Verbal and non-verbal communication.  Do you ever "people watch"?  I do, and often wonder what they are thinking of at the moment, because their facial expressions are revealing their reactions.  When we meet someone unexpectedly and are both surprised, we may not know what to say.  The cliché, "Your actions speak so loud that I can't hear what you're say" can be so true.  It happened to me a week ago! 

Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, "...you are a letter of Christ...written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." (1 Corinthians 3:3)  We are letters of Christ!  How do people read us?  Hopefully they will see that our "non-verbal" communications reflect Jesus and His great love.  Let's be careful that we don't let our own concerns affect how we look or how we speak, because our lives speak for themselves (whether we want them to or not).  

We're not mind readers, so we can't tell what a person is thinking.  I sure can't;  however, when I see a sad countenance or a worried  expression, it makes me wonder....

Back to people watching, I believe eye contact is important in making a connection.  When I'm preaching or talking with people, I want to make this personal contact to be sure I'm receiving the attention of my listener.  Yet if I were in another culture, the custom might be different.  

A handshake or a hug is a non-verbal way to communicate even if no words are spoken.  So is a smile.

Not me!   I recall hearing about twin boys named Timmy and Tommy who went to the dentist.  When the Doctor came out and asked, “...which one is Timmy?”  They both pointed to the other at the same time and being twins, they and their mother were the only ones who knew the difference.  Hey, who would want to go first to the dentist’s chair? 

It is so easy to  “pass the buck” and blame someone else when the truth of the matter it is easier to deny than admit wrong.  Adam blamed Eve when she yielded to the temptation of Satan for their fall.

When the scripture identifies “sin” or the “sinner,” one of the responses from people will be “...I am not that bad of a person” and try to excuse themselves.  This will not work!  Read Romans 3:23, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”   ALL means what it says and needs no explanation!

Falling short, missing the mark, or just a little too late are all excuses we make and lamely admit, “I really didn’t mean for it to happen.”  We may possibly be like each of the twins “...not me!” 

Talking about twins, we “helped” Don Busse celebrate his 50^th birthday and he has a twin brother.  Don, did you ever try that little idea of pointing Ron and saying “Not me?”  By the way, as a congregation, we do wish you a belated Happy Birthday!

When the Bible tells us “...If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all righteousness,” (I John 1:9) why should we be so hesitant to  accept what God has provided for us?

Some inventions are still being “created,” such as the telephone commercial “...Can you hear me now?”  This reminded me of when I worked with the Straight Arrows (the pre-school and kindergarten ages of Royal Rangers).  Most of the time these little “critters” (guys) would not listen.

So I made a “talking stick” and when they had it, they could talk, if not they had to  “listen.”  It’s in my office now as a memory of those days.  However, it might be necessary to bring it out since we have those who insist on talking while I'm preaching!

Back to the telephone invention, which has only one earpiece and one mouthpiece.  Maybe they should’ve been designed for two ears so two people could listen but only one speak. 

Is this what God had in mind in creating us with one mouth and two ears?  Think about Elijah’s run for his life.  First, the wilderness and the juniper tree, and his request to die.  Then the cave -- and a series of events took place, grabbing his attention.  The Bible records “...the LORD was passing by!  And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.”  (I Kings 19:11-12)

King James translation says “...a still small voice,” which leads me to believe Elijah had to be “listening”.  Have there been times when we have missed out on what God was saying because we were too busy doing our “thing”? Let’s utilize these protruding things on our heads called “ears” and listen to what the Spirit would have to say to us.

One of the things you folks you do here on Prince of Wales Island, and people do any time they live near coastal waters is “beach-combing.” The nearest thing I can liken that to is when I was a kid growing up in the middle of Kansas.  On Saturdays we would head to the “city dump” and spend the afternoon looking for “treasures.”  Some of the kids could get their dad’s 22 rifle and shoot rats.

The times I've been able to get out and “comb beaches” have been very few.  We did the coasts of the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic side of the ocean in Florida, as well as in California.  Then we did it while visiting our son David and his wife Shannon when they were in Hawaii.

The reason this comes to mind is that last Saturday, while in Craig and on the Sobriety Walk, there was a family heading out to “beach comb.”  I wanted so much to ask them IF I could join them but they didn’t know me and I didn’t know them, so obviously I didn’t ask.

But do you suppose we are to seek the “lost” as people “comb” beaches? The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  (Luke 19:10)  If He did it, shouldn’t we? People are more important than finding a message in bottle, “a glass float” or any other “treasure” stumbled upon. 

Another example of finding something nobody wants or needs is hitting “garage sales.”  People who know what they are looking for may find real treasures ... such as the individual who found a rare stone worth many dollars or a tarnished gold bracelet.  Do you suppose we might find that “diamond in the rough”? Jesus did!

Today (7/20/03) we are going to help Gary and Karen Lawton celebrate their 25^th wedding anniversary.  Congratulations to you both and to your family.  Your faithfulness to Prince of Peace Assembly is greatly appreciated!  A special thanks to those who have helped in the decorating; the food preparation; the setup and the cleanup.  It takes teamwork for this to be accomplished.

The water baptism service last week was wonderful – I was privileged to baptize seven young people.  The baptism does not save an individual –only the blood of Jesus will wash away sins and make a person “clean.” But it is a public testimony of the work He has done in our lives.  The  kids who took part in this will need our prayers in the weeks and months that follow for them to be a faithful witness of the inward work of the Holy Spirit. 

We need to call for a workday soon.  Many have noticed some of the changes that have taken place in our church.  The “New Beginnings” Sunday School class will be relocated, and the room setup needs to take place before the teacher returns in a few weeks.

Have you heard the cliché “...Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”?  The reason this comes to my mind is the other day I took on the job of “untangling” a matted, knotted mop.  I really didn't know it was going to be such a job until after I got started.  Wow!

I told Marge, who was working here in the office at the time, that it was like the way many of us “mess” up our lives.  Sometimes so messed up that only the Lord, Himself, can straighten it out. He can and will when we turn everything over to Him.

Today, we are having a number of our young people who are being baptized.  For me, as pastor, it is a privilege to share in this experience in their lives, when they are giving a public statement as to what has happened in their lives. 

When children and young people give their hearts to the Lord at a young age, following the Lord’s example by being baptized in water is a preventative measure in keeping them close to the Lord in their walk with Him.

The Psalmist talked about this in the first chapter.”... How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night  And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. (Psalm 1:1-3)

The best way to keep from getting our lives all tangled up is NOT to hang around with the worldly crowd.