SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #88 ---- 9/20/99
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
As We fight The Good Fight
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #88 ---- 9/20/99
TITLE: "Don't Quit ---- Keep Playing"
My Dear Pilgrim Partner:
I greet you in our matchless Lord today, and hope for you that this will
be the absolute greatest week of your life ---- that our great God will
reveal Himself to you in ways never imagined and give you healing, hope,
restoration, and fruitfulness in measure beyond your experience to date.
Be blessed ---- richly blessed ---- in all you are and all you do.
GOOD FOR SOME LAUGHS:
Glen Stewart is the owner of the e-mail services that distributes my
letters to you. His organization handles over 70 different newsletters.
One of his personal specialties is a humor letter of good clean humor.
Here is something he sent out recently. I read last Sunday it to the
church where I am interim pastor and got some great laughs. Thought you
might enjoy a chuckle as well.
DEAR PASTOR
Arnold. Age 8, Nashville.
Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but He never met my sister.
Pete. Age 9, Phoenix
Dear Pastor, Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a
good boy all week. I am Peter Peterson.
Robert, Page 11, Anderson
Dear Pastor, My father should be a minister. Every day he gives us a
sermon about something.
Patty. Age 10, New Haven
Dear Pastor, I'm sorry I can't leave more money in the plate, but my
father didn't give me a raise in my allowance. Could you have a
sermon about a raise in my allowance?
Annette. Age 9, Albany
Dear Pastor, My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at
church every week even if she has a cold.
Stephen. Age 8, Chicago
Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my
brother won't be there.
Loreen. Age 9. Tacoma
Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you
moved it to Disneyland.
Eleanor. Age 12, Sarasota
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon where you said that good health is more
important than money but I still want a raise in my allowance.
Laurie. Age 10, New York City
Dear Pastor, Please pray for all the airline pilots. I am flying to
California tomorrow.
Ellen, age 9. Athens
Dear Pastor, I hope to go to heaven some day but later than sooner.
Alexander. Age 10, Raleigh
Dear Pastor, Please say a prayer for our Little League team. We need
God's help or a new pitcher. Thank you.
Joshua. Age 10, South Pasadena
Dear Pastor, My father says I should learn the Ten Commandments. But I
don't think I want to because we have enough rules already in my house.
Christopher. Age 9, Titusville
Dear Pastor, Who does God pray to? Is there a God for God?
Carla. Age 10, Salina
Dear Pastor, Are there any devils on earth? I think there may be one in
my class.
Ralph, Age 11, Akron
Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was
finished.
Marie, Age 9, Lewiston
Dear Pastor, How does God know the good people from the bad people? Do
you tell Him or does He read about it in the newspapers?
To subscribe, send ANY message to <[email protected]>
TELEMARKETERS' SOLUTION:
I couldn't help but laugh last night when Jo Ann told me what our
youngest daughter Deanna did in trying to deal with a tele-marketer who
wouldn't stop talking long enough for her to indicate they weren't
interested.
Finally, after several minutes of non-stop high pressured monolog, Deanna
had all she could take, so she handed the phone to our two-year-old
grandson, Michael. When he heard the voice on the other end, he began to
jabber and carry on in his less than two-year-old vocabulary, carrying on
quite a conversation.
After some time, he punched the disconnect button and handed the phone
back to Deanna.
Bet that telemarketer never had a conversation like that one before!
I wonder what kind of intelligence he also thought Deanna had!
THE PIANO LESSON:
My son-in-law, Bob, recently sent me the following story:
Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took
the small boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the
mother spotted a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle to
greet her. Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert
hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door
marked "NO ADMITTANCE."
When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the
mother returned to her seat and discovered that her son was missing.
Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive
Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at
the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved
to the piano, and whispered in he boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."
Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began
filling
in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of
the child and he added a running obbligato.
Together, the old master and the young novice transformed a frightening
situation into a wonderful creative experience. The audience was
mesmerized. That's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on
our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't
exactly graceful flowing music. But with the hand of the Master, our
life's work truly can be beautiful.
Next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully. You
can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit.
Keep playing." Feel His loving arms around you. Know that His strong
hands are playing the concerto of your life.
Remember, God doesn't call the equipped; He equips the called. And He'll
always be there to love and guide you on to great things.
Author unknown
POWERFUL TRUTH:
As I read that story, I was reminded of times in my own life when I
struggled so hard to pick out a simple melody with one hand and no
harmony notes. I stumbled, made mistakes, started over, got frustrated,
---- cried. My efforts seemed so futile ---- so meaningless.
Then I remembered that there are others in ministry who have probably
experienced the same feelings of being totally incapable.
Maybe you have, friend.
Maybe this story is for you, as it is for me, all too familiar. Maybe
the story is about us.
If so, read it again ---- and take note of some significant statements:
1. "God doesn't call the equipped. He equips the called." -------- "W -
O - W !!!" Did you get that? I wonder why it is so easy for us to
forget that? If He called the equipped, we wouldn't need Him. However,
because He equips the called, we can't do without Him.
Aren't you glad He included you? I sure am!
2. "Don't quit. Keep Playing!" How many times have we needed to hear
those words? Every time we were tempted to quit. This story means so
much for me because I can totally identify with that little boy.
My Dad took piano lessons for two years at age eight to ten, and
developed into one of the finest concert-quality Gospel pianists I have
ever heard. Even at age 84, with arthritis-tormented hands, he can still
play. Years ago the famed Old Fashioned Revival Hour's Rudy Atwood
stayed in our home. I still remember that occasion as a very small boy
of about three or four years. His fingers ran all over that piano.
Already a highly accomplished pianist who could sight reed Beethoven,
Chopin, and others, Dad began to develop a similar style and was soon
improvising, modulating, and playing any song you wanted in any key you
desired. He developed his own personal style that had elements of Atwood
and B. B. McKinney.
Atwood was known for his octave runs up and down the piano. McKinney was
known for his full chord sounds. Dad's philosophy was simple: "God put
88 keys on the piano and gave me ten fingers and thumbs with which to
play them ---- therefore I'll play as many as I can as often as I can."
He didn't get to that skill level overnight. It took many years of
practice and hard work. But, I can tell you the one thing that gave him
the will to keep going. When he was young, his piano teacher (who was
also my piano teacher 25 years later) said, "Don't quit. Keep playing."
And he didn't ---- and he did.
Se said the same thing to me.
But I did, ---- and I didn't.
I've regretted that all my life since then. Even though I've had almost
four times as many years of piano lessons as my Dad took, he plays, and I
don't.
Why?
We had the same teacher, and the same songs.
Because with me, I misunderstood, and kept hearing someone say, "Don't
Play! ---- Keep Quitting!" Later I thought I heard someone yell, "You
can't play! You're a quitter!"
But deep inside Dad there was someone who said, "Don't quit ---- keep
playing." And that inner "someone" sat down with him, arms draped around
him, filling in the bass to the left and doing obbligatos on the right.
Dear friend, that's exactly what God is wanting to do for you. The
Master wants a place beside you on the bench ---- not so He can push you
off or take your place, but so He can wrap Himself around you and make
your " Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" sound like Chopin's greatest piece
as He fills in the bass to your left and composes an accompanying
obligato to your right.
3. "The concerto of your life". Many of us will be in ministry like I
was in piano ---- and trumpet ---- and guitar. Because I quit after a
season on all three instruments, I remained mediocre ---- and never
reached the full potential I had inside me. I vowed that would never
happen in my ministry.
As I sat there on that stage of life, my Master watched my feeble
efforts, saw some potential in me, sat down beside me, said to my inner
man, "Don't quit ---- keep playing!", and then wrapped Himself around me
as I struggled on, filling in the bass on my left and creating beautiful
obbligatos on my right.
I sounded terrific!
And ---- the journey has been an incredible trip! I keep hearing Him
quietly whisper, "Don't quit ---- keep playing!"
I intend to do just that.
FINALLY:
So, dear friend, the Father wants you to know it's time on the program
for the concerto of your life. Scoot over and give Him room. He won't
let you fall off, and He won't let you fail.
Don't Quit! Keep Playing!
Have a wonderful week. Drop me a note sometime.
In Christ's Great Bond of Love and Grace,
Bob
Bob Tolliver ---- (Rom 1:11-12)
Copyright September, 1999. All rights reserved.
If this letter has blessed you and you know of someone else who needs to
be encouraged, feel free to forward it in its entirety to all such people
you know.
If you would like a list of past issues which you could receive upon
request, just let us know.
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Hang in there! I'm with you!
-------.ooooO--------------- Ooooo--------
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