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If you had a child disobey you, what would you, did you, do?

What if this child did it over and over again?

Is there a point at which you say, enough already, no more?

What if your child was hurting someone else's child?

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Follow the trail these questions lead in your mind.  Write the answers down if it will help (it probably will).  See what God might be saying to you - or asking you.  Or what you might end up saying to yourself or to God.  

The next in our series on Grace Stories from the Old Testament, this time we are off to Samson.  A story which shows a man, while strong and not easily subdued, weak and broken on the inside. A lot to relate to in this story.

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If you don't get what I am trying to do here, you might be offended.  The goal is to post something Jesus did not say, in order to emphasize something he did say.

I have rewritten Matthew 25.31-40, the first part of the parable of the sheep and the goats, to reveal how far we have gone astray in our christian verve.  We didn't mean to.  But sometimes our efforts to fulfill the Great Commission hinder rather than help. Read at your own risk!  

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When Jesus comes back in all of his glory, sitting on his throne surrounded by the holy angels, there will be gathered before him the sheep and the goats, and Jesus will divide them -- the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to the sheep on his right "come, inherit the kingdom prepared from the very beginning for you -- for you are blessed by my Father. 

"For I was hungry -- and you gave me a beautifully printed handbill. I was thirsty and you showed me how wrong I was and how you interpret the Bible better than the church down the street. I was a stranger, and you judged me and my lifestyle.

"I was naked and you mocked me and how I looked. I was sick and you showed me it was because of the bad foods I had eaten. I was in prison and you told me I probably deserved to be there and that sinners are unworthy."

Then the righteous will answer back: "Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you a handbill or thirsty and tell you what the Bible really meant?

"When did we see you as a stranger and judge your lifestyle? Or naked and gawked at your immodesty?

"When did we see you sick and highlighted the error of your dietary ways, or see you in prison and condemned you as second class?

And the King, Jesus, shall answer "I tell you, every time you tried to convert someone, deliver someone, judge someone -- inasmuch as you have done this to my children -- you have tried to convert, deliver, and judge me.

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May your calling be sure, and your service done in His name.  Peace today as you follow Him.

Don’t look for love - just love.

Don’t try to be interesting - be interested - in something… anything!

Don’t look for beauty, be beautiful.

But

Don’t try to be funny - look for humor, everywhere.

It is macworld this week, and I am registered and everything.

I love macworld, just glorious hours of window shopping, dreaming, imagining what could be along with some pointed training to help me in my everyday tasks.

Alas, I’ve some Thursday commitments I could not get out of, so I decided to travel up to San Francisco a day early, skipping the pointed training, and settling for the window browsing.  San Francisco is 250 miles away, but the journey flew by as I looked forward to day of filling my expo bag with free goodies from all sorts of venders - some I knew about, some I would discover only today!

I found the Mascone Centre without the aid of a GPS, parked my car, and entered the fray.  After a few registering complications which were ably fixed by a variety of friendly staff, I headed for the escalators that would take me to mac paradise.  But I was stopped, saying they could not let me in until tomorrow.  I quickly realized arguing with this guy was not going to get me anywhere, so I set about finding someone who could maybe get me what I wanted.  Perhaps if people knew how far I’d come.  If they knew that I couldn’t make it tomorrow, they would have sympathy on me, and make an exception, and let me in.  I sought out a friendly looking soul who scanned my ticket, and said that yes, I’d be able to get in tomorrow.  

But I won’t be here tomorrow, I really want to get in today.  I’ll even buy a one day ticket if I need to I said, trying to reveal my desperation.  It was then that this friendly person explained to me that it wasn’t open today, there was nothing to see today, they were all down there just starting to set up.  250 miles for nothing!

Thankfully, I immediately saw the funny side of this, and remembered the light house story.

One battleship insisting that the light in front move for this, an important ship. The captain pulled rank, and used all the authority he could muster as he insisted that this light move for this very esteemed battleship.  To which the reply came from a low ranking seaman, that this other light was a lighthouse, and that the battle ship should actually be the one to change course.  

There are somethings that will never change, no matter how much we want them to.  And fighting immovable objects, or truth, or reality, or whatever you want to call it, is futile - and will only serve to make you look foolish if you persist on arguing. 

I came home (via Ikea, so it was not all wasted) and after a dentist appointment, a drama class, and some key cutting, and package delivering, I’m back off on another 500 mile round trip - this time for the real thing.  I’ve read the instructions, I’ve noted the times and realized that adding Saturday apparently meant taking away Wednesday!  

I lost some time… and some gas money… but life is good. I've actually had fun.  So have peace today - but not in trying to change what is never meant to be changed.