You just might be much more qualified than you think.

I don't know these folks, but I like the picture.

Hello friends and neighbors, it's good to be with you again, on this Monday, March 7, 2011. The old joke about coming to your regular job to catch your breath turns out not to be a joke at all. Just kidding. I was able to visit my brother Donald yesterday. Mom and dad came over from Louisiana and we had ourselves an abbreviated reunion. It is always a treat to be able to be with family and it is always special to be with those we do not see as often as we would like. My brother has good days and bad days as he continues his battle to regain his mental and physical function. God spared him for a reason and we trust Him to work all things out according to His will. I thought he had himself a pretty excellent day on Sunday and thank God for it. Thinking about my brother's condition reminds me of something the Apostle Paul said in his second letter written to the local fellowship of believers meeting in Corinth, Greece. He told them that the experiences he had gone through, the difficulties, and the trials, actually gave him an ability to minister comfort to others. Anytime we can tell someone we've been there and done that, our credibility is greatly enhanced. God had brought comfort to the Apostle Paul and he felt qualified to pass on God's comfort to others because of all he had gone through. I suppose it begs the question of how many of us have the potential to help others because of what we have experienced but perhaps we have never thought about it, or acted upon this potential.

I remember the late Dr. Adrian Rogers telling how he and his wife lost a child to crib death very early on in their first pastorate. They were devastated. Over the years he came to realize that because he and his wife were uniquely qualified to minister to parents in similar circumstances, that God brought into their paths literally hundreds of couples. I see in our local fellowship some of the widows who have banded together to render aid and assistance to each other. Who better to come alongside and minister than someone who has walked that mile in 'their' shoes? I know I have been able to work with some men over the years who have particular problems and issues that I at one time had to deal with. After having a remarkably successful run at a huge corporation I left because of being out of sync with the direction and my inability to make peace with it. I was immediately picked up by another huge outside firm and contracted to provide consulting services for an 18 month project. In the meantime I passed that 50 year mark and when I decided to get back into the regular job routine, the environment had changed, and I was no longer sought after like before. I did have one outstanding job offer and was in the process of working out the details when it fell apart. Over the weekend, my wife and I had celebrated me finally getting back into my element. On Monday I found out that because of an outside consultant who felt we would butt heads, they decided to withdraw the offer. Devastated. Over the next 14 months we exhausted our savings and lived off the escrow from a loan on our home. But, I retooled, and went back into the workforce, essentially starting completely over, and here I am today, still at it. I've said all of this to let you know that I have a keen insight into what it means to carry this type of burden, and because of that, I have been able to counsel and minister to others. If God has helped you, He will help others and He might just use you as the means of providing assistance.

I'm not one of those who goes around telling people to turn the lemons that come into their life into lemonade. But there is a sense in which our entire life experience within God's economy can be used for a purpose and for His honor. A song we grew up listening to, especially as performed by quartets, had this title: If I Can Help Somebody. The sentiment expressed by this song helps to emphasize our potential in helping others. Here are a few of the words: "If I can help somebody, as I pass along- If I can cheer somebody-with a word, or a song-If I can show somebody, that is travelin' wrong-Then my living shall not be in vain. Then my living shall not be in vain! If I can help somebody as I pass along, then my living shall not be in vain! If I can do my duty, as a good man ought-If I can bring back beauty, to a world that is so wrought-If I can spread love's message as the Master taught, then my living  shall not be in vain. Then my living shall not be in vain-then my living shall not be in vain. Then my living shall not be in vain! If I can help somebody as I pass along- then my living shall not be in vain! Then my living shall not be in vain! Then my living shall not be in vain!" Obviously the obvious repetitive theme is to live a life in a way that is not in vain. This is accomplished when we take what we have been given, including the hard times, and we use it to please God and reach out to others. I'll have to try and remember this as I go along my way and it might be a good one for us all to think about as well. Have a great work week and may God bless each one. Amen.               .....More later.