Utica Baptist Church, Utica, Mississippi

    A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter.

　 Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous.

　 When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know."

Our world is filled with a lot of turmoil, isn't it? Seems it's always been that way. But some days our own personal worlds seem to be a bit overwhelming. Sometimes it's something we can actually identify, but other times we can't really put our thumbs on it. There's just a sense that something isn't right, and we don't know how to fix it. We're sort of like the quote I read by Marion Howard: "Life is like a blanket too short. You pull it up and your toes rebel, you yank it down and shivers meander about your shoulder, but cheerful folks manage to draw their knees up and pass a very comfortable night."

But let's relax just a bit. Life is full of heartache, challenge, grief and frustration. That's just, well, life! But it's also full of joy, beauty, accomplishment and purpose. But only as we take the hand of our Master and submit to His leading to do things His way can we know the abundant life He told us about and that He came to give.

Bottom line: "The Lord is my shepherd, and that's all we need to know."

--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

The New Orleans Times-Picayune several years ago carried a story entitled "Man Dedicates Life to Serving the Dead." It was about Charley King, who served as caretaker of the Rand District Cemetery in the old mining town of Johannesburg, California. At that time, he had been caretaker there for ten years, and was paid $10 a month by the cemetery board to keep the weeds down, do a little watering, and keep everything groomed.

King admitted, "It ain't much money, but somebody's got to do it. I've got a lot of good friends 6 feet under up here. Least I can do is to keep the place looking' halfway decent for them." King had not had his picture taken in years, and would not even allow it for the article, which originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. "I ain't looking for no glory," he insisted.

　 Charley King's work and service was admirable--and all for ten dollars a month. But if he could "serve the dead" in such an unselfish manner, shouldn't we be at least as willing to serve the Living, the One who was dead, and now lives forevermore?

-Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

  The Fall 2001 edition of Proclaim! included a little story about a hand surgeon who specializes in reattaching fingers that have been partially or completely severed in accidents. When he enters the operating room, he knows he will be squinting into a microscope for six to eight hours, sorting out and stitching together the snarl of nerves, tendons, and blood vessels finer than human hairs. A single mistake, and the patient may permanently lose moment or sensation.

Once the surgeon received an emergency call at three in the morning and was really not looking forward to undertaking such a tedious procedure at that time of the morning. To add incentive and help him focus, he decided to dedicate that surgery to his father who had recently died. For the next several hours, he imagined his father standing beside him, encouraging him with a hand on his shoulder.

His little technique worked so well that he began dedicating his surgeries to other people he knew, even waking them up to tell them so!

Then one day he realized that as a Christian, he should offer his life to God in the same way. All the little routine things of his day--answering phone calls, dealing with staff, seeing patients, scheduling surgeries--remained the same, but somehow they were different. The task of living a life for God now began to overshadow his days, and he soon began to treat others with more respect and care.

I wonder if we might do the same? We may not be hand surgeons, but we each have tasks and duties for which we are responsible. There are others who depend on us. Wouldn't it be marvelous if we could "dedicate" each day to the Lord, imagining Him standing beside us with a hand on our shoulders, watching us, guiding us, counseling us, walking with us?

If we would do that, I believe we would find that even the simplest, most routine things in our lives would become colored with a holy sense of His presence with us.

--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

  "Your word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens."

Psalm 119:89

Two landlubbers were at sea for the first time. Looking out over the ocean, one said, "That's the most water I have ever seen." The other replied, "Yes, and that's just the top of it."

 When we gaze at the wonders of Scripture, we may be in awe as was the first guy above. We read Psalm 23 and enjoy its wonderful treasures and comfort. But let us remember that we could never completely understand everything about Him or His love. What we experience, what we see, “is just the top of it.”

Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas is the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public. About once a month, park rangers plow a 37 1/2 acre field to bring diamonds to the top, so visitors can just walk along and pick them up. Or if they bring their own equipment, they can dig down to see if there are some still below the surface. And if you find one, you get to keep it!

God's Word can be compared to that diamond field. Some of the gems are lying right on top of the ground. They are easy to spot and pick up. Others are to be found only after a lot of digging and searching out. We read in Psalm 119:62, "I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil."

God's Word can withstand the most careful scrutiny and examination. In fact, many of the wonders of Scripture can be found only after careful scholarship. The very process of examination can open up new insights into His truth that we may have previously overlooked.

Never should it be used as a weapon to hurt or control others. Never should we search its sacred pages for support of a habit, attitude or lifestyle we've adopted, looking for an excuse to continue. The Bible says what it says.

William Gladstone called it an "impregnable rock." Roy Smith wrote, "More people are troubled by what is plain in Scripture than by what is obscure."

Obey what you do understand. Commit the rest of it to God. He can handle it.
--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

"Prepare your minds for action."
(1 Peter 1:13)

The late President John Kennedy liked to tell a story about his grandfather, Fitzgerald. As a small boy in Ireland, Fitzgerald would walk home from school with a group of boys. The others in the group would climb over the jagged, high cobblestone walls near the path home, since that route was shorter.

Some of the fences were 10-12 feet high, and were difficult to climb. The other, older boys all were able to do it, but Fitzgerald always had to go around. But one day, he took his cap off and threw it over the wall. Going home without his cap meant that he would be punished, so he knew that he would have to climb over to retrieve it. And he did.

Each of us occasionally needs to create a challenge for ourselves, which forces us to reach out farther than normal, to do something we would not normally do.

Isn't that what faith is about? What walls are crowding your life, perhaps blocking your way? They loom over you, intimidating you and draining your enthusiasm.  In the New Year ahead, think about those areas of your life with God that are blocked by a lack of commitment, laziness, or just simply because you don't really desire to be close to Him. You know those things are necessary for your growth as a believer, but so far you just haven't achieved the impetus to get things moving.

Perhaps it's time to throw your cap over a wall. Set a challenge for yourself that will cause you to stretch beyond where you have settled down in your Christian life. Reach out to someone. Volunteer. Make a difference. Pray. Give. Read your Bible. Attend Sunday School and Worship regularly. Maybe even come to an evening service from time to time. Whatever it is, give yourself to it. Commit your heart to Him, so that this time next year you can look back and be thankful for a year in which you drew closer to your Savior.

--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

 "…and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." (Luke 2:18)

The wonder of that night never lost its brilliance for them. For years after they first heard the angels announce the birth of Jesus, the shepherds probably told and retold the story.

They may have said something like, "It was a night just like this one, when we were watching over the flocks during the night. We were standing right about where you are right now, when suddenly we were bathed and surrounded by an overwhelming Light, the glory of which we had never seen before."

They would go on to describe as best they could the appearance of the first angel, and the impact of his words on them. They would tell of their hurried trip to Bethlehem, and of their discovery of the Baby in the manger, just as the angel had said.

The commonplace was glorified in the sense that God was present in the midst of their routine as never before. It was "holy ground."

These types of experiences are not limited to those times when the Bible is open on our laps. They do not come only when we are praying alone in the woods, while watching a beautiful sunrise, or only in the church building on Sunday morning.

In fact, if our relationships with Christ are real at all, holy ground moments will happen even in the routine of our lives. When we have just one of these holy ground moments with God, the rest of life takes on a radiant freshness–the sparkling presence of God that glistens and glimmers and dances through our lives.

The shepherds went back to the routine of tending their sheep. Yet they never got over it. May we each have such an experience with God--"a holy ground moment"--that we never get over it.

--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

"Look for the light of God that is hitting your life, and you will find sparkles you didn't know were there."--Barbara Johnson

Every year this time, we begin the search for just the right gift for that special person. It has to be just right--in fact, "ideal" would be a better word! Here's a little help for you as you look for the ideal Christmas gifts for those you love.

The ideal Christmas gift, first of all, must say something about the giver. The gifts we give to others tell them how special we consider them to be. What we give to others gives them an idea of our tastes, our generosity, and our carefulness in selecting the gift. Our gifts to others say something about us, like it or not.

Second, the ideal Christmas gift must say something about the needs of the person who receives it. An ideal gift must be meaningful as well as useful. A baseball glove probably would not be very useful to your wife, nor would your husband appreciate receiving a bottle of Chanel No. 5! But if your dad likes to read for relaxation, a good book would be a useful gift. If your mother's feet get cold easily, then a thick pair of socks might be ideal. Considering the needs of those you love is a good way to pick out the ideal gift for them.

But stop and think just a minute. The Ideal Christmas Gift has already been given, when God sent His Only Son! Take these same two marks of an ideal gift and apply them to Jesus: do they fit?

Of course they do! First, the gift of God's Only Son says something about the Giver. It says that God loved the people of the world so much that He was willing to become one of us. It says that God is intimately interested in every one of us. And it says a whole lot more.

The Gift of God's Son also says something about the needs of those who receive Him. Like it or not, we all have sinned. Left to ourselves, we cannot please God, which is in itself a colossal need. Jesus meets that need that providing eternal life to those who receive Him.

Yes, Jesus is the Ideal Christmas Gift! And God offers Him to you--today. Won't you receive the Gift of God--eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord?

--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

In 1997 the sit-com "Seinfeld" had an episode where one of the characters tried to introduce a new holiday. He called it "a Festivus for the rest of us." A few years ago there was another attempt at inventing a new holiday. In their Christmas season television commercials, Virgin Mobile introduced "Chrismahanukwanzakah"--devoted to "everything people love about the holidays." The word is a combination of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza. And it was simply nothing more than a light-hearted attempt of one company trying to make money from everybody, regardless of what they celebrate this time of year.

But it has moved past some little television commercial. Now there's also "Chrismukkah." Ron and Michelle Gompertz founded a company which sells Chrismukkah cards and other items commemorating both Christian and Jewish faiths, and whoever else wants to join in. Within their very first month of operation seven years ago, they sold 25,000 cards. This is how their website defines "Chrismukkah":

"Chrismukkah- the merry mish-mash, one-size-fits-all, unisex, alternative, non-denominational, non-judgmental, non-polluting, all-inclusive, sustainable, holistic, X-treme hybrid holiday celebrating diversity, religious tolerance, ideological, theological and political freedom, peace on earth and the inter-connectedness between all animals, plants and minerals.

Huh?

It has long been one of my contentions that what Satan cannot destroy, he will imitate. And this conglomeration of holidays, combining Christian, Jewish and secular symbols, is a prime example. For many years Satan and his minions have attempted to de-Christianize Christmas. Lawsuits against cities and towns over nativity scenes, schools purging any reference to the Christian meaning of Christmas, department stores eliminating any mention of Christmas in their advertising--it all combines to remove Christ from Christmas.

So let me encourage you--if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ--to make extra sure that your observance of Christmas is decidedly and pointedly Christian. Let there be no mistake or misunderstanding which holiday you are observing--and why.

--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com

 Ah, Sovereign Lord…nothing is too hard for you." Jeremiah 32:17

I was her family's pastor from 1990-1994. She was a young teenager then; now she is grown with a family of her own. Her name is Rana Ragland Bryant, and she has written of an experience she had one night with Joe, her son. Joe had written a note to a fellow fourth-grade friend and then slipped it inside his book bag to take to school the next day.

When they had finished saying prayers, Rana asked little Joe, "What was the note about?"

　 Joe said, "He's gotta go to the doctor tomorrow, and I wanted him to know I would be praying for him." Rana asked Joe if she could read the note and, with his permission, she went downstairs and opened the note to see these words: "Don't worry, God's got this."

　 Rana commented that she needed to remind herself every day of those three little words: "God’s got this."

I think we all need to remind ourselves of those three little words, don't we? Life is not always what we had in mind. It hasn't always played out according to script. Well, not our script anyway. The truth is, we don't always know what we need anyway. Life sometimes is too confusing, too busy, too loud, too--real. When we try to take matters into our own hands, we soon discover that we can't handle it.

But God can! He is quite capable of handling anything that comes, every day that comes. Arriving at the place where we can honestly believe that God can handle whatever comes requires that we pull a few things into perspective. Seeing things the way God sees them makes a big difference in our approach to life--even if it doesn't turn out the way we thought it would.

Then, with a new focus, we make fresh discoveries about God, ourselves, and the world He made. So whatever we face, let's remember the wisdom of a little fourth-grader named Joe, compressed into three little words:

"God's got this."

--Rocky Henriques

The Green Bay Packers of the National Football League are different from every other professional football teams in America, in that the team is publicly owned. In 1922, local merchants put up $2,400 to save the floundering football franchise, establishing a public nonprofit corporation.

Now the team is planning what will be only their fifth stock sale. This one would raise funds for renovations at Lambeau Field, where they play all of their home games. The people of the area are being asked to prove whether or not they really love the Green Bay Packers.

There are 112,205 shareholders who own approximately 4.75 million shares. The stock pays no dividends, and demand for tickets is so great that many of the shareholders will never get to see a game in person.

There is a season-ticket waiting list of about 86,000 names, with only about 90 people per year getting the chance to become ticket holders. It is said that a name placed on the list today would be eligible for season tickets in 955 years!

It is common in Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities to put a baby's name on the list as soon as the birth certificate is issued. You can even leave your season tickets to surviving family members in your will.

Lambeau Field is the NFL's second-oldest stadium, having been built in 1957. In the year 2000, the Packers asked for a half-percent increase in Brown County's sales tax to help finance a $295 million renovation.

　　 Packer fans are known as the most faithful, but the tax increase to give their beloved Lambeau Field met much opposition. A poll taken by the "Green Bay Press-Gazette" found that only 53 percent were in favor of the tax increase. Tom Olejniczak served as chairman of Team Lambeau, a group which supported passage of the tax increase. He says, "I think people realize the Packers are the heart and soul of this community. I think this vote will be one heavily weighted in emotion -- for the Packers and against the tax."

　 SO IT IS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. We loudly and boldly declare our love for God, His Word, and our church. Yet when it begins to cost us something, we grow strangely quiet. There is much at stake. In our day, with all the world in turmoil such as we've never seen, it may be time for us to prove our love for God, to take a serious stand for the Kingdom, to "put up or shut up."
--Rocky Henriques, www.uticabc.com