Thanksgiving

Well, now that Thanksgiving is done I have had time to reflect on what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for my wife who cooks for me and loves me for who I am yet challenges me to be more than I am; so often God uses her to speak to me.

I am thankful for my family; they bless me each and every day. They also give me wisdom that I don’t see on my own.

I am thankful for my freedom. There is little that I fear and I know that is not true for many in the world.

Most of all I am thankful for Christ who came into my life and has blessed me in so many ways. It is my hope that I can live in such a way that people are led into relationship with Christ by the things I do and the words I say so they can feel thankful and know the joy that I find in my relationship with Christ. Now I need to go for a walk to work off some of this food I ate in the last 2 days. Enjoy and ponder.

Power Hungry

This week, as I have been working on my message for Sunday morning, I have been quite aware of how I use my power and the power that I give those around me. My 12 year old daughter is struggling with a bullying incident that append in our neighborhood. She know the children involved on both sides and she knows that what is being said in the news is not the full story. A child has been given power and is not using the power wisely. If he did tell the truth the news wouldn't have much to report about the story. So there is also an issue of justice, but my daughter can't speak that yet; her youth has not given her the words to go with the experience. Jeremiah worked with, spoke against, how ever you want to word it, kings or shepherds that did not do their jobs well for over forty years in his ministry. How did he manage to "be in the world and not of the world"? How did he manage not to become corrupted by the systems he worked in? He must have had good self-care. We all have power and influence. I believe that we need to use or power to glorify the one who blessed us with the gifts that give us power; so often we don't. We don't see ourselves as shepherds, we seem to like to play the powerless card in our hand rather than the card that says I have power. Many of us are unaware that we have power. Many of us could care less about what we have been blessed with. I know it hurts God. It hurts me as a pastor too.

Trying to get back in the saddle again

Well... it's been a while since I posted anything. I do the same thing with my journaling, at it for a bit then walk away. I'm back! Who knows for how long, but for now I am back. Part of the reason I stopped was my wondering about what is so significant in my life that i need to tell others about it. While setting up the church computer I put my blog in and was reminded about the title: "it's all in the filling". I posted some facts on my Face Book page about hunger. Friends are not as surprised about the figures as I was; 15% of people in the US are classified as food inadequate. This gives me much pause for thought, who is responsible to help? Is it the government who should be helping? Is it the responsibility of our government to help people in need? If the answer is yes where do you draw the line. I heard a few weeks ago that people were using their welfare money to go on cruses and it really bothers me when i see foodstamps used to buy junk food or alcohol. I know my family would not be where they are today without SSI for my boys hearing aids and such and WIC which we used for all three of our children. Where in the Constitution does it say these things are the responsibility of government? I see so much of my paycheck being abused, I think, by the government. I would really like to see a Cabinet meeting of the US talking about finances as it is talked about at my dining room table or around the table at my churches Ad Board meetings. I feel like our government has become the peoples god. We used to give to the church or other charities to help those in need; now it seems to be the responsibility of government. The churches and charities are suffering because there isn't enough money. Government has issues with abuse of the programs, and I know there are those in need that abuse the charities too. Who can do the job better? I think that our separation of church and state has gone too far. How do we bring common sense back to reality? There must be balance somewhere. I am not one of those who looks back at the days gone by and say "I miss those" or "I wish we lived like that". I just wonder what happened to ethics and common sense? How do we teach these things to our children and begin to make a real difference for them in the world that will be their reality?