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*A Whole New World* 10/19/01
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A Whole New World
By Danny Mann
Last Friday, September 22, at 12:27 PM, Fall
arrived. So said the calendar. So said the radio
and television weather forecasters. But no one
told the thermometers. It was 96 degrees on
Friday. The "real feel" temp was over 100.
Fall? I don't think so. Saturday and Sunday
were much the same -- about 80 for the lows and
pushing 95 for the highs. Fall? Yeah, whatever.
I saw one of my friends, Steve Delaney, at our
once-a-month Sunday night worship service.
He had on a sweater. It was 90 outside and
he was wearing a sweater! And he was smiling
at the ribbing he was taking for it. He just kept
saying, "It's fall -- and I'm dressed appropriately
for fall -- and fall is gonna show up any minute."
Turns out he was right.
As I drove away from the church building,
headed home, I could see the blue-gray clouds
building in the northwest. I turned off the
A\C and rolled down the window, something I
hadn't done in several months. I felt the cool,
blustery breezes as the first cold front of the season
finally pushed its way into south-central Texas. And
the smell! I could smell that coppery-static rain
scent in the air. Even though fall had arrived
two and a half days ago, its real effects were
just now being felt.
I made my way home, put on a pair of shorts
and a t-shirt, and hurried out to the back balcony
to watch the show. And what a show
it was. Gusty cool winds. Bright flashes of
lightning. Marvelous, booming rolls of thunder.
And great big fat rain drops. It was wonderful!
It was fantastic! It was amazing! It was FALL!
Finally!
As I sat there, taking it all in, it struck me how,
with a shift of the wind and a drop in the
temperature, every thing had changed.
It was a whole new world. My living room,
with it's overstuffed chairs and its constant
whir of the air conditioner, was no longer
where I wanted to be. My balcony, a less
than luxurious lawn chair, was the new right
place for me. The world had changed and
it seemed like nothing was the same. What
a feeling!
I remembered something Paul wrote in one
of his letters to the early church. He wrote,
"If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation.
The old is gone. The new has come." In effect,
what he was really saying was, "It's a whole
new world."
I started thinking about the parallels between
the coming of Fall and the coming of "a whole
new world." When someone comes to Christ
and they place themselves under his lordship
and accept his gift of grace, there's always that
brief exhilaration of salvation. They feel clean,
washed in the waters of baptism. Their sin is
gone. They stand pure and perfect before the
Father. It's a whole new world.
But then "real life" comes rushing back in. They go
home to a less than perfect marriage. They
find themselves in the same old job, doing the
same old thing -- not really very thrilled about it -- and
they begin to wonder about that whole-new-world stuff.
Yes, for a while it felt like a whole new world.
But then the same old world is still there. It's where
they live. So what's up with that?
Remember how Fall came on Friday but didn't
seem to show up until Sunday night? It was
Fall on Friday, it just didn't feel like it. Sometimes
that's the way it is with the whole new world of life
in the Lord. You place yourself under his lordship,
receive the gift of salvation, but it takes a while for
the Spirit to make his mark on your life. Temptations
are still there. Anger is still there. Addictions are
still there. You believe in the whole new world but
you keep bumping up against the same old world.
What are you to do?
Be patient. Keep believing. Worship. Study.
Confess sin. And watch as the same old world
begins to lose it's grip on you. And always remember
this -- regardless of how you feel -- Christ has made
you new. Over time, if you continue to believe,
that newness will touch every part of your life.
And the cool, soothing breezes of a whole new
world will give you a new confidence about life -- life
in Christ -- life in a whole new world.
Danny Mann
102110.141@compuserve.com
Write Danny and let him know what you thought of his story!
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Danny, single and 40 years old, has recently resigned his position of full
time ministry in San Antonio, Texas. He is going to spend the next few
months trying to make a go of it in the wild world of writing. Any help
from anyone out there in cyberspace would be greatly appreciated. You can
write to Danny at 102110.141@compuserve.com. He would love to hear from
you.
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Reader Feedback!
Message: Your site is awesome and it is so refreshing to my soul. The writers are so special that you pick to use. Thanks for making a site that is so enjoyable to read.
GOD BLESS YOU. TEXAS
Sonja, Texas
ms1seneca@webtv.net
*********
Hi Michael,
I always have to write you and congratulate you on your good taste when you
publish something of Terri McPherson's in your newsletter. She certainly is
one of our better poets, and her poetry is always very thoughtful, warm, and
inspiring. With a great sense of humor and a generous, caring nature, Terri
is also a fine human being. I just had to put my two cents in, because I am
always so delighted to see something of hers.
Thanks so much,
Ginny Ellis
******
Thank you so much for your poem. It shows how much selfish we can be, without
realizing how much more others could be disadvantaged.
God bless you.
Wgitanda@kcb.co.ke
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Thought For The Day:
"If thou thinkest twice, before thou speakest
once, thou wilt speak twice the better for it."
--William Penn
Verse for the Day:
"He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps
himself from calamity." -- Proverbs 21:23
Kid's Thought For The Day:
"Just keep banging until someone opens the door."
Parent's Thought For The Day:
"Invest in the future; have a child and teach her well."
Coach's Thought For The Day:
"Nothing in the world can take the place of
persistence. Talent will not: Nothing is more
common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not: Unrewarded genius is almost
a proverb. Education will not: The world is full
of educated derelicts. Persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent."
Deep Thought For The Day:
"People say that hard work never killed anybody,
but on the other hand, did you ever know
anybody who rested to death?"
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REQUESTS:
Just wanted to update you on my friends who lost their two children this
past summer and have decided to try to have another baby. Her surgery to
enable her to have children was a success (which in itself was a blessing
since it's been a long time since she had her tubes tied and sometimes it's
not undoable). Please keep them in your prayers as they now take the next
steps to conceive. Thank you for all your prayers. It really means a lot.
Renee
imcsecretary@hotmail.com
Hello Michael and Meg,
I am from the Philippines. I thought that I'd email you to let you know
that many Filipinos, Christians and Muslims alike, are also praying for the
safety of Martin and Gracia Burnham. The terrorist group that kidnapped
the Burnhams are a band of bandits which just happened to have followers
who are of the Islamic faith. They are not the typical Filipino Muslims.
Rest assured that both the Philippine government and its citizens have the
safety and welfare of the Burnhams. I will also include the Burnham kids
in my prayers so that God will keep them steadfast and strong in these
trying times.
God bless,
Alex Ustaris
AUSTA@amkor.com
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_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / HeartTouchers@aol.com
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no
\_\/\ \ longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
\_\/ live in the body I live for the Son of God, who
loved me and gave Himself for me."
Galatians 2:20
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