Good friends are a blessing

Those of you who regularly read the blog know that I am in the process of having a book of devotions published.  This has become a more arduous and stressful task than I imagined.

I thought I would submit my manuscript and it eventually would come back to me in book form.  Not so fast!

First, the manuscript went through the "content department."  I'm working with a Christian publishing company and they have certain guidelines regarding how a few words can be used or not used.  The manuscript came back with a some of these words highlighted.  They were easily corrected.  I thought we were on our way.

Instead, I received an email informing me that it would be best if I had a line by line edit of the manuscript.  The cost of the service is based on the number of words included in the manuscript.  My cost would be nearly $1000! 

I was shocked.  This was money that I hadn't expected to pay and my review of the corrections they were proposing didn't seem all that important.  I was more than a little frustrated to say the least.

So I reached out to Jim, a good friend of mine and a published author.  I respect his opinion and wanted to get his perspective.  He responded with some very good insight about the importance of having another set of eyes taking a critical look at the manuscript.  Yes, this service would bring about additional costs, Jim wrote, but it would be worth it if spelling errors, grammatical errors and the like were caught.

Jim helped me gain some perspective and enabled me to see that a line by line, word by word, edit would ensure that the book was as polished and attractive as possible.  His advice and counsel made sense.

Isn't it a blessing to have good friends you can count on for compassionate help and wisdom.  Jim provided that for me.  I hope you have that good friend you can count on too.

The Lord Speaks to You

Often I tell people that if you want to hear the voice of the Lord, open your Bible and start to read.  I needed to hear from the Lord this morning.  And I did.

Do not fret yourself because of evildoers, do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like the green grass fade away.

Put your trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
Take delight in the Lord, and he shall give you your heart's desire.
Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in Him, and He will bring it to pass.

The Lord cares for the lives of the godly, and their inheritance shall last for ever.

But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord, He is their stronghold in time of trouble.

The Lord will help them and rescue them; He will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them, because they seek refuge in Him.

Selected verses from Psalm 37. 

The comfort of God's Word

 "His Word will be that sharp-edged sword that will convict you when pride puffs you up, or be that soft blanket that comforts you when pain leaves you feeling wounded."

Joni Eareckson Tada, from "Joni and Ken - An Untold Love Story," page 179

Top Ten Signs Your Pastor Is Playing Too Much Golf

10) Refers to the Sanctuary as "the clubhouse."

9) Announces that his clergy apparel is sponsored by Nike, GE, and American Express.

8) During children's message has the kids critique his putting technique.

7) Visitors to his office are offered coffee or an "Arnold Palmer."

6) Replaces carpet in the narthex with a putting green.

5) Refuses to remove his "Titleist" cap during worship.

4) Can't decide if he wants to visit Wittenberg, the home of the reformation or St. Andrews, the home of golf.

3) Bulletin mistakes are called "bogeys."

2) Identifies five new mission fields for the church.  Coincidentally, they are all golf courses.

And the number one sign that the pastor is playing too much golf:

1) Regrets that he named his first born son, "Tiger." 

Excuses, excuses

Did your parents ever have to write a note to a school teacher asking that you be excused from class? My dear, sweet wife bought me a devotional book from author and humorist, Ken Davis, that offered some really funny notes from parents. 

My son is under a doctor's care and should not take physical education today.  Please execute him.

Please excuse Lisa for being absent.  She was sick and I had her shot.

Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

And my favorite:

Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday.  We forgot to get the Sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it was Monday, we thought it was Sunday. 

O give me a pity, I'm on a committee

A number of years ago I came across a poem that seemed to capture the frustration that sometimes comes when serving on a committee.  Maybe you can relate.  It went something like this:

O give me a pity, I'm on a committee, Which means that from morning to night...We attend and amend and contend and defend, Without a conclusion in sight.

We confer and concur, we defer and demur, And reiterate all of our thoughts...We revise the agenda with frequent addenda, And consider a load of reports.

We compose and propose, we suppose and oppose, And the points of procedure are fun...But though various notions are brought up a motions, There's terribly little gets done.

We resolve and absolve, but never dissolve, Since it's out of the question for us...What a shattering pity to end our committee, Where else could we make such a fuss!

He is no fool...

"He is no fool who gives up that which he could never keep to gain that which he can never loose."

Jim Elliot