Category Archives: Heart

Parent

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Today’s KneEmail comes from the National Review Online. Please pay special attention to the last three paragraphs. — mb

AS SOON AS the jury proclaimed Casey Anthony “not guilty,” her parents, George and Cindy Anthony, stood up, blank-faced, and walked out of the courtroom.
It was one of the few times since the trial began that the Anthonys did something I could relate to.
Just a few days earlier, Cindy Anthony attempted to convince jurors that she was the person who Google-searched “chloroform” on her home computer. When the searches were determined to have occurred during the time she was clocked in at work and logged into the company computer, she maintained her unlikely story, an obvious attempt to exonerate her daughter.
If Casey’s parents loved her enough to lie for her, there’s also no doubt that they adored their beautiful granddaughter, Caylee. Like so many other grandparents these days, they were the realparents to that little girl, providing the love and stability that their immature, partying, and selfish adult daughter wouldn’t. Casey Anthony didn’t have a job and she and Caylee lived with them — until Caylee disappeared and Casey moved in with her new boyfriend and his roommates. The Anthonys decorated their granddaughter’s room and filled their home and backyard with toys for her, including a playhouse that George Anthony built a floor onto so Caylee wouldn’t have to sit on the ground.
Like the Anthonys, my parents adore their grandkids. Like Mr. Anthony, my daddy lovingly tiled the bottom of the outdoor playhouse at their house for their grandkids. The difference between my parents and the Anthonys is that I can guarantee that if I had anything to do with the disappearance of one of my kids, or if I was lying or withholding information about my child’s whereabouts to the cops, as Casey clearly did and was found guilty of today, my parents would not be trying to help me get away with it. I am absolutely certain that they would be fully cooperating with law enforcement on behalf of their innocent grandchild.
The Casey Anthony verdict didn’t deliver justice for little Caylee. But it did give America some insight into the kind of family dysfunction and parental enabling that produces a mother like Casey: one who could move in with her boyfriend, enter a bikini contest, and get a “Bella Vita” tattoo during the time her little girl’s body was decomposing in a swamp near the family home.
Perhaps the most poignant moment in the trial was when the prosecutor described the way a different mother grieved the loss of her child in an accidental drowning. Sometime after the child was buried, a big storm came. That mother ran out to her child’s gravestone to be with her because, she said, her little girl had never been alone in a storm before. That’s how someone deserving of the title “mother” grieves. Sadly, Casey will never get enough time in prison to reflect on such things. Rachel Campos-Duffy at http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/271149/injustice-rachel-campos-duffy#.ThWzgLQAT8s.facebook
KneEmail: “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventers of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” Romans 1:28-32
Bible reading for 07.07.11: Acts 15.1-21; Job 34-35
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Chip

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tvRAY CHARLES observed, “Nowadays they say you need a special chip to put in the TV so kids can’t watch this and that…
In my day, we didn’t need a chip. My mom was the chip. End of story.”
THOUGHT: I believe you will agree that moms need to get back to guiding the house in this way. Wade L. Webster, “A Special Chip,” Riches From My Reading, The Searcher, April 17, 2011
KneEmail: “Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.” 1 Timothy 5.14
Bible reading for 06.15.11: Acts 2.1-21; Nehemiah 1-3
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Degrees

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apolloNORMALLY, WITH NO phone or e-mail interruptions, I look forward to redeeming the time on a plane by writing, reading, or doing correspondence…
But after the battery on my computer ran out, and sitting next to someone for what seemed like forever, I finally struck up a conversation with my next-door neighbor. He was an engineer from the Houston area.
“Petroleum engineer?” I asked.
“No, I work for NASA,” he admitted.
And of course, for the next hour I’m sure that’s something he wished he hadn’t confessed. Like most people my age who grew up watching the build-up of manned space flight to Neil Armstrong leaving his footprints on the moon, I was an astronaut “wannabe” as a kid.
Here at last was my chance to talk to a genuine missle scientist and ask all my questions about space flight! He was patient and shared some incredible behind-the-scenes stories, including his role in the last Apollo space flight. But at one point I hit a nerve when I brought up what I thought was a simple “margin of error” question.
“What are the tolerances you build into the tragectory when you blast off and head to the moon?” I asked him. “For example, after you blast off, could you be just a little off, say like a couple of degrees off on your flight path, without it being such a huge problem?”
Out came his briefcase and his hybrid handheld calculator that would make a Texas Instruments T3000 blush and feel like a slide rule. In wnet the “very approximate” distance of 217,614 miles from earth to the moon (depending on the time of year and apoge of the moon’s orbit around the earth, of course). Fingers flew furiously for a few moments as some Einsteinian calculation continued.
“Be just two degrees off from when you blast off, and roughly talking into account the time and distance traveled,” he said as he turned his calculator toward me, “and you’ll miss not only your point of orbital entry, but you’ll miss the moon by a measly 11,121 miles.”
I wrote down that number on a torn off page of a USA Today that served as an impromptu notepad. “11,121.” I finally left my new NASA friend in peace, but I’ve never forgotten his conclusion or what it can tell us about the most important relationships and areas of our lives.
Add in enough time and distance, and be just two degrees off and you’ll miss your target by miles. I think that thought impacted me so much because it seemed to answer why and how the church of Ephesus had lost her first love. Just be two degrees off from a right heart attitude, add in enough time and distance, and an entire church can end up miles from God’s heart. John Trent, “How a 2 Degree Change Can Ruin or Renew Your Life,” HeartShift, 16-17
KneEmail: “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place–unless you repent.” Revelation 2.4-5
Bible reading for 06.13.11: John 21; Ezra 6-8
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Critics

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critics.jpgIT’S A FACT that “hurt people hurt people…”
They usually dislike themselves and criticize others in a misguided effort to validate themselves. If one of these injured souls lobs a criticism grenade in your direction, defuse it with understanding. Part of considering the source is seeking awareness of what that person may be going through.
One time I was praying during worship, a few moments before preaching. Eyes closed, focusing on God, I felt someone slip a note into my hand. I never saw who it was, bu tthe note was marked “Personal.” I thought to myself, “Someone probably wrote a nice note to encourage me before I preach.” A warm, loving feeling settled over me as I undfolded the paper.
A moment later, I lost that loving feeling.
Evidently, the note was from a woman who had tried to see me on Friday, my day off. She took offense at my absence and blasted me with hateful accusations. This happened literally seconds before I was to stand up to preach. In that moment, I had a choice. I could internalize the offense and become demoralized and discouraged. Or I could ask myself, I wonder what she’s experiencing that caused her to lash out?
I chose compassion over depression. My heart hurt for her. I knew that such a disproportionate reaction must indicate deep pain, so I didn’t take her note personally.
Consider the source. And consider the possibility that the jab may have come from an injured heart. Dismiss it and move on. If you don’t, you may become the very thing you despise. Craig Groeschel, Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose and Getting Real with God, 106
KneEmail: “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.” Proverbs 19.11
Bible reading for 05.10.11: John 1.29-51; 2 Kings 10-12
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Home

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alabama.jpgTHE STORMS THAT hit Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia have left devastation and ruin all across these states…
The pictures are almost surreal.
It is hard to imagine entire neighborhoods, business districts, and countryside wiped out in just a matter of seconds from the force of the tornadoes that hit.
While we were fortunate that God spared us, we need to keep many other folks in our prayers.
Of all the pictures I saw of the damage, one stood out more than the others… a couple standing in front of some damaged houses. All around them is destruction and their faces betray their dismay at the magnitude of the damage. Yet, they are holding on to each other. Everything they were familiar with, everything they had known, everything that had been normal the day before, is now gone…but they have each other.
It is one thing to lose a house and all its furnishings. It is quite another thing to lose your home. A home can exist even when the house is gone. You see, a home is made up of two or more people who share love, life, and laughter. And that home is made stronger when God is at the center of everything that takes place in the lives of those who are part of it. When God is at the center, our homes are storm proof. That doesn’t mean bad things will never happen. It simply means that when tragedy does strike, you will find the two of them huddled together, holding each other, and giving and receiving support. That’s how homes weather a storm.
Many of the houses in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia are gone. They may be rebuilt, but the greatest asset for those who have lost so much is their home. Home…where love dwells, where joy and grief is shared, and where the storms of life are not a threat…but a shelter of protection. Gary Knuckles, “Storm Proof,” Briensburg church of Christ Bulletin, 05.01.11: www.briensburgchurchofchrist.org
KneEmail: “Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Ecclesiastes 4.12
Bible reading for 05.06.11: Luke 23.26-56; 1 Kings 21, 22
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Checkup

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heart_bill_scan_blog_june09.jpgTHE MEDICAL PROFESSION stresses the importance of regular physical checkups…
Anyone with a family history of heart disease is encouraged to get his cholesterol tested. We don’t assume that because we look find outwardly, we have nothing to worry about. If our heart is not functioning properly or there is blockage in our arteries, we want to know about the problem so we can do whatever is necessary to deal with the situation. We know that neglecting our physical heart condition could be fatal.
Should we be any less concerned about our spiritual heart condition? The fact is, when it comes to spiritual matters, we all have a family history of “heart disease.” Nancy Leigh Demoss, “The Heart of the Matter,” Brokenness – The Heart God Revives, 35
KneEmail: “O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?” Jeremiah 4.14
Bible reading for 04.01.11: Luke 6.27-49; Judges 13-15
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Diet

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images (3).jpgI WAS RECENTLY talking with a friend about a documentary he just watched with his children…
Someone decided to test the quality of food in one of America’s most famous fast-food restaurants. The thirty-day plan was to eat nothing but fast food morning, noon, and evening. Tests were done prior to the experiment and would be done after the experiment to evaluate levels of fat, triglycerides, weight gain, and overall health.
Unfortunately the experiment did not last thirty days. After twenty or so days of steady diet of only fast food, the man’s body began to shut down. The high-sugar, high-fat, fried, and processed food began to build up toxins to such a degree that he had to be hospitalized. Ironically the food tasted great; tragically it almost killed him.
Sometimes what tastes great isn’t very good for us. And what reseachers tell us is that we acquire a taste for certain foods (like sugars and sweets) that can actually become addicting. It may look good, smell good, and taste good, but that doesn’t mean it is good. All those foods promise pleasure, enjoyment, and fun (and an occasional burger never hurt anyone), but a steady diet of foods high in calories, high in fat, and low in nutrition will literally kill you. As someone has wisely said, “We are what we eat!”
THOUGHT: What most Christians don’t realize is that the same thing is true spiritually. If we fill our minds with the world’s value system, we will die. We will experience death or separation in our relationship with God, ourselves, and others. Fast food, it tastes good, looks good, and promises a wonderful time only to deliver death. In order for us to enjoy and get the very best from God, it requires a change in diet. Chip Ingram, “Could Your Mental Diet Be Killing You?,” Living on the Edge, 71-72
KneEmail: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12.2
Bible reading for 02.25.2011: Mark 5.21-43; Numbers 12-14
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Being

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Man-lending-a-helping-hand.jpgAS CONGREGATIONS, WE have tried about everything…
…meetings, lectures, Vacation Bible Schools, “Operation Doorbell,” city-wide campaigns, television and radio programs, bus ministries, building buildings, and hiring preachers with sex-appeal. Some have even followed cultic schemes of “discipling” and instituted unscriptural tactics of evangelism. Many have thought that growth comes naturally, or that, through the employment of slick media methods or “get if for you wholesale” tactics, the noble purpose of the Lord could be realized. Now the time has come, having tried every modern method known to man and having imitated the “numbers-mad” denominations, to read the Lord’s instructions! “When all else fails,” they said, “read the instructions!”
Here comes our Lord giving us the very specific and powerful means to penetrate the world: 13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5.13-16).
Jesus considered the way to penetrate the world was with light and salt. These two avenues, He says, are a demonstration of the most powerful and overwhelming arguments for Truth: a good life, a life full of good works. Good Christians, living a good life and doing good works before men, penetrate the world! Along with this, someone has said that there are five powerful things in the world. The fifth most powerful thing is an idea. The fourth most powerful thing is an idea that is true. The third most powerful thing is the truth of God’s Word. The second most powerful thing is the truth of God believed. But the most powerful thing in the world is the truth of the Living God believed and put into practice!
For too long, we have been salting ourselves. We have been lighting the church. The Lord says salt and light are no good unless they get out into society, into the world, where lost men and women live and die. Salt penetrates the food, preserves the food. Light penetrates the darkness. Leaven penetrates the bread to make it rise and good to eat.
This is our Lord’s way of telling us that every member of the body of Christ is to be involved in soul-winning, penetrating the world. We can all live good lives. We can all do good works before men so that they can glorify and know our Father in heaven. He calls us all, not only to be busy doing something, but to be busy being something. Mac Layton, “Jesus’ Supreme Goal: Great Outreach,” How to Build a Great Church, 113-114
KneEmail: Matthew 5.13-16
Bible reading for 02.15.11: Matthew 27.27-66; Leviticus 17-19
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Envy

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envy.jpg
V. P. BLACK MADE the following observation…
“When David went against the Philistines and defeated them he returned home. The women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing and saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, but David has slain his ten thousands.’ When Saul heard the first part of the song, his heart was lifted up with pride, for they were singing, ‘Saul has slain his thousands.’ But there was a second stanza. The first stanza was no doubt the sweetest music that Saul had ever heard. He got ready for the second stanza, and the second stanza went like this, ‘But David has slain his ten thousands.’ From that day forward Saul began to envy David.”
What a great team Saul and David could have been. However, envy got into the way.
THOUGHT: Let’s be sure that we don’t let the second stanza ruin our song. Wade L. Webster, “The Second Stanza,” Riches From My Reading — The Searcher, Sept. 19, 2010
KneEmail: “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?” Proverbs 27:4
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Purity

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boat.jpg
A COUPLE FROM Bakersfield, California had just purchased a new boat, but were experiencing some serious problems…
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get their 22-foot boat going. It was very sluggish no matter which way they turned, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they made their way over to a nearby marine, hoping someone there could tell them what was wrong.
A thorough check on the topside of the boat revealed that everything was in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out drive went up and down, and the propeller was the correct size and pitch. Then, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath.
He came up choking on water because he was laughing so hard.
Under the boat…still strapped securely in place…was the trailer…
THOUGHT: When God looks “under” your life, what does He see? Are you strapped to some sin that is slowly pulling you under?
KneEmail: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8
Bible reading for 09.06.10: 1 Corinthians 15:29-58; Psalm 148-150
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