Listen and learn where our hosts have been and what they have been doing for the past couple of months. They are working on a new vehicle for learning and using the transferable concepts that BuildingOneAnother is all about!

What do you think of the phrase, “Out of sight, out of mind?”

When you consider your family and friends scattered around the world and the busyness of your own life where you are, how “out of mind” are the out of sight people in your life?

Back in 1970, Dianna Ross’s Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand) was a smash hit. Nearly ten years later, AT&T launched a very effective campaign, “Reach Out and Touch Someone.”  It encouraged long-distance calls in a day such calls were expensive.

Now we live in a day where technology makes calling and texting people very easy anytime, yet, our friendship circles are shrinking as is our touching of those who are “out of sight.”

Be both spontaneous and systematic about touching people to encourage them. Be spontaneous. If a person pops to mind, text or call them on the spot. If you put it off, it’s not likely to happen. Be systematic too. Make a list of friends, near and far, using the mnemonic FRANC – Friends, Relatives, Associates, Neighbors and Church friends.

Then reach out and touch some of them every week. Some you will want more frequent contact with, others, less so, but by touching people, you will encourage the hearts of many and bring them joy!

Encouraging others often involves just two steps we take in the moment. See a person to encourage through people eyes – the eyes of Jesus – and do it!

To have people eyes is to be a player. To “see” a person you may encourage and remain a bystander means you are people blind and didn’t really see!

Can you imagine Jesus seeing the woman at the well and ignoring her? Zacchaues up in the tree and Jesus just walking past him? The leper begging help and Jesus ignoring him?

     Jesus is a player. He see a person and he acts!

Ask him to give you his eyes to really “see” people. You are sitting in a doctor’s waiting room with others around you. You are standing in line at the grocery or talking a walk in the park or standing on an elevator.

Jesus heals a man lying by the Pool of Bethesda who turns out to be a whiney, spineless person.

Upon receiving an outright miracle, he shows no gratitude. In return for his mercy, Jesus gets nothing but trouble. Why did Jesus heal this one?

Bethesda is a beautiful name in the Bible that combines two words, the first being beth meaning house, such as in Beth-lehem – house of bread.

The second is hesed, so Bethesda means House of Hesed or house of mercy,

Hesed means, “I will never withdraw my love from you. As the Paul was to say, “If we are faithless, he remains is faithful, because he cannot deny himself.” 2 Tim. 2:13

So, why did Jesus heal a whiney, spineless, ingrate lying by the Pool of Bethesda?

The answer is gigantic. Jesus wants us to know that no matter what our inner weakness has been, no matter how we have messed up or have even turned our backs on him, Jesus, himself, is the House of Hesed, always holding onto you so that you may turn to hold onto him.

In the middle of Moses’ final words of blessing to Israel we discover this famous gem:

“The eternal God is your dwelling place and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27

Chris Tomlin sings, “How lovely is your dwelling place oh Lord, Almighty.”  As wonderful as that describes our forever home, the next phrase describes the reason for our hope! "Underneath are the everlasting arms!"

Anthony Showalter, on hearing of two funerals, wrote the refrain to the hymn, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms also known as What a Fellowship.

     Leaning, leaning,           Safe and secure from all alarms;                Leaning, leaning,                     Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Know that the everlasting arms of the Lord who love you are always under you.

Robert H. Schuller made the fascinating observation that anybody can count the number of seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed!

In other words, you have no idea how God will use you to influence the lives of others.

Yet, you DO know our loving Lord will do far beyond what you ask or think!

Who was it that first spoke to Billy Graham about Jesus Christ? Who first connected Martin Luther King, Jr, Mother Theresa, Richard Foster, Pope Francis with Jesus?

Those people may be unknown to you, yet they influenced the whole world by influencing one person!

When you encourage people to trust the Lord who loves them, you have no idea how many people will be touched as the circle grows!

A double yoke allowed two oxen to share a load. A similar harness allows horses to pull together.

When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, for my burden is light,” we know that the loving power of God lifts our yoke! The apostle Paul spoke of a friend as a "true yokefellow," he asked to help two women to reconcile. Philippians 4:3

Just as Jesus the ultimate Yokefellow shares our burdens, we, too, are yokefellows sharing the burdens of others. Appreciate the yokefellows in your life who share your burdens with you.

Be a yokefellow! If the load is heavy, Share the load and remember, Jesus is under the yoke with you!

An epiphany is a new and sudden insight!

In today’s podcast, we discuss a remarkable story told  by a person whose dramatic epiphany about Jesus was amazing and life-changing.

In this New Year, ask our Lord to give you fresh epiphanies his presence, love and power in your life!

To put it simply, let Jesus in!

Consider the Christmas music in our homes, the Christmas story in our churches, the Christmas gatherings of family and friends, and our Christmas shopping (and Hallmark movies).

All of those activities, which capture our attention and bring joy in themselves, are also simply the wrapping!

The true gift is the presence of the person of Jesus, a babe in a manger no longer, now our risen Lord!

Allow the music, the story, the gatherings and the gifts of Christmas to move beyond capturing your attention to directing your attention to the presence of Jesus.

Practice (be aware of) the presence of Jesus, and be glad!

Have you ever heard of the Grace Cycle?

This is wonderfully captured by the Apostle Paul when he wrote: “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us.” II Corinthians 9:11 There are three stages to this grace cycle.

Stage One:  Grace to us – “You will be enriched in every way.”  

     Stage Two – Grace through us – “for your great generosity.”

          Stage Three – Grace returned. “the gifts produce thanksgiving to God.”

Grace to us. Grace through us. Grace returned. Round and round, the  Grace Cycle never stops.

The Lord who loves you never stops pouring grace into your life and as you pour that grace to touch others, they are blessed and you are blessed!