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She Got Back Up

5/29/2016

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My two daughters (ages 7 & 5) participate and occasionally compete in an equestrian sport called vaulting. It is best described as gymnastics on a horse and requires a combination of athleticism and artistry. In watching them, I’ve learned a lot about the sport. I’ve learned a little about horses. And this past weekend, I learned a special lesson about fatherhood.

My 7-year-old has been training for months for her freestyle routine and was very excited to finally perform it Saturday in competition. Her routine involves a difficult move followed by a tricky transition into her next move. She practiced and practiced and practiced to get that first difficult move right. At the time of competition, she executed it about as well as I’d ever seen her. And then she fell.

Thankfully, it was a clean “fall,” and she landed on her feet. Having just a few competitions under her belt, this experience was new territory, and I was curious as to what would happen next. Before I knew it, she was back on the horse and completed her routine.

In that moment, I experienced a new sense of pride as a father. Yes, I originally would have wanted for her to complete her best routine. This feeling, however, felt better than the pride of perfection. You see, my daughter fell . . . and she got back up. She wasn’t flawless, but she kept going. I could not have been more proud.

A few months ago, I was privileged to hear Olympic gold medalist figure skater Scott Hamilton speak on the ups and downs in his life. In figure skating, there are lots of ups and downs. The one thing I most remember him saying is that it doesn’t matter how many times one falls. It matters how many times one gets back up. I knew exactly what he meant as I saw my daughter get back up on her horse.

One of the Bible’s most famous stories tells of a child who fell. He didn’t fall off of a horse, and he wasn’t figure skating. He fell on hard times as a result of his own bad decisions. But Luke 15:20 tells us that after being down, “he got up and went to his father.” That boy is forever known as the Prodigal Son, and he returned home to a jubilant father bursting with joy. The father could have scolded his son for the many ways he had fallen. Instead he threw a party over the fact that his son got back up.

As Jesus tells the Parable of the Prodigal Son, it’s obvious that the father represents our Heavenly Father. No matter how many times we have fallen and no matter how far we have fallen, God just wants to see us get back up and come to Him. As a father, I know my daughter will have more falls ahead. I pray she always remembers that getting back up is what matters. I also pray that my response in those moments reflects our Father. When we fall, may we be blessed in getting back up, and may we bless those who do the same.

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Free Advice

5/23/2016

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Have you ever offered free advice to someone only to have it ignored? Have you ever tried to point someone back on life’s right track only to see them continue down the wrong path?
 
If so, you’re not alone. Everyone who wants what is best for others has probably been disappointed when loved ones reject help or wisdom.
 
The more I study the Bible’s wisdom, the more I’ve discovered that maybe I have been the foolish one.
 
Proverbs 23:9 says, “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.”
 
Jesus said it this way in Matthew 7:6, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”
 
Rather than spending all of my time on people who don’t want my unsolicited advice, I would be wise to pay attention to those seeking my assistance.
 
Does this give us reason to write people off? Certainly not. We should have our hearts and eyes open to anyone in need of our help. However, once they’ve demonstrated no interest in our help, we should respect that decision. Yes, we continue to love such people, but we cannot assume responsibility for them or take over their freewill. Attempting to do so is called codependency, and such an arrangement is emotionally destructive and spiritually unhealthy for both parties.
 
On the flipside, some sadly refuse to help anyone because one or two people in the past refused or abused their help. When you or I come to such a conclusion, we have made helping others about us – “If one person won’t accept my help, then no one is deserving of it!” And if I seek to be someone’s savior, I have missed the purpose of service. Neither entering into a co-dependent relationship nor hardening one’s heart is a healthy response to others.
 
But we can continue to serve and bless others. Not everyone accepted Jesus’ help. People today still refuse his message and his sacrifice. Yet he continues serving those who come to him. May we be blessed and be a blessing by doing the same.
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Little Birds & Big Faith

5/16/2016

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My attention has recently been captured by a family of small birds. Friends who know more about such things have told me that they are probably wrens. Several weeks ago, I discovered a nest on our front porch containing two tiny eggs. The next day there were three, and then I saw four the day after that. Eventually, there were six eggs on which Momma Wren would rest. My daughters and I wondered if and when they might hatch. Our curiosities were answered quite appropriately on the morning of Mother’s Day.

    I saw Momma Wren travelling with food in her beak, and over the days, I could see her children growing. Both the simplicity and complexity of the process was fascinating and beautiful. It was also faith-building.

    In Matthew 6:26, Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” In watching the birds, it was obvious to me that God’s creation was at work. He cares about birds, every last one of them. And if He cares about birds, how much more does He care about me? 

    This morning, “our” birds were gone. I was heart-broken. I do not know what happened to them, but I fear that a predator got them in the middle of the night. I will never know. But God knows. 

    In the context of talking about little birds in Matthew 6, Jesus highlights that we humans often get consumed with trivial matters like what we will eat, drink, or wear. Sometimes we think on more meaningful matters involving life and death. Through the trivial and the meaningful, God knows us, and God cares. Some may say, “Your God didn’t care enough for those birds, and He certainly doesn’t care about a lot of things going on in the world right now!” I understand the frustration at the heart of such criticisms, and I at times have been bothered by similar thoughts. At the same time, I realize that God’s care does not prevent us from harm, loss, or even death. God’s care can see us through them all, however.

    Later in Matthew 6 as he talked about fields of beautiful lilies, Jesus says, “If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

    It has been said that attaining “big faith” is less about the size of one’s faith and more about the size of one’s god. When I struggle with my faith, I try to remind myself of the bigness of God’s power and God’s love. That power and love worked together to give us what we all need more than anything else – victory over death through the resurrection of Jesus. A little faith in a big God amounts to great faith!

    God attends to birds and grass from their birth to their death. And God is certainly paying attention to you today, no matter where you may find yourself. Be blessed by placing a little faith in such a God. Bless others by helping them know how much He cares! 
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Remember Your Teachers

5/9/2016

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Hebrews 13:7 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
 
Many things have been on my mind this past week, and I’ve been doing some remembering, especially of the church in which I grew up.
 
It was a relatively small church, but it was full of people who loved children. There were all kinds of older members who always doted on kids. There were all kinds of younger adults who were always serving through Vacation Bible School and church camp. And there were all kinds of young people who had lots of fun together and enjoyed talking about the Bible together.
 
There was also a collection of special people who gave themselves to teaching dynamic Bible classes throughout both my childhood and teenage years. They continue to impact my spiritual life today.
 
Last Monday morning I woke-up to the tragic news that one of my Bible class teachers had died unexpectedly. Jim Turner served as a teenage Bible class teacher, but he was more than just someone who showed up to teach a class. He was a friend, a mentor, and an encourager. He and I could talk about anything, and that’s not an easy thing for an adult to pull off with a teenage boy. He invited me to play basketball with him and his friends. When he was building a new house, he asked me to help him with the work. When my family and I went through some difficult times, he was always there to lift us up and give us a hug.
 
Beyond all of these things, Jim was an example to me. When he was young man, I watched him walk faithfully through his own difficult times. As a Bible class teacher to teens, he was transparent about the spiritual struggles of his teenage years, and he did so with grace and wisdom. When I looked at Jim, I knew it was possible for me to navigate life’s ups and downs as a young man and come out on the other side spiritually victorious.
 
Hebrews 13:7 speaks of people who teach God’s word through both their words and their actions. It says, “Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” Jim’s example was worth considering and imitating. Several years have passed since I last talked with Jim, but I look forward to seeing him again.
 
Churches today need more men and women like Jim – people who give themselves to children and provide examples worth imitating. Children and teens today need role models like Jim who show that faithfulness as a young adult is possible. Parents need mentors for their children like Jim who support and encourage them.
 
As an adult looking back on my childhood, I am confident that I would not be the man I am today had it not been for so many adults like Jim who taught, mentored, and loved me.
 
To the dismay of his disciples, Jesus once famously said, “Let the little children come to me.” Thank God for adults who demonstrate a Christ-like desire for children. Let’s bless our churches by making children a priority. We and generations to come will be blessed if we do so.
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Pray for Me

5/2/2016

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Romans 15:30 – “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf . . .”

2 Corinthians 1:11 – “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

Ephesians 6:19-20 – “. . . and also [pray] for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Colossians 4:3-4 – “At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.”

1 Thessalonians 5:25 – “Brothers, pray for us.”

In at least five of his letters to churches, Paul asked brothers and sisters in Christ to pray for him. Let that sink in for a moment. The APOSTLE Paul sought the prayers of others. In his letters to those churches, it’s clear that some were struggling spiritually, some were suffering with doubt, and some had succumbed to sin. Didn’t they need his prayers? Of course they did! But Paul needed their prayers too, and he wasn’t ashamed to ask for them. 

Sometimes we are too proud or private to let others know that we could use their prayers. At the same time, there are others who covet and request our prayers. Every church I’ve ever known has a prayer list. Look that list over and pray for those people, even the ones you don’t know. Prayer works (James 5:13-18), and Paul believed that the Holy Spirit works in tandem with man’s prayers (Philippians 1:19). May we have the same faith in prayer!

The Morristown Church of Christ believes that prayer continues to work today, and we want to pray for you. We even have a Prayer Group that meets every Tuesday to especially pray over the needs of others. If you would like for us to pray for you, please contact us at www.morristownchurchofchrist.com/contact-us.html . Please also let us know what information you would like to remain private and what can be made public. Either way, your requests will be honored – we will pray for you!
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May we each be blessed by letting others pray for us, and may we be a blessing by praying for one another. 

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    Blaine Kelly

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