A-1 series beginning w/ the letter-A: Appreciation

Appreciation

Appreciation is all about relationships: friends, family, organizations that I value. A friend no longer living here in town is my “pick you up in the middle-of-the-night friend,” the kind for which we all are grateful. Although we've shared each other’s likes/dislikes, burdens, joys, tragedies, humorous and sarcastic moments, for thousands of cell-phone minutes; I most appreciated his friendship when he picked me up late one night when my car broke down. Cognizant that this friendship is purely unmerited favor, I regard him with high respect, that’s what makes it special. 

Being “aware” gives us the sensibility to actually experience and live for today, not stuck on another day; appreciative of the present. Estimable affection can be temporal; indeed it also allows us to see the miraculous in the common. The hobbyist and the connoisseur both relish what they see and taste; settling softly on their palette with warm appreciation. They know it when they see it, recognition is passionate and instantaneous. I can hear a few notes of my favorite music and respond immediately with singing, and a glance at my children pictured as toddlers shines into my heart like bright rays of morning sun.

Awesome begins with an A, a word overused and trite; yet when we look at something with awe, appreciation rises. As the year begins, I am committed to show and experience appreciation. We crave it ourselves, if we make the effort to perform a nice deed on another’s behalf their acknowledgment makes it worth it; as long it is given freely and not from obligation. Have you noticed the difference between a sincere thank-you note and a canned one?

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An antidote to the venom of narcissism, thankfulness has been proven to improve both mental and physical health; likewise, studying the cause of sincere customer satisfaction captivates business.

Appreciation: joy’s cousin spreads a smile to a passer-by, a call to a lonely, elderly relative, and returns a large tip to a jovial bartender. Worth taking time to stop and be appreciative for the blessings of life, we take a receptive posture; absorbing the pleasantry with satisfaction and happiness. Further, pursuing appreciation is subtle and important; as edifying as the experience is lovely. As I mature I am increasingly aware of the joy I experience over the littlest of things, or the largest of concepts. Give thanks, for this is the day the Lord gave us; life is not a dress-rehearsal.

Next time:  arbitrage

©Mark H. Pillsbury

Timothy Anderson | Man Knocked to Ground at CTA Station After Giving Panhandler Money

Timothy Anderson | Man Knocked to Ground at CTA Station After Giving Panhandler Money:

'via Blog this'

Acts 3: 1-10

Translated into the modern version of the Message (©NavPress Publishing Group):

Scene: Just a regular day as if we were at a traffic light waiting for it to change:

Vv. 1-5 three o'clock one afternoon, Peter and John were on their way into the Temple for a prayer meeting. At the same time there was a man crippled from birth being carried up to the gate, for this was his regular place to beg (panhandler).

Every day he was set down at the Temple gate, the one named Beautiful, to beg from those going into the Temple. When he saw Peter and John about to enter the Temple, he asked for a handout. Peter, with John at his side, looked him straight in the eye and said, "Look here." He looked up, expecting to get something from them.”

Vv. 6-8 Peter said, "I don't have a nickel to my name, but what I do have, I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!" He grabbed him by the right hand and pulled him up. In an instant his feet and ankles became firm. He jumped to his feet and walked. Wow.

Vv. 8-10 The man went into the Temple with them, walking back and forth, dancing and praising God.

(Everybody there saw him walking around and praising God). They recognized him as the one who sat begging at the Temple's Gate called Beautiful, and rubbed their eyes, astonished, scarcely believing what they were seeing! This was a miracle, and it was done in the name of Jesus. This miracle occurred naturally as an expression of unmerited love in the name of Jesus, and Jesus received the glory.

Motivation—There is nothing wrong with asking for something from God, because his plan is sovereign; if God wants to bless you with a miracle, he fully has the power make it happen. We are weak vessels, and often the motivation for change is nothing more than “pain.” If we understand the mystical, meta-physical world of God around us, nothing is as it appears to be. Spiritual warfare exists all-around but we are unaware. We are the consistent, cynical, hardened beggar illustrated in Acts 3: 1-5. But we must look to God expectantly, as did the beggar.

Miracles are strictly a blessing from God, totally outside human power. The part we play is to ask in faith and believe in Jesus, allowing him to work through us. We must know as an article of faith that miracles are possible, and this requires that we rationally become a student of history.

Optimism—why should anyone be astonished by what God can do? Is he not powerful enough? Is there any order of difficulty for the God of the universe to ordain a miracle? Is it that we just don’t typically see miracles enough to be comfortable with them? Or is God just too stingy to give us any miracles? Faith is inextricably tied to optimism, because it is the assurance of things hoped for, and sometimes it includes asking in faith for miracles. If you have never experienced or refuse to believe in miracles, it is hard to escape the pessimism or cynicism which creeps in like smoke.

Attitude—Gandhi said that the force of spiritual truth is greater than any army, weapons of destruction, or political authority; and Butterfield wrote that prayer is a “subversive activity.” It involves “more or less an open act of defiance against any claim of ultimacy by the current regime. Concealed egotism is perhaps a greater cause of conflict, a greater source of political problems, than anything else on this globe.” He wrote. Prayer drags egotism out into the open, and begins to do something about it. Our holiness is both the opposite of and the antidote to the ego, according to Marianne Williamson. God rules, not the government. The attitude we have toward power structures and evildoers can be weak, compliant, and submissive; conversely, we can have the attitude that we will not be overcome and resistance is paramount. Prayer is a means by which this attitude of faith can work itself out in practice. Prayer is a force of spiritual truth.

Aptitude—Some organizations with which I have worked either for short or long times over the past 20 years. Living examples, as organizations, of assemblies blessed by God to be “miracle” groups whose growth and impact on the world are significant and unlikely in a short period of time (in no order):

Park Cities Presbyterian Church –large church in Dallas that set a goal to plant 100 churches and over a twenty year history surpassed their goals beyond their biggest plans. Also planted RUF college ministries, overseas missions, and a seminary. www.pcpc.org

Liberty Institute—legal defender for religious liberty fighting in courts all over the US, this small institute has been a part of dozens of landmark first amendment and religious liberty cases since 1997 when its director Kelly Shackelford started filing cases and drawing in volunteer lawyers for the cause of Christ, as Christians came under attack. Often outnumbered and outgunned, Kelly and his volunteers battle to protect freedoms and strengthen families all over the US. They win cases that no legal experts predict them to win!
www.freemarket.org

Houston Christian High School—in just 14 years it has become a preeminent college preparatory high school, a pacesetter in Christian education, and a growing destination for parents in Houston who want rigorous academics, leadership training, and a Christian environment. Growing from 200 students in 2000, to approximately 500 students today, HC was recently accredited by ISAS and invited to join the SPC for athletics. www.houstonchristian.org

HOPE International—HOPE was founded in 1997 with its President Peter Greer taking leadership in 2004 concentrating on its own distinctive poverty alleviation: microfinance provides small loans to poor people, it provides an intentional witness for Christ, a commitment to stewardship, helping alleviate poverty, and has shown a dedication to the hard places around the world. HOPE International believes that church-based programs are most effective when they simultaneously meet both spiritual and physical needs in a culturally appropriate manner. www.hopeinternational.org

©Mark H. Pillsbury