Brother Jim Wednesday Evening 11/12/14

Brother Jim Wednesday Evening 11/12/14

Proverbs chapter 3 is a scripture that I don’t think that we can wear out.  Sometimes we can get ahead of God and not wait enough and it gets us in trouble.  We have problems that way.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

Pro 3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.

Pro 3:9  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:

Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

God will take care of us.  It is something to think of those that don’t want to serve God because of what they have to pay out!  I think of the insurance and the benefits that we get from God that they miss out on.

Rev 21:7  He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Rev 21:8  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

But the fearful… who here hasn’t been fearful?  The devil wants to use this against us.  

Children trust their parents.  They don’t ask, “Are we going to have something to eat tonight?”  We don’t want to mistrust our father.

David said, "I have been young and now am old and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or their seed begging bread."

Luk 21:25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Luk 21:26  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Luk 21:33  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

He has magnified His Word above His name.  I don’t particularly like change and all around us the world is changing.  We can count on His Word.  It is forever settled in heaven.

Luk 21:34  And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

This warns us against excesses of any kind. 

Luk 21:35  For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Luk 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

He is just warning.  We see a lot of things.  Karen brought the scripture of those that were troubled by the conditions of what was going on.  God has us here for a reason.  Plains is blessed to have a lighthouse.

I thought as a child, we had a grandmother that believed in holiness.  I thought that was "way back" and had already gone by until I came in contact with the saints and found a people that were living holy.

Some of us were comfortable with the tie plant job.  We would have liked to just stay there.  I thank the Lord for it; I worked there for 8 years and got to be in church and get my home established.  I look back at my years working on the railroad and I thank God that He brought us through.  I thank the Lord for the prayers of the Saints.

We look at the children here and we know that they are in the army.  There is a battle against truth and right.  The devil doesn’t want those bright lights to shine.  He wants to snuff them out.  

You are not alone there.  The saints are praying for you.  Jesus Himself prayed for us.  The saints each one are holding you up.  We are all in it together.

His greatest joy is that we prosper and be in health.  We want to help each other and see each other prosper. 

Joh 17:13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

He didn’t want us to be in a little convent separated from the world but that we be kept from evil. 

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Think of that, Jesus prayed for us!  He wants us to succeed and make it through. 

I want to read you a little story.  We appreciate each one of you, each teacher, and each one that is in the school system.  You could have had better jobs that paid you more, but God is blessing you there.  I think of children for Jesus and the ministry there.

The following excerpt is taken from A Cup of Comfort for Friends and is entitled:

Dumpster Roses:

The invitation was on expensive parchment engraved in gold.  It read, “Nothing but the best, for the best.”  I shivered with excited anticipation at attending this reunion of my dearest college friends, being held at the home of one of my oldest childhood friends. 

I rose early the Saturday of the reunion.  The five-hour drive sped by as I reflected on the changes in our lives over the past twenty years.  Kathy was running the campaign for a senatorial candidate on the East Coast.  Jim was a college professor and a successful writer.  Gina was the only one from our acting group who was making a living in a theater.  Mike, a close friend since childhood, was the senior vice president of a large marketing firm.  I was a high school special education teacher, the first in our group to marry, and the only one to have more than one child.

Driving down the shaded lane to Mike’s resort-sized, waterfront log home, I was impressed by the brilliant gardens that accented the beautiful property.  I remembered his note that he had hired a full-time gardener.

That afternoon and evening were as wonderful as I had anticipated.  We windsurfed and swam in the lake, and the ten of us talked and laughed late into the night.  The next morning Mike and I carried our coffee out to his greenhouse; he wanted to show me the long-stemmed roses his gardener was nurturing.  Glancing at me casually across the scarlet beauties, Mike dropped a bombshell.

“You know, Lou, in college you had more potential than any of us.  We all expected you to be more than just a mother and a teacher.  My delight in our reunion drained out of me.  Was this what my old friends thought of me, that I didn’t measure up to the rest of them?  I struggled to keep my composure, too rattled to respond.  I headed for home as soon as I felt I could politely leave.  After hugs and sworn statements that we would go better at keeping in touch, I was on the road.  Given Mike’s comments, I questioned their sincerity.

I’d never spent much time analyzing my life; I’d always been too busy.  Now I prayed all the way home, “Lord, have I used my talents correctly?  Are you disappointed in me too?  Please show me whether I’m living the way you intended.”

When I arrived home, my four children gifted me with hugs and a sincere interest in the details of my weekend.  I was relieved that I didn’t need to teach the following day.  I was attending a conference, and a substitute teacher would be in my classroom.  I looked forward to the chance for some quiet reflection.

I had promised my kids that I’d introduce the substitute before I left for the conference that Monday.  Ms. Smith, the substitute, arrived late, even though I’d asked her to be early so that I could prepare her.  Racing down the hallway to my classroom with gasping Ms. Smith trying to keep up, I attempted to give her a quick rundown on each student.  Upon reaching my tiny, windowless classroom, we were greeted by fourteen agitated students, all eager to talk with me.

Mrs. Zywicki, they want you in the office,” said one student, Kandi, who was eager to add to the barrage.  “Sandra got in trouble in her group home, and she’s banging her head on the wall.” 

Tina’s partially unzipped duffel bag began to wail.  The fifteen-year-old mother gingerly scooped out her two-month-old daughter, her pleading eyes meeting mine.  “Sorry, Mrs. Z. The baby sitter showed up drunk this morning.  My dad is coming to get Angel at nine o’clock, when he gets off work.”

I nodded at Tina and turned to the boy with the bright blue, Statue of Liberty hair.  “You’re my man today, Pete,” I said.  “Introduce Ms. Smith here and tell her how we do things.”

I gave Ms. Smith a quick I-know-you-can-do-this pat on the hand and turned to leave. 

“Mrs. Zywicki, wait! I’ve got to talk to you before you go down to the office,” pleaded a read-haired, chalk-faced Kandi.  “I broke out of detox this morning, so you mark me absent, okay?”

“We’ll deal with this tomorrow,” I said with a sigh before I clipped off to the office, the sharp heels of my dress-up shoes echoing down the hall.

Ten minutes later, I was back, resigned to the fact that the conference would begin without me.  “Where’s Ms. Smith?”

“Don’t know,” said Pete.  A circle of fourteen faces smiled in innocent agreement.  “I did everything you said.  I introduced everyone.  We shared the best thing that happened to us over the weekend, like we always do on Mondays.  And we started reading the short stories that we wrote last week, just like you told us we were going to.” 

“Ms. Smith looked like she was going to puke, and she left,” Kandi added.  “Don’t know what the problem was.” 

I picked up the phone and canceled my spot at the conference, then notified the office that Ms. Smith had disappeared.  At the end of our difficult day, the vice principal stopped in for a minute. 

“Thanks for sticking around today, Lou,” she said, smiling.  “How does it feel to be indispensable?”

I threw her an amused, yeah-right look. 

“Seriously, though, those kids need you.  I’m glad you’re on our staff.”

Then she was gone as quickly as she’d come.  I sent up a silent prayer of thanks for the much-needed compliment.  Exhausted, I continued to sit at my desk, deep in thought.

Two dearly familiar faces stuck their heads around the doorway and asked if they could come in.  Before I could answer, Kandi and Pete came inn carrying a bouquet of exquisite, long-stemmed red roses.  “We’re sorry you missed your meeting because of us, Mrs. Zywicki.  We found these in Rick’s dumpster and thought you would like them.” 

The two teens stood silently, their eyes fixed on my face.  I could sense some sort of tension hanging between us, but I didn’t know where it came from.  I waited.

At last Kandi broke the silence.  “Mrs. Z, most people are afraid of kids like us.  They don’t want to be around us or to teach us.  You like being our teacher, but more than that, you’re a true friend.”  Her eyes held mine as she struggled to get out her last three words: “We love you.”  They each gave me a quick hug and took off, escaping the heavy emotion they’d just heaped on my lap.

I stoked the satiny red petals of my magnificent roses.  “These are far more beautiful than the ones in your greenhouse, Mike,” I said quietly to myself.  But as I spoke, a huge tear fell on the back of my hand.  My heart ached with both thankfulness and pain.  I wanted my old friends to recognize that my job was every bit as important as any of theirs, and maybe someday they will.  I also realized something more important: that my job is important, that my life is filled with true friendship, and that I am exactly where God wants me to be.  He showed me with a bouquet of dumpster roses.

--Lou Killian Zywicki

I wanted each of you teachers and each one to know how much we appreciate you.  I wanted to hand out my roses now and not after you are gone.