...too small a thing...

Officer Gail Thomas

Such powerful words, they must be repeated. I know I needed to hear them, and I am sure some readers of this blog do to.

"Do not mourn Gail Thomas," said APD Zone 5 Commander Maj. Christopher Leighty. "Gail's alright. Mourn for our loss and the fact the world is a little less bright because of the loss of her physical presence in our life."

Reading those words this morning touched me in a very special way. I realize that her family is mourning her loss and my heart goes out to them. I realize the APD is huring and mourning too, but This Major is someone who knew Officer Gail Thomas. His heart is torn and he is mourning her passing as is all of public safety, but he knows the truth. Leaving this world we go to a better place. He knew her he can say it. A good word at a bad time for all of us. She is gone to a better place.

But this world is where we live and every officer of the law helps to keep the peace here. When we lose a Senior Police Officer to a sensless tragedy such as this we all lose a little light as Maj Leighty said.

I am so fortunate to know so many officers, but I was not fortunate enough to know Officer Thomas personally. But I know the Truth that Maj Leighty spoke of. I know the Church she was a part of at Elizabeth Baptist. I know the work she did everyday. And I know the pain we all feel. The Major was right. She is alright. We have all lost someone who made a differcene for others. 

God has seen to the fact Officer Gail Thomas is alright. We must trust Him even in moments of mourning.

Read her Tribute on ODMP- Officer Gail Thomas

Start the Story

When I was a kid the words "Once upon a time....." seemed to be the best stories. I can remember my mother and my grandmother reading stories to me. The ones my Granny read were from Grimm's fairy tales and were scary but fascinating. I can remember other stories too that my dad would tell. Stories from work of things that had happened, and stories from the army when he served in Korea, and was stationed on Okinawa Japan. I also remember just like it was yesterday the revival services we had as a kid at Hurt Road Baptist Church and the Evangelist telling the storeys that would sometimes scare me and sometimes break my heart, but I still remember them.The ones the evangelist told always would point me toward commitment to God.

The point is I remember stories. We remember the things that happen to people. Now days I tell a lot of stories. Stories about what happened on a mission trip, or what happened one night out on patrol with the police. Its seems many people love to hear the stories that God has given me in all of my experiences to tell.

So many stories are out there. Some are fairy tales, some are antidotes, and some are from the Bible.  All of these stories are there in our heads and they give us a little perspective on life, but too often the case with the telling of all of these stories is that people do not realize the perspective and reality of the Bible Stories. All too often also when we say the word "story" people put the things written in the Bible right along side of Grimm's fairy tales and there is a big, big, difference. The stories from the Bible are in some way like the tales my dad told, and in some ways like the ones I get to tell now. They are true. They are real life adventures of people. The reality is the Bible was written with so much of it so that you would become part of the story. So the Bible is "The Story" that points us to God and it is true.

Last night we began as a family reading the book The Story together. We as a church family are doing this (reading The Story) together and Pastor Mike will be preaching The Story, and I will be teaching The Story for 31 weeks. It started last night. Kathy read the first few pages for us. I am excited about reading the story of the Bible again. Yes I have read it many times but this time we are doing like I was a kid, together out loud. Every week we will get together and discuss with friends What is happening in The Story. And in many ways most importantly how we are involved in the Story.

One of the most amazing things is you can join us in the story at any point and it will not be The Story but what it really becomes is OUR Story.

Moon Men? Do we really want them?

Building a colony on the moon? Newt has said he is going to lead us to do it. Is it a good idea? Many scoff and others are not so sure. I am thinking about it and wondering if Newt is crazy or a genius? Everyone did not think that Kennedy was crazy and we as a nation did put a man on the moon 40 years ago. But what has that meant to us since then?

Most of us think and even admit not much. But, the technology that made the moon missions possible were a huge influnce on the growth and explosion of technology back in the 1960's, and let me tell you I lived through those days and it did absolutely boom. Would that happen again? If we entered into a program spending more and more money to develop a program to put a colony on the moon, what would that do to technology, jobs, national pride, etc. It is a big idea. Is it too big of an idea? Here is a good blog article by E.D. Kain.

Here is my thought. The idea of putting a colony of men on the moon is absolutly one of the biggest projects that man and all of mankind could undertake. I am not convinced that it is a worthwhile project to do but the side effect of the effort if like the 1960s would be great. Focus on a goal like this will or would take a committed strong leader. Newt does seem to be that. I am sure some people have strong opionions on this but most of us are probably just like me thinking is this a good idea or not? I will be honest I am not real sure.

Job creattion is a good idea. But once again I am not sure that moon colonization is "shovel ready."  Lately so few things are that Washington comes up with seem to have any merit.  We will see if this one has any either. Newt may have a good idea but if the people don't agree then it is all just talk. Newt will have to convince people we need this colony on the moon. Again I am not so sure about this, but I am sure of a few things, here they are:

• The first thing I am sure we are ready for is leadership. Strong leadership.
• The second thing is I am sure of is we will hear a lot of politiacal hype in the next 10 months. I am already tiring of it all.
• The third thing is that voting your convictions is needed but not easy. No one is perfect and finding the right man to lead is not easy.
• The fouth and most important thing is that I have really already found my leader. It is the Lord Jesus Christ. I am sure of this too if there are men on the moon they will need Jesus. If that is the case will we need a mission team to go and tell them? That is going to take some planning. 

 

**Anger Management Class February 18**

Last week I completed the training to become certified as an anger management specialist. So in cooperation with Ken Johnson at East West Psychotherapy we will be holding a Choice Based  Anger Managment class on Feb 18. See Here is a LINK to give you the details. You or someone you know may need this class. There is vital information to understand yourself and why you get angry  and how anger is a choice.

Anger is an emotion that everyone deals with from time to time. But why are some people controlled by it and others have a forgiving and loving spirit no matter what seems to come their way. I ask you to consider the need you have to deal with anger. An anger assessments is the first step to gaining a victory over anger. Call me at Blue Hope. You may be dealing with someone you know who needs this .....How will they know if you do not help them. Call me at 678-744-3750 to see if you need to consider anger management classes.

Makin it Better

When I was a kid, I would from time to time fall down and skin my knee.  I would always run into the house and show my Mom. Now mom was a believer in mecurochrome, (If you are under 30 you probaby do not know what this is) and she used it to paint every sore I had as kid. But the thing that made it better was a kiss from my mom. If she kissed it the sore would get better. I am not sure what would happen if she didn't kiss it because she always did.

Now as an old guy no one kisses my boo-boo's any more but the boo-boo's are different nowdays. The hurts of life are far more intense than any scratched knee or pinched finger. We as adults have hurt in our hearts often for things that we have to deal with in life. Most of us have learned that we can be tough and with toughness and time most hurts will pass on. But those that don't really do hurt.  They hurt bad. Somethimes we have them for long period of time. Some people are walking around with hurting hearts and torn feelings about issues and things that have happened long ago in life. Some have new ones on top of the old ones. Oh they bandage these internal wounds  and cover them up and act like nothing is wrong most of the time, but they are there. There is no mecurochrome or no kiss is seems to make their pain any better.

I am always amazed at every healing story in the Bible. Jesus heals the blind, the deaf, the leper, the withered hand and the lame. He even puts the Roman soldier's ear back on in the Garden of Gethesemene. These things always amaze me. So I really do understand that if He healed then He can heal today. Scratched knees, or broken lives. Mom would put on mecurochrome and give a kiss. And I believed it would heal and it did by the Grace of God. Key to this process was I had to go to mom to get some help. When I was little this was not  a big deal I ran to her. When I was bigger I was too prideful to run but getting mom to look at a hurt always made things better.

I am not sure how good this analogy really is, but I do know this. The Lord God is the healer of all things. Without  the Lord knees and hearts do not mend. And are you getting the message? We have to seek Him. We have to go to Him. Now if I ran into the house with a hurt knee and I did not know where Mom was and my brother was standing there being obnoxious as big brothers usually are, I would ask "Where is mom?" If he saw I was hurt even my brother would send me the right direction to Mom and the Mercurochrome.

Now for those who have hurt hearts and are dealing with issues of life that are painful. I serve as a brother. I am here to point you to the Lord. The God of all comfort He is waiting. Some folks are just not sure where He is.  I do not have any tricks or gimmicks to make you better. I have the truth as found in the scripture. I have the compassion to care for you and whatever is hurting you. The Bible says to greet one another with a "holy kiss" I not going to put my lips on you but i will embrace your pain with you to carry it to the Father. He has an answer and Healing for you. Making things better seemed so simple when I was a kid. The hurt was a little more simple then too. The reality of seeking help is the theme here. If you think you can handle the issues of life, Well OK, Let me ask how long have you been carrying that hurt?

There is no doubt in my mind God is waiting to make things better for you. We can talk if you want. Whaterver  the hurt is ....He can help. Let's go find the Father.

www.bluehopecounseling.org

Just Giving Thanks

This morning there is no special story, no real agenda I just want to give thanks to the Lord for some things.

This morning I am thankful for....

.......finishing the lesson plan for my POST Instructor Class.

......Brittany Getting her Drivers licence.

......My beautiful wife of 37 years.

.....My wonder children of whom I am very proud of all seven of them.

.....My beaurtiful granddaughter Vera, (who I am not seeing enough) but I am so thankful for. She is a doll isn't she. She is the reason I realizied how thank I was this morning.

.....My home, bike, truck, computer, etc....all the stuff (I am thankful but one line is enough for all of it)

....The ministry God has given me.

.....My Life-group class (we are on the increase)

.....My friends overseas

.....My parents

.....My chance to blog

....My opportunity to pray for others

There is no doubt I could go on a while. You would tire reading my list I think more than I would tire typing it. The Bible says in everything Give Thanks. Let us remember who we are giving thanks to. It is the Lord God Amighty.  It is to the one, who has given us life in Jesus Christ Our Lord.

in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thess 5:18 NASB

I hope your day is full of thankfulness also. No matter what our circumstance there are many things for which we should give thanks.

Are You a "Get it Done" Person?

I once heard a saying that there are three kinds of people....

1. Those who watch things happen...
2. Those who make things happen...
3. And Those who don't know what happened.

Which are you? I guess we would all want  say that we are a number 2. But are we really? What kind of things are you causing to come about. Are you a source of energy for the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you a person people turn to when they want something done? When there is a problem is your first thought let me see what I can do? or Who am I going to call to do this or fix this for me?

I am a get it done person on many things, but not on cars or trucks or my motorcycle. For the most part if I have a problem here I have to take it to somebody with the tools and experience to "get it done." I am blessed that before I was in the ministry I was in construction and so there is very little on a house with which I am not familiar. So with patience and practice most task around the home do not scare me or intimidate me, and I can with time and enough extra dollars "get it done" on work around the house. I know how to make biscuits and gravy and corn bread so I will not go hungry if I have to "get it done" in the kitchen. Now these things are important, but in reality not the most important.

The most important "get it done" is in the home is serving the Lord. To get that job done consider a couple of things.

14“Now, therefore, fear the LORD and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15 NASB

This is what Joshua challenged the children of Isarel with over 3000 years ago but it is still the "Get it done" that really matters the most.  We have people serving self, choosing and serving many different gods in the USA today. Who are you serving? I believe as the leader of my family it is my task to "Get it done." Leading my family to know and love and serve the Lord.

OK....So when it comes to spiritual leadership in your home are you a #1, a #2, or a #3?

Finding the Time

"When I find the time." This is a regular expression that I use and probably you do to. We will make a statement like "I will do that when I find the time." Now that saying is of course a little silly in the fact that time does not come in a box. We all have things we are doing and or going to do today. We all have the same amount of time today to use. We do not have to find time as it comes one second after another, and time is a steady stream of moments. And it never stops, or does it?

Some moments just live on in our minds don't they. Some things make such an impression we can actually go back and somewhat relive the feelings and emotions of a moment long passed. So in a sense we have the ability to "find the time when..." in our brains and experience it all over again. Remember your wedding day? Some may not want to go there. How about your first plane ride? How about your surgery? OK Ok moving on, we do not have the time for this.......

Now when we use the expression "I will do _______, when I find the time" is really just a way of saying, "Hey my friend, that is not on my priority list, and I am going to have to delay anything on that until I get many other things done, and I am bored enough to do __________.

When we we cannot "find the time" we are saying this is not important enough for my attention right now. So what makes something important to you? When, or what has to happen to make something go on your list of important enough for you to find the time? I am guessing you are like me and several things go into the formual that we never think about, but that we weigh everything by to see if we can find the time.

The first factlor in the "important formula" is who is involved? Kids and grandchildren or your spouse, will command the highest priority for most people. Other important people might garner your attention depending on how you see them, or how much respect you have for them. You make or find (maybe the best word is use) the time for people you see as important. Some people become important quickly given the circumstance. When I am riding with police I see people make the officer very important as he turns on the blue lights to stop and have a chat about their driving skills.

Second your pocket book comes into play. You use the time to make a living. Your job requires you do the things you do. You have to invest hours to make the money flow. If you are salaried you must get the job done no matter how much time and if you work by the hour then hours must pass to make your money. You have to be at the place they tell you even if you are not working.

Third you will say to yourself "what is in this for me?" We all commit time to things we want to do.

Now most of our time is spent in fulfillment of one or more of these areas of life. And indeed these are priorities right? But there is one more that many would add and I would too. What does God want me to do? The use of time to serve God is really the most important right? This use to mean Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night prayer meeting and if we were really committed Tuesday night visitation. Some of you know what I am talking about. I lived that way for a long time. But time spent is not what makes us close to God. It is a commitment of the heart and really we spend all our time with Him as He never leaves us, we just act like He is not there sometimes.

Now here is the thing I want you to think about. Proper managment of the stream of time coming at you is your responsiblity. It is not anyone elses task to manage your time. Now we try to manage our childrens time and if you are a teenager, Mom and Dad may still be trying to tell you how you will spend some of your time. But for most of us we have complete freedom with the moments that are coming even right now. It is amazing how quickly some things can get done with just a moment.Think about some things you can do in just a few moments time.

• Send an email to encourage a friend
• Say a prayer to ask God to rememdy a problem for someone
• Read and memorize a passage of Scripture
• Call your mom or dad
• Stop and talk to someone who looks lonely
• Make up your bed
• Wash or put away the dishes
• Read a blog

So you have used a little time reading this? Are you different? Did you learn anything? I have taken the time to write and post this blog. Why because it motivates and encourages you. I really wanted to write these words today and this is the main point of the blog today. Find the time today to look people in the eye and say to them "I love you." This will be time well spent.

Some Times You Just Need to Stop and Think

I loved my anger management couse on Friday and Saturday. I think the title reflects the concept. Anger is something all of us will experiance as we go through life. Our control or response to anger is what makes us different. Do you control anger? Or does it control you?

We learn responses to situations and actions or words of others. So often then we react with an angry response to someone else's actions or word's out of a pattern we developed or have taught ourselves as the appropriate response. The key here is the word appropriate. Our response can be kindness. Our response can be understanding. Our response can and often should be one of love and understanding with a thought out reply delivered in a rational and well thought out way to have the maximum impact to change behavior. Inappropriate responses designed to retaliate will spark a stream of vocabulary that is inappropriate and irrational or bring actions of retaliation against you.

I have a lot more to learn about anger and that MAKES ME MAD.... (just kidding) Anger comes very quickly and the truth is it can and should go very quickly. If you have built up anger something is very wrong. You have possibly lost your head, or flipped your lid as some would say. Anger is an emotion that man must deal with quickly. The Bible says...

And "don't sin by letting anger control you." Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, Ephesians 4:26 NLT

There is a reason it says do not let the sun go down. When you let the days start to pass with unresolved anger, the anger is controlling you. You can build resentment and anger that will control alot of your actions and plans and when that is happening you have sin in your life. Stop and think. You have a good brain what you need to any situation are solutions not emotions. Passion is reseved for the things you love not the things you hate. How silly to waste time with anger and hatred. These are negative emotions and will make you a negative and bitter person. You can resolve anger and be resolute in your actions to resolve any situation but the anger is gone. Again I say stop and think.

Just for Fun this Morning

What you see is what you get, right? Not always. I think these brain teasers are kind of fun. These and many more I found on a web site called Brainden.com

Now the first one you will see right away or at least part of it. Brain den said that the average person will see (4-6) faces. Sensible people (8-10) and the best see 11. schizophrenics and paranoids 12 and more. Uh ,Oh I have to admit I saw 13 and that was the second time counting (now I am afraid to try it again.)

The next one is a good bit harder and you once again are looking for a face in the coffee beans. Take your time as this one is a good bit harder. Just keep looking you will find a face that is obvious. Do not be fooled by a sort of face. The real one will be very obvious and not manufactured in your mind. I promise it is there it may take a few minutes to find it.

Now the last one is kind of easy but I thought it was worth a moment in this "fun filled moment of life" (some of you probably think I am crazy for making you look at this stuff)

Take a good look at this beast and see what you see. It may surprise you too. If you cannot see them you can email me for a hint.

Have a great Lord's Day.