Is it Possible?

Is it possible? We ended last week with this question. Am I crazy to believe that it is possible to actually avoid quarrelling, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, arrogance and greed - just to name a few corrupt behaviors. Seriously, in my world these are frequently touted as how you get things done, keep people in line and protect your interest.

Is a life lived with honest words, honorable plans, right decisions, pure motives, lovely thoughts, admirable actions, excellent and praise worthy work a doable thing?

Before we start breaking down the formula, let's make sure we’re on the same page. Participating in the divine and avoiding the corrupt is not about avoiding people and things we have judged to be corrupt - actually that judging thing needs to go. Nor is it about only hanging out at church or with our church buddies 24/7. Nope, not at all. E² living is a life fully engaged with everyone and every responsibility God has placed in our life. The participation and the avoidance is about our hearts and our actions. As for me, this raises the question, is this possible to another level!

When I was little kid, my mother was the youth leader at our home church which meant I attended youth rallies and parties long before I was a teenager. Shortly after my dad had become a Christian we attended a youth rally at a church in a neighboring town. The special music guests that night were a group led by a man my dad had worked with years before at a plant in Texas. My dad had been a foreman with a reputation for making life difficult for the bible school students that worked under him. So much so that they referred to him as a bible character, a “donkey” from a particular story.

That night when we walked in the church was the first time this man had seen my dad since those days. He literally feel to his knees in shock when my dad walked in the church. Based on his experience, he must have thought it impossible, at best highly unlikely that he would ever see my dad at a church youth rally. But then he didn’t know about my mother’s faith. Faith that knelt each night to pray for her husband’s salvation. And he didn’t know the faith and perseverance of Walter Helms, who prayed, visited and loved my father all the way to the altar.

Is it possible? The answer lies in the first component of our formula, faith! It is more than interesting that the first component is not self-control, knowledge or perseverance. The first component has nothing to do with effort and everything to do with confidence. “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

To complete any assignment, effectively and efficiently, we first must understand the purpose and second we must believe it is possible. This is a true principal in our homes, our churches and our offices. The moment we lose confidence in a person, a company, or a process we become ineffective. We may complete tasks, but we will not fully achieve the desired result.

So how do we find this assurance of things we can not yet see? I suggest that understanding our source is what gives us faith that a desired result is possible.

In credit analysis, second to understanding the purpose of a loan request is understanding the source of repayment. You can’t have confidence that a loan will be repaid if you can’t accurately identify the source repayment. Where will the borrower get the cash to repay the loan? Has it been sufficient in the past? Is it likely to continue?

So, what is our source for an E² life? Has it been sufficient in the past? Is it likely to continue?

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Yes, it has been sufficient in the past and it’s the only thing we can know will continue to be sufficient in the future!

“It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT) I have often heard the term “blind faith”. I propose that faith is not blind, it is keeping our eyes wide open and focused on our source. We may not see what lies ahead, but we see the source that is sufficient for whatever, whenever, where ever!

A debt service coverage ratio states the number of times the available source covers the required debt payments. A DSCR of 2x simply means a borrower has $2 available for $1 in required payments.

So let’s set up a coverage ratio for E² living:

Available Source = Faith in the One who has given us great and precious promises

Requirements of E² living = goodness, knowledge, self control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love

Source / Requirements = A zillion, billion, million:1

It is sufficient! As one of my friends says, eyes on Jesus, Ronda, eyes on Jesus!

Thanks for listening

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

Why do we do what we do?

Why? An important question that we seem to instinctively ask from birth. Why is the sky blue? Why does snow melt? Why do I have to go to bed? Or my only child’s favorite, why do I have to sleep by myself!? Or this astounding one she strolled in the kitchen one Saturday afternoon to ask; “Mom, I know why Daddy does what he does but why do you do what you do?” Wow, big question for a 7 year old, bigger question for the 30 year old mom!

Why do we do what we do? What is the purpose or desired result of our life, our job, our day? Have you ever tried to learn something new from someone who could not answer the “whys”? That drives me crazy!

When I first began to learn credit analysis, everyone seemed only interested in teaching me how to calculate ratios, payments and interest yields. I struggled to understand all of numbers and formulas being thrown at me. Then, I had an opportunity to attend Commercial Lending school and the instructor made the statement that the numbers tell the story. “You have to get them to talk to you.” That I could relate to. I much prefer a story to a bunch of numbers. What I learned that week was the purpose of the numbers, formulas, ratios and calculations was to tell the story. From that day forward, I’ve loved working with numbers.

So back to our question from last week; what is the desired result of his divine power, glory and goodness in our lives?

In the verse that proceeds the formula we discussed last week for effective and efficient living, two words get my attention; so that. “So that” sounds to me like a prelude to an answer to a why question. Why do I go to work everyday? so that I can pay my bills. Why do I calculate a debt service coverage ratio for a loan applicant? so that, I know they can pay their bills.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)

Here’s my proposed answer; the desired result of effective and efficient living is participating in the divine and escaping the corrupt.

Participating in the divine. The formal definition for divine is “godlike”. The informal definition is extremely good or unusually lovely, as in chocolate is divine! (Isn’t it?) Participating in extremely good and unusually lovely things sounds like a good way to live to me. It also reminds of a scripture in Philippians, Chapter 4 that provides an excellent list of divine things to participate in; honest words, honorable plans, right decisions, pure motives, lovely thoughts, admirable actions, excellent and praise worthy work. The adjectives are directly from the scripture. I added the nouns to help us think about things we participate in; our words, our plans, our decisions, our motives, our thoughts, our actions and work.

Avoiding the corrupt. Galatians 5:19 tells us the results of corruption are very clear. Judging by the behaviors listed there I would say the results are not E²; quarreling, outburst of anger, and selfish ambition. I’ve never seen any of those result in the divine!

2 Peter, Chapter 2, discusses more corrupt behavior and the results. It starts with the "big ones", like sexual immorality and false spiritual teachers. But notice a few of the others included in this passage: they make up clever lies, they despise authority, they are proud and arrogant, they brag about themselves, they are well-trained in greed. My friends and I have names for people like this! 2 Peter calls them useless, which is an antonym of effective.

No one ever acts like this at my house or office. Oops, I just typed something about honesty, didn’t I.

I don’t know about you but the longer I write, the more I ask; “is this desired result possible?” Let’s pick up there next week.

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

One more thing for your “to ponder” list, does he demand this result from us or does he desire this result for us?

Effective and Efficient

E Squared

Effective - accomplishing a purpose, producing the desired result

Efficient - producing the desired result without waste

Synonyms - productive, capable

Antonyms - fruitless, useless, wasteful, unproductive

One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a simple charm bracelet given to me by some of the members of my staff at Home National Bank. The charm is what makes it special - and the people who gave it to me. Engraved on the charm is this little emblem E^2.

During my tenure at HNB in the credit department this was our motto. With every task, we asked the question is this effective and efficient? Are our processes designed to accomplish the desired results in the best possible manner? Often in my professional world this question means are we striking the right balance between cost and results or are we properly balancing risk and return.

Recently, I was reading in 2 Peter and discovered this question is scriptural! And better yet there is a formula for living effective, efficient lives! Formulas appeal to the analyst in me!

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ”(2 Peter 1:3 - 9)

Did you catch the formula? Faith + goodness + knowledge + self-control + perseverance + godliness + kindness + love = Effective & Efficient Living!

In a drawer in my desk I keep a few cards and notes from former bosses and employees expressing appreciation for a job well done, which I equate to effective, efficient work. Occasionally, I read them for encouragement when a task or situation has me frustrated and remember all that was necessary to achieve whatever it was I was working on at that time.

My heart longs to be willing to do all that is necessary to hear Jesus express, job well done. I want my entire life, not just my professional life to be E². This formula provides insight into how we do that and my heart tells me the formula is applicable to all areas of our lives.

In analysis it is important to understand each element in a formula to accurately interpret the result. In measuring the effectiveness & efficiency of a process, each step must be considered. Over the next several weeks I plan to analyze the 2 Peter formula by studying each element. I’ll let you know what I find each week and I would love to hear from any and all how you measure effectiveness and efficiency in your life.

When reviewing a work flow process or analyzing a loan request, the first step is have a clear picture of the desired result or purpose. Maybe that’s a good place to start our analysis, what is the desired result of his divine power, glory and goodness in our lives? Ponder that with me this week.

　

Thanks for listening

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

The Spirit of Ought

One of the perks of pastoring has been hanging out with senior citizens. Some of my favorite New Year’s Eve nights were spent partying with the senior citizens at Hugoton Baptist Church. “Unhanging” the greens and then playing cards and dominos was a great way to ring in a New Year. Of course, there was the year one of my favorite ladies threatened to become Methodist if the pastor didn’t behave! Ironically, a few years later she married a retired Methodist minister! He was a wonderful man and he taught her pastor and I some beautiful lessons about ministry. One of the truths he shared with our adult Sunday school one morning that I will never forget was what he titled “The Spirit of Ought“.

The following were the key verses in our lesson that morning.

“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.” (Galatians 5:16 & 17 NLT)

“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

Here was his simple explanation of listening to the Spirit. He said it’s the voice in your head that says “you ought to do this and you ought not to do that”. He went on to say how many times in his ministry he had heard the Spirit of Ought say go see this one or witness to that one, give money to this one or pray for that one. I love that because I know that voice. It often speaks to me and says things like you ought not say that!

Sometimes I fear we like the Galatians make things of the Spirit too complicated. Like them we try to make ourselves right by keeping a set of rules of Christian behavior. Don’t get me wrong, I understand there are rules of behavior. In the same chapter of Galatians, there are two list, a list of “oughts” and list of “ought nots“. We ought not be quarrelsome, lustful, selfish or jealous, just to name a few. We ought to be patience, kind, faithful, gentle and self-controlled, just to name a few. But we can’t live this way absence of the counsel of the Spirit.

Other times I fear we only listen for the voice of the Spirit in special times and places; a powerful worship service, a quiet place of prayer or in the words of a friend or minister. I love those times. They are special places along our way, but often in the midst of fulfilling the responsibilities of any given day, I love that I can hear the practical voice of the Spirit counsel me on what I ought and ought not do.

In 2011, I want to do a better job responding to the Spirit of Ought. “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” (James 4:17 NLT) As my Dad often says, God help us!

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. (I John 4:11 NLT)

　

Christmas Adam

My brother's & I showing off
our new clothes one
Christmas Adam.

Christmas Day 2010 is done.  The presents are all unwrapped, the stockings are unstuffed, the refrigerator is full of leftovers, and all the cards that didn’t get mailed are back in the box for next year!  Un-decorating is never quite as motivating as decorating. If I’m not careful the post-Christmas blues will settle in. They always seem to come close behind the celebration. Maybe it’s just exhaustion! But when everyone’s gone home and the ordinary is calling again somehow things seem even more ordinary?  My youngest brother coined a name for the feeling of the day after Christmas, Christmas Adam. It’s our family’s way of describing the mixture of feelings you have after the party.

I find that it’s easy to let the ordinary leave me feeling a little down; some years down right depressed! Especially when things have not gone according to my plan!

However, this morning I read this verse in Psalm 89.”Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord”.   

Christmas is a joyful call to worship! O, come let us adore him. The angels called the shepherds to worship, the star led the wise men to worship and Christ called us all to worship. The call to worship always comes at the beginning of the service, Christmas is only the beginning. At Christmas, the light came to the darkness and called us to worship. What a sweet form of worship to walk in the light of his presence.  Walking in the light is our response to the call.  And walking is an ordinary thing. Every day involves walking. Some days our walk is rushed, some days steady, some days we skip and other days we lean on others just to put one foot in front of the other. But every day He is present shining the light showing us how and where to walk.

In the gospel of John, Jesus speaking to the people who remained after the attempted stoning of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus said you don’t have to walk in darkness. Speaking to both those who were addicted to the Law and to the one trapped in sin, he offered the same words from his heart.  “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12 NLT) Whatever is blocking the light from your path - addiction, sin, depression, bad theology, or just the ordinary things of life, it doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus is here and He is the Light.

One of my favorite Christmas decorations is the lights.  One year when I was young we didn’t have enough lights to cover the tree so my mom made a cross with the lights inside the tree. In making the best of not having enough lights, she reminded us of the reason for the lights. This year when I pack away the lights I want to remember not to pack away the LIGHT that came at Christmas!

The awesome thing is when we walk in the light of his presence, wherever we go the reflection of his light will light the path of our fellow journeyers.

On this Christmas Adam, hear the joyful call to worship!

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday

Ronda

If you are walking in darkness, without a ray of light, trust in the Lord and rely on your God. (Isaiah 50:10 NLT)

Hope

So glad she knows about Hope!

One Christmas season when we were traveling and listening to Amy Grant singing “Love has come”. Suddenly, my three or four year old daughter pipes up from the back seat and says, “Daddy, why does Hope have a big gun?” Hope had begun! We all still laugh when we listen to this song and think about Hope’s big gun.

I read somewhere that hope begins in the dark and when I read the opening verses of the gospel of John, I think its true. “The Word became human and made his home among us”. Hope had begun. “and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness…” Hope began in the dark.

In Ezra chapters 9 and 10, we read of one of the many dark times in the story of God’s people. Ezra is lamenting the sins that had polluted the exiles after they have been freed. “O my God, I am utterly ashamed, I blush to lift up my face to you”. Despite the grace and mercy shown to them in both their rescue and their slavery, they have once again abandoned their God. Ezra prays, “And now, O our God, what can we say after all of this?”. Others join him in weeping in front of the newly restored Temple and they confess they have been unfaithful. Then I love what the people say to Ezra, “But in spite of this there is hope for Israel.” (10:2)

Even before the Word became human, his people found hope in his faithfulness. On our darkest nights, even in our utter shame, his light brings hope. Recently someone reminded me of something one of my Sunday School teachers would have us do when reading the stories of Israel. She would have us put our name in place of Israel. But in spite of this there is hope for Ronda! Whatever your “in spite of” is, there is hope! When the darkness of our world is overwhelming there is hope! But in spite of this. there is hope for our families, there is hope for our friends, there is hope for our churches, there is hope for our nation, there is hope!

For unto us a child is born, a light has shone, love has come and Hope has begun! And the darkness can never extinguish it! (John 1:5 NLT)

Try these verses from Psalm 130, substituting for Israel your name or the name of those you love.

O ________ , hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is unfailing love.
His redemption overflows. He himself will redeem _______ from every kind of sin.

Hope may not carry a big gun but it comes loaded with unfailing love, unending mercy and redeeming grace!

“And his name will be the hope of all the world.” (Matthew 12:21 NLT)

　
Merry Christmas to all
May you experience hope

Thanks for listening
See you next Sunday,
Ronda
　
Love has come
For the world to know
As the wisemen knew
Such a long time ago
And I believe that the angels sang
That hope had begun
When the God of Glory
Who is full of mercy
Sent His Son
Click here to hear Amy sing about Hope's big gun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUU_m7PMIyY&feature=related

A Stick Horse for Christmas

Michael & his stick horse

On Christmas Eve, 1971 my mother opened the box she had picked up from the local Western Auto store to unpack the rocking horse she had ordered for my younger brother, Michael.  Upon opening the box she was horrified to find car seats, rather than a rocking horse! She called the store owners who kindly met her at the store to see what could be done, but of course at that late hour there were not many options.  Christmas morning, my 3 year old brother would find a stick horse under the tree instead of a nice, shining rocking horse. I will never forget how distraught my mother was about that stick horse. She cried. Michael, he just ran around on his new stick horse!  Years later when I had a similar experience with a gift for my daughter, I remembered that stick horse. Mothers always want the best for our children. Our plans for them are for happy lives filled with love and goodness.



My mother on the year of the
stick horses. (and me in the corner)

My mother (the best in world, by the way) has cherished for years special verses and promises for each of her four children. Some she has seen fulfilled, for some she still waits. And I'm certain at times that she has found more "car seats" and "stick horses" when she was looking for "shining rocking horses".  But like Mary, she continues to cherish and believe that the Lord will do what he says. "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said". Luke 1:45 NLT

In Luke 1:31 -33, we see the promise to Mary concerning the child she would bear. "He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of the ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end".  While she didn't understand how this could be, she believed and her song of praise recorded in verses 46 -55 expresses her elation at the promise. Several times we are told that Mary kept special moments in her heart. After the shepherds came; "Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often" (Luke 2:19 NLT) After finding him in the temple amazing the religious teachers; "his mother stored all these things in her heart". (Luke 2:51 NLT) Sounds like a mother to me!

But what about when she gave birth in a barn and laid him in a manager, did she wondered if she had misunderstood his destiny? What about when he was rejected by the very leaders he had amazed as child? What about when she stood at the foot of the cross? Did she ask as she had when the angel informed her of his coming, how can this be? Did she remember Simeon's words to her when they had taken him as a baby to the temple "And a sword will pierce your very soul" (Luke 2:35 NLT)

Maybe she thought of the words of his ancestor, King Solomon, to get her through theat dark night. Many are the plans in my heart, but the Lord's purposes prevail.

It seems when our expectations are the highest is often when our disappointments are the deepest. It can be very confusing and disturbing when things don't seem to go as promised. We find ourselves saying to God, how can this be?! On what must have been Mary's darkest night when the sword indeed pierced her soul, in the piercing her son's purpose was being fulfilled. He was accomplishing what was necessary for his Kingdom to rule forever.

If in the midst of celebrating the joy and peace of Christmas, you find yourself opening boxes of car seats when you had planned for shiney rocking horses, find a stick horse and ride with all your might! And know that even in the confusing times in life, God is working his purposes. And the purposes for which He was born will prevail!!

Hear the hope in the words of the prophet Isaiah when he foretold the birth of Jesus.

That time of darkness and despair will not go on forever...

For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.
For a child is born to us!

(Isaiah 9 NLT)

Thanks for listening

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

Looks like Timothy got a stick
horse, too, but apparently
the banana had his attention!

By the way, Michael did eventually have the rocking horse to go along with the stick horse. Worked out well for him! and Timothy.

Cheers

Making your way in the world today

Takes everything you’ve got

Taking a break from all your worries

Sure would help a lot

Wouldn’t you like to get away

Sometimes you want to go -  where everybody knows your name

and they're always glad you came

You wanna be where you can see -  our troubles are all the same

You wanna be where everybody knows your name

Cheers of Boston 2006

Anyone but me willing to admit that this song made the Boston neighborhood pub a place you wanted to go? I loved that show during the Shelly Long years and when we were in Boston a few years ago it was one the places I had to go. Right up there with all the sights of American history, I wanted to see the Cheers bar. (Sorry, Mom)

There was just something about the camaraderie in the cast of characters. I loved the way they shouted, Norm, every time he entered the bar. I think they captured something in that bar that we all crave. As the song says, a place where we are always welcome, a place where we are all the same, a place to take a break from all our worries. A place to be cheered.

Webster defines cheer as something that gladdens or a shout of applause or encouragement. The act of cheering is defined as instilling hope or courage or applauding with shouts.

In the ninth chapter of Matthew twice we read where Jesus says “be of good cheer” to those whom he healed. In chapter 14, he says to the disciples “be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid.” You’ll have to get out your King James Version to find that wording. But if you go to your NIV or NLT you’ll see these words “be encouraged” or “take courage.” Who knew Jesus read Webster! I believe we can say all through the Gospels we see Jesus spreading cheer; welcoming people, instilling hope and courage and offering relieve from our worries.

But then how could it have been any other way, the angels announced at his birth that he had come to bring us cheer. Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all the people” (Luke 2L10 KJV)

“O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits at Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark’s shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel”
　
Just before his arrest Jesus is pouring out his heart to his disciples preparing them for the things to come and he concludes with these words. “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”. (John 16:33 KJV) Other translations read, take heart!

Let’s go spread a little Christmas Cheer! Someone one needs to hear you call their name and welcome them this holiday season. Let’s instill hope and offer encouragement.

Cheers Everyone! Jesus is here!

Thanks for listening
See you next Sunday,
Ronda

• When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. Psalm 94:19
• Worry weighs a person down;an encouraging word cheers a person up. Proverbs 12:25
• A cheerful look brings joy to the heart… Proverbs 15:30