CHEERS

Cheers and Cherrio to you my friends. When you lift a cup of kindness to someone, you are wishing them well.

CHEERS: (1) state of mind or of feeling; mood; spirit; now usually in such phrases as be of good cheer, with good cheer (2) gaiety; gladness; joy; a source of encouragement (3) festive food or entertainment
(4) anything that makes one happy; encouragement (5) a glad, excited shout used to urge on, welcome, approved, etc. (Webster's)

CHEERIO: (1) goodbye (2) good health; used as a toast

CHEERS: A situation comedy television show of the 80's...1980's that is. The story of an ex-baseball player who is a recovering alcoholic who also happens to run a bar that caters to a variety of characters each week.

The theme song is a catchy little diddie written by Judy Hart Angelo and Gary Portnoy...and goes a little something like this (sing along if you know it):

Making you way in the world
takes everything you've got,
Taking a break from all your
worries , sure would help a lot...Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go...Where everybody knows your name...and they're always GLAD you came...you wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same...you wanna go where everybody knows your name.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm....sounds like a church...but it's not...it is that Boston bar called cheers. One of the characters that walks in is a man named Norm Peterson (played by George Wendt). As he enters in... the entire bar shouts out his name...NORM!!! Then whoever is behind the bar would ask him various questions at which time he would come back with a funny little saying.

Here's some examples:

What's new Norm? Terrorists, Sam...they've taken over my stomach and they're demanding beer.

Hey Norm...how's the WORLD been treating you? Like a baby treats a diaper.

Women...can't live with 'em...pass the beer nuts.

What's the story Mr. Peterson? Boy meets beer..boy drinks beer...boy meets another beer.

What's happening Mr. Peterson? The question Wood, WHY is it happening to me.

Well..you get the idea. His answers are reflections and mini-commentaries on his pathetic life...and his need for beer to numb the pain.

My favorite comment is as Woody asks him..."How's it going Mr. Peterson? Norm responds..."Its a dog eat dog WORLD...and I'm wearing Milk Bone underwear."

The WORLD is just not treating Norm Peterson very nice. And guess what...the WORLD ain't treating you very nice. Do you feel the nipping teeth of the dogs of this world snapping at your Milk Bone underwear. In the words of the drill Sgt. who had the privilege of training the Three Stooges... "Why does everything always have to happen to me?!?!

Like the Morton Salt slogan states..."WHEN IT RAINS...IT POURS. It seems like you receive the punch of one fist...and the second one sneaks in on you.

What's a person to do? Well...instead of doing like Norm Peterson...and complain and drink... as a believer in Jesus Christ...the anointed one with an anointing to do good and heal all who were oppressed by the devil...for God was with Him (Acts 10:38)...who had an anointing of the Holy Ghost and Power...with an anointing that was yoke destroying, burden lifting, oppression removing dunamis (explosive, dynamic ability) power...we might ought to correct our speaking by renewing the mind.

Usually what we speak is what we think. The Bible states that out of the abundance of the heart...the mouth speaks.

There is power in the words that we speak.. and they can bring life or death..."Death and life are in the power of the TONGUE and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:21)

"O generation of vipers...how can you being evil...speak good things? For out of the ABUNDANCE of the HEART...the MOUTH SPEAKS." (Matthew 12:34)

"A good man...out of the good treasure of his HEART brings forth that which is good...and an evil man...of of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of his HEART his MOUTH SPEAKS." (Luke 6:45)

In the Ruminator Sunday School class...we periodically use and example of our HEART/MOUTH connection by going to someone in class (usually someone new to the class) and have them shake their cup of coffee until it spills over onto the table (if they don't shake hard enough...I give them a hand). The question is then posed: "Why did coffee come out of that cup?" They usually answer because it was shaken." Of course...that is the wrong answer. "The reason coffee came out of that cup because... that is what was IN THE CUP. The shaking was only the thing that revealed what was IN THE CUP."

The same thing with our WORDS. When the world shakes you up...when the dog eat dog world is nipping at your milkbone underwear...when situations, circumstances, world events, personal issues take place... the question is...what is coming of your mouth via your heart.

The key to changing the heart content...is changing the mind content. The old computer programming saying still rings true..."garbage in... garbage out." We need a reprogramming of our MIND SET. As believers in the D.B.R...death, burial, resurrection of Jesus the Anointed One...we RENEW OUR MINDS.

Romans 12:1,2 speaks of a WORLD MINDSET versus a RENEWED MINDSET..."I urge you therefore brethren...by the mercies of God...to present you bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your reasonable/spiritual service of worship. And do not be CONFORMED to the WORLD but be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that you may PROVE what the WILL OF GOD is...that which is GOOD...ACCEPTABLE...AND PERFECT."

Conformed means to be shaped into the box of thinking of the world. Transformed means to metamorphose into something different under pressure much like a butterfly breaking through the coccoon. This is done by taking the WORD OF GOD...and changing your way of thinking...or as Zig Ziglar calls it...STINKIN' THINKIN'... where you are dead from the neck up. This in effect changes our heart thinking...which in turn changes our mouth speaking.

It is all about our MIND SET...that reflects in our MOUTH SET. One give out life and peace...the other gives out death.

"For those who are according tot the flesh SET THEIR MINDS ON THE FLESH...but those who are according to the Spirit, THE THINGS OF THE SPIRIT. For the MIND SET on the FLESH...is DEATH...but the MIND SET on the SPIRIT...is LIFE...and PEACE, because the MIND SET on the FLESH...is HOSTILE TOWARDS GOD...for it does not SUBJECT itself to the law of God...for it is not even able to do so; and those who are IN THE FLESH...CANNOT PLEASE GOD (See Heb. 11:6)
(Romans 8:5-8)

Today...stop and listen...really listen to people around you. What's coming out of their mouths. Then stop and listen to yourself. What's coming out of your mouth. Are you sounding like the conformed world or are you sounding like a transformed mind. What's in your cup when it is shaken?

Love and Renewed Kisses
Rodney "Hey...who put this coffee in my cup" Boyd