Nick’s Walk

Thanksgiving is an action word. Thankfulness and gratitude are attitudes; but Thanksgiving requires doing something. The Pilgrims didn’t just feel gratitude to the helpful Indians. They had them over for lunch. God knows. I understand that Thanksgiving is about thanking God. Consider that God alone doesn’t need us to take action in thanksgiving. He, like no other, knows our thoughts and appreciates our thankfulness unspoken. We need Thanksgiving. So why all the Thanksgiving? Because we need it. We need to express our thankfulness, because we forget the many reasons we have to be thankful. Like a child at Christmas, we need to make a list and check it twice. Saying it out loud makes it real. There is something confirming about hearing ourselves speak truth. Others need to know. I believe there is even a greater reason for acts of Thanksgiving. We are surrounded by people that need to know that we are thankful for them. We stupidly persist in our belief that the ones we love and appreciate know all about our love and appreciation. We think they have the uncanny power to know what is never expressed or at least too rarely expressed. People need to know that we thank […]

This morning I got up and prepared a post about Thanksgiving Television. I used a TV guide article as my basis. Then I discovered I used a TV Guide story from 2011. Sorry about that. I try again using 2014. Television is as much a part of Thanksgiving as Turkey and giving thanks. You know the television will come on at some time. Why not watch the “best?” Here are my recommendations. Sometimes tongue in cheek. Times are central. Just for you. Today’s Thanksgiving-themed episodes/Specials/Movies: Friends “The One with the Thanksgiving Flashbacks” (11:30 p.m., TV Land) If you are up at this time, you could use some friends. Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (7 p.m., ABC) Charlie’s a classic Saturday Night Live “Thanksgiving” (8 p.m., NBC) THURSDAY Parades: Thanksgiving Day Parade (8 a.m.-11 a.m., CBS) Turn it on while cooking. That way you really don’t have to watch and it’s a tradition. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (8 a.m.-11a.m., NBC) See if you can make cheesier comments than the hosts.  Football: This year the classic match ups and the new ones are all good football. Try to identify any teams the Saints have beaten this year.  Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions (1:30 1.m., CBS) Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (3:30 p.m., […]

“Those engaged in pastoral work are often tempted to adopt efficient management, planning and organization models inspired by the world of business but also a lifestyle and mentality that are guided more by worldly criteria of success and even power than by the criteria Jesus presents to us in the Gospel,” Pope Francis A church is not a business. A business is successful if it has a positive bottom line. Church success is more related to what it gives away and not what it accumulates. Churches can’t be successfully run using business principles. The differences are obvious. Leadership. Businesses have a human CEO. Jesus is the CEO of the church. On earth, churches should have team leadership. The boss is at the right hand of the Father. He speaks through a leadership group not a dictator. Motivation. Businesses are profit driven. Churches are, or should be, Gospel driven. The Gospel is central to every sermon, program and meeting , and the advancement of it both locally and globally drive strategic initiatives. Employees. In business, positions are filled with experienced and trained people. In church, God uses people with spiritual gifts. He uses the unlikely, so He gets the glory. Involvement. In […]

    There’s nothing to eat. Set the table. “The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat,” the house mother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Dinner is served. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. “Mr. Mueller,” he said, “last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in.” Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children. Whose your hero? George Mueller’s trust in God makes him a hero to many. Joel […]

  “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” —James 2:17 (NIV) Help persecuted Christians around the world! The Action Pack program is a great way to get involved with the persecuted church, and a wonderful way to bless Christians in other countries. The Voice of the Martyrs is currently sending Action Packs to Pakistan, Iraq and Sudan. When you place an order for an Action Pack, The Voice of the Martyrs will send you a special pre-printed vacuum bag to be filled with items you select from the list included with your pack (an example list is to the right). After you’re finished packing the bag, ship your Action Pack back to The Voice of the Martyrs, and they will distribute your Action Pack along with a Bible or Gospel storybook to the country that now needs Action Packs the most. Alternatively, you can choose to have The Voice of the Martyrs pack the bag for you and send it to the country that needs Action Packs the most. To order an Action Pack, choose one of the links below. Rosemary and I have a couple of extra action packs. […]

Tonight I sat down in front of the television with my Popeye’s box and said a little prayer of Thanksgiving. I don’t always do that. I say grace in the right settings, but I don’t thank God every time I eat. Now you know. Hope you still love me. Why say thanks tonight? Maybe it’s because I had a great day. It was the couple of hours the grandkids and I spent delivering Thanksgiving bags this morning. We delivered five bags. They all went to houses in neighborhoods I would very likely avoid at night. We delivered to small houses. The entrance to one was a long handicap ramp.  It was obvious the folks who lived in those houses were not well-to-do, but the houses were neat and well-kept. The people we met were courteous and thankful for what we brought. There was a sweet spirit in each of them. One of the homes was so welcoming with a cozy sitting area in the front that we wanted to just sit and visit. At one stop one of the kids said “I would want to live here.” When we finished, we discussed what a great experience it was. Nicky said it best, “They make […]

I was watching Fox News last night. I know that makes me a right-wing wacko, but whatever. When one of Bill O’Rielly’s guests called something a “lie” Bill corrected him saying “misrepresentation” was a better word. Really, Bill? I thought this was the “no spin zone.” Please comment if you can explain the difference between “lie” and “misrepresentation.” Apparently it’s politically incorrect to call a lie, a lie. I heard yesterday about a child who is having a problem with “misrepresentations.”  If kids hear lies, called anything else, is it any wonder that they don’t think lying is a big deal. A recent article I read gave advice about teaching kids honesty. Maybe our nation’s leaders and our television personalities could use an honesty short course as well. Model it – Most behavior is learned. We can’t expect the people who admire and model us to act differently from us. If you expect others to be honest, don’t lie, about anything. Teach it – There are plenty of examples, some of them in scripture, about the value of honesty and the pitfalls of lying. Kids, politicians and news people need to hear them. We once had a President whose nickname […]

I spend lots of time reading articles in my search for good blog material. What? Surprised I sometimes need inspiration? Don’t be. Yesterday I read an article about three things that happy people don’t do.  The three things were Complain, Compare, and Compete. My first thought was, “Good Advice.” If I did less of those three things, I would be happier. However, the words kept running around in my head and they just didn’t seem right or, God forbid, “biblical.” Follow where I drifted. Complain – I hate complainers. I hate myself when I complain. I hate complaining, because I don’t know what I’m suppose to do about the subject of the compliant. I’m told men are fixers. I don’t like it when someone I love complains and I can’t fix it. I know I’m “just suppose to listen” but I’m a man. I can’t do that at least not comfortably. I feel embarrassed when I complain and realize the person I’m complaining to can’t fix it either. I also hate it that he/she wasted time listening. I can point to numerous bible verses which support the idea that grumbling and complaining are not good things. Yet if something isn’t […]