Good morning and happy Saturday. If you are a guy, get out of bed and get to the church. We have a men’s breakfast at 8:00. The food will be delicious and unhealthy (which usually go together) and Bob Zoller will be updating us on what God is doing through Pastor Enosh and others in India.
Thursday mornings are typically cleaning days at the church. Pastors Fitsum, Edwin and I do what we can to clean up the carnage from our Sunday services and the children/youth discipleship that we have on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. We put stuff back where it belongs after it has used for some ministry purpose or moved for who knows what reason. We do our best to extract the bits of candy, granola bars, and gum that get mashed into the carpets each week. We bemoan the fact that we still find remnants of glitter that was used for crafts last Christmas. We wonder why people don’t buy 8-ounce bottles of water since they never drink an entire 16 ounce one. We think they should sell better adhesive since there are often one or two fake fingernails lying around. We collect the coffee mugs, phone chargers, glasses and Bibles that get left behind. The bathrooms…that will have to be a topic for another day.
Anyhow, last Thursday I was cleaning as usual. I finished in the kids wing and took the vacuum to the lobby. I vacuumed the mats on the inside by the front doors. After that, I took the vacuum outside and began to do the mats in front of the church. Sometimes, I even vacuum a few feet of the sidewalk before you get to the mats. I always enjoy doing that because of the looks I get from the people that wander by going to the Dollar General or the liquor store. Some of them have a very puzzled look on their faces. I am sure some are wondering why I am running a vacuum on the concrete sidewalk. Some even rightly surmise what you have known for awhile in that I have lost my mind. While that is true, there is a method to my madness. You see, the mats on the outside are to catch the dirt, rocks and other yucky things off of your shoes before you enter the building. The mats on the inside are to finish the job. However, if the mats outside are already full of debris they don’t work very well. And, if you clean them but there is a lot of sand and debris all around them, well, it just isn’t very effective. So, there you have it. Go clean your mats today and save your carpets.
Actually, while I was vacuuming and thinking about this (which indicates a level of boredom and/or curiosity) I thought about our spiritual lives. I wonder what we are bringing into the church with us. No, I don’t mean on our shoes. I mean in our hearts and our minds. What is it that we have allowed into our lives that we are now bringing into the church for our Bible study and worship time together? How much are the things of the world influencing us versus that of the things of God? That is one reason why it is imperative to be in the Word of God daily. We need to be in prayer. We need to focus on the Lord and allow Him to mold us into His image. If not, the world is very happy to and quite capable of molding you into its image. We all need to pursue, “the kingdom of God and His righteousness” on a daily basis. In doing so, it will keep us from tracking our yuck all over the place, including into the place where we gather as the church.
8 Finallybrothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things. (Philippians 4:8)
O be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little eyes what you see
O be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little ears what you hear
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little ears what you hear
O be careful little tongue what you say
O be careful little tongue what you say
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little tongue what you say
O be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little hands what you do
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little hands what you do
O be careful little feet where you go
O be careful little feet where you go
For the Father up above
Is looking down in love
So, be careful little feet where you go
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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