Kirtes' Blog

Did you know that the word “goodbye” is both a contraction and an acronym? The old English spelling of goodbye was “Godbwye” meaning “God be with ye.” We all, including the atheist or agnostic, are uttering a prayer when we say “goodbye.”

I have never liked to say “goodbye” to my family when they leave or I leave, knowing that we may not see each other for a while. But I will now have a new appreciation for that word. What a wonderful way to send off a friend or relative or be sent off---to hear the encouragement and the reminder that we cannot be where God is not. “God be with you” is not a request to God but a reminder…at least to me.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. Psalm 139:7-8 (NIV)

LORD, it is not for you to make your presence known as much as it is up to us to acknowledge your presence. Holy Spirit, guide all who would seek God to recognize the Father’s presence and for us who love God, help us live with both concern and joy that we are in God’s presence. Amen.

The North American Fishing Club in which I hold a membership sent out a notice this week that the number of North American fisher-persons has declined by 5 million over the last 10 years. I don't know how they came to that conclusion unless it was by reviewing the number of fishing licenses issued; nevertheless, this decline mirrors what churches are going through. The club is asking current fishermen to take a pledge to be "ambassadors" for fishing and introduce one new person to fishing this year.

I think I will offer the same pledge to our church. But it won't be to introduce people to fishing but to the one who made the fish. I am going to ask our church to make a pledge to introduce one new person this year to Christ. The fishing club didn't ask that we convert a person to being a die-hard fisherman, just to introduce them to fishing. And we who are Christians can do the same for Christ. We never have been responsible to convert people, only to introduce people to Christ. Let the Holy Spirit do the converting.

If we want the other person to be able to hear us tell them the truth how do we not talk? The Bible gives a clear clue. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)

If you want the other person to reject your truth then have a critical tone to your voice, complain, scold, ridicule, scold, be sarcastic, or condemn. Early in our marriage Billie prepared a dish of food and when I tasted it I literally dropped my fork and said “yuck.” Believe me. I should have icks-nayed that “truth.” I love my wife. That should have been without question. And I expressed truth. But the one to whom I was communicating did not feel any love!

Remember, if you are the truth giver the only test of whether you were able to give your message in a loving way is based on how the other person feels---not how you feel.

If we want to do what counts then we have to get this "love thing" down. If we mess that up we are trouble.

Beginning Sunday, Feb. 15 I will be speaking on expressions of love that some mistakenly refer to as the "fruits" of the Spirit. My thought is that since Paul used the singular word "fruit" and since there was no punctuation in the Greek language, Paul was saying that there is only one fruit of the Spirit and it is love. The 8 words that follow the word "love" are how love expresses itself. It does it through joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

On Feb. 15 I spoke on Patience---Enduring Love.