Friday, January 24, 2014
A's And B's
lyricoc@yahoo.com
When I became a Christian, at the age of 30, I thought that I should immediately be flawless, It didn’t take long to see that I wasn’t. So when I would have what some people call; bad luck, right away I would think that God was mad at me and I was getting what I deserved. I even got to the point where I felt that bumping my head, burning dinner, or getting a flat tire was punishment for not being able to do everything that I felt I should be doing as a Christian.
I can clearly remember praying, “God, why can’t I do this Christian stuff?” I wanted to be perfect, NOW! I struggled with these feelings until God used my nine year old daughter, Elizabeth, to help me through this.
I was having another one of those days when everything was going wrong. Because of this, I was angry with myself for not being good enough. I felt I must have brought all the bad things on myself. This thought had been going through my mind all day. What a shock I got when later that night , on her way to bed, Elizabeth tripped and fell, and what she said to me were the exact words I had used in a prayer to God that morning. Liz said, “Why is everything going wrong? Why am I always getting hurt?” She went on to say, “I must be a bad girl and deserve to be hurt.” All my thoughts about me being bad went out of my head and all I could think of was comforting and encouraging her, “No, you’re not a bad girl. You need to be more careful and watch what you are doing. You also need to get some sleep, it’s late and you are tired.” I could see that she wasn’t convinced, she was still feeling frustrated. Liz said, “Mom, I just can not do anything right.” She added, “I’m just stupid.” I knew that wasn’t true, but I didn’t know how to convince her of that. Then something that had happened in her class at school, came to mind.
Elizabeth had been having some trouble learning her times tables. But she practiced hard, and soon after, her teacher said that she was getting A’s and B’s on all her papers. I reminded her of what her teacher had said, and added, “If you were stupid you wouldn’t be getting such good grades now.” I told her that when things are new to us, they may seem hard. We might make a lot of mistakes, but if we practice and don’t give up we will get our A’s and B’s.
At that moment, it was like a light bulb went on in my head. I could tell that God was using Liz to talk to me. He was answering my questions , comforting and encouraging me, as He was giving me the answers to comfort and encourage my daughter. God really does speak to us in many different ways. That night I learned not to be hard on myself, perfection comes through Jesus. I also learned that it takes time, practice and percervence with God’s help to do something new, well. And that does include living a Christian life.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Catalina
Lyricoc@yahoo.com
When we are guilty of one sin, we are guilty of them all. James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all.” If you tell a lie but do everything else just right, and you judge someone else who is steeling and fornicating, you might as well be steeling and fornicating as well.
But the good news is because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are forgiven of all our sins. That also means we can’t claim to be righteous by the good works we do and I would think that the closer you become to being like Jesus, the harder it is to stay humble. We all want to think of ourselves as doing well, but the truth is that All have sinned and fall short. So we are all equally guilty and we are all equally forgiven, if we ask, a humbling thought.
There is a story about three guys standing on the pier at Huntington beach. The first guy ran a bit and jumped straight out into the ocean. He yelled up, “Hey, I did pretty good!”
The second guy stepped back and ran a few feet and jumped out and again, straight into the ocean just farther then the first guy, he yelled, “I did better!”
The third guy got quite a bit of a running start and then out and down into the ocean. He boasted, “I did the best!”
One of the on lookers yelled down to the men, “What are you doing?”
The men yelled back, “We are jumping to Catalina Island.”
When we do good, sometimes we want to boast. But for us to be as good as Jesus, is as hard as trying to jump off Huntington pier to Catalina, Impossible, on our own. Only through the blood of Jesus can we claim to be righteous. So when we get that urge to boast, boast of Jesus and his unequaled goodness and power.
1 Corinthians 1:30 and 31, “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus , who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption therefore, as it is written: let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
When we are guilty of one sin, we are guilty of them all. James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all.” If you tell a lie but do everything else just right, and you judge someone else who is steeling and fornicating, you might as well be steeling and fornicating as well.
But the good news is because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are forgiven of all our sins. That also means we can’t claim to be righteous by the good works we do and I would think that the closer you become to being like Jesus, the harder it is to stay humble. We all want to think of ourselves as doing well, but the truth is that All have sinned and fall short. So we are all equally guilty and we are all equally forgiven, if we ask, a humbling thought.
There is a story about three guys standing on the pier at Huntington beach. The first guy ran a bit and jumped straight out into the ocean. He yelled up, “Hey, I did pretty good!”
The second guy stepped back and ran a few feet and jumped out and again, straight into the ocean just farther then the first guy, he yelled, “I did better!”
The third guy got quite a bit of a running start and then out and down into the ocean. He boasted, “I did the best!”
One of the on lookers yelled down to the men, “What are you doing?”
The men yelled back, “We are jumping to Catalina Island.”
When we do good, sometimes we want to boast. But for us to be as good as Jesus, is as hard as trying to jump off Huntington pier to Catalina, Impossible, on our own. Only through the blood of Jesus can we claim to be righteous. So when we get that urge to boast, boast of Jesus and his unequaled goodness and power.
1 Corinthians 1:30 and 31, “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus , who has become for us wisdom from God- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption therefore, as it is written: let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Carol
lyricoc@yahoo.com
I love my sister, Carol, She’s funny, smart and easy going. The thing that has always impressed me the most about her is that she always has something good to say about everyone. I also had a friend that had bad things to say about people. At one time I found her interesting. I listened to all the gossip she had on everyone and found myself joining right in.
One day it hit me, if this friend is saying bad things about other friends, to me, I wonder what she is saying about me behind my back. I started to feel uncomfortable every time I was with her. I was conscious of every move I made, always wondering if she was going to pick out something negative to say about me, when I wasn’t around. I didn’t like the way that made me feel.
And then there was Carol, what I saw in her made me feel good. I always knew that if she brought up my name when I wasn’t around it would be to say something positive that she saw in me.
My prayer is that in Christ those character qualities that so impressed me about my sister, Carol, will also be seen in me.
I love my sister, Carol, She’s funny, smart and easy going. The thing that has always impressed me the most about her is that she always has something good to say about everyone. I also had a friend that had bad things to say about people. At one time I found her interesting. I listened to all the gossip she had on everyone and found myself joining right in.
One day it hit me, if this friend is saying bad things about other friends, to me, I wonder what she is saying about me behind my back. I started to feel uncomfortable every time I was with her. I was conscious of every move I made, always wondering if she was going to pick out something negative to say about me, when I wasn’t around. I didn’t like the way that made me feel.
And then there was Carol, what I saw in her made me feel good. I always knew that if she brought up my name when I wasn’t around it would be to say something positive that she saw in me.
My prayer is that in Christ those character qualities that so impressed me about my sister, Carol, will also be seen in me.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Screen Printers
lyricoc@yahoo.com
My sister, Carol and I decided to start our own business, screen printing T-shirts. We both have some artistic talent, so screen printing seemed like a good way to use that talent.
We started by making a very unprofessional looking flyer. It was 1983, and neither of us had a computer, so you can imagine how awful this flyer was. We mailed out about a dozen flyers to local businesses and surprisingly, one of the businesses called and placed an order.
We were excited, we could hardly wait to get started. At the art supply store, we bought a screen printing kit and an instruction booklet. When I think back, I’m amazed at how confident we were considering we had absolutely no idea as to what were about to do. We took the kit to my house and started by studying the instruction booklet. After reading and re-reading the entire booklet, we thought we had a good understanding of how to make the screen, which was the biggest part of it.
We estimated the it would take about an hour from start to finish. We followed each step, just as the instruction booklet had said and everything seemed to be going just right. There were many steps, mixing ingredients, coating a screen, putting it under a light for a certain amount of time, washing the screen and letting it dry. The screen was finished and we were ready to print our first T-shirt. We carefully lined the screen up on the shirt, added the ink and slowly dragged the squeegee across the screen. As we lifted the screen, to see our first printed shirt, we were both disappointed and discouraged to see that it hadn’t worked, not a drop of ink was on the shirt. Feeling very frustrated, we made screen after screen changing the process a little each time, finally after eight hours we had a screen that we could use.
We mailed out additional flyers, orders came in, and we had to make more screens. Knowing how hard it had been the first time, left us feeling anxious. But after many mistakes, we learned exactly what we needed to know to make a perfect screen every time. We found that we didn’t get a perfect screen by doing just one thing right, it was a very complicated process, and just reading the directions wasn’t enough to get it right the first time, or the second, or third, or the forth.
At the end of a year, we had mastered the complicated process of screen printing. We hadn’t done it by just reading the directions, but more so by hands on experience. We could have had those directions memorized, word for word and it wouldn’t have helped us to make a screen. Experience was the best teacher.
A month or so after we had gotten into the business, I remember meeting a lady who was also in the screen printing profession. I told her about all the problems we had making the first screen, and she told me that she had been making screens so long that she could probably make one in her sleep. I remember thinking, “Wow, I wonder if I’ll ever be like her?” At the end of two years, I felt as though I too could make a screen in my sleep!
Repetition, trial and error is what taught us what we needed to do each step of the way. Learning that way turned something very complicated into something easily done.
I have read the New Testament, a few times. I have read most of the Old Testament, and heard pastors talk about the Bible most of my life. The Bible is Gods direction booklet for our life. Reading, studying and memorizing is important. The next step is trying to follow those instructions for a Christian life. We may have a hard time at first, just like Carol and I did when we tried putting the knowledge from reading into practice. But unlike Carol and I we have a teacher, a counselor the Holy Spirit, and with the Spirit’s help, I believe we can succeed. John 14:26, “But the counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and remind you of everything I have said to you.”
So read, study and learn the Bible, but also be hands on and you will triumph.
My sister, Carol and I decided to start our own business, screen printing T-shirts. We both have some artistic talent, so screen printing seemed like a good way to use that talent.
We started by making a very unprofessional looking flyer. It was 1983, and neither of us had a computer, so you can imagine how awful this flyer was. We mailed out about a dozen flyers to local businesses and surprisingly, one of the businesses called and placed an order.
We were excited, we could hardly wait to get started. At the art supply store, we bought a screen printing kit and an instruction booklet. When I think back, I’m amazed at how confident we were considering we had absolutely no idea as to what were about to do. We took the kit to my house and started by studying the instruction booklet. After reading and re-reading the entire booklet, we thought we had a good understanding of how to make the screen, which was the biggest part of it.
We estimated the it would take about an hour from start to finish. We followed each step, just as the instruction booklet had said and everything seemed to be going just right. There were many steps, mixing ingredients, coating a screen, putting it under a light for a certain amount of time, washing the screen and letting it dry. The screen was finished and we were ready to print our first T-shirt. We carefully lined the screen up on the shirt, added the ink and slowly dragged the squeegee across the screen. As we lifted the screen, to see our first printed shirt, we were both disappointed and discouraged to see that it hadn’t worked, not a drop of ink was on the shirt. Feeling very frustrated, we made screen after screen changing the process a little each time, finally after eight hours we had a screen that we could use.
We mailed out additional flyers, orders came in, and we had to make more screens. Knowing how hard it had been the first time, left us feeling anxious. But after many mistakes, we learned exactly what we needed to know to make a perfect screen every time. We found that we didn’t get a perfect screen by doing just one thing right, it was a very complicated process, and just reading the directions wasn’t enough to get it right the first time, or the second, or third, or the forth.
At the end of a year, we had mastered the complicated process of screen printing. We hadn’t done it by just reading the directions, but more so by hands on experience. We could have had those directions memorized, word for word and it wouldn’t have helped us to make a screen. Experience was the best teacher.
A month or so after we had gotten into the business, I remember meeting a lady who was also in the screen printing profession. I told her about all the problems we had making the first screen, and she told me that she had been making screens so long that she could probably make one in her sleep. I remember thinking, “Wow, I wonder if I’ll ever be like her?” At the end of two years, I felt as though I too could make a screen in my sleep!
Repetition, trial and error is what taught us what we needed to do each step of the way. Learning that way turned something very complicated into something easily done.
I have read the New Testament, a few times. I have read most of the Old Testament, and heard pastors talk about the Bible most of my life. The Bible is Gods direction booklet for our life. Reading, studying and memorizing is important. The next step is trying to follow those instructions for a Christian life. We may have a hard time at first, just like Carol and I did when we tried putting the knowledge from reading into practice. But unlike Carol and I we have a teacher, a counselor the Holy Spirit, and with the Spirit’s help, I believe we can succeed. John 14:26, “But the counselor, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and remind you of everything I have said to you.”
So read, study and learn the Bible, but also be hands on and you will triumph.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Dedication
lyricoc@yahoo.com
My mom was born and raised in Germany. Over the years, she has told me many wonderful stories. Some of her stories were happy and some times she talked about the war, and those weren’t so happy. The story that she loves the best is how she met my father, an American soldier, stationed in Germany after the war. But the story I’m going to tell is about Christmas Eve when she was eighteen years old.
How I understand it, in Germany at the time of world war two, if the military wanted you, they took you and that was that. They took my mom to be in the German Army at the age of eighteen.
My Mom loves the Lord and going to Church means a lot to her, So when she found out that she wasn’t allowed to attend a Church service for Christmas Eve, she wasn’t happy about it. My mom and a friend left the base in secret and skied down a mountain to a Church in town. After the service, they walked in the cold dark night back up the mountain, as she tells it, she could hear animal sounds in the woods, so they sang to keep their minds off the noises.
It was discovered that they had left and when they got back to base they got disciplined. They had to clean all the bathrooms on Christmas Day.
To me this shows a real love for God. I’m so happy to have had a mother that was a good example.
My mom was born and raised in Germany. Over the years, she has told me many wonderful stories. Some of her stories were happy and some times she talked about the war, and those weren’t so happy. The story that she loves the best is how she met my father, an American soldier, stationed in Germany after the war. But the story I’m going to tell is about Christmas Eve when she was eighteen years old.
How I understand it, in Germany at the time of world war two, if the military wanted you, they took you and that was that. They took my mom to be in the German Army at the age of eighteen.
My Mom loves the Lord and going to Church means a lot to her, So when she found out that she wasn’t allowed to attend a Church service for Christmas Eve, she wasn’t happy about it. My mom and a friend left the base in secret and skied down a mountain to a Church in town. After the service, they walked in the cold dark night back up the mountain, as she tells it, she could hear animal sounds in the woods, so they sang to keep their minds off the noises.
It was discovered that they had left and when they got back to base they got disciplined. They had to clean all the bathrooms on Christmas Day.
To me this shows a real love for God. I’m so happy to have had a mother that was a good example.
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