Loving Memory

When someone dies, the people that knew them often say, “She was a good woman,” or “He was a good man.” Well, my Grandpa, Fred Smolchuck, just passed away a few days ago and he was indeed a very good man.

As the patriarch of the Smolchuck family, (No, he never took to my “Smalls” nickname) Grandpa lived a selfless life in God’s service, accomplishing so much and touching so many. For more than 90 years through all his travels, spoken and written words, he truly provided the “living water” Jesus talked about.

As my wife and I make our way to Springfield, Missouri to join my family in laying his body to rest next to that of his loving wife of over 50 years, I can only imagine how wondrously happy he is to have been reunited with my Grandma on the streets of gold.

As always happens with the passing of someone we love, we remember the good times and wish we had spent more time with them. Don’t let that happen to you. Tell your loved ones that you love them. And don’t just tell them, show them by making every effort to be with them every chance you get. That will help all of us to (BE)TTER.

If you would, please keep my family in your prayers this week as we gather to celebrate my Grandpa’s life.

If you’d like, you can read some of the details about my Grandpa’s life and many accomplishments in his obituary.
Here’s the link:
http://ifphc.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/Fred-Smolchuck-1917-2008-slavic-pentecostal-leader-passes-away/

Life Water

I don’t know why I was thinking this but, don’t you hate it when someone won’t share with you? Seeing someone who is selfish or just really into themselves is completely annoying. Selfishness stinks.

That got me thinking about what makes up the majority of our mission to
(BE)TTER and I have arrived at this conclusion: We need to (BE)TTER to better others.

Its very interesting to me that Jesus really emphasized this point in John 7:37, 38. He was at a huge festival when He stood up and shouted, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

Jesus’ promise was that if we believe in Him, not only will we have better life “water,” we can be a spring of life to others. Self-lessness will be one of our character traits. Out of the core of our being will just naturally flow solutions, peace, joy, provision, inspiration and love to co-workers, friends, family and anybody else who needs a pick-me-up.

If we don’t do it, who will? Let’s live as life-givers. Deal?

The Right Stuff

Not too long ago, my friend and I were wondering how a guy we know ended up marrying a girl way out of his league. We couldn’t figure out why a girl of her caliber would even look at this guy, let alone marry him. Finally I said, “He must have just been in the right place at the right time.” When we heard the details later, we found out timing was the biggest factor in their story.

Timing is everything. Jesus was fully aware that it had everything to do with His earthly purpose so He wasn’t going to rush it. He said in John 7:6, “The right time for me has not yet come.”

Who you marry; if you marry; where you live; what your career is; who your friends are; when you accomplish certain goals; and all sorts of other aspects of daily life – they all have timing as their catalyst.

So often we get impatient and want to rush things when a good rule of thumb to remember is “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” Our best bet to
(BE)TTER is to trust the One who created time to be our timekeeper.

Pray this: “Thank you God I’m always in the right place at the right time with the right people, saying and doing the right things.”

Stay

You know how its said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? I think so often people have just as hard of a time learning. Probably the easiest trick dogs learn is to “stay,” and usually it is the one we find as the most difficult.

We don’t like to stay put in one place. We don’t want to sit still and just BE. We’re eating french fries and surfing the internet with our ipod in one ear and our cellphone on the other – all while driving! Its almost like we wear attention-deficit as a badge of honor, excusing us from ever having to put our focus on one thing at a time.

God said in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

I heard a preacher say one time, “If the devil can’t get in front of you to stop you, he’ll get behind you and push you too fast.” Think about it: Do you ever do just one thing at a time any more?

Many times in stillness is where we find the answers we need. If we will shut out distractions and take time out to be quiet as a human being instead of a human do-ing, God will clarify what’s cloudy and point us in the right direction to (BE)TTER.

Field Work

Last week I had the privelege of being in Mexico with 20 short-term missionaries from Michigan. We worked alongside the resident missionaries in construction of some buildings for a recently-established church group in Los Planos, Baja California Sur.

We also sent out groups of people each day into the community, including travel to the edge of town where local migrant workers live in extremely impoverished conditions.

It is a sobering sight to see where these people who work in the fields have gathered to form a small “shanty town” of shelters. Made up of various discarded materials, one wall of their “house” may be a randomly-shaped sheet of plywood, another wall made up of a stack of cases of empty soda bottles joined together by a piece of tattered old plastic. Their restrooms are outhouses with no roof or running water with toilets that are not much more than a hole in the ground.

Witnessing conditions that are so far below even what we in the U.S. consider as poverty level prompts a variety of emotions. Indebted gratefulness is near the top of the list.

Psalm 103:2 reinforces what I’ve been feeling: “Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all His benefits.”

Benefits. Seeing other people’s lack reminds me of our excess. You and I have been the undeserving beneficiaries of so many of God’s benefits that we’ve forgotten more of them than we can remember.

I’m realizing more and more that a vital part of our work to (BE)TTER should include remembering how truly blessed we are while acknowledging God as the One who blesses us. Only good can come from frequently following the advice of the old hymn, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.”

To (BE)TTER, don’t forget to remember the Blessor.

In Training

Have you ever heard that old saying, “If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right?” Well, that IS right.

The reason so much attention is focused on our mentality is that a  majority of our battle to (BE)TTER is in our mind. Think about it. Everything that has ever happened in the history of mankind has started with a thought. There is nothing, good or bad, we have done or ever will do without thinking about it first.

There may be some stuff we do that appears to be without thinking but that’s because we have repeated those actions so many times.  The evidence of seemingly thoughtless actions indicates an opportunity for Better Life lies in neuro-associative conditioning. Say what? It’s a psychological term that simply means to train the brain.

How can we make that happen? Notice Psalm 1:1-3 tells us the best training regiment to follow:

“Blessed is the man…his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. Whatever he does prospers.”

Meditate means to mutter and repeat. So like learning to ride a bike or play an instrument comes by repetition, reading, re-reading and saying God’s words out loud retrains our brains to think better so we act better. Practice makes perfect.

So what’s on your mind?*

Crucial Conversations

How about a nice little bit of encouragement?

If we’re honest, you and I, at one time or another end up questioning ourselves about where we are in life and if we are actually in the right place. When we are unsure of ourselves, nothing is better for us than a nice dose of good old fashioned encouragement.

Here’s one older than any of us from Isaiah 49:1:
“Before I was born the Lord called me; from my birth He has made mention of my name.”

Do you know what I get from that verse? Since before I was a “gleam in my Daddy’s eye,” God has been talking about me. He has been proclaiming to others around Him in heaven what He is going to do with my life.

So whenever you or I wonder if we are where we’re supposed to be at this point in our lives, remember that heaven has been planning our path longer than we have been alive. And He certainly has contingency plans in place to make up for any of our misguided attempts at planning our own course.

Feel out of step? Consult the Master plan. Ask God for guidance back on the track to Better Life.

One Giant Leap

As such a big football fan, I’m more than just a little sad about the end of the season. Even so, after watching the unlikely New York Giants beat the “unbeatable” New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, it made me think of another story with a giant: David and Goliath.

Nobody thought David had a chance to defeat Goliath in the same way everybody expected the Patriots to prevail over the Giants. Evidently the Giants didn’t believe all the negative hype and naysayers predictions. I think the difference maker was confidence. New York believed they could win.

So did the feisty teenager named David. Look at what he said to express his confidence as he approached the giant in 1 Samuel 17:46, 47:

“This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head… All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s.”

The storylines of both David and Goliath, as well as the Giants and the Patriots offer a lesson for the ages: Insurmountable obstacles require a leap of faith. If we will decide to shift our focus from what looks probable to thinking, “All things are possible,” Godly confidence will kick doubt out.

No matter what unbeatable odds we face, as long as we put our confidence in the right place, we can (BE)TTER* than any opposition.  So, where is yours?

The End?

Wits end. Ever been there? I think everybody has felt the gnawing sensation of helplessness at least once. Actually, in our do-it-yourself culture, that sinking feeling of having exhausted all your options is quite common. It may be something or several things that happen all at once to leave us feeling overwhelmed and almost hopeless. So what do we do then?

Take a look at the example of someone who found the right route to recovery in Psalm 107:27-31:

“They were at their wits end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love.”

It is not really a question of IF seemingly hopeless situations will happen to us but how will we respond when they do? From this bit of the Bible we see that calling out to God is definitely the way to (BE)TTER. Remembering our help comes from above will give us a boost when we need it most.

During the good, bad and ugly times, our response determines our results. So if you feel your strength is ending, look to God for a new beginning.