Be Careful Whom You Imitate

In The Song of the Bird, Anthony de Mello told about a man who, while walking through the forest, saw a fox that had lost its legs. He wondered how it lived. Then he saw a tiger come along with game in its mouth. The tiger ate his fill and left the rest of the meat for the fox to eat.
The next day, the man saw that the fox was fed in the same way. He marveled at God's greatness and declared, "I, too, shall just rest in a corner with full rust in the Lord, and He will provide me with all I need." He waited for many days, but nothing happened. He was close to dying of starvation when he heard a voice say, "O you, who are on the path of error, open your eyes to the truth! Follow the example of the tiger and stop imitating the disabled fox."

Winning the Race

The stadium was nearly empty. More than an hour earlier, the winner of the marathon in the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City had crossed the finish line. As the last spectators prepared to leave, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania hobbled into the stadium. His leg was bandaged and bloody. A fall during the race had deeply cut and dislocated his knee. Through obvious pain, he pressed on to become the last of 57 competitors to finish the race, a race that had begun with 74. When asked by a reporter why he hadn't give up, Akhwari paused as if mystified by the question. "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to Mexico City to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race."
It is wonderful, and the angels sing in heaven, when any person believes on Jesus Christ, and they begin their spiritual journey. But the greatest triumph is to those who not only begin well, but end well. That doesn't mean there may not be some falls along the way that leave us "bruised and bleeding," but Jesus didn't die on the cross for us just to begin well. He died there, so that we might end well, and thereby dwell with him in eternity.

On Travel

Since some of our members are touring with a school group in Greece this week, I offer some thoughts on travelling:

Some tips on packing: When preparing to travel, lay out all of your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money.

-- Susan Heller

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness and fears.

-- Cesare Pavese

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.

-- St. Augustine

I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.

-- Mark Twain

Life is a journey, not a guided tour.

-- Unknown

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

-- Mark Twain

[Nor is that bad advice for Lenten disciples -- as we seek our Master in that same spirit.]

Made for another world

"If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world."

-- C. S. Lewis

So Much ....

Wow! So much has happened since I was last on here. Sciatica, "flu," kidney stones, blood pressure gyrations, our church secretary's illness, and so many other members facing dire illnesses and the loss of loved ones and friends. These have felt like desert days for many of us -- and I need to remember Jesus and His desert days -- the Temptation, the scorn, the opposition, Gethsemane, and finally the Cross. All were desert days, as He pressed on to do the Father's will. And that's just it ... He pressed on. When we feel the "heat" of our situation, breathless and weak, it's all too easy for us to give up, rather than pressing on. But if we stop to ask WWJD (What would Jesus do?), we'll find we must answer: "Keep praying, keep trusting, keep obeying, keep loving." It's not a matter of not knowing WHAT to do. It's a matter of WILL I do it? Praying, trusting, obeying, loving ... that ought to keep me busy as I wait for Easter.

Is This Your Experience of Retirement?

Q: What's the biggest gripe of retirees?
A: There is not enough time to get everything done. (Ha! And you thought things would get better when you retire!)

Q: Why don't retirees mind being called seniors?
A: The term comes with a 10% discount.

Q: Why do retirees count pennies?
A: They're the only ones who have the time.

Q: Why are retirees so slow to clean out the basement, attic, or garage?
A: They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will want to store stuff there.

Q: What do retirees call a long lunch?
A: Normal.

Q: What is the best way to describe retirement?
A: The never-ending coffee break.

Are YOU the Answer to Someone's Prayer?

When Neil and Carol Anderson arrived in a Folopa village in Papua New Guinea, to being their Bible-translation work, a village elder sat them down. He said, "I have to tell you why you're here." The Andersons were very interested to know why, so they said, "Oh? Tell us."
The elder explained that some time earlier, an evangelist had come to their area and shared the gospel with them. They had started a church, but the evangelist had to leave for another village. The people lamented. "What will we do now? We don't know anything about God and Chrisianity!" The evangelist told them, " I want you to pray that God will send you a missionary." A few years later, the Andersons showed up to work on Bible translation, and everyone was very excited.
The elder said, "You thought you came here all on your own, but you didn't. We'd been praying that you would come. God put his leash on your arm, and he pulled you here."