DIY Guy Learns a Valuable Lesson

By Alan Mowbray –

A few days ago, I was in a panic.

I had been working on my MINI Cooper–installing control arm bushings and other parts that, when I had the car at the shop a couple months ago, the dealer had recommended replacing. With a $2500+ price tag on the parts and labor, I figured it was time for DIYGuy!

Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuuuuuun!

Well, everything was going great for DIYGuy until he realized that when he popped the ball joints loose on the lower front control arms, he had damaged the threads beyond repair. Even worse, in trying to extract the ball joints, DIYGUY discovered that the dastardly RustMonster had attacked and welded them into place with his deterioration ray.

Things were not looking good for our plucky superhero…

What would happen if he had to admit that he had bitten off more than he could chew, requiring him to call the dreaded AAA, tow the MINI to the dealer, and kowtow to the eeeevil masterminds of S.E.R.V.I.C.E. D.E.P.A.R.T.M.E.N.T., the sworn enemy of his credit card and his secret organization, B.U.D.G.E.T.???

Sensing defeat, DIYGuy decided to go in the house, get a drink of ice cold H₂O and collect his thoughts while leaving his sidekick for the day, FriendGuy, in the garage alone–still banging away at the stuck joints.

As DIYGuy sat on a stool in the kitchen pouting, his wife, a superhero herself (on-call basis only) noted his demeanor and asked him how things were going.

Dejected, he poured out his heart.

“I think I took on more than I can handle. Whatever we do, we can’t get the ball joints out of the steering knuckles. RustMonster has frozen them in place and without some sort of miracle, I’m gonna have to call a tow truck and haul this car off to the dealer to finish the job! I don’t know if I can handle the humiliation!”

His wife–Proverbs31Girl, as she is known in circles that know such things–put her arm around her man softly.

“Why don’t we pray about it?”

Inwardly, kicking himself for not thinking of going to his Lord and Master to begin with, DIYGuy agreed.

And pray she did! Without warning, she attacked Discouragement in the name of the King of all Kings! Spinning around, she ground Doubt under her feet, claiming the authority given to her by her Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Screaming in fear, Frustration and the rest of his cowering minions ran away in defeat, stunned at the brutal assault sustained just by the mere mention of the protection given to Proverbs31Girl and DIYGuy by God Almighty–all because of their sworn acceptance of his Son and the sacrifice He had made for them on the cross.

When the battle was over, DIYGuy raised his head and kissed her softly.

“Thank you, my love, for reminding me to whom I should call on in times of trouble.”

She smiled at him.

CRASH! THUNK! The noise came from the garage.

“Got ‘em!” FriendGuy hollered. Even the evil RustMonster couldn’t stand in the face of the promises of God.

Later that night, after test-driving the repaired, upgraded, and smooth-as-silk MINI around the neighborhood, I crawled into bed with a thankful, humbled heart. Once again I had been reminded why God had matched me up with a woman such as my wife. She was a complement to my weaknesses and vice versa.

“Goodnight, Proverbs31Girl.”

“Goodnight, DIYGuy.”

As I drifted off to sleep, I thanked God one more time for blessing me with this woman.

“My pleasure, son. Sleep well.”

Are You Ready to Fly?

By Jennifer Slattery –

When my daughter was young she and I spent hours at the park, running through the grass in search of “blow flowers.” At first, she was drawn to the dandelions, but after picking a few, she tired of their stately petals. Seeded dandelions, on the other hand, offered hours of entertainment.  Smiling at me, she’d bring the soft tufts to her lips, laughing as they tickled her nose, before letting loose with a chest-caving blow. Then, she’d hurl the stem behind her and chase after the seeds with squeals and giggles.

Often as I sit in God’s presence, I’m reminded of those days and those carefree seeds drifting on the wind. How I long to be like those weightless tufts, so in-tune to my Heavenly Father that I drift effortlessly on His will. Many times I’ve repeated the words Jesus spoke in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”

But all too often I resemble the bright, cheery dandelion that stands tall on its stalk, roots clinging to the soil. “Look at me!” it calls, as it sways in the breeze. It’s proud of its beauty and strength, but the dandelion must die in order for its seeds to take flight. The petals, which once clung securely to the stalk need to let go, allowing the steady flow of the wind to carry them where so ever it will.

The same is true of us. In order to fly, we must first die. To our dreams, our ambitions, our will. But like that carefree seedling drifting on the wind; that is where we find abundant life.

We know this intellectually, so why do we cling so tightly to the stalk, begging God to do things our way and in our timing?

Perhaps because we don’t truly understand the love of God. He who emptied Himself for us, He who allowed men to stretch His arms upon the cross, He who created our inmost being and numbers the hairs on our head says, “Let go. Let me carry you like that weightless seed drifting on the wind.”

But He won’t rip us from the soil. To be carried, we must first let go.

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8 NIV).

Remember September 11th – About the Muslims – Part 1

By Dianne E. Butts –

Next month will mark the tenth anniversary of the attack on America on September 11, 2001. In the days following September 11^th, many of us were looking for answers. And we had a lot of questions.

We knew little about Muslims, what they believe, or the religion of Islam. I set out to find answers to some of my questions. And in the days following the attacks, as a writer what could I do but write? I ended up with my small book, titled Dear America: A Letter of Comfort and Hope to a Grieving Nation (still available on Amazon.com).

One chapter is a Q&A section. This month and next I’ll share some of those questions and answers.

Q: Everyone claims their religion is the true religion. How can we know what is true? 

A: The Bible actually proves itself. How? First God tells us what he is going to do, then he does it.

For example, in Ezekiel, God promised to restore Israel as a nation saying, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD” (Ezekiel 27:14, emphasis mine).

God tell us what he will do before he does it for two reasons: 1) so that we will know he is the one who did it, and 2) so when we see things going on around us, we won’t be afraid because we know God is at work bringing about his promises.

Another example is in Genesis 3:15 where God promised to send a man (the offspring of the woman) who would crush Satan. This promise was fulfilled when Jesus was born, died on the cross, and was resurrected from the dead destroying Satan’s death grip on us and paying the penalty of death for sin.

A third example is the birth of Jesus Christ being foretold in Isaiah 9 and his death being described in great detail in Isaiah 53. But here’s the kicker—the prophet Isaiah lived and wrote more than 700 years before the birth of Christ!

Only the True God can foretell these things and then see them through to completion.

Q: Who are the Muslims? 

A: Muslims are the descendants of Ishmael and those who follow the religion of Islam.

God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham promising him several things: a son and countless descendants, that he would be the father of many nations, he would be given a land (the “Promised Land,” Israel), and God would bless all the people of the earth through him.

When Abraham and his wife, Sarah, remained childless, Sarah, according to ancient customs, gave Abraham her maidservant to bear him an heir. Hagar bore him Ishmael.

However, Ishmael was not the son of the promise. Later, Sarah bore Abraham a son, Isaac, and God made it clear that Isaac, the son with Abraham’s wife, was the son of the promise (see Genesis 17:18-21). Abraham’s descendants through Isaac are the Jews, God’s chosen people.

The Muslims, however, believe they are God’s chosen people descended through Ishmael, and cite their own book, the Koran. Can you now see why there is such a great conflict between these two peoples?

Q: Where did the religion of Islam come from?

A: Around 570 AD, Mohammed was born near the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. When he was 40, Mohammed claims he had a vision of the archangel Gabriel in a cave near Mecca. Mohammed wrote down the instructions he received and these writing form the basis of the Koran (also spelled Quran).

The word “Islam” means “submission,” indicating submission to Allah, the Muslim’s word for God.

Whatever Mohammed saw and received, though, was not from the True God if it does not lead followers to the True God—and Jesus Christ is God come “in the flesh.”

What’s Wrong Here?

By Kathi Woodall –

I have been temporarily working in the office of a local Christian school. Most of my time is spent either in the lobby answering telephones or updating files in the back room. I haven’t spent much time in the main office area. However, on my second day, a question regarding a phone call sent me back to an open area where four desks sit, with the office of the school director just beyond them. I walked in and asked my question but while we were discussing it, the director, while on her way to her office, walked into the open area and started laughing. I hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary in the office so I was surprised by her laughter. To explain her laughter, the director said, “You are all in the wrong place; you usually sit here, you are usually over there, and you sit right here!” I was new and barely even knew everyone’s names. I definitely didn’t know which desk belonged to which person. The director, used to seeing them each at their own desk day after day, knew immediately when something was off.

Since I didn’t have the day after day exposure to what was correct in the office, I didn’t recognize when people were out of place. I just knew all of the right people were in the office. Similarly, someone with a surface knowledge of Christianity might walk into a church, read an article, or listen to a spiritual message where all of the right elements are present and not be able to discern that the elements are out of place. God is mentioned although the name of Jesus may never come up. Prayers are said but they bounce off the ceiling. Perhaps, Bible verses are even read, albeit out of context.

The director knew what she was seeing was off because she was in the office every day. The Bible is the source of what is correct and true. Like the school director, when we read and study the Word of God on a regular basis, we can walk into a church, read an article, or listen to a spiritual message and recognize when things are out of place. We will be able to discern the truth.

David wrote in the Old Testament, “Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long” (Psalm 25:4-5 NIV). We often long for God to show us His way, to teach us or guide us. We want to know right from wrong and truth from false teaching. We want to be like the director who walked in the room and immediately recognized something was off. The Holy Spirit will “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13 NIV) but He uses Scripture to do it. Unless we are regularly spending time reading, studying and memorizing His Word, we will be as oblivious as I was when I walked in the office and everyone was out of place.

Blackberry Patch

By Kathy Carlton Willis –

I love imagining myself in a scene from The Secret Garden. The very idea of escaping to a peaceful area of God’s creation through nature’s maze excites me to the core! One of the hidden benefits of our Kentucky home was discovering we owned the woods behind our fenced backyard. My husband Russ cleared the brush to create various paths. One thing he didn’t clear out was the wild blackberry brambles. Partly because those brambles are prickly, but partly because we anticipated the fruit of the vine. During the entire process we eagerly watched the blackberries mature and ripen. First we saw the blossoms, then the fruit appeared and finally the mature fruit was ready to be picked.

I noticed something in the maturation process. Blackberries don’t all mature at the same rate. Some berries ripen slower than others. Some of the fruit is smaller than others. Worst of all, some fruit never ripens, but dies on the vine before it ever matures into a plump juicy flavorful berry.

We evaluated all the variables and came to some conclusions. The berries in the sun ripened quicker and produced a better fruit. The berries choked by other weeds and plants dried up rather than becoming luscious mature fruit. And berries in the shade eventually ripened with smaller fruit, depending on the amount of rain.

When we consider Christian growth by using the lessons of the blackberry patch, we can understand our own ripening process better. We mature, based on just the right circumstances occurring at the appropriate time in the process. We need the Son to mature into the best fruit, as designed by the Creator. The water of the Word rains down just the right amount of moisture needed so we can become succulent to Jesus. Even in partial darkness (focus on self), with some Son the fruit will grow, but at a much slower rate, and often with an inferior finished product. Sadly, other Christians allow the cares of life to choke out their spiritual growth, much like the weeds overcame some of our wild berries by wrapping around the brambles and cutting the berries off from nourishment.

I desire to grow into the best fruit. Not for reasons of pride, but because I want my Creator to be well pleased. By allowing the Son to shine fully into my life, ignoring my shady self-desire and avoiding the choking cares of the world, I’m determined to ripen into fruit pleasing to the Taster. May He savor me and be glorified by my growth.

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