By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Home.  Lovely word – Home.  They say that’s where the heart is.  This pretty street scene contains a row of town homes.  I’ve driven and also walked along many such streets, especially in larger cities.  They seem so nice and neat.  What very small “yards” they have are usually meticulously manicured.

This particular street is in downtown Baltimore, Maryland.  Common walls are shared with sometimes-unmet neighbors in order to experience the conveniences of city life.  If they own a vehicle at all, they must park in their one designated spot on the street in front.  I imagine this to be very similar to apartment living – close quarters.

As pretty as all of this looks, I can’t help but think how ironic it all is.  People pay unbelievable sums of money for these small homes (or for apartments), putting them in extremely close proximity to all of their neighbors.  And yet, the majority of the residents in such places will never even meet or know the names of those who live so very close.

From the outside, it’s so pretty.  But I can’t help but think of all the lonely people inside.  Of course, that can happen in any neighborhood anywhere else, too.  

At a program last night, I heard the old song, “People need the Lord.”  One of the phrases in it is this – “At the end of broken dreams, He’s the open door!”  Yes, He is!  

When your world is so crazy you feel as if you are adding to the craziness, when your work schedule is so convoluted that you don’t know whether you need to “zoom to a meeting” or “go to a zoom meeting,” when your family members contribute to your anxiety, when the frayed ends of your rope seem to be slipping through your fingers, remember that He is all you need!

People in pretty houses.  Folks driving cars you only dream about.  People living lives that bring you to envy.  They may seem as if they have it all.  But do they really?  Do they know the Jesus you know?  When is the last time you talked with your neighbor about your faith?  Do they know you are a believer?

Your neighbors passing by your home may be wondering the same things about you this week.  People need the Lord.  Take Him to the people.

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

A few short years ago, my middle daughter and I were part of a group that spent several days touring parts of France.  On one particular day of our adventure into the Loire Valley, our bus brought us to the banks of the Cher River and deposited us in a parking lot on the far grounds of the Chenanceaux Castle.  We were to explore the grounds of that huge estate.

But, as we stepped off of the bus, nearly each one of us had the same reaction over the animals we were seeing just across the fence in the grassy pasture.  Several asked what the animals were.  Our incredible tour guide was amazed and laughed at us.  We were simply looking at donkeys.  But they were donkeys like no other donkeys any of us had ever seen before.  They were fuzzy!

Here we all were, about to visit the most famous chateau in France, built some 500 years ago, and every one of us stopped to see the fuzzy donkeys instead!  Those animals took our attention away from what was to have been the very point of our visit there.

In today’s world, we attend church services.  Some of us even get to visit other places of worship from time to time.  I’ve sat in silence inside some incredible cathedrals and worshiped in one-room bare-walled church buildings.  We are going to church to worship, to sing praises to the Lord, and to give of our time, tithes, and talents.  But too often, we get distracted along the way.

We catch up with neighbors.  We chat about the ballgames of the night before.  We slobber over the new babies being brought out for the first time.  We enjoy the flower arrangements on the communion table or altar.  We read the church bulletin or program and catch up on who needs to be where when.  All of those things are wonderful.  There’s not a thing wrong with any of them.  But they aren’t to be our focus.  They are the distractions to our real purpose in being there – to come before the Lord in worship.

Our tour guide in France that day was amused that we were amused by the fuzzy donkeys when we should have focused on the huge castle just down the path.  I doubt the Lord is very amused with us when we take our eyes off of Him and our focus away from worshiping Him.  

In the week ahead, and in all the things it brings to us, let’s be ever mindful of the greatness just down the path.  Stop and check out the things along the way.  Visit and catch up if you need to.  But don’t forget the real reason for our visit here — to Worship the King.  On what are you focused this week?

Just a thought.