Day 261- An Un First

A friend of mine handed me a bag with a card a day or so ago. She said I should read the card before I looked into the bag or the contents of the bag would not make any sense. I followed her instructions.  The card explained that her family loved Alice in Wonderland. They celebrate un-birthdays there.  This was news to me.  So, the bag contained gifts for my family to celebrate an un-birthday.  The kids were in bed when I got home that night, so we celebrated our un-birthday today for my "first."  Celebrating un-birthdays is certainly a "first" for me since I've never heard of it before.

This was seriously sweet and thoughtful.  There were treats for the kids, a magazine for Laura, and a Dairy Queen gift card (speaking of sweet) that I decided was for me.  I may bring the family along to celebrate with an un-blizzard or something. I know it had to take some time to pick out different things that each family member would like.  How cool is that?

The family loved the un-birthday.  Hannah Grace and Laura knew about un-birthdays; Joel and I let them explain the idea to us.  Every family member loved the gifts and were excited to celebrate.  The un-birthday brought an unusual burst of joy into our home tonight.  Yay!!

The Christian life is meant to be a life of celebration.  I know that it is not just that, but it is meant to be at least that.  God gave the Israelites different feasts to celebrate and these were meant to be times of celebration. When was the last time you were exhorted in church to go have a celebration?  In Deuteronomy 14, the tithe was used to have a big party.  The Bible says in that chapter, "If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, ²⁵ then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. ²⁶ You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household."  How's that for a use for the tithe?

It is not simply that you are to throw a party.  The Bible says that we are to rejoice in Him.  Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!"  Of course, it's hard to rejoice when things are going south in your life, but Paul wrote that when he was in prison.  So, we can rejoice in the Lord at all times because He is the same at all times.  I sometimes wish that many believers knew how to celebrate a bit better. It has to be so much more than eating cake and drinking punch after church.  For the believer, God has forgiven us. God has adopted us. God has redeemed us.  God has made us citizens of heaven.  We really do have something worth partying about.

Why not cut loose a bit and really celebrate Jesus today.  He's so much more worthy than anything else in life that we might get really happy about.  The more we rejoice in Him and have joy in Him, the less pull the glamour of the world will have over us.

Celebrating the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Cards
2. Jesus is worth celebrating
3. Thoughtful friends

Day 260- A Stool First

I had several plans for a "first" today and they all fell through.  I decided not to do one so I could do another.  The last one did not work out and then it was too late to do the first one.  I was at church tonight wondering what my "first" would be.  Joel and I were turning off lights in the back of the church and he said, "Watch this, Dad."  We have a stool by the water fountain for the smaller people to use  to get a drink of water.  Joel got a running start and used the stool as a launching pad to jump up in the air. I thought to myself, "There's my 'first'."

Joel got a good running start and caught some decent air on his jump.  As I got ready to run (OK, not really run, but walk kind of fast), it occurred to me that this was probably not the wise thing to do.  What if the stool scoots out from under me?  What is I twist my ankle? What if I break mhy neck? I don't think Joel was concerned about this when he ran and jumped.  Running and jumping off of a stool when you are 10 is a different animal than when you have not done this in over 20 years. I'm pretty sure it's been longer than 20 years since I tried this.

Well, I decided to go for it in a subdued kind of way.  I sort of jogged/trotted/walked faster than normal up to the stool and jumped off.  It was not really a launching pad like Joel.  However, the stool did not slip out from under me and I did not break my neck so I counted this as a success.  It seemed to me I should give it one more try.  I did but did not really catch much more air than I did the first try.  Maybe just an inch or two.  Joel and I both thought it was fun. I do not think I will continue doing this as a spiritual discipline at church.  Rather, I will thank God that I did not get hurt and embarrassed.

What I thought about today's "first" was the importance of grabbing an opportunity when it comes.  I had a good opportunity early in the day, but I decided against it because of a different opportunity that I thought was going to happen but it did not.  It turned out that I had to risk life and limb to get a "first" because I did not take the ones that presented itself earlier.  OK, that is a bit dramatic, but you get the idea.

Sometimes we get opportunities to speak up for Jesus, pray with someone, share a Scripture, encourage someone, etc. but we think it will be a better opportunity later.  The later opportunities may never come.  I am learning to grab the opportunities that come along when they are here and not wait for something later.  The Bible says, "He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,

“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.” Sorry about the really bad apostrophe use there.

 

The point is that we need to make the most of the opportunities today and not wait for some opportunity that may or may not come tomorrow.  When those of us who are saved stand before the Lord, we will be glad for those opportunities to share and demonstrate God's love that we took and not so much for the ones that we intended to take.  Make the most of today for the glory of God!!

 

Glad the abundant life is today

Barry

 

3 things I thank God for today

1. Wisdom that I find through my brothers and sisters in Christ

2. Harmonious church business meetings

3. I did not break my neck

 

 

Day 259- A Fond Memories First

I was in Birmingham with a friend who was having surgery today. Before they took my friend to surgery, I noticed that his doc was wearing rubber boots that came up to his knees.  That may have been a "first."  I asked the nurse if they were expecting such a large amount of blood loss that the doc needed rubber boots.  She said, "Yes."  Then she said no but that this surgery would mean they got a lot of water on the floor.  Somehow, that was not terribly reassuring.  Afterwards, the doc said the surgery went "fabulous."

While my friend was in surgery, I was sitting in the waiting room with his wife and Dad.  His wife started asking me about my "first" for the day. I did not have one picked out so we got on our phones and started searching for interesting things to do near the hospital.  We found something called "Fond Memories Museum and Bookstore."  That sounded like something fun to do.  I went to the Fond Memories Museum and Bookstore for my "first."

The store/museum is located near downtown.  This part of town does not resemble our town. I'm not used to using a parking meter.  I parked and walked down the street.  The sign outside said Reed Books. That's really a nice play on words for a bookstore that I assume is owned by Jim Reed. He is the main guy there anyway.  The website says, "Jim, a popular inspirational columnist and gentle gothic humorist, has authored several books, including DAD'S TWEED COAT: SMALL WISDOMS HIDDEN COMFORTS UNEXPECTED JOYS.

When I went in, I was greeted warmly by Jim. I did not know it was him because I had not visited the website yet, but I assumed it was.  He said this was the center of the universe.  I replied that I had always wanted to go to the center of the universe.  There is a place in South La. that's called the end of of the world.  It seems that the center of the universe and the end of the world are not that far apart. Actually, I would think God's throne is probably the center of the universe.

I looked around for a while.  It is mostly a bookstore of old and rare books. This man has a lot of books.  It would have been more fun if I had more time to look at the books and talk to Jim.  If I had known the website touted him as a popular inspirational columnist and gentle gothic humorist, I might have tried to talk a bit to him.  As it was, I ventured around the store and saw a ton of books on just about every subject imaginable.  There were things like old copies of Life magazine, pictures of cultural icons, pictures of old political campaign posters, a big Santa Claus figurine, old classic children's books, and things like that. 

 As I looked around at all those old books, I was reminded that there is one book above all others.  While I would love to read many of the books in his bookstore, there is no book like the Bible.  If I'm not careful, I will read books about the Bible instead of reading the Bible. Reading books about the Bible is not the same as reading the Bible.  Talking about how the Bible is true is not the same as reading the Bible.  Talking about how much people ought to believe the Bible is not the same as reading the Bible.  Even reading the Bible is not the same as obeying what God says in the
Bible and embracing His promises in the Bible by faith.

I loved the old bookstore.  I love God's old book much more. It tells me about Jesus.  God tells us what He's like and what He likes in the old book.  May the old book be fresh and new to us each time we read it.  May we encounter the author every time we open it.

Glad we have a book to encourage us in the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. The young man that told me Jesus loves me at the pizza shop yesterday
2. Mercyme's music
3. Successful knee replacements

Day 258- A Wheelbarrow First

Several years ago when the kids were younger, they liked for me to do the wheelbarrow with them at bedtime.  This is where I would grab them (one at a time) by the ankles and they would put their hands on the floor. Then, as I walked they would walk with their hands. They used to love to do this at bedtime.  I would wheelbarrow one and then come back and wheelbarrow the other to the appropriate bedroom.

Tonight, the kids did the wheelbarrow to me for my "first." Joel got one ankle and Hannah Grace got the other one and they picked me up by the ankles while I had my hands on the floor.  It is a bit of a rush when the feet first go up.  Then, they started walking (and giggling) me down the hall.  I could actually wheelbarrow like this further than they could carry me. I am not sure if this is something to be proud of or not.  Is it that I have still have some strength in my arms and shoulders or is it that I'm too heavy?  I'm choosing strength on this multiple choice question.

One of the first things I realized is that I was pretty dumb to do this with the kids at bedtime. It kicks your heart rate up.  Your breathing goes up.  Of course, we can't do this without giggling.  I've been known to push the speed limit with the kids.  This is not a great way to wind kids down right before bedtime. What was I thinking?  Perhaps, I was not.  That is a distinct possibility.  Or, maybe I just liked having fun with the kids at bedtime.

Fall Baseball

After the first trip down the hall, Joel wanted to try to wheelbarrow me by himself.  He could hold me for just a step or two.  Hannah Grace then wanted to try it by herself.  She had about the same result.  What I thought about (other than perhaps I should lose weight) was how they could do this together but not by themselves.  There is a spiritual truth here.  God has made us where we need each other.  The Christian life is not meant to be lived alone.  If one tries to live it alone, he/she will not live it as it is meant to be lived.  We are designed to where we need each other.  God calls His children by various names and one of those names is the body of Christ.  The body is made up of different parts and each part needs the other. No body part is designed to go off and do its own thing.  I'm glad I don't wake up in the morning and wonder where my foot has run off to.  I'm glad my legs and my shoulders never fight and decide to go in opposite directions.  As followers of Jesus, we need to learn from each other, encourage each other, pray for each other, listen to each other, forgive each other, and love each other (there are other "each others" we are to do).  We are to help each other carry the burdens of life.  There are a lot of "each others" in the Bible.

So, if your load feels really heavy right now, maybe you need a Christian friend to help out.  If you don't feel that way right now, it may be that you need to be the helper (or you are out of touch with what God is calling you do to). Leaning on Christian brothers and sister is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it is simply an understanding of how the body of Christ is designed to work.

Is there an "each other" you need to obey today? Why not ask the Holy Spirit?  You and someone else may be really glad that you did.

Grateful that the abundant life includes others
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Forgiveness from people
2. People that cook for others in need
3. People that pray for others

Day 257- A Mixed First

It has been a busy Sunday. I have preached twice, taught 2 classes, went to deacons meeting, and a committee meeting. That's a pretty full Sunday for me.  As I was laying down with Hannah Grace at bedtime tonight, she asked me what my "first" was for today.  I said, "I don't know. I have not done a "first" yet."  After putting the children to bed is a bad time to start hunting a "first."

Last week I was in the grocery store when something caught my eye.  It was a drink that was half lemonade and half iced tea. It had Arnold Palmer's picture and autograph on the front. I'm not sure what playing golf has to do with mixing iced tea and lemonade, but I decided to buy for a "first" one day.  Today was that day.  I drank iced tea mixed with lemonade for my "first" today.

It has never occurred to me to mix iced tea and lemonade. I love iced tea.  I love lemonade. What would it be like to mix the two together?  I found out tonight.  It is not that great to me.  I mean, it was OK.  It tasted kind of like a tea that has soured or lemonade with something wrong with it. When I bought it, I had my doubts if this was something I would really enjoy.  That's because of one word on the front.  Lite.  That's not a good word for my tastes.  I'm not sure if it was the mixture or if it was the "lite" that sort of threw it off for me. I think I'll stick with lemonade or tea but not both from now on. 

I fixed my glass of half tea and half lemonade while I was heating up my supper.  As I put my plate down and started carrying the glass of half tea and half lemonade to drink with my supper, I thought, "I don't think so."  I was tired and wanted to relax with my supper and something to drink that I really enjoyed.  I poured out Arnold's drink and got me some real sweet tea.  Life is too short to drink sour tea if you have sweet tea in the fridge. 

If you are a follower of Jesus, don't settle for a half-hearted relationship with Jesus. Don't settle for a half-hearted joy, peace, or witness for Christ. Pour that half hearted stuff out and go for all that God has for you.  We only get one shot at this life. We only get one chance to allow God to touch the world through our lives.  Why waste it?  Why give it a puny effort?  Why not press on and see how close you can get to Jesus? Why not see how many people you can mention the name of Jesus to this week?  Give Jesus your best. Then, at the end of the day when you are tired, get a glass of something that you really enjoy and thank God for the day.

Pressing on for the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Noodles
2. God's abundance
3. Chairs with cushions

Day 256- A Beaver First

Today, my family and I watched "Leave it to Beaver" together for my "first."

I read somewhere the other day that "Leave it to Beaver" was on Netflix.  So, I checked it out and we have it on Netflix.  I asked Joel and Hannah Grace  if they had ever seen an episode of "Leave it to Beaver."  Not only had they not seen an episode, they had never even heard of the show.  There's an idea for a "first."

I remember enjoying watching the Beaver when I was young.  Who knew what kind of trouble the Beave would get into?  His brother Wally would be there to usually help him as best as a junior high brother could help.  He had to watch out for mean old Eddie Haskell.  He would get Wally and the Beaver in trouble in a heartbeat.  If not, he would be giving the Beaver "the business."

We watched an episode tonight.  Beaver and Wally got into trouble and then more trouble for covering it up.  Ward and June (Mom and Dad) sat them down and helped them to see their mistakes and then they were punished for it. As typical, nobody got too mad and everyone was pretty happy at the end of the episode having learned a good lesson.  Life was typically pretty good in the Cleaver household. They had troubles, but they were pretty small troubles compared to today's shows.  The Cleavers never encountered murder, kidnapping, or international terrorists that are so common in today's TV offerings.

I asked the family how they liked it.  Hannah Grace said she was not sure. When pressed, she said it was OK.   I think that's being kind.  Joel said he liked it.  I asked him if he liked it a lot or just a little. He said medium.  Laura also said she liked it medium.  It seems that the Beaver was not a big hit in the Wilkinson household tonight. I think I liked it more than anyone.  I was hoping the kids would like it more.

Mean old Eddie Haskell

It is easy to look back at those shows that were funny and taught good morals and moan that today's shows are not like that. So, MOAN!  Moaning is not going to help anything.  What occurred to me as I was watching it was that I need to present Biblical truth in terms of today. We simply do not live in the Cleaver generation regardless of how much we might want to or think it was better.  This is the day I live in and my challenge is to make Biblical truth real and relevant to the people around me. This is a day of technology, information, and change.  Jesus has something to offer this generation (as He does every generation) that we desperately need and can't find anywhere else. Philippians 2: 13-14 says (NLT), "Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."  Two things hit me out of those verses.  One is that I am not to be a complainer.  Many people today complain a lot about TV, politics, declining morals, etc.  There is plenty to complain about if one looks around.  That does not help and I don't think complaining is a very good witness to the joy I have in Jesus.  The other thing is that we do live in world full of crooked and perverse people.  So, we should stand out.  We should shine.  Jesus should be on display in our lives in a way that is markedly different from the average. 

So, we may not watching Beaver much around here.  We will be looking for Jesus and opportunities to let Him shine in our lives.

Grateful that the abundant life is available today
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Pocket knives
2. Jesus is relevant to every life and generation
3. An outstanding sunset

Day 255- A Spitball First

Joel and I had a spitball fight at Pizza Hut for my "first."

Laura and Hannah Grace went to a girls' deal today.  Joel had ball practice so I took him there and hung out with him.  Afterwards, we decided to go eat at Pizza Hut.  We were talking while waiting for our pizza to come out (hand tossed meat lovers which Joel pronounced awesome). I decided to shoot Joel with a spitball.  He laughed.  I shot him again.  And again.  It took about 3-4 times before he retaliated.  He was concerned about getting caught by the waitresses and so I could watch his eyes to see if they were coming. After a few minutes, one of us suggested that we should probably stop so we called a truce.  Who do you think suggested we should probably stop? The answer is at the end.

It was pretty fun to have a spitball fight with Joel.  We were not actually using much spit, but we had straws, straw paper, and a glass of water.  In fact, I shot my straw paper at Joel before the spitball fight started up.  It takes a few minutes for pizzas to cook.  With that kind of time, if you have 2 guys with straws, paper, and water, it is pretty likely that a spitball is going to be fired at some point. 

Joel's advantage tonight was that he is smaller and could slide under the table for cover easier.  I was wearing a cap that I hid behind.  We did not fire too many or make too big of a mess which is probably good since we offered to pray for our waitress. She did not suggest that we pray for someone to clean up our mess. So, that's a good sign. When we asked her if there was anything we could pray for her about (like job, family, or health I said), she said everything. Wow, that's a pretty big prayer request. We actually left our area pretty clean.

It is kind of natural for boys to want to play games like spitball.  It just comes with being a boy for most of us.  There are some things that just sort of come with loving Jesus.  I remember when we went to China to adopt Joel, God allowed us the very cool opportunity of meeting a Chinese believer. He was in his 20's and loved Jesus.  When we found out that he was a believer, I asked him if there was somewhere safe that I could talk with him about his relationship with the Lord. He grinned and said yes and so we met.  Guess what he brought with him?  He brought his Bible and some Scripture memory cards that he was working on. Guess what we talked about for 2 hours?  We talked about Bible study, prayer, sharing our faith, and life in the church (worship, getting to know other believers, etc).  Those are the kinds of things people who love Jesus do. It was really kind of amazing to me how we instantly connected. I was/am married, white, and American.  He was (not sure about now) young, Chinese, and single.  I'm pretty sure he's still Chinese, but not sure about the single part. For 2 hours the conversation just flowed. It was so interesting to hear about how he came to Christ and how he had grown in his faith.  There were so many things that were different and yet so many things that were the same. He had been arrested for sharing his faith. His best church experience was in an underground church.  That was very different from me. Yet, we both loved God's word, loved to worship, knew we needed to rely on the Holy Spirit, and needed godly friends and mentors.

If things like loving God's word, sharing your faith, loving to worship, enjoying praying with others are not natural for you, it's time to check out your relationship with Christ.  Of course, there are times when our desire for the Word or worship wanes a bit, but that should not be our all the time experience.  If we love Jesus, that will manifest in our lives. Jesus said in John 14:21, " He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."

Joel is the one that suggested that we should probably stop the spitball fight.

Glad for companions in the abundant life
Barry

3 things I thank God for today
1. Spitball fights with Joel
2. Meat lovers' pizza
3. The color purple in a sunset