Kitty, or the Bug, as Andrea calls her found out we were going riding late Saturday afternoon. She was looking for an opportunity to go for another ride. She asked me if we could take her. I explained to her that we were going to ride the skills park. She responded with a, "that's okay, I want to try that," type response and I began to worry.
A few minutes later the boys had her bike and her gear ready to go. All the way to the trail I kept thinking that if she got hurt I was going to get hurt. I was thinking of all the people who would beat me with baseball bats if she came home with even so much as a scrape! I started to feel sick to my stomache.
Once we got there, I did a quick explanation of how to ride and that she didn't have to do everything. After that, I silently prayed while Kitty did a quick cute check! Before long, I looked up to see her doing this!
I think she liked it!!! So now I have a new freerider in the family. She has the bug. She couldn't get enough. She can't wait to go back there. As a matter of fact, when she got home she ran to her mother to ask if she could race the upcoming downhill race.
One of my friends was telling me about a hilarious Batman parody video clip.
I watched this clip and it made me think. Tell me if this clip does not remind you of how poorly we communicate in our country. This clip should be used for counselling marriages, teacher/student problems, classmate problems, co-worker problems, parent/child, etc, etc...
James 1: 19-20 says,
"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires."
I hope this comical example helps us apply this passage to our lives.
My friend, Mark Freer, writes a newsletter on a regular basis. I thought this one was really encouraging so I wanted to share it.
Don’t Lose Heart
There is a scene near the end of the movie "The Two Towers", the second movie in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, that really speaks to my heart. Frodo, a Hobbit who is carrying the ring of power to MountDoom to destroy it is being overcome by the heaviness of his task and says to his companion Sam, "I can’t do this Sam". Sam replies, "I know, it’s all wrong, by rights we shouldn’t even be here, but we are. It’s like the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered, full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end it’s only a passing thing, this shadow, even darkness must pass, a new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo I do understand, I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t, they kept going because they were holding on to something". Frodo says, "What are we holding on to Sam?" Sam replies, "That there’s some good in this world Mr. Frodo and it’s worth fighting for".
There are days when I feel just like Frodo, completely drained, wiped-out, weary, even despondent, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. When the weight of responsibilities press down, when the pressure of the battle becomes intense. I need to be reminded as Sam said, "It’s only a passing thing. . . even darkness must pass".
In Luke 18:1 Jesus tells a parable to his disciples that instead of losing heart they should persevere in prayer. Jesus had just instructed his disciples on the necessity of having a genuine faith, a faith that is moved by love and gratitude (see Luke 17:5-19). He then goes on to tell them about the sudden return of the son of man in Luke 17:20-37. This is the reason for the parable of the persistent widow in chapter 18:1-18. He is telling his disciples that there will be a lengthy and increasingly difficult period of time before the son of man returns. This encouragement "not to lose heart" starts with Jesus and is carried on by the apostle Paul in several scriptures. To the Galatians he said, "And let us not grow weary of doing good for in due season we will reap if we do not give up". To the Ephesians he says, "So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you which is your glory". To the Thessalonians he says, "As for you brothers, do not grow weary in doing good". And to the Corinthians he encourages them by his own experiences, "Therefore having this ministry by the mercy of God we do not lose heart" and a few verses later, "So we do not lose heart, though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day."
The Greek word "Enkakeō" is used in all these scriptures and is translated "not to faint" or "to lose heart". It means "to lose one’s courage" or to "become fainthearted" or to "become despondent in the face of trials or difficulties" or "to become weary". Other English translations give us, "never despair", "never give up", "do not play the coward" and "do not get discouraged". I know many Christians who feel this way and I’m not talking about new Christians but people who have been active in ministry for years who have lost the joy and the passion of following Jesus. No one who enters the kingdom of God enters with the idea "I’ll do this for awhile" and then I’ll quit or back off and just take it easy.
But when the way gets difficult it’s easy to lose your courage and back away from the difficulties. Courage is the attitude you have when dealing with anything that is dangerous, difficult or painful. Instead of withdrawing you go on showing courage. To lose courage is to be fainthearted, or to become despondent, to be weary. You’ve heard the saying "when the going gets tough the tough get going". In Christianity when the going gets tough the ranks thin quickly. The drop out rate in Christianity is high. Not that many believers follow through on their initial zeal for Jesus and the loss to the church is great. Most people assume it’s either sin or bad doctrine that caused it, but I think people just get discouraged and somewhere along the way they just drop out of the race. I believe all of us know people who we consider honest, decent, who love their family, they are trying to live a "good" life and they may even attend church. I’m talking about people who know they are Christians and who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for their sins on the cross. But somewhere along the way they just gave up, they lost courage. Maybe I just described you, inwardly you have given up. You have never lost your faith but you no longer have any passion for Christ.
Sam tells Frodo, "I know now folk in these stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t, they kept going on because they were holding on to something". Sam can say this now because he is living one of these stories. The path has been hard, the way filled with suffering, the opposition they were facing was much stronger than they were, but they must go on, they must continue the journey. In the same way Jesus knowing what His disciples were going to go through after the cross and resurrection, and knowing what all future disciples would have to endure as they waited for his second coming in glory exhorts them not to lose heart. Don’t lose your courage as you look around at a world that is headed for divine judgement but doesn’t care. Keep your eyes focused on the hope that is yet to come, hold onto the return of your king and realize He will fully vindicate "His elect who cry to Him day and night" (18:7). Jesus tells us to "Hear what the unrighteous judge says". What did he say? He said even though I don’t fear God and I have no respect for people I’m going to give this widow justice because she is wearing me out with her persistence. The persistent requests of the widow are like the prayers of the saints. God will give justice to His people. If an unjust judge responds to such cries then God the righteous judge will certainly respond to the cries of His own chosen people. Our suffering will seem like nothing when compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.
Don’t lose heart! Don’t lose courage. The darkness will pass and a brand new day will come. Jesus knows who you are, He knows where you are and He knows what you’re going through. He didn’t promise us an easy road but he did promise "I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake you, nor let you down (relax my hold on you) assuredly not" (Heb.12:5 Amplified). "Beloved we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we will see Him as He is" (1John 3:2).
Life is short, so take every opportunity to make your life shine for Jesus. Live your life preparing for His return doing everything out of love for Him and for His glory.
I know, it sounds like something one might read on a bathroom wall. It is just where I am at lately. The hectic pace of the last year and a half has me pretty worn out.
Some of it is physical. I find myself taking more pills of different sorts to keep my body moving. I think all the abuse from when I was young and invincible is starting to catch up with me. I have pains in places and think to myself, "what did I do that cuased this? Oh, that could be from when..."
Some of it is emotional. I have been on a lot of roller coasters lately. Most all of them have been supporting others, but a few have been of my own making. All I can say through this is I have learned a lot.
Some of it is anticipation. I have some sense of where we are supposed to go next in life. I end up wearing myself out here because the anticipation becomes expectation. I am one of those who wants to get going.
So, here I sit. Thinking about just taking a few days off to spend with the family, get away , and relax.
