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Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
by Tom Kelley
When I was a kid growing up I remember watching the cartoons on Saturday mornings. Of course, being older I remember such antiquated heroes as Crusader Rabbit. Popeye and his gang were there in their older drawn versions as well as others such as Bugs Bunny before Mel Blanc got a hold of his voice. They were all pretty consistent with the fare of the day. Then there were those two little breaths of fresh air. Those two little cute chipmunks with the excuse me air to them. Then there was Chip 'n Dale.
They would do their thing and get caught in all sort of difficult scrapes, pretty much like chipmunks do from time to time. Then the time would finally arrive in the cartoon for them to escape. This is where it would get cute. They would start their little polite thing. Back and forth they would go passing the right to escape first to each other and extolling each other's virtues in the process, "Indubitably." Finally when you thought the writers had decided to let these two little prim and propers perish they would look at each other and say, "Let's do it together," join hands and escape.
They were so neat. Throughout the cartoon they would pass the compliments back and forth reminding each other of their precious reasons for being such good friends. Devoid of braggadocio they lifted each other up in such a refreshing way. Then they would escape hand in hand. Then they would realize that they can do a whole lot more together than they can alone. How we could use a few Chip n' Dales today.
If you listen to conversations today you hear a lot of I, me and my being passed around. Most people give off the old "anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better" air. Competitiveness has destroyed deference. We need people today who are like Chip n' Dale. We need encouragers. We need to foster an air of worth for others so that they know that they have value and purpose. We need to be those kinds of people. Rather than sitting and wishing that someone would be like that, why don't we become like that?
The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus. In it he held up the virtue of being different than those who did not believe in Jesus. "Let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers." Ephesians 4:29 Edification and grace. Building up and unmerited favor. No, you don't think Paul was… Surely he wasn't telling us to… Do you think he was giving us a little encouragement to be more like Christ? Yeah. Christ edified and imparted grace. Indubitably!!!
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...He was the Minister of the Minorsville Christian Church located near Stamping Ground, KY.
...Becky and Tom have three children; John, single and in worship ministry in Nicholasville, Kentucky; Sean, married (Jennifer, elementary school teacher) with twins (Grace and Patrick, b.d. 10/31/04) and regional director of Papa John's Pizza in Central KY; Kara, married (Vince Taylor, prison guard) and working with Hospice East in Winchester, KY.
...Tom went to be with the Lord on November 13, 2009 after a lengthy battle with cancer. If you have been touched by Tom's writings please send an email to Tom's son at jkelley@catalystchristian.net
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