Grab That Fly Swatter!!

Have you ever considered the fly? It’s such a small little thing and yet it can be so annoying. Think about how a fly buzzes around. Have you ever sat, trying to relax and read a book while there is a fly in the house? Of all the places to land, why does it have to land on you … right on your hand?

You swish it away so it moves … to your leg. You swish several more times; it flies off, only to return, this time to your ear. Again, you swish at it and it takes off, buzzing around the room checking out the curtains and windows and you begin to think you’re free. You settle into your book and then, bzzz, bzzz, there it is, focusing on your nose.

That fly keeps pestering you over and over; you keep swishing it with your hand, but it always comes back to land on you. You know that it will never go away just swishing at it and you finally give up, leaving the comfort of your chair to get the swatter. You have to have the right tool to take care of that flying pest and you have to actively pursue it to rid yourself of it. There it is … SWAT! Finally!!

Take a minute to reflect on the fly that landed on you. Think about all the places that fly might have been before it came to visit you. Perhaps it was on that dead raccoon you passed along the road or in the smelly garbage can you opened this morning. Maybe it spent the morning buzzing on the backs of the pigs and cows in your neighbor’s pasture? These are not pleasant thoughts, are they??

But, just like the fly, a bad unspiritual habit can come buzzing into our lives … a bad habit such as anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication and lies. We know it’s there and it keeps landing on us, but somehow, we find ourselves just swishing at it and never really taking care of the problem. The only way to get rid of these bad habits is to get up and get the right tool. And, our best tool is the Word of God. It is the best swatter for bad habits that you’ll ever find. In fact, God’s Word is much better than a fly swatter … it acts like a heat seeking missile!

So, in this new year, why don’t we take a good look at our lives and consider everything we do, say and think. Let’s reveal what those unhealthy habits are. Let’s grab the right tool and actively pursue them. Ask yourself, ‘What are the things I need to swat? Are these my old bad habits showing up, like that pesky fly, or is this truly what God would want me to do?’

Keep in mind, these unhealthy habits are the things that keep us from honoring God. He helps us by giving us some things to replace old habits. Let’s use them.

Bowls of mercies

Kindness

Humility

Meekness

Forgiveness, Patience and Compassion of and for one another

Charity

Peace of God

Thankfulness

Spiritual Singing

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Last month, we shared news about the mission trip Immanuel Lutheran Church in Crosby, MN went on to Malawi, Africa. They visited the orphans they sponsor through the Malawi Orphan Care Project and, among other things, celebrated God’s love with them by handing out crosses.

Immanuel shared some photos of the cross presentation with us, with this note: ‘When anything is given to the children, it is presented in almost a ceremony manner. It was so cool to be the one to present these crosses to these children. Thank you for what you do!’

The children’s faces tell it all … BELIEVE IN HIS MIRACLES AND REJOICE IN HIS GOODNESS!

December was a very busy month for all of us. We wanted to share this message we received and also thank these CTW family members for helping to spread God’s love to others.

‘These are so inspiring. Our church gave them out about a year ago. Now I want to order for myself to give to my friends for them to pass on to others inspiring them to know Christ and get nearer to him. Thanks for the wonderful job you do in spreading the word about our Savior. Bless and thanks to all of the volunteers for their beautiful craftsmanship and dedication to the symbols of our religious roots.’ Gloria

Good Samaritan Society – International Falls, MN

Messiah Lutheran Church – Lakeville, MN for mission trip to Burma

Holly – WA

Stella – OR

Don – MN

Messiah Lutheran Church – Mountain Iron, MN

First Baptist Church – Bemidji, MN