WHAT YOU SEE, ISN’T WHAT YOU GET!

Yesterday morning, after the service at our new church, I had a chat to my friend, the church gardener. We will call him George. George is a genuinely nice guy, in his early 70’s I guess. As we share an interest in horticulture, we have always got on well, each one encouraging the other with smiles and conversation when we meet.

But George is a little different, you see. He lives by himself, and has a large lump on one side of his face that makes him stand out in a crowd. So, quite naturally I suppose, I have always regarded him as being a little shy and retiring. A genuine, lovely man, serving the Lord in a quiet way, in keeping with his appearance and lifestyle.

So this Sunday morning, George greeted me with his normal friendly smile and we got talking, as you do after a suitably satisfying Sunday service. George now told me about his conversion, at age 62. A wonderful story of how the Lord told him to come out of the Mormon Church, then how a few days later, he truly found the Lord in a Pentecostal church he knew nothing about but just felt led to go in to. An amazing enough story in itself! But wait, there is more – lot’s more!

For George then started to tell me about his calling. His calling to be an evangelist! He told me about how this had been prophesied over his life on several occasions and how he felt led to bring people into the church. So of course, I just had to ask him how many he had brought. “Well, I don’t know for sure,” he said, “for you see I preach and witness in the streets for several hours, 4 days a week! Have been doing it for 6 years.”

Once I had metaphorically picked myself up off the floor, sporting a badly bruised ego, I asked what reaction he had from the people. “ Well, for the first few years I took a lot of abuse, but now the people are getting to know me and are listening to what I am saying. I must continue to preach, for there is not much time left.”

“Oh Lord, please forgive me for making judgement, for merely seeing the superficial, for not seeking the heart of your servant. For being influenced by the ways of the world, which are not your ways. You have taught me a lesson that I trust I will never again forget. Thank you George, Thank you Lord.”

You know this morning, as I look at myself in the mirror, I trust many others will have also learned this lesson, or else there is little hope for me too!

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FROM THE WORD

" "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:1-2)

"For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ”‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way." (Romans 14:9-13)

"As for those who seemed to be important — whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance — those men added nothing to my message." (Galatians 2:6)

DAVID'S DOODLINGS

^^^ A foolish man speaks before he thinks, a wise man thinks before he speaks, but a godly man lets his life speak for him.

^^^ The lips of a foolish man blaspheme God, those of a wise man honour God, but a godly man’s lips glorify his God.

^^^ A foolish man can seek wisdom, the wise man godliness, while the godly man grows into the image of Christ.

^^^ Wisdom is easily read, takes time to acquire, but needs to be applied over a lifetime.

^^^ A fool believes he has all wisdom, a wise man is prepared to learn from others, while the godly man’s teacher is the Holy Spirit.

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COMMENTS ON LAST WEEKS NEWSLETTER

ON THE LEADING ARTICLE 'IS GOD ALL?'

David,
Your piece on your friend, the Ghanaian saint and wrestling fan, reminded me of my good friend who is the Organist and Choirmaster at a major Cathedral. He surrounds himself every day with the most sublime music in the worship of God, and yet, any chance he can, he will watch the Wrestling. I went with him once to see the wrestling live, and found that the crowd, who mostly looked like a bunch you wouldn't want to be caught in a dark alley with, shouted and screamed themselves hoarse, but were as gentle and amenable as little lambs immediately after we got out of the stadium. I think they, with my friend, had had an emotional work out that provided a release. It seemed like a watered down reflection of what we, in Christ, so often find after a session of Praise and Worship. On earth the feeling is temporary, but in heaven it will be full on all the (eternal) time. We but see "through a glass darkly".
Graham

David,
Thank you so much for your comments on the above subject. In our world, which inserts itself so insidiously into our lives, I find it so easy to think that I am doing all right without taking to account all the ways in which I fall short. Being a minister seems to increase the problem when so many people in our congregations seem to think that we have "made it"!
May God bless you richly for so pertinent and encouraging a reminder!
Sincerely in Christ,
Brenda M. McKnight

FROM THE WORD
Dear David,
You may get a lot of responses about the quote from Galatians 3. The verses you quote I find in Philippians 3. This may have been put in there intentionally to see whether we are awake to "imperfections."
Grace and Peace,
Roger Eberly
Milford, IN

Well - no actually!! Imperfection shared, not noticed or not reported?

TILL DEATH DO US PART (3 Weeks ago)
Hi David
Thanx for all you're doing each week, I don't know how you do it! Just want to say the joke about the 'apparently' deaf wife went down a storm at both our morning services last week! I had to pause for a few extra seconds to let all the mirth die down! Keep them coming!
Roger - Testwood Baptist Church, England

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FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK

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THINGS GOD WANTS US TO KNOW

BY: Brother Andrew

To be known worldwide, simply by your Christian name, is incredible. Has lived a life of overcoming all the many obstacles that have been placed before him. Surely is truly qualified to reveal to us things that God wants us to know.

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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES

***Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused***

*** "Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others." ***

THEME SONGS FOR BIBLE CHARACTERS
Noah: "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
Adam and Eve: "Strangers in Paradise"
Lazarus: "The Second Time Around"
Esther: "I Feel Pretty"
Job: "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues"

PASTORAL VISITING
A new pastor moved into a town, and he went out one day to visit his parishioners. All went well until he came upon this one house. It was obvious that someone was home, but no one came to the door even after he had knocked several times. Finally he took out his card, wrote on the back "Revelation 3:20" and stuck it on the back of the door.

Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me."

Later in the week, as he was counting the offering, he found his card in the collection plate. Below his message was the notation "Genesis 3:10."

Genesis 3:10: "And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked: so I hid myself."

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FACTS FOR FUN

LAST WEEKS QUESTION: Is it true that turtles don't age?

ANSWER: It is strange, but true. After reaching maturity, a turtle's body doesn't continue to age biologically. They manifest what is known as 'negligible senescence', that is they increase in chronological age without exhibiting increased mortality. To put it simply: they continue to grow and reproduce after reaching maturity, but show no evidence of 'senescence', a fancy word for 'aging'. Turtles do die, of course. Eventually, they'll succumb to disease, injury, or predators - but there have been reports of turtles living for more than 100 to 200 years!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION: Where did the term 'stool pigeon' originate?

Answer Next Week.

SOME FUN FACTS
DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT
In the event of a major meteorite collision with the earth, your odds of dying are 1 in 20,000. Nearly 400 tons of space debris rain down on us daily, far too small an amount to detect. To date, no known big asteroid is on a collision path with Earth. However, a near miss by one in 1996 was found only four days before it passed within 280,000 miles of Earth, a hairbreadth by space standards. (But a long way from home.)

THE ULTIMATE OBSESSION
King Charles VIII of France, who ascended to the throne in 1483, was obsessed with the idea of being poisoned. As his phobia grew, the monarch ate so little that he died of malnutrition circa 1498. (The ultimate diet!)

A LIVING MONUMENT TO WAR
Built in only 16 months between 1941 and 1942, the Pentagon is only 71ft tall, yet it has 5 floors, 17.5 miles of corridors, 150 stairways, 280 restrooms, 685 drinking fountains, 7,748 windows and workers replace more than 250 light bulbs each day. (A bureaucratic battlefield.)

A CHALLENGE FOR YOU

Some months have 31 days. How many have 28?

Answer at the end of A David Musing.

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Truly Trifling Trivia or view all 1000 online at...

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PETS RULE

FAMOUS DOG QUOTES
"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies." Gene Hill

"In dog years, I'm dead."

"Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the
need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear." Dave
Barry

"Outside of a dog, a book is probably man's best friend; inside of a dog, it's too
dark to read." Groucho Marx

"To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs." Aldous
Huxley

"Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful."
Ann Landers

"A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before
lying down." Robert Benchley

"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs
spend their lives." Sue Murphy

"Ever consider what they must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery
store with the most amazing haul: chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're
the greatest hunters on earth!" Anne Tyler

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MARRIAGE AND FAMILY FACT SHEET (Mainly US + General)

John Paul II Consortium on Marriage and the Family, 1999

*** Marriage socializes men. Once married, men earn more, work more, and attend church more often. They also frequent bars/taverns less (Nock 1998).

*** Couples who value marriage and disapprove of divorce are less likely to get divorced (Bumpass and Sweet 1995) and they are more likely to invest themselves in their marriages (Amato and Rogers 1999).

*** A survey of 18,000 adults in 17 industrialized nations found that married persons have a significantly higher level of happiness than unmarried adults, even after controlling for health and financial status, which are also linked to marriage (Stack and Eshleman 1998).

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DO YOU HAVE A LITTLE TIME TO READ...

YOU’RE STILL THERE
A similar theme to the first poem I wrote, eight years earlier, in another time of trouble. Hopefully though, this one expresses a more mature faith. You be the judge. I know I am coping with the problems more easily now, knowing for sure that God is on my
side.

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A DAVID MUSING

William Shakespeare posed a very deep question when he wrote the profound line, "To be, or not to be, that is the question." Of course, this referred to the life and death situation of the ill fated romance between Romeo and Juliette, which many of us were forced to read at school, much to our disgust at the time, but with appreciation later.

Likely written as a just another throw away line in another play, this simple statement has captured the imagination of people ever since, particularly when faced with decisions about the future. How one man's question about life could reach into the lives of so many people over the centuries since it was first posed is astounding. Of course, it doesn't provide the answer in a simple few words though! Much like life too!

As I face a major decision this week, I would appreciate a little word from you to Him who knows all, that the decision I make may be the right one in His sight.

His servant and yours

David Tait

Today's Challenge Answer: 12! For each and every month has at least 28 days in it.

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ABOUT US

WALKING WITH JESUS MINISTRIES is a non-profit, non-denominational, Bible based ministry located in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand. A ministry dedicated to developing discipleship, fostering unity amongst God’s people to achieve the Great Commission, and in doing so, preparing for Christ’s return. It is securely based upon the foundational principles of the Apostles Creed while recognising the wide and rich diversity of beliefs amongst Christians in other areas. In accordance with the Lord’s direction, materials produced by the ministry are available, free of charge, to genuine enquirers upon request. The ministry is solely funded by donations, as the Lord provides. A list of materials available (plus some fun!) is obtainable and freely downloadable from our website
wwj.org.nz or by contacting us as follows.

Walking With Jesus Ministries
P O Box 5160
Mount Maunganui
New Zealand

Phone: (06) 878-9330 International (0064) 6878-9330
Fax: (06) 878-9330 International (0064) 6878-9330
Email: enquiries@wwj.org.nz
Web: wwj.org.nz

Our role is to bless and encourage those in ministry while promoting co-operation and unity of direction amongst the body of Christ, as emphasised 3 times by Jesus in His longest prayer, immediately prior to His arrest and crucifixion. "… so that they may be one as we are one." (John 17:12, 21, 23-4) Our website is currently being developed to encourage your participation one with another, to share resources, and to enable you to promote events and items of interest to the body as a whole – and have a smile while doing it!

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