.
Postmortems
Jordan Niranjan/Unsplash
“Don't dwell on the past—learn from it.
Start thinking about what to do now and less about what you did then. Lift up your eyes to a bright future. God loved you enough to send His only begotten Son.
I have a friend who can recall every hunting trip we have been on and the details of each animal taken. He rehearses the stories often and we relive the events when we meet. That is not a bad thing, but when we rehearse sad stories or negative and depressing ones, we too can become experts in the details, and relive the events.
Doing postmortems on gripes and past losses can have a strong negative effect on plans for the future. It is important that we learn the correct way and time to bury the past so that we can live in the present and future. Amazing things happen when you put constructive thoughts to work. Learning from past mistakes is good, but after one postmortem, there needs to be a burial. Postmortems are not conducted over and over again on the same subject.
None of us have a history we wish would never have happened as the one the apostle Paul had. The memories of his terrible persecution against the Church never left his mind, but he learned to lock them in a compartment and leave them behind. Otherwise, he would never have been useful to God (Philippians 3:13). We are not able to erase memories completely, but we can learn that it’s possible to place our sins and faults in God’s hands, and we need not dwell on them every day. Repentance and baptism is only needed once in life to forgive sins.
Start thinking about what to do now and less about what you did then. Lift up your eyes to a bright future. God loved you enough to send His only begotten Son.” From: https://www.ucg.org/beyond-today/blogs/this-is-the-way/postmortems
_______
There's Petroleum in That?
“Relevant News Item
The rising price of gasoline is frequently in the news these days, but it's easy to forget the other items made from petroleum. One expert suggested that 70 percent of products in a supermarket have some form of petroleum by-product in the item itself or in the packaging.
For instance, petroleum can often be found in antiseptics, baby strollers, balloons, bandages, cameras, clothing, computers, dentures, deodorant, food preservatives, glue, ink, medical equipment, shampoo, toothpaste and vitamin capsules, among other things.
In fact, in the United States, from each 42-gallon barrel of oil 34 gallons go to fuels of various kinds, while the rest goes to produce ingredients for products like those in the above list (Paul Wilson, "Gusher of Goods Made With Crude," The Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 5, 2008).
The price of oil contributes to the cost of more things than just fuel—something to ponder the next time you pick up a tube of toothpaste!” From: https://www.ucg.org/vertical-thought/in-the-news-theres-petroleum-in-that
_______
Tech Manners Matter
“Relevant News Items
In the invariably invasive era of cell phones and other digital paraphernalia, how does one master good manners?
Marian McEvoy, hostess and etiquette writer, suggests a few guidelines for keeping the peace between cell phones and friends ("Tech Etiquette," Domino, November 2007):
• When visiting friends, don't greet your host while on the phone, never answer a call at the dining table and leave your cell phone in another room during the meal to avert the temptation to answer.
• Avoid chronic texting because the reason for accepting an invitation is to spend time with one's friends—hard to do if host or guest is constantly tapping texts. McEvoy suggests asking texting guests to do their typing in another part of the house since they are not inclined to mingle.
• Finally, in the case of thank-you notes, love letters, apologies, invitations, congratulations and condolences, opt for a written missive that includes a salutation and a signature. To those born before the digitized age, text messaging shorthand and emoticons are confusing. So make use of the beauty and delights of longhand language and practice your penmanship!” From: https://www.ucg.org/vertical-thought/in-the-news-tech-manners-matter
_______
The Bummer Lamb
“Every once in a while, an ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.
These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken.
These lambs are called “bummer lambs.” Unless the shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the shepherd does?
He takes that rejected little one into his home, hand-feeds it and keep it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to his chest so the bummer can hear his heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock.
But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first?
That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows his voice intimately.
It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the one who loves it.
It's not that it is loved more, it just believes it because it has experienced that love one on one.
So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.
We may be broken but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.
The Lord is MY shepherd... I’m a bummer lamb.”
_______
No comments:
Post a Comment