Worthy Words

I read that It takes an oyster somewhere from three to six years to create a perfect pearl. It all starts with a small piece of sand or some other kind of irritant entering the oyster. The oyster then coats it with layers of an iridescent inorganic composite material called nacre which, after years of this process, we come to know as a pearl, like we see on necklaces in jewelry stores. Like the sand in an oyster, God uses a little irritation in our life to create beauty. A friend once told me that he never prayed for his children to be happy. For if they were always happy, he said how would they ever develop character and experience personal growth? Going through irritating times is not pleasant. ”Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Note that these words from James 1:2-4 do not ...

I had a two hour conversation with a not so run-of-the-mill homeless man this week. As he spoke about his life he made this statement, "Problems are messages." Think about it. A health problem — even a minor one — is a message that you're not taking proper care of yourself. A financial problem is a hint that you're not managing well the resources God has given you, or that you're not properly prepared for the inevitable rainy days of life. Tension in a relationship tells you that, perhaps, you're being too demanding, or too selfish, or too insensitive in this moment. Problems are often messages from God. The good Lord uses them to shine light on the things we are doing in conflict with his Word, things which hurt ourselves and hurt others. However, problems are more than just messages. You can also consider each problem to be an implied assignment from God. When difficulties get in your way, you can be sure that God is challenging you to do something a...

Well baseball fans our Texas Rangers are entering their first week of Spring Training. It won’t be long now until opening day. Hope their year will be as good as or better than last. We can only hope. With that in mind here is a bit baseball trivia for you to consider. Cornelius McGillicuddy better know as Connie Mack (1862-1956) was an American League professional baseball player, manager and team owner. His is the longest serving Major League manager in baseball history. He managed the Philadelphia Athletics for 50 yrs retiring at age 87 in 1950. He holds records for the most wins and the most losses. He has the third most World Series titles at five and ranks second all time with nine American League pennants. Under his management his club finished in last place 17 times. Cornelius like many of us had his dramatic highs and lows. On his mind and in is heart was the love of baseball. He was quoted as saying; "No matter what I talk about, I always get back to baseball." ...

"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon — instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today." Dale Carnegie’s words hit too close to home. How many times have I missed today to busy looking at yesterday and tomorrow? When Paul said, "Now is the day of salvation," his words were not addressed to the lost. He was writing to believers — "fellow workers," as he called them in verse 1 — reminding them of their mission, of the price Jesus had paid for their sins, of the new life that was theirs in Christ. The apostle urges them not to wait a moment longer to begin living life to the fullest. "Be reconciled to God," he said to his fellow workers. "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."   The same can be said to you and me. Jordin Sparks of American Idol fame sang these lyrics...

The NFL season has come down to one final game—The Super Bowl. For a total of 32 professional teams it has now come down to the final two. During the season these teams battle for this event that culminates in who is good enough to win-out. In football, if you’re good, chances are better than 90% that you’ll finish the season with a loss. Each year in the NFL, 12 teams make the playoffs, but only one wins the championship. Champions spend the offseason reveling in glory and reliving the victory. The other 11 teams often spend the offseason rehashing the mistakes and reliving the disappointment or, at least, trying not to. It’s actually different for the not-so-good teams. They had time to come to grips with their mediocrity. Midway through the season, most of them knew (Dallas) this wouldn’t be their year. But the teams that make it to the post season keep their hopes alive until that final loss. And it's often a last-minute, heart-breaking loss, like the Jets experienced this...

When you watch TV these days — especially when you watch a game — you see more and more commercials for High Definition TV. I saw one last night several times that included a simulated picture showing how clear, how crisp, how amazing is this new technology by using people to represent the individual color pixels that are vividly displayed. The problem is that the simulated picture is still being broadcast through my old 36 inch TV in my bedroom. There's no way I'll ever have a clear idea of what HDTV is if my only point of reference is this old box. But if I go into my living room where my 35 inch HDTV sits I see how real and vivid the picture is, why you can see the skin pores on the athlete’s face. The same can be said for salvation. Those who have never experienced a personal relationship with Christ have a hard time understanding us sometimes. We talk of experiencing God's peace, having assurance of his love, feeling his presence, knowing his will — this is new techno...

Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in silver baskets.” The following came to me by email. I’m not aware of its original author. They are truisms that might serve to encourage you today. Read them and try to understand their deeper meaning. They serve as reminders that living life is seeing the glass half full. 1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; it is a "steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life. 2] Do you know why a car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and move on. 3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write. 4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either. 5] Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you...