Someone said that one indication of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

      Recently I stopped by our local post office to buy a few stamps.  Since I was in a hurry and didn’t want to stand in line, I decided to use one of the vending machines.

      The price for a page of 20 stamps was $ 8.80.  You have to give the postal service credit.  It is amazing that one stamp is still under 50 cents.  You can send a first class letter anywhere in the country (including Alaska and Hawaii) for under 50 cents!  Pretty amazing.

      First, I made sure that the machine had stamps.  Yes, it did!  So, I put a $5 bill into the vending machine and it gladly took my money.  When I tried to put in another $5 bill, it wouldn’t accept it.  The display said something like, “Please put in smaller money”.  So, I began to put in several $1 bills which it gladly accepted, until the total deposited was $9.00.

      Things were looking good until I pressed the number key for my $8.80 page of stamps.  The vending machine would not give me my stamps.  I pressed the “coin return” hoping to at least get my money back. No deal.  It wouldn’t give me my money back either.

      Didn’t this happen to me before?  Haven’t I had a battle with the machines at the post office before?  Then I realized it was man against machine, and the machine was winning again.

      My time saving adventure had suddenly vanished.  I was hoping to avoid standing in line, but now there I was waiting to tell a clerk my latest misadventure.  The clerk was helpful and polite.  She gave me a page of stamps and my 20 cents in change.  So, at least I got my stamps and change.

      When I asked them what I did wrong, the clerk explained that the machine was out of change!  It gladly accepted my money, but could not give change.

      As I walked out of the post office, I noticed one of the employees putting an “Out of Order” sign on the machine I had just used.  It might have been better to put a sign that said, “Machine Wins Again”.

     There is a TV show in England similar to our country’s “American Idol”.  People in England have the opportunity to showcase their talents with the hope of winning the grand prize of a hundred thousand dollars.

     One of the biggest surprises was a middle age single woman who stunned all of the judges with her musical talent.  She sang with a powerful and beautiful voice.  The audience and judges were amazed.

     I heard that over 100 million people have watched her performance on the internet.  From an obscure Scottish village, this woman suddenly captured the attention of the world.

     In many ways, this reminds me of the story of King David in the Bible.  He was an unknown young man who tended his father’s sheep on the hills of Bethlehem.  One day a famous Old Testament Prophet named Samuel came to his father’s house looking for a new King for the nation of Israel.  (I Samuel 16)  David was the youngest of eight boys in the family.  He is the one that was selected by Samuel as the next King of Israel.

     In II Samuel chapter 7, David expresses his amazement in a prayer to God.  In that prayer he says, “Who am I that you (God) would select me from shepherding sheep in obscure village of Bethlehem to become the Shepherd of a nation”?  That is a good question!  Why would God select an unknown young shepherd to lead an entire nation?

     I’m sure that you feel like I do.  Who am I, that God would choose to use me in some way?  But, that is exactly what God does.  He delights to take ordinary people like you and me, and use us to do extraordinary things for Him!

     When we see our lives from this perspective, it adds new value to the work we do.  It gives us a sense of purpose as we raise a family or help a neighbor.  Our simple acts of kindness can make a big difference in the lives of others. 

     You may feel insignificant and unimportant in the place where you work or live.  But, God can use you to make a difference in the lives of others, if you do it for Him.

     I hope you will take time to dust off your Bible this week and read more of the life of David.  Use the table of contents to find II Samuel chapter seven.  Take time to read and reflect on this remarkable man named David.  His humility will encourage you.  His perspective will surprise you.

     This week we began a new series of messages on the life of one of the most famous people in the Bible.  His name is David.  Yes, the guy who battled the giant Goliath.  And, the guy who committed a terrible sin with a woman named Bathsheba.

      Most people have heard of David.  He is one of the most prominent people in the Old Testament.  His acts of courage are numerous.  And, his failures are well known.

      Do you remember how David was chosen to be the King of Israel?  Actually, he was the second king of the united nation of Israel.  He lived at about 1000 BC.

      You can read the account for yourself in First Samuel chapter 16. A prophet named Samuel went to the home of a man named Jesse.  Jesse and his eight sons lived in a small town near Jerusalem named Bethlehem.  Yes, the same town where Jesus was born about 1000 years later!

      Samuel was looking for a new king.  As he met one of Jesse’s sons, he was impressed by his size and physical strength.  He thought this must be the man he was looking for.  But verse seven says, “Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart”.

      God is not impressed with outward strength but with inner character.  We tend to focus on a person’s outward appearance, but God focuses on the person’s heart.

      I’m sure that all of us are guilty of making the mistake by looking at people’s outward qualities instead of their inner character.  I’m sure that my generation jumps to conclusions when we see someone covered with tattoos or body piercing.  I’m sure that the younger generation jumps to conclusions about older people who dress “out of style” or have grey hair.

      I want to challenge you to change your focus.  Start listening to people and get to know their heart.  Don’t develop your opinion of others based on their outward appearance.  Younger people have a lot to teach us.  And, older people have a lot to share, too.  There is a lot we can learn from one another. 

      Don’t draw conclusions about other people based on their outward appearance.  Take a look at their heart!

     The new major league baseball season is here!  My family and I love going to the games together and we hope our team will make it to the playoffs again this year.

      But, the importance of winning baseball games seemed to diminish when we heard the news that the Los Angeles Angels’ young rookie pitcher died a few days ago.

       He had just pitched six shutout innings a few hours earlier against the Oakland Athletics.  It was his best effort since being called up to the major leagues.  The sport’s broadcasters were impressed by his pitching performance.

      Then, later that night he was killed by a drunk driver while riding in a car with some friends.  He and two other passengers were killed.  The drunk driver had minor injuries and actually ran from the scene of the accident.

      What a tragedy.  Here was a young 22 year old baseball player with the potential to go far.  In a moment his life and the lives of two friends were ended.

      It hurts when we hear news like this.  Three families are suddenly devastated by the deaths of these three young adults.  Loved ones are gone.  Families are changed. Suddenly baseball doesn’t seem so important.

      We need to keep things in perspective.  Don’t let the daily grind distract you from the things that are really important.  Faith, family and friends are some of the most important things in life.    Remember to value these more as you rush through each day.

     When our children were younger, we used to hide plastic Easter Eggs around the yard on Easter Sunday morning.   We put small pieces of candy or some small coins in them.  The kids loved searching for them and finding them.

      They would get up early and enjoy an Easter egg hunt.  Then, we would pack them up and head off to church together.

      One year we got the idea to do it a second time.  After they had found all of the eggs and emptied the eggs of their contents, we let one of them hide the eggs again.  I soon realized that the kids enjoyed hiding the eggs almost more than they did finding them the first time!

      There was something fun about hiding the eggs and knowing the secret places where they were concealed.  They would offer hints to their brother and sisters when it became difficult to find a missing egg.  Words like “your getting warm” and “look under the bush” helped a sibling discover the hard to find ones.

      Maybe Easter is a little like this for you.  Some of you discovered the significance of Easter years ago through a church or Sunday School class.  You have experienced the joy of knowing Christ and believing in his death and resurrection.

      Or, maybe you are still searching.  Maybe for you Easter doesn’t make much sense yet, but you would like to know more.  Maybe it is a little like an Easter Egg hunt. Let me encourage you to keep on searching and be willing to accept a little help finding what you are looking.  Ask a friend.  Read the Bible.  Come to church.  We would love to help you understand the importance of Easter and how it relates to your life today.

      Maybe you are one of those like my kids, who loved to hide the eggs and help others find them.  Let me encourage you to initiate a conversation with a friend or neighbor and help them discover more about Christ.  You can be their guide.  Invite them to your church.  Share with them from the Bible.  The news of Easter is for everyone.

      I hope that this Easter season will be a special time of discovery for you and your family!

     There is a short passage in the Bible (Mark 14:3-9) that records the story of a woman who pours out a small container of sweet smelling oil on Jesus.  In Bible times, it was not uncommon for a host to anoint his guests with a few drops of spices or perfume.  But, this woman poured out the entire contents on Jesus!

      Some of Jesus’ own disciples criticized her for this extravagance.  They felt that this expensive ointment could have been sold and the money given to feed the poor.  Some scholars think the perfume or spice was from a rare plant in India.  It was very valuable.  Yet this woman poured the entire container on Jesus as an expression of love and admiration.

      It is easy for us to criticize the actions of others.  We question why they spend so much money on something or why they drive such an expensive car.  Many of us wonder why the government spends so much money on the things that it does.

      But, the difference here is that this woman did not do this for herself.  She did it for someone else.  Her extravagance was one way of expressing her love for Jesus.

      It is one thing when we spend lavishly on things for ourselves.  But, it is different when we generously give to others.  Extravagance can be a beautiful expression of our love and admiration for others.

      During the upcoming Easter season, I hope you will look for an opportunity to do something extravagant for someone else.  You may not have a lot of money to spend, but you could lavish them with a generous portion of your time.  You could go “above and beyond” in helping a neighbor.  You could even give a generous gift to a stranger.

      Love should be extravagant whether in terms of our time, our gifts or our service to others.  Don’t just love someone this season, love them extravagantly!

     Daylight savings time came early this year!  What happened?  Whose idea was this?  It probably was an act of Congress.  I was just getting used to “standard” time and now someone changed it back to day light savings again!

      I think Benjamin Franklin was the first to suggest the idea of changing our clocks during the summer months.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it would allow farmers to have more daylight to harvest their crops.  Then, I think it was used again during World War II to extend the day light for farm and factory production. 

      Now, I hear that daylight savings will help us save energy and use less electricity.  But, I wonder if we will end up using more water since we will have longer evenings to water our lawns and wash our cars?

      I’ve heard that it is not good to fool Mother Nature.  I wonder if changing our clocks and changing our work habits will make people more grumpy and less happy?  Will we have more road rage because people will be late to work because they stayed up to late in the long summer evenings.  Mother Nature may not like us tinkering with her schedule.

      One benefit that I see from all of this is that it provides more time to play golf!  I love to enjoy a round of golf in the late afternoon and early evening.  The heat cools down and the shadows grow long.  Birds, rabbits and ground squirrels wander out on the fairway.  I think day light savings may actually improve my golf game.

      So, let me suggest that you find a reason to enjoy daylight savings this year.  It sure came early.  I’m sure there must be a good reason for upsetting Mother Nature!

     Someone said that there is nothing certain in life except death and taxes.  All of us have felt the emotion and sadness regarding the death of a close friend or family member.  And, all of us know what it is to pay taxes.  In fact, I read recently that with all of the new tax increases in California, we will now pay the highest taxes in the country!

      Jesus talks about both death and taxes in Mark chapter 12.  Some opponents try to trick him by asking him some difficult questions on both of these subjects.On the question of taxes, Jesus asks for a coin and points out that has the image of the Roman Caesar on it.  Jesus said we should give to Caesar what is Caesar’s!

We should pay taxes since we enjoy the benefits and protection of human government.

      Then, he addresses the question of death.  Jesus says that God is the God of the living, not the God of the dead.  In other words, there is life after death.  He refers to people that died many years ago and indicates that they are still alive. There is life after this physical body wears out and dies.  The real person that we are, our spirit and soul continues to live on beyond this life.

      Then someone asked Jesus a final  question.  “What is the greatest commandment in the Bible”?  He answers clearly, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul mind and strength.  And, love your neighbor as yourself.”    There are many detailed commandments and instructions in the Old and New Testament.  But, when you boil it all down to the essentials, we are to love God and love people.  Pretty simple, but very significant.

      To help his followers get the message, Jesus points out a poor widow who was giving money for the Jewish temple.  The passage says that she put in two small coins.  Jesus said that this woman put in more money than all the wealthy people who had put in large sums!  Her small gift was all the money she had..  Others gave from their surplus.  She gave with great sacrifice.

      I think Jesus was trying to help his followers understand that to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength simply means to live by faith and be fully committed to God.  You may have a lot you can give to God and to others, or you may have very little.  It is not the size or amount that matters. It is the attitude of your heart.

      One of the best ways we can show that we love God is by loving people.  During this uncertain economic time, you may have some unexpected opportunities to help a neighbor or coworker.  Be alert to the opportunities around you.  Remember, it is a matter of the heart!

     Last week I shared that the 20 year old avocado tree in our back yard rarely produces any fruit.

I also shared how excited I was to actually find four avocados this year!  Wow, a bumper crop.

      Well, stop the presses!  Would you believe that my wife and I actually found five more on the same tree this week?

     We were admiring our fruitful tree from our patio and noticed another avocado.  So, I climbed up a ladder onto our patio roof to pick it.

      I decided to look around.  Maybe there were still more hiding among the leaves.  Sure enough, there were a couple more!  As I kept looking, I actually bumped into one that was hiding behind a leaf right in front of me!

      I’m sure there are some lessons here.  Never give up on your avocado tree!  You never know what is hiding behind the next leaf. Keep on looking up and never give up.  You may be surprised by what you bump in to!

      I don’t know why, but finding these few avocados really lifted my spirits.  They were an unexpected surprise.  During these uncertain times, keep your eyes open, keep looking up and make sure you don’t miss the unexpected surprises that God has in store for you.  They may be right in front of you.  If you are not careful, you might even bump into one!

     We have an avocado tree in our back yard.  It is huge.  It was already there when we bought our house 20 years ago.   But, we rarely get any avocados!  Year after year, no fruit!  How can such a big tree produce little or no fruit?

      I consulted with an avocado grower.  I thought that maybe we needed a second tree for it to pollinate and produce fruit.  But, the grower assured me that this was not necessary.  One avocado tree alone can produce fruit.

      Our biggest crop was the year we had the record rain.  Remember when we had 30 – 35 inches of rain a few years ago?  That year we had more avocados than I could count!  Maybe there is a connection here?  I’ve become a fan of more rain! 

      This has been another typical year.  No fruit.  Well, at least I thought there was no fruit.  However, a few days ago, much to my surprise, a friend saw 3 or 4 small avocados hanging high up in the tree!  The leaves had hidden them all season, but recently, as the old leaves have been falling off, we actually saw some fruit.

      I quickly got out the ladder and picked these little green gems!  We are waiting for them to ripen.  I hope they taste as good as they look!

      Isn’t it interesting that the fruit had been there all year.  We just couldn’t see them.  The leaves concealed the avocados high up in the tree.  Maybe that is true in our daily lives.  We don’t see some of the good things coming our way, because they are concealed from our view by so many distractions.

      I am surprised at how my attitude has changed from disappointed and discouraged to hopeful and watchful.  I assumed it was another year with no avocados.  Now, I’m watching to see if there may be a few more avocados hiding up in the tree.  And, I’m more hopeful that there will be even more fruit next year!

      Funny how our attitude changes when we receive even a little encouragement.  I hope you will keep an eye open for some small encouragements in your life this week. And, I hope you will provide some encouragement for others that you meet this week! 

      Avocado anyone?