In Other Words: Take It Out On the Tree

Posted on by under The Stories

This piece is written in response to Patricia’s IN OTHER WORDS CHALLENGE. You can check out the other posts in the challenge by clicking on the underlined link and following the little blue frog.

In Other Words

The quote of the week is…

“The Christmas tree is the dot on the “i”.”
Frank Taylor

Take It Out On the Tree

By JE Lillie

Things that send you over the deep end. Straws that break camels’ backs. Mole hills that become mountains. It’s the story of my life!

It is never life’s tragedies that break my spirit. I can handle the heart attacks, the sudden deaths and the out-of-nowhere divorces. Personal bankruptcy or the thought of national economic collapse don’t even make me bat an eye.

But let me burn the rolls for the turkey dinner or let the cat knock down the Christmas tree and break just one glass bulb, suddenly my world is coming to an end. I am ranting and screaming. I threaten the cat with a tennis racket future. I promise certain death to anyone at the table who might comment on the state of the dinner rolls.

Christmas is never ruined by the caskets or the court cases. It’s the slanted star and the broken bulbs that set me off. I spend more time grumbling at the Christmas tree than commiserating with the relatives who are screwing up their lives. Maybe that is the point! If I yell at the tree or threaten the cat, if I burn the rolls to a crisp they can’t yell back. The Christmas tree is a safe place to put my anger, my fury at how others are messing up the holiday. That means it’s not about the tree at all. The broken bulb is just a stand in for the brokenness around me, the brokenness I feel I cannot address because it’s Christmas after all. It’s supposed to be a season of peace on earth, good will to men.

I leave you with a thought this Christmas. If the people around you are just plain ruining the holiday for you, stay sweet. Smile when the family’s around and in your private times take it out on the tree!

The Road Through Romans: Is Your Road God’s Road?

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles

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“God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” Romans 1:9,10

We all have wants, desires and dreams. The first question is how many of those wants desires and dreams are  what God wants, desires and dreams for us?

Paul’s pathway was entirely committed to the Lord’s design for His life. He wanted to go to Rome but only if God made a way. For those who don’t know the story, God did answer Paul’s prayer. He did go to Rome…in chains!

So the second question I would put to you is if your wants, desires and dreams do end up being God’s wants, desires and dreams for you will you still want, desire and dream them even if there is some pain in the realization of them?

There is always a cost for life’s God dreams. Will you pay it?

 

 

 

The Road Through Romans: Constantly

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles, Uncategorized

100_5431We have been working our way through the first Chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans. If you have missed any of our discussions thus far you can find them on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

The verses we will be dealing with today are Romans 1:9,10

God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

I want to spend a bit of time talking about Paul’s prayer life today.

Paul tells the Romans that he constantly remembers them in prayer. The word constantly is the word adialeiptōs which means Paul is praying for the Roman church incessantly.

The idea of incessant prayer is a familiar one in Paul’s life. Paul was a mighty apostle of the church. He was a prolific writer, an effective communicator, an able administrator and a wonderful pastor; But above all Paul was an outstanding PRAY-ER.

Listen to these words from some of his other letters:

“We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Thess. 1:2,3

Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe 1:Thess. 2:13

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Col. 1:3

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  Eph. 1:15-17

Paul’s desire, though, was not just to be a powerful prayer warrior in his own right. He expected that every Christian would be like him. His command  to the churches was that, like him they should, 17 Pray without ceasing. 1 Thess. 5:17

If Paul in his day needed to be a man who prayed without ceasing, how much more do we the Christians upon whom the end of the age has come need to be men and women of unceasing prayer?

What must you eliminate from your life so that you can spend more time in prayer?

The Daily Post: OOPS!

Posted on by under Photography

The Daily post has challenged us to show some of our OOPS PICTURES.

Check them out by clicking the underlined link.

Truthfully I am an abysmal photographer. Most of my pictures are epic fails. But I am given to flights of fancy and a certain love for impressionism; so I just take that to a photographic level.

Here are two of my “failures”

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“A Dublin Bird Days ‘No!'”

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“Puppy On the Beach”

The Road Through Romans: From the Inside Out

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles, Uncategorized

We have been discussing the Book of Romans over the last several weeks and we have made it to verse 9 of chapter 1.

God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you.

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Paul makes a statement. He says he lives for God in his Spirit and out of that flows the work of preaching the gospel of God’s Son. Paul’s Christian work flows from the passion of his heart for God.

Somewhere along the line many of us have lost the truth that Christianity starts on the inside and works its way out.

We blame so much of our behavior on others. “If my sister didn’t do this then I wouldn’t do that.”

“If my father was nicer I wouldn’t be like this.”

” If my husband weren’t such a jerk I’d…”

But Jesus said, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Luke 6:45

It is what is in our own hearts that makes us good or evil not what is going on outside of them. We may not be able to control the world or the people in it but with Christ’s help we can control our responses.

What do you need to let God change on the inside so that you can live more for Christ on the outside?

If you have missed any of our discussions through Romans they can be found on THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

 

 

The Road Through Romans: The Noise We Make

Posted on by under Pastor Wrinkles, Uncategorized

 

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world Romans 1:8

Being a Christian should be a noisy business. It is not a life to be hidden under or bushel. Our love and good works should be seen by all, not for our glory but for His.

Does anything hold you back from making some noise with your faith?

 

If you have  missed any of our discussion through Romans, they can be found on: THE ROAD THROUGH ROMANS PAGE.

 

A Photo A Week Challenge: Extended Family

Posted on by under Photography

Well it has been a while since I have been to a family reunion. I guess I think of my church as my extended family. I am related to lots of folks in the church where I work and to all of them by like-minded faith.

Here is my extended church family at a recent missions dinner.
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It was a great night. Teen Challenge came from Brockton and served the dinner and ministered to us in testimony and song.

Hey while you are at it check out other extended family photos at  A PHOTO A WEEK CHALLENGE!