Author Archives: Pam Ford Davis
Up a Tree
Ever watched a playful or panicky cat scurrying up a tree? It’s amazing how fast and how high the felines can climb. Once they ascend, they have a birds-eye view of the ground below. Some kitties go up and down trees with ease; others panic and cry out for rescue. Their owners enjoy the shade of trees and fruit they bear; yet, most curtail their climbing of trees. Neighborhood boisterous little boys find the taller the trees, the bigger their yearning to shimmy up to the top. They may skin their knees but it is worth the risk.
Zacchaeus was up a tree and bravely took the risk of ridicule by his peers. “There was a chief tax collector there named Zacchaeus, who was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was a little man and could not see Jesus because of the crowd. So he ran ahead of the crowd and climbed a sycamore tree to see Jesus, who was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to Zacchaeus, ‘Hurry down, Zacchaeus, because I must stay in your house today (Luke 19:2-5 TEV).” Zacchaeus did not turn over a new leaf. He clung to the Vine.
Praise Him, Praise Him!
We can learn valuable life lessons through simple children’s songs.
“Praise Him, Praise Him, all ye little children!” (*Public Domain)
http://www.sermons4kids.com/praise_him_all_ye_little_children_2.pdf
The Lord alone is worthy of worship and praise. Before falling asleep, I often work my way through the alphabet, using words of praise starting at A and working my way up to Z. If I doze off before completing my goal, I fall to asleep feeling his peace and presence.
“Now to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you without blemish before the presence of his glory with rejoicing, to the only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen (Jude: 24-25 RSV).”
Listen to Your Body
I easily understand the four-word-sentence. “Listen to your body.” As a senior adult, I have my share of ailments; though none is life threatening, they are chronic. I have learned to listen to the inaudible sounds of symptoms alerting me to trouble. When I hear a message, I pay close attention. I have learned that dealing with a problem, when it first surfaces, averts more serious discomfort and trips to see my doctor. I listen to my body.
As a member of the body of Christ, His church, I listen to my body. “ For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) (1 Corinthians 12:12 Amplified Bible).” If one of the members cries out in pain, or causes conflict within the body, I listen closely. I am no medical doctor; yet, I know I am wise to seek early prevention in all matters of the church body.
“So there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in and care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25 Amplified Bible).” I am hard-of-hearing and plan to invest in an affordable hearing aid soon. I tire of missing parts of conversations and repeatedly telling my husband, “I can’t hear you.” My body is talking. “I beg your pardon, what did you say? “
Hidden Agendas
Beware; there may be a hidden agenda! We view our homes, communities, workplaces, nations and even our churches, as being deeply divided. We keep our guard up, knowing individuals and groups often have hidden agendas. On the surface, they may say or do something, which seems to be in harmony with our convictions. Yet, beneath the facade, they have an agenda radically opposed. God the Father has an agenda. He hides it briefly within our life experiences.
“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified (Romans 8:28-30 HCS).” He, through hidden agendas, transforms lives!
A Walton’s Mountain-Walnut Grove Christmas
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As a writer, I get emotional each time I hear narratives of Laura Ingalls and John Boy Walton. Their descriptive entries into journals are like music to my ears. Through my imagination, I share Christmas on Walton’s Mountain and Walnut Grove. I learn the real meaning of Christmas.
The number of gifts, their sizes or the price tags does not measure a Merry Christmas. With Laura and John Boy, I discover joy in relationships and find warmth and security in a place called home. Their gifts were meager; yet, they treasured a wealth of family experiences.
Not all have the wealth of Magi. They offered their treasures to the newborn King. “Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11b HCS).” If you have faith, family and friends, you know the real meaning of Christmas.
Job Description
Employers and employees have reciprocal agreements. The boss explains the job description to newly hired staff. In return, each new employee makes a firm commitment to do all that is expected of him or her. Imagine a job description for Jesus…
“And she will have a son, and you must name Him Jesus, for it is He who is to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21 Williams).” The Savior saves. No one else could do His job. Sinless, He alone is qualified. The Son of God came to seek and save the lost. (Luke 19:10)
Babylon to the Bethlehem Babe
Follow the paper trail. Genealogy buffs do extensive research, enthusiastically searching for information on ancestors. The history of those who have gone before helps us link our past to the present. From Babylon to the Bethlehem Babe, our Father left a trail.
“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen, from David to the Babylonian exile (deportation) fourteen generations, from the Babylonian exile to the Christ fourteen generations (Matthew 1:17 Amplified Bible).” The genealogy of Jesus has no missing link.
But God
Don’t you hate a whiner!
“But Mom, all the kids are going.”
“But Dad, I’ve already spent my allowance.”
“But, you promised to keep it a secret.”
“But, I thought I had unlimited credit.”
“But, I’m too old to change my ways.”
“But, what I do is nobody else’s business.”
Is that my voice I hear? Did I say or think that?
Joseph said, “But God.”
Now that is an all together different story.
He was not a whiner; he was a winner.
“But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God (Genesis 45:7-8a NIV).”
Joseph was not a whiner; he was a doer.
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives (Genesis 50:20 NIV).”
God is in control, even of if’s and’s or buts!
Cold Turkey
Cold Turkey… We use the expression to describe a sudden cessation of a bad habit. We resolve to quit smoking, drinking of alcoholic beverages or other addictive behavior. Bravely, we decide to go it on our own, declining outside assistance of support systems or medications to take the edge off the withdrawal. I think I can, I think I can!
Turkey and Thanksgiving are partners in time. The traditional family Thanksgiving dinner features the fowl and stuffing with all the trimmings. The aroma of basted baked birds tantalizes our appetites, and we can hardly wait to gather around the table to view carving of the golden browned center of attraction.
What do we do with leftovers? Is cold turkey something merely endured until a skeleton remains on a spacious platter? Maybe cold foreshadows our feeling of sadness at the realization that another family gathering has passed and mundane routines will return.
Our attitude of gratitude must never grow cold. We do not receive bountiful blessings by picking leftovers from a dead carcass. The resurrected Lord sustains life and through His gift of grace dishes out trimmings of unexpected joy and fulfillment. I come to Him daily with a hearty appetite, knowing He desires to fill me with His Holy Spirit. Thanksgiving is not a tip on a plate; it is praise on my lips! “Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done (Colossians 2:7b The Living Bible).”
Pam Ford Davis 