Passing the Torch

   There is a old song that has a lyric that says, “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” However, sometimes it takes a while for that spark to ignite the embers to get going and burst into flame.

    I, like Joshua in our story started out small, but continued to gain momentum as I have served for over twenty years in ministry. Each passing year with each new mentor, my fire got brighter and brighter. It was not until October 2011 that an outstretched arm reached toward me, offering me a torch blazing bright. It was not until then that God saw fit to offer me a full time vocational position in ministry to children.  Just as with Joshua, he started his journey after he led the Israelites to defeat the Amelakites. We know that Joshua waited for over 40 years until God and Moses choose him as the successor to lead the Israelites people.

    Some of you may be gunning for that special promotion, to hold your torch in hand.  Or maybe you are a child, with the desire to be all grown up.  But wait, just as fire can light the path ahead, it can also burn. If you are not equipped to handle your torch, it may leave your life in ashes. God has a special plan in store for your life. You may be a child star, or an empty nester starting a brand new ministry, whatever it is, wait on the Lord, He knows the plans that are waiting for you!

Holy Cow!

“Holy Cow!” We have all heard it one time or another. I think it is one of my wife’s favorite exclamations, I hear her say it all the time. But where does it come from. It can be interesting to find out the origin of things. When I looked for the origin of “Holy Cow”, I almost had to chuckle. What I found was quite interesting. I found things like it came from the Batman and Robin TV show, to being a catchphrase of two or three different sportscasters, to being a popular slang term of teenagers, and thus the spread of its popularity. One of the possibly more accurate origins is that people of India who believe in reincarnation view cows as a sacred or godly being. It is said that you might hear them shout “Holy Cow”, as a warning to a motorist not to hit one of these sacred creatures in the road, much like we would yell, “Look out!” However, one on the best reasons I think I found brings us to our study this week in KidzQuest from Exodus 32 and Deuteronomy 9. Moses had gone up Mount Sinai to speak with God, but the Israelites grew restless waiting for his return. They decided to create a god of their own, kindling Gods anger toward them. I’m not the most patient man in the world, but if I had to choose between a Holy God and a holy cow, I have no doubt what I would choose.  When choices in life are bull-ying you around, grab life by the horns, knowing the one true God will never let you down.

Transformer or Trash

How many of us can remember a toy we got for Christmas or Birthday present that had to be handled a certain way or it could break? Whether it was just fragile or had specific instructions, like a Transformer. I can remember plenty-a-broken Transformer (I think I was the reason they invented the plastic joints that just popped back together). I thought I had it figured out, and then Snap! Sometimes I could fix the problem; sometimes it was a brand new toy getting a trash can funeral. The funny thing is, we have a hard time learning from our mistakes. We grow up and think we can get somewhere without asking directions, or we build our new entertainment center with all the pieces left over, then wonder why it fell over a week later.

            God gave us directions in life so that we could have a better and more prosperous life; You should not have any other gods before me, don’t kill, don’t steal, mind your parents . . . yet we still choose not to listen to them, and do our own thing. Things start to break, and this time, we can’t just throw them away in the trash and go out and buy another one.

            When we don’t follow God rules, we end up with broken hearts and broken lives, and God is the only one that can fix them or replace them. Will you be patient and take a few extra minutes to read His instructions today?!