The Day After Christmas

With all the excitement of Christmas, gift exchange, visiting family, and the good food, there’s always the day after.  Did we spend too much, did so-n-so like what I gave him or was he faking it?  Or I ate too much and now I need to lose weight.   It may sound kinda dumb, but after every Christmas day there is always the day after.

I think, I did pretty good this year, I got my wife something she really wanted.  I could see the excitement on her face as she opened the box.  But I have, in the past goofed big time.  But once again, as I sit here, in the early morning hour, the Still Small Voice reminds me that I am missing the true meaning of Christmas.

To me, my real bless came from a young lady in Clarksville, Tn.  Terrie and I, had headed, out early Christmas Eve for some last-minute shopping.  After a long day, the stores were getting ready to close, I propped myself against a fruit stand to take a load off my feet and this young lady came up to me in Wally world and said,  Merry Christmas and God bless you.  A total stranger touched me with the love of Jesus Christ, at the end of a crazy day of shopping.  To me, that’s what Christmas is all about.

And remember there is always going to be a day after Christmas.  Joseph and Mary had to run and hide after Christmas day.  They were trying to kill Jesus.  Posted by Steve Waltrip

Testimony

Many years ago my dad and I had a conversation, about a persons testimony.  He had just attended a service where a man stood up and testified that he had been delivered from drugs and was serving the Lord.  And while I do agree that is a powerful testimony, I told him I thought a more powerful testimony was one where a man stands up and said, he was saved as a child and has been serving the Lord ever sense.

A few weeks ago Second Baptist Church participated in an event called ‘ Walk across Muhlenberg County for the Persecuted Church’.  One group of people that really touched my heart was a Sunday School Class of young girls.  Their teacher had impressed upon them the importance of being involved in missions.  They got together one Saturday and earned money for walking.  They took time out for one day to earn money for the Persecuted Church.  Mike and Cathy V. have a burden of training young Christians.  Thank you Mike and Cathy.  Girls thank you for your participation. Posted by Steve Waltrip

Reflections

I’ve enjoyed,very much, writing for this blog.  My pastor has turned me loose with the space.  I’ve been very cautious in the subjects I have chosen to write about.  At times I have attempted to challenge, without being  controversial.  The topics I have posted are purely God given.   I talk to the Lord regularly, I guess I have an inquisitive mind, I ask a lot of WHY questions, many times I receive an answer and sometimes I get a ‘wait a while’, answer.

Above all, I have tried to share what the Lord is doing in my life.  I am excited about my walk with the Lord, and I am honored to be able to share, with who ever reads it.  I have made many mistakes, some of them have been really stupid.  My loveing wife has been a trooper in proof reading it, she tells me about misspellings and sentences that don’t make any sense.

The beautiful pictures I have used, have come from a web page called Webshot.com.  Sometimes they have inspired to write.  I look forward to writting more pages.  Maybe, by chance, someone will like them and can be inspired by them.   Posted by Steve Waltrip

Blessings

Have you received blessing a today?  I try to look for blessings were ever I go. Last weekend Terrie and I were a part of  ‘One Day with God’. A prison ministry that matches inmates with their children once a year. If they meet during the year they are not allowed to touch. For one day they hug, kiss, laugh, cut up, play games and just have fun. Most of the day they have a mentor that stays with them, a spiritual advisor if you will. My blessing came at the first of the proceedings. All of us (volunteers) and about 25 kids were bussed through the front gate, through security, and were sitting in the gym of Green River Correctional Complex. The dads were lining up outside waiting to come in. One of the leaders told the kids, when your dad’s name is called, run and hug him. The first dad came in and his name was announced and his child ran and gave him a big hug. This went on twenty more times. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place including my own.

Most blessings come at a cost. Big or small usually someone has to do something in order to receive a blessing. For example; if you receive a blessing during a Sunday morning service, you had to get up, get ready, get the kids ready, drive to the church, etc. It did not come with out a cost. If someone else blesses you with a gift, they had to consider what you might like and pay for it. It came with a cost. I was blessed last Saturday at the prison, it cost me. I had to go to bed early, get up early, and spend a Saturday in prison. But what ever the cost I was going to be there because I knew God had a blessing for me.

Invest time for the kingdom, and you will be blessed, and allow others to be blessed through you. I want to share a valuable lesson my dad taught me one time. He gave me some money one day, a large amount, under one hundred dollars. I didn’t do anything to deserve it and I told him I couldn’t except it. His response was, “are you going to rob me of a blessing?” I kept the money, with a blessing! Posted by Steve Waltrip

 

 

Marriage

 

Eph. 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as also Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. This is a sacrificial act, just as Christ sacrificed Himself for the church. Men this means when you want to watch John Wayne and she wants to watch a chic flick, you watch the chic flick. Marriage isn’t a convenience it’s a sacrifice. Sacrifice is defined as giving up of one thing for another, putting her needs before your own.

Marriage is a sacred and mysterious, the two shall become one flesh. It is mysterious to me because God puts so much importance on this union. It is a covenant between two people. I personally think it is one of the most important things going on in Gods Kingdom. That is why Satan is devoting so much time to destroying it. One of the biggest distractions in a marriage is selfishness. When we are on our own, we are our own boss. Go were we want, when we want, with whom we want. A willing heart in marriage can change all of that, the two become one.  You see the world has convinced us that we want, what we want, when we want it. Our brains are bombarded constantly that we need the fastest car, the pettiest wife, the best cloths, the most expansive cologne. While I do have a pretty wife, all the other stuff, is just that stuff.

When you signed on to marriage did you ever consider what you were getting into? Most of us did not. It can at times be a daily struggle. Every morning when I get up before my feet hit the floor I thank the Lord that He has given me a caring wife that is genuinely concerned about me and loves me as I am. I also pray, that He shows through me, His love for her. I’m no saint, I just know a gift from God when its given to me.

” Love is patient; love is kind.  Love does not envy; is not boastfull; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does npt keep a record of wrongs.” Posted by Steve Waltrip