Barnabas Ministries UK

Rev. E. Anderson

RUNNING FROM TROUBLE

Two hunters were out looking for game one day when they came across a giant grizzly bear. They immediately dropped their rifles and ran for cover. One climbed a tree while the other hid in a cave. The bear was in no hurry to eat, so he sat down between the tree and the cave to reflect upon his good fortune

Suddenly for no apparent reason, the hunter in the cave came rushing out, almost ran into the waiting bear, and then dashed back in again. The same thing happened a second time. When he emerged for the third time, his companion in the tree frantically called out, “Woody, are you crazy? Stay in the cave till he leaves!”

“Can’t!” panted Woody. “There’s another bear in there!”

Quite often in the Christian life, we flee from one sin to a perceived place of safety only to discover we’ve let our guard down and are more vulnerable than ever. We oscillate back and forth until we eventually become exasperated at trying to follow the “don’ts” of the Christian life.

But what if instead of worrying so much about the “don’ts,” we began to focus on the “dos”? We’d break out of the idleness of simply abstaining from sin, and find real purpose in obediently serving God. So instead of just being content not sinning, actively obey God and you’ll find victory over your vulnerability to sin! 

PRAYER CHALLENGE

Ask God to show you how you’ve been oscillating in obedience because of idleness. Pray He’d show you how to find real purpose to break that cycle.

Rev. E. Anderson

RISKS OF APPEARING FOOLISH

Author Rudyard Kipling tells how on a world tour at a certain port General Booth boarded the ship. He was seen off by a horde of tambourine-beating Salvationists. The whole thing revolted Kipling’s fastidious soul. Later he got to know the general and told him how much he disapproved of this kind of thing, “\bung man,” said Booth, “if I thought that I could win one more soul for Christ by standing on my hands and beating a tambourine with my feet I would learn to do it.” The real enthusiast does not care if others think he is a fool.

REASON TO CHEER

The streets were lined with crowds, cheering the marching regiments about to leave for overseas. A recruit, who had watched the crowd for some time, asked, “Who are all those people cheering?” The veteran replied, “They are people who are not going.”

Rev. E. Anderson

FOUR STEPS TO YOUR DREAM

 Years ago a young black child was growing up in Cleveland, in a home which he later described as “materially poor but spiritually rich.”

One day a famous athlete, Charlie Paddock, came to his school to speak to the students. At the time Paddock was considered “the fastest human being alive.” He told the children, “Listen! What do you want to be? You name it and then believe that God will help you be it.” That little boy decided that he too wanted to be the fastest human being on earth.

The boy went to his track coach and told him of his new dream. His coach told him, “It’s great to have a dream, but to attain your dream you must build a ladder to it. Here is the ladder to your dreams. The first rung is determination! And the second rung is dedication! The third rung is discipline! And the fourth rung is attitude!”

The result of all that motivation is that he went on to win four gold medals in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He won the 100 meter dash and broke the Olympic and world records for the 200 meter. His broad jump record lasted for twenty-four years. His name? Jesse Owens.

Rev. E. Anderson

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

I’d dare to make more mistakes next time; I’d relax; I would limber up; I would be sillier than I have been this trip; I would take fewer things seriously; I would take more chances; I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers; I would eat more ice cream and less beans; I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I’d have fewer imaginary ones.

You see, I’m one of those people who lives sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had it to do over again, I’d have more of the. In fact, I’d try to do nothing else, just moments, one after the other instead of living so many years ahead of time.

I’ve been one of those persons who never go anywhere without a thermometer, hot water bottle, raincoat, and parachute. It I had to do it again, I would travel lighter than I have. If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dinners; I would ride more merry-go-rounds; I would pick more daisies.

An elderly woman

Rev. E. Anderson

POINTS OF WISDOM

POSTER WISDOM

Attention Teenagers—If you are tired of being hassled by unreasonable parents, now is the time for action! Leave home and pay your own way while you still know everything!

LEARNING FROM DEPRIVATION

Sending a youngster to college these days is very educational. It teaches parents how to do without a lot of things.

THE HANDICAPS OF YOUTH

Parents of two teenagers are worried about their failing eyesight. The daughter can’t find anything to wear in a closet full of clothes and the son can’t find anything good to eat in a refrigerator full of food.

SLIPPING WITH AGE

It seldom occurs to teenagers that someday they will know as little as their parents.

PARENTING TEENS

I’m tempted to believe Mark Twain’s philosophy: When a kid turns thirteen, stick him in a barrel, nail the lid shut, and feed him through the knot hole. When he turns sixteen, plug the hole.

Rev. E. Anderson

SYMPATHY

A girl was sent on an errand by her mother. She took much too long in back. Mother, therefore, demanded an explanation when she finally did return. The little girl explained that on her way she had met a little friend who was crying because she had broken her doll. “Oh,” said the mother, I stopped to help her fix her doll?” “Oh, no,” replied the little girl. “I stopped to help her cry.”

Rev. E. Anderson

BENDING THE TRUTH

A young mother encountered her son on the street when he should have been in school. When the boy finished explaining why he was not where he supposed to be, the mother replied, “I’m not accusing you of telling a lie. I’m just saying that I have never before heard of a school that gives time off for good behaviour.”

DON’T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN

One day Sam Jones got fifty cents too much in his pay envelope, but he didn’t say a word. During the week the paymaster found out his mistake, and on the next payday deducted fifty cents.

Jones said, “Excuse me, sir, but Pm fifty cents short this week.”

“You didn’t complain last week,” replied the paymaster.

Sam came back, “No, sir, I don’t mind overlooking one mistake. But when it happens twice, then it’s time to say something.”

Rev. E. Anderson

RADICAL, FORGIVING LOVE

During the Korean War a South Korean Christian civilian was arrested by the Communists and ordered shot. But when the young Communist leader learned that the prisoner was in charge of an orphanage, caring for small children, he decided to spare him and kill his son instead. So they took his nineteen-year-old son and shot him right there in front of the Christian man.

Later, the fortunes of war changed and that same young Communist leader was captured by the UN forces, tried, and condemned to death. But before the sentence could be carried our, the Christian whose boy had been killed came and pleaded for the life of the killer. He declared that this Communist was young, that he really did not know what he was doing. The Christian said, “Give him to me and I will train him.”

The UN forces granted the request and the father took the murderer of his boy into his own home and cared for him. And today, that young man, formerly a Communist, is a Christian pastor, serving Christ. This is the power of forgiving love that can only be described as superabundant, the kind of love the dying Stephen reflected in the Book of Acts.

Rev. E. Anderson

THE SPIRIT OF CALEB

Jonathan Gosforth

Some years back there was a missionary with the same kind of persevering passion as we find in Caleb in the Book of Joshua. His name was Jonathan Goforth—of China. At an advanced age his mission was turned over to the United Church of Canada. He was now separated from his life’s labor in China. His wife was weak with illness, and he was accompanied by two lady missionaries who were now semi-invalids and a young man who did not know the languages. Closed doors and nothing but difficulties surrounded him. But at seventy years of age when most are retired or dead, Goforth set out for a new field to preach the name of Christ where it had not been named. Goforth tried to enter five different fields in Manchuria—and every door closed. But his faith was steadfast. Then came a call to northwest Manchuria, and another miracle of modern missions took place. In a few short years almost two thousand people came to Christ through his ministry—when all doors seemed shut.

Rev. E. Anderson

AND THINK FIRST

A professor at the UCLA Medical School asked his students this question: :”Here is the family history: The father has syphilis. The mother has TB. They have had four children. The first is blind. The second had died. The I is deaf. The fourth has TB. The mother is pregnant. The parents are to have an abortion if you decide they should. What do you think?” the students decided on abortion. “Congratulations,” said the “You have just murdered Beethoven!” Nothing is so final as even when it is done very early in a life.