“Shhhh! Walk on your tiptoes. You'll wake them up. What are you looking for?”

“A plunger. I've looked under the sink and in the closet.”

“It's probably down in the basement. You'll have to wait and ask them. You can't just go snooping around.”

Sounds like you're an overnight guest somewhere - not a permanent resident. There is a difference.

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Rain or shine He was there. Every Saturday He did the same thing. Out the door and down the little street He went. You knew the next turn He’d make. A neighbor could say: “I know exactly where He’s going. See, I told you! And now watch: He’ll turn left and then hang a right.” And sure enough He did. “How did you know that? Have you been spying on Him,” one asks? “No,” the neighbor says, “you don’t have to be much of a spy to figure it out. I’ve been observing Him over the years and this is His habit – He does the same thing every Saturday. He goes to that building where the Word of God is opened and read.”

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Isn’t it easier to pray for some than for others? Praying for the Lord to save our family members from their sins and a lost eternity is a fairly ‘natural’ thing for every Christian to do. Even without the transforming grace of God in our lives, we would want to see the very best come upon those we love and respect. We’d never want to see them at risk or in danger. So it’s no big surprise that we have certain ones we pray for constantly – the people we like or love. And then there is another category we keep on our prayer lists. Those that are loved by people we love. They’re not our family members but they belong to people we appreciate and respect. So we pray for ‘their’ loved ones. There’s yet another category of people that often find themselves on our prayer lists: neighbors, co-workers and the generic people in our community. We may not know their names and perhaps we haven’t seen their faces but with the broad stroke of our prayer brush we include them in our prayers.

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Four hundred say: "Yes - don't be a chicken. Go for it. You won't be a loser."

But one says: "If you proceed, you'll be sorry. You won't get away with it."

You say: “But I like what the 400 are saying; I only wish there were no dissenting voices. Even one person telling me 'no’ is scary. Or that I’m treading on very dangerous ground and that I'll go down to defeat... Well, I just wish I didn't have to hear that one voice. It is unsettling."

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When did you last climb a tree? I remember it was easier climbing up than coming down. Have you ever climbed a miff-tree? They’re more difficult than maples and oaks. It doesn’t take much effort to go up but it sure requires a lot of intestinal fortitude to get down. Miff tree climbers have to swallow hard before they begin the descent; but when they hit the ground there’s such relief. Miff tree photos are scarce but portraits of the climbers are plentiful. Pouting and sulking faces. Scowls. The hurt look. Tight facial muscles.

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Who am I trying to please?

1. My own self? Mr. Selfish Supreme!

2. My friends, those around me and other people? Mr. Nice Guy Doormat!

3. The boss and the business? A real ‘Company' Man!

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The mental picture is rather gruesome. When blood thirsty jaws are chomping for flesh and sharp white teeth are flashing and the knife-like tongue is switching like a blade – call for time-out and ask for some space.

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“I don't know if I can handle it or not. On one hand it's a good feeling to be offered a bigger job but the flip side of the offer is more work! I just seem like I'm going flat out now from morning to evening. The new job will put even more pressure on me. I'm not sure being upwardly mobile is the ‘be all and end all’ in life.”

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The camels were thirsty after their desert journey. Abraham's servant stops at a well. He's on a mission for His Master. He's looking for a bride for Isaac. He stops here deliberately. Soon the young women would be coming to draw water. The servant lifts his eyes to Heaven and asks the Lord to make it obvious which young woman is the right one for Isaac.

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