When I was growing up, I used to watch the “Mr. Bill and Bozo Show”; a local TV show for children from WLOS-TV Channel 13 in nearby Asheville, North Carolina. He would have children come and sit in his school bus made out of card board. He would talk to the kids in-between cartoons and commercials. The show was sponsored by Sunbeam Bread Company. My Mom and Aunt Laura took me and my cousin Kenny to be on the show one afternoon. We sat there in the make believe bus, with each child holding a loaf of Sunbeam bread in our laps. I got real excited when we were told that Mr. Bill was going to ask a question and whoever answered it correctly would win a brand new Nifty Notebook. Man…I really one of those new notebooks. 
    The little girl in front of me told me that real winner would be the kid who ate the most bread. So I started eating my loaf of bread. Mr. Bill spotted me and asked if I knew what was the state bird of North Carolina…I tried to say “Cardinal”, but he couldn’t hear for all the bread I had in my mouth…The little girl heard me though and raised her hand, and said “Cardinal” and won the Nifty Notebook! As we were leaving after the show, I overheard one the parents say…”Did you see that little curly headed boy (that would be me), his parents must not feed him at all, he ate so much bread he look like a chipmunk!”
    Through the years I learned to laugh at myself at some, well… ok MANY  funny situations I get myself into from day to day. Life is too short to be mad, bitter and upset over things that don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. Every day is a gift, we should make the most of good days and bad days…even on Mr. Bill’s Magic Bus. Enjoy the ride!
    

    I heard these words walking in Memphis… We were in the the large crowd leaving a football game at the Liberty Bowl Stadium in 1996 where the unranked University of Memphis had just upset the Top Ten ranked  University of Tennessee Volunteers. Fans from both schools were leaving the stadium in stunned silence. That is when I heard one of the Memphis fans say: “After what we just saw, I now believe that even Elvis may still be alive!”… Life and football games are often full of ups and downs surprises and disappointments. That is probably why I enjoy going to sporting events with friends.That weekend trip to Memphis for me and my friends had plenty of both.
    We went to a local High School playoff game on Friday night and then drove to  east Tennessee to west Tennessee that night. We stopped to get gas and some snack food late that night. The rest of the guys were already back in the car when I went to pay for my food. The attendant said she like my Tennessee Vol hat and shirt. She said she was a big Tennessee fan. She then proceeded to tell me  that she had a 10 year old grandson  that would make a good football player some day. I said that’s nice. When I asked how much I owed her and she said that it was free for me, I offered to pay but she insisted it was free. I thanked her. When we got back on the road, I told my friends  what just happened to me …they broke out in laughter! They said the attendant asked them if we were going to the game in Memphis and they pointed to me and said yes, and that guy (me)  is one of Coach Fulmer’s assistants, he is been scouting a high school game tonight and we have to get him to Memphis as soon as possible! 
    We later  stopped at a motel in Jackson, Tennessee near Memphis to get few hours sleep. I had just gotten to sleep when the room phone rang. The person who called wanted to know if my lights in the room and bathroom was working properly…(It was one of my “friends” posing as a motel employee on the phone). Before we drove into Memphis, I put on my #16 Peyton Manning football jersey. I was so excited about going to the game. We even had time to eat barbque ribs at the  famous Rendezvous Restaurant before the game. As we were walking to the restaurant a man saw my jersey and started freaking out, yelling at me, and chased us  almost into the restaurant. I don’t know how I managed to find one of the few people in the state of Tennessee that for some reason so disliked our popular quarterback… but I did. 
    What a crazy weekend but I enjoyed it.The Game of Life is like that, with ups and downs, but we need make the most of it and enjoy it as much as we can…
   

   

        “He learned his love through disicipline, a thundering velvet hand
         His gentle means of scuplting souls took me years to understand…
         But his blood runs through my instrument and his song is in my soul         
         My life has been a poor attempt to imitate the man…
         I’m just a living legacy to the Leader of the Band.” – Dan Foglberg

   I became a Christian the summer of 1970 under the ministry of Dr. Ian Walker at First Baptist Church in my hometown of Hendersonville, North Carolina while attending a church youth camp. It was an exciting time as the “Jesus Movement” began to sweep across the USA with many young people making decisions to follow Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. We were fortunate to have a great church staff there during that time. Aubrey Edwards, who was our Minister of Music and Youth had recruited me to play my bass guitar with the youth muscial group called “The Sound of Singing Youth.” We had over a 100 young people who did concerts locally in schools and colleges and other venues such as the United Nations in New York City, the U.S. Capital in Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach, S.C. and Florida. We also performed for a U.S. President and at a Governor’s Innuaguration. 
    It was so much more than just the music, it was a time when God used Aubrey, Dr. Walker and others to allow us to develop our skills an talents and share our faith. Aubrey found something for everyone to do, including some of us who couldn’t sing. He stretched us out of our comfort zone, challenged and equiped us to to do great things with our lives, with the focus on love for God and each other. He always signed his letters with the phrase “Love and Laughter.” That describes him and our group very well. It was a special time in our lives, when God blessed us with a spiritual foundation that still impacts our lives today.
   Although Aubrey died in 2010, I have been thinking a lot about him recently,  August 25th was his birthday. He is now in Heaven leading the choir there. One day when I go to Heaven, I will get to be back in his band again and I will get to sing this time…( I will have a new body and a singing voice). Happy Birthday in Heaven, Aubrey! Until then “I’m just a Living Legacy to the Leader of the Band…”

“Compare thyself one with another”…Although this is not in the Bible, we are often tempted to think that way.  When we compare ourselves with others, we tend to let our thoughts run toward two negative  extremes.
     One extreme is that we can become envious of someone’s looks, lifestyle, or possessions. We can become bitter and jealous.The other extreme is that we can become judgmental and “look down” on people that have less than we have or is different than us. It is obvious that both of these attitudes are wrong and are not pleasing to The Lord. Psalm 119:37 encourages you and I to think differently: “Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word.”  
    We should focus on the on our relationship with God and love for others regardless of their status in life. As we see ourselves and others as God sees us it will allow us to keep the proper perspective. We are able to maintain the right attitude by getting into studying the Bible and apply it to our daily lives on a regular basis. 
    Also, we need to realize that we are uniquely created by God. I had a professor in graduate school say often “God don’t make no junk.” That is true, and we should celebrate God’s love and grace in our lives and not get caught up on what we have or don’t have in life but focus on God’s love and grace for ourselves…and others.

       “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.” – Sidney Harris

         “Your soul is like a battery that discharges each time you give life away…and it needs to be…recharged regularly.” – Wayne Cordeiro

“When we insist on doing too much, we are not only  inflicting the damage on ourselves; we are sharing the damage with those we love the most.” – A.W. Schrac

  “His Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” 2 Peter 1:3 (NIV)

          “To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it” – Mother Teresa

   It is easy to get overloaded with issues and problems you and I face on a daily basis, which is all the more reason to take time to refresh ourselves spiritually. There are times we need to get away from our busy schedules to just stop and spend time talking with God in prayer. Jesus did this often, especially before and after major events in his ministry. After an eventful day of helping people and the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000…”Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray” (Mark 6:45). You may not be able to get away for an extended time but you can block out some time to just pray and recharge yourself in His Presence. Some suggestions might include, getting up a little earlier or blocking out some time later in the day or evening, whichever works best for you and your schedule.
     I have also found it very helpful to read some from the Bible, and also good Christian books, blogs, or devotional material..this way I am not doing all the talking in prayer and this allows me time for God to speak to me. May The Lord grant you and me the courage to say “NO” to even good things that may clutter our daily lives to say “YES” to the more important priority of spending time alone with God so that we don’t “run on empty” spiritually…
    

” I love the World… but it is People that I can’t stand !” – Charlie Brown, famous Peanuts cartoon character

“Relationships without some stress are either nonexistent, shallow, or sick.” – Howard Butt

” To dwell  some day with the saints in Heaven, that will be glory…
But to live now with the saints here below… that is a different story”

” Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy.Encourage those who are timid.Take tender care of those who are weak.Be patient with everyone.See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and all people.” 1Thessalonians 5: 14- 15

   Dealing with people can be difficult at times, even for us as Christians. How can we can respond the right way? What are some things we can do when relationships get awkward or fractured? Here are several suggestions:
1. THINK before reacting.    
   Some people instead of approaching everything with an “open mind”, do so with an “open mouth” which they often regret and can make things even worse by increasing the stress in a relationship. Publius said: “I have often regretted my speech, but never my silence”. The Bible encourages  us” to speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Stop and think before reacting harshly.
2. Avoid raising the volume of your voice when you respond.
 “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare” ( Proverbs 15:1 NLT). Talk in softer tones, purposely monitoring this will help you stay calm and lower the tone of their conversation too.
3. Try to listen and better understand what is the real issue.
Try to listen and understand what they are really trying to say before answering too quickly. “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish” (Proverbs 18: 13 NLB). Don’t automatically “fill in the blanks” in their conversation and racing ahead to where  you think they are going with their thoughts. You will often find yourself wrong in jumping to conclusions.
4.Do they treat others the same way? You may be misinterpreting some of their comments or actions. Sometimes  we take “things personal” when it is really not intended that way. For example, you may think somebody is ignoring you, when they have health issues and cannot see or hear well. Sometimes when we observe how they relate to others, we better understand them.
5. Pray about the relationship and seek God’s guidance & peace. Learn from this experience and trust God for the future and let Him work things out. Whether the difficult person does what is right, it is essential for you to do what is right. This will bring God’s grace and peace. Be a good example, as the Bible teaches : “Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.” Ephesians 4: 29 (NLT)

“A trip down Memory Lane would be more pleasant if we could detour around the rough spots.”

” You are today where your thoughts have brought you. You will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you.” – James Allen
 
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which everyone has many…not your misfortunre, of which evryone has some.” – Charles Dickens
 

    Sometimes it is difficult to let go of the painful memories of the past. For some reason, it is easier to recall bad things than good things. The good news is that we don’t have to allow those hurts to continue to keep us from being what God wants us to be today and in the future. Some ideas on putting the problems of the past behind us are:
     Accept God’s forgiveness. We are taught through out the Bible to seek and recieve God’s forgivness. There are also many Scriptures that teach us to forgive others whe we have been wronged and also to seek forgivenss of those we have wronged. It is interesting to note however, that we are never taught to “forgive ourselves.” Maybe one reason is that it is impossible for us to do it. We don’t have that power…but God does! Do you allow your past regrets to keep you from being your best now?  It all goes back to accepting God’s forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn’t mean the memory is forever gone, it just means it is not an issue anymore.
    We should learn from the past but not try to live in the past. Can you imagine driving on a busy highway while just looking in the rear view mirror! You would be in a wreck and possibly hurt others.  The same is true in life, you will continue a pattern of damaging your life and your relationships with others by just dwelling on the past. We can allow learning from the past to teach us and to refine us but it doesn’t have to define who we are now in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ; he is a new creation; the old is past away; behold, the new has come.”- 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)
     The truth is that, although we can’t change our past; we can change how we think about it. As we have learned to absorb the pain of the past , it allows us to continue to go on with our lives. A good place to start with this change of attitude is to focus on God’s grace, love, and forgiveness. It is also helpful to think of all the things we are thankful each day. Most of all,  we must allow God giude us in this process… “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and in the streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43: 18-19 (NIV).

“The Eternal God is our hiding place; He carries us in our arms.”
-Deuteronomy 33: 27 (CEV)
When a child is hurting they instinctively run to their parent seeking the security of their loving arms to reassure them and comfort them.
Sometimes life can be and feel overwhelming… That is when you and I need to run into the “Loving Arms of God’s Presence”, knowing He understands us and our situation better than anyone else. There is no doubting His love for you, after all He sent His very own Son to die on the cross so that you can experience God’s grace, love, forgiveness and eternal life.
How do we do experience that? We must turn from our fears and look to Him. “So, the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so that He can show you His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.” (Isaiah 30:18 NCV). We do that when we talk to God openly, honestly in prayer. It doesn’t do you any good to carry around private burdens and allow the weight of our internal stress to grow inside. Let go and let Him hear your concerns. It is also good to ask a trusted friend or family member. or pastor to talk it out and then pray together.
You can never go wrong by allowing God turn your burdens into blessings by trusting in His grace, love, and compassion for you… He is waiting for you and His arms are open wide.

Tom Brokaw wrote a book  titled “The Greatest Generation” to describe the generation that grew up during the deprivation of the Great Depression of the 1930’s and fought in the battles of World War 2 in the 1940’s. He says of them…“It is I believe the greatest generation any society has ever produced. These men and women fought not for fame or recognition but because it was the ‘right thing’ to do. When they came back from World War 2, they made America into a super power.”  As a result of their hard work and sacrifice, the freedoms and many other blessings we enjoy are because of them. They made their world a better place to live in than they one they were born into, in so many ways. We have been the beneficiaries of their hard work and labor of love. They have had many great qualities, of which I would like to mention a few:
    They valued faithfulness and loyalty. Many people today make commitments they may or may not keep. I have been thinking a lot about that lately.Their generation knew that commitments may fade but faithfulness never stops. It is now becoming rare to find individuals who are faithful in their relationships with God, family, and friends. We could learn a lot from the Greatest Generation in these areas of importance.
    They took pride in “their work”. Whether it was in their job, working at home, or volunteering, all these were done  so with the attitude that “if it was worth doing, it was worth doing it in the right way.” It is as if they realized they the “journey was the destination”. They weren’t afraid of work but instead embraced it.  This something we have lost sight of today.
      Because of their age and all the health problems that come with that, we are seeing more of them pass away. May God grant us the grace to learn from the values of the Greatest Generation how to make our world a better place now and into the future…

“God wants us to learn to trust Him completely – even when we can’t see any possible solutions.” – Chuck Smith

“From the end of the earth, I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.” – PSALM 61:2 (NKJV)

There are times when we are so hard pressed with stress, unresolved issues and responsibilities that we can become emotionally drained and exhausted. It is good to know at times like these we can Trust God in spite of our feelings! He is not limited to our emotions or our circumstances.

In fact, He is closer than we realize. Psalm 18:2 describes God as our source of strength in difficult times…”The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Strength, and my Deliverer, my God my Strength , in whom I trust, my Shield, and the horn of my Salvation, my Stronghold.”
The key for us is to turn to Him, seek Him and His guidance, talk to Him in prayer. As we do this we become more focused on Him than bogged down in our own self- pity. Corrie Ten Boom, a great Christian leader and writer who survived the death camps during Word War 2, said this: “Look around and be distressed, look inside and be depressed, look to Jesus and all is at rest.” May we learn from Corrie, to Trust God…even when when we don’t feel like it…