May

I'd Be Lying

Fri May 18th 2012 @ 2:30 am

And so the great wait continued. I wish I could tell you that, upon being convinced it was God’s will for me to wait, all my doubts had been erased and that I absolutely KNEW that I was doing the right thing by doing nothing. But I’d be lying. Those doubts kept creeping into my head: “maybe you’re delusional,” “maybe you should send out a few resumes, make a few phone calls,” “at least talk to your former partners, they’d take you back.”

I’d like to claim that all those thoughts that were churning through my mind were doing so because of what the people around me were saying. It must be their fault. That’s what I’d like to say. But I’d be lying. The truth is; I was just weak. Like Lot’s wife, I kept looking back at the life I had left behind…trying to hang on to some of the perks. Fortunately, God was merciful: He didn’t turn me into a pillar of salt.

I’d like to say that I didn’t grow impatient. But I’d be lying. If you look up “Type A” personality in an encyclopedia I wouldn’t be surprised to find a picture of me. I have become somewhat known for my “Sossen’s Laws.” In fact, there is a separate page for them on this website. Guess what Sossen’s Law #1 is? “The quickest way to get something done is to do something. Anything. Action begets action.” I’m always the first one to arrive for meetings and I go absolutely nuts trying to get my family out the door to go anywhere. So you can imagine how well I was handling this whole “waiting on The Lord” thing. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to look up and shout, "God, what's taking You so long?"

I’d like to tell you that even I’m not stupid enough to try and “help God along.” But I’d be lying. I pointed out to God that I had pretty good communication skills (like He wouldn’t know unless I reminded Him) and that I’d make a terrific preacher and that to speed things along I had picked up brochures from a seminary. For some reason, He didn’t seem impressed. At first He ignored my efforts to help, then, when I kept pushing, He slammed the door shut. Back to square one.

Commenting on WHY we need to learn to wait patiently on the Lord, M.H. Lount wrote, "God's best gifts come slowly. We could not use them if they did not. Many a man, called of God to...a work in which he is pouring out his life, is convinced that the Lord means to bring his efforts to a successful conclusion. Nevertheless, even such a confident worker grows discouraged at times and worries because results do not come as rapidly as he would like. But growth and strength in waiting are results often greater than the end so impatiently longed for. Paul had time to realize this as he lay in prison. Moses must have asked, 'Why?' many times during the delays in Midian and in the wilderness. Jesus Himself experienced the discipline of delay in His silent years before His great public ministry began."

God wants us to see results AS we work for Him, not before. But His first concern is our growth. That's why He often withholds success until we have learned patience. The Lord teaches us this needed lesson through the blessed discipline of delay.
I’d like to tell you that the waiting is easy. But I’d be lying. I will tell you that the reward for waiting is awesome.

And I’m not lying.

Epilogue

God promised Abraham a son - he had to wait 25 years. He promised Joseph a position of authority - he had to wait 13 years. David had to wait about the same time till he was king.

There will be no opportunity in heaven to learn or to show the spirit of patience, forbearance, and longsuffering. If you are to practice these things, it must be now. Each day affords countless opportunities to learn patience. It’s up to us not to waste them.

Years ago, Ruth Bell Graham, wife of evangelist Billy Graham, saw a sign by the road: "End of Construction - Thank you for your patience." Smiling, she remarked that she wanted those words on her gravestone. They are.

Thought for the Day

Laws alone cannot secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population. Albert Einstein

Turn the radio on

Listen to God & Ed’s Excellent Adventure on the Radio. Monday through Friday at 4pm on “The Word,” 98.5/99.3 FM. Or listen on-line at KLGO.net. It’s the place for Christians of all varieties to hang out and be loved, entertained and uplifted.

Semi-interesting fact

The average human body is covered with 20 square feet of skin. This amount of skin weighs about 6 pounds. The skin is composed of two layers. The outer layer is the epidermis and the inner layer is the dermis. The epidermis layer is being replaced continuously. New cells are produced in the stratum basale. These cells mature and are pushed to the surface by the newer cells that are continuously produced. The entire epidermis is replaced about every 27 days.

TALK TO ME!! Say hi in the comment box below. Let me know what you like or don't like about the blog. Then, if you will, please forward the whol mess to all your email friends. I will really appreciate it. Our web address is www.GodandEd.com.

Joke Du Jour

Girl: "When we get married, I want to share all your worries and troubles and lighten your burden."
Boy: "That’s very kind of you, darling. But I don’t have any worries or troubles."
Girl: "Oh, that’s just because we aren’t married yet."

Questions I ask myself

Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will sneak in and clean them?

Really?? Actual News

A real cool front — A bra with built-in ice packs, a wind chime and a sprig of mint that was unveiled in Japan

is promising to keep women cool this summer. Underwear firm Triumph Japan had models parading around showing off its "Super Cool Bra", featuring what appears to be a pair of small fish tanks encompassing the breasts. These cups are filled with a gel that remains soft and supple even when frozen, giving the wearer "a cool sensation against her skin", the company said in a statement. A traditional Japanese wind chime -- and a mint leaf -- dangle between the cups giving an impression of cooling "by way of its refreshing fragrance and sound". The company said it conceived of the bra in response to a need to save energy during the hot summer. With no working nuclear reactors amid heightened public mistrust over atomic power in post-Fukushima Japan, the country has once again begun its "Cool Biz" campaign, urging people to dress down for work and avoid the need to crank up the air conditioning.

A sweet Queen

The Queen has been immortalized in a portrait made of hand-decorated 2,012 cupcakes. Her Majesty's face has been portrayed in a giant artwork called 'Cupcake Queen'. Leeds-based baking brand Dr. Oetker commissioned food artist Prudence Staite to create the picture to toast HRH's 60-year reign. Prudence, who has been creating edible art for over 12 years, spent over 300 hours on the colorful portrait. She used over 50kg of Regal-Ice, 50kg of Royal Icing, 20kg of Marzipan and over 40 tubes of Gel Food Colors.

Satan vs Redemption Some new billboards are getting some attention in the Upstate because they're notes written by Satan. They tell people not to go to a specific church on Sunday.

The signs read, "Please do not go to Redemption World Outreach Center this Sunday," and they're signed "Satan. " We found out the billboards are sponsored by Redemption as a unique sort of advertising. Pastor Ron Carpenter said his 15,000-member church wants to expand, and they want to be edgy doing it. He said he got the idea from the God Speaks billboards seen throughout the country. "I said, you know what, something that would be real interesting is to flip that around and turn it over from the other side," said Carpenter. "I said you know, I would want us to be a church that the enemy would never want us to come to, so please don't go to that church." So far, the billboards are getting mixed reviews. People on the pastor's Facebook page think it's clever - even calling Satan "silly." Others we spoke with were uncomfortable with the reference.

No Texting While Walking! One city in New Jersey is cracking down on texting while walking. Officials in Fort Lee have begun issuing tickets of up to $85 for each offense. The measure was implemented after a rise in pedestrian-related accidents. Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli says, “It’s a big distraction. Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware." More than 117 tickets have already been issued.

Chikin' Kickin'- It's no Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich, or a seahorse-shaped Cheeto,

but a Florida sheriff's office hopes a chicken nugget shaped like a cowboy boot will still rake in some big bucks on eBay for its charity. Sgt. Dennis Coleman of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said he found the odd-shaped nugget in a meal he bought at a Quikmart convenience store in Marathon. He said his first thought was preserving the nugget and putting it on eBay to raise money for the Keys Kops for Kids program, KeysNet.com reported. Bidding on the prized nugget is now up to $31. "Don't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass you by," Coleman posted on the auction site.

Cool Music

Check it out!! Cool Christian songs you’ve never heard on radio. The player is on the upper right: Click and brighten your day!

Are you kidding me???

Seven suicides are recorded in the Bible.

Groaner

A mechanic who worked out of his home had a dog named Mace. Mace had a bad habit of eating all the grass on the mechanic's lawn, so the mechanic had to keep Mace inside. The grass eventually became overgrown. One day the mechanic was working on a car in the backyard and dropped his wrench, losing it in the tall grass. He couldn't find it for the life of him, so he decided to call it a day. That night, Mace escaped from the house and ate all the grass in the backyard. The next morning the mechanic went outside and saw his wrench glinting in the sunlight. Realizing what had happened he looked toward the heavens and proclaimed, "A grazing Mace, how sweet the hound, that saved a wrench for me!

Point to Ponder

In 1884 a young man died, and after the funeral his grieving parents decided to establish a memorial to him. With that in mind they met with Charles Eliot, president of Harvard University. Eliot received the unpretentious couple into his office and asked what he could do. After they expressed their desire to fund a memorial, Eliot impatiently said, "Perhaps you have in mind a scholarship." "We were thinking of something more substantial than that... perhaps a building," the woman replied. In a patronizing tone, Eliot brushed aside the idea as being too expensive and the couple departed. The next year, Eliot learned that this plain pair had gone elsewhere and established a $26 million memorial named Leland Stanford Junior University, better known today as Stanford! Moral of the story: Be careful who you blow off.

Remember, Christianity is more about walking than about talking