What you do is important. How you do it may be even more important.
Wise Solomon wrote: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Paul added: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men” (Colossians 3:23).
Jesus was the greatest example of one who gave Himself completely to every task.
When I was young, I always looked forward to my birthday. I could not wait until it came around and usually it was in the summer. I distinctly remember graduating from the age of nine to the double-digit number of 10, I thought I had arrived.
When I hit the age of 16 and got my driver's license and started driving around, of course my driving around was contingent upon my father allowing me to borrow his car.
One morning, the following prayer greeted me at my fax machine:
"Dear God,
So far today I've done alright.
I haven't gossiped.
I haven't lost my temper.
I haven't been greedy, grumpy, unpleasant,
selfish or overindulgent.
I've been very thankful for that.
But in a few minutes,
I'm going to get out of bed;
And from then on,
I'm probably going to need
a lot more help.
Of all the seasons in the year, summer has to be my favorite. I am reminded of an uncle of mine who, when asked what his favorite piece of pie was, always said, “The one I’m eating at the time.” Maybe I have something of my uncle in me, I do not know.
The scene before me was picturesque: a swiftly flowing river bubbling over and around rocks framed by flowering banks and protruding ledges. I was visiting a natural beauty spot but swirling pools of foam caused by detergent being carelessly drained into the river somewhere upstream made the experience bittersweet.
Many years have passed since my journey to that formerly favorite tourist retreat and considering the progress made in cleaning up the environment I suspect the scene has changed to ...
The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage and I were sitting on the back porch admiring the close of the day. Nothing is more relaxing than sitting together drinking coffee, glad that another day has quietly slipped by.
Out of the clear blue sky my wife said, "Aren't those flowers just magnificent?"
I grunted a little grunt of satisfaction to which she replied, "Which do you like?
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, was first celebrated on May 30, 1868 on an order from General John Logan. In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day. Surprisingly, this day to honor loved ones who have died and share in patriotic services didn't become a national holiday until 1971.
Originally a day set aside to honor those who gave their lives fighting for freedom, Memorial Day has now become a special time for remembering all who have died and for decorating their graves.
M ...
I do not know if grouchy comes with old age or if in old age you are too weak to subdue it. I guess it does not really matter because I am having a little bit of trouble along this line. My grouchy seems to be getting out of control.
I remember the good old days, those carefree days, days when I did not let anything bother me.
I was rearranging some bookshelves to make room for a few new books when it happened. I was in for a surprise and did not quite know it. There behind some books on my bookshelf was an old family photo album I had not seen in years.
When I say old, I mean these were pictures taken when cameras were really cameras with film in them.
When 120 believers met to pray in an upper room in Jerusalem following the ascension of Christ, they had no way of knowing the impact they would have on future generations. As a result of that prayer meeting, the world would never be the same again.
The task of evangelizing assigned to these people of faith by their Lord must have seemed impossible to carry out.
