Reminders of the Cross

 

Laminins are major proteins in the basal lamina also called the basement membrane, which is a protein network foundation for most cells and organs. The laminins are an important and biologically active part of the basal lamina, influencing cell differentiation, migration, adhesion as well as phenotype and survival. Without Laminin we could not live.

Far out in the universe there is a spiral galaxy much like the one in which or planet exists.

If you travel to the center of the galaxy you'll find a black hole. In the black hole you'll see this.



Coincidence? Maybe...

By Plan? Again, maybe...

However they got there it's interesting that no matter where you go in the universe, from inside our own bodies to the far corners, you can never get away from the Cross.

It's a message that will be there for generations to come. 

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18

Collision Course

I believe it was Marshall Keeble who used to tell the story about an air traffic controller. It went something like:

Atlanta Pilot: Houston, this is flight 115 coming in from Atlanta, requesting permission to land.

Houston: Yes Sir. Flight 123, you’re clear to land going west there on runway 29.

Atlanta Pilot: Roger that.

L.A. Pilot: Houston, this is flight 97 coming in from L.A., requesting permission to land.

Houston: Yes Sir. Flight 97, you’re clear to land going east there on runway 29.

L.A. Pilot: Houston, didn’t I hear you just tell flight 115 to land west on that same runway?

Houston: I guess I did, flight 97.

Pause

Houston: Ya’ll be careful, hear!

Life is like that. We never know when we may be on a collision course with some unexpected event. Most of these instances can be avoided, but there are instances when we have no control over what occurs. 

People react in all sorts of ways when the unexpected occurs. Some get angry, others confused, some fall into depression and still others may just ignore it and go on. So how should we react?

How should I face the brick walls that seem so great I can’t get over or around them? What do I do when I come to the edge of a river that seems too wide to cross? These walls and rivers may be financial problems; they may be a devastating illness; they may be a family crisis; they may be a death.

The first thing we have to keep in mind is that we are never alone. Jesus promised “I am with you always”.  We may feel abandoned at times. We may feel that God doesn’t care. We may feel alone. But in reality God is always there beside us ready to comfort us and help us safely land if we will only let Him. It is difficult to trust in someone we cannot see or hear, but he’s there just the same.

In the movie “Spirit of St. Louis” Jimmy Stewart is portraying Charles Lindbergh. As he struggles to land his plane in Paris, he becomes confused and disoriented. Fighting the lack of sleep, glaring lights and fatigue he finally blurts out in despair “Oh Lord, help me.”

So, when we are in situations that seem to be impossible to overcome we can call upon our Lord for strength and as Paul promised “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Timmy's Valetines...Love is Not Self Seeking

When I was growing up one of our favorite times in school was Valentines Day. I remember my mom helping me decorate an old shoe box with crepe' paper and then we'd go out and buy a package of Valentines for me to give away. I had to be careful who I gave them to since you sure didn't want to give a girl in the second grade some mushy card. The exciting thing was to bring your box home and look at all the cards you received from your classmates.

I read a story of a little boy, Timmy we'll call him, who was not very popular in school. In fact he was made fun of and often left out of games and kids parties. When Valentines Day rolled around he couldn't wait to get his box and Valentines together. He took a long tedious time picking out the right Valentine for each classmate.

As he left for school the next morning he took care in packing the Valentines and carrying his box out the door and to the bus. His mother knew Timmy was not very popular and as he left she couldn't help but have a heavy heart knowing that he would probably get few Valentines from the other children. She decided that he would need some extra love when he came home so she spent the afternoon making cookies and waiting for Timmy to return home on the afternoon bus.

Finally the bus drove up and Timmy stepped off the bus with head bowed and shaking it back and forth. As he approached his mother she heard him mumble "not a one". At this her heart sank and tears began to well up in her eyes with concern for her disappointed child. As he approached her, he looked up smiled and said, "Not a one, I didn't forget a single one."

Love is not self-seeking. When we love the way the Jesus wants us to love it means that we want the best for others. It means that we are just as concerned about others feelings, others needs, others wants and others welfare just as we are ours.

When we think of others we hurt when they hurt, we rejoice when they are happy, we weep with them, laugh with them and truly want the best for them. Love that is not self seeking has no room for jealousy. It has no room for harboring ill will. It puts others ahead of ourselves. As a result it makes us a better and happier person.

A man once died and was given a tour of Hell. When he walked into the room he saw a long table with everyone sitting around it. The table was full of the most delicious food imaginable. The problem was that each person had one arm tied behind their back and a three foot spoon tied to the other hand. They were crying and angry because even with all the food it was out of their reach.

The man was depressed with the scene so he asked to see Heaven. When he walked into the room he saw the same scene, table, food, spoon and hand behind back. But they were all laughing and having a great time. The difference was that they were feeding each other.

Love that is not self seeking is love that feeds each other.

How Ruuuuude

One afternoon I called the phone company to check on an issue with my bill. It was about a quarter before 5:00 when I called and was put on hold by their computer. The wait was to be several minutes and intertwined with the music was an occasional, " We're sorry for your wait. Someone will be with you shortly." This went on for fifteen minutes then at 5:00 the recording came on, but this time it was different, "Thank you for calling. Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8 to 5. Please call back during our normal business hours. I thought, "How Rude". I had patiently waited to talk to someone then was abruptly dismissed by an insensitive computer.

I genuinely despise rude acting people. I really feel sorry for restaurant waiters, clerks at return desks, customer service representatives and just about anyone who has to spend their day dealing with people on a personal basis. People can be rude at times, sometimes on purpose and other times out of frustrations. Of course the people behind the counter can also be just as rude to their customers.

I've been to restaurants where people complained about the prices, berated the waiter for slow service or because something wasn't cooked right. One time I was with a preacher at a breakfast and he was so rude that I almost changed tables rather than be seen with him.

I read the story of a man who went into the athletic store to buy a baseball bat for his son. He spoke rather rudely to the clerk and then realizing what he had done apologized to her. "I've been at the Department of Motor Vehicles all morning dealing with a rude lady over my auto registration and I'm sorry I've taken it out on you." The clerk looked at him holding the bat and smiled "Do you want this gift wrapped or are you going back there this afternoon?"

Love means that we treat people like we want to be treated. Waiters don't cook the food, clerks don't set the return policies and customer service reps don't make the products that are giving you problems. They are there just doing their job in spite of how they may be treated.

Unfortunately in today's society rudeness appears to be on the rise. People are impolite to each other. We make degrading remarks about people. We talked down to those that serve us. We're quick to tell people exactly what we think without giving their feelings any thought. We ridicule, cut down, demean and often have a "better than you" attitude. We are impolite, have bad manners, bad attitudes, yelling, screaming, griping complaining and display snobbish noses.

Love is not rude. In other words love treats people like people and not things. It approaches people with the feeling "I care about you". Love listens. Love opens doors. Love says thank you and you're welcome. Love shows appreciation. Love makes people glad they passed out way. Love is not rude.

Remember Rudy on "The Cosby Show"? When her friend would treat her wrongly she'd always say, "How ruuuuuuude." Just maybe if we started telling ourselves this every time we stepped out of line it would help us to make everyone else's world a better place to live.

As the old saying goes, "You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar." So trying being nice to each person you meet and see how it changes people's lives.

Do You Know Who "I" AM?

In  All the President’s Wit by Gerald Gardner he relates a story of a visit of Ronald Reagan to Mexico City. On one occasion President Reagan stood before a large crowd and gave a speech, which on conclusion he sat down to a rather unenthusiastic applause. The next speaker approached the podium and began receiving enthusiastic applause after just about every paragraph. Reagan, not knowing Spanish did not understand what was being said but joined the crowd in applause. After a bit to show his enthusiasm he began to applaud even before the crowd would start. At one point our ambassador leaned over to Reagan and said “I wouldn’t do that. He’s interpreting your speech.”

Pride is like that. Without meaning to we get caught up in ourselves; what we have; who we are; how important “I” am. It becomes all about us.

Years ago my wife, Kathy, worked for Public Relations at a Christian College. On one occasion she was in charge of booking people into motels and hotels for a lecture series that brought in thousands of people. All the nicer places had been booked when one prominent preacher called in late and asked for a room. She assigned him one that was available in what might be considered a 1 or 2 star motel nowadays. When he saw where he was placed he became angry and approached her saying “Do you know who I am?”

Bell Telephone performed a survey years ago to see what people talked about over the phone. It was discovered that the most used word in phone calls was the word “I”.

Love is not proud. This follows “Love does not boast”. Love doesn’t continually point to “me”. It doesn’t set “me” on a pedestal. It doesn’t make “me” the center of attention. It is less concerned about “me” and more concerned about “you”.

The second greatest commandment is to “Love your neighbor as yourself”. To do this we take pride out of the picture. Our focus changes to others instead of self.

I like the old saying “Be kind to people on your way up, because you’ll meet the same people on your way down.” When our lives are filled with pride and arrogance we cut relationships. It turns people away. The “better than you” attitude severs ties with those around us and basically asks people “Do you know who I am?”

Solomon wrote, “A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.”

In other words the only way to really love “me” is to love “you” more.

Stripes All Over - Love Does Not Boast

In the ‘50’s there were a lot of stories still hanging around from the World War II years. I remember one in particular about three little boys. One day these three boys were sitting around and began to argue about their dads and the war. The boys were boasting, as we may have done ourselves, about how great their dads were during the war. Each boy wanted to do his best to outdo his buddies.

The first boy proclaimed, “My dad shot down 3 enemy planes and they gave him a stripe for it.” Not wanting to be outdone the second boy said, “That’s nothing, my dad shot down 4 planes and sunk a battle ship single handedly and got two stripes.” Finally the third boy sat up and smiled a huge smile, “My dad’s got both your dad’s beat. He robbed a bank and got stripes all over him.”

We all get caught into the trap of boasting from time to time. We proudly say, “Look at what I have”, “Guess where I’m going”, “Let me show you.”, “Let me tell you.” And so on and so on.

We all do it. I do it. In fact, let me tell you about my grand-daughter. I can open my wallet and show you her picture, let you look at my Blackberry or the background on my computer. She’s the prettiest, cutest, best grand-daughter anyone could ever have. Now that’s not boasting; that’s a fact!

So why does Paul say, “Love does not boast”? Simply it’s because when we boast of what we have it puts on an air of superiority over those who might not have what we have. It in a way is a way of belittling someone else by calling attention to what you have and how much better it is than what they have.

I’ve learned not to boast in certain situations. I’ve learned not to boast about my grand-daughter around certain people who have lost a grandchild or are older and don’t have any grandchildren. I don’t boast about what I have or what I’m going to do around people who are less fortunate than I am. Love means considering others feelings before you speak or act.

It’s interesting how this follows, “love does not envy”. In other words we learn to be content without desiring what others have and not boasting of what we have. In turn, both follow “love is kind”.

A man once owned a home and because his friends kept boasting of what they had, he became envious of them and decided to sell his home and buy a bigger one. He called a real estate agent who came and looked at his house and listed it on the market for him. He then proceeded to search the paper for a house he could be proud of and boast about. Finally he found one. The description sounded perfect, exactly what he wanted. He quickly picked up the phone and called his realtor. The realtor took his information to make an appointment, then paused and said, “Sir, that’s the house you’re living in now!”

Philippians 4:12 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

The Envious Eagle

I once heard the fable of an eagle who was envious of another eagle who was larger and could fly much higher than he could. The only way to be the best eagle again was to have the larger eagle killed. So one day the eagle went to a bow hunter and showed him the great prize he could have if he shot down the eagle flying so high. The hunter agreed to but needed a feather for his arrow. The eagle obliged, giving him one of his feathers. The hunter shot an arrow that sailed high and straight, but fell short since the eagle was so high. The eagle again gave him a feather to try again. Again he failed. This continued on until the eagle had no more feathers to give and he, himself couldn’t fly. When the hunter saw the dilemma he saw his prize and turned and shot the eagle sitting beside him. The moral of the story was when you envy the only person you hurt is yourself.

Love does not envy. Envy goes beyond simple jealousy. It is the desire to have what someone else has no matter what the cost. Kind David did this when he lusted after Bathsheba and then had her husband killed to cover his sin and gain his prize. Cain did this when he killed Abel. Ahab did this when he had Naboth killed to obtain Naboth’s vineyard for his wife.

The opposite of envy is to be content. Contentment means that I can be happy with what I have no matter what everyone else around me has. I don’t have to have a house as big as yours. I can drive an older car while you’re in a newer one. I will not wish you harm because you are better off than I am. I will not wish ill on you because of your success.

Love means you want the best for others. You want them to succeed. You want them to be happy.

Two men were once stranded on a dessert island. In order to co-exist they divided the island in half and they lived separately. The two men knew their only hope was to pray. The first day they prayed for food. The next morning one man had an abundance of food and the other had only enough to sustain his life. The next day they prayed for shelter. The man who had all the food was given a grand place to live while the other was stuck to living under a tree. After a week the first man prayed for a wife and it was granted to him. The other man remained alone on barren soil with little shelter. Finally the first man prayed for a ship to come by and take his wife and him away from the island. The next day the ship arrived and the man and wife boarded the ship and decided to leave the other man behind.

As the ship sailed a voice came from heaven, “Where is your shipmate that was on the island with you?” The man said that the he did not deserve to be saved, which was obvious by none of his prayers being answered. “On the contrary,” the voice came back, “while you asked for food, shelter and a wife, he prayed that all of your prayers would be answered. It was his prayers that gave you what you had not yours.”

Love does not envy means we want the best for those we love and would do nothing to cause harm.

Love is Kind

It’s interesting that “Love is Kind” follows “Love is Patient”. Several years ago a study was done by a TV program on how people respond behind someone at a red light that doesn’t go. In the study they had someone stop a car at a red light and wait for someone to come up behind them. When the light turned green the test car remained in position and did not move. They did this in three areas of the country, South, East Coast and West Coast. They started in a city in the South. The car behind waited through two red lights before just going around the car in front. On the West Coast the car behind waited through one light then honked their horn when the light changed green again. On the East Coast the car behind honked their horn as soon as the light turned. Patience and kindness often work together. I think that’s why Paul probably put them together.

Four years ago while I was making some hospital visits I went by the room of an older lady whose son was dying from AIDS. It was sad to see him wasting away and his mother with eyes swollen from tears watching him slowly dying. There wasn’t anything I could do for him but pray. Instead of just saying the prayer I reached out and took his hand. It was a surprise to his mother since most people were afraid to touch someone with a disease such as this. Not long after the young man died.

A couple of months ago his mother came up to me after Bible class. “I still remember and thank you for when you came to the hospital; took my son’s hand and prayed with us.”

It was a simple gesture, but an act of kindness that she cherished four years later. Kindness is one thing that can be given away and doesn’t have to cost us a dime. I remember the time that one of the ladies at church was too short for her feet to reach the floor. One of the men of the congregation saw this and decided to do something about it. The next time she came to worship there was a stool for her to rest her feet upon. She never knew who put it there.

We recently stayed at a hotel in San Antonio. As we left the first morning we left $5 for the maid and thanked her for doing so well in cleaning our room. We came back later that day and as we were leaving a housekeeper stopped us and asked if we were room so and so. We said we were and she proceeded to thank us for the gift.

Kindness may just be saying thank you to a waiter or waitress who serves you at a restaurant. It may be picking up merchandise on the floor of a store and returning it to the shelf. It may be holding a door open for someone or passing up a parking place so the people behind you can have it even if you have to walk an extra distance yourself. It may be waiting patiently as a new person is trained at the cash register or simply telling someone you appreciate how they helped you.

The writer of proverbs wrote, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” A kind word can make a person’s day. It can give them hope that life is better than they thought.

The story is told of Abraham Lincoln visiting a battlefield hospital during the Civil War. He approached the bed of a soldier who was dying and who did not recognize Lincoln. The young man asked Lincoln to write a note to his parents expressing his love to them and his family. The young man weak and dying could say very little so Lincoln concluded the letter, “written for your son by Abraham Lincoln.”

The young man asked to see the letter and upon seeing Lincoln’s name apologized for not recognizing his commander in chief. Lincoln then asked if there was anything else he could do. He requested that Lincoln hold his hand during his final moments of life. Lincoln sat holding the young man’s hand until sunrise when the young man passed away. It was a simple act of kindness from the most powerful man in the country for someone he had known less than 24 hours.

Simple acts of kindness are free to give and valuable to receive.

So today, hold a hand, open a door, and say thank you, praise good work, smile and share the gift of kindness with everyone you meet.

Next Week: Love Does Not Envy

Love is Patient

I was feeling really good when I drove into the bank drive-in. There were six lanes open with two cars in each. As I drove up one car went on through so I pulled behind the single car. Fifteen minutes later I was still sitting in the same spot. All the other lanes had fulfilled the needs of the two cars in line and were now servicing the second influx of vehicles. By the time I moved up after twenty minutes of waiting I had seen more than a dozen other cars come and go and I think the leaves start to change on a tree or two.

 

So I decided from that point on to do a study of cars in the bank drive-in and see if there was a way to tell which line to choose. Through months of study I found out there are certain vehicles you avoid. 

1. Never get behind a pick-up with more than just the driver if it’s a man. This is probably a construction crew and each man wants to cash his check and they must all be done separately. Each man in the pick-up equals a car and a half. The half is because it takes longer to do cash transaction than a deposit.
2. Never pull up behind a mini-van driven by a woman with kids inside. This is a mother who is probably frustrated with everything that is going on and will probably not have her deposit slip ready. And when she’s done she’ll have to send the carrier back because all the kids will want a sucker.
3. Never pull up behind an automobile with a business sign on the side. These are normally business people who don’t want to go through the commercial line. Their deposits are usually large and take up the time of two or three cars.
4. Never get behind a full size vehicle with someone with gray hair. I fit the gray hair part but don’t drive a full size vehicle by the way. These are usually older people who need help filling out their deposit slip. In addition they don’t trust the teller so they make sure to turn off their engine and count all the cash before they leave. It also takes longer to get the driver’s license back in their wallet.
5. Never, ever pull up behind someone who is shaking his head. This means he knows what he wants and why he’s here. He’s done his duty by filling out his deposit slip, added everything correctly and just wants to get through. He’s shaking his head because the teller is new and has no idea what he or she is doing and wonders why the person on the driver license picture has different color hair. 

So having all this knowledge I pulled into the drive-in, studied the situation and pulled up behind a vehicle that met my new criteria and proceeded to wait while all the other cars in all the other lanes went through before I did. It was at that moment I realized I needed to work on the one factor I had left out; my lack of patience.

 

Patience is a virtue that almost everyone struggles with at some time or another. It’s used 25 times in the New Testament and self-control another 5 times. The lack of patience is a result of our worrying about things or in many cases just being in too big a hurry. It comes mostly because we put ourselves in a tight schedule and leave no room for enjoying life around us.

 

Several years ago I heard a song by AGAPE that has always stuck with me:

Have Patience, Have Patience 

Don’t be in such a hurry 

When you get impatient 

You only start to worry 

Remember, Remember 

That God is patient too 

And think of all the times when others 

Have to wait on you. 

 

Now when I sit in line at the bank drive-in I tune to XM Radio Classics and listen to a story while I wait. When I sit in a doctor’s office for two hours past my appointment time I carry a book to read. When I stand in a long grocery line I laugh at the tabloid headlines and watch how people react and tell myself, “I use to be one of those”. I’ve learned to give myself an extra hour or two if I’m driving through Dallas on a Friday afternoon at 4:00 during football season.

 

But most of all I’ve learned to be more patient with people. They may not move as fast as I want them to, but that’s okay, sometimes I move slowly myself. They may have a hard time with change when I want it to happen more quickly, but sometimes it takes me longer also. Everyone moves at his own pace and I have to be patient with those all around me that are moving at different speeds whether faster or slower.

 

Paul said “Love is Patient”. He said that because people are more important than the entire hullabaloo that goes on around us. Learning to be patient forces us to be more aware of the world around us. Learning to be patient forces us to realize that people are people just like us who have good days as well as bad. Learning to be patient is an act of love.

 

So next time you feel a little impatience coming on remember the last line of the little song above, “And think of all the times when others have to wait on you.”

 

Next Week: Love is Kind

 

The Legend of Gelert

Lying in a remote part of North Wales is a small community called Beddgelert with a population of only a few hundred. The one big attraction to tourists as they pass through the town is a well maintained grave. It’s the grave of a dog whose name was Gelert. On the monument is the story of how he came to rest in this place. Some call it fact while others call it a mere legend. Any way you look at it the tale inscribed upon the stone is a sad one.

"In the 13th century Llewelyn, prince of North Wales, had a palace at Beddgelert. One day he went hunting without Gelert, "The Faithful Hound", who was unaccountably absent.

On Llewelyn's return the truant, stained and smeared with blood, joyfully sprang to meet his master. The prince alarmed hastened to find his son, and saw the infant's cot empty, the bedclothes and floor covered with blood.

The frantic father plunged his sword into the hound's side, thinking it had killed his heir. The dog's dying yell was answered by a child's cry.

Llewelyn searched and discovered his boy unharmed, but nearby lay the body of a mighty wolf which Gelert had slain.

The prince filled with remorse is said never to have smiled again. He buried Gelert here".

It reminds me of another incident. One in which a man was beaten, scourged and hung on a cross when all he was trying to do was save those who killed him.

However, the monument left behind is not made of granite, but of flesh and blood. His followers, the church, stands as a reminder that we, His heirs, live because of Him.

“For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many.”