Forthright Magazine http://www.forthright.net Straight to the Cross Join the conversation! The New Testament Christian group explores what it means to be Christians only. Sign up now! ntchristian-subscribe@... COLUMN: REALITY CHECK Forward Planning by Stan Mitchell I love the expression "forward planning," or "planning for the future." What other kind of planning could there be? "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox" (Proverbs 14:4, ESV). Once a missionary decided to speak to an African friend about the number of cattle he had on his land. He explained that the overgrazed land was a direct result of his running too many cattle on too little land. He pointed to a couple of oxen and declared: "You could slaughter those oxen over there and have many meals from them." The African farmer looked him straight in the eye and asked: "Would you eat your tractor?" It might seem that getting rid of oxen would save money, but this was a false economy. The strength of the ox would provide many more meals alive than he would dead. In a day of easy credit and instant gratification, it's as well to remember that planning, management and living within one's means is still the best way to provide for your loved ones. An "abundant harvest" comes from attentive planning. ---- Read this article online, write your reaction, and read others' comments as well. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/25tsv9o COLUMN: ENCOURAGING WORD By Our Love by Paula Harrington Recently, after having dinner with friends, the waitress asked if there was anything else she could do for us. There wasn't, but one of the people in our group surprised us all when he asked, if there was anything we could do for her. She thought for a moment and then casually replied, "I guess you can pray for me." What happened next will never be forgotten. We joined hands and asked what she wanted us to pray about. It was then that her emotions took over. Through her tears, she mentioned her family and the many struggles they were facing. There wasn't a dry eye in the room after that prayer. Jesus tells us that we will be known by our love (John 13:34-35). It won't be what kind of car we drive, how well our children are dressed, or where we work. It won’t be our political affiliation or views on worldly matters that will show others that we belong to him. The number of friends we have on Facebook, how many people follow us on Twitter, or how popular our blog is, won't make us stand out in a crowd either. Neither will what version of the Bible we use, what brotherhood lectureship we attend, or which Christian college we happen to support. The only way that the world will know who we belong to is how well we treated them. Were we nice to the waitress? Did we spend time with the sick, lonely, and abandoned? Did we have a genuine love and concern for the addicted, abused, and mentally ill? Did we serve others joyfully? What did we do and, more importantly, how did we do it? We can be in the church building every time the doors are open, but if we're rude, arrogant, or hateful in the world, then we may as well be sleeping in on Sunday mornings. Lord, help us to be like Christ because the world is watching. ---- Read this article online, write your reaction, and read others' comments as well. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/2b8pddo You can help get the word out. Here's how: http://www.forthright.net/editorial/lend_a_hand.html