Let’s Have a Meeting

Soon after we moved to our present location Sherri and I noticed that a group of people were meeting every Wednesday night at a house on the corner up from our house. Cars and trucks lined both streets. Men and women paraded into the house, and very often they were still meeting when we went to bed. Sherri and I were curious as to what these people were doing. We decided that they were having a Bible study although I don’t think I ever saw anyone carrying a Bible. After about four months I decided to ask someone what kind of meeting they were having. The guy reluctantly said, “Its a birthday party.” I replied, “You folks sure do have a lot of birthdays!” Later I found out from the home owner that the group was meeting to play poker, Texas Hold’um. He invited me, but so far I haven’t gone. Sherri and I joke about going over to the “Bible Study”.

People like to meet. Baptist meet a lot. If I had a dollar for every church related meeting I’ve attended in my six decade of life I could retire. Wait, I am retired!  Baptist have Bible studies, prayer meetings, home groups, eating meetings, “we call them fellowships”, planning meetings, deacon’s meetings, women’s mission meetings, men’s meetings, concerts, sing alongs, regular business meetings, called meetings, and many other meetings which may or may not be necessary. Then we meet on Sundays for the worship meeting and the corporate Bible study meeting which we call Sunday school.

Sometimes I wonder, ‘Are all of these meetings doing any good?’ Do our meetings further the Kingdom of God? How many souls are saved as a result of our gatherings? Do the hungry get fed?  Do we help the homeless because of a meeting? Do our meetings place us in a position to show love to those groups like the transgenders? What if one of them actually came to our church?  They might want to use our bathrooms! How many of our meetings result in our going into the projects, the ghettos, the bars, and the streets where drug dealers and prostitutes are found? Oh, we have a reputation to protect, we Baptist!  Would Jesus ever be seen in places like that?  We pride ourselves in going to a foreign country for a week to “carry the gospel message”, but never consider taking that same message to the dark places in our own cities where sinners lurk.

Do our meetings produce more baptisms? Do our meetings cause us to be more compassionate, more forgiving, more merciful, more Christlike? Do our meetings help convince us that our political and religious diffifferences, our biases, and our hatred toward those who disagree with us go against everything that Jesus taught. Why then do we meet so much? I think our meetings make us feel better about ourselves. For a little while we can take our minds off of our own selfishness, our selfserving lifestyle. We convince ourselves that we are doing God’s work. I’m sure God is very impressed by our many meetings, maybe not. I think that perhaps the poker game in my neighborhood might further God’s Kingdom just as much as some of our Baptist meetings.

Stories Best Left Untold

Israel (Jacob) had a favorite son. His name was Joseph. Israel’s other 11 sons knew their father was partial to Joseph, therefore, they hated their younger brother. To make matters worse Joseph had two dreams, both of which he should have known would make his brothers hate him even more if he told them. That is exactly what Joseph did. Each dream represented scenes in which his brothers bowed down to him signifying that they were subordinate to Joseph’s authority.

When the brothers got the opportunity they decided to kill Joseph, but the oldest brother, Ruben, intervened and talked the others into putting little brother in a cistern instead. Ruben was going to come back later, get Joseph out of the pit, and take him home to their father. As it turned out a caravan of merchants came by on their way to Egypt, and the brothers sold Joseph to them. Ruben was not there at the time to prevent the transaction so Joseph was taken to Egypt where he was sold to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.

Even though this was God’s plan all along I think we find here an example for all of us.  Joseph should have kept his mouth shut. Some stories are best left untold. Have you known people who tell things that were none of their business? I have heard stories from others that although they were involve should not have been shared because others were hurt and embarrassed. I have a few stories about mistakes I’ve made that I think might keep some from making the same mistake, but I can’t tell those stories because others would be hurt if I told them. There are some really funny things about former students, fellow teachers, and church members that I would love to include in a book, but I can’t share them because those people would be embarrassed.

We just can’t tell everything we know. We should never share information told to us in confidence. Honor a person’s desire for you to not tell their secrets. Even if you mistakenly hear some juicy information which may or may not hurt another person, keep it to yourself. And be careful what you tell others about yourself. You could end up in a dark pit if you share your darkest secrets with the wrong person.

Speaking of Snow

I am pretty sure the year was 1978. The date was around the 2nd or 3rd of January, and it was the first day of school after Christmas break. Snow was in the forecast, but no specific time as to when it was to begin, nor was there an estimated amount. I was teaching and also driving a school bus for Lewisburg School. My route began early around sunrise, and the snow had not begun. The further I went the harder it snowed. The students on my route were ready to get back to school. I don’t think a single student failed to ride the bus that day. When I pulled into the school parking lot I noticed other buses still loaded with students were leaving the school grounds. I pulled up to let the students off. The principal told me that school had been cancelled. “Take ‘em back home!”

As I headed out the road conditions were horrible, and the visibility was getting worse as the intensity of the snow increased. I couldn’t drive very fast, so it took a long time to deliver everyone safe and sound. Near the end of the route on the Thompson Chapel Road I had a long, steep hill to climb, and at the top of the hill there was a sharp curve. I knew I had to build up some speed to make it up the hill. What worried me was how I would be able to maneuver that big bus around the curve. There was no problem getting up the hill, but when I drove the bus into the curve the bus began to slide sideways. I cut the wheels toward the direction of the slide and finally got the bus under control. Scary!

The four or five students still on the bus loved it. They sounded like they were on a roller coaster. One of them said, “Mr. Brady, how did you do that?” My reply, “I don’t know! I had my eyes closed!”
I finished my route and headed home. I was so glad to park that bus and relax.

The snowstorm of 1978 is still discussed to this day. There was no school anywhere the whole month of January. I can’t remember when we finally returned to school. I think we had about three feet of snow from the storm. People were snowed in, and the national guard had to rescue many. Sheri and I were having a house built during that time. That was not a good experience for us. But we lived through it. I guess if we could survive the 1978 Blizzard we can make it during this major snowstorm in Raleigh NC.

Sibling Rivalry

Long, long ago twin boys were born to Rebecca and Isaac. The older one, Esau, was loved by his father, and the younger one, Jacob, was loved by his mother. Esau was a country boy who preferred hunting out in the open spaces. Jacob just liked to stay at home with his mother. One day Esau came home famished, needing something to eat. Jacob had cooked some delicious stew. Esau said, “Give me a bowl of you stew before I starve to death.” The cunning Jacob replied, “Certainly, but you must give me your birthright!” Esau agreed since he figured the birthright would be no good to him if he died. This was not a smart move on Esau’s part. The birthright was extremely important, and he showed no regard for it. Nor was Jacob’s part in this deal a good thing.

Later the boy’s mother, Rebecca, helped Jacob pull off another deed to take something very special from Esau. They conspired to deceive Isaac by getting him to unknowingly give Jacob the blessing that was rightfully Esau’s. Of course there is more to this transaction. It was God’s plan all along for Jacob to receive the oldest son’s blessing which meant that Jacob would be the recipient of God’s promises through Abraham. But the immediate result was that Jacob had to leave home because he feared what Esau would do to him. Esau hated Jacob, and the brothers were alienated from each other.

What a tragic story. But this kind of thing is played out within families every day. Over the years I have known of many situations in which siblings have had a falling out and never speak to each other again. There are too many reasons for this kind of thing to mention, but the common thread is that one, both or a number of family bystanders are behaving childishly. I don’t care what the reason for the conflict there is no godly reason for siblings, parents, or relatives to hold on to animosity toward another in the family. Who is to fault? Everybody! I’ve seen a spouse hold a grudge toward their mates sibling. Most often they will take their mates side and reject their brother or sister having no contact with them whatsoever.

There is a solution to this kind of problem. Forgiveness! Act like an adult and do the right thing. There is no place for childish behavior in an adult world. You can quote me on that. Esau hated Jacob, and Jacob feared Esau. But finally, after many years Jacob decided to leave his father-in-laws land and go to his home where Esau was. He took his wives, his children, his servants and his livestock and started the journey to meet his brother. After traveling a great distance he was afraid when he got word that Esau was coming his way with 400 men. Jacob rounded up hundreds of his goats, cows, bulls, donkeys, and camels to offer Esau when they met.

When the brothers got in sight of each other after all those many years Jacob was surprised by what Esau did. Esau ran to Jacob and threw his arms around him and kissed him. Both brothers cried. Undoubtedly, Esau had forgiven his brother. You know what Jacob said to Esau? This is so neat! He said, “Brother, to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.” Isn’t that great?

I think that deep down this is the kind of reunion that every sibling desires. This is what should happen. Get rid of pride. Spouses don’t exasperate the problem; don’t be the source of the problem. Refuse to be the childish source in the conflict. Be an agent of reconciliation. Every troubled relationship can come to a good conclusion. I would hate it if my brother and I were at odds with each other. I didn’t want him when he was born and didn’t like him much for many years, but now I don’t know what I would do without him. Please don’t tell him that I said this!

Sunday Dinner

After church yesterday Sherri and I drove over to Wake Forest where we met Susan, our daughter, and her husband Clay for Sunday Dinner. We meet somewhere every Sunday after church for Sunday Dinner. Our choice for a place to eat was a restaurant called The Real McCoys. I think they have the best catfish and fries in the north Raleigh/Wake Forest area.

Sherri and I got there first. The place was empty. The receptionist told us we were their first customers. She said they opened at 11, an hour before we got there. It was a little before 1 that the crowd started to arrive, just before the football game began. TVs  were everywhere on the walls. It didn’t matter where you sat you had the perfect seat to watch the game. As the game progressed the place became rowdy, much different than when we first arrived.

This morning I was thinking how different Sunday dinner was when I was a kid. My parents rarely went out to eat on Sunday, or any time for that matter. On special occasions we might have gone to Wilson’s Restaurant on the Bowling Green road or Parkview Restaurant on the square in Russellville. Those were the only choices. I don’t remember any TVs at either of those places. Of course,back in those days people were not looking at their cell phones because there were none, thank goodness. The waitresses didn’t have weird colored hair, tight pants with holes in the knees, or metal object in their eyebrows, lips and nose. Neither of those places were ever loud, no one shouting or screaming a curse word. No, it was just calm, peaceful, and friendly.

Where did we eat? We almost always ate at home. My parents actually cooked. We had fried chicken, steak and gravy, roast beef and Sunday potatoes, with biscuits or cornbread, vegetables, which I didn’t like back then, and most of the time a chocolate pie, a coconut pie or some other delicious dessert that my mother had made. Sometimes we would have company, the preacher and his family, or just some friends. But always our family sat down at the table and had Sunday Dinner together.

Splat

What did the bug say after he smashed into the windshield?

“If I had the guts I would do that again!”

There are occasions when a bird will fly into our patio door or into our large bay window. Sometimes the bird will fall to the ground, shake its head and fly off. There are others that are knocked out cold, but eventually they recover enough that they are able to fly away. Unfortunately, some hit the glass so hard that they die immediately, I suppose from a broken neck or major brain trauma. I’m not sure why these birds cannot see what is in front of them and avoid the danger. There is so much free space in which they can safely fly.

I was wondering about this, and it hit me that like these birds I have done the same thing many times. I didn’t run into a window, but I have flown into danger zones and have gone “splat”! I chased after unwise desires, hastily jumped into what seemed to be wonderful materialistic opportunities, and failed to weigh the cost.

The inexperience of youth explains why we have taken a nose dive into shallow waters. We were able to shake our heads, get up and move on. Hopefully, we learned a lesson and did not repeat the mistake again. Middle aged adults are not exempt from flying into glass doors. This can be a tough time as we begin to see that goals we had set for ourselves are not going to be achieved. Youth is fleeting, and in an attempt to hold on tightly to it we make some very foolish mistakes that knock us out. Some of us eventually recover, others never do. Some lose everything.

There are many good pieces of advice to help us avoid the windows of destruction. But my favorite is “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

If we fly this course we are less likely to be like the bug that flew into the windshield, and those birds that went “Splat” into my patio door.

They Were Just Like Us

In those moments when your behavior, your actions, are less than what they should have been, and you wish you had not done what you did, the worst thing that could happen would be to run into a preacher or someone you think is very close to being like Jesus. Or you and your spouse have had a big fight, you’ve made a mistake with one of the kids, and your family life has not been ideal, and you don’t want to hear about how perfect the neighbors family is.

One of the worst things that we can do is to compare ourselves with someone else who we think has no problems and lives the ideal life. Have you ever considered some of the heroes in the Bible to see some of the things they did. Look at Abraham and Sarah for instance. They were the parents of the whole nation of Israel. They were people of much faith, and were greatly favored by God.

You know the story. Sarah couldn’t have children, God had promised Abraham that he would have a son who would be the beginning of a great nation of people that would number more than the stars in the sky. Sarah did not believe this so she suggest to Abraham that he sleep with her servant girl, get her pregnant so what God had promised would come true. That is what Abraham did, and the servant did have his child. I would suggest that this might cause some problems in a marriage, especially today.

One day God was talking to Abraham telling him that in a year Sarah would have this son he had promised. Sarah overheard the conversation. She laughed because she was 90 years old and Abraham was 100. There was no way two old fogies like them could have a child, she thought. Later God confronted Sarah and asked her why she had laughed. She said, “I did not laugh.” Here we see one of the greatest women in the Bible speaking directly to her God, her lord, telling him a big boldface lie. God said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

These are only two of several things that Abraham and Sarah did that were pretty bad. And they are not the only biblical heroes who committed terrible sins. King David was an adulterer and a murderer, the Apostle Paul persecuted the church and was responsible for the deaths of many people. Peter was a betrayer. What did God do? He forgave them, they repented and God used them in a mighty way. It doesn't matter what we’ve done God will forgive us. Those people you think are perfect, with perfect families, and never make mistakes and never sin? Let me tell you, they are not perfect. They do sin. You mess up, you sin, you beat yourself up by telling yourself you are a horrible person. You are not horrible. You are loved by God. So much so that his word says, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” If you have really screwed up welcome to the crowd. You are in a great position to receive God’s love and forgiveness.

None of us are any different than the great heroes of the Bible. They were sinners the same as you and me. They asked God to forgive them and they repented and God changed them. If we do the same God will be able to use us in a mighty way.