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Dear Friends,

Have you ever heard anyone use the expression, “he dropped the ball?” That expression has an interesting history.

In the 1941 World Series of Baseball, the powerful New York Yankees played against their cross-town rivals the Brooklyn Dodgers. That’s right LA fans – the Dodgers used to play in Brooklyn, NY. The Dodgers were trailing two games to one, but in game four, things seemed to be turning in the favor of the Dodgers. It was the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers had a four runs to three advantage with two out, two strikes on the batter, and no runners on base for the Yankees. One strike away from victory!

The Dodger’s pitcher threw a sharply breaking curve ball that should have been the final strike on Yankee’s batter Tommy Heinrich, but the Dodger’s victory slipped away as the ball caromed off of catcher Mickey Owen’s glove and skidded to the backstop. Heinrich was able to steal first base on the Owens error. The Yankees rallied and won the game 7-4. The next day, the Yankees went on to win the World Series.

Mickey Owen, who died Wednesday at age 89, was the jug-eared, brawling Dodgers catcher who became a Brooklyn byword for “goat” with his infamous dropped third strike in the 1941 World Series, versus the Yankees.

Now, do you want to know something interesting about the catcher Mickey Owen? Mickey Owen’s .995 fielding percentage in 1941 was a record for fielding efficiency – a record that still stands today!

Mickey Owens approached perfection in fielding; and yet, one mistake soiled his entire legacy. When he died, his obituary read, “Mickey Owen – The Man who dropped the ball.”

Do you sometimes feel like that one mistake, that one bad decision, or that one wrong choice will end up defining your legacy? Do you wonder if you will be remembered for the good you did, or as just another man or woman who “dropped the ball?”

One of the benefits of studying the Bible is that you discover that “dropping the ball” doesn’t define your legacy in God’s eyes. As we read in Romans, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)

Abraham lied (Genesis 20) , Jacob deceived his father and stole his brother Esau’s inheritance (Genesis 25), David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah murdered (2 Samuel). Peter Denied Christ (Matthew 26), and Paul persecuted the church (Acts 9). But as we read the stories of each of these heroes of the faith, we learn God is a god of second chances. Isn’t it reassuring to know that God doesn’t define us based on our mistakes; he loves and accepts us even when we drop the ball.

Verse of the week: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!    Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Blessings,
Your friends in Christ

 

Dear Friends,

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18 (NIV)

A few years ago we heard the following words of wisdom, “In any relationship there are ten things about the other person that will irritate you – and those things will never change.” Think about that. Whether you’re talking about your mate, a sibling, your child, a friend, or a business associate — given enough time — you will find there are ten things about that other person that irritate you, and no matter how much you try to make that person change, they can’t or won’t!

Now we aren’t talking about addictions or major character defects like dishonesty or abusiveness. Those require interventions and prayer. “Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.” Isaiah 59:1 Rather, we are talking about those little quirks or habits that can really get under your skin. Bonnie likes to tease that I have at least two dozen of those immutable irritants … and the number keeps growing. Take, for instance, my use of puns. If she had her way, I be put in a punitentiary … see what I mean?

Since we all will have to deal with those “ten things”, the question becomes, “How can we prevent the ten things from damaging an otherwise wonderful relationship? A good starting point is found in Reinhold Niebur’s Serenity Prayer.

Accepting the things we cannot change begins with accepting the fact that they indeed cannot or will not change. Then, follow the wisdom found in Proverbs 21:9 (MSG), “Better to live alone in a tumbledown shack than share a mansion with a nagging spouse” (or sibling, or friend, … ). No one ever nagged — or ever loved — someone else to perfection.

Having the courage to change the things we can begins with changing the one thing we can control – our attitude.  Jesus commanded us, “Love each other.” He didn’t say, “Love each other except when …” In I Corinthians 13 we learn what loving each other involves, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

Having the wisdom to know the difference begins with prayer. “We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,” Colossians 1:9b-11 (NIV)

In the tapestry of a relationship, the ten things that will never change normally start out as minor threads, but can grow to dominate the pattern. Lean on the One who never changes to be a constant thread that keeps your relationship beautiful.

Verse for the week: Romans 15:7 “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

 

Dear Friends,

One way to bring the Bible to life is to put yourself in the shoes of the characters in key stories. This week we try to imagine what it was like to be one of the two disciples who met Jesus on the Road to Emmaus following His resurrection. This encounter is found in Luke 24:13-35.

My name is Cleopas. I and another disciple were walking to Emmaus, a small village about seven miles from Jerusalem when we were approached by a stranger. At first, I thought he was from another region because he didn’t seem to know anything about the things that had happened in Jerusalem. I even asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

My companion and I started to tell him about Jesus of Nazareth. We told him that Jesus was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people — we had hoped he was the one who was to redeem Israel (The Messiah). But, the chief priests and our rulers had turned Jesus over to the Romans, who had crucified him.

This was the third day and Jesus had said he would be raised from the dead. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome had gone to the tomb early in the morning and found the large stone at the entrance had been rolled away, but they didn’t find Jesus body. They told us that they had seen a vision of angels who told them Jesus was alive. The disciples Peter and John had run to the tomb and found it was as the women said, but they did not see Jesus.

When we finished speaking, the stranger spoke, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning (Jesus).”

As we approached the village to which we were going, the stranger continued on as if he were going farther. But we urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with us. When he was at the table with us, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to us. Then my eyes were opened and I recognized Jesus. Then he disappeared from our sight. I asked my companion, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

Why didn’t we recognize Jesus? I guess you could say we lacked “expectant hope”. We didn’t see Jesus because we didn’t truly expect to see him. Can you blame us? Our Master had promised he would be raised from the dead, but after his torture and murder at the hands of the Romans, who could expect to see him walking and talking as if nothing had happened? I didn’t recognize Jesus because I had put my hope in Jesus the man, not Jesus the Son of God.

I should have remembered Proverbs 11:7: “Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of their power comes to nothing.”

Who do we put our hope in? Isaiah tells us, “… Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31.

The Psalmist tells us, “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Psalm 25:5. Notice the phrase, “My hope is in you all day long.” Are we hoping expectantly for God to respond to our prayers? Do we even pray, or is our first response to turn inward or outward rather than upward?

Recently I went through a difficult period when an important project didn’t go as planned. Being a man, I immediately went into problem-solving mode, searching Google for answers, contacting friends for ideas, and doing everything in my power to make things right. Finally, accepting the old adage — when all else fails — pray; I turned to prayer.

The problem still exists. Some might argue that God ignored my prayers, but I would say he responded by helping me to change my attitude about the problem. As I walked my own Emmaus Road, I initially failed to see who was walking with me. Like the disciples on the Road to Emmaus, we need to learn to live with expectant hope.

Verse for the Week: Micah 7:7

“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.”

Blessings,

Your friends in Christ

 

Dear Friends,

What would you say is the single most important word at Easter?  Some might say, “Jesus,” and of course there would be no Easter without Jesus. Others might say, “resurrection or risen.” The entire Easter story is about the resurrection; however, we would like to suggest that the most important word for each of us may be the word “INDEED”.

Many churches begin their Easter Service with the celebrant proclaiming, “Christ is RISEN,” and the congregation responding, “Christ is risen INDEED!” Indeed: truly, undeniably, without a doubt … Really? Can you indeed join with the hymnist who wrote:

I serve a risen Savior, he’s in the world today;
I know that he is living whatever men may say;
I see his hand of mercy; I hear his voice of cheer,
And just the time I need him, he’s always near.

Chorus:
He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way.
He lives, he lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know he lives
He lives within my heart.

Romans 10:9 (NIV) forms the basis for our suggestion that “indeed” may be the most important word associated with the Easter story. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is not an intellectual exercise. You can listen to countless sermons on the resurrection, read every book ever written on the subject, memorize the Easter story, and like the disciple Thomas still say, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” John 20:25

The proof of the resurrection is found in the impact that a living Jesus has in your life. We echo the words of the Apostle Paul, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:15-20 (NLT)

Christ is RISEN! Christ is risen INDEED!

Verse for the week: 2 Corinthians 6:1-2
“As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you. Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”

Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Friends,

Anyone who watches Television has seen the advertisement for an emergency call button from First Alert®. Recently my sister Shirley moved into an assisted living facility where residents are supplied a similar device, but the device they are given is much more than an emergency response device. Residents can use the button to summon an attendant whenever they need assistance whether for an emergency – such as a fall – or for something as simple as wanting an escort to show them where a particular activity is taking place.

God has given each of us our own call button: PRAYER. “I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.  Bend down and listen as I pray.” Psalm 17:6 (NLT)

The question is, “When do we pray?”

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) we read, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” When I read this Scripture, I have to pause at the word “continually”. Do I pray very often; at regular or frequent intervals; habitually, without cessation or intermission; unceasingly; always? Do I give thanks in all circumstances or just when life is going my way?

A few weeks ago I was driving to LAX to catch a flight back East. Suddenly, I saw in my rear view mirror the flashing blue lights of a highway patrol cruiser. It turned out that I had swerved out of my lane at one point and the officer suspected I might be a drunk driver. After a few questions, he told me to drive carefully and drove away. As he departed, I noticed the words “To Serve and Protect” on the side of the patrol car. I offered a quick prayer of thanksgiving for the officer. I wonder if I would have offered a prayer of thanksgiving had the officer given me a ticket.

Many of us are not what you would call prayer warriors. We may know and recite prayers in church; grace at meals may even be a habit. But our most earnest prayers are often reserved for those times when we find ourselves in a trouble or when we acknowledge our sinfulness and plead for mercy. “The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.” Psalm 6:9.

But God didn’t give us prayer as something to do only when all else fails. Our prayer button is available 24-7. From a simple “Thank You” for the day the Lord has given us to a gentle “Now I lay me down to sleep;” our days can be sprinkled with prayers. In Ephesians 6:8 the Apostle Paul advises us, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.”

James the brother of Jesus offered his thoughts on prayer in James 5:13-16 (NLT):  ^“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Ready – Set – Pray!

Verse for the week: Psalm 65:5 (ICB) “You answer us in amazing ways, God our Savior. People everywhere on the earth and beyond the sea trust you.”

Blessings,
Your friends in Christ