The Evening News Isn't All Bad!

I saw this on Fox Friends and then found the article this evening. This is awesome!

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right


Morning Edition, March 28, 2008 · Julio Diaz has a daily routine. Every night, the 31-year-old social worker ends his hour-long subway commute to the Bronx one stop early, just so he can eat at his favorite diner.

But one night last month, as Diaz stepped off the No. 6 train and onto a nearly empty platform, his evening took an unexpected turn.

He was walking toward the stairs when a teenage boy approached and pulled out a knife.

"He wants my money, so I just gave him my wallet and told him, 'Here you go,'" Diaz says.

As the teen began to walk away, Diaz told him, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep you warm."

The would-be robber looked at his would-be victim, "like what's going on here?" Diaz says. "He asked me, 'Why are you doing this?'"

Diaz replied: "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, then I guess you must really need the money. I mean, all I wanted to do was get dinner and if you really want to join me ... hey, you're more than welcome.

"You know, I just felt maybe he really needs help," Diaz says.

Diaz says he and the teen went into the diner and sat in a booth.

"The manager comes by, the dishwashers come by, the waiters come by to say hi," Diaz says. "The kid was like, 'You know everybody here. Do you own this place?'"

"No, I just eat here a lot," Diaz says he told the teen. "He says, 'But you're even nice to the dishwasher.'"

Diaz replied, "Well, haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody?"

"Yea, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teen said.

Diaz asked him what he wanted out of life. "He just had almost a sad face," Diaz says.

The teen couldn't answer Diaz — or he didn't want to.

When the bill arrived, Diaz told the teen, "Look, I guess you're going to have to pay for this bill 'cause you have my money and I can't pay for this. So if you give me my wallet back, I'll gladly treat you."

The teen "didn't even think about it" and returned the wallet, Diaz says. "I gave him $20 ... I figure maybe it'll help him. I don't know."

Diaz says he asked for something in return — the teen's knife — "and he gave it to me."

Afterward, when Diaz told his mother what happened, she said, "You're the type of kid that if someone asked you for the time, you gave them your watch."

"I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world."

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89164759

Wait For The Lord

From a Harvest Devotional:

	"To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile."
	—Psalm 18:25-26

God wants to do His will in our lives in His way and in His time. If you need something from God, be patient and wait on Him. God will meet you wherever you are to lift you to where He wants you to be.

This is why Oprah scares the hell out of me!

A video idea

I know, you are thinking this guy is crazy. He won't let it go. You're right. I just think of things to amuse myself. I know that this is not inspiring nor was my last random blog but this is the coolest thing since sliced bread, and I will eventually overuse it like I did those Subway ranch wraps that came out a couple of years ago that made me sick and I stopped going there for awhile. Nevermind that. Take your focus off the Jesus and Easter Bunny video, even though it was nice to see there are other people out there like me, and reminesce about a movie that came out in the late 1980s called 2010: A Space Odessey (is that right). BJ knows where I am going. Anyway, watch the last part of it where Roy Scheider talks with David Bowman, and picture some sort of Christian dialogue with some of you playing those characters. Now that really amuses me. Just think about it. I know you think the same way I do, Dee and BJ with your photoshop selves. This could be a classic. For those that have not seen it, please do so. I probably should write something inspiring like Brian or Dee, but I am having too much fun with this.

Peace,

Join the Evangelism Bus (metaphor)

Spread the word, the bus is coming and it is going to be parked in the FLC at 630 pm Thursday. Hope everyone's tank is filled. I love methaphors and symbolism. I also love bunnies, easter eggs, peanut butter and chocolate. Not necessarily in that particular order. Later

Just something to help you through the day

For Marc with LOVE!

I am laughing out loud RIGHT NOW!

Luke 2 Notes

Intro Info written by an educated man - physician
education shows in the language, details, and clarity
Insights into the life and humanity of Jesus
Written to the gentiles (Greeks)
Shows Jesus as the Son of Man
Chapters 1 thru 4 - Son of Man Coming
Chapters 5 thru 21 - Son of man Career
Chapters 22 thru 24 - Son of Man Cross

Luke 2
Only info we have on Jesus boyhood
Other books not included in the Bible we know tell stories of Jesus miracles during boyhood but John 2:11 say Jesus first miracle was turning water to wine at the wedding

The story of Jesus mother and step-father going to Jerusalem from Galilee for the Passover pilgrimage that all Jews were expected to make. Jesus was 12 - (significant age in the Jewish faith)
The people would travel with the women and children at the front and the men bringing up the rear. Because of his age Jesus could have been with either group. They didn't realize till the first night that Jesus wasn't with either of them. What they did then is what we should all do. They returned to the last place they had Jesus. (Movie Home Alone - hey Mom? hey dad? hey Jude? haha)

Revelations 2 letter to Ephesus
2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place

The church was active, doing all kinds of ministry, remained faithful - but they left their first love - Jesus

We get busy and head to places assuming Jesus is with us - and the world, work, our families put priorities on us

Joseph and Mary went back to where they last had Jesus - the Temple.

Jesus was truly a man of priorities - all of the needs that existed, the requests put upon Him - there were only three things that Jesus said "I must" about. (three time in the gospel)

48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

Luke 4:43 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)

43 but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

13
Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. (to the cross)

Jesus understood pressures but He knew He had only these three things from His Father that He HAD to do.

Phillipians 3
Paul also had priorities
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Don't live in the past clinging to past sins or living off past victories

Matthew 11

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

We get lists of ten things from Oprah or Phil, pressures from friends, job, family, whatever. If we simplify to what is truly necessary it gets boiled down to Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Quote For the Day - Spurgeon

"The mission of amusement produces no converts.
The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship
joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other
as fruit from the root. The need is BIBLICAL DOCTRINE,
so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire." --CH Spurgeon

1st Corinthians 2-4 Notes

1st Corinthians 2-4
Review:
Paul gives the Corinthians a D in Spirituality
1-4 Division
5-6 Discipline
7-14 Difficulties the Corinthians wrote Paul about
15-16 Disbelief in the resurrection after death

Reasons Division is wrong
1. You miss the focus on Jesus Christ and Him crucified
2. The things (people) the Corinthians were dividing over were silly - fools
3. Because of all the things God has for us - we have the Spirit that tells us that God has good things in store for us and that walking with the Lord is wonderful. Division hurts the divided and the dividers.
4. It's carnality.
The bible says there are three places we can be
1. Natural man - no thought of the spiritual, no thought about sin, no understanding
2. Spirituality - walking and growing with the Lord, communicating with God
3. Carnality - saved but still acting like the natural man - tied up with worldly things

Paul says carnality shows by what you eat - spiritually (immature - not growing in the word)
also by your behavior - acting worldly

Paul tells the church at Corinth that he is building a foundation and the church is building on that foundation. Their lives and works will count as will ours.

There are two judgment seats - the Great White Throne where God will judge if you think you don't need Jesus and are to be judged by your works alone - (doesn't work out to good)

The second is the bema seat or judgment seat of Christ where the saved will be rewarded by what they have done for the Lord. Paul is saying that the things that were all about us will be burned up - gone but the things we did for God we will be rewarded for (referenced in 2nd Corinthians 5:10)

I googled this and there seems to be some disagreement about this - interesting to do further research since I had never heard of this before.

Paul then tells the Corinthians about what he goes through to serve the Lord and that they should imitate him and just serve no matter the circumstances.

question "what would my church be like if everyone prayed like I pray, gave like I gave, and served like I serve?" Food for thought.