Week of Prayer or Weak in Prayer

Janet and I are in Cashmere, WA. We drove from Colorado to Washington earlier in the week. I thank God for getting us over safely, but it wasn't easy. We hit snow and icy road conditions in Wyoming and it never let up until we left Idaho. Stressful driving. Otherwise, all is well.

I've been working on sending our Graphic Designer all the articles and photos he needs to put our winter edition of the Faith Ventures magazine together. The rest of the time has been restful. Brianna and I have been gathering the troupes for our daily exercise routine. I love it. Usually, vacations are not conducive to exercising.

Tonight starts the Week of Prayer. Originally, I had thought to do a series on God's Call for You. It's a great series, and everyone needs to know God's will for themselves, but I taught half of that series for the LIGHT school at EVI and Brianna and Dakota already heard it. Instead, I will do a series on Righteousness by Faith in relation to the Third Angel's Message. I've only ever prepared and preached these sermons once to my staff at EVI. So it isn't like it is a series, or that the sermons are tried and true winners. On the other hand, I have no way of refining these messages except to have the opportunity to share them as often as I can. So, here goes. (May God's blessing attend this week's weak effort.)

The next issue is how to get this knowledge of Righteousness by Faith into my Christian experience so that the lost notice and the saved praise God. Do the lost see Jesus in you? Is that important? Is anything else more important than that? If anything else is more important to us, then that is idolatry. Lord help us.

So says the Preacher to his Tribe.

Joking or Sense of Humor?

I did something different for a change. Leonard and I installed a laminated floor in David and Candi Katsma's dining room and living room today. It's always a blessing to be able to do something practical. You can see where you've started and when it is finished you can take some satisfaction in a job well done.

I also preached today. This sermon, on the a long standing controversy, but every time I used a Bible verse or a SOP quotation to show how the "liberals" defend their position, my "conservative" staff couldn't help but jump into the fray as if they had to show why the other people's arguments are not sound. We got through the talk unscathed, I think. On the positive side, I find it a good idea sometimes to stimulate my staff with something controversial. At least I know they are alive.

The LIGHT school is into its third week. Our girls, Brianna and Dakota seem to be enjoying their stay with us. Sweet little Brianna is full of energy. I never realized. Between every class she runs around the building five times. The others just look at her and shake their heads. Instead of walking to school, she runs to school. I do a one-hour exercise class for my staff three days per week. She is right there, pumping iron like the best of them. Then she uses my weights when things get boring. When the kids go tobogganing, she is right there. One of our boys has a two-wheel skateboard. She mastered that in no time flat, and while waiting for lunch she was skating up and down the halls and all around the dining tables with the greatest of ease. All that, while fighting a mysterious ailment of sore muscles. Brent, our expert herbalist, has her on a powerful potion. It about curls your hair to drink it, but she does.

3ABN called me this week. Besides the little business they had about something unimportant, they asked me to do some TV programs with Shelley Quinn. Oh me, I've been trying to avoid that. I wouldn't mind doing the Prodigal Son or something, but talking heads seem so difficult for some reason. Anyway, I agreed to do it. We should start filming in 2012. So don't hold your breadth. Maybe I'll have a heart attack between now and then. What a relief that would be.

One of my staff asked if I would do a sermon on jesting and joking. I think she is trying to tell me something. Nah! Can't be. Well, maybe. If I didn't have a sense of humor, I'd be dead, I think. Can someone tell me where the balance is? Joking, bad??? Sense of humor, good??? When does a sense of humor become unacceptable jesting? I'd welcome any advice.