Week of October 20, 2008

As I was flipping through on of my old Peanuts cartoon books, I came across a cartoon strip where Lucy tells Charlie Brown that she's decided to begin a new hobby. Charlie Brown commends her decision, saying how important it is to accomplish something meaningful with your life. In response Lucy says, "Accomplish something? I thought all we were supposed to do was keep busy!"

There are many of us who are keeping very busy, but we are not accomplishing very much. We are often like that giant spider on roller skates in one of the Harry Potter movies (moving like crazy but getting nowhere fast until it just collapses on the floor). We are here, then we are there, ultimately we are all over the place, but we are not getting anywhere specific. We pursue many pleasures, but find little that brings us lasting happiness.

The greatest pleasure we can have is touching a life with God's great love. How are you going to accomplish that if your just staying too busy?

And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. (Luke 6:19)

Devotion for the Second Week of October 2008

Many years ago, a big oil well in Texas caught on fire, and the C.E.O. of the oil company could not find any crew with the courage to put it out. Advertisements were put out offering lots of money to the crew who could put out the fire. Finally, the advertisements reached the attention of a tiny volunteer fire department in Alabama. The crew in this fire department thought that they could put out the fire, so they loaded up the fire truck and went to Texas. When they got to the oil field, they did not stop at the gates. Like true heroes, they drove straight into the thick of the fire. They had that ferocious fire out in one hour.

That evening, the C.E.O. of the oil company had a huge party to honor the firemen. When he presented the fire chief with a gigantic check, he asked them what they were going to do with the money. Without hesitation, the fire chief replied, "Well, the first thing we are going to do is fix the brakes on that fire truck!"

That brings me to the passage I want to share this week. "If any want to become my followers," said Jesus, "Let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." "Here is your opportunity to be heroic," Jesus was saying to them. "Here is your call to go where few have gone before. Deny yourself, take up a cross and follow me."

"If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Mark 8:34