SERMON: “Same Old Homework”
Matthew 23:1-12
November 9, 2008 Dr. Dennis Ginoza
9 X 9 equals 81
9 X 9 equals 81
Honesty is the best policy.
Honesty is the best policy.
California became a state on September 9, 1850.
California became a state on September 9, 1850.
Exodus 20. Exodus 20.
That is where you will find the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 5. Deuteronomy 5.
That’s where you will also find the Ten Commandments.
La puerta esta abierta.
La puerta esta abierta. ...The door is open.
Concord is the state capital of New Hampshire.
Concord is the state capital of New Hampshire.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Do it over and over and over again.
If you don’t remember, go back to it.
That’s how we learn and that’s how we grow.
Yes, it’s the SAME OLD HOMEWORK.
One Monday morning, a pastor in London got
on the morning trolley. He was heading back
to his study downtown. He paid his fare and
the trolley driver gave him too much change.
He counted his change eight times, ten times;
he rationalized and said to himself, “It’s wonderful
how God provides.” He was a little short that
week and now he had enough for lunch. As the
trolley moved along the tracks, he thought about
it and thought about it. Finally the trolley stopped,
the pastor got up, and said to the trolley driver,
“You made a mistake. You gave me too much
change.” The trolley driver said, “It was not a
mistake. I was in church last night when you
preached about honesty and I decided to put you
to a test.”
Here’s the point: Be true to yourself and be
true to God.
Jesus was hard on the Pharisees
because they made religion a burden.
Their religion was a religion of laws. It
was not based on mercy or charity. The
Pharisees loved to be in the best seats in
the house and they thought they were better
than the people. When religion is made
into a burden, Jesus teaches us, it is not true religion.
Jesus teaches us that the servant is greater than the
master. When you humble yourself, you
will be exalted. We are here to develop
our inner character. In each of us, there is
a godly side and there is also a gruff side. Christians
can be the best people in the world, but they can
also be not so nice. Remember I told you some time
ago, I always carry in my back pocket lots of patience
and forgiveness. It’s called the survival kit. Once
Dwayne Zimmerman, our former district superintendent
told us, he quit the ministry three times.
One day our son Aaron came home from high school and he
was upset. He said there was a bully who was putting
down another student. Aaron was a brown belt in
karate and he said, “I wanted to take that guy down.”
But he didn’t. I said to him, “I’m glad you didn’t
because that wouldn’t have been the end of it. Karate
taught him self-control and I told him, he did the
right thing.
Today we are in a crisis. It is an economic crisis. It is a
money crisis. Jesus said we cannot have two masters.
Is it going to be mammon or is going to be God? He
said we will either serve one or the other.
Did you all see the sign outside? Steve LeFevre put
up the words, “Huge Faith Bailout Inquire inside.’
We can choose the way of honesty or we can choose
deception. We can choose to serve ourselves or we
can choose to serve others. Jesus said there is only
one Father and on Teacher and one Messiah. He is
the Messiah.
Ted Engstrom gives us these thoughts:
The World Needs Men …(and I might add women)
who cannot be bought,
whose word is their bond;
who put character above wealth,
who possess opinions and a will;
who are larger than their vocations;
who do not hesitate to take chances;
who will not lose their individuality in a crowd;
who will be honest in small things as in great things;
who will make no compromise with wrong;
whose ambitions are not confined to their own selfish desire,
who will not say they do it, “because everybody else does it;”
who are true to their friends through good report and evil report,
in adversity as well as in prosperity;
who do not believe that shrewdness, cunning and hardheadedness
are the best qualities for winning success;
who are not ashamed or afraid to stand for the truth when it is unpopular;
who say “no” with emphasis, although the rest of the world says, “yes.”
When Vince Lombardi became the coach of the Green Bay
Packers, the Packers had a losing record for eight years.
He called his players and said: “Everybody stop and
gather around.” He knelt down and he said, “Let’s
start from the beginning. This is a football. These are
the yard markers. I’m the coach. You are the players.”
James Dobson said, “Values are not taught. They are caught.”
Did you hear about the little boy who was traveling
on the train with his mother? In the days of the
trains (they were good days by the way) children five
or under are free. The mother told her son,
“Just tell them you are five.” The little boy frowned
then got on. The conductor came around and said,
“How old are you son?” “Ah, five.” said the boy. So
he didn’t have to pay. Two hours later the conductor
came around, rubbed the little boy’s hair and said,
“Well, how are you getting along?” “Fine!” said the
boy. The conductor said, “Let’s see, when you
gonna be six?” The boy says, “About the time I get
off this train I’ll be six.”
So when do we start teaching our children about values,
about faith, about God, about the teachings of Christ?
Right away. The day they are born.
Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the
Lord alone. You shall love the Lord with
all your heart and with all your soul, and
with all your might. Keep these that I am
commanding you today in your heart. Recite
them to your children and talk about them when
you are at home and when you are away, when
you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as
a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on
their foreheads, and write them on the doorposts
of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
Without mercy, without fairness, without faith,
without love, without Christ, and without God,
without charity—this world will collapse.
In the movie, Tender Mercies, a man and a woman get
married. They are opposites. He is an alcoholic
a bitter over his lost profession as a country music
singer. She is a widow whose first husband was killed
in Vietnam. She is tender hearted and never pressures
her husband. She waits patiently, graciously for her
husband to change and she trusts God to deal with him.
The story comes to a climax as her husband, deep in
depression, buys a bottle of liquor, gets into his pick-up
and peels off. His wife waits patiently in bed and reads
her Bible for encouragement. He comes home and says,
“I bought a bottle, but I poured it out. I didn’t drink
anything.” He goes back to do what he loves, write
his country music. God uses tender mercies to change
lives. In this movie, Tender Mercies,1983, Robert Duvall
won the Academy Award for best actor.
If you don’t change now, when will you change? If you don’t
give your life to Christ now, when will you give your life
to Christ? If you put your trust in God now, when will
you put your trust in God?
Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall
obtain mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)
He is our Teacher and Lord!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Simeon and Anna 12/28/08
Sermon: “Simeon and Anna”
Luke 2:22-40
December 28, 2008 Dr. Dennis Ginoza
Confucius says:
To put the world right in order,
We must first put the nation in order;
To put the nation in order,
We must first put the family in order,
To put the family in order,
We must first cultivate our personal life;
We must first set our hearts straight.
This is true isn’t it? If you put your heart in the
right place, everything will fall into place.
Often we say, “At least she had her heart in
the right place.” We also say, “He had a heart for it.”
In Jerusalem there was man named Simeon who spent
time at the temple. He was a pious man. He
was in his later days and the Holy Spirit told him
that he would not die until he set his eyes on the
anointed of God. He was waiting for the messiah
to bring hope to the world. When Simeon
saw Jesus with Mary and Joseph, he went up to them
and held Jesus in his arms. He said, “Now O Lord,
…my eyes have seen the instrument of your salvation.”
Simeon also prophesied that with this child, many will fall
and many will rise. Many will believe, but many will
not. Simeon also said, “A sword will pierce your soul.”
This child will help us all to see the heart.
At the temple there a prophetess whose name was Anna.
She was a widow, 84 years of age, and she spent all
her time worshipping God. She never left the temple.
Anna, like Simeon, was waiting for the deliverance
of Israel. Luke says, it was then that Mary and Joseph
brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated. And Jesus
went home to Nazareth and there he grew in wisdom
and the grace of God.
Everyone of us, when we are born, have a capacity for good and
for evil. In America we say, you can be whatever you set
your mind to be. Henry Ford said, “If you think you can,
you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Jesus came into this world to set our hearts straight. John
Rosemond, a reporter for the North Country Times
tells about a family in Scott’s Bluff, Nebraska. This
family had two boys who were caught shop lifting.
The two brothers, ages 12 and 15 were standing outside
a store in Gering and they were wearing a
loud orange sign that said, “My name is (not mentioned
in the artcle to protect their identity). I was caught shoplifting
at Dollar General. I will never shoplift again. Stealing and
lying is WRONG.” Those boys were not happy campers.
Their punishment was not handed out by a judge. It was by their parents.
The older boy had yet to appear before a judge in court. They
Both wrote a letter of apology to the store. For a whole month
they were not allowed to play their electronic games. The
father is in the refrigerator business and happens to do business
with the Dollar General. The father said, “I won’t tolerate a
thief. …When you steal, you take money from every body.”
I say: good for the boys! Good for the parents!
Alan Loy McGinnis wrote a book which I love to turn to for insight
because it is entitled, “Bringing Out the Best in People.” All of
us have flaws, all of us do stupid things once in a while,
all of us have lost our keys once or twice in our life, all of
us have gotten our fingers caught in the door, most all of us got
a speeding ticket, most all of us have let a bit of anger get the
best of us, all of us have fallen from grace, and all of us have
had a fear of failing, and most of us have had doubts about God.
Jesus taught us to use our talents, because if we bury our talent, it
will be taken away. McGinnis says all of us develop our
talents in different ways. Albert Einstein was four years
old before he could speak and seven before he could read.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he
was told he had “no good ideas.” Werner Van Braun the
German scientist flunked his ninth grade algebra. Leo
Tolstoy flunked out of college. Haydn gave up on making
Beethoven a musician because he seemed slow with no
apparent talent.
To all of you – thank you for using your talents.
Jesus came to set our hearts straight. He came to help us get
connected with one another and with God. There is only
one way this is possible, it is through love. Love is the ultimate
principle of grace, the uniting force of every element that
exists in this universe.. Love pulls us to a center that is
life giving and while it pulls us to the center, at the same
time, it pushes out. It’s like a seed that is planted. A seed
first consumes water and nutrients and sunlight. Then that
seed pushes out with roots, a stem or a trunk, then it pushes further
with branches and leaves and it pushes out with fruits. Jesus
teaches us, you will know them by their fruits.
To all of you, thank you for pushing out with love.
Some of you are 14 years old or older, some of you are 30 and older,
some of you are 40 and over, some of you are 50 and older,
some 60 and older, and some of you are 80 and older.. I hope,
I hope, you are a better person today than you were yesterday.
Amen? Amen!
Let me close with the words of Paul. In Romans chapter 12, beginning
With verse 9, Paul writes about the Marks of the True Christian.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another
showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the
Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate
with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay
anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight
of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably
with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the
wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay
says the Lord.” No, ”if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they
are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will
heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil,
Overcome evil with good.
And now, go out and do the right thing;
…in the name of the Lord.
Luke 2:22-40
December 28, 2008 Dr. Dennis Ginoza
Confucius says:
To put the world right in order,
We must first put the nation in order;
To put the nation in order,
We must first put the family in order,
To put the family in order,
We must first cultivate our personal life;
We must first set our hearts straight.
This is true isn’t it? If you put your heart in the
right place, everything will fall into place.
Often we say, “At least she had her heart in
the right place.” We also say, “He had a heart for it.”
In Jerusalem there was man named Simeon who spent
time at the temple. He was a pious man. He
was in his later days and the Holy Spirit told him
that he would not die until he set his eyes on the
anointed of God. He was waiting for the messiah
to bring hope to the world. When Simeon
saw Jesus with Mary and Joseph, he went up to them
and held Jesus in his arms. He said, “Now O Lord,
…my eyes have seen the instrument of your salvation.”
Simeon also prophesied that with this child, many will fall
and many will rise. Many will believe, but many will
not. Simeon also said, “A sword will pierce your soul.”
This child will help us all to see the heart.
At the temple there a prophetess whose name was Anna.
She was a widow, 84 years of age, and she spent all
her time worshipping God. She never left the temple.
Anna, like Simeon, was waiting for the deliverance
of Israel. Luke says, it was then that Mary and Joseph
brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated. And Jesus
went home to Nazareth and there he grew in wisdom
and the grace of God.
Everyone of us, when we are born, have a capacity for good and
for evil. In America we say, you can be whatever you set
your mind to be. Henry Ford said, “If you think you can,
you can. If you think you can’t, you’re right.”
Jesus came into this world to set our hearts straight. John
Rosemond, a reporter for the North Country Times
tells about a family in Scott’s Bluff, Nebraska. This
family had two boys who were caught shop lifting.
The two brothers, ages 12 and 15 were standing outside
a store in Gering and they were wearing a
loud orange sign that said, “My name is (not mentioned
in the artcle to protect their identity). I was caught shoplifting
at Dollar General. I will never shoplift again. Stealing and
lying is WRONG.” Those boys were not happy campers.
Their punishment was not handed out by a judge. It was by their parents.
The older boy had yet to appear before a judge in court. They
Both wrote a letter of apology to the store. For a whole month
they were not allowed to play their electronic games. The
father is in the refrigerator business and happens to do business
with the Dollar General. The father said, “I won’t tolerate a
thief. …When you steal, you take money from every body.”
I say: good for the boys! Good for the parents!
Alan Loy McGinnis wrote a book which I love to turn to for insight
because it is entitled, “Bringing Out the Best in People.” All of
us have flaws, all of us do stupid things once in a while,
all of us have lost our keys once or twice in our life, all of
us have gotten our fingers caught in the door, most all of us got
a speeding ticket, most all of us have let a bit of anger get the
best of us, all of us have fallen from grace, and all of us have
had a fear of failing, and most of us have had doubts about God.
Jesus taught us to use our talents, because if we bury our talent, it
will be taken away. McGinnis says all of us develop our
talents in different ways. Albert Einstein was four years
old before he could speak and seven before he could read.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because he
was told he had “no good ideas.” Werner Van Braun the
German scientist flunked his ninth grade algebra. Leo
Tolstoy flunked out of college. Haydn gave up on making
Beethoven a musician because he seemed slow with no
apparent talent.
To all of you – thank you for using your talents.
Jesus came to set our hearts straight. He came to help us get
connected with one another and with God. There is only
one way this is possible, it is through love. Love is the ultimate
principle of grace, the uniting force of every element that
exists in this universe.. Love pulls us to a center that is
life giving and while it pulls us to the center, at the same
time, it pushes out. It’s like a seed that is planted. A seed
first consumes water and nutrients and sunlight. Then that
seed pushes out with roots, a stem or a trunk, then it pushes further
with branches and leaves and it pushes out with fruits. Jesus
teaches us, you will know them by their fruits.
To all of you, thank you for pushing out with love.
Some of you are 14 years old or older, some of you are 30 and older,
some of you are 40 and over, some of you are 50 and older,
some 60 and older, and some of you are 80 and older.. I hope,
I hope, you are a better person today than you were yesterday.
Amen? Amen!
Let me close with the words of Paul. In Romans chapter 12, beginning
With verse 9, Paul writes about the Marks of the True Christian.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another
showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the
Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate
with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay
anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight
of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably
with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the
wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay
says the Lord.” No, ”if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they
are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will
heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil,
Overcome evil with good.
And now, go out and do the right thing;
…in the name of the Lord.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
MEDITATION "11:59)
MEDITATION “11:59”
II Peter 3:8-15
December 7, 2008
Yesterday I exercised for 25 minutes;
Today I exercised for 25 minutes,
Tomorrow, it’s Monday, isn’t it, I will
exercise for 30 minutes.
Exercise helps my circulation, and my
muscle and bones, and my mind.
Today I thank God for my body and my mind..
II Peter is the book in the Bible that is the fifth
book before Revelation. If you take your fingers and
work your way backwards, you will find—Revelation, Jude,
Third John, Second John, and First John and II Peter.
Exercise is also good for the soul. Thank you Lord!
II Peter, chapter 3, beginning with verse 8 says, “Do not ignore
this fact…, with the Lord one day is a thousand years
and a thousand years is one day.” Then it says, some of
you think God is slow; but really, God is patient with you.
You must learn this, the Day of the Lord is going to come
just when you don’t expect it. It’s going to come like
a thief at night. (How many of you had your house broken
into? How many of you had your car broken into?)
Once a man asked God how long is a million years in God’s term.
God said, “It’s just like a second of your time, my child?”
So the man asked, “What about a million dollars?” The
Lord said, “To me, it’s just like a single penny.” So the
man lit up and asked, “Well, Lord, could I have one of
your pennies? And God said, “Certainly, my child, just
a second?
So what is time?
In the eyes of God, a thousand years is like
one day and one day is like a thousand years.
The theme for my sermon today is 11:59.
When Jesus came, he believed that the end of
time was on hand. The hour was 11:59.
The hour today is still 11:59. Jesus said that his
return can be any moment. There were two in the field, one was
taken and the other was left. (Matthew 24:40)
2
Jesus came into this world to teach us many lessons
about life.
Some of us live unproductive lives, we waste time, we
waste our bodies.
Jesus came to that we may have life and have it more
abundantly. He came to prepare us for the last
hour — 11:59. With one minute left, are we ready?
Two weeks ago, my wife and I went to the Charger’s game
against the Indianapolis Colts. By the way, Thank
You for the Charger tickets. There were 68,400 plus
people there. It was a good game. It was a lousy
game. It was an exciting game. It was a disappointing game.
The Chargers could have… yes, they could’ve have
won. With a minute and 38 seconds left, they scored
a field goal. The score Charger 20, Colts 20. All the Chargers
had to do was hold the Colts for 10 and it would have been
over time. They couldn’t. With 3 seconds left, Indianapolis
scored a 51 yard field goal; score Chargers 20, Cots 23.. For
` the fourth time this season, the Chargers lost in the last 60 seconds.
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
Did you practice enough to win the game?
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
If you have an emergency, do you have enough
gas in your car to run to the hospital?
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
Did you study enough to pass the biology exam?
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
If you are asked, “Did you do all your chores?
Did you finish the task you were sent here to finish?
Can you say, Yes!”
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
If you have a knock at your door, and Jesus
whispers, “Ready?” Will you be ready?
If you have a dollar bill, will you take it out, please? This dollar bill is
a reminder to us that our nation was built on Divine
Providence. On the face of the dollar bill is a pyramid.
It represents the building of our nation. The break in the
pyramid tells us that this country is not yet complete.
Directly above the pyramid is the seeing eye of
God. This emphasizes that spiritual well-being
is more important than material prosperity. The
builders of our nation believed that our strength
is rooted in God and our progress will always be
under the watchful eye of God. The words above
3
the pyramid Annuit Coeptis refers to the Almighty
and means, “He has smiled on our undertakings.”
Below the pyramid are the Latin words novus ordo
seclorum means, “A new order of the ages.” And
you will find the words, “In God We Trust.”
This explanation is from Norman Vincent Peale.
The hour is 11:59 p.m. and Jesus may come in the twinkling
of a eye. Let us prepare for his coming.
I close with these thoughts.
If I can throw a single ray of light across the
darkened pathway of another; if I can aid some
soul to clearer sight of life and duty; and thus
bless (another); if I can wipe from any human
cheek a tear; I shall not have lived my life in vain.
If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire,
within his heart a sense of duty; if I can plant within
my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of
truth and beauty; if I can reach one (other person)
that God and heaven are near, I shall not then have
lived in vain while here.
If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep
my life attuned to love and kindness; if I can scatter
light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse
of mental blindness; if I can make more joy, more
hope, less pain, I shall not have loved in vain.
If by life’s roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose
shade some wearied head may rest, though I may
never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blest—
though no one knows my name, nor drops of flower
upon my grave, I shall not have lived in vain while
here. —Author Unknown
The hour is 11:59; Jesus calls again:
“Are you ready?”
II Peter 3:8-15
December 7, 2008
Yesterday I exercised for 25 minutes;
Today I exercised for 25 minutes,
Tomorrow, it’s Monday, isn’t it, I will
exercise for 30 minutes.
Exercise helps my circulation, and my
muscle and bones, and my mind.
Today I thank God for my body and my mind..
II Peter is the book in the Bible that is the fifth
book before Revelation. If you take your fingers and
work your way backwards, you will find—Revelation, Jude,
Third John, Second John, and First John and II Peter.
Exercise is also good for the soul. Thank you Lord!
II Peter, chapter 3, beginning with verse 8 says, “Do not ignore
this fact…, with the Lord one day is a thousand years
and a thousand years is one day.” Then it says, some of
you think God is slow; but really, God is patient with you.
You must learn this, the Day of the Lord is going to come
just when you don’t expect it. It’s going to come like
a thief at night. (How many of you had your house broken
into? How many of you had your car broken into?)
Once a man asked God how long is a million years in God’s term.
God said, “It’s just like a second of your time, my child?”
So the man asked, “What about a million dollars?” The
Lord said, “To me, it’s just like a single penny.” So the
man lit up and asked, “Well, Lord, could I have one of
your pennies? And God said, “Certainly, my child, just
a second?
So what is time?
In the eyes of God, a thousand years is like
one day and one day is like a thousand years.
The theme for my sermon today is 11:59.
When Jesus came, he believed that the end of
time was on hand. The hour was 11:59.
The hour today is still 11:59. Jesus said that his
return can be any moment. There were two in the field, one was
taken and the other was left. (Matthew 24:40)
2
Jesus came into this world to teach us many lessons
about life.
Some of us live unproductive lives, we waste time, we
waste our bodies.
Jesus came to that we may have life and have it more
abundantly. He came to prepare us for the last
hour — 11:59. With one minute left, are we ready?
Two weeks ago, my wife and I went to the Charger’s game
against the Indianapolis Colts. By the way, Thank
You for the Charger tickets. There were 68,400 plus
people there. It was a good game. It was a lousy
game. It was an exciting game. It was a disappointing game.
The Chargers could have… yes, they could’ve have
won. With a minute and 38 seconds left, they scored
a field goal. The score Charger 20, Colts 20. All the Chargers
had to do was hold the Colts for 10 and it would have been
over time. They couldn’t. With 3 seconds left, Indianapolis
scored a 51 yard field goal; score Chargers 20, Cots 23.. For
` the fourth time this season, the Chargers lost in the last 60 seconds.
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
Did you practice enough to win the game?
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
If you have an emergency, do you have enough
gas in your car to run to the hospital?
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
Did you study enough to pass the biology exam?
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
If you are asked, “Did you do all your chores?
Did you finish the task you were sent here to finish?
Can you say, Yes!”
The hour is 11:59 p.m.
If you have a knock at your door, and Jesus
whispers, “Ready?” Will you be ready?
If you have a dollar bill, will you take it out, please? This dollar bill is
a reminder to us that our nation was built on Divine
Providence. On the face of the dollar bill is a pyramid.
It represents the building of our nation. The break in the
pyramid tells us that this country is not yet complete.
Directly above the pyramid is the seeing eye of
God. This emphasizes that spiritual well-being
is more important than material prosperity. The
builders of our nation believed that our strength
is rooted in God and our progress will always be
under the watchful eye of God. The words above
3
the pyramid Annuit Coeptis refers to the Almighty
and means, “He has smiled on our undertakings.”
Below the pyramid are the Latin words novus ordo
seclorum means, “A new order of the ages.” And
you will find the words, “In God We Trust.”
This explanation is from Norman Vincent Peale.
The hour is 11:59 p.m. and Jesus may come in the twinkling
of a eye. Let us prepare for his coming.
I close with these thoughts.
If I can throw a single ray of light across the
darkened pathway of another; if I can aid some
soul to clearer sight of life and duty; and thus
bless (another); if I can wipe from any human
cheek a tear; I shall not have lived my life in vain.
If I can guide some erring one to truth, inspire,
within his heart a sense of duty; if I can plant within
my soul of rosy youth a sense of right, a love of
truth and beauty; if I can reach one (other person)
that God and heaven are near, I shall not then have
lived in vain while here.
If from my mind I banish doubt and fear, and keep
my life attuned to love and kindness; if I can scatter
light and hope and cheer, and help remove the curse
of mental blindness; if I can make more joy, more
hope, less pain, I shall not have loved in vain.
If by life’s roadside I can plant a tree, beneath whose
shade some wearied head may rest, though I may
never share its beauty, I shall yet be truly blest—
though no one knows my name, nor drops of flower
upon my grave, I shall not have lived in vain while
here. —Author Unknown
The hour is 11:59; Jesus calls again:
“Are you ready?”
“Gratitude: The Greatest of Virtues”
There are two ways at looking at everything. A piece of apple pie was delicious or it was not. The cup is half empty or half full. The student passed the bar or he failed. The car is a good buy or it’s a lemon.
There were two prisoners in the same jail cell. One looked out the window and saw only mud. The other looked out the same and saw the stars.
A grandmother faithfully sent her gifts to her grandchild, but never received a thank you. Finally she decided there was only ingratitude so she stopped sending her gifts. Ingratitude cuts off goodwill, saps a life source, and brings benevolence down to zero. Leroy Satchel Paige says, “Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”
Jesus healed ten lepers. Only one returned an gave thanks. “Where are the other nine?” he asked.
Gratitude, on the other hand, is life giving. Henry Ward Beecher says, “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.’ Cicero says, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
There is power in gratitude. The mere phrase Thank You carries in its nature, a feeling that is heart warming, an appreciation, and an acknowledgment with wings. Gratitude recognizes the giver with honor, respect, and reverence. The psalmist knew this well, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving. Give thanks to him, bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4).
So this Thanksgiving, as difficult as our times may be, let us be thankful. One writer, name unknown, suggests: Be thankful for the mess after the party, it means you have friends. The taxes we pay means we are employed. Piles of dirty laundry and ironing means we have a job. When the morning light breaks the dark, it means you can see; many are blind. The faith you have is a treasure to behold, many in the world believe not.
So I say, let us give thanks to God. There are more blessings than our mathematics can account for.
Dennis Ginoza
Pastor, Fallbrook United Methodist Church
There were two prisoners in the same jail cell. One looked out the window and saw only mud. The other looked out the same and saw the stars.
A grandmother faithfully sent her gifts to her grandchild, but never received a thank you. Finally she decided there was only ingratitude so she stopped sending her gifts. Ingratitude cuts off goodwill, saps a life source, and brings benevolence down to zero. Leroy Satchel Paige says, “Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t pray when the sun shines.”
Jesus healed ten lepers. Only one returned an gave thanks. “Where are the other nine?” he asked.
Gratitude, on the other hand, is life giving. Henry Ward Beecher says, “Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.’ Cicero says, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”
There is power in gratitude. The mere phrase Thank You carries in its nature, a feeling that is heart warming, an appreciation, and an acknowledgment with wings. Gratitude recognizes the giver with honor, respect, and reverence. The psalmist knew this well, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving. Give thanks to him, bless his name.” (Psalm 100:4).
So this Thanksgiving, as difficult as our times may be, let us be thankful. One writer, name unknown, suggests: Be thankful for the mess after the party, it means you have friends. The taxes we pay means we are employed. Piles of dirty laundry and ironing means we have a job. When the morning light breaks the dark, it means you can see; many are blind. The faith you have is a treasure to behold, many in the world believe not.
So I say, let us give thanks to God. There are more blessings than our mathematics can account for.
Dennis Ginoza
Pastor, Fallbrook United Methodist Church
A Light to the Nations
REFLECTIONS — Christmas Eve 2008
“A Light to the Nations” Matthew 2:1-12
When I was little boy, I learned to build a fire and
I got good at it. Then I learned to throw
a baseball, then I got good at dressing chickens,
I got good at swinging a machete, then I
studied geometry and algebra and whole bunch
more. Then I went to college. Then I went
to graduate school. Then I went to seminary.
Just when you think you know a lot, that is
when you learn you know so little.
George Burns said: “Too bad that all the people who
really know how to run the country are busy driving
taxis and cutting hair.”
Dale Evans said, “Every time we love, every time we
give, it’s Christmas.”
The prophet Isaiah teaches us today that a Great Light
has come into our world to break our darkness.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is
given. That light is wisdom, that light is knowledge,
that Light is Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Once there was a little boy at a shopping mall. He stood by
the escalators in a department store waiting. A supervisor
in the store came by and asked, “May I help you?”
The boy said, “I’m waiting for my gum to come back?
I ask you tonight, what are you waiting for?
In a little town in Palestine, in a manger, light began breaking
the darkness. Love came down, and truth is now at
our fingertips. All we have to do is reach out and grasp it.
Christ is the light to the nations.
Today our world is in disorder, but not without hope.
The economy is bad, but it hasn’t collapsed.
Religion is confusing, that doesn’t mean you
have to lose your faith. Just hold on to your
fork, because it means something better is coming.
Saint Frances de Sales said,
You can learn to speak by speaking, to study
by studying, to run by running, to work by
working; and just so, you learn to love by loving.
All those who think to learn in any other way
deceive themselves.
And the angel said:
I bring you good news of a great joy to all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)
God Bless You All!
“A Light to the Nations” Matthew 2:1-12
When I was little boy, I learned to build a fire and
I got good at it. Then I learned to throw
a baseball, then I got good at dressing chickens,
I got good at swinging a machete, then I
studied geometry and algebra and whole bunch
more. Then I went to college. Then I went
to graduate school. Then I went to seminary.
Just when you think you know a lot, that is
when you learn you know so little.
George Burns said: “Too bad that all the people who
really know how to run the country are busy driving
taxis and cutting hair.”
Dale Evans said, “Every time we love, every time we
give, it’s Christmas.”
The prophet Isaiah teaches us today that a Great Light
has come into our world to break our darkness.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a child is
given. That light is wisdom, that light is knowledge,
that Light is Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Once there was a little boy at a shopping mall. He stood by
the escalators in a department store waiting. A supervisor
in the store came by and asked, “May I help you?”
The boy said, “I’m waiting for my gum to come back?
I ask you tonight, what are you waiting for?
In a little town in Palestine, in a manger, light began breaking
the darkness. Love came down, and truth is now at
our fingertips. All we have to do is reach out and grasp it.
Christ is the light to the nations.
Today our world is in disorder, but not without hope.
The economy is bad, but it hasn’t collapsed.
Religion is confusing, that doesn’t mean you
have to lose your faith. Just hold on to your
fork, because it means something better is coming.
Saint Frances de Sales said,
You can learn to speak by speaking, to study
by studying, to run by running, to work by
working; and just so, you learn to love by loving.
All those who think to learn in any other way
deceive themselves.
And the angel said:
I bring you good news of a great joy to all people; for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)
God Bless You All!
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