FAMILY

Winter can be so beautiful sometimes. I love to see the ground and trees covered with snow. Everything is so defined. It seems you can see for miles through the woods where you usually are only able to see a short distance. This is about the only time I can appreciate winter. Most of the time I’m just wishing spring would show up and chase the cold away. I can live with the few times each year that it snows where I live, but what I really hate is the ice that winter often brings. Even then, it can be beautiful, but traveling is dangerous, and at times, impossible. Trees fall down, and roads and bridges ice over, causing wrecks. The electricity often goes off, leaving some cold and in the dark, sometimes for days or even weeks. The winter months can be harsh and bitter, depending on where you live, but if you look, you can always find a silver lining behind those winter clouds.

A few years ago we lost our electricity because of the ice. It was only for a few hours, but we didn’t have any idea how long it would be out. I felt so helpless. All I could do was call the electric company, pray, and wait. We sat down to eat just as it was getting dark. We lit some candles and a lamp and shared a candlelight supper. Then when the lights came back on, we played a game of Scattergories. It was a good evening of family fun. We laughed, we cried, and we laughed some more. We had a great time just being together with nothing to distract us. The electricity going out was a good thing because it gave us some extra time to enjoy being together as a family.

In today’s busy world with all the things we have to distract us, families are drifting further and further apart. We see it every day, and each year it just gets worse, but what many people don’t see is that it’s Satan’s plan to destroy the family. Family keeps us grounded. Family gives us stability and knowing that someone loves us and cares for us keeps us on the right track. Just look at what kind of trouble people get into when they don’t have family to rely on and to keep them headed in the right direction. Especially young people.

God created the family for a reason. Nothing happens by chance, yet so many want to believe that we evolved from a rock over millions of years. God is intentional. He knows what he’s doing. The Bible tells us, in the book of Genesis, that God created our galaxy, the earth, the ocean, the trees, the plants and animals and everything else. Then he told Adam and Eve to start a family (Genesis 1:1-28).

Family is important to God. Before he sent the flood to cleanse the earth from sin, he told Noah to build an ark to save his family (Genesis 6 and 7). Before he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, he sent angels to bring Lot and his family out of the city (Genesis 19). When he destroyed Jericho, he saved Rehab and her family (Joshua 2) and there are many more examples in God’s word where God preserves the family.

We need to learn to follow God’s leading. If family is important to God, it should be important to us. Families need to spend more time together and learn to support each other, not just when times get rough, or when we lose a family member. Too often, this is the only time some families can act civil. It shouldn’t take a death in the family to get people to be nice to each other.

Family is one of those things that God has programmed into our instincts but we need to be intentional about preserving relationships. The way things are in the world today, it breeds selfishness in all of us. We don’t take time for the family like we should, and some don’t even think it's important anymore, but God does. If he does, shouldn’t we?

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TEXTING AND TWEETING: MISSPELLED AND MISAPPLIED WORDS

I remember back in the 80’s when I was a few years younger, I was fascinated by the way one of my favorite singers at the time would use numbers and single letters to replace a word in his song lyrics and titles. I thought it was awesome. Instead of TO he used the number 2. Instead of FOR he used a 4. Instead of YOU, he used the letter U, and so on. 

I thought it was so cool that I started using that style of writing myself, and I continued using it until just recently. That shortened style of writing became more popular with the rise of the internet and e-mail. Then along came the cell phone and texting. Now, instead of just using letters to shorten words, entire sentences are being replaced with just a few letters. JW for just wondering and LOL for laughing out loud, for example.

It started out as a fun way to be different and moved into a new language that defined a new generation, but now it has gotten way out of hand. In the past few years, I’ve noticed something developing that really troubles me. People have actually forgotten how to spell. We spend so much time using text language that when we try to write something out we can’t get it right. The spelling is wrong, and so is the grammar. Have you noticed it? It has gone beyond texting though. I see it all over the internet. On Facebook and Twitter, and other social media sites. I even see it from professionals. 

I don’t mean to be critical or nit-pick because I’m certainly not a model citizen when it comes to writing, or even talking for that matter, but I think this needs to be said. If we forget how to spell, soon we’ll forget how to read, and future generations will know less about God’s word than we do now. 

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about and a glimpse of where we could be headed… 

FOR SELL. To phone cases. Their both brand new. There sailing on ebay for $10.00 each. I wont $10.00 for both. Your not gone too find a better deal.

This is not an actual ad, but this is the kind of stuff I’m seeing everywhere these days. I hope you found nine mistakes in spelling and grammar. I get texts like this all the time. I see this on Social Networks, on forums, and on YouTube. I’ve received emails like this from business professionals, and I even see it in news articles on the internet. 

Again, I’m not condemning anyone or saying anyone is stupid, (I thank God for spell check when I’m writing) but it’s this electronic short-hand language that’s to blame. We use it so much that we have forgotten how to spell correctly. Have you ever heard the phrase USE IT OR LOSE IT? When we write in code all day, every day, that’s what our minds get used to, so proper spelling, and grammar slowly fades until it’s gone.   

Here are some of the words I see misspelled and misapplied regularly.

TO, TOO, TWO – I see To used almost every day in place of Too and sometimes for Two.
THERE, THEIR, THEY’RE – Of these, Their is the one I see used the most for the other two.
YOUR, YOU’RE – I’m always seeing the word Your used instead of You’re.
WANT, WON’T – I’ve seen these two interchanged, and sometimes I see it without the apostrophe. Wont instead of Won’t. 
SELL, SALE, SAIL – All of these are often mixed up.
KNOW, NO – Surely, when these are interchanged, it has to be on purpose. Right?
ITS, IT’S – These are sometimes mixed up. I have done it many times.
LOOSE, LOSE – LOOSE is usually used to say “Loose My Number” when it should be “Lose My Number”. Loose should be used to say “The Dog Is Loose.”
THEN, THAN – These words are sometimes used for the other one.
WAIT, WEIGHT – I haven’t seen these two mixed up, but I thought I’d mention them while I’m on a roll.

It’s easy to see how people can make some of these mistakes. And again, I’m not putting anyone down, I just feel I should throw this out there and maybe help us all to try and get back on the right track before the train completely derails. Because, those who don’t know, don’t know they don’t know.

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SACRIFICE

I love John 3:16. It has been one of my favorite Bible verses for as long as I can remember. It was the very first scripture I ever committed to memory. It says,

John 3:16
16 Because God loved the world so much, that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

I also like verse 17. It was the second Bible verse I memorized as a child.

John 3:17
17 Because God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.

Actually, this entire chapter is awesome. Here Jesus beautifully explains the plan of salvation to Nicodemus, the Pharisee. He reveals the story of an all-powerful God who loves us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his only Son so he could have us with him for eternity. He desires to spend time with us, just like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before they sinned. Jesus left his home in heaven, became a man, and gave his life on the cross, so we could be free from the power of sin, and live in God’s presence once again. But freedom is never free. To secure freedom of any kind, a sacrifice has to be made by someone.

A few years ago, as I was going door to door offering Bible studies, a lady asked me how much I was charging for them. When I told her they were free, she said, “nothing is free.” After thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that she was right. Nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, at some time, has to pay something for whatever is being offered for free. Someone sacrificed their time to write those study guides. Somebody sacrificed the money it took to print them, and I was sacrificing my time to present them, but they were offered to this lady, at no cost. The Salvation that God offers us cost him everything, but he offers it to us free of charge.

In Romans 6:23 we saw that “the wages of sin is death” but that’s only half of the verse. Here’s what the second half says.

Romans 6:23b
23 …but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

He offers the gift of eternal life to every person on earth. If you have never accepted that gift, it’s yours for the taking. No matter what condition you’re in right now, no matter how bad you’ve sinned, no matter what you’ve ever done in your life, he willingly offers it to you, free of charge. You don’t have to wait until you get your life straightened out, or until you become a better person, or until you get back in church. You can come to Jesus just as you are, anywhere you are, and he will change you into the person you need to be. Look at 2 Corinthians 6:2 and let’s focus on the second half of the verse.

2 Corinthians 6:2b
2 Behold, NOW is the accepted time; Behold, NOW is the day of salvation.

Now is the time. Today is the day. Make the choice, and come to Jesus today, accept his free gift, and be saved so you don’t have to suffer, and die for your sins. We face many choices in life and, unfortunately, we don’t always make the right ones, but whether or not to accept the free gift of salvation is the most important choice any of us will ever make. It literally means the difference between life and death.

Don’t wait. Life is short, and we are not promised tomorrow. The sacrifice has been made. Come to Jesus today, accept his free gift, and be saved so you don’t have to suffer the penalty for your sins.

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COMMON COURTESY: WHERE HAS IT GONE?

A while back, I was in a store in the movie section, when a lady walked up beside me and started looking at the same section I was looking at. Then she stepped right in front of me and took my spot, just like I wasn’t even standing there. I was upset by this so, not wanting to be rude myself, I walked away. Sometimes I just shake my head and wonder, “What’s wrong with people? Where are their manners?”

A few years ago I was making a phone call. A stranger answered. He wasn’t too rude, but he quickly let me know I had dialed the wrong number. I apologized and hung up. I was pretty sure I had the right number written down but had just dialed it wrong. So I redialed, being very careful to get each number right this time. The same guy answered and before I could explain anything to him, he began yelling and cursing and screaming at me, “DON’T YOU EVER CALL THIS NUMBER AGAIN!!!” That was very rude and so uncalled for.  

I see the same thing with drivers on the road. Everybody is in such a hurry. Cutting people off. Driving insanely fast and trying to beat traffic lights. No wonder there are so many accidents.       

One day my wife and I walked out of a restaurant after eating lunch. We were in the parking lot as a car came down the aisle. The lady driving didn’t even try to slow down, even though we were already in the middle of the aisle. I could see she had no intention of stopping to let us get on across. We had to step back to keep her from running over us. I’m glad we were paying attention. I asked my wife, “What has happened to common courtesy?” Everyone is in such a big hurry. No one wants to go out of their way to be nice to others anymore. Well, I know it’s not everyone, but lately, there seem to be a lot more selfish and rude people.

I’ve thought about it a lot lately and I realize that there are lots of different ways that people are rude to others and it seems to only be getting worse. Humans are selfish creatures. We are selfish with our time, our money and consideration for others, but we freely give our opinion and condemnation.

I’ve also realized that I can’t condemn others for treating people badly because I don’t always treat people like I should either. Especially my family and friends. Those closest to me. People have a lot going on these days and we don’t always think before we react. I have often found myself apologizing because I said something harsh without thinking first. There’s really no good reason to disrespect others and treat them badly, no matter what’s going on with us. That’s an excuse I’ve used before, but it’s invalid. I don’t want to use it anymore. No matter what we have been through, and no matter what we’re going through, we are responsible for our own actions.

Just look at how Jesus was treated, but he didn’t take out his frustrations on others. He didn’t even retaliate when he was being beaten and mocked and killed. In fact, he asked his Father to forgive those who were mistreating him. If we all would follow his example, the world would be a much better place. But we need his help to do this. I’m asking him to help me to make it a priority to think before I react, and I hope you’ll join me. Let’s make this world of ours a nicer place to live.

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THAT I AM

In Exodus chapter 3, we read the story of Moses and the burning bush. God told him to go to Egypt and rescue the children of Israel from slavery. Moses asked God, “when I come to the children of Israel, and tell them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they will say to me, What is his name? What shall I tell them?”

Exodus 3:14 
14 And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, This is what you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.

I remember reading this when I was young and thinking it just didn’t sound right. It sounded like it was written wrong. When I got older and had access to different versions of the Bible I noticed a lot of them replaced THAT with WHO so it read “I AM WHO I AM.” Well, that doesn’t sound any better to me.

At the end of verse 14, God says “Tell them I AM has sent you.” He said his name is I AM. Looking back at the first part then, we can see “I AM WHO I AM” is not a good translation. In fact, it changes the whole meaning of the verse.

He was saying, I am THAT “I AM” who your ancestors knew and served. (Exodus 3:6, 15)

Suppose there is a famous man named Rocky Alverson, and we have never seen him before, but we’ve heard a lot about him. When we meet him, and he tells us he is Rocky Alverson, we might ask him this famous question, “THE Rocky Alverson?” That’s what God was telling Moses. “I am THAT I AM who they have heard of. I AM is my name. I am That I AM, or The I AM.” That’s why we sing songs about The great I AM. That’s his name.

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© 2015 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

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