Funkyjimmer's Blog

Friday, December 17, 2004

ON MURPHY’S LAW

I have seen “Murphy’s Law” desk calendars and other forms of these quotes. I have never completely understood Murphy’s Law. From what little I do know about it, the principle is that anything that can possibly go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible time. I guess these “laws” could be similar to the “Hairballs of Life” about which I posted recently.

I had one of those “Hairballs” which I believe combined with a “Murphy’s Law” to produce some stress in my life this week.

Monday evening of this week our middle daughter, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, called and said that the transmission on her car went out on the Interstate on her way to work. So, an aggravation, a “hairball of life”, if you will. No real problem. She had purchased the car just a little over a year ago and we purchased an extended warranty on the car at a cost of almost $500. So, the transmission replacement should be covered, right? Even the salesman who sold us the car thought so. But…when our daughter called the toll-free number on the warrantee, she learned that it DID NOT cover the transmission—only everything connected with the motor. So now we have the problem of how to help her come up with the nearly $4,000 she was quoted to repair the car.

Calling around proved to be financially prudent. She is going to get the repair done more quickly at about half the price. Paying for it? Well, thanks to Dad’s and Mom’s good credit, we have a very low interest credit card to put it on and we’ll share the repayment of the debt.

Problem solved? Well, not quite. That part of the problem was solved. But in the process, one of our youngest daughter’s cars had to go to the service department for routine maintenance. This required much switching back and forth of cars in a short period of time. Okay, we got that cared for—within three dollars of the estimated price and the total was under $150. Not so bad, eh?

During all this, our oldest daughter called and said, “The inside handle of my driver’s door is about to completely break off. Can we get it fixed? A few phone calls and some additional switching of cars around was necessary to get this problem corrected. Mission now accomplished! A new handle that actually works is on the door!

But in the process of that experience, one of my two cars needed unexpected, sudden mechanical attention. That one is going to cost $500! Ugh! But the good news is they are furnishing me a car while they service mine. They say, “Free of charge.” Of course we all know the charge is built into what they are charging me for the repair work. But at least they have the hassle of getting and returning the rental car, not me. I wonder what kind of rental car I’ll drive this time. (See previous posts on “Rental Cars”.) Soon this will all be history and we’ll be on to some other “Hairball of life”!

Jim

posted by jim 4:00 PM 0 comments

Saturday, December 11, 2004

PEACE

The Bible has a lot to say about “peace” – or the lack of it. It is evident that there are different kinds of peace. Jesus said His peace was different from the world’s idea of peace. (John 14:27) I have read and heard many stories and comparisons trying to illustrate “peace”: like being in the “eye” of a hurricane; or a bird on a nest in a tree being swayed hard by strong winds. There is also false peace. Jeremiah said, “ ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11)

Life experiences have taught me that often what looks peaceful in reality is not peaceful at all.

Example: If you are inside a warm house, with a crackling fire in the fireplace and you look out at the snow falling gently it might seem very peaceful. But if you are out on the road trying to drive in that situation it could be anything but peaceful!

That shows us that what brings peace to one person might bring the farthest thing from peace to another person.

We are now officially in what is called, “The Christmas Season”. During this season we read and sing a lot about peace. What is peace, though? Do we really understand what we are thinking about and singing about? I think it is safe to say that those who look at the world in a secular worldview see peace as being all about bringing an end to wars. This is not a bad thing. We certainly should pray for peace. We are told to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”.(Psalm 122:6) But I personally think it is futile to pray for the day in this life, on this earth, as we know it, when there are no wars or conflicts going on. Jesus clearly said, “There will be wars and rumors of wars. . . but the end is still to come.” (Matthew 24:6) True, lasting peace will not come, I believe, until the Return of Christ, and His Kingdom on earth is completely set up.

“Peace”, as defined by the Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms, comes from the Hebrew word, “shalom” and means “fullness, well-being. A Hebrew term used both for greeting and farewell with great richness of meaning. It is much more than lack of war and points to full societal and personal well-being, coupled with righteousness and possible only as a gift of God.”

One of the earliest Scriptures where the word Peace is found is Numbers 6:22-26: The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

In the context of this Scripture passage, the peace that is spoken of is a peace from God, not from another, nor is it from outward circumstances.

One of the last places in Scripture where the word “peace” is found is in Revelation 1:4, where John is greeting the seven churches with a typical greeting found in the Letters: “Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ.”

Not just at Christmas, but always, we who are His children need to be an instrument of peace; the type of peace that can only be found by living a life of grace through God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray that God blesses your Christmas Season because you are able to focus on Him and His Son.

Jim

posted by jim 9:00 AM 0 comments

Monday, December 06, 2004

THE “HAIRBALLS OF LIFE

I have a friend who refers to certain circumstances as “the hairballs of life”. This has proven a fitting description of many of the things that occur in life.

I guess you have to be a cat-lover-owner to understand that. If you’ve ever had a cat as we have, you know they wash themselves frequently. Periodically they cough up a ball of hair that has accumulated in their stomach, or wherever in their system. They don’t care where or when they cough these up. Nor do they care that someone else has to clean up after them. It isn’t a completely horrible or time-consuming job. It is just an interruption or inconvenience that isn’t particularly pleasant.

This describes a lot of what happens to us in life. The “hairballs of life” are not those catastrophic events of life, such as the life-threatening illnesses or injuries. They are not the loss of loved ones through death. “Hairballs of life” are not the separations or divorces that so devastate families. Nor are they the loss of friendships that have meant so much, or the loss of employment. They are not the painful separations caused by loved ones in the military who are serving in a foreign land far from family and friends. All these situations (and others like them) are real tragedies that come to us in life.

The “hairballs of life” are the flat tires, the mechanical failures of cars or other equipment. Or when somehow you lose a long e-mail you have just written but had not sent. They are the times when you lock your keys in the car (as I wrote about in a recent Post). You can supply your own list of “hairballs of life” that have come to you.

But if we aren’t careful, these “hairballs of life” can cause us to lose our joy and our spiritual equilibrium. They can cause us to curse God and life itself. They can be the cause of the separation of our fellowship with our God and with our fellowman because of how we choose to react to these “hairballs of life”.

The Apostle Paul said, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s Will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) I confess I don’t always give thanks for these “hairballs of life”. In fact, I seldom express either mentally or verbally any kind of thanksgiving for these events that come to me and aggravate me so much. But I should. So I guess a part of my prayer time should be, “Lord, help me to be thankful for the hairballs of life!”

Jim

posted by jim 1:20 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

MIRACLE DAY OFFERING

Earlier this year my church had the opportunity to purchase 4 acres of ground immediately joining our present property. We need the land to expand our present church building. We have outgrown the facilities.

The church leaders have spent a long time negotiating with the landowner to buy the land. For quite a long time he was refusing to sell the ground to us at a price we could afford – a price we felt God wanted us to pay. So we began looking at other options. Then unexpectedly the owner called and said he would sell at the price we had finally offered--$10,000 per acre.

The church had about $13,000 in the building fund. We thought we could come up with an additional $7,000 from our General Fund and be able to pay $20,000 from funds already on hand. We decided to have a “Miracle Day” offering to raise the remaining $20,000.

On that Sunday (October 17th) we would receive a special offering of cash or checks. We were not looking for pledges or commitments. It was to be a one-time cash offering. The goal was a minimum of $20,000. But all money received would go toward our land purchase and the expansion of our facilities.

The purpose of this offering was more than just to raise money. It was to give God a chance to show Himself and what He can do through committed, dedicated people. We thought it would be a blessing to each of us and to our communities to learn what God would do through this offering.

This offering was not so much about land or building additions as it was about ministry! We have no interest in buying land and adding to our present building, except that more space allows us the opportunity to expand present ministries and develop new ministries in order to reach more people – here and abroad!

“WOW!” “Incredible!” “Absolutely Amazing!” These were some of the comments when the total offering was announced that morning. There were also cheers, tears, shouts and applause when I read the total: $40,330.00. There have been some money come in since that Sunday. But that was the total received in that one-day offering.

God really showed up in a mighty way. It was such an encouragement to the people. It gave us the momentum we need to go into the actual building project and the long-term fund raising we will need to do to pay for the building addition.

I am praying that we will keep our focus on ministry, not building additions. I know that is the focus that the other Servant Leaders and I want to keep and the one we want our members to keep.

But we are still thanking our Awesome God for His blessing on that “MIRACLE DAY”.

Jim

posted by jim 11:30 AM 0 comments