Mood:  a-ok

Sand and Stone!

“TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE”

“TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE”

 The friend, who had slapped and saved her best friend, asked her, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now, you write on a stone, why?” The other friend replied: “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it, but when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone, so no wind can ever erase it.”   

LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BLESSINGS IN STONE.  

Author Unknown 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

Yes, easier said than done! But the scripture says,

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25

Let then start our year free from anger!

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, Ephesians 4:26 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Shared by my friend Aila, visit her site at:

http://yourlifeisgettinggreat.blogspot.com/

Mood:  sharp

A Homeless Man?

It was a cold winter's day that Sabbath. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering among themselves as they walked to the church.

As I got closer I saw a man leaned up against the wall outside the church. He was almost lying down as if he was asleep. He had on a long trench coat that was almost in shreds and a hat topped his head, pulled down so you could not see his face. He wore shoes that looked 30 years old, too small for his feet with holes all over them, his toes stuck out.

I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church. We all fellowshipped for a few minutes, and someone brought up the man laying outside. People snickered and gossiped, but no one bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments later church began. We all waited for the preacher to take his place and to give us the Word, when the doors to the church opened.

In came the homeless man, walking down the aisle with his head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle and up onto the pulpit where he took off his hat and coat.

My heart sank.

There stood our preacher...he was the "homeless man." No one said a word.

The preacher took his Bible and laid it on the stand. "Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today."

Then he started singing the words to this song. "If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or song, if I can show somebody that he's traveling wrong, then my living shall not be in vain."

IS YOUR LIVING IN VAIN?

~ Author Unknown ~

Mood:  caffeinated

I read this and wonder how many of us do not heed the Spirit's tug on us...could we have been there? I also sorrow for those that were lost possibly because someone did not follow His call.....

The Pastor's Son 

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts. 

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring down rain.  The boy bundled up in hiswarmest and driest clothes and said, "OK, dad, I'm ready." His Pastor dad asked, "Ready for what?" 

"Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out." 

Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain."The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, "But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?" 

Dad answers, "Son, I am not going out in this weather."      

Despondently, the boy asks, "Dad, can I go?  Please?" His father hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son." 

"Thanks Dad!" 

And with that, he was off and out into the rain.  This eleven year oldboy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract. 

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled

wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT.  He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted. 

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalkto the front door and rang the door bell..He rang the bell, but nobody answered.... He rang it again and again, but still no one answered.. He waited but still no answer. 

Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him.... 

Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly onthe door with his fist.  He waited, something holding him there on thefront porch He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.. 

Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady.  Shesoftly asked, "What can I do for you, son?" With radiant eyes and asmile that lit up her world, this little boy said, "Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that

*JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU* 

and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE." 

With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave. She called to him as he departed.  "Thank you, son!  And God Bless You!" Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit. 

As the service began, he asked, "Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything? Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet. 

As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face,"No one in this church knows me.  I've never been here before. You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian.  My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. 

Last Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that 

I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live. So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home....  I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof,then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck.  Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me.  I thought, "I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away." 

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I thought to myself again, "Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me." I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder. 

When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy Ihad ever seen in my life.  His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you! 

The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, "Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU." Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.. As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract.  Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair.  I wouldn't be needing them any more. 

You see---I am now a Happy Child of the KING.  Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell." 

There was not a dry eye in the church.  And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor

Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated. He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son...  Except for One. 

Our Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world. He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted praises and honor to The King, the Father sat His beloved Son on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that is named. 

Mood:  a-ok

I have wrestled much of late with what God wants of me...Wrestlings about work, career, ministry, love life..or lack there of..LOL, and about being full bore in all that I set my hand to. I have always been a "just do it" type, yet never thought about it otherwise.

I had a former co-worker that I used to work in Voc Rehab work, and we caught up on each other the past few years when we reconnected recently. He was a lot like I felt I was there, full of wisdom, yet not respected possibly as much as he should have been. You know that"You are called to serve and not to speak" thing....Yet he was and is a very intuitive , intelligent brother and he looked at me and said.."Tim you have always been one to dive into what you are doing, going full out"....I knew he was right yet I was so surprised because no one I could ever recall said that to me in that manner...It also  got me to thinking about how I felt God in His dealing and leading of me was relevant to this one aspect of my personality.

So tonight I "happened?" upon "The Keith Green Story". Keith of whom I am well familiar with, though I was a youth when he passed away at age 28, in a tragic air crash.....Keith was a "Full Bore" guy also, and as I went from one segment to the next, I realized that I shared a lot  of the same views on ministry, and not wanting to charge for things of the gospel...I was blessed, and now I post part one of his story from YouTube and at the end of each segment of which there are seven just click the next one to view it in sequence...I pray you will watch it through and are blessed!      In Him, Brother Tim

Mood:  sharp

The Human Touch! (A reposting of an old blog article.)Share

Monday, December 1, 2008 at 11:42pm | Edit Note | Delete

This was an old blog posting of an encounter I had just before retiring from social work to pursue my art!

The Human Touch!

I had a lesson in humanity today. As I was going about my current job, in a public place, I heard a familiar voice call my name. Tiiiiiiiimmmmm! I had not heard that voice in years, but its familiarity was imbedded in my psyche. It was a client from a program I was employed with years back. I had worked with these very special people for many years. I stopped my brisk pace to see my old friend. 

I remember first meeting her as I was on my first day at that job, and she came in my office area to empty the trash. Hi I’m Genn (Name Changed) who are you? I told her and introduced myself thus starting an attachment that has lasted some nearly twelve years. Many times when I showed up for work and when she arrived, she would come to the table I was sitting at and stand by me. Sometimes I was too preoccupied to give ear to her, but most times like a child she would hang there till she got and gave a hug. The Human Touch. I must admit those years were some of the toughest of my life, fraught with many life lesson mistakes I made. Those hugs sometimes brought me back down to earth, and I thought today how much we as humans yearn for that touch from those we love, and yet we go without. How many times have others have yearned for an affirming touch from us and we stayed self absorbed and missed the moment?

She was a rotund, pint sized woman with a young child’s mind and emotions. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and it was so big that her love and care for others would fill the room. She had this big toothy grin that mirrored the joy in her heart. Her laugh was a giggle of great glee. When she was down, her sadness could fill a room also. Though sometimes she could severely get on your nerves you could not help but love her. She would sometimes come to me and proudly say “ Tim I lost fifty pounds (she would put her hands on her hips and lean to one side in a model pose)...I would look and see no change from before, but agreed none the less, much to her joy from approval . She having a young child’s mindset, was not unlike like any other grown woman in wanting approval for weight loss...LOL!

We staffers were family, just as close, maybe even closer to her than her own family. She as the other clients did not realize it was a job that we were paid for. For me, and most of us it transcended the minimal pay we received, for me it was a ministry, and each morning I prayed for and with my crew before we started the work day. Sometimes when I ran behind on escorting my crew to our work contract next to the office, my Asst. also a Christian would go ahead and get the crew started.  She came to me one of the first mornings where I was not present on time at work start, and said the crew just stood there, and I said "go to do your work now".....and one asked for the group are we going to pray first? They believed it was important!

One day after many years working there I left my “Family” to move on in life, leaving them physically but ever being with them in spirit so to say. I still manage to drop in and see those that I know there, to catch up on things (they are family you know) a precious mission field. I guess it is always sort of like a homecoming for me.

So here I am today seeing this old friend who immediately wanted a hug, much like a child that had been away for the day at school, missing their parents. My friend was now much more aged in a different program and less toothy in her smile, hugging me again, Again once more hugging me as I was turning to leave after we talked. I had a feeling it might be the last time I may see her. I looked over at her care givers who were smiling because she was being who she was as we say here in Hawaii full of Aloha, and I thought what fine people for the work they do.

I write this tonight as a statement of my thankfulness for those years, and with the hope that those who may read it, be touched to reach out to touch those around them in a positive manner. Do not miss the moment! To Those who have family members in care programs, know that those who do the work, care far more than the minimal wages they are paid. They do that work out of love for those they are hired to serve! I know they are God's Hands reaching out in Love to care and encourage those that are truly the Apples of His Eye!

Thanks for dropping by and letting me share!

Blessings,

Timothy

Mood:  sharp

I got an e-mail from my Hanai Dad, and as I read it summed up a lot of what has gone on in life for me and I guess we all can relate to it...You know the old saying "you don't know what you got till it's gone".....You are there ...becoming wallpaper and then you move on.....then you are appreciated. 

That coincides with "go where you are celebrated , not where you are tolerated".... Many of us overlook opportunity...biblically Esau did see the value of his blessing and sold his birthright to Jacob who recognized it for it's value..he could not gain it back though he wept bitterly over it.. so today I got this email...it is a gem...

 Perception 

..something to think about... 

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 

4 minutes later: 

the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 

6 minutes:  

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition..

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in  Boston  where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

Jesus described the generation He was dealing with in Isarel as non perceptive....they did not recognize the Messiah ...here what He said!

Luke 7: 31 "How can I describe the people who are living now? What are they like?

32 They are like children who sit in the marketplace and shout to each other, 'We played music for you, but you didn't dance. We sang a funeral song, but you didn't cry.'

33 John the Baptizer has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'There's a demon in him!'

34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! He's a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'

35 "Yet, wisdom is proved right by all its results."

So in closing I will quote from a church sign slogan I saw recently "Feeling You Are Ignored And Taken For Granted? Now you Know How God Feels!"

May you pray for the eyes to see His blessings in your life...they are there...sometimes when you start counting them ...you see more...and more...and more......You might even appreciate your mate..remember be thankful for your husband or wife, because God could have given you what you really deserve! ..LOL!

Be Blessed In Him 

P.S. I loved the part where the kids all took note of the beautiful music.the violinist was playing.....I worked with kids at one time and they have an eye and ear for beauty that we adults overlook many times...I believe that is why Jesus used kids as the subject for his rebuke of Israel, in the above scriptures....

Mood:  sharp

God has you where you are for a reason! (A three part posting))

Preface: 

I am posting a three part sharing from a year ago. It was a happening in my life that has made a great turn around within me. I invite you to read it all as I believe God will use it to show you of your importance and why He has you where you are at, and also how God used this person (Name changed) to bring a blessing to me. This has since been a year of God wrought change within me , a year of meeting things head on! A year of one serious medical treatment successfully applied, and healing brought. A total lossing of my car when I was rear-ended, and another medical correction and a major back surgery that many has looked at me in unbelief at to my recuperation...To God be the Glory..I personally believe this scenario last year was a prepping for me to look at God's calling on my life in a new manner.....God has you where you are for a reason!

(PART ONE) November 2008

I had a bit of an eye opener tonight at work.

I found myself frustrated because all these new customers kept coming in, and I have been solely running the shop that normally needed 2.5 people to get all the work done. About the time the rush subsided, I hurriedly started to work on a couple of orders that were long overdue.

I made myself take a day off yesterday and I knowing my workload would be tough tonight.

So here I was working away in the shop when I saw a fellow employee carrying this large frame for a sickly looking gentleman. I slapped my paper bone. (that I was using to burnish (apply) a paper frame backing) I threw it down hard and went to the front counter.

The gentleman I know saw my frustration and said “do you want to handle this for me?” My head throbbed slightly as I knew in my frustration my blood pressure was up, and beside this guy is coming off a bit gruff. I said a prayer for strength deep within myself and exhaled as I approached the counter.  “There are worse things you know!” he said. “If you got the news that I have just gotten….”  I motioned that I was all ears, as he told me he had just come from the Dr’s office and had been given up to four months to live.

I was emotionally floored, like I had been sparing and caught a sucker punch to the jaw. I had been in twenty years of ministry off and on and parallel with that …tens years of various social work. I thought I had worked or lived in just about every scenario…in the height of my work frustration, this truly popped my anxiety bubble…....

He spent several minutes telling me about it all, and I listened putting away my cares for the jobs at hand. I then went about checking the frame discussing what could be done, as I saw him take a nitro bottle out of his pocket and slip a pill or two into his mouth. He said he needed to sit down as he was shaky and I grabbed my bench by the work computer and offered it for him.

He sighed as he wearily sat down, and started to spill out his concern for his wife, and I told him that I was a former Pastor but still a good ear. He asked for my personal number and I told him I would be there for him, and he said he would call me. I was trained in that area, but still a tough thing to deal with, and as we chatted, I stated that at least he had the forewarning, because many do not. He readily agreed. As we chatted more it turned out that our own personal theological journeys were very similar.

He said he knows what he needs to do and I told him I would keep him in prayer. His concerns were still for his wife, of which I sated my admiration for in that area.

When I finished with that order he was placing for his wife, he reached out a trembling hand to shake mine, and thanked me.

I looked at him, and said to tell the truth I was a bit ticked because of seeing you with that big frame, and I have been trying for several hours to get this piece worked on. He said I figured so.

I looked him in the eye and said you know, I believe that God has brought you here today, and if you need me to do so, I will be there for you, as I know that is what He wants me to do.

He said I am not afraid to die, but just concerned for the well being of my wife.

After he left, I went back to my work and I thought to myself ....no use fretting over the orders, just relax and do my best, because there are things that matter more.

As I thought about that interaction, I thought hey this guy at least he has a mate to be there for him.

I am praying that he and his wife will have some of the most fruitful time to come in his waning days, and all things brought into line. He said he was ready to be in heaven and I was gladdened by that.

On of my favorite movies is “My Life” with Nicolle Kidman and Michael Keaton. This movie came to mind as I write this. If you have never seen it you can still find it as I still have a copy somewhere amongst my DVDs.

Have a blessed day and if you have someone to love with you....think of their good traits and tell them how much they mean to you, and love them, and cherish your time like it was your last day together!

Thanks for checking in and letting me share. Brother Tim

This Day! God has you where you are for a reason!

(PART TWO)

Today Sunday was my day off, and I wanted to go to church but I ditched out because I felt I needed to go to the workplace for a few moments and call a customer to let her know her orders would be ready another day later.

As I came in an approached the frame shop my boss was on the phone, and she asked me about an order. The order was the one placed by the dying man I had seen a couple of days earlier. I told my boss it would not be ready for a couple of weeks as I explained to him, and a deposit was needed for me to proceed and I noticed it had not been placed by his wife like he said she would do the next day. My boss handed me the phone and said you handle it Tim. I thought now why is she giving me the phone because she could easily tell her, but I was soon to find out that God wanted me to talk to her! 

I took the call and I explained it to her that she needed to make a deposit, and she explained that her husband died later on that night after dropping off the frame to me, and she was occupied with getting his situation settled. I again was floored, because I knew God was speaking to me in this situation. I told her not to worry about the deposit and to pay when it was done. 

She was holding herself together I could tell by the tone of her voice. I told her that her husband said he was not afraid of dying and that he would be with the Lord and that we had a long talk. I told that he was more concerned for her and voiced that several times. I also mentioned that he said he was a former Pastor also and he explained why he did not do so anymore. I also explained that he was concerned in getting the order done as it was special for her.

Now think about this...if you were just told you would die soon would you be doing something like placing an order for a framing of art??? Or....would your mind be reeling and you’d be off to yourself, questioning God why????

Here was this man in the midst of grave news caring for his wife’s concern and wanting to do this gift for her. I told her that I would keep her in prayer, and she said she would keep me in her prayers also. 

I got off the phone and sought out my boss because the paperwork was placed in the finished box instead of the to-do box. I told her the whole story and she said Tim you came at that exact time to take that call??? WOOOOOW! That is incredible, that gives me goose bumps. I looked at her that is the HOLY GHOST for you and it is HIS timing as I felt I needed to be at work. 

I am no different from you, and God has YOU where you are for a reason, even if for a short season. Make the best of it!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 

Blessings upon you IN CHRIST JESUS’ NAME!!!

Brother Tim

P.S. Today I have had my burning bush experience, I have been many years in this desert experience...one of my own making and it is time for me to return to ministering. I ask for your prayers so that I will stay the course and fulfill HIS calling! Blessings again to you!

This Day! God has you where you are for a reason! 

PART THREE 

Today was my day off as the week so far was demanding, but I was approached by my boss to do Mr. Smith’s (Name Changed) order which was not due for almost a month. I explained that his now widow had asked to to rush it for his wake, but I could not in respect to all the other customer’s orders because being the only one doing the work I was backed up. He okay’ed for me to push it and I slotted to do the framing on this coming Saturday. 

As I was up this morning early, I watered the lawn and hosed Buster my dog down with the water hose....he loved it...LOL! I thought I guessed I could go in and do that order and get it done. I went in and broke down the old artwork in the frame and cleaned up the glass, and as I laid out the new poster print that James Smith wanted put in…. I was approached by my boss and he asked me about the artist’s work because it looked familiar. I told him what Mr. Smith had said. He told me that the man spent part-time here in Hawaii and they used to see him paint outdoors at a park near I guess where they lived. He did not used brushes but only his fingers. The print a beautiful vibrant landscape stated in bold letters at the title....”CELEBRATE LIFE!” I did not remember what the poster was titled when I took his order, as I was focused on his dilemma at the time.

I thought to myself James.....though you are dead now and you gave up pastoring , now that you are with the Lord, You are still ministering ..and eternally alive.....

I believe you get the whole gist of what God has spoken to me and to all in this story......”Celebrate Life!”....HIS LIFE in You!

In closing that whole story has caused no small stir at work as even a higher up came to talk with me about it, and I Pointed to the Lord and His timing for all of us.

We need not stand behind a pulpit at church to minister, but the most effective ministry for any of us is the pulpit we are assigned.....for me right now it is the frame shop counter....for you it maybe the pulpit of your desk at the office, for another the pulpit the counter at McDonalds. As John Wesley once said “The world is my pulpit!” He stood on gravestones and ministered in graveyards and old barrooms in off hours to hold church because he was ostracized for the cause of Christ! 

CELEBRATE LIFE IN CHRIST!!!

Mood:  special

A Miracle for a Dollar and Eleven Cents? ...

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even.. The total had to be exactly perfect... No chance here for mistakes.

Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!