Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 4)

I am presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

Take the time to read the first three if you have not done so already, then look at the final point which is posted below:

IV. REJOICE IN YOUR BLESSINGS
Philip. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

It seems strange that a man in prison would be telling a church to rejoice. But Paul’s attitude teaches us an important lesson: our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him.

Someone rightly said that “Your attitude determines your altitude” –

There are a host of things we could put down here as being able to rejoice, especially for our salvation, but another obvious thing we can be thankful and rejoice about is:

A. The Blessing of Family

Statistic: Sources of Pleasure
What do people consider the greatest source of pleasure in their lives?
According to a 1989 study conducted for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Corporation, the overwhelming answer is “family,” selected by 63 percent of respondents.

Trailing far behind, receiving only a tenth of that response, were religious involvement (8 percent), work (6 percent), and friends (6 percent). Comments Dr. Lee Salk, clinical professor of psychology at Cornell, who interpreted the data: “Most Americans think of their families as the most important things in their lives.”
—Reported in USA Today, 10/10/89. “To Verify,” Leadership.

B. The Blessing of Provision

A person who is not grateful for what they have will never truly be grateful for what they may get. It might last for awhile, but we must realize that contentment comes from what we have on the inside, not what we might gain on the outside.

Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.
—Benjamin Franklin

Here’s a scripture on being content that perhaps you may have not heard:
Eccles. 4:6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

Sometimes, we can get just a bit too caught up in the latest and greatest, and getting ahead, and we might just want to step back at times and say “why”?

The Attorney and the Fisherman

A hard-driving corporate attorney saw a fisherman he knew from church one afternoon, legs dangling off the pier as he helped his two young sons catch crabs. “Why aren’t you out there fishing?” he asked.
“Because I’ve caught enough fish for today.”
“Why don’t you catch more fish than you need?”
“What would I do with them?” asked the fisherman.
“You could earn more money and buy a better boat so you could go deeper and catch more fish. Then you could buy a fleet of boats. Soon you’d be rich like me.”
“What would I do then?”
“You could sit down and enjoy life.”
“What do you think I’m doing now?”
—Ray Pritchard, quoted in Men of Integrity, Vol. 3, no. 5.

An Amazing Phone Call

This is one of the most amazing and insightful phone calls you will ever hear about the greatness of God, and the compassion He offers to all who will simply believe in His wisdom and ways. What a tremendous reminder at Christmas of the great sacrifice of the Father by sending His Son Jesus, and the sacrifice of Jesus that He came.

Share it with your friends and family:
http://e-inspirational.blogspot.com/2007/12/amazing-phone-call.html

Share it with your friends and family:
http://e-inspirational.blogspot.com/2007/12/amazing-phone-call.html

Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 3)

I am presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

Take the time to read the first two if you have not done so already, then look at today's which is posted below:

III. Reject The Pressure

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

It seems like every year there is a new “gotta have” toy for the children. I remember the crazes of the Cabbage Patch Dolls, and the Beanie Babies, and while I haven’t kept up with the latest and greatest, I’m sure there are toys like that this year where every child in America seems to feel like they just “need it”!

A. Pressure To Compete

The competition starts the day after Thanksgiving with Black Friday as stores begin to have the sales that will help to get them in the black for the year as they advertise that they are going to have 20 of a certain item, and if you don’t get there at 4:00 AM in the morning, your life will not be complete because you will miss out. I’m sorry, but it’s going to take a lot more than what they’re offering to get me out of bed that early in the morning to stand out in the cold to compete with someone else for something. Maybe I’ll do it someday, I don’t know, but for now, they haven’t actually offered to pay me.

Well, I made up my mind a number of years ago, that I wasn’t going to worry about keeping up with the Jones’s, because I heard it through the grapevine that for the most part, the Jones’s are broke!
They may look real nice with all of the latest in gadgets and goodies, but like the commercial says, “they’re in debt up to their eyeballs”.

B. Pressure To Control

As you are out and about during the Christmas Season, realize that there are a lot of people out there who simply want to be “in control”, and I believe that if we are going to keep Christmas from becoming a MESS, then we need to back off a bit, and be the witness in our actions God wants us to be.

I don’t know if you notice it, but if there is ever a time of the year that aggressiveness peaks, it is during this time. Traffic is snarled while faces are snarling.

Even in the midst of all the turmoil that we face, we can still have the peace of God that passes all understanding, and maintain our witness to be a servant even in an environment where everyone wants to be the “ruler”.

Be sure to log on to this blog to get the final way to "Keep Christmas From Becoming A Mess".

Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 2)

I am presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

Take the time to read the first one if you have not done so already, then look at today's which is posted below:

II. RESPOND TO OPPORTUNITIES

As we really remember the reason for the Season, we will also be more open and receptive to the various opportunities that are presented to us from time to time.

While there are those who are very timid to take advantage of opportunities, there are also those who are a bit over-zealous like the following 2 ladies:

Making the Most of Every Opportunity – Teri Leinbaugh writes…
My mother and I arise early on Saturday mornings to catch all the garage sales. One typical Saturday we spotted a garage sale that seemed to be just opening for business.

We quickly walked into the man’s garage and began looking over his wares. After a few minutes and several stern looks from the solemn-faced garage owner, he asked if there was anything he could do for us.
“This is a garage sale, isn’t it?” my mother asked timidly.
The gentleman chuckled, somewhat relieved. “No,” he said. “I was just cleaning out my garage. But if there’s something you want, let me know.” We did—and now he’s five dollars richer.

The Opportunity To:

A. Witness

As you are standing in the long lines, it’s a great time, especially upon hearing the sighs of the people in front of you and back of you just wondering how they’re going to make it through another Christmas season.

They might even ask something like, “why do we do this to ourselves?” - At that point, it’s a great opportunity to continue the conversation, and let them at least know what the Christ of Christmas means to you.

The other day, I was in a store (not shopping), and decided I was going to grab a bite to eat while I was there. As I was going into the restaurant inside the store, there was a moment where a lady was coming with a shopping cart, but going into the restaurant too, and as she stopped to let me go through, I knew she was giving up her place in line. As I walked into the line, she came in behind me, and I thought well, I’m going to give up my spot to her even though I am absolutely starving to death. I let her go by, then after she got done refusing, she finally stepped forward, then said these words: “I was just at a funeral today, and they shared how there are only 2 places in eternity, Heaven or Hell” – Wow, I wasn’t sure how she got that out of the recent moments, but I realized this was a lady who was serious about her faith, and I told her that I fully agreed, and as a Pastor preach the same. She asked if I was a John 3:3 believer (Ye must be born again), and I assured her that I was.

Come to find out, she attends a strong bible-believing church in the area, and was just taking an opportunity to tell someone about the Gospel. Way to go!

B. Worship

When the Angels appeared in the sky to announce the Savior’s birth, they couldn’t help but take the time to Worship: Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

The Shepherds were the first of mankind to be Worshipers: Luke 2:15-17 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

The Magi gave these expensive gifts because they were worthy presents for a future king. Bible students have seen in the gifts symbols of Christ’s identity and what he would accomplish. Gold was a gift for a king; incense, a gift for deity; myrrh, a spice for a person who was going to die. These gifts may have provided the financial resources for the trip to Egypt and back.

Respond to Opportunities throughout the Christmas Season, and you will be amazed at the lack of stress you experience!

Be sure to catch our next post for the 3rd point on How to Keep Christmas From Becoming A Mess!

Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS (Pt. 1)

With all of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, I thought it would be good to take a moment to help us focus on ways to keep Christ in Christmas.

For the next blog entries, I am going to be presenting 4 main points under the topic of "Keeping Christmas from Becoming ChristMESS". These steps will help you keep your sanity and focus during what is sometimes the most stressful time of the year.

1. Remember The Reason -

Before we ever do anything of great value, there has to be an answer to the "why" question we all face. It is very clear to look around and see "what" happens at Christmas, and while we all may have varying opinions of "what Christmas is all about", we must know the reason why we do what we do.

Debates exist about the purpose of the Christmas tree, the actual date of the birth of Christ, and more, however, this is not about all the practices of Christmas, but is more about the CHRIST of Christmas.

The first reason for the Christmas celebration is to remember...

A. The Birth of Jesus Christ -

Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ. It is to celebrate the birth of the most profound life that has ever been born in this world. Jesus Christ was conceived and born like no other child ever had been before and since... the Virgin Birth. Matthew 1:23 - "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

For those who don't believe in the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, probably just "left the building". However, for those who realize there is a God bigger and greater than we are, who created the world and all that is within it, also know that if God can do all of that, then surely He can do the impossible. If God can't do the impossible, then is he really God? I submit to you that He is and that Christmas is about the celebration of the great miracle of the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.

The second thing we need to remember is...

B. The Example of the Father

Why all the focus on the giving of gifts at Christmas? Well, I will be the first one to say that things have gotten a bit out of hand for sure! We will cover that area in a few days.

However, the main thing to remember on this topic is that the example of the Father is giving! John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The greatest gift to mankind came from the greatest Giver. The Heavenly Father showed us what it meant to be extremely generous by sending His Son into a world that for the most part rejected Him then, and continues to reject Him now.

Like you, I have to chuckle a bit as I drive by homes and businesses that have absolutely no time for Christ in their lives during the year are lit up with lights beyond imagination. I believe it's important that when you "light up", that you are already "lit up"! Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

In the next Blog entries, we will look at the following points:

II. Respond to Opportunities
III. Reject The Pressure
IV. Rejoice In Your Blessings

Remember to take time during this busy Christmas Season to remember the reason for celebration so that you don't make a "mess" out of Christmas!

Symbols of The Greater Christmas Gift

Andrew Wyermann writes...

At a Christmas celebration in a nursing home, I asked the folks to tell us about their favorite Christmas experience. The group seemed to light up. Spontaneously one by one they told their Christmas story. Each was different except in one respect. Every experience was taken from their childhood.

They did not remember Christmas as a parent, but as a child. Then I turned the question on myself. I, too, returned to my childhood.

The first, and perhaps most memorable, experience I recalled took place when I was seven years old. Early Christmas Eve, my mother took my brother and me out for a treat. It was her way to get us out of our fifth-floor apartment in the Bronx while my father prepared for the evening festivity. As we climbed the stairs back to the apartment, the shrill sound of a whistle filled the hallway. What was that, and where did it come from? Our pace quickened and a second burst of the whistle could be heard. We dashed into the apartment. There was my father playing engineer with the biggest Lionel train ever made. It was so magnificent, so unexpected, so wonderful!

Some fifty years later, I still have the train set and cherish it as much as any material gift I ever received from my parents. The train is a warm reminder of the greater gift my parents gave me. This gift has nothing to do with any material advantages, or even with any piece of sage advice. Unconditional love was their gift. I never doubted their care for me, and from such grace sprang my own capacity to truth.

It was years later that I fully understood the gift my parents gave me had its source in God's gift of the Child to us all.

The sound of the whistle and the song of the angels have become one and the same. They are both the signal of God's love.

One Worth Saving

In the life of Dr. Moody Stewart the story is told that, when a boy, he was greatly surprised one day to find all the sheep in the field standing close in a circle with their faces outward.

Two foxes had run off with two lambs and the sheep at once drove the lambs together and formed a circle around them for their defense.

A gentleman commenting on this story recalls the fact that wild horses and wild deer do that when attacked by wolves.

Sheep were probably once quite wild, and in their wild state they were far stronger and braver than they are now. In great danger their original nature rushes upon them and arms them for the defense of their lambs. If the sheep risk their lives for the sake of their lambs, surely the Good Shepherd will defend His own.

Again and again He tells us that He laid down His life for the sheep. His sheep were lost in the wilderness, ready to perish, and He went into the wilderness to seek and to save them. And He considers even one sheep well worth saving. He leaves the ninety and nine in the fold, and goes after the one that has strayed.

He cares for each as if it were His one ewe lamb.

Zingers by Croft - November 27, 2007

The birth of Christ brought God to man, but it took the cross of Christ to bring man to God.

Jesus can change the foulest sinner into the finest saint.

Jesus: not a law-giver, a life-giver.

To face Christ as judge is to know him as a friend.

We may love Jesus too little, but we can never love him too much.

Licking the Blade

Paul Harvey tells how an Eskimo kills a wolf. He coats his knife blade with blood and lets it freeze. Then he adds another coat of blood and then another. As each coat freezes he adds another smear of blood until the blade is hidden deep within a substantial thickness of frozen blood.

Then he buries the knife—blade up—in the frozen tundra. The wolf catches the scent of fresh blood and begins to lick it. He licks it more and more feverishly until the blade is bare. Then he keeps on licking harder and harder. Because of the cold he never notices the pain of the blade on his tongue. His craving for the taste of blood is so great that he does not realize his thirst is being satisfied by his own blood. He licks the blade till he bleeds to death, swallowing his own life.

That is the way the devil works on us. He gives us a taste of sin, knowing we will crave more. We go deeper and deeper in satisfying our desires.

We never notice the blade inside till it is too late. Only when we are dying do we realize we have swallowed our own life in sin.

“He Knows Everything about My Life”

When Justin Armour was a rookie wide receiver with the Buffalo Bills, some veteran teammates invited him to a preseason party. Justin went, and couldn’t believe what he saw: Gorgeous women everywhere, offering free sex to any of the guys who wanted it.

“It was the most eye-opening experience I’ve ever had,” Justin says. “I had heard about things like this, but I was so naive. I got out of there as fast as I could!”

As a single Christian guy, Justin had committed to saving sex for marriage. To do so, he knows he’s got to run from temptation.

“I’d rather not have my mind polluted by those things. Once you’ve been in a couple situations where’s there’s temptation, you learn how to avoid them and you don’t go back.”

Justin also calls his best friend and accountability partner, Steve Stenstrom.

“You need someone to hold you accountable for walking with Christ,” says Justin. “Steve does that for me. He knows everything about my life, good and bad, and there’s nothing he won’t hold me accountable for.”

—Mark Moring, editor of Men of Integrity. Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 1.
See: Ecclesiastes 4:10: 1 Samuel 20.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - November 15, 2007

Few speed records are broken when people run from temptation.

When you meet temptation, turn to the right.

Nothing makes temptation so easy as being broke.

God always tests us to bring out the best; Satan tempts us to bring out the worst.

When you feel you are free from temptation, be on your guard.

Buy the Book of Zingers by Croft Pentz Here

Kindness to Strangers (by Gordon MacDonald)

[My wife] Gail and I were in an airplane, seated almost at the back. As the plane loaded up, a woman with two small children came down the aisle to take the seat right in front of us. And behind her, another woman. The two women took the A and C seats, one of the children sat in the middle seat, and the second child was on the lap of one of the women. I figured these were two mothers traveling together with their kids, and I hoped the kids wouldn’t be noisy.

The flight started, and my prayer wasn’t answered. The air was turbulent, the children cried a lot—their ears hurt—and it was a miserable flight. I watched as these two women kept trying to comfort these children. The woman at the window played with the child in the middle seat, trying to make her feel good and paying lots of attention.

I thought, Boy, these women get a medal for what they are doing. But things went downhill from there. Toward the last part of the flight, the child in the middle seat got sick. The next thing I knew she was losing everything from every part of her body. The diaper wasn’t on tight, and before long a stench began to rise through the cabin. It was unbearable!

I could see over the top of the seat that stuff you don’t want me to describe was all over everything. It was on this woman’s clothes. It was all over the seat. It was on the floor. It was one of the most repugnant things I had seen in a long time.

The woman next to the window patiently comforted the child and tried her best to clean up the mess and make something out of a bad situation. The plane landed, and when we pulled up to the gate all of us were ready to exit that plane as fast as we could. The flight attendant came up with paper towels, handed them to the woman in the window seat, and said, “Here ma’am, these are for your little girl.”

The woman said, “This isn’t my little girl.”

“Aren’t you traveling together?”

“No, I’ve never met this woman and these children before in my life.”

Suddenly, I realized I had just seen mercy lived out. A lot of us would have just died in this circumstance. This woman found the opportunity to give mercy. She was, in the words of Christ, “The person who was the neighbor.”

—Gordon MacDonald, “Pointing to Jesus: Generosity,” Leadership, Vol. 21, no. 3.
See: Psalms 41:1; Matthew 5:7; Luke 10:25-37

Mystery of the Unexploded Shells

In his book, The Fall of Fortresses, Elmer Bendiner tells of a B-17 Flying Fortress flying a bombing mission over Germany toward the end of World War II. It took several direct hits from Nazi anti-aircraft guns; a few actually hit the fuel tank. Miraculously, the crippled aircraft made it back without exploding or running out of fuel.

After landing, 11 unexploded 20 millimeter shells were carefully removed from the bomber’s fuel tank! Each was dismantled and examined. All 11 were empty of explosive material. A small note was found inside one of the shells, handwritten in Czech. Translated, it read, “This is all we can do for you now.”

A member of the Czech underground, working in a Nazi munitions factory, had deliberately omitted the explosives in at least 11 of the shells on his assembly line. He slipped the note into one of the shells, hoping that someone who benefited from his efforts might discover why. That same person may have died wondering if the quiet work he was doing to subvert the enemy war machine would ever make any difference to the outcome of the war. A Flying Fortress crew had him to thank for their lives.

—Charles R. Swindoll, quoted in Men of Integrity, Vol. 3, no. 6.
See: Matthew 24:45-51; 1 Corinthians 12; Revelation 2:10

Zingers by Croft - November 2, 2007

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Keeping your eye too closely on the future may obscure present opportunities.

Opportunities, like parking places, are plentiful for those who get there first.

There is no security on earth, only opportunity.

Those who look for opportunities to hate miss many opportunities to love.

Buy the Book of Zingers by Croft Pentz Here

The Pride of Riches

The moth looks like such a harmless creature. In its pearly white color it hovers about without sound at twilight, or in our dark rooms and especially in our closets where our woolen clothes are kept. It is not impertinent like the robust flies of the summer. It does not have the sting of a mosquito. It does not sound in our ears the shrill notes of the cricket. It does not nibble and gnaw like the mouse and rat, nor, as roaches do, indecently overrun our food. It is most fair, silent, and apparently harmless. Yet every housewife springs after it with electric haste. It is a dreaded pest, not for what it is but for what it does. Once a garment is moth-eaten, it is almost impossible to repair it.

How true this is in the case of the proud rich.

Once one begins to suffer the sickness of pride of riches, the cure is very difficult. Let us beware, for, once the moths have done their work upon us, there is hardly any hope. Let us remember, also, that the moth does its work secretly, without our realizing it; so does the pride of riches. We may be proud of the things we wear and possess without ever realizing it. How stealthily the moths work; pride of the soul even more so.

Meaningless

In my early 20s I was introduced to Harold Hart, whose Wall Street investing had made him a millionaire. One evening I visited Mr. Hart to do a deal.

When I arrived I found him resting in his favorite chair, with servants waiting on him hand and foot. I sat there waiting as he stared blankly into space.

Finally he muttered, “You know, nature has played a great hoax on man. You work all your life, go through an endless number of struggles, play all the petty little games, and if you’re lucky you finally make it to the top. Well I made it a long time ago, and you know what? It doesn’t mean a thing. Nature’s made a fool of man and the biggest fool of all is me. Here I sit, in poor health, exhausted from years of playing the game, well aware that time is running out, and I keep asking myself, ‘Now what, genius? What’s your next brilliant move going to be?’ All that time I spent worrying, maneuvering—it was meaningless. Life is nothing but a big hoax. We think we’re so important, but the truth is, we’re nothing.”

—Robert Ringer, Looking Out for 1 (Fawcett, 1985), quoted in Men of Integrity, Vol. 4, no. 3.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - October 23 2007

By the time most people have made up their mind, opportunity passed them by.

A wise man makes more opportunities than he finds.

When opportunities knock, you have to get up and answer the door.

No one knows what he can do until he tries.

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seed of today.

Buy the Book of Zingers by Croft Pentz Here

THE DEACON AND THE DRIFTER

THE DEACON AND THE DRIFTER

There was a bare-footed big-city drifter named George. He had wild hair and was wearing tattered pants and an over-sized, food-stained t-shirt ...

One Sunday morning, as he ambled past a big, beautiful Church in the heart of the city, he decided to go in. The Church was full, and the sermon was about to begin.

George found no seat, and no one moved to try to make room for him. And so, having walked all the way to the front without finding a seat, he squatted down on the floor, in front of the pulpit. The people were incredulous, but did nothing. Then, the preacher noticed the Churchs elderly Deacon slowly making his way down the aisle toward George. There was a certain elegance about the well-dressed Deacon and, even though he was walking with a cane, he had a confident, authoritative air about him.

Everyone was saying to themselves, more or less, You cant blame that elderly model of correctness for what hes going to do, or say, to that impudent, irreverent young man!

It took a while for the old Deacon to reach the young man, and the Church was in breathless silence other than the click of the old mans cane. The Deacon arrived at Georges spot and dropped his cane to the floor. Then, with great difficulty, he lowered himself to sit on the floor next to George, guaranteeing that for the rest of the service George would not sit alone.

Everyone was choked up with emotion. And when the preacher finally gained control, he said, What Im about to preach you may never remember. But what you have just seen, you will never forget.

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND

Peter Goulding, in his book, The Young Minister, weaves into the pages of his plot a hermit who, on the outside, seems to have rejected society. As the story unfolds it can be seen that though he rejects society and the family of humanity, he is very dependent upon it. At one point, his large library is mentioned with no thought for the fact that without his fellow human beings this library would not have been a possibility. There was an implied dependence without even thinking about it. The hermit's very existence is dependent upon the society which he chooses to reject.

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 125.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - October 18 2007

Repentance means not only a heart broken for sin but from sin.

Many people in mending their ways use very thin threads.

Repentance is not only saying, “I’m sorry.” It is also saying, “I’m through.”

Some so-called penitential crying is only hypocritical lying.

Buy the Book of Zingers by Croft Pentz Here

Power of Temptation

The tuna were running for the first time in 47 years, only 30 miles off Cape Cod. And they were biting! Last fall all you needed to catch one was a sharp hook and some bait. And the rewards for doing so were substantial. Rumor had it that Japanese buyers would pay $50,000 for a nice bluefin!

That's why many would-be fishermen ignored Coast Guard warnings and headed out to sea in small boats. But what these new fishermen didn't realize was the problem is not catching a tuna—the problem comes after they're caught.

On September 23, the Christi Anne, a 19-foot boat, capsized while doing battle with a tuna. That same day the 27-foot boat Basic Instinct suffered the same fate, while Official Business, a 28-footer, was swamped after it hooked onto a 600-pound tuna. The tuna pulled it under water.

These fishermen underestimated the power of the fish they were trying to catch. That is what temptation does to us. It takes us by surprise. It looks manageable on the surface. Only after we hook into it do we discover its strength.

—Edwards, Kent. Taken from Boston Globe, (10/2/99), quoted in Leadership Journal, “To Illustrate Plus,” Spring 2000, Vol. 21, No. 2, p. 69.

See: Proverbs 14:12; James 1:13-15; 2 Peter 3:8-15

Keep Temptation Out of Your Freezer

I love butter pecan ice cream. I had to tell my wife, “Don’t buy any more butter pecan ice cream, because if you bring it home I’m going to eat it.” I’m not going to let butter pecan ice cream go bad in my freezer. I’m going to eat it. I know. So if I know that’s my weakness, I don’t buy it. You can buy Rocky Road. I won’t eat that. But don’t buy what I like, put it in the freezer, and expect me not to eat it.

If you make sin available and it’s the sin you enjoy, you’re going to be in trouble. We get into trouble because we go places we have no business going. The Holy Spirit warns us. He tries to keep us out of trouble, but we go anyway.

—D.Z. Cofield, “How to Triumph over Temptations,” Preaching Today, Tape 181.

See: Deuteronomy 7:25; Proverbs 4:14; 1 Corinthians 8:9-13; Ephesians 4:27-32.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - October 15 2007

If God bolts the door, do not climb through the window.

No one can be caught in places he does not visit.

You are not tempted because you are evil; you are tempted because you are human.

When you meet temptation, turn to the right.

Buy the Book of Zingers by Croft Pentz Here

The Sleeping Organist

Hannah, country church organist for many years, had taken to falling asleep during the sermon. As she was loved by all, this fault was easily overlooked. Besides, the position of the organ at the east end of the platform kept her pretty much away from the congregation’s normal line of vision.

One Sunday as the sermon was building to a climax, the minister swung his arm forcefully and cried: “Look to the East!” The congregation, following his gesture, gasped and then chuckled softly. There sat Hannah, head back and mouth open, sleeping the sleep of the innocent. The minister regained his composure and concluded his message with equal poise. Hannah awoke at her usual time and played the closing hymn, forever unaware of what had happened.

—Albert Savignana, Jr. Edwardsville, PA. Christian Reader, “Lite Fare.”

Reading the humorous story above reminds of a very funny video clip from the Mr. Bean series on his trip to church. I recommend you do not "try this at church", especially during Pastors Appreciation Month. Check it out below:

Shake It Off and Step Up

The parable is told of an old dog that fell into a farmer’s well. After assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the dog but decided that neither the dog nor the well were worth the trouble of saving. Instead he planned to bury the old dog in the well and put him out of his misery.

When the farmer began shoveling, initially the old dog was hysterical. But as the farmer continued shoveling and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck him. It dawned on the dog that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back he should shake it off and step up. This he did blow after blow. “Shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up, shake it off and step up!” he repeated to encourage himself.

No matter how painful the blows or how distressing the situation seemed, the old dog fought panic and just kept shaking it off and stepping up! It was not long before the dog, battered and exhausted, stepped triumphantly over the wall of that well. What seemed as though it would bury him actually benefited him—all because of the way he handled his adversity.

If we face our problems and respond to them positively, refusing to give in to panic, bitterness, or self-pity, the adversities that come along to bury us usually have within them the potential to bless us! Forgiveness, faith, prayer, praise, and hope are some of the biblical ways to shake it off and step up out of the wells in which we find ourselves.

—Bruce Shelley, from “To Illustrate Plus,” Leadership, Vol 20, No. 4.

See: Psalms 85:6; Philippians 4:4; James 1:2-4

Confidence in a Crisis

Green Bay Packers’ head coach Mike Holmgren looks back at a heartbreaking moment, when he was cut from the New York Jets as backup quarterback to Joe Namath, that directed him to a bigger plan.

“I had committed my life to Jesus Christ when I was 11, but in my pursuit to make a name for myself in football, I left God next to my dust-covered Bible. But after getting cut from the Jets, I pulled out my Bible and found comfort in a verse I had memorized in Sunday school: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“I asked Jesus Christ to take control again. My priorities in life are faith, family, and football—in that order.”

—Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 2.

See: Psalms 31:10: Isaiah 26:3-4: Daniel 6:1-23.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - October 10, 2007

You will never offend a person by returning a smile.

I would sooner wear a phony smile than a sincere frown.

Blessed is the man who can laugh at himself because he'll never cease to be amused.

No smile is as beautiful as the one that struggles through tears.

A cheerful countenance has a lot of face value.

Buy the Book of Zingers by Croft Pentz Here

Spiritual Sight

The hymnwriter Fanny Crosby gave us more than 6,000 gospel songs. Although blinded by an illness at the age of six weeks, she never became bitter. One time a preacher sympathetically remarked, “I think it is great pity that the Master did not give you sight when He showered so many other gifts upon you.” She replied quickly, “Do you know that if at birth I had been able to make one petition, it would have been that I should be born blind?” “Why?” asked the surprised clergyman. “Because when I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!”

One of Miss Crosby’s hymns was so personal that for years she kept it to herself. Kenneth Osbeck, author of several books on hymnology, says its revelation to the public came about this way: “One day at a Bible conference in Northfield, Massachusetts, Miss Crosby was asked by D. L. Moody to give a personal testimony. At first she hesitated, then quietly rose and said, ‘There is one hymn I have written which has never been published. I call it my soul’s poem. Sometimes when I am troubled, I repeat it to myself, for it brings comfort to my heart.’ She then recited while many wept, ‘Someday the silver cord will break, and I no more as now shall sing; but oh, the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the King! And I shall see Him face to face, and tell the story—saved by grace!’” At the age of 95, Fanny Crosby passed into glory and saw the face of Jesus.

That’s the sure hope of every child of God!

A Choice Each Day

Charles Swindoll said: “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past, we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string that we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.”

Insight For Living - Chuck Swindoll

Zingers by Croft Pentz - October 5 2007

You should not only smile from "ear to ear" but from "year to year."

A smile adds face value.

Never be afraid to be gracious--look what a little polish can do for scuffed shoes.

A smile is a curve that can set a lot of things straight.

A smile is a very inexpensive way to improve your looks.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

Integrity and Lost Binoculars

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

David Jeremiah, in a recent "Turning Point" devotional, mentions that Allen C. Emery was a successful businessman who also served as an officer for many evangelical organizations; and for several years, he chaired the board of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. He and his wife also hosted a Bible Club at their Massachusetts home that drew up to 100 young people each week.

Allen once wrote about his father's influence on him. In his book, A Turtle on a Fencepost, Emery said, "Today I find myself still asking myself, 'What would daddy do?' when confronted with those decisions in business and in life that are so often not black and white, but gray."
"Once," he recalled, "(my dad) lost a pair of fine German binoculars. He collected insurance only to find the binoculars a year later. Immediately he sent a check to the company and received a letter back stating that this seldom occurred and that they were encouraged. It was a small thing, but children never forget examples lived before them."

Teaching children to be moral and honest is part of parental responsibility. The best textbook is the Bible, and the best teacher is a godly mom or dad.Says Allen Emery, "I am in debt to the memory-making efforts that my father made to imprint indelibly upon my mind the meaning of integrity."

Spelling Integrity

At a national spelling contest in Washington an incident occurred that made me feel good--and made me wonder. In the fourth round of the contest, Rosalie Elliot, then an eleven-year-old from South Carolina, was asked to spell avowal. In her soft Southern accent she spelled it. But did the seventh grader use an a or an e as the next to last letter? The judges couldn't decide. For several minutes they listened to tape recording playbacks, but the critical letter was accent-blurred. Chief Judge John Lloyd finally put the question to the only person who knew the answer, "Was the letter an a or was it an e? he asked Rosalie. Surrounded by whispering young spellers, she knew by now the correct spelling of the word. Without hesitating, she replied she had misspelled it. She walked from the stage. The entire audience stood and applauded, including half a hundred newspaper reporters, one of whom was heard to remark that Judge Lloyd had put quite a burden on an eleven-year-old. Rosalie rated a hand and it must have been a heartwarming and proud moment for her parents. The thing that makes me wonder, however, was the apparent feeling on the part of so many that the issue might have been in doubt and that honesty might have bowed to temptation. Have we in this age stopped taking honesty for granted, even from our children?

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 62-63.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - September 25 2007

It isn't your position that makes you happy or unhappy; it is your disposition.

Character is revealed by your actions in an unguarded moment.

A person's reputation is precious, but a person's character is priceless.

Our present choices determine our permanent character.

If you want to get a true estimate of a man, observe what he does when he has nothing to do.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

Decision Without Procrastination

During the early days of the ministry of Dwight L. Moody, the great evangelist launched a series of meetings in Chicago with promise of the largest crowds that he had ever addressed up to that time.

He was speaking of the life of Christ, and on the first Sunday night, October 8, 1871, he took as his topic the trial before Pilate. As he came to the end of his message, he turned to Matthew 27:22, "What shall I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?" He concluded, "I wish you would take this text home with you and turn it over in your minds during the week, and next Sabbath we will come to Calvary and the cross, and we will decide what to do with Jesus of Nazareth."

It may have been an artistic device. But speaking of it in later years, Moody called that conclusion to his morning's address the greatest mistake of his life. Even while Mr. Sankey was singing the final hymn: Today the Savior calls; For refuge fly; The storm of justice falls, And death is nigh- the fire engines began to sound on the street on their way to their first contact with the great Chicago fire in which Moody's hall was laid in ashes, and in which it is estimated that over a thousand persons lost their lives.

Moody never saw that congregation again, and some of those to whom he spoke on that night doubtlessly died.

A Lesson On Death and Taxes

Gary Thomas writes in Christianity Today: Thinking about eternity helps us retrieve [perspective]. I'm reminded of this every year when I figure my taxes. During the year, I rejoice at the paychecks and extra income, and sometimes I flinch when I write out the tithe and offering. I do my best to be a joyful giver, but I confess it is not always easy, especially when there are other perceived needs and wants.

At the end of the year, however, all of that changes. As I'm figuring my tax liability, I wince at every source of income and rejoice with every tithe and offering check--more income means more tax, but every offering and tithe means less tax. Everything is turned upside down, or perhaps, more appropriately, right-side up. I suspect judgment day will be like that.

-- Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 2.
See: Mt 12:36; Lk 12:48; Ro 14:12; 1 Pe 4:5.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - September 18 2007

The real strength of a man is not physical but moral and spiritual.

God will not judge you for what you have done but for what you have refused to do.

To get nowhere, follow the crowd.

Christianity is a beggar going into business with a millionaire.

If Christ is kept on the outside, there must be something wrong inside.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

My Thoughts Following September 11, 2001

With the 6th Anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks now upon us, I thought I would go back and see the message I posted on the day after this tragedy. In memory of all who died, and appreciation for all who assisted on that day and continue to give their lives against evil acts of terror and cowardice such as this, we are re-posting the message below:

Message posted in "My Daily Dose of Inspiration" on September 12, 2001 -

My thoughts and prayers go out to so many families who are suffering the pain and loss of their loved ones in the recent attacks on the thousands of innocent people.

I just got off the phone with a friend in California, who said that he had a cousin who worked on the 72nd Floor of the second Trade Tower building. He got word at one point that things were ok, and that it would be fine to go back to work, but using his God-given common sense, he made haste toward the stairway that led him down the street and into safety, and was only 2 blocks away when the first building collapsed. It seems that many others were able to exit the building before it too was attacked and collapsed, and for that we give God thanks.

President Bush stated our greatest hope in his address to the Nation when he quoted from Psalm 23:4 -Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil, for you are with me..

We must continue to pray for the strength of God in the days and months ahead, and wisdom and knowledge to find the perpetrators of such evil and senseless terror.

As faces are being matched with the numbers of fatalities, we will sense even a greater sense of pain.

I know that God is with us. God will help us, and no, I am not ashamed to look to God for the strength and encouragement to get through this.

SEND AN INSPIRATIONAL E-CARD IN REMEMBRANCE OF 9/11

"America Prays" - Prayer by Max Lucado after 9/11 Attacks

A Prayer For America by Max Lucado - Written after the September 11 attacks for a special service called "America Prays"

Dear Lord,

We're still hoping we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll open asleepy eye and think, What a horrible dream.

But we won't, will we, Father? What we saw was not a dream. Planes did gouge towers. Flames did consume our fortress. People did perish. It was no dream and, dear Father, we are sad.

There is a ballet dancer who will no longer dance and a doctor who will no longer heal. A church has lost her priest, a classroom is minus a teacher. Cora ran a food pantry. Paige was a counselor and Dana, dearest Father, Dana was only three years old. (Who held her in those final moments?)

We are sad, Father. For as the innocent are buried, our innocence is buried as well. We thought we were safe. Perhaps we should have known better. But we didn't.

And so we come to you. We don't ask you for help; we beg you for it. We don't request it; we implore it. We know what you can do. We've read the accounts. We've pondered the stories and now we plead, Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

Remember Joseph? You rescued him from the pit. You can do the same for us. Do it again, Lord.
Remember the Hebrews in Egypt? You protected their children from the angel of death. We have children, too, Lord. Do it again.

And Sarah? Remember her prayers? You heard them. Joshua? Remember his fears? You inspired him. The women at the tomb? You resurrected their hope. The doubts of Thomas? You took them away. Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

You changed Daniel from a captive into a king's counselor. You took Peter the fisherman and made him Peter an apostle. Because of you, David went from leading sheep to leading armies. Do it again, Lord, for we need counselors today, Lord. We need apostles. We need leaders. Do it again, dear Lord.

Most of all, do again what you did at Calvary. What we saw here on that Tuesday, you saw there on that Friday. Innocence slaughtered. Goodness murdered. Mothers weeping. Evil dancing. Just as the ash fell on our children, the darkness fell on your Son. Just as our towers were shattered, the very Tower of Eternity was pierced.

And by dusk, heaven's sweetest song was silent, buried behind a rock.

But you did not waver, O Lord. You did not waver. After three days in a dark hole, you rolled the rock and rumbled the earth and turned the darkest Friday into the brightest Sunday. Do it again, Lord. Grant us a September Easter.

We thank you, dear Father, for these hours of unity. Disaster has done what discussion could not. Doctrinal fences have fallen. Republicans are standing with Democrats. Skin colors have been covered by the ash of burning buildings. We thank you for these hours of unity.
And we thank you for these hours of prayer. The Enemy sought to bring us to our knees and succeeded. He had no idea, however, that we would kneel before you. And he has no idea what you can do.

Let your mercy be upon our President, Vice President, and their families. Grant to those who lead us wisdom beyond their years and experience. Have mercy upon the souls who have departed and the wounded who remain. Give us grace that we might forgive and faith that we might believe.

And look kindly upon your church. For two thousand years you've used her to heal a hurting world.

Do it again, Lord. Do it again.

Through Christ, Amen.

As written by Max Lucado for America Prays, a national prayer vigil held Saturday, September 14, 2001. Permission to copy not only granted but encouraged.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - September 11, 2007

If truth stands in your way, you're headed in the wrong direction.

Ananias wouldn't attract attention today in this age of specialized prevarication.

When you tell the truth, you don't have to remember what you said.

As stretching a rubber band weakens the rubber, so stretching the truth weakens the truth.

Sometimes nothing is harder to see than the naked truth.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

Real Success and Real Failure

Among the apostles, the one absolutely stunning success was Judas, and the one thoroughly groveling failure was Peter. Judas was a success in the ways that most impress us: he was successful both financially and politically. He cleverly arranged to control the money of the apostolic band; he skillfully manipulated the political forces of the day to accomplish his goal.

Peter was a failure in ways that we most dread: he was impotent in a crisis and socially inept. At the arrest of Jesus he collapsed, a hapless, blustering coward; in the most critical situations of his life with Jesus, the confession on the road to Caesarea Philippi and the vision on the Mount of Transfiguration, he said the most embarrassingly inappropriate things. He was not the companion we would want with us in time of danger, and he was not the kind of person we would feel comfortable with at a social occasion.

Time, of course, has reversed our judgments on the two men. Judas is now a byword for betrayal, and Peter is one of the most honored names in church and world. Judas is a villain; Peter is a saint. Yet the world continues to chase after the successes of Judas, financial wealth and political power, and to defend itself against the failures of Peter, impotence and ineptness.

-- Eugene Peterson, Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 1. See: Lk 21:34; 1 Co 7:31; Jas 4:4.

Success Can Be Deceptive

The comedy film Cool Runnings is about the first Jamaican bobsled team to go to the Olympics.

John Candy plays a former American gold medalist who becomes a coach to the Jamaican team. The players grow to like the American coach and affectionately dub him "Sled-god."

Later in the story, the coach's dark history comes out. In an Olympics following his gold medal performance, he broke the rules by weighting the U.S. sled, bringing disgrace on himself and his team. One of the Jamaican bobsledders could not understand why anyone who had already won a gold medal would cheat. Finally he nervously asked Candy to explain. "I had to win," said the coach. "I learned something. If you are not happy without a gold medal, you won't be happy with it."

-- Randall Bergsma, Sheldon, Iowa. Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 2.
See: Ecc 2:11; Mt 6:19; Lk 9:25.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - September 7 2007

Few people ever carve their way to success with cutting remarks.

When we succeed, we have worked hard; when others succeed, they are lucky.

To be a success, sometimes a person must have enough courage to make a fool of himself.

The secret of success could be learning at an early age that you are not perfect.

You are only responsible to try--not to succeed.

-- Croft M. Pentz, The Complete Book of Zingers (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1990).

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

The Train Stops Just In Time

The British express train raced through the night, its powerful headlamp spearing the black darkness ahead. The train was carrying Queen Victoria. Suddenly the engineer saw a startling sight. Revealed in the beam of the engine's headlights was a weird figure in a black cloak, standing in the middle of the tracks and waving its arms. The engineer grabbed for the brakes and brought the train to a grinding halt.

He and his fellow trainsmen climbed out to see what had stopped them. They could find no trace of the strange figure. On a hunch, the engineer walked a few yards farther up the tracks. Suddenly he stopped and stared into the fog in horror. A bridge had been washed out and had fallen into a swollen stream. If he had not heeded the ghostly figure, the train would have plunged into the stream.

While the bridge and tracks were being repaired, the crew made a more intensive search for the strange flagman. But not until they got to London did they solve the mystery. At the base of the engine's headlamp was a huge moth. The engineer looked at it for a moment, then on impulse wet its wings and pasted it to the glass of the lamp. Climbing back into his cab, he switched on the lamp and saw the "phantom flagman" in the beam. He knew what had happened: the moth had flown into the beam, seconds before the train reached the washed-out bridge. In the fog, it appeared to be a phantom figure waving its arms.

When Queen Victoria was told of the strange happening she said, "I'm sure it was no accident. It was God's way of protecting us."

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) pp. 30-31.

Is Debt A "Tool?"

Dave Ramsey Writes...

Myth: Debt is a tool and should be used to help create prosperity.
Truth: Debt is not a tool; it is a method to make banks wealthy, not you.

Debt is dumb.

Most normal people are just plain broke because they are in debt up to their eyeballs with no hope of help. If you're in debt then you're a slave, in the sense that you do not have the freedom to use your money to help change your family tree.

According to a recent USA Today article about debt, 78 percent of baby boomers have mortgage debt, 59 percent have credit card debt, 56 percent have car payments.

It takes a lot of will, discipline, courage and help to slay the debt monster. But it can be done.

Imagine how much you could put toward retirement if you just didn't have a stinking car payment? This is how the wealthy build their wealth.

Debt is really dumb. Welcome to the real world! Start your Total Money Makeover Now.

Visit DaveRamsey.com for more information and the tools to get out of debt.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - Sept. 4, 2007

Christian Living

The rewards are always at the end of the road. It pays to go all the way with Jesus.

It is not more preaching that is needed, but more gospel in the lives of Christians.

If your Christianity isn't contagious, it must be contaminated.

Obstacles are those frightening things you see when you take your eyes off the Lord.

The degree of your devotion to Christ is the barometer of your love for him.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

Getting Ahead At The Expense of Others

Ambition, a good enough thing within reasonable bounds, is an Apollyon among men, when it gets the mastery over them.

Have you ever seen boys climbing a greasy pole to reach a hat or handkerchief? If so, you will have noticed that the aspiring youths for the most part adopt plans and tricks quite as slimy as the pole. One covers his hands with sand, another twists a knotted cord, and still another one climbs fairly (and he is the one boy whose chance is smallest!). The hasty desire to rise is the cause of many a fall. Those who see the glittering heaps of gold before them are frequently in so much haste to thrust their arms in up to the elbow among the treasures that they take shortcuts, leave the beaten road of honest labor, break through hedges, and find themselves before long in a ditch.

It is hard to keep great riches without sin, and we have heard that it is harder still to get them.

Walk warily, successful friend! Growing wealth will prove no blessing to you unless you acquire growing grace. Prosperity destroys a fool and endangers a wise man. Be on your guard, for whichever you are, your testing hour has come.

-- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Quotable Spurgeon, (Wheaton: Harold Shaw Publishers, Inc, 1990)

See: Phil 2:3-4

New! Joke of the Day

We would like to take a moment to introduce our newest Blog item.. "The Joke of the Day" - This will be placed on the right hand side of the web page each time new posts are added to the E-Inspiration Blog. Today, we have also included the "Joke of the Day" here as a Blog posting. Be sure to check our Blog on a daily basis, and if you have not subscribed via e-mail, be sure to do so by using the Subscription box at right.

Today's Joke of the Day -

A Christian man who was overweight decided to go on a diet.

One of his main problems with eating was that he would stop for donuts every morning on the way to work.

So he decided to make things easier for himself -- he would change his route to work to avoid the temptation of stopping.

As the weeks went by he started losing a lot of weight and was receiving compliments from his friends and co-workers. Then one morning without thinking, he accidentally turned onto the road which would take him by the donut shop. At first he was going to turn around but then he thought to himself, "maybe the Lord is rewarding me for my efforts".

So, in thinking this he said a short prayer telling the Lord that if this was his true intention, let there be an open parking place directly infront of the shop. And sure enough, on the fifth time around the block there was an open spot right up front.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - August 30 2007

Every person should take some time daily to look at the road map of his ambitions.

Easy is the enemy of ambition.

The father of success is work--the mother of achievement is ambition.

The ambition of many dieters is to be weighed and found wanting.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

The Truth About Debt Reduction

What a powerful change in our lives since, as a family we adopted the principles taught by Dave Ramsey that in turn are based on the statement from the Bible that the "borrower is slave to the lender". (Proverbs 22:7 - The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.)

Below is an article dealing with the "myth" of believing that only the rich can be debt free.

By Dave Ramsey

Myth: Only the rich can be debt free.
Truth: Anyone can become debt free. True debt reduction is plain common sense and hard work.

Many hard-working people get into debt because of mistakes. I work with those people every day. I'm talking about them - those who are willing to keep working hard - when I promise that there's hope to get out of debt and have a financially peaceful future.

Beware of Quick Fixes

But then there are lazy people who look for a quick fix, such as debt consolidation or debt management. Real debt help is not quick or easy. Laziness is a character flaw. You need to be willing to work and sacrifice in order to fix the situations that you created with your own irresponsibility. If you are not willing, then you cannot be helped.

Are you willing to get another job and work a few 80-hour weeks? If you are in financial stress because of something you've done, you need to get yourself out of the mess by working. If you think that it is too hard, you will never get out of the debt that you brought upon yourself.

Laziness is a sickness, and it will get you absolutely nowhere in life. We all make mistakes, but the question is whether you are willing to take responsibility for your mistakes! You need to learn from your mistakes or you - and your children - will be doomed to repeat the cycle. How badly do you want to be out of debt?

How to Get Out of Debt

We've developed a little process called the Debt Snowball to do one thing at a time and keep the debt reduction process simple. I have been broke. I know how scared I felt, and I know how fast I wanted to get out of debt. I know how you feel, and I have learned that what really works is unbelievably fierce, focused intensity.

Visit DaveRamsey.com for more information and the tools to get out of debt.

Two Ways of Responding

Two paraplegics were in the news a few years ago.

One was Kenneth Wright, a high school football star and later, an avid wrestler, boxer, hunter, and skin diver. A broken neck sustained in a wrestling match in 1979 left him paralyzed from the chest down. He underwent therapy, and his doctors were hopeful that one day he would be able to walk with the help of braces and crutches. But, apparently, the former athlete could not reconcile himself to his physical disability. He prevailed upon two of his best friends to take him in his wheelchair to a wooded area, where they left him alone with a twelve-gauge shotgun. After they left, he held the shotgun to his abdomen and pulled the trigger.Kenneth Wright, twenty-four, committed suicide.

The second paraplegic in the news was Jim McGowan. At the age of nineteen, Jim was stabbed and left paralyzed from the middle of his chest down. He is now confined to a wheelchair. But he made the news recently when he made a successful parachute jump,landing on his target in the middle of Lake Wallenpaupack in the Poconos. Newspeople learned a number of things about Jim. He lives alone, cooks his meals, washes his clothes, and cleans his house. He drives himself in his specially equipped automobile. Hehas written three books, and he did the photography for ourc ountry's first book on the history of wheelchair sports.

Two men with handicaps: one chose life and the other one didn't. As Robert Frost wrote: "Two roads diverged in a yellowwood, and I took the one less traveled by--and that has made all the difference."

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: TyndaleHouse Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 276.

To The Third and Fourth Generations

Max Jukes lived in New York. He did not believe in Christ or in Christian training.

He refused to take his children to church,even when they asked to go. He has had 1,026 descendants; 300were sent to prison for an average term of thirteen years; 190were public prostitutes; 680 were admitted alcoholics. Hisfamily, thus far, has cost the state in excess of $420,000. They made no contribution to society.

Jonathan Edwards lived in the same state, at the same time as Jukes.

He loved the Lord and saw that his children were in church every Sunday, as he served the Lord to the best of his ability. He has had 929 descendants, and of these 430 were ministers; 86 became university professors; 13 became university presidents; 75 authored good books; 7 were elected to the United StatesCongress. One was vice president of his nation. His family never cost the state one cent but has contributed immeasurably to the life of plenty in this land today.

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: TyndaleHouse Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 195.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - August 28 2007

No power on earth or under earth can make a man do wrong withouthis consent.

It is not a question as to who is right but what is right.

It is never too early to decide for Christ, but the time willcome when it will be too late.

He who provides for this life but takes no care for eternity iswise for a moment but a fool forever.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

I Decide to be Happy Every Day

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud mother-in-law of my best friend, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

Maurine Jones is the most lovely, gracious, dignified woman that I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. While I have never aspired to attain her depth of wisdom, I do pray that I will learn from her vast experience.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window."I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy."Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room...just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged...it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it..." She went on to say, "It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away...just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account...you withdraw from what you've put in...So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories, so when you go over it a second time, you can enjoy it again."

- Author Unknown

A Smile

A smile costs nothing, but gives much. It enriches those who receive, without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that they can get along without it, and none is so poor but that they can be made rich by it. A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in business, and is the countersign of friendship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and it is nature's best antidote for trouble. Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as the one who has no more to give.

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 278.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - August 27 2007

A sense of humor is what makes you laugh at something that would make you angry if it happened to you.

Happiness is that peculiar sensation you encounter when you're just too busy to feel miserable.

If you are really concerned about what you wear, remember your facial expressions can be the most important.

The secret of happiness sometimes depends on what you don't do.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

The Truth About Budgeting

Since going on the plan by Dave Ramsey and developing a Budget every month, our family has experienced greater freedom, and as Dave says, it feels like we received a raise.

Too many families find themselves in great financial trouble because they don't take the time to develop a Budget. I used to think that a budget had to be "perfect", as well as laid out for the entire year, but have since come to realize that the farthest ahead we can predict with any sense of accuracy is 1 month. Even then, it may not be exact, yet the discipline of doing a budget is one of the greatest things we have done for our family.

Dave Ramsey writes:
"The dreaded "B" word. Budget. The only other word that starts with "B" that might generate a worse reaction in most people is the word bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the word budget has gotten a bum rap. It is basically just a plan. When you budget, you're spending on paper, on purpose, before the month begins. But many people view a budget as a straight jacket that keeps them constrained. Freedom and budget just don't seem to go together.

However, when you see that a budget is just spending your money with intention, you'll actually experience more freedom than before. Many people say they found even more money when they created a realistic budget and stuck with it."

The Bible tells us: Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

If you find yourself "hopelessly" in debt, rest assured there is an answer for you. It is not a "magic pill" and it won't happen overnight, but for most people who go on the plan are debt free within 2-3 years, except for their house. This is not a guarantee of course, because there is no way to predict how intense people will be, but this has helped our family in great ways, and I encourage you to take a look for yourself and see the benefits of this great plan!

Silver Makes The Difference

One day a wealthy old miser visited a rabbi who took him by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said, pointing to the street. "What do you see?" "I see men and women and little children," answered the rich man. Again the rabbi took him by the hand and led him to the mirror and said, "What do you see now?" "Now I see myself," the rich man replied. Then the rabbi said, "Behold, in the window there is glass, but the glass of the mirror is covered with silver, and no sooner is the silver added then you fail to see others but see only yourself." If you see self and all the respect and honor others ought to give you, you are on dangerous ground. You won't be able to see others if self is in the image you hold in front of you.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - August 24 2007

Inflation is the price we pay for those government benefits we thought were free.

People who live beyond their means should be given a lot of credit.

He made money the old-fashioned way--he inherited it.

How much money does it take for a rich person to be happy? Just a little more.

Depression is a time when you can't spend money you don't have.

Buy the Book by Croft Pentz Here

The Bible And It's Christ

We have an almost superstitious attitude to Bible reading as if it had some magical efficacy. But there is no magic in the Bible or in the mechanical reading of the Bible. No, the written Word points to the Living Word and says to us, "Go to Jesus." If we do not go to the Jesus to whom it points, we miss the whole purpose of Bible reading.

Evangelical Christians are not, or ought not to be, what we are sometimes accused of being, namely, "bibliolaters," worshipers of the Bible. We do not worship the Bible; we worship the Christ of the Bible.

Here is a young man who is in love. He has a girlfriend who has captured his heart. As a result he carries a photograph of his beloved in his wallet because it reminds him of her when she is far away. Sometimes, when nobody is looking, he might even take the photograph out and give it a surreptitious kiss. But kissing the photograph is a poor substitute for the real thing. And so it is with the Bible. We love it only because we love him of whom it speaks.

John R. W. Stott --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 44.

The Bones of Belief

A clergyman took a seat in a dining car on a train traveling along the Hudson River. Opposite him was an atheist who, seeing his clerical collar, started a discussion. "I see you are a clergyman." "Yes," came the reply. "I am a minister of the gospel." "I suppose you believe the Bible." The clergyman, orthodox in his views, responded, "I certainly do believe the Bible to be the Word of God." "But aren't there things in the Bible you can't explain?" With humility the minister answered, "Yes, there are places in the Bible too hard for me to understand." With an air of triumph as though he had cornered the preacher, the atheist asked, "Well, what do you do then?" Unruffled, the clergyman went on eating his dinner--which happened to be Hudson shad, a tasty fish but noted for its bony structure. Looking up, he said, "Sir, I do just the same as when eating this shad. When I come to the bones, I put them to the side of the plate and go on enjoying my lunch. I leave the bones for some fool to choke on.

--James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 43.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - August 23 2007

The Bible was not written to teach science, but the Bible is scientifically correct.

The Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when it is read.

Carrying your Bible will never take the place of reading it.

You can remove the cinders of doubt from the eye of faith only by the water of the Word.

Buy The Complete Book of Zingers

Character or Reputation?

Character or Reputation. When we see these two words together, we often mistakenly believe that you cannot have one without the other.

Reputation in a nutshell is what others around us think of us. It is really the opinion that is held by others concerning who we are, and the motives they believe we have in doing what we do.

We can have a "good" reputation, or a "bad" reputation. However, we must realize that either of those are relative, and a "good" or "bad" reputation is only in the eye of the beholder.

Much more valuable is our Character. Character in a nutshell, is who we are when no one is looking. It is not just the face in the mirror, but the "face behind the face".

A person with Godly character is one who can stand fast in the face of false accusations, insinuations, slander, and ridicule. They remain rock solid in the midst of these things, even though the hurt may be real, the despair and depression cannot take hold of them, and bring them to defeat.

When Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar's wife in the Old Testament, and was thrown from a high place of honor in the palace, into prison, one might say that his "repuation" was destroyed. "He said, she said..." He spent 12 long years in prison, the "victim" of unfounded allegations. However, his character remained strong!

Even in prison, he did not languish in bitterness, and look for ways to seek revenge on those who had hurt him. He knew his day would come. Character knows no time restraints.

As you know, his day did come, and he became second in command in Egypt, and was in charge of food distribution during a great famine that he had prophesied would take place.

Reputations come and go. Character will hold you through the storms. Develop character, and you will never have regrets.

By Norman Lawrence -
If used, please provide link back to this website:
http://e-inspirational.blogspot.com/

Don't Forget The Musician

Years ago, there was a master violinist in Europe. He would play in concerts, and he had a magnificent Stradivarius violin, extremely expensive. He would play the Stradivarius violin in concert and everyone would whisper in the crowd, "Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius."

He would play in churches, and people would say, "Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius." He even played before kings and queens, and they, too, would turn to one another and say, "Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius." All the glory went to the instrument.

Then one day this master violinist was walking by a pawn shop. He noticed an old, beat-up, worn-out violin. He walked into the pawn shop and asked how much it would cost. The owner of the pawn shop told him the American equivalent of five dollars. He bought the violin, and he took it home. He polished it, and he refined it, and he tuned it, and he retuned it, and he built some character into that violin. Then, when he was to play the greatest performance of his life in a concert hall, he took out the little, five-dollar, worn-out, beat- up violin that he had polished and refined. He put it up to his chin, and he began to play, and everybody in the concert hall whispered, "Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius."

-- Ron Lee Davis, "Rejoicing in Our Suffering," Preaching Today, Tape No. 74.
See: Ps 66:10; Ro 5:1-5; 1 Pe 1:7.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - August 20 2007

A man's character is like a fence; it cannot be strengthened by whitewash.

It is better to be short of cash than to be short of character.

A broken character doesn't knit easily.

A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep its eye on the spot where the crack was.

When we die, we leave behind us all we have and take with us all we are.

-- Croft M. Pentz, The Complete Book of Zingers (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1990). Buy it here

Greater Love Hath No Man...

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Like you, my heart has been saddened as I have seen the plight of the trapped miners on a daily basis on the national news channels. It has been particularly heart-wrenching as each day it seems like a new message comes out concerning the "possibilities" and "hope" that may still exist in finding the 6 men trapped deep below the ground in a mountain that continues to move and shift.

This morning (August 17), we awoke to realize that not only are the men still trapped, but that those who were attempting to rescue them from the horizontal route were tragically injured, and at least 3 were killed in their attempt to resuce the others.

The scripture of John 15:13 quoted above is very relevant in a time like this as these heroes gave their all in an attempt to rescue their friends from the crisis they were involved with. This is the true definition of friendship: That we would be willing to lay down our lives for our friends if the time should come. Jesus Christ did this 2,000 years ago as He became the perfect sacrifice on an "Old Rugged Cross" for the sins of mankind, and rescued us from the clutches of the enemy.

His freedom is there "if" we accept it into our lives. This life is so short in relation to eternity. Please remember to pray for the injured miners, and for the families of those who continue to wait for word on their loved ones....

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Adversity Overcome

Cripple him, and you have a Sir Walter Scott. Lock him in a prison cell, and you have a John Bunyan. Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington. Raise him in abject poverty, and you have an Abraham Lincoln. Strike him down in infantile paralysis, and he becomes Franklin Roosevelt. Deafen him, and you have a Ludwig van Beethoven. Have him or her born black in a society filled with racial discrimination, and you have a Booker T. Washington, a Marian Anderson, a George Washington Carver. . . . Call him a slow learner; "retarded," and write him off an uneducable, and you have an Albert Einstein.

Ted W. Engstrom (1916- )

-Edythe Draper, Draper's Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1992). Entries 161-162.

Zingers by Croft Pentz - August 17 2007

A smile is a light in the window of your face that shows that your heart is at home.

The whole world is a camera--smile please.

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you--frown and see who cares.

It always pays to smile in the morning because later in the day you may not feel like it.

-- Croft M. Pentz, The Complete Book of Zingers (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1990). Buy it here

Get Out of Debt

We live in a nation where being in debt is "normal", and almostexpected of families right from the moment of marriage throughtheir entire lives.

A few months ago, we came upon the tremendous resources offeredby Christian Financial Expert, Dave Ramsey. Until this point, Ihad only heard of his name, but had not taken time to actuallyreview the resources he offered, but decided to take a look ingreater detail.

After further examination, all I can say is "WOW"! Why didn't Ifind him earlier? In just 10 short months, we have paid off about$16,000.00 in debt, and are well on our way with a tremendous plan for Debt Freedom. Dave often says, "this plan will work if youdo." In other words, it is not by any means a "get rich quick"scheme, but is simply a powerful resource to enable people tobecome better stewards of the finances God has blessed them withas they practice budgeting, restraint, and the "debt snowball".

I have recommended many great resources in this ezine, but nothing with so much potential to change America's families forthe good as this.

As Dave often says; "America, it's time to act your wage"!

Check it out here...

It Makes All the Difference

On a crowded street of one of our large cities, a young man was snatched from the path of a speeding truck, his life saved by a venerablelooking man. Still breathless from fright, the youth thanked the one who saved his life and then was lost in the crowd. Two weeks later in a crowded courtroom, an anxious young man stood in the prisoner's box to be sentenced for murder. "Young man, have you anything to say before the sentence of death is passed upon you?" "Why! Yes! Yes, Judge," the youth responded, "you know me." A silence moved like a shock wave over the courtroom. "I'm sorry. I cannot place you." "Yes. Surely you remember. Two weeks ago. At Main and Seventh Streets, you saved my life. Surely, Judge, you can do something to save me now." A silence pervaded the courtroom. "Young man, now I do remember you. But that day I was your savior. Today I am your judge." Today the Lord Jesus Christ wants to be your Savior. If you refuse Him and His grace, one day He will be your Judge.

Christ Abides With Us

When the first missionaries went to St. Thomas, they could not get near the suffering and degraded slaves until they took part in their bondage and asked the masters to make them slaves also. Then they were received with perfect confidence and were able to bring multitudes of the poor suffering ones to Christ. They trusted them when they saw that they had become identified with their very own lives and lot. "Praise be to the Lord the God of Israel, because He has come and has redeemed His people" (Luke 1:68). But He comes closer. These missionaries could work by the side of the slave, but they could not come into their hearts.

Never Again...

Never again will I say, "I can't," for "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength" (Phil 4:13). Never again will I admit lack, for "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19). Never again will I fear, for "God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Tim 1:7). Never again will I harbor doubt and lack of faith, for "The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear" (Psa 27:1). Never again will I allow the supremacy of Satan over my life, for "the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Never again will I admit defeat, for "God always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him" (2 Cor 2:14). Never again will I lack wisdom, for "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). Never again will I be worried and frustrated, "Casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you" (1 Pet 5:7). Never again will I be in bondage, for "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor 3:17).

What About Your Pocket?

A serviceman once wrote about a moment of comedy he had witnessed in the army.

It happened during a company inspection at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. The inspection was being conducted by a full colonel. Everything had gone smoothly until the officer came to a certain soldier, looked him up and down and snapped, "Button that pocket, trooper!"
The soldier, more than a little rattled, stammered, "Right now, sir?" "Of course, right now!" was the reply. Whereupon the soldier very carefully reached out and buttoned the flap on the colonel's shirt pocket.

The officer had been quick to note the youngster's uniform problem, but hadn't noticed his own. For some reason, we seem to be the same way. The faults of others stick out like a missing tooth, while our own are often hard to spot. Small specks in other people seem major, while the planks in our own eye seem excusable (Matt 7:1-5). Let's quit dwelling on the faults of others all the time. The church needs builders and workers-not a wrecking crew. Work on your own faults, then seek to help others in a spirit of gentleness.