WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

Next Sunday I have been asked to speak at both services at our church. Our pastor will be absent. He has been spending a few Sundays speaking about the fundamentals of marriage, gay marriage and homosexuality. In the process he has referred to Romans 12:1-2.

Verse 2 of Romans 12 has been going through my mind for a couple weeks. And especially the part of verse 2 that says, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind". So for a few blog entries, I will be mentioned some of these thoughts "for what its worth." I will also use this phrase from Romans 12:2 as the basis for the message next Sunday.

One question that has come up in my mind is, "Is there a difference between the brain and the mind." Or are they just different names for the same thing? My conclusion so far is that there is a definite difference. The brain is a tangible physical part of my body. My mind is who I am...or soul...or self-consciousness. Since I am a spiritual being having a physical experience on planet earth, what goes on in my mind is regulated, and maybe controlled, by the brain. In a sense, my mind (self) is limited by my brain. This is similar to all my physical body. Being a spiritual being in a physical body limits what I can do. I am thankful that some day, I will be conformed to the image of Christ. As the Bible says in I John 3:1-2..."we will be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

So in the same way that I am limited by my physical body in that I cannot instantly transport myself from one location to another, my mind is limited by the physical brain. The brain determines my actions. It orders my body to perform. It also determines my thoughts.

So when I am told I can be transformed (sanctified) by the renewing of my mind, I realize that my mind (my thinking) is greatly controlled by what goes on in my brain. I am bombarded by thoughts that originate in the brain that controls my actions. Is it possible to control what enters my brain so that my thoughts are what they should be, so that I can be "transformed by the renewing of my mind?"

I will explore this further in another blog time.

TIME FOR JESUS

We humans seem to be slaves of time. Time rules our lives. We have several clocks in the house: in the bed room on the night stand it shines in the night; on our microwave and kitchen stove timer; and on the wall in most every room. We even have it on our wrist, and often look at our cell phone where the time is displayed. How many times a day do we look to see what time it is. I have been asked by total strangers, even when I traveled to Siberia, "What time is it?" We are concerned about time!

Since Jesus is the eternal One, is He concerned about time? The Gospels give us details about His Life, His thinking, His concerns, and His purpose.This study deserves an in depth look at all 4 Gospels to see what Jesus relationship to time really was (is?). I am going to make a quick scan of the Gospel of John to get a glimpse of Jesus and time.

The first indication in John about this is in chapter 2:4. At the first miracle recorded in the Bible where Jesus turned water into wine at a marriage reception, He mentions time. When they ran out of wine, Jesus mother, Mary, came to tell Him, "They have no more wine." (I am puzzled about why she did this, but that's another subject) He told her that that was not His concern and then He said, "My time has not yet come."  What did He mean?

Then in John 7:1-6 we read the account of Jesus' brothers telling Him while they were yet in Galilee, that they should go to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. He refused to go then and He said, "The right time for me has not yet come."  What did He mean?

In the same chapter, 7, it tells us He finally went to Jerusalem and began to teach in the temple. The religious leaders did not want Him to teach and it says they "tried to seize Him". Then verse 30 says, "no one laid a hand on Him because His time had not yet come."

In the next chapter, 8, a similar scene takes place. He again is explaining His relationship to the Father and it says, "yet no one seized Him because His time had not yet come." It seems much of what happened to Jesus was governed by time.

Then, later in His life when once again He had entered the temple to teach just before the Passover Feast. A remarkable statement is made in contrast to all statements before about Jesus and "His Time". Verse 1 says, "Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father." And this began the last few days of Jesus' life of this earth. The right time was apparently important

And then in Jesus remarkable prayer to the Father in chapter 17:1 He says, "Father, the hour has come."

And immediately after praying He is arrested, tried, and crucified.

Time was important to Jesus. He was ready for His time. While we do not know, as He did the time of His coming death, we need to be ready because one of these times our time will come.

TIME

DO YOU HAVE TIME?

Solomon says in the book of Ecclesiastes that there is a time for everything. (Eccl. 3:1-8) I don’t know 

 if you have ever meditated upon the word “time” and its meaning, but it is a fascinating subject.

 Time is a precious resource. 

We usually think of money as a resource…but time? We either formally or informally budget our money, but how about time?

There is much discussion about income equality, justice equality, and racial equality. Has anyone ever

 mentioned time equality?

  No, because that is a resource that everyone has an equal amount of…we each have 24 hours each day.

“Life is like a coin, you can spend it anyway you want, but you can only spend it once” someone has said. This is true with each 24 hour day we have been given.

I try never to say that I don’t have time to do this or that. I have 24 hours…the same as everyone: rich or poor, smart or not so smart, educated or uneducated…we all have the same! So, what I try to say when I do not do something is, “I chose not to take the time to do that”. That is an honest answer when asked, “Why didn’t you do that?”

What we do with our 24 hours allotted to us is determined by our priorities! We ALWAYS have time to do what we ­­want to do. This is convicting to me when I look back on a day and realize I have squandered part, or even most, of the 24 hours allotted to me for that day. 

Each day is a gift from God…that’s why it is called “the present”.

LOG TIME ... NO POST....

TIME

It has been a long TIME since I have written anything here.

It's not that I did not have TIME.

I had the TIME!

I didn't take the TIME!

I have had 24 hours for each day since I last wrote here.

How did I use the TIME?

I try never to say,"I don't have TIME to do this or that".

The TIME is there! 

24 hours!

I just did not take the TIME to do this or that.

I guess it just depends upon priorities.

How I spend my TIME reveals what my priorities were

or are!

I plan to spend more TIME writing in this blog even if

I am the only one reading it.

But

right now it is TIME for me to go to bed

almost 10 PM.

I plan to write more about TIME in TIME to come. If it is a priority I'll take the

TIME.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

ON A COOL AUTUMN DAY IN ALASKA

The leaves on the birch trees were green when we arrived in Alaska 

just  about a week and a half ago.

Much has happened...much of it planned....by someone.

like our grand daughter, Teressa's wedding.

What an answer to prayer....

she married a strong, committed believer in Christ!

Other things have happened also...like the green birch leaves

turning a bright gold in just a few days.

They are beautiful against the bright blue sky

with new snow capping the mountain tops in the background. 

Autumn lasts only a week or two in Alaska.

It's the joy of spending time with family and friends we see far too seldom 

and creates memories that last and last.

However,

there is a certain sadness I feel today...perhaps not sadness but maybe seriousness.

The wind has been blowing for the first time in a few days.

The golden birch leaves are falling like snowflakes...covering the ground.

Sad.

The trees are getting bare...preparing for a long cold winter.

As I watch each leaf fall, there is a certain sadness...its beautiful life on the tree is over.

News have come to me that three friends have died this week...

like fallen golden leaves.

And I have read that Chuck Smith, founder of Calvary Chapel has also died...

as has Tom Clancy, the novelist....and others.

And I am in the process of reading C.S. Lewis' book "A Grief Observed."

It has set a certain feeling in me that is hard to articulate, but real.

You might call it sadness, but it's not really that...

just a realization that the golden leaves of autumn that are so beautiful...even beautiful as they fall.

And they must fall before new life can be realized.

So, much is happening, actually all planned even though not by us, but by Someone.

Someone who has created it all, holds it all together, and has an eternal plan.

And we can trust Him in the spring, summer, autumn and winter of life.

And that brings peace.

 

 

 

THIS WAS SENT TO ME BY A FRIEND OF THE PERSON WHO HONORED THE MEN SERVING THEIR COUNTRY. IT IS A STORY THAT EXEMPLIFIES CHRIST-LIKE COMPASSION AND IS SO FITTING FOR VETERAN'S DAY!


I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.

'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan

After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch
would help pass the time...

As I reached for my wallet, I overheard a soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks.
I'll wait till we get to base.'

His friend agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied,
wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later
with a dinner plate from first class.

'This is your thanks.'

After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room.
A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me
twenty-five dollars.

Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base.
It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.' Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers.

As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...

THE LITTLE THINGS

THE LITTLE THINGS

               Not many of us live a life that is full of thrilling, exciting events!  And even those who go from one adventure to another find that after a while, even that becomes commonplace and mundane. Just a few days ago I was reminded that very important, God sent, and even life changing events many times start with common, ordinary, and seemingly run-of-the-mill experiences.

               My regular Bible reading had brought me to I Samuel chapter 9.  It tells about a rather wealthy man by the name of Kish.  One day Kish’s donkeys broke out of their pen and wandered off.  Any of us raised on the farm know that when livestock get out of the fence, the first thing that needs to be done is to find them. They need to be brought back before something happens to them or they ruin some neighbor’s crops, fences or even worse. So Kish said to his son Saul, “Take a servant with you and go look for the donkeys.”

               After searching unsuccessfully Saul said, “Let’s go home.”  But the servant said, “Let’s find the prophet who lives around here.”  The day before they found him, the prophet Samuel got a message from the Lord.  He said, “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from Benjamin.  Anoint him to be leader of my people Israel.”  Notice the Lord said, “I will send you a man.”  How did the Lord do that?  By allowing (causing?) the donkeys to get loose!  I am sure that Kish, his son Saul, or the servant had no idea that God had arranged for the donkeys to get out!  But God had an agenda!  He ALWAYS does!

               Saul obeyed. I thought to myself, “What if Saul had not obeyed?” Actually, since God was working this out in order for Samuel to meet Saul.  Saul had no choice!  God was at work and Saul’s obedience led to a startling event that he could never imagine in his wildest dreams…to be anointed King of Israel.

               Through a series of “coincidental” events such as: 1) the servant suggesting they find the prophet, 2) they “happened” to meet some girls who knew what road to take to find the prophet; 3) Samuel “happened” to be walking on that same road toward them; 4) Samuel knew Saul was the man as soon as he saw him.

               So, the mundane daily requirements of life many times lead us to untold blessings and opportunities.  As with Saul, it might begin with a disappointing inconvenience or an interruption of a schedule and regular routine. But God is working on the other end of the story!  Who knows what thrilling things He has for those who obey in the “little” things? 

               I am reminded of the Lord talking to Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4:10 as he was doing some small things to begin the temple. The Lord said, “Do not despise these small beginnings…”!

Note: This was written the first part of November, 2012. It is to be published in InterAct Ministries InterCom edited by Judy Richardson.