Happy Independence Day

[Judy Harder]

The Saddest Word

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;  my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62: 5-6

Several famous people were asked what they felt was the saddest word in the English language.  Listen to what some of them said:

·          "But," said Lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.

·          Writer John Dos Passos quoted John Keats: "Forlorn! The very word is like a bell."

·          Statesman Bernard M. Baruch said: "Hopeless."

·          President Harry Truman quoted John Greenleaf Whittier: "For of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: 'It might have been!'"

"But", "forlorn", "hopeless", "it might have been"...together these words describe the heart of a person without Christ.  What a contrast these sad words make to the promises of God.

In Jesus Christ, a forlorn, hopeless heart haunted by 'buts' and 'it might have beens' is transformed into a heart of hope and purpose.  Be encouraged by God's specific promises of joy and hope of transformation for your life.

"When hope is taken away from the people, moral degeneration follows swiftly after."
- Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973)

[Judy Harder]

A Good Name

A good name is more desirable than great riches;
To be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
- Proverbs 22:1

How important is your name? Sports columnist Skip Bayless reported this interesting story:

Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, offered sports-talk host David Kaplan $50,000 to have his name legally changed to "Dallas Maverick."  When Kaplan declined, Cuban responded by offering to pay Kaplan $100,000 and donate $100,000 to Kaplan's favorite charity if he took the name for one year.

Kaplan did some soul searching, but held firm. "I'd be saying I'd do anything for money," he explained, "and that bothers me. My name is my birthright. I'd like to preserve my integrity and credibility."

Building a reputation of integrity and reliability happens by establishing a consistent track record of sound decisions and hard work. And no amount of money or fleeting temptation is worth its undoing.

"There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity." - Tom Peters (1942 -      )

[Judy Harder]

Broken Dreams

"We both had dreams," they answered, "but there is no one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams." - Genesis 40:8

Do you have dreams that never came true?

• Maybe you were you told you had great talent—that you should go for it and make it to the top.
• Was your dream to be a star of stage or screen?
• Maybe your dream was to live a peaceful life teaching at a university with the security of tenure, writing a few bestsellers.
• Maybe you believed that you'd grow up, easily discover the person God chose for you, marry that person, make a lot of money, have great kids who were never a problem, and continue to live happily ever after?

Think about your great dreams that haven't come true—we all have some. Yet our broken dreams are by no means the end of the story, because they hold important lessons within them.

If you have faith in Christ, your final destination is secure. Our life here on earth is a character-building journey full of opportunities—to dream, to connect, and to love one another, and when there is brokenness, to adjust your dream, to re-connect, and to continue loving one another.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved." - Helen Keller (1880-1968)

[Judy Harder]

Building A Team

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. - Galatians 6:2

Way up on the top of the Spanish Pyrenees Mountains lives the beautiful but elusive mountain goat. Mature mountain goats are often hunted for their coats, but it's extremely difficult to get within shooting range. Why? Because the mature goat has a companion: a young goat with good eyesight, good hearing and a good sense of smell follows it wherever it goes and sounds the warning if enemies emerge.

The rhinoceros is another magnificent animal. It can run at remarkable speeds and despite its poor eyesight, is fearless in charging its enemies. But the rhino gets help. The rhino's skin is infested with ticks, which are a delicacy to a little bird that rides on its back. The birds have keen eyesight, and when they sense danger they sound the alarm, alerting the rhino.

If you'd like to live your life in Christ to the fullest, you need to team up with others too! We weren't meant to go it alone! Choose to connect and to relate to others.

"Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships." - Michael Jordan (1963-    )

[Judy Harder]

Our Only Real Hope

He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear him;
He remembers his covenant forever.
Psalm 111:4-5

Donna and her husband had two babies and barely got by on the tiny pension he received from the Navy. It took more than half their income just to pay the rent. Needless to say, the money often ran out before the month did.

One month, their financial situation was so bad Donna had no money left to buy laundry soap. She got on her knees and prayed, "God, I've never needed you like I need you now. I have nothing, and I need you to provide soap to wash these diapers."

Hearing a noise at the front door, Donna got up to see who it was. Someone had left a promotional sample of soap on her doorstep. Some would call the provision a coincidence, but Donna knew it was an act of God – a "divine" coincidence.

Are you dealing with difficult circumstances? Have you talked to God about your challenges, and your needs? God wants you to come to Him and to rely upon Him.

"Fear knocked at the door. Faith answered. No one was there." - Old saying

[Judy Harder]

Perseverance

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive  the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. - James 1:12

Soon after making a decision to follow Christ, a young Nigerian named Daniel returned to his Muslim village. He was excited about his new faith. . .  the people of his village were not. Furious at him, the women of the village beat him and left him for dead.

When he regained consciousness the following day, he decided he must not have been clear in explaining his new faith. So he went back to the village and witnessed again. The women beat him and left him for dead again. This time he remained unconscious for two days.

When he awoke, he again assumed he hadn't expressed himself well. So he returned a third time. This time the village women broke into tears at his perseverance, and eventually the good news of Christ gained a foothold in that place.

If you're weary in sharing the good news of Jesus with friends, family, or your kids—take heart. And remember, we share Christ by our actions and how we conduct our lives—as much as we do with our words.

"Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

[Judy Harder]

Struggle

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings  in order that we may also share in his glory. - Romans 8:17

Either outright or subtly many people who follow Jesus and walk with God think they shouldn't struggle. We think God will give us lives of ease and comfort once we decide to follow Christ. The idea is: If we're good Christians, we'll have it all together. If we have enough faith, our conflicts and problems would resolve themselves. When you come to Christ, your problems disappear. In fact, many churches will communicate that very message week in and week out. As a result, those who attend those churches hide their struggles, because they mistakenly equate struggles with a lack of faith.

But the Christian walk wasn't meant to be a stroll through the park. Following Jesus won't remove struggles from your life; in fact it often adds to the struggle. Some of the most committed Christians have lived some of the most difficult lives. The Bible goes so far as to tell us to expect trials and difficulties, and to be joyful when we face them.

With Christ, you can do that. On your own, you're destined to fail.

"If you are going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

[Judy Harder]

The Fall

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. - Psalm 73:26

Adam and Eve's fall – when they took the bite of that apple—wasn't  like falling off a stepladder; it was like falling off Mount Everest. It was mankind's fall, and we weren't just dented; we were demolished.

Once we realize that all of our thoughts and desires are twisted, and all of our strength is diverted away from God; then we'll begin realizing how dangerous it is to rely solely on our own strength, desire, and wisdom.

Human strength fails when you don't see any results. Human motivation ends when applause and affirmation fade. And human wisdom tells us to get ahead and then quit.

But God's strength becomes perfect when we're weak. His approval comes when we stop trying to please the crowd. And His wisdom tells us to stop trying to lead the way and to follow Him instead.

Remember, God's grace is greater than our ability to mess up.

"Above all, believe confidently that Jesus delights in maintaining that new nature within you, and imparting to it His strength and wisdom for its work." - Andrew Murray (1828-1917)

[Judy Harder]

Thin Ice

But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17:7-8

When I was a boy, I fell into freezing water while trying to cross some thin ice. A while later, my brothers took me to a frozen pond—where I wasn't in jeopardy of falling through. It was frozen thick and solid.

Yet even when my brothers ran out onto the ice to demonstrate its sturdiness, they had a difficult time convincing me it would support my weight. I'd been fooled by solid-looking ice before. Finally, they dragged me onto the ice. At first, I tested it nervously. Then slowly and hesitantly I began to trust the ice.

My experiences with ice remind me of the philosophies and teachings in which we put our faith. We have to test them to make sure they're trustworthy.

Are you trusting in thin ice? Or in something thick and solid? Put your faith in Christ!

"Trust the past to God's mercy, the present to God's love, and the future to God's providence." - St. Augustine (354-430)

[Judy Harder]

What's Wrong With Grownups

Fathers, do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged. - Colossians 3:21

"What's wrong with grownups?" This was a question posed by a Sunday school teacher to a class of ten-year-olds. See if you recognize yourself in any of these complaints.

1. Grownups make promises, then forget them, or say it wasn't a promise, just a "maybe."
2. Grownups don't do the things they tell their children to do—like pick up their things or always tell the truth.
3. Grownups don't listen. They decide ahead of time what they're going to answer.
4. Grownups make mistakes, but won't admit them. They pretend they weren't mistakes at all—or that somebody else made them.
5. Grownups always talk about what they did and what they knew when they were ten-years-old, but they don't try to think what it's like to be ten-years-old right now.

If you're like me, right now you're thinking, "Ouch!" Children are perceptive, and they are much more pure in heart than we give them credit for. Take time for them, be honest with them, don't be afraid to say, "I'm sorry".

"Nothing you ever do for a child is wasted." - Garrison Keillor (1942-    )