"When you're late you run!" These were the famous words uttered, and never forgotten, by my high school football coach, Coach Cullivan. That statement has served me as both a warning and faithful instruction for life. That was many years ago and I can still hear his scruffy voice echoing through my memory banks. Coach Cullivan was a very memorable character... In between spits of tobacco he had a lot to say about football and life. He had been our high school football coach for many years and he was respected, it seemed to me, by everyone around our small town. As a player on his team you listened and executed his instructions... you did not talk, you listened and executed.
My younger brother, Jeff, and I played together on the high school football team. We are separated by 19 months in age, and especially in the whole football uniform ensemble we looked very much alike. I was a fullback and Jeff was a quarterback. During a scrimmage game, before our season opener (and wearing our white practice jerseys with no numbers) Coach Cullivan yelled out from on the sideline "HARRIS." With helmet on, chin strap buckled, and mouth piece in place I ran up beside Coach Cullivan. He placed his arm around my shoulder pads and gave me the next play for the offense to run. As the referee placed the ball on the line of scrimmage, blew his whistle, and gave the signaling motion with his arm to start I was already in the huddle giving the play.
But there was confusion in the huddle... where was the quarterback? It was then I realized coach had sent in the wrong Harris! Coach, seeing the confusion out on the field, spitting his tobacco in disgust, scream out onto the field, "Harris, what's the problem?" It was then my brother made his amazing appearance beside the coach from on the sideline. Coach looked at him and then turned toward me with his head tilted to one side and a furrowed brow... there was a momentary pause in the space time continuum and everything seemed to go still and quiet. Then coach exclaimed toward the heavens in a very loud voice, with his head shaking back and forth "Harris, get off the field!" Coach didn't have to say it twice... I booked it toward the sideline, meeting my brother half way as he hurried onto the field. We gave a passing glance and I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head to communicate "It's not my fault!" That mistake never happened again.
My devotional this morning dealt with God producing the harvest from the sowing of His word in people's hearts. We don't have to understand fully how God operates in people's lives, but we must be faithful to listen to His plan and execute His commands. And somehow God will cause the necessary growth. But we must be willing to get off the sidelines and enter the game...
MEPASTORMIKE
Friday, September 09, 2011
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Was Lost, But Now Is Found...
When it comes to sleeping habits, I'm more of an early bird and my wife is a night owl... That's why I take on most of the responsibility of getting the kids up and off to school. Part of my morning routine since school has started is to fix the kids a hot breakfast. So far, this first week of school has included hot ham & cheese bagels, gravy & biscuits, and this morning my family famous omelets.
This morning I searched and searched for my favorite omelet making skillet, but I could not find it. My oldest, which was the only child up so far, had no idea where it could have been (even though he had had the responsibility of putting the dishes away the day before). I continued searching and searching... through cabinets it had no business being in, and in drawers that it was too small to fit in anyway... but I was desperate.
My son suggested I go wake up Mom and ask her where the skillet was, but there was a certain amount of pride at stake here that I was not willing to give in to. As my son finished his morning routine I continued my frantic search. I knew it had to be in the kitchen, BUT WHERE?!
I knew if I went and asked my wife for assistance that, more than likely, she would march right to it... and it would be in a place I had already searched. We had a friend cleverly refer to a woman's innate ability to locate lost items as "uterian radar."
Causing my wife to have wake form her slumber would have earned me the "look"... and I would have been left standing there uttering incomplete sentences like "But I..., How did you... Oh, never mind!"
Picturing this whole scenerio in my head, with arms crossed, and one hand on my chin... I began my search again. And after several minutes, and a few clanging pots and pan... SUCCESS! I found it hidden in plain site right where it was suppose to be. I'm so glad my wife will never know....
I'm not sure if there is a spiritual meaning to this whole story... I guess it would be how we view God sometimes. At times we seem to frantically search for Him when He's been right there all along. Or at other times we refuse to seek Him because of our own stubborn pride. Or, it could mean that God's given us everything we need, but will not always place it in our hands without some effort on our part.
Whatever it means... I'm really cooking now!
This morning I searched and searched for my favorite omelet making skillet, but I could not find it. My oldest, which was the only child up so far, had no idea where it could have been (even though he had had the responsibility of putting the dishes away the day before). I continued searching and searching... through cabinets it had no business being in, and in drawers that it was too small to fit in anyway... but I was desperate.
My son suggested I go wake up Mom and ask her where the skillet was, but there was a certain amount of pride at stake here that I was not willing to give in to. As my son finished his morning routine I continued my frantic search. I knew it had to be in the kitchen, BUT WHERE?!
I knew if I went and asked my wife for assistance that, more than likely, she would march right to it... and it would be in a place I had already searched. We had a friend cleverly refer to a woman's innate ability to locate lost items as "uterian radar."
Causing my wife to have wake form her slumber would have earned me the "look"... and I would have been left standing there uttering incomplete sentences like "But I..., How did you... Oh, never mind!"
Picturing this whole scenerio in my head, with arms crossed, and one hand on my chin... I began my search again. And after several minutes, and a few clanging pots and pan... SUCCESS! I found it hidden in plain site right where it was suppose to be. I'm so glad my wife will never know....
I'm not sure if there is a spiritual meaning to this whole story... I guess it would be how we view God sometimes. At times we seem to frantically search for Him when He's been right there all along. Or at other times we refuse to seek Him because of our own stubborn pride. Or, it could mean that God's given us everything we need, but will not always place it in our hands without some effort on our part.
Whatever it means... I'm really cooking now!
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Justice in an Unfair World...
Sometimes I think I have an over-active sense of justice. When things appear as unfair I have a need to mention it. This really plays itself out with my kids... Why is it siblings tend to pick at each other, and try to get 'one over' on the other more than with perfect strangers?! Oh well... as I look back on my own childhood with my three brothers it was much the same.
My devotional this morning dealt with this very issue - Justice. At the end of the devotional there was a line that read, "Life is not fair, but God is always faithful." I believe this statement 100%... but then how do I curve this over-active sense of justice within me, and keep from losing my mind when watching the 6 o'clock news about the unfairness that has happened all over the world?
First, I must not fret over things I have absolutely no control over. Secondly, when dealing with issues that do directly involve me I must look to the Bible for guidance and seek the Holy Spirit to go before me in dealing with the issue. And third, I must learn to LET GO and move on concerning life's fairness sometimes.
If I held on to the unfairness that I've experienced in my life I would be more of a wreck than I already am! And, if I tried to exact justice (or my version of justice) upon those who have been unfair to me I'm convinced I would be a miserable soul.
I must focus my attention to be fair rather than being so concerned about unfairness. This will help me to live out the words expressed in Colossians 3:15 to "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..."
My devotional this morning dealt with this very issue - Justice. At the end of the devotional there was a line that read, "Life is not fair, but God is always faithful." I believe this statement 100%... but then how do I curve this over-active sense of justice within me, and keep from losing my mind when watching the 6 o'clock news about the unfairness that has happened all over the world?
First, I must not fret over things I have absolutely no control over. Secondly, when dealing with issues that do directly involve me I must look to the Bible for guidance and seek the Holy Spirit to go before me in dealing with the issue. And third, I must learn to LET GO and move on concerning life's fairness sometimes.
If I held on to the unfairness that I've experienced in my life I would be more of a wreck than I already am! And, if I tried to exact justice (or my version of justice) upon those who have been unfair to me I'm convinced I would be a miserable soul.
I must focus my attention to be fair rather than being so concerned about unfairness. This will help me to live out the words expressed in Colossians 3:15 to "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts..."
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Measuring Success in Life...
Measuring up was a theme in my devotional reading this morning... How do we measure success in our lives? It would seem that for many (if not most) the criteria for successful living would fall back to what has been implanted within them by life experiences. Some have had very positive experiences... but those positive experiences do not seem to be the instruments used by many folks to measure their lives. In fact, I believe, the negative experiences of life tend to be the tool used by individuals to judge how successful their life has been... and the tool used to set much of life's goals.
Many of life's negative experiences tend to be the minimum factors that we strive to overcome in our lifetime. The negative becomes the catalyst in our lives to do better... and I suppose that is very natural (and good). But I'm feeling some uneasiness within me as I consider all this based upon some of the lives I've had the privilege to interact with over the years.
It seems to me we spend a lot of time striving NOT to become someone (or something) we've experienced in the past. By doing this do we have an accurate picture of what we're striving TO BE? I also wonder if by default we tend to judge others by those same negative experiences in our own lives... and is that fair to them?
Jesus teaches us not to judge or condemn, but to forgive (Luke 6:37). I'm guessing this is necessary because we are not very accurate judges of our own lives, much less the lives of others. And in my limited experience it is through the forgiveness of the past that sets us on a new course of success in life.
Many of life's negative experiences tend to be the minimum factors that we strive to overcome in our lifetime. The negative becomes the catalyst in our lives to do better... and I suppose that is very natural (and good). But I'm feeling some uneasiness within me as I consider all this based upon some of the lives I've had the privilege to interact with over the years.
It seems to me we spend a lot of time striving NOT to become someone (or something) we've experienced in the past. By doing this do we have an accurate picture of what we're striving TO BE? I also wonder if by default we tend to judge others by those same negative experiences in our own lives... and is that fair to them?
Jesus teaches us not to judge or condemn, but to forgive (Luke 6:37). I'm guessing this is necessary because we are not very accurate judges of our own lives, much less the lives of others. And in my limited experience it is through the forgiveness of the past that sets us on a new course of success in life.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Internal Climate Control...
Last day of summer (at least summer vacation) and it fells like fall... A cold front moved through dropping the temperature from the 90's two days ago to barely 60 this morning. Add in the wind and the temperature is in the 50's. A big change almost overnight! Fall is my favorite time of year though, so I really don't mind the coolness.
It's made me think about how quickly my internal temperature can change from being cool to hot sometimes... and it can happen in a matter of minutes. If I'm not mistaken the weather man calls it a "ridge of high pressure" that moves in and with it usually comes warmer temps. Yep, it's much the same with me... high pressure pushes in causing the internal temp to increase as well.
Oh, how I need the Holy Spirit to work in my life to bring about climate control... an internal thermostat that works to maintain an even flow of love. This his how God's Holy Spirit will work in any of our lives if we will yield our will to His. This is my prayer...
It's made me think about how quickly my internal temperature can change from being cool to hot sometimes... and it can happen in a matter of minutes. If I'm not mistaken the weather man calls it a "ridge of high pressure" that moves in and with it usually comes warmer temps. Yep, it's much the same with me... high pressure pushes in causing the internal temp to increase as well.
Oh, how I need the Holy Spirit to work in my life to bring about climate control... an internal thermostat that works to maintain an even flow of love. This his how God's Holy Spirit will work in any of our lives if we will yield our will to His. This is my prayer...
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