The High Road

Ye'll take the high road and I'll take the low road and I get to Scotland before ye . . .

That ancient song ran through my mind this morning as my son and I walked to school. There were a couple of places where the rain over the last week had created puddles on the sidewalk -- right in our path. Most were easily avoidable, a simple step to the right or left allowed your foot to find dry ground. The last puddle however took up the sidewalk, was too large to step over, and the only way around was to circle through the grass or to step up on the curb next to the highway. My son was in jeans and cross-trainers and took to the grass, I had on business attire (funeral this afternoon) complete with dress shoes and light brown dress slacks -- no puddle or wet grass for me -- I took to the curb and tried to keep balance so as not to fall into the puddle on either side (not to mention the traffic on the highway). I started singing the song as soon as we cleared the puddle, much to my son's distaste and my singing garnered a look of "Dad, you are embarrassing me, again!"

I hear people talk about "taking the high road" in situations of conflict. If taking the "high road" means considering the feelings and point of view of the other party, and trying not to injure them then that is what scripture recommends. Paul says in Philippians 2:3-7, "Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." (ESV).

In today's world of misguided "looking out for self" and misunderstanding of "respect," Paul's statement seems weak. But it is not a weak man who considers others, but the strong meek man who practices self-control.

Will you like Jesus, take the High Road?

Find Your Role Model

This little test will help you determine who you should follow in your life. You may or may not be surprised by the answer. Try this without looking at the possible role models listed below.

GET A CALCULATOR (YOUR COMPUTER HAS ONE)
1) Pick your favorite number between 1 and 9
2) Multiply it by 3, then…
3) Add 3, and then multiply again by 3.
4) You should get a 2 or 3 digit number...
5) Add the digits together (down to one digit).

Find who would should emulate below:

Now with that number, see who your ROLE MODEL is from the list below:
1. Einstein
2. Nelson Mandela
3. Abraham Lincoln
4. Helen Keller
5. Bill Gates
6. Gandhi
7. Barack Obama
8. Thomas Edison
9. Jesus of Nazareth - the Christ
10. Oprah Winfrey

Are you surprised. Jesus is the answer to each and every person's life. He is the one who left us an example we should follow. The Apostle Paul encouraged others to follow him as he followed Christ.

Who are you following?

Successfully Raising Children

"Behold children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!"
Psalm 127:3-5 (ESV)

"Like arrows in the hands of a warrior." What a great statement! A well-skilled archer has effective aim. We have a few avid bow hunters in our Church family, I try, but others put me to shame. They practice, study methods, upgrade equipment, and are able to be on target. Me not so much. I will get out one day before the season starts, dust off my bow, find all my arrows and take a few shots. No wonder my freezer stays empty. I neglect four basic rules of archery:
1) The Direction I point the arrow is important,
2) The Strength of the pull has effect,
3) Properly Timing the Release is valuable, and
4) Accuracy in Aiming is vital.

Apply these to raising children and you understand more about what the Psalmist has in mind.
1) What Direction am I pointing my children in?
2) What Influence (Pull) am I giving them with my lifestyle?
3) Do I let go (Release) them into situations (or expose them to certain things of the world) before they are ready? Or am I hanging on too long?
4) What are my goals (where am I Aiming) for me and my children?

Paul tells fathers (and mothers by default), " . . . do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Eph 6:4)

Here are a list of Parental Rules to Model and to Teach so we can be skilled archers.
1) Put purity above pleasure.
2) Place others before yourself.
3) Be more industrious and less lazy.
4) As an adult be more mature and less childish.
5) Demonstrate service over power.
6) Be Christ-like.

** in the photo Scott McCown with younger brother Charles in front, older brother: Doug McCown holding cousin Michelle, cousin Michael McCown. Taken in Chesapeake, Ohio circa 1976 -77.

The Happy State

According to ABC news this morning, we now know what state is the happiest state in the USA. This happiness index evaluates employment rates, mortgage foreclosures, and citizen surveys. Nebraska, a conservative mostly rural state in the Midwest ranks as the happiest; Florida and California rank as the least happy. I searched Google, but could not find where Alabama ranked on the list, I would suppose we would be somewhere in the middle overall. But Alabama is not my home. I live here, but my citizenship is elsewhere -- Phil 3:20, "But our citizenship is in heaven . . ." If you, like me are 'in Christ,' then you have a completely different place of residence (cf. Gal 3:26-27).

Being a resident of heaven, affords us the honor of truly residing in the happiest, most content, state of all; the state of being blessed in Christ. Paul writes, " . . . I have learned in whatsoever state I in to be content . . . I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." (Phil 4:11-13). So whether you live in Nebraska, Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Florida, California or any other state or country -- you can be happy in Christ.

Tuesday's To Tweet or Flutter

I saw this on Monday and thought all of you Twits like me would like this idea.

It reminded me of how we as people always want the next best thing. Is that what John had in mind when he tells us not to love the world nor the things in the world, since all that is in the world is the lust of the eyes, flesh, and pride of life? MMMMMMM?!

Important Do Not Delete

This is NOT a SCAM -- Read to the END!

I just found out about a young boy in Georgia who has been diagnosed with a rare disease. I know about him because my cousin's wife's second cousin's daughter goes to school where this little boy's uncle's brother coaches P.E. in Florida. This boy's family does not have insurance, his parents are both unemployed due to layoffs resulting from the down-turn of our economy. A special arrangement with Amory Hospital, the Pediatric Disease Foundation, the Pediatric Doctor's Fellowship, and GoFigure ISP will pay for all his treatment. Here is how this works, if enough people get this message and forward it to enough friends a special tracking system developed by IT specialist at GoFigure ISP will keep track of the numbers, and a matching grant trust set up by the above groups will give one dollar toward the family's expenses for everyone who receives this message. When you do forward this message, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for an all expense paid trip to Orlando compliments of the cooperation of Mikey Moose and MicroTosh Computers.

I hope by now you know that this is a hoax, if not maybe the 100 people you sent this to have. I made the entire message up, but it does sound like a lot of emails people send me. You know the type; the O'Hare's are at it again, a virus is coming attached to email, rapists are stalking the malls looking for women in khaki skirts who care about children, and Bill Gates will send you money if you forward this because you love Jesus.

When the Holy Spirit inspired the Bible, computers and email were a long way into the future, so God did not specifically mention them. God did however deal with our nature as people. There is something within us that thrives on passing along news -- good news, bad news, warnings, and blessings. Jesus, knowing our tendencies, said, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned" Matt 12:36-37. I know that this is specifically about spoken words, but could not this passage just as well say, "But I say to you that for every idle word men may transmit, they will give an account of it in the Day of Judgment. For by your emails you will be justified and by your texting you will be condemned."?

Here is the point, We are to manage our words and our time wisely, we are to use our words and time to build people up. Paul writes, 'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers . . . Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you will all malice" Eph 4:29-31.

The telephone replaced the back fence as the way to communicate rumors. Emails and social networking is replacing the telephone as the means of spreading gossip. Paul warns about being a busybody and gossip in 1 Tim 5:13.

In our rush to pass on news, whether in verbal space or cyberspace, we are becoming guilty of gossip and evil speaking. We must stop. Here are some email and conversational guidelines:
1. Tell only what you know firsthand.
2. The only person you are qualified to talk about is you.
3. If what you say or type does not benefit the reader (or the written about) do not send it.
4. If it was forwarded to you and many others before you - delete it and stop the chain.
5. If it sounds like it might be true check it out before you send (spread) it.
6. Send this to those who always forward to you :-) .

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Church History

Douglas Adams quotes to his readers from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe’s entry on Galactic Civilizations. According to the Guide civilization pass through three stages before their demise. The stages are: Survival, Inquiry, and Sophistication otherwise known as How, Why, and Where. Adams explains it in terms similar to this: Survival - “How are we going to get something to eat?” Inquiry – “Why do we need to eat?” Sophistication – “Where would you like to go out to eat?” Adams may be on to something.

Our society grows more and more sophisticated. We no longer worry if we are going to eat, nor do we care why we eat, our concern is what and where are we going to eat. We have so much, that we never need go hungry; so many choices that we cannot find satisfaction. We grow ungrateful and less dependant upon God. We look more and more to selfishly defend our egos and feed our swelling midriffs.

Can the Church go through these stages of survival, inquiry, and sophistication? At one point the Church was struggling to survive. Persecution seemed to be getting the upper-hand, yet through Providence, the Church survived. Persecution slowed to a near halt. With realized survival the Church began to ask questions of “why.” “Why did Jesus have to die? Why do we worship the way we do? Why do we have elders over each congregation? Why can one elder not preside over a city, state, national, or universal church system? Why will some not follow the Church’s mandates?” Eventually the church flirted with the world growing into a sophisticated entity with absolute power. She stopped asking question of survival and inquiry and began solely to feed her growing waistline. The selling of Indulgences, accommodating Pagan worship styles, and the corrupt land grabbing of millennium past demonstrate this developmental stage.

Reformation attempted to change the established church to what men and women read in scripture. As reformation ideas grew common, persecution from the established church followed. These reformers asked, “How are we going to survive?” They did survive and began asking questions of “why.” “Why do these other reformers not agree with me?” These groups became established sects that began shifting to sophistication, establishing creeds and systematic doctrines.

Coexisting with these reformation groups were groups and individuals with a mindset of Restoration, longing for a return to the teachings of the New Testament. Restoration existed in Europe as early as the 1100-1200’s A.D. (some suggest even earlier: Traces of the Kingdom) and in America in the 1700 – 1800’s A.D. Early restorers faced persecution from the established churches and sects. They too must have wondered, “How can we survive?”

Those of us that are of the restoration mindset must continue to survive. We can and should ask questions of “why.” But we must ever fight to avoid becoming sophisticated, growing fat and lazy by only feeding ourselves. We must continue restoration in the lives of those outside of Christ. We must reconcile them to God through Christ (2 Cor 5:17-21). We cannot allow sophisticated creeds to develop, we must remain vigilant and diligent to demonstrate ourselves approved of God (2 Tim 2:15). We must fight faithfully, stick to the course, and finish the race (2 Tim 4:7-8). The day will come when we will rest from our efforts (Rev 14:13), but that Day is yet to come. For now we struggle against principalities and powers (Eph 6:12) for our survival.