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Program Notes or Transcript

If there were a ride at an amusement park that could change your appearance or your age, would you take a ride?  I guess it all depends on whether or not you are satisfied with yourself, content with who you are.  Hi this is Doug Flemming, inviting you for a ride on this edition of Take Five…brought to you by the Church of the Nazarene.   Have you ever wanted to be someone else, or to look like someone else? Everyone at some time or another struggles with our self esteem.  I read a book recently with my son called “The Thief Lord.” This book features a quest for a magic merry-go-round that can change a person’s age…it can make the young old and the old young…Of course the kids want to ride to grow up and be in charge…the adults want to ride to become young again. But in each case, the person was sorry that they had made the switch. We are often like that. Discontent with our place in life. Looking for something bigger, better, nicer, newer, faster, prettier. In my opinion, Michael Jackson exemplifies this spirit of discontentment.  He was once considered the king of pop, but now he’s in the midst of a criminal court case. He wrote some great songs including Man in the Mirror.  One line in that song says “take a look at yourself an make a change.”  Saddly, Mr. Jackson looked at his outward appearance and made many changes….spending thousands of dollars to whiten his skin, straighten his hair and elongate his nose.  And we can all see the results have not been pretty.  But the message of Michael’s song is actually good, because it talks about internal change.  Change of the heart.  And that is the only change that really lasts. 

Today’s Music: Change My Heart, Crystal Lewis

As Proverbs 31 says, beauty is fleeting.   So our focus should not be on outward appearance or outward circumstances.  Our focus should be on the heart.  Scripture reminds us that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. So friend, if you’re going to be discontent be discontent over things that you can and should change, matters of the heart.  When the heart is right, we can be happy no matter the situation.  Find contentment in Christ today.