June 9 – Brain food

“A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.” Proverbs 15:14 (NLT, 2nd edition)

I read an interesting article by Rick Warren this week – or should I say, in light of the title of this blog – it was thought provoking. Rick was basically saying God will hold us accountable for what we allow to enter our minds.

What we think matters, because everything starts in the mind. To be a responsible person, we have to control our thoughts. Our minds control everything about us....our thoughts influence our feelings....our feelings impact our actions. You're likely thinking, “Whoa, hang on a minute, I can't be responsible for every stray thought that enters my mind!” That's exactly what I thought. I carry around enough excess baggage, without adding false guilt to it.

Stray thoughts enter our minds for a variety of reasons — conversations we hear by accident, things we see, stuff the devil puts in our minds, etc. Agreed? But we are responsible for how we deal with those stray thoughts. Martin Luther said it like this: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”

It's amazing what some people watch — not to mention what they allow their children watch. Many true followers of Jesus spend their time watching trashy TV and listening to trashy radio programmes. Good money is paid to see deviant behavior as entertainment. People watching such shows have told Rick Warren, “When I go see those kinds of things, it just doesn’t phase me. It doesn’t bother me. It doesn’t affect me.”

They must be joking - that’s just not true! Increasingly people are transfixed to the web and social networking sites. An innocent trawl for information turns into a 'beware of the pornographic pop-ups' exercise.

Scientists have conducted study after study that says we never really forget any scene we see. Even if we don’t consciously recall the scene, that idea will come right back to our minds when we least expect it — in living color — when something else stimulates the thought.

In other words, “Garbage in, garbage out.” What we put into our minds will inevitably bear fruit in our behavior and beliefs. In fact, when trashy entertainment doesn’t bother us anymore, it’s a warning light that we’ve already passed the threshold.

One of Satan’s greatest tricks for attracting our attention is comedy. That’s why on television or in movies, bad language and behavior always starts with comedy. If Satan can get us laughing at something that is sinful, we’ve already lost the battle.

Sin isn’t funny. Sin put Jesus on the cross.

What are you filling your brain with?

Jim Reeves singing - “I'd Rather Have Jesus” is today's music. Click on the picture to listen.

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” - Jeremiah 17:7-8 | NIV |

Last week I outlined the idea that it is all too easy for a good Christian to get into financial difficulties – and that it was possible to be brought back from the brink of crisis by following good advice and trusting that God would care for the soul in difficulties. I mentioned seven ‘baby steps’ that have proved really effective for a number of individuals in one church in the north-east of England.

The blog for today outlines the first of the baby steps. Dave Ramsey is a financial expert who is a Christian. He takes a matter of fact approach to debt – the matter of fact, as we interpret it, that God will care for the trusting person who asks God to guide in difficult situations.

 The steps are fully outlined in the book ‘Total Money Makeover’  and on the following web page  https://www.daveramsey.com/baby-steps/

You think … it’s an American financial guru! Yes, and I’m as suspicious as you are about such ‘experts’, all I know is that the steps worked for my friends. They had to pass through this step first. BABY STEP 1: SAVE £500 or £1000 to start an emergency fund. How much you save will be up to you and will depend on your own family needs – not your income. An emergency fund is crucial to catch those unexpected events in life that you can't plan for: plumbing issues, unexpected car problems, medical bills, family bereavement or you lose your job unexpectedly!

You ask, “How on earth can I save up that much when I’m in debt already?” There are three words of advice I have for you that if applied with prayer really work. The first is to set a budget with your family every month. The second is to find what you have around your house that you don’t need – and sell it. The third is to increase your income by God’s grace.

I won’t go into detail about budgets now – that will come later

How about selling things? My wife and I have a stash of bits and pieces we haven’t used in a while – they will go to the car boot sale when we have some better weather and will be used to go into our emergency fund. From that you realise that I am following the 7 baby steps even though my only debt is the mortgage. Please don’t do the same as I did last time we sold at a car boot – we spent rather too much of the proceeds on pizza! At that time we hadn’t heard of the 7 baby steps. At that time we hadn’t realised our money problems were affecting our spiritual life.

Then there is the suggestion that you increase your income. Here is where you say, “I’m just hanging on to my present income – how on earth do you expect me to increase my income?” This is where you learn that God looks after you – this is a faith step. I know this step works. One of the SmartStewards was waiting for a job with no hope of a job. This is the north-east after all. How on earth did she get the job a week after she realised the financial pickle she was in and prayed that God would increase her income? That can be no accident.

I can describe another incident. The young man was seriously in debt. He couldn’t work. He couldn’t generate more income. Then his friends decided that they would find him a job. They also decided that they would do the job with him. It took us a month to raise the £1000. We worked at scrubbing down metal window guards using equipment supplied by a friend of a friend. That month cost us a few blisters and a collection of aches and pains you wouldn’t believe – but we had fun and we knew God was looking after us all.

So there is the first step. Save £1000 and do it quickly. It removes the chance that when an emergency arises you don’t dissolve into even more debt by taking on some more credit.

 Want some more inspiration? How about having a look at the SmartStewards Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/groups/825816587526111/

 Next time we will look at the second baby step.

“Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.” Luke 22:24

The greatest? Most people believe that phrase was coined by Mohammed Ali. So who was Ali? He was not only a phenomenally talented boxer, but someone who backed up his own predictions and rantings with his talent. He labelled himself as ‘the greatest’ in an era before social media, yet his fame and notoriety spread and he spawned a legion of follows and challengers all wishing that they had said it first.

In contrast who did the bible say was the greatest and who said it. The bible tells us in Luke 22:24;

“Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.”

The disciples were vying amongst themselves to be given this title, yet Proverbs 27:2 says;

“Never praise yourself. Let others do it” ERV

Sure, in the case of Mohammed Ali, initially a lot of his talk and brash, sometimes alarming statements were mind games for the detriment of his opponents, but in the end I think he probably believed he was. He did do great things in the name of sport and humanity and many commentators in the press today have given him many laudable titles. In the end though, the final words which I feel conclusively sum up this discussion, are words spoken by Jesus found in the gospel of Matthew 18:4;

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Let us be careful with our words.

Jason Waller sings an acoustic version of 'God is great'. Click on the picture to listen.

“Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.”

‘Abstain from all appearance of evil.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:22

I overheard a conversation from a group of teen age boys who were slowly wheeling their bikes up a hill. It went something like this.

“Has anyone got a cigarette?”

The rest of the boys looked around each other then one of them said “Billy you know that none of us smoke!” They all burst out laughing. Billy then proceeded to say

”Ok, ok I was just checking! Anyway, today I have decided that I am going to try one. And no Alfie, don’t you go bleating to my mum ‘cos I know how big your mouth is!”

I felt like saying ‘No Billy don’t try it’ and ‘Yes Alfie, run bleating to his mum!’ but I didn’t as I could not be sure they were not just having some banter. Besides I didn’t want to suffer possible verbal street abuse.

It did get me thinking though about how calculating we are sometimes as sinners. I have noticed that when a toddler is doing something they know is wrong, they go out of sight, they go quiet. My youngest child kept asking me for a banana that was on the kitchen surface where she could reach it. She had been told by various family members that it was rotten and was waiting to be thrown away. Later that evening I noticed how quiet she was and quietly popped my head quietly around the kitchen door. Immediately upon seeing me she handed me the banana, half mushed from her attempt to bite it with the words ‘here you go!’

The bible says ‘abstain from all appearance of evil.’ The Easy to Read Version (ERV) states it more plainly ‘and stay away from everything that is evil.’

Maybe that is the key, it sounds so simple but oh so hard which is, to stay away from evil. If you have a problem with cigarettes only go shopping with people who you know won’t allow you to buy them. Or if the problem is sweets (I raise my own hand slowly), don’t keep change in your pockets. Basically don’t foster to the environment that will allow sinning to become easy.

But in all things remember,

‘The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it.’ 1 Corinthians 10:13

Have a beautiful day.

Jimmy Needham sings his song ‘Forgiven and loved.’ Click on the picture to listen. 

June 3-4 – Be yourself

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” - Proverbs 3:5-6

Driving along a busy inner city road here in Nottingham the other day, all was well until I reached a point where a number of roads converge, including exit roads from two industrial shopping areas. At the approach, all lanes filled with lines of vehicles. Most of the drivers were patient, but it only seems to take one to trigger a reaction from others.

That one driver seemed to think he was the only person behind a wheel who was competent....his journey was more important....he wasn't prepared to queue....he would show everyone how it was done! Off he went, reving the engine, hooting his horn, waving at other drivers to move over, and driving through the tightest gaps (there's never a policeman around when needed, is there!). Of course, more cars followed suit – they wanted to be like him . However, the majority refused to be intimidated.

This reminded me of a story told by Max Lucado. A little boy named Adam wanted to be like his friend Bobby. Adam loved the way Bobby walked and talked. Bobby, however, wanted to be like Charlie. Something about Charlie’s stride and accent intrigued him. Charlie, on the other hand, was impressed with Danny. Charlie wanted to look and sound like Danny. Danny, of all things, had a hero as well: Adam. He wanted to be just like Adam. So Adam was imitating Bobby, who was imitating Charlie, who was imitating Danny, who was imitating Adam! Turns out, all Adam had to do was be himself.

You be you! Don’t be your parents or grandparents. You can admire them, appreciate them, and learn from them. But you cannot be them. Don’t compare yourself with others.

The apostle Paul said “…each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life (Galatians 6:4-5).”

Jesus was insistent upon this. After the resurrection he appeared to some of his followers. He gave Peter a specific pastoral assignment; one that included great sacrifice. The apostle Peter responded in John 21:21-22 by pointing at John and saying, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to live until I come back, that is not your business. You follow me.”

Don’t occupy yourself with another person’s assignment. You be you..stay focused on your own!

Stay in your own lane. Nothing good happens when you compare and compete. God doesn’t judge you according to the talents of others. He judges you according to yours! His yardstick for measuring faithfulness is how faithful you are with your own gifts.

Acknowledgments Max Lucado

“That's Important to Me” LIVE – today's music. Click on the picture to listen.

June 2 – Never too late.

“Now here I am, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out, and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then. So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago.” (Joshua 14:10b-12a NCV)

Bertie Gladwin left school aged 14 with no interest in academia after he was put in the low ability class by teachers. Today, at the grand old age of 91, he has a total of three degrees and is even considering doing a PhD. He says that his time at university has helped him understand young people and hopes he showed them that 'old people aren't too bad either' Bertie gained a degree in Military Intelligence. He describes himself as “just a late bloomer.”

Are you retired? Coming up to retirement? Or, looking at it from a long distance, too busy and involved with your lives that it's not even a passing thought?

For some, retirement holds thoughts of travel, taking up a hobby, spending time with grandchildren....FREEDOM!! True, the nine to five schedule may be over, but what about God’s continued calling on your life, your work for Him....that never ends. Perhaps you believe you have done your stint over the years, and physically, you ain't what you used to be, your past it. But you’ve got to believe it’s never, never too late.

After Joshua sent the 12 spies into the Promised Land, they returned and reported that the land was too hard a place for God’s people to settle. Because of their unbelief, God had a nation wander around in the desert for another 40 years, and an entire generation died because they did not believe in God’s promises. But Caleb and Joshua believed, and they got to live.

Forty years later, Caleb was 85 years old and living his second chance when the Israelites returned to the Promised Land. He said, “Now here I am, eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out, and I am just as ready to fight now as I was then. So give me the mountain country the LORD promised me that day long ago” (Joshua 14:10b-12a NCV).

Now there's enthusiasm - “Give me the mountain country.” I love that! Caleb not only wanted to be set to work, the land he wanted was full of giants and cities fortified with great walls. He was saying to God, “Give me the biggest assignment. Give me the hardest city. Give me the place with the biggest giants. Give me the mountain regions. I don’t want some easy place. I know I’m 85 years old, but I’ve still got it in me to do great things for you.” Oh, for such an attitude!

Just when we think it's time to mothball the working clothes – stash the briefcase at the back of the wardrobe, that's exactly the time to dust off the growing cobwebs on our minds, and roll up the sleeves! Do you think God’s going to let you live 30 more years just to play golf?

Here’s a word that’s not in the Bible: retirement. We may stop working, but as long as life lasts we keep serving the Lord. We have more wisdom and experience now, and God is not going to waste that.  At the age of 85, Caleb began the greatest mission of his life. Moses was 80 when God called him to set God’s people free. Abraham was 79 when he received God’s call....the list goes on

In 1908, the Rev. Noah Smith was born. As America's oldest practicing preacher, he died peacefully last year, aged 107. Smith, a former artist and musician, who mentored many pastors, did not become a minister until the age of 49. He worked every day. You never saw him not working, and he would never go out in public without a suit and tie. He always dressed wherever he went. That was something that he took pride in. He took his mission, his calling, very seriously....a man praised by all for his tenacity and devotion to the Lord's calling. He left a legacy that is really indescribable. (CBS)

If you are in the Caleb generation, you have to believe that it’s never too late to start on your life calling. The best is yet to come!

Especially when we “Know Who Holds Tomorrow” - LIVE. Click on the picture of the Rev. Noah Smith to listen.

June 1 – Debt (1)

"Otherwise, you may say in your heart, 'My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.' "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” - Deuteronomy 8:17-18

In Newcastle we are familiar with SmartStewardship.

You imagine that good Seventh-day Adventist money problems mean that an individual might have a problem paying off a credit card occasionally. You might imagine that the impact would be a low offering occasionally or even a problem with giving tithe. I have news for you. Good Seventh-day Adventist’s have real money problems with real world impact and real spiritual impact.

If I were to tell you that five good Seventh-day Adventist individuals needed to repay £75,000 just to clear consumer debts you might be shocked. You would begin to understand that such people might have chronic problems with offerings and tithes. You would also be able to work out that the personal spiritual impact would include guilt and secrecy.

Over the next few weeks, on Wednesdays, I will reveal the simple steps that these five individuals have taken which have taken them from indebtedness to spiritual growth. The five individuals, you will meet them over time, are our original SmartStewards.

The story begins as a young married couple realised the depth of their money problems and sought a financial solution which might help them. The initial solution came from a financial advisor. The real solution came from God and gave rise to an opportunity to minister to the people God loves. The focus for us will take us to look at Dave Ramsey’s ‘7 baby steps’ – but started with the realisation that there was a problem that could not be solved without external help.

What happened to the young married couple? They have paid off all of their debts. They are completely debt free. They have a plan for life that their children share and which has seen over 500 people influenced for good for God. Please share a little of their journey – because I have a feeling that their journey might be yours as well.

Next week – the first baby step

#SMARTSTEWARDS

Facebook – SmartStewards: Healthier Finances

Music today is by The Martins – LIVE - “The Promise.” Click on the picture to listen.

^“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.” 1 Thessalonians 5:14

Every school has boys and girls who are at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Some of them are physically unattractive, some are slow learners, and some are simply unable to make friends and find a comfortable place in the school environment. (The same is true in the workplace and the church.)

The key question is: what should teachers do when they see one of these children being ridiculed and taunted by their peers? Some would say, ‘Kids will be kids. Stay out of the conflict and let the children work out their differences for themselves.’ But the Bible says we are to ‘uphold the weak’. When a strong, loving teacher comes to the aid of the least respected child in class, something dramatic occurs in the emotional climate of the room. Every child seems to utter an audible sigh of relief. The same thought bounces around in many little heads: ‘If that kid is safe from ridicule, then I must be safe, too.’ By defending the least popular child in the classroom, the teacher is demonstrating that he or she respects everyone and will fight for anyone who is being treated unfairly.

One of the values children cherish most is justice. (Adults do too!) They are, conversely, very uneasy in a world of injustice and abuse. Therefore, when we teach children kindness and respect for others by insisting on civility in our classrooms, we are laying a foundation for human kindness in the world of adulthood to come.

So wherever you are today, endeavour to ‘comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all’.

Taken from UCB Word for Today

Crystal Lewis sings ‘Come just as you are.’ Click on the picture to listen.

"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48

I find that I sometimes have a critical nature, not all of the time, but sometimes.

Maybe I am alone.

Especially in areas where I have a tiny bit of knowledge. For example, if I am driving and another road user does something to unnecessarily disrupt the flow of the traffic, I find myself muttering.

Maybe I am alone.

On occasion I do catch myself and think ‘Well maybe anyone can make that mistake, as I have sometimes.’ But more often than not I am merciless and vent behind that comfort of my steering wheel to my passengers.

Maybe I am alone.

Perhaps, just perhaps I should demonstrate more forgiveness in my thoughts and actions as the example I am following made no mistakes yet he counsels “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”

I trust that I am not alone.

Steve Curtis Chapman sings ‘My redeemer is faithful and true.’ Click on the picture to listen.

May 27-28 – Our choice

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me ... When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” - John 15:9-11

Clifford Goldstein writes about a ficticious scientific genius – he called him Dr. Ralph. Obsessed with his work, he never married, had a family, or enjoyed any close loving ties since childhood. As he enters his last years, he's feeling the pain of a lonely and loveless existence, and so-being the genious that he is-he creates a robot that looks, acts, and feels just like a human being. He makes it into the image of a young beautiful woman that he names Carla. She caters to his every whim, desire, and need, including expressions and manifestations of love. Carla is everything that any man would ever desire, without any of the problems that any relationship would ever desire, without any of the problems that any relationship would normally encounter. Yet no matter how many times Carla tells Dr. Ralph she loves him, no matter all the things she does to express love, Dr. Ralph realises that, in the end, it means nothing, for no matter what Carla says or does, it cannot be true love, because he had programmed it in her.

Dr. Ralph was desperate to be loved, but he learned that love can't be forced, it has to be free, it can't be programmed, or be a wired reaction. It has to be a conscious action. God gave us the ability to choose for ourselves - even God Himself cannot force us to love, because He gave us the ability to make a choice. God doesn’t want us to obey him because we’re afraid of him. He doesn’t want us to obey him because we’re scared of punishment. God wants us to obey him because we have chosen to love. I believe it was Francis Schaeffer who said, “Without choice, the word love is meaningless.”

Every day of our lives we're faced with making choices - lifestyle choices. Rick Warren speaks of the day, in high school, one of the pupils went up to him and said, “You’re restricted.” Rick responded, “What do you mean?” He said, “Because you’re a Christian. You can’t do any of the fun stuff the rest of us do.”

Rick looked him in the eye and said, “I could take all the drugs I want to take. I could get stoned all I want to get stoned. I could drink all I want to drink. I could go to all the parties I want to go to. I could go to bed with as many women as I want.” But here’s the difference: Jesus changed my “want to.” I didn’t want to do those things then. I don’t want to do those things now. They are cheap, phony thrills that seem to give a temporary kick to life but then they kick back. They may look like freedom, but they don’t last, and they lead to despair, not dignity — depression, not delight.”

Rick had learned the importance of using his freedom to choose – a freedom that stood firm as a rock on his love for His Saviour – a Saviour who chose to die because of His love for us all.

Music today is “I am Loved” - LIVE. Click on the picture to listen.