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Dear Friends,

Each week, we attempt to help our brothers and sisters in Christ, and ourselves: “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect …” 1 Peter 3:15. (NIV)

With this in mind, we offer a light-hearted way that you might introduce non-believers to the Jesus. You might call it “the Gospel according to Yogi.”

Baseball legend Yogi Berra passed away last month at the age of 90. He was one of baseball’s most-endearing characters, noted for his quirky sayings. His scrambled syntax, mixed metaphors, and illogical conclusions have provided laughs to millions.

What follows is our representation of how Yogi Berra might have presented the Gospel … if had he been so inclined.

Since we depend so heavily on the Bible as our authority, Yogi Berra would have cautioned, “Never answer an anonymous letter.” The Bible is not anonymous, it is authored by God as His love letter to us.

Franklin Graham commented on one of Yogi’s other words of wisdom – “’If you don’t know where you’re going you might wind up someplace else.’  This is so true—and it’s true spiritually as well.  We’d better know where we’re going to spend eternity…” To which Yogi Berra might have added, “It ain’t over till it’s over.”

And Yogi would be correct. That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts … Joel 2:12a (NLT)

²⁰… everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21 (NLT)

“But isn’t it too late for us?” Will God forgive us after all we’ve done?

Yogi might say, “We made too many wrong mistakes?” The Bible covers that concern in several places: Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Joel 2:3a (NLT)

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)

We all must make a decision whether to follow Jesus or not. Yogi might suggest, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” If you choose Jesus … you will find, as Yogi might have put it, “The future ain’t what it used to be.”

To some, the Gospel message may seem like what Yogi Berra called “Déjà Vu all over again.” They may have heard the Gospel over and over again. To others it may be the Good News they have been desperately seeking. Whether we speak with the eloquence of a Franklin Graham, or use quirky language like Yogi Berra, we just need to spread the word, and the Word is – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

 

 In closing, we offer one last Yogi-ism: “I didn’t really say everything I said.” – Yogi Berra

 

Verses for the week: Romans 10:13-15 (NLT) “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Blessings,
Your friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

 

1 John 3 New Living Translation (NLT) Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

Blessings are contagious. Recently, a lady we know was standing in line at a Family Christian Book Store behind a seven year old girl who was proudly holding a bright green bible with big pink flowers. “I’ll bet you are getting that engraved with pink letters,” the lady said. The girl smiled brightly and moved toward the checkout where a young man was assisting customers.

The lady was purchasing a large number of items, so she started searching in her purse for a coupon. Not finding one, she decided to just pay full price, since most of the proceeds go to charity anyway.

“I noticed that you were looking for a coupon; I have an extra,” the girls’ mother said.

“Thanks! That will be great. May I treat your daughter to her new Bible?

“That OK. A hug and a thank you is plenty.”

As they hugged, the young man behind the counter exclaimed with laughter, “I wish we could get a video of this – two people trying to “out-bless” each other. The world needs to see more of this.”

In the book Charging the Human Battery by Marc Anderson, we read:

“And then some … These three little words are the secret to success. They are the difference between average people and top people in most companies. The top people always do what is expected … and then some. They are thoughtful of others; they are considerate and kind … and then some. They meet their responsibilities fairly and squarely … and then some. They are good friends and helpful neighbors … and then some. They can be counted on in an emergency … and then some. I am thankful for people like this, for they make the world a better place. Their spirit of service is summed up in these three little words … And then some.”

Prayer for the week: Dear Heavenly Father, blessings are contagious. Help me to be a carrier of your love – doing what you expect … and then some.

Blessings … and then some,

Your Friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

“In 1952, young Florence Chadwick stepped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island, determined to swim to the shore of mainland California. She’d already been the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. The weather was foggy and chilly; she could hardly see the boats accompanying her. Still, she swam for fifteen hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water along the way, her mother, in a boat alongside, told her she was close and that she could make it. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped swimming and was pulled out. It wasn’t until she was on the boat that she discovered the shore was less than half a mile away.

At a news conference the next day she said, “all I could see was the fog – I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.’” Can you relate to those words? We live our lives in a fog of trouble, worry, doubt, depression, health problems, unemployment, financial uncertainty, strained relationships…and loss of loved ones.”¹ Fortunately for Christians, there is a light that can guide us through that fog – Jesus, the Son of God. “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12b (NIV)

“One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 

Blessings, Your Friends in Christ ¹(The story of Florence Chadwick was shared in a taped message by C. J. Mahaney, “Loving the Church,” Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, MD, retold by Randy Alcorn)

Dear Friends:

 The 2015 Pixar movie Inside Out is set in the mind of a young girl, Riley Andersen, where five personified emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust try to lead her through life, as she moves with her parents to a new city. The film reminds us that we aren’t the only ones who sometimes have nagging voices inside our head. Most of the time, the messages we get are positive and edifying, but there are times when the voices feed us negative thoughts, feelings of inadequacy, or words of condemnation.

News Flash: Negative Thoughts aren’t from God!

So how do we filter the negative thoughts that come our way?

Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.^”

Trusting God isn’t always easy. At times, we may feel like the father of the demon-possessed boy in Mark 9, who brought his son to Jesus for healing. “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.” The father pleaded. “What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

The father in that story wasn’t the only one who struggled with faith? Jesus disciples had tried and failed to heal the boy. When they asked Jesus why they had failed, he explained, “’You don’t have enough faith’ Jesus told them. ‘I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it would move. Nothing would be impossible’” Mark 9:20 (NLT).

So how do we develop that mustard seed of faith? Hebrews 11:1 identifies faith as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Think about gravity. We can’t see gravity, yet we have confidence that if we drop something that is heavier than air it will fall to the ground. Where did that confidence come from? It came from experience; we dropped enough objects to trust the “Law of Gravity.”

Faith in God comes as we learn to trust Him more. So how do we develop this trust? By taking time to do the things that help us know God better.

Read the Bible to discover just who God is. The discovery phase should never end. Grandmother Alice, who loved and trusted the Lord, had a dog-eared copy of the King James Version on the armrest of her easy chair. That chair was her sanctuary. She read her Bible faithfully, and she passed that habit on to her children. Finding your own sanctuary and taking time each day to read your Bible can help you come into a more trusting relationship with God.

Expand your prayer life.
Moses, who was afraid to go before Pharoah because of his inability to express himself clearly, had no problems taking his case to God. In Exodus 33:12, Moses prayed “…You have said I know you by name and you have found favor with me. If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you …”

God knows you by name, too. When you pray, you open a channel of communication that never has a busy signal. It’s as easy as, “Lord, this is me again; let’s talk.”

Draw closer to God by joining with others in worship.

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage
one another …” Hebrews 10:25(a).

So, what exactly is worship? The Spanish word for worship may be a bit more instructive than the English word. In Spanish the word is adoración, which is a derivative of the verb “adorer;” which means to adore, to reverence with religious worship, to idolize; to love excessively.
The main purpose of a community of faith is to bring its members into a more loving relationship with God.

Tune out those negative voices and tune in to God.
When you have a relationship with God, those negative voices we spoke of earlier become easier to silence. Reading the Bible exposes us to heroes of the faith, who teach us to turn to the Lord in times of trouble. Praying and listening for God’s response will help us to appreciate the many ways God is acting in our lives, and joining with others in worship will help nurture that mustard seed of faith – that given time – will allow us to move what may seem to be mountains in our lives.

Verses for the week: Psalm 100 (KJV) “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.  Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”

Blessings,

Your friends in Christ

Dear Friends,

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT): ^“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

We conclude this series looking at JOY and PEACE.

Recently a Wikipedia entry mentioned that various research groups have been employing the scientific method to research questions about what “happiness” is, and how it might be attained. Perhaps the researchers are aiming too low. Why settle for “happiness” when “joy” is attainable?

Happiness is transitory. It is totally dependent on how we respond to the ups and downs of life. Joy is that irrepressible feeling of well-being we feel as we respond to God’s voice.

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.

The psalmist puts it this way, “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5 (NLT)

For our joy to grow, it must be nurtured by God’s love. Jesus explained, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:9-11 (NIV)

A familiar hymn based on Hebrews 12:2 points the way to the joy we seek:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace.

God’s love is also the driving force behind the final blessing mentioned in the fruit of the Spirit: PEACE.

“ … The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 5(b)-7 (NIV)

This peace that passes understanding comes from the knowledge that we have a constant friend in Jesus.

  “Why should I be discouraged and why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home? When Jesus is my portion, a constant Friend is He, His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me”

As we continue to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit, we pray that patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – motivated by the love of God – will increase in us, fostering ever-higher levels of joy and peace.

We close this series with the Prayer Saint Paul offered to the Romans:

Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Blessings, Your friends in Christ