Articles by Cary Branscum at Heartlight

How's Your 'Ratitude'?

cary@westover.org (Cary Branscum) — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 00:00:00 -0600

Single people today live in a "LEGO block" world. It seems nothing comes assembled and ready to go anymore. We have to customize everything. We have to take whatever building blocks we find in today's world and use them to build our careers, our relationships, and even our ethical and moral lives!

Thank God for the Bible! We have God's Word to help us do some of the assembly. In fact, we sometimes assume that God's perfect Word will do all the assembly and solve our problems for us. The problem is, we are imperfect and the others who live with us in this world are imperfect, too. Some of our LEGO block structures are going to fall apart!

Inevitably, we'll have a string of problems. The consequences, stresses, and pressures all add up. That negative energy has to go somewhere. Sometimes it gets into our hearts and heads and we end up with what I call a "ratitude." A "ratitude" is my emotional and spiritual state when I feel used, abused, unappreciated, misunderstood, and put upon.

Now I'll let you in on a little secret; I am an amazing person. There are depths of my being that others don't know about. I am clever, wise, handsome, and good. Guess what? Sometimes nobody seems to notice my "brilliance." This is a great loss to the human race, because I can easily solve almost any problem if people will just ask my advice, but they don't. And listen, I work HARD. I go to bed tired from all of my herculean efforts. Unfortunately, very few people give me sympathy for my hard work or hold me in awe for my great efforts. Because of this general failure of the human population to fill all my needs, I sometimes feel like a rat must feel. I've got a "ratitude."

Sometimes, I even scurry around trying to find things to make my life better. I poke around in this and that to try to make me feel better. Other times, I try to hide out from all my problems, trying to avoid those who would treat me harshly. All my efforts only make me feel worse. I'm bummed out. I've got a "ratitude."

Nobody likes rats. Nobody appreciates their hard work to find food or their relentless efforts to build a better world for themselves and their pack. In fact, nearly everybody tries to exterminate them. They repulse us. They're revolting. They carry all sorts of diseases. They're hated, abused, and detested. That's how I feel and that's why I absolutely hate having a "ratitude."

But WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT???????

All my problems fall into one of two areas: either people do things I don't want them to do or they fail to do the things I want them to do. Don't they understand they HAVE to meet my expectations? Apparently someone has slipped up, and failed to inform the universe of my demands.

I have one of two choices. I can either continue in my "ratitude," or I can dust off my Bible and read, "... in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God ..." (Philippians 4:6 NIV, emphasis mine.)

Give thanks? Are you serious, Cary? "Say what? Give thanks? Are you serious, Cary?" Go ahead and admit it, I know that's what you are thinking. You're not quite sure how to follow my tongue-in-cheek sarcasm and wonder if I'm serious. Well, you know what? I am serious. Serious as I can be. Just like a lot of folks, I get really down; I get a "ratitude." What helps me the most, however, is what I found out from Paul about giving thanks in all situations. I am given a way to change my "ratitude." I can pray. I can continue to bring my supplications before God. I can do it with thanksgiving to God. You see, when I bring God into my "ratitude" by offering thanks to him, He transforms it. He transforms me.

Let me share a little secret with you. The next time you have a "ratitude," bring God into it. In fact, just take the Big G at the beginning of God, and add it to the front of your "ratitude." What do you have then? That's right folks, you have a "GRATITUDE."

I know, it sounds corny. You may even think it's trite. The truth, however, is that learning to be grateful -- to give thanks for our solid blessings in Jesus and the overflow of God's gifts given to us everyday -- is not trite or corny, it's transformational.

And that's how we are supposed to live each day, in gratitude to God for calling us out of our pity party "ratitudes."

Enjoy your Cheese!

Cary Branscum is the Singles minister for Richland Hills Church of Christ.

Website: Richland Hills Singles

Fix It NOW!

cary@westover.org (Cary Branscum) — Sat, 06 May 2006 00:00:00 -0500

For some, day-to-day life is just routine. I envy those folks. There are some days I'd like a little routine. I also feel a little pity for them, because each day is a gift from God -- a gift never given before, a gift that is unrepeatable.

Are you noticing anything different today in your life?
Is today unique?
Are you noticing anything?
Are you really SEEING the opportunities God is putting before you NOW?

The street intersection near my house is nothing special, with one exception. There is a wide swath of ugly paint that discolors one entire side of the street's pavement. It is permanent, ugly, and it's there because I didn't act in time to prevent it from spilling.

One morning as I was on my way to work, a paint truck pulled out into the intersection too quickly. A large five gallon bucket of paint fell off the back of the truck, and landed on the street. Amazingly, the bucket landed upright, and only a few drops of paint spilled out. The truck sped on, and I thought that certainly someone would come back for the paint.

That evening as I turned the corner on my way home, I noticed that the bucket was still there, right in the middle of the lane! I didn't stop. I didn't pick it up. I didn't set it on the curb.

"Surely, someone will pick it up before it spills!" I thought to myself. Next morning, guess what? No bucket, but lots of ugly paint all over the street. Today, years later, the best way to find my house is to look for the ugly paint and turn right.

The lesson? You got a problem ... then fix it NOW!

The prophet Ezekiel was one of God's most memorable characters. He was asked to minister the Word before Israel in ways we would consider irrational. Nobody in his or her right mind would do the things Ezekiel did! And what was the message? "I myself will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places." (Ezekiel 6:3 NRS)
Ezekiel called the people to repentance, to fix it NOW or trouble would surely come and they would live with the consequences.

God loves you and gives you his warnings. (Ezekiel 3:21) So how about you and your life? Any buckets of paint left in the middle of the street ready to spill? Anything you've been putting off? Are you ready for the consequences of doing nothing?

Let's hear God's Word to us Now:

We can each make a difference.

We can each live a better life in a better world if we fix some things NOW.

Cary Branscum is the Singles minister for Richland Hills Church of Christ.

Website: Richland Hills Singles

An Old Timer in His Service

cary@westover.org (Cary Branscum) — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Do you carry a pocketknife? Security concerns have made it a little more difficult to carry even a small pocketknife. I always carry one when and where I can because I've always loved the usefulness of knives. They can be very handy.

I once knew a great guy named Bobby Bramlett. Bobby was single, in his early forties, and he was left completely blind following a tragic accident. He was also quite a character. One year our church had a Fall Festival. Bobby wanted to sit in the dunking booth. He sat on the platform above a large container of water and waited for our festival-goers to toss baseballs at the target. When hit, the target would throw a switch and Bobby would fall into the water. In order to prevent disorientation, Bobby tied a thin rope from his waist to the side of the tank. All seemed well till the first dunk. Bobby flailed to the surface gasping and choking! His rope had become tangled round his neck, and disaster seemed imminent. Fortunately, I remembered my trusty pocketknife. With shaking hands I opened it, cut the taut rope, and Bobby was free. I'm glad I had it with me! The knife was a Schrade "Oldtimer."

Since that episode, I've acquired several knives by different makers, but they all have two things in common. First, they must serve a purpose or they are useless. Second, they all have an "edge." I keep them sharp.

After many years in ministry, I realize something: I'm an Old Timer. You may be one, too. And the same two principles of usefulness apply to us if we are going to effectively serve God.

First, we must serve God's Purpose for us. How are you useful to God? We can know His will for us. Here are a few things He wants of us:

Do all things to His Glory (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Bring others to Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20)

Build one another up (Ephesians 4:13)

Help others in Jesus' name (Matthew 10:42)

Second, God also has special and specific plans for each of us. (Psalm 139:13-16) He wants to use us in His service with our own special gifts, talents, personalities, culture, and relationships. Each day is an adventure of discovery as He reveals His special plans for us as we live through the struggles, challenges, opportunities, joys, and sorrows of our lives.

Finally, we need to keep our edge or we become dull and can't really serve His purpose. We stay sharp by letting His Word sharpen us each day (Hebrews 4:12), by the sharpening of others through genuine relationship (Proverbs 27:17), and by devoting ourselves to prayer and service to Him each day.

Take it from me, it's THE way to live! There's nothing better. No matter what age you are, make it your goal to become an Old Timer in His Service.

Cary Branscum is the Singles minister for Richland Hills Church of Christ.

Website: Richland Hills Singles

Keep Striking the Stone

cary@westover.org (Cary Branscum) — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 00:00:00 -0500

Ever feel like throwing in the towel?

Most folks feel that way at times. Maybe you've worked, fretted, and given yourself to a relationship, a job, or a cause that doesn't go your way. You are caught between conflicting desires; you feel like giving up on the good things, the right things, even as you hold onto the wrong things. Feeling like giving up is a universal human experience, even for Christians! In Romans 7:21, the apostle Paul shares his own experience as he struggles to do good even as evil lurks close at hand. Where there is belief, there is doubt. Where there is trust, there is distrust. Where there is obedience, there is disobedience.

You can always give up. John 6 finds Jesus telling his disciples the truth about God. In verse 66, some "walked no more with him." They gave up. They threw in the towel. They quit on Jesus. I can't help but imagine all kinds of things as Jesus turns to the Twelve, his core group, and asks, "Will you also go away?" And then Simon Peter gives an answer that rings true for all followers of Jesus. He replies, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." There is no one else, there is no place else, if you want eternal life; it's Jesus or no one. (Acts 4:12)

Still, it's just so tempting to give up, isn't it? We really feel like giving up on God ... on other people, and even on ourselves -- giving up the song in our soul, our hopes and dreams, both big and small.

Let me tell you a story. I have a lifelong fascination and deep abiding interest in ancient Native American culture. One of my dreams was to learn flint-knapping, the art of making tools and weapons from flint, chert, or obsidian. I especially wanted to make arrowheads. To make an arrowhead you need a hammer stone, the right piece of flint, and a lot of patience. As I kid, I tried to make arrowheads. After trying, it seemed impossible, so I gave up.

Years later, one hot afternoon near a summer camp, I stumbled onto a pile of river rocks near Lake Whitney, Texas. Something caught my eye. There, in the middle of the pile was a huge chunk of flint. My old arrowhead dreams came back in an instant. Dreams can do that sometimes. Picking an oval rock to use as a hammer stone, I tried to knock off a flake just the right size for an arrowhead. No such luck. I tried again. Nothing. The longer it took, the madder I got, the harder I hit. Twenty minutes later, my arm ached, my eyes were blinded by sweat, and my thumb was bloody from a misplaced blow. If my tribe expected me to make an arrowhead and bring home dinner, they were just out of luck. I was about to give up for good when something indescribable happened. The flint gave a short, sharp sound as a thin wafer, the size of a dinner plate, flew off the chunk and landed softly in the grass about twenty feet away. I stumbled over, picked it up and with deep primitive joy began making the first of many arrowheads, spearheads, and stone axes. Now it's easy, now it's fun. Now there's nothin' to it.

Don't give up!

Don't give up on the God who seems so distant. He has not given up on you.

Don't give up on people even though you've had some bad experiences.

Don't give up on the song in your soul just because the chaos of your life or the hurt in your heart temporarily drowns out its melody.

Jesus has, and IS, the Word of Life.

Your arrowhead awaits ... just keep striking the stone ... and don't give up.

Cary Branscum is the Singles minister for Richland Hills Church of Christ.

Website: Richland Hills Singles

This Prayer's For You!

cary@westover.org (Cary Branscum) — Thu, 26 Aug 2004 00:00:00 -0500

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. ... Keep on praying. (Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)

This prayer's for the Lord. It is to His praise and His Honor that He hangs in with us, empowers us, graces us, and makes His light shine in our darkness. Thank you, Lord.

Pray without ceasing.

This is for the dad, as he walks all sweaty and filthy back to his work truck, another hard day finished, and heads home to see his family.
This is for the college girl who prays that someone will see and value something besides her body.

This prayer's for you.

This is for the immigrant kid from the Middle East who is bewildered by a strange classroom, listening to a language he doesn't understand, and blinks back the tears as he bites his lip and determines to stick with it.
This is for the church leader who gazes out his window and seeks God's Will for a way to minister in a world that seems so random.

Pray without ceasing.

This is for the single mom who struggles to repair a light fixture, and gives up because the toilet bowl is overflowing.
This is for the guy who gets the pink slip after years with the company and wonders when and how to tell his family.

This prayer's for you.

This is for the woman from India who served as a medical doctor in her home country, and cannot find a job in this one.
This is for the mom with worn lines on her face as she realizes her children have made bad choices, because she knows what lies ahead for her beloved child.

Pray without ceasing.

This is for the young couple who find each other, and suddenly nothing matters but their love.
This is for the convict who experiences freedom from sin as he is raised up from the waters of baptism.

This prayer's for you.

This is for the kid who studies life's lesson, gets it, learns it, and makes it work in his life. This is for the teenage girl who finds companions who deeply share her heart, and are true friends.

Pray without ceasing.

This is for the widow who sits in the church pew, and feels a rebirth of joy when the sun comes from behind a cloud on the third verse of "How Great Thou Art."
This is for the old friends who laugh themselves silly over something from the past -- they laugh so hard they are blinded by tears, short of breath, and falling on the floor.

This prayer is for you.

Cary Branscum is the Singles minister for Richland Hills Church of Christ.

Website: Richland Hills Singles

Found Things

cary@westover.org (Cary Branscum) — Tue, 27 Jul 2004 00:00:00 -0500

The road from the refinery to the airport in Corpus Christi, Texas is usually hot and dusty, especially in the maw of a full-blown Texas summer. The humidity from the ship channel mixes with stifling heat and an air-conditioned car is more a necessity than a luxury.

I was riding with another oil company employee down this very road when he suddenly stopped talking and pulled quickly to the side of the road. Leaving the car running -- and thankfully, the air conditioner going full blast -- he trotted back a few feet, picked up something, and tossed it in the floor of the car as we resumed our trip. He saw me peering at the found thing near his feet, and mentioned casually, "Tape measure. I found one by the side of the road some time s ago and have looked for them ever since. I've found ten or twelve tape measures by the side of road over the past several years."

I was stunned. I had seen nothing. Since that time, however, two things have happened. First, I've read about other people who seem to find arrowheads where no one else does and people who find golf balls in unlikely places. Second, I began keeping one eye peeled when driving. I've found brand new shoes, pliers, hammers, knives, and six hundred dollars in large bills on the street.

It's a pleasure to find something of value where no one else does, isn't it?

The wise men found Jesus, Jesus found faith, the kingdom can be found, and wedding guests were found literally by the side of the road. A colt, no figs, sleepy apostles, favor with God, and healed servants were all "found things" in the Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Bible.

My favorite trio of "found things" come from Jesus' three parables in Luke chapter 15 -- the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son. When read together, they show deep truths. You see, we are not only able to look for things, we also have someone looking for us. And when we are found, there is great joy in heaven! We are God's "found things" that bring Him great delight. Yet while you and I are found, we are not "foundlings." A foundling is the term for a child deserted by parents and left for someone else to care for. Our heavenly Father never deserted us; we deserted Him. We all have sinned and turned away from God. (Romans 3:23) Nevertheless, God came looking for us by sending His Son Jesus, and at just the right time. (Romans 5:8) And the Good News is that He looks for us still.

As humans, we have enough of God's image in us to imitate His search. We can find things. In fact, we can join in His search for people. It's great to find things. It's even better to be found by God. Greatest of all, we can help others be found by God. Open your eyes to those around you -- to your family, your friends, the person at the gas station. Look at them. Even more, help God look FOR them. Be His eyes and ears in your world. All it takes is a little desire and practice. It's great to find tape measures, tools, shoes, or money. It's even greater to find that lost coin, that lost sheep, or that lost son.

Cary Branscum is the Singles minister for Richland Hills Church of Christ.

Website: Richland Hills Singles

The Sudden Kingdom

cary@westover.org (Cary Branscum) — Sun, 08 Feb 2004 00:00:00 -0600

Some insights are sudden. You and I can go to church where we give, sing, and pray. All the while, our spiritual lives seem to simply plod their way down the road. The daily grind becomes a cycle of sleeping, waking, and getting through the day. That's why I'm so grateful that our God is a God of sudden insights and good surprises. We are so blessed to have Jesus, the Source of all blessings, and it is through Jesus we experience the Sudden Kingdom.

In Luke 17:11, Jesus was passing along the borders of Samaria and Galilee, on his way to Jerusalem, that ancient city of God's past, present and future action. To borrow a phrase we might use, Jerusalem is the place "where the action is." Some folks live "where the action is" in life. However, many of us feel like we live "on the borders" out where the action isn't, just getting through each day. Nothing sudden or profound seems to happen out where you and I live. We're not where the action is.

To make it even worse, like the lepers Jesus meets (Luke 17:12), we sometimes find ourselves feeling left out and cut off, either by others or by our own actions. Not only do we live "on the borders", even when we are with others, we feel deeply and personally alone. Like the lepers, we call to Jesus, "Have mercy, Lord, please help us."

Jesus does a sudden and amazing thing in his encounter with these lepers. In Leviticus 13, Israel's Law stated that a person with leprosy had to appear before a priest for a diagnosis of his or her condition. The priest would follow careful instructions and pronounce the person clean (acceptable) or unclean (unacceptable) based upon what he found according to God's instructions. However, in Luke 17:14, Jesus told them to go, take action, move forward, and do what He asked them to do. Amazingly, it was AS THEY WERE GOING, THAT THEY WERE CLEANSED.

One, and only one, of the ten lepers, turned back toward Jesus when he realized that he had been healed. He cried out, shouted out, made a lot of noise -- a joyful noise -- giving Glory to God. Then he fell on his face in total worship before Jesus. My friends please know that THIS is worship. This is the experience of the Sudden Kingdom. This is the reaction of a person saved by Jesus. And the person demonstrating this worship was a Samaritan -- a race of people looked down upon by the Jews of Jesus' time.

Jesus then gives a lesson for us (see Luke 17:17). He asks, "Where are the nine?" You see they received the same gift of healing. They enjoyed the same blessing of Jesus' healing as the one thankful Samaritan. Unfortunately, however, they lost the richer blessing of the Sudden Kingdom.

What Jesus does to save, protect, and heal us is only part of the blessing. The Sudden Kingdom that breaks into our lives with glory only comes to those who accept it with gratitude and praise God in true worship.

What are the keys to our being able to experience the Sudden Kingdom just as that thankful Samaritan did in Luke 17?

Cry out to Jesus for mercy
Do what He asks, and as we do it, recognize and appreciate his healing grace
Respond to Jesus in a natural reaction of worship
Gratefully give Jesus thanks for what He has done for us

Finally, our old friends the Pharisees, those folks who help us by asking the dumb, wrong, questions we often would ask, say to Jesus "When is God's Kingdom going to get here?"

Jesus tells them, and he tells us in Luke 17:20, "You can't pin it down by looking for it; you can't make the kingdom of God an 'object.' The kingdom of God is among you and within you."

When we honor, worship, and thank Jesus, the Lord is not only present, but we also experience the presence of the Sudden Kingdom.

Cary Branscum is the Singles minister for Richland Hills Church of Christ.

Website: Richland Hills Singles