Shipwrecked

By Sharon Frame
www.streamingfaith.com
This week's topic: Faithfulness

A couple set sail on the velvet-blue ocean for a lazy weekend getaway at sea. Instead they got shipwrecked by a sudden and perilous storm. All that surrounded them were miles of lashing waves. Help was nowhere in sight. The turbulent winds blew more fierce. The couple’s frantic hope of getting rescued grew dim with every passing day.

When food and drinking water ran out, fear and panic set in. On day 27, the desperate man just couldn’t take it anymore. He figured even death was better than the torture at sea. So, he jumped overboard and drowned. On day 28, search crews spotted the crippled boat and rescued the feverishly weak and half-starved woman. What a difference a day makes!

Today may be the day you feel shipwrecked at sea. Life’s storms seem ready to swallow you up. And as far as the eyes can see, there is only a sea of sadness; help is nowhere on the horizon.
Indeed, challenges can overwhelm us at times. And even though we’ve been tossed and tried before, new setbacks still stun us.

We seem all too ready to wonder about our worth or question our ability. The once-steady plan to pursue a better life falls victim to sudden doubt.

“Could we be off course,” we ask, as soon as we hit a bump in the road, or a crashing wave on the high seas.

But now is not the time to consider bailing out. In fact, there is never a good time to give in to the feeling of giving up. No matter how strong the urge to abandon hope, we must cling on for dear life. Struggle with one nostril above water, if we must. But don’t be swallowed up by the feeling of failure or hopelessness.

Sure darkness will close in on your bright and happy plans now and then. But don’t let it choke the life out of your will to press on.

So your compass may be broken, and it seems you’re drifting aimlessly. Remember, another day is dawning. Don’t be found jumping overboard, just as fate prepares to toss you a life line. Hang on. You possess the power to persevere through any wretched shipwreck.

Scripture Of The Day: "Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted." - Hebrews 12:3 (ESV)

Therapy - self applied

Cooking, for me, with some good music in the background, is good therapy. It keeps me from thinking about things I'd rather not be thinking about right now. Otherwise, I'll burn myself or cut myself :). I can let my mind relax and let the Holy Spirit in. I used to find that golf worked much the same way. Too much thinking and you end up in the lake with a horrible score :(

Don't let the Devil win

The devil wins a battle:

Every time a comedian cracks a joke about hell or judgment or God or Satan.

Evey time some opportunistic medium helps a grieving soul "communicate" with a loved one who has died.

Every time a preacher or teacher promotes or supports the doctrine of Eternal Torment.

Evey time someone turns his or her back on God because they think He is a cruel and vindictive judge.

Morning Motivation

From my cousin:

When I woke up this morning lying in bed,
I was asking myself, What are some of the secrets of success in life?
I found the answer right there, in my very room.

The fan said "Be cool"
The roof said "Aim high"
The window said "See the world"
The clock said "Every minute is precious"
The mirror said "Reflect before you act"
The calendar said "Be up to date"
The door said "Press hard for your goals.
The carpet said "Kneel down and pray"

Carry a Heart that Never Hates.
Carry a Smile that Never Fades.
Carry a Touch that Never Hurts.

HAVE A PURPOSEFUL DAY
IN THE LORD!

'God Blesses Us To Be A Blessing Unto Others'

Jeremiah 29:11 "for I know the plans I have for YOU, declares the LORD…’
"Never give the devil a ride, he will want to take over the driving."

Be still for a while and praise God for His favor, His grace and His
Awesomeness. God is able to do the impossible and is always near.
He loves us unconditionally.

Walk the Talk

After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong.

Finally, the boy replied. "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."

Do your children view your home as "a Christian home". We need to walk the talk every single day. Remember, someone is watching and listening. It definitely is God, but it may also be your spouse or your children or your grandchildren.

No Church is Perfect

Someone is purported to say "I wouldn't want to go to a church that would have me as a member".

Another said, "If you find the perfect church, don't join it, because then it won't be perfect anymore".

A third quote is a poem "If you should find the perfect church, without one fault or smear, For goodness sake! Don't join that church. You'd spoil the atmosphere".

Paul apparently never saw a perfect church, either. After all, he dealt with drunkeness at the Lord's Supper, disputes over many things such as head coverings, misuse of spiritual gifts, false teachings, heresies, divisions and much more. Why should we expect anything different?

Church is the people, not the building. The services are interactive. Participate to make your church better!

What You See Is What You Get

From Faith Network, May/June 2011 edition. Article written by Richard Allen from Kentucky entitled "What You See Is What You Get"

"... when it comes to right and wrong and how we treat others our behavior should be consistent. If you are polite with others in public and not so polite at home then there is a problem. None of us are perfect; we all at times fail to live up to God's standard. But that should not be our narmal mode of behaviour ... one of the beauties of Christian living is a set of simple core values which work no matter how confusing things may get at times. If we are dedicated to those values, then what people see when they look at us will be exactly what they get. That's the way God likes it, and that's the way we should like it too."

I once heard a person say that the best way to get along with everyone is to treat friends as if they were family and to treat family as if they were friends. I have found this to be very true. At times when I did not follow this advice, I found that I put relationships in jeopardy.

Religion and Church

In the May/June 2011 ediction of Faith Network, Lenny Cacchio wrote an article that caught my eye since it closely parallels a few sermons I have give on the Sabbath, including one on June 25th.

From that article, I quote: "Religion is not a spectator sport. Nor is church a consumer item. It is not just what we get out of it. It is also what we put into it. He (a friend of Lenny's who had stopped going to church) could have kept right on attending with the idea of using his gifts and abilities to help solve some of the very problems he was complaining about. It is not about being served. It is also about being of service."

The loyal members of our congregational church understand this and work together to make each Sabbath the type of Sabbath that THEY want it to be.