RATS!!!

Well, actually mice. And more than I first had thought.

See, my front door has a gap at the bottom between it and the floor, and one of the tiles on the floor has a piece missing, so there is a nice sized hole for mice to come in through to "visit" me. (It's really cool when I am watching TV in the evening and catch site of one out of the corner of my eye.) I ran one out the door Monday night and started looking around and found evidence of activity (you know, droppings). So Tuesday I bought 2 boxes of sticky traps (4 traps total) and placed them in 4 areas I figured would be the best for catching mice. And whad-uh-yah know, I heard a squeaking well before bedtime!! CAUGHT ONE!!!! And it was on the trap I had placed just outside the door. I left him where he was just in case he had invited friends over, but I was hoping that would be the end of the mice. Nope. As I got around and ready for bed there was another mouse on another sticky trap. He had evidently sidestepped his cousin at the door and obviously didn't get the hint. 2 mice caught before bed!!!

Yesterday morning I disposed of the uninvited guests and went about my day. When I got home I placed a trap just inside the door, right in front of the hole. I really thought I had rid myself of rodents the night before, but I wanted to make sure. I went to bed confident that there would be no more mice since none had come in during the evening as they had the previous evening.

As I got out of bed this morning and made my groggy way into the hall I turned and glanced toward the front door.... "Is that a rat?" I thought to myself. As I turned on the light I realized it was not a rat but 2 mice side by side. Yep, that is now a total of 4 mice in 2 nights. I knew it was a good idea to put the trap in front of the hole. They evidently had run right in and gotten stopped in their tracks.

After I got ready for the day I disposed of the vermin and started wondering how many mice will attempt to violate the privacy of my home tonight. I still have one more trap and will definitely place it at the front door.

I have caught 4 mice because I prepared myself to do so. In a round-a-bout way it makes me think about serving our Lord. We have to be prepared to do so when opportunities arise. Many times we know ahead of time that we will be serving Him in some way before we do it. Maybe it's preparing to teach Sunday School or Bible study. Maybe it's preparing to go to the mission field, or pack a shoe box for Christmas, or serve a meal at a shelter, or.... You get the idea. We prepare ourselves when we KNOW we will be in a situation to serve God.

BUT, what about when we DON'T know we will be serving Him? There are times when opportunities arise to share the love of Christ with a person who is hurting, to share the Word of Christ with someone who is searching, to serve our Father at the drop of a hat, and we must be prepared even for that. We must be prepared to serve Him when we are not expecting to.

The following verses tell us as much.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."
1 Peter 3:15

"Be ready to spread the word whether or not the time is right. Point out errors, warn people, and encourage them. Be very patient when you teach."
2 Timothy 4:2

Be prepared...
NO MATTER WHAT!
NO MATTER WHEN!
NO MATTER WHERE!
NO MATTER WHO!
Be prepared to serve the Lord at all times! Stay in the Word! Be in prayer! Serve always!

Have you ever seen a sinner explode?

Jonah fled
Jonah swam
Jonah was swallowed
Jonah was vomited
Jonah was humbled
Jonah went
Jonah preached
The people were spared
Jonah was angry

How often, after finally saying okay, do we serve God expecting one outcome, but get an outcome that is totally different than we expected? When Jonah finally gave in and did what God asked him to do, I think he went into it expecting the people not to change. But when the people DID change, when they turned toward God, God was merciful and spared them. Jonah was angry because these horrible sinners from Nineveh didn't explode, or even catch fire, but were given God's grace. Never mind that just a few days earlier God had given Jonah the exact same grace and mercy.

I know that I am guilty of serving God while not expecting people to turn towards Him... expecting God to burn the sinners to the ground... not expecting God to shower down His grace and mercy on the unchangeable sinners... ignoring the fact that He showers me with His grace and mercy every single day. May I serve Him with the understanding that He is ready to jump at the chance to forgive a repentant heart, and that I not be disappointed when I don't see a sinner explode.

"I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever; yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God." Jonah 2:6

I Saw Santa Before Christmas

Here comes Santa Claus

Here comes Santa Claus
Right down Santa Claus lane....

Oh, wait, Santa Claus isn't coming... Santa Claus was already here. Last week I, along with Jamie, had the honor of serving beside the mission team from Santa Claus UMC, Santa Claus, IN. The team consisted of 10 members and built a house for two 70-something sisters, Myrtel and Amboursine Blackburn. On Sunday evening, October 11, the team was able to attend a program at St. Cyprian's Anglican Church which showcased a number of local, award-winning performers in song, piano, dance and spoken word. For lunch on Wednesday the team was treated to a meal provided by Uncle-B's, a local jerk stand/cook shop owned by Mr. Brown. The choice of meal was fried chicken, curried chicken, or brown stewed pork, served with rice and mixed veggies, a sample of their jerk pork, and a cup of chicken foot soup. What a meal!!!

(Arthur and I had stopped at Uncle-B's the previous week and asked Mrs. Brown if she knew the Blackburn sisters. She said Amboursine had been in just a few days before and mentioned how difficult things were getting with the house they were in. Mrs. Brown was so excited to see us and to know the sisters were getting a new house that she took time out to take us to find the sisters.)

Thursday morning we took the team to the infirmary in Pt. Maria where they sang, prayed, read Scripture, talked and laughed with the residents. Some residents were new to them and a few, like Richard and Sylvia, are old friends for some. Richard was sharp as ever and had everyone in stitches. What a wonderful time of ministry!

Friday we took the team to Ocho Rios for a little bit of touristy stuff... the market and shopping, floating down the White River, and then to the Hibiscus Lodge for the night. I even talked a few of them in to walking down the road to get some Devon House I-Scream. Mmmmmm!!!! Then on Saturday it was on to the airport for the goodbyes. The week had come to an end. What a wonderful time of service and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. (This was my 3rd time to serve with Santa Claus UMC. My first was in Oct. '06 during my first visit to JA, and the second was last Oct.)

Thank you to Santa Claus UMC for a great week!

Do You Love Me?

Last Friday Jamie and I had Bible study and we talked about when Jesus asked Peter "Do you love Me?" (John 21:15-19). Each time Peter's answer was yes, and after the third time his feelings were hurt. So why did Jesus ask him three times? Did Jesus doubt Peter's love? No, He knew Peter loved Him without even asking the question. Some preachers will stand up in front of the church and say that Jesus asked Peter three times because Peter denied Jesus three times, and at face value that sounds good, but I don't think it's right, at least not completely. See, Peter was good at running his mouth and speaking before his mind had time to realize what he was saying, and I think Jesus' intent was to get Peter to realize that he loved Jesus more deeply than he knew.

The first time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, Peter immediately said yes. He probably didn't even hesitate before answering.
"Feed My lambs." (Teach My early church)
The second time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, Peter once again said yes. I can see him thinking for just a second "Didn't I already answer this question?"
"Tend My sheep." (Take care of My growing church)
The third time Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him, Peter was hurt because He had asked him three times. This time I think Peter actually thought about it before he answered Jesus. "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You."
"Feed My sheep." (Teach My growing church)

Jesus knew that Peter loved Him, but He also knew that in order for Peter to be able to fulfill Christ's call for him to lead the early church, He had to get Peter himself to understand how deeply he truly loved Christ. If Peter was going to be the leader of the church he had to know how to express his love for Christ more deeply than by quick words. Yes, Peter loved Jesus. Yes, Jesus knew it. But I believe when Jesus asked the third time, "Do you love Me?", that a light bulb went off, and at that moment Peter realized just how deeply he loved the Savior. Otherwise it would not have hurt His feelings as it did.

Jesus already knows if we love Him or not, but from time to time He may ask us "Do you love Me" in order to help us realize that we truly do love Him, and that He has a specific call on our lives that we can't fulfill unless we are expressing our love for Him.