Advice for Tuesday: Be yourself today, everyone else is already taken. (copied)

It's Tuesday, April 9, 2013. I do hope all is well with you as we open the fly leaf on the book entitled: A Brand New Day. I had to be brought to Facebook kicking and screaming as a late adopter but I must tell you there are some postings that really grab your heart. The other day someone posted a video of a little boy with autism banging away on the piano and singing along with his dad who was playing guitar. The six year old kid was pretty good and so in to the music it brought a tear to my eye. You also learn some interesting anecdotes as well. One Louisiana pastor we know recently celebrated a birthday and was commenting on the many well wishes he had received. He singled out several but the one that struck me was from a lady in his congregation. While he has served in a number of Churches he recently accepted the call to pastor this new congregation. He said this lady was the only one who wished him a happy birthday that had also paddled him when he was in grade school. These little tidbits are like gold to me. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of postings I would just as soon not see, however, you can, with practice, learn to zoom by them, faster than a speeding bullet. You know. Like the man of steel, Superman.

We've talked before about how easy it is to have a recreated view of things from the past. I do my best to see things through the lens of reality but our thoughts and imagination do influence how we remember those famous good old days. They can be quite different than how we recall them. I read this one the other day and it helped illustrate this. It seems granddad was doing his stroll down memory lane. He said this: "When I was a boy my mama would send me down to the store with $1 and I would come back with 5 bags of potatoes, 2 loaves of bread, 3 bottles of milk, a hunk of cheese, a box of tea, and a dozen eggs. You can't do that today. There's just too many of those blasted security cameras." That one came with a little twist of a zinger. I also saw a cartoon with the dog looking up at his master and saying this: "Remember the good old days back when you had a lap?" Ouch. Probably one of the tough things we all have to consider is how that our kids and their kids and even their kids have a hugely different recollection of what they consider to be their good old days memories. Think about it. Those in their early 40's were born in the 1970's. No wonder I get so many blank stares when I wax on and on about how it used to be.

We observed the 30th anniversary of our local fellowship this past Sunday. What a day! We had a reunion of the choirs from over the years as well as those who had previously played instruments. Many of the folks who came have now moved on to new locations but they will never leave our hearts because we were and are connected as family through blood. That would be the blood of our Savior that unites us as brothers and sisters forever and ever, Amen. Can a local fellowship have a lasting impact? Because of our representation of the Lord and His truth, we can impact the eternal destiny of men, women, boys, and girls. Last year a man who grew up in our neighborhood enrolled his 5 children in our AWANA Bible Club on Sunday evenings. They attend another Church but wanted their kids in this Bible memory program. He grew up with our boys. We used to pick him up on Sunday mornings to ride with us to Sunday School. One Sunday evening he brought his kids into the old sanctuary and pointed out to them where he had been baptized after having received Christ into his life. We did nothing more than provide him with a ride. He heard the Gospel and was saved and now he is wanting his children to also know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It's obvious how the truth made a difference in his life. As for this past Lord's Day Sunday, we will long remember this special anniversary service and all of those there as well as so many who are special to us who could not be with us, along with so many who have gone on to their reward. Here's a final thought: Being a part of the family of God is a game changer folks and I highly commend it to one and all. Amen. ....More later.