The Kid with the Loaves and the Fishes

By Janet Morris Grimes –

Even the occasional church-goer is familiar with this story. Mentioned in all four gospels, Jesus, distraught over the news that his cousin, John the Baptist, had been beheaded because of his beliefs, sought solace in a quiet place. He and his apostles boarded a boat to head across the Sea of Galilee, but the people, aware of his recent miracles, followed on foot, meeting him on the other side.

Jesus healed the sick among the vast crowd, then settled them down on the grass to teach them many things. After time, the crowd grew hungry, and the apostles advised Jesus to send them away, calculating that it would take six months’ wages to feed them all.

Jesus asked how much food they had available to them and received this answer from Andrew, “There is a boy here who has five loaves and two fishes, but what is the good of that for such a crowd?” (John 6:8).

Of course, Jesus proceeds to thank God, break the bread, and distribute it to the 5,000 men gathered there. The actual number fed that day is most likely closer to 15,000, taking into account the women and children. When all was said and done, they gathered up 12 baskets of leftovers, after the entire crowd had eaten to their satisfaction.

John is the only one to mention the source for the five barley loaves and two small fishes—a lad, a small boy.

As many times as I’ve read that story, I finally recognized the true hero, other than Jesus himself. The lad. We know very little about him, but we can gather these five things:
1) He heard the news.
2) He traveled alone.
3) He came prepared, ready to stay awhile.
4) He followed.
5) He offered all that he had to Jesus, and became an integral part of a famous miracle because of it.

The boy was there for a reason. I assume he traveled alone, that his mother prepared the lunch for him knowing he would be gone most of the day. He was willing to stay as long as possible, just to be close to Jesus. He answered the call for help, even though what he had to offer was miniscule compared to what they actually needed.

The first inclination for most would be to squander what they had, keeping it for themselves, maybe hiding behind a tree to eat it before it was discovered by the hungry masses. But this kid was willing to share, even if it meant he would go hungry. He could have easily saved it for the trip home, avoiding the eyes of the apostles as they searched for food.

I also imagine the crowd was getting restless, cranky and complaining because of the break in the action as Jesus spoke privately with his apostles about the problem. Most kids were probably whining, wondering when they could return home to their sand lot ballgames.

But not this kid. He brought all that he had to offer and laid it on the table before Jesus.

That is my goal for today—to be the kid with the loaves and the fishes. I want to go wherever Jesus happens to be, splaying down my meager offerings before Him, and then watching in amazement to see what He can do with them.

I can see this kid running home at full speed, empty lunch pail banging into his knees, saying “Mom, you just aren’t going to believe this…”

Brain Fry

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

Ever had one of those brain-fry moments when nothing new can be learned or decided upon and nothing old can be recalled? I’m having one of those episodes right now. Lord, I’ll be 48 soon. I know you can teach an old dog new tricks, but I do need a little extra assistance!

What do you do when you feel like you’ve hit the wall and you can’t focus on any more tasks? Do you allow yourself time for a diversion? Watch mindless television? Take a walk or a bath and zone out? How do you free some space in your mind’s hard drive so you can function with greater speed and ability?

I am doing all the tips the magazines suggest in those “Top 7 Ways to Improve Brain Power” articles. I’m getting plenty of sleep and eating healthy. I’m dealing with stress in positive ways. I have surrounded myself with a good support system. I’ve deleted negative distracters from my life and delegated tasks to others. I’ve even discovered which hours are my “brain surge” hours, and I work my most difficult mental tasks during that time period.

Right now I’m taking a breather from some assignments to write this article. Sometimes just changing gears like this helps. But I’ve also taken the time to pray and ask God to assist me. I know I can’t do it on my own. The Bible says if any lacks wisdom, we just need to ask for it. Ask for it I will! The best part is, this isn’t just for any old wisdom, but godly wisdom—even wisdom to read and understand the Bible-God’s Word.

Next time you are feeling overwhelmed and can’t focus any more, take a five-minute mini-vacation and visit the throne room of God. There’s nothing like talking to Royalty to put things in perspective.

Then, get back to work! And with those words…I will too.

PRAYER: Father, when my mind is saturated with thoughts and information and feelings, help me to focus on You and let all else fade away. Then slowly bring one task into focus so I can work undistracted. Not for my own success, but so I can glorify You with my work.

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking” (James 1:5 TLT).

Today’s devotional is by Kathy Carlton Willis, Christ-servant, wife to Russ, editor, publicist, certified CLASSeminars speaker and faculty member. Kathy Carlton Willis Communications encompasses her many passions. Kathy’s tagline captures her essence—Light & Lively: His Reflection/Her Laughter. Schedule Kathy for a speaking event or contact her firm for promotional assistance. KCWC gets jazzed shining the light on God’s writers and speakers.

Times Are, Uh, Changing

By Lynn Rebuck –

I was on time for church Sunday. It was purely coincidental. It is that rare annual event that happens only on the unique fall morning that we are to set our clocks back one hour to end Daylight Savings Time.

I under-slept Sunday morning and ended up arriving fifteen minutes early for church. At first I was startled by the number of cars pulling into the parking lot. Next I was overwhelmed by the selection of parking spaces available. When I walked into the near-deserted building, I was fascinated by the rows of empty seats.

Mind you, I would adjust my watch to the correct time if I could, but it seems the people who wrote the miniaturized instruction leaflet are the same ones who inscribed the entire Bible on the head of a pin.

Here we are days past the shift in the time-space continuum, and not all of my clocks are adjusted. My kitchen stove claims one time, my car professes another, and my DVD player still innocently blinks midnight.

I am convinced that the old song by the band Chicago, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” (which you will likely hum for the rest of the day now that I’ve mentioned it), was written just after the switch from Daylight Savings Time.

Yesterday I went watch shopping. The clerk approached me as I gazed at the timepieces in the case. “Can I help you find something?” she asked helpfully.

“Yes, I’d like to get a new watch,” I said.

“What features are you looking for?”

“It has to be accurate,” I replied.

“All of our watches keep time very well,” she said proudly. “Perhaps I can interest you in this one that is waterproof to a depth of ten meters.”

“Do I look like I dive for abalone? I only need one that’s waterproof to the depth of my washing machine,” I replied. My eyes kept searching the hopeful faces in the case.

Finally, I spotted it. “I’ll take that one there,” I said, pointing to a purple-faced watch that had a band larger than a collar for a St. Bernard.

“Which one, this one?” she asked, and then proceeded to tease me by touching every watch surrounding the watch I had selected. (I have found this to be a favorite game of jewelry store salespeople.)

She accidentally brushed the box of my chosen timepiece and I excitedly yelled, “That’s the one!”

“My,” she said, “you really seem to like this watch. It is an excellent choice, as it has a dual alarm, international time zones, a backlight, chronograph, split-lap stopwatch, is waterproof to 50 meters, and can even withstand severe shocks.”

“Severe shocks like being driven by your teenager? Great, I’ll take it.”

“Why did you choose this one?” she asked.

“It has the correct time on it.”

She rang up the sale and I snatched the bag from her hand. As I headed for the door I called back over my shoulder, “See you in the spring!”

Lynn Rebuck is an award-winning humor columnist, comedian, and speaker. She once tried to adjust a sun dial for Daylight Savings Time. Read her humor blog on www.LynnRebuck.com, fan her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, and email her at LynnRebuck@gmail.com no matter what time it is. © 2010 Lynn Rebuck

Glory, All Day Long

By Hally Franz –

The antique wagon wheel came with the house. When we moved in eight years ago, it rested against the trunk of the formidable oak tree that is the highlight of our front yard. The rough and ragged wheel has remained there since that time, its center and spokes positioned within the metal frame, but no longer actually attached to it.

Our wagon wheel is an interesting piece, but it’s never really seemed complete as a design or landscaping feature. There are no similar artifacts complimenting it in the yard, so it appears random in its positioning next to the stately oak. It seems without purpose, aside from just hanging out with our tree, and it makes no real statement.

The tree/wheel arrangement was long overdue for a little attention, so after planting my spring flowers, I scattered some stray morning glory seeds at the base of the oak. As is generally the case with my gardening projects, this was experimental, because I didn’t know the attributes of morning glories. I simply hoped for a bit of color around the decrepit and destitute wheel.

Over the next few weeks, I watched stems begin to sprout from the ground. We carefully mowed and trimmed the space hoping these flowers might be just the thing to brighten the area. Soon, I saw the stems turn to vines that stretched skyward and attached themselves to the spokes of the wagon wheel. As weeks turned into months, the morning glories weaved in and out through the wheel’s wooden limbs, eventually seeming to connect the broken center piece to the outside of the wheel that merely rested around it. Red and blue flowers bloomed on the vines, adding color and life to the wheel, now not merely a random object, but a perfect trellis for the climbing morning glories.

While the selection of morning glories was accidental for me, God’s work in a life never is. When seeds of faith are planted in new believers, lives are changed. As we grow in our Christian belief, God weaves strands of His word and His works throughout our being. Lives that once seemed meaningless and without purpose are filled with a mission, desire to serve and message to share. God’s presence in our life brings a connectedness between our inside and outside, our thoughts and deeds. Broken spirits and lonely lives are made new again through Him.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for coming into my life and providing meaning and purpose for my days. Help me Lord to serve You by fulfilling that purpose each day.

“Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him” (Isaiah 43:7 KJV).

Today’s devotion is by Hally Franz. Hally is a former teacher and high school guidance counselor, turned homemaker. She enjoys volunteering at her children’s school, teaching Bible classes at her church, leading projects in 4-H, writing, reading, scrapbooking, and rousing (though, sometimes, not pretty) Zumba classes.

How to Become a Car

By Peter Lundell –

It’s been said that sitting in a church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. I decided to test the theory myself. Still human.

Since the time of Jesus, people have been confusing the commitment and lifestyle of following Jesus with the religion of Christianity. We easily forget that Jesus never came to start a new religion. He already had one. We call it Judaism. Jesus came to connect us to God.

People have a habit of adding things like rituals, institutions and allegiances—any of which can either help or hinder. Besides things we do in worship services, or how we spend our time, we can also confuse our spiritual identity with our national or cultural identity.

Christianity as a religion too often replaces the intimate relationship Jesus intended for us to have with God. What a cheap substitute! We too easily settle for going through motions rather than engage the harder prospect of life transformation. No wonder people often leave church.

This tendency has a lot to do with why evangelicals often have a bad reputation in America. And why so many of them do things to deserve that reputation. When we lose sight of what Jesus cared and didn’t care about, we say and do all kinds of dumb things.

I’m not saying don’t go to church. People who bail out on church sever themselves from the main social/spiritual fabric God established to keep us spiritual healthy and interactive. The church is essential. The issue is what the church does about what Jesus said and did.

Where do you fit in all this?

PRAYER: “Lord Jesus, beyond any church routines and any of my comfort zones, I hunger for You. Change me and keep changing me. May I be a blessing in my church so that my church will better help people connect with You.”

“Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:9 NIV).

Today’s devotion is by Peter Lundell, author of the award-winning book Prayer Power. A rising new voice on connecting with God, Lundell is a pastor, Bible college teacher, and conference speaker. Visit him at www.PeterLundell.com for his inspirational “Connections” and free downloads of articles, parables, short stories, and book chapters.

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