WeekFifty-Two, 2018
COMPASSION
By John Grant
Recently America lost a great man… President George H. W. Bush. He was known by his care and compassion for others. When he was inaugurated, his inauguration speech called for a kinder and gentler nation. That should be a calling for each of us in this New Year. Find a place or person and minister to their needs.
“Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” This is,perhaps, the best known and most commonly quoted statement made by St. Francis of Assisi. Ministry is not always the words you say, but the help and compassion you show.
In 2019, find a nitch and fill it. It may be a humongous project you undertake with others, or it may be a one on one you do alone. Heidi Berkman noticed when she visited nursing homes and similar facilities that they were rather stark. One day she was shopping and saw an employee throwing out beautiful flowers. She inquired as to why and was told that the store only keeps them for two days. She sought the manager and asked if she could have the throw outs to share with the elderly. He said yes and The Bloom Project was born.
The Bloom Project
The project started in Heidi’s garage, beginning with a few flowers and a few volunteers who wanted to create something special — bringing beauty and joy to those in end-of-life care. Many had experienced the loss of a loved one in hospice care, and recognized that they could make use of resources (flowers) that would otherwise be tossed out.
In this modern society’s Christians struggle with their role in shaping a society that cares for those who are sick and in need. In essence, we have struggled to understand the work and responsibility of Christian compassion. Should this responsibility be shared by all and secured by the government, or should it primarily be the domain of people of faith and those moved by a higher calling to mercy and healing? I suggest the latter, but saying it and doing are two different matters.
What are you called to minister to the community around you? Make a resolution in the coming year to show compassion and Christian love and help this land become a kinder and gentler country.
God bless and mayyou and yours have a most happy and blessed 2019
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
One evening, after the honeymoon, Dick was working on his Harley in the garage. His new wife was standing there by the bench watching him.
After a long period of silence she finally said, “Honey, I’ve just been thinking,now that we’re married, maybe it’s time you quit spending so much of your time out here in your garage. You probably should consider selling your Harley and all that welding equipment; they take up so much of your time. And that gun collection and fishing gear, they just take up so much space. And you know the boat is such an ongoing expense; and you hardly use it. I also think you should lose all those stupid model airplanes and your home brewing equipment and what’s the use of that vintage hot rod?
Dick got a horrified look on his face. She noticed and said, “Darling, what’s wrong?”He replied, “You were starting to sound like my ex-wife.” “Ex-wife!?” she shouted, “YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU WERE MARRIED BEFORE!” Dick replied, “I wasn’t.”
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To think we are looking at images from the surface of another planet in our solar system from our cell phone!!! And yet we haven’t found a way to get the gospel to everyone on earth in their own language yet? Someone PLEASE tell me why?
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A man on a ladder says, “This is my step-ladder. I don’t know where my real ladder is.”
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A lady took her pet duck to the duck vet, thinking it was deceased. The vet agreed, but the lady asked him to make sure, so the vet brought in a cat who looked closely and shook its head in the negative. She asked for one more test, so the vet brought in a lab who looked, smelled and shook his head likewise. Satisfied that her duck was dead, she asked for a bill. It read $450. Shocked she asked why the vet charged so much. He responded that he didn’t charge anything, but the charges were for the “cat scan” and the “lab report.”
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
Learning starts on the first day of life, not on the first day of school. Dana Suskind
Are you leaning on a shovel and praying for a hole? Are you talk or action? Cary Gaylord
The Gospel Is an Invitation, Not an Application – Ken Whitten
It’s nice to go into a legal battle when you have the Creator of the Universe as your confidant. Dwight Short
When you realize that your mind has wandered away from Jesus, don’t be alarmed or surprised. You live in a world that has been rigged to distract you. Each time you plow your way through the massive distractions to communicate with Him, you achieve a victory. Rejoice in these tiny triumphs, and they will increasingly light up your days.