Did you see that train?

Everybody notices a train as it passes by the area. There engineer leads with the engine, and sometimes there are two engines for a big load.

In the past, the steam engine had a coal car right behind it. The coal was the source of power for the engine. They were a team. The passenger cars always followed patiently traveling to reach the destination. Sometimes they noticed the hills, and bumps, and stops along the way.

Have you seen a time when there was an engine in the middle, or even at the back of the train? Those engines were just for power, because they could not see where they were going, and were following blindly.

The passengers were happy to reach the destination. Some did notice the sights along the way, while others had no idea of the events as they traveled. You could say they had blind faith in the engineer.

Recently, in a war movie, the pilot had to make an emergency landing at a different airport because of low fuel. The clouds were so thick that he could not see anything. The tower gave him directions. They tracked him by altitude, direction, and speed. The lives of the pilot and crew were in the hands of tower and the pilot working together to land safely. The pilot had blind faith in man in the tower giving directions.

Have you used a GPS navigational device? Traveling in a big city, and not knowing your way around, the GPS tracks the way for you. Sometimes it looks like you are going the wrong way but have to trust the technology, and follow blindly. The destination is a happy sight.

Life can be like these events also. A youngster follows mom and dads directions blindly. They have to trust them. There are other times in life like this also.

A manufacturing plant has to do this also. They are given the designs of a product. Each person along the way, must do their part without knowing how it all fits together. They follow blindly.

The Christian life is patterned after this also. The Christian should follow the plan that God has for them. The world would call that blind faith. You should trust God, even when you do not know what will happen, because He is the engineer, tower, GPS, and parent for your life. He will always direct you the right way. You can look forward to reaching your goal.

What is Fear?

There is fear for a coming storm, like tornadoes, hurricanes, and other disasters. Everybody fears the unknown. They want to know what is going to happen. They prepare, and then wait to see what will happen.

A child has fear, when a mom in the store, threatens them saying that nurse over there will give you a shot if do not behave. This is a negative fear. It is real to the child, instead of teaching them respect.

In the military, fear is called respect for authority. They teach respect for the officers. It is not scary fear. It is a more positive kind of fear.

People all over the world believe in a form of a god. Sadly they fear a god that will punish them if they cross him. That is not respect, it is the wrong kind of fear.

The God of the Bible is different. He is a God that knows you, and loves you. Yes, He hates sin. So He made a special way for you to deal with your sin.

Easter was a celebration of the death, burial, and rising again of Jesus. Christians know it as a victory.

The Bible says that you can know.

You can know Jesus. You can know that you are going to heaven to be with Jesus. You can know that He has forgiven your sin.

Knowing does away with the fear, and the fear of the unknown. Then you can respect God, and do not have to fear Him.

Have you been Brainstorming? What is Brainstorming?

When a group of people get together to solve a problem, or decide how to proceed, it is called brainstorming.

Maybe you have seen the television spot with the young people at St.Jude's hospital. There is group of kids discussing what to do to get more support for the research. The one boy asks for ideas. All the others give some thoughts on what would be good to try. The ideas are not good or bad. They are the team thinking out loud.

Many have input that is valuable. But the leader has to make the final decision.

Spring training for Major league baseball is normally taking place now. The manager has a brainstorming time with his coaches. They all present their thoughts. Maybe the pitching coach tells about the developments among the pitchers. The batting coach talks about how the hitting is going. The other coaches talk about their areas. But the final decision on which player stay is up to the manager.

Companies have meetings like this. It may be for new products, new advertising, or expansion. Again the final say is up to the boss.

In each case, a leader or boss has to make the tough and final decision.

The last few weeks have made some churches make some changes. It took brainstorming on the part of the leaders to figure out what to do. Several people had input into the decision process., but it still came down to one person making the final decision.

What about you? It takes brainstorming around the house because of the quarantine. Many people are saying that they are bored.

Some dads are having to finish some projects that have been on hold. Maybe you have some chores that you did not want to do.

Brainstorming for you is mom suggesting some games, or projects, or reading. If you have brothers or sisters, it is called voting on what you want to do.

Some people can take advantage of the quiet time. You do lots of thinking about what you would like to do, or about your choices in life, or what part does Jesus play in your life. What you decide to do, or how you act is your decision. Listen to ideas, study the facts, and consider your options. Then you decide.

What is Triage?

What is triage? When there is an earthquake, or hurricane, or some other disaster, there are many victims. The doctors or EMTs have to triage or prioritize the patients.

Some need urgent attention, while others with scrapes and scratches can wait.

On the job, there may be several projects going on at the same time. The boss has to decide, then arrange and prioritize the schedule. Some need immediate attention for the plant to function. Others may be improvements to the systems that can wait.

In life priorities have to be set also. Babies and young children take priority around the home. They sometimes limit the pursuit of other personal pleasures and activities of the family.

Priorities are also a factor in college. Studies of the basics come first, then other areas of majors will follow. They also come before the extracurricular activities like sports, clubs, and personal entertainment.

The Christian life requires priority setting also. A basic knowledge of the Bible is needed. After that the individual is able to study some of the personal favorite subjects.

Deciding priorities is a part of life. Whether government, business, entertainment, or any other area of life, requires choices. Individual choices may not always agree with corporate or group decisions. This causes trouble, and can start large problems. Each person must then decide if the issue is worth fighting for, or let the issue go for the time and trouble.

Who decides? You decide your priorities. Others will always want to push you to their beliefs, and try to get you to see it their way. You decide if you will go with the flow to make them happy, or hold to your values. Sometimes you will stand alone. You must make that choice for yourself.

What do you fear?

Last time the subject was laughter. We chuckle at simple silly things. People snicker at some comments. And laughter comes from a good story. But Joy comes from the Lord. Joy from God will last in all circumstances.

Fear can also be described in several different ways. The student fears the principal. It should be respect.

Big storms and disasters cause people to have great fear. Some people get terrified when they hear about a storm coming. Others just expect it, and seem to ignore the whole thing.

What kind of things do you fear? The fears seem to be bigger if the person has been through something like that before, with bad results.

Surprises also cause people to get upset. They are not prepared, and that causes fears to get bigger. If you can plan for something it is better handled.

Another factor is, who do you trust? Rumors in a school, or around a plant cause quite a stir. The story gets magnified over and over. People get scared.

At times, the weatherman on television predicts a storm. Do people believe him? Many do, and in some cases they prepare and are ready for the storm.

Our country is facing a big challenge now. Some predict the end of the world. Others say prepare, and expect rough times, and it will pass. The question for each person is, who do you

trust? Who do you depend on now? And how will you handle the results?

There is a fear, that should be respect. To listen and prepare as best you can is important. What will be the result for you.

The world expects death. It causes great fear. The Christian expects God to be in charge of it all. They do not need to fear, because He is still in control. The Bible says, fear God,

and keep His commandments. Remember He is always with you, and He does love you. What do you choose?