Petals from the Basket

Blog

Christian Service

The Captain’s Corner

Early in my walk with God (through faith in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior), I was challenged by Scripture and good preaching to serve God. I was also exhorted to consider that all ground is sacred ground for the believer. We are all in full-time Christian service, wherever we may be or in whatever we may do.

In my career, I relocated both as a single person and as a married man with a family to various flying bases—Indiana, New Jersey, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, and more. In each of those moves, I always found a church “home” first—a Bible-preaching church where we could serve God with our time, treasures, and talents. Once I knew that there was a good church in the area, I looked for a house that we could call home.

We who have a personal relationship with Christ are often pictured in the Scriptures as sheep. Because sheep need a shepherd to lead them and a flock to be a part of, I made certain that my church selection included both a good preacher/pastor (shepherd) and a good Christian fellowship of believers (the flock).

I have served my local church by cleaning the church building, singing in the choir, playing my flute, teaching a couples’ Bible class, serving as a deacon, etc. It seemed that if I was not flying an airplane, I was serving God at church.

But church is not the only place where we can serve God. Our sphere of influence can extend way beyond our local church setting.

Think of your workplace. Are you the same person on the job as you are at church? Consider how you do your job. Do you perform your work fervently, cheerfully, helpfully, and completely?

Colossians 3:23 (NKJV): “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV): “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

I loved every minute of my career with the airlines. Another crew member once asked me, “Why are you so enthusiastic about this job?”

My reply? “I love this job.” My goal was to let my love for my job and my love for my Savior be reflected in how I did my work.

Our conduct on the job will serve as an example of Christlikeness through our attitudes, actions, and thoughts. You can be ready to give an answer to all who may ask you (as I was asked), “How is it that you are so different?”

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV): “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

Jim Elliot, martyred missionary for Christ, said, “Wherever you are, be all there.” So be in full-time Christian service wherever you are and in whatever you do.

_______________________________________

Joe Henderson, Brenda’s husband, is a retired international airline captain and now blogs in
“The Captain’s Corner” on a regular basis.

Would you like to receive these posts in your Inbox? We won’t spam you!
You will only receive e-mails from us when a new post appears on the blog. Click here to subscribe.

By Petals from the Basket | September 13, 2017 | Bible Reading, Family, Ideas, The Captain's Corner |

Lest We Forget

The Captain’s Corner

Today my wife, Brenda, sat in a very special seat—aboard a Boeing B-29 bomber (“Fifi”). In a similar seat, her dad, Ben Strohbehn, flew twenty-six missions as a flight navigator during the Korean Conflict. Brenda was tearful as she looked around the small navigation compartment. The dedicated Commemorative Air Force staff and crew comforted her over her tears of remembrance. “It happens all the time,” they said. The Commemorative Air Force flies and maintains this vintage bomber—one of only two in flying condition—to educate people about the sacrifices of those who have fought for our country and its freedom.

Likewise, God’s Word has many admonitions to us, as children of faith in Christ, to remember God and His works on our behalf. It reminds us, in times of prosperity, to remember all that He has done for us. Deuteronomy 4:9 admonishes us: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons.” Similar admonitions to “beware, lest you forget” are found in Deuteronomy 6:12 and 8:11–18.

In the New Testament, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to help us remember that He sacrificed His very life to pay the penalty for our sins. “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

Remembering Christ’s sacrifice helps us appreciate our salvation so that our gratitude and thanksgiving are more readily expressed to God. Additionally, remembering His sacrifices for us reinforces our motivation to “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 13:28), and our service for God is strengthened. Finally, remembering our Lord’s sacrifices on our behalf “proclaims the Lord’s death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Just as my wife was overcome with gratitude for her father’s sacrifice through his service in the military, as Christians, we must be grateful for and never forget the sacrificial love of our wonderful Savior!

_______________________________________

Joe Henderson, Brenda’s husband, is a retired international airline captain and now blogs in
“The Captain’s Corner” on a regular basis.

Would you like to receive these posts in your Inbox? We won’t spam you!
You will only receive e-mails from us when a new post appears on the blog. Click here to subscribe.

By Petals from the Basket | August 26, 2017 | Bible Reading, Family, Friends, God-and-I-Time, The Captain's Corner |

Change Happens

This was to have been an announcement that The ABCs of T2:3 — Integrating the Names, Character Qualities, and Attributes of God with the Principles of Titus 2:3–5, my ladies’ Bible study book, was ready. But it’s not. And it’s going to be a long time—if ever—before it is ready.

Change happens. Not only is that a true statement, but that was the title of a recent four-week ladies’ Sunday school class at my church. Little did I know how things would change when the pastor’s wife called and asked me to teach one of those weeks. I was to choose a Bible character from whom we could learn lessons on change and prepare a thirty- to forty-minute lesson. I was free to choose the person as well as my approach to the lesson.

God put, as Joe (my husband) likes to say, a “fire in my belly” from the very minute I began working on the lesson. I chose Moses and initially planned to look at all the changes in his life: bulrushes, burning bush, plagues, Ten Commandments, etc. My goal for my study time in the mornings was that I hoped to saturate my mind with all of the events, their correct order, and the changes God walked Moses through.

But God changed my thinking.

The more I read in the Bible (starting in Exodus 2 with Moses’s birth and ending in Deuteronomy 34 with Moses’s death), the more the facts did not jump out at me. Instead, I was struck over and over again by Moses’s growing knowledge of–and relationship with–God as he saw God working in each of the changes he was going through. Oh. My. Heart. There was that topic that I love so well: “Knowing God!” I began to see that the more we know of God and the better we know Him, the more we can choose to change how we view the changes that come into our lives. The lesson (and therefore the study times) took a drastic turn toward the personal and the practical!

After I taught the lesson, I was speaking with Joe about the fact that I had put in so much study time and had gathered so much material that I probably could have taught a whole series of lessons just from the life of Moses. As I began to pray about it over the next few days, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to set aside thoughts of publishing the “Titus” study and focus on pouring my heart and efforts into providing the Moses study for other ladies to use. When I tossed the idea out to Joe, he enthusiastically supported the idea and has greatly encouraged me in “gittin’ her done” these last few weeks. The goal has been to just power-write and take the passion burning in my heart and put in on paper ASAP!

So it thrills me to no end to share what God has done and is doing and to tell you that very, very soon, Choosing to Change when Change Happens, a seven-lesson Bible study designed for use in either personal or group study, will be available! I have again chosen to use an on-demand self-publishing service, in part so that I can keep the cost down for those who purchase the study. Hence, the quick turnaround option.

Until then, stay tuned!

By Petals from the Basket | August 22, 2017 | Books, Events, Family, Friends, Life Changes |

He Just Can’t He’p It!

My husband’s friend Ken is a godly, hardworking man with a heart of gold, and his heartfelt joy (even in the midst of difficult situations) can make even the gruffest of men break into a grin. He loves to chop wood in his free time, and Joe and I envy his multiple, evenly chopped stacks of firewood! Ken originally hails from Kentucky, and his Southern drawl is definitely on the “twang” end of the spectrum!

Several months ago now, Joe was talking to Ken on his way out of church. As the conversation was ending, Joe said, “God is good, Ken.”

Without skipping a beat, and in his wonderfully authentic Southern twang, Ken replied, “Joe, He just can’t he’p it.”

Sometimes we wonder in amazement…

…that a holy, perfect, all-knowing God could love us. But it’s His nature. It’s who He is.

…that the wise, powerful, creator of the universe could care about our simple needs and our desires. But it’s His nature. It’s who He is.

…that the merciful, grace-giving, wonderful Savior could forgive the sins we feel are unforgivable. But it’s His nature. It’s who He is.

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1, ESV).

“For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations” (Psalm 100:5, KJV).

“Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes” (Psalm 119:68, KJV).

“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made” (Psalm 145:9, ESV).

“For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5, ESV).

Because of His steadfast love for us, because He sees the big picture, because He is a good God, what He does—even when it might not seem like it from our human viewpoint—is always good.

After all, my friend, “He just can’t he’p it.”

________________________________

Would you like to receive these posts in your Inbox? We won’t spam you!
You will only receive e-mails from us when a new post appears on the blog. Click here to subscribe.

 

By Petals from the Basket | August 16, 2017 | Bible Reading, Friends, God-and-I-Time, Life Changes |

My Flight Operations Manual, Part 2

The Captain’s Corner

In my previous post from “The Captain’s Corner,” I discussed the similarities between the Flight Operations Manual (FOM) and the Bible, God’s Word to us. As flight crews we were governed by FOM procedures in order to operate the airline safely and efficiently. We memorized some of the procedures; others were easily available; all required knowledge of where to look quickly in the manual for guidance. Just as the FOM helped us to operate the airline, God’s Word to us helps us live as children of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.

Thankfully, the Bible is complete and sufficient.

“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises…” (2 Peter 1:3–4). 

God’s all-sufficient “great and precious promises” are His Word, by which we gain knowledge of Him and learn how to live godly lives in an ungodly world.

How did we study the FOM? We read it, re-read it, and read it again! So what should we do with God’s Word?

Read it.

Have a regular time for Bible reading. Various Bible-reading schedules are available online or through your local church. I have personally used a schedule that allows me to read through the Bible each year. Take as much time as you need or as much time as you have available each day for this important exercise of reading God’s Word.

Re-read it.

Early on, back when I was in college, I would read five Psalms each day. In a thirty-day month, you can read all of the Psalms! Reading the Psalms helped me to worship and praise God. That is why I have continued to read this book over and over again through the years.

Retrieve it.

Scripture memorization takes effort, but it is an effort that is well worth it. Taking the time to memorize God’s Word equips us to more readily fight the battle against sin when temptations arise.

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:9–11).

Rely on it.

In a thirty-one-day month, you can read one chapter of the book of Proverbs each day. Proverbs is powerfully practical with precepts for daily living. These “wisdom topics” provide guidance for earthly relationships.

Research it.

As you read the Bible, you will find various ways to study: topical studies, word studies, book studies, biographical (character) studies, etc. A well-known preacher, Clarence McCartney, would preach sermon series on unique subjects, such as “Great Questions of the Bible,” “Great Mountains of the Bible,” and “Great Men/Women of the Bible,” and these would make great topics for personal Bible study as well.

As you study your Bible, find a good translation and stick with it. You may want to reference other translations to help you in your understanding of difficult words or unfamiliar passages. A site such as BibleGateway.com will allow you to simultaneously reference several translations to assist you as you study. Additionally, Bible commentaries abound—many of them online. These are good reference tools, but they should never be used in place of—or with a higher priority than—reading God’s Word itself.

Just as the Flight Operations Manual assisted each member of the crew with the essential elements necessary for operating the airplane (and the airline as a company), we should view the light and lamp of God’s Word (see Psalm 119:105) as an essential daily element for all that pertains to “life and godliness.”

_______________________________________

Joe Henderson, Brenda’s husband, is a retired international airline captain and now blogs in
“The Captain’s Corner” on a regular basis.

Would you like to receive these posts in your Inbox? We won’t spam you!
You will only receive e-mails from us when a new post appears on the blog. Click here to subscribe.

By Petals from the Basket | August 11, 2017 | Bible Reading, God-and-I-Time, Ideas, The Captain's Corner |