A weekly boost

This morning I walked by our grandfather clock and noticed it had stopped. It does that every once in a while. If I forget to wind it up once a week it will come to a halt when the chains and bars reach the bottom of their run.

This morning I wound it up again and set it back in motion. As I was winding it up the thought hit me that we are a lot like that clock. Once a week we need to be wound up again. We need to be inspired, focused and reminded of our purpose in life. If it has been a difficult week, we need to be loved by friends and reminded that God loves us too. That is why attending worship services is so important.

If you have been feeling discouraged lately, head back to church and get your batteries charged again. You will come away ready to face the world again with a new swing in your step.

Cal

Fighting temptation

It looked so good. As I stopped at the convenience store on my way home I noticed a peanut butter cup brownie in the case. I wasn't really hungry but that treat was calling my name and I decided to get it. I paid for it and headed out to my car.

I wasn't even a half mile down the road and I had already inhaled it. I did taste it and it was good. Well, at least the first few bites were very good. The problem with giving in to these temptations is the fact that the treat never quite lives up to the expectation. As a matter of fact, I felt a little sick to my stomach ten minutes later.

That is the way it is with sin. It always seems like a good idea when we are being tempted but within minutes of giving in there is a price to pay. Some things have minor consequences. I may gain a pound or two when I indulge in gluttony. But if I drink too much and cause a fatal accident or I give in to a marital indiscretion and betray my marital vow in a moment of passion, I can never take that back.

So how do we avoid temptation? I have three suggestions. First, find a church family where you can find support and encouragement. We need help to stay faithful and true. Second, call on God when you are tempted. That's what Jesus did in the wilderness and we can learn from that. Finally, stop and think about the consequences. Ask yourself what could happen if you give in. Try to remember past experiences and let that sink in.

My experience with the brownie tonight will help me next time. But I still have to work at it. That is the nature of human life. We will always have temptations and we need to keep on saying "no!"

CAl

The living Word

Choir should be fun. I have always felt that singing in the church choir is not just about sharing your gift. It is a two way street. God blesses you as you sing and relate with other members. You also are involved in worship and in creating a moment where the congregation meets God. Good music will do that as well as any sermon ever preached.

Every once in a while our choir provides dramatic moments in worship as well. I like to get creative because I think it adds some drama to the worship experience. It makes people think.

One of my members sent mew this clip from Youtube of a choral moment that is quite moving. I don't know if we could ever pull it off here in Norwich, but I thought you might enjoy it.

Cal

PS FBC choir - Watch out! We are going to have some fun this Fall.

God walking

Have you ever had a day when everything you did just felt right? I had three meetings today and as much as I do not look forward to them, each of these meetings were very productive. I also had a couple of interactions with different people and they went well. I think the holy spirit was walking with me.

I like to call it "God walking." When you open yourself up to God and ask him to direct your steps and then see where he leads you, you will often find that it turns out to be an interesting and productive day. You should try it. Begin by inviting God to be with you all day and then listen to that little voice in your head. If you feel the urge to call someone, then do it. If you feel you should visit a friend, then act on it. Get that sense that you should write a note to someone? Do it and see here it leads.

I am convinced that when we act on these things, God will use us to bless others and make things happen.

A good day to worship

Good morning. It is beautiful outside and I feel like praising God. So here is a music video we can all enjoy as we start the day with worship.

Cal

What are your dreams?

I was the luckiest kid on earth when I started driving. My father helped me secure a 1965 mustang for my very first car. I loved it and I drove it right into the ground in that first year. A couple of years later, he let me have his 1969 Mach One mustang. It was a real muscle car. How many kids that you know have had two pretty cool cars before they turned 18 years old?

That was the end of my extravagance though. Soon poverty and college took over and I had to settle for more modest transportation. I owned an old Toyota Corolla and later an AMC Gremlin (with Denim seats!) After college I got married and we had a Chevy Vega Stationwagon and before finally purchasing our first new car, a Ford Escort.

Today I am far too practical to buy a "hot car". I just dream about owning one now and then. I have a friend who let me drive her Jaguar for a week. That was cool. I have other friends who let me sit on or in their wheels and that is about as close as I am ever going to get to actually having something like that. Bruce let me sit in his hummer and that was cool. My youngest brother made me sit on his Harley Davidson. When we were in San Diego I snuggled up to a Corvette and made believe that was going to be my ride to the mission field. Meanwhile in real life I drive around in my Toyota Corolla or the family minivan.

It is fun to dream and pretend and I am like a big kid in that regard. Yet, dreaming dreams and having visions is not just for kids. God calls all of us to look beyond our present circumstances and to look for the possibilities.

I like the quote from George Bernard Shaw, which was later used by Robert Kennedy, which says, "Some see things the way they are and ask, "Why?" I dream things that never were, and ask "Why not?" I believe God puts big dreams in our hearts. Our job is to live them and reach out and build a better world around us.

That is the charge to the church. We are to be people of vision. In the book of Proverbs we read, "Where there is no vision the people perish." We can never be content to simply exist. We must be reaching out with the transforming power of God to the world around us. To get back to the analogies of my cars, we cannot be content to drive around in a Ford Focus when God has a Mercedes Benz for us.

So go ahead and dream and then give God the glory.

Cal

Who do people say I am - Not

I am going to get myself into trouble and mention politics. I know I shouldn't get involved in the debate, but I have to laugh when I hear Senator Obama's comments about John McCain. He uses several quotes from the last few days and points out that John said, "rich is having $5 million dollars or more" and that he "didn't know how many houses he owned." Then he says, "I own one" and "John McCain isn't one of us."

Funny but when I looked to see how much money Barak Obama makes I can tell you that he isn't one of us either. Now I don't mean to pick on one candidate. The truth is that Senator McCain has done the same thing to Barak. He has taken a quote about inflating the tires to conserve energy and made him sound like a buffoon when all Senator Obama did was give the same kind of advice my dad gave me years ago. Then Barak went on to share his larger policy but John never mentioned that.

Politics seems to be all about sharing partial truths and trying to deceive people into believing someone is not who they say they are. It is hard to know what you can believe and what you can't anymore.

Well that is not the case with God. God revealed himself in his son, Jesus. All we need to know about him is written in the Book. Now I know a lot of people have tried to usurp the Word and describe Jesus differently, but when you read the Bible, and especially the Gospels, you get a clear picture of a man who had compassion on other's lived without judgment and inspired those whom he met to turn over a new leaf and come to God with a repentant heart. Jesus was real. People fell in love with him and he has changed the world.

I wish politics was as simple. I don't think any of us know who John McCain and Barak Obama are but we are going to have to vote for one of them. I am going to pray on it and rad all I can. I suggest you do the same. Then we have to simply trust God to work with whoever wins.