Tuesday: Lost Things 2

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them."

Gppf ,ptmomh ,u frst ntpyjrtd smf dodyrtd. Oh gosh, fingers on the wrong keys... let me start that again... Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. That’s better! It is Tuesday and wow, it is September, and it was 48 degrees in our back yard this morning and it feels good. The sun is bright this morning and The Son is watching over us. Can it get any better than that? It is schools day on the line and we need to be praying for our schools. Also today we need to be praying for those facing those wild fires in California and also those in that same state facing the big bad storm heading in. Just normal things or the wrath of God? Think about it! Ongoing prayers: Anna Troutman who had a bad fall, Don Saylor and his family, Mark and LeaAnne for jobs. Also for Leslie's daughters and for Vicki and her family.

Lost Things? Luke 15 4 - "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'" (NIV)

Have you ever lost a pet? As you know, Dolores and I have taken in senior dogs and most with some handicaps. We have blind ones, ones that do not hear, some limp, others have other problems. We also take inventory before we leave the house we make sure that all our in from outside (we have a fenced yard) and we put one in a very large pen as he is still in the puppy stage and was abused. Every now and then we cannot find one, a blind one will get behind something and can't find their way out, or get locked in the closet. It is near panic till we find them and all things go through your mind. Did one slip out through our outside door when we came in? That happened once years ago and now we have a double gate thing. But our hearts race and race till we find that dog. Once in a while one gets a "hanger" you know some dirt in their fur and they hide. Panic time... and when we find them, we rejoice, we are yelling out THANK YOU JESUS.

The other week I had two chickens escape when I was feeding them, now they did not get lost, but till I got them back in my arms I was tired and rejoicing. (Getting to old to be a chicken chaser.)

Luke 15: 7 - "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." (NIV)

Folks, our Lord Jesus used very, very good examples when He spoke in Parables, He made it much better for us to understand... I have a couple of statements on this. First one! Are you one who is lost or one of the ninety-nine that were safe? Are you the one who is out there running loose and needing brought back or are you like the shepherd who is out looking for that lost sheep?

First, I pray that you are not the one who is lost, but that is who we need to be looking for...

Next, we should not just be like the ninety-nine who are safe, or in our case "saved", we need to be a shepherd working for The Shepherd, The Good Shepherd. We need to be seeking out the lost, hunting for them. I pray that I always will look for my lost pets but that I will also put more time in looking for lost souls and not just in our own family. Yes, when we have a family member that goes astray we hunt for them also, but we go out working for the Lord as commanded by Him.

Mark 16: 15 - "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." (NIV)

Those the words of Jesus, let me put it in Lehman's language, Pastor Dan Lehman's language, get off of the couch, turn the TV off, and go and spread the good news, go LOOKING FOR THE LOST. Remember this, you can do it, you really can, there is not one good excuse for you not doing it unless you are too sick to get up, and then you can be praying for the lost and praying for those looking for the lost. Some way we all need to be involved in this mission for the Lord... Do not put it off.

Hey, if you are lost or think you are lost, please please call me for help 717 691 8200 or use my cell phone number 717 991 0754 and I will pray for you and talk to you. I want the herd to have all one hundred head safe. I want to see the day when there is no lost for the lost will burn.

Dear Father in Heaven, we want to be safe in Your arms and also be a shepherd working for You and bringing in the lost souls. We understand that You are The Savior and not us, and we also understand that we are Your workers, Your helpers, Your followers, Your disciples of this day and we really do want to work with You and for You... Help us. Lord, be with those that go in our schools and all those drivers who sit in the driver seats of those buses, keep them safe and Lord, be in the schools with those folks and on board the buses. Even if they do not ask You in, I am asking today Lord. Be with all those families, heal Anna, Don and his family, with Vicki and her family, and with Leslie and her daughters and family. Oh, and Lord, the others who are escaping my mind right now... Lord I ask all of these things in the name of Jesus. So be it.

So be it? Yes, that is what AMEN means. Hey time for me to go, how about sharing some blessings today? Here is something for you to do... I want to try this. Go to your pantry, get a can of something out, and mail it to our food bank, if you live in the area drop it off, if we are not home set it at the garage door. Just one can will be a start to sharing your blessings, and it will give our mail carrier some work (she is great). Mail them to Carry The Light Ministries, "Food Pantry", 16 Dewalt Dr. Mechanicsburg, Pa. 17050. love ya, dan.