Bubbles
I stood on my grandmother's front porch with my son.
He had a bottle of bubbles. You know the type; it's
basically soapy water with a plastic loop on each end.
You dip the loop in the bottle, pull it out, and blow it to
make bubbles.
My son understood the principle but was vainly trying to
blow bubbles. He would dip and dip and blow and blow, but
alas, no bubbles.
He handed me the bottle and loop and asked me, "Daddy can
you make bubbles?" I hadn't blown bubbles in years. I am
a chemist by education, fairly well-trained in surfactant
technology. I have formulated several shampoos, so I
understand surface tension and related foaming
characteristics of surfactants. Surfactant is just a big
fancy word for a soap or detergent.
All that knowledge isn't worth a hoot when trying to blow
bubbles from a loop filled with soapy water. I was having
no more success than my son. I would dip and puff, no
bubbles; the soapy film on the loop would just pop without
releasing any bubbles.
After several futile attempts, I changed tactics.
Instead of puffing on the loop of soapy water, I gently
breathed on it. My son squealed with delight as a big
beautiful bubble emerged and floated away.
He grabbed the loop, dipped and blew. No bubbles.
I explained to him, "Son you can't blow hard, you must ever
so gently breathe on the loop to make bubbles."
He restrained his ardent desire to make big bubbles by blowing
hard and followed my advice.
Big bubbles.
It was a moment as I saw another principle of
life floating away in the bubbles.
There are some things that you can get with brute force, but
there are other things that only come with the gentleness
of a soft breath. Too often, we try to force love or real
respect. It won't come. It just pops before the bubble
can ever form because we try to put too much force on it.
The closer something is to higher spirit, the more it is
like bubbles; it can't be forced and is more often found in
the soft things of life.
You have a bottle of bubbles and you have been puffing
trying to get them out.
Blow beautiful bubbles; breathe easy.
Thank you for this story , B.J. Coward
Jan Bagwell
God Bless
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Hard Soft Side
The Hard Soft Side
I sat in the window seat on the plane as I watched the baggage
unloader place bags on the conveyor belt feeding into the
belly of the plane.
I watched him plop bag after bag onto the moving conveyor
belt. Most of the bags were similar only differing in size.
Most had wheels under the bottom located on the backside of
the bag. On the front were zippered pockets.
Plop plop plop went the bags. I then noticed that all of the
bags were being flipped into the face down position. He always
turned the bags so the wheels were on top and the zippered
pockets in the front of the bag were against the conveyor
belt.
"The delicate stuff would be in the zippered pockets," I
thought. "If there was any delicate stuff in the pockets there
is a good chance it's busted," I also thought.
Perhaps he turned the bag facedown to keep the wheels from
being against the belt and it rolling down the conveyor.
Perhaps. I'm not a baggage handling expert.
What stood out was the very place that I would have placed a
delicate item was the very place it was most likely to be
crushed.
The moral of this issue:
As you travel through life, don't depend on others to be
gentle with your delicate stuff that's on the inside.
Safeguard it.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of
life. Proverbs 4:23 NIV
I sat in the window seat on the plane as I watched the baggage
unloader place bags on the conveyor belt feeding into the
belly of the plane.
I watched him plop bag after bag onto the moving conveyor
belt. Most of the bags were similar only differing in size.
Most had wheels under the bottom located on the backside of
the bag. On the front were zippered pockets.
Plop plop plop went the bags. I then noticed that all of the
bags were being flipped into the face down position. He always
turned the bags so the wheels were on top and the zippered
pockets in the front of the bag were against the conveyor
belt.
"The delicate stuff would be in the zippered pockets," I
thought. "If there was any delicate stuff in the pockets there
is a good chance it's busted," I also thought.
Perhaps he turned the bag facedown to keep the wheels from
being against the belt and it rolling down the conveyor.
Perhaps. I'm not a baggage handling expert.
What stood out was the very place that I would have placed a
delicate item was the very place it was most likely to be
crushed.
The moral of this issue:
As you travel through life, don't depend on others to be
gentle with your delicate stuff that's on the inside.
Safeguard it.
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of
life. Proverbs 4:23 NIV
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Gardeners of God
Gardeners of God
The seeds we sow are made to grow
In acts and deeds we do
And what we harvest, in return,
Is what our efforts grew .
So , if we sow God’s seeds of love –
Throughout our years of time –
The crops we harvest , every day ,
Will always be divine .
It is for us , to sow His cares
In deeds of every kind
And live the Christian way of life –
In body , heart and mind –
So we may harvest ,every day ,
The joys He wills to be
To gardeners of His love and care –
And Christianity
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your worries upon Him because He cares for you .
The seeds we sow are made to grow
In acts and deeds we do
And what we harvest, in return,
Is what our efforts grew .
So , if we sow God’s seeds of love –
Throughout our years of time –
The crops we harvest , every day ,
Will always be divine .
It is for us , to sow His cares
In deeds of every kind
And live the Christian way of life –
In body , heart and mind –
So we may harvest ,every day ,
The joys He wills to be
To gardeners of His love and care –
And Christianity
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your worries upon Him because He cares for you .
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Hit by Friendly Fire Part 1
Hit By Friendly Fire: What To Do When Christians Hurt You
Genesis 50:15-21; Philippians 3:8-10
One second. One mistake. One firing of the missile in the midst of the war. The missile cannot come back. The weapon is now headed for you. And the one who fired it is on your side. It is war. Hit by friendly fire.
And this is not Baghdad or the Battle of the Bulge or Pork Chop Hill. I am speaking of the many walking wounded in the body of Christ who have been hurt by other believers, people who have been hit by the betrayal of a Christian.
But this is no mistake. She meant to say those words. He meant to plot against you. They meant to bring you down. And you will never be the same. You will suffer with this for the rest of your life. You will not go back to any church. You will lick your wounds. You will be possessed for the rest of your life by the pain. And the pain becomes bitterness.
Do you know anyone like that? Or is that your story? Are you the victim of a wound inflicted by someone you love? A victim? It does not have to be.
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:15-21).
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, (Philippians 1:15-18).
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (Philippians 3:8-10).
Interrupted by God
I do sermon planning, and then I do sermon preparation. In sermon planning, I seek to plan over a period of time, such as a year, and seek the Lord to take us through books or chapters of the Bible. Then, week-to-week, I do sermon preparation — based upon the planning — where I actually prepare for the sermon coming up. Between series on books or chapters, I bring you single sermon messages, like last week and like today. I thought I knew where I was going in this single sermon. But between the planning and the preparation, God interrupted my life. And that is the way it should be. So I believe this message has come from the Lord.
I would characterize this message as a sermon — that is, a sermon drawn from Scripture to address a need I see in the lives of our people. I see this as a universal need in the lives of Christians . . . and, I must say, in the lives of non-Christians. It is the matter of being hurt by one you love. It is the matter of seeing yourself as a victim — or not — in that process. Let me tell you how God brought this to me, and then I want to address it from God’s Word.
Well, one day, not too long ago,This is what my schedule looked like that particular day. Among other appointments, I was to see three different families. None of them were from our church, or even from our city for that matter. Without going into detail, let me also say they were all in ministry.
The first began to tell me their story. But soon the words, going nowhere as far as I could tell, ended in tears. Then they said it, “We have been hurt by other Christians.” I spent no small amount of time with them. I brought them to God’s Word, and we spent time together seeking the truths of Scripture. Our time was over. Have been here ? I felt a real need to write about it . There maybe a part 2 and 3 , if God give it to me . There is more pain than person can handle is when people from God house do this . I have more to say about this subject but later . A young Pastor is going through it right now . People remember who Jesus is and who we are . You maybe the only real love a person see . Be careful !
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
Sister Mary Carpenter is at home and went through operation great . Thank you Jesus .
Genesis 50:15-21; Philippians 3:8-10
One second. One mistake. One firing of the missile in the midst of the war. The missile cannot come back. The weapon is now headed for you. And the one who fired it is on your side. It is war. Hit by friendly fire.
And this is not Baghdad or the Battle of the Bulge or Pork Chop Hill. I am speaking of the many walking wounded in the body of Christ who have been hurt by other believers, people who have been hit by the betrayal of a Christian.
But this is no mistake. She meant to say those words. He meant to plot against you. They meant to bring you down. And you will never be the same. You will suffer with this for the rest of your life. You will not go back to any church. You will lick your wounds. You will be possessed for the rest of your life by the pain. And the pain becomes bitterness.
Do you know anyone like that? Or is that your story? Are you the victim of a wound inflicted by someone you love? A victim? It does not have to be.
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died, ‘Say to Joseph, Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:15-21).
Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of rivalry, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, (Philippians 1:15-18).
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, (Philippians 3:8-10).
Interrupted by God
I do sermon planning, and then I do sermon preparation. In sermon planning, I seek to plan over a period of time, such as a year, and seek the Lord to take us through books or chapters of the Bible. Then, week-to-week, I do sermon preparation — based upon the planning — where I actually prepare for the sermon coming up. Between series on books or chapters, I bring you single sermon messages, like last week and like today. I thought I knew where I was going in this single sermon. But between the planning and the preparation, God interrupted my life. And that is the way it should be. So I believe this message has come from the Lord.
I would characterize this message as a sermon — that is, a sermon drawn from Scripture to address a need I see in the lives of our people. I see this as a universal need in the lives of Christians . . . and, I must say, in the lives of non-Christians. It is the matter of being hurt by one you love. It is the matter of seeing yourself as a victim — or not — in that process. Let me tell you how God brought this to me, and then I want to address it from God’s Word.
Well, one day, not too long ago,This is what my schedule looked like that particular day. Among other appointments, I was to see three different families. None of them were from our church, or even from our city for that matter. Without going into detail, let me also say they were all in ministry.
The first began to tell me their story. But soon the words, going nowhere as far as I could tell, ended in tears. Then they said it, “We have been hurt by other Christians.” I spent no small amount of time with them. I brought them to God’s Word, and we spent time together seeking the truths of Scripture. Our time was over. Have been here ? I felt a real need to write about it . There maybe a part 2 and 3 , if God give it to me . There is more pain than person can handle is when people from God house do this . I have more to say about this subject but later . A young Pastor is going through it right now . People remember who Jesus is and who we are . You maybe the only real love a person see . Be careful !
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
Sister Mary Carpenter is at home and went through operation great . Thank you Jesus .
Monday, June 6, 2011
Happiness
Happiness
Bad choices in all of the major areas of our lives - education, career, marriage, and more - can be traced back to mistaken beliefs about what will make us happy. The truth is that spending our whole lives chasing what we want is the best way not to find happiness. Look at the way America's founding fathers used the phrase the pursuit of happiness. We tend to interpret those words from the Declaration of Independence to mean that we're all entitled to do whatever we think will make us happy at any given moment-exactly the tendency that the founders is warning us against.
"But the founders were talking about something very different: Those words meant the freedom to make our best efforts toward living a virtuous life. They believed that this was the path toward true happiness. When we seek God's best instead of our own, we find a higher standard by which to make our decisions-a standard that doesn't change when our feelings do.
You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first.So the question you and I have to ask ourself's ,is God and our faith in Him in control of our life's? Many born again people have made bad choices because they fail to ask God or didn't wait for a answer.My brothers and sisters in Christ , Our Lord want us to be happy , but He see our future ,we don't .
Father God , In the name Jesus ,I bring Myself and brothers and sisters born by the Blood Jesus , to you . That we would lay our decisions in our life's before you .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
Please remember Sister Mary Carpenter will be operated on tomorrow at 12 clock .
Bad choices in all of the major areas of our lives - education, career, marriage, and more - can be traced back to mistaken beliefs about what will make us happy. The truth is that spending our whole lives chasing what we want is the best way not to find happiness. Look at the way America's founding fathers used the phrase the pursuit of happiness. We tend to interpret those words from the Declaration of Independence to mean that we're all entitled to do whatever we think will make us happy at any given moment-exactly the tendency that the founders is warning us against.
"But the founders were talking about something very different: Those words meant the freedom to make our best efforts toward living a virtuous life. They believed that this was the path toward true happiness. When we seek God's best instead of our own, we find a higher standard by which to make our decisions-a standard that doesn't change when our feelings do.
You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first.So the question you and I have to ask ourself's ,is God and our faith in Him in control of our life's? Many born again people have made bad choices because they fail to ask God or didn't wait for a answer.My brothers and sisters in Christ , Our Lord want us to be happy , but He see our future ,we don't .
Father God , In the name Jesus ,I bring Myself and brothers and sisters born by the Blood Jesus , to you . That we would lay our decisions in our life's before you .
Jan Bagwell
God Bless !
Please remember Sister Mary Carpenter will be operated on tomorrow at 12 clock .
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