Booze.

"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink."

-Isaiah 5:11

"Much drinking, little thinking."

-Anonymous

"O God! That men should put any enemy to their mouths to steal away their brains."

-William Shakespeare

"Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting? Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new drinks. Don't let the sparkle and smooth taste of wine deceive you. For in the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like a viper. You will see hallucinations, and you will say crazy things. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a swaying mast. And you will say, 'They hit me, but I didn't feel it. I didn't even know it when they beat me up. When will I wake up so I can have another drink?"

-Proverbs 23:29-35 NLT

Alcoholism is responsible for 50 percent of all auto fatalities, 80 percent of all home violence, 30 percent of all suicides, 60 percent of all child abuse, and 65 percent of all drownings. Add to those percentages anguish, sorrow, fighting, complaining, unnecessary bruises, bloodshot eyes, the bite of a serpent, the sting of a viper, hallucinations, crazy conversations, staggering, forgetting, and somebody has all the reasons in the world to say, "I'll never touch liquor again." Instead, the Bible says, the drunkard asks, "When can I have another drink?"

"'Come,' they say. 'We will get some wine and have a party. Let's all get drunk. Let this go on and on, and tomorrow will be even better'" (Isaiah 56:12). No, tomorrow and the days after will be even worse and worse.

"Destruction is certain for those who are heroes when it comes to drinking, who boast about all the liquor they can hold" (Isaiah 5:22).

Charlevoix, Michigan has a December festival that is the perfect mix of snow, alcohol, and fast snowmobiles. In the winter of 1996-1997 two brothers attended the festival on the north side of Charlevoix, consumed large amounts of alcohol, and decided to hit another party on the south side of town. Instead of choosing a longer, safer route to the south side of Charlevoix, they decided to take a shortcut across Round Lake which separates North and South Charlevoix.

Round Lake is known for its fast-flowing currents as the water flows through a narrow channel into Lake Charlevoix. This narrow passage is known for having thin or no ice, even in the dead of winter, because of the swift current.

A short time later a woman along the shoreline heard cries for help and through a break in the blowing snow she saw someone struggling in a hole in the ice. She contacted the Coast Guard and the Ice Rescue Team was deployed to the scene.

The struggling drunken young man was rescued and hospitalized where he was warmed and revived. As he was regaining his senses, he asked, "How's my brother?"

"Brother?"

The Ice Rescue Team rushed back to Round Lake where they found a hole in the ice and at the bottom of the lake discovered two snowmobiles, but no brother. Ten days later and still no brother. It was almost two years later when the brother was found, still in his snowmobile outfit.

If you're looking for an example of alcohol and destruction, they don't get much better (or worse) than this!

Let me suggest a way to get drunk that honors and glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ:

"Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you" (Ephesians 5:18). This intoxication will do incredible things in our homes plus place examples of Christ and his church right in the middle of our neighborhoods . . . in our homes.

Hangovers, anyone?

Caution!

"I don't like these cold, precise, perfect people, who, in order not to speak wrong, never speak at all, and in order not to do wrong, never do anything."

-Henry Ward Beecher

"Hasten slowly."

-Augustus Caesar

"A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions; the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."

-Proverbs 22:3 NLT

All through history and in all civilizations there are quotes and sayings to remind us of being cautious:

A Malay proverbs advises, "Just because the river is quiet, don't think the crocodiles have left."

The Persians warn, "He who wants the rose must respect the thorn."

"No one tests the depth of a river with both feet," warns an African proverb.

And let's not forget warnings such as, "Lock the stable before the steed is stolen," and "Try the ice before you venture on it."

Now you've got to take a good look at this whole proverb to understand that it is not teaching us to go through life without taking risks. It's not saying that at all. Look at the people God used in the Scriptures who took overwhelming risks: Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Noah building a boat, David facing Goliath, Gideon hiding from the Midianites, Elijah praying down fire, Rahab hiding the Jews from the enemy, Ruth lying down by Boaz's feet, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, Jonah when he got his bearings right, Joseph and Mary, the twelve disciples, Paul, and a long list of others you can find in Hebrews 11.

These were not simpletons who went blindly through life, these were men and women who counted the cost and trusted God, even to the death: "But others trusted God and were tortured, preferring to die rather than turn from God and be free. They placed their hope in the resurrection to a better life. Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world . . ." Hebrews 11:35-38).

These heroes of the faith foresaw the danger ahead and took precautions. That's why they're heroes! Their trust was in God and even though death was a possibility they decided they would rather die with him than live without him.

On the other hand there are those who chose otherwise: the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus and back to his riches; most of the Pharisees lived legalistically within an arm's length of the Truth that would set them free; Pilate found Jesus not guilty but turned him over to be crucified anyway; and appropriately found in John 6:66, "At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him." These are the simpletons who go blindly on their way and suffer the consequences.

They remind me of the Indiana man who, in 1996, was using his cigarette lighter to check the barrel of his rifle when it discharged and he suffered the consequences. The police said he was cleaning his muzzle-loader because it had been misfiring. He was using the lighter to look into the barrel when the gunpowder ignited, killing him. Once again, these are the simpletons who go blindly on their way and suffer the consequences.

With eternity in mind, there are those who know about Jesus and even serve him but do not know him. John said, "I write this to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Why do some people chose to go blindly through life and suffer the consequences?

On May 9, 1980, Margaret, Sarah, Carey, and I still lived in Clearwater, Florida. I clearly remember waking up that morning to hear on the news that The Sunshine Skyway Bridge connecting Pinellas and Manatee Counties had been hit by a ship and one span had collapsed. I remember hearing about the yellow Buick that slid to a stop fourteen inches from the remaining end of the bridge surface. I was told that the men in that car immediately got out of their car, climbed to safety, and began waving their arms to stop other vehicles with passengers headed to certain death. These men saw the danger ahead, took precautions, and now were warning others. Hopefully, there were no simpletons on the bridge that day who avoided the warnings and went blindly over the edge.

The world is full of simpletons today who are headed headlong into eternity without any hope. We who know Jesus have taken the necessary precautions and are safe and secure. What about them? Some will heed the warnings and some will not. We cannot make their choices and stop their cars but we can show them the Way.

Jesus said, "I am the Way . . ."

We know the Way!

Let's show it!

Common Sense!

"Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done."

-Calvin E. Stowe

"The person who strays from common sense will end up in the company of the dead."

-Proverbs 21:16

Helloooo! Have you ever read package warnings and wondered, "What were they thinking? Were they thinking?" Here are a few somewhat goofy warnings for some products you may recognize:

An automobile windshield cover warns, "Caution: Never drive with cover on your windshield." Hmmmm!

This one is great from a label on children's cough medicine, "Do not drive or operate heavy machinery."

Tesco's Teramiso has this warning printed on the bottom of a dessert package, "Do not turn upside down."

A Pop Tarts warning says, "Warning: Filling May Be Hot When Heated."

Sign at Railroad Station, "Beware! To touch these wires is instant death. Anyone found doing so will be persecuted."

Here's a real winner found in a safety handbook for Cayman Airlines, "If you are seated in an exit aisle and are unable to read this, please ask a stewardess to reseat you."

A windshield washer fluid warning, "Cannot be made non-poisonous."

The warning on a hammer, "Caution: Do not use this hammer to strike any solid object."

A coffee cup warning says, "Caution: Hot beverages are hot!"

A warning on a microwave oven, "Do not use for drying pets."

"Do not use orally." This warning is found on, of all places . . . a toilet bowl cleaning brush.

A hotel shower cap, "Fits one head only."

Christmas lights from China explain, "For indoor or outdoor use only." ????

This is one of my favorites found on Korean Kitchen Knives, "Keep out of children." Ouch!

We certainly do live in a world where common sense is not very common any more. Like the two neighbors who were attempting to trim the top of a hedge between their properties: they decided to use a rotary mower! Yep, that's right! One guy on each side of the hedge holding the mower at the desired height would be simple enough to quickly take care of the job. But it didn't. The mower slipped resulting in several fingers quickly removed from one man's hand, sending him to the local emergency room, and surgery. Common sense? I don't think so.

But as Paul Harvey would say, "And now the rest of the story." The man who owned the mower and lost the fingers, sued the mower manufacturer and won the lawsuit! Why? The judge ruled that the manufacturer should have had written instructions in the operating manual stating: "Warning: This mower may not be used to trim hedges." How did that judge become a judge? Common sense, where are you?

It's also common sense to know that somewhere out there is a creator, designer, and maker of all we see around us. "The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world" (Psalm 19:1-4).

"May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (Psalm 115:15).

Common sense declares that all we see around us is not the result of two masses of nothing colliding in outer space, billions of years ago, and producing everything! Ain't no way!

Common sense reminds us that there is a God. (Common sense has a little help here from God.) "God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We know there's a God, we do. It's programmed into our souls and whether we admit it or not, we know.

Common sense also tells us that Jesus is real. I know there are people who do not believe the Bible so forget about the Bible just for a second. Even without the Gospels, even without the Bible, Jesus was an historical figure.

Josephus, a very important Jewish historian of the first century wrote,

"About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man. For he was one who wrought surprising feats and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third he he appeared to them restored to life, for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvelous things about him. And the tribe of Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared" (Flavius Josephus, Complete Works, Antiquities of The Jews, 379).

Remember, this was written by a man, a Pharisee, who was not a follower of Jesus. He was a historian! There are other historians as well who reinforce the life of Christ, his life, and his death: Thallus, Julius Africanus, Tertullian, Phlegon, and others. According to history, Jesus was a real man, had followers later called Christians, was executed surrounded by earthquakes and darkness in the middle of the day, and lived again. Common sense tells me this Jesus was real and he did what the Bible says he did. And he is God!

Common sense tells me that the world needs Jesus. We are in such a mess and things are getting worse ever day! "For all have sinned; and fall short of God's glorious standard" (Romans 3:23). Look around! Things are not getting better. We need a Savior! We need Jesus. "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9).

"For the truth about God is known to them instinctively. God has put this knowledge in their hearts. From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can clearly see his invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God" (Romans 1:19-20).

It's common sense!

Procrastination.

"When a man does a household job, he goes through three periods: contemplating how it will be done; contemplating when it will be done; and contemplating."

-Marcelene Cox

"We are all fugitives, and the things we didn't do yesterday are the bloodhounds."

-Prism

"Procrastination is not only the thief of time; it is also the grave of opportunity."

-Christian Clippings

"Procrastination is my sin.

It brings me naught bur sorrow.

I know that I should stop it.

In fact, I will--tomorrow!"

-Gloria Pitzer

"Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday."

-Napoleon Hill

"If you are too lazy to plow in the right season, you will have no food at the harvest."

-Proverbs 20:4 NLT

Why do today what we can put off until tomorrow? That seems to be the motto of today. Do you suppose it's because everyone is so busy that it is absolutely impossible to do all we want to do or are we content to just get by? I grew up in a farming community and I know that there will be no harvest unless there's been plowing and planting . . . at the right time. This verse, however, says nothing about being too busy; it says something about being too lazy. No matter what, too lazy, too busy, or too unorganized, you won't get anything accomplished unless you start.

Procrastinate doesn't even sound like a healthy word, does it? It means, to "delay or postpone action; put off doing something." Why do today what we can put off until tomorrow? Think about this:

1. Forget about tomorrow. "How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like a morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone" (James 4:14). Do it today!

2. No excuses! When we procrastinate we always make excuses:

"I need to think this through."

"I need to get organized."

"I'm not in the mood."

"This is harder than I thought it would be."

"I have other things to do."

"I have plenty of time."

"I work better under pressure."

We've used some of those, haven't we?

3. Count the cost. Procrastination produces, stress, anxiety, guilt, lack of self-confidence, broken relationships, and bad consequences. Will Rogers said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there!"

4. Set some goals. Start small and only do one goal at a time.

5. Beware of too much. Busy doesn't make us successful and it doesn't make us spiritual; it just makes us busy! Learn to say, "No" and do it often. Did you ever notice that God called men and women in the Scriptures to do one thing at a time?

6. Write 'em down. Write down your goals and plans, journal about your accomplishments and completions. Celebrate too! The same planning that seems to take your time will also make more time.

7. Find time, make time, and take time. Use your calendar, schedule your days, and review from time to time. Do a two week evaluation of how you use your time. You'll be surprised!

8. Clear clutter. Organize. I have three major goals right now. They could also be placed in the file, Three Major Miracles! My goals are to clean and organize the garage, clean and organize the study, and clean and organize the basement. These three places are the places I can be the most productive . . . when they are organized. I read in a time management book that the number one culprit for wasting time is . . . looking for lost items, tools, books, etc. I'm King of Clutter right now but that is changing!

9. Get accountability. We need someone reliable to check up on us and our progress. We've got to be honest too . . . and no excuses (See No. 2)!

10. Enjoy the excitement of getting things done on time and for God's glory: "Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than people" (Colossians 3:23).

If we don't plow, we won't harvest. Everybody knows that, even folks from the cities! Truett Cathy, in his book, "It's Easier To Succeed Than To Fail," has a chapter entitled, "You Can't Succeed If You Don't Start." He begins that chapter with these words, "The longest journey begins with the first step. Ahead of each person is a pilgrimage to success, a journey characterized by challenge and adventure."

But who will start? And when?

Truth.

"Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks, and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks."

-Phillip Brooks

"Truth has to change hands only a few times to become fiction."

-Dawson County (GA) Advertiser

"A truth that's told with bad intent

Beats all the lies you can invent."

-William Blake

"A man who is proud that he always tells the truth should first make sure that he tells the necessary truths for honorable motives, and not unnecessary truths for hurtful motives."

-Anonymous

"A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape."

-Proverbs 19:5

"A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will be destroyed."

-Proverbs 19:9

"There was also a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception.

"Then Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God.'

"As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell on the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified" (Acts 5:1-5).

You know the rest of the story. Three hours later Mrs. Ananias came to the apostles, used the same lie, and was told, "Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out, too" (v. 9). Poor Sapphira . . . she hit the floor and died too! Neither one escaped and both were destroyed.

Not all who lie will drop dead like Ananias and Sapphira but lies will come back and may make liars wish they were dead. Even confessed lies have a way of haunting us for years. Some even come back to plague and slowly suck the life out of liars. We do know from these scriptures that liars will be punished, will not escape, and will be destroyed. Lying puts a person in great danger!

Ananias and Sapphira were okay with the sale of their property. Peter even told Ananias, "The property was yours to sell . . ." It wasn't the sale of the property that got him into trouble (and the grave), it was the lie!

Ananias and Sapphira told not only a lie but committed a premeditated crime. "He (Ananias) brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception." This couple thought about the lie before it was even audible. It was a lie that came from the heart, to the mind, to the tongue, to the grave. Many lies are for our own personal defense (still wrong) but this lie was premeditated, deceptive, and deadly.

You've got to wonder why Ananias and Sapphira lied in the first place. We know that Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart?" What was the devilish motivation? Was it pride? Did Ananias and Sapphira want to get their names on the church giving honor roll? Did someone else give more? We know others had given: ". . . people who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need" (Acts 4:34-35).

We also know a man named Joseph, " . . . sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for those in need" (Acts 4:37).

We can only theorize as to why they lied. Pride is a strong contender for the motive but it's just a guess on my part. Whatever the motivation, a lie was spoken, and the outcome was disaster.

Ananias and Sapphira didn't lie to the apostles or anyone else who may have been present that day, they lied to God. Peter said, "How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God." How it must hurt the heart of God when we lie. God is truth and when we lie we personally attack his character, integrity, and holiness.

I do not know one person who has never lied! Not one person. Not even our wonderful grandchildren!

Last week I went outside to the garage and, low and behold, in our driveway I found two dogs, four of our grandkids . . . and one pile of glass that was, at one time, a jar.

"Who did this?" I asked.

"I didn't do it. It was Trey," responded Maddie.

"I didn't do it," said Ryan.

"I didn't do it," answered Drew.

Trey said, "Not me!"

Being older and wiser and a lot more spiritual, I rephrased the question, "I don't think you understood what I asked. I didn't ask who didn't break the jar, I asked who did break it. Somebody broke it and I would like to know who."

"I don't know."

"Me either."

"Ummm . . . it was Trey," said Maddie.

"?"

Being older and wiser and a lot more spiritual and a little more frustrated, I said, "So nobody knows who broke the jar, is that right?"

No response, only four kids checking out the asphalt at their feet.

"That means all four of you are lying, right? Nobody's telling the truth."

No response.

"You do know that God says lying is wrong, don't you?"

Nodding of four heads, all in the "yes" direction.

"Okay then, who broke the jar?"

"I didn't do it. It was Trey," responded Maddie.

"I didn't do it," said Ryan.

"I didn't do it," answered Drew.

Trey said, "Not me!"

I finally said, "If you guys break something accidentally I want to know it. I won't be upset with you. I just want you to tell me the truth. Things can happen accidentally, lies happen on purpose. I'd like to know who broke this but I don't think I'm going to get the answer. If you guys are going to come up here, break stuff, and lie about it, maybe you should play at home."

I wasn't mad but I was extremely disappointed . . . and they didn't go home (I'm glad). I was very disappointed that four of my own grandkids would lie to me and stick to their guns about their lies. Who knows? Maybe all four were telling the truth. I'm sure there must be phantom glass-breakers who live under the chicken house or perhaps lightning hit that jar that sunny morning or a small meteorite . . . I don't know. Probably never will.

I do know this, it sure made me think of the many times I've disappointed and hurt my heavenly Father. I believe I could even sense just a tiny, tiny bit of the grief I must put on the heart of the Father every time I do one of those I-didn't-do-it things.

Yep, we're all liars. We've all got it coming.

"But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that you have been saved)" (Ephesians 2:4).

God's grace is sufficient.

By the way . . .

Trey didn't do it.

Mythbusters.

"Always tell the truth. Then you don't have to worry about what you said last."

-Robert Cook

"Some people live their whole lives just around the corner from the world of truth."

-Carl F. H. Henry

"Four high school boys, afflicted by spring fever, skipped morning classes. After lunch they reported to the teacher that their car had a flat tire.

"Much to their relief, she smiled and said, 'Well, you missed a test this morning, so take seats apart from one another and get out your notebooks.'

"When they had settled down, she said, 'First question: which tire was flat?'"

-Foster Quinn

"Any story sounds true until someone sets the record straight."

-Proverbs 18:17

In 1973 Adrian Rogers shared the following illustration at The National Conference on Revival at Castle Hills Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas. Because of its nature, humor, and message related to this Proverb, I thought you would enjoy it.

"Did you hear about the man who came into the church office one day? Oh, he was so upset! He had just opened the broom closet and in that broom closet there were five brand new brooms. He hit the ceiling!

"He went into the secretary's office and said, 'Who authorized anybody to buy five brand new brooms at one time?' Well of course she didn't know so he went to the educational director and he couldn't satisfy this man and finally it ended up on the pastor's desk . . . and there was this man, just fuming!

"The pastor said, 'Well, brother, I don't know why we bought five brooms, maybe we use a lot of brooms, maybe there was a sale on brooms, I don't know, but listen man, it's not worth all that. Don't get so exercised over just five brooms!'

"(You know, every church has its self-styled watchdog.)

"So later on the pastor was talking to the treasurer about this thing and he said, 'You know, I don't understand how a man can get so upset over just five brooms.'

"The treasurer just laughed and said, 'Well pastor, I can understand that. How would you feel if you saw everything you'd given to the church in the past year . . . tied up in five new brooms?'"

Someone set that story straight!

Here's another:

"Some time later, two prostitutes came to the king (Solomon) to have an argument settled.

"'Please, my Lord,' one of them began, 'this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a baby while she was with me in the house. Three days later, she also had a baby. We were alone; there was only two of us in the house. But her baby died during the night when she rolled over on it. Then she got up in the night and took my son from me while I was asleep. She laid her dead child in my arms and took mine to sleep beside her. And in the morning when I tried to nurse my son, he was dead! But when I looked more closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't my son at all.'

"Then the other woman interrupted, 'It certainly was your son, and the living child is mine.'

"'No,' the first woman said, 'the dead one is yours, and the living one is mine.' And so they argued back and forth before the king.

"Then the king said, 'Let's get the facts straight. Both of you claim the living child is yours, and each says that the dead child belongs to the other. All right, bring me a sword.' So a sword was brought to the king. Then he said, 'Cut the living child in two and give half to each of these women!'

"Then the woman who really was the mother of the living child, and who loved him very much, cried out, 'Oh no, my Lord! Give her the child--please do not kill him!'

"But the other woman said, 'All right, he will be neither yours nor mine; divide him between us.'

"Then the king said, 'Do not kill him, but give the baby to the woman who wants him to live, for she is the mother'" (1 Kings 3:16-27)!

Before you share a story . . .

set the record straight.

Grandchildren.

"Nothing makes a child as smart as having grandparents."

-Franklin P. Jones

"Children need models rather than critics."

-Joseph Joubert

"Elephants and grandchildren never forget."

-Andy Rooney

"Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children."

-Proverbs 17:6 NLT

A few Saturdays ago I wanted to paint the chicken house. (The bunnies live there too.) To do so I enlisted the help of our grandchildren . . . and one stray; he's one of our adopted grandkids and we count him as part of the crew. After giving out brushes and two one-gallon cans of barn red paint they began painting and did a very good job. I do realize now that I need taller grandkids since the chicken house was only painted about two-thirds of the way up the walls. (I finished the upper portion later.) It was a fun project and we did accomplish a lot in a rather short period of time. We also had great fun doing something together. We do have one bunny with a barn red nose but other than that things seemed rather normal for a painting project. Our next project will be the treehouse and then, maybe, the garage.

I'm sure you've seen the bumper sticker, "If I had known grandkids were so much fun I would have had them first!" My favorite grandkid quote is, "Grandkids are God's blessing for not killing your kids!"

We have a sign in our kitchen:

NANA'S KITCHEN

WHERE MEMORIES ARE MADE

AND GRANDKIDS ARE SPOILED.

Ever since we've had that sign I've wanted to take a marker and add the word, "rotten" at the end! Maybe I'll do that today!

Nana is a much better grandparent than I. She has more patience in her little finger than I would have in my whole body if I could live three lifetimes. She thinks they won't really get clean unless they take their baths at our house. Our pantry is their Snack Shack. (The snacks are usually the healthy kind but the grandkids don't know that!) Often one or two can be found sleeping on a Nana-made bed at the foot of our bed. That's Nana! I'm thinking, "Margaret, you do know they have their own bedrooms about a hundred yards from here!"

Children are important to Jesus. In Mark 10:13-16, we read, "One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him. But when Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He said to them, 'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.' Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them."

As I see it, Jesus did two much needed things that day: He touched the children and he blessed the children. Actually, Jesus did three much-needed things that day because he taught some parents and his own disciples that children were very important to him.

Kids need to be touched! They need hugs, pats on the back, high-fives, tickles, and lots of love. But kids can be touched in other ways as well. We can always be touching their hearts and minds and spirits. We can encourage, motivate, challenge, strengthen, and teach. Our homes should be havens where children can hide out in security, love, and acceptance. Reggie Joiner, one of the greatest children's workers I know, said, "What happens at home is more important than what happens at church." I recently baptized two young girls, both were led to Jesus by their parents at home! Isn't that great? Touched!

Children need to be blessed! I'm not sure what all that entails. I looked up bless in the dictionary and the picture is somewhat clearer. Bless means, "to confer or invoke divine favor upon; ask God to look favorably on; express or feel gratitude to; thank." Blessed is "endowed with divine favor and protection." In the light of those definitions I can see how Jesus feels.

Jesus overrulled his disciples, "'Let the children come to me. Don't stop them!' . . . Then he took the children into his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them." Dr. Charles Stanley said, "The Greek word implies He blessed them fervently. We wonder if He prayed to His Father out loud for each child. Perhaps He used an Old Testament benediction. We can be sure the parents never, ever forgot what they saw and heard.

"Perhaps the disciples didn't, either."

That leads us to our third much-needed thing: Children are very important and valuable to Jesus. They are priceless treasures that he invokes divine favor upon, looks favorably on, is thankful for, and wants protected. And, he wants to use us, parents and grandparents, in the process.

And . . . we better do it now. They grow up way to fast. The great theologian, Erma Bombeck, wrote these words about the statement, "Why don't you grow up?"

"It's not time yet. It can't be. I''m not finished. I had all the teaching and the discipline and the socks to pick up and the buttons to sew on, and those lousy meal worms to feed the lizard every day. . . . There was no time for loving. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Did they ever know I smiled? Did they ever understand my tears? Did I talk too much? Did I say too little? Did I ever look at them and really see them? Did I now them at all? Or was it all a lifetime of 'Why don't you grow ups?'

"I walk through the house and mechanically shut a refrigerator door that is already shut. I stoop to retrieve a towel that has not fallen to the floor but hangs neatly on the towel rack. From habit, I smooth out a spread that is already free of wrinkles. I answer a phone that has not rung and with a subtlety that fools no one, I hide the cake in the over.

"And I shout, 'Why don't you grow up?'

"And the silence where once abounded frustration, fear, disappointment, resentment, compassion, joy, and love echoes, 'I did.'"

They do.