""Be watchful..."

Okay. So I decided that today would be the day that I ventured into the Revenue Office to license the van. One week into the month...middle of the day...should be in and out, right? Yeah, I know, I know.

So, I'm already anxious because I just don't like dealing with stuff I do not fully understand (like the Revenue Office - no offense Brenda). And, this trip is not cut and dry because I sold our Civic and need to get it off of our record.

My plan goes like clockwork: I walk in - no waiting (YES!). Saunter up to the Assessor - done (SWEET!). Take a number - called before I can sit down (WHO'S THE MAN!). Lay my offering of paperwork out on the mercy seat of "Tammy". Click click of the keyboard. Shuffle shuffle of the papers. Oh, the printer is firing up! I made it! I think I made it! Screeeeeeeeeech!--Red Light!

"Mr. Ashberry, I am not finding any record of the Honda."
"Huh?"
"This car is not in my database."
"Really?"
"Let me go check with my supervisor."

[While "Tammy" made a bee-line into her supervisor's office I paused to allow random thoughts of illegality to run rampant. See, this was my first private sale. I printed paperwork from some "official" website for the bill of sale, tried to navigate my way through signing the title upon transfer, yada yada. Have I messed this whole thing up!? All I could think now was that there is a poor young guy driving around in a Honda that he purchased illegally! He's going to get pulled over and arrested! And I am the fraudulent salesman!]

"Mr. Ashberry, you said the title was in your wife's name?"
"Yes, she has had the car since BEFORE WE WERE MARRIED." (threw that emphasis in there thinking they might let me go and nab Tressa - after all, it was HER car).
"What is her maiden name?" (Oh, wait a minute...)

Click click on the keyboard again...

"Here it is."

So anyway, got to thinking about this experience while driving away and knowing there had to be a lesson here somewhere.

In all of this process, even when "Tammy" was repeatedly saying that the Honda we had been driving and had registered for years did not exist, I kept my mouth shut, my patience in check, and my integrity intact. That was good...for Tammy, for me, and for anyone who might have been watching my example.

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. Proverbs 21:23

Who's watching you today?

2-Year Old Wisdom

"See 'da butterfly daddy?"
"No Jackson, that's a fly."
"No, dats a butterfly!"
"No, you know what a butterfly is. That's a fly."
"'DATS A BUTTERFLY!"

And so our conversation goes, as long as I will let it. Our son gets something stuck in his little 2-year old mind and there it becomes cemented. Most of the time these conversations are nothing more than him testing my patience...or consistency.

But other times I think he legitimately gets confused about the proper names for things. Then we can reason through (as much as is possible with a 2-year old) and come to the correct designation. I know my son and I know 2-year olds. While I don't remember being 2 years old myself I have been around a lot of 2-year olds and know their developmental process.

I wonder how God must feel sometimes with my reasoning. I mean, He has the same kind of conversation with me from time to time (not literally, of course, but through His word and to some extent through others around me).

I get something stuck in my mind - an attitude, a selfish desire, a rebellious intent - and there it becomes cemented.

God says, "That's not a good decision."
But I say, "No, it'll be okay."
Then God says, "You know what the right decision is because I have shown you through my Son and numerous other examples."
Then I become more stubborn and say, "NO, I don't want to change." And my little 2-year old comes out.

And yet, God chose to create us in His image. Praise God for that!

I am so thankful that God loves me and knows me inside out. After all, he made me.
God has not only been two years old (think about that one) but he has also been around a lot of 2-year olds and knows their developmental process.

Take a moment to read Psalm 8:1-9.

"Thank you, Lord, for your patience with me as I am reminded to trust you and your Holy Word."

Cover Up

I was thirsty. And tired. So, I needed something that would not only give me a boost but also quench my thirst. I put $1 in the machine, made my selection (Vault is the available drink of choice for these situations), and waited with great anticipation for the "ker-plunk" at the bottom of the machine.

Finally, it dropped and I pushed my hand through the maximum security door at the bottom of the machine. And you know what?

The machine dropped SPRITE! Someone put the wrong item in the wrong section!

I fully anticipated that a Vault would drop when I pushed the "Vault" button.

Shouldn't we expect the ingredients to match the label? Jesus does...

Jesus got so upset at a fig tree that was blooming (which for all intents and purposes indicates it is in fruit) because he found it to be barren of fruit. It wasn't what it professed to be. So he taught his disciples a lesson about hypocrisy and deceit. Mark 11:12-17

See, the religious leaders of Jesus' day professed to be men of God but in the end they were self-serving hypocrites.

What label are you wearing?

• Kind
  
• Patient
  
• Loving
  
• Honest
  
• Faithful
  
• Trustworthy
  

Does your label match your contents? What do people anticipate about you? Better yet, what does God expect of you?

What about you?

I am going to say a word and you tell me what is the first thing that comes to your mind. Okay, ready? Here it is...testify.

That's it...testify...or maybe testimony...or witness. What did you think of? A trial? Maybe someone who was up for a murder charge? Did you think of truth or evidence? Maybe you went negative and thought about the command to not bear false witness against someone?

In my fellowship I believe most everyone would first think of a court trial or some legal proceeding. I have never really heard "testifying" or "witnessing" in everyday language. But in the New Testament you find it used mostly in reference to telling someone about the good things God has done, is doing, or will do in your life. They were told to bear witness, to testify.

• Jesus told his disciples that they would be dragged before high officials to witness about him. Matthew 10:18

• John the Baptist came to bear witness about Jesus so others might believe in him.John 1:7

• There was a man who had been freed from an evil spirit to whom Jesus said, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you."

I think we spend too much time talking about how well our favorite team is doing and not near the time talking about what God is doing or has done in our lives. In Hebrews 10:12-13 the writer says to

"See to it brothers that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."

How can we encourage one another if we do not share how God is working in our lives?
How easy is it for someone's heart to be hardened towards God if Christians do not share how Christ has made a difference in their lives?

Witness, testify, whatever you want to call it today, Christians need to profess what the eternal God is doing and has done in their lives. When we don't then we rob God of his deserved glory.

A line to an old hymn we have sung for decades says:

If the name of the Savior is precious to you, if his care has been constant and tender and true, if the light of his presence has brightened your way, oh will you not tell of your gladness today?

Peter and John were called before some officials and ordered to stop talking about Jesus. They replied,

"Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help but speak about what we have seen and heard."
Acts 4:19-20

What about you?

It was at the bottom of the reminder.
Normally, I chunk a reminder into the trash because I have the info down in my Blackberry or in Outlook. So I don't need the reminder. But this one caught my eye (maybe because it was in a bright orange size 50+ font).

"Please be on time for your appointment..."

What did that mean? No, not the plea to be there at my scheduled time but the "..." Three dots...Standby...Keep reading. What did they want to draw attention to?

..."Late arrivals may have to be rescheduled for another day."

There it was. The disclaimer. If you miss your appointment don't expect us to work you in. Your out of luck.

Isn't that a little harsh? I mean, they are a doctor's office. They are supposed to be in the business of helping people. If I am a little late can't you just work me in? I wouldn't be here if I didn't want help.

That is the funny thing about rules and policies. They are only as good as the one responsible for upholding them.

Reminds me of a story:

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The thing about God's appointment is that there is no working you in on a more convenient day. That is one appointment that we will all have to keep.

Have you set your reminder?...

Lost & Found

People often take journeys to "find themselves." Jesus journeyed to find us. Those who were paying attention heard him express his purpose in several ways. John 4:34

Jesus' walk was a working journey. He knew his own identity. He understood his reason for being there. Jesus embarked upon a search and rescue mission when he came to earth. But it wasn't to find himself. We were the ones needing to be found. (Luke 19:10)

He found people like us everywhere he went. Those who walk with Jesus become those who work with him. Those who refuse to work with him find they cannot walk with him either.

If you want to "find" yourself you have to first find Jesus. (Mark 8:33-38)

Are you trying to find yourself?

"The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past. You can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches." author unknown

Spittin' Image

Have you ever wondered where some of our phraseology originated? I admit I have used phrases and slang whose origins at times have embarrassed me. I looked this one up. Seems like there is no clear winner as to the original meaning. Could be...might be...during this time was...seems to be the common answer. For me, this phrase has meant that one person so closely favors another, usually reserved for the close likeness to a relative. "He's the spittin image of his..."

Lately, I have heard that a lot about my daughter. "Boy, you couldn't deny that one!" "She looks just like her daddy!" Not something a teenage girl wants to hear but I don't think my 1 year old really cares. Isn't that the way life is supposed to work? Every seed reproducing after its kind? Shouldn't we expect two roses on a vine to look like they came from the same seed? Doesn't the tiger in our local zoo look like the one on the nature show? Can't you go into McDonalds in Florida and find the same heat lamp hamburger that is in Arkansas? (Okay, bad example but I am hungry right now).

God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26). That has deeper theological meaning than space here to discuss. But if we are made in the image of God why don't we look more like God? It's because we have gone under the knife. In an effort to be who WE want to be we have performed our own plastic surgery.

Instead of getting a tummy tuck on our selfish desires we have enhanced our pride. Instead of lifting our eyes up to see the needs of others we fat graft more waste in our lives than we have storage for. What we really need is to shed the makeup and let our true image show again - an image crafted by God.

My daughter may not grow to look as much like me as people think she does now, but I pray she continues to grow into the image of the one who made her.

Colossians 3:5-10