2012.02.06 Monday Morning Message

　
Greetings and best wishes from all of us at Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, Vinita, Oklahoma.  

It may be a sign of old age, but I know that life's arithmetic means that for every new year we celebrate, we can subtract a year from our life.


That sounds pessimistic, but what I mean to say is don't wait too long to do what you want to do.


In too many simple things we wait too long to do them.

• Don't wait too long to show kindness.
• Don't wait too long to speak or write a word of encouragement.
• Don't wait too long to express your love and thanks to elderly relatives.
• Don't wait too long to love and enjoy your children and grandchildren.
• Don't wait too long to read the books and listen to the music that enlarges your mind.
• And of course, don't wait too long to practice a daily quiet time when you strengthen your inner spirits.

Life goes by quickly.   Don't wait too long to do the things you want to do!


With blessings and in friendship,
Richard

"The PAST is where you

learned the lesson

The FUTURE is where you

apply the lesson.

Don't give up the Middle!"

Final Monday Morning for 2011...

Pilgrim Presbyterians in Vinita, Oklahoma send greetings and best wishes as you make your  journey to the New Year 2012.

I am cleaning out my overstuffed files and found this piece, One Solitary Life, by an unknown author.  It is appropriate for after Christmas, and at the threshold of a New Year.  I hope you like it.  Of course, it comes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

ONE SOLITARY LIFE

 

Here is a man who was born of Jewish parents in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.  He grew up in another obscure village.  He worked in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty, and then for three  years he was an itinerant preacher.

 

He never wrote a book, he never held an office, he never owned a home.  He never had a family.  He never went to college.  He never put his foot inside a big city.  He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was born.  He never did one of these things that usually accompany greatness.  He had no credentials but himself.

 

He had nothing to do with this world, except the naked power of his manhood.  While still a young man the tide of popular opinion turned against him.  His friends ran away.  One of them denied him.  He was turned over to his enemies.  He went through a mock trial.

 

He was nailed to a cross, between two thieves.  His executioner gambled for the only piece of property he had on earth, while he was dying - and that was his coat.  When he was dead he was taken down and laid in  a borrowed grave, through the pity of a friend.

 

Nineteen wide ceturies have come and gone, and today he is the centerpiece of the human race, and the leader of the column of progress.  I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that were ever built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon earth as powerfully as has that solitary life.

 

Thanks be to God for self-revelation in Jesus Christ.

 

With blessing and all good wishes for the New Year.

 

Richard

********************************

 

This is the last Monday Morning message I have received from Richard as he is still ill.

 

There will be no Morning Worship Service at Pilgrim Presbyterian this Sunday, January 1.

Services will resume the next Sunday, January 8 at 10:00 a.m.

I would ask that everyone keep Richard in their thoughts and prayers this Holiday Season.  

Peace and Love to him and us all!

Brian

2011.12.05 Monday Morning

Pilgrim Presbyterians in Vinita, Oklahoma send greetings and best wishes as you make your Advent journey to the Cradle of the Christ child.

 

Announcing the birth of Jesus, an angel said "I bring you good tidings of great joy"  (Luke 2:10).  Today, the good tidings are communicated by you, and people like you, who are aglow in faith, strong in hope, love and kindness.

 

Often the good tidings are communicated by people who see themselves as co-workers with God in our secular world.  Do you remember Pogo, or Peanuts, or Mr. Rogers?  They were full of good tidings.

 

I remember once when Charlie Brown and Lucy were leaning against a tree, and Lucy asked, "What do you think security is, Chuck?"

 

He replied, "Security is sleeping in the back seat of the car when you're a little kid and you've been somewhere with your Mom and Dad, and it's night.  You're riding and you can sleep without worrying about anything.  Your Mom and Dad are in the front seat, and they've done all the worrying.  They take care of everything."

 

Lucy smiled and said, "That's really neat!"  But a serious look came over Charlie's face and he said:  "But it doesn't always last.  Suddenly you've grown up, and it can never be that way again.  Suddenly it's over and you'll never go to sleep in the back seat.  Never!"

 

Lucy got a scared look and said, "Never?"  And Charlie who got scared himself with a terrible truth said "Never!"

 

In the last picture Lucy, aware of the real world, reaches over to Charlie and said, "Hold my hand, Chuck.  Hold my hand."

 

The good tidings - the gospel of Jesus Christ - tells us that we can hold one another's hand in the midst of discomfort - with love and support, for Christ has come to dwell in us and we are his co-workers in life's adventure.

 

With blessings and in friendship,

 

Richard

2011.11.21 Monday Morning

Greetings from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

In the U. S. Thursday, November 24, is a day of National Thanksgiving.  FOR WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL?

 

In my long ministry, I can reduce reasons people have for thankfulness under three general headings.

        1st - Thanksgiving by comparison.

        2nd - Thanksgiving for specific reasons.

        3rd - Thanksgiving as an attitude.

 

At some time or other we exhibit all three.

 

My attention was drawn to the first, thanksgiving by comparison, while visiting a parishioner in the hospital.  She said, "I certainly am sick, but I'm thankful that I'm not as bad off as the man down the hall who moaned all night."  It's hardly ethical to be thankful by comparison- though often we slip into that mode without thought.

 

Second, it is good and reasonable to give thanks for specific reasons.  We should give thanks for our blessings, one by one.  But, be careful.  If we are thankful for only specific reasons we may one day lose one or more of those blessings and become angry and bitter.

 

The third type of thanksgiving is one of attitude for all life.  Can we learn to pray "I am thankful for who I am"?  That is the absolute character of thanksgiving.  An attitude of appreciation for our unique life and for all creation.

 

Shakespeare captured the truth of a genuine attitude of thanksgiving in Henry VI:

 

                    "O Lord that lends me life,

                     Lend me a heart full with thanksgiving."

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Richard

       

P. S.  You may want to read Psalm 100 at your Thanksgiving Day table.

2011.10.24 Monday Morning

Best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma!

Golden memories are the gratitude of the heart. How grateful I am for the five years (1986-1991) Helen and I lived in her old family home in Wales, that small, beautiful land of song.

I remember one morning sitting along the expansive estuary at Bangor, in North Wales. I saw boats - large boats, small boats, pleasure boats, fishing boats. And, all of them were anchored in mud. Every boat tilted, some to the right, others to the left. It was most definitely not a picture post card. The tide was out. The estuary was a mess, grim and unattractive. But, when the tide came in - and it always does - the mud lost its grip on the boats. They stood straight again. Awake, ready to go to sea! Those boats were free to come and go once more.

Bangor Photo...  Probably not the view referred to by Richard, however...

Our lives are often like the tides; some are tempestuous, while others come and go with the smoothness of silk. I like the words of the poet, Dylan Thomas (1914-1954) as the tides of life envelope me.

"Every morning when I wake,

Dear Lord, a little prayer I make.

O please to keep Thy loving eye

On all poor creatures born to die.

And every evening at sundown

I ask a blessing on the town.

For whether we last the night or no

I'm sure is always touch-and-go.

We are not wholly bad or good

Who live our lives under Milk Wood.

And Thou, I know, will be the first

To see our best side, not our worst."

With blessings and in friendship,
Richard

2011.10.03 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

We have a choice. We can choose to build up one another, or we can choose to tear down one another. Let me share two encounters to illustrate what I mean.

I stopped at a gas station in Vian, a small town in Oklahoma, near Dwight Mission, our Presbyterian Camp and Conference Center. A gas attendant came out in the rain to pump gas. He smiled, and said hello, and seemed to be genuinely happy to serve his customers. After filling my tank, he did an extraordinary thing: he shook my hand, said "Thank you" and wished me well. He made my day.

Later, in Tulsa, I bought gas at a self-service station. The attendant was in a glassed-in-booth. Her eyes never met mine. Sullen lines marked her face. I felt like an intruder as she cracked her gum, took my money, all the while looking down. She seemed completely disinterested in her job. That young woman made me sad.

Every time we meet another person, each of us is given an opportunity to create or destroy by the way we dignify or deny that person.

Jesus was on target when he taught us to do to others as we want others to do to us.

With blessings and all good wishes,

Richard

www.pilgrimpresbyterian.blogspot.com/

2011.8.29 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

In one of Charles Schultz's cartoon strips, "Peanuts", Charlie Brown comes downstairs and into the kitchen in his pajamas.  Sleepily rubbing his eyes, he says to his mother, "I think maybe I've discovered my trouble in getting out of bed - I think I am allergic to morning."

 

This is the way a lot of us face a new day.  We are allergic to dawn!  Morning means one thing to a single mother who gets a child ready for nursery school before driving off to a stressful job.  To another person, morning means struggling into bed after working the graveyard shift in a food processing plant.  For some, morning means the toothache that throbbed at 1:00 a.m., is nothing more than a slight annoyance at 8:00 a.m.

 

In stories and myths,  dawn is viewed as significant in that light has its own way of overcoming darkness and fear.  Dawn re-awakens life!  However you experience the morning, the Bible tells us that we can experience "the mercies of God which are new every morning."

 

How do you experience the morning?  Be intentional about the wonder of life.  Be intentional about the way you speak and act.  God through your new day as a tourist, seeing everything as for the first time, and you will discover that mercies surround you- mercies are within you.  These mercies will offer you new opportunities.  You will be more joyful and cheerful!

 

Yes, 'top of the morning'  to you with  all good wishes,

 

Richard

2011.8.1 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

Ancient Jewish teachers often strung together power packed thoughts and ideas without commentary.  Good examples of this teaching pattern are found in the Beatitudes,  Matthew 5:1-11, and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, as well as throughout the
book of Proverbs.

This method had a certain appeal to me, and several years ago I began collecting short statements for motivation or inspiration, or both.  I call them 'Pearls of Value', and I've been stringing each 'Pearl' on a  make-believe necklace which hangs in my study, and to which I add 'Pearls' discovered in my reading.

Here are a few of my 'Pearls'.  Perhaps you'll begin collecting your own 'Pearls' and sharing them with me.  Together we ought to have a wonderful collection of motivation and inspiration!

        "Time can be either an ally or an antagonist.  It depends on
          how we look upon time and how we use it."

        "Not one who has much is rich, but one who gives much..."

        "It often takes a serious threat to our blessings to make us
         aware of them.  And, sadly, sometimes we do not value
         them until they are gone before retrieving."

Understanding/interpretation of each 'Pearl' depends on the reader/listener.

Cheers and all the best,
Richard

2011.6.27 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

In 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen from a Paris museum, and went missing for two years. In its place hung a frame covering a blank space. It was reported that more people went to stare at the blank space in two years than had gone to look at the masterpiece in the previous twelve years.

It is human tendency to fail to notice and appreciate precious things while we have them, but let one be taken away and we become painfully aware of the blank space in our lives.

Helen Keller affirmed this truth when writing "I have often thought that it would be a blessing if each human being were striken blind and deaf for a few days some time in adult life. Darkness would make that life more appreciative of sight, silence would teach the joys of sound."

Too often it takes a threat to our blessings to make us aware of them.

You are alive and wonderful! Develop a keen awareness of joy in life.

"Count your blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

Treasure your blessings while you may.

And be assured, each of you is among my blessings which I cherish.

Richard

2011.1.31 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

How are you doing with your New Year resolutions? You do remember them, don't you? I'm working on one that requires cleaning out my bulging files. I was surprised to find that my first MONDAY MORNING message was sent 9/10/07. In it I assured anyone with a prayer request, or with sugestions relating to these weekly messages, a personal reply. The offer still holds. Let me hear from you.

With the help of Brian Dishman, a son of Pilgrim Church now living in Japan with his wife and daughter, our sharing the good news of Christ is going world wide. Thanks - many thanks - Brian.

One of my early messages, dated 10/29/07, quoted the late William Barclay, one time professor of New Testament at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Writing about happiness, he said three things are needed:

Something to hope for ...

Something to do ...

Someone to love ...

How great the blessing these three things are. They can be yours.


Richard 

2010.12.13 Monday Morning!

Best wishes for a MERRY CHRISTMAS from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma.

 

Christmas is a time for lights.  Beautiful lights are shining in every city and village.  Lights are an important part of Christmas, symbols of the Christmas story:

    The true light that enlightens every person has come

     into the world in the birth of Jesus.  In him was life,

     and the life was light for all people.  His light shines

     in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

                                            (Will you read John 1:1-18, please?)

 

The mood of despair, however, is familiar in our dark patches.  Immense problems face our nation and the world;  war, an economic recession, unemployment, hunger, home foreclosures, terrorism.

 

And, there are personal difficulties:  problems within families and among friends, jobs that no longer give satisfaction, loss of health, unexpected death of a loved one.

 

I understand how people may feel abandoned by God.  Sometimes I ask myself "Is there really a God who cares?"

 

Then the light of Christmas comes with the assurance that in smooth and rough places "God is with us".  None of us is alone.  Confident of that helps disperse times of darkness.  I haven't  answers to the many questions that bother me, but of this I am sure; God is with me and helps me carry on with courage and strength.

 

My thoughts and prayers are with friends for whom 2010 has been a shattering year.

 

Richard.

2010.10.18 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma. 

After 128 years of mission and outreach, "Pilgrims from Vinita" continue to share Christ's good news with people 'round the corner and 'round the world.

Do you read your Bible every day? If you do, and I hope you do, you'll know that it is not always a peaceful book filled with serenity, green pastures and love. It also reflects human pain, injustice, conflict and disappointment.

One reason for such human misery is envy. No one is completely free from envy. A good antidote to envy is to ask how happy is the person who possesses the object of your envy.

Draw up a list of your blessings, blessings which you often overlook, and then imagine one of them being threatened. I suspect you'll then realize how rich you truly are!

Focus on what is yours, and then live...live to the hilt.


With blessings and all good wishes,
Richard

2010.09.13 Monday Morning!

Top of the morning from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church in Vinita, Oklahoma. It will be a good day if you put a smile on your face. Smiles rejuvenate tired spirits and lost happiness.

A happy life is God's will for you! William Barclay, a beloved New Testament professor at Trinity College, Glasgow, Scotland, wrote "For a happy life three things are necessary: Something to hope for. Something to do. Someone to love."

He then went on to write a timely message for today:

"Something to hope for: The beginning of the end of life is when we live in memory rather than in hope; when our memories are an escape from prison rather than a stimulus for further living.

"Something to do: Anyone who can look to days of unemployment or a time of enforced inactivity, when the hours seem slow and empty, knows that work is not a curse but a blessing.

"Someone to love: When love enters life there comes a new thrill, a new awareness of possibilities undreamed of. When love is born, life and the world are renewed."

Give thanks for the influence of those who have blessed your life, and then live usefully, with hope and love.


Richard

2009.11.30 Monday Morning!

Greetings and best wishes from Pilgrim Presbyterian Church, located in the heart of Vinita, Oklahoma.

Have you ever taken time to draw up a list of all those things which you have and could lose?  This is an exercise that will provide you with endless reasons to be thankful!

Rather than think about things you yearn to acquire, give some thoughts for your assets.  How seldom most of us express thanks for our vision, our limbs, our sanity, our ability to speak, our ability to eat.

It often takes a serious threat to the blessing we have to make us aware of them, let alone to be thankful for them.

Value those blessings