Deacon's Diary

Deacon's Diary is a weekly feature that appears on the back side of the bulletin at the First Baptist Church of Avalon, Texas.

Do not fear what they fear.

On a recent trip through Missouri and other places I checked into a hotel to shut down for the night. The road had been unusually long  that day. I was feeling a little down. Some sense of worry had set in.

It wasn't really hard to figure out why. As a news junkie I had been listening to the radio all day. The stories about the flooding in the midwest, the reports on the soaring prices of the fuel that I so much depend on, all the political commentary about how bad it's going get if this candidate or that candidate gets elected in November, these and some other things had all combined together and got to me a little.

I would imagine that this happens to most all of us at times. This world and this life we live can become overwhelming at times. The people that report the news to us seem to always focus on the negative, and I guess they probably always will. It's a wonder we don't get down more often than we do.

In that hotel room, thanks to the Gideons, was a copy of the best selling book of all times. There on the night stand beside the bed I found the Bible. Today I needed it more than maybe on other days. As it always seems to happen, I opened the book in the right place, and began reading from Isaiah, chapter eight. It didn't take long at all to find the exact words that I needed.

God was instructing the prophet Isaiah during a time of great peril. Verses twelve and thirteen, though given to Isaiah a long time ago,  now had provided the appropriate comfort that I needed in 2008.

Isaiah 8:12 and 13

"Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear.

Deacon's Diary is a weekly feature that appears on the back side of the bulletin at the First Baptist Church of Avalon, Texas.

Because He Said so.

We've all heard it growing up. "Because I said so." I know I heard it. Loud and clear. And then that was that. End of the discussion. Period.

 I am talking about how dad would some time settle things around the house. His final word, although lacking any detail, was never lacking any of the authority behind it. "Because I said so", had meaning.

It wasn't that Dad was being blunt and abrupt just because he could. When he used that phrase it had meaning because all of us kids knew that he had already spoken on the issue at hand. "Because I said so" was just a reminder. It was his way of saying that we should already know where he stood. It was his way of making us think about it.

I can remember that even back then I would find some comfort in those four simple words. "Because I said so' meant that what ever the disagreement or struggle was about, it was now settled. The rules were defined and there would be no more speculation. No more wondering. There is a good deal of comfort to be gained when doubt is removed. I'm thankful for my Dad for many things. But maybe mostly for that.

The same can be said about our Heavenly Father. No matter what problems might come along in our lives, God has the right answer. He has already spoken on the issue at hand no matter what it might be. For the most part, we already know where He stands. We just forget.

 God isn't in the habit of sending  us a booming voice from above with a loud "Because I said so". But He has given us the Bible. In times of disagreement or struggle, reading the Bible can settle it. All doubt can be removed. Be thankful to God for all things. Maybe mostly for that.

Deacon's Diary is a weekly feature that appears on the back side of the bulletin at the First Baptist Church of Avalon, Texas.

Handy prayer guide.

The following, called the Five Finger prayer guide, was sent to me via e-mail by Meg Lyon. I felt it was worth sharing. Thanks Meg!

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, our "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. It reminds us to pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes our teachers, our doctors, and our ministers. They need God's support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It should remind us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These are the people that shape our nation and effectively guide public opinion. They surely need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher or piano player will readily testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, or sick, or in trouble, or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be humbled enough to be able to pray for yourself more effectively.              --Author Unknown

Deacon's Diary is a weekly feature that appears on the back side of the bulletin at the First Baptist Church of Avalon, Texas.

Souler powered.

If you have read any of my writings in the past, you probably already know that I spend a lot of time out on the road. Almost every week will find me out there somewhere away from home at least two nights a week. It comes with the job I 've got. It's just the way it works.

On every trip I take my cell phone with me. I need it to stay in contact with every one back home. With Kay and/or the boys. I need it to stay in contact with the office too, just in case they need to dispatch me in a different direction. The shipper might need to contact me also, just to make changes.
You get the point. That cell phone is an important tool when I get out there on the road. But one day last week I left out with no way to charge it up. I had the phone, but the battery was low and getting lower. It started blinking and beeping at first, and when it got low enough it shut itself down. Leaving me with no communication to any one back home, or in the office, or anywhere.

I looked at the phone after it died and thought how worthless it was without any power. Just a shell made of plastic and silicone and whatever else they put into those kind of things. With out a source of power it wasn't worth the cost of the materials it was made out of. Not much more than a paper weight.

To make it even worse, I thought about all the electrical power right there around me in the cab of that truck. That truck has three big batteries in it. But without the proper charger I had no way of tapping into them.  In the distance ahead of me I saw lightning and thought of all that electrical power. All this power around me I thought, but with no way at all to connect to it. 

Just about then I saw the sun setting down behind me. A great source of power. But since the phone isn't solar powered, that doesn't work either.

All this thinking about that stupid phone got me to thinking about another kind of battery. The spiritual batteries we all have as Christians. Like that phone, we too need charging. Like that phone we have a way of connecting to that Power Source that is greater than all of those mentioned above combined and then multiplied. It's called prayer. Made possible by the Son. Delivered to us in the form of the Holy Spirit. May you never leave home without it.

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