“Oh God! Oh..”

Daily Thoughts – September 11^th  

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” – James 4:14

What will your last words be?  When is your last night on earth?  When will you last hug your child, your spouse, your parents, or siblings.  Face it, for the majority of us, we have no control over our last breath, or last words, or actions.

The last words of many center around the acknowledgement of God Almighty.  One of the most chilling audio tapes I have heard this week came from a 911 emergency call from a man named Kevin Cosgrove (WARNING: content may be disturbing).  He was on the 105^th floor in the South Tower on September 11^th, on the phone with the emergency service in New York when the building collapsed.  I am drawn to tears as I think of those that were trapped in the World Trade Center buildings, and their families left to wonder how, why and what they were to do next.

I was on a business trip in Los Angeles on that day, separated from my wife and kids, with no way to get back home.  Gripped in fear for their safety, and uncertainty of what would come next.  I could not shake the images of what just happened and avoid the fear that if it happened in New York, it could happen in L.A. or Houston just as quickly.  I questioned my own faith.  Was I ready for death and what that meant?  I sat down the following day in a small coffee shop in Anaheim and drafted this poem…

It’s amazing how much we lean on each other, but even more so how much we re-evaluate theology during times of extreme pressure.  There is something inside of each of us that automatically returns to our Creator when the reality of death shows it’s ugly face.  The realization, that there is something on the other side of the very last breath we take, is unsettling for those who have lived as if there wasn’t.  Somewhere in that split second, of inhaling oxygen and the deep final exhale, our mind races to resolve any unsettled business, and we must come to grips with the choices we’ve made in life.  It cannot be avoided, as much as we try, it must be dealt with. 

God Do You Know My Mommy
Mommy, are you coming home

I feel so all alone

The TV said people have died

I didn’t even get to say goodbye

God, do you know my Mommy

She’s the one with deep brown eyes

Please, hold her hand, draw her close

And keep her by Your side
She’s afraid when the thunder rolls

And lightning lights up the sky

So hold her close and comfort her

And keep her by Your side

Daddy’s been crying and praying

Like I’ve never seen before

He’s holding their wedding picture

That used to hang by the bedroom door.

God, do you know my Mommy

She’s the most beautiful one of all

Please, let Your Son shine upon her

And keep her by Your side

She’s really gonna miss my Daddy

They used to hug each other tight

So hold her close and give her love

And keep her by Your side.

The sun came up this morning

I was hoping it was just a dream

The policeman came and knocked on the door

I knew my life would never be the same.

God, do you know my Mommy

She’s got a smile so full of life

Please, give her Your love

And keep her by Your side

She loves when we go for walks

On a cool October night

So can You walk with her now, hold her tight

And keep her by Your side.

God, do you know my Mommy….

- Rich Palmer, 9/14/2001©

Count your blessings today.  Don’t wait for tomorrow, look your loved ones in the eye as soon as possible and tell them you love them.  The emotions and urgency we all felt on the 12^th of September 2001 should be an everyday event, for we know not when our time will draw to an end.  If your children weren’t born before 9-11, please ensure that they understand what happened on that day and how uncertain our very next breath is. 

If you are still uncertain about God’s plan of salvation, confront your doubt today, do not wait, you are not promised tomorrow.  If you have questions please send me an e-mail and I will do everything I can to help you understand or I will find someone who can.  This is the most important decision of your life, don’t wait until your last breath to call out for salvation.



© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com
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Managing Your Time

“ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” – James 4:14

What are you doing this weekend?  Going to the beach, taking Mom out for a nice dinner (don’t forget Mother’s day is Sunday), going to the kids soccer game, mowing the lawn, working, studying for finals or just relaxing with a good book.  These are typical answers you might get if you went out onto the street today and asked this question to random people passing by.  All of us have plans for tomorrow, the next day and even out through the next few weeks.  Some plan a year in advance or multiple years in advance when big things are coming on the horizon.  Yet, few of us will acknowledge the fact that we truly don’t control any of it.  We can lay out plans and even put them into our day-timer, but what happens when something unexpected happens. 

You plan a weekend birthday party at the park, invite 20 kids, hire a clown and setup a bouncy house and even pony rides.  Everything is ready and the excitement is building.  Your 5 year old is thrilled out of her mind to have such an awesome party.  You wake up on Saturday morning to a heavy fog.  By 9 AM it has turned to a light mist and the clouds are getting darker.  The wind is getting more fierce and the heavy rain starts around 10:30 just as you were planning to head to the park.  Gail force winds begin to blow, trees are actually falling in the front yard and one falls right across the drive way, blocking your ability to leave.  Your child comes bounding down the stairs, dressed in her favorite party dress.  What are you going to say to her? 

This is an extreme, of course, but a demonstration that we are not in control.  As organized, scheduled and dedicated we are to making sure that things run smoothly in our life, it truly is something we manage, not something we control.  In all of time, the 90 to 120 years you spend on this planet are but a blip on the radar.  I use this analogy.  Stretch a rope from Houston, Texas to the moon and back again.  As you look down at the beginning end of the rope you see an ant crawling from the dirt onto the rope.  The length of that ant’s body represents the amount of time you are alive on this earth.  The rest of the length of rope represents the amount of time you will spend in eternity – either hell or heaven. 

You see the comparison?  We focus so much on our time here, when in reality it is nothing compared to our time in the here-after.  We should be living every moment of every day on this earth focusing on where we are going, rather than where we are.  This means reaching the world for God and enhancing His Kingdom on this earth through our actions and spreading His love, peace, mercy and grace.  We know the things that God asks, yet we choose not to do these things, because we are focused on our plans and not His.  Face it, we allow our schedule to determine our ability to do the will of God.  In essence we are putting Him second or third in our priority list in life, except on Sunday mornings – right?  God’s rightful place is at the top of the list and if we indeed planned our day, week, month and year around His plan first and then our plan, don’t you believe your life would be very different than it is today?  Think this through today, and ask yourself why you are doing what you are doing with your time.

ACTION: 86,400 seconds in a day.  That’s all you get.  How many will you give to God’s work? Even if you followed the biblical principal of tithing you would give 2 hrs and 24 mins (8,620 seconds) to God.  Are you?  Will you?  Could you squeeze Him in there each day somehow?  If not, what is more important in your daily schedule than God?  Perhaps that is the problem.






© Sondove Enterprises, 2019
For more Daily Thoughts go to: http://sondove.blogspot.com

If you would like to be added to the email distribution please click here: Daily Thoughts 

 

No Promises

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about everything we take for granted in this world.  People, money, furniture, cars, our job, internet, telephones, texting, education, food, water, health, vision, hearing, taste, oxygen, sunlight – just to name a few.  We blow through each day, and seldom stop to think about or focus on these things.  No, we just use them and move along.  Have you ever imagined waking up one day and some of these were unavailable to you?  I’ve heard of people going on a “purge” of electronics for 24 hours.  You arrive at a hotel and upon check in they confiscate your cell phone, your ipad, your laptop, your ipod (if you still have one) and any other devices you happen to be carrying with you.  They give you the key to your room (an old skeleton key) and as you walk in, there is no TV, no radio, no telephone.  One the table are board games, cards, books, magazines, etc. intended to be your entertainment for the next 24 hours.

I must say, as much as I think this is a shocker, I am almost tempted to do it.  We waste so much time online and socializing on the net that could be used doing something constructive.  Who, like me, actually longs for the days before we were all tethered to our devices?  If we are only given 86,400 seconds in a day (1,440 minutes) are we making the best use of the time we have to expand His kingdom.  After all, isn’t that the reason we are all here?  If there is something more important, please let me know, for I know of nothing that even comes close.

Our time is given to us each and every day as a gift from above.  It is not a guarantee or promise that there will be another one tomorrow.  We take it for granted that we are going to go to sleep and wake up in the morning, but show me a scripture that promises that.  The scriptures I find relative to this subject all state that time is limited and valuable, so be busy about the work of the Lord.  James 4:14 states: “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away”  In the Old Testament, Colossians 4:5-6 tells us, “Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person”

We are called to live life to it’s fullest.  That means each and every day, rediscover what it is that the Lord has for you that day.  Your breath is a gift, your sight is a gift, your hearing, your voice, your home, your car, your job, your friends.  Everything you have is a gift from the Lord to be used for His purpose and to glorify His Kingdom.  Stop wasting the resources He has given to you, and start using them for Him.  As Isaiah said in Isaiah 6:8, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”  Be a ready and willing servant, rather than a checkbox Christian.  So many of us went to church, checked the salvation box and then went on living in the world, but the worlds standards and values.  That is not a relationship with Jesus Christ, that is an insurance policy against Hell.

Paul told the church of Ephesus in Ephesians 5:16-17, “Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  He was teaching them how to imitate Christ, and we should all follow that teaching.  Christ walked this earth as our perfect example of what God wanted from mankind.  Our goal each and every day is to become more like Him, until that day He takes us home.  Be the good and faithful servant that you so desire to be, and give it more than lip service, get up and go out to the world with His message.v