Protect them Father...

Jesus prays in John 17 for his disciples. “Protect them,” is his plea to the Father. Protect them from what? From persecution? No. He knows trouble will come from without. The world will hate his followers. That’s a given. The world hated him!

Instead of praying for physical safety, Jesus prays for spiritual shelter. “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” (v. 15) “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one.” (v. 11)

The implication is clear here isn’t it? The evil one is going to attack the church. His attacks are going to be aimed at disrupting unity.

Are you with me? The enemy of your soul and mine is out to destroy the peace of every congregation, the spirit of harmony that exists in every church. The devil would like nothing more than for you and your fellow believers to start bickering over trivial things. Satan would love to see you and your sisters grabbing and grasping for control of do-nothing committees. Groups that do nothing because they’re always at each other’s throats. Groups that cannot do anything for the kingdom of God because they’re focused on their own little fiefdoms. Lucifer would laugh out loud if you and I started squabbling over the proper songs for worship. Some churches fight about music you know?

"Choruses!"
"Hymns!"
"Choruses!"
"Hymns!"

Can you imagine? I suppose this is a slightly more important issue than, say, which way the toilet paper should roll, but…It grieves God’s heart when his children argue over such matters.

Unity in the church matters. It matters for this simple reason: unity demonstrates God’s power and brings glory to him. When God is honored in the church through loving fellowship, people are convinced that Jesus has something to offer. Peace and unity despite differing opinions is simply amazing to a watching world.

“I pray…for those who will believe in me through their message,” Jesus prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (v. 20-23)

Unity is vital to the spread of God’s kingdom. No unity. No new believers.

“The church is full of hypocrites! They say one thing and do another. They bicker over stupid stuff. Why would I want to join?”

In Galatians 5:15 Paul warns, “If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” (NIV)

You’ve been warned. I’ve been warned.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18, NIV)

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Love beyond reason...

"God, who needs nothing, loving into existence wholly superfluous creatures in order that He may love and perfect them. God did not make us because He was bored, lonely, or had run out of things to do. He created us to be the objects of His love! Sometimes our actions make us unlovely, but we are never unloved. And because God loves us - we have value. And nobody can take that value away. God's love revealed at Calvary fastens itself onto flawed creatures like us, and for reasons none of us can ever quite figure out, makes us precious and valued beyond calculation. This is love beyond reason. And this is the love with which God loves us."

- CS Lewis

13 points...

Today's Ark Valley Swim League meet results...

Argonia - 351
Clearwater - 338
Conway Springs - 57
Mulvane - 53
Belle Plaine - 43

WE WON BY 13 POINTS!! I was so proud of our swimmers. They are the hardest working, most disciplined bunch of kids. They always do what is asked of them in practice with little or no complaining. They give their best in every race - win, place or finish.

Go Argonia! League meet is yours for the taking this year. See you Monday morning at 7:00 sharp!

On a mission...

Three teams - twenty-three high school students and nineteen accompanying adults - from our Friends churches in the midwest will be crossing the globe to minister to youth and adults in far away places over the next few weeks.

You can follow their travels via the blogosphere...

• Saltshaker 07 - Alaska
• Saltshaker 07 - Nepal
• Saltshaker 07 - Rwanda

These links will open in a new window. The Alaska team is pictured above.

612!

I checked my junk mail filter this morning. 612 emails were there for me to sort through. 612! That's ridiculous!

Listen up, all you purveyors of spam!

• I do not want a car loan from you. I've never heard of your company.
• I do not want to meet singles in my area. I'm happily married, thank you very much.
• I do not want ringtones, polyphonic or otherwise, for my nonexistent cell phone.
• I do not want pills from any pharmacy any where. If I need medication, my doctor can call the scrip in.
• I do not want my share of the millions Barrister Whats-His-Name left for me. He doesn't even know me.
• I do not want a larger "piano" or "pen" or anything that starts with the letter "P" for crying out loud.
• I do not want any more of your emails! Quit sending them.

There...I feel better now. It won't do any good, but I got to vent.

Metro gnomes...

Ah, those mythical minatures that live in the underground, haunting Grand Central and Victoria Station - the Metro Gnomes. These little bearded dwarfish fellows ride the subways of the world. They can be counted them on to rescue stranded tourists and free animals trapped in the tube. Their upbeat ways make them a hit with kids and adults alike. Ask them to sing a song or play a flute to cheer you up and they'll never miss a beat.

Long live the Metro Gnomes! Tap, tap, tap, tap.