Food For Thought

The Eternal Diet

What does our diet have to do with Jesus and eternity?  Well let’s consider that the answer lies in abstract way of thinking called analogies which Jesus used in the form of “parables” with many of his teachings.  Ironically, many philosophers through the ages were abstract thinkers and also used analogies.  One main difference between the Philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato who even taught their students how to “think” abstractly and Jesus was that Jesus often made analogical comparisons between earthy things which his students could relate to and the things of God and Heaven which they could not relate to as easily or at all.

Food for Thought

Sometimes the things that are really good for us we avoid like the plague.  Better said, the things that are often bad for us we run to even though it could have plague like effects on our lives.  This includes situations that are bad for us, food that is bad for us, drinks that are bad for us and even people who are bad for us.  The things that are good for us we avoid.

So if I were to compare “food” to “truth” it would be considered an analogy.

“The truth is like healthy food. Most people run from it and get offended if you try to force them to eat it.  They have to make the decision to eat it for themselves.”

In the early years of my adulthood I drank a lot of soft drinks, and ate a lot of unhealthy foods.  My skin was pale, I got sick several times a year, and the sugar and citric acid in the soft drinks caused cavities.  In my late 20’s I cut back to around 3 soft drinks a day and by my mid 30’s there were weeks where I stopped drinking them all together or cut back to one a day.  In the last few years I have significantly changed my diet in a healthier direction.  I remember my parents fussing at me for the way I ate and about all the soft drinks.  I was hard headed and did what I wanted, thinking I knew better.  This was only compounded by people who said such things as “I will die one day anyway, so why not eat and drink what I want?”.  Also, when you’re young, you are not thinking about death or about feeling good and healthy in the golden years of old age.  You are in the "here and now".  What does it matter if you die of a heart attack when you’re only 60 years old if that is 40 years away?

For some of us, it takes a while for the word “death” to sink in.  It takes us a while to desire “healthy” things and to recognize the food, drinks and “other things” that are hurting us physically, mentally, and even spiritually.  There are times when we blame others, but after we become adults, it’s time to take responsibility for our actions and change them.  This is nothing that someone can convince us of, but something we must chose for ourselves.  However, when you reach that pivoting point in your life, like me, you will probably look back and see the people who loved you and tried to help you by giving you good advice that you threw their wisdom  away.

Seeds of Wisdom

“Being a novice gardener, I’ve noticed that the seeds I plant do not always come up.  Sometimes they’ve been planted in the wrong season, sometimes they’ve not been watered enough, sometimes I’ve planted them too deep in the soil, or maybe too shallow; sometimes the soil was either too fertilized or not fertilized enough and sometimes there were just too many other seeds in the soil such as various grasses and undesired weeds that overpowered the seeds and chocked out the plants as they tried to come up.  I will not let it bother me though, I will keep planting the seeds and try to learn more about gardening and one day the seeds I plant will come up and prosper.  On that day, I will be very happy.”

The key to successful analogies and parables is connecting with the audience.  Back in the day of Jesus everyone was familiar with gardening and so there were a lot of parables about seeds and the harvest which played an important part in everyday life.  Also, water did not just flow out of faucets like our modern day water sources, people had to visit the an open well on a daily basis.  Basically food and water was at the very front of their minds.  That’s why Jesus was such a genius in his teachings, well, that and because He was God.  He took ideas that people could relate to and transferred them into eternal truths.

The Israelites were Thirsty

Getting water wasn’t an easy a task when the Israelites left slavery behind for their mass Exodus into the wilderness.  There were times when they lost their faith and actually desired to go back to slavery and considered it an easier and more desired path in life.  Going back into slavery was considered easier than the freedom that was right in front of them.

In Exodus 17:3 we see that:

“But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?””

In Matthew 5:6 we find that Jesus said:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “

So here he is describing those who are hungry for God; he is telling us that God is available for them.  For only God is righteous.  Only God is Holy.  Only God is perfect.  This is a promise that those who hunger and search for the “true food and water; eternity” that they will have it.

David Thirsted for God

“I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.”

~Psalm 143:6

If it’s true that those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be filled than imagine a man who was so thirsty for God that he equated his thirst for God to a parched land?  When the land is dry and the rains come the land will soak it right up.  If you read the Psalm’s of David, you will see that David thirsted for God probably more than anyone else in the Bible.  He talked with God on a regular basis.  He not only talked to God, but he often “cried out” to God.

Likewise, David was a man after God’s own heart and it was through the decedents of David that God brought us the Messiah, Jesus.  A man after God’s own heart possibly because he thirsted for God like a parched land.

“After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’

“From this man’s descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.”

~Acts 13:22-26 (NIV)

Eternal Life Giving Water and Food

““Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.””

~John 4:11-15

Again, Jesus with the parables relating to thirst, he approached a Samaritan women at a well.  Jews normally didn’t associate with Samaritans and this particular Samaritan was offered the same eternal life that Jesus offered the Jews.  This particular woman had a very sinful past (and present), neither was she a Jew, yet the Lord offered her the same gift that he offered his own people:  water with eternal life attached.  This analogy tells us that eternal life is available to even the worst sinners of all nations.

The Path is through Jesus, the Son of God

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

~John 6:35

Once again, Jesus tells us through the use of an analogy that believing in him can quench our “spiritual” hunger and thirst for all of eternity.

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.”

~John 7:37

Famines of Spiritual Food and Water

““The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.”

~Amos 8:11

There have been times of spiritual famine throughout the modern age.  According to scripture there is a very large famine coming.  There is going to be a time of great falling away from God’s Church.  This will be a time filled with evil and false prophets who water down and twist the Word of God.  It will be a time when fewer and fewer people are going to church and beign productive members of society.  It will be a time when people think they are empathetic to others yet they will not even have the strength to help themselves with their own issues much less help others with theirs.  The unhealthy spiritual food given out during this phase of history is unhealthy and will be no substitute for the real food that Jesus has promised is available to all of us.  In one line of thinking one might argue that it’s of no fault of our own that God brought a famine and we didn’t hear the word of God, but a more solid argument would be that we brought on the famine in our lives by accepting an unhealthy substitute of food instead of the real eternal life giving food that God offers.  Despite all the deception and all the false prophets in the world, there are still plenty of Bible’s and there is plenty of time to read, and plenty of time to pray to God for discernment and wisdom and enlightenment during dark times.  We are still able to pray and to seek God’s face.  It is our choice to be distracted with other things.  It’s our choice to hang out with people who constantly commit blasphemy against God and try to side track you from Him.

What Amos was speaking of wasn’t the first and it will not be the last time famines have spread throughout the world.  God did not provide the famine that Amos is speaking of.  Society is getting further and further off the true path.  Even though statistically there are a decent percentage of people who say they believe in God, we can tell by the “fruits” of society that something is very wrong.  I’m convinced that we’ve brought this famine on ourselves.  However, one by one, we have a choice every day to get things headed back in the right direction.

The Free Gift of Life

“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.”

~Revelation 21:6

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

~Revelation 22:17

Don’t Run from the Truth

“The truth can hurt at first, but it can also set you free and afterwards bring health and happiness.  We are responsible for our own actions.”

Sometimes we run from the food that is good for us and substitute those things that are bad for us.  The bad food tastes very good, but long term it will clog our arteries, slow down our mental functions and ultimately kill us.  How many times have we run from the truth?  So many times.  The truth makes us uncomfortable.  When it is spoken we ignore it.  We run to the “bad foods”.  Let’s accept that we are responsible for our own actions and search after the “good food”.

Be True to the End

“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

~Matthew 24:12-16

Eat your Broccoli

“Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.  I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it.”

~1 Corinthians 3:1-3

When we were kids we did not like healthy food.  We despised and ran from even the smell of Broccoli (insert other disliked healthy food here).  Likewise, even the smell of truth can make us uncomfortable and we dodge it like the plague.  When we hear it we will often close off our ears and our hearts.  If it’s a book, we will often quit reading it.  If it’s a friend, we will stop hanging out with them and even cut off the relationship.  If it's a family member, we will dodge them.  If it’s a speech or sermon, we will either get up and leave instantly, close off our ears or we will not go back to listen to that person again.”

It’s time to grow up and start eating and drinking healthy life giving food and water.  Seek God’s face and He will show it to you in his Word, the Bible.  It can’t be forced upon you.  It’s your choice to eat the healthy foods of God or the unhealthy foods of this world.

This bible says that everyone knows in their heart that there is a God.   If this is true, and I believe it is, then there is no excuse.  It’s a choice.  If we’ve been exposed to it, then it’s a choice.  We have a chance every day to make a choice for a better lifestyle and a better eternity.  It’s time to extend our life into the next.

Whose Compass are You Using?

I will keep this short.  A few wonder why I have been so outspoken against those here that cause division inside the city, and why I just can't support those who rub salt in old wounds and those who stir up trouble at every opportunity.  I can only listen to it so much, whether it's the radio or the cult and I just have to turn it off because it makes me sick on my stomach.

However, all I have to do is look back through these old pictures of boys of all colors working together, having fun, laughing together and getting along just fine to be refreshed in my spirit.  All I have to do is think about my friends, of all colors, who want to work together to make this city and county a better place and positive hope is embedded ever deeper into my soul.

And to be honest, sometimes we just have to turn it off and just focus on the positive and that's a much more enjoyable place to be and it is solid ground.  However, injustice is injustice and it saddens me to no end to see people being manipulated, especially by the very same people they should be able to trust.

But for tonight, and hopefully the next few days, I'm going to enjoy these pictures... these memories... of teamwork.... and all the rest, I'm just going to turn it off.

We won the best teamwork award at this particular camporee at Dallas Lake.

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Surveying Merit Badge - Old Boy's Ranch, now Teen Challenge

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We camped out and worked on the surveying merit badge by doing a topographic survey so that a site plan could be made for the construction of a new Boys Ranch, although it is now called Teen Challenge.

Campout on the Cahawba River

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I really enjoyed teaching the guys how to cook over a campfire and teach them responsibility.  They all got to both learn and have a good time.  That's what life is about.

Warren Manor - Spring Flowers for Residents

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 Warren Manor - We picked wild spring flowers and gave to everyone in Warren Manor and also the Lighthouse Convalescent Home.  The guys really enjoyed that and so did the patients.

Christmas skit at Warren Manor.

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  What a blast.. these are just some of the boys who participated...

The Selma Christmas Parade.  What fun!

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Flag retirement ceremony.

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 I sure was proud of those boys that day.

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Vermon could sure play that saxophone.

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I miss the scouts and I am so glad I still had these pictures.  I lost so many of them because of computer issues and I thought I had lost these also.  It was a very nice suprise tonight.

Keep fighting for justice.  Keep working towards teamwork. You just can't have one without the other.  Justice is the only thing that can bring about teamwork and teamwork is the only thing that can bring about justice.  If you want to see justice and teamwork, take a look at the first picture in this article.

Success - You have to Fail to Reach it.

Many would argue with the title of this article, but it's true nonetheless. We often talk about "change" and how we want it, yet how many times do we fall into the same old "rut" and "routine"? I remember a debate 20ish or so years ago with some of the older youth in my church. The question was "If your goal is to fail and you succeed, did you still fail?". My answer was "If it was your goal was to fail and you met your goal, then you did succeed in your own eyes, because everyone else’s definition of success should not reflect your own." To be honest, I have seen some kids that were so afraid of failure; they were perfectly content to never leave the couch and they continued to live with their parents well into adulthood.

I ran across the following piece written by Portia Nelson called "Autobiography in Five Short Chapters" and found it worthwhile to post, so here it is. May we all reflect, understand and seek the "better street" and become all that we can be by overcoming any adversity or "holes" that we fall into. Here's a toast to all the holes we've fallen into and the new streets we've found because we at least had the fortitude to get off the couch and walk down those streets to begin with. May we stop falling into the same old holes, but find new holes on different streets to fall into and get out of.  May we become better people because of it all.

Chapter 1:
I walk down the street.
There is a hole.
I don't see it.
I fall in.
It isn't my fault.
It takes a very long time to get out.

Chapter 2:
I walk down the same street.
There is still a deep hole.
I pretend not to see it.
I fall in.
I pretend it's still not my fault.
It takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3:
I walk down the same street.
There is still the same deep hole.
I see it.
I fall in anyway.
It's a habit.
I get out quicker this time.

Chapter 4:
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole.
I see it.
I walk around it.
I don't fall in.

Chapter 5:
I walk down a different street!!!

Tuscaloosa Tornado

Today was my fourth time visiting Tuscaloosa after the deadly tornado hit.  House after house destroyed and cars thrown around like toy hot-wheels cars.  There's not a lot I can do except cut down trees that are dangerous to passers by, or will be dangerous as they rot and die.  The ones that are left have been stripped of the majority of their limbs and leaves.  There is debris that needs to be moved next to the road so that crews can pick it up however so just in case you don't have a chainsaw there is plenty to do in that department.  Bring gloves and plenty of water if that's what you'd like to do.  Be sure to check in at the McAbee Center so that the city of Tuscaloosa can get credit and reimbursed for all of your volunteer hours.  I can assure you, they need all the help and reimbursements they can get as the infrastructure in the hit areas has a lot to be desired.

Some of the volunteers today ran across a bible that had obviously been tossed in the wind like so many things during the storm.  It was tattered and torn.  It was open to the book of Judges.  To some this would be a coincidence and to others a sign, but either way, I'd never seen a bible that had weathered the storm like this one.  It could still be used unlike most of the houses in the area and it's words were alive unlike the hundreds of people who passed away in the storm.  In the summer heat you could smell the rottening decay of animals and spoiled food from freezers that no longer were located where they originally were sitting, and then there was that Bible; every page could be read.  Even though it was tatered and torn, none of the pages were stuck together and none of the ink was smeared from the wetness of the storm.  There it sat open to the book of judges.

I spoke with quite a few people and heard some stories, some stimulating and some saddening like the old lady who was hiding in her tub for dear life when the roof disappeared and the toilet water started funelling up to the sky right before she went for a ride for a hundred yards, still in the tub until she and the tub landed safely on the ground with only a few bruises.  One saddening story was the lady that walked in front of one of the lots I was working on a few weeks back who held her dead baby in her arms while she cried.  The baby that was in the tree that came from a different county was yet another sad story.

One gentleman I spoke with lost everything including his work uniforms.  He had been living in that house since he was a baby and forty years later lost everything except the clothes on his back.  He brought up his insurance and said "by the way, you'd better make sure you have the names, models and serial numbers off of every thing of value inside your house if you expect the insurance companies to do much for you.

This was all a wide awakening event for me, but it makes me realise that we are here for only short while and the bible teaches not to put much stock in worldly possessions, but at the same time to not worry because God will take care of us.

Matthew 6- ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Seeing the destruction in Tuscaloosa reminds me that everything could be gone in a second. It brings life into perspective.  What are we taking with us?  What are we accomplishing with our hands?  What are we accomplishing with our mouths?  What are we accomplishing with our bodies?  What are we accomplishing in our souls?  What are we accomplishing outside of our bodies and souls?

Matthew 6:21 (New International Version)
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Wow.  What a deep verse and so true.  For a believer, one treasure is so empty and one is so full of life.

In Tuscaloosa there are many houses that were made of wood and brick that are gone completely now.  The people that were inside were either injured or dead.  They thought they were safe and many were not.

Sometimes we try to stay "safe" and not do what we know is right, not say what we know is right, not teach what we know is right, not fight for what we know is right but in the end can we truthfully say that we truly lived or will we say that we led the sheltered life? If there's a chance that you're going to be sucked up into a storm one day regardless, wouldn't it be nice to just "live" in the mean time?

There are many who live in a sturdy and secure home, but the storm killed them years ago.  Don't let that be you.  Sometimes you just have to step out on a limb, because if you don't, you just ain't living.  There may be risk, but some of the greatest things in life require risk.  Without a doubt, risk combined with faith is a powerful combination.

Cross-roads

Some of the most intense moments in life are when we are standing at a fork in the road, whether a friend is standing there with us or not. It's forever life altering moments like these that deserve our cognizance, recognized for what it is while demanding our utmost respect. It’s times like these when our mind, our heart and our ethics must reconcile together and spend quality time together. Whether standing there with a friend or standing alone, we are the ones that must live with our decision and sometimes in life the most beautiful road to be on is the one that is not dependant on anything or anyone but our faith in ourselves and in God.