A Grandma from Georgia

Lawyers should never ask a Georgia grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer.

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know me?' She responded, 'Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.'

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?'
She again replied, 'Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a
youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.'

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said,

'If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair

“I am a patient” Is different from “I am patient”.

The first describes a hospital stay.
The second describes a spiritual virtue.
It is quite possible that because someone is not patient (as a spiritual virtue), he becomes a patient (in the hospital)

The Greek Bible uses a wonderfully compelling word- MAKROTHUMIA- translated as patience (0r longsuffering in the King James). Makrothumia comes two the words Macros (which means Long) and Thumos (which means passion or breathing hard). Makrothumia means controlling hard breathing (when we react strongly we experience hard breathing) or controlling passion.

In modern English, what exactly is makrothumia? It means the attitude that does not admit defeat, rising again after every difficult experience, refusing to be crumbled by disappointments and refusing to lie down and die when discouraged.

If you can combine ENDURANCE (standing still and strong even when the storm comes) and PERSEVERANCE (moving forward no matter what), the one word that would come out is makrothumia- or patience or longsuffering

Oh Yes, patience is a spiritual gift. Like a sword in your hand. of course you know that the sword can do nothing unless you use it.

Be patient. Here is what a patient believer will say: by God’s grace and fully trusting His righteousness, I will not allow anything now to defeat me. I am winner and the winner never quits because the quitter never wins.


DC

Loneliness and lonesomeness

 "Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely, I have nobody to call my own" (A song from our youth)

Loneliness is not only to be without companions. Loneliness, to be precise about it, is to be without comforting companions. 

One can become lonely in the midst of a boisterous company. 

Loneliness is not even solitariness, which means to be physically alone. Loneliness is internal while solitariness is external. 

Loneliness is not even solitude, which is an intentional disassociation from other people to do some serious reflection or to give vent to inconsolable grief. 

Solitude is often intentional while loneliness is often inflicted. Loneliness is solitude except that is often inflicted rather than intentional.

May you be gifted with the spiritual skill of not allowing loneliness to batter you emotionally to a situation where you will say "nobody cares; I have no one in this world"


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Loneliness, Nostalgia, Lonesomeness:

Loneliness is not nostalgia, which is a mixed feeling of pain and pleasure for things or events of the past. Loneliness is the refusal to find hope in the future and contentment at the present.

Loneliness is not even sadness although these are, to some extent, alike in both content and impact. Sadness is about a temporary loss while loneliness is about a permanent loss. 

The distinction between sadness and loneliness is that sadness tends to be temporary and short-lived while loneliness tends to be longer lasting and more damaging. 

Loneliness is not even lonesomeness. Loneliness is oftentimes intentionally hidden while lonesomeness is usually made visible by a dejected face and a depressed behavior. 

Lonesomeness triggers a forlorn attitude and appearance while loneliness may be expertly hidden from public view while a person goes about his daily life without his skills hampered by the turmoil inside.

How would you know if what you are going through is loneliness? If you recall something in your past and some strong feeling is generated, more likely it is Nostalgia. 

If you start concluding that you have no one to call your own and there is no one who calls you his/her own, then you are lonely. Be careful. Loneliness can remove from you any sense of life even while you are alive.

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By Ptr Doy Castillo

Protecting Your Local Church

Protecting Your Church

Be United – 

“United we stand, Divided we fall” reminds us the effect of unity and disunity of one’s organization. Church as a living organism and it function also as an organization, has a life and integrity that needs to protect. 
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Eph. 4:3

As a Christian, we are responsible in protecting the unity of your church, because it is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it and you rip the heart out of Christ’s body. It is the very essence of how God intends us to experience life together as His people. 

Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church. He paid the highest price for it, and he wants it protected! If you are part of his family, that is your responsibility! 

1. Practice Acceptance of One’s weaknesses, not to compromise but to love unconditionally

“ Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Eph. 4:2

2. Practice Encouragement and not Condemning.

An accuser of a brethren is the work of Satan.
Whenever I condemn my brother and sister in Christ, four things instantly happen.
- I lose fellowship with God
- I expose my own pride and insecurity
- I set myself up to be judged by God
- I harm the fellowship of the church

3. Practice to Refuse to Listen to Gossip

Gossip is passing on information when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the solution.

“A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.” Prov.17:4

“ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:15.

4. Practice Biblical Conflict Resolution

Jesus gave the church a simple three-step process for conflict resolution. But during conflict, it is tempting to complain to a third party rather than courageously speak the truth in love to the person you are upset with. This always makes matters worse!

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” 
Matthew 18:15-17

5. Practice Supporting Your Pastors and Leaders

One of the sad things you learn in ministry is that people who have been around the church the longest can often be the most immature. Pastors often have the unpleasant task of serving as mediator between hurt or immature members, and they’re also given the task of trying to make everyone happy, which even Jesus couldn’t do!

“ Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Hebrews 13:17

12 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. I Thess 5:12-13

“No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” I Corinthians 10:24 

It is not always easy to protect the unity of the church. Sometimes you will have to do what’s best for the Body, not yourself, showing preference to others. That’s one reason God puts us in a church family – to learn unselfishness. As members of a church, we learn to say “we” instead of “I” and “our” instead of “mine.” God blesses churches that are unified.