Here Are Some Quotes...Again

I enjoy reading quotes. They often spark thinking in a direction that I would have never gone in, except for this short bit of inspiration. Here are some recent ones that caught my attention.

David Frost
"He's turned his life around. He used to be depressed and miserable. Now he's miserable and depressed."
Henny Youngman
"I told the doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places."
Oscar Wilde
"Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality."
Abraham Lincoln
"'Tis better to be silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt."
Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata
"Exercise relieves stress. Nothing relieves exercise."
Emo Phillips
"Some mornings it just doesn't seem worth it to gnaw through the leather straps."
Charles M. Schulz
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
Judge Gideon J. Tucker
"No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session." (Does 700 billion ring a bell?)

And my favorite quote from this group:
G. K. Chesterton"If there were no God, there would be no Atheists."

A Big "But"

Psalm 3 is the conversation that King David has with God during the time that David's son, Absalom, is trying to take over the kingdom. David says "O Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me!"

We are living in unsettling times. From a conservative Christian standpoint, I feel at times like many foes are trying to take over the kingdom. The financial crisis that our country is presently dealing with shows how even in this great country of ours, corruption and greed can affect so many people. As I listen to our leaders and presidential candidates pontificate about what "they would do", and what must be done, it is clear to me that no one really has the answers. Where it hits home is in the high gas prices I pay, the increasing cost of food for our table, increasing insurance and medical care costs, and the list goes on and on.

David goes on to say "BUT (my emphasis) you are a shield around me, O Lord; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head." The "but" is huge here. Later in Psalm 3 David says "I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side". David realizes that even though the situation is very dangerous and seemingly unsolvable, God is on his side. The word "but" draws a contrast between what may be and what really is. In other words, you may be reeling from all the uncertainty and confusion of the day, but, God can be a shield around you. Most of us have been raised to be very independent and not ask for help. Unfortunately, when we live like that, we also tend to be independent from God as well. For me, these are becoming humbling times, I don't have answers, and at times my heart is gripped with fear for the future. But, I'm asking God to help me depend on Him, and I'm asking Him to "be a shield around me", and my family.

Coincidence Or Divine Planning?

On Monday evening I drove to Chicago with a member of our congregation. Three years ago, this member felt impressed by God to begin giving regular donations for the purchase of a harp. In mid-summer enough money had been given to place the order and on Tuesday morning this member and I toured the Lyon & Healy harp factory and then brought our new harp back to St. Louis. It was very interesting to see these wonderful, hand made instruments in each phase of their creation. Our member, who is not a musician, was delighted beyond words to see the factory and to hear this new instrument played. Now, rewind to 1986. My wife, Kathy, played the harp professionally for many years. As a student she played with the San Jose State University orchestra and then the San Jose Symphony Orchestra. In every city we lived in, she not only played for our church, but for many civic, social and celebration type events. In 1986 she suffered an injury to her left arm and hand playing the harp that has made it almost impossible for her to play. In fact, we finally sold her harp because the emotional distress it created for her to see it every day in our living room and not be able to play was too much to bear. Fast forward to Sept. 16 and now there is a brand new harp in our sanctuary. No one at our church, and certainly not the member that gave the funds, knew that Kathy had a history as a professional harpist. Kathy sits down and begins to play. Coincidence? Divine planning? We are believing that God can heal her injury as she begins to play again. Can you help us pray for that? I can envision her sitting down one day to play and her realizing that not only is there not any pain anymore, she has strength in her hand and arm that has not been there since 1986. If you pray with us, I'll keep you posted on the progress. For now, I'm believing this is divine planning... :)

Christians and Politics Don't Always Mix

Like almost everyone, I get a few forwards every week in my email boxes with stories, videos and other media that support one cause or another. Most of them end with "don't let this end with you. Forward this to 10 friends or ______ will happen to you." (You can probably fill in the blank) I have noticed that as the political season is heating up, most of these forwards are becoming political announcements and denunciations of the candidates that are being supported or derided by them. In many cases these are from a "Christian" perspective or supposedly supporting "Christian values". I really think that Christians are called to a much higher standard than name calling and spreading political dirty tricks against candidates that we are not supporting. If a candidate that we do not support becomes the office holder, will we pray for that person with as much fervor as we passed along the hateful and sometimes dishonest information? On the national scene, the introduction of Sarah Palin into the mix has turned the presidential race upside down. In the avalanche of news reports, interviews, news commentator's assessment, etc., as a Christian, I am choosing to take the high road. I will not hate one candidate as I support another one. I will not be known as a Christian and then pass along information that confuses onlookers because my "living" doesn't match my "believing". One of our greatest callings at a time like this is to pray. I think in my praying, I can live out what Christ would expect of me in this political season.