Listen

It was late in the season. The Kings led the series two to one, and game four against the Lakers was today at 3:30. I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Some people said I should watch the WNBA (women's professional basketball) or the Home Shopping Network, but I had always been a tomboy. I made tree houses, not quilts. Basketball came naturally.
I was busy. I was always busy, but today my sister had invited guests over for lunch at one, so "busy" had taken on a whole new dimension.
Well, guest-singular-actually. She had invited one of her friends over. Mary had a lot of friends. Isn't it funny how your younger sister always has more playmates than you? I never minded it. Ever since I could remember, she had her friends and I had my work. I didn't care for her friends mostly-never had-but one had to make a good impression. And a good impression took a lot of work.
The salad was already done.-It was fresh from the package, and I was thankful for that. But the steaks were still frozen, the living room blared "aftermath," the potatoes were slowly cobwebbing on the counter, and someone had forgotten to do the breakfast dishes. (Don't you hate that?)
First things first. I mumbled appreciation for whoever had invented the microwave, jumped into my favorite pink apron, and scrounged through the cluttered drawers for my peeler. The sink was mysteriously clogged, the morning's scrambled eggs and marmalade were welded to my favorite china, and I couldn't find my broom. The morning had been a losing streak for me and I hoped the Kings game at 3:30 would cheer me up.
The steel wool briskly numbed my fingers as it scraped the ceramic raw, and somewhere in between the first and second shattered salad bowls, I heard Mary amble in the door and sprawl on the living room couch with her friend.
I knew I should be out there with them, socializing, sitting with them, but I was too busy. And if I knew my sister, she could do enough listening for both of us. She was a good worker-really she was. Usually, at least. But every time HE came around, she suddenly dropped everything to be with HIM.
Not me, though. I knew better than to leave the house a mess just to be with some guy, whoever it was. I knew what was important, and that was serving the guy, not sitting there giggling.
Another salad bowl down. It didn't even have the courtesy to break into big pieces. For God's sake, where was that stupid broom? Why didn't I just buy plastic bowls? Bits of amber glass scampered across the floor like spiders and crunched as I inadvertently ground them into the floor.
I bent to pick up what was left of the bowl and my finger caught on something. Blood. How could a measly scratch bleed so much? Mary's sleighbell laugh floated into the kitchen from the living room as she shared some glittering moment with her friend. I reached for a dishtowel and dabbed the cut.
The water was still running. The sink began to overflow onto the counter. The world was spinning out of control. Why me?
"Martha."
My name. Who was calling my name? I muttered please-God-not-now's under my breath.
"Martha."
What did Mary's friend want with me? I hustled into the living room.
"Master," I said, "don't You care that my sister has left me to serve You by myself?" I waved my arm at her. "Can You, like, ask her to maybe help me a little?"
"Martha, Martha," He said as He stood and touched my wrist. "I know you have tons on your mind, but the most important thing right now is not serving Me. Your sister has chosen that good part-to listen to Me. That's the most important thing. You can't expect Me to take that away from her, can you?"
I shook my head and stared at the floor. "No." I swallowed. "Guess not." The blood was gone. The cut in my skin had sealed. How did He do that?
"Sit down," He said. "Listen to My Words." He winked and grinned. "Please?"
I sat.
My brother Lazarus would be home from his treatments at St. John's Memorial Hospital any minute, and the kitchen was a wreck. But the most important thing…
I squeezed into the love seat with my sister and her friend, the Master, the Son of God, Jesus. I listened to His Words.
It didn't matter that the microwave was screaming at me to rescue the sizzling filet mignons from its belly. It didn't matter that the Kings game was on in five minutes.
I was busy.

v

Is this just an amusing story? An interesting fantasy? Could Jesus actually walk into someone's living room and impart love and enlightenment by His Words?
This did, in fact, happen long ago, when Jesus visited the home of two sisters in the town of Bethany (in what is now Israel). Here is the Biblical account:

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, "Lord, don't You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"
"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42 NIV)

Time with Jesus can be a priceless pause in the day that puts everything back in perspective. You can spend time with Jesus through prayer, reading His Words, or meditating on His truth. It can be ten minutes or an hour, but if He is the focus-reflecting on Him, absorbing His love, taking in His Spirit, and thanking Him for all His blessings and wonders-it can be both exhilarating and renewing.
Jesus explains that we will find relief from pressure and anxiety as we leave busy-ness behind and approach Him. He said, "Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29 NKJ).
You may think, "How will I find the time?"
The Bible says, "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these [other] things will be given to you as well" (Matthew 6:33 NIV). If you will spend time in prayer, in God's Word, and in seeking Him from your heart, things will go so much better. And that will help you to either have more time, or get better results from your efforts. There's always time for the things you put first.
So try sitting at Jesus' feet. Be like Mary and you will understand the Bible verse that says, "You will fill me with joy in Your presence" (Psalm 16:11 NIV).
-By Joe Johnston and Chloe West

Building a Life

We build our lives year by year, day by day, moment by moment. The start of a new year is a good time to ask ourselves how the construction is progressing.

* * *

Building a Life


An elderly carpenter was ready to retire, and he told his boss of his plans to leave and live a more leisurely life with his wife. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see such a good worker go, and he asked the carpenter to build just one more house as a personal favor.

The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said. “It is my gift to you.”

The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built.

If we could do it over, we’d do it much differently. But we cannot go back.
You are the carpenter of your life. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Your attitudes and the choices you make today build your “house” for tomorrow. Build wisely!

-Author unknown
* * *

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

-Jesus (The Bible, Matthew 6:19-21 NKJ)

* * *

What Matters

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out-not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win.

All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down’s syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, “This will make it better.” All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together.

Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What truly matters in this life is helping others in their race, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

God’s Help in Crisis

A Still Small Voice: Rescued by God at the last minute
By Dale Hurd, CBN News

There are so many stories of God's hand at work amidst the horror of the World Trade Center attack. This is the miraculous story of how God preserved the life of one woman who listened to the Holy Spirit's voice.

NEW YORK CITY - As two hijacked planes were heading on a collision course with the World Trade Towers, one woman was prayerfully making her way to her desk on the 61st floor. It was an ordinary New York morning, and then tragedy struck. An announcement said she should stay, but a silent voice told Dawn Robinson it was time to leave.

"Every morning I make it a habit while I'm getting ready to pray, 'God, please help me through the day. This is the day that You have made. I'm going to rejoice and be glad in it.' Daily that's what I do to get prepared to go to work. And even that morning as I walked to the 61st floor, I rounded the corner and I said, 'I thank You for a good day. This is going to be a good day,'" said Dawn.

It was shortly after that the first plane hit the World Trade Center. There was confusion and Dawn went to a lower floor with some friends to see what was going on. They were told that everything was okay and to go back their office.

"So I went toward my office, but halfway to the elevator something stopped me. I wasn't trying to decide, 'Am I going to go up to my floor?' I just knew in an instant that I needed to get out. I felt immediate claustrophobia. I never experienced that before. It was an awareness I had never felt before, and it was immediate. It wasn't, 'Maybe I shouldn't go up.' I knew right then I had to get out of there no matter what the cost. I had to get out. And I know for a fact that was the Holy Spirit that spoke to me right then," Dawn said.

"So I turned around and I saw some of the people that I worked with and I said, ‘We have to leave now. Now. We have to go.’ So we found the stairwell and I would estimate probably 75 percent of the people stayed because they did exactly what they were told to do. They either stayed and went to the cafeteria, or they were trying to get back up to their floors.

"But something inside of me told me, 'Go, no matter what the cost. Get out of here.' So we started running down the stairwell, and you have to remember, there were thousands of people that ended up running down that same stairwell by the time we were actually going. And I think, I'm not sure, but I think we were on the 42nd floor when it hit our building. At this point, we still didn't have the comprehension that planes were hitting our buildings. At this point, in fact, somebody said, ‘Oh, I think it's terrorists.’ We all started laughing because we thought, ‘There's no way it's terrorists,’" she continued.

"So we started running down and I think it was on the 42nd floor or so that it hit us and it knocked us up against the walls. At that point, people were screaming and hysteria broke out. There was smoke covering us. There was water coming down. So some of us were yelling, “Just go! Go fast!” Because you're scared to death, you know you're up 40 flights and it's going to take a long time to get down 40 flights of stairs with thousands of people joining you," she explained.

"So I held on to the banister. I'm 49, so I made sure I had something to hang on to so I wouldn't be knocked over. I just tried to remain focused and I held on to that all the way down. It was a circle of stairs."

"I just kept praying very loudly, 'God, please protect us. Jesus, be with us.' When we got to the second level-that's also the street level-we found some doors that we could get out of. Debris was constantly falling on top of us once we got outside. It was like you were running, literally running from the fire that you saw behind you. And then the same sound [of an explosion] I had heard up in my office was what I was hearing again. I thought that we were just constantly being bombed, because you couldn't look up and see, and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face," she said as tears welled up in her eyes.

But Dawn pointed out that God clearly intended to take care of her.
"I feel like I have a whole new chance at life now. Had God not stopped me and put that urgency inside of me, I wouldn't be here today, because our floor was on fire and the second plane hit our floor," she said.

* * *

Promises of Protection

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea (Psalm 46:1- 2*). *Verses are New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psalm 23:4).

“I am with you to save you and deliver you," says the Lord (Jeremiah 15:20).

Your God, whom you serve continually, He will deliver you (Daniel 6:16).

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left (Isaiah 30:21).

I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20 KJV).

I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you”(Isaiah 41:13).



Pentagon official recounts events that spared his life
By Lt. Col. Franklin Childress, Baptist Press

WASHINGTON - In Jeremiah 29:11-13 the Lord boldly declares: "I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Those verses have never been truer for me than they were on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.


My office was ground zero for the jet that hit the Pentagon. My office was totally destroyed, most of my co-workers were killed or severely injured, but I was spared. On that particular day, I was at my apartment waiting to receive a baggage shipment.

I checked into the Pentagon on September 4 for an assignment as the public affairs officer for the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army for Personnel. I was assigned to a newly renovated wing of the Pentagon. I was overwhelmed by the strangeness of the Pentagon-who does what, what my role is.

I went through the process of checking in and meeting everybody I would work with and completed my processing requirements by Monday, September 10. As part of my arrival requirements, I worked with the Transportation Office at a nearby military installation for delivery of my household goods from Hawaii.

They initially set up the delivery for my shipment to be on September 6. When I called back to check the confirmation of that date, the person I spoke to said that the previous clerk had dropped the ball and I would have to wait a week to get my goods delivered. I was a little angry, but I resolved to take it in stride and make another appointment.

Little did I know that the date I chose for the delivery would be a decision that saved my life. I thought that I might have to meet my new boss, Lt. Gen. Maude on Monday, September 10, so I chose to have my baggage delivered on Tuesday, September 11.

I was sitting on my balcony watching and waiting for the moving company truck that was to deliver my baggage to arrive at 9:32 a.m. when I heard what I thought was a sonic boom. Then I heard fire trucks and ambulances rushing through the streets. I turned on the TV and was appalled to see that an American Airlines jet had crashed into the Pentagon. My shock continued as I watched the news come in about the World Trade Center in New York. I was watching when the twin towers came crashing down. My reaction was that I was watching the end of the world.


Then the most tragic news of all hit me like a hammer blow. The office where I work was the impact point of the crash. I learned that my boss and many of my co-workers were unaccounted for. If I had been at work that day, I would not be writing this now.

What I have come to realize is that I have been given the ultimate gift from God-my salvation. If I had been there that day, I would have been ready for God to take me home. I also realize that I have been given a second gift, that God miraculously spared my life that day. I am truly grateful to Christ who gives me strength.

Some people describe me as lucky and say that I was saved by a coincidence, but I believe that I am blessed. I know who saved me, and His name is not luck. I do not believe that anything happens by accident. I believe that God spared me for His purposes; I have to be still and let Him reveal His purpose for my life. Until that happens, I will tell everybody that I can about my miraculous gift.

In closing, I pray that every man, woman, boy, and girl who reads my words will consider the meaning of life. I pray that after their careful and prayerful consideration they, like me, will give their life over to Jesus Christ and trust Him as their Lord and Savior. I promise that if they do that they will have the promise that Jesus gives everyone, that they will have life and have it more abundantly.

I also pray that every Christian would be bold in their own witness. I believe that we have a narrow window of time to reach the lost because people are now open to the Word and because Jesus Christ is coming [back] soon. We may have been born for such a time as this.

* * *

Jew saves 'brother' Muslim
By Nigel Rosser, News & City

A Pakistani Muslim told how he was plucked to safety by a Hassidic Jew ahead of an avalanche of shrapnel after the World Trade Center attack.

The story of Usman Farman, a 21-year-old banker, counterbalances the wave of anti-Muslim anger sweeping America. Mr. Farman said: "I was on my back, facing this massive cloud that was approaching.

"I wear a pendant around my neck, inscribed with an Arabic prayer for safety. A Hassidic Jewish man came up to me and held the pendant in his hand. He read out the Arabic. What he said next, I will never forget.

"With a deep Brooklyn accent he said, 'Brother, there is a cloud of glass coming at us. Grab my hand. Let's get the hell out of here.' He helped me stand and we ran." Mr. Farman finally stopped about 20 blocks away.

"He was the last person I would have thought would help me."

Love Means Believing in Someone

Love takes time. It needs a history of
giving and receiving, laughing, and crying.

Love doesn’t promise instant gratification,
only ultimate fulfillment.

Love means believing in someone, in something;
it presupposes a willingness to struggle,
to work, to suffer, and to rejoice.

Love is doing everything you can to help
others build whatever dreams they have.

Love is on a constant journey to what others
need. It must be attentive, caring, and
open, both to what others say and to what
others cannot say.

Love will never reject others. It is the
first to encourage and the last to condemn.

Love is a commitment to growth, happiness,
and fulfillment of one another.
-Adapted from Barb Upham



Love suffers long and is kind;
Love does not envy;
Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;
does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked,
thinks no evil;
does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails.

How to Cope

It is a great matter to know just how to rest--how to be quiet when all around seems tumultuous.

We irritate and excite our souls about the coming emergency, and we approach it with worn and feverish spirits, and so mar our Master's purpose and work.

When the crisis comes, He will tell me what to do. The orders are not given until the appointed day. Why should I fume and fret and worry as to what the sealed envelope contains? When the hour strikes, the secrets shall be revealed.

And when the crisis comes, He will tell me what to say. I need not begin to prepare my retorts and my responses. What shall I say when death comes, to me or to my loved one? Never mind, He will tell me. And what when sorrow or persecution comes? Never mind, He will tell me.
--J.H. Jowett (19th-century English Congregationalist)

* * *

Attitude Is Everything
By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz

Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a unique restaurant manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, ‘Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right. It's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business: He left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied.

"Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, ‘He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. ‘Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, ‘I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"

Jerry lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

* * *

Dr. Alexander Whyte of Edinburgh was famous for his prayers. He always found something to thank God for, even in bad times. One stormy morning a member of his congregation thought, The preacher will have nothing to thank God for on a wretched morning like this.
But Whyte began his prayer, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this."

* * *

This too will pass
If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is,
Or how dark the moment may be--

If I can remain calm and quiet
With all my world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me--

If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That "darkness will fade with the morning,"
And that this will pass away, too--

Then nothing in life can defeat me,
For as long as this knowledge remains,
I can suffer whatever is happening,
For I know God will break all the chains
That are binding me tight in the "darkness"
And trying to fill me with fear--
For there is no night without dawning,
And I know that "my morning" is near.
--Helen Steiner Rice

* * *

A prayer for difficult times
Keep me, Lord. Darkness is setting in.
I don't have the strength to face it. I'm weak, but You're strong. Be strong for me, Lord.
Get me through the night and help me greet the dawn with praise, because You are there. You can meet whatever comes my way.
Thank You for keeping me, Lord.