About Me

Name: peripheral
Biography
Loading...

Create Your Own Blog Find Other Townhall Blogs

Comments

Blog Roll

 

OPEN HEARTS - OPEN HANDS

Posted by peripheral on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 8:42:32 AM
From My Perspective - - -

It is obvious we are living in difficult economic times for far too many people. All too many have been looking to government for a resolve to their economic plight without realizing government is part of the problem. It reminds one of the POGO summary – “We Have Met The Enemy and He Is Us.” This past weekend John King on his CNN telecast – The State Of The Union – traveled to Alabama and shared the following vignette from Selma with his viewers: “…Storefront after storefront is closed, and many of the buildings in the famous photos from the days of the historic March 1965 events have fallen into disrepair…People are not buying. People are not spending. Businesses are going out of business…This is the heart of Alabama's ‘Black Belt,’ and Selma is a reminder that a recession that has punished so many across America has hit hardest in places that were already struggling…Statewide, unemployment in Alabama has doubled in the past year from 4.5 percent to 9 percent. But here in Dallas County, it is 18.2 percent. In neighboring Wilcox County, is it more than 22 percent. That is staggering: One in five people you pass are unemployed…”

In a letter from Mark Earley (Prison Fellowship President), he shares: “Because of our year-round Angel Tree program, thousands of prisoners' children attended a Christian summer camp last year. Most of these kids had never been to camp before. And although they may have arrived feeling alone and uncertain, they left with the gift of Christ's love and the support of Christians like you! Here's what Christian summer camps offer Angel Tree kids: A much-needed escape from an existence often marked by confusion, anger and loneliness to experience the scenic beauty of God's creation; Fun activities like swimming, hiking, biking, athletic competitions, campfires, arts and crafts, nature walks and building friendships; Meaningful one-on-one attention from caring, Christian adults that can blossom into year-round mentor-ships; A transformational emphasis on the Gospel to gain a life-changing understanding of their Heavenly Father's love through Jesus Christ.” Decreasing revenue may limit and hinder this valuable and caring ministry to some very need children and young people!

In a letter from Max Lucado, he shares: “Dadi’s mud-bricked shack seems even farther away than the 6,000 miles it is. I’m writing in the air conditioned and carpeted comfort of Detroit’s airport. Was it just three days ago Denalyn and I sat with Dadi and his family beneath the thatched roof of his Ethiopian hut? You’d need a four-wheel drive vehicle to reach them and a skilled team to find them…The needs are great: 45% of the country subsists on less than $1 a day. A quarter million children die every year from water-related diseases. Thousands rely upon dirty rivers or muddy holes for their water supply. Yet for all their problems, I’ve never seen such smiles. The Ethiopians are a soft, gentle, hospitable people. They brim with gratitude for the slightest act of kindness…With the aid of an interpreter, Dadi and I discussed the one thing we have in common: children. His five children range in age from 18 months to 18 years. He’s a farmer, but ever since a plague killed his ox, his soil has gone untilled. He’s making about 80 cents a day as a day laborer. I asked him what a new ox would cost. About $280. I’ve got seldom-worn blazers that cost more. All he needs is a helping hand…”

Consider these things with me - - - In Proverbs 24:10-12 we read: “If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, But we knew nothing about this, does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?” And, in James 2:14-16 we read: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” We cannot meet all of the needs – but – we can try to assist with some! Commit yourself to doing all the good you can, for as many as you can, for as long as you can. Be discerning and be compassionate! Be wise and be merciful! Be careful and be generous! Invest prudently in the lives of those who represent bonafide need!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

MATTERS OF THE HEART

Posted by peripheral on Saturday, February 14, 2009 8:04:06 AM

From My Perspective - - -

Valentine’s Day is a time set aside where expressions of Love are to be expressed and demonstrated. Most do this by sending a card, or giving Candy, or sending a Bouquet of Flowers. As a matter of fact, “The U.S. Greeting Card Association estimates that approximately one billion valentines are sent each year world-wide.” In many classrooms in our nation, younger children exchange cards with their teachers and friends. Basically, this is intended to be an expression of love.

Love is more than an expression. It should be an overflow from the character and personality of one individual that affects and impacts another. It is an inner gift that utilizes words and deeds to demonstrate true feeling and emotion. Someone noted: “…in spite of all those cards that are exchanged, the Valentines that really matter are the ones we receive and give where love is unconditional, that say, No matter what- I love you!” One of the things that occurs in a pluralistic society is the blurring of the more meaningful gifts and allowing for something lesser as a substitute. For instance, George Barna recently conducted a Spiritual Gifts Survey and found the following: “…the latest study shows that just two-thirds of Christian Americans (68%) say they have heard of spiritual gifts…” The follow-up question asked which gifts the respondents believed they had. “The most commonly claimed gifts were teaching (9%), service (8%) and faith (7%). Those were followed by encouragement (4%), healing (4%), knowledge (4%), tongues (3%), leadership (2%). The influence of the secular and pluralistic is seen in many of the respondents (21%) who deemed their Spiritual Gift to be: “a sense of humor, singing, health, life, happiness, patience, a job, a house, compromise, premonition, creativity, and clairvoyance.” This is obviously a drift toward the subjective rather than an embrace of the objective.

 

The Word of God is very clear in its discussion of Spiritual Gifts and what they are: the passages of Scripture that teach about gifts include - Romans 12: 6-8, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4: 7-13, 1 Peter 4: 10-11. When it comes to Matters Of The Heart, I Corinthians 13:4-8 (NLT) is a passage that could and should be personalized by each of us - - -  

·         Love is patient and kind.

·         Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

·         Love does not demand its own way.

·         Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.

·         Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

·         Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

·         Love will last forever…

It has been suggested that one insert his/her name where “Love” appears and the reading would be: “Jack/Jill is patient and kind; Jack/Jill is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude, Jack/Jill does not demand his/her own way, etc.

 

Consider these things with me - - - How much different life and relationships would be if we mutually embraced the words of Jesus recorded in John 13:34-35, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." A secular song penned by Jackie DeShannon in 1965 reminded us from a secular viewpoint: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love, It's the only thing that there's just too little of…” Let us be among those whose hearts overflow with love and compassion in our lives, families, communities, nation and world.

Tags: compassion  
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive
« Previous1Next »