Inspirations from the Funny Farm

Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Psalm 34:8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Count your blessings is an old hymn that many of you probably sang in church through the years. I woke up singing this song in my head this morning. The chorus says, “Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your many blessings; See what God hath done.”

This song was written by Johnson Oakman, Jr. in 1897. Johnson was born April 21, 1856 to a merchant in Lumberton, NJ. His dad was proclaimed to have the finest singing voice in town. Johnson unfortunately did not inherit his father’s beautiful voice. I feel his pain. My dad sings making a joyful noise, but I can only make a happy racket.

Johnson wanted to take part in the ministry, and after working for the family business a while, he studied ministry and ministered at the Methodist Episcopal Church. At age 36, he discovered his musical talent that he had been searching for. His talent for song writing became apparent, and he penned 200 songs per year, and eventually over 5000 songs flowed from his pen. You will recognize “No, Not One” and “Higher Ground”.
From what I see researching Johnson, he was a man with a strong desire to lead others to Christ, and he had a strong desire to sing praise to our Father. However, he lacked the physical talent of a voice for singing. That did not stop him. He knew that God gave him a talent and an ability to serve, and he found that he was able to preach the gospel through songs that he wrote. What a legacy of beautiful praise hymns he left for us to enjoy over a hundred years later!
This morning as that song resounded in my head, I couldn’t help but count my blessings as I said my morning prayers. Sometimes we get caught up in all the bad things going on or even dwell on the bad things that we’ve been through. We start a poor pitiful me campaign in our head, and then all we can see is the trouble we’ve endured. BUT if instead of dwelling on the bad, we remember the good we start recognizing blessing upon blessing that our loving Father has bestowed upon us. Even in our darkest hour, He is there, holding our hand, blessing us through our struggles.
The last verse of this song is my favorite: “So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all. Count your many blessings; angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.” Today, spend some time counting your blessings and thanking God! I can’t sing, I’m not a song writer, but glory be to God that I can praise Him for all of the blessings He has given me!

Colossians 3:11-17 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Unity is the state of be joined as a whole. It is being a team and working together for a common cause. I see examples of unity on a daily basis at work. Our crew is a team of finely skilled professionals who come together to address the needs of any patient who walks through the door. For the receptionist, the manager, the nurse, and the provider, the patient is our priority. Our goal is to deliver high quality care whether it be for a splinter removal or a chainsaw laceration! The way that we achieve high quality care is through continued education opportunities, daily refreshing of our skills and knowledge, and knowing the strengths and weaknesses of our team as well as knowing the individual team member on a personal level. We aren’t just a bunch of co-workers. We are family, and we work together like a well oiled machine.

Now you know I don’t like to stand on a political soapbox, and I promise that I’m not going to do that today, but I just have to say that I have never in all my days seen this wonderful country that we live in be so un-united. As a nation, we are so divided, and it isn’t just due to one agenda. You can pick your own corner, but just be ready to come out fighting because someone is going to have a very strongly opposing view, and they are going to be ready to fight you for their viewpoint.

Wait a minute! Before you put on your boxing gloves, hear me out. I’m not trying to start a fight. I just want to end the fighting.
So what we do? Where do we go from here? Paul tells us the answer in Colossians 3. We are all very different people created uniquely by the divine Creator of the universe. As such, we are all going to believe differently, act differently, and yes, sometimes have very strong, deep opinions that are different from others. But if we have Christ within us, we are all unified in that one unique quality. We are God’s chosen. We are His children. As a child of God, we must clothe ourselves as His children. We have to learn to show compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We have to learn to forgive as Christ forgives us. But most of all, we have to learn to love. These are the virtues that bring us to unity. I know that some of these virtues, maybe even most of these, don’t come easily or naturally to some of us. But I also know that as our love grows deeper for and in Christ, these virtues become our second nature.

I say all of that to say this; we need unity in our nation, our homes, our churches, and our families now more than ever. We need peace. The only way that we will achieve that is by practicing these virtues outlined by Paul. We have to become more like Christ, and more importantly, we have to share the love of Christ and the good news of salvation with this broken, hurting world. It’s not an option, Peeps. It’s our calling. When I see the mess that this country is in, I think, “there’s not much little old me can do to fix it.” And as an individual, I probably can’t, but when we join together, united as a body of believers in Christ, we can make mountains move! Let’s start trying hard to live in unity!

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Galatians 6:2-3 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. This involves not just actively listening to what someone says, but truly hearing what they are saying. That sounds silly, but it’s so important. How often do we listen, but not really hear? How often do we just nod and say uh-huh, but then minutes later we don’t even remember what the person was saying?

To be empathetic, we must train ourselves to be active listeners. I remember back in my early years of school while training to be a family nurse practitioner, I wrote down every thing I heard. In class, I wrote down everything the instructors said. Oh yes, I had some awesome notes. When I began seeing patients in clinicals, I wrote down everything the patient said while interviewing them. I was afraid I would forget something important. A very wise physician who was precepting me said, “stop writing down everything. Just listen and remember what they say.” That was probably some of the best advice I received while in school. I then had to retrain myself to listen and remember. I had to pay attention to not just what the patient was saying, but how they were saying it. Instead of writing notes, I was looking eye to eye with the patient. They had my full attention. I learned to not just hear what the patient said, but rather to feel what they were saying.

A whole lot of people are hurting right now for a countless number of reasons. As christians, we are to show compassion for others and comfort those going through troubled waters. Giving advice isn’t always the answer. When feeling troubled, people aren’t always looking to others for answers. Sometimes they just need to know that they are being heard and know that someone cares. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Today I challenge you to be empathetic. Look, listen, and hear what those around you are saying. We are all carrying a few burdens of our own, but how nice would it be to lighten someone else’s burdens today. Don’t try to solve the problems of the world. (I’m so guilty of this one.) Rather be a comforter. Show compassion. Love as Christ loves. Be empathetic! Point others to Christ by showing His love and compassion to this hurting world!

2 Corinthians 4:6-10 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

Yesterday, we talked about the potter and the clay parable and how we are molded and shaped by the hand of God. But what about when the pot gets cracked? Let’s talk about cracked pots today.

Paul is using this illustration of the treasure in clay jars as a metaphor for Christ in us humans. Back in Paul’s day, there were no banks. Money, valuables, and jewelry were stored in unassuming plain old clay pots. The pots were cheap to make, and they were readily available and pretty inconspicuous. The pots were just plain old pots, but inside the pot was a mighty treasure. When we are filled with Christ, we may look like a plain Jane like myself, but oh what a treasure there is on the inside of that plain Jane vessel! If we keep the treasure all to ourselves, we’re not doing any good. We have share Christ with others.

As we go through life and occasional struggles, we sometimes become a little broken. We get a chip here or we get a crack there. We get pressed hard at times, but we are not crushed. We recognize that we are cracked, but through the grace of God we are able to overcome whatever situation it was that cracked us in the first place. We then give glory to God, and that’s when His light shines through. His light shines boldly through our cracks for the world to see.

I read a story about a water bearer. Every day, he went to draw water for his master. He took two pots. One pot was cracked, and by the time he made it home each day, the cracked pot was only half full, while the other pot was completely full. The full pot complained to the water bearer, and the cracked pot felt bad about not doing his job well. He apologized. The water bearer told the cracked pot that he already knew about his flaw, and he used it to his advantage. He said that he planted seeds along the path, and each day, the cracked pot sprinkled water on the seeds and beautiful flowers grew. The water bearer was able to pick flowers for his master’s table daily because of the cracked pot.

We may look a little broken. We may feel that life has got us down. We feel cracked. Just remember that Christ is inside of you, and He shines brightest through those cracks. Use those cracks to share His glory. I’m thankful for my cracks. Being a cracked pot isn’t so bad!

(The picture today is the bottom of an old clay chiminea that broke years ago. I saved it, filled it with dirt, and I’ve grown many a beautiful flowers in that old cracked pot!)

Jeremiah 18:1-6 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

Every now and then, I spend a little time reminiscing, and I think about all of the people who have been a part of my life. I’ve learned many life lessons and gained much knowledge from those who have worked to shape me into the person I am today. I have overflowing gratitude to all of those who have poured into me over the years helping me to become me. But we must be careful who we are allowing to shape and mold us. I have told my children multiple times to be careful when choosing who they spend all their time with. We tend to become like those around us. That’s not always a bad thing, but it can be. If we’re hanging out with those who are steering us away from Christ, then that can be very bad indeed. Who is shaping and molding you?

I love the parable in Jeremiah about the potter. In this scripture, the Lord tells Jeremiah to go to the potter’s house. Jeremiah arrived and saw the potter working on a jar. The clay became flawed so he made it into another pot. Then God told Jeremiah that he could treat Israel as the potter treats the clay in his hand.

God shapes us and molds us into the image of Christ. He is in control. He took a broken vessel like me, and He gently shaped me, molded me, and made me into a vessel for His service and glory. He gently works out the flaws. After a potter shapes and molds his clay, he has to put it into the kiln. Fire is used to solidify the vessel. In our daily walk, there will be times when we feel like we are in the fire. That’s okay though. Just keep on walking through that fire and remember that intense heat you are experiencing is solidifying the work that Christ is doing in and through you. We gain knowledge through trials, but even more importantly, we learn to lean on Christ when we are going through the fires of life. As we lean more on Christ, we then spend more time with Him, clinging to His Word. The more time I spend in the Word, the closer I become in my walk with Christ. He’s still shaping and molding this girl. I’m flawed, and I’m a continual work in progress, but I am so thankful I am in the Potter’s hands!

Hebrews 6:19-20 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Storms in life will come and go. Weather in the deep south is predictably unpredictable. The kick off of summer also brings the kick off of hurricane season. When there is a tropical storm in the gulf, we begin to make preparations. We spend a little time picking up and preparing for the winds and the rains. We clear the back deck, put away the umbrellas, turned tables upside down, stored chairs away, all in preparation for possible strong winds. All small crafts on the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi will be ordered in. Even the strongest anchor wouldn’t be able to withstand hurricane force winds and waves. Oh but we have an even stronger anchor: an anchor of hope in Christ!

I’ve read this scripture from Hebrews 6 before. I’ve even quoted it, but I didn’t really understand all of it. I understand the part about Christ being the hope that is an anchor for the soul. It is truly my hope in Christ that anchors me firmly in my faith. But what about the rest of the verse? “It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.” During biblical times, the Hebrews gathered around and within the tabernacle to worship. There were curtains or large veils within the tabernacle. Behind the innermost curtain was the holiest room on earth. This is the place that held the sacred ark of the covenant and the brilliant light of God, the shekinah, shone down. This was the God room. Once a year, the high priest would enter the God room with a pan of blood and pour it over the mercy seat. God witnessed the priest offering the sacrifice in the correct manner. This pleased God, and He graciously forgave the Hebrew people of their sins.

We don’t have to continue in this ritual any longer though because God sent a Savior. Jesus walked through life, took on life’s sufferings, and has gone before us. And now He pulls us towards Him. He invites His followers inside the curtain where we find hope in Him, relief from worries, doubts, and fears. Christ is a constant priest, not a once a year high priest. He is sitting on the throne next to God in the God room. He represents our needs to Him. There is nothing that we endure that is too great for Him to handle. Don’t forget where your hope is fastened. Jesus is the anchor. Rest in peace in Christ! If you aren’t feeling that hope in Christ, check your ties. The anchor has to be tied to the boat to work!

Psalm 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

John 15:11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A joyful heart is good medicine. Take if from me. I’m a family nurse practitioner! LOL. But seriously though, it really is. No matter what is going on around me, no matter how bad things appear, there is still joy that only comes from Christ in my heart. It is that joy that I cling to daily.

I’ll admit that there are days that I don’t wake up all grins and giggles. Some mornings, I need an extra strong cup of coffee to get me started, but then the joy of Jesus gets me going!
How does one get joy? How does one keep joy? Well, the answer is simple. Joy is found in the presence of Jesus. No matter what is going on, no matter how hard things get, no matter how big and bad the events of the world are, we can still find joy when we are in Christ.
I’ve been asked many times through the years why I am always smiling or how do I keep a positive attitude when things look grim. I love the line from the movie “Elf”, “I just like smiling. Smiling’s my favorite.” I love to smile, and I know that it is because I have Jesus in my heart. I have complete faith in Christ, and I know that no matter what is going on, I’m His and He is mine.

Peeps, life is hard, and it seems to be getting harder with each passing minute. Happiness fades in the midst of the troubles we encounter, but joy remains. If we remain in Christ, He remains in us. His joy also remains in us.

Don’t let the trials of the day get you down. Start each day with a cup of coffee and quiet time with Jesus. By growing closer to Christ each day, the joy within us grows and suddenly no matter the circumstances, we find that we have joy overflowing. Joy flows out through our words, our actions, and our love for others. Then, others will see that joy is overflowing from you, and they’ll want some of that joy too. They’ll even ask you where your joy comes from, and then you can tell them: Jesus. There is joy to be found in Jesus! Keep going to the throne of Christ. Keep studying His Word. Keep speaking to Him. Let the joy of Jesus overflow from you!

John 13:34-35 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Romans 12:9-20 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

If you turn on the news or even take a look at social media, you will see an occasional act of love and kindness, but more often than not you will see a lot of hate, people who are angry and acting out on that anger, people who are spewing words of hate rather than showing acts of love, and people just being plain old ugly. If we aren’t careful, we will get all caught up in that anger and hate, and before we know it, we are leading an army of angry people who seem to support our cause. Whoa there Peeps! We have to stop this! We have to stop right now! Why? Because when we react to situations with anger and hate we are not loving like Christ loves, and those who are not Christians are watching and seeing the example we are setting.

Wait a minute. Isn’t there a scripture about Jesus getting angry and turning over tables? (Matthew 21:12-13) It’s okay to get angry sometimes right? Yes, but in this scripture, Jesus was pointing to Himself and His coming death and resurrection. When we get angry, we must be careful that in our anger we aren’t pointing people away from Christ.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that I have never been angry. Oh, have I been angry! Have I said things I later regretted? Yep, more times than I want to admit! I’m human. I mess up. I’m still a work in progress. The thing is though that as a follower of Christ, when I do these things, the Holy Spirit gently nudges me and let’s me know that once again I messed up. I realize that I messed up, and then I realize that I need to get things right. I need to apologize to the person or people who I’ve offended and show love. I ask for forgiveness.

One of my biggest fears is that my stupid, selfish actions would lead someone away from Christ. People are watching our behavior. They watch to see how we are going to handle bad situations. They watch to see how we react. As christians, we are expected to behave at a higher standard. We are expected to show the love of Christ no matter what we are going through. Why? Because Christ loved us enough to die on the cross for our sins and rise again so that we may have everlasting life. That is true love my friends.

So even though it’s hard, we have to daily strive to love like Jesus loves. Feed the hungry. Peeps, we always have food at our house! When someone is sad, cry with them. When someone rejoices, rejoice with them. We have to learn to live in harmony with one another. If you mess up, and you will, make it right. Make amends.

If I speak out in a way that seems very unChristlike or unloving, people are quick to associate my statements to my relationship with Christ, and they may even further associate the things I said to my family or my church family, and maybe, just maybe, I just steered someone away from Christ or visiting church because of my big mouth. Doing this would devastate me. I know I’m not perfect. I’m just a sinner saved by grace. If I have spoken in offense, I beg forgiveness.

I want to love like Jesus loves. I love you Peeps! If I have offended in the past, please know that I am sorry. As Christians, we are like toddlers learning to walk. With each passing day, we get better at walking with Christ. We learn from our mistakes and our love grows stronger for Christ and others. He said love others like we love Him. He didn’t say just love the ones that love you. He didn’t say just love the ones that act like you. He said love ’em all! We have to love everybody. Do it!

Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the LORD?

Matthew 17:20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Jeremiah 32:17 Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

Have you ever had a really bad day? I’m sure if you are being truthful the answer is yes. We all have had bad days. Look around the world right now, and we see bad days repeating themselves and only seeming to become worse days! It looks like some crazy apocalyptic mini series playing out before our very eyes. The year of 2020 has proven to be a very bad year. We have had the first pandemic in over 100 years, there was then a rumor of murder hornets taking us over, murders and protests occurred, concerns of election fraud are still floating around, and a crisis at the border is ongoing! Jobs have been lost. Businesses have closed. It has been a messy year for sure, y’all, and we have had some very bad, terrible,, awful days this past year.

Bad days can get worse in our minds when we start dwelling on the problem and when we take our eyes off of the problem solver. We can easily get so caught up in the anguish of the terrible moment and the horrible things that are happening around us. Then we begin to worry and fret, and we do the worse thing possible: instead of turning to the Word of God, we turn on the news, we listen as some reporter gives us which is many times false or twisted information, and this just sends us into panic mode.

When we panic, we are focusing on the world, the problem, and on self. Oh but God! God is all powerful, and there is not a problem going on that He doesn’t know about. There is not a problem going on that He isn’t currently behind the scenes working on. He is working all things out for our good and His glory. We only have to have faith and knowledge that He will. But what if our faith isn’t strong enough? What if we feel too weak? Have no fear! God is here!

God’s power is exponential. The power of God isn’t relative to the amount faith we have. (Praise the Lord!) It is exponential in nature. God’s power is not dependent on the amount of faith or the level of faith that we have but rather on the amount of goodness and grace that God has. On those really horrible, tough, hard days we only have to remember that God is all powerful. There is nothing that He can not do. Trust that He will work it all out in His timing. He has a plan. Just trust Him to work it all out for your good and His glory!

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We’ve all heard the expression “like a thorn in my flesh.” I’ve removed quite a few thorns in my life. I’ve removed thorns or splinters from many patients, my children, and most recently I had to get Jeff to help me pull a few splinters out of my hands and feet after pressure washing and staining the deck. Thorns hurt! At first, they are just a little aggravating, but if left in place they become sore and begin to fester up until the thorn becomes a constant aggravation.

Paul is speaking metaphorically here of a thorn in his flesh. We know that he is not talking about a literal thorn, but we do not know for sure what his ailment is. He uses the phrase as a metaphor for something that he is having to endure and suffer through. Many biblical scholars have guessed at what the thorn may be, but the fact is, Paul didn’t tell us. If he did, we couldn’t as easily relate to the scripture when going through our many times of thorns in the flesh. Whatever it was that Paul was enduring was significantly hard enough that Paul begged God THREE times to remove the thorn. He wanted God to take away the pain. He knew that God could take it away, but God chose not to.

Many times we pray about a situation we are in the midst of enduring, and we see God answer those prayers. Cancers disappear. Loved ones are healed. Strength is restored. But other times, we don’t get the answer we are asking for. Do you think it’s because God isn’t listening? Absolutely not! God hears us.
So why then does God let us continue to endure the thorns in our flesh? I believe that one reason is because the thorn helps us to grow in God. We gain godly character and maturity. The thorns also humble us. We can’t go around boasting and bragging about ourselves when we have a big old thorn in the flesh. Also, the thorns keep us running back to God. We call on Him. We lean on Him. We gather strength to continue living through Him.
God didn’t remove Paul’s thorn because He wanted Paul to recognize that His grace was sufficient and His power was perfected in Paul’s weakness. Sometimes God doesn’t remove our thorns for the same reason. He can remove the thorn, but this pales in comparison to seeing God meet our needs day to day. We have to realize that His grace is sufficient. He is all we need. The power of God is perfect. God is all powerful. We are so weak, but God makes us strong. When we recognize how weak we are, we realize how abundantly God pours out His grace on us. Don’t let the thorns get you down. God’s grace is sufficient to help you through the suffering. Just trust in Him!