John 6:51

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Job34:4 - Let us choose what is right; let us determine among ourselves what is good.   RSV

 

 

 

 

 

The secret is to work less as individuals and more as a team. As a coach, I play not my eleven best, but my best eleven.”

                                                                            

Knute Rockne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isaiah 57:14

I will say, 'Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.'

Bread

During the lunch rush at a diner, a waitress approached a lady sitting at a booth in the back, and asked,  “Are you ready to order?”  The woman said, “Yes, I will have a bread sandwich and a glass of water please.”  Somewhat puzzled, the waitress asked her what she would like on the sandwich.  The woman replied, “Nothing, the bread is enough, it will fill me.”  The waitress said, “Ok, it’s your choice, your order is up to you.”  God once rained down bread from heaven for the children of Israel.  It was enough, all they needed.  The bread filled them.  Jesus later said in John Chapter 6 that He is the living bread come down from heaven.  When we are hungry, He will fill us. Nothing needs to be added.  We simply need the bread of life to complete us while we are on earth.  The bread of life also enables us to possess eternal life.  Jesus said though the manna from heaven fed the Israelites, it was only a temporary filling.  They later died.  Jesus said if we partake of the living bread from heaven, we will live forever.  He is enough, all we need, He completes us eternally.  However, it is our choice. It is up to us to partake of this living bread.

 

 

Cobwebs and Dust

 

Cleaning is a task some choose to enjoy and some dread.   In high and lofty corners there are cobwebs hanging.  In dark nooks and crannies there is dust collecting.  We sweep down the cobwebs and vacuum up the dust.  However, in this cleaning battle, the cobwebs and dust usually win. There is a song with the title, “Cobwebs and Dust.”  The cobwebs and dust in the song are metaphors for memories and mistakes.  The singer, growing older,   tries to cling to cobwebs which represent his youthful memories slipping away. He regrets the dust, his dark mistakes which never leave his mind.  Memories and mistakes go hand in hand, much like cobwebs and dust.  You can’t really have one without the other.  If we cling to our mistakes, things we regret, they have a way of smothering out the happy memories which we want hanging around in our minds. As you fight the constant battle between cobwebs and dust remember, yesterday brought you to where you are today, but today will take you to tomorrow. Choose to make happy memories today which you will always want hanging around 

 

Eleven

 

Eleven, the second of the double digit numerals, means many differentthings to different people.  I recall eleven being the first number that I could not display simply with my ten fingers. The eleventh birthday, not as memorable as the tenth, still has a place in the birthday line up. It is somewhat of a placeholder between ten, the first double digit year,and twelve, the final year before becoming a teenager.

The eleventh anniversary flower is the morning glory, the gemstone, turquoise, and the traditional gift to give is steel. The morning glory which spreads and climbs is known for its fast growth and new blooms that come each morning.

 

Steel, known for its strength, is an alloy consisting of iron and carbon. To become steel, iron must be reprocessed, removing the correct amount of carbon, and adding other necessary elements. Turquoise is a blue-to-green mineral that in its pure natural state is rare and valuable.

 

As we begin this eleventh year, it will mean different things to different people. It may not be as memorable as ten or thirteen, but it will hold a very special place in the history of our church. We won’t be simply taken at face value anymore.  This year we will become known for our fast growth and new blooms.  We will be known for our strength as we join together and reprocess ourselves, removing and adding what we need to continue to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, locally, regionally, and globally. The pure natural presence of the Spirit of God that resides in this place will be recognized by all as our   most valuable resource.

 

 

 

Paved Roads Before Me

 

The dirt road, seemingly fading into yesteryear, brings many memories to someone who walked one as a child. The dirt road with many inconveniences, with many unhappy bumps and skids, paved the way for the future.  If not for the dirt road, the paved road would have never come to be. Now with paved roads calling, I recall hot dusty roads blistering my bare feet in the summer as I watched butterflies flying free.  In the spring I watched potholes fill with water as I played in the rain. Golden leaves covered the road in the fall.   I sometime treaded a little snow that came in the winter.  As I look down the paved road before me, I am thankful for the rocky, bumpy road that brought me to where I am today. If not for the inconveniences, the unhappy bumps and skids form the past who knows where, or who I would be today. Where would any of us be? Always be thankful for the bumpy road God brought you down safely. He brought you through a little rain and you had to tread a little snow, but He has now set your feet free and given you the opportunity to someday travel only smooth, paved roads before you.

 

Inconsistency of Instantly

 

At a deli a customer asked for mashed potatoes.  The server told the customer they had ran out, but should have some instant potatoes ready in ten minutes.  The definition of instant: Occurring at once; immediate: Wait a minute, does instant not really mean instant any more?  Instant coffee, potatoes, and rice are a few items that are not really instant, but do require some preparation.  These products have earned an entry under the word instant in the dictionary:  A food or beverage designed for quick preparation. Quick is ok with most of us, who cares if instant isn’t instant anymore?  It is quicker, we should be happy. Happily, in some instances, instant is still instant: instant messaging, instant approval, instant radar, and instant miracles.  Wait a second; instant miracles?  Yes, in today’s world miracles can, and often do occur instantly. Some require a little preparation such as a lot of seasoned prayer going up.   But instant miracles are still around today.  God is not inconsistent.  Miracles which occurred thousands of years ago still happen quite consistently-instantly.