Fair Weather Fans

By Pat

Have you ever known a sports fan who was crazy about their team... unless they're playing badly? I do. I know people who absolutely love their baseball or football team, and follow the games religiously. But when things turn sour and the team isn't doing so well, they desert them, sometimes for a different team, and sometimes just until their luck turns and they become a winning team again. These people are called "fair weather fans."

In our faith walk, it's very tempting to be a fair weather fan. We think God is just awesome when things are going our way, blessings abound and all is right with the world. We are God's biggest cheerleaders, his number one fans! We pray and praise and worship whole-heartedly. But life has a funny way of turning the tables on us, and we can suddenly find our happiness and well-being challenged. And God often becomes the scapegoat. It's His fault. We become angry with Him, and feel deserted. We find ourselves going through the motions in our spiritual walk, and we pray through clenched teeth. We falter and fumble until, once again, we see things improving in our lives. We are, at those times, fair weather fans.

When things aren't going so well and we are faced with difficulties and struggles, it's more important than ever to keep cheering for God, remembering He never promised us that life would be a continual party. We must pray harder, love stronger, worship with whole hearts and trust that God is at work, no matter what is going on. We must remember to find a way to glorify God every day, in every circumstance, and cling to the hope of better days and stronger faith. We must stay on God's team, no matter what.

"I tell you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble; but take heart! I have overcome the world!" (John 16:33)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

God Says... "I will come near to you."

By Kely Braswell (Dangerous Breeze)

Far away, so close...

So, all my preacher friends tell me that God is everywhere. And I pretty much believe that.

But what about when it don't feel like it?!

What about when things ain't exactly goin' swimmingly, and the ends don't meet at the end of the month, and the people you love are sick of you, and it's been four days since I read any Psalms and I haven't even remembered the really weak prayers like "Oh, God, please bless my mashed potatoes, and make 'em really creamy?"

What about then?

What about when I'm standing in a wide expanse of nothingness, and I'm yellin', "God. Where ARE you?"

"Well, God's close. As close as your skin."

That's what people will say, those who know the proper theological, churchy, St. Francis and the Pope type answers to these things.

But does it matter if He's close, even if I don't feel Him? 'Cause sometimes "close" sure seems "far."

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Praying For Faithfulness

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

Oh, to be Faithful!

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
    bind them around your neck;
    write them on the tablet of your heart.
So you will find favor and good success
   in the sight of God and man. - Proverbs 3:3-4

How do you measure the greatness of a man?  Some are great athletes; others are great geniuses.  One man can hold an audience spellbound with his amazing oratory skills, while another has built a successful company from an idea on a napkin to a billion dollars in revenue. 

I talk to a lot of parents in my line of work, and I enjoy asking them what goals and aspirations they have for their children.  Sometimes I'll phrase the question like this: "What kind of an adult do you hope your child will grow up to be?"  I get many different answers of course.  The most common response is that most parents want their children to be happy and successful.  What parent doesn't, right? I certainly don't want my three children to grow up to be miserable failures.  But what do our children need to remember to keep in front of them if they want to be truly successful, successful as God defines it?

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One Word At A Time: Faithfulness

By MAD21

The first thing I think of when I hear the word faithfulness is the old hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. We don't hear hymns much anymore, and I have to admit, I miss them. Our church tends to sing more contemporary worship music, but sometimes we get to sing some of the older stuff. I think the newer generations are really missing out on the messages some of these older hymns have to say.

A man named Thomas O. Chisolm wrote the words to Great is Thy Faithfulness in 1923. He did it as a way to tell people about how faithful God was all during his lifetime. I don't have the talent that Mr. Chisolm had to express in words my thankfulness to God for his love for me, but listening to the words of this song I feel the same passion.

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