The Definition of Brat

I have always been a fan of The Andy Griffith Show. I guess I have to admit that I’m old enough to have watched it when it was really on TV, you know, the first run of the program. When I was a kid, I never would have dreamed that I would some day be able to buy a small round disk (DVD) and have it available in my home any time I wanted to watch.

One of the things I appreciate about the series is that there are many important life lessons taught in the programs. I think of one program where the definition of the word “brat” comes to mind. I know that around Wisconsin the word “brat” is pronounced “braat” and it means a really delicious fat hot dog/sausage. But, I’m thinking of the old fashioned use of the word.

The program is called “The Spoiled Kid” and it features a character who only shows up once on the program series, Arnold Winkler. Arnold has learned in life how to manipulate his parents to get anything he wants. He gets all the new toys he wants and never has to work for anything. In this program he has a new $70.00 bike.

Arnold gives Opie “Brat Lessons”, telling him how to throw a tantrum, cry and scream, hold his breath to demand what he wants. The difference is that Opie’s dad doesn’t bite on the bait of tantrums. “Opie, what are you doing?” “I’m having a tantrum.” “Oh, don’t get your clothes dirty.”

The climax of the story, the real lessons comes at the end of the program when Arnold has his bike confiscated by the Sheriff’s department for riding it on the sidewalk on Main Street. He has a fit and drags his father down to the courthouse. They both demand that the bike be returned. When Sheriff Andy threatens to arrest the father for the illegal behavior of the son, Arnold’s real heart comes out. He’s more concerned about his bike than his father. He says, “Go ahead and arrest my dad. He won’t care. He’s tough” “I just got that bike and I don’t want to lose it.”

The dad, Simon Winkler, has an amazing moment of waking up and seeing how he has been letting his son run things. He realizes that there is discipline lacking. He asks for the bike back so he can sell it. Then Arnold screams, “That’s my bike and you can’t sell it.” Andy tells Simon that there is an old-fashioned wood shed out back if the want to have a father-son “talk”.

Opie asks if Arnold is going to get a spanking. Andy asks if Opie thinks he deserves one. A classic line in response, “I don’t want to say. After all, he is one of my own kind.”

As distasteful as discipline is to receive, it is necessary to learning and maturing in life. Those who never receive it usually end up with many unlearned life lessons. Discipline is given by people who love the one they are disciplining. We all need it from time to time, especially as we are growing up and maturing. Think about it.

Where Are You Aiming?

There is a group of guys that gets together on a regular basis to do some shooting. It’s called League of Light, and gives an opportunity to shoot various kinds of weapons. The gatherings give both a time for instruction and practice in shooting as well as practical applications to the Christian life.

To a person who has no experience in shooting, it’s amazing to learn how many factors impact an accurate shot. If you talk to an expert marksman, you will learn that they even learn to time their shot in between heart beats. Wind and gravity also affect the trajectory of a bullet. It’s not just point and shoot. There is a lot to it.

The most recent time at L.O.L. included instructions and practice in archery. After hearing all the directions, we took turns shooting at targets. Learning comes quickly as shooters come up either way short or send the arrow far beyond the target. With practice, we got better and were able to hit the target. We had to learn how to both shoot and aim.

I remember a crazy line from the Three Stooges, way back from my childhood. One of those very intelligent guys said:
I shoot an arrow in the air
Where it lands I do not care
I get my arrows wholesale.

As we did our shooting at League of Light, we were careful to retrieve our arrows. I guess we didn’t get them wholesale.

A question for you to chew on: Where are you aiming in life? In your daily life, where are you headed? What are you doing with your life and where are you going with it? Where is life taking you? It does no good to only have good intentions, you have to be going down the right road.

In my life, I have been all over the country and a few other nations. More than once, because of not knowing the area, we went down a wrong road and went to completely different place than we intended to go. We meant well, but we were lost. Our aim was off. But, when we traveled with a local person, we got where we were headed.

Your life is so valuable. You are not “wholesale”, but in God’s eyes, your life is full retail value. You can’t waste life, it is the only one God gives you. You can’t aimlessly wander and just do whatever comes along. God has a plan for each of us, we need to find it and follow it.

Just a few words here today to ask you the question: Where Are You Aiming? Think about it.

Try, Try Again

I have hit another snag in my desire to write regularly on this blog. It’s not that I have nothing to write about, because there are an unlimited number of topics. It’s a matter of doing it. So, I’m going for it again.

I did have an excuse for a few weeks last month, I was on vacation and was actually out of internet contact. I know that is a scary thought to some. It was an opportunity to see some great new scenery. I think I’ll talk about that for my first time back.

My wife and I were privileged to go to Alaska. We cruised the inside passage. I have to admit that I have not been an expert on the geography of Alaska. I learned that the inside passage is the long thin arm of Alaska that comes far south along the Pacific Ocean along the western border of Canada. It is an amazing collection of water passages and mountains. We stopped in some of the towns along the way to get a taste of the tourist trap part of the state. Actually, the tourist areas were much friendlier than some tourist areas I have been in. We also had opportunity to see some great scenery while we were on land.

I guess I have to say the scenery of the state was what I was most looking forward to seeing, and it was awesome. Countless miles and miles of water, countless water falls as the winter snow melted off the mountains, countless hills and trees and more. Unfortunately, we were there during a cloudy and rainy time. If we had gone the week before the weather was perfect. We did have a few sunny days, and they gave us the beautiful picture of God’s creation in all its splendor. One night we chased the sun set. It was going down behind a mountain. As the ship moved and the sun continued to go down, it showed up again several times by the mountain. That night I was out on the upper deck of the ship taking pictures till after 10 PM. God has an amazing paint brush with vibrant colors with vibrant colors on his pallette. I got some great pictures.

One very interesting sight was a large barge we passed. There was a tug boat towing this barge. That’s not all that unusual. The uniqueness to me was what was on the barge. It had cement trucks, large construction equipment, many shipping crates the size of a semi truck, and on top of the shipping crates were several pick up trucks lashed on. Water is the way that the people who live there get their supplies. We were un Juneau, and the ONLY two ways there are air or water. If you live in Juneau, you only have about thirty five miles of highway to drive on.

In the midst of that extreme vastness of the area, out in the middle of nowhere, we would see birds flying and sea lions jumping or sunning themselves. It reminds me of the vastness of God and His promise to keep track of all His creation. The Bible says that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing it. A few times it seemed that we were far from any kind of civilization, and then we would pass a boat with someone fishing.

I know that we only saw a very small slice of Alaska. We have an invitation to go back to Juneau for some fishing. I would love that. I would also love to see more of the scenery. As I have had the privilege of traveling in a few different parts of the world, I have seen over and over the endless creativity and creation of God. He is not like the contractors who put up hundreds of houses in a development and give you the choice of any color house you want as long as it is tan. Just on this one trip, we saw more shades of green and blue that you can imagine. And then there are all the other colors on the spectrum that God created. I hope to see more of them.

Forever Stamps

Well, the post office is doing it again. The price of postage goes up again this week. This time it’s only a penny. That’s probably not as irritating to the mailing public as several cents at a time. Now, for the first time, they are offering a forever stamp. If you buy them before the price goes up, you can use them after the price goes up without having to buy those extra one cent stamps. Something inside of me says that it costs the post office more in the expense of printing, handling and selling them than they get back when they make people buy one cent stamps to make up the difference. I guess they would say it’s the principle of the thing, people have to pay the full postage.

Forever, that’s an interesting concept. What is really forever? I’ve been in Israel and seen very old buildings, old ruins that go back thousands of years. Some of them are in really good shape, the stone construction lasts a long time. The monstrous boulders cut to a perfect shape that are holding up the walls and foundation of the Temple Mount look like they will last forever.

There is a museum there with a boat someone was able to dig out of the sand and preserve that was probably a couple of thousand years old. That took an amazing amount of special work to preserve the wood when it was exposed to the air after so long. You can see the boat, but it won’t float any more.

Forever. What does last forever? I guess we could get in to an interesting discussion regarding what lasts forever. The one thing I’m sure of is the promise of an eternal home in Jesus for those who obey and follow Him on this earth. Here’s one statement that talks about that.

13 And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died.
15 I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. 18 So comfort and encourage each other with these words.

Did you catch that part at the end? Remain with the Lord forever? That’s one forever promise we can really grasp hold of. We can be confident and fully assured of this home. Let me leave you with one passage that tells us how.

9 For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
13 For “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:9-10,13 NLT

A Slow Spring

Even though we are having what I call a slow spring, we really are getting away from winter. It’s just not as quick as we all want it to happen. Saturday was a bit confusing in that we had enough snow fall to cause snow banks in the ditches of a country road I drove down. That was after days in the 70’s and sun and the golf course opening up here in town. Then the blizzard of Saturday morning showed up.

Even though it is slow in coming, there are signs of spring. In my front yard the new grass is growing. Last summer was a season of mud and dust as they rebuilt our street. The project included new water and sewer lines. New gas lines and storm drains were thrown in. Then it was new curb and gutter, with the final task new blacktop. And, I can’t forget the new sidewalk they put down in my front yard. That caused them to have to plant new grass. They didn’t get to planting grass till it was about to snow, so it never grew last fall. Now, some of it is trying to show itself.

Spring is a time of new life. The robins are back, flowers are popping up. Life is a gift from God and we are reminded of that every spring. As dead and desolate as things may look in winter, spring gives new life. There is something special about the many shades of green we see in the spring.

Spring is a reminder of the new life Jesus gives. I just had an e mail from the pastor who organized the trip to Israel I took in 2000. He said he’s going back in a few weeks. I have to admit a twinge of jealousy, as I would love to go back there. It was there we sat in a garden and looked at an empty tomb. It was empty because Jesus came back to life. For a few days His followers thought it was “winter”, but then they had the proof of Jesus and His resurrection. Then they celebrated the new life - He’s Alive!!!!!!!!!

This winter was a long one - but Spring comes every year.

Your life and struggles may seem long - but Jesus gives life to all who receive Him.

Say What?

I often find humor in signs and attempts to communicate. For example, at the entrance to a local fast food restaurant, there is a sign saying they have braille and picture menus available. I have to ask the question -- if a person is blind or illiterate, how can they read the sign telling them that they can ask for a special menu? And, if they are with a seeing friend, won’t the friend help them with the order?

I just received a form letter from the post office. The last line says “If you do not speak English or you do not understand this letter, please take it with you to your local post office for assistance.” I’m wondering about the non-English speakers who receive this. Do they understand that sentence? Who is the multi-lingual person at our local post office who can help them? Just wondering.

One of my favorite instruction lines is the one that was on the bottom of a fax. It came from a government office, and, in our day when everything is a secret, directed the person receiving the fax - it is illegal to keep or file this information. When you are finished using it, please fax it back to the sender. The last time I sent a fax, the master didn’t get sent down the phone line, only a digital copy.

These illustrations talk about communication. In an attempt to be all inclusive, we see a sign in print aimed for a blind person. That’s as effective as the time we were in Germany trying to eat at a Chinese restaurant. The people there only spoke German and Chinese. Everything was printed in German. I wonder if they had a sign in German that said “we do not speak English”. If they did, we couldn’t read it. Communication requires that both (or all) people speak the same language. It requires that the words are understood and defined the same way.

Communication requires listening. Listen to what is really being said, not what you want to hear.

God didn’t create confusing signs for people. He shows His amazing power and creativity through all His complex creation. He shows His overwhelming love through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He shows His mercy and grace through the free gift of forgiveness of sins.

I’ve been reading a book about Buchenwald Prison in Germany, run by Hitler’s gang. It communicates their hatred, bitterness, destruction and death. I’ve also read a book about God’s love (it’s a best seller). It communicates God’s compassion, caring, uplifting and life. God communicates His love, listens to our cries, and gives us the message of life.

This Would Be Great

Unless you live in a cave and never are touched by the world of media, you know that lots of things are very expensive today. The news media is working hard to let us know we should be scared, depressed, discouraged and angry at the politicians in Washington. And, then there are the people running for president who are quick to tell us it is all the fault of the current president, and, if we will elect them, they will fix all the problems. Well, I’ve heard that song before.

I was reading an article by Mary Hunt. She writes about economic issues. She pointed out that the media loves to focus on the problems and the negative, promoting fear. I appreciated that perspective, for it seems like our culture loves to be afraid. She talked about things people can do to help themselves economically.

One of the big price issues is anything connected with crude oil. Fill your gas tank or heat your house and look at the cost. Food is now much more expensive because millions of bushels of corn are being diverted to ethanol. It’s interesting to me that the farmers are burning tons of diesel fuel to grow and harvest corn so they can make “clean” fuel. Can someone explain that one to me?

I have just read an article that says a company in Texas is making bio fuels from hay. And, they are making it at $42.00 per barrel. This would be great. I hope it is true. Think of that, making fuel out of hay for less than half of what crude is going for. What an amazing impact that would have. I would guess that then the negative folks would talk about the impact on the world hay market.

The authors writing about this says the company is in business and it works. Again, I hope this is true.

So, where is your hope? If you have lots of oil stock, you are doing well in the current market. If you sell lots of hay, this new technology sounds promising. Again, where is your hope? The most consistent hope in history is found in trusting and obeying God. He is the Creator and Provider. He can take care of us in amazing ways. As I’m thinking of this, my mind wandered to a passage at the end of the Old Testament. Let me leave you with a few verses of Scripture for you to chew on. What do you think?

Malachi 3:10-12 NIV
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.