W0RK SMART!

First Evangelical Church has a Monday-Saturday "Six Challenges Prayer Guide" followed by PRAISE Sunday.

I like the way Saturday's focus is to Work Smart as it seems like a great way to be ready to work to be ready for a serene Sabbath full of PRAISE!

Jim Walker, editor of 4Memphis, sees work as a gift. He starts the November/December publications editorial page with the verse Psalm 90:17.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work

 of our hands for us; yes, establish the work out our hands.

The work that Walker commends goes beyond just the jobs that come with a paycheck. He, as always, applauds those who the peace & prosperity of our city.

"These Memphians work daily to help others who have such obstacles to overcome in their lives.....and it is done with God's love and provisions." Walker highlights those folks who give us a picture of the "Godly call to work quietly serving our fellow Memphians." (4Memphis, November/December 2022)

That my friend is what FEC calls "working smart".

A-MAZE-ING!

Memphis has received bad press lately---

going beyond the local and state level to national & world news.

But.....the September/October 2022 4MEMPHIS Memphis, delivered to my driveway, reminded me once again, 

"Seek the peace and prosperity of the city 

in which I have placed you. (Jeremiah 29:7)

The same day, the nightly news shared another reminder! The Halloween maze will open once again but without the planting of corn in a design. A robot will now do all the work!

That was not the best reminder. The best reminder.....

....to me was recalling Acts 17:26. It was God who made all the nations ....to inhabit the whole earth, marking out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their dwelling place. (paraphrase & emphasis, mine) ESV verse 27 states God's purpose for those boundaries, "so that they should seek, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet, he actually is not far from each one of us." (Though it might sound like me, even "actually" is ESV, not mine)

4MEMPHIS publisher Jim Walker's comment said it well, "....brokenness is their inspiration to bear fruit by loving their fellow Memphians. (p.26) 

The A-MAZE-ING truth is that God is near me right here in Memphis; He has me here for a purpose, regardless of scary reports from Nightly News. (Psalm 34:18)

4 MEMPHIS!

I am always 4Memphis.  Memphis has been His choice for me for past 68 years!  

I also am 4Memphis during the pandemic....God determined Memphis during college days to this day as the boundaries of my dwelling place. (Acts 17:24-26) May I serve well where He has placed me even when others are fed up and disowning.

Jeremiah starts it all---at the top of every magazine issue of 4MEMPHIS  "From the Publisher" page of the magazine.

"Seek the Peace and Prosperity of the City in which I have placed you." (Jeremiah 29:7)

Such a worthy read in every publication I have seen.

A HEAPING SERVING OF SALT FOR MEMPHIS

Who would have thought that a "social" magazine would have more than just pictures of the party crowd.

4memphis was left at the end of  my driveway a few days ago and I left it on the bench. It's free at the grocery stores but who "goes" to grocery stores these days? Who goes to parties these days?

But..........the editorial page had me at the get-go! Jim Walker writes from the heart and he starts with scripture. A scripture worth heeding for the sake of our city.

Seek the Peace and Prosperity of the City in which I have placed you.

 (Jeremiah 29:7, emphasis mine)

INFLUENCE--a word that can sound impressive but have no meaning. Today, especially in the media, influence can be used to move the heart or actions of someone else---whether for good or evil. Do these influencers care about truth anymore, he asks.

His next word, SALT reminded us of Lot's wife, who became a "pillar of salt" in Genesis 19:6. Salt, the very substance that preserves everything from decay. Salt, is not a flashy spice as Walker describes but an essential one, basic yet essential. Salt is not self-promoting but brings out the "flavor" of other ingredients. He commends the people and organizations he is associated with as full of salt, bringing joy and taste to the culture of our city. They are the seasoned with the "salt of service" often laboring and serving with little or no attention. Often underfunded, they continue to promote and nurture our city.

Jim Walter's editorial challenges all Memphians to be salt in the community by "ignoring the negative influence of the broadcast and social media and reach out in compassion to all God puts in your daily path. HEAR! HEAR! (Matthew 5:13)

Pick up a copy of "4MEMPHIS"from your driveway or  the next time you're at the grocery store. If you discarded it immediately, go dig it out of your recycle bin. Not for the social events though many of them are charities that benefit our 901 community, but for "From the Publisher" comments. 

For those of us who care about our city, it's worth the read.