Christianity

Cousins Afar

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berylYesterday I said goodbye to Beryl Frye Lacy.  You may have not known Beryl unless you knew one of her children; knew her as Nurse Lacy from Dr. Shield’s office; or, knew her through First Christian Church where she attended.  Beryl was a good wife to her husband Earl, a good mother to her three children, Gene, Sandee, and Greg, and a devoted, grandmother, aunt, and volunteer at the hospital.

When I spoke to Beryl, I called her Auntie.  She was mom’s sister-in-law and a big part of my life. She was something else; she was a source of confusion whenever I tried to make sense of my family lineage.

hillbillies

This isn’t a good picture of Dick and Don. They rarely look this good.

When I was a kid, the Lacy family reunions would include Don and Dick.  I was always perplexed when I tried to decipher how we were or were not related.

Beryl was my aunt and she was also an aunt to Don and Dick.  To muddy the waters a bit more, Don and Dick had an Uncle Wally.  Wally was neither a Lacy nor a Seymour, but he was my mom’s cousin and Beryl’s brother-in-law’s brother.

Since Beryl was a Frye and Mom was a Pugh/Lacy, the only other possible link was Mom and Wally were linked through Mom’s Pugh side; but, there were always too few Pughs to find clues to the riddle of Don and Dick.

While family history can be confusing, it can also be reassuring.  The Psalms remind us that just as “An earthly father expresses love for his children; it is no different with our heavenly Father who shows His love for those who revere Him (Psalm 103:13).”

And, after reading Paul’s letter to the Christians at Rome, I guess it’s possible we’re cousins together in Christ and joint-heirs with Him:  “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him (8:17).”

Bless you Auntie, I’ll see you again some day in Heaven, and then you can explain this riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

A Timely Commodity

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timeTime is an interesting commodity of life.  While it doesn’t cost you anything, it’s still priceless. It’s something that you can use to your advantage, but you’ll never be able to own it.  Time has a unique life cycle:  As soon as it is born it dies, and once you lose it, you will never find it again.

Perhaps this is why Paul spoke to Christians at both Ephesus and Colossae about the importance of “redeeming the time” or as it says in The Voice: “Make the most of every living and breathing moment…”

Here are a couple of suggestions to help you make the most of life’s precious moments:

  • Before you ever get out of bed, pledge to walk in step with God; and, pray: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths (Psalm 25:4).”
  • When you find yourself waiting in a line, line up your thoughts; and, pray: “Guide my steps in the ways of Your word, and do not let any sin control me (Psalm 119:133.”
  • Whenever you check the time, take a second to check-in with God. Make Psalm 55:17 a habit:  “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”

It was Henry van Dyke who said: “Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”

I say: “Time is just right when it’s justly redeemed for God’s glory.”

A Squirt-Filled Reminder

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germWhen I get out of my bed of a morning, I follow the well-worn path to my coffee pot; however, there is something I do before I make my coffee. I squirt soap in my hands and wash them.

As I was repeating this routine this morning, I thought of James 4:8: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

It’s just as important to be pure spiritually as it is to be clean physically.  This is a vital key to nurturing a relationship with God, so I’ve decided to use soap dispensers as a reminder.  Each squirt of soap will remind me to:

  • Draw closer to God
  • Cleanse my hands
  • Purify my heart
  • Focus on my relationship with God

Why not join me in this endeavor?

Come close to the one true God, and He will draw close to you. Wash your hands; you have dirtied them in sin. Cleanse your heart, because your mind is split down the middle, your love for God on one side and selfish pursuits on the other. ~The Voice

Operation Cross Country

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fbi2Operation Cross Country IX is not a marathon, but it is a rigorous track and field event.  The trackers come from a diverse field of law enforcement agencies, and the event is focused on saving kids.

As an ongoing national effort, Operation Cross Country IX, is a nationwide crackdown on sex trafficking.  The FBI joined forces with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and took the lead in this effort that rescued 149 underage trafficking victims.

Additionally, more than 150 pimps were arrested.  These puss-pockets of humanity are so sleazy they were selling kids as young as 12 years old.

FBI Director James Comey said:  “Our mission is to protect the American people — especially our children — from harm. When kids are treated as a commodity in seedy hotels and on dark roadsides, we must rescue them from their nightmare and severely punish those responsible for that horror. We simply must continue to work with our partners to end the scourge of sex trafficking in our country.”

There are several organizations that focus their energy on rescuing those who are trapped in the commercial sex trade.  Shared Hope International is one of them, and you can gain a better understanding of their work by watching a brief 2 minute video.  Simply click here. 

The Lord says: “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver the one who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor. Also do not mistreat or do violence to the stranger, the orphan, or the widow; and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”  ~Jeremiah 22:3

Fillings or Feelings

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Generally speaking, people have very little trouble distinguishing between fillings and feelings.  I know of one particular incident, however, when the two were confused.  My youngest brother was listening to a discussion on how a person’s feelings had been hurt.  Eager to participate, he gave a big smile and said:  “I have feelings too, see,” and then he pointed to the fillings in his mouth.

The gnawing truth is that both fillings and feelings are directly connected to something that is missing.  In the case of fillings, part of a tooth is missing, so a dentist fills the tooth.  Feelings, on the other hand, can be more of a challenge; the emptiness related to them are emotional in nature.

A person may feel empty because of grief, a self-esteem issue, or disappointment. The solution involves more than just an injection and the mixing of a composite resin to fill a tooth.  The need is a relationship and not more resin:

  • If your feelings have drained you and you’re running on fumes, it might give you some consolation to think of God as “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles ( 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).”
  • If you’re struggling with a major decision, James 1:5 can be reassuring: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, . . . and it will be given to him.”
  • If you’re worn out, you can find the strength you need because “the Lord will give strength to His people (Psalm 29:11).”
  • If your life seems dry and barren, a relationship with Jesus may be what you need: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
  • If you have a gnawing hunger that you can’t seem to satisfy, you may be eating the wrong bread. Jesus said:  “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more (John 6).”

You may have gone through life as the kid nobody wanted on their team; as the person who could never make it to the first chair in the school band; the singer who was always off key; or, the wilted flower on a piece of outdated wallpaper.  If so, I have some good news for you.  Jesus said: “The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me, and I will always accept them (John 6:37).”  There are no exceptions: Jesus loves you, accepts you, and He always will.

The Pursuit of Peace

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Pursuit-LogoI was flipping through the pages of the Psalms late yesterday afternoon, and 5 words from Psalm 34 caught my attention:  “Seek peace and pursue it.”  When I examined the words of this verse, I came away with the idea that it is a faith and works verse.

The faith part is found in the word “seek.”  The original meaning of the word has the idea of seeking within the context of worship, or praying for peace.

The works part of the verse is even more interesting.  The word “pursue” should be understood within the scope of intense persecution.  You should pursue peace with same energy and intensity of a zealous persecutor.

There is considerable harmony between the uses of pursue in the Old Testament, and the way Paul uses it in the New Testament:

  • In Romans 14:19, Paul encouraged the Christians at Rome to “Pursue what makes for peace and for building up one another.”
  • I Thessalonians 5:15: “See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.”
  • I Timothy 6:11: “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.”

It has been said that whatever catches your attention, catches you.  I trust you’ll turn your attention to the business of “seeking peace and pursuing it.”  Peter confirms the importance of this endeavor:

Whoever desires to love life and see good days let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.    ~I Peter 3:10-12

It’s The Season

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Organize-Your-Home_chore-checklist_092011It’s one of those annual rites that’s practiced in most homes across the USA.  At some point in the Spring and the Fall months of the year, there is some time scheduled for extra cleaning.

Just as you make time to spruce up your house, you might want to examine your life as well.  Is it as tidy and clean as it was a week or a month ago?

Self-examination is a continuing theme throughout the pages of Scripture, and I’ve emphasized a word in each verse below.  While these are different words in the English, they come from the same word in the Greek which is the language of the New Testament.

As you read these verses consider them in the context of who, what, when, and why:

***1 Thessalonians 5:21-22:  Test everything. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil.

  • What am I doing now that I wasn’t doing that has created a void in my relationship with God?

***Philippians 1:9-11:  I pray that your love will keep on growing because of your knowledge and insight. That way you will be able to determine what is best and be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.  Jesus Christ will fill your lives with everything that God’s approval produces. Your lives will then bring glory and praise to God.

  • When did my love for Jesus quit growing and when did it cease to bring Him glory and praise?

***Ephesians 5:8-14: Live as children of light, for the fruit that the light produces consists of every form of goodness, righteousness, and truth.  Determine what pleases the Lord, and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by these disobedient people in secret.  But everything that is exposed to the light becomes visible, for the light is making everything visible.

  • Who has influenced me to walk in the shadowy sin of darkness instead of the light of God’s love?

***Galatians 6:3-4:  If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself; but let each one examine his own work

  • Why do I think I can live my life on my own terms and disregard the principles of God and compromise my testimony?

***Romans 12:1-2: I urge you to offer your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice to God, a sacred offering that brings Him pleasure; this is your reasonable, essential worship.  Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image. Instead, be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you will be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete.

Examine your life to discern who you are most like.  Are you more or less of a reflection of Jesus than you were a week or a month ago?  If you are less like Him, is it because you like Him less and some one or some thing else more?  Are you still conformed to His image or have you morphed into the likeness of the world?

Examine yourself:  Is it time for some Fall cleaning?

Dodgers, Mets, and the Beanball

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utleyNo one ever likes to see a player writhing on the field in extreme pain. That, however, is the picture that will remain in the minds of sports fans following Game 2 between the Mets and the Dodgers. When Chase Utley slid into second base he did more than just break up a double play, he also broke the leg of Ruben Tejada.

I’m not a betting man, but I think the odds are high that the Mets’ Pitchers have already painted a target on Utley.  He is a marked man who has to know that Game 3 means he has at least one pitch that going to come in hard, fast, high and inside.

The Quotable and Notable Game of Baseball

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two_boys_bat_largerWhen I was a kid, many of my Summer days were spent at makeshift ball diamonds at Graham Park, Skelly School or the water tower by Tom’s house.  The evening hours would find most of us at the ball diamonds by McDonald’s Stadium—as in Jim McDonald, not the golden arches.

I have a pretty good understanding about the ins and outs of baseball, but one thing has troubled me for many years:  Why does everybody stand up and sing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” when we’re already there?  

This is what I do at 4 AM of a morning:  I give a lot of profound thought to the perplexing mysteries of the universe.  I also try to search and discover the true meaning and purpose of life.

I may have found some answers to secrets of life in the quotes below.  Read these and study the stats on today’s sports page, and you might stay busy until game time:

  • There are three types of baseball players: those who make it happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happens. ~Tommy Lasorda
  • Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher I ever saw. He always pitches when the other team doesn’t score any runs. ~ Tim McCarver
  • Ninety percent of this game is half mental. ~ Yogi Berra
  • There are two theories on hitting the knuckleball. Unfortunately, neither one of them works. ~Charlie Lau
  • The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then to pick it up. ~ Bob Uecker
  • I watch a lot of baseball on radio. ~ President Gerald Ford
  • I can remember a sports writer asking me for a quote and I didn’t know what a quote was.  I thought it was some kind of soft drink.                ~Joe DiMaggio

Here’s one final quote to illustrate the lack of sophistication in those who don’t love the game:  “The baseball mania has run its course. It has no future as a professional endeavor (Cincinnati Gazette editorial, 1879).”

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

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mlb-postseason-2015Baseball!  Some people love the game while others hate it.  I’ve always enjoyed this game played by the boys of Summer; the game known as America’s pastime; and, the game that makes front page news each October.

Baseball is more than an umpire calling balls and strikes over a span of 9 innings that consists of 162 games per team for a cumulative total of 2430 games played–plus the Championship Series and World Series games.  Throughout the season, the players will use some 16,500 bats and 157,950 baseballs.

But the story of baseball is more than the consumption of bats and baseballs.  It is a centuries old legacy of Dads reverting to childhood antics as he takes his kids to ball diamonds to cheer on his favorite team.

And, what’s a game without the mustard and ketchup coated and much revered round steak in a bun–the hot dog?  In 2014, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) estimated that fans would eat a whopping 21,357,316 hot dogs and 5,508,887 sausages during the MLB season.  That’s enough hot dogs to stretch from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to Wrigley Field in Chicago.

I think I just heard the ump shout, “Play ball,” so I have to go, but to help you reminisce, I’m sharing a chart below that’s a record of the World Series winners.

MLB World Series Winners
SEASON WINNER LOSER SERIES
2014 San Francisco Giants Kansas City Royals 4-3
2013 Boston Red Sox St. Louis Cardinals 4-2
2012 San Francisco Giants Detroit Tigers 4-0
2011 St. Louis Cardinals Texas Rangers 4-3
2010 San Francisco Giants Texas Rangers 4-1
2009 New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies 4-2
2008 Philadelphia Phillies Tampa Bay Rays 4-1
2007 Boston Red Sox Colorado Rockies 4-0
2006 St. Louis Cardinals Detroit Tigers 4-1
2005 Chicago White Sox Houston Astros 4-0
2004 Boston Red Sox St. Louis Cardinals 4-0
2003 Florida Marlins New York Yankees 4-2
2002 Anaheim Angels San Francisco Giants 4-3
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks New York Yankees 4-3
2000 New York Yankees New York Mets 4-1
1999 New York Yankees Atlanta Braves 4-0
1998 New York Yankees San Diego Padres 4-0
1997 Florida Marlins Cleveland Indians 4-3
1996 New York Yankees Atlanta Braves 4-2
1995 Atlanta Braves Cleveland Indians 4-2
1993 Toronto Blue Jays Philadelphia Phillies 4-2
1992 Toronto Blue Jays Atlanta Braves 4-2
1991 Minnesota Twins Atlanta Braves 4-3
1990 Cincinnati Reds Oakland Athletics 4-0
1989 Oakland Athletics San Francisco Giants 4-0
1988 Los Angeles Dodgers Oakland Athletics 4-1
1987 Minnesota Twins St. Louis Cardinals 4-3
1986 New York Mets Boston Red Sox 4-3
1985 Kansas City Royals St. Louis Cardinals 4-3
1984 Detroit Tigers San Diego Padres 4-1
1983 Baltimore Orioles Philadelphia Phillies 4-1
1982 St. Louis Cardinals Milwaukee Brewers 4-3
1981 Los Angeles Dodgers New York Yankees 4-2
1980 Philadelphia Phillies Kansas City Royals 4-2
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates Baltimore Orioles 4-3
1978 New York Yankees Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2
1977 New York Yankees Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2
1976 Cincinnati Reds New York Yankees 4-0
1975 Cincinnati Reds Boston Red Sox 4-3
1974 Oakland Athletics Los Angeles Dodgers 4-1
1973 Oakland Athletics New York Mets 4-3
1972 Oakland Athletics Cincinnati Reds 4-3
1971 Pittsburgh Pirates Baltimore Orioles 4-3
1970 Baltimore Orioles Cincinnati Reds 4-1
1969 New York Mets Baltimore Orioles 4-1
1968 Detroit Tigers St. Louis Cardinals 4-3
1967 St. Louis Cardinals Boston Red Sox 4-3
1966 Baltimore Orioles Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers Minnesota Twins 4-3
1964 St. Louis Cardinals New York Yankees 4-3
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers New York Yankees 4-0
1962 New York Yankees San Francisco Giants 4-3
1961 New York Yankees Cincinnati Reds 4-1
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates New York Yankees 4-3
1959 Los Angeles Dodgers Chicago White Sox 4-2
1958 New York Yankees Milwaukee Braves 4-3
1957 Milwaukee Braves New York Yankees 4-3
1956 New York Yankees Brooklyn Dodgers 4-3
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers New York Yankees 4-3
1954 New York Giants Cleveland Indians 4-0
1953 New York Yankees Brooklyn Dodgers 4-2
1952 New York Yankees Brooklyn Dodgers 4-3
1951 New York Yankees New York Giants 4-2
1950 New York Yankees Philadelphia Phillies 4-0
1949 New York Yankees Brooklyn Dodgers 4-1
1948 Cleveland Indians Boston Braves 4-2
1947 New York Yankees Brooklyn Dodgers 4-3
1946 St. Louis Cardinals Boston Red Sox 4-3
1945 Detroit Tigers Chicago Cubs 4-3
1944 St. Louis Cardinals St. Louis Browns 4-2
1943 New York Yankees St. Louis Cardinals 4-1
1942 St. Louis Cardinals New York Yankees 4-1
1941 New York Yankees Brooklyn Dodgers 4-1
1940 Cincinnati Reds Detroit Tigers 4-3
1939 New York Yankees Cincinnati Reds 4-0
1938 New York Yankees Chicago Cubs 4-0
1937 New York Yankees New York Giants 4-1
1936 New York Yankees New York Giants 4-2
1935 Detroit Tigers Chicago Cubs 4-2
1934 St. Louis Cardinals Detroit Tigers 4-3
1933 New York Giants Washington Senators 4-1
1932 New York Yankees Chicago Cubs 4-0
1931 St. Louis Cardinals Philadelphia Athletics 4-3
1930 Philadelphia Athletics St. Louis Cardinals 4-2
1929 Philadelphia Athletics Chicago Cubs 4-1
1928 New York Yankees St. Louis Cardinals 4-0
1927 New York Yankees Pittsburgh Pirates 4-0
1926 St. Louis Cardinals New York Yankees 4-3
1925 Pittsburgh Pirates Washington Senators 4-3
1924 Washington Senators New York Giants 4-3
1923 New York Yankees New York Giants 4-2
1922 New York Giants New York Yankees 4-0
1921 New York Giants New York Yankees 5-3
1920 Cleveland Indians Brooklyn Robins 5-2
1919 Cincinnati Reds Chicago White Sox 5-3
1918 Boston Red Sox Chicago Cubs 4-2
1917 Chicago White Sox New York Giants 4-2
1916 Boston Red Sox Brooklyn Robins 4-1
1915 Boston Red Sox Philadelphia Phillies 4-1
1914 Boston Braves Philadelphia Athletics 4-0
1913 Philadelphia Athletics New York Giants 4-1
1912 Boston Red Sox New York Giants 4-3
1911 Philadelphia Athletics New York Giants 4-2
1910 Philadelphia Athletics Chicago Cubs 4-1
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates Detroit Tigers 4-3
1908 Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers 4-1
1907 Chicago Cubs Detroit Tigers 4-0
1906 Chicago White Sox Chicago Cubs 4-2
1905 New York Giants Philadelphia Athletics 4-1
1903 Boston Americans Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3