to mental retardation. Strep throat was at times a fatal disease, and ear infections sometimes spread from the ear to the brain, causing severe problems. Other serious infections, from tuberculosis to pneumonia to whooping cough, were caused by aggressive bacteria that reproduced with extraordinary speed and led to serious illness and sometimes death. (https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/treatments/Pages/The-History-of-Antibiotics.aspx) We have the luxury of speaking about the inappropriate use of these "wonder-drugs" because we live on the back side of the changes these medications brought.  They are one of the reasons that life-expectancy in the United States has doubled in the past century-and-a-half. My wasted trip to the tooth-doctor served to remind me of the blessing I enjoy every day--a measure of health that was unheard of for accident-prone senior-citizens through most of history.  Many of you who read this do so through corrective lenses.  Some of you, like me, use hearing-aids.  Some of you are able to function because your diabetes, hyper-tension, heart ailment, or other chronic condition is controlled with a doctor's and/or pharmacist's assistance.   Sure, there is much about our healthcare system that needs to be improved.  In the USA, following, our recent election it is a hot topic.  In the midst of addressing what needs to be changed, let's just be sure to not forget to give thanks.   Lord, help me to be thankful for those things I so often take for granted. AMEN It's STTA.

Thankful, #2

Thankful For So Much:

I sit in a warm, secure house.  The empty plate from my breakfast is by my side.  My lovely wife just came in from her daily exercise walk.  I'm not a prophet, but experience tells me that in a few minutes she'll fill my coffee cup with some fresh brew.  I'm working to be more aware of, and more thankful for all that is around me.  I'm not living like a proverbial ostrich; I know there are problems and I write with sensitivity for those who are dealing with true hardship.  I encourage all of us, even those who are having hard times, to follow the Apostle Paul's example.     "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me"  (Philippians 4:12–13).   His words teach us that a spirit of thankfulness has less to with what we have, and more to do with the attitude in our heart.   Lord, make me more thankful. And, by the way, I'm thankful for that refill, and the lovely lady who just brought it.  :) I hope you'll join me in a time of greater thanksgiving. It's STTA.

In the Thanksgiving mode:

Thankful:

Maybe it's the cold weather at night, more likely it is the fact that by the end of this week I'll be with my family for a visit that takes in the Thanksgiving holiday, but whatever the reason I shifted into Thanksgiving mode this morning. It's good, but it is also sad.  Anytime we have a greater realization of God's goodness and an enhanced commitment to make His grace toward us known that is a good thing.  That I don't dwell in that state of gratitude all the time is sad.  I'm not going to spend any more time in that mental bog.  Instead I'll simply take this opportunity to thank the Lord and to ask Him to give me a greater awareness of His blessings that all around me.  I'm seeking to stay in the Thanksgiving mode. I hope you will join me. It's STTA.

Something To Think About, Being Thankful:

Being thankful implies someone to whom one gives thanks.  If I find a twenty-dollar bill on the street, I have a sense of good fortune--what we often call "lucky," but to whom on earth do I say "Thank You"?  If I knew, I would return the money to its owner and would have no $20 for which to give thanks.  That vague, unspecified feeling of gratitude is coming to pervade our celebration of Thanksgiving.  We have no one to whom to give thanks, and often we fail to really identify reasons for thanksgiving, so we try to muster up warm feelings by looking at pictures of turkeys and Pilgrims. How different is the Thanksgiving we find in Scripture. Psalm 136 is an example of this robust Thanksgiving.  “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; To Him who made the heavens with skill . . . To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn . . . divided the Red Sea asunder . . .  And made Israel pass through the midst of it. . . For His lovingkindness is everlasting, And has rescued us from our adversaries. . . Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” (Psalm 136, NASB95)  Click here for an unedited copy of Psalm 136. Let's let this Psalm be a guide for our gratitude.   The recurring line about God's everlasting lovingkindness reminds us that the basis of our gratitude is not chance, but the very character of God.  The Psalmist leads the people of Israel through the history of God's  acts of  power and goodness to the people of Israel.  Each of us could make our own list of God's acts on our behalf. Two questions to ask about thanksgiving, as we prepare for Thanksgiving: To whom am I thankful? For what am I thankful? Write your own Psalm of Thanksgiving.   It's Something To Think About.

Giving Thanks Even When I Can't See

Thanksgiving, like prayer, is rooted in God's power and sovereignty.  The last eleven verses of Psalm 107, one of the great hymns of thanks in the Old Testament, makes plain that God is in control.  He does what He wants, when He wants, how He wants to do it, and to whom He wants.  Those of us who try to put to use our mother's admonition to say, "Please," and, "Thank you,"  sometimes find ourselves expressing gratitude in situations where it really makes no sense.  The person on the "help-line" was really no help, but I say, "Thanks." anyhow.  There is no such dissonance, though, when I offer thanks to my Heavenly Father.  

Picking up on the words of James, the writer of the Doxology proclaims, "Praise God from Whom all blessings flow."

When I offer thanks to God, I am not only interacting withHis all-power; I need to be aware of the fact that He is all-knowing.  That takes my thanksgiving to an entirely new level.  It is relatively easy to give thanks like the child with one eye open praying at the Thanksgiving table.  The prayer is a survey of all that is seen.  It is good to give thanks for what we see to be good, but if God is great and God is good, then even when I can't see the good in my situation I ought to offer thanks.  That is the message of Psalm 107.  For those who have turned to the Lord, even the bad times are fodder for thanks to my Lord.  He uses the hard things to compel me to seek Him.

Give thanks, certainly for what you see--it is a gift from God's bounty--but beyond that for what you don't see.  Give thanks based on your faith in Him.

It's STTA.

A Failure to Give Thanks is Far More than Impolite:

A failure to be thankful is not an indication that you are not polite.  It is clear evidence that you are not right.

 

Psalm 100 is one of those scripture passages that gives clear reason why we should be thankful.  Gratitude should abound because of who God is, what he has done, in light of how his faithfulness is constant, and considering that his lovingkindness toward his people is without limit.  

If you don't know these things about God, that is a problem.  Knowledge of the Most High is the highest form of cognition.  The Apostle Paul said his desire was to know Him, and he looked forward to the day when his knowledge of God would be much greater (Philippians 3:7-13, 1 Corinthians 13:12, also Psalm 83:18, & note inDaniel 4 the goal of bringing a proud King to a knowledge of the Most High.)  If one does not have a knowledge of God, especially in an environment like the one where most of us live, where His  witness is strong, that is a problem.  If one knows God, and yet refuses to be thankful, the problem is even worse.  (See here in Romans 1.)  

 

Thankfulness to God is the altimeter.  Ignore it too longand the ground will meet you in a very violent manner.

 

Not being thankful is not simply impolite.  It is wrong--wrong in a deadly sort of way.

 

It's STTA.

 

 

Who is coming to Thanksgiving . . . ?

Something To Think About

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT All over this land settled by the Pilgrims moms are concerned about Thanksgiving Dinner.  Not,"What they will have," but, "Who will come?"  Clearly, not all the turkeys and hams will be on Thanksgiving tables; some will be sitting around them. People make thanksgiving hard.  I know of no group of people who made gratitude more difficult than the saints who made up the Church at Corinth.  Can you imagine planning a Church-wide Thanksgiving feast for First Church in Corinth? Don't seat Charlie near Pete. Pete's suing Charlie over that land deal that went bad.  (SEE HERE) What are we going to with Bob?  He's the guy having an affair with his step-mom.  Just don't put any women near him. (SEE HERE) The rich in the church had no problem in chowing down on delicacies, and bounty while their poor brethren had none. (SEE HERE)  And there is more.  Survey 1 Corinthians to find out. Yet, in spite of all of this, the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the Corinthian Christians with thanksgiving.  If we are dealing with anyone else we might conclude that this was just one of those polite conventions.  "I'm not really thankful, but I'm supposed to offer thanks at this point in the letter, so. . . ."  The great Apostle, though, is a man of impeccable integrity.  He really was thankful.  He was thankful "concerning."  You notice in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9that Paul's thanksgiving list is made up of what God has done, not what they were doing with God's gifts. Even if I look around the table at turkeys, readyto consume turkey (Please don't quote me if you decide to confront the gobblers while consuming the gobbler.), I can offer thanks. God is good,even to those who don't deserve it.  Hey, that includes me.   Here is recipe for a better, healthier Thanksgiving.  Cut back on the "They don't deserve God's bounty" accusations, and substitute some, "God is so gracious that He pours out his goodness even on sinners"praise.   It's STTA. Find lot's of information about how God stepped into our world to meet needs we cannot meet on our own, here.

SOMETHING  TO THINK ABOUT I'm struggling with the concept of thanksgiving. I don't think I'm an ingrate.  I'm sure that there are times when others do things for me, and I don't show appropriate gratitude, but I really think I do pretty well in that regard.  I have my mom, dad, and other's who had input in my life during my formative years to thank for that.  What I struggle with is a concept I'm working through for my sermon this Sunday.  It is clear that I ought to be giving thanks for some things, and in some circumstances, that I don't find thank-worthy.   You can do the research but I find words like "all," "always," and "every," in regard to thanksgiving.  Here is one example:  "In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  I'll not preach the message here--to be honest, I'm not ready to preach it, yet--but this much is clear.  When it comes to offering thanks, I'm too dumb to be ungrateful.   I only see the right now.  God sees what is coming. I am often so blinded by "I want," that I can't see what I need. I am enamored with appearance and perception.  God deals in substance.   At the base of thanksgiving is God's sovereignty.  He does cause "all things to work together for good to those who love God."  (Romans 8:28)   As a boy, before I sat down for Thanksgiving dinner, mom would tell me to wash up and put on some nicer clothes.  In the same way, if I am to offer thanks I need to get ready.  The preparation for thanksgiving is trust.  If I trust God, I will have little trouble giving thanks in everything.   It's STTA. Find lot's of information about how God stepped into our world to meet needs we cannot meet on our own, here.

THANKS MOM!

A little over sixty years ago Irene Merrell gave birth to her first-born, a son, me.
It is the first of many acts for which I am very thankful on this Mother's Day weekend. Thanks, Mom!
I grew up in the era when youngsters still got chicken-pox, measles, and mumps. Mom nursed me through all of them, plus a fractured collarbone, seriously messed up knee and an occasional broken heart. "I'm there for you." is a trite, often false, catch-phrase of our culture. In my life, though, in profoundly real ways, my Mom was there.
Unfortunately, my "Happy Mother's Day" won't be in person. Mom lives with one of my sisters. Thanks Sis' for being mom to Mom. Like many folk in her age bracket, Mom is dealing with some health issues. I hope to see her next month.

Not only to my Mom, but to all you ladies who make life so much better, and with cookies and milk to boot, Happy Mother's Day.


It is STTA.