http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700 AdvancedMinistry             It is hard to comprehend anyone experiencing God’s forgiveness not experiencing true joy. Grace poured onto a dry and thirsty soul is enough to make the coldest heart shout for joy. It was the prospect of being forgiven, which David clearly saw as a restoration of joy (See Psalm 51:12). Repentance brings God’s forgiveness, which results in joy!             Joy should not be restricted to a singular mode of expression. There are those who feel joy can only be expressed through a shout, by running, whooping, hollering, etc. Yet, I once witnessed a new convert experiencing joy after a baptismal service. His manner of expressing the joy he felt was a bit unorthodox but nonetheless genuine as he exclaimed, “Hot Dog!” over and over again.             David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, brought the ark of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom — “with joy” (See I Chronicles 15:25). It was quite a procession. Some were singing. Others played musical instruments. David danced. Still others bore the weight and burden of transporting the Ark. Yet everyone brought the Ark on its way—with joy. We can observe joy in their procession through their sacrificial worship, singing, music, and dancing. What about those bearing the Ark? They obviously could not dance like others. Did this make these any less worshipful or joyful than the others? Is their joy any less real though less demonstrative? The point being — joy is felt at different levels and expressed in different ways by different people. Therefore, we should not compare or judge others. Following a snowfall, a theological student observed a young lad snow skiing on one ski. He went to the young radical and asked, “Don’t you know you are supposed to have two skis?” The boy looked at him with a beaming smile reflecting his enjoyment and said, “But Mister, you can have lots of fun with one ski if’n you ain’t got two!” Maybe using one ski wasn’t the norm, but there is no law that says having fun is restricted to one method of skiing. The reality is that some people experience joy using two skis and others experience it using only one. Both experience legitimate joy, they simply experience it differently.             It has been suggested that we view joy in this light:                         J represents the “J” in Jesus                         O represents a zero — nada — nothing!                         Y represents the “Y” in You Therefore, as long as there is zero (“O” — nothing!) between Jesus and You, there will be joy in your life! I like that. That’s what repentance does. Repentance keeps things from getting between us and Jesus. This is one method of experiencing joy that we all have in common. Selah.  Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=34313 34313 Mon, 14 May 2012 19:21:00 +0000   “[L]et us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…” (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)               There you are, going through your stretch routines just prior to lining up against your competitors for the big race. You glance up into the grandstands to see a host of people that have gathered to witness the occasion. It’s a big day for you. Perhaps this is the single most important day of your life. You definitely consider it a defining moment.             As you gaze into the grandstands, you can’t believe the way some of these folks are dressed. Some look like they are from the pages of an ancient book. Then, you see others who are not so antiquated. In fact, you see a few folks that resemble people from your not-so-distant past. You strain your eyes as if trying to focus the lens of a camera. It can’t be … but it sure looks like them—why it’s your Grandmother and Grandfather, your younger brother that drowned so many years ago and the eight-year-old son you lost in 1994. You close your eyes and try and tell yourself, “This can’t be!” But it is!             The grandstands are full of individuals God’s Word calls “witnesses.” Faithful folk from Bible times as well as every decade and century since the dawn of time. It’s quite a crowd including prophets, apostles, martyrs, and many, many more. No, they’re not here to witness your race as much as they are here to be a witness to the victory that is possible by faith. They are here so that their testimony can cheer you on. They are witnesses to the fact that no matter how difficult this race may be, you can win it—just like they did—by faith. They’re not just screaming, “You can do it!” They are screaming, “I did it and so can you!”             The gun sounds and you are off! Some run faster than you. Others seem slower having adjusted their pace. It’s not really speed that counts in this race—its endurance. Can you be faithful and consistent when a compromise or weakness would make your life easier? It’s not who finishes first but those that finish that counts. This is everyone’s goal.             As you near the finish line, your mind journeys back to the days, weeks, and months of training as you prepared for this big day. You are glad that you shed that extra weight – things other people never laid aside. You developed the disciplines they never adopted. Today, you are grateful for the tips given you by elders who knew better than you how important it is to scale back so that your race is not hindered. The lighter shoes with the special arch and insoles have certainly been worth the investment. You remember training with the ankle weights to strengthen your legs and improve your endurance. You are glad that you are free of them now as you close in on the ribbon stretched across the finish line. The thought occurs to you that winning isn’t so hard when you prepare well and live the disciplined life.             There is a touch of sadness that seizes your spirit as you momentarily think of those that fell by the way, unable to finish the race. There was one man that stopped because he was out of breath. What a difference that extra ten pounds and his nicotine habit made in his run! Without exception, every loser has a story. Every loser has regrets over one thing or another. If you lose, you lose big, no matter the reason. O’ but if you win …   The author can be reached for comments at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. Tim Whistine also has a weekly column in The Independent, a Beauregard-Vernon newspaper.               http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=33873 33873 Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:34:00 +0000 The smell of freshly mown grass was in the air and I normally would have savored the moment. Instead, I was bitter, angry, hurt, and numb. I should have been the one mowing the lawn but my sweet wife had to do it for me. I should have been the one baking in the hot and humid Louisiana summer heat, not her. Yes, I appreciated my companion’s willingness to do the task but I couldn’t help but feel humiliated and embarrassed. I was miserably unhappy. In my gloom and self-pity I remember looking down at the ground like a man looking into a wishing well. I was lost in my troubles. It was then that I saw what looked like a blade of grass floating across the concrete. It wasn’t moving fast but it was moving steadily toward some destination. I soon realized it was being transported by an ant. The spectacle became a welcomed distraction. In the months prior, life had dealt me several blows. I felt paralyzed like a chess player whose competitor just said, “Checkmate!” I couldn’t think of a single move I could make at the moment that would turn the game in my favor. Solomon once advised someone to go and observe the ant, so I decided to observe this little guy. Years removed from that moment, I now refer to him as Moses the Missionary Ant.  No, he wasn’t dressed in a suit and tie or holding a shepherd’s rod or even riding a bicycle. He wasn’t your typical Bible-thumping sort, but he was definitely an ant on a mission. I dubbed him Moses because like the Biblical prophet whom God used to part the waters of the Red Sea for Israel as they escaped from the Egyptians, Moses the ant parted the muddy waters of my mind and helped me to find my way through a troubling time in my life. Moses the prophet and Moses the ant had something in common. God used them to show people there is a way to get beyond obstacles — that they should trust God. So, sitting in reverent awe, I listened to the missionary ant that never said a thing—verbally. As I observed little Moses, I sensed God’s love and that He had not forgotten me in spite of the fact that I had never felt more alone. Little Moses was on a Broadway stage and I his only audience. Only, he wasn’t acting. His example was speaking to a broken man in need of a miracle. Moses the missionary ant came to my rescue that day. As he lumbered toward me, I could almost hear the theme music of The Lone Ranger as it played in my mind. Help was on the way! I leaned forward a little more. Ants are interesting little insects which scientists have studied for years. There are at least eight thousand kinds of ants so there is plenty to study. Ants are global. They have climbed on ships and sailed across oceans. They live everywhere in all climates. Defeatism is a concept the ant family doesn’t understand. Quitting, giving-up, surrender, retreat, etc, are alien terms to an ant. Like Winston Churchill — ants never, never, never give up! If a mountain is in their way, ants tunnel through it. If a swollen river blocks their path, they will roll themselves into a ball and float across it. They cannot comprehend a problem that has no solution. Ants are astute engineers and architects and as I would soon learn—problem solvers of the highest (or should I say the lowest) order. An ant possesses six legs providing it with tremendous strength and mobility. It is a climber. It doesn’t recognize stop signs or detour signs because an ant will find a way! They are small but incredibly strong creatures. Moses the missionary ant carried a blade of grass many times his size but the size of his burden never diminished his determination. By his example, little Moses taught me that burdens are not dead ends on the road of life. Burdens can be useful. In fact, sometimes they become the bridge that connects us to a new adventure, a new experience, or a new horizon. Burdens can be a blessing in disguise! Still watching little Moses, I saw him come to a large crack in the concrete. It looked as if he would be forced to retreat from his desired destination. Moses stopped momentarily as if to consider his options. He then turned left to search for a place to cross this massive chasm but found none. He did an about face and went in the other direction. Again, he was unable to find a crossing point. He then returned to his original point of approach, paused as if to make a quick calculation, then took his blade of grass, laid it across the chasm and walked across the blade of grass to the other side. Once across, he picked up the blade of grass and resumed his course. The moment washed over me like a profound revelation. I felt like I was standing on the shores of the Red Sea watching it close on the Egyptians after I had made it to safety. It was a moment I would never forget. As quickly as he had appeared, Moses the missionary ant vanished out of sight. But his message lingers to this day. If God can empower an ant to find a way to get beyond the obstacles in his life, surely He will help someone like me. There I sat paralyzed by my misfortune and adversity watching as this tiny little creature conquered a mammoth obstacle that dared to block his way. Moses the ant took no time for a pity party. He did not wave a white flag of surrender. He didn’t even claim to be a victim. He forged ahead in spite of his problem. The crack in the concrete was still there after Moses was long gone. I realized Moses didn’t change the problem; he simply refused to let the problem change him or alter the course he was on. My brooding ended. My sense of despair vanished. Moses the missionary ant taught me to turn my burdens into bridges and allow them to lead me to a future destiny which must not be abandoned. According to the example and message of Moses the missionary ant, the burden is often a necessary part of the journey and I pondered the lesson.  Author:  Tim Whistine You may contact the author at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=32851 32851 Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:55:00 +0000              As I’ve done many times before on a frosty January morning in Louisiana, I gathered a couple of pieces of pine kindling and three to four pieces of good seasoned oak that I had split months before and prepare to start a fire to warm my home. I arranged the oak on the fire dogs and poked the pine kindling underneath. I cheat and squirt a shot of charcoal lighter fluid on the pine chuckling as I considered what my grandfather or father would think of that neat little trick. Then, I strike a match and toss it on the wet pine. In seconds the pine is ablaze and starting to light up the seasoned oak. By the time I return to my recliner with a steaming cup of black coffee I can feel the warmth of the fire as it wraps around me like a warm blanket. The unique smell of the pine kindling drifts toward me and hurls me back to a time some forty years before, when, as a boy, I stomped through the woods along with my grandfather looking for those rich-lightered pine stumps as he called them. These were aged pine stumps sappy with resin from which things like turpentine and pine oil are derived. These have been used as solvents, disinfectants or cleaning agents, etc. As my mind processes these memories from my childhood, I can’t remember a single fire which my grandfather or father built without the use of pine kindling. I’m not sure if it’s a habit we’ve formed through the years or a tradition I’ve grown fond of. At any rate, to this day I still find myself stomping through the woods until I come across some rich-lightered pine to use when building my fires. Like my grandfather and father before me, I keep a pile of rich lightered pine near my house. Despite the pile of pine I have, I will keep right on gathering more and hauling it home, adding it to my pile. It’s just in me to never pass up a good piece of pine kindling in the woods. I’m not sure if I should thank or blame my grandfather for this habit. Maybe it’s not a habit; maybe it’s a compulsion; maybe it’s neither. It’s just the way I was raised. Watching the flames, I began to think of the match. Everything starts from something and my morning fire started when a single small wooden matchstick coated with a phosphorous mixture on one end was ignited by rubbing it against the rough strip on the side of the matchbox. Matchsticks sacrifice everything to create something bigger, like my fire. Now, after twenty-minutes of the seasoned oak flaming and dropping red coals, I could never recover the matchstick and put it back in its box. It is gone forever. Or is it? I soon began to think of the legacy it left behind; the flames or the warmth for instance. The match started something much bigger than itself. It gave itself entirely in the process and yet its influence lives on through what it began. Maybe the match isn’t gone at all. Sitting in this wonderful warmth I feel on my skin, my thoughts turn to Jesus Christ. He was much more than a match yet He was very much like a match. He gave himself entirely in order to birth His church. He surrendered Himself to death in order to bring about the possibility of a New Birth for everyone. He is not gone. He lives on in those who are truly born of His Spirit. His influence lives on through what He began when He gave Himself entirely on the cross. My thoughts roam to men like Martin Luther or Martin Luther King Jr. who championed great causes. Neither man, though long dead, is truly gone. More than men, they were matches. They gave themselves to a cause and yet their influence lives on through what they started. Matches! Returning to my chair with my second cup of coffee, I pause to throw another log onto the fire started by a match that no longer exists except in the glow and the warmth of what it started. I sat down and wrapped myself in that warmth and considered the power and potential of something as small as a single match. Then, sipping my coffee, I ponder whether or not I could be a match. Can you? Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com.  http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=32344 32344 Mon, 5 Mar 2012 14:33:00 +0000 Haven’t you always loved that part of the narrative in II Kings 6 where it says the iron swam (See II Kings 6:6 KJV)? I do! It gives me hope that no matter how deep my troubles are, God can reach deeper still. Our God is not a shallow God. He is not a God only capable of changing things on the surface. He can reach deep and effect change. Elisha and the young prophets were in a building program when all of a sudden an axe head became dislodged from its handle and flew into the Jordan River. The young prophet was distraught because the tool was borrowed. As the young prophet pointed to where the axe head dropped into the water with a splash that would make any big-mouth bass envious, Elisha threw a stick into the water. As a result, the axe head surfaced and was restored. This story reminds me of the fall of man into sin, and the fact of how humankind can be raised from the deep ruins of sin to walk in newness of life. How wonderful and powerful is the gospel of Jesus Christ! The axe head represents humankind’s fall into sin and how sin can take a person deeper than they really want to go. The wood Elisha cast into the water reminds me of the cross of Jesus Christ and what a difference it can make when it is planted in our individual lives. The mass of the iron and the mass of the wood were different. Iron sinks. Wood floats. The powers or laws which held the iron down were suspended by the miraculous intervention of the wood once planted in the environment where the axe head was lost. Likewise, Jesus Christ on the cross — God Almighty robed in human flesh was planted in our sinful world. His death, burial, and resurrection, can suspend what sin is doing in your life and mine this very moment. We simply need the cross in closer proximity to where we are (like Elisha dropped the wood where the iron sank). Oh how we need preaching that brings the cross within our reach! We need faith to believe in its efficacy.             Our God is capable of reaching us on any level, even when we think we are too far gone. God is a God of the deep! He can heal the cancerous tumor as easily as He can heal a broken finger. He can save the child who lies or the man who murders. God is not limited by how deep in sin we have fallen. God can raise the dead at any level. For instance, Jairus’ daughter had just recently died when Jesus raised her in Mark 6:35-42. The widow of Nain’s son was en route to be buried when Jesus interrupted the procession to raise him from the dead in Luke 7:11-15. And then Lazarus had been dead and buried four days when Jesus raised him from the dead in John 11:34-44. The point being, God is not limited by time or how far gone a situation may seem. He is not a God limited to working on the surface. God is able to work in those deep areas of our lives where change is needed. God is able to reach deep!             Two opposing natures: a weighty piece of iron and a floating piece of wood — sinful man and a sinless Savior. Wood transformed the iron enabling it to swim. A wooden cross plunged into our world of sin where we lay helplessly lost and on bottom can make a difference! Through Christ we are raised from our lost condition — no matter how deep in sin we are. If you feel lost today, move closer to the Cross of Jesus Christ. It is sure to affect your life in positive ways! Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=32343 32343 Mon, 5 Mar 2012 14:26:00 +0000 The psalmist penned, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105 KJV). The Living Bible reads, “Your words are a flashlight to light the path ahead of me and keep me from stumbling.” There are people who use the Bible like a drunken man uses a lamppost—for support rather than illumination! The Word of God illuminates our path helping us make good decisions or course corrections. If you are tired of staggering through life without direction, read your Bible. The Bible is more than just a book containing facts about other people in distant time periods. It is a book about us—about now. A mother once gave a Bible to her daughter. Inside the cover was written, “In this book you will find all the answers to all the problems you will face in life.”  True. Yet all the knowledge and answers that are at our fingertips are useless unless we learn to transfer it from the printed page and into our hearts, minds, and lives. Having a light switch in a dark room is useless unless we turn it on! Charles Spurgeon once charged his congregation with neglect of their Bibles by saying there was dust enough on the cover to write damnation with their finger. Do you need to dust your Bible off? Have you read it lately? Do you read it with an open heart? In A Night to Remember, Walter Lord chronicles the fateful night the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic on April, 1912. Lord refers to the Titanic’s lookouts as the “eyes of the ship.” The ship’s disaster began here. Binoculars that should have been in the forward crow’s nest were not there the night of the accident. Limited vision positioned the great ship for disaster. In The Complete Titanic, Stephen Spignesi contends binoculars were provided to the leaders of the Titanic who failed to get them to the crows nest. Weak vision proved fatal. The Bible links a lack of vision with negative outcomes. This is no better illustrated than in the history of the Titanic. Spignesi believes the binoculars are in the locker of David Blair, second officer—at the bottom of the Atlantic. Nearly one hundred years later, people still point to the binoculars as one of the failures leading to the Titanic’s demise. After his rescue, Frederick Fleet, the lookout observer in the Titanic’s crow’s nest when the accident occurred, became vocal about his not being provided with binoculars. Seeing better could have led to a better outcome. The Bible is capable of making our pathway clearer. Light your daily path. Read your Bible!  Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=32092 32092 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:51:00 +0000 Ruth Painter Randall in Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage captures a scene from the life of Abraham Lincoln during the darkest hours of his presidency—the Civil War. Lincoln enters his wife’s room after having returned from the War Department. In a despairing mood he cast himself onto a couch. One witness said he was “a complete picture of dejection.” Noticing his demeanor, Mary Lincoln asked her husband where he had been. He sullenly answered her inquiry. The First Lady then asked if there was any news. To this, Lincoln replied, “Yes, plenty of news, but no good news. It is dark, dark everywhere.”  The President then reached for a Bible kept nearby and began to read. To the amazement of those in the room, after fifteen minutes of reading, the President’s “dejected look was gone” and his countenance was “lighted up with new resolution and hope.” Lincoln was reading in the book of Job, and most certainly realized that troublesome times pass and brighter days return![1] God’s Word transformed a weary president! James Bradley, son of John Henry Bradley who was one of the six men photographed raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, tells how General Holland M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith stood in the wardroom of the command ship Eldorado and predicted large casualties at Iwo Jima. Smith then sat down misty-eyed.  On the evening of D-Day minus one, “Howlin’ Mad Smith comforted himself with his Bible in his cabin on the Eldorado.  Iwo Jima was to be his final battle.[2] Roscoe Blunt contends Bible reading during World War II gave many a soldier an “inner strength” and “peace of mind” during bleak and stressful times.[3]  Thomas Keneally tells of an Allied plane shot down during World War II by a German fighter plane, crashing inside the perimeters of a manufacturing prison compound. Witnesses at the sight watched the two men inside burn. As their charred remains were finally removed from the burned heap, one of them still clutched the charred remnants of an English Bible in his hand.[4] In the valley of death, God’s Word comforts.    Describing the Bible, Ronald Reagan once said, ‘We’re blessed to have its words of strength, comfort, and truth … Within the covers of that single Book are all the answers to all the problems that face us today, if we’d only look there …”[5] If we’d only look! Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Reading and obeying the Bible helps improve the quality of our conscience, enabling us to live righteously, identify error, and avoid sin. The only time our Bible doesn’t do anything for us is when we don’t read it. John Hagee contends “people who carry a Bible that’s falling apart have a life that’s not.”[6] Which is it with you? Joseph Papp and Elizabeth Kirkland dissect and interpret the legendary playwright, William Shakespeare in their work entitled, Shakespeare Alive! To the astonishment of many, they confront the fact that “Shakespeare was a borrower, not an inventor,” meaning “not a single one of the stories in his plays was his own creation.” In referring to the many sources Shakespeare utilized, Papp and Kirkland point to Shakespeare’s use of the Holy Bible. Shakespeare referred to “forty-two books of the Bible and mentioned fifty-five biblical names” in his works. “Religion,” says Papp and Kirkland, “played a prominent role in everyday affairs” during Shakespeare’s Elizabethan period. During that era, “Shakespeare’s biblical allusions” were familiar to his audiences and easily recognized and or understood. Papp and Kirkland then point out that “modern audiences often miss the point of [biblical] references or require footnotes in order to understand them.”[7] Their commentary points out the fact that in earlier periods people were more familiar with their Bibles than people today. Daniel Webster reveals the respect shown the Word of God in his time period when he says, “If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”[8] The country even prospers when people read their Bibles. Earlier time periods held God’s Word in such esteem. They drew from its pages comfort, strength, guidance, etc. The Word of God hasn’t changed in the least. It is we who have changed. If we could only realize what we are missing and what our families and nation is missing by our not reading the Bible! Charles Spurgeon once rebuked his congregation for their neglect of Bible reading by saying there was dust enough on the cover to write damnation with their finger. It has comforted the dying. It has steeled the desire of weary presidents. It has kept many a soul on the right path. Our Bibles — what a gift from God! — What a treasure for all times! It is an influence we cannot afford to be without.   [1] Randall, Ruth Painter.  Mary Lincoln: Biography of a Marriage.  Little, Brown and Company.  1953. 229. [2] Bradley, James.  Flags of Our Fathers.  Bantam Books.  NY, NY.  2000:145, 147. [3] Blunt Jr, Roscoe C.  Foot Soldier.  Sarpedon. Rockville Centre, NY. 2001:88. [4] Keneally, Thomas.  Schindler’s List.  Simon & Schuster, NY.  1982:288. [5] Brown, Mary Beth.  Hand of Providence.  WND Books.  Nashville, TN.  2004: 104 [6] Hagee, John.  The Seven Secrets.  Charisma House.  Lake Mary, FL.  2004:117. [7] Papp, Joseph, and Elizabeth Kirkland. Shakespeare Alive! Bantam Books. New York. 1988:153, 157. [8] Hagee, John.  In Defense of Israel.  Frontline.  Lake Mary, FL.  2007:97-98.   Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed @yahoo.com     http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=32090 32090 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 08:26:00 +0000 In Ecclesiastes 10:1, Solomon penned this bit if wisdom; “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honor” (KJV). Small mistakes in judgment can lead to big consequences, so—be wise! The apothecary is one who mixes and creates perfumes or ointments like those used for anointing purposes in sacred ceremonies like the anointing of a king or priest. Such mixtures can be very costly as shown in John 12:3. Olive oil normally forms the base. This was then scented with myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, and possibly cassia. The oil was probably mixed with the above ingredients in a powdered form and heated until the oil had absorbed their odors. The scented oils or ointments were kept in jars or vials made of alabaster. Such oils were used to anoint or consecrate kings and priests which made the ointment of the apothecary a very sacred and holy substance. A dead fly found in a container of such ointment desecrates it. The oil is then unholy and useless. It loses its beautiful aroma through this process of coming into contact with a common fly. Its value is diminished by contamination. The oil did not make the fly holy. Rather, the fly made this precious oil, unholy and fit for nothing. How does a fly obtain access to such a costly perfume? Surely, something deemed so sacred would be carefully guarded and sealed. The problem was that someone left the lid off! It was the result of human error. Someone in haste failed to protect what was holy leaving it exposed to worldly contaminates. Much was lost. All the effort, care, and devotion that went into creating this ointment were wasted. Someone labored hard to bring it to a state of near perfection and now all is lost over one small oversight or act of neglect. Solomon uses this incident to illustrate how so small a thing can ruin something as valuable as a good reputation. The fly has an unclean nature and has perhaps been lighting on animal dung, or perhaps a dead carcass. Now, by its contact and association with that which is unclean, the ointment is desecrated. The fly, though small, carried with it a bad influence. Small things can exact a huge price! This is Solomon’s point – a person's relputation can be ruined by small things.  Therefore, guard your reputation (like the container of the apothecary’s ointment should have been guarded). The fly was not made holy by its contact with the ointment. To the contrary, the ointment was made unholy because of its contact with the fly. What a picture of our need for separation. As Paul wrote the believers at Corinth, “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?” (See I Corinthians 5:6, KJV). Small things at times possess a powerful and far-reaching influence. Be careful of the small things you come into contact with and how they influence you. One carnal song can desecrate your thinking. One glimpse of a picture can desecrate your moral judgment. Ted Bundy ended up murdering several women and was sentenced to death for his crimes. He later acknowledged that this journey began with looking at a pornographic magazine. A little leaven with a powerful influence! Be careful of those small opportunities. Once a single fly enters and contaminates the holy ointment, the odor draws more and more flies increasing the influence of their corruption. A little leaven’s influence spreads. Once some things are allowed to take root in our lives, it is hard to stop the spread of its influence. Just as the fly did not belong in the vessel containing the sacred ointment of the apothecary, there are some things, which do not belong in a holy, dedicated, and consecrated life containing the Holy Ghost.  Once they find access, they can ruin a person’s reputation. It can be something as small as not keeping your word; a dress that sends the wrong message; a judgmental attitude; an unbridled tongue; arrogance and pride; etc. No matter how holy the ointment, it did not make the fly holy. Rather, it was the fly – a solitary fly – a single small fly — that contaminated the ointment, making it unholy and ineffectual. Selah! Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=31629 31629 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:41:00 +0000 The psalmist states we should lift up our hands in the sanctuary, and “bless the LORD” (Psalm 134:2 KJV). The expressions of prayer, praise, and worship in the House of the Lord should come as natural for the Christian as complimenting the cook at mealtime. Yet, how often do we leave the Lord’s table without so much as a mumbled thanks?  Like many men, I try and remember to express my gratitude for my wife’s labor in the kitchen. She works hard to prepare the meals our family consumes each day. When I step into the kitchen and smell the aroma of fresh baked biscuits made from scratch, something stirs deep within me (hunger) and I get excited anticipating what is to come. When the meal is finished, I try and remember to compliment or praise the cook.  In order to instill this habit into my daughter, I began a game with her at mealtime. After we offer thanks to God for the meal, and for the hands that prepared it, the Amen is said. This is the cue for the game to begin. The first to say, “Good momma!” wins the game. My daughter is now fourteen and we still play this game. It is more than winning the game, it is about learning to show and express appreciation. Someday, I hope my daughter’s husband will do the same.  It seems that to treat the Lord with any less respect is negligible on our part as believers. We should “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalm 100:4-5 KJV). It should be a natural thing for us to treat the Lord in an appreciative manner seeing we have been the beneficiaries of His goodness and mercy all the week long. Considering His goodness, shouldn’t we enter His house with an attitude that acknowledges this and expresses appreciation? The psalmist states we should “Praise God in his sanctuary” (Psalm 150:1 KJV). This is not just a good thing to do. It is the right thing to do! In Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally tells of how Oskar Schindler paid nearly $18,000.00 per week to Hitler’s Germany during World War II for the labor of Jews working in his factories.  His motive wasn’t profits but keeping as many Jews alive as possible until the end of the war. After the war, Schindler was left virtually penniless. The Russians took possession of his property. His wealth had been spent or bartered in redeeming hundreds of Jews. He had nothing but the good feeling that comes from having been a friend to the friendless. Following the war, Schindler tried and failed in other business ventures, going bankrupt in 1957, and again in 1961. This led to his being continually short of money. The Jews Schindler had saved would come to his aid, each donating at least a day’s pay each year to help support their hero. They never forgot Schindler’s goodness and sacrifice and it was demonstrated via their actions (Simon & Schuster. 1982).  If God has been good to you, don’t forget His goodness and sacrifice when you enter His house. Express some heartfelt appreciation! Begin by attending services at your local church and as you enter the doors of the Sanctuary, lift your hands and your voice to bless the Lord for His goodness to you. If He has blessed you and if you are thankful – show it!   Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com.   http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=31423 31423 Sat, 4 Feb 2012 14:31:00 +0000 Crossing a railroad track I noticed a sign I have read scores of times. Today however, it seemed to say more than usual. The sign read, “Look, listen, and live.” Somehow, those words took on new meaning. They applied to things other than a railroad crossing. As I passed over the railroad tracks I began to think of how the things we humans focus on affect us. Eve looked on forbidden fruit. Lot’s wife looked back at Sodom. David looked on a bathing Bathsheba. Achan looked on sacred valuables. In Acts 3, Peter with John told the lame man to look on them. As New Testament believers we are admonished to look to Jesus Christ. What is our focus? What are we looking at? Are we watching the right kind of people? Look—and live! Not bad advice. And shouldn’t we look for a good truth-proclaiming church to attend? One that believes and teaches the whole Bible and is not selective about what parts it teaches? Look! And when it comes to Bible teaching and preaching, what are we listening to? Who are we listening to? Is it edifying? Is it wholesome? Is it absolute truth? Does biblical clarity matter to you? It should! In A Reader’s Notebook, Gerald Kennedy tells of how a newspaper misprinted a minister’s sermon text. The preacher’s text was taken from First Corinthians 13:1 which says, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity . . .” (KJV, italics added). However, the newspaper’s misprint read, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not clarity, it profiteth me nothing” (Harper & Brothers. New York, NY. 1953:222). We need to listen for biblical clarity and accuracy. Half-truths are still half-lies. Listen! Lots of people exist. Not many people truly live. Living is more than going to work, coming home, watching TV, and talking about what’s wrong with our government (though plenty needs fixing). In Ezekiel, the moving of God’s Spirit made dry bones alive again. In Acts 2, the power of the Holy Ghost gave sinners new life. Is there such a Spirit moving in the church you attend? . . . in your life? Obey Acts 2:38 and really live! Do you want some good advice? Look for a good church where the truth is taught—not part of it but all of it! Faithfully attend that church. Listen to and fully obey the gospel of Jesus Christ as it is preached (Acts 2:38). Crossing over a railroad safely is one thing. Crossing over into eternity safely is quite another! Look, listen, and—LIVE! Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=31246 31246 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:32:00 +0000 How important is the company we keep? You’ve heard the old saying which says if you sleep near dogs expect to have fleas? Contact makes a difference. If you don’t believe that just hug a skunk the next time you have an opportunity. The fact is, some people do hug skunks and it shows—or smells?  Paul wrote the believers at Corinth, “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33, NIV).  As Cervantes wrote in Don Quixote, “Tell me thy company, and I’ll tell thee what thou art.”  Your closest associations are the mirror in which you can either see what you are, or, what you are sure to become!  Very few people succeed in life unless they are surrounded by supportive, significant others.  In A Matter of Character, Ronald Kessler refers to how President George W. Bush surrounded himself with capable, competent advisors.  Bush is said to have chosen men that were superior to him. While other leaders failed because they were intimidated by greater men, Bush succeeded by surrounding himself with superior men. He valued greatness, and this was a key factor in his own rise to greatness.   In The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham, Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley credit Dwight Eisenhower with saying, “Always try to associate yourself closely with those who know more than you, who do better than you, who see more clearly than you do.  Don’t be afraid to reach upward … such associations will make you a better person.”   As a teenage boy, one of his teachers, or, perhaps his father, gave a young George Washington a list of one-hundred-ten rules for living which he kept with him all his life.  One of those rules pertaining to one’s associations states, “Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company” (Washington, George.  George-isms.  Simon & Schuster. 2000:45).  Early church believers were said to have gone to “their own company” suggesting they were selective about who they hung out with (See Acts 4:23). You must decide what kind of person you want to be and then surround yourself with good role models that will encourage and inspire you to be that kind of person. The Bible clearly tells us that iron sharpens iron.  What we come into contact with does have an affect on us—for good or bad!  Selah!  Tim Whistine The author may be contacted for comments at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=31245 31245 Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:29:00 +0000 David penned the words, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death . . .” (Ps. 23:1, 4 KJV). Face it, life leads us through places we’d rather not go. There’s nothing appealing about a valley much less one where the risk of death abides.  Some think the valley David speaks of is figurative, yet it is a literal valley in Israel. It is a deep gorge where shepherds watch sheep graze. By mid-afternoon this valley grows dark like a shadow long before the sun goes down.  Predators roam this valley threatening the safety of the sheep which graze there. It truly is a valley of darkening shadows where the risk of death is real. Were it not for the presence of the shepherd, it would be a frightening journey for sheep. Yet because the Shepherd is nearby, his presence brings comfort to the sheep.  David finds consolation in having the Lord as his shepherd when passing through similar places (Psalm 23:1). Even with the Lord as our shepherd, David contends we still face valleys of darkness, gloom, and the risk of death. However, with the Lord as our shepherd, we need not fear. David doesn’t say He leads us into such places, but through such places! He does not leave us or abandon us in this valley to face the threat of death alone. He accompanies us through this valley. There is a calm and sense of assurance—even protection—when the Shepherd is nearby. What a glorious thought!  As the people of God, we are not led into the experience of death to be abandoned to our fears. Our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, not only passed through this valley Himself, He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, giving us comfort as we too pass through this valley.  Have courage fellow traveler!  If you are facing a fearful valley today, you can pass through it if you continue to faithfully follow our Shepherd.  And when you emerge on the other side, what rejoicing there will be! No sadness. No tears. No pain. Only heaven! Tim Whistine To contact the author, send an email to mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. He would be delighted to hear from you.    http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=30901 30901 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:17:00 +0000  The book, The Last Lecture (Hyperion. New York. 2008), is literally what the title suggests. It’s about Professor Randy Pausch’s final lecture at Carnegie Mellon University prior to his death. I saw the lecture live on DVD and then decided to read the book. Dr. Pausch was a young man—less than 50 years of age. Sadly, he had three small children he would not live to see grown. This meant he would not be there to give those important lectures as a father. The Last Lecture on film and book were a means of communicating to his children the things in life that really matter. In short, it’s not the years in your life span but the life in those years and how you live them that really count. As someone said, “All men die but not all men truly live.” Too many people worry about dying when they should be investing every moment in making the most out of the life they have. Not many people are remembered for how long they lived but for what they did within the life-span they had.  In the book, Dr. Pausch makes this statement; “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” You may want to live to be 99 but are told you have inoperable cancer at 55. Obviously, barring a miracle, you won’t get what you wanted, but think of all the experiences you can cram into a 55-year life span! I think of Paul’s words regarding how he repeatedly sought the Lord for His intervention in a specific area of need (See 2 Corinthians 12). Though Paul did not get what he wanted, he had experiences he benefited from. He experienced the glory of God and revelations, etc. In Paul’s opinion, these were actually of greater worth than getting what he initially wanted.  If you aren’t getting what you want out of life, try looking at the experiences you are benefiting instead. The trial hasn’t ended like you had hoped, but look at what you’ve learned about patience. Your dream marriage may not be perfect, but look at how much you have learned about communication. Experience is what we get when we didn’t get what we wanted. Wow!  Tim Whistine The author may be contacted at mindset2succeed@yahoo.com. http://www.leesvilleupc.org/index.cfm?i=13750&mid=25&blogid=8700&comments=30899 30899 Mon, 16 Jan 2012 18:54:00 +0000