LifeChurch

According to FOX Sports coverage of the 2004 ALCS on Oct. 2004, Drew Zahn wrote that Schilling gave all the glory to God.  Here is what happened.

In the first game of the best-of-seven, 2004 American League Championship Series between baseball’s New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, Boston’s ace pitcher Curt Schilling was in pain.  An ankle injury kept him from being able to plant his foot and throw the ball with his usual skill.  Schilling was removed from the game after allowing six runs in just three innings.  Teammates feared Schilling’s injury would end his season and their hopes to get to the World Series.

But in the sixth game against the Yankees, Schilling surprisingly took the mound again. Facing elimination if they lost, the Red Sox watched Schilling throw an amazing seven innings in which he only gave up four hits and one run.  Every time the TV camera focused on Schilling’s ankle, viewers could see blood seep through his sock.  Doctors had stitched his ankle tendon into place to allow him to pitch.  The Red Sox won the game, and afterwards a FOX Sports reporter asked him about his performance.

Schilling answered, “Seven years ago I became a Christian, and tonight God did something amazing for me.  I tried to be as tough as I could, and do it my way Game 1, and I think we all saw how that turned out.  Tonight it was all God.  I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to do this alone.  And I prayed as hard as I could.  I didn’t pray to get a win or to make great pitches.  I just prayed for the strength to go out there tonight and compete, and he gave me that.  I can’t explain to you what a feeling it was to be out there and to feel what I felt.”

God cares more of our faithfulness than fruitfulness.  I remember Jesus said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  It is clear Jesus wants us to stay put with Him.  Abide in Him and He will bear fruit.  Be faithful in what you do this week regardless how insignificant it may seems to you.  This is something I needed to hear, too.

Have a great week!

His name was Paul.  He lived in a small town in the Pacific Northwest many years ago.  He was just a little boy when his family became the proud owners of one of the first telephones in the neighborhood.  It was one of those wooden boxes attached to the wall with the shiny receiver hanging on the side of the box and the mouthpiece attached to the front.  Young Paul listened with fascination as his mom and dad used the phone.  He discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device called a telephone lived an amazing person.

Her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know. “Information Please” could supply anybody’s number and the correct time!  Paul ‘s first personal experience with “Information Please” came one day when he was home alone and he whacked his finger with a hammer.  The pain was terrible and he didn’t know what to do.  Then he thought of the telephone.  Quickly, he pulled a footstool up to the phone, climbed up,
unhooked the receiver, held it to his ear and said: “Information Please” into the mouthpiece. There was a click or two and then a small clear voice spoke: “Information.”  “I hurt my finger,” Paul wailed into the phone.  “Isn’t your mother home?”  “Nobody’s home but me,” Paul cried. “Are you bleeding?”  “No,” Paul said.  “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.”  “Can you open your ice-box?”  “Yes.”  “Then go get some ice and hold it to your finger.”  Paul did and it helped a lot.

After that Paul called “Information Please” for everything.  She helped him with his geography and his math.  She taught him how to spell the word “fix.”  She told him what to feed his pet chipmunk.  And then when Paul’s pet canary died, she listened to his grief tenderly and then said: “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.”  Somehow that helped and Paul felt better.

When Paul was nine years old, he moved with his family to Boston and as the years passed he missed “Information Please” very much.  Some years later as Paul was on his way out west to go to college, his plane landed in Seattle.  He dialed his hometown operator and said, “Information Please.”  Miraculously, he heard that same small clear voice that he knew so well.  “Information.”  Paul hadn’t planned this, but suddenly he blurted out:  “Could you please tell me how to spell the word “fix?”  There was a long pause.  Then came the soft answer:  “I guess your finger must be all healed by now.”  Paul laughed.  “So it’s really still you.  Do you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time when I was a little boy?”  “I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me! I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls so much.”

Paul told her how much he had missed her over the years and asked her if he could call her again when he was back in the area.  “Please do,” she said, “just ask for Sally.”  Three months later, Paul was back in Seattle.  This time a different voice answered.  He asked for Sally.  “Are you a friend?” the operator asked.  “Yes, a very old friend.”  Paul answered.  “Well, I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said.  “Sally had been working part time the last few years because she was sick.  She died 5 weeks ago.”  Before he could hang up, the operator said: “Wait a minute.  Did you say your name was Paul?”  “Yes.”  “Well, Sally left a message for you.  She wrote it down in case you called.  Let me read it to you.  It says: ‘When Paul calls, tell him that I still say: there are other worlds to sing in.’  He will know what I mean.”  Paul thanked her and hung up and he did know what Sally meant.

“There are other worlds to sing in.”  Isn’t that a beautiful and powerful thought?  When Jesus said we must be born again, He meant that there is a life after this life.  However we can taste the new life here on earth when we are born from above (born in God’s grace through Jesus Christ).  Don’t let anything keep you down because there are other worlds to sing in.

Have a blessed week!

During the time British colonized India, many people died by venomous cobra in Delhi.  In order to solve this problem, the government offered a bounty for every dead cobra head.  It seemed to work well at the beginning as many cobra heads were brought for the reward.  However, instead of number of cobra brought were deceasing, the number increased due to people bred cobra for income and thus, the number never decreased.

The government found this out and the reward problem stopped.  As a result, the breeders released worthless cobras and as a result, the cobra population increased than before this program began.

The term, “cobra effect” stemmed from this incident which refers to an attempted solution to a problem actually makes the problem worse.  Though this term is used in economy and politics, it is applicable in all aspect of life.

Proverbs 21:5 says, “The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.” (NIV)  I am sure all of us have experienced a hasty decision or action of ours that flared the problem bigger.  So before you start, ponder, plan and PRAY plenty.

Have a wonderful week!

The little boy was afraid of the dentist, so his dad decided to set the example and have his teeth clean, too.   The dentist looked inside the father’s mouth & said, “There’s a tooth there that has to be pulled.”

The father asked, “How much will it cost?”  The dentist answered, “We charge $250 a tooth.”

Then the father asked, “How long will it take to actually pull the tooth?”  The dentist answered, “bout a minute.”

The father protested, “I get paid by the hour, and when I think of paying $250 for a minute’s work, that is a terribly high hourly wage.”

“Well,” the dentist said, “I can pull the tooth more slowly if you like.”

As a pastor, I have heard many Christians complaining about their pastors and there are some who complained about me in my face, too.  It seems some people wonder what do pastors do all week since he preaches only 30 minutes long sermon (in an average) on Sunday.  After reading the story about the dentist, I am so tempted to respond like he did the next time someone asks and say, “Should I preach all that I have spent time reading, studying, exegeting, praying, meditating, listening, and researching for a sermon?”

Maybe this blog is for pastors only.  LOL!

Have a blessed week!

Pastor Loren

There is a story of a beggar who was sitting across the street from an artist’s studio.   The artist saw him and thought he would make an interesting portrait study so from a distance he painted the defeated man whose shoulders drooped, and whose eyes were downcast and sad.   When he was finished, he took the portrait over to the beggar so he could look at it.

“Who is that?” the beggar questioned.   The painting bore a slight resemblance to himself, but in the painting before him he saw a person of dignity, with squared shoulders and bright uplifted eyes, almost handsome!  He asked the artist, “Is that me?  I don’t look like that.”

But the artist replied, “but that is the person I see in you.”

Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  We are delight to God’s eyes regardless how you look, what you go through, or where you are.   However, it is a greater pleasure to God when we walk in faith for we cannot please Him without faith (Heb. 11:6).  So lift up your head, straighten your shoulder, and take a deep breath and say, “I am worth it!”

See the picture God had painted of your life on canvas called John 10:10b, “I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Have a wonderful weekend!

Many years ago, a preacher was passing through farm country on horseback when he stopped to watch a strange old farmer plowing his field.  The single mule he had hitched to his plow, had blinders on.  That wasn’t a strange thing, but the strange thing was what the farmer was yelling.

He yelled, “Giddyap Pete!  Giddyap Herb!  Giddyap Bill!  Giddyap, Jeb!”

The preacher watched this go on for a while until his curiosity got the best of him.  Finally, he asked the farmer, “How many names does that old mule have?”

The farmer smiled and said, “Just one.  His name is Pete.”

“Well, why do you keep calling out all those names then?” the preacher asked.

The farmer said, “It’s like this, preacher—if this ole Pete knew he was doing all this work by himself, he wouldn’t do a thing.  But if he thinks he’s got three other mules working along side of him, he does it all by himself without complaining.”

I wonder if that’s how we feel, too.  We feel better and have greater motivation when all of us do it “together”.  No wonder we find the word “together” over 400 times in the Bible.  Let’s serve the Lord TOGETHER!

Have a great weekend!

An experienced barber wanted to pass on his skill so he took on an apprentice.  This young apprentice learned for 3 months and he thought he was ready.  So the mentor barber granted him to take on his 1st customer.

The young apprentice gave his best hair cut to the customer.  However, after looking at the finished hair cut, the customer wasn’t very happy and said, “Isn’t my hair still too long?”  The young apprentice didn’t know what to say.

The mentor barber smiled and said, “Sir, you look better with a bit longer hair than shorter.”  With that comment the customer was happy to hear that and left satisfied.

Now, the young apprentice took on the 2nd customer.  He, again, gave his best shot but the customer seemed not so thrilled about his hair cut.  So he said, “I think you trimmed my hair too short.”  The young barber didn’t know what to say again.

The mentor barber intervened in and said, “Sir, your hair looks better short because it makes you look more approachable and clean.”  With that comment, the customer left happy and satisfied.

The young barber took on the 3rd customer.  This time he kept in mind what happened with his two other customers and gave his another best shot.  This time the customer was very satisfied with his hair cut and said, “Young man, you did a great job in such a short time.  I am impressed!”

The young barber didn’t know what to say even when a compliment was given and again, the mentor barber quickly replied, “We are aware that all our customers are busy and thus, every minute counts for us.  He gave his best in shortest amount of time for you”  and with that the customer left very satisfied.

When everyone gone, the mentor barber debriefed what happened.  He told the young barber, “There are two sides to every situation.  There are positive side as there are negative side.  You win some and lose some.  You can praise while reprimand.  Today, I was pleasing the customers while teaching you.”

I am reminded of how powerful words can be when it is given at right time, to right person, and in right attitude.  Proverb 15:1 says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (NIV).

I wonder how my words are to people around me.  I hope and pray I speak in gentle and loving way.  God bless you my friends!

Years ago, CNN.com, Rubel Shelly wrote, “Man Begs Wife’s Forgiveness in $17,000 Ad.”  After 17 years of marriage, Marianne finally left Larry.  “It was a culmination of things,” said Larry.  “But I am desperately trying to save our marriage.”

Marianne left their home in Orlando, Florida, and went to her parents’ home in Jacksonville.  She changed her cell phone number so he couldn’t reach her.  Her parents blocked him from entering their gated community, so he sent her five-dozen roses.  His goal was to ask forgiveness, to plead for the chance for the two of them to work on their relationship.

When none of those actions brought any response from his estranged wife, Larry took out a full-page ad in the Florida Times-Union on January 25, 2005.  The ad read: “I can only hope you will give me the chance to prove my unending love for you. Life without you is empty and meaningless.”

The cost of a full-page ad meant that Larry sent Marianne a $17,000 apology.  A relative told Larry that his wife had seen the ad.  “She said my wife read the ad and started crying,” he said.  “But so far I’ve had no response from her.”

WOW… $17,000 apology and still no response.  About 2,000 years ago, there is a priceless ad that God placed on a hilltop just outside of Jerusalem.  Written in blood, the message says, “I love you and willing to forgive you of all your sins.  Thus, I have paid the price—I gave my Son, Jesus Christ.  Would you respond?”

If you have not respond to God’s love for you, please do so this week.  If you did, do remember as you go through this week and feel truly blessed!

God’s Devotional Book for Teens tells a story about a man named, David.

David was 12 when he convinced others that he was 16 and got hired as a lunch-counter waiter for 25 cents an hour.  The place was owned by two Greek immigrant brothers, Frank and George.  The owners set high standards and never asked anything of their employees that they wouldn’t do themselves.  Frank once told David, “As long as you try, you can always work for me.”  It meant giving all you got regardless what you are doing.

Once David notice Frank firing a waitress who was giving a customer a rough time.  David was determined to not let that happen to him.

The usual tip for waiter in those days was a dime, but David discovered that if he delivers a good service, quick deliver and politeness, he sometimes got a quarter.  And he did provide excellent services.

Today, R. David Thomas is better known as “Dave,” the founder of Wendy’s International, Inc., a chain of 4,300 restaurants.

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (NIV).  If this is our attitude, I believe this year would be a great year!  I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2).

Pastor Loren

Think of the disappointment the wise men must have experienced who through the
night had traveled many miles by camel to discover that the star had come to rest over a stable (Bible says Jesus was in a house).  But regardless whether it was house of stable, when they had followed a star, surely they were expecting a palace or perhaps a stately mansion.  Think how they must have felt.  Their vast disappointment as they look down from some nearby Judean hill and came to the realization that their destination was a stable/ house must have been shocking disappointment.

Following stars and finding a house/ stable is a common occurrence in human experience.  Who among us has not at some time in our life fixed our gaze on some high and lofty star only to find it leads to a mediocre house.  Was it like that for you last year?  Did you have lofty plans for 2014 which didn’t come true by the end of the year?  Does this disappointment deter you from setting more resolutions for 2015?  Don’t give up.

Those wise men may have been disappointed by where they found the King of kings, but they were able to witness the King, worshipped Him, and offered their precious gifts to Him.  May you respond the same way as the wise men when you encounter disappointing situations this year.  Let every opportunity be a time of worship, drawing closer to Him, and recommitting ourselves to Him.

Ezek. 40:4 says, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears and pay attention to everything I am going to show you, for that is why you have been brought here” (NIV).  I pray that this year would be special year for all of you.  May during this year, you would see, hear and experience what you have never witnessed before of God’s grace, mercy, faithfulness and power.

God bless you abundantly in this new year!