“Thanksgiving Thoughts”

“Thanksgiving Thoughts”

(I thought of those who cannot and I…)*

When running I thought, “I can run no further” then I thought of those who cannot run and so I ran for them.

When caring for another in need I thought, “I can give no more care” then I thought of those who cannot care for another and so I cared for them.

When walking I thought, “I can walk no further” then I thought of those who cannot walk and so I walked for them.

When listening to someone in need I thought, “I can listen no more” then I thought of those who cannot hear and so I listen for them.

When laboring to reason I thought, “I can reason no more” then I thought of those who cannot reason and so I reasoned for them.

When helping another I thought, “I have no more left with which to help” then I thought of those who cannot help and so I helped for them.

When seeing those in need I thought, “I cannot bear to see more” then I thought of those who cannot see and so I saw the needy for them.

When carrying a child I thought, “I can carry this child no more” then I thought of those who cannot carry a child and so I carried the child for them.

When laboring I thought, “I can labor no more” then I thought of those who cannot labor and so I labored for them.

When out in the cold, I thought, “I can bear it no more” then I thought of those who cannot feel the cold and so I felt the cold for them.

When loving the unlovely I thought, “I can love no more” then I thought of those who cannot love and so I loved the unlovely for them.

When visiting the infirmed I thought, “I can visit no more” then I thought of those who cannot visit and so I visited for them.

When writing I thought, “I have no more to write” then I thought of those who cannot write and so I wrote for them.

When giving I thought, “I have no more to give” then I thought of those who cannot give and so I gave for them.

When protecting the innocent I thought, "I can protect the innocent no more" then I thought of those who cannot protect the innocent any longer and so I protected the innocent for them. 

When grieving with those who grieve I thought,"I have no more grief to give" then I thought of those who cannot grieve and so I grieved for them.

When being patient I thought, “I have no more patience to give” then I thought of those who cannot be patient and so I was patient for them.

When being thankful I thought, “I have nothing more for which to be thankful” then I thought of those who cannot run or care or walk or listen or help or see or carry a child or labor or feel or love or visit or write or give or protect or grieve or be patient and it was then that I realized how very blessed I am.  Indeed I have so very much for which to be thankful.

Thankful because life does not consist of what one does not have but for the many blessing with which one has been blessed.  Oh, and there is one more!

When doing good works to find salvation I thought, “I can do this no more” then I heard Jesus say, “I know and I took care of it so just come, freely come to Me you who labor and are heavily burdened--come just like you are...” and so I came.  But there was more for it was then that I understood that when I did these things "...to the least of these my brethren..." I did it to the Lord (Matthew 25:40).


*Note:  Sometime ago I heard the first thought in passing and it set me to thinking and what follows came of that original thought. I researched and could find nothing published so to the best of my knowledge it is not taken from someone's original work.  

“A Letter to a Skeptic”

“A Letter to a Skeptic”

(It is not often that I post two times in a day but as I read the following from a Facebook interchange, I thought it well to go ahead and post it.)

Again XXXX, I agree that there were excesses and reprehensible things done in the name of Christ and in that respect philosophic Christianity does not differ in large part from other movements who've impressed their will through violence, coercion, and manipulation.  However, if you give an honest reading to history, you find that these were cases of institutional Christianity far different from the born again, heart changing Christianity that Jesus taught.

The reality of Jesus is that He changes the hearts and lives of those who give themselves to Him. Those people do not do the things of which you speak. You see, in the vast majority of cases those things were done out of selfishness and for political purposes. The real deal Christian lives on a much different level.

Indeed it is the real deal Christians who have sacrificed and given not taken. It is the genuine article that has gone where no one would go (to serve and care for the dying during the black plagues), give beyond one's capacity to give to the needy, provide for the betterment of children (the first education of factory children was by real deal Christians), going to primitive tribes in order to give them a written language and thus access to written information, and so much more.

However as someone observed, "The atheist is better at smelling rotten eggs than laying good ones." The reality is that all you can do is disparage Christians based upon the excesses, however, if you gave history a fair reading (not some revisionist view) you would see that it is the genuine Christian that has done far more good than any of the extreme examples of egregiousness that you cite.

However, I cannot change what you choose to believe. Those are choices you make and the sad part is that there is always a consequence to what one believes. Believe and build on a foundation of truth and one derives one kind of outcome. Believe and build on a foundation of false information and one derives another kind of outcome.

Time is the test and true Christianity has been tested and has stood the test of time. The only way that one can disparage such veracity and validity is to focus upon the exceptions and not the realities of what coming to faith in Jesus Christ has done through the centuries.

XXXX, the reason that Christians have challenged your thinking is that even though we’ve never seen you, each of us in our own way cares about you. We are not here to harass you or degrade you. We are here to as accurately as possible share Jesus Christ with you with the hope that you find the genuine real deal truth about Him.  To decide upon Jesus based upon misinformation and the view of the cynical skeptic is to make a less than informed decision about Him.

Sincerely,

Alvie

“The Barber and God”

“The Barber and God”

Maybe you’ve heard the story.  If you have it is worth a read.  If not, it will give you something to think about.

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A man went to a barber shop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don't believe that God exists.”

“Why do you say that?” asked the customer.

“Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist.  Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people?  Would there be abandoned children?  If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain.  I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.”

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.

The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.  Just after he left the barber shop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard.  He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:  “You know what? Barbers do not exist.”

“How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!”

“No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.”

“Ah, but barbers DO exist!  That's what happens when people do not come to me.”

“Exactly!” affirmed the customer. “That's the point! God, too, DOES exist!  That's what happens when people do not go to Him and don't look to Him for help.  That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world.”

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Read Romans 1 for an explanation of the outcomes of man when a person makes the choice to reject