A wife and mother

Proverbs 31:10;27-28 (NIV)

10 A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. 27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28 Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

This description of the virtuous woman is designed to show what wives the women should make and what wives the men should choose. [Matthew Henry]

In the movie Pieces of April, April Burns (Katie Holmes) is the wayward child of a highly dysfunctional family. For Thanksgiving, she invites her dying mother and the rest of her estranged family to dinner. Unfortunately, April's oven breaks, and she spends most of the day trying to find someone who will let her use their oven.

In this scene, after being completely demoralized by her oven search and by the memories of her mother, April finally finds a man willing to help her. They are standing in a cramped hallway outside his apartment.

April: The truth is, she's a rotten mother, so I don't know why you'd want to help me anyway.

Man: My mother was a mean woman, too. Nasty. There wasn't a nice bone in her body. She smoked non-stop, cheated at cards, and she complained every day of her life.

April: Sorry.

Man (tearing up): But you know what? There's nothing I wouldn't do for the chance to spend more time with her.

April: So you'll help me?

The man opens the door. [Pieces of April (MGM/United Artists Studios, 2003), written and directed by Peter Hedges;]

God tells us the things we should look for in life. When we find them we should cherish them for when they are taken away there are only the memories that remain. Make the most of your relationships and make the most of your memories.

The Conversation of Grace

Colossians 4:5-6 (NLT)

5 Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

The apostle exhorts them to a prudent and decent conduct towards all those with whom they conversed, towards the heathen world, or those out of the Christian church among whom they lived. Let all your discourse be as becomes Christians, suitable to your profession-savoury, discreet, seasonable. [Matthew Henry]

The names Jerry Falwell and Larry Flynt may provoke strong reactions from some people in our culture. But the following story, shared by Falwell's son Jonathan, describes a moving conversation between the Baptist pastor and the publisher of Hustler magazine.

Years ago, Jonathan traveled with his dad to Florida where the senior Falwell was debating Larry Flynt. Jonathan recalls:

Mr. Flynt asked my dad if we could give him a ride back to Lynchburg in my dad's private jet. Dad said yes so we traveled to the airport and boarded a beautiful black and gold Gulfstream III. As we flew to Virginia, I sat across from dad and Mr. Flynt as they had a long conversation about sports, food, politics and other ordinary topics. I was amazed and bewildered because they kept talking like old friends. After we dropped off Mr. Flynt in Lynchburg, I asked dad, "How come you could sit on that airplane and carry on a conversation with Larry Flynt as if you guys were lifelong buddies? Dad, he's the exact opposite of everything you believe in; he does all of the things you preach against; and yet you were treating him like a member of your own church. Why?"

Dad's response changed my whole outlook on ministry. "Jonathan," he said, "there's going to be a day when Larry is hurting and lonely, and he'll be looking for help and guidance. He is going to pick up the phone and call someone who can help him. I want to earn the right to be that phone call!"  [Jon Greggo, “Conversations That Changed Me,” Outreach Magazine, (2010 Outreach 100 Special Issue), p.82;]

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone then it will be evident of your love for The Lord. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity to extend the love of God to them. For we are God’s people and we represent his love, mercy and grace.

Finding joy

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

We should always find joy in our relationship with The Lord. For The Lord provides for all our needs. It should lead us to a state of thankfulness no matter what our circumstance knowing that God is watching after us as one of His own children.

Blooming where you're planted has never been a problem for Los Angeles elevator operator Ruben Pardo. For 35 years, he has driven and steered one of the last manual elevators in the city, located in an Art Deco office building on Wilshire Boulevard. His life is simple, some might even say mundane. But his purpose is clear and his heart is full of joy and gratitude.

Every day young, bright graphic designers, web branders, and search engine optimizers ride Pardo's beautifully ornate elevator to their loft offices. And every day, Pardo greets them by name with cheer. While young employees come and go, Pardo is a fixture in the building. One young executive said, "He's been in this elevator longer than I've been on the planet."

Pardo, the son of a shop owner, was born in Mexico City. When he was seven, his family moved to the States. Through hard work like painting garages, shoveling snow, and operating elevators like the one he still manages, he was able to support himself, and eventually, his wife. Pardo works six days a week and rarely takes paid vacations. Every Sunday, he takes his wife to dinner as a gesture of gratitude. Padro exclaims, "[My wife and I] are happy."

While the young people in the office building move off to school, get married, and travel the world, Pardo remains steady and constant, doing the thing that he's done for 35 years. "I love my small, little world," he says. And yet here's how Luis Zavala, a 33-year-old Web graphic designer, describes Pardo: "It's like a glass of fresh water every morning. I don't know how he does it, but every day for him just seems to be a bright opportunity for something."  [Bonnie McMaken, Wheaton, Illinois; source: Nita Lelyveld, "Elevator operator's overriding story: joy." Los Angeles Times (10-15-11)]

Many of us try seeking out things to make us happy, but things do not bring us lasting joy. For tomorrow there will always be a new and better cell phone or a digital gadget that captures our attention. No, things are not the answer to joy. The answer is a close and intimate relationship with The Lord for He will show you how to find joy in all things, even the simple things like running an elevator.

LOVE

1 Corinthian 13:4-7 (NLT)

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Here the apostle gives the church the definition of true love. It is love intended for man to show to others. It was the love Christ lived out here on earth. It is the love we are to know.

In relationships there are two roles with love, the giver and the receiver. Ideally these roles reverse throughout a relationship such that one partner gives while the other partner receives and then the roles swap. Ideally, both partners give and receive whole-heartedly for the right reasons without any strings attached. In a relationship there should always be a healthy balance between the giver and the receiver. One person should never be giving to the point of overwhelming the other person, while the receiver should never take and take without consideration for the other.

Take a moment to fill in the sentences below with the name of someone you feel love towards and quietly answer to yourself if you believe the sentence to be true. Then take the same sentences using your name and consider the person who you just examined and decide if the sentence is true about you in regards to that person.

_____ is patient and kind.

_____ is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.

_____ does not demand their own way.

_____ is not typically an irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged.

_____ does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

_____ never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

As you review these ask if they are true. If you find some not matching up there may be some problems which need to be examined. True love will always find a way to make things right.

Prayer

Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Avoid anxious care and distracting thought in the wants and difficulties of life. It is the duty and interest of Christians to live without care. There is a care of diligence which is our duty, and consists in a wise forecast and due concern; but there is a care of diffidence and distrust which is our sin and folly, and which only perplexes and distracts the mind. "Be careful for nothing, so as by your care to distrust God, and unfit yourselves for his service. [Excerpts from Matthew Henry]

Prayer is one of the most common phenomena of human life. Even deliberately nonreligious people pray at times. Studies have shown that in secularized countries, prayer continues to be practiced not only by those who have no religious preference but even by many of those who do not believe in God. One 2004 study found that nearly 30 percent of atheists admitted they prayed "sometimes," and another found that 17 percent of nonbelievers in God pray regularly. The frequency of prayer increases with age, even among those who do not return to church or identify with any institutional faith. Italian scholar Giuseppe Giordan summarized: "In virtually all studies of the sociology of religious behavior it is clearly apparent that a very high percentage of people declare they pray every day—and many say even many times a day."

Does this mean that everyone prays? No, it does not. Many atheists are rightly offended by the saying "There are no atheists in foxholes." There are many people who do not pray even in times of extreme danger. Still, though prayer … is a global [reality], inhabiting all cultures and involving the overwhelming majority of people at some point in their lives. Efforts to find cultures, even very remote and isolated ones, without some form of religion and prayer have failed. There has always been some form of attempt to "communicate between human and divine realms." There seems to be a human instinct for prayer. Swiss theologian Karl Barth calls it our "incurable God-sickness." [Tim Keller, Prayer (Penguin Group, 2014), page 36]

James 1:5-8 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.”

Everyone can pray, but if you want to know the real power of prayer, pray to The Living God who gives generously to us when we pray without doubt. Let us go to God with confidence knowing anything we ask according to His will, He will hear and respond.

Alcohol addiction

Isaiah 5:11 “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”

A warning that those addicted to alcohol – they will find themselves seeking a drink early in the morning, followed by many strong drinks throughout the day until they find themselves controlled by their addiction into the night.

'Star Trek' Actress Grace Lee Whitney Dies at 85

LOS ANGELES — May 4, 2015, 8:30 AM ET (AP)

Grace Lee Whitney, who played Captain Kirk's assistant on the original "Star Trek" series, has died. She was 85.

Whitney died of natural causes Friday in her home in the Central California town of Coarsegold, about 50 miles north of Fresno, her son Jonathan Dweck said on Sunday.

Whitney played Yeoman Janice Rand in the first eight episodes before being written out of the series. In her 1998 autobiography "The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy," she wrote that her acting career largely came to an end and she became an alcoholic.

She wrote that she struggled with her addiction for many years before getting treatment and regaining her career with the help of Leonard Nimoy, who starred as Spock in the series.

She returned for the movie franchise, reprising her role in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," ''Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," ''Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home" and "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country."

Dweck said his mother would have liked to be remembered more as a successful survivor of addiction than for her "Star Trek" fame. She dedicated the last 35 years of her life helping people with addiction problems, some of whom she met at "Star Trek" conventions, he said.

"Over time, she became appreciative of her short time on 'Star Trek' because she developed meaningful relationships with the fans, Leonard Nimoy and other cast members," Dweck said.

Besides Jonathan, she was survived by her other son, Scott Dweck.

Addictions will take you places you don’t want to go and much further than you ever intended to travel. People have ruined their lives and some never recovered. A few have found grace and managed to control what otherwise controlled them. Grace Lee Whitney may have lost a career with a TV show, but she dedicated 35 years of her life helping others over the struggles she faced. 

Faith in God

Hebrews 11:5-6 (NIV)

5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

The apostle proposes a question, how can a person please God who does not believe God exists to begin with? For it is impossible to please someone that you don’t believe exists - for you would not know where to even start as to conceive an action to do something pleasing.

In the fall of 1999, I taught a Bible study course on the Psalms. It became clear to me that I was barely scratching the surface of what the Bible commanded and promised regarding prayer. Then came the dark weeks in New York after 9/11 when our whole city sank into a kind of corporate clinical depression, even as it rallied. For my family the shadow was intensified as my wife, Kathy, struggled with the effects

of Crohn’s disease. Finally, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. At one point during all this, my wife urged me to do something with her we had never been able to muster the self-discipline to do

regularly.

She asked me to pray with her every night. Every night. She used an illustration that crystallized her feelings very well. As we remember it, she said something like this: Imagine you were diagnosed with such a lethal condition that the doctor told you that you would die within hours unless you took a particular medicine—a pill every night before going to sleep. Imagine that you were told that you

could never miss it or you would die. Would you forget? Would you not get around to it some nights?

No—it would be so crucial that you wouldn’t forget, you would never miss. Well, if we don’t pray together to God, we’re not going to make it because of all we are facing. I’m certainly not. We have to pray, we can’t let it just slip our minds. [Tim Keller, Prayer, Penguin Group, 2014).

If we don’t believe in God how can we muster the desire to pray to God for our own needs. We have to pray, we can’t let it just slip our minds. And we must have faith in God to know He is listening and responding to our prayers.