Toenails of Love (dated 1-27-2011 from SA)

Today while riding in the Hasselbring’s Speed the Light vehicle, (Thank you Assembly of God Youth in Alabama. You’re awesome!) the news came on the morning radio show. One of the headlines was that a man proposed to his girlfriend through text message…. He sent the message to the wrong number. Didn’t hear the Paul Harvey rest of the story, but I did read this tonight.

1 Corinthians 16:14 says, ‘Do everything in love.’ My first question is, how? My second question is, why? How could you send a proposal text to the wrong number, and why in the world would you do that via text message, but back to Corinthians. How is it possible to do everything in love? I can see doing some things in love, but everything we ever do; we are to do in love? Go to church because you love God. Got it. Go visit with grandma because you love grandma. Yep. Take your dog to the vet because you love your dog. He/She is family. Sure enough. Clip your toenails because you love to wear flip flops…? 

Which leads to my next question, Why? Why in the world would I clip my toenails in love? Personally I know my why (I prefer to be clean, and long toenails look nasty), but for your average joe with above average length toenails, why clip toenails in love? Truthfully, I have no clue why we are to do everything in love. If I had to guess, seeing as we are creatures of habit, and God has promised us if we are faithful with the small things then we will be blessed, I would say it’s just habit building. If we take everyday normal things, like greeting a stranger or even a  “friend” (you all know that person) early in the morning before that second cup of coffee, and do them in love, then those moments, those times that God has ordained for us to be with somebody who needs the very love of God, and we, yes you or me, are  the only one around, in those moments, we will know how to love because love is the story of our lives. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son. He did everything in love so why should we be any different.

Moral: Live a real life love story, and cut your nasty toenails! You so nasty…!

Sunday Fishing

I started off my day by waking up late for church, followed by a drive to the gas station for fuel and  a bacon and egg sandwich. I arrive at the IAG Church in Matsulu at 11:22, service starts there at 10:30. Not the way a missionary wants to start his first Sunday back in South Africa…

                I went fishing after lunch. No, not fishing for men, but actual bass and tilapia fishing. It also marked the first time I’ve ever been fishing with my little brother DJ (no worries my tilapia was bigger than his).  We only caught 1 fish each (total of 2 for you mathematically challenged folks), and with it being such a slow day, with all the ants and mosquitoes that God ever let come into existence biting, and only the same amount of fish that made it on the ark…(I do not know if fish were on the ark but I will ask Noah one day... or one of his sons... focus...), as I watched my cork drifting over a ripple made by a fish that was either smarter than me, or just not hungry, a thought came…

                How many of us, whom God called to be fishers of men, actually fish? So many more of us went through the excitement of Salvation, we grabbed our rod and reels, and casted away, but the first fish never bit. So we are waiting, our hook is still in the water, but instead of fishing, we are just cork watching whenever we are not swatting at the “mosquitoes and ants” of life. A lot of us will continue to cork watch until we get tired and “go home”, and most of us will never realize that we never baited the hook. I’m not saying it’s impossible to catch a fish with no bait, I’ve done it, but I am saying that it is much easier with a baited hook. I’m not saying Jesus is bait or that you want to hook anybody into anything. Jesus is no bait, but He is the only way to heaven. You know this, so no more excuses. You do have something to offer the fishes that have swam by your empty hook. He’s better than the greatest and latest jig, old school worms or crickets, and can do more good to them than Catfish Charley (stink bait) can do bad for your hands. Tell them your story, tell them His, so He can finish theirs, and you can have a partner to later go fishing with!

Moral of the story: Be on time for church… and go fishing!

Butt end of a joke...

I recently read a joke, and it read like this:
        When a traffic cop pulled over Pastor Johnson for speeding, the minister reminded the officer, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy." The cop handed the minister the ticket and quoted, "Go thou and sin no more."

As funny as that initially was, it struck a strong and disturbing reality inside of me. A thought came to my mind. What does it mean to be merciful? So I pulled out the Bible and dictionary to compare the two. The dictionary says merciful is exactly what I thought (kudos to my vocabulary teachers), full of mercy. The commentary in my bible says that the 'merciful' are full of compassion and pity toward those who are suffering either from sin or sorrow. The merciful sincerely want to make such suffering less by bringing those people to the grace and help of God through Jesus Christ.

I can't count the number of times that I was driving my granted 7 mph over the speed limit, and some "law fearing" person flies by me like I'm sitting on the side of the road with a flat tire. And in those times I hoped that a cop or two were sitting up the road just waiting on my 2 fast 2 furious want-to-be friend. Or when I only have one item to buy at Wal-Mart, and they have two cashiers on duty, one of which is the express lane, and the lady who just bought groceries for a family of what looks like 80, so graciously cuts me off and checks out in the express, 10 items or less please, lane. How full of mercy am I in those moments? How compassionate towards others am I in those moments? Who knows how many jobs the could be single mother, trying to feed her family of what looks like 80, be working? What if the "law fearing citizen" is racing to get to his elderly grandmother's house because she just fell, and somehow reached the phone to call him? How much more would a speeding ticket if not reckless driving ticket, set him back? In these times of no mercy moments in my life, is there any mercy for me?    

Moral of the story: Never read a joke without wearing some kind of close toed shoe because it hurts a lot less to have your toes stepped on.