SADHU SUNDAR SINGH and a companion were travelling through a pass in the Himalayas when they came across a body lying in the snow. They found he was barely alive. Singh wanted to stop and help the man but his companion refused, saying they would lose their own lives if they burdened themselves with him. Sundar Singh could not leave the man to die, so he bade his companion farewell.
After doing what he could for the stranger, Singh lifted the man onto his back to carry him. With great exertion, he pushed forward.
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.So it is with Christ ….14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ….27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
I Cor. 12: 12-27
Vacations are superdeedooper things. I went on a brief break away a few weeks ago and came back feeling like the guy you see in the picture above. I felt recharged and refurbished, ready to take on the world.
Then last week half our staff took their turns and went on their vacations. Today I am feeling more like this guy.
Now I am not here to bash on vacation-taking or vacation-takers; As I already said I think they are superdeedooper. Everyone needs one. Covering for a fellow soldier while they take some down time is just what we should do for one another. It is what we do here at Cornerstone. One steps back to rest and another steps into the gap for a season.
But the vacation season has gotten me thinking. What happens when people don’t just take vacations? What happens when people quit the work because they are weary in well-doing? What happens when people just never show up for their appointed rounds because …..
Everyone in the body is essential. Everyone has a job. If the body loses a hand it’s not like the nose can just pick up what the hand dropped. If the nose decides to quit and jump off the body it’s not like the foot can start syphoning oxygen from the air for the body to keep breathing.
Maybe this is why churches get a bad rap. Congregants complain how the church isn’t doing this or that; Noses blame hands for not being noses and hand blame noses for not being hands and meanwhile nobody does their job. Then fingers point in blame at the pastor because he’s not doing…(you fill in the blank)
Vacations are good things. Sabbath and rest are biblical concepts; but in the body of Christ nobody gets to live the life of leisure while the rest of the body works overtime to fill in the gap left by those who would rather complain about other parts of the body rather than take up their own responsibility.
Hey fellow body parts let’s enjoy our vacations this year but let’s come back ready to work together to finish building the kingdom!
So when you have finished seeing things here kindly saunter on over to Cee’s and see what her other contributors have seen and said!
This week Cee asks:
Have you ever been a participant in a parade? What did you do?
I have been in many parades in my day. When I was little I always marched with my cub scout pack. Then later as a teen I marched in the band. I played the flute.
If you were handed free opera tickets, would you go or sell them? Why?
I would totally go. I love opera.
Why did you start your blog?
I have always written but life’s big changes urged me to take the writing public.
What is your favorite tradition? (family tradition, church tradition, whatever)
I love Thanksgiving dinner. I have found I actually really love cooking it. I also love when Christmas falls on a Sunday. There is nothing more Dickensian than a Christmas Sunday service.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I am so grateful that God gave me an opportunity to preach two services this last weekend. I am grateful that this week I have a lot of planning time set aside for fall ministry. Things are looking to get busy!! And awesome! Here is my fall line up:
Sept. 1-5 Special Touch NE Getaway (I am leading worship for this week of camp)
Sept. 27- Winchendon Fall Fest Hosted by the Winchendon Enhancement Collaborative (C.cada and WEC and the Winchendon School systems will be cooperating on this event)
With the weather getting warmer in our area, I have begun to think about going to the beach. That reminded me of a time many years ago when my wife and I had organized a beach trip to Rhode Island for our church youth group. While we were having a great time in the water, we noticed a heavy-set woman near us who seemed to be in distress. It turned out, that she was caught in an undertow and couldn’t get back to shore. Fortunately, one of the young men in our group and I were able to maneuver her back to land. The world we live in is like the ocean; there are currents and undertows that run counter to our safety. So, too (as Billy Graham says),there is an undertow, a subtle current, which runs against and in contradiction to the will and way of God. Its eddies are…
“In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance.” ― Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Today I am privileged to be the worship leader and preacher at Special Touch REACH New England’s Disability Awareness Day!
Pray with me that God would pour His love out on souls today!
Did you know we were given more? More than I ever knew, up until the other day when I had read one of my devotions and the following passage jumped off the page at me.
“Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy and you can walk among snakes and scorpionsand crush them. Nothing will injure you.” Luke 10:19 NLT
The phrase “….over all the power of the enemy” is what caught my attention. That phrase, “….over all the power of the enemy” has repeated over and over in my head. As I wrote this post I was amazed at how much more power we were given, that is if we choose to take it. It is so great when the wattage suddenly gets bumped up a bit, don’t you think? The more I meditated on “….over all the power of the enemy” the brighter…
“There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.” ― C.S. Lewis
As soon as I read this quote I knew I would be choosing this picture taken at the Chimes Tower in Longwood. Life is seriously good these days. A time is come of great accomplishment. Whether the world ever sees what I do or not hardly matters. I am where God has ordained me to be and that is my first and greatest joy! I feel like I am somehow escaping the snare of fear of man and approval addiction I have long struggled with!
Have you ever struggled with approval addiction? What helps you overcome it?
SADHU SUNDAR SINGH and a companion were travelling through a pass in the Himalayas when they came across a body lying in the snow. They found he was barely alive. Singh wanted to stop and help the man but his companion refused, saying they would lose their own lives if they burdened themselves with him. Sundar Singh could not leave the man to die, so he bade his companion farewell.
Lillie-Put 