Rest

Rest has different meanings to different people.  To some it’s a get away from work to hiking, biking, paintballing or some other activity.  To others rest is laying in a hammock.  No matter what your definition, we need rest.

I have a laptop so I can be working no matter where I am.  I use a pda so I can be working no matter where I am.  I have a cell phone so I can be working no matter where I am.  Is anyone seeing a pattern here?  It’s good to be active and God commands us to work, but to what degree?  Genesis 2:2 “By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”  God rested!  If I’m looking at this right, the Creator of the universe put aside His busy schedule and rested.  What are we doing that is so important that we can’t rest? 

Insert your own list here. 

Here’s mine:

·      Work at work

·      Work at building my own business

·      Work at church

·      Work on my house

·      Work at being a better dad

·      Work at being a better husband

Here’s the really sad part, this is the order that they came to my mind.  I think I have some priority issues.

Work is good.  Work provides for our families.  Work helps society.  Work helps ministries.  Work fights idle hands that would wonder into sin. 

Too much work drains us.  Too much work puts our marriages and families at risk.  Too much work puts our health at risk.  Too much work messes up our priorities.  Too much work makes us weak against Satan’s temptings.

What would happen if we didn't sleep?

A good way to understand the role of sleep is to look at what would happen if we didn't sleep. Lack of sleep has serious effects on our brain's ability to function. If you've ever pulled an all-nighter, you'll be familiar with the following after-effects: grumpiness, grogginess, irritability and forgetfulness. After just one night without sleep, concentration becomes more difficult and attention span shortens considerably.

With continued lack of sufficient sleep, the part of the brain that controls language, memory, planning and sense of time is severely affected, practically shutting down. In fact, 17 hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05% (two glasses of wine). This is the legal drink driving limit in the UK.

Research also shows that sleep-deprived individuals often have difficulty in responding to rapidly changing situations and making rational judgments. In real life situations, the consequences are grave and lack of sleep is said to have been be a contributory factor to a number of international disasters such as Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and the Challenger shuttle explosion.

Sleep deprivation not only has a major impact on cognitive functioning but also on emotional and physical health. Disorders such as sleep apnoea which result in excessive daytime sleepiness have been linked to stress and high blood pressure. Research has also suggested that sleep loss may increase the risk of obesity because chemicals and hormones that play a key role in controlling appetite and weight gain are released during sleep.

(The Science of Sleep, BBC, http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/articles/whatissleep.shtml)

I think God knocked me down a few pegs this week.  I just couldn’t function.  I ended up with a high fever and my body just shut down until I got the rest I needed to recover. 

Ecc. 5:12 “The sleep of the working man is pleasant…”

~Walter E. Homan

The Same Old Song – 2000 years later

This week we have an article written by Chaplain Jim Freed from America's Keswick.
Here is a quick description of their ministry:

America's KESWICK is a ministry that teaches and models the Victorious Christian Life message through Addiction Recovery for men and their loved ones, through Christian Conferences, Concerts, and Events, through Training and Resources, and by providing rental facilities and service to other like-minded organizations.

The Same Old Song – 2000 years later

         As you enter the fireplace room in the Colony of Mercy Addiction Recovery Ministry from the softball field, and approach the drinking fountain, you will see a beautiful painting hanging on the wall of the outcast Samaritan woman at the well spoken of in the Gospel of John, chapter 4. Her story is a familiar one, often used to teach the colony residents about the topic of Outreach, a part of their curriculum. The challenge that we as chaplains, or any bible teacher for that matter, face to interpret the Word of God in a way that is relevant to the day in which we now live. This story lends itself very well to that end.
         You see the story of the woman at the well speaks of a woman, who was considered by most people that knew her as a loser, but not by Jesus. She is a five time divorcee, living in sin, who comes out in public only when others are not likely to be around.  She is trying to satisfy a thirst that she perceives as physical. Jesus Christ knows otherwise and steers the conversation to address her spiritual need instead. The meeting occurred at a significant place, Jacob’s well, which is a documented historical site. God just seems to show up at some places more than others. When the woman realizes that she has been confronted, then blessed by the Messiah, her reaction is understandable. The bible says; The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:28-29 NKJV)  The fact that she left the very thing that she was intending on using to satisfy her thirst is notable, coupled with the fact that she was compelled, not coerced to go out and tell others.
         Now let’s look at a parallel story that takes place two thousand years later, and involves a man named Eddie. Eddie is a likeable guy, but had been written off by many as a cocaine addict. Even the doctor had given Eddie less than a month to live, so he was at the end of his rope, as most men are when they arrive at the Colony of Mercy. The Colony is also is one of those historical sites where God just seems to show up. Eddie, like the woman at the well, was trying to satisfy a hunger that he didn’t understand either. The counselor at the Colony recognized the nature of Eddie’s need as spiritual, so he introduced him to Jesus Christ. When Eddie realized that he had been confronted and then blessed by the Messiah, his reaction was the same as hers two thousand years ago. Except Eddie left his crack pipe, that heonce used to satisfy his thirst, and also went out to tell others. In fact, he went all the way to the Bahamas, and began working with children at a place he affectionately refers to as an Americas Keswick for kids! Now as you can see, the result of being impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the same today as it was two thousand years ago.

         The key to understanding the application of this text is that addiction of any sort is biblically defined as idolatry. The hunger that we are trying to satisfy can only be satisfied by an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. (Psalms 63:5 NKJV) The woman at the well left her water pot and her endless search for sexual satisfaction. Eddie left his crack pipe. What is it that God is calling and empowering you to leave?

                                                               Chaplain Jim Freed

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Man Up Men! Live Christlike!
Walter
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But I Didn’t Do Anything Wrong!

Last Saturday, my son and I drove up to north Jersey to go to a wild turkey hunting seminar.  It was a gorgeous day for a 2-hour drive and to spend some time with my son.  We stopped at McDonalds a few miles short of the Fish and Game Center for some burgers and fries and back on the road.  It’s hard to imagine that that area is in New Jersey.  If you’ve never been to the northwest corner of the state, it’s full of rolling hills, farms, and small towns. 

Shortly after going through a town I saw lights go on in my rearview mirror.  Like any law-abiding citizen I pulled over to let the cop chase down the guy.  The cop pulled over right behind me.  There must be some mistake!  I turned to my son, “that light was green wasn’t it?”  My son confirmed.  “License and registration”.  I kept telling myself “this is a mistake”.  I handed over everything and waited.  A few minutes later the officer returned to my truck door, “why are you in such a hurry?”  Now I know this is a mistake, the light just turned green and my old truck couldn’t possibly be speeding in that short a distance.  He then explained to me what I had done wrong.  The car in front of me had made a right turn into the gas station and I went around him on the left and when I did I crossed the double line.  On March 6, 2011 I got my very first ticket.  After 23 years with a perfect driving record and now had a ticket.

How many times have we said something like “I didn’t do anything wrong”, “that’s not my fought”, or “but he did something worse than me”?  I know in my 23 years of driving I have broken numerous laws.  So why do I get so upset when I get called on something that I perceive as small? 

The Bible reminds me that I can’t use the phrase “I didn’t do anything wrong”.  1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.”  That’s kind of depressing if you really think about it.  No matter how good I think I am I just don’t measure up. John is telling us that it’s impossible for us to be perfect.  I really hate when someone tells me I’m wrong.  For me, it’s a pride issue.  Ok, maybe I messed up but I can fix it.  No I can’t!  There is nothing that I can do to erase my sin.  I almost wrote mistakes, but doing sin isn’t really a mistake as much as it is a choice and all to often I choose to go against God’s law.

I’m glad God doesn’t leave me down in the dumps, look at verse 9, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  There’s hope!  No, nothing that I can do, but there is hope that our history can be deleted.  We’ll i may still have some issues I have to deal with on earth but I know that God has taken away the eternal punishment.  A new start, back to a clean driving record!

The officer did write me up for a lesser infraction, I had something hanging from my rearview mirror.  I still had a $54 fine but no points on my license.  I don’t know if that office was a believer or not but he did teach me a lesson on grace.  I’m glad God gives me grace.  It would be nice to keep my clean driving record but I’m more thankful to be offered a clean life record.

~Walter E. Homan

Why I'm Not Getting an iPhone | Plugged In Online Up Front

I hope all of you are familiar with Plugged In.   If your not, let me give you a short bio.  Plugged In is the media wing of Focus on the Family.  They research and write reviews for movies in the theater, dvds, music, video games, etc.  Occasionally they will also write an editorial mostly on media or technology issues.

I'm on Plugged In's email list and they had a great article in it this week.

Why I'm Not Getting an iPhone | Plugged In Online Up Front by Adam R. Holz

One of my most memorable bouts with techno-lust happened in late 2005. My wife and I were visiting relatives over Thanksgiving, and a cousin's boyfriend had gotten his hands on the just-released fifth-generation iPod … the first with video capability.

"Ooooohhhhhh," I cooed. "That's cool!" Never mind that I already had an iPod of my own. This was drool-worthy. This had pictures to go with the sound. This was so much better than my so-much-smaller, so-much-less-capable and so-much-less-cool fourth-generation model.

So that Christmas I dutifully ponied up $299 to get one … for my wife. And we're still using it today, remarkably, though its battery life isn't what it used to be.

As for its supercool video feature, well, I think we downloaded exactly one video (U2's "Vertigo"). The new iPod's biggest wow-inducing factor, it turned out, was a total non-issue when it came to our real-world usage of it. In the end, it was just another iPod … and wasn't at all different, functionally, from than the one I already had.

In other words: It was nice, but it didn't complete me.

While I like tech toys as much as the next guy, and while I'm not averse to coughing up the cash if I want (need!) something badly enough, and while I'm certainly not anti-technology, and while I really do think it's even cooler than that 2005 video-enabled iPod … I'm not getting an iPhone. Or any other smartphone for that matter. And I'd like to take a few minutes to tell you why...  (Read the whole article)

I'm one of the few guys left that still doesn't have a smart phone.  I just have an old Motorola Razor.  I've wanted an iPhone for a long time but I've been waiting for Verizon to pick it up.  I'm still on the fence, but Adam's article is definitely something to consider.

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Man Up Men! Live Christlike!
Walter
Email me!