Pastor Ralph Diehl » focus

THE SOUNDMAN’S NIGHTMARE

pastordiehl — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:00:29 +0000

Years ago when we were still in the old building, I was on the platform preaching. Our sound man was at the sound board in the back with his headphones on. About half way through my sermon loud music suddenly began to ring through the sanctuary. Everything came to a stand still. The sound man’s wife, sitting beside him, gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs and he suddenly awoke to the fact that he had hit a wrong button and his daydreaming music was being projected over the speakers.

Of course, it woke everybody up, and I lost my place in my notes, but we all had a good laugh at the soundman’s expense. He was so embarrassed. Have you ever been so caught up in what you were doing that you didn’t realize the main thing going on around you? Of course, we have.

Could it be that we are so focused upon what is happening in our material world that we have ignored the spiritual realm around us. Could God be trying to get our attention but we’re oblivious to His signs? Does someone need to punch us in the ribs to get us to see things from God’s perspective?

Stop right now and ask God if there is something He’s trying to show you that you are not hearing. Just stopping and asking can be the invitation He’s been waiting for.

THE PIGEON WALK

pastordiehl — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 12:00:22 +0000

Ever wondered why a pigeon walks so funny? It’s so that it can see where it’s going. Because a pigeon’s eyes can’t focus as it moves, the bird actually has to bring its head to a complete stop between steps in order to refocus. So it proceeds clumsily – head forward, stop, head back, stop.

In our spiritual walk with the Lord, we have the same problem as the pigeon: We have a hard time seeing while we’re on the go. We need to stop between steps – to refocus on the Word and the will of God. Our walk with the Lord needs to have built into it a pattern of stops that enable us to see more clearly before moving on.

That’s why God established a Sabbath rest periodically. Its also why “Daniel…knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God” (Daniel 6:10).

What built-in breaks do you plan into your schedule that help you refocus?

THE RACE

pastordiehl — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 12:00:29 +0000

Servants of God need to learn to focus upon Him. We must daily seek God’s face. A man came upon three boys playing in the snow. He came up to them and asked, “Would you like to try a race and the winner wins a dollar?”

The boys said, “Yes,” and the man told them the race would be different. He said, “I will go to the other side of the field, and when I give you the signal, you start to run. The one whose footsteps are straightest in the snow will be the winner.”

So the race started, and the first boy watched his feet to make sure he was running as straight as possible. The second lad did the same. He watched his feet. The third boy, however, did something different. He ran with his eyes steadfastly fixed on the man at the other side of the field, and he won! Because he had kept his eyes on the goal ahead of him, his footsteps were straight in the snow, and he won the dollar.

Let’s concentrate on God and keep our eyes fixed on Him. He’s the only one who knows where we’re going.

LION TAMER’S STOOL

pastordiehl — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:00:11 +0000

Do you know why animal trainers carry a stool or a chair when they get into a cage of lions? They have a whip, of course, and a pistol at their sides, but have you ever wondered about that stool? Well, to the lion tamer the stool is the most important piece of equipment. When the lion tamer holds the seat of the stool and thrusts the stool’s legs at the lion, the lion focuses on all four legs at once. And, in the attempt to focus on all four, a kind of paralysis overwhelms the animal; it becomes weak and disabled because its attention is fragmented.

Jesus told us to “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God.” If we will concentrate on that one thing, all the other things will fall into place in our lives.

FOCUS

pastordiehl — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:00:16 +0000

When I was a child, a big circus came to town. They set up the big top on the site where the Butler Elementary School sits today. That was only a block away from where we lived, so us kids were fascinated sitting on our side of the street watching the elephants assist in the heavy work. When the big show opened, of course we didn’t want to miss a thing.

I remember watching the lions in the center ring with the lion tamer cracking his whip and holding those big cats at bay with only a stool. How did he do that, I wondered. The answer is an old lion-tamers trick. The stool has multiple legs. As the lion tamer holds those legs out to the lion, he focuses upon his enemy, and becomes so confused and disoriented by the multiple focus points that he can’t move. He won’t attack one leg without making himself vulnerable to the others. All his energy is neutralized. So he just sits there.

I think its possible for such a thing to happen in churches. If there are too many things for the church to focus upon, it can become disoriented and not know what to do. So it just sits there for fifty years doing nothing, because it can’t decide what to do. What is the primary focus of the Lord’s Church (any church)? Let’s stay focused.

QUATRO-OJOS LIVING

pastordiehl — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:00:29 +0000

A South American minnow-like fish is called ‘Quatro-ojos’ (four-eyes), because it knows how to make the best of two worlds. The Creator designed its large bulging eyes with an air lens on the upper half and a water lens on the lower half. As it cruises along the surface of the water, it is able to look at the world above and the world below at the same time.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God gave us humans the ability to see both into the heavenly, spiritual realm, as well as the physical, worldly realm, at the same time. There is good news: God has given us that very ability.

The heavenward look enables us to focus on what God says is true and right , and the “earthward” look helps us see opportunities to demonstrate Christlike compassion to people who are entangled in sin.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about seeking righteousness and showing mercy (Matthew 5:6-7). The Apostle Paul reinforced these two concepts when he told the Corinthians to uphold God’s standards but also show mercy to a repentant brother (1 Corinthians 5:1-5 and 2 Corinthians 2:1-7).

That’s what Quatro-ojos Living is all about.

Hit the Bull’s Eye

pastordiehl — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:49:45 +0000

The news media was active in posting video of a Navy missile shooting down a malfunctioning Spy satellite while in orbit. Can you imagine hitting a moving target like that from so far away? That’s like hitting the proverbial needle in a hay stack with a thrown dart from a riding horse! Wow! How did they pull that off with one shot?

I think we’ve seen enough ‘smart bomb’ videos from the Iraq War that we understand the missile “homed in” on the target and kept readjusting its focus as it moved down its trajectory until it finally hit the bull’s eye and destroyed the failed satellite. Staying on target and continuously readjusting its focus was the key to its success and hats off to the US Navy for pulling it off.

But we should also take our hats off to the Holy Spirit, sent on the mission to target our souls no matter how hard we try to hide. On this deliverance mission, the Spirit of life keeps readjusting His efforts every time we take another step in a different direction. He has been called “the Hound of Heaven” for His determination to seek out and and win over every heart. Its wonderful to watch the Spirit’s unpredictable actions as He leads and convicts to bring each of us to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. You can’t hide from this spiritual smart bomb because He never loses His focus!