The Imaginations of Men, The Destruction of Men

Where does all this destruction come from? Humans, like God have been imbued with the ability to create. We are sentient like He is and need our imaginations, something that animal kind pretty much does not have. Man is also imbued with the ability to destroy. That too, requires imagination. I do not mean, consume, all animals do that and men have become better and better at that. So much so that in some cases it has become the driving force in people's lives. Also, on a side note this force (consumerism) can be a religion of sorts and men have this force provoked in them to manipulate them to do things that they might not have otherwise done. Anyway, where does all this destruction come from? Ariana knows. Yep, she's four and she knows. We go to the library on Daddy Day. This is what Ariana calls my Sabbath. While I am resting and in between the occasional mopping up of some project that nags at my mind and time spent seeking God, we go to the Library. I fully know by the way, that I should be spending more time on the seeking God part. Anyway, we were playing at the library at the Lego (TM) table and a young boy, maybe age eight or so, joined us. Ariana was making a house with a pool. I was making her name in letters and a maze. The boy made a man laying in a pool of blood and a figure representing his murderer. It seemed odd. After a few minutes he had also constructed a tree he informed us was the murder weapon. He informed us that the murderer had pushed the tree down on the man killing him. When he first constructed the victim and the pool of blood Ariana told him that a pool of blood was a scary thing and he simply said, "yeah." and that with a smile on his face and a sort of sinister kid chuckle. When he completed the murderer and the tree she asked him why the man would do that. She said, why would he push the tree down on the man and kill him? The boys answer was interesting but Ariana's assessment of his answer was interesting as well. I'll tell you about it after a brief message from our sponsor... God loves us and sent His son Jesus to die for us. He crushed Jesus as an atoning sacrifice to pay for the sins of men. God, could not/would not in His infinite righteousness and justice ignore sin so He made a way for it to be paid for. He came in the flesh, because yes God is God the Son as well as God the Father and God the Holy Spirit and yet He is one God. And He came and died so that we could be found innocent if we will accept and follow. Trade your life so far for that life that God intends and on into eternity with Him. It's not only grace that you don't deserve but also a Good Deal. Back to the story So, the little boy says, "I don't know," indicating he doesn't know why the murdered would push the tree down on the other guy and leave him in a piled of blood. That makes sense. He wouldn't know and at the same time he's the one who brought it up... I commented that it was a little strange. And in a moment of wisdom beyond her years Ariana said, "He should know cause it came from his imagination." She looked at me and said, "He's the one who made it that way from his imagination because that's where people do that kind of stuff." I don't know that she understood the ramifications of what she said. Still, she was right. She was right and the fact is that the same imagination that allows a young boy to come up with a murder scene can accept that destruction is within in its ability to devise. Also, and on a much more pleasant note, that same imagination can imagine that there is a God who loves and rewards those who seek Him. In an instant of appeal to that "unknown" God ask for His presence and receive the salvation offered. Thank God we are a people with abilities far beyond that which stands right before us but Lord let us use that incredible ability to dream of ways to make the world a better place, ways to advance God's purposes of Love and Peace here on earth. In the mean time the enemy will continue to warp and pervert in us the powers we have been entrusted with us. Until we desire God above all thru His son Jesus there is no redeeming back from the darkness of ignorance the greatness that is our imagination. God bless, P. Dan Pastor Missionary Author

Taking a day off in the ministry

So, I've been trying to take Thursdays off for about four months now. I try every week to schedule everything I can on the other days of the week and to organize my day off to allow me to get things done. It doesn't seem to work yet.

Taking a day off in the ministry...
A week ago-I actually had several people form my ministry call me and leave me messages that began with-I know it's your day off or maybe it's your day off- But. Ordinarily, you'd think a person might shake their head but I sort of get it. God doesn't take a day off anymore and different persons in the ministry get their day off whenever their employer says not whenever they want. They need to know what they need to know to make their day off from their secular employment as productive for God as it can be. I get it. I was actually grateful for the humble spirit with which they approached me on my day off. Some others have not done so.

Taking a day off in the ministry...
So, take a day off. Even, I say avoid the phone if necessary but going with Phil 2 we all should be concerned for ourselves and our walk with Christ as well as for others and theirs. So, when your day off is interrupted by say, a subpoena or some work that you've been putting off and it just can't wait now-Don't get upset. Like many other things in this life these things too can work for God's glory. What's more, He can use them to bless you if you love Him and are called according to His purpose.

Taking a day off in the ministry...
So, make sure you viciously attack hurry in your schedule, utilize whatever systems you need to to get the time adjusted so you can actually take the time off, and then just do it. In the process, never forget that God does not have to work on your schedule.

Oh, and Thank God, Because I'd sure hate to see what the world would look like if God took a day off.

Pastor Dan Stevenson
http://www.newheightsfellowshipchurch.org/

fatigue

Your eyes are tired and dry. Your neck is stiff or your back is sore. You have had enough but life goes on. You fall asleep when someone is talking to you. Your eyes drift shut but a second later you are wide awake and you feel fine. It's fatigue.

Maybe you've pushed yourself too far. Maybe you've burnt your candle at both ends. A few late nights, a few too many early mornings and your fatigued. But that's not the only way.

Fatigue

TV fatigues the mind as the screen continually refreshes to mimic the actual movement of real life. (Watching TV is not rest.) Emotional moments fatigue a person psychologically. The brain creates chemicals and chemical byproducts of emotions build up so that only rest will free the brain for proper balance.

Fatigue

Water is used in virtually every process of the body and tons of people (I think maybe almost all ordinary people) are struggling under the effects of dehydration. I even think that sometime when people's body are calling out for water they eat (resulting in all sorts of other problems.) Hydration makes health and strength possible. Drink more water (nope-more than that.)

Fatigue

Good health is the antithesis of Fatigue. Sure, we will still get tired but not so much fatigued. Exercise, hydration, proper nutrition, periods of peace, and Sabbath are the solution. I say that knowing that I sometimes fail in these areas. In fact I am fatigued this morning after a long weekend and missing my Sabbath yesterday due to an emergency.

Peace. No God? No Peace. I'm not stirring up trouble. Realizing that living without the one you were created to relate to is fatiguing is absolutely necessary. Dodging that reality has become a pass time for some. They work very hard at it even finding substitutes for as long as they hold out. Sounds Fatiguing doesn't it?

Sabbath: Sabbath is the time set apart to reflect on God, yourself, and especially your relationship to God. Leave God out, scripture out, or reflection out and you are not having Sabbath. Rest is good but Sabbath is the God given answer to fatigue.

So, you tell me? Should the TV be on during Sabbath? Should read a good book? Should you sleep it away? I think, no. I think you can incorporate these things in small amounts but the Bible, you, and quiet are the principle ingredients. One more thing ,the ratio is 1/7th. The Bible teaches that you need to take the equivalent of one entire day every week. This is not complete rest. It is as described above...

Lord help us. We have become a nation that has forgotten this most important principle.

and the result?

Fatigue.

Pastor Dan Stevenson
http://www.newheightsfellowshipchurch.org/

Monday mornings

Every pastor probably faces the same conundrum for Monday mornings. Because Sundays are our most extreme work day- At least I hope we get pretty worked up and pour out a lot of energy on Sunday-Monday mornings are a tired time.

Just for the record, I don't really believe that Christians should be a sleeping-in kinda' people. Sleeping in isn't a sin unless of course you are supposed to be doing something else while you are snoozing away. So, how do you avoid this? Develop a regular sleep pattern and stick with it. You can control your diet and develop a regular regimen of exercise. Being tired is pretty much a normal state for active people. No one is ever really at their absolute best endurance level. What I'm saying is that sleeping in does not necessarily solve your fatigue problem. While Getting enough sleep at regular structured intervals is important, eating right, proper hydration, and exercise actually remedy the fatigue problem.

Now, where was I. Yes, Monday mornings... I few hours for Sabbath which usually means rest and thinking about how good God is. Often, I include some Bible and certainly meditating on the word. By late morning I am ready to tackle some projects that have been nagging at me-there are always plenty of these-and I'm off to the races again.I do schedule sabbath times throughout the week. I never seem to get a full day sabbath but I do take a one-seventh model into account when planning my schedule. Then I treat these times like they are VERY important.

Praise God for work and rest and the wonderful way they go together like book ends.

What is up with bookends anyway? I gues there was a time when bookends were needed cause people wanted to stand up books on a table rather than putting them on a book shelf. Other than that, what's the point? For a while I had a set of book ends that I really liked and I put them on the ends of my books on my book shelf. Then one day it occurred to me that they were taking up valuable book shelf space. Now, they are gone. Admittedly, the one little boat had broken and the piece had gone missing ... I liked them but not as much as the books themselves. Bookends-go figure...

Pastor Dan
http://www.newheightsfellowshipchurch.org/