Talking to Mr. Mower

I never knew that lawnmowers could talk. Well, I never really heard the lawnmower talk but I did hear Pastor Jim talking to his “Red Machine”. Maybe lawnmowers can only hear? Anyway, Pastor Jim wasn’t happy with Mr. Mower. It seems Mr. Mower was broken and wasn’t cooperating with Pastor Jim. One of Mr. Mower’s bolts wouldn’t come out and Pastor Jim was not very happy. He warned Mr. Mower that he was about to end up in the junkyard but Mr. Mower wasn’t buying it.

After several one-sided conversations, Pastor Jim put the tools away and took me into the house. He cleaned up and poured himself a large glass of ice tea and plopped down in the easy chair. We both sat there for thirty minutes, not saying a thing. Finally I broke the silence. “We’re not mowing the lawn today?” I asked.

“No Bear,” Pastor Jim answered softly. “Not today.”

“Did you fix Mr. Mower?”

“No Bear. Mr. Mower is still broke,” replied Pastor Jim.

“You couldn’t fix him?” I meekly asked.

“No Bear, I couldn’t fix him. You see sometimes you run across things you cannot fix or you cannot fix at that time. It’s sometimes better to quit trying because you’re so frustrated that you end up breaking it more.” Pastor Jim paused for a moment and then continued; “You should never try to solve a problem when you’re anger. Anger is a powerful emotion that if not held in check can cause a lot of problems. We will try fixing the lawnmower tomorrow.”

That night after Pastor Jim had went to bed; I gave a lot of thought to what Pastor Jim said. I thought about all the people that are broken whose life has been messed up because of sin. They, like Mr. Mower, often fight the Lord who is trying to fix them. That must be why the Bible says that God is longsuffering and patient.

Thankfully the Lord does give up on them just like Pastor Jim didn’t give up on his “Red Machine.” You see the next day Pastor Jim was back with some help from the church and Mr. Lawnmower was fixed. So if you have someone that you love who is fighting against the Lord, don’t worry. The Lord won’t give up and that is the Bear Truth.

Capture the Wind

I was extremely curious at the strange contraption we found in one of the parks we visited recently on vacation. It caught Pastor Jim’s eye too. Pastor Jim said it was a windmill. He explained that in times past people used windmills to capture the power of the wind to grind gain and pump water. He also said that today they are building enormous modern windmills to produce electricity. (Have you ever notice how Pastor Jim produces a lot of wind explaining thing?)

I remembered a Sunday School lesson where Jesus explained to Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit is a lot like the wind. You can’t see the Spirit but you can feel its affects – and use its power. Perhaps each of us needs to become better windmills and tap the power of the Holy Spirit. And like a windmill we need to internalize that power and produce good works. And that is The Bear Truth.

Wisdom from an Ant Hole

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: (Proverbs 6:6)

While most ladies do not want ants in their home, all families would gain from having a few of the ants’ traits in their life. Ants are industrious little creatures who understand the importance of saving – a trait few American families have.

James J. Hill gave this advice on success and the necessity of saving money:

If you want to know whether you are destined to be a success or a failure in life, you can easily find out. The test is simple and it is infallible. Are you able to save money? If not, drop out. You will lose … You will lose as sure as you live. The seed of success is not in you.

I don’t suggest to check out or “drop out” if you have not been a saver but I do suggest that you get into the game and start saving. Think you’re too old? A funny thing about ants, they never stop storing up food. They never stop saving! They save in the spring and in the fall. Even if all you can do is put a dollar a week in a plastic bank, consider the ant and start saving. And that’s the Bear Truth