Quote from Forum Archives on August 12, 2001, 11:34 am

Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>

Standing Shoulder To Shoulder Together As We
Fight the Good Fight of Faith

A personal letter of encouragement to you, written solely to "lift up hands that hang down".

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SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #187 ---- 8/13/01

TITLE: "When Your Belts Are Burned"

My Dear Friend and Ministry Partner:

Today my heart is overflowing with joy and satisfaction in knowing I have another opportunity to try to bless and encourage you. It still awes and humbles me to think that you take time to read these weekly episodes, many of which are more like theses than simple personal letters ---- often too long and too detailed. The fact that you take time to read is a blessing I do not deserve, but appreciatively receive.

FIRST THING:

I have added an instruction line to aid anyone who perhaps missed a letter, failed to keep some copies, or would like to just go back and do some reading of back issues. So, anytime you want a back copy, just click on the "FOR BACK COPIES" line above. That will put you on my "Shoulder To Shoulder" page. When you click on "Read Messages" it will give you the current letter. To go back one month at a time, just click on the "left" single arrow and it will take you progressively back to each month of letters all the way to the very first in early 1998.

Also, you may be glad to know we have actually finally begun work on a ministry website. The basic version will probably be up and running within the next couple of weeks, though it will take us several months more to complete it and bring it into our desired form. I'll announce it as soon as it is on line, and will add a navigation address that will take you directly to it.

A VERY SPECIAL OFFER:

The reason we are finally able to begin working on a web site is because of two very generous offers. One was from a friend, a member of our first team of students to Croatia in 1996, who offered to design the site for us. He is blessing us and hopefully you through his fantastic servant spirit. Thanks, Jeremy!

The second is because of the amazing generosity of our "Shoulders" host, Glen Stewart. Not only does Glen volunteer his time, efforts, and equipment to service some 150 Christian newsletters, but he also makes free hosting and space available for web sites. In fact on August 1 he sent out another offer to all mailing list moderators and encouraged us to pass the word.

So, here is what he had to say . . . . .

"welovegod.org is here to serve God, so the resulting workload is always a blessing! August is the 10-year anniversary of operation, and we have just reached 50,000 subscribers and almost 150 mailing lists."

He goes on to say, . . . .

"This message is originating from welovegod.org, which is the Christian Internet site hosting web pages and nearly 150 Christian mailing lists and ministries like the one this message is being sent through.

"The sole goal of this letter is to communicate an offer to freely host YOUR Christian ministry at welovegod.org.

"Have you considered reaching out to share the Gospel Message with millions of people on the Internet?

"If your effort is truly an outreach to the unsaved, welovegod.org would like to subsidize your ministry by covering certain costs of participation on the Internet, using the 'welovegod.org' and 'welovegod.org' site that has been operating on the Internet for the past six years.

"Currently, ministries are supported by providing free web site space and e-mail discussion lists. See welovegod.org/faq/your-list-here.html for details.

"It takes talented, Spirit-led people, touching other people's lives one at a time to really make this or any type of ministry effective.

"If what I've mentioned so far intrigues you and others you know, you may wish to discuss it among yourselves and begin to gather some facts. I would enjoy discussing ideas with you and answering questions about technology and ministry techniques I am already familiar with. Contact [email protected] to pursue this offer. For further information about welovegod.org, please visit welovegod.org/faq ."

Frankly, I think this is an amazing offer, and I hope, if you have a ministry in need of a web site or a mailing list hosting service for your church or ministry newsletter, that you'll consider it.

ANOTHER VIRUS ALERT:

I also recently received a note from Glen regarding another virus you need to watch for. You can get details by going to welovegod.org and then clicking on the Windows95 Virus icon. It is listed along with other information you may want to examine. This one begins by asking for your opinion and input.

The reason I'm sharing this is because last week I made a mistake I seldom make, and it cost me dearly. I received an e-mail from a member of our most recent team of students ministering in Bosnia. I thought he was sending me a picture from the trip. Alas, too late, I realized it was an EXE file just as I clicked on it. So, now my computer has worms! And I can't get on the internet at all to get a virus upgrade, nor can I shut my computer down.

Now, don't panic! I'm not using that computer in writing to you today, so you're safe!

The interesting thing is that this team member actually never wrote to me. Someone had accessed his e-mail address book. In fact, he hadn't been on the internet all week. Yet it showed the letter coming from him. Because I knew him and trusted him, I concluded there was no danger.

The lesson? 1. Keep your virus program (I do presume you have one) current! And use it daily! Make sure the settings are set to check automatically. 2. Don't entertain e-mails from people you don't know. 3. Don't open file attachments unless you know clearly what they are, and you fully know and trust the person who sent them. 4. If you have any concerns at all about an attachment, contact the person who sent it to you beforehand to be sure it's safe.

WHEN YOUR BELT GETS BURNED:

I have been fighting two mechanical battles since shortly before our most recent trip to Bosnia and Croatia back in May. About a week prior to leaving, I started having problems with one of my computers and with both of my lawn mowers. I'll spare you the details. Suffice it to say that the trip, glorious and wonderful though it was, did absolutely nothing to solve the problems. Upon my return, I was yet saddled with my desktop still down and my two mowers in bad shape. To add insult to injury my laptop began acting up while on the trip and necessitated my sending it to distant California for a month for repair.

The mowers, on the other hand, were another story. The rider had developed a vibration and poor cutting record that left much to be desired. The walking mower sounded like a pig caught in a fence every time I tried to start it.

Yesterday morning on the way home from church I asked the Lord to give me something practical and meaningful to share with you, and He surprisingly reminded me of my riding lawn mower. Now, I really enjoy using real life situations and stories as a means of sharing Biblical truth, something that Jesus did perfectly. . . . . . But a lawn mower!!!

My mower is an eighteen horsepower Western Auto Wizard that is supposed to run quietly and smoothly as its forty-two inch dual blade deck does what it is designed to do ---- cut grass. I bought it four years ago shortly after we moved to our present location. It has given me wonderful service doing its job, and has required minimal maintenance and repair
---- until last Spring. It developed a vibration that was most irritating . . . . and noisy . . . . and somewhat frightening. After all, the last thing I wanted to happen was have a blade come flying off and cut off my foot!

Shortly after our return from Bosnia in mid June I decided to try to locate the cause of the vibration, but to no avail. I tried everything I could imagine. I bought a new set of blades because I knew one had been slightly bent and could be causing an imbalance that would create such a vibration. I also discovered that one of the pulleys had stripped out and had scored the blade shaft, so I replaced them both only to have the new ones do the identical thing in less than an hour.

I must say it has been an unbelievably frustrating Summer when it comes to computers and lawn mowers.

Finally, this past Saturday I had enough time to really look into the situation. It was nice that the weather was not in the 90's as it had been for most of July and August. And, it wasn't raining either. So it was the perfect opportunity, though I wasn't excited about the project.

Pulling the mower out of the garage, I crawled around on either side disconnecting the mower deck at all seven (!) support points (my last one had only four) hoping I could remember them all. Dragging the deck from under the belly of the tractor I hoisted it up onto a couple of saw horses and stard ignorantly at the complex system of pulleys, levers, rods, bearings, and blades.

Realizing I had no other choice, and asking God for divine revelation, I began. I checked the blades and decided to sharpen them while I was at it. I spent thirty minutes trying to make certain the stripped out pulley was perfectly centered before I tightened the nut down again with a strength that would have made Samson proud. It won't go anywhere next time it is tempted to go eccentric.

I even did a few extras that had nothing to do with the horrible vibration. I replaced a gauge wheel bracket that had broken off earlier. I checked on what might be causing too much play in the steering wheel and decided that was a project for another day.

Finally, I replaced something that seemed totally illogical to me ---- until a service repairman at a mower repair shop about 25 miles away had pointed it out to me last Thursday.

"It's probably the belt."

The belt!?!?!

What does a belt have to do with a vibration???

He went on to tell me that if, for some reason, the blades had become locked and the belt had stopped in the process, the friction from the main pulley on the engine could actually burn a spot in the belt before I could get it shut down. That would cause the belt to wear away in that one spot. In the future then, every time that belt would pass through one of the five pulleys it was threaded around, it would sink deeper into each pulley and create a "thump".

And, when you get a whole bunch of thumps from five pulleys creating "thumps" really fast, you call it a vibration!

He was exactly right.

My belt was burned! (I've had some stretch but never burn.)

I remembered that a few days before we left on our Bosnia trip last May I had been mowing around a mound of dirt we had hauled in to fill holes in the yard. Since it's been there almost four years now, it has its own crop of grass and weeds. As I was driving around and up on its sides, I had unintentionally crested the mound and the mower deck settled flat down on its top, burying both blades in dirt. It also immobilized the deck lever so I couldn't disengage the pulleys from the belt. I still remember the smell of burned rubber and the burning sensation of smoke in my eyes before I finally thought to turn off the ignition.

When I took the belt off Saturday, the vibration problem was obvious . . . . and so simple! There were not only three or four worn spots along the belt from previous but less catastrophic glitches, but one four inch long spot only half the thickness of the rest of the belt. It was easy to see. It was one of those situations when you want to shout "Praise the Lord!" when you discover the problem . . . . because in discovering the problem, I knew the solution.

Now my mower has a new deck wheel gauge that keeps it level, it has sharp blades, it has a newly centered pulley, it has a new belt, . . . . .

And it has no vibration!!!

You may be wondering why I'm making such a big deal about this. Frankly, I wouldn't be . . . . if it hadn't been for God yesterday afternoon on the way home from church. It's His doing that I'm writing you about this today.

You see, friend, as I drove home yesterday with Jo Ann wondering why I was so quiet, the Lord prompted me with an interesting statement?

"Do you know anybody in the ministry who is experiencing a troubling vibration of some kind? They should examine the belt."

That really hit me.

Then the sybolisms began to flood my mind and I was fearful I would forget some of them before I had a chance to sit down and begin writing you. If I did, perhaps the Holy Spirit will remind me at least of those that will benefit you.

There were several questions that came to my mind during that afternoon drive yesterday:

Why are vibrations so significant? What's the big deal over vibrations? What causes vibrations? If a vibration is not identified and the problem fixed, what are the consequences? How do you fix a vibration?

So, let me try to find some possible answers.

WHY SO BIG A DEAL???

Life in general is filled with mishaps, interruptions, inconveniences . . . . vibrations. So, what's the big deal, anyhow?

1. Vibrations indicate there is a problem. Something isn't quite right. Some things aren't designed to vibrate. When they do, it indicates that there is an underlying problem . . . . a malfunction, . . . . a foreign presence. I remember years ago when living in Iowa that our youngest daughter had a major vibration in one wheel of her car and she thought the bearings or tire were going bad. It turned out to be a huge chunk of snow and ice that had become lodged on the inside of the wheel.

Is your life in general, your family, your job setting, your ministry having some serious vibrations? There's a problem of some kind. It would be wise to check it out.

2. Vibrations are uncomfortable. You feel it throughout your body. Vibrations make you uneasy. Most of the time I really enjoy mowing the yard. There's lots of it to mow, and I especially enjoy the large open area (about two acres) out near the road and alongside the lane that goes by the pond. It's during those times that I think a lot . . . . and the Lord and I carry on some pretty good conversations . . . . sometimes I even come up with some kind of unique idea or dream about something I'd like to have or do.

But, with the vibrations I found myself more conscious of the shaking on my feet just above the deck. I noticed that I gripped the steering wheel more firmly trying to stay in control. I particularly noticed how my behind began to feel sore and even numb because of the constant vibration. My lower back began to hurt more as I tried to maintain a firm position for my posterior. I even got tense and uncomfortable between my shoulders.

Do you feel uncomfortable about something? . . . . . maybe something you can't even identify? Maybe there's a vibration that needs to be located and fixed.

3. Vibrations are distracting. One of the most disconcerting elements of that vibration in the mower was the way it interrupted my concentration and thinking time. I became inordinately concerned about the vibration, wondering if I would complete the next pass around the yard before something bad happened. When the vibrations came along, I lost the focus that allowed me to think good thoughts, talk with the Lord, dream. I was quickly distracted.

The same is true in ministry. Episodes where certain "vibrations" happened in my ministry come to mind like a slide projector on a three-second timer clicking through scene after scene. Those scenes distracted me and kept me from being about the Father's business. Some scenes were genuine events while others were nothing but cartoons and caricatures demonically sketched by the one who wanted to at least distract me From ministry if he could not destroy me In it.

Anything going on right now that is distracting you?. . . . . from your spouse, your kids, your ministry, . . . . your time with the Father.

Check for vibrations, and then get the repair work done.

4. Vibrations affect effectiveness. The vibrations in my mower had a direct effect on how well the grass was mowed. It affected both the mower and the one riding it . . . . namely, me. The vibrations were hard on both the mower and me and created wear and tear on the parts of both of us.

However, the Cause of the vibration was the more detrimental, because, you see, that bad belt created a hesitation in the rotation of the blades which, in turn, affected the quality of the cut on the lawn. There was always a line of grass that wasn't cut level with the rest because there just wasn't adequate blade speed to sever the grass sufficiently. And, the erratic vacuum created by the spin of the blade also prohibited the grass from being sucked up into the path of the blades.

Sometimes we don't give vibrations sufficient credence because we don't realize they are signals that effectiveness is being compromised.

If there's a vibration in your life, your effectiveness is being jeopardized, my friend.

5. Vibrations notify everyone else around you that something is wrong. My neighbor Dale would agree to that. He can tell by the sound that something is wrong with the mower. It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to tell when there's a knocking that shouldn't be there. People can tell .... "that doesn't sound right", or "something sounds funny", or "what's that weird sound anyhow?".

When something has happened to us that causes some type of spiritual, emotional, or relational vibration, it doesn't take long for people to notice. And, even though we may insist that "everything's fine", they know it's not . . . . and they just wait around to see when the entire thing breaks down.

It's a really good idea to replace the burned belt, friend.

Will Dale ever be surprised when he hears that mower purr a day or two from now when I go out to cut grass again.

WHAT CAUSES VIBRATIONS???

Well, the answer is both simple and complex. Simple in that all you really need to do is replace the burned belt. Complex in that it's helpful to know what caused the belt to become burned in the first place.

For example, you could have burned the belt simply because a big stick got thrown up into the pulley and belt mechanism. My mower actually has two belts ---- one that delivers power to the mower blades and one that provides power to the drive train . . . . that is, the transmission and wheels. About two years ago that second belt broke for the very reason I described. I was about as far from the house as you can get when I ran over a large tree branch. The front wheel somehow caused it to raise up under the tractor where the belt caught it, jerked it into the main pulley on the engine drive shaft, and the millisecond of added stretch and stress caused the belt to snap.

When that happened, though the engine roared on, the mower and I came to an immediate stand still. The sound was great, but we were getting nowhere fast. I felt both angry and foolish. It was hard work pushing that big riding mower all the way back to the garage where it was stored.

Sometimes in ministry you'll run into a big stick that will literally suck the life right out of you. The engine is still good and running, but somehow the ministry of the Holy Spirit that transfers the life of the Father to your very own life of joy and fellowship is interrupted by a big stick . . . . . some individual in your field of ministry that tries to undermine or overthrow what your are doing . . . . or maybe you might have formed the mistaken assumption that you yourself carry the big stick.

Either way, when the big stick snaps the work of the Holy Spirit, you're going nowhere . . . . . even though the mower blades may still be spinning wildly and you look like you're cutting grass.

Then it is also possible to hit a rock which, in turn, not only dulls, nicks, or even bends the blade, but also can bring it to a stop so that the belt burns from the friction created by such sudden and usually unexpected resistance. Christian ministry is always on rocky terrain. The best solution is to take the time to remove the rocks. If you have the time, you can even, as is often done in Europe, build a fence or beautifully terrace your yard.

If you don't remove the rocks, then be careful how you mow! Watch the height of your cutting; sometimes it's better to cut a little higher, at least the first few times until you have opportunity to patiently remove the obstacles.

Finally, you can sometimes do what I did . . . . mow the mound. You see, there are some times when weeds and grass need to be pulled instead of mowed. That has to be done by hand . . . . it requires personal hands on attention.

When you try to impersonally deal with "mound-tains" you may end up burying your best tools of ministry and burning your belt, leaving a dead-in-the-dirt effort and a spiritually damaged drive for future ministry. And, nothing save a new belt will solve the resulting vibrations and shakings.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES???

The consequences of vibrations and the things that cause them are simple . . . . .

Just as there was a loss of joy, sensitivity, and productiveness in mowing my grass with a rattling lawn mower, so there will be a loss of joy, sensitivity, and productiveness in your ministry. Every little vibration will remind you of that moment when the blades of ministry locked up and burned the belt. The distractions of the vibrations caused by the event will cause you to lose sensitivity to the more important things and the drone will keep you from hearing the voice of the Father. And, tragically, the effectiveness of your ministry will be affected because the blades don't rotate at the required speed for smooth, even, beautifying trimming.

Consequently, tools of ministry are damaged and useless, the grass grows so tall it becomes ugly, weeds begin to take over, and small but painful varmints and crawly creatures begin to inhabit areas that at one time revealed the beauty of the Master rather than the rawness of nature.

HOW DO YOU FIX THEM???

Well, then . . . . . how do you fix vibrations that come to life?

Frankly, there are only about three things that can be done.

First, identify the source of the vibration. It took several attempts on my part before I finally determined the real cause. I replaced blades and pulleys before finally discovering that it was the belt. And even then someone else had to tell me. Sometimes that is what is necessary in ministry . . . . someone else has to tell you.

Next, you have to replace the part. You can't repair a pulley or a shaft that are reamed out. Oh, yes, you can add a lock washer and tighten the nut down, but eventually it will break loose again.

You can't repair a mower blade, no matter how hard you try. Even after straightened out and sharpened, there will always be a slight vibration, because they can never be brought back to perfect balance again. Friend, when something has damaged your blade of ministry, trying to fix it will never bring it back to pristine condition. You'd be better off to ask the Lord to replace the blade . . . . give you a new vision, a fresh anointing.

You can't rebuild a burned belt by using tape, epoxy, or putty. Those are all temporary make-shift solutions that will not work, no matter how sincere or feverish your efforts may be. Go get a new belt! Receive a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit; He's the one who has been "burned" by being grieved, quenched, or resisted. Whatever it was that stopped the blade in mid circle, whatever it was that hurt the Holy Spirit, ask the Father to restore. He's really good at that.

Then it's good to improve your vision. You need to be able to see the potential obstacles more clearly, and you need to envision the beauty of the potentially finished product more lovingly. Being a skilled care taker of the grounds is a noble calling. Being a caring husbandman is a desperately needed vocation in the vineyard of the Lord.

Next, it would be good to take some time to get a good tune up and repair session while the belt is being replaced. Take time to replace the gauge wheel that will help govern the depth of your work. Take on new fuel. Change the oil and check the spark plug. Put a little more air in the tires. Go ahead and tighten up the steering mechanism for accuracy and true direction. Replace a pulley if necessary and be sure to use the time to sharpen the blade.

Finally, . . . . . get back on the mower! There's work to be done!

Have a good week . . . . . mowing. Just do it with a watchful eye and a tender heart.

And . . . . . don't burn your belt!

In His Bond,

Bob Tolliver -- Rom 1:11-12
Copyright August, 2001

Life Unlimited Ministries
[email protected]
Do You Get "Shoulder To Shoulder"?