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September 2003 Table of Contents
Food For Thought
Say That Again...
By Derric Johnson
 It is hurricane warning season in Florida again and we were busy stocking up on all the emergency equipment and supplies that the experts said we needed: portable radio (so you can tell how bad things really are), flashlights, batteries (all sizes...your neighbor may need help), canned food, bottled water, wood for the fire place, if you have one (we do), charcoal for the grill (that's my idea), blankets (color optional).
After we got all the stuff purchased, cataloged and stored, we sat down to wait for the storm. In the interim, it seemed appropriate to have a drill: How would we find this meaningful material in the dark? Who would be responsible for which equipment and supply? If the power was out, where would we assemble in the dark? How would we exist without a phone (Debbie's question)? Does Nintendo work without electricity (Jaci's concern)? Can we wake up on time without the alarm clock (Jeremiah's worry)? Does that mean the phone will never ring (Daddy's delight)?
We got past the questions and back into the practical... all assignments made and tasks completed. We sat looking at each other for further enlightenment. We turned out all the lights (for realism), opened a can of soup (for practice), lit some wood in the fire place (for fun), and switched on the flashlight (for effect).
Wow! No illumination from the flashlight. Jeremiah had it, so Jaci deemed it proper to grab it away and try it herself. Still didn't work...not even with a good shaking. Mommy tried...still black as the inside of Jonah's whale.
Daddy to the rescue. A little flashlight psychology was due. Tip it upside down. Turn it over...and over...and over. Screw the ends on a little tighter. Gently tap it on my leg... then hit it harder with my hand...then thump it on the floor.
Still dark.
Mommy had the best idea. She had murmured it a few times in her quiet, Quaker voice...but I had chosen to avoid the obvious...at least at first.
Finally, I had to listen. "What was that you said?" I muttered.
"Check the batteries. Sometimes they can be the problem." Womanly wisdom wins again!
It's not that the batteries were no good...they just weren't in there! And whose fault was that? Mine, I guess. No one had been assigned to the loading responsibility...and since I was the chief designator...my fault.
So stop laughing at me. Even in the dark, that's not very polite.
And then I thought, if Jesus were here in the flesh and teaching today, He would probably say something like, "You are the light of the world"...BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED!
So you buy a fancy new flashlight. It has a great case, a shiny bulb, and a three-way switch. But on the first dark night, when you really need, it's a dud. Just because you forgot the batteries!
Everything else is just right. How it looks, how it feels, how it moves. Just one thing wrong. It needs external power to become what it is intended to be.
That's life...the batteries are never included. They are given...from above...to those who ask.
And then I thought...what else would Jesus say in this contemporary world? How would He use our slogans and metaphors to emphasize His message?
When He was here before, He always spoke in terms and words that everybody could grasp...not just some far off, cerebral intelligentsia. When He spoke of "a certain man", as He did in so many of His stories, that always referred to a recognizable person in a contemporary incident.
And when He made analogies, everyone knew exactly what He meant. "I am the door...had nothing to do with hinges and latches (as my kids had it pictured). He was alluding to the hole in the wall of a sheep fold. The shepherd would count his sheep as they came in every night, then lay himself across the hole, becoming a "door" to protect the sheep from intruders and, at the same time, keeping them from slipping away.
So what else might Jesus say today besides "batteries not included." You know...advertising slogans that hit us every day. How about:
"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine"...NO PRESCRIPTION NECESSARY!
A smile is a silent laugh. A grin is a smile to yourself that shows. A chuckle is a small laugh, sometimes real, sometimes not. A snicker is a wicked chuckle. A chortle is an old-time, deep-down laugh. And a laugh...is the music of happiness.
"The meek shall inherit the earth"...SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED!
He who fails in his present responsibilities, breaks a thread in the pattern, and will find the flaw when he may have forgotten the cause.
"Count your obligations, name them one by one; And it will surprise you what the Lord wants done!"
"Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called"...INSTRUCTION MANUAL AVAILABLE!
It's an atlas, a guide book, a lamp, a mirror, a telescope, a book of poems, a collection of biographies, a bundle of letters, a hymn book, a compilation of counsel, a dose of medicine, a stimulator of energy, a wardrobe of armor, a sword of honor, and a shield of defense.
"Except ye become as little children"...SIMPLE ENOUGH FOR A CHILD TO ASSEMBLE!
Believe big! More people are humbugged by believing in nothing, than by believing too much. When in doubt, don't. Love big! It's worth the risk. Dream big! Life without a dream is like a hamburger with no onions...it just doesn't stick with you!
"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice"...MAY BE HABIT FORMING!
The joyful person will: accomplish more in the same time, do it better, persevere in it longer, develop it farther, than the sad or the sullen. Flowers that last have deep roots and bloom late...because things that endure grow slowly.
"Where I am, there ye may be also"...RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
Born once, die twice. Born twice, die once. Christ can forgive any trespass. He can overlook none. Too many Church members are starched and ironed...but not washed.
Here's Good News...God meets us where we are, because we cannot rise, on our own, to where He would have us be.
"Be filled with the Spirit"...PROVIDE YOUR OWN CONTAINER!
When the ceiling of a man's life is lower than his possibilities, he needs room for character expansion. We are not people who are trying to be better than the rest, but people who want to become better than they are. And always remember...God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
How about one more? "Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it!"...ONE SIZE FITS ALL!
Two children built a club house in the yard. In childish letters on the wall were scribbled a list of club rules...NOBODY ACT BIG, NOBODY ACT SMALL, EVERYBODY ACT MEDIUM. The ground is level at the foot of the Cross.
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