Tag: investment

The Dogtrot Deathtrap

Dale Pollard

 I was given permission to search around a home that was over one hundred years old  and rumored to have treasure buried on the property. The abandoned homestead was set off the road and down in this wooded valley and after making my way down to it, I decided to take a look under it. It’s a dogtrot house, meaning there’s an opening in the middle with two doors. This style of home was commonly found in old western settlements as the opening allowed for more air flow in hot summers. On the side of the house I could see the massive stone foundation had large gaps that I was able to peer through. It was flooded and there were timbers that had caved in. I just slipped through the gap in the foundation with my metal detector which sounds easier than it was. There was sheet metal on the ground that my unit was not happy about. 

The stench of sulfur under the house was overwhelming. The water I had seen was not from past flooding. My guess is that the house was either built over a sulfur spring, or perhaps more terrifying, a sinkhole that had since opened under the foundation. My heart began to pound as I was attempting to swing the detector in search of old coins, my foot slipped and my boot sank down into the water. It was deep. I’m not sure how deep but I thought it was only a couple inches when I had originally decided to crawl under the home. Surrounded by an old stone foundation, any sound I made would have been muffled to the outside world. That could have become deadly in a blink. Had I known how treacherous the loose footing would be and how deep that hole of water was, I wouldn’t have entered. Sadly, the risk yields nothing. No relics, no coins, though I’m sure they’re under there. 

Christ does not deprive us of our treasure, but directs us in the choice of it. In Matthew 6.21 we’re reminded that what we hold most dear to us, has our heart. A treasure is an abundance of something that is, at least in our opinion, precious and valuable. God knows that earth’s treasure is not going to last so the most prudent thing to do is to load up our loot in eternity. The vanity of valuables became all too real to an aging Solomon and that’s seen throughout the inspired collection of his lived experiences that we call Ecclesiastes. What treasure is worth pursuing? Only those that are found in the kingdom. Jesus will attempt to save us the time that could so easily be wasted in searching for something we hope will satisfy us by telling us what to look for. He simply says, “..seek first the kingdom” (6.33). If you’re not seeking that, you’re looking in the wrong place.

Seeing Progress

Thursday’s Column: Captain’s Blog 

We’ve all been there. You make the decision to start going to the gym. You have a goal and vision set in place so you head to the gym and start working out. Sadly, you won’t see any progress after the first day. You could even spend 12 hours working out nonstop and still look the same (just sweatier). One trip won’t give you instant results. Two trips and you’ll still look the same. Honestly you won’t see much difference for quite some time. No one knows exactly when, but eventually you’ll start to see progress. If you have a deeply-rooted commitment and continue to workout even with a lack of visible progress, eventually you will get results. However, this period of time spent working out and seeing nothing can be a challenge to overcome. It takes drive, commitment and consistency. It all must be based on a deeply-rooted desire to achieve your goal. 

The moment you are baptized doesn’t make you perfect. One day of studying scripture doesn’t make you a bible scholar. One worship service doesn’t make you holy. But if you have a deeply-rooted desire to be like Christ, you are consistent in study, things will begin to change. Christianity takes commitment and consistency to have the results God wants us to have. 

Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” These Christians were devoted to the teaching and fellowship. This is exactly what God wants from each one of us. 

So how is our dedication to Christ? Is it consistent? Do we have a deeply-rooted desire to imitate Christ? This won’t happen overnight. It is my prayer that as children of God we dedicate each day to him. Wake up with the intent to be a light, and you will be amazed at what happens. 

Carl Pollard

Timeshares

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary Pollard

Not much is worse than investing time, emotion, and resources into something that doesn’t pay off. Like spending days working on an engine, only to have the transmission give out. Parents with small children are familiar with the frustration of cleaning their house, then having it trashed nanoseconds later. Or putting time, financial risk, and great sacrifice into starting a business, only to have a terrifically mismanaged pandemic destroy it. 

In each of these examples, a person’s reaction to negative outcomes is rarely positive. Having invested so much in something, we hope to have good outcome. 

Jesus invested heavily in Judas, only to be betrayed by him. He healed people, brought dead loved ones back, fed people, and gave them hope. He worked very closely with his apostles for  years, only to have them miss the point the entire time he was on earth (Acts 1.6; Mk 8.14-32). 

I am grateful that he isn’t like us. He doesn’t give up on us when we mess up (I Jn 1.9). He has immense patience with us (II Pt 3.9; I Tim 1.16). But it isn’t blind acceptance of dysfunction — God is patient with our flaws to give us a chance to change (Rom 2.4). God doesn’t make decisions the same way we do! 

From our perspective, humanity was a terrible investment. Jesus invested something we aren’t capable of investing, only to have most of humanity reject him. But he didn’t scrap the car, yell at the kids, or harbor resentment. He gives us his patience, his love, and time. It’s up to us to make the most of those things while we’re here!

“I Wish The Church…”

Monday’s Column: Neal At The Cross

pollard

Neal Pollard

  • “…Cared More About The Lost!” (But, when did I last invite someone to church or invite someone to study the Bible?)
  • “…Checked On The Sick And Shut In.” (But, when did I last make a call or visit to them?)
  • “…Was Friendly!” (But, do I talk to, welcome, and make feel at home visitors and more than my close circle of friends?)
  • “…Did A Better Job With The Singing.” (But, do I sing out, show enthusiasm, and participate with my whole heart?)
  • “…Invested More In The Youth.” (But, am I doing all I can to help them grow, from my attitude toward the church to my personal investment in them?)
  • “…Was Active!” (But, do I volunteer when help is needed, prioritizing it over the things of the world?)
  • “…Was Growing.” (But, how invested am I in being an ambassador for Christ, 2 Cor. 5:20?)

So often, we talk about “the church” in a passive, third-person way. We are critical of her leaders, her activities (or lack thereof), and her members as if we are detached observers. The picture of the early church was of individuals who were personally invested. We are overcome by the consumer mindset of the culture when we sit back and take shots at the perceived shortcomings of our local congregation. Look at the New Testament Christians. Barnabas didn’t fret about how stingy or discouraging the church was; He was generous and encouraging (Acts 4:36-37). Stephen didn’t express his frustration at the church’s lack of courage and conviction; He literally preached himself to death (Acts 6-7). Dorcas didn’t wring her hands at how uncaring and detached the church was; She continually did deeds of kindness and charity (Acts 9:36). They may have been extraordinary in their actions, but they were just “regular members of the church.” They were the church. They didn’t sit in judgment of her. Why? They were too busy working to build her up. When I am tempted to play armchair analyst, I should begin with my own faithfulness and involvement. There is so much the Lord expects me to do to help the church. My investment may cause others to be grateful and excited to be a part of the church! I can most influence me (2 Cor. 13:5)! 

On January 20, 1961, in John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address, he uttered the famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.” Here is the very ending of the address: “With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.” If that is true of a citizen’s mindset of a nation, how much more a Christian’s mindset in that holy nation, the church?