Reveration Blog
6/10/2009 0 Comments The LifterLast Saturday I bartered for a Sheltie puppy (5 cases of dehydrated food [MREs], two music stands and an old amplifier)! I brought the 10-week-old, tri-color pup home from Silverton, Oregon and he and Hero, our Lab puppy, are fast becoming best friends. Hero is about 55 pounds larger, but that does not seem to intimidate our newest addition—Saber. It is hilarious watching them joust and wrestle and playfully bite.
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10/21/2008 0 Comments The Lost Art of TrainingMeditation
Ephesians 4:11-13—And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. 1/13/2008 0 Comments ComfortersWinston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." Last week, the head of our food ministry terminated our operations. Nine people lost their jobs and The Road Home lost its office and meeting place. In one swift move, life took an unexpected detour! Why shut down a ministry which last year resulted in over 78 people putting their faith for the first time in Jesus, hundreds of families receiving food and free dental assistance plus prayer and encouragement? Better yet, why treat a ministry like a business and let the fear of lawsuits trump eternal investments? I felt like telling the owner, “When you die, you won’t stand before lawyers, you’ll stand before God, so lead accordingly!” But he was acting according to what he felt was right. He generously gave to help us move on. Rather than protest, it was nobler to pray and seek God’s leading.
9/1/2006 0 Comments AffirmationJenny stopped by to get food. I felt bad because I couldn’t remember her name. But she graciously dismissed my forgetfulness and explained that she was still without a job. I reassured her that we were glad to again be able to help her and her five children. I’d invited Jenny to our fellowship many times so we could spiritually encourage her but for multiple reasons she had not come. This time I shared with her that she was a remarkable woman and that many people had come to get food from us as a result of her seeing their need and encouraging them to come. I told her that she was highly regarded in the neighborhood and that I was disappointed she had not come to our Saturday evening gatherings, not because she was missing us but rather we were missing her.
11/4/2003 0 Comments EncouragementThomas Carlyle (1795-1881), a British historian and essayist, once said, “Tell a man he is brave, and you help him to become so.” His words amplify the word encourage which means to impart courage, to fill with hope, and instill confidence. George Adams wrote, “Encouragement is oxygen to the soul.” I remember coming around the track in the mile relay and hearing the cheers of the crowd. Their voices and the steady clapping of their hands inspired me to run my fastest to win. It is no secret why the home team has the advantage. Adoring fans provide motivational energy athletes harness to succeed.
3/22/1999 0 Comments MissionariesHow radical are you willing to be when it comes to supporting missionaries? It’s nice to have an annual missions week in the church. It feels good to send a check periodically to those laboring overseas. But do you honestly understand what those you know as missionaries experience on a daily basis? Do you know what it means to leave your home country and live in a strange culture among people who speak a foreign language, eat different foods, and relate to one another with a different set of mores? Do you know what it is like to be deeply homesick, constantly vulnerable and very inadequate?
12/2/1997 0 Comments VisionLast week, I came home one night with a sour attitude. I suspect I was not alone. What was unusual about this occasion was that I actually contemplated what had put me in such a funk. Actually, the answer was quite simple. A very negative person cornered me and orally festered in the presence of others for thirty minutes venom towards a coworker he despised. I could not get away fast enough. In truth, I was infected. My cheery spirit was trampled by a bitter person’s slander. I thought of how one bad apple can ruin a barrel of good apples. That analogy made good sense.
12/2/1997 0 Comments SarcasmThe furnace of character development is heated for many by speech. Growing up, I was the butt of “short-people” jokes. Remember the song that came out in the ‘80’s making fun of short people?—“short people got no reason to live.” Unfortunately, I learned early on that an effective defense against cutting remarks was the use of sarcasm. A witty putdown can become an art-form. It feels good to sting the stinger. But does it really?
6/10/1997 0 Comments Useful |
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles