Be Enthusiastic in Your Work

“Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.” ( Romans 12:11 )

RAMBLINGS from Lacy King’s dad – Our church had its VBS (Vacation Bible School) a few weeks ago. Lacy and Connor helped work it, while Kris and I were with Evan up in Illinois for a shooting competition.

It was difficult to be apart with so much going on. Connor was helping in a very visible way teaching the kids Bible, while Lacy was in the praise time helping lead things from up on stage. It was killing Kris not to be able to see her two oldest participate. She plead with her friends to send her pictures, videos, or updates. She got all three.

What we saw, heard, and read, warmed our hearts. Connor and Lacy were giving their all each day at VBS. And then they were doing the same thing again that evening at VBS for a second group of kids. Lacy and Connor told us that they collapsed in bed each night from exhaustion. But they admitted each morning they hopped up out of bed to do it all over again. Why? Because they were doing something they love. And, they were doing it for Someone they love. That enthusiasm was contagious from the updates we read. That enthusiasm was contagious from the pictures we saw.That enthusiasm was contagious from the videos we watched.

They reminded me of the hands of the man who delivered them from their mother’s womb, Dr. Jim. Everything he does is with enthusiasm, from delivering babies, to washing dishes. He held each one of our kids and prayed over them moments after they were born.

His prayers, with enthusiasm, were answered!…

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Make God Smile

“Figure out what will please Christ, and then do it.” (Ephesians 5:10 MSG)

RAMBLINGS from Evan’s dad – Recently Kris and I decided to sit near Evan at church just to make sure he was “behaving”. It took us a few minutes to find him in the crowd of teenagers. Once we spotted him, we found seats several rows back.

The music was great as usual, with the lyrics describing our loving Heavenly Father. The pastor stepped up to the podium and spoke on our spiritual walk and responsibilities as believers to spread the good news of Jesus. He reminded us that there is a vast world of people out there who don’t know Christ.

Several times I saw some stirring in Evan’s area. At one point, two boys were talking across him. But each time as we watched, we saw him sitting quietly focused on what Jeff was saying. At one point, I could tell he was giving one of them the eye, that “what do you think your doing Mr. Potato Head?!?”

Since that time we often sit in that same area. Thankfully, we find Evan behaving in a similar manner while he listens to the sermon. When church is over I sometimes ask Evan how did things go. He always replies “Great!” If I ask him what he got out of the sermon, he often recounts it better then I can.

Evan is in no way perfect. He has his imperfections like the rest of us. But watching him day in and day out (often when he doesn’t know I’m watching him from 10 rows back) I have to say he is definitely trying his best to keep his eye on the target.

Isn’t that what God wants from all of us?  He knows we aren’t perfect, after all He made us. He knows that we have spiritual ADHD. He knows that we are going to slip and fall because of the fallen world we live in.

But what He is interested in is seeing if we hop back up, brush ourselves off, and try again to do the right thing….

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:8 ESV)

Is Your Job a Mismatch for Your Gifts?

“God does not expect you to glorify Him with gifts you don’t have. But He does expect you to glorify Him with gifts you do have.” – Rick Warren

RAMBLINGS from Evan’s dad – Evan told me recently that he wants a part-time job. We pondered what would be a good one for him since he is a people person. This led me to discuss with him some of my former jobs.

1. My first job consisted of sitting out in our front yard under the tree and selling tomatoes off of a card table. (boring)
2. Second job was watching over telephone repairmen while they went down into manholes, making sure no one fell in. (downtown ATL…not so boring)
3. The next summer I was working in the kitchen of a cafeteria. (boring x 2)
4. The next summer with dad’s help, I had a lawn cutting service. (not so bad)
5. The next job was when I graduated from high school and I worked on an assembly line. (BORING/Monotonous!)
6. Graduated from college, started in my sales career, and have enjoyed work (most days) since then.

My mom and dad raised me to do the best I could at whatever I was doing at the time. Of course that training came at a high price! Many a time my mom had me go back and vacuum a room again because I didn’t do it to the best of my ability the first time. I have rewashed many a car because my dad pointed out the places I missed when it was dry.

By the time I was doing some of the jobs mentioned above, I had learned to do the best I could at each one. And each one I excelled with, even though I didn’t really like them. I would like to think I probably could have stayed and been considered an excellent employee at any of those jobs, but would I have been where God wanted me?

God wired me a certain way. He gave me certain talents, and He gave me certain weaknesses. I am pretty sure He was considering what He wanted me to do when He was molding me. The same can be said for each one of us. If we are a follower of Christ, then He has a work for us to do.

Whether its washing dishes, watching man holes, or selling medical equipment, we should to it to the best of our ability. We should also make sure we are working at the right place. Other wise, we might be missing out. I don’t want to get to Heaven and hear Him say “you did fine doing that…but THIS is what you COULD have been doing”, and in that moment catch a glimpse of what could have been. Not for me, but for HIM….

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.  (1 Corinthians 7:17  ESV)

Work is Part of God’s Plan

“If I were to wish for anything, I should not wish for wealth and power, but for the passionate sense of the potential, for the eye which, ever young and ardent, sees the possible. Pleasure disappoints, possibility never. And what wine is so sparkling, what so fragrant, what so intoxicating as possibility!” – Soren Kierkegaard

Ramblings from Lacy’s dad –  We are enjoying the snowiest winter I ever recall here in Georgia. This is the first time I have seen it snow in Georgia three days in a row. Heck, I think that’s more then it snowed all last winter combined.

Yesterday, Lacy and I took mom back to her house after having her stay with us a few days because of the threat of ice. We would normally take her in one of our cars because they are more comfortable and roomy. But with all the slush still on the roads, we took the Jeep. The 4×4 had little trouble making it through the slushy patches. I think secretly Mom got a kick out of riding around in the stuff, although publicly she protested.

Now that I think about it, the cars weren’t driven at all this week. The Jeep and the all wheel drive SUV were the popular choices that proved their capabilities in the rare Georgia snow. It didn’t hurt that they both have seat warmers to keep us nice and toasty in the cold.

Before we headed out with Mom (with some prodding from her dad) Lacy sang the song she is singing Sunday morning, for “Nana”. When she finished, mom just smiled, and told her how beautiful it was. It seems like even before she could talk, Lacy could sing. We have home movies of her toddling around the house, singing like a little songbird.

I come home sometime and the house is filled with her melodious voice as she sits in the living room, playing her guitar, and singing like there is no tomorrow. The girl has got some pipes.

Evan seems to have some of the same love for music as Lacy. He can be caught sometime walking around the house singing, and like Lacy, is pretty good at it. Connor can sing, but seldom did I hear him singing as he walked around the house. He was more into the apologetics of our faith. Often he would come home from school and tell me of a conversation he had with someone about Christ.

Each one seems to be gifted in different ways, with different talents, strengths, and weaknesses. They are kind of like the vehicles we have here at the house. Depending on the situation, one might be more useful then another. They all are capable and talented, just in different ways.

I want to be like my Jeep. Always ready to go when called on. Always ready to climb that “difficult” hill, even with a heavy load. And always, always doing it with a thankful heart, remembering our Creator, and our Saviour…who did the same for us!….

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)

Pleasing God – By Acclaiming Faith

“Not everybody who says to me, `Lord, Lord’ is going to enter into heaven.”  (Matthew 7:21)

RAMBLINGS from Evan’s dad – Evan and I got to hang out with some cool guys the other night. We invited the dad’s from our Bible Study group over to watch the not so Super Bowl. I didn’t really have a team in it, since our Falcons didn’t make it, again. As I was changing for the party, I noticed I had a shirt that was the colors of the Denver Broncos. I like Peyton Manning, so I decided to throw it on and try to stir things up a little when the guys arrived.

As the game was getting under way we found out several of the guys didn’t care who won, they were just there to see if there were any good commercials, for the fellowship, and for the different chili’s being brought. There were several guys rooting for the Broncos, and several more were strongly rooting for Russell Wilson and his Seattle Seahawks.

I sat down with the Seattle fans wearing my obnoxious orange and blue shirt. They ribbed me a little and told me I was sitting in the wrong section. I replied with a smile that after a few more diet cokes, I would probably want to get in to some ‘fisticuffs” with one of them (most of whom were 6 inches taller and 50 lbs heavier!:)

As we know now, Peyton’s Broncos started the game with a bad snap and a touchback…and it went down hill from there. I yelled and screamed (and moaned) with the other Bronco fans.  We would have momentary reprieves with the mostly feeble attempts at commercials. Evan and his buddy Aaron, had a good time drinking it all in.

During half-time one of the guys came up to me and said, “Ted, you really aren’t a big Denver fan are you?” I looked at him with a grin and insisted I was, and wanted to know why he asked. His reply was simple, he said “you don’t know the team.” And of course he was right. I knew who Peyton Manning was, I could even recognize him in a Papa John’s Pizza commercial. But I couldn’t tell you another thing about his team, because I was just a passive onlooker.

Unfortunately, I think many of the people who claim to be Christians are just passive on-lookers. Some of them wear the right clothes with a cross around their neck. They walk in and hang out for a few minutes with other Christians “rooting for Jesus”, like I did Peyton.

But if you watch their lives, you quickly realize they are just going through the motions. They think life’s a game, and they really don’t “know” the team.

It’s our job as believers to consistently walk and talk in a way that those standing beside us in the game of life, realize there is a reason we root and cheer for Jesus. They need to know we aren’t fair weather fans, but that we follow Him, we love and adore Him, because of what He did for us!…..

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21  ESV)

Feel Abandoned, Worship God Anyway

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

RAMBLINGS from Connor’s dad – For several years, I have tried to pray every night with Connor, Lacy and Evan, once they were in their beds. As they have grown up to be young adults, they often times find me to pray with them because they intend to stay up later then me.

Typically I pray asking God to bless them and protect them. Often I pray for them to have wisdom and that God will find them available and useful in their daily walk. Hopefully, I always thank Him for the way He made them. For their unique talents, gifts, and yes, even their flaws. After all, that is what makes them who they are. And I pray that they will encourage those who are followers of Christ, and be a light to those who aren’t.

There are times I just pray my “thank you” prayers. You might find me doing it after a particularly difficult day. Maybe I feel beaten up by the world after having to “step in to the ring and go a few rounds” in a hard work day. Or maybe it was some of those unforeseen bills we all get, that always seem to come at the most inopportune time. Other times it might be health issues beating us down.

There have been times where I felt so bloodied by the world, so worn out, that I kind of hoped He would just take me on home.  I would start the prayer feebly with “Thank You!” I then might thank Him for getting me through that awful day. I would then thank Him for the horrendous day He let Jesus experience for us and thank Him for loving us that much. I’d thank Him, after making the penalty for sin DEATH, for letting His Son be the one to crawl up on the cross and DIE in OUR place. Often I would then contemplate that with Connor or one of his siblings for a minute. The “Thank You’s” would begin to come more easily. A very sincere thank you for my precious family soon followed.

By the time I got around to saying “Amen”, I did not feel as beat up. I did not feel as hopeless. Instead, I felt incredibly blessed! And I felt incredibly loved!

THANK YOU FATHER! Not just for how the story starts, but also for how it ends….

God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

Faith, Not Feelings, Please God

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.‘” (Job 1:20-21 NIV)

RAMBLINGS from Lacy’s dad – Lacy and her bothers were a handful when they were growing up. Not because they were little demons, but because they were very active and inquisitive.

When Connor was a toddler, Kris’ granddad made him a contraption out of a clear milk jug. When a button was pushed, a light would come on in it. If the button was held long enough, a little fan would start turning, and eventually the light would start blinking on and off. This fascinated Connor. And in turn, it fascinated Lacy. She would watch her “big” brother play it with for hours. They were mystified and mesmerized.

From the time they were in diapers Kris and I taught the kids that God is everywhere. Just as air is everywhere. We told them that you sometimes feel the air’s presence with the breeze that blows by you. Sometimes you see it when trees bend with its force. But even if you don’t feel it, the fact that you breath another breath, is evidence that it’s there.

I am thankful for that little milk jug. It gave Connor and Lacy (this was pre-Evan)  a curiosity that opened their eyes to so many things. With that curiosity, has come knowledge.

Years later they can now talk circles around me when it comes to Calvinism and Arminianism, or Creationism (Intelligent Design) and Evolution, or the big one – Atheist vs.Believer. They like to know, but they also like to know WHY they know.

Several times I have seen one, or all three of them get into a conversation with someone with an opposing view. They are always accommodating and open to hear the other person’s thoughts. They run it through their filter of knowledge and life experiences, and then process a reply or opposing opinion. But, it is always done in a civil way. 

They are like that, not because of what we believe, but what THEY believe. My prayer is as they grow older, and storms come along in their lives, they will not forget. There will be times where they ask WHY? And, get no reply. They will question things when something bad happens. And, get no reason.

I pray that they will always remember that we are the created. He is the Creator. He knows the ripple effect of every action. He understands how what happens today, impacts something 50 years from now.

Just as Job who was the richest man in the east, lost everything, and kept his faith, I pray they will also be found faithful. Even if they don’t understand, and He doesn’t explain why, my prayer is they will hold fast to His promises. And take another breath….

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.  (Job 1:21 NIV)

Feeling is Not Worship

“I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him. I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find Him. But He knows where I am going. And when He has tested me like gold in a fire, He will pronounce me innocent.” (Job 23:8-10 NLT)

RAMBLINGS from Connor’s dad – It was a scary thing when Connor started driving. I realized I was one of the examples he had and started playing back in my mind my good habits, and my not so good habits. Do I really blow my horn that much? Do I really drive that fast up our street?

It didn’t take long to figure out Connor did better with Kris teaching him, then he did with me. In many ways we were too much alike, and inevitably butt heads. So sweet Kris with the patience of a mom, would go out with him, which is good because she actually takes time to enjoy driving. I feel like God is watching me with a stopwatch seeing how quickly and efficiently I can get there!

I still remember the first time Connor took a solo drive. He pulled out of the garage, (from my perspective) barely missing the garage door. Down the driveway he drove headed to a rehearsal at church. Upon his return several hours later, we asked him how his maiden voyage went. His reply seemed pretty accurate, in fact we were certain of it. Doing our best FBI agent imitation, we “tailed” him from a safe distance the 8 miles to church, wanting to see how he would do when we weren’t with him.

Connor thought he was driving out of our sight. He thought he was all alone driving down that busy road to First Redeemer. He would later tell us it was a little unnerving crossing through highway 9 and Georgia 400.

What he didn’t know was that we saw the whole thing. We were feverishly praying for his protection. We had the angels busy watching over him and placing a hedge of protection around him as he drove. We sighed with relief as he safely parked the car in the busy parking lot. We sat there proud of the job he had completed.

I think we often look at our life as Connor did his driving experience. We think God is NOT watching, or think He is not interested. He won’t care. It doesn’t matter to Him, does it?

When in reality, not only is He watching us, but His Holy Spirit is intervening on our behalf, lifting up to Him needs we don’t even know we have!

Maybe I should drive with a little more patience today.  Drive a little slower, with a smile and a nod as I go. Never know WHO might be watching….

Truly, You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior. (Isaiah 45:15 ESV)

Shortcuts Are Short-sighted

RAMBLINGS from Kris’ husband – Kris and I were looking at houses several years back. We walked into a finished home that looked great from the outside. The landscaped manicured yard was beautiful. The windows and doors looked spectacular from the street. As we walked around the interior, upon closer inspection I noticed some cold air from outside coming in around the windows. We later noticed where things were not finished that were in hard to see places, like the top of the built-in cabinets. It made me question the integrity of what we could not see. We drove away from the house with a totally different feeling then we did when we first saw it.

I wonder how often God see’s that kind of shoddy workmanship in what I do for Him? How often do we make sure the paint is fresh, while the wood underneath is rotting?  How often do we clean up what is very public. but let the stuff in the corners or behind the scenes get dirty and nasty?

We watched a special the other day on hotels. These were nice clean looking hotels that you paid a lot of money to stay in. However, when they turned off the regular lights, and turned on the black-lights, all kinds of stuff was visible. Short cuts were obvious. Areas of the room had clearly been overlooked or omitted. It seemed clean…until a closer inspection was done.

We never know when we might be encouraging the next Noah, or working on God’s next “ark”.

When it comes to working for our heavenly Father, no matter if we are hanging a picture in the closet, or building a 450′ long ark, lets do it to the best of our ability.  You never know when you might be asked to hop on board!…..

Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him. (Genesis 6:22 ESV)

Being Molded into Godly Character

RAMBLINGS from Connor’s dad – Connor left three months ago for a new chapter in his life. He headed off to Liberty University to study biomedical engineering, with plans to go on to medical school. We saw him a couple of times for two days here, and three days there. We finally have him home for Thanksgiving break and are loving the time we have with all our chicks under one roof.

Hanging out with Connor for the past few days I realize he is not the same young man we dropped off at his dorm back in August. That school has changed him! That environment has had an impact on him.

Don’t get me wrong, he is still the compassionate young man, who would literally give someone the shirt off his back. He is still a voracious reader. And, he still loves to watch Dr. Who. But, there is a much more mature spiritual side to him. Unlike life at his public high school, where spiritually, he would step inside the doors and basically step into hostile enemy territory. Imagine hanging out in a smokey bar all day. You come home smelling like smoke, after breathing it all day!

At Liberty, he is immersed in Biblical truth. He gets it in the classroom when he studies Evangelism, Biblical Worldview, and even in Chemistry. He gets it in his dorm where they have Bible studies. And then they give them opportunities to go out and live it in the community. They give them opportunities to live it on weekend mission trips. But, daily, they equip them.

What we see in Connor is a deeper faith. One that has been given a chance to grow deeper because of a good environment. As Rick Warren says, “If you study and apply God’s Word, connect regularly with other believers, and learn to trust God in difficult circumstances, I guarantee you will become more like Jesus.”….

…and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.  (Ephesians 4:23-24  ESV)