October 20, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Jimi Hendrix

“Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” Jimi Hendrix

“Everyone on this earth, now listen to what I say! Listen, no matter who you are, rich or poor. I speak words of wisdom, and my thoughts make sense. I have in mind a mystery that I will explain while playing my harp. Why should I be afraid in times of trouble, when I am surrounded by vicious enemies? They trust in their riches and brag about all of their wealth. You cannot buy back your life or pay off God! It costs far too much to buy back your life. You can never pay God enough to stay alive forever and safe from death. We see that wise people die,
and so do stupid fools. Then their money is left for someone else. The grave will be their home forever and ever, although they once had land of their own. Our human glory disappears, and, like animals, we die. Here is what happens to fools and to those who trust the words of fools: They are like sheep with death as their shepherd, leading them to the grave. In the morning God’s people will walk all over them, as their bodies lie rotting in their home, the grave. But God will rescue me from the power of death.” Psalm 49:1-15

Do you know someone who hates silence? Have you lived with someone who just needs to talk all of the time? I have coached girls soccer for the last six years. One of the things I have learned about coaching, whether it is with boys or girls, is when you are trying to teach them something, you have to make sure they are looking at you. Just the mere presence of another girl or boy next to each other promotes talking. There is this innate desire for them to have a discussion, about the birds, about teachers, about school, about Pokemon – anything other than what I am trying to teach them. The reason I work so hard at getting them to look at me when I am giving instruction is the fact that if they are not looking at me, then they are also not listening to me. Oh this is not true for all of them, but it is true for about ninety percent of them.

When I hold a bible study, no matter in what setting, no matter what church I have been at, there are always certain people who need to talk to the person they are sitting next to, even while I am trying to teach. They cannot help themselves. For whatever reason, they have this compulsive need to talk – and I am telling you, you cannot learn anything if you are talking all of the time. In all aspects of our daily lives, we need to work very hard at listening more, and talking less. Yes, there are times where we need to share our knowledge, our personal faith story, and the lessons we have learned in life. But, we also need to stop talking and allow others to speak to us, to share their personal faith stories, and share what they have learned about G-d. And, when the day is done, we need to stop talking and allow G-d to speak to us.

Pastor Dave

October 19, 2016 – Words of Wisdom
Aristotle

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Aristotle

“Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some.. Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said.. “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” John 9:39-41

“Then the Pharisees said to him, “You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.” Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They (the Jews who had believed in him) answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” John 8:13, 31-33

The Pharisees and the Jews “who had” believed in him were not able to accept the things that Jesus was saying. They were not able to even think about the possibility that Jesus may be who he says he is. Instead, that thought was so abhorrent, so blasphemous, they reject it immediately. In fact, as we learn from the scriptures, because of the things that Jesus was saying, and teaching, these same people were plotting to kill Jesus.

In our society today, we have people who go to a mall or show up at a wedding and begin to kill others because these “others” do not teach, think, and speak like they do. What progress have we made in the last two thousand years, if people still believe that the best way to be rid of those who do not think “like you do” is to eliminate their presence in the world? The true mark of religious folk, in my opinion, is the fact that we can work together with Methodists, with Presbyterians, with Jews, with Muslims, and with the Amish, and though we may have deep divides about Jesus, about Muhammad, about Holy Communion, and about Baptism, we can still sit in a pew together and worship G-d, or talk about serving our community. I do not believe G-d wants us to kill those who think differently from us. I believe G-d wants us to love them, work with them, and to work together to bring about the kingdom of G-d.

Pastor Dave