Go Rockets!

The Rockets were down by 17 points to the LA Clippers in game 6 around the middle of the 3rd quarter.  The Clippers were ready to celebrate winning the series and advancing past the Rockets to play in the Western Conference finals.  Just one problem for the Clippers; the Rockets were not finished.  I stayed up till 1:15 AM watching from East Coast a game that was being played on the West Coast.  But it was worth it.  The come back by the Rockets was amazing and fun.  The Rockets not only won; they did it convincingly; 119-107.   I hope they learned something about themselves, that they are so much better than what they often settle for.  If they keep this up, who knows... we may win game 7.  Then things get interesting.  Could they go to the finals?  Can they win another championship?  Right now I am just glowing in the victory of my favorite NBA team.  GO ROCKETS!!!

Don’t Blame Christmas

Its Christmas time and that means one thing, it is the season to lose one’s mind!  Okay, maybe that was a little too dramatic, but it seems as if Christmas makes people just a little crazier than normal.  People like me who don’t enjoy decorating will spend hours decorating, why?  Because it is Christmas.  People who like to decorate, go nuts and turn their homes into a winter wonderland, why?  Because it is Christmas.  People, who like to spend, spend even more.  People, who like to eat, eat even more.  People, who feel stressed, feel even more stress.  People, who feel lonely, feel even lonelier.  WHY?  Because it’s Christmas.  Please don’t blame Christmas. 

It’s not Christmas’ fault we get this way; in fact the fault is ours.  Christmas simply magnifies who we already are.  If you are a thankful and joyful person most of the year, then at Christmas you will probably be even more thankful and even more joyful.  If you are a negative scrooge most of the year, then you will be even more of one at Christmas.  If you are down and lonely most of the year, it will be at Christmas time that your struggles will be magnified.  So to all of you who are struggling, don’t blame Christmas and definitely don’t treat it like it’s the answer to your problems (that will only cause more depression and binge eating in January). 

The answer to our struggles is not Christmas, but Christ.  He is the savior after all.  The gifts of mercy, grace, love, salvation, renewal, second chances, and spiritual strength are offered year round through our Lord Jesus Christ. If you read John 15, you will see that a branch disconnected from the tree will wither, struggle, and die.  If we are disconnected from Jesus, we too will wither, struggle, and die.  However, if we connect with Jesus, we will become like branches that are strong and fruitful.  Through Christ we will find the strength to overcome our weaknesses and struggles.  His Spirit will grow fruit in our lives each day we focus with gratitude on the saving work He did on the cross.  If you are lonely, the Spirit of God can empower you to encourage others who are lonely, so that together through Christ you won’t be.  If you are stressed, through His Spirit we find a peace and comfort that no holiday can provide. Okay, I could go on, hopefully you get the idea. Next time you look at a Christmas tree, look at its strong base and its long wiry branches with heavy ornaments hanging on them.  The reason they stay up is because they are firmly connected to the tree. No matter what season we are in, if you want strength and peace; if you want that, then connect to the vine (Jesus) and watch and see what kind of fruit will grow in your life. 

Merry Christmas! 

-Vic

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15: 4-5_NIV

Precious Potatoes

Fredrick the II or better known as Fredrick the Great of Prussia was considered one of the greatest military minds of all time.  He is considered one of the greatest rulers of all time.  One interesting story about Fredrick is that he wanted to introduce new crops to Germany, so he introduced the potato to his people.  IF you ever notice, the potato at first glance is an ugly (dirty) vegetable that does not appeal to people right from the start.  The Prussian people said, “No thank you”, and were unwilling to grow the potato because no one wanted to eat it.  Some farmers were arrested for not growing potatoes.  So Fredrick (being a very smart tactician) declared the potato a “royal only” vegetable; that the potato was too good for ordinary people.  Therefore only the royal farms could grow them and only royal people could eat them.  He then planted royal potato farms and put guards out to protect these potato crops.  Fredrick said to his guards, “Protect these potatoes, but don’t protect them very well.”  Next thing you know, people went from hating potatoes to stealing potatoes; because if it is a royal food, it must be pretty good.   What Fredrick did with the potato was to rebrand it.  It’s not just some dirty ordinary vegetable; now it was a royal food.  And that which was despised became deeply desired. 

Consider the words of Peter…

“4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:4-5 NIV

Just as the potato was rejected, so was Jesus.  He was rejected at first.  However by faith, a rebranding of sorts occurred in the minds and hearts of some of the very people who had first rejected Him.  They had no idea that the pain and heartache in their lives was due to the fact that they were trying to live without the Son of God.  Once people realized Jesus wasn’t just some average man, they began to see that He was the best of all men; more than that, He was royalty, the Son of God.  That changed everything for people everywhere, because Jesus is not a man to be rejected.  Instead, He is the most precious of all of our relationships.  Some days we reject Jesus; we leave him out of our schedule thinking that we have more important things to deal with, that we don’t have time for Him.  Those tend to be our worst times, the days in which we try to live without our Savior.  Maybe we need to rebrand the way we see Jesus, because He is not just some man or some trivial idea that we can discard.  He is royalty.  He is the most precious of things.  Only through Him can we become royalty (children of the King), eternal, righteous, enjoying His everlasting grace and peace. 

-Vic

Who is King Lemuel, And What About His Mother?

There is no one by the name Lemuel that we can connect to the Old Testament.  Maybe Lemuel is a personal for one of the kings.  We don’t know.  There a few scholars that translate the name Lemuel as “belonging to God”.  By the wording of the proverb it seems pretty clear that he and his mother were real people; we just don’t know exactly who they were.  With that said, after reading this proverb, we have a very good idea of what kind of people they were.  The first nine verses of Proverbs 31 is advice that King Lemuel’s mother gave to him.

 These words are called an oracle; that is a big mystical word that simply means “wisdom that determines ones future”.  That of course is my definition; but I think it is on point.  Think about it, the proverbs are filled with wise teaching that if ignored could lead to destructive behavior.  For example in Proverbs 31:1-9 King Lemuel’s mother taught him to abstain from drunkenness because it would distract him as a leader, causing him to neglect his duties and his people.  My favorite part of Proverbs 31 is verses 8-9…

“8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. ⁹ Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV

These sound like the words from a noble woman to her soon to be princess, queen, prince, king from any number of Disney fairytale stories.  It sure sounds like any mother of a Greek, Spartan, Roman, Assyrian, or Babylonian king.  Those mothers taught their children to be ruthless and self-centered.  Whoever King Lemuel’s mother was, she was a game changer; she taught her son and now the world what a true leader is to be.  A true leader thinks of others, defends the poor and the weak, does not see women as simply objects for sexual fulfillment, nor does a leader dull his senses with drugs or alcohol that would distract from his responsibilities.  These wise teachings from Lemuel’s mother make sense now in our 21^st century world, but they were revolutionary when they were written more than 2000 years ago.  From a woman we don’t know; she changed the world not with a sword, fashion, physical beauty, or even wealth; she changed world with the wisdom she diligently shared with her children.  Godly mothers can change the world and make it better.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Grace & Peace,

Vic

TRUSTING in Luck, Axioms, Proverbs, Truisms & Cats

So you are having a bad day and then out of nowhere you receive an email alert on your phone.  You open the email and there it is; a picture of a cute cat hanging on a tree limb next to a little quote that says, “hang in there!”  YAY! Problem solved!  Your day is no longer a bad day, because you can put your trust in that little quote that turned everything around.  OR HAS IT?  Can you place your trust just in any quote or proverb, even if it has cute pictures of cats and dogs?   

The book of Proverbs often personifies wisdom as a woman.  In fact, all of chapter 8 is a poem about "lady wisdom."   We do the same thing when we personify luck as "lady luck."

So where do you put your trust?  Lady Luck or Lady Wisdom?  How many times has lady luck walked out on you?   Can we really count on luck?  And we live in a world that puts more trust in luck than it does in God’s truth / wisdom.   So where do you put your trust?  Luck or Wisdom? 

Luck will run out; but God is faithful.  Luck doesn’t forgive sins, luck does not heal a broken relationship, luck does not help overcome addiction; luck cannot get you into heaven. 

Luck always fails when we need it the most, but God is always faithful.  We live in a world that wants to feel good, to be happy, and feel complete.  There are so many antidotes, quotes, and proverbs floating around in cards, emails, and signs.  When it comes to wisdom, consider the source.  Can the source of that tidbit of wisdom back it up with some form of promise or truth?  God does not stoop to trying to make us feel good with fluff; instead He keeps His truth

simple and easy to understand.  If you want life, blessings, and the truest of treasures, you are not going to find it in a greeting card, a lottery win, or in a popularity contest.  The greatest of all blessings comes when we can put our trust in the one God who is always faithful and whose wisdom is always

applicable.  The book of Proverbs is filled with many quotable quotes that

encourage us to focus on things that matter most.  The word “Proverb” simply means: be like this. So read Proverbs 3:9-18, and be like that. - VIC

“9 Honor the Lord with your wealth with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, 12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. 13 Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, 14 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. 15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. 16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. 17 Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.” Proverbs 3:9-18 NIV