I know there must be a message in there, somewhere!

Hello friends and neighbors, I bid you welcome to our version of what it feels like when it is actually cold on this Thursday, January 13, 2011. That is, if having a couple of days of hard freeze and being in the low 20's qualify. I know there are many out there who are dealing with snow and ice and they would gladly exchange some wintry cold for the slipping and sliding they are having to deal with. On Tuesday afternoon I was at the hardware store having some keys made. Folks were lined up buying insulation materials to protect their pipes and faucets from the predicted freeze. They may have been running late but then again, we don't deal with hard freezes very often. We also typically tend to over estimate the amount of cold but we are in a down economy so anything to spur purchasing. Right? Talking about the weather, I have been listening on the internet to a radio station in Brisbane, Australia off and on during this unprecedented flooding event they are experiencing. Brisbane has a population of over 2 million and they are currently awaiting a wall of water headed their way. The death toll is currently set at 23 but they are expecting it to be many more once they are able to search for all those reported to be missing. One of the things the cold, the wind, the rain, and the flooding reminds me of is how that we are not in control. It doesn't matter what the coordinates are that designates the exact spot where we live on the globe, every person is in need of God's grace, mercy, love, and protection, every single day! Amen.

This next Sunday our Bible study class will reconnect into our verse by verse study of the Book of Exodus. We took a time out to cover some Thanksgiving related lessons, some Christmas lessons, and then a couple of lessons where we looked at how to make a difference in the New Year. We will rejoin our study in progress as found in Chapter 18 and it is where Moses receives a visit from his father in law, Jethro. This is one of my favorite passages in the life of Moses. Perhaps the most wonderful thing ever said about Moses was God's comment about him being the most humble or meek man on the face of the earth. (Numbers 12:3) We see that humility on display as he welcomed and showed honor to his wife's father. I did work for a couple of years as a consultant. Jethro is a great model for this job. While he visited Moses he observed how that Moses was completely overloaded in trying to settle all the issues that people had. They were essentially lined up from early morning to late in the evening. Jethro observed this and came to a remarkable conclusion: "This is not good." He went on to recommend a sharing of the judging responsibility with others. Moses listened and learned. He yielded himself to the advice given. This tells me that before we can be helped by those who could give us advice, we must be willing to be submissive and open to hearing what they have to say. Whenever I would review an organization or project as a consultant, and found many problems, I would often quote Jethro: "This is not good." And just so you know, I had one of the greatest father in laws that any person would have ever hoped to have. He was a man of God and he was a huge encourager to me. He has gone on to his reward but I can well understand why Moses showed such honor and respect to his father in law.

I've been blessed to have folks like my father in law in my life. I've been a lot of places and I've done a lot of things. People used to call me lucky because it seemed at times like I was in the right place at the right time. Lucky? I don't think so. I know I messed up so many of the opportunities that God placed in my path but He is the reason that I can look back and name individuals, situations, and circumstances where He deserves the honor and glory for it all. Regrets? Plenty, but also thankfulness for those He saw fit to bring into my life at different times. I'm talking all the way back to when I was a little tyke. No, I haven't arrived and I haven't fulfilled even the potential I could have but as the Apostle Paul put it, "I'm still in their pressing forward towards the high mark of the calling He has placed on my life." (My loose paraphrase.) Still slipping and sliding around at times like those folks dealing with the ice, and still making a mess out of things but able to claim victory only because of He who has chosen to make me His very own. I actually count knowing how God has blessed me to be one of the greatest of blessings in my life. What? That's right. Many receive God's favor and fail to see that it all comes from Him. Somewhere along the way He prompted me to appreciate how that He has worked through others to help me to get to where I am today. And, He knows better than anyone that I am still a work in progress but I am able to rise up and give Him all praise, honor, and glory for His presence in my life. Many of you are a part of that entourage who have contributed to my life and I thank God for you all. My advice: Take some time to reflect on how God has worked in your life and as the old song says, it might just surprise you as you count all those many blessings. Amen.         ......More later.