Hardest lessons for me: Knowing what I shouldn't try to do!

Hello again and welcome to Wednesday, September 15, 2010. Last night I participated in the kick off of my 13th year of inner city ministry in what we call the Crosstrainer Bible Club. It was so good to see my brothers and sisters in Christ who do what they can to bring the Gospel to children, so many of them who live in very difficult circumstances. The thought did cross my mind about maybe I should sit out this year because of all the other demands on my schedule. That thought didn't survive as I pictured those wonderful faces of little ones who need to hear about God's love and care for them. Pastor Williams who leads out in this ministry has devoted his life to bringing truth to those in the African American community. One might think that to be an easy task since there are many black Churches dotted here and there within these communities. Yet, when you stand for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, it is not as easy as you might think. Brother Kim teaches The Scriptures, from cover and cover, without fanfare or apology, and I have so much respect, love, and appreciation for this tremendous man of God and his family. I consider working with him and his people in this ministry to be one of the greatest privileges God has granted to me in my sojourn here on the planet. I ask you to pray with us that God will give us a year of bountiful harvest as we plant seeds of the Gospel into these young hearts.

Let me see if I can work through this with you. Sixty four years and I am still not getting it. Know what I mean? Last week I ran by a flooring company to pick up some boxes of tile for a project we are working on here at the company. A young man was loading them onto the truck. I told him I would help. He said that wouldn't be necessary because he did it all day long and was used to picking them up. I asked if he thought maybe I wasn't able to help. He just smiled. I went over grabbed up one of those boxes off the floor and knew immediately that it was heavier than I remembered, plus it was slippery too. Yeah. That's right. It slipped out of my hands and landed right on top of my foot. He then said, "Sir, I told you I would do it." I huffed and I puffed, grabbed that box off the floor and literally ran with it over to the truck and slammed it down. That noticeable limp I had for a few days should have been a good reminder but when you are a slow learner by profession, it just doesn't connect up very well. Yesterday I dropped by another place to pick up some special material and the fellow brought it out on a cart to the truck. He told me the first container was very heavy and that he would get it. I looked at him with that, "What, you think I can't pick it up?" look and reached and grabbed it. I got it and it got me. I put it in the truck. I showed him. I sure do have a pain in my shoulder and neck today but it just goes to show you, that it's always something!

A couple of years ago when I was knee deep in trying to research our genealogical roots I made contact via the internet with a distant cousin who had been researching much longer than I. She had some very interesting information to pass on to me. Her study had shown that men in our family didn't tend to hang around for a long time, therefore, she advised me to take special care of myself. Thanks for sharing. Right? But here's something for all of us to consider: We really don't get to choose the gene pool that helps us become who we are; what we do get to do, with God's help, is to choose how we will use the time, long or short, that he has given to us. I do know how to take a break now and then, contrary to popular opinion. Take for instance this past Monday evening when I chose to watch the Jets playing the Ravens, the Astros playing the Brewers, and the U.S. Open Tennis Championship match between Rafael Nadal versus Novak Djokovic. It was great. The Ravens won. The Astros won. And, Nadal finished his first grand slam at the ripe old age of 24. I have socks older than that! No. I do not have that split screen capability on my TV. No. I don't have DVR recording capability. It's all realtime for me baby! What I do have is use of those fingers on the remote that can fly between channels because they have been trained, developed, honed, and matured over the years. That may not have been the most productive use of my time but it helped me to unwind and get myself refueled for another day of proving to others that old people know how to be very stubborn. That remote control training for guys not only comes naturally but it also becomes the stuff of legend. I've actually heard my grandchildren talking among themselves about how quickly their Poppy can change a channel especially if he smells a commercial coming. Hey. We all have to be known for something. Right? But in the end, we also want to be known for how we influenced others for good. The ultimate reflection of this is when we influence others for God because that means we will have made a difference, not only for time here, but for eternity! And, as they say back home, that's a long time my friend! Amen. ......More later.