Monday: Building Bridges 1

"Love your neighbor as yourself."

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Wow, it is Monday again, another week, can you believe it, summer is almost over and the kids are heading back to school. Did I just hear a few mothers giving a loud cheer? Today being Monday is the day we pray for our President and his family and all of our other leaders, those in authority over us. Please pray first for their salvation through our Lord Jesus and then pray they lead by taking things to God before, yes before, they bring them to us. It is high time we start taking things to our Lord, before we mess up and not always be running to God to get us out of the mess. Let's start with God... AMEN!!!! Also it is the day we pray for our veterans and for all of our military and for our police and firefighters and all others who work so hard to keep us safe and free.

Building Bridges 1: Have you ever gone on a Covered Bridge Tour and looked over some of the few remaining covered bridges that are still standing today? Over the years many have rotted and also been washed away in high water, and still others have been burnt by vandals. If you look at the Covered Bridges you will see some really neat ways of building bridges, good sound building practices. So why were the those old bridges covered? Some will tell you that the roof over the bridge would keep the weather off of the bridge deck, keeping the ice from forming and helping to keep the rot from the weather away. Others might tell you it was to keep the horses from being spooked and jumping off the sides of the bridges. I don't really know why they were built that way, but I am sure I will hear from my dear friend Oliver Ogden who just loves history and studies Lancaster County and will weigh in on this. For me, I would think the main reason the bridge was built was to get from one side of the creek, river, gorge, etc to the other. As for the covered part, I would think a lot had to do with early engineering and offer strength to the deck. And there are many Bridges and for many reasons. This week I am going to talk about some of the bridges we see daily and some we might use that we never see. Come on, let's take a look.

Building Bridges 1: Mark 12: 30 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." 31 " The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.'" (NIV)

Yes that was Jesus giving us the Greatest Commandments, and I want to build this week on them...

My dear late mamma was a great lady of God, she loved Jesus with all her heart and I never, never heard her say a bad thing about anyone... never. My Mamma would tell me to love others, and she had this statement, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and that does work and you will never see a fly strip hanging in a house that has vinegar on it. What she was telling me was to love, be nice to people and they will like you, but even if they don't, keep loving them anyway... Be nice to them. Just this past week in a small town not far from us (Shippensburg Pa) there were two neighbors that have been fighting and it must have been going on for a long time... Last week things got way out of hand and now one is dead and the other in jail. Two families ruined all because, well all because they did not listen to Jesus and learn to love your neighbor. Do you have a neighbor or maybe even a family member that you just do not hit it off with? Why not build a bridge over the problem, maybe you might even call it fence mending, but let's just let me today call it building a bridge. Now how in the world would we build a bridge over a problem? You do not need to hire, Johnson, Smith, Hanks and Washington Engineering Firm, you just need to ask Jesus to help you. You do not need 6 to 8 years of higher education like you might need to design a bridge across a major river, you just need the Master Engineer, you know the one who designed and built the universe, and you just need to read about Love in the Bible. Love was then, is now and always will be, the best bridge builder when it comes to covering over problems. Love will cover all things... and we will be digging into this more this week. Folks, when I sign off each day with a simple "Love ya, dan", know it comes from my heart, for if I did not love Jesus and love you, I would not be spending hours upon hours for all these years typing this. It is a mission of love.

Dear Father in Heaven, how I love You and I know how You love me, and Lord Jesus I ask You to help us to understand the deep Love You had and still have for us today, and that You will have tomorrow and all the tomorrows. Love is good, Lord, and we ask that You help us today to start loving more and more. Lord, help us know the real meaning of love and know that love making is not a sex thing. Real love making is working for and with You to help others. Help us this day with that. Lord, please be with the Saylor family and touch them Lord, and for Anna Troutman, Lord, and touch her. Lord, bless our leaders today and also our military and all those who are working so hard to keep us safe and free. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Go forth now sharing your blessings with others, and also know that sharing your love with others is a great way to share your blessings. Remember to share a hug... at the Bridges there is one elderly lady who when she sees people she will say, "I need a hug" and to this I want to add... don't we all? Give someone a great big hug today and if it is me you see, yes, I will take that hug. Love ya, dan.