Category Archives: Newsletter
CHIMES NEWSLETTER April 28 2017
April 28 2017
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – February 17, 2017
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – February 1, 2017
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 5, 2017
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – December 15, 2016
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – August 11, 2016
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – August 11, 2016
PRINCIPLES FOR LIVING
So, we are coming to the end of summer and vacations and leisure time. It is good to take time to reset the equipment we live with (like our bodies and our minds).
So let’s take a couple of minutes and think about four basic principles to guide us as we get back into the hustle and bustle of life.
THOU SHALT LIVE IN THE HERE AND NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lots of people spend their entire life indefinitely preparing to live. What we need to constantly emphasize is that life is happening here and now. We must practice at living in the present. Just remember these ARE the good old days. Invest in the present. The right time is any time. The best time is now. Live in the here and now. No matter who you are, or what wealth or poverty you live in, or what circumstance is good or bad, life will not allow you more than one minute at a time.
THOU SHALT NOT HURRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our world seems to be drunk with hurry. One of the greatest sins of this age may be hurry. In our impatience, we desire to make things happen quickly and inadvertently overlook what is really important. In our hurry to be someplace other than where we are, to be someone other than who we are, we have lost the ability to be PRESENT.
THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THYSELF TOO SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of the great problems we face in life is that we spend half our life developing a fine reputation and then the rest of our life being tyrannized by it. In Luke 14:11 Jesus said, “For everyone who makes himself important will become insignificant, while the man who makes himself insignificant, will find him-self important.” The problems with taking ourselves too seriously are many. Fear is a big problem. Afraid that someone will see behind our image, we no longer share. Afraid to fail, we no longer risk. Afraid that we will appear to need help, we can no longer be vulnerable. And the beat goes on. . . . . In trying to be strong we lose our connection to God, because we think we can do life without help.
THOU SHALT BE GRATEFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“Success is getting what you want.” “Happiness is wanting what you get.” The Bible says it this way, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (I Thess. 5:18) Being Grateful brings you peace. Discontentment brings strife, and worry, and resentment and bitterness. Do you really want to live life like that? If you really want to change your world then begin by changing the world within you. Give thanks in all things, times, and places. It’s the surest way to emotional and spiritual health.
So, as we go into our fall schedules, practice these four principles, you will be healthy.
See you in church. . . . Jack
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – July 20, 2016
CHIMES NEWSLETTER – July 20, 2016
I am on vacation, so I am your “Minister of Leisure” at this point. The definition for “leisure” is this: freedom – rest- opportunity – time- unhurried- peace – relaxation – stillness – repose – peace – compo-sure of manner – quiet ease. You get the point. It comes from the Latin word “licere” which means “to be permitted”. Leisure then means that you are permitted to do any and all of the above.
So, settle back at your “leisure” and see if you can see and hear something of God. A young man longed to see God. He had heard for many years of a wise old man who lived in the mountains nearby. After searching elsewhere for God in vain, the young man finally went to talk with the old man. “Old man, tell me, how can I see God?” The old man stopped, and looked at him deeply. He immersed himself in thought. The young man waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally: “Young man, I don’t think that I can be of help to you, for you see I have a problem that is quite different. I can’t not see Him.”
When you read this story what do you see?
An American Indian was in downtown New York, walking along with a friend, who lived in New York City. Suddenly he said, “I hear a cricket.” “Oh, you’re crazy,” his friend replied. “No, I hear a cricket. I do! I’m sure of it.” “It’s the noon hour. You know there are people bustling around, cars honking, taxis squealing, noise from the city. I’m sure you can’t hear it.” “I’m sure I do.” He listened intently and then walked to the corner, across the street, and looked all around. Finally on the other corner he found a shrub in a large cement planter. He dug beneath the leaves and found a cricket. His friend was duly astounded. But the Indian said, “No, my ears are no different from yours. It simply depends on what you are listening for. Here, let me show you.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change – a few quarters, some dimes, and, nickels and pennies. He dropped them on the concrete. Every head within a block turned. “You see what I mean?” the Indian said as he began picking up his coins. “It all de-pends on what you are listening for.”
When you read this story what do you hear?
Do you remember what God said? “Be still and know that I am God.” May you have eyes to see and ears to hear, and the wisdom to know what to look for and listen to.
See you in church. . . . . JACK