Sermons We See

Sermons We See 

            

I'd rather see a sermon

than hear one any day,

I'd rather one would walk with me

than merely tell the way;

The eye's a better pupil

and more willing than the ear,

Fine counsel is confusing,

but example's always clear;

The best of all the preachers

are the men who live their creeds,

For to see good put in action

is what everybody needs.

I soon can learn to do it,

if you'll let me see it done,

I can watch your hands in action,

your tongue too fast may run;

The lectures you deliver

may be very wise and true,

But I'd rather get my lessons

by observing what you do;

I may not understand

the high advice you give,

But there's no misunderstanding

how you act and how you live. 

Getting the Man Right

Getting the Man right. 

 

Prologue

Once upon a time there was a very successful business
owner. His company had faithfully served millions of customers
for many, many years. But lately, business had not been so good,
and his competitors were just waiting for him to fail. For weeks
and months, the man pondered the crisis, but the problems were
so complex, and solutions seemed nowhere to be found.
Everyone was wondering what would happen to this great
company, so finally the businessman announced that he was hosting
a dinner for all of his employees to unveil a plan that would
save the company and return it to its former glory. He wanted to
convey to them how important each person was to the future success
of the organization.

The morning of the dinner, he was sitting in his study at home
working on his speech, when his wife came in and asked if he
would mind watching their son for a few hours while she ran
some errands. He was about to say, “I really need to focus on finishing
my speech,” but something caught his tongue and he found
himself agreeing, reluctantly.

His wife had only been gone about ten minutes when there
was a knock on the study door, and there appeared his seven year-
old son. “Dad, I’m bored!” he exclaimed. The father spent
the next couple of hours trying to amuse his son while also trying
to finish his speech. Finally he realized that if he could not find
some way to entertain his child he was never going to get his
speech finished in time.

Picking up a magazine, he thumbed through the pages until
he came to a large, brightly colored map of the world. He ripped
the picture into dozens of pieces, and led his son into the living
room. Then, throwing the pieces all over the floor, he announced,
“Son, if you can put the map of the world back together I will
give you twenty dollars.”

The boy immediately began gathering the pieces. He was
keen to earn the extra money, as he needed just twenty more dollars
to buy a toy he had been saving for since his last birthday.
The father returned to his study, thinking he had just bought
himself a couple of hours to finish working on his speech, because
he knew his seven-year-old son had no idea what the map of the
world looked like.

But five minutes later, just as he was settling into his speech,
there was another knock on the study door. There stood the
young boy holding the completed map of the world.
The father said in amazement, “How did you finish it so
quickly?” The boy smiled and said, “You know, Dad, I had no
idea what the map of the world looked like, but as I was picking
up the pieces, I noticed that on the back there was a picture of
a man.” The father smiled, and the boy continued. “So, I put a
sheet of paper down, and I put the picture of the man together,
because I knew what the man looked like. I placed another sheet
of paper on top, then holding them tightly I turned them both
over.” He smiled again and exclaimed, “I figured, if I got the man
right, the world would be right.”

The man handed his son twenty dollars. 
“And you’ve given me my speech for tonight. 

If you get the man right, you get the world right.”

Told by Matthew Kelly.

The Black Feather

The Black Feather

Ever heard of Occam's Razor? 
Its basic tenet is, "The simplest explanation is usually the right one."
Many use Occam's Razor as a means to slice through a problem/situation in order to eliminate unnecessary steps.

Today, I would like to apply Occam's Razor to conflict. Jesus said, "If you have an issue with someone, the best way to handle the difficulty is to simply go to them (Matt. 18)." Face to face. Toe to toe. Heart to heart. It's a rather direct approach.
It's a rather gutsy one too.  The genius is found in its simplicity.

Just think for a moment just how many other ways you and I handle conflict:
-The Ostrich approach (ignore it).
-The Bursting a blood vessel approach (do you really need an explanation)?
-The Big Daddy approach (cover it up).

Possibly the most dangerous approach is the "Black Feather" approach.
Below, I will share a short story that illustrates this powerfully.

In a small German village, a woman differed from her minister and became so angry that she began spreading ugly rumors about him around town. As fate would have it, she eventually became ill and called on the minister to pray for her. He came gladly, and she asked his forgiveness for her gossiping. "I will grant you forgiveness," the minister said, "but there's something you must do."

"I'll do anything," the woman said.

"As soon as you get well, go pluck the feathers from a black chicken and put them into a basket, and bring them to me."  When the woman got well, she did what the minister asked her to do and presented the basket of feathers to the minister.

"You did well," the minister said. "Now take this basket of feathers and scatter them in the corners of the marketplace and from the towers of the church. Scatter them throughout the town. Then return to me."

So the woman did. 

She walked from one end of town to the other, scattering the feathers. Then she returned to her pastor. "I have done as you asked," she said.

"Very well. Now take your basket and collect all the feathers. Make sure not one is missing."

"But that is not possible!" the woman said with a choking cry.  "The wind has carried many of them away.

"So it is with your words," the minister said. "While I have gladly forgiven you, do not forget that you can never undo the damage your untrue words have done."

I read the following account of Socrates and thought it would fit nicely with the lesson above.

In Ancient Greece, Socrates had a great reputation of wisdom. One day, someone came to find the great philosopher and said to him:

- Do you know what I just heard about your friend?

- A moment, replied Socrates.

Before you tell me, I would like to test you the three sieves.

- The three sieves?

- Yes, continued Socrates. Before telling anything about the others, it's good to take the time to filter what you mean. I call it the test of the three sieves.

The first sieve is the TRUTH. Have you checked if what you're going to tell me is true?

- No, I just heard it.

- Very good! So, you don't know if it's true.

We continue with the second sieve, that of KINDNESS. What you want to tell me about my friend, is it good?

- Oh, no! On the contrary.

- So, questioned Socrates, you want to tell me bad things about him and you're not even sure they're true?

Maybe you can still pass the test of the third sieve, that of UTILITY. Is it useful that I know what you're going to tell me about this friend?

- No, really.

- So, concluded Socrates, what you were going to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor useful. Why, then, did you want to tell me this?

"Gossip is a bad thing. In the beginning, it may seem enjoyable and fun, but in the end, it fills our hearts with bitterness and poisons us, too!

Any reasonable person will see that out of all the alternative options, the direct approach is certainly the best.  It is also the toughest --let's be honest, nobody is running to the front of the line when it comes to conflict resolution. One of my favorite quotes is Thomas Watson's, "What fools are they who, for a drop of pleasure, drink a sea of wrath." This is precisely what happens when you and I choose to let things fester within our hearts by not going directly to the source of our conflict. In a real way, it is like we gladfully go to the shelf, pour ourselves a glass of destruction and drink it straight down. Your life will be better off if you put that glass down and get direct when handling conflict.  When you do, you will switch that old glass of wrath for a fresh goblet of peace.  

The Story of the Blue Rose

A Story...

Having four visiting family members, my wife was very busy, so I offered to

go to the store for her to get some needed items, which included light bulbs,

paper towels, trash bags, detergent and Clorox. So off I went.

I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies and headed for the 
checkout counter, only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who

appeared to be about sixteen-years-old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently 

waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his 

hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud voice,

"Mommy, I'm over here."

It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged and also startled as he turned 
and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened
and surprise exploded on his face as I said, 

"Hey Buddy, what's your name?"

"My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly.

"Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Steve."

"Steve, like Stevarino?" he asked. "Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?"

"How old am I now, Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle. "You're fifteen-years-old Denny; now be a good boy and let the man pass
by."

I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes
about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with
excitement, because he was the center of someone's attention. He then
abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section.

Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time
to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him,
much less talk to him.

I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something I have no idea
where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

I told her that there are plenty of red, yellow, and pink roses in
God's Garden; however, 
"Blue Roses" are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. 

You see, Denny is a Blue Rose and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God.

She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, "Who are you?"
Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a dandelion, but I sure love living in God's garden."

She reached out, squeezed my hand and said, "God bless you!" and then I had tears in my eyes. 

May I suggest, the next time you see a BLUE ROSE, don't turn your head and 
walk off. Take the time to smile and say Hello. Why? Because, by the grace of GOD, this mother or father could be you. This could be your child, grandchild, niece or nephew. What a difference a moment can mean to that person or their family.

A friend of mine emailed this story to me.  

It moved me deeply.  

No wonder Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto Me." 

I get the idea that Jesus was trying to get a message across that was much deeper than what His disciples could actually see.  I believe He wanted to teach His followers to stop and acknowledge people.  Too often we just hurry through life and miss all kinds of hurting people right around us.  

The man in this story was wise enough to give a little of his time to this 15 year old boy and in doing so, he was giving more than just time, he was giving part of his life away.  

He was investing.  He was acknowledging something unique.  

He took the time to smell the Blue Rose.

When God gives you a bloody nose!

By:  Jean de La Fontaine 

Once there was a country bumpkin

Who observed a great big pumpkin

To a slender stem attached;

While upon an oak tree nourished,

Little acorns grew and flourished.

"Bah!" said he. "That's badly matched."

"If, despite my humble station,

I'd a hand in this Creation,

Pumpkins on the oaks would be;

And the acorn, light and little,

On this pumpkin stem so brittle

Would be placed by clever Me."

Then, fatigued with so much thought, he

Rest beneath the oak tree sought. He

Soon in slumber found repose

But, alas! An acorn, falling

On the spot where he lay sprawling,

Hit him--plump!--Upon the nose.

Up he jumped--a wiser bumpkin.

"Gosh!" he said. "Suppose a pumpkin

Came a-fallin' on my face!

After all, if I had made things,

I'll allow that I'm afraid things

Might be some what out of place.

The meaning of the acorn and the pumpkin?

God knows better than we do. Before the man took a nap under the acorn tree, he mocked God's creation.  He stated that a tree as giant as an acorn tree surely would have been better fit for something large, like pumpkins, to grow on.

However, he later found that he was mistaken when an acorn fell on his nose, causing it to bleed, making him realize that had it been a pumpkin, he would not have been as fortunate.

That is why at the end of the poem he says,"God knows His business after all, no question!" He realized he does not know more than God, and he should learn to trust Him.

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!"

-Romans 11:33-