Jack Of All Trades, Master of None

Many of us go through life being "average" at a lot of things but never seemly being an expert at anything.  I laugh at myself when I look back at all of the things that I have attempted to learn to do in my life.  At the risk of being too transparent let me list a few...

Musically talented?  Hardly!  By the age of 16 I had taken musical lessons on how to play the Flute, the Accordion (back in the Lawrence Welk days), Guitar (in the Elvis Presley days),  and Piano (in the 'Deno's days).  I never mastered any of the above and don't know that I am "average" in being able to play any of the instruments mentioned.  But it was fun trying to learn.  I contribute my lack of success on these adventures to lack of practice.  My mother always told me "practice makes perfect."

Superb athlete?  I don't think so!  I love sports and still attempt, at the age of 53, to play softball and basketball occasionally but have shifted more to table tennis (ping pong) and a popular game in this part of the world called "corn toss".  Yes, I now refer to both of these last two mentioned as a sport!  I actually wrestled in high school for one year and attended spring training for football for one week but never really mastered any of the above.

Construction?  I have done a little construction; laying block, laying carpet, laying tile, and laying down on the job but the later is what I seem to do the best.  Maybe I am "average" at doing construction but you wouldn't want me to oversee the building of your home.  If so, you would not have an average home.

This is probably the story of a lot of our lives.  We seem to be "average" at a lot of things but master very few things in life.  I hope that I am at least considered an average pastor, average preacher, and hopefully an average writer.  And I am okay with that as long as I am being measured, not to the standards of others, but to what God's Word teaches us what an average pastor or preacher should be like.

"Friends, don't get me wrong:  By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward-to Jesus.  I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back."   Philippians 3:13,14 MSG

But the things that I want to focus on being above average are being a good husband, father, grandfather and a good friend.  With the risk of sounding tawdry I hope that the later part of my life I can work toward being exceptional in these areas of my life.  Theodore Roosevelt once said, " I am only an average man but, by George, I work harder at it than the average man."

I have come to the conclusion being average is not a terrible thing after all.  In fact, to make it through life you need to be "average" at a lot of things and will probably only be really good at a few.  I encourage you to master the areas that God has gifted you and be content at being average in other areas of life.

                                                                

GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE

It all started this morning when I went to use the mouse on my computer and it was doing crazy things, my first thoughts was "my computer has a virus."  I happen to pick up the mouse in desperation to get it to work correctly and realized that there was a “mustard-seed size" of paper wedge by the sensor that causes a "distraction" to the mouse, causing a malfunction.  I chuckled as I thought how easy it is for us to imagine the worse, even with our computer.  Once I removed the tiny piece of paper the mouse worked properly.

People get up every morning of the week thinking the worse.  Being very transparent this morning just a few days ago I got up feeling down.  This is somewhat not my nature.  Why was I feeling down?  I really don't know.  Maybe a chemical imbalance; maybe some medicine I took the night before to relieve me of some aches and pains; or maybe simply an attack of Satan.   I really don't know why but I know how I felt.  Facing reality I prayed through out the day for God's strength.

At the end of the day it occurred to me that I had weathered through the storm.  There was a sense of peace that came over me as I realized that I had made it through the storm and "this house" still stands.  I penned these words in my bible that evening:  Thank you God for your grace and mercy that followed me today.  I made it another day and my faith in you is stronger than the day before.

I am sure there will be another day that Satan will try my faith but thanks be to God who gives me unmerited favor and his mercies are new every morning! 

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."  Lamentations 3: 22 & 23 

I WANTED TO BE A POLICEMAN

I was asked as a first grader in school "What do you want to be when you grow up?"   My response was, "I want to be a policeman!"  I was fascinated by the policeman (Mr. Hoggnett) in the uniform that patrolled the traffic at "Unity Elementary School", where I attended.

I recently used the quote by J. Wallace Hamilton, "Every person's life is a diary in which he or she means to write one story and is forced to write yet another."  

Life is a funny thing.  It never turns out the way that we thought that it would.  Culture, education, dreams, and decisions we make, all help to write down on unseen pages the story of our life and it never turns out the way that we planned.


But there are some absolute truths about our life that we can be certain about.  

• God KNEW you before you were ever born. 
• "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."  Jeremiah 1:5
• God has GREATER plans for us than what we have for ourselves.
•  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord."  Isaiah 55:8
• God is ALWAYS writing a new chapter in our life.
•  "Look at the new thing I am going to do.  It is already happening....I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land."  Isaiah 43:19

Being a P-olicemen would not have been a bad thing but I am glad that God called me to be a P-astor and a P-reacher instead.  (At least I had the first letter correct.)  How did you start out writing your life story and has it turned out different than you planned?

I ALSO WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU MUCH MORE!

"I also would have given you much more!" is the word that I hear ringing in my ears of what God is saying to King David.  Read 2 Samuel 7 and hear the words of King David giving thanks to God for "bringing him this far."  Hear David telling God "with your blessing let my family always be blessed."

It sounds like David is on a journey headed toward success.  But then in 2 Samuel 11 we see that David's journey takes a left turn.  It is John Maxwell that states, "When we stop growing, we stop leading.  When we stop sacrificing, we stop succeeding."  Many times people ask the question, what happened?  Things were going so well for them and then they take a wrong turn.

In over 30 years of pastoral ministry I have seen many lay leaders and pastors take a wrong turn.  I have sat and listen to pastors and lay leaders relate how that they could not blame anyone but themselves for their sin.  (I heard other pastors and lay leaders wanting to blame someone else for the wrong turn in their life, as well.)  It is a sad day because the blessing of God stops when we stop being obedient to his word.  It is like stopping up a kitchen sink with yesterday's grease.  Grease hardens and stops the flow as sin will harden our heart and stop the flow of God's wonderful blessings in our lives.

But, God ...would have given you much more!

Thirty-four years ago, as a 16 year old grocery clerk one day I spoke with the Keebler Sales Representative that was busy stocking the cookie shelf.  I begin to witness to him about God and what he had done in my life.  As I told him about Jesus he stood there with tears in his eyes and told me that he "once was a missionary" for God.  God would have done much more in his life but somewhere, somehow, he had made a wrong turn in his life.  Thank God for his saving grace that brings forgiveness and restoration in our lives.  Today, thirty-four years later, I still vividly remember that incident of speaking with this total stranger about Jesus. Maybe it was as much for me as for him!

God still has much that he wants to do for you!  God blessed King David but the fact is that God had much more for him then what he ever received.  (Read of King David's sin in 2 Samuel 11 & 12).  The fact is that God has much more that he wants to give you, as well.  It is my prayer today that you will be able to walk out your journey with God, receiving all of the blessings that have your name on them.  For God has great things that He wants to give YOU!

Tribute to a Man of Faith

"You are over exposing yourself" was the words of John W. Swails, which went to be with the Lord this past Saturday evening. According to one of the minister's that did the eulogy of this "hero of faith" he once stated that if you preached more than 30 or 35 minutes "you are over exposing yourself." And then he goes on to say "cut your sermon in 1/2 if you are preaching more than 30 minutes." (This is probably a lesson that a lot of us preachers could learn.)

Another quote that this hero of faith stated was "the devil is in the condemning business and he has helpers, but God is not in the condemning business." John W. Swails was a great man of faith and a bible scholar. I believe that God strategically places us around people that can help us in our walk with God, and I am thankful to know this man of faith.

Paul states in II Timothy 4:5 & 6 (New Century Version) says, My life is being given as an offering to God, and the time has come for me to leave this life. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." I believe that describes John W. Swails and others that allow God to use them to help reach others for Christ.

In my life time, if I can make half the impact that this man made on the life's of others, then I will be most grateful to the God that I serve.

To read more about John W. Swails click on the following link:
http://www.hughsnews.com/the-bio-of-john-washington-swails-jr-november-26-1915-june-12-2010