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<Previous Message Next Message> Wednesday, March 25, 2015
We had Mollie for two weeks when this photo was taken four years ago. She has not lost her spunkiness and we have to constantly remind her to behave. "The Blessing Of Reminders"
Note: My
computer crashed last night and I was unable to process the audio file. "So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things" (2 Peter 1:12-15). Like many others, we often use terms such as "senior moments" to describe brief lapses in memory. A younger friend describes it as "data overload". Years ago I was visiting in the office of Paul Hollinger, longtime general manager of WDAC, one of our local Christian radio stations. He was nearing retirement at the time and had a napkin on his desk that stated, "I Have CRS". I inquired concerning what that meant and he informed me it stood for, "Can't Remember Stuff". In Friday's message I (Stephen) mentioned a pastor's conference I attended last Thursday. Normally, Brooksyne and I do our chaplaincy walk-throughs together but after we made some early morning visits together, Brooksyne dropped me off at the conference and proceeded to make several more visits on her own. During these walk-throughs we greet the employees individually. Some share their burdens asking for prayer and at times seek our advice. At the very least we seek to be a friendly face giving them a brief diversion from what can be a very long, routine day. At the end of our workday we are weary and might even be weighed down with personal data overload. Maybe that explains why Brooksyne did something out of character last Thursday afternoon. After her visits she dropped off an item to be repaired and later returned to pick it up across from the Park City Mall. Here's her version of the story: After I picked up the repaired item I returned to the parking lot and looked for my van. I thought I had parked it closer since it was cold outside but, after spotting it at the far end of the parking lot, I dismissed the idea thinking to myself, "Good for you! You must have parked far away so you could get your 10,000 steps in today." Rather absent mindedly I opened the van door, sat down behind the wheel, and spotted a bag of mini twizzlers which I didn't remember being there before. It was nearly 4 PM. and I hadn't eaten lunch so I was very hungry. Without even thinking I reached into the bag and tossed a couple of them in my mouth. Suddenly I awakened me from my stupor and looked more closely at the interior of the van. Shopping bags were strewn about that were not mine, the interior was different than ours and I instantly knew the twizzlers in my mouth were not MY twizzlers! I shot out of that van like a cannon ball and spewed the twizzlers out on the pavement immediately. Of course I looked around to see if the owners of the van were within eyesight. Thankfully they were not, so I hurried to my own van and quickly exited the parking lot. Later I couldn't help but wonder what they'd think if they knew a complete stranger had fingered their twizzlers. And did they see the two twizzlers I spat out (I didn't have enough presence of mind to pick up the evidence and destroy it.) Stephen's note: If the owner of the van contacts us we will buy them a new bag of twizzlers. As we get older we generally deal with short-term memory loss (like forgetting where we put our wallet, coffee cup, car keys, cell phone, wrong car, etc). We all need spiritual memory prompts to keep us on track. The daily text expresses an attitude we should have when we are reminded of familiar truths. Peter was confident his readers not only knew the truths he had shared, but they were also established in their hearts and minds. Nevertheless he pledged to be steadfast in reminding them of these things. Today Peter might preface his message by saying, "I know I'm preaching to the choir. but...." He was determined to "make every effort to see that after his departure others would always be able to remember these things." That's a faithful minister! Do you receive the reminders of truth with joy? I recall the line in an old hymn that put it this way, "I love to tell the story, for those who know it best, seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest." May we never lose interest or find ourselves yawning when hearing or reading of the foundational truths of the Gospel, even if it is the umpteenth time! May it instead reassure and refresh our spiritual appetite. Be encouraged today, Stephen & Brooksyne Weber Daily prayer: Father, we thank You for the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit. May Your Words be impressed upon our hearts as we give regular attention to them through reading and memorizing the Scriptures. We don't want a casual attitude about Your Holy Word, but rather we want to be earnest students of Your Word genuinely contending for the faith. Help us not to be absent minded when approaching the gospel truths but rather be wholly present that we might partake of all that You have to teach and show us in Your Word. May we never weary of the basics of the gospel or lose the awe and wonder of seeing a life that is changed when redemption takes place. We want to hunger and thirst after righteousness and never lose sight of the old, old story that will be our theme throughout eternity. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Additional note from Brooksyne: We lock our car doors - something else I didn't even notice when entering the wrong van. Perhaps this should be a lesson for all who park vehicles in the public. If you don't want people eating your candy be sure to lock your doors. Yesterday we referred to a local eagle's nest with a cam streaming. Since that time both eggs have hatched and the newly hatched eagle chick are now in the video. It was great source of conversation this morning in our chaplain visits! (I was told the frozen video is probably due to so many people getting on the site.) Today's
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