Rooted in Faith
Stories
Contents
"Rooted in Faith" by Peter Andrew Smith
"Counting on God" by Keith Wagner
"Out of this World" by Keith Wagner
* * * * * * *
Rooted in Faith
by Peter Andrew Smith
Psalm 1
Jen took a drink from her water bottle and stepped onto the treadmill. She put her earphones in place and after a couple of minutes settled into a rhythm.
“Hey.” A voice said from beside her.
“Hi Sally.” Jen took out her earphones.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to disturb you,” Sally said. “I just wanted to say hi.”
“You’re not disturbing me at all.” Jen smiled at her friend. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I started to think you’d moved.”
“No.” Sally laughed. “Things just got busy in my life.”
“Ah. Did work get busy at the end of last quarter?”
“Things went absolutely crazy. Why is it that work goes from zero to sixty in seconds? One moment I’m doing okay and the next I’m buried.”
“I does seem to work like that, doesn’t it? How’s your mom doing? Last time we spoke she wasn’t well.”
“Mom? She’s fine and I’ll tell her you were asking about her.” Sally tilted her head to one side. “When was the last time we spoke?”
“Honestly? I think it was sometime before Easter.”
“Wow. It has been a while then.” Sally wiped her brow. “Mom got over her illness and is in pretty good health. Our big news is that we finally got her into a nursing home.”
“Is she settling in?”
“She’s happier than I’ve seen her in years,” Sally said. “Thanks for passing along the contact information for the administrator. He made everything really simple.”
“I’m glad. Give your Mom my best when you see her.” Jen touched the controls. “Are you up for a run?”
“You go ahead.” Sally shook her head. “I think I’m going to call it a day.”
“I’m due for a break. Sit with me for a second.” Jen stepped off the treadmill. “What’s up?”
Sally sat down on the bench. “I’m just out of sorts I guess.”
“Anything in particular?”
“It feels like everything in general.” Sally sighed. “I seem to just run from one crisis to another.”
“Between work and your mom you’ve had a real stressful time lately.” Jen took a drink from her water bottle.
“Yeah.” Sally looked at her friend for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“How do you keep it all together?”
Jen frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you work a job as intense as mine and you’ve got some heavy family responsibility with the twins.”
“They are a handful.” Jen shrugged. “I’m not doing anything that special though.”
“You’re keeping things together,” Sally said “So what’s your secret? How do you manage the stress and the chaos of life?”
Jen took a drink out of her water bottle. “I do what I can to look after myself.”
Sally wiped her chin with the towel. “Yeah maybe I should get back to the gym more regularly.”
“I certainly find it helps me.” Jen looked over at the snacks in Sally’s gym bag and raised an eyebrow.
“I know I should be eating better too,” Sally said. “So taking better care of my body. Yeah, I can see how that would help.”
“That’s a good place to start,” Jen said.
“There’s more?”
Jen nodded. “Physical health is only part of what you need. You also need to be healthy spiritually.”
“I’ve always believed in God you know that.”
“You’ve always believed in exercise too but the way you’re sweating and trying to catch your breath tells me that it has been a while since you did any.”
“I guess that’s true.” Sally took a long drink. “But I go to church and read my Bible.”
“I haven’t seen you in church recently.” Jen frowned. “When was the last time you opened your Bible?”
“It wasn’t that long ago.” Sally tapped her chin. “Okay maybe it has been a while.”
“Well all I can tell you is that if I don’t take the time to worship and be with God then I find that I have trouble handling life.”
“So going to church makes life less chaotic?”
“With the twins?” Jen laughed. “Not in the least. What keeping connected to God does is allow me to stay anchored not matter what those little hurricanes are up to during the day.”
“You know I could use being anchored in my life,” Sally said. “Is the Bible study still running before church?”
“Sure is and you know you are always welcome. We’re working our way through the Psalms.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be there.” Sally eyed the treadmills. “You know maybe I will go for a run. No time like the present. Are you up for it?”
Jen smiled. “Absolutely.”
* * *
Counting on God
by Keith Wagner
1 John 5:9-13
Two scientists were on a field trip in the mountains. They discovered a baby eaglet in a nest just below a dangerous cliff. They wanted to rescue it so they asked the young son of the guide who was with them if he could help. They wanted to lower him down on a rope and retrieve the eaglet. But, the boy was not very enthusiastic and declined. They offered him money, but he still refused. Finally one of the scientists asked the boy how he thought they could rescue the eaglet. The boy replied, “I’d be glad to go down and rescue the eaglet for nothing as long as you let my father hold the rope.”
The boy was willing to hang on to the rope as long as his “father” was holding it. He trusted his father because he had a relationship with him. He had confidence and faith that his father would hold on tight and no harm would come to him.
This, I believe, is the depth of faith that the writer of 1 John is describing when he said, “He who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his own heart.” Our assurance of life eternal is directly linked to our faith.
There are times when we get discouraged. Life can be overwhelming. We face obstacles, setbacks and experience hardships that really test our faith. Those are the times when we can look back in history and remember someone who enabled us to believe in eternity due to the way they lived their lives.
When I have doubts I look to my grandfather, Rev. Dr. B.S. Arnold, who spent his entire life in ministry. He and my grandmother never owned a home until after they retired. They lived in parsonages all during my grandfather’s career as a pastor. I never will forget the first day we all gathered on the sight where my grandparents would build their first house in northern Ohio. There was much work to be done but my grandfather didn’t seem the least bit troubled of the task ahead of him. He had the faith that they would prevail and prevail they did. They had one more house after that and eventually moved into a retirement home. But none of those transitions seemed to phase the faith of my grandfather.
My wife and I like to travel. Whenever we venture out we always make reservations. We don’t like to have to search for a motel late at night. We want to be assured that we have somewhere to sleep. Several years ago we headed for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for our annual family trip. We think of spending time in Myrtle Beach as a little taste of heaven. We made reservations in Asheboro, North Carolina, which is about two-thirds of the way there. Sure enough, when we checked in we had a room waiting. We had also been watching the weather since a hurricane was due to hit the Myrtle Beach area the next day. We couldn’t go on to the beach the next day because it was being evacuated. Much to my surprise the woman at the counter said, “Don’t worry, I heard about the evacuation at Myrtle Beach and I went ahead and reserved your room for an additional night.”
A complete stranger was taking care of us. She reserved a room for us since it was not possible to drive to our destination that day. It rained all day the next day but we found several things to do. We found an antique store where I was able to purchase some collectible books for less than they were worth. We found a shopping mall and a restaurant to eat. More than anything we discovered that Asheboro was a very pleasant community with many wonderful people. Had we only stayed the first night we would not have met any of them.
Believing is what keeps us alive and enables us to experience life to the fullest. Just as we were assured of having a place to stay because of circumstances beyond our control we are assured that eternal life is a reality for us when we believe in God’s son.
* * *
Out of this World
by Keith Wagner
John 17:6-19
In our text Jesus is preparing his disciples for their life in the world. He prays for them and assures them that they will be protected. He will be leaving the world soon, and he wants them to know they will not be abandoned.
However, there is something unique about the disciples. Although they will be living in the world they represent "another world." That is the world of the believer, followers of Christ, disciples of God’s kingdom. They will be in the world but not "of the world."
The world young men and women are stepping into these days is quite different from the world that I graduated in. In the 60’s we lived under the "cold war." No one ever thought of terrorism. We didn’t have cell phones, VCRs or DVDs. Instead of the internet we contacted our friends with a rotary telephone. Gas cost about 30 cents a gallon and it wasn’t difficult to find a job. Even paying for a college education in those days was relatively easy. But, that has all changed.
This is a different world. We are influenced by social media. The world is much smaller and we can communicate anywhere in the world instantaneously. It is very challenging to venture out on your own, since things like utilities, rent, and health insurance are very expensive. The world travels in the fast lane and the majority of folks are doing whatever necessary to survive, even if it means stepping on people in the way.
Our culture has changed too. Our society is much more diverse. For example, your doctor will most likely be from another country. It is very possible that your next door neighbor might be from Japan or Mexico or Vietnam. Or, the company that you work for may be owned by someone overseas.
So, how do we live in this other world Jesus is describing? Jesus said the key is "oneness." The only way to withstand the fierce elements of the world is to stay together. In other words, disunity is our greatest threat.
One time idlers of a seacoast town watched the village smith day after day as he painstakingly wrought every link of a great chain he was forging. Behind his back they scoffed at such care being taken on such an ordinary thing as a chain. But the old craftsman worked on, ignoring them as if he had not heard them at all.
Eventually the chain was attached to a great anchor on the deck of an ocean vessel. For months it was never put to use. But one day the vessel was disabled by a breakdown in its steering apparatus while nearing the coast in a storm. Only a secure anchorage could prevent the vessel from being driven onto the rocky coast. Thus the fate of the ship and hundreds of passengers depended on the strength of that chain. No one knew of the care and skill that had been lavished on each link of that chain by an obscure smith who was only doing his best. The chain held, both the ship and its passengers and crew were saved. A man from "another world" had saved the day. God is just like that chain on the ocean liner. We are connected because each individual faithful person does his or her part. Although we are called to live in the world we are not outside the protective care of God. Our lives may take us to distant corners of the earth but we will never be out of God’s reach.
In March, 1984 there was a malfunction at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in Northern California. It triggered a chain reaction of events that darkened the lights for millions of people in six Western states. The blackout occurred at rush hour which caused hundreds of traffic jams in all the major cities. The trouble originated in Round Mountain, California, substation, about one hundred miles south of the Oregon border. A circuit breaker tripped and circuits all over the West automatically shut down to protect themselves.
One little circuit breaker, tripped in a remote rural area, hundreds of miles away changed the lives of millions of people. How dramatically that breakdown symbolizes the interdependence of our country’s power, transportation and even food production systems. We are one people in more ways than we think. What affects one, can affect all.
The unity of the church is no different. The good one person does, makes the task easier for us all. On the other hand, one bad example can set back the entire church. God’s people, wherever they live on earth, are linked into a grid of community interdependence from which we can never escape. The more we are one, the more we will be an effective church in the world.
*****************************************
StoryShare, May 13, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Rooted in Faith" by Peter Andrew Smith
"Counting on God" by Keith Wagner
"Out of this World" by Keith Wagner
* * * * * * *
Rooted in Faith
by Peter Andrew Smith
Psalm 1
Jen took a drink from her water bottle and stepped onto the treadmill. She put her earphones in place and after a couple of minutes settled into a rhythm.
“Hey.” A voice said from beside her.
“Hi Sally.” Jen took out her earphones.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to disturb you,” Sally said. “I just wanted to say hi.”
“You’re not disturbing me at all.” Jen smiled at her friend. “I haven’t seen you in a while. I started to think you’d moved.”
“No.” Sally laughed. “Things just got busy in my life.”
“Ah. Did work get busy at the end of last quarter?”
“Things went absolutely crazy. Why is it that work goes from zero to sixty in seconds? One moment I’m doing okay and the next I’m buried.”
“I does seem to work like that, doesn’t it? How’s your mom doing? Last time we spoke she wasn’t well.”
“Mom? She’s fine and I’ll tell her you were asking about her.” Sally tilted her head to one side. “When was the last time we spoke?”
“Honestly? I think it was sometime before Easter.”
“Wow. It has been a while then.” Sally wiped her brow. “Mom got over her illness and is in pretty good health. Our big news is that we finally got her into a nursing home.”
“Is she settling in?”
“She’s happier than I’ve seen her in years,” Sally said. “Thanks for passing along the contact information for the administrator. He made everything really simple.”
“I’m glad. Give your Mom my best when you see her.” Jen touched the controls. “Are you up for a run?”
“You go ahead.” Sally shook her head. “I think I’m going to call it a day.”
“I’m due for a break. Sit with me for a second.” Jen stepped off the treadmill. “What’s up?”
Sally sat down on the bench. “I’m just out of sorts I guess.”
“Anything in particular?”
“It feels like everything in general.” Sally sighed. “I seem to just run from one crisis to another.”
“Between work and your mom you’ve had a real stressful time lately.” Jen took a drink from her water bottle.
“Yeah.” Sally looked at her friend for a moment. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“How do you keep it all together?”
Jen frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you work a job as intense as mine and you’ve got some heavy family responsibility with the twins.”
“They are a handful.” Jen shrugged. “I’m not doing anything that special though.”
“You’re keeping things together,” Sally said “So what’s your secret? How do you manage the stress and the chaos of life?”
Jen took a drink out of her water bottle. “I do what I can to look after myself.”
Sally wiped her chin with the towel. “Yeah maybe I should get back to the gym more regularly.”
“I certainly find it helps me.” Jen looked over at the snacks in Sally’s gym bag and raised an eyebrow.
“I know I should be eating better too,” Sally said. “So taking better care of my body. Yeah, I can see how that would help.”
“That’s a good place to start,” Jen said.
“There’s more?”
Jen nodded. “Physical health is only part of what you need. You also need to be healthy spiritually.”
“I’ve always believed in God you know that.”
“You’ve always believed in exercise too but the way you’re sweating and trying to catch your breath tells me that it has been a while since you did any.”
“I guess that’s true.” Sally took a long drink. “But I go to church and read my Bible.”
“I haven’t seen you in church recently.” Jen frowned. “When was the last time you opened your Bible?”
“It wasn’t that long ago.” Sally tapped her chin. “Okay maybe it has been a while.”
“Well all I can tell you is that if I don’t take the time to worship and be with God then I find that I have trouble handling life.”
“So going to church makes life less chaotic?”
“With the twins?” Jen laughed. “Not in the least. What keeping connected to God does is allow me to stay anchored not matter what those little hurricanes are up to during the day.”
“You know I could use being anchored in my life,” Sally said. “Is the Bible study still running before church?”
“Sure is and you know you are always welcome. We’re working our way through the Psalms.”
“Sounds great. I’ll be there.” Sally eyed the treadmills. “You know maybe I will go for a run. No time like the present. Are you up for it?”
Jen smiled. “Absolutely.”
* * *
Counting on God
by Keith Wagner
1 John 5:9-13
Two scientists were on a field trip in the mountains. They discovered a baby eaglet in a nest just below a dangerous cliff. They wanted to rescue it so they asked the young son of the guide who was with them if he could help. They wanted to lower him down on a rope and retrieve the eaglet. But, the boy was not very enthusiastic and declined. They offered him money, but he still refused. Finally one of the scientists asked the boy how he thought they could rescue the eaglet. The boy replied, “I’d be glad to go down and rescue the eaglet for nothing as long as you let my father hold the rope.”
The boy was willing to hang on to the rope as long as his “father” was holding it. He trusted his father because he had a relationship with him. He had confidence and faith that his father would hold on tight and no harm would come to him.
This, I believe, is the depth of faith that the writer of 1 John is describing when he said, “He who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his own heart.” Our assurance of life eternal is directly linked to our faith.
There are times when we get discouraged. Life can be overwhelming. We face obstacles, setbacks and experience hardships that really test our faith. Those are the times when we can look back in history and remember someone who enabled us to believe in eternity due to the way they lived their lives.
When I have doubts I look to my grandfather, Rev. Dr. B.S. Arnold, who spent his entire life in ministry. He and my grandmother never owned a home until after they retired. They lived in parsonages all during my grandfather’s career as a pastor. I never will forget the first day we all gathered on the sight where my grandparents would build their first house in northern Ohio. There was much work to be done but my grandfather didn’t seem the least bit troubled of the task ahead of him. He had the faith that they would prevail and prevail they did. They had one more house after that and eventually moved into a retirement home. But none of those transitions seemed to phase the faith of my grandfather.
My wife and I like to travel. Whenever we venture out we always make reservations. We don’t like to have to search for a motel late at night. We want to be assured that we have somewhere to sleep. Several years ago we headed for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for our annual family trip. We think of spending time in Myrtle Beach as a little taste of heaven. We made reservations in Asheboro, North Carolina, which is about two-thirds of the way there. Sure enough, when we checked in we had a room waiting. We had also been watching the weather since a hurricane was due to hit the Myrtle Beach area the next day. We couldn’t go on to the beach the next day because it was being evacuated. Much to my surprise the woman at the counter said, “Don’t worry, I heard about the evacuation at Myrtle Beach and I went ahead and reserved your room for an additional night.”
A complete stranger was taking care of us. She reserved a room for us since it was not possible to drive to our destination that day. It rained all day the next day but we found several things to do. We found an antique store where I was able to purchase some collectible books for less than they were worth. We found a shopping mall and a restaurant to eat. More than anything we discovered that Asheboro was a very pleasant community with many wonderful people. Had we only stayed the first night we would not have met any of them.
Believing is what keeps us alive and enables us to experience life to the fullest. Just as we were assured of having a place to stay because of circumstances beyond our control we are assured that eternal life is a reality for us when we believe in God’s son.
* * *
Out of this World
by Keith Wagner
John 17:6-19
In our text Jesus is preparing his disciples for their life in the world. He prays for them and assures them that they will be protected. He will be leaving the world soon, and he wants them to know they will not be abandoned.
However, there is something unique about the disciples. Although they will be living in the world they represent "another world." That is the world of the believer, followers of Christ, disciples of God’s kingdom. They will be in the world but not "of the world."
The world young men and women are stepping into these days is quite different from the world that I graduated in. In the 60’s we lived under the "cold war." No one ever thought of terrorism. We didn’t have cell phones, VCRs or DVDs. Instead of the internet we contacted our friends with a rotary telephone. Gas cost about 30 cents a gallon and it wasn’t difficult to find a job. Even paying for a college education in those days was relatively easy. But, that has all changed.
This is a different world. We are influenced by social media. The world is much smaller and we can communicate anywhere in the world instantaneously. It is very challenging to venture out on your own, since things like utilities, rent, and health insurance are very expensive. The world travels in the fast lane and the majority of folks are doing whatever necessary to survive, even if it means stepping on people in the way.
Our culture has changed too. Our society is much more diverse. For example, your doctor will most likely be from another country. It is very possible that your next door neighbor might be from Japan or Mexico or Vietnam. Or, the company that you work for may be owned by someone overseas.
So, how do we live in this other world Jesus is describing? Jesus said the key is "oneness." The only way to withstand the fierce elements of the world is to stay together. In other words, disunity is our greatest threat.
One time idlers of a seacoast town watched the village smith day after day as he painstakingly wrought every link of a great chain he was forging. Behind his back they scoffed at such care being taken on such an ordinary thing as a chain. But the old craftsman worked on, ignoring them as if he had not heard them at all.
Eventually the chain was attached to a great anchor on the deck of an ocean vessel. For months it was never put to use. But one day the vessel was disabled by a breakdown in its steering apparatus while nearing the coast in a storm. Only a secure anchorage could prevent the vessel from being driven onto the rocky coast. Thus the fate of the ship and hundreds of passengers depended on the strength of that chain. No one knew of the care and skill that had been lavished on each link of that chain by an obscure smith who was only doing his best. The chain held, both the ship and its passengers and crew were saved. A man from "another world" had saved the day. God is just like that chain on the ocean liner. We are connected because each individual faithful person does his or her part. Although we are called to live in the world we are not outside the protective care of God. Our lives may take us to distant corners of the earth but we will never be out of God’s reach.
In March, 1984 there was a malfunction at the Pacific Gas and Electric Company in Northern California. It triggered a chain reaction of events that darkened the lights for millions of people in six Western states. The blackout occurred at rush hour which caused hundreds of traffic jams in all the major cities. The trouble originated in Round Mountain, California, substation, about one hundred miles south of the Oregon border. A circuit breaker tripped and circuits all over the West automatically shut down to protect themselves.
One little circuit breaker, tripped in a remote rural area, hundreds of miles away changed the lives of millions of people. How dramatically that breakdown symbolizes the interdependence of our country’s power, transportation and even food production systems. We are one people in more ways than we think. What affects one, can affect all.
The unity of the church is no different. The good one person does, makes the task easier for us all. On the other hand, one bad example can set back the entire church. God’s people, wherever they live on earth, are linked into a grid of community interdependence from which we can never escape. The more we are one, the more we will be an effective church in the world.
*****************************************
StoryShare, May 13, 2018, issue.
Copyright 2015 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
