Trading Places

By Susan Dollyhigh

The call came from New Hanover Hospital’s emergency room after the crisis with my three-year-old granddaughter had passed. “Mom, Katelyn’s okay, but we just spent four hours in the ER with her,” I heard my daughter, Emily, say on the other end of the phone line.

Even as relief flooded my mind with the words, “Katelyn’s okay,” panic rushed right in behind it as the second part of the sentence, “four hours in the ER” seeped in.

“It was just awful, Mom. We were at a self check-out at the grocery store. I was scanning our groceries and Katelyn was sitting in the cart with her baby doll. Turning my back to her for just a second, she attempted to climb out of the cart and fell face first to the floor,” Emily said.

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Puttin’ on the Blinders: How to Keep Our Focus on Christ

By Dianne E. Butts    

In the mountain town where I used to live, big Belgium work horses wore head gear with blinders—big black wings cupping the horse’s eyes. I thought blinders were cruel, but a friend who knows horses, said, “Blinders are useful tools. Horses have limited side vision. Sudden movements can frighten them, causing them to bolt. Plus, blinders help horses focus down the road on their destination.”

What if we had spiritual blinders that would block out what might cause us to shy away from living for Christ while keeping us focused on our destination in Him?

Shying at Shadows

A rustle in a bush or a sudden movement can startle a horse causing it to shy.

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Rain, Rain, Go Away

By Brenda W. McIntyre    

Do you remember the children’s rhyme ‘rain, rain, go away, come again another day?’ I’ll bet I uttered that rhyme under my breath at least a hundred times lately as the rain drenched the area where I live. Georgia experienced heavy downpours and flash flooding for several days straight. Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency in seventeen counties. Four of those counties were federally declared as disaster areas.

Although the more saturated areas were to the north and northeast of my home, Middle Georgia received an excessive amount of rain. The Ocmulgee River threatened to spill over its banks. Gray clouds covered the sky day after day, blocking the sun. I was surprised one afternoon to see a tiny portion of blue sky surrounded by angry gray thunder clouds. As the wind blew, the clouds swirled about. I was sure they would block out the small patch of blue the color of an inviting swimming pool. For as long as I watched, the patch of blue remained – a testament that the storm would eventually pass and the sun would shine again.

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What Does a Quarter Buy?

By Susan Dollyhigh  

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

 What can you buy with a quarter?  Not even a pack of gum today, but in 1963 a quarter would buy my lunch at school.  With this bit of trivia I’m telling my age but it’s worth it to tell the rest of the story.

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Passion

By John McNeal  

How many people do you know who are very passionate about something?  Just look around.  It’s October, and the football season is just getting started.  Hockey season is on the way, while baseball and NASCAR racing are finishing up.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the bend.  As for myself, I have a small passion for hunting this time of year.

In today’s society many people dish out a lot of money and time to enjoy their passion.  They pay big dollars to sit in a crowded cold stadium with people they don’t know, giving them high-fives when their team scores a touchdown.  They buy the biggest televisions that they can’t afford in order to get a better glimpse of the action.  People purchase clothing, big foam hands and cheese hats, letting everyone know what they are passionate about.

Passionate sports fans know the stats of their favorite team and they can quote the roster by heart.  If a person is rooting for a rival team or individual, they might have swift words with someone if they blaspheme the team at hand.  Sometimes people even get physical in order to prove their point.  I always know when it is race season or football season; my neighbor yells passionately for his favorites.

Several years ago, my pastor stood on stage and told a story how he met Faith Hill while traveling back from a Christian conference.  He said that she would be in Atlanta for a day or two and that she was at our church that day to give her testimony.  After he gave her an introduction, he asked us to welcome her to Chestnut Mountain Church.  Over 95% of the Church stood, whistled, clapped and cheered as if she were about to give us a private concert.  The stage door swung open and nobody came through the door.

Pastor Jeff’s point was well taken that day, at least by me.  We stand up, clap, and cheer for our favorite team or celebrity, and we pay all kinds of money to support our passions.  When is the last time you were passionate about going to church?  What about singing the hymns or worshipping with your whole heart?  What about giving money in the name of the One who gave up everything to die for you?  If Jesus is really our passion, why do we cheer harder, clap louder, and spend more money on other pursuits than we do at church?

Pastor Jeff turned to us after he walked up and closed the door.  “Would you have cheered as hard if it was for Jesus?”  Now can you imagine if your pastor did this and was introducing someone of importance, and that person did not come through the door?  Faith Hill wasn’t at our church that day.  But Jesus was there.

‘“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and with all your mind.’  Matt 22:36-73(NIV)  

 

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