Edify and Encourage

My friend Monica recently sent me an email that was meant to encourage me. Monica is wonderful at offering encouragement, and she is pretty awesome at edification, too. I got her permission to use the message in the blog. As you read the following, notice how encouragement and edification produce joy!

I brought your heart situation to my Sunday school class and this evening to my choir for prayer. There are a lot of people who really know how to pray there.

Meanwhile I'm having an inordinate amount of fun with the bass guitar. Today Ken, the music minister who plays 7 or 10 instruments, pronounced that I'm doing fabulously! However, reality check; when I was buying the guitar and the amp, the people in the store who *really* know how to play, and how to set the amps for their playing, really did play wonderfully. The first amp I considered was too much for me; a matter of technique, it showed up everything especially the treble. The second one I can damp down more and besides it sounds almost mellow instead of  real brassy or bright, which is more 'me' anyway. Then this evening I was a tad early to ladies ensemble (singers) and Ken was playing his electric guitar (I have never seen him with one, wonder if it's new, will ask tomorrow). He put in a CD and was playing to it; wow, wow is all I can say. It was extremely interesting to realize the patterns he was overlaying. Not merely accompanying. It was amazing, solo work. And yet he encourages me for my progress, without a hint of 'good for merely a few months' but instead 'really good'. Diehl's mother, the church organist who was *extremely* talented, used to say when she listened to her LP records of E. Power Biggs playing Bach, she felt as though she should just cut off her fingers, since she'd never be able to attain his level, the level she could hear and understand. So I am going to continue on and keep learning, even though I'm certainly no master at this. Such a blessing. Today at the bluegrass rehearsal, while we were eating beforehand, I said that I could still hardly take in that I am allowed to do this! And Ken said that's the way he feels, it's such a privilege for him to do all the music.

This evening Pastor Joel talked about Joy, and how the Spirit moves where He will, and that we cannot through willpower make ourselves full of joy, and that yet we are commanded to be filled with joy, to rejoice, and again I say rejoice! Because our God is worth everything. What a privilege to be His! You are one of the people I have met who just bubble over with joy of and in the Lord. I know that doesn't mean you don't have concerns about yourself and those you love, but your bubbly witness is a great encouragement.

Blessings
Monica

Monica so often hits the nail right on the head and she causes me to be humbled and excited when she accurately says: “What a privilege to be His!”

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Thank You, God!

A big "thank you" to everybody that sent birthday wishes to me over the past few days. There were phone calls, emails, Facebook postings, Skype video conferencing, cards via snail-mail, and even a few birthday hugs.

I had an amazing birthday.

My great friend, Ray Rizo, surprised me by stopping by with a pizza for lunch. We shared it over a Netflix movie (The Kingdom). Wow! The Kingdom is a powerful story of our time, grabs you with the intensity of its action, draws you in with the humanity of its characters, and will haunt you with the irony of its ending. Ray and I agreed that the movie gave us a lot to consider. In the end, the message of Jesus is as valid (and desperately needed) today as it was when he first taught it to his disciples over 2,000 years ago: “Love one another.” See the movie, and see if you don’t agree.

In the late afternoon, I had an appointment with my good friend Dr. Jason Baietto. Jason is a brother in Christ, and a Wellness Chiropractor helping people balance their bodies through gentle chiropractic and balance their lives through fitness, nutrition, and stress management. I always feel some improvement when I visit Jason, but today was truly special. As Jason was adjusting my neck and spine, he held my neck in his hands and prayed over me. The peace and the comfort that flowed from the warmth of his heart, through his hands, and into my body was overwhelming!

I also got a bunch of snail-mail cards that actually arrived on my birthday. One was from my daughter, Jennifer, and my grandson, Jeffrey. Later, while on Skype with them, I held the card up to the camera and asked who drew the pictures on the card. Jeffrey brightened right up and proclaimed: “I drew that, Pop-pop!” Nothing will melt your heart faster than a grandchild, who is not quite 3, sing “Happy Birthday” to you.

My youngest daughter Wendy helped Patti put on a big spaghetti dinner (with meatballs). Patti and I have been married for almost 40 years (June 2011), so put in a good word for her when the Sainthood nominating committee comes around. She must be a saint... putting up with me for this long! There was cake (with candles), and a few surprise presents. We topped off the evening by teaching my son-in-law, Adam, how to play Hearts; the newbie beat all us old pros! Isn’t that typical?!?

God’s blessings continue to be the best gifts of all... I just need to open my eyes, and I am surrounded by riches and joy. Thank you, God!

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Anchored or Propelled?

Uplifting stories have a way of making the rounds… generation after generation. The following story is a popular Facebook post these days. I first saw it over 40 years ago, but some evidence indicates that this story of unknown origin may have originated hundreds of years ago.

A man walking by a construction site sees three men laying brinks. He says to the first one, “Whatcha doin?” and the guy says: “Geeze… I’m laying bricks, what does it look like?"

Then he asks the second guy, "Whatcha doin'?" and that guy says: "I'm working; I've got bills to pay. Scram!"

Finally, he asks the third guy, “Whatcha doin?” and the worker stops, looks up, looks around, smiles, and says: “I’m building a cathedral.”

While researching the origins of this story, I found a huge number of people that spent a lot of time, and many words, explaining its deeper meaning. Like the story itself, its meaning seems absurdly simple to me. Do you see yourself anchored to the perceived reality of menial tasks? Are you tied to the realities of the world… just getting by? Or are you propelled by a vision… do you see the bigger picture of what you do… of who you are… and of how you fit into God’s plan?

Take a minute, and ask yourself: What am I building for God’s kingdom? What vision propels me?

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Do-It-Yourself

All I wanted to do was install a new faucet in the bathroom. It sure sounded easy from the description on the side of the new fixture. You’d think that by now, I’d have learned my lesson with plumbing… that it is always best left to the professionals! There is a plumbing maxim that has applied to every plumbing project (and most other home improvement projects, too): Any project will require at least 3 trips to the hardware store.

This project was no different. It seems that it’s impossible to replace just the faucet. Anything I touched… even just in passing… either broke, or started to leak in ways I had never seen before. Before I was done, the pressure fittings at the wall had to be replaced; the shut-off valves, the feed hoses, and the drain, too!

Who knew that grime, crud, and corrosion could be so structural?!?

Aren’t our lives like that, too? When we neglect our spiritual lives, grime, crud, and corrosion builds up. We don’t really notice it until we try to do something about it. But since we are unable to fix our own spiritual problems, all we do is make things worse… our lives seem to spring leaks everywhere. It sure seems easier to not disturb the grime and corrosion… even if our spiritual water pressure is close to zero.

Jesus doesn’t want to scrape the grime, crud, and corrosion off your heart. He doesn’t want to make you spring all kinds of new leaks in your life. If you call him, he won’t fix your heart, he will give you a new heart. A new heart with strong couplings, and connected to the water of life.

You’d think that you might not be able to afford God’s help. The good news is that Jesus has already paid your bill. Besides giving you a new heart, and connecting you to the water of life, he will also connect you in fellowship with others.

So call Him today, and then come connect with us on Sunday… or any other day, for that matter.

Your brother in Christ,

Dave

Still

I'm dying. Well, not right away, but eventually. We all are. It comes with being human... once we are born, we start dying. Most of us don't live our lives like we were dying, though; we live our lives as though we expect to live forever.

I've been struggling with a health issue for months now. The doctors are all stumped. All the poking, prodding, measuring, testing, and other indignities they have put me through have yielded exactly zero information as to the cause of why I often feel like I'm about to pass out when I'm walking. It doesn't happen at any other time, or in any other situation... just walking... and it doesn't happen all the time. Usually, when it occurs, I just stop for a few seconds, the feeling passes, and then I continue on. There seems to be no discernable pattern or trigger. Sometimes I'll go for days without an occurrence; other times it happens with frightening regularity.

Now, at my age, I don’t care too much about being an athlete, but I would like to be able to play with my grandson, walk across our church campus, or even walk around the block… without worrying about passing out. There must be a lesson in all this for me. There is probably a lesson to the doctors, too. I just hope they figure out what their lesson is before I bump up against an expiration date.

I’ve prayed for years to be set free from gardening. My wife loves to garden, which happens to mean that she expects ME to cut, and prune, and weed, and dig, too. “Be careful what you pray for, as you just might get it.” Remember that old saying? Recently, I’ve been released from many of the yard work chores, but it’s not the sweet victory I had envisioned. Right now, I’d be happy to trade this mystery ailment for a continued lifetime of gardening and yard work.

Truly, you feel in bondage with something like this. I never know when I will feel its lash. I carry the weight and the burden of it, and it has robbed me of my freedom. Its random (but ever increasing) attacks are both disturbing and frightening. Each time I am attacked, I cry out to God to literally hold me up. He does, and… I continue on.

This week, while searching for something else, I bumped into this beautiful and powerful song by Reuben Morgan that helped me lose some of the anxiety I’d been feeling lately. There was instant recognition when I first heard this song, as these were the words my heart had been singing for months… OK, so perhaps not in quite so beautifully a poetic fashion… but close. [; )]

Still
by Hillsong United
Words and Music by Reuben Morgan

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
Within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

How are you under attack? Is it something physical, like me? Is it pressure with family? Are you under stress at work? Is school overwhelming? Is there an addiction that never ceases to torment you? In all these things, and more, the words of the song resonate with me:

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

I hope you enjoy hearing the song on the embedded video.



Your brother in Christ,

Dave