New Hope

We long for hope. We live to for hopeful words.
The nurse tells us that our blood pressure is down and we are hopeful of not having a stroke.
Our stock broker passes onto to us the good news that our stocks are up and suddenly we are hopeful of striking it rich!
The surgeon greets us in the waiting room after the surgery and declares, 'We got it all'. And we the hope of living cancer free is promising. Words of hope.

Almost daily we hear sounds of hope. They greet us at work when we hear that the plant is not closing, we're getting a raise, the boss is on vacation! Words of hope!

We are greeted at the doctor's office with words of hope when he says the triglyceride and cholesterol levels are down.
We are greeted with sounds of hope
when the auto mechanic repairing our car declares with a smile, 'It doesn't look too bad.'
when the pharmacist filling our prescription claims, 'It shouldn't cost too much.'
when the computer-tech wizard fixing our crashed computer says, 'I've seen worse!'
Words of hope.

Christmas caroling in hospital halls, the cash register ringing up sale, the cry of a healthy baby, the sound of soft jingling bells, laughter of children, the quiet after a snow storm, robins singing in April, shouting Bingo!
Words of hope.

While these sounds are great to hear - they are not eternal words of hope. They are only fleeting words. Almost as soon as they slide into our ears, the promise is old and soon forgotten. But not all words of hope are fleeting. The Prophet Isaiah passed on hopeful words to the people of Israel centuries ago. But a lot of the people listening to him did not hear him.

Isaiah lived during the time of Israel's peak of power. They had reached the peak of their economic power, political power, military power, religious power. Then they were conquered. First by the Assyrians who rapidly turned Judah into a vassal state. The next catastrophic event came in the events of 587-586 BC when the Babylonians swept through the country destroying Jerusalem, leaving the gigantic, majestic Temple a pile of smoldering rubble .

Standing in the ashes of the Temple Isaiah preached and prayed. He prayed to GOD and for the people. The people who were listening to Isaiah, were living without hope. They lost their hope and their faith. They cried, 'where is GOD!' 'Now, where is GOD?!?' Their farms had been burned, their homes destroyed, their cattle killed or herded away. Their family killed or dragged away as slaves to live in exile. In pain they yelled, 'Is there any hope for our future?!?'
To these people Isaiah passed on words of hope. Powerful words that brought hope if they were ready to hear them. Isaiah reminded them of what GOD has done for them in the past. He reminded them that GOD was with them now. Then Isaiah told them that GOD is their father. Isaiah didn't say, GOD is like a father. He said 'Lord, You are our father.'(IS.64:8) And like a biological father, GOD wants only the best for His children. GOD was there to comfort them, forgive them - offering grace and hope.

Like those Israelites, we too have our moments when we hurt. We have our times when we cry, shouting, 'Where is GOD!?!' And like Isaiah's people, we too must be open, listening to GOD's voice comforting us and forgiving us and freeing us.

The words Isaiah declared are not temporary words of hope; they are lasting words. They are words of promise that deliver hope to the hopeless.

In Boston, MS there is a little cemetery. Above the entrance to the cemetery is a large sign that declares the name of the cemetery. The sign reads, 'Little Hope Cemetery'. A cemetery of little hope is not a place I want to be buried. Do the people who built the cemetery not know of GOD's words of hope, 'Within my Father's house there are many mansions - if it were not so I would have told you. But I go and prepare a place for you. And I will come again and receive you that where I am, there you will be too.' To me, these are not words of little hope. These words of Jesus are words of big hope - the hope and promise of living with Him in Heaven. The hope of eternal life is a promise given to each of us and offered to all of us. All we have to do is listen to GOD's voice and answer Him by saying, "I believe!"

My Century!

Three months have passed since I made y historic bike ride from Myersdale, PA (near Frostburg, MD) to Pittsburgh, PA. It was a tremendous experience. The ride on my Raleigh was fantastic. The weather even cooperated, keeping the September 1st temperatures down in the 70's. When I began my ride, it was a chilly 53. Thick river fog kept the temperatures down for a few hours. Then around 10:00 AM the sun burned off the fog allowing the cobalt blue sky to stretch out above the green canopy of forest. Making my way through the Allegheny Mountains, I traversed through the small town of Garret. Garret and Garret County Pennsylvania are know for having wind farms. Large windmills dot the ridge throughout the countryside. The three bladed machines are the largest industry for this rural county, producing electricity for large sections of the east coast. The large windmills seemed to stand sentry on the mountain ridges, watching, keeping an eye on me as I passed just below them. My entire ride took almost exactly ten hours, which included a lunch break and several outhouse stops along the way. Riding time was less, averaging 14.1 miles per hour for the 105.6 mile trip. Our eldest child, Sarah, a first year Law Student at Ohio Northern Law School in Ada, Ohio came out for the ride and rode with me, completing her first metric century (62.5miles). This ride is something we will always be able to share because it is something we did together.
I rode my first century on a bike - not bad for someone with M.S. Diagnosed in September 1991, I gradually built up to be able to ride a bike again. 16 years after first being diagnosed with M.S. I did what many people said was impossible - ride a bike on the trail along the great Allegheny Passage. Maybe if you can dream it - you can do. I certainly did dream it. And now I can count it as a victory. One more goal crossed off my list! What goal do you have waiting to be conquered?

20 Years

"I have been with you for twenty years now." Genesis 31:38

When you read Genesis 31, you see that jacob had spent 20 years of his life working for Laban. Laban was the father of both Leah and Rachel. He was an an unscrupulous man. He was deceitful, cunning and unethical and yet at the end of the story we see that he showed signs of generosity. But halfway through the chapter we discover a major conflict between the two men. Their conversation lets you quickly realize that those twenty years have not been real good ones, let alone great ones! Jacob fell in love with Laban's daughter Rachel and he wanted to marry her. Laban said, "if you work for me for, say seven years, you can marry my daughter." So Jacob worked really hard and when the time came, he was ready to marry Rachel. Only Laban pulled a last minute switch and placed Leah in Rachel's place. When the service was over and drape removed, Jacob realized he had been trick and had not married Rachel, but Leah. Laban basically said, "My bad - I thought you wanted to marry Leah. But I'll tel ya what. If you work for me, say another 7 years you can have Rachel too." At the end of the 14th year of working for Laban, Laban kept his word - sort of. Jacob married Rachel. But, because they had no money, he wouldn't let them leave. So now Jacob conns Laban to stay an additional six years so that he can raise enough money to succeed on his own. At the end of the 20 years, reading now between the lines on the page, it sounds like Jacob had endured a twenty year prison sentence before he made his great escape.

I have been in Martins Ferry serving at GRACE Presbyterian Church for twenty years. But unlike Jacob, my twenty years have been great! What a contrast - my twenty years laboring with you at GRACE Church and Jacob's twenty years at work for Laban!

Twenty years. I've been at GRACE Church for twenty years. Twenty wonderful years that has just flown past. It seems like just yesterday we were unpacking and moving into the manse. It seems like just yesterday we were moving in, setting up and gearing up for our ministry at GRACE. But the pictures taken over the past two decades show differently. They have marked time traveled, revealing significant changes in our facility and in the people.

Twenty years ago - that's a long time. When we moved to GRACE Church Matthew (a fresheman at WVU) wasn't born; Rachel, a Junior at Westminster College was only six months old; and Sarah, now in her first year of Law School at Ohio Northern wasn't quite three years old. But my wife has always been 29.

For me, it is easiest way to measure time, isn't with pictures, but with people, especially with the kids. I have baptized infants, children of children which I have baptized and married. In the past twenty years I have married over one hundred couples and baptized 194 people. I have officiated over 350 funerals. Someone once told me, "You know you have been in a church too long when you bury friends and not parishoners." I have not buried a parishoner in many, many years.

On any given Sunday I can look out from the pulpt and see great, old friends. Some of them are sitting in the pews, greeting at the door, assisting in worship. Others are floating around in my memory. They remain forever sitting in their seat, or walking around, assisting and helping around the church in one way or another. I see them, as the author of the Book of Hebrews reminds us, "as a great cloud of witnesses." The cloud of witnesses surrounding GRACE Church constantly remind us of those who have come before us. They recall for us past, historic events. Those who have come before us; those who stood at the pulpit or sat in the pews made decisions, grew in grace, and grew Grace Presbyterian Church. They worked in unity enlarging the Kingdom of God. Looking back after 20 years at GRACE Church, I see that we are continuing in the rich tradition of our ancestors as we actively grow the Kingdom of GOD.

"Who's Going"

In Luke chapter 9 we see Jesus sending out His 12 Apostles. First Jesus called them together and then He sent them out. Jesus sent them out two by two. They went out visiting from village to village sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ. They went out healing the broken people, offering grace, show love and mercy. They went out to save the world.
Just as Noah saved the world by bringing then into ark two by two, Jesus was saving the world by sending His Apostles out into the world two by two. Two by two, the Apostles went out. They went to the villages of Israel.
In chapter 10:1-17 of Luke, we see Jesus now sending out 70. Jesus sent out 70 disciples. They went, not to the local communities but to the global community. They went out, after being appointed by Jesus, teaching, healing and offering grace.
Luke uses the Greek word 'apostello' 45 times in this book. The word is the root for the word apostle, which means, to be sent out. Luke uses the Greek word 'poreumai' 37 times in this book. This word means, 'go, travel, traverse'. Truly the idea of going is a constant theme in the gospel of Luke. And we see the idea of going, or rather being sent no more clearly than in chapters 9-10. When Jesus sent the Apostles in chapter 9 the event is known as the first mission and the one involving the 70 disciples (some ancient manuscripts state 72) is referred to as the second mission. One trip went local. Went went global.
Jesus sent out 70. 70 is a powerful number. Moses appointed 70 Elders to assist him (Num. 11:16) There were 70 members on the Sanhedrin. When Jesus sent out the 70 disciples, the Jewish world knew of 70 countries besides their own.
To the rest of the world, Jesus was sending those 70 disciples. They went as groups of two. And I pictures each group of two disciples, going out and reaching new people in new lands for the Lord. 70 disciples were sent. And there were 70 countries. Coincident? I don't think so. I believe Luke is telling us to go, not just to our local neighborhoods, but into the global community.
Jesus first sent out the 12 Apostles. Then He sent out the 70 disciples. And now Jesus is sending us out into the world. Today, the Presbyterian Church (USA) has 452 missionaries serving in 64 countries. While the number of mission workers may look significant, the number of countries in which there is a mission presence is dismal. It's embarrassing. Only 64 countries out of the 194 today are currently being reached for the Lord. Perhaps we are not taking Jesus' command to 'go' very seriously. Perhaps now is the time to go.

DANIEL - Man of Integrity

We seem to live in a world void of integrity. I over heard two man talking in a restaurant one day. The one man sad to the younger man, "Integrity is everything. Once you have learned to fake it, everything else is easy."

The lack of integrity seems to permeate our world. We hear politicians promise us everything and deliver us nothing. We see integrity in the media when we see truths stretched and facts distorted in order to sell more air time. We see TV news create stories to get better ratings and newspaper plagiarizing articles and inventing stories in order to sell more copies. Haddon Robinson, pastor, preacher and professor of Preaching at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary recently wrote, "In our culture integrity seems as scarce as polar bears in the Sahara Desert."

You don't have to be a cynic to doubt the claims made to us every day by sincere voices with a straight face. During dinner at home the phone rings, "I'm calling on behalf of the telephone company to tell you about a new calling plan designed only to save you money." Right. "I'm calling to tell you about the new merger of two great banks that will cut costs, expand productivity, and provide our customers with even better service." Right. On a TV sports Chanel we hear, "You can be sure that this university has never offered a star high school athlete anything more than room and board." Right. In the TV commercial the young woman says, "Use our exercise machine just 10 minutes a day and you will lose twenty pounds in a month without dieting!" Right.

The lack of integrity really does seem to abound everywhere. While we face it here and now, the Prophet Daniel thousands of years ago faced it as well. Yet, despite all of the corruption surrounding him, he remained a man of integrity.

When you look at Daniel chapter six you quickly discover that Daniel displays four marks of integrity:

1. Excellent Attitude

2. Faithful Worker

3. Person of Purity

4. Walks with GOD

We see Daniel "distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps (governors) by his exceptional qualities. . . " verse 3. Then in verse 4 shows us that Daniel "was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent." These verses clearly point out that Daniel held an excellent attitude. It shows that he was a faithful and honest employee who was a hard worker. It shows he was a man of of purity. Daniel was suppose to be a man of 80 years old and yet the people who were trying to take Daniel down "could find no corruption in him" V.4. He had no skeletons hanging in his closet.

A read a story of a couple who went to a fast food chicken restaurant. The man ran in, while the woman waited in the car. He went in, ordered a bucket of chicken, paid cash for it, and

walked out to the car. Since the woman was driving he sat holding the bucket of chicken that they were taking for their intimate picnic in the park. Only a few blocks into the drive the man realized the bucket was not warm. He didn't smell the freshly fried chicken. Curious, he pried open the lid. And it was empty of chicken, but filled with a zipped money bag. The couple didn't know what to do. Instead of a bucket of chicken they got a bucket of cash. Pulled over against the curb they thought of all their options, liking keeping it. No one knew who they were and they could buy so many things with this cash. But they realized that this is dishonest so they turned the car around and went back to the restaurant.

The couple walked in and the man asked to see the manager. Looking rather haggard, the manager nonetheless met with the couple beside the counter. The man announced that instead of getting a bucket of chicken they got a bucket of cash and he opened the lid. The manager threw his arms around the couple thanking them. He thanked them repeatedly for was bringing the money back The manger explained that they had an exceptionally good day. They had been swamp all afternoon and he never had the opportunity to deposit the receipts. So he hid it in a chicken bucket until he could get to the bank. When he realized it was gone he was sick over it.

The manager was so elated that he told the young man, "Stick around, I want to call the newspaper and have them take your picture. You're the most honest guy in town!"

"Oh, don't bother.

"It's no bother - it's my pleasure", the manager said as he reached for the phone.

"Really don't bother - you don't understand - you see I'm married and the woman I'm with is not my wife."

We may look like honest people with great integrity. But it is not unusual to find a lot of corruption. Look hard enough, search long enough, dig deep enough and usually some dirt is discovered.

But not in Daniel. They found no corruption, no lack of integrity in this man. They discovered a man with an excellent attitude who was faithfully doing his job. They found an honest man with nothing to hide.

They people out to get Daniel also found a man who walked with GOD. Daily Daniel paused and prayed. And it was this very act that ultimately got him thrown into the lion's den.

Sometimes living a life of integrity gets us thrown into the lion's den. Short term we may face some problems. But in the long haul, we gain so much from GOD.

Daniel after spending the night in the lion's den was lifted out without a scratch. After we have been thrown to the lions we don't always escape unscathed. But always the final result is the greatest reward.

It seems we live in a world not too unlike Daniel's. It is corrupt. It lacks integrity. It is absent of honesty. But there is hope and it is the church. The church must be a place of integrity. The church, as individuals and as a community must display a life of integrity as we develop excellent attitudes, become faithful workers, live a pure and honest life, continually walk with GOD.

But I'm Tired

We grow tired of work and working. We get tired and bored of being at work. We get tired of being in school of doing home work and preparing for those weekly tests. We get tired of the monotonous job of doing house; of dusting, vacuuming and cleaning up. And we get sick and tired of being sick and tired. In our fatigue, we have a choice - give in to the exhaustion and quit - or dig in and keep going. We have a choice.

Noah had a choice - sort of. At age 500 GOD asked him to build an ark. Build at boat the Lord told him - not just any boat, a huge ship. So in the desert, Noah and his family began building the boat. Year round they worked together building the boat. For about 100 years they worked on building that ark. I'm sure, during all those years, they must have gotten tired of building that boat. I'm sure there were days when Noah said, "I quit - I've had enough!" But his family encouraged him to press on. And I'm sure his family must have felt like quiting also. And when they got tired of the project, when they felt like giving up, Noah was there encouraging them to continue. And give up they didn't. An impossible task, building a massive ship in the desert was successfully accomplished despite the many obstacles that got in their way.

There were probably times when Nehemiah was tired and fed up with the project and felt like giving up. Jerusalem had been conquered. The walled city had been penetrated. The walls, the massive defense system for the city was destroyed. Now, walking around the rubbled walls Nehemiah had a plan to rebuild the city's walls. And the plan succeeded. In 58 days the city walls were rebuilt! But during those days he ran into severe opposition. Nehemiah faced opposition from outside and in the city. The opposition was fierce. It would have been easy to give in to the critics, the nah sayers, the resistance. But he didn't give in when he was tired - he kept going and in less than 2 months time, something that was seen as being impossible was made possible and the glorious city walls were rebuilt.

During the days of Isaiah, the people Israel felt tired. They felt beaten down and discouraged. Weary, they were giving up; on life, on work, on GOD. Then Isaiah reminded them that GOD loved them. He reminded them that GOD gives strength to the weary. GOD increases power to the weak. Isaiah said, "GOD gives strength to the weary, and increases power to the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah encouraged the people, reminding them that GOD will truly give new strength and power to those who seek it. DO you need a little extra strength to get you through the day? Do you need added power to finish a difficult task? Do you need new strength to conquer the obstacles in your path to success?

Ernest Malinowski faced a challenge - build the highest railroad in the world. Many people tried building the railroad through the Andes Mountains of Peru. And all failed. Then the 60 year old Polish engineer, Ernest Malinowski was consulted. He examined the project and the obstacles and assured the representatives that the job could be done. When Malinowski turned 70 years old, he began overseeing the building of the highest railroad in the world.

The railroad wound its way through the Andes, through 62 tunnels and across 30 bridges. One tunnel was 4,000 feet long and 15,000 feet above sea level (Denver is about 5,000'). Beside the obvious construction difficulties one would have experienced building some thing this massive at these altitudes during the late 1800's Malinowski faced other obstacles, such as revolutions which held up construction twice. One time Malinowski had to flee the country for his own safety. So many obstacles. So many times he could have said, "I quit." So many days he could have said, "I'm tired" and given up on the project. After all he was in his 70's. But he didn't. In spite of all the obstacles, the feat was accomplished and is today considered one of the great engineering marvels of the world. Obstacles are meant to be hurdled over because GOD is giving us the strength to conquer and succeed.

Majestic Growth

After winter, when the weather breaks, and the ground thaws, and the soil warms up from the spring sun, we till the dirt planting seeds. We busily work the soil, planting the seeds, hoping the seeds will produce. As we plant the seeds, we have no guarantee of growth. Still, we kneel in the soil, covering the seeds with the warm dirt, hoping that growth will occur, yet realizing that we don't know if any of these planted seeds will ever grow or simply die. In essence, this is what the parable of the Mustard Seed, which Jesus spoke 2,000 years ago, is all about.

Jesus had been speaking to His disciples. In the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus is busy teaching about the Kingdom of GOD. He compares it to scattering seeds, to sowing seeds, and then to a very specific seed - the mustard seed.

The mustard seed is the smallest seed known in the Middle East. The farmer worked the soil. The ground is carefully prepared and the seeds planted. When the seed grows, Jesus reminds us, that it matures into "the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade" Mark 4:32. Such is the Kingdom of GOD. It grows from something as tiny as the smallest seed in the world, and grows to be the largest tree in the world.

In this parable, the seed is the Word of GOD. And this seed is planted every time we talk to someone about GOD. Everytime we tell someone about what GOD has done for us, a seed is planted. A seed of faith is planted each time we tell someone about GOD's grace and love. It is planted whenever we talk of GOD's loving forgiveness, which is offered through Jesus Christ.

For over 2,000 years, seeds of faith have been planted by people who did not know if their seeds would mature or not. Yet, they continued to plant those seeds of faith. Do you know who planted GOD's seed of grace and love in you? How did you find out about GOD plan and purpose for your life? Do you know the person who first told you about GOD's love for you? Maybe this week you can send them a quick note, or call them on the phone and thank them for planting the Gospel seed within you.

The mustard tree, which provides shelter and protection, can only do so because someone first planted a seed. If no one planted the seed, no growth would have occurred, no tree would have been produced, no shelter given, no protection offered, no hope given. It is the same with us. If we don't plant the gospel seed, the Kingdom of GOD can not grow.

Jesus promised that if we plant the seeds, if we do even just the minimum, something as small as a mustard seed, then the Kingdom of GOD will grow. It will grow and it will surpass in glory the greatest, the mightiest Kingdoms on earth. The Kingdom of GOD will grow and provide protection, security and hope and grace to everyone. But it all begins and depends on us to first plant the seeds of faith.

A NEW THING

When we were kids, my Uncle Clark use to talk about driving around in his car with his 4/60 air conditioner cooling him off. A 4/ 60 air conditioner was driving your car with the four or two windows rolled down and at sixty miles per hour. I love old cars. I love the look of the models of the late '50's right through to the muscle cars of the late '60's. But I love my van with air conditioning. It is not new, nor is it a classic car. But it has the modern convenience of air conditioning. This is something which is essential for those Eastern Ohio summers.
I remember watching Ben Casey on TV. I remember that when he ran into a difficult medical situation he ordered an exploratory surgery to be performed. I'm glad today we have new things like cardiac catherizations.
I remember Dr. Kildare. I remember when he ran into a medical situation he could not figure out, he would perform an exploratory surgery. I like the old TV shows but I like the new medical break through like CAT Scans and M.R.I.s which eliminated unnecessary surgeries.
We have seen a lot of change in the past 50 years. To move with change we need three things.
We need to be:
Understanding
Accepting
Flexible
We have to be understanding that new things are possible
We have to be accepting
We have to be flexible
These are three things the leadership in Jesus' day were not.
They were not understanding new ways of doing things, accepting change or people and they certainly were not flexible in their thinking or in their behavior.
The religious leadership in Jesus' day did not like change or new things. They liked things the way they were. And Jesus was anything but the old way.
In the beginning of Matthew chapter 9 Jesus heals a paralytic. This did not go over well with the established leadership. They did not like the fact that Jesus understood this man's pain and frustration. They did not like the idea that Jesus was talking and communing with him and offering him forgiveness. And they certainly did not appreciate the fact that Jesus healed him on the spot.
To counter their many objections, Jesus told a parable. The parable was given to the disciples, but meant for the old leadership then, and for us today. Jesus told the parable, "Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins and both are preserved."
Maybe the old leadership was the old wineskins which were dried up, rigid, inflexible and unable to take in the new wine of Jesus' teachings. I think we all have choices - to be like the old leadership which was not flexible to change - or to be like the new wineskins, flexible and ready to grow with the new wine.
When my grandmother, Mary Long Mangione, was a young woman she worked as a secretary in a textile mill in western North Carolina. When she began in the early 1900's she began working on a new machine, a typewriter. The old people in the company and even in the town were not so sure that using this new machine was a good idea. It had never been used before. The company had never done it this way before. They were use to working on large ledgers. Today my grandmother's ancient typewriter is on display in the museum in Valdese, North Carolina. And today it seems that everything is done on computer.
Change and new things are all around us. They are happening at school, in the work place, in our homes, in our church. But we have a choice; to be flexible or rigid. Today, the choice is ours.

Never Give Up

If you ever felt overwhelmed, full of despair, beaten down and ready to give up because of no apparent signs of hope - then Jesus' parable, 'The Persistent Widow', in Luke 18:1-8 speaks to you.
In the parable the widow, who is seeking justice has it denied repeatedly. As a widow, she is a symbol of all who are poor and defenseless. Her only weapon is her tenacious spirit; an attitude of persistence. The judge refuses to hear the widow's case. Then he finally gives in, granting her request and dispenses justice.
In this parable the judge is not compared to GOD. Sometimes this parable gets misunderstood when we compare the judge and his actions to GOD. By comparing the judge to GOD forces us to misunderstand the point and power of the parable and take it to mean that we must constantly 'pound on GOD's door' for our prayers to be heard - rather than being a story that describes persevering in our prayer life and throughout our life.
Here, Jesus contrast the judge to GOD. It's as if Jesus said, "If this callous judge, who doesn't care anything about anybody answers the widow's plea, how much more will GOD hear and answer our prayers?"
The parable is about persevering. It's about never giving up.
Winston Churchill was a stutterer. He suffered from dyslexia and from bouts of depression. It took him 3 years to get through the eighth grade because he had trouble with English. And yet, years later he was invited to address the Oxford University commencement exercises. He arrived wearing his top hat, smoking a thick cigar with his cane in hand. After being introduced, he walked up to the podium as the crowd rose in appreciative applause. Standing at the podium, Churchill laid his hat on top of the podium, removed his cigar, and gazed at his waiting audience. Authority rang in Churchill's voice as he shouted, "Never give up!" Several seconds passed before he rose to his toes and repeated, "Never give up!" Again he shouted, "Never, ever give up!" As the words hung there in the air, there was a deafening silence as Churchill reached for his hat and cigar and began to walk off the stage. Then the crowd erupted into a roar of applause because they knew he was someone who never gave up.
When we are faced with challenges. When we are hurting, when we are facing problems we should listen for Churchill's commencement words and never give up.

Welcoming?

There are 40 parables recorded in the Gospels that Jesus gave. The parable of the Lost Sheep is given in response to the Pharisee and the Scribes comment in Luke 15:2, "This man (Jesus) welcomes sinners and eats with them." Jesus welcomed the outcasts of His day. And He ate with them, which was a way of demonstrating that I accept you. Jesus may have hated the sin, but He loved the sinner. This parable reminds us that GOD cares for us, loves and welcomes us into His Kingdom, just as the shepherd in the story demonstrated those characteristics for his lost sheep.
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:1 reminds us we are to be "Imitators of GOD." Imitators of the Good Shepherd who not only sought out those which are lost, but lovingly welcomed them back, accepting them into the fold. If we are to truly imitate Him, doesn't this mean we are not only to be welcoming, but accepting of others?