Going Green: "BE" Vitamins - Part 3

Thank goodness for Flintstone's chewable vitamins! I remember taking those as a kid and really enjoying them. I wanted to eat more than needed. In high school, our sports team gave vitamin C tablets out to players, if they wanted them. Since they tasted so good, as a trainer, I sometimes took a few to eat throughout practice. They were good!

It was easy to take these because they tasted so good. Whereas the ones that do not taste as good, would not be taken in extra amounts. That is the way it is with some of the "BE" vitamins that we examined over the past three weeks.

Sunday, we examined how we must "BE" prepared, self-controlled, holy, and careful. These may require more to "swallow" than others do. As each person's taste buds differ, so does how one can take their "BE" vitamins; easier for some than others.

Here are some applications from this week's sermon to choose from to use this week...

1. "BE" Prepared - There are so many things in life to be prepared for. Many, at this time, are getting prepared to go off to college. Parent's prepare for months getting ready for the arrival of a baby. Those are events that we know are going to happen. Our spiritual preparation needs to also focus on things we do not know are going to happen. When that temptation comes around the corner. When someone offends you. When the overdraft sheet comes in the mail. When someone starts talking about someone you know. Make sure you're prepared!
2. "BE" Self-Controlled -You've probably heard the story of the officer who stopped a woman who was ranting and raving at people who weren't driving "correctly". Who, in turn, was driving very erratically. He stopped her because he thought she stole the car. Part of his reasoning was that she had Christian bumper stickers and icons on the back of her car...but she was not even close to acting like a Christian. She needed to take a self-control "BE" vitamin. When things are going awry...swallow hard!
3. "BE" Holy - Taking time to swallow the "BE" vitamins are ways that we can set ourselves apart from the rest of the crowd. Just being kind and thoughtful to people are not always ways that may set ourselves apart. Pray that God will help you to be "holy" and set yourself apart, and still be 'normal', so that people will see you as an approachable Christian.
4. "BE" Careful - "You may not touch that, it's dangerous" is a phrase that is said around our house a lot, because of having an 19-month old. He's at the height and capability to get into a lot of things - sometimes dangerous things. I can already tell it will be challenging to let him get further away from the 'nest' and be more independent as he grows. But he will make his own choices in life, just like you and I do. Some will be good and some bad. Just as God, the Father, lets us make choices, we must be constantly aware to "be careful". The smallest influences can wreck our life. Watch where you step!

After these different "BE" vitamins, you have a lot to be taking or to choose from, as you go through life.

Take them, not just for your "health", but to make your 'environment better' as you are working to 'go green'.

Swallowing my "BE" vitamins daily...

Going Green: Keeping Your "House" Insulated

Last evening, HGTV gave away their "green 'dream' home". Carter Oosterhouse is a "green" guy. He promotes a lot of environmentally friendly projects. He was the host and was giving the viewer a tour of the house and its features before they had their big reveal of the winner.

Being "green" is a big deal. It seems that situations like global warming, landfill problems, and other situations have become more and more known, the principle of "going green" grows. Whether it is recycling, buying things that have been recycled, reusing items for other projects, or a number of other possibilities, ways to "go green" is gaining popularity.

Yesterday, we focused on another way we can "go green", insulating our 'houses'. When you insulate you conserve energy by running your heating/cooling unit less. Also, the principle holds true when you seal the cracks/leaks. Here are some applications to choose from to use from yesterday's message...

1. Think about areas in your life that seem weakest or areas you are tempted. Put in some extra "insulation" (prayer, bible reading, bible meditation, etc.) concerning those areas so that you will not put the energy into those areas and/or those areas will not be able to penetrate you.
2. Let the Son In - Let Jesus be everything in your life - during your ups and downs. Look for Him to surprise you as He reveals himself in various ways, places, and situations.
3. Remove old layers of insullation - We all have parts of us that need to be thrown out. As old insullation breaks down, so does some of our senses for things. Don't be tolerant of everything and don't be legalistic. Enjoy your life as a Christian as you enjoy things.

If all we are doing is keeping ourselves from being insullated or keeping the old insulation then we are not taking advantage of what it can mean to "go green". These old areas will probably negatively affect our environment. If we don't get rid of habits that negatively affect the environment, then we're just polluting the area, instead of enhancing it.

"Go green" and make the environment you're in, better!

Going Green: Altering Yourself to Help Your Environment

"Going Green" has been a hot topic for the last few years. With more and more people becoming aware and concerned with the environment, the craze continues to gain ground. Though I am not an environmentalist, I do get concerned with throwing so much trash away and thinking about the earth and generations to come.

When I was investigating the concept of "going green" I found out something interesting, at its essence. One simple explanation was "altering your activities to help your environment". When you enter a room/environment, we are going to affect that environment. What effect will you have when you enter your workplace, your home, a store/check out line, a restaurant, etc.?

This "Going Green" is not so much the global environment, but more the unseen environment/atmosphere. We looked at five of the seven churches in Revelation, chapters 2 & 3, to get an idea about how a bad environment is not very appealing to God. Here are some applications to choose from this week...

1. Reflect back over the past few hours or days of work. How did your actions pollute or improve the environment?
2. Reflect back over the past few hours or days at home. How did your actions pollute or improve the environment?
3. Be conscious of trying to improve an environment which you enter in to. So, the next time you go shopping, try to improve the environment by helping someone, saying something nice to someone, calling your cashier by name, buying a cashier a candy bar - to say thanks, or some other way that may help the "environment".
4. Pray that God would help you as you aspire to help the various environments that you are in.
5. Self-reflect different areas that you need to clean up your body/mind "environment". Is there negativity toward someone? What do you need to do to "go green" and positively alter that environment?
6. Pray for your church family so that we can have a positive environment for which God to work and that He will be pleased to "digest" our service and worship to Him.
   

Recycling, planting trees, reducing hazardous materials, and many other things will help the earth to not be polluted. It will also save many natural areas and habitats.

With these same concepts, we can "go green" and create an environment that is reduced from pollution and allow our environment to not be "polluted".

Remember the catch phrase from Woodsy the Owl..."Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute!" Click here to recall one of those commercials.