voice from the edge of forever: April 2006

Friday, April 28, 2006

How long???

When you get into your 40's, as I am, it is inevitable that death will start rearing it's ugly head around you. And also inevitably, the question is asked, why does a mrciful God allow suffering? People have lost their faith, and even turned away from God over this very thing. Part of the problem is that we have no real perspective of eternity. Picture in your mind the flash of a camera. Now consider this. The "world", that is Satan, does not want us to think about eternity. Look around you for the proof. Drugs to make you feel younger. Surgery to make you look younger. The message that you need a big, fancy home, with fancy cars, boats, plasma TV's, Jacuzzi's, vacations in the tropics, and so on, and so on it goes. We live for the now, with our treasure here on this earth. I remember as a teen, when church group[s would show up at our door. They would talk about salvation, being born again, and they would always say; "Don't you care where you are going to spend eternity?" At that time in my life, all I cared about was the next party, the next chance to hang with my friends. I certainly didn't care about eternity. It was not on my mind at all, just as it is not on the mind of most of those in our society. But we need to think about it, to really understand this thing called eternity. Think about that flash of the camera. What do you think it represents? Most people will guess that it represents their life. After all, isn't our life just a flash on the face of time? But no, that is not what the flash represents. It represents not our life, but the life, from birth, to final gasp, of our entire universe. Now, I know there are some who will insist that the universe, and our world, are only a few thousand years old, and while I am not one of those, this analogy will still work. But consider, the life of our planet is only a small fraction of the age of the universe. And the whole span of mankind is only a fraction of that. And our lives, are just a teeny, tiny little fraction of that. Our lives are a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a teeny little flash. Now picture sitting for 2 or 3 days, seeing that camera flash, and sitting for another 2 or 3 days. And eternity is way, way longer than that. Now is where it gets good. Have you ever pricked your finger accidently? It hurts for a minute, and then it's gone. Think back, can you remember what it felt like? God has made us so that we do not remember pain. We remember it happening, we remember that it wasn't good, but we don't remember the actual pain. When we suffer, even if it for a lifetime, when you view it from an eternal perspective, that suffering is nothing but a pin prick. As to the why's of suffering, I believe that God is constantly teaching us lessons in faith, love, compassion, and many other areas. Sometimes those who suffer are there to teach the rest of us. But that's another post. I will leave you with this: God did make us to remember love and joy. So, when we go to join Him in Eternity, we will leave behind pain and sadness, and take with us the memories of love, peace and joy. Is that great or what? I apologize for the lenght of this post, and the fact that I have not expounded on some of the points. This was originally prepared to give as a message, and I think some of it get's lost trying to write it, and do so it doesn't take an "eternity" to read. (I just made a joke! LOL) May God bless all of you today, and every day! Ken

Monday, April 24, 2006

Which do you feed?

Fighting Wolves
An old Cherokee is telling his grandson about a fight that is going on inside him. He said it is between two wolves:
One is evil, with anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is good with joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one I feed."

Friday, April 21, 2006

MY SON

I got this in an e-mail and thought I'd share:
MY SON

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands.
He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

he father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son The auctioneer pounded his gavel "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"
There was silence.

Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one."
But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?"

Another voice angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!"

But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
"We have $10, who will bid $20?"

"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son.
They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.
The man who took the son gets everything!"
God gave His son 2,000 years ago to die on the cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the son?"
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything.

FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, WHO SO EVER BELIEVETH, SHALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE...THAT'S LOVE

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Sacrifice, Part 2

I wrote my post on sacrifice with the hope that it would cause those who read it to pause, and ask themselves "What would I do?" I first began thinking more along these lines back when I first heard the Micheal W. Smith song, "This is your Time", which was written as a tribute to Cassie Bernall. For those of you unfamiliar with her, she was one of the victims at Columbine High School. According to witnesses, when the gunmen approached her, they asked if she believed in God. Cassie, in a strong, confident voice, answered "yes", and they shot her. I remember thinking to myself how brave she was, and about what it really means to be a Christian, especially outside our country. Many places in the world, to be Christian is to invite persecution. Here we are free to worship without fear. But do we? Fear, that is the key word. Fear is a tool of Satan, a tool he uses in all of us, one that keeps us from becoming all we can. And yes, it is present even in us who are members of the body of Christ. I've heard it when talking about upcoming mission trips to Guatemala. I've heard it when talking about an inner city church my church was involved with. I've heard it when we talked about a ministry to serve the homeless. You've heard the words; " I/my kids can't do that. It's too dangerous..." But as Christians, we are not promised that it will safe. In fact, we are told the opposite. Jesus declared: "All men will hate you because of me." Luke21:17 Yet, we still take the easy, safe path, the path with little risk, and little gain for God's kingdom. And I am just as guilty of falling into that trap as anyone. It is very easy to do, especially when you have a family. And yet, are we not denying Christ when we let fear make our decisions? As Christians, we vow to put or faith and our lives into Christ's hands. Yet, if we let fear guide us, are we not, in fact, giving the control to Satan? This, I believe, is something that Christians, individually and corporately, need to learn to recognize, and to overcome. It will be only when we do that we will really be able to preach the message of Salvation to the whole world. If we are to make people believe in the very real power of our God, we cannot be living in fear. We must be witnesses of God's power, His love, and His promise. We must live without fear, knowing that He will keep us safe, even if we sacrifice our life when we say "Yes, I believe in God!" My prayer for each of us is that we turn total control, and the power of fear, over to God, and that He may truly use each of us for His glory. Amen

Monday, April 17, 2006

Homecoming

My wife and daughter came home late Friday evening, and were pleasantly surprised to find new interior doors installed upstairs, as well as new carpet downstairs. Everything turned out beautifully, although not without some bumps along the way. When I was looking for doors, I knew that time was going to be a factor, so I was looking for "prefinished" doors. After looking and finding ones that were either junk, or too cost prohibitive, I came across some on display at Menards. They had three different finish choices on display, one of them being exactly what I was looking for, which was a "Natural Oak". The price was fantastic too, less than I had been what I had figured I would end up paying. After verifying with one of employees that this was exactly how the would come, I went to the service desk, ordered my doors, and arranged delivery. Imagine my surprise when they were delivered, and they were all unfinished. Not only that, but half of them were either the wrong size, or were swinging the wrong way. So, I borrowed my neighbors truck, loaded them up, and trekked back to Menards, receipt in hand. After a lengthy return process, which did not include my delivery charge, I marched up to the door display. There, I confronted the salesperson about the doors in question. He "explained" to me that the doors in the display did not come finished, and that they were finished in the display only so people would know what they look like finished. He could not/would not explain why there was nothing in the display stating that they were unfinished, or why the other employee would assure me that they were, in fact, prefinished. He also did not seem too impressed when I told him I would never return to that, or any other Menards. I have never really liked Menards, and that pretty much sealed the deal. So, it was off to the Home Depot, my third most favorite store, (after Best Buy and Target), where I purchased some unfinished, six panel oak doors. The problem now was, it is almost impossible to finish the doors prior to installation, and, with six dogs and cats, very difficult to do it after installation. But, that's what I had to do. The installation was a breeze, courtesy of the new finishing nailer I bought for the job. To stain and finish them, I ended up sealing off that section of the house with plastic for a day. That kept most of the fumes out of the air that the animals were in. Doors in, stained and finished. The moulding was done in about four hours, again, thanks to the new nailer. Now, for the carpet downstairs, I found something I think is fantastic. Our basement rarely takes on water, but it has happened a couple times, so we have never committed to putting in anything nice down there. Then I found these "carpet squares', 2'x2' pieces of carpet that are made with a slightly sticky back, that you just lay down on a clean floor. They lay well enough that they will not come up while vacuuming or walking. When layed correctly, seams are barely noticeable. Best of all, if they get wet or damaged, I can pull up the affected pieces only, and replace them or dry them, whatever the case may be. I'm sold on them. Now, I would not use them in the rest of my house, but, for this use they are tailor made. So, that was my last week, along with a whole bunch of cleaning and organizing. Now, I can look forward to start working outside. Spring is here! Enjoy!

Sunday, April 16, 2006

HE IS RISEN!!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Sacrifice

My thought for the day, as we enter the Easter weekend, is this. As Christians, we are followers of Christ. This something we say we believe, but do we? Do we really understand what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus not only lived a perfect, sinless life, but in the end He sacrificed it all for us. He gave His life for our sins. It was also His final lesson on true love, sacrificing all for those who didn't deserve it. It is that example of love we are called to when we told to "take up your cross and follow...." Think about that. Most of us sacrifice some for others; money, time, sweat, and so on. We even do it for people we don't know, on occasion. But Jesus sacrificed His very life for us. Could you? Would you? I think most of us would put our life on the line for our family, maybe even a close friend. But what about sacrificing your life for someone you barely know? Or even a complete stranger? I think most of us would have a hard time doing that. I know I would. Yet, if we are to call ourselves Christians, should we not be ready to follow Him, to lay our lives down for someone else, even if they don't deserve it? Even if they are homeless, or criminals, or drug addicts? Or perhaps, that wealthy family down the street, the ones with all the money, but no moral integrity, didn't Christ die for them too? And if He did, shouldn't we be willing to? Now, very few of us will ever get put in the position where we would have to choose, but if you did, what would be your choice? Life here, or the eternal life with our Lord? I would hope and pray that I would make the choice that would validate my life as a follower of Jesus. May the Lord bless each of you this Easter season.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Peace?

Okay, so it's day number three since my wife and daughter left for Phoenix. I have to admit, i was kinda looking forward to a little peace and quiet for a week. See, both my wife, and my daughter have inherited that gene that makes you talk, a lot, like nonstop sometimes. And it actually is inherited. My wifes father, whom they are visiting, actually talks more than the two of them combined. Ramblin' Bill I call him. I would probably go totally insane if I was there with them. But you know what...? Peace and quiet ain't all that great after a day or two. Man I miss them...

Friday, April 07, 2006

The Bachelor

Well, I'm a bachelor for the next week. Had to get up at 4AM to get P and J off to the airport so they could get on a plane to warm and sunny Phoenix, Arizona, where my wifes Dad lives. They do this trip every so often, while I stay and take care of the house and pets. Now, I know some of you ladies out there are probably shaking your heads, thinking I'm just going to make a mess that she will have to clean when she gets back. But, that would be a false assumption. Actually, the house was a disaster before they left, and I will spend the next week cleaning and organizing. (one closet is already done) I also try to do some sort of renovation, or redecorating while they are gone. I did the living room one year, which included some structural changes, new electrical, new paint, new carpet, as well as new furniture. Last year I did our bedroom, which she had no idea I was doing. While it was only painting, for the most part, it was still a huge job. Each wall had to be painted, (sort of a lilac purple) then they were "ragged" with a darker purple. And, the ceiling also had to be painted in the same dark purple. Did I mention that I had to do it without taking the furniture out of the room? I worked my paying job during the day, so house work was done at night. The furniture was too big to move myself, so, the room was done 1/3 at a time. P was very surprised, and happy, when she saw it. Purple just happens to be her favorite color. So this years project is..whoops..can't tell you. See, they may have access to a computer. And if they do, they may use it. And if they do, they may check this blog. And if they do, IT WON"T BE A SURPRISE. So, I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Turn it up!

Some of you may have noticed a little extra on my blog. I have taken the liberty of adding music. I believe that music is a incredibly effective tool for reaching out to people. I will change songs frequently, and some may get a little on the "rock" side. If you don't like it, then by all means, turn down your sound. Otherwise, enjoy!

Monday, April 03, 2006

Investments

In the Parable of the Talents, (Matthew 25:14), Jesus tells the story of a man who gives each of his servants some of his money (talents was a monetary term) to put to use while he is away. Each time I have heard this particular Parable used, it has been in the terms of money management and stewardship. But a recent message I heard brought forth a slightly different take. We are all gifted by God with different gifts. There are the Spiritual gifts, as defined in the Bible. These include Evangelism, Administration, Discernment, Mercy, Helps, Craftmanship, Prophecy, Wisdom, and others. Most churches have Spiritual Gifts assessments that you can take to learn what gifts you possess. Then there are what I call circumstantial gifts. These are the gifts that are dictated by whatever God's plan for your life brings your way. This could include the chance for higher education, or perhaps being born into wealth. It also includes the many lessons that Life teaches us along the way. In this way, you can see how everything comes as a gift from God. It is how we use those gifts that counts. There are three scenarios we can use. In one, we live in fear or self doubt, so we do not use the gifts we have been provided. Instead, we are like the servant who buries his talents. There is no loss, but there is nothing gained either, because no risk is taken at all. Many people live their lives this way; taking no chances in life, and getting nothing in return. Life is boring and seems pointless. In the next scenario, we use our gifts to enrich our own lives. We are investing our talents, but only in ourselves. We become fixated on the accumulation of wealth, power and possessions. We lose all focus on those outside our own little world. We lose all sense of moral right, and in the end, are nothing but husks, with all our soul stripped away. These are the people most concerned with living as long as possible on this world, because eternity has no meaning to them. I believe that this is the condition of a sizeable portion of us in the United States, as well as in many developed countries. In the third scenario, we use our gifts to instead enrich the lives of others. We are investing our talents in others. We use our circumstances to make theirs better. We become like the servants who invested their talents wisely. And there is a return, one which we shall see in Heaven. You see, when invest our gifts in others, there is " a treasure in Heaven" allotted to us. And when those we have enriched, because of our investment, enrich others, our treasure in heaven grows. This will determine your position in Heaven, not how much power or wealth you had on earth. So the one who risks nothing for others will have little in Heaven. But worse, those who invest in only themselves, they are actually building themselves a debt in Heaven, I believe. Jesus told us of the difficulty that the wealthy would have getting into heaven. Many of those who do will find themselves in the lowest positions possible. So, the question is, where are you invested? Where do you want to be? What are you going to do get there? There is nothing wrong with having money. There is no fault in being more fortunate than others. It is all in how you choose to invest. Invest in nothing; have nothing. Invest in yourself; lose everything. Use God's plan and invest in others; and you will gain more than can be imagined. Invest wisely. Thank you to Pastor Bruce for the inspiration for this post.

voice from the edge of forever