pastoroncall.net » acceptance

What’s Worship?

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 17:42:22 +0000

I was teaching a 5th Grade class the other day, and we were talking about words that start with the letter “w”, and I wrote (among other words) the word “worship” on the board. I didn’t think much about it, until a girl in the class come up to me and asked what does the word “worship” mean. I couldn’t believe my ears. “What! You are eleven years old and you don’t know what the word worship means.”, I said to myself. Of course, this was what I was thinking. I was careful not to show my surprise. I simply said to her, “Worship, is when you lift up something or someone higher than anything else, including yourself, and then you gather with other people who feel the same way you do to praise and honor the thing or person you are lifting up.” “Oh”, she said, “like worshipping a god.” “Yes”, I said, “people worship gods.” “Do you worship a god?” she asked. Yes,” I said, “I worship the God of Jesus.” “Okay”, she said, “thanks for answering my question.” “No problem,” I said, “thanks for asking; that’s how you learn.” She went back to her desk, and I thought to myself, “A little witnessing can’t hurt!”

The post What’s Worship? appeared first on pastoroncall.net.

Take the Time

Wed, 24 Dec 2014 17:47:20 +0000

The number of hours people spend shopping for gifts at this time of the year is staggering. Whether you shop on line, walk the mall, or drive from store to store, you still spend a great deal of time looking for that special gift for that special someone. I’ve always wondered,
“What if people took just a fraction of the time they spend shopping and spent it instead on their relationship, with God, with someone else, or with oneself. Think about it, time is of the essence, it is the one commodity we can truly give freely and openly, and of course
“relationships” are essential for survival. You may have all the basic necessities, but if you don’t have at least one caring, loving relationship in your life, then it’s hard to consider oneself truly alive. So why not (at this time of the year) bring these two great gifts together, the gift of time and relationship. Instead of spending all our time shopping, let’s spend some time working on our relationship with God (mediation), ourselves (reflection), and each other (conversation). I have often thought to myself, how different Christmas would be if people took some of their precious time and spent it on some of their special relationships. After all, don’t relationships usually last a lot longer than store bought gifts and are they not worth the investment? So, if you are still looking for that special gift for that special someone, why not give them, the greatest gift of all, some of your much needed time and attention!

The post Take the Time appeared first on pastoroncall.net.

Smart Mind O’Heart Meter

Thu, 20 Nov 2014 06:45:16 +0000

Well, all is well, I just had my ComEd Smart Meter installed today! Yup, the door bell rang and this lady in coveralls lets me know she will be installing a new Smart Meter. So, I opened the fence, and she went to the back corner of the house and started working. I could see her through the window. After about ten minutes she was done. While she was out there, I read the Brochure informing me of all the wondrous things this new Smart Meter can do. After she was gone, I said to myself, wouldn’t it be cool if it was that easy to get a new heart and a new mind. Somebody rings your doorbell, tells you they are from the God Squad to install a new Smart Mind O’Heart Meter. It will only take a few minutes, and immediately they start working on you, as you stand there reading the Brochure informing you of all the wondrous things it can do. But, you know something, aren’t we told in the Scriptures that God has already given us a knew heart and a new mind. They were “installed” when we were baptized, and they are ready, willing, and able to help you and I do the Smart thing; that is, to do God’s will. It’s just a matter of faithfully believing this to be true and learning how to switch over and utilize this new Smart Mind O’Heart Meter God installed for free.

The post Smart Mind O’Heart Meter appeared first on pastoroncall.net.

Ashes and Dust

Wed, 05 Mar 2014 14:33:07 +0000

Some of us put ashes on our forehead to remind us that “we are dust and to dust we shall return.” It’s humbling to think of ourselves as mere “dust”. But, let us remind ourselves that in “dust” are the very particles of life, and only God can take those particles and create life as we know it to be. The same can be said about the “ashes” which represent our lost hopes and dreams, for only God can take the very “ashes” of our lives and create the spark of new life. The same can be said about the sign of the “cross” on our forehead which represents how cruel this world can be, for only the love of God can take what is brutal and cruel and turn it into something wondrously beautiful!

The post Ashes and Dust appeared first on pastoroncall.net.

Acceptance

Fri, 21 Feb 2014 12:39:46 +0000

Sitting around last night talking about the word “acceptance” and how it impacts our lives through a multitude of venues including: ourselves, each other, life itself, God; at school, at work, at play, at home; internally, externally, spiritually, holistically. We suddenly discovered how all pervasive and powerful the word “acceptance” really is, as a specific act, as an attitude, as a state of being. We read the Scriptures and found “acceptance” to be the basis of God’s love for us and our love for Him and each other!

The post Acceptance appeared first on pastoroncall.net.