Short Hair and short tempers

It's that time of the week again. I guess we are settling into a routine of one blog per week. More than enough, no doubt. A boring life should not be overly emphasized. 

This morning I rec'd a haircut. (See what I mean.) Actually, that isn't as boring as it might sound. This haircut is a very special haircut. It's the kind of haircut Jason has been urging me to get for years. He says I'd look younger with shorter hair. Well, now he'd be rightfully proud and if my wife comes back from showing her powerpoint presentation to someone who has already seen it,  I'll get her to take a picture and add it to this blog. That will by my very first attempt at adding visual aids to help those who don't understand what I am saying.

Last night, our Personal Ministries Dept. had a planning meeting and to help us bond, they showed a movie. It was good. I recommend it. Ben Carson's story called Gifted Hands is worth seeing even if you are not African American or even if you didn't vote for Barack Obama.

This week, I made contact by telephone with someone I haven't seen in 21 years. She was a student in our home at Fountainview. Can you guess who it is? (Only for those who were in that home.) She use to flitter around the house like a butterfly looking at herself in the windows as she pirouetted by. You guessed it, it is none other than our very own Reina Stark, now Hosier. 

We had a great reunion. She sounds just like she use to sound and is still as bubbly. Check out her blog "The Ramblings of a Recovering Malcontent." She is a very good writer. She'd love to hear from you, as well. 

We had the graduation of our eighteen-day Lifestyle Guests this week. C.A. Murray, the Production Manager at 3ABN gave a testimony about his time at EVI and said that he got tested for cancer and they found none. That is so encouraging to us and best of all, he broadcasted the facts on air. A whole bunch of people have since called and want to come to EVI. Another lady from 3ABN said her cholesterol count fell by 70 points during the time she was with us. Everyone could point to some improvement in their health. We may not have made a pile of money, but we are altogether blessed for having ministered to more people.

Allow me a spiritual thought.

I was thinking about irritability this week. (I assume you all know what that is.) It's the feeling you get when someone gets on your nerves. These people don't have to be miserable to get on your nerves, they just have to exist in your space. So, if there is anyone in your life, then you've had the experience.  We don't all handle the situation well, however. Some people come unglued, they complain, criticize, whine, and accuse. Others, keep their feelings under the control of grace. Which are you?

I've been thinking about this. If I got everything just as I want it, when I want it and in the right amount, I guess I wouldn't get too flustered, would I? The only reason for getting huffy is when something comes between me and the thing I want. It boils down to being self-important. How dare anyone, or anything touch my sensitive self?Don't you just hate being a fallen being? A deeper look reveals that the thing that comes between me and the thing I want is really the cross. 

And the cross is God's solution to our sin problem. Not only the cross of Calvary, the our daily cross. By it we learn to be loving to the unlovely, joyful and sweet in situations which might ordinary cause us to boil. If we can be sweet by God's grace and by relating well the not having all we want, then then we can be sweet all the time. Praise God for the opportunities everyday life affords us to grow and praise God for the cross.

 

Miserably Comforters Are We

I'm intrigued with human nature. If studied carefully, we can read much in the way people treat one another. 

I've noticed that if we are very tender, heart to heart, toward someone who is hurting, we tend to be sympathetic and comforting, we point to the positive and try to build them up. But if we are not so solicitous, if we are to any degree competitive or on edge with each other, we tend to want to want to straighten the other person out. That isn't always wrong. People need to know when they are their own worst enemy, but we dare not try to straighten up our friends until we've demonstrated a love so deep that they don't misinterpret our actions. 

This is what happened to Job. His three friends were friends, at least initially. They came because he was suffering. They fasted and said not one word for a long time, but it turns out they were not in heart tender toward Job. Comforting and building him up was not what they ended up doing. It's as if they finally found an opportunity to cut Job down to size. 

"I have heard many such things," said Job, "miserable comforters are you all." Job 16:1-2 He reiterates that he himself would not be as they are. "I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips should assuage your grief." verse 5. Then, in verse 21 Job lets his real desire pour out of his heart, "O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his friend." 

It is something to watch in our own lives. What kind of comforters are we? At what point is it edifying to point out the problems in another person's life. 

All is well. Janet and I shared the limelight in Copper Mountain yesterday. I preached for ten minutes and she showed her powerpoint presentation. The people gave her $300. We were blessed. 

I enjoyed Jason's blog this week. He had great pictures of his family and the elephant video was amazing. (Check it out.) Julie's mukluks and valentine gathering, and Angie's dress project were a great read also. 

Next week we are planning a week-long work bee on the big greenhouse in EVI. It will be fun to get out of the office for a change. Darrell and Maria Atwood spent the weekend with us. Darrell found a sweet, sweet little Philippino lady for a wife. We had a pleasant time. 

Janet started working at Kevin and Debbie Hogfeldt's house last week. They paid her over $200 for two days of house cleaning. Apparently, she can go to work every day if she wants. I can't imagine the house getting very dirty every day. In any case, they are being a tremendous blessing to us, as well as to EVI. (Kevin is on the board and Executive Committee. No one puts in more time at EVI than Kevin does being off campus. Barbara Taylor being the other one who works her heart out for us.)

A Resolute Purpose

Last night I wrote a blog. It took about an hour. When my wife needed to go to work at the Rehabilitation Center she said, "If you were not working on your computer I would take it with me." That, I think, was a hint. So I said to myself, "It is time to be self-sacrificing and let her have the computer." I hit the button that says "save now" and promptly lost all I had written. This morning, I found my piece but do you think I could get it back where it belongs. Forget it. I tried everything. The blog wouldn't end up where anyone but I could read it. I decided to rewrite the obnoxious thing.

Saturday Night

It's been a pleasant Sabbath day. Our church was three quarters full. I don't know why so many came, but I like it. We have a new family on campus, Michael and Karla Garcia, who happen to be the most outgoing, sanguine, invite-everybody-to-our-house type of people. I am pretty sure they have something to do with why the church is increasing as it is. Perhaps it isn't that they are contacting so many people, but that God sees that people who come will be well rec'd. You tell me.

My Lover showed a Powerpoint Presentation of her work in Africa at church. Before doing that I gave a ten-minute sermonette. (More on that later.) I felt empowered by the Holy Spirit. She did a great job, as well.

After lunch, Janet and I took the Lifestyle guests to the Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw elk and stunning scenery. Everyone was happy with the outing. We have fourteen guests remaining. We had sixteen, but two, C.A. Murray and his wife Irma, were here for two weeks before the others. They've now gone home. Ten of the sixteen are 3ABN staff, a delightful bunch. More gratifying to me is the fact that they speak highly of the devotional hour that I spend with them daily. They are encouraging me to come to 3ABN to speak live for the world audience. God knows I'm willing. Am I good enough, or is God willing? These are better questions.

There is a Spanish couple here who translated my wife's 3ABN interview into Spanish for the Latino audience. That tells me that 3ABN thought her interview excellent.

My last week of work was same old, same old. I always have plenty of work to do. Besides, people seem to have realized that if they want something done they need only ask a busy person--me. The real problem is, I am a people pleaser and will say yes if I possibly can do it. Never mind that. Janet and I have been working on a ceiling in a building where the water pipes in the attic broke. That kind of work I like. It is wonderful to look back to see something that I accomplished. I my kind of clerical duties, looking back to see what was accomplished is like looking to see how much water you drained out of the ocean with your teaspoon. 

Like you, I struggle with some things. I told my Board that I would try not to travel so much this year. Accordingly, I cancelled trips, as you know, to four or five countries. I thought I'd have a peaceful time at home for a year, but then, last week I agreed to go to Senegal with Steven Grabiner. One of my board members is all upset about it. On top of that, I agreed to go to South Korea in April to help OCI out. Yesterday, Jere Franklin asked me if I would speak at a camp meeting in France. He also is asked to speak there. Part of the issue is that he has never travelled abroad alone and would feel more secure if I went with him. Besides, I speak French better than he does. I agreed to pray about it. I have another board member telling me that I should travel. That that is who I am and that is what I do best. He says he'll back me up on this one. I have to decide what God's will is in this matter. Is He allowing more calls to come to me for the purpose of testing me to see if I will keep my word? Or, is it to tell me He wants me on the road more?

I hate to upset anyone over this matter. Sometimes, I am tempted to think that I should resign from EVI so that I can be free-er to be an itinerant preacher. If you have an wisdom for me, I'll be glad to give ear.

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

I'm  under conviction. I convinced that leadership is measured by accomplishment and leadership is not the measure of a man with  a great vision. He may have worthy goals and plans accompanied by big talk, but that isn't leadership.  President Eisenhower once said that, "It is not what you do, but what you get done that counts." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might have had a dream, a great dream, but had he done nothing but dream, he would have accomplished little for the civil rights movement. 

God is not fooled by fast talking, self-promoting fly-by-nighters. He determines  to test their product. God does not say "My reward is with me, to give every man according as his profession or high claims may be." Rev. 22:12. He says, According as his work shall be-- the finished product. 

 "In the judgement the sentence pronounced is according to what has been done or to what has been left undone." 3SM 381:3.

For the purpose of accomplishing God's will  God gives us talents. (See the parable of the talents in Matthew 25.) Interestingly, the parable of the talents is followed by the parable of the sheep and goats. In the former, God gives us talents to be invested. In the latter, He tells us where He would have us invest those talents. "For I was hungry, and you gave me food: I was thirsty, and you gave my to drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in: naked and you clothed me: I was sick and you visited me: in prison: and you came to me... Inasmuch as you  have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me." Matt. 25: 31-41 (See also Isaiah 58: 6-10, it is even more powerful. )

There are a great many things we could invest our talents in that will not bring heavenly returns. So the question is: What are you invested in? What are you doing for your brother in need? Or, are you working only to sustain yourself? 

EGW says, "We accomplish little because we attempt little." MH 498:3. And why do we attempt so little? Because, according to 3SM 150:2 we "Expect little, and as a result we receive little, we are satisfied with very small successes." We expect little because we compare ourselves with the needs around us, and we feel dwarfed, incapable, paralyzed. We should be comparing God to the task at hand. He dwarfs all things. With God, all things are possible. If we put our faith in Him, we would attempt far more. Matthew 17:20 says, "Nothing shall be impossible unto you." 

Here now is a most inspiring quote to me: "A resolute purpose is SURE to accomplish the desired end." What does SURE mean? Ans. -- Can't fail. Can I encourage you this morning. The world is full of people suffering for a lack of spiritual security, love, friendship, belonging etc. If God points out something you can do, then should you not develop a "resolute purpose?" You may be baffled, excuse me, you will be baffled, thwarted and opposed, but you cannot fail if you will not accept failure. 4T 358:1.