By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

November is about gone.  The holiday season is upon us.  Temperatures are cooling off.  The trees are changing colors and shedding their leaves.  The days are shorter, and of course, the nights are longer.  The end of the year is very quickly approaching.

This lone rose bloom popped out to say ‘hello’ on our front walk today.  My parents’ azaleas are in full bloom again.  Friends of ours are still harvesting eggplants from their garden.  It seems as if nature is running behind this year.

You have experienced some difficulties this year that can’t even seem to compare with previous years.  Your aches hurt more.  Your days are drawing shorter as well.  And yet, because you are a Christian with the Holy Spirit alive and well within you, you can still bud, blossom, and bloom wherever He places you.

God’s timing is not on the same schedule as ours.  (Be thankful for that fact.)  God’s timing is perfect, guided by His wisdom and plans for our lives.

We pray day in and day out for those family members and friends who need to know the Lord.  We lift up their names to Him time and time again.  But since we haven’t seen any results yet, we assume He hasn’t heard our cries, and He isn’t listening.  Why do you think He allows us to spend days, weeks, even years praying the same prayers?  Perhaps He’s waiting for us to change our prayer.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the very person for whom we pray would see and hear the voice of the Lord if we were the ones speaking to them.  Perhaps they would see His loving kindness and forgiveness if only we offered our own first.  Perhaps they would come to know the Lord on a personal level if only we attempted to show them how human, how faulty, how failed we are.  We need to be real.  I can pray and pray for my friend to see Jesus.  But if I don’t represent Jesus and look and act and talk like Him, my friend may never see Jesus in me — or he may see a corrupted version of Jesus because of me.

It takes so many of us a very long time to come to know Jesus.  Some don’t bloom until they near the final chapters of their days here.  But here’s the thing.  None of us are guaranteed another chapter.  Our chapters may not have another page.  We must shine for Jesus now while there is time!  We must bloom and represent the Lord while others are watching.  

You say, but I’m not a great witness, and I’ll never be good at it.  Why not start now?  Better to bloom late than not at all.

Just a thought.

By: Vijayan Rayappan 

As a result of grafting, the branches from the wild olive tree and the cultivated olive tree grow together organically. Each tree has its own life, but now these lives grow organically together and have one issue. In order for one kind of life to be grafted to another, the two lives must be very similar. For example, it is not possible to graft a branch from a banana tree to a peach tree. However, it is possible to graft some branches from a poorer peach tree to a healthy, productive peach tree, for the lives of these two trees are very close to each other. We may apply this principle to the dispensation of the divine life into man. The divine life cannot be grafted with the life of a dog because there is no resemblance whatever between these lives.

But because our human life was made in the image of God and according to the likeness of God, it can be joined to the divine life. Although our human life is not the divine life, it resembles the divine life. Therefore, these lives can easily be grafted together and then grow together organically. Furthermore, according to the natural law ordained by God, it is not the poor life that affects the richer life, but the richer life that affects the poor life. In fact, the rich life will swallow up all the defects of the poor life and thus transform the poor life. In the same principle, when we are grafted into Christ, Christ swallows up our defects, but He does not eliminate our own life. On the contrary, as He swallows our defects, He uplifts our humanity. He uplifts our mind, will, emotion, and all our virtues. Amen!!!

Rom 11:17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a fellow partaker of the root of fatness of the olive tree. 

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches….

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I spent several days exploring a big loop of the western United States as we drove from Arizona up into Utah, across through Colorado, and down into New Mexico before heading back into Arizona.  Of course, a portion of our time was spent at one particularly extremely popular American tourist destination – The Big Ditch.

Now, you probably know the place by its more formal name – The Grand Canyon.  But don’t those words mean the same things?

It is indeed a very large hole in the ground.  Some tourists are actually disappointed by that very fact, and if you choose, you can read negative reviews online from folks who thought their visits to the Grand Canyon were wasted time, because all they saw was a “big ditch.”  And indeed it is.  But it is also a natural wonder.  This is but one picture of the very many I captured.

We arrived not at sunrise, but early enough one morning to explore while only two or three other people were anywhere around.  The views were breathtaking, to say the very least.  The colors of the canyon walls, the sands, and the sky were absolutely amazing.  And even though we stayed quite a while and only left because we needed to get back on the road, we realized we had seen so very little of the magnificent wonder that is the Grand Canyon.  Stretching for miles in either direction, it really is quite difficult to take in completely.  But it is oh so beautiful.

I’m always amazed at the wonders of this world that our God has created and put on display for us.  His artistry is other-worldly and very difficult to explain.  His creation is beyond description and stretches as far as the east is from the west, which, by the way, is the same distance He is willing to forgive and forget your wrongdoings.

I can explore until the cows come home, or at least as long as I have the physical ability to do so, and I will have only scratched the surface of this world’s beauty.  The same is true of the Savior.  I can look and love and worship and admire and experience all I possibly can of His goodness, and I will have only just begun to take in all that He has to offer.

So what do I do with that?  I, with wide-open eyes, will stand amazed in His presence each day I’m given, and I will love and worship Him all the days of my life.  Then, when my final earthly breath comes, I will have only just begun to experience the eternal Wonder of His Glorious Creation.  I’m so thankful that as I look upon His Goodness, I truly feel an awesome sense of “Wow! Look at that big ditch!”  What power and majesty it must have taken to carve such a wonder!  Disappointed I am not.  For even though I see very little now, I have much more of Him to experience!  What about you?

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

We have very talented teachers and leaders in our church.  One of those ladies, in particular, does a phenomenal job of leading our Vacation Bible School each summer.  Our relatively small congregation comes together as young and old alike to participate in the VBS activities and lessons.  One part of those lessons in the last few years has been brought to us in the form of puppet shows.  You see three of those characters in this picture.

Those of us who volunteer to lend a hand with the puppets then get to help create the character, voice, or attitude that goes along with that particular person we are portraying, be it a Biblical person or a modern-day news reporter sent to share the News.  Those puppets, made of felt and other soft materials, lay dormant and sleeping most other months of the year.  They don’t make any noise, they take up very little room, and most folks forget they are tucked away in a Sunday School room down the hall.

But as Bible School activities approach, the scripts are written and put together, and the puppets get revived, dressed, and prepared (sometimes repaired!) for their upcoming roles.  Hair is straightened.  Wigs are reattached.  And we volunteers get to choose the puppet we would like to use.

Even then, those puppets are useless — that is until our hands make them come alive.  The puppet only moves because of a hand that moves it.  The puppet only speaks because a hand moves its mouth.  The puppet only shares a story (is a witness) because of the hand that brings it to life.

Without God the Father, I am useless.  Without His hand on my life, guiding my every move, protecting me along the way, I am nothing.  It is the Hand of God that brings me to life, gives me the words to speak, the story to share, and the ability to do the things I could never do on my own.

The Great Teacher has written the Script (Scripture) for my life and yours.  All we have to do is yield our lifeless selves over to His Hand and let Him do the work through us.

Now, hear me correctly.  In no way does God control me as a puppet and force me follow Him.  What He does is give me the opportunity to yield my lifeless self unto His control so that I might become useful, speaking the Truth along the way, and witnessing positively for all who will watch and listen.

From one puppet to another, let’s get on with the show!

By Ryan Kelly –

Feel-good preachers seem to be a dime-a-dozen in today’s world. And it’s not hard to figure out why. Telling people about God’s love and His plan for us is an easy thing to tell people, and it is certainly uplifting and encouraging. No question about it, and it is all completely true and good in and of itself.

However, not only is God fully-loving, but He is also fully righteous and fully just. God is perfect, and we must be made perfect in order to stand in His presence in Heaven. And of course, this is impossible for us without the saving grace of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice to forgive us of our sin. We are made perfect in Him.

Through Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we should have an absolute repulsion to sin. We may be tempted, but any sin that we commit should be a bitter taste in our mouths and heartache to our soul. We should hate sin as God hates sin.

But what happens when we do sin? These two verses explain it well.

James 5:16: “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus has made us perfect in the eyes of God, but we are still on the path of righteousness (growing closer to God) while here on this Earth. This means that we are still flawed and can fall to temptation. When we do, God is quick to forgive us through Christ, and He can and will cleanse us and empower us to reject sin at the next turn.

We must never tolerate sin in our lives, but rather we must fight temptation and stand firm as a radiant reflection of the light and love of Jesus in this world. Let’s strive to be as perfect as the image that Jesus has created us to be. If you fall short, you are forgiven, but use each failure as an opportunity to do better the next time. It is a small gift that we can give back to our Savior who died for us all.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

Fall is in the air.  The colors are changing everywhere.  You can see the beauty of God’s handiwork all around you, if only you pay attention.

My family and I recently enjoyed a brief visit to the Smoky Mountains and did a little exploring in an area we love called Cades Cove.  It was a beautiful October morning as we made the trek in our car along the park’s one lane eleven-mile-long circle.  Besides the countless vehicles, we also saw a great number of large turkeys, several deer, and a few black bears.

Animals are especially fun to watch.  Perhaps that’s why my Dad’s mother loved to sit on a bench in the mall and observe the people as they passed by.  (ha!)  The park was very busy that day, and our eleven-mile route took us very nearly two hours to complete.  So many other folks were also interested in spotting the animals and/or the colors of the changing leaves.

But as we left the park, we turned off the pavement and took advantage of a cut-off road which you see here.  There were no other cars but ours there.  We saw no four-legged animals, but we also saw no two-legged ones either.  Only the beauty of God.  I will never cease to be amazed at the beauty of the mountains, the open fields and pasture lands, the trees, and the simplicity of a dirt road.

We only saw this particular view because we turned off of the main path.  We only had this advantage because we took the simpler route.  We only experienced the quiet solitude because we left the crowds behind — and took a dirt road.

My Dad grew up on a dirt road, and my memories of visiting relatives down that road are still vivid in my mind.  Each memory brings with it the rising dust of the road.  My wife grew up on a dirt road.  We now live just off our neighbor’s long gravel drive.  I can’t explain it, even in my own mind, but there is just something about the simplicity of the dirt road that brings things back into perspective for me.  Maybe it’s just the symbolism of the settling dust once the traffic has passed.

As the craziness of the world passes you by this week, stirring up the dust and dirt that always come with it, hold tight.  For just beyond the busy thoroughfare of this week’s world is that wonderful settling feeling of the long lone dirt road and the Godly scenery that He provides with it.

Settle in for a great ride with the Lord this week.  The views are out of this world!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

One question to begin – Do you ever feel as if you are an outsider looking in on what’s going on around you?

Many of you may not believe me when I tell you this, but by nature I am very introverted.  I very much enjoy loving on people and having the relationships I have and going the places I go.  However, my comfort zone is simply a party with me, myself, and I in a quiet place anywhere.  I work very hard at being outgoing and a people-person.  But it sometimes seems so much easier to simply step back and watch from a distance.

Look through the window panes in my picture.  You will certainly notice the large desk and the other furniture.  You may also pick up on some of the smaller details of the space.  A keen eye may be able to deduce that this is the “Oval Office” of the White House.

Now, before I get accused of climbing the fence, crawling across the lawn, and hiding in the bushes outside the President’s office space in Washington, D.C., let me tell you this.  I was actually standing in a hallway of the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan.  A full scale replica of the Presidential office was just beyond that window, and moving just a few feet to the right, the walls disappeared, and I actually stood in the space, taking it all in.

Had I remained outside that window, all I would have seen is what you are now seeing in this photograph.  But because I stepped out beyond that space, I was able to be present in it all, take it all in, enjoy several moments of looking around the room, and leave with a sense that I had visited an important place, albeit a replica of the real office.

That may seem like a simple example of the point I’m trying to make, but for those who find it difficult to brave the crowds, it becomes difficult to interact with people, which is the very thing a Christian must do in order to speak the Gospel truth to the masses.

What I’m asking you to do this week is to look beyond your space.  Look beyond the limited, the uncomfortable, the moment in which you currently reside, and see how exciting the world can be as you step out, view it with all the awe and wonder of a faith-filled child, and then share your experiences with anyone who will listen (or read the words you write)!

May we all be led to brave our fears and share our findings with a world that so desperately needs to hear about Jesus this week!

Just a thought.

By Brad Campbell –

Just a thought to help start your week.

From time to time, I share with you a picture of some church building somewhere.  Different sizes, different denominations, reaching different people.  Here’s another church picture.  I would like you to take a good look at it and notice some of the details.

My wife and I were in the beautiful state of Michigan recently for a conference she was attending in Grand Rapids.  Our rental car we had been assigned at the airport was indeed helpful, as we had places we wanted to visit on each side of the state.  But when we arrived for her meeting, I parked the car in the downtown garage and left it there.  From our twenty-fifth floor hotel room overlooking the river and a large portion of downtown, we could see for miles.  I picked out at least four church steeples in the distance.

One cool morning, I started out walking toward the three that seemed to be the nearest each other in the distance.  A mile or two later, I reached the first one.  It was large and grand, about the size of the one you see here.  I took a couple of pictures, climbed the grand steps on the front of the church building and tried all three of the doors.  All locked.  No one around.  A little disappointed, off I trodded again.

Some minutes later, I walked up to a very large and beautiful Catholic church with statuary and gorgeous flower gardens.  Again finding the front doors locked, I was turning to leave when a couple who was arriving for a Bible class in the church basement offered to show me where the unlocked side door was, and in I walked to the marble-floored cathedral-like sanctuary.  Although those nice people were kind and welcoming, and although the bright sunlight shone beautifully through the very large stained-glass windows, all of the electric lighting was turned off, and corners of that grand space were dark and very uninviting.

I had a longer distance to walk before finally coming up to the third church building, the last steeple I had seen in the distance, but I headed directly toward it, stopped by a long-haired young man looking for a local park.  He startled me as he called out to me, a stranger in a strange city, for directions to a park I didn’t know existed.  And he apologized for causing me concern, strolling off happily no wiser than before we had met at the street corner.

Just around that next storefront, to the back, I walked up to this building, and this is where I stopped.  The lawn was overgrown.  Now that I was closer, I could tell it had been abandoned.  The church name longer on the brick sign, there was now a large “For Sale” sign looming at the curb side.  Deserted, dark, abandoned.

Three churches that day I visited.  Several locked doors.  But I only needed the one that was open.  Two kind and welcoming people.  Two others who startled each other.  Bright lights and beautiful windows.  Dark corners and overgrown property.  Each church building had a story to tell.  I pray it was the right Story.

I am so very thankful that as I wander the streets of my life, the Good Lord above is not surprised by when I show up.  His doors (His arms) are always open wide.  He is always welcoming, and although I may be startled when I run into Him, He is never surprised at meeting me at the corner.  I just pray that as He looks at me – the dwelling place for His Holy Spirit, the House of the Lord, the walking talking church building – He sees not an abandoned empty space, not a “For Sale” sign, but a place that is open to all He has to share with me.

I was tired by the time I ventured back across those streets, underneath two interstate highways, and across the river to our hotel.  But the Lord and I had a beautiful walk, and I was reminded of His presence anywhere and everywhere.

Take a walk with Jesus this week.  You’ll be glad you did.

Just a thought.