Is God Great or What!?

by Barbara Chadwick

Listen to these words in Psalms 18 and 19 from Peterson’s The Message translation.

Psalms 18

V. 24 God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes.

This was my experience when I accepted Christ as Savior. Then, at various times throughout my life He has rejuvenated me and the text of my life has been enhanced. I praise Him.

VV. 30-31 What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every God direction is road tested. Everyone who runs toward Him makes it. Is there a god like God? Are we not at bedrock? Is not this the God who armed me, then aimed me in the right direction?

Can you look back over your life and see how He guided you during the times you were running towards Him? If not, would you turn toward Him now? Ask Him now to guide your steps and draw you in His direction.

Chapter 19

V. 1 God’s glory is on tour in the skies.

Wow, that makes your eyes look at the sky in a different way!

V. 6 …that’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith.

Hearts, once frozen stiff, melt in God’s embrace. Memories and hurts that have made our hearts like deserts are scorched by His love. Our lives, our hearts, our souls are warmed and open like a sunflower turning toward the sun with His Word.

VV. 7-9 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is 24 carat gold with a lifetime guarantee! The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree.

Is God Great or What!

V. 12 Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over Your work; then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.

This is my prayer, Lord. Take me through this day sun-washed. Direct me to the things You want me to do. May my life, my actions and my countenance warm someone’s heart today. Amen.

Who Am I?

by Barbara Chadwick

We are in the parsonage in Juneau, Alaska. It is a temporary thing – just until the church calls a pastor. We are interim.

People have graciously brought things so we would be comfortable and we are grateful. One extra bedroom has only a twin-sized bed with a trundle bed beneath covered by a nice day-bed spread. I told my husband that we needed a desk in there. He’s very practical and said, “Well, we don’t have one.” I said, “Let’s just go look at a used furniture store and see what we can find.” He got that look on his face, you know, being his day off but wanting to please me, he said, “Let’s go!”

Before we found the used furniture place we found a new furniture place. They had a beautiful small desk for only $150! We looked it over. There were so many things to consider here:

- Is this a wise use of our money right now?
- Would it fit in our truck for the trip back to Colorado?
- Where would we put it in our Colorado house?

I was having a little brain overload. You know, when you want something you don’t really want to stop to do – uh - considering! So we didn’t get it even though it really fit how I wanted things to look.

When we got home he said, “Let’s put our craft table in here.” My brain went - !!!. (That doesn’t stand for cursing it stands for “DID HE SAY THAT?”) The craft table looks just like what it is – metal fold up legs with a white plastic top!

“That’s just not who I am.”

The next morning, as I was standing in that room looking around those words came back to me, “That’s just not who I am.” And I thought, “Who AM I?”:
- A child of God
- A wife, mother, daughter, sister, etc.
- A retired piano teacher. I am subbing in the pre-school at our church. Today a four-year-old boy came up close to me and said, “Your face is too crowded.” I’m not sure but I think he was talking about wrinkles!
- I like pretty things. I’m not very practical.

Then I thought, “Who do I want to be?”:
- I want to be a person God could speak to and I would hear His voice
- I want to be an encourager in the life roles I have
- I want to have more wisdom and not be so - blond
- I think I want to be retired
- I want to exemplify the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (NIV)

Heavenly Father, help me to be that person You want me to be. I want to love You with my whole heart, mind and spirit and I want these fruits of Your Spirit to be found in me.

Advice about bad smells:

by Kerry Chadwick

First - if you smell something bad, look for the cause sooner rather than later.

Second, if you are looking for a bad smell, start with yourself before you look everywhere else in the house.

My daughter asked me to help her look for some cough drops; she has been fighting a cold. So, I began to walk around the house looking for cough drops. (It might have helped had I had my glasses on).

As I was looking for cough drops, I kept smelling this bad smell and I was thinking; “when I find these cough drops I am going to have to look for what is causing this terrible smell that seems to be everywhere that I go.” This was my first mistake. I should have looked for the bad smell immediately.

Then, I hear my daughter say, “Bye dad! Have a good day!” and the door closes. So, she must have found the cough drops and left or she forgot about the cough drops that I have been so diligently looking for and left for school. So, now it is time to look for what is causing this bad smell.

I had my suspensions, because I watched my son with the dog out the kitchen window this morning. The dog was casting about the way he does when he is looking for the right spot to lay his mines, which always takes forever when you are late or in a hurry to leave. Our little dog, Buddy, does not have a dog door so we have to take him out to use his big outdoor bathroom. Kenneth was running late – the dog was taking too long so – he chased the dog around and scooped him up and carried him back inside. My suspension was that, either Kenneth got poop on his shoes from some that had not been cleaned up and carried it into the house or that Buddy had pooped in the house after not having been able to do it outside. Neither of these explanations explained why the smell was through the whole house. Did I mention that our multi-colored shag carpet is about the color of poop?

Yeah, about this time my mind kicks into gear. I look at my feet and realize that when I was looking for cough drops, I stepped into some of Buddy’s poop and I have tracked it all over the house. You can’t spot clean poop when you can’t see where all it has gone. So, the carpet will have to be steam cleaned. Ugh!

This event made me think of several spiritual truths. When you first sin, it smells and you know that something is wrong. You start looking for answers. Your sin rubs off on other parts of your life and affects all that you do. After a while if you do not recognize the sin in your life and clean it up, then you grow used to the smell and no longer recognize it as the sin that it is. You need God to clean it up and it is not good enough to ask God to clean one little spot. You need God to clean out your whole life.

Father, I pray with the Psalmist:
Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(Psalms 139:23-24)
-Amen

Wall-E

by Audrey Wauson

Wall-E, a whole sermons series could be developed out of that one simple movie. The movie opens with this adorable little machine going about his work, cheerfully gathering up trash and smashing it into cubes and stacking the cubes. He’s curious about his world and searches for beauty everywhere. The humans in the movie have disappeared onto a spaceship and left machines to do their dirty work. They float around inside their spaceship on special lounge chairs with robots to bring them food and care for their every need. Back on their planet there is only one machine left that is working - Wall-E.

I’m confident that the producers did not intend for it to be a documentary on Christianity in the US. Nevertheless, I fear that we (US Christians) are like the people in the movie. Instead of doing what we were put on this planet to do, we seem to prefer programs and machines to interact and interface with our world. And instead of striving to have this huge life-breathing rejuvenating effect on the world, we prefer to leave our world, our neighborhoods, our towns, to float around on church-ships that pander to our ever increasing whims, while at the same time causing us to become more and more ineffective and unproductive … so much so that we can’t even help ourselves, much less those in need around us.

How can such a cute movie make a person so mad; so foot stomping, want to scream, mad? How? Because I see myself on one of those floating pads, wobbling around barely able to stand … not because I don’t know how to … but because I feel so grossly out of shape! That was me! In some areas that still is me! How disgusting is that? What is it that Jesus said in Matthew that we were put here to do? "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' Matthew 25:43-45 NIV … 40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' What did God say in Micah 6:8? “He has showed you O man what is good. And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with the Lord your God.”

At one point in the movie, Wall-E finds a very small tiny plant and he saves it, treasures it, and finally gives it away to another robot. We need to be giving away our treasure, the grace of God, to others. What did Jesus say? “Love God. Love others.” Matthew 22:36-40. That’s it. It’s not complicated. It doesn’t require a program, or permission. We don’t have to vote on it or get approval. It doesn’t cost $19.95 plus S&H. We can … you and I can begin cleaning up our world, our corner, by administering first aid … the best kind … grace. We can pass out grace, love, mercy … to all those tired, lonely, disappointed, ugly, undesirable, hurting people that we walk by, live near, or talk to. We can give it out every single day.

God help me to SEE … to see You when I next see someone who is hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or needing clothes, or sick, or in prison, or in any other condition. Help me to not put limitations on how I will help others … any more than you put limitations on Your love for me. I’m so very, very grateful that You were willing to die for me; and to live for me; and to love me: when I was undesirable; when I didn’t want Your help or Your ways; when I thought I knew everything. O Lord Jesus, have mercy on me. Please give me an opportunity to be a blessing to those people around me that You loved so much that You came and died for them!

Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.
Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

Shine your light and
let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory
of the risen King...Jesus (x2)

Mighty To Save by Hillsong

“…let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:15-17 NIV

Heavenly Sunlight

by Barbara Chadwick

Day after day we had cloudy, snowy skies in Juneau, until this morning. I raised the blinds and I could hardly believe my eyes. The sun was shining! I stood at the kitchen sink drinking in the beautiful, brilliant sunshine streaming through the window. I remember singing the song, “Heavenly Sunlight” as a child. The words burst through my brain and heart especially the refrain.

Heavenly sunlight, heavenly sunlight, flooding my soul with glory divine.

Hallelujah, I am rejoicing, singing His praises, Jesus is mine.

The sunlight was glorious! It filled my heart with radiance. I felt lifted up.

When I turned around, though, I saw that the bright sunlight had exposed some grimy dirt on the top edge of some lower cabinet doors. Ugh! I grabbed a cloth to wipe it away before my friend came. As I wiped I thought about my life. My brain said, “Are there places in me that look this grimy to God?”

Working away, I prayed, “Lord, will You search me and show me the areas in my life that are grimy and need to be cleaned? Would You make it as clear to me as Your sunlight did revealing that dirt? I don’t want my life, the things I do and say, to be offensive, Lord. I want to sing Your praises. I want my life to reflect Your glory. Lead me in Your way. Amen”

Psalm 139:23
Search me, O God, and know my heart
Test me and know my anxious thoughts
See if there is any offensive way in me
And lead me in the way everlasting