Why Do We Say Thank You?

 

Everyone likes a thank you. It pleases us. It makes us feel appreciated. We consider it polite. You hold open a door, “Thank You”. Give a little child a piece of candy, “Thank You”. We are usually taught from an early age to say these words. We often look at it as a requirement or necessity. So is there a chance we can over use it – that it becomes “expected” instead of freely given? I have seen people get really bent out of shape because they did something (usually trivial at that) and the person ”forgot” to say thank you. Never mind the fact that the other person may be stressed, deep in thought, or otherwise distracted. Their silent “lack of gratitude” is often met with a very loud and somewhat haughty, “You’re Welcome!” Seems a bit self-serving and nitpicky to me, but hey, I’m just a country boy at heart. So is a thank you required all the time?

A thank you is really meant for extra, unexpected, or undeserved favors. We thank others for helping us or doing something nice. We thank God because He freely gives us everything we don’t deserve. We should serve Him not to gain favor, but to say thank you. Nothing we can ever do will come anywhere near to repaying what He has done for us.

Does obedience deserve a thank you? No, not really. But it can be encouraging non the less. I don’t really expect a thank you for simply doing my expected duties. In fact I find it embarrassing that we have gotten to the point where people are surprised when you actually do what you are told and complete the expected task. If it’s expected, why would I need a thank you? After all, I am getting paid to do the job. Nevertheless, I will always graciously accept any thank you I get, I just think it’s kind of silly.

The Bible talks about this in the light of us being servants. We can never repay what Christ has done for us. He doesn’t say, “Thank You, He says, I Love You.” We are the ones that should be saying thank you. And we can, by being good servants. (The “well done good and faithful servant” comes later.)

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’ . Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Luke 17:7-10

What do You Fear?

 Fear is an interesting concept. It can keep us alive; It can paralyze us. Healthy fear starts with a correct fear of God. Proverbs 9: :10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”. When we fear God, it leads to understanding and obedience, which leads to preservation of life, both physical and spiritual. A healthy fear of electricity can lead to understanding, which can lead to being able to harness its power safely. I fear gravity, so I am careful when walking high trails or working on roofs and ladders.

Understanding fear can be very freeing. I often summarize a situation and enumerate all the possible outcomes I can imagine, both good and bad. Think: What’s the worst that can happen? If I can accept any outcome, It allows me to go forward and work through the problem rationally. Sometimes the answer is to not do something, but now it’s out of caution and wise thinking, not based on fear.

Fear can also be crippling. It can make people freeze, causing them to not act at all. This leaves then at the mercy of whatever is happening. It robs us of experiences and adventures. It can cause us to not do the right thing. We can be bound by the fear of what people think, fear of failure, and even the fear of death.

One of the things Jesus did when He died for us was free us from the fear of death.

  ^“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15 NIV

With no reason the fear the shadow of death, we are free to follow Him and serve Him wherever we are needed. There are some things I choose not to do (like skydiving or alligator wrestling) but I still don’t want to let fear master me. So what are you afraid of? Let’s get out there and live freely!

What’s In It For Me?

At the end of Field of Dreams, Ray finally has to ask, “What’s in it for me?”. Yes, it was his whiny, selfish moment, but it needed to be asked. It finally let him find out what his whole journey was about. 
I recently had a similar moment. I had to choose between a possible financially beneficial job change, or stay where I was and step out in faith. God was more than clear that I needed to stay. But that still didn’t stop me from asking, “What’s in it for me?”. 

So what did I find out?

1. I get to continue to rely upon God for my provision instead of being self-sufficient. (God has been providing for us all these years. Seems a shame to stop now.)

2. I get to be a foundation stone as we rebuild. (It’s actually nice to be needed.) 

3. I get to lay up treasure in heaven instead of building a corruptible kingdom on Earth. 

4. I get to be a help to others. 

5. I get to see lived changed on a daily basis. 

6.I get to do what I love. 

Yesterday the cheerleaders were practicing. As I walked by reviewing my “1000 things to do today” list in my head, two of the young ladies yelled, Hi Mr. Cross! Later, two of the football players walked by and said “Hey, Mr. Cross”. They noticed me and were happy enough to see me and send a greeting! 
Ya, that’s what’s in it for me. 😊

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why Do I Blog?

When we first moved to Arizona in 2012, I attended a teacher clinic with the school in which I was teaching. There, we were challenged by one of the speakers to start a blog. I decided to blog about what God had done in the past, and what he was currently doing now in our lives. It seemed easy at first. I had a lot of things to write about. Being a Christian school teacher for most of my adult life lent itself to allowing (can I say needing?) God to work some crazy things. After a couple years I slowed down and didn’t blog consistently. It wasn’t until 2024 that I finally decided that I would blog every week. So why blog anyway? I did it for several reasons.

• I wanted a record of what God had done so I would not forget.

• I wanted a record for my children because for many of the events they were either not born yet, or too small to remember.

• I wanted to encourage others. If God could do these things for an average guy like me, He could do it for them too.

• I had a goal of writing a book using these stories. It may end up as a devotional instead of a book.

• It gave me something to write on the end-of-the-year teacher check out interview. (Hey, ya gotta put something.)

So how does one get started?

To begin, you need to choose a platform for your writing. I chose Blogger.com because it was tied to my Google account and was easy to use. I wanted a place that probably would not change or close down. It allows me to add pictures and links in my writing. It is also very easy to link it into other media like Facebook.

After that, you just start writing. It can be simple short paragraphs, long essays, or somewhere in between.  It’s all up to you.

It will be easier in the long run if you commit to a plan of how often you are going to blog. This is huge, so settle on a plan that will work for you. After all, it is your blog.

I would recommend that you keep a backup copy of your writings, just in case. I write my weekly entries in Word so that I can edit them quickly and also save them in a folder. I actually keep a copy on a thumb drive also. Three backups is a safe way to go. You could also keep a printed copy of everything, but I’m kind of out of the binder phase now.

I hope this helps! Now go get blogging! It’s never too late to share what God is doing in your life! Also, if you do start, be sure to send me the link!

We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A Friend Named John

 

This week we are morning the loss of a friend. The strange thing about it is that I didn’t even know his last name. In fact neither did anyone else. He was just “John”. (We did find out later.) We met him at the food/care ministry my wife and I volunteer at. At first meeting, I could only describe him as the closest thing to a bridge troll I’ve ever met. He was kind of shaggy, grumpy and wore a constant frown. But he was there every day we were open. Shortly after Covid relaxed, we started to see a change. We give gift cards for memorizing the verse of the month. He said every verse. He started helping the kids that came learn it. He often gave the cards to someone else who needed it more. He started volunteering on the days we pass out food. One time he ask me to pray that he could get a car - and God provided. His smile was infectious. The change was amazing. One of my favorite memories was when he gave a short sermon. 

He pulled out a package of rolling papers. (Hey, I would have used a register receipt, but he knew the crowd.) He asked, What is this? Someone from the back answered, “Rolling papers”. He nodded his head. Then he said, This one has a red line on it. What does that mean?” Someone else said, “It means you are almost out”. He looked intently at the crowd and said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a red line? Well, we don’t. So close the gap with God now.” <<Mike Drop>> 

He just continued to grow. One Wednesday as he sat at the table with my wife as they were preparing food bags he smiled and said, Who’d a thought a guy like me would be sitting with a girl like you doing this?” About 2 weeks ago, he brought my wife a brass plaque he had found in a box of miscellaneous thinks he purchased. It said FOUND. That’s what happened. God found him, and he was forever grateful. 

Someday John Perrie, someday, we’ll get to sit together at the Banquet Table again. And won’t it awkward or unusual, just friends reunited. RIP my friend!

Maid 0r Helpmeet?

 The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.

Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

 

For some odd reason, a song from eons ago while dinosaurs still roamed the earth happened to pass through my head. “Put another log on the fire. Cook me up some bacon and some beans. Go out to the car and lift it up and change the tire…And as usual, it got me musing…

People that I work with have always marveled at my “sack lunches”. Honestly, they are usually just leftovers, but oh, they are good! I’ve never really asked her to make my lunch; she just always has done it. We celebrated 42 years of marriage this June. A relationship this long doesn’t come by accident. It’s work, but it’s worth it. When we got married she said, “I will do the cooking, laundry, and take care of the house work, if you will bring home a paycheck and take care of the house and car maintenance.” In other words, we shared the work. I find we do a better job on our things because we’re grateful for what each other does. I let her decorate and arrange the house as she chooses. She lets me garden and grow flowers for butterflies. We decide about major purchases together. I’m very fortunate that she is even thriftier than I am. We seldom disagree. Two years ago she hired someone to do the landscaping because she thought I shouldn’t have to do that anymore. (I do hate mowing!)

I am truly blessed. In fact I even had one teacher friend tell me. “If you ever start complaining about your wife I’m gonna slap you and tell you to suck it up buttercup”. He is right you know.

 

So, If you want a maid, hire one. If you want a helpmeet, treat her like the jewel that she is. I get to be king of the castle not because I should be a king, but because I treat her like the queen that she is. Don’t be like the guy in the song.

 

“So put another log on the fire babe, and come and tell me why you’re leaving me.”

Put Another Log on the Fire

Shel Silverstein Lyrics © T.R.O. INC. 1976

Retirement is Overrated

This year I had a parent say “sorry to hear that you’re retiring”. Now, that was news to me. I have no plans to retire anytime soon. Most Christian school teachers don’t have the same retirement that public school teachers get anyway. And I’m not sure I want to retire. I think I would rather just repurpose. How many times have you seen someone retire, and then die soon after? I think it has something to do with just stopping. If you have nothing to keep you going, what’s to keep you from just giving up?

I plan to repurpose, redirect and reinvent. I want to keep serving the homeless and down and outers. I want to pour into my grandchildren so they see God work in their lives like he has in ours. There’s still to much to do. Recently my wife and I were tempted to consider winding down our years in the Pismo Beach area. Nice, but with nothing to do, I think we would go crazy. There’s still so much to do!

I found an interesting post on Facebook called The Last Paper Towel on the Roll. (It’s credited to the Erickson Funeral Home wherever that is.)

                 The Last Paper Towel on the Roll

The  last paper towel on the roll. The one nobody wants. Some say it serves  no purpose with all that glue on it. It was the foundation for all the  other paper towels on that roll and now it has no purpose. Now think of a  family member. A grandparent perhaps. For some they’re like the last  paper towel on the roll. We think they have no purpose yet they have  been the glue that’s held the family together for many years. They were  the foundation for who we are. Hold on to those grandparents and make  sure they know their importance. Without the last paper towel of  glue....... we’d all be napkins 🤔

I have decided that I don’t want to just be the last paper towel, I want to be the paper towel tube and get reused for other adventures!