Wants or Wills?

Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) ¹¹  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

When I was a boy my parents always had a Sears catalog in the house. On many a cold winter day I would prop my feet up on the warm radiator in our kitchen, lift the heavy catalog into my lap, and longingly peruse the toy pages. This was long before Sears became an endangered species. Sears was probably the top, or one of the top retailers in the country at that time. That catalog was always at least two inches thick, and though it contained pages and pages of stuff I wasn’t interested in, there were lots devoted to kids’ stuff. And it was the toys and sports equipment that I came back to again and again. I remember my dad passing by me one day and casually asking a question, “Looking at the want book?” He probably never gave it another thought, but (obviously) that question stayed with me. I never thought of it being called that before.

The “want book”. That’s something that is pretty much obsolete today. Now it would be the “want sites” – websites with all the things money can buy and people might want. But it doesn’t matter what format it takes, the principle is the same: we want things. I want things. We are drawn to desire things. I think it’s pretty normal, and I don’t believe it is necessarily “wrong” to want something. The problem is whether or not that wanted thing is in any way in conflict with God’s purpose or plan for me (and for my money). For example, in my life right now I have a want for a particular house (with a specific street address) in South Carolina. I do not believe that it is wrong to want a house. I have never owned one because a parsonage of some sort has always been supplied to me in the churches where I have served. Over the years I have been saving and I hope to be able to buy a home someday. But it is not as simple as just wanting this house. For one thing, it is not for sale. For another thing, if it did go on the market, it might end up being with a price beyond what I could pay or should pay (or try to pay). It’s a modest home by MDI standards. But that’s not the point. While wanting something is not necessarily wrong, we all know it can become wrong if it is not tempered by, or surrendered to, the will of God. For example, if something bad had to happen to the current occupants of the house (who are unknown to me), I would NOT want the house. Or if purchasing the house was a step of bad judgment (risky or foolish in some way), I would not want the want to overtake the wisdom that would serve me better.

So what do I do? What do you or I do anytime we have a want of any kind? I pray. I surrender my want – whatever it may be - to God’s will. And as I walk with Christ I seek to do this with every single want that comes before my eyes or pops into my head. And the world surrounds me with a barrage of wants every day. Many of these are simply not attractive to me. But I am attracted to others. Of those, some are unrealistic, so I can fairly easily pass them by. But if I’m faced with something reachable, then I know that it has the power to take over my imagination and occupy my thought life for long stretches of time. How much easier and better it is just to pray, “Lord, I surrender this want to your will. May your will be done. And let me be happy in your will.” That is a prayer that God always responds to, because it puts Him first and trusts Him. Yet I don’t necessarily pray it easily. And I may need to convince myself that my heart is really with the Lord’s will before I will convince God. But I think He rejoices – and I know He is glorified – when my wants are surrendered to Him.

So I am learning to surrender my “wants” to His “wills” – to “unwant” what I want and to want His will. Because that is where the joy is: ultimate, deep, satisfying, restful joy. May I – and you – learn this more and more, until it becomes the natural bent of our hearts. Thank You, Lord.

1 Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV) ⁶  But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸  But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹  People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Proverbs 15:16-17 (NIV) ¹⁶  Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. ¹⁷  Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.

Exodus 20:17 (NIV)  "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Matthew 6:31-34 (NIV) ³¹  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  

PRAYER:  Father, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. May it be so in my life, and in the lives of my children and grandchildren and all whom they love. And may you get much glory from me in and through what you provide, and what you withhold. And may nothing I have or don’t have rob me of joy in you, my Savior, Redeemer, and friend. AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

A Duffer's Hope

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) ⁸  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- ⁹  not by works, so that no one can boast.

Once there was a very rich man who owned vast amounts of land that offered the choicest settings of beauty and wonder. In one of these he decided to build a golf course. Not just any golf course. This would be the greatest golf course in the world – unrivaled in its beauty and design. It was fit for kings. When he had completed all the work, he decided that having a golf course didn’t have much meaning if there weren’t people to play on it. But this was not a course designed for hackers and duffers. It was so beautiful, however, that people everywhere at every skill level wanted to play on this course. So he created a membership plan. Anyone could become a member of his golf club – as long as they met certain conditions. These conditions meant that while membership was open to all, ultimately only those who “qualified” could join. His basic condition was this: the perfect golf course should only be available to the perfect golfer. And… his idea of perfection was not just being able to shoot some standard known as “par”. The perfect score was not 72. It was 18. Membership in his club was available to anyone who could score a hole-in-one on all 18 holes of his course. The people who could do that would be welcomed in to lifetime memberships with no charges for anything. All the golf, the balls, the best clubs,… all the food (the best food anyone had ever eaten)… everything was free to anyone who could meet this condition. Each person was allowed one round of golf on his course. They were allowed to keep playing as long as they were making holes-in-one.

Though it sounds foolish, many people actually tried. Very hard they tried. They practiced and practiced before their time came to face the rich man and his course. When they practiced they usually compared their scores with each other. And compared to each other, some of them did really well. Once in a while someone would shoot in the low 60’s and others would oooh and aahhh. Others would shoot in the 80’s and 90’s (and beyond) and people would laugh. Some were just awful. Many didn’t care, and some didn’t even bother playing, saying they were not interested in golf and golf courses. On the rich man’s course, most people were done after only one stroke. Occasionally someone might make it to the second hole, and in extremely rare cases to the third. But everyone fell short. Once in a while someone offered the rich man money if he would let them join. But, being the richest man in the world, he did not need any amount of money. He actually thought that such offers cheapened the glory of his course. It ended up that no one could become a member of his glorious golf club.

The rich man was disappointed in people. And he didn’t really want to be alone. So he came up with a plan. He could not let just anyone join because he could not and would not lower his standards. But if one person could ever get a perfect score, he could trade it with anyone and they could “get in”. But who could get a perfect score? Years and years went by, and no one could do it. Then one day, the man’s son came to take on the course. If he didn’t meet the man’s conditions, he wouldn’t be able to be with his father anymore. So it was a very serious decision. How would he be able to accomplish what no one else had ever been able to do? Where all others had fallen short, how could he expect to be perfect? Yet he was. One hole after another – no matter the distance or the hazards – he scored holes-in-one. His score added up, and in the end his card showed “18” after 18 holes. Unbelievable! Even more unbelievable, however, was that he began to offer to trade his score card with anyone else. They could take his score card with his signature as their own, present it to the rich man, and enter into membership. It did not matter how bad or good (in their own eyes) their own score card was. He would trade his for theirs.

Some people thought it was too good to be true, so they ignored the son’s offer. Others thought it was a trick or that the son hadn’t really gotten a perfect score. There were those who thought the rich man didn’t really mean what he said about allowing them in with a scorecard signed by his son. And then there were many who insisted on believing that somehow, some way, they had to score an 18 for themselves. But as hard as they worked at it, they never came close. Yet they tried to tell themselves that when they met the rich man they could present their best score and he would let them in. They learned the hard way that he would not. Only a scorecard signed by his son would be accepted. Because only perfection was accepted. And those who came to his son and got his scorecard… and gave up their own… and depended only on his perfect score… were accepted by the rich man and allowed into membership and all of its benefits. They were very happy.

Romans 3:23 (NIV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 5:8 (NIV)  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)  All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)  For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,

PRAYER:  Thank you, Father, for the great exchange: Christ’s righteousness for my unrighteousness… His perfection for my sin… His death for my life… His humanity for my eternity… His grace for my useless works. AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Dear Lord...

1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NIV) ¹  I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- ²  for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

Dear Lord,

Today is an eventful day in the history of our country. Your Word says that Your eyes are everywhere, beholding both the evil and the good. Nothing has happened in this election campaign apart from Your knowledge. There is no candidate anywhere, at any level, who is unknown to You. There is no ballot initiative that is a secret from You. You know every voter… how s/he thinks and feels. Your knowledge is wonderful, yet it is also awe-ful, for we are accountable to You.

I ask for wisdom as I vote today. Help me to see and think clearly. I seek Your glory and I welcome Your will in my life and in my state and in my nation. Your Word says that You know the end from the beginning. Ours is a divided nation in so many ways. It is not unusual that we have differences, but our differences have reached the point of hostility, resentment, entrenchment, closed-mindedness, incivility, judgmentalism, condescension, hatred, intolerance, impatience, utter selfishness, blatant dishonesty, moral corruption, indifference to feelings, murderous thought, abandonment of You…

We have much to repent of. I repent of my own attitudes – those that are self-glorifying, self-serving, and not honoring to You. I repent of my harshness and cynicism. I care for my country and I do not want to lose hope for it. But ultimately my hope is in You alone. My government cannot save me. But I pray for my leaders and all those in authority. I pray that they will seek You, and that they will govern according to Your will and purposes in the world. I ask You to show mercy on them, for if they/we were to receive what they deserve, we would lose everything. Let them give up self and be truly disposed to serving, to listening, to compassion and grace, to peace, to kindness and gentleness, to forbearance, to goodness, and most of all, to humility. No matter who wins. No matter what office.

Let those who are not elected be gracious and humble. Let me respond to the election with confidence in You and the knowledge that Your sovereignty covers election days. Give me grace to set my eyes on things above, and not on earthly things. Earthly things are not ultimate. Only You are. Therefore I know I can trust You regardless of any of today’s outcomes. Therefore I will not fear. I will not be anxious or nervous or worried. The peace You have given me keeps my heart from being troubled.

As I vote today, O Lord, be glorified. Amen.

Proverbs 15:3 (NIV)  The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

Isaiah 46:10 (NIV)  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV) ⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ⁸  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

PRAYER:  Lord, may the words of my mouth and in my tweets and on my Facebook page and any other means through which I communicate, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

Unceasing Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) ¹⁶  Be joyful always; ¹⁷  pray continually; ¹⁸  give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

About a year ago CNN (link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/28/man-cashes-pennies-hes-been-saving-45-years/74727160/  ) reported a story about Mr. Otha Anders, of Ruston, Louisiana. Mr. Anders spent 45 years bending down and collecting something most of us ignore—pennies. In October of 2015, the 73-year-old Anders, a supervisor for in-school suspended children, took them to his local bank—in 15 five-gallon jugs—and deposited a grand total of $5,136.14 worth of pennies into his account. The bank's coin machines took five hours to count the over 500,000 pennies.

But what's truly moving about this story isn't Anders' thriftiness; it's his thankfulness. Each new penny on the ground served as a prompt to give thanks to God. As Anders told reporters: “I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny was an additional God-given incentive reminding me to always be thankful. There have been days where I failed to pray and more often than not, a lost or dropped penny would show up to remind me.”

Just think about that. Over a half a million prayers of thanksgiving to God in a lifetime. What a great idea to use a simple, small reminder to pray! I know what it’s like to go through a day so busily that I forget to pray or neglect time with the Lord. Making it a discipline helps. But having something in your life that you encounter frequently serve as a reminder to pray is such a creative and useful way think about the Lord and remember to pray. Yesterday, while on a walk, I started to pass over a penny on the street. I thought about Mr. Anders’ story and decided to make it a moment for giving thanks. A penny doesn’t make me much richer financially, but the reminder to give thanks to the Lord was of great value.

What is something you encounter regularly – even daily – that could serve you as a reminder to pray?

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (TLB) ¹  Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God’s mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them. ²  Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the Lord. ³  This is good and pleases God our Savior, ⁴  for he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth:

2 Timothy 1:3 (NIV)  I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.

1 Thessalonians 3:9-10 (NIV) ⁹  How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? ¹⁰  Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith.

Isaiah 62:6-7 (NIV) ⁶  I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, ⁷  and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

PRAYER:  Lord, it is a good thing to give thanks to you. Thank you for prayer. Thank you that you are a listening God, who lets us pray and who responds to our prayers. Let your Holy Spirit aid me and lead me to prayer that is earnest and true and unceasing. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

A Simple Wire

1 Corinthians 3:5,7 (NIV)  What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task… So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.

I’ve had to do a lot of transferring of information lately using my computer and phone. This takes three pieces of equipment: The computer, which is the real brains of the operation… the cord that connects to the computer and to my phone… and my phone. My phone is able to receive and process the information that comes from the computer via the cord.

As I think about that very simple picture, I thought about how God graciously uses believers – including me – to be the “conduit” of the Gospel. The least important part of the above arrangement is the cord. And that is true also when God uses me to communicate His love in Christ to people. All the information is with Him, including all that Jesus is and all that He has done in the Incarnation – His first coming to be one of us. God was in flesh in Christ. He was the perfect expression of the love of God – sent to die for sinners so that they might know God, enjoy fellowship with Him, and receive His gift of eternal life. The Gospel is glorious news and is the perfect thing to “connect” with (“send” to) lost sinners. In my simplistic illustration the sinner is like the disconnected phone. It needs a connection to the computer. I know as technology advances there are wireless ways that information can get to phones, so the illustration isn’t perfect. But what is important is that the information needs to get to the phone. It is not built into it. In the older way of using a cord, power comes to the phone, as well as information that can radically change the phone.

The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation that the sinner needs. The Gospel is the message the sinner needs to hear. The Gospel is what transforms lives. The cord is not the power. The cord is not the message. The cord does not transform lives. It is simply a transmitter of information. Believers in Christ are like that cord. We have no power within ourselves. The message of the Gospel does not originate with us. We did not think it up. And we do not have the power to transform lives. All these things are from God through Christ. And God has chosen to use us in His plan and His work to transmit the Gospel and to change lives. What an act of grace on His part. Why should He need or want to use me? But He does, and it is a blessed privilege. The Church exists for the sake of the Gospel. Without the Gospel there is no reason for the Church to exist. It is the most important thing we “transmit”, and is of eternal value.

May the Lord use us freely and fully, and may we rejoice to be used in something that is ultimately not about us. It’s all about Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:9-11 (NIV) ⁹  For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. ¹¹  Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

Galatians 2:20 (KJV)  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Romans 15:17-18 (NIV) ¹⁷  Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God. ¹⁸  I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—

2 Timothy 4:17 (NIV)  But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth.

PRAYER:  Lord, let me be a conduit totally at your disposal. May your Spirit use me to speak and to demonstrate the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ, your Son. Thank you for the person(s) you used to transmit the Good News to me. You have changed, and you are changing my life and I rejoice to be your child – and to know that by your grace I am the object of your love. Praise you! In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

A Change of Habit

1 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV) ⁷  Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸  For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

A habit is a repeated practice that becomes ingrained in one’s lifestyle. It is a way of doing something that is consistent, regular, and often unchanging. I have owned an iPhone 5 for several years. And for several years I have accessed it by swiping the screen. But the latest version of iOS changed the way of accessing the features of the phone to clicking the start button again instead of swiping. I am still weeks into the change and have not yet gotten the swing of it yet. It’s a little bit like having to write the correct date (year) on my checks in early January. After “swiping” for years it’s taking a while to get used to pushing a button. A simple and trite example, yet a good description of how habits work in our lives. We get very comfortable with our habitual way of doing things and discover that change is not always easy, and often not even wanted.

Habits, as we all know, can be negative or positive. We may regret them – even hate them - or we may experience blessing and better things in life because of them. The habit of taking a shower every day helps my relationships to prosper. Flossing and brushing my teeth helps me to enjoy eating and speaking… and smiling. Drinking or eating the wrong things habitually may add inches to my waistline or harm my organs. Some habits have a way of trapping us – even enslaving us - into actions that can be dangerously harmful to us physically or emotionally. Some are not dangerous – just annoying (usually to others). We brush off some of our habits with “I can’t help it!” or “What’s the big deal? It’s not hurting anybody.” New Year’s resolutions are all about habits: usually stopping bad ones and/or starting new ones. Sometimes we succeed. Sometimes we struggle. And sometimes we fail to change in ways we would like.

When you think about it, you realize that there was a time in your life when you did NOT have every habit you have now. Every habit starts with a first “encounter” or experience. If it brought pleasure, or some good result (such as health, peer approval/social acceptance, confidence, feeling good, or an improved self-image), it was likely repeated. And when it was repeated enough (some people suggest 21 days of doing something will establish it) it became a natural, ingrained part of our life. This can be an encouraging thought, because there are things NOT in our lives now that we wish were. And just like our current habits didn’t exist at one point, so these things are rare or non-existent now. But that can change. If it changed before for things we do now, it can change again for things we want to do. Habits start in the heart and are willed into our being.

The spiritual disciplines (such as prayer, the reading of the Word, memorizing Scripture, fasting, service, silence, solitude, submission, abstinence,…) are a kind of habit, designed to strengthen the soul in service to Christ. These practices promote spiritual growth in any person who believes in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are habits of devotion that have been practiced by Christians since biblical times. Dallas Willard, in The Spirit of the Disciplines wrote…

“Discipline works by indirection. A discipline is something we can do that enables us to do what we haven’t yet been able to do by our own direct effort. Trying is not enough. (“Don’t try — train!” is a way to paraphrase 1 Tim. 4:7.) Our training is connecting us with a power much greater than our own — the Spirit of God that raised Jesus Christ from the dead!

So if you can’t break the power of an addiction to alcohol or pornography one step to get free (in addition to obvious measures like 12 Step Recovery and psychotherapy) might be to fast from food. With practice you can experience the reality that fasting is feasting: even though you’re not eating you’re sustained in the joy and peace of God by meditating on Scripture and praying. If you can get past headaches and grumpiness when fasting and learn to be sweet and strong without getting the food you need then you can apply this to resisting your compulsive behavior.

The other way discipline works is because we’re developing new and healthy habits. You can’t be good at golf without developing a number of specific habits in your body — there are seemingly a hundred aspects to a good golf swing! We can’t even drive our cars safely without habits. Without thinking about it we notice conditions on the road and break when needed.

The spiritual life works the same way. We need bodily habits that engage our mind and heart with God. We want to get into a position in our daily lives where we find ourselves meditating on Scripture, praying, or blessing the one who curses us without even having intended to do so. Using an intelligently designed course of disciplines over time will do that.”

            Why try? Well, that’s the wrong question. The question is, “Why train?” Habits change, or are added, through training, which feels hard at the time. But the goal is always worth it. Just ask any athlete, musician, artist, carpenter, or anyone who develops a skill. What they do looks so natural and easy… until you try it yourself. Then you appreciate all the hard work of training that has led them to the joy of practicing or performing that skill which they make look so effortless. But just ask them if they got to that point or place without effort. Many desirable ends come through the means of discipline and habit.

            May the Lord help us to know the joy of change and of seeing habits that honor Him become the joys of our lives and one of the ways He forms us into the likeness of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) ¹  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ²  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

PRAYER:  Lord, when I face the next “I can’t” in my life, I will wait upon you and trust in you. You will help me and will seek you. Thank you.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott

A Re-Molded Heart and Mind

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV) ¹  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. ²  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

            On October 29, 2014, CNN reported… http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/29/us/pumpkinstein-scary-pumpkins/... - There are heads growing on Tony Dighera's farm, and they're not made of lettuce. They're called "pumpkinsteins," and they look a lot like the Frankenstein creature that actor Boris Karloff made famous more than 80 years ago.

            "Nobody's ever seen anything like it, ever," said Dighera of his creepy creations.

            "It's so new, and it's so unique that demand has been off the charts," Dighera said.

Dighera, who opened his Cinagro Farms eight years ago, says he was inspired after seeing cube-shaped watermelons grown in Japan. He was successful in creating not only edible, box-shaped watermelons at his Fillmore, California, organic farm, but heart-shaped melons as well. He then made the leap to try to create a unique-looking pumpkin -- a four-year process that is only proving fruitful this year. The pumpkinstein was the result of four years of trial and error.

            "A lot of people thought I was nuts. When I first started doing this I think every farmer in the world looked at me like I was a complete lunatic."

Dighera carefully builds a strong mold that encases the pumpkin yet permits air to reach the growing gourd inside. The pumpkin variety has to be just right. They can't be too big or they'll burst from the molds. Too small and the pumpkins won't fill the molds. Dighera still recalls the first time they squeezed that pumpkin into the mold and it worked. Out came a re-formed (or should we say "de-formed") pumpkin that looked like Frankenstein's head.

Dighera doesn't know whether he has a thriving pumpkinstein until he removes the nuts and bolts from the mold and successfully removes the pumpkin. But don't expect pumpkinsteins to boot jack-o'-lanterns off the porch completely. They're not cheap. It costs 100 bucks to squeeze those pumpkins into a mold and reshape them into a monster.

In Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul tells the followers of Jesus to “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world”. J.B. Phillips’ paraphrase (The New Testament in Modern English) of this phrase is vivid: “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold”. The world around us relentlessly puts pressure on us. It doesn’t make distinctions between the pagan and the Christian – the unbeliever and the believer. It just seeks to shape our thinking, our choices, our words, and our actions, whoever we are. It wants to run the show. And the closer a man is to Christ, the more sharply he feels the clamps of worldly thinking and ways as they try to latch on to him. The world cries steadily, “Take my shape. Fit yourself to me. Do what I do. Be like me. That will bring you happiness and contentment.” But nothing could be further from the truth.

            There is only one thing that can protect the follower of Jesus from such pressure from without to conform: a greater pressure within that refuses to be shaped. Where can a Christian find this? The next thing Paul says is, “but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.” Or, as the NIV puts it, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” The mind is renewed, or re-molded, by the Word of God. It has power to not only withstand the pressure from the world, but to overcome it. The Holy Spirit – God Himself with us – takes the Word of God and applies it to our lives, shielding and protecting us from the world’s onslaught to make us conform. God’s Word has power to conform us to Jesus Himself. Through the Word and by His grace Jesus is shaping us into a new creation that reflects His love and grace. Christlikeness is a great gift and joy of our salvation and new life in Christ. How has Christ been shaping you lately, and in what ways has He been using His Word in the process?

Psalm 119:9-11 (NIV) ⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. ¹⁰  I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. ¹¹  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)  For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

PRAYER:  Lord, let me find in your Word all my sufficiency for life that honors and pleases you, and overcomes the world.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!    

Scott