I have never had many people that I considered friends.  As a very self centered man that really did not like people I found it hard to ever grow really close to anyone.  For the last seven years, as I have grown in Christ, I have also come to realize that I very much need people in my life.  I need friends and I especially need close friends.

We all need someone that will truly love and care for us as we really are.  I am blessed to have at least one such friend in my life.  John Snyder is that friend and today is his birthday.  Happy birthday John and I hope it is a great one.  I love you.

But I want some feedback about friends and friendship today.  I hope it goes better than last week.

What qualities do you believe make a close friend?

How important is friendship in your life?

What do you expect out of a friend?

Comment in any way you like concerning friendship.  I am anxious to read your thoughts.

Love you all

Tags: birthday, Christ, friend, Friendship, Love, town hall, Tuesday

A few days ago I was reading some opinions concerning success.  A question was asked about defining “secular” and “spiritual” success.  An early conclusion by one person was that there is no difference between “secular” and “spiritual” success.  I agree with this wholeheartedly.  What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul?

But the person went on to describe success as follows:

“There may be Christians who never do anything more than volunteer at their church and live their lives as witnesses of their faith, working diligently at their place of employment and raising their family in the fear and admonition of the Lord — they are immense successes.”

So here are my discussion questions for this week.

Do you believe this statement to be true?

Is what is being described here enough to end up being an immense success?

Is there anything you would add to this statement?

Love you all

Tags: Believe, Christians, Discussion, spiritual success, town hall, Tuesday, witness

My Dad’s name was Bill Cable.  He was not my biological father but he adopted me when I was only two years old and I never knew or met the man that was there when I was conceived.  He is a father also, to me and others later, I heard, so I hope he has a great day also if he still lives.  But he was not my Dad.  Bill Cable was.

I did not even know that I was adopted until sometime in my fourteenth year.  And Bill never gave me any reason to even think it.  I have a sister and two brothers that he was the biological father of but there was never any favoritism.  Well, actually there might have been at times, but it was favoritism towards me.  He loved me as much as or seemingly even more sometimes as any of us.

He was a small man.  Standing only 5′ 2″ tall and weighing about 125 pounds, I still remember him having me sit in his lap when I got out of the Army at six feet tall and 185 pounds.  It was ridiculous looking probably but I am smiling just thinking about it.  My eyes are a little watery also.

Bill Cable, my Dad, died in 1991 at the age of 55.  Much too young and way too early to go.  I miss him.  I don’t talk about it much but before Jesus introduced Himself to me there was no other person on this planet that I felt comfortable telling my deepest secrets, fears, dreams, and thoughts to than my Dad.  I never have been a very open person and have just started growing into it in the last few years even to the degree I am now.  But my Dad would listen, never judge, and tell me like he saw it.  It was not always comfortable but it was real.  How many people tell anyone anything real anymore?  Not enough.  At least not in my life or experience.

Even though I had the best example for a loving father, not a perfect man by any means, but a real, truly loving man which is what really matters, that anyone could have, I still blew it when it came my time.  I have six children.  Five of them are sons that are not mine biologically.  While I do believe I loved them a long time ago, I know I did not do it the right way.  Some of it was me, some was the enemy of all of our souls, but mostly it was my lack of belief that that enemy or God was real.  My Father, God, has and still is, changing me.  I thank Him for that most of all because I do not like who I used to be.

We all have a Father in heaven, whether we have one here or not.  And He is good and gracious and merciful and loving, but most of all He is real.  And He tells us like it is.  If we will only listen.

If you have a father here, let him know you love him and appreciate him today.  Even if he was or is not who you think he should be, he is your father.  And who among us is who our Father, God, wants us to be anyway.  And if you are a father, then be the best one you can be while you still have time.

Happy Fathers Day to all and Dad, I miss you and love you.

Love you all

Tags: army, Belief, Bill Cable, biological father, Father, God, Heaven, jesus, Love, Self

I was walking to my car and could hear the man’s tirade when I was still six or seven cars from where he and his wife, I assume, were at their own car loading their goods.  It was a Wal-Mart parking lot and I hate to say it but sometimes I feel like having a rant in that parking lot also, but I do not.  Or at least I don’t like this man did.

He was probably a little older than me, maybe mid fifties, and a pretty big man.  A couple of inches over six feet and his wife looked small beside him.  He was almost throwing their bags in the trunk and as I got closer I heard a couple of racial slurs and quite a few choice phrases and words that I hope none of you use.  Someone had definitely raised this man’s ire.

I passed them, heading to my car, and the lady smiled embarrassingly at me.  I never heard her say a word.  I was parked a couple of cars past them and was still loading my truck as he pushed his buggy in front of his car, leaving it touching the bumper of the car in front of his.  I shook my head as he got in his vehicle and slammed the door and backed out quickly, not even paying attention to anyone it seemed as he drove away.  Way too fast for a parking lot, I might add.

I noticed the little fish emblem on the back of the car as he drove away.

This whole episode made me think of the discussion I started on this site Tuesday.  It seems some people don’t think we are able to measure another person’s spiritual growth or that we should.  I beg to differ and really expected someone to show that the bible does give us some guidelines for this.  We should first apply them to ourselves but we can also use them to determine to some degree another person’s level of growth also.  I actually believe we are not really as loving as we say we are when we ignore these things.  Some think this would be judgmental though.

Joh 13:35  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

2Th 1:3  We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.

Gal 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;

These verses seem to give us plenty of guidance on how to measure to some degree a person’s spiritual growth.  Loving one another is a given.  Loving God and then strangers is also an indicator.  A growing faith and an ever increasing love is also part of it.  And we talk a lot about the fruit of the Spirit but isn’t one thing it is good for to show our level of growth.  If I know someone that is hateful, bitter, insecure, anxious, mean, hurtful, untrustworthy, harsh, and self indulgent, then I can pretty much say they have a lot of growing to do.  Whether I know them intimately or not.

The body of Christ needs more mature believers willing to become active in helping the less mature in their spiritual growth.  This whole concept of Jesus and me only is so foreign to the mission and the responsibility that has been placed on each one of us.  The Church, the people of God, are supposed to be relational, loving and guiding even the most immature believer to maturity.

I did not speak to the man in the parking lot and I don’t know whether I should have or not.  I don’t know that he was a Christian.  That little fish emblem proves nothing.  And even if he is then I do think it would seem a little judgmental for me, a stranger, to try to point out anything wrong in his attitude.  But if he is a Christian, then I have to believe that there is someone in his life that needs to measure his spirituality against the scripture and speak into his life.  For his sake and the Kingdom.  It would be the loving thing to do.

Our most sacred charge is to go and make disciples.  That is not just the leaders and teachers jobs either.  A disciple is someone that is becoming more and more like Jesus.  If we are to make them then we must measure and evaluate spiritual growth.  We have the tools and guidance right there in the Word of God to help us do this for ourselves and for others spiritual growth.

When are we going to take this sacred charge seriously and realize we have the tools we need and start using them?

Love you all

Tags: Bible, Body of Christ, Church, disciples, Faith, Fruit of the Spirit, Judgment, Kingdom, mission, racial slurs, Responsibility, wal mart, word of god