Why Do It?

Gifts come in all shapes and sizes.

But the best gifts of all are those that do not come in boxes.

Days ago, I received just such a gift.

It came on the day of our annual Christmas Program.

For the last several years, I have participated in our Sunday School Christmas Program.

Although the program is comprised mostly of children, several adults are involved.

Having neither children nor grandchildren, there is one question I am asked every year.

“Why do it?”

A few, it seems, just cannot wrap their minds around why I would invest my time and energy in this.

There are many reasons why I do so.

Most of the year I work with adults.

Once a year, twice if I am fortunate, projects like this allow me to work alongside the young.

Their spiritual needs are different than our own.

In fact, their needs are a bit different than were mine at the same age.

Today’s youth live in a different world than the one I grew up in.

Technology is inescapable.

There are more organized activities.

There is a virtual bombardment of information.

In short, for good or bad, there are far more distractions and demands on their time.

I also understand that there are two primary ways to teach.

We can teach with our words or we can teach by example.

When it comes to teaching the young, teaching by example is the most effective way.

Having once been young, I remember that the young look for cracks in our armor.

One bad example can undo years of teaching.

That is why I invest my time and energy in the Christmas program.

This year, on the day of the program, I received a special blessing.

A mother with two children told me that they thought a lot of me.

That is the best gift I will receive this Christmas.

Next year, when someone asks me “Why do it?” I will recall that moment.

Matthew 19:14 (NET) - But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Philippians 4:9 (NET) - And what you learned and received and heard and saw in me, do these things. And the God of peace will be with you.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, December 27, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, January 3, 2020

Music to My Ears

Ephesians 6:13-17 (NET) - For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. Stand firm, by fastening belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness, by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace, and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Several weeks ago, I was once again enjoying coffee with friends at a local restaurant.

On this particular occasion, one of my friends brought his own coffee cup.

He walked up to the counter and paid for his coffee.

They filled the cup he brought in and my friend then joined our table.

The restaurant was quite noisy due to the large crowd.

There we were, enjoying both our coffee and each other’s company.

Then something happened that distracted me.

I heard music.

This music was different from that which the restaurant had playing through their speaker system.

I first checked my cell phone and was quickly able to rule that out.

As quickly as it appeared it disappeared.

I put this out of my mind.

Moments later I heard it again.

It was a very simple melody that was just loud enough for me to detect.

It sounded like the music to "Happy Birthday".

A moment later, it was gone.

Try as I might, I could not figure out where this music was coming from.

Over the course of the next several minutes it would come and go seemingly at random.

The effect it had on me was noticeable.

One of my friends asked me what was wrong.

All eyes on the table were now on me.

"This is very strange," I explained, "but I hear music from time to time and I have no idea where it coming from."

I asked if anyone else was hearing it.

They replied that they didn’t.

Then, purely without trying, I discovered exactly where this phantom music was coming from.

I was speaking directly to the friend who had so recently joined us.

As I spoke to him, he picked up his cup in order to drink from it.

As soon as he did, I heard the music play again.

As he set the cup down, the music stopped.

Mystery solved.

He had one of those musical coffee cups.

Someone had given it to him on his birthday years ago.

Due either to the cup’s age or some electrical malfunction, it played at a greatly reduced volume.

I thanked God that even at my age I was able to hear this amid all the noise.

I also realized that the hearing protection I wore when I worked in factories decades ago had indeed protected my hearing.

Because I took the precaution of protecting my hearing as a young man, my hearing is still quite good even though I am older.

It would not have been sufficient to carry around my hearing protection.

I actually had to wear it In order to preserve my hearing.

This served to remind me of the passage from Ephesians with which I opened.

God provides us with full armor to protect us spiritually.

He provides the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of truth.

It is not enough for us to simply carry them around with us.

In order to guard ourselves, we must wear them at all times in order for them to provide the protection He has so generously provided.

Thus armed, we can stand our ground and stand firm against anything that comes at us.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
http://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com