Date: May 31st 2010
LAUGH 'N LEARN |
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An Encouragement Ministry
of Verde Valley Christian Church
Of Cottonwood Arizona |
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Issue # 376 May 31, 2010 |
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LAUGH |
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Memorial Day Tribute (Not A Joke, but a true story on this day seemed appropriate)TRUE STORY FROM AN AIRLINE PILOTMy lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?" I asked. "Yes," she answered. "Is there an escort?" I asked. "Yes, I already assigned him a seat." "Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early," I said. A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us. "My soldier is on his way back to Virginia," he said. I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat. We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. "I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying is on board," she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendant's voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do. "I'm on it," I said. I told her that I would get back to her. Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me. Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text: "Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks." I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, "You have no idea how much this will mean to them." Things started getting busy for the descent, approach, and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us. "There is a team in place to meet the aircraft," we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, "Take your time." I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, "Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you." We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft. When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of "God bless you," "I'm sorry, thank you, be proud," and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one. Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier. I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that so many of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of America.
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LEARN |
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Jim's Manuscript May 30, 2010 "Is Enough Enough?" 2 Corinthians "True Comfort" Series (Part 8) Text: Chapter 8
Paul quotes from Exodus 16 about the experience of gathering manna in the wilderness. The lesson from Manna showed that you can't just pile extra manna up or it would rot. You could only gather what you needed and that was it. "Daily bread" was all that was necessary. You could not store up for another day, with one exception, the day prior to the Sabbath, and this just as miraculously, proved to be just enough without rotting overnight as before. God forced people to be content with what was enough. Enough is enough. This was a forced lesson. Now in this age, it is not a forced lesson but a voluntary lesson. We need to voluntarily decide how much is enough and help others with our surplus so they also have "enough". Helping others demonstrates that we recognize that our "manna" comes from God and is not ours to hoard. This is what it means to grow in the "grace of giving". He wants us to voluntarily live out the principle learned vicariously from Exodus 16. Here is the principle. When God provides us more than enough, he wants us to grow in the grace of giving by voluntarily helping brothers and sisters who don't have enough. This is not a political position. This is not speaking about something to be regulated or taxed. This is something he wants his children to do voluntarily. Focus: Hoarding manna ends in a pile of rot. God thinks this stinks! Why do we selfishly HOARD his good gifts?! He didn't give it to hoard. 2 Corinthians 8:14-15 (NIV) 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." I. If They Can Give, You Can (8:1-5)Paul begins with the encouraging example of the Macedonian churches. He tells the Corinthians how these churches who have far less means than the Corinthian church, gave an amazing amount. 1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. A. Who's Rich And Who's Poor? (8:2)Take a look at 8:2 again. The Macedonians had "severe trial" + "extreme poverty" + "overflowing joy" = "rich generosity". Were they poor or were they rich? From God's perspective they were rich.
How would you like to have so much joy overflowing from your life that the worst of economic nightmares does not upset that joy?
The Macedonians were like this. They were rich in joy. They were rich enough to bless others. They had overflowing joy even in their severe trial and extreme poverty. Poverty is a matter of the heart not just the pocketbook, or bank account. There are people who have plenty of money who are poverty stricken. There are those who are so smitten by the spirit of poverty even thought they have money, that they cannot give any money to help others; they can only hoard it, and use it for themselves. Now this is real poverty of the worst kind.
In contrast with this, the Macedonians have given beyond their ability. He is with the Macedonians as he writes. From Paul's direct observation he believed their collection bordered on the miraculous. Paul is amazed at the amount they raised. He can't believe what a big collection they had. He knew what they were going through. And yet they were joyful, overflowing with joy, blessing others.
B. Who's Askin' Who? (8:4)Sometimes the complaint about churches and ministries is that they are always asking for money. People give this excuse for not going to church. But I want you to notice something here in verse 4 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. Who's Askin Who? The Macedonians were begging Paul. Paul wasn't begging the Macedonians to give. It was the other way around. Our Visit to Bayside And the Surprise We Experienced ThereLast fall we went to Northern California to watch Luke play soccer at William Jessup University. We also went to three churches in one week-end. You can do that when there are Saturday night services. On Saturday night we went to Bayside--a mega church in the area. The one that Lincoln Brewster is one of the worship staff. It was a great service, even though their senior pastor wasn't there, and Licoln Brewster wasn't there. When their second worship leader guy came up, the crowd cheered. I thought, This church isn't built around the concert personality then. But that wasn't the real surprise. After the worship, they simply said they were about to take the offering, and with that announcement there was a loud cheering from the audience. I've never been in an audience that cheered for the opportunity to give. Let me tell you, it changed the atmosphere in a moment. There is joy in giving. There is exuberance in celebrating faith in God's provision.
I asked afterwards how that came about. It turns out that it was a movement led by the young people. There was a teaching about giving that was presented to their young people about attitudes as it relates to their money, and how giving changes the heart. Apparently, from that time, the young people cheered when it was time for offering, and the cheer has become contagious. They've been cheering ever since.
The Macedonians were like that. They were joyful about giving. They badgered Paul, excited to be able to participate with their giving.
4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
For what does your heart plead? For what does your heart cheer?
Your answer to these questions actually provides the answer to the next question, which is... C. What Do You Seek First In Your Life? (8:5)We cheer and plead for what is "first" in our life. The Macedonians made it easy to see what they sought first and foremost in their lives. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. When you give yourself "first" to Christ, money, and everything else is secondary. You plead for and cheer for, and live for and work for what pleases him! The Context of Seek Ye FirstMatthew 6:33 (NIV) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. The context of Matthew 6:33 and seeking Christ's kingdom first, is a financial or economic context also. When the context is financial, or economics, and the command is "seek first his kingdom", how does one apply the command? It cannot be far from the Jewish mind that God asked that we honor him first with our finances. The Old Testament principle of "firstfruits" applies, here. The principle of "tithing" is the principle of honoring God FIRST with our income, and he takes care of the rest. What Does Seeking First His Kingdom Look Like?In this 2 Corinthians 8 context, it is my guess that Paul has already taught these principles to the Corinthian church. So when he is speaking of the Macedonians FIRST giving themselves to the Lord in the context of giving, then giving themselves to Paul and his apostolic team, I can't help but think that they were already faithful in the Tithe, and this voluntary offering over and above what already demonstrated their commitment FIRST to the Lord, showed Paul that they had tremendous trust and confidence in the ministry of Paul, and the cause of the poor in Judea. This offering was Paul's idea to unite the Gentile church with the Jewish church. Salvation came from the Jews. Now the Gentiles who were enriched by their salvation, can freely bless the struggling Jewish church. Hearts would be knit together, and the cause of Christ strengthened with such a gift. It would be evidence to the Jewish church that these Gentiles had indeed received the grace of salvation. The evidence was all there. That grace was not "empty" (6:1). They must truly be God's people too! Whatever you consider "First" in your life is what you work for, plead for, cheer for, and live for. For the Macedonians, giving proved they sought his kingdom first. They plead for it, cheered for it, begged for it. They gave themselves first to the Lord, and that's why their joy overflowed (8:2). There are others who's joy is small, even though their pocket books are large, and for them enough is never enough. Why? They live for "more" rather than living for the Lord. It is not how much you have that matters, but what is first in your heart that matters. Butterball HotlineAround Thanksgiving a few years ago, radio commentator Paul Harvey shared a true story of a woman and her frozen Thanksgiving turkey. The Butterball Turkey Company set up a telephone hotline to answer consumer questions about preparing holiday turkeys. One woman called to inquire about cooking a turkey that had been in the bottom of her freezer for 23 years. That's right--23 years. The Butterball representative told her the turkey would probably be safe to eat if the freezer had been kept below zero for the entire 23 years. But the Butterball representative warned her that even if the turkey was safe to eat, the flavor would probably have deteriorated to such a degree that she would not recommend eating it. The caller replied, "That's what I thought. We'll give the turkey to our church." Paul Harvey daily radio broadcast (11-22-95);
submitted by Charles Kimball, Allen, Texas
What does giving of ourselves first look like? I can tell you what it does NOT look like: Our First Is NOT Our Worst!
When God asks of our "first", as it relates to our time, it is our best time. As it relates to our money, it isn't the leftovers, but firstfruits, our first check is our "tithe" check. As it relates to our week, it is the First Day of the Week. Top of the day, top of the week, top of the checkbook. Give of yourself first to the Lord, and he will bless you for it. They Trusted The Lord And Paul5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. Whereas the Macedonians trusted Paul's apostleship, and stewardship of the collection, the Corinthians were having trouble with this because of some of the undermining going on. With the coming of Titus, the confrontation of the painful letter, and their earnest response to clear matters up, now the issues can be re-addressed, and the business that was started a year before but abandoned can be continued and brought to completion. II. Let's Finish The Unfinished Business (8:6-7, 10-11)6 So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving. . . . 10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. A. Giving Is A Test Of Love (8:8-9)8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. The wealth of our salvation that Christ purchased is so great, and the price that Christ paid is so great that in comparison our giving is a drop in the bucket. The value of what we have received is inestimable. It is out of the wealth that his poverty has purchased that we can now give. It's all "grace." (8:9). The word "grace" shows up four times in this chapter. This is the forth time. The others being 8:1, 8:6 and 8:7 which are all applied to the "grace of giving". Giving is called a grace. That is why giving is called the grace of giving. It is a gift we are allowed to participate in. It is also something we are enabled to do by God. That is why it is the Grace of giving. One Preacher's TestA preacher paid a visit to a farmer and asked, "If you had 200 dollars, would you give 100 dollars to the Lord? "Sure would," said the farmer. "If you had two cows, would you give one cow to the Lord?" "Yeah, I would." "If you had two pigs, would you give one of them to the Lord?" The farmer replied, "That's not fair. You know I have two pigs." Kent Hughes, Preaching Today #205
Did the farmer pass the test of love? You don't pass the today's test later, nor do "good intentions" pass tests of love. B. What Makes Your Giving Acceptable? (8:12)12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has 1. If your willingness is there!2. Not the amount, but giving according to what you have!12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. Those On the Edge of Survival Need Our Help13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." C. Logistics For Doing This With Integrity (8:16-23)16 I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.
19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.
20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.
21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.
22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.
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(C) Jim Hammond
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