Thank God For...You!

I gotta thank Momma for the cookin',

Daddy for the whoopin',

The devil for the trouble that I get into...

-- "Thank God For You"

Sawyer Brown, ca. 1992

I loved that song! So much, in fact, that I can still sing it word-for-word now, 18 years later. No small feat, considering I sometimes have trouble remembering my name these days.

What I loved about the song then were the catchy lyrics and the snappy tune. What I love now is the message itself. The end of the chorus (and the title line) sums it all up for me...

"...O gotta give credit where credit is due

I thank the bank for the money,

Thank God for you!"

And I do thank God for you! Thank God for you, my faithful readers, who are willing to scroll through the ramble to get to the "good stuff" (when there is any). Thank God for you, my loving family, who supports me and my wild-brained ideas. And possibly most importantly, thank God for you, my fellow Christians, who strive to keep the Word of God first and foremost in the lives of yourself and those around you.

The Apostle Paul felt similarly:

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,

that your faith is spoken of, throughout the whole world.

- Romans 1:8

If the Apostle Paul was never too good to give credit to his fellow Christians, then why can't we do the same? take a moment this Thanksgiving week to thank God for your fellow Christians...then be sure to thank God for them as well. Thanking God for ALL the blessings in our life - isn't that what the Thanksgiving holiday is all about?

I thank Momma for the cookin', Daddy for the whoopin',...and I thank God for YOU! Have a great Thanksgiving week!

In ALL things?

"Giving thanks always, in all things, unto God"

- Ephesians 5:20

Ready or not, the holidays are upon us! Have you looked at a calendar lately? Thanksgiving is NEXT week! Hard to believe, isn't it?

Hard to believe, and hard to celebrate, considering:

- Gas prices are hovering around the $2 per gallon mark
- The Big Three automakers are hurting and begging for help
- Americans owe more money to the credit card companies than any other time in recent history
- Layoffs are rampant, from large corporations to small mom-and-pop's
- And (insert your own recent economic misfortune here)

Never in U.S. history have Americans faced such a grim economic facade during the holiday season. Never before has my generation had to worry about our 401(k) declining by over 20% in any 30-day period. Never before have suicide rates among professionals equaled today's tallies. And never before have Americans given up hope as fast as we are right now.

And yet the Bible tells us to give thanks? Not only that, but give thanks "in all things!" How do we thank God for an economic downturn in the holiday season?

A few hints to be thankful for:

- Gas prices are over 33% CHEAPER than last holiday season!
- The Big Three are now forced to compete by giving us economical rides rivaling that of their foreign competitors
- Credit card companies are now offering lower rates to keep their customers from switching creditors
- Layoffs and economic crises have reminded us as Americans to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith
- And (Find a positive about your "downturns" and enter it here)

So...it's all in how you look at it. We WILL survive this credit crunch because we ARE survivors. That's we do as Americans, and (More importantly) that's who we are as Christians. As Christians, we know that our outLOOK determines the outCOME.

Stay optimistic, focus on the positive, and thank God for ALL things! Have a great week on this the week before Thanksgiving!

I'd love to hear from you - post a positive comment today and let's let everyone know that Christ holds all the answers! Praise Him in all things!

More Than A Conqueror!

Riddle: What do Napoleon, Alexander the Great, and Satan have in common?

Give up?

Not even a guess?

Answer: Napoleon, Alexander, and even Satan are all CONQUERORS. They've conquered communities, cities, even entire nations in some cases. They've conquered lives, hearts, and minds. And they have conquered almost anything that can be conquered in this world.

Almost.

And that's all you get today. Stay tuned for Part 2...

I Didn't Know It!

Both the boys are talking pretty good now. Joseph can say whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and often does. (Like when he saw a man with an eye-patch and asked me, out loud, "Daddy, is he a pirate?") And Jacob? At just shy of 2 years old, he knows just enough words to get himself in trouble. He can repeat anything he hears, and often does.

And that's when Daddy gets in trouble!

It's funny how much the kiddos hear when they're NOT listening, isn't it? I may call them in from playing ten times to finally get a response, but all I have to do is say one wrong word and it will come back to haunt me. Not that I cuss like a sailor, or even cuss at all anymore, but I do say things I don't want them to hear. And believe me...those phrases come out at just the precise moment that they are listening!

I have to watch my back for my own kids.

It kind of reminds me of Jacob in the Old Testament, when he said "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." Surely the kids were listening, but I did not know it. Surely someone heard me talk behind their back, but I did not know it. Surely God is in EVERY place (work, home, school, church), but I do not always know it! At least I don't always act like it...

Remember this as you go through your day: Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, however you say it, "Surely the Lord is in this place..." Do you know it?

What if we knew the time?

...Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father...

--John 13:1

What if we knew what time it was? What if we knew that we had only one more day, week, or month left on earth before we returned to the Father? What if we knew this would be the last impression we would make on this earth?

Sean knew the time. The doctors told him it would be risky, that surgery would be costly, time-consuming, and quite possibly even ineffective. The cancer had spread far beyond any hope of treatment and, if ridden, would soon appear elsewhere in Sean's ragged body. While we never know the exact date, Sean knew the time was near.

You can read ABOUT my associate and friend Sean Barnes in recent Huntsville Times articles, or you can read posts made BY him on the web (www.CarePages.com). I encourage you to google him, look him up and see what he had to say. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

For those who may not want to look it up, let me tell you what Sean did. After hearing the bad news, after talking to his wife, mother, and friends, and after accepting the reality that his time on earth was almost done, Sean did what any sensible man would do...Sean went to Disney World!

Sean was a good man, a loving husband, a joker, and a friend. Sean will be remembered not by the cancer that ravaged his body, but by the laughter that came from his heart. Sean will be known not by his early passing, but by his not letting life pass him by. Sean will be known not for a depressing 4-year battle with cancer, but for a wonderful 30-plus years of excitement.

Sean knew the time and did what was best - he counted his blessings and made the most of them.

Goodbye, Sean. See you on the other side...

--PA

Storm Chasers

Heather and I were doing our evening ritual of "flipping," killing time until our eyes get heavy, when we stumbled across one of those "storm chaser" shows. You know the type: A crazy man in an old two-tone Ford Econoline van carries a very shaky Blair witch camera to film tornadoes, hurricanes, or other wild storms across the flat lands of Kansas. Auntie 'Em may not fly by in these shows, but we do see some strange Unidentified Flying Objects, for sure! (Remember the cow scenes in 'Twister?')

I wonder, what makes a person crazy enough to actually pursue a storm? When the rest of us are running from the winds, what makes someone chase after them? And what do they think they will do if they actually catch the storm? What possesses a person to put himself in danger just to lay eyes on a killer?

Then again, don't we sometimes catch ourselves doing the same thing: Chasing storms? Whether it's an irritated customer, disgruntled coworker, or upset spouse, why can't we let enough alone? We know there's a storm brewing, we've seen similar storms and the resulting melee, and we know we should simply run, but we still chase it. What's up with that anyway?

Take some advice from a dummy: Bite the bullet. Cut your losses. Choose your battles and let her (or him) every now and then. The storm will fade when it has enough open space to wear itself down. Make it a point NOT to chase the storm this week - your spouse will appreciate it!

--PA

Dad, the Christian Servant

"So He got up...girded a towel about his waist..

and began to wash His disciples' feet."

- John 13:4-5, paraphrased

I don't know exactly what I expected, but it surely wasn't this. Maybe I expected to be placed on a pedestal, although neither he nor He ever was. Maybe I expected life ever-after to be smooth-sailing, although neither was his nor His. Or maybe, with a hint of spite, I expected to immediately gain an earthly inheritance to rule over my enemies, although neither he nor He ever did.

Either way, it wasn't what I expected. But I am thankful for it even more so, and I wouldn't have it any other way. You see, my father taught this son the example of THE Son of THE Father. My father taught me to serve, just like God taught Christ to serve.

To recap, it went something like this: My heart pounded, my mind raced, and my feet began to move down the aisle. I was met up front by Tommy Dozier, the song leader whom I had idolized. Tommy spoke to me briefly and, after determining that it was time for my baptism, asked who I would like to dunk me. The choices were the visiting revivalist, the pulpit minister, or one of the deacons. Dad was a deacon, and I chose Dad to perform the honors. (I'm sure he was both honored and humbled, as I will be when my own children accept Christ.)

Dad and I made our way to the baptistry, where we changed clothes and walked into the water together. He asked a question, I made the confession, then he dunked me. After an "I'm proud of you moment," we dried off, returned to our blue jeans, and proceeded to set tables for a church-wide fellowship. (Not for me, I might add, although my sinister little mind might have expected it...)

It was then, leaving my own baptism "ceremony" to carry tables for the church, that God taught me what being a Christian really is. Being a Christian is being a servant, just as Christ was. Setting up tables and serving communion, taking out garbage and filtering out trash, hearing confessions and biting tongues, washing dirty feet and changing empty lives. Serving.

To be a Christian is to be like Christ, to be like Christ is to be a servant, and to be a servant is to be like Dad. Thanks Dad, for being a servant. Thanks Dad, for teaching me to serve. And thanks God, for giving me such a Dad!

Oh God, that I will never cease to serve you!

--PA

God is great, God is good...

"God is Great, God is Good

Let us thank Him for our food..."

"God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for our closet, dresser, clothes, windows, beds, Jacob's, Mommies, Lovie's, ..."

Before you make fun, let me explain...this was my son's prayer tonight. Some may say he's just stalling (which he probably was), and some may say he's just being cute (which he always is), but I say he's just being thankful for the little things.

Closets, dressers, clothes...just a few of the little things us grown-up's take for granted. Windows and beds, when some have slept on bare floors with no outside views at all. Brothers and mothers, when some have never known the like. And Lovie's...teddy bears...when some children have no toys at all. Little things...

Oh to be a child again! What it must be like to appreciate and thank God for the "little things." Too bad we grown-ups are too busy to be thankful for the little things. We're too busy begging God for extra time, more patience, and higher salaries to thank Him for the little things. We're too hungry for a feast to enjoy the crumbs. And sometimes we're too busy feeling neglected to notice God's gentle kiss. Oh, if we could only see the little things!

Flowers and rainbows, sweet tea and lemonade, hugs and pats, closets and dressers...all "little things" that go unnoticed. Do yourself a favor today and thank God for the "little things!"

--PA

Evidence of the Unseen?

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen."

(Hebrews 11:1)

How odd that this verse would appear on the first official posting to our new blogspot! Do you see what I see? No, no, no! Look closer...past the faith part, further than the substance, even beyond the hope...Now you see it: "...the evidence of things unseen."

As an author, business-person, friend, neighbor, or whatever role you play, is your evidence unseen? Where is the evidence of our faith? And how do we turn things unseen into visible opportunities to lead others to Christ? Just what exactly does the "real world," the world outside the four wheels of our churches, allow...And how can we influence the secular world just as our safe-house churches have influenced us?

This blogspot will answer that! One at a time, person-by-person, article-by-article, TFM will help budding Christian authors make their voices heard in otherwise unconventional arenas. That's our mission at TFM but, then again, isn't that our mission as Christians?

Just a few suggestions to make your Christian voice heard:

1. Replace your current salutations with phrases like "God bless" or "Truly blessed"
2. Invite non-Christian acquaintances into your safehouse of Sunday morning friends
3. Print short Christian messages or scripture references onto your business letterhead
4. Authors: Submit clean and wholesome ideas to non-Christian/secular publications

Together, we can turn this world around for Christ! Who says that only publishers like Christianity Today International, Lifeway, or Lighthouse will publish your Christian work?

--PA