PEPI'S NEW HOME

Pepi had lived in this tiny village all of his life.  For as long as he could remember his family had lived, slept, ate and played in this minuscule one room hut near the edge of the river.  It’s walls were made of mud and straw.  The floors of the hut were nothing more than the  ground on which it was built.  The roof was thatch and was always needing to be re-treated and repaired to keep out the rains.  In the eyes of most of us, this would have been a horrible place to live.  In Pepi’s eyes it was simply home. 

Pepi however had a dream.  I guess you could say his dream was passed on to him by his older brother.  For all of his life his brother had talk about this wonderful place that they would all go someday.  As they sat around the fire at night, he would tell the stories of this far off place where instead of huts the people lived in massive houses.  The floors were not made of dirt but made of beautiful wood which shined and looked clean and beautiful.  Other floors, in the same great house, were as soft as the moss in the forest.  “And the roof” he would say, “the roof is solid and will not let in the rain”. 

He told of streets there that were constructed of firm, solid materials that Pepi had never seen.  No walking through mud and water, no stumping your toe on rocks and limbs, but clean stable streets and roads would lead you to the homes of others who lived near you.

“Don’t forget the walls” his brother would say.  “The walls have beautiful paintings hanging there”.  The only thing hanging from the walls of Pepi’s home were his older brother’s bow and quiver and a few cooking utensils.  Pepi was told of the  windows in those homes.  Windows made of crystal clear material which you could see through.  In Pepi’s home if you wanted to see outside the hut you had to walk outside. 

“What a wonderful place this must be”, Pepi had thought as his brother told these stories over and over.

“Yes.  One day I will go there, Pepi and I will send for you and you can come and live with me”.  His brother told him. “ Work hard, don’t forget what I’ve told you and promised you. I will prepare a place for all of you and when the time is right I will call for you to come to be with me.  I will not forget you”.  Those were the last words his brother had said to him before he left for that wonderful place. And Pepi vowed to never forget those words. 

But the years crept by with no word from his brother.  Pepi grew up and married.  He and his wife had a fine family.  Pepi and his family lived in the same little place where he had always lived.  They worked hard and enjoyed their lives there.  Pepi made a little garden in which to grow vegetables for his family.  He loved his time there beside the river and loved the time he and his family spent together.  But always in the back of his mind was “that place” that his brother had told him about. 

Pepi would tell the stories to his children as well.  He tried his best to describe this land as his brother had described it to him.  He instilled in them, as best he could, the desire to go to this wonderful place someday.  “When the time is right”, he would say, “When my brother sends for me, I will go and then dear children, he will prepare a great house for you as well.  You all can come to live with us there”.  

The older Pepi got the more it seemed that the time would never come. His back grew weary from the work in the garden.  His eye sight grew blurred from the long nights of trying to see in the little dark hut.  His hands grew callused and sore from all the work he had to do. And the vision of that wonderful place grew dim. It seemed that his brother had forgotten him. It seemed that the place he was told of and promised was just a dream that would never come true.  "Why not just forget about the promised place and be satisfied with what I have here by the river".  He thought.

 Until one day a courier came to Pepi’s house.  Pepi had never seen a courier before.  He had a letter for Pepi. Pepi had never had a letter send to him either. The letter was from Pepi's brother in that far away land.  It simply said this:

“It is time my brother.  You house is finished as I promised and ready for you to move in.  Don’t bring anything with you. I have all you will ever need.  All if prepared.  Come as quickly as you can”.

Pepi was so excited.  “Finally, after all these years I can go to that wonderful place”, he said. 

But suddenly, as soon as his family heard that Pepi would be going to join his brother, they became sad for him. 

“Pepi”, they said, “What about your hut?  What about your beautiful garden with all the good vegetables?  What about your children and your friends?  Are you going to leave all this to go to a place where you have never been before?”

“Yes”, Pepi replied, “I have been dreaming of this place and talking of this place and preparing to go to this place all of my life.  I must go now.  You all can come later when your place is ready.  My brother will send for you”. 

“But Pepi, we will be sad to see you go.  We will miss you.  Who will take care of your little garden and who will re-thatch your hut when the rains come?  Pepi, we need you to stay with us.”

“That work is left to you now, my family.  I am going to a place that has been prepared for me.  I have dreamed of that wonderful place all of my life.  Yes, we will be separated for a short time but soon, very soon, your house will be ready and you all will be able to come to where I am”.

Some of Pepi’s family grew angry.  “His brother had no right telling Pepi all that stuff”, they said.  “He was just building him up for something that can never be. Pepi will lose all that he has worked so hard for, for no more than a promise.  I will never believe in some magical, place that none of us have ever seen.  That is foolishness.”

Others said, “Pepi is being selfish.  He is not thinking of those of us who are left here.  We will be left to do his work”.

Still others said, “I would never give up my hut and my garden and my place here by the river for something that I am not sure about.  As for me, I will just be satisfied with what I have here in my village”. 

Soon the day for Pepi’s departure arrived and his friends and family gathered around to see him off.  There were a few tears and some long hugs.  But Pepi was ready to leave. 

“I will see you all again soon”, he said.  “You too will have a place and you will get a message when it is your time to come and live there.  Keep doing your job.  Keep loving each other.  Keep working hard.  Brother will send for you when the time is right.  I am going to my new home.”

 

FRAMING JESUS

If you have heard me teach in the past or had occasion to read any of my writing, you perhaps have heard me say that the things I write about and say are usually not of my own development.  The things I say are most likely things I’ve heard and seen and learned from others much wiser than myself. 

Such is the case with the concept that I’ll share with you this morning.  I was reading one of Max Lucado’s books, (he is one of my favorite writers) and he spoke of this idea.  Since we had discussed it just last Wednesday night in Bible study, I thought it would be good to briefly write about it here.

In the Bible study we pondered the scenario of perhaps having a sickness or injury, praying to God for healing and then NOT GETTING THAT HEALING.  We asked the questions, “Did I pray wrong?   Does God not love me as much as He loves others?  Is my faith too weak?  Why wouldn’t God heal me from my suffering?”

Lucado offers a suggestion and an illustration that makes sense to me.  Let me share it. 

Now I’m not much of a connoisseur of fine art.  I can’t draw.  Someone has said I was “so bad that I couldn’t draw flies”.  I’ve never been to an art museum and wouldn’t know a Picasso from a Rembrandt but I think I get the idea. 

Let’s say you have a wonderful picture of your grand kids (which I just happen to have a few hundred) and you wanted to show that picture off to the people who come into your home or office.  You might go to a home decorating store or even Wal-Mart and  pick out a picture frame for that picture.  Why do you buy that particular frame?  You want it to draw attention to the picture, you want to showcase the picture but you don’t want to take away from the picture.  You certainly don’t want people coming into your home, looking at the wonderful picture of your grand kids and saying “Wow, what a great frame you bought”. 

Such is the case with our lives and our infirmities.  We became Christians for one reason and one reason only, that is to GLORIFY GOD.  We are not Christians so that people will think we are anything special or great.  We did not give our lives to God and ask Him to fill us with His Spirit in order to draw attention to ourselves.  Rather we are Christians so that we can point to God and show others His Glory. 

What has that got to do with your sickness, your injury or the problems that you are facing just now in your life?  A lot I believe.  Our maladies are there to “frame” the Glory of God.  People should not look at me and say, “Poor old Bill.  He is having such a rough time.  I feel so sorry for him.”   They should instead see the way we handle our problems and be amazed at how God is working in our lives.  Whether He is healing us or whether He is giving us strength and courage to move through it.  God should be glorified and honored by our troubles.  Our troubles should “frame” the glory of God.

Paul said in Philippians 1: 12, “But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel”

Can I say that?  Can you?  Have the hard times, the trouble, the trials that you and I have faced served to lift up the name of Jesus or to just get sympathy for ourselves? 

We have no idea what will happen to us today or any day for that matter.  God has blessed me with good health and a strong body but the older I get the more I understand that this will not last forever.  Someday I will get sick. Someday I will get hurt.  Someday a doctor will come into my room and say “Bill I hate to tell you this but…..” , I will become weak and helpless and it is at that time and in those circumstances that more than ever before, I want “the things that happen unto me to fall out to the furtherance of the gospel”.  I want to frame Jesus. 

A MORNING IN THE LIFE.......

Following my morning routine, I put on my grubby pants and my ragged shirt.  I told Gracie to go get my boots, (which she never does) I don’t  know why I waste my breath.  I guess I want to feel like I have a Lassie dog.  Timmy could always say “Lassie, go get my boots” and Lassie, knowing exactly which boots Timmy wanted would carefully and quickly accomplish the task. 

John Wayne could tell his dog, go do this or go do that and his dog would “get’er done”.  TV. and movie dogs can save busloads of children, stop the dam from breaking, pull babies from the path of oncoming trains.  I’ve always wanted a dog like that.

But I can say, “Gracie go get my boots”, and Gracie looks at me like I was speaking Farsi and lies down as if to say “Go get your own boots”.

As I lace up my boots, I pause to see if there is something else I need to  do while I am down here.  It’s becoming such a chore to bend down and get back up.

Walking stick in hand we head toward the “tabernacle”.  The quietness and coolness of the early morning woods is refreshing. The sun is peeping through the trees and the little altar invites me to come and pray.  I kneel down to spend time asking God to give me the sweetness, kindness and Christ-likeness for today.  While kneeling there in the presence of God, 72 million mosquitoes decide to make my ragged old body the meal of the day.  Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to be spiritual, pray fervently and love compassionately when you are being eaten by insects?

I quickly finish my prayers and head back to the house.  I decide to pour myself a bowl of cereal to contribute to a semi-healthy  diet and lifestyle I'm attempting to practice.  I pour milk onto  the hard, crunchy, gravel-like substance that is supposed to be cereal and looks nothing like the picture on the box.  One spoonful tells me that this milk was probably placed in our refrigerator by the man who put it together, somewhere around 20 years ago.  The smell was awful and the taste was…..well, you know, it’s probably happened to you.

Forget breakfast, I’ll just run by Jack’s and get a biscuit and gravy. 

I took an uneventful shower and begin getting dressed but as I pushed my right foot into my sock, I realized that it didn’t stop. The small hole in my sock, suddenly turned into a large hole.  Large enough for my whole foot to negotiate.  A small Volkswagen could pass through this hole. 

Ok, I’m on my way now.  Plenty of time to go by Jack’s, get my quick breakfast and make it to work.  But oh, wait…. Some sweet little old lady has decided to drive in the same direction that I am going.  The difference in my driving and her driving is that I want to actually get to Jack’s before I die.  She on the other hand is content to allow 6 of her closest friends to carry her there in a casket.  They would most likely move faster than she is driving in that massive Oldsmobile. 

After what seems to be hours, I arrive at Jack’s.  The line seems to wind around the building and  reach to the downtown area of Clanton.  But patiently, lovingly I stand in line (I hate lines!  I hate waiting!  I hate to stand like cows at a gate,  and sheep before their shearers until my number is called.)  But the thought and smell of the Jack’s biscuit’s hold me steady.

It’s my turn.  I step up to the counter, flash my biggest Christian smile and begin to tell the lady what I would like for breakfast. 

“I’d like a single biscuit and gravy and……”

 “Are you dining in or out”!  She loudly interrupted.

Dining?  Dining?  I’m grabbing a biscuit and gravy on a Styrofoam plate, eating it with a plastic fork and drinking my coffee out of a Styrofoam cup.  That hardly fits with the term “dining”. 

“Yes, I’m dining in”, I said politely.

I start again, “I’d like a single biscuit and…..”

“Do you want the senior discount”?  She asked staring at me like she felt sorry for this poor old man who couldn’t get his order out.

Can I just stop here and say that nothing, absolutely nothing makes you feel older and more useless than after weeks of workouts and walking/running, after months of eating salad and “healthy stuff” instead of biscuits and gravy,  as you stand there with your muscles aching and your bones and joints throbbing, someone asks you if you want the senior discount. What’s the use!?

“That will be fine, thank you”.  I said.  Again, I smile a righteous smile.

“Now what will you have sir”?  She asked impatiently. 

“I would have told you 10 minutes ago if you would just hush lady and let me talk”.  That’s what I wanted to say…but I didn’t.  

“A single biscuit and gravy please, with a small drink”.  Whew, finally got that finished.

I receive my order and make my way to the line of tables. I notice a table away from the crowd and make my way there. I just want to have a quiet, relaxing breakfast away from people.  (I hate people.)  I’ll just relax here, eat my meal in peace and begin my day in a Christ-like manner, I thought, as I sat down……in a glob of grape jelly. 

I quickly rose up off the plastic, molded seat so as not to get grape jelly on my clean cloths and in so doing, spilled my drink on the table and in my lap.  

All of those people that I didn’t want to be around were now looking at me and laughing.  The cleaning lady gave me a look like I had just repossessed her home and slowly made her way over to me to clean up my mess.  I swear the Dr. Pepper that I spilled could have ran down stream to the Mississippi delta before this little lady could get across the room with the rag to soak up my drink, which was now not only on my lap, on the table and on the floor but was also soaking into my biscuit and mixing with my gravy.   

While she was cleaning up the drink that I had spilled and I was trying to wipe the grape jelly off my pants I decided that I was no longer hungry and just threw the rest of my “dining experience” into the overstuffed and smelly waste basket and headed for work.

I arrived a bit later than usual, I wonder why, and found that my usual parking space had been taken by someone working at the bank next door.  It must have looked much more inviting than the 532 empty parking spaces on their property.   

Walking up the stairs, because the elevator had a sign on it that advised “out of order” and unlocking the door, turning on the lights and air and making my way to my desk, I thought, “This is really starting out as a crappy day”, but decided that I’d press on and be as kind and helpful as I could with God’s help.  

I pulled out my seat and sat down… and down….and down….coming to a sudden stop on the floor behind my desk .  Who knew that those expensive government chairs could collapse in such a fashion.  You have heard, no doubt the saying “It’s not the fall that hurts you, it’s the sudden stop at the end”.  That is not entirely true. Because during the fall, as I flailed my arms made funny old man noises and looked like, I’m sure, a mouse falling off a cliff, I hit the side of the desk, knocked over the books and papers and bumped my head.  Then, and only then did I come to the sudden stop part.  And they were right….it did hurt.  

Paul, in his writings to the Romans, in chapter 5 verse 3 said, “rejoice in tribulations…”. I don’t know if Paul ever had a day start the way mine has.  I don’t know if there were Jack’s in Paul’s day. I don’t know if the same people who work at the Jack’s here worked at the Jack’s in Jerusalem or if the same manufacturers that constructed my chair made his. I'm almost positive however, that the little lady driving that big Oldsmobile drove some sort of chariot back then.   But I do know that if I do what Paul advised us to do today that people will think I am a blubbering idiot.  They will think this old guy has completely lost his mind. Because if I rejoice in all the tribulation that I’ve had this morning I’ll be rejoicing until I can’t get my breath.  Someone will have to call 911.   I don’t think I can take too much more of this rejoicing  today.  Maybe I should just go back home and tomorrow I’ll just ask for grace and mercy.  Surely God will have compassion on and old man.