Bridge Builders

How deep must you go to see the beauty of the sea?   I enjoy snorkeling.   It takes minimal effort especially while wearing a life jacket.   Just a little kick here and minimal arm movement and you are off and going.   Colorful fish of all sizes swim pass.   Below are various hued coral so vibrant you can spot them along the rocks and coast.   But am I missing something?   Russell and Jared have marveled at the unparalleled beauty deep down, over one hundred feet beneath the surface of the ocean.   The creatures are bigger and more numerous. There is a whole new world down under if you choose to explore it by scuba diving which requires lessons, certification, expensive equipment, multiple practice dives and a buddy to dive with you for safety purposes.   How determined you are to see the beauty and richness of the sea depends on how deep you are willing to dive. 2 Timothy 2:15 15  Study to shew thyself approved unto God...

Nothing sticks!  Packaging tape doesn’t stick.  Scotch tape will not hold. Elmer’s glue falls apart. A glue gun and glue stick is iffy.  If it’s even a little off, Gorilla glue and precision applicator glue will turn out askew.  Nothing I tried worked yesterday.  I was trying to secure table cloths to picnic tables with table clips and tape.  While I was taping one table cloth down, with each gust of wind, two others would fly away.  It was as though the packaging tape had no adhesive whatsoever.   “Good night” I exclaimed, “nothing sticks anymore.”  I could say the same thing about friends, family co-workers, classmates, church members, neighbors or teammates.  With the first sign of trouble, they fly away because there was never much to cement them to you in first place. Proverbs 18:24King James Version (KJV) 24  A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brot...

I received an urgent call from my eldest son last week.   It was not an unexpected call.   I knew it would come sooner or later.   He was in a supermarket somewhere in Philadelphia needing to know whether what type of beef to buy to make spaghetti sauce.   Mind you, he had been taught how to make spaghetti numerous times while at home.   He refused to attend to the task or remember the steps.   He even bribed his brother, Zachary to cook for him or trade chores for a meal.   As far as Jared was concerned someone else would be cooking for him in the future.   The future has arrived and he has come to the realization that you have to fix your own meal.   Acts 17:11 11  These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Are you depending on someone else to do the majority of scripture study for you? ...

I was up early this morning watering the plants and Sega palms in the back yard.   The leaves were wilted and the soil dry.   My plants were withered and beginning to turn brown.   I started close to the house while singing a praise song in the cool of an early crisp spring day when I began to see drops of rain hitting the surface of the pool.   I then realized droplets of rain falling on me as well.   I put the hose away and came indoors.   I told Russell I had intended to water the plants but it had started to rain.   His words to me were “Let the Lord do the watering.” Exodus 14:14 14  The  Lord  will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” My little attempt at watering was feeble in comparison to the rain God sends.   His showers come at the right time, in the right amount and to the right place.   He is able to provide that same kind of power in dealing with our daily struggles.   When we try to fi...

Worrying is carrying tomorrow's load with today's strength -- carrying two days at once. It is moving into tomorrow ahead of time. Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.  -- "Clippings from My Notebook," 1982 Have you ever tried to erase tomorrow’s problems by worrying about them today?   I write my problems down in advance.   Organized worry is much more efficient.   I can worry about the items on my list one at a time.   This false narrative has led many to believe the more you worry today, the less you will have to worry about tomorrow.   In actuality, worry begets worry and peace of mind is evasive.   We become weary, anxious believers lacking strength for the task God has purposed for us.   What makes us think we can take care of future problems when we do not know what to do about the issues confronting us today? Philippians 4:6-7New King James Version (NKJV) 6  ...

How can something so simple be so important?   My father deemed it a requirement to live in his house.   Make your bed and to his specifications.   He even bounced a quarter off the bed to make sure it was done right. Little did I know he was teaching a lesson?   The first task of the day was to make my bed.   Get that done and other task will follow.   Maybe, my day would entail more significant task than making a bed but if I completed the smallest task I would be more likely to accept the challenge of larger assignments. I made my bed according to how I had been instructed and to the best of my ability.   By insisting that I make my bed my father taught me that if I did the simple, small things well I would be better prepared to go out and make a difference in the world.   Matthew 28:19 19  Go therefore [ a ]  and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spi...

Methodist Hospital at Stone Oak is expanding.  Construction workers start their day before the sun comes up by hearing from the project manager.  The project manager receives their marching orders from the general contractor.  The owner hired the general contractor to direct the project and keep the building under budget.  Each day, the construction workers complete the assignment given to them in the morning. Many skills are required to complete the project.  It runs smoother when each person does what they do best, on time and with the best of their ability.  The expansion began last year and is not yet complete but it’s beginning to look more like the exterior elevation plan mounted in the hospital lobby.  As long as the workers keep showing up, listening to the project manager and dispersing to do their assigned job, the addition to Methodist Hospital will be up and functional this summer. Matthew 28:19-20 19  Therefore go and make dis...