Fall into Thanksgiving!

As I opened the blinds to the two long windows in our living room that looks over our front yard and the neighborhood beyond us this morning, my attention was drawn to the Red Double Knockout Rose bush I planted last summer.  It really took off a few months back and has been producing a plentitude of gorgeous blooms.  I stood at the window for a few extended moments in the quiet solitude of the early morning and found myself thanking Papa God for the beauty of that particular bush as well as for the beauty of the surroundings within our neighborhood.

After assisting my wife with breakfast a little while later, I sat down in my chair at the dining room table and pressed the Home button on my new iPhone 7 Plus and looked over the various alerts that had popped up on the screen throughout the night and early morning.  One of messages was from the ABC 11 app from a Raleigh TV station. 

As I’ve most likely mentioned before, we live in a country neighborhood in the small agricultural county of Harnett.  But even though we are away from city lights, noise and traffic, we are only about 30 minutes due south of North Carolina’s State Capital at Raleigh.  So, Raleigh’s major network news stations also cover our area even though we are in a different county.

Anyway… The ABC 11 news app posted on my phone read: “LITTLE MORE LIKE FALL TODAY!”  The weather for the last couple of weeks has been ranging from the high eighties to low nineties and it was even warmer yesterday.  But today everything changed!  Today’s forecast and continuing into the middle of next week calls for the temperature to hover in the mid-seventies and then the very low eighties for a while after that.  So it looks like fall has finally taken hold here in North Carolina.

Like my quiet moments of contemplation at the front window this morning, fall is the season of the year that always causes me to look back on the past year and thank God for all the blessings that He has bestowed on us during the other three seasons of the current year.  Psalm 100 immediately comes to mind and especially verse four where the Psalmist boldly declares that he will “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” (KJV) 

So therefore at this time of year I tend to look at everything around me with the eyes and heart of thanksgiving unto Papa God.  Whether it is the red roses, golden Marigolds and the red Geranium I planted at the beginning of the summer in the front or the tall green vegetable plants in their special raised bed planter along with all the tall trees, green vines and variety of flowers that popped out from those vines throughout the summer months in the backyard, I am so thankful for another year of enjoyment in the home that the good Lord provided for us.

I am happy and thankful that I had the privilege of celebrating my precious wife’s birthday in August, especially since I wasn’t too positive that she would see that day after a rough start at the beginning of the new year back in January.  I am also thankful for the new friends we’ve made in the neighborhood, around town and especially with all the helpful and giving folks at Liberty Hospice who are helping me with Piper’s needs. 

I am thankful for our kids and their love and support and especially for our older daughter Jamie and her daily calls, texts and our weekly get togethers, as well as for my almost daily conversations with my cousin Laura in California.  I always enjoy her family news, encouraging words and timely antidotes!  And yes I am also thankful for our 65 pound Blue Merle Australian Shepherd mix pup who gives me hours of laughter and enjoyment each and every day… and the list could go on and on, but then the post would get too long and nobody would read it!

Fall also gets me excited about the approaching holidays and then the start of a brand new year.  So what about each of you?  What are you thankful for during the events of your life over this last year?  For a moment, just forget the down times and the rough moments and concentrate on the good things that you can be thankful for.  I would bet you that you’ll be surprised at just how good a year it actually has been!

Have a great weekend as you spend some time looking for and then thanking God for His many blessings over this year… and as you do, keep asking yourself… “How many GOOD THINGS am I expecting to be thankful for today?”

Churning Seas...

Have you ever taken the time to think about the various occurrences that happen in your life each and every day?  About the different people that come across your path as you walk through the store, at work, at church or in all the parking lots that you may traverse?  I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately as I have been studying the story of Jesus walking on the water. Today I switched authors and read from John’s account of the event.  Although they are both very similar, John seems to leave out a few details that Matthew penned.  His version reads:

“In the evening his disciples went down to the sea, got in the boat, and headed back across the water to Capernaum. It had grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned.  A huge wind blew up, churning the sea.  They were maybe three or four miles out when they saw Jesus walking on the sea, quite near the boat. They were scared senseless, but he reassured them, ‘It's me. It's all right. Don't be afraid.’  So they took him on board. In no time they reached land—the exact spot they were headed to.” (John 6:16-21 MSG)

A few things immediately caught my attention as I looked at this.  First was the thought of it having “grown quite dark and Jesus had not yet returned.”  It would seem that the disciples were getting more than just a little concerned of their surroundings and of the fact that Jesus was nowhere to be found!  Many of these men were fisherman by trade and most likely could “read” the sounds, sights and feel of the water they were fishing on.  They probably sensed that a negative weather change was coming when the huge wind “blew up” around them.

Have you ever had things seem to “blow up” all around you when you were doing something for the Lord?  I sure have!  Then just as the boat begins to get tossed about, they spot something coming at them… WALKING ON THE WATER!  So, how did these brave fisherman handle the situation?  John says that they were “scared senseless!”  But Jesus wasn’t about to have any of that with His ministerial association team.  He quickly put their greatest fears to rest by calmly declaring to them, “It’s me.  It’s alright.  Don’t be afraid.” 

Well, His comforting words must have worked because the disciples calmed down enough to think straight again and help Jesus into the boat.  Then I love the ending of the story as it continues stating that following this, “In no time they reached land – (at) the exact spot they were heading to.”  John doesn’t say anything about the storm ceasing, just that they quickly got to the other side.  I think from his point of view, they were so happy, and so at peace that he didn’t even notice the positive change in the weather… that by keeping your eyes and your trust on Jesus, you’ll always get where He wants you to go… even in the midst of a storm!

One of the big talking points I received from both Matthew’s and John’s accounts of this event, was that Jesus came to them in the middle of their periling time in the midst of a storm, walking on the very thing that was threatening them!  In his commentary entitled: “Through the Bible Day by Day,” F.B. Meyer said: “He uses the element we dread as the path for His approach. The waves were endangering the boat, but Jesus walked on them. In our lives are people and circumstances we dread, but it is through these that the greatest blessing of our lives will come, if we look through them to Christ.”

The Lord keeps reminding me of all the times over the last ten years, when He sent his emissaries across Piper’s and my path in order to help us in many of the different situations that we found ourselves in at any given moment.  I have mentioned of how we expected to fall right back into to our old lives with the former network of family and friends when we returned after attending Bible School in Oklahoma.  But like I stated, it just didn’t happen as planned.

What actually happened thoroughly surprised us.  When some within the old network had a difficult time adjusting to Piper’s health changes, other casual friends and relatives outside of our daily level of interaction, as well as complete strangers seemed to come out of the woodwork when we needed them the most!  And you know… the same thing has continued out here, some 3000 miles away from our hometown in California.

Through the many revelations I’ve been receiving from the various accounts of the story of Jesus walking on the water, I am coming to understand that in many ways, all these different people and events that have positively happened to us are examples of Jesus walking on the water in the midst of the “churning” of the sea!  I am not sure if some of these folks were angels in disguise, or just individuals that were open to be used of the Lord to assist us… or if it was Jesus Himself, but these helpful incidents just keep happening to us!

A couple of weeks ago as I was getting ready to lift Piper from her chair in the parking lot and place her back into the car at our CVS pharmacy in Fuquay Varina, an older Hispanic man who had been nonchalantly leaning next to a car across from us, suddenly became aware of our presence and quickly jogged up to us and held Piper chair for me.  Now, I never mentioned that I had previously locked the wheels on the chair so that it wasn’t going to go anywhere, but I just went ahead and picked up my wife and set her in the front passenger seat.  I thanked the man profusely for his help, but he never said a word!  He just gave me a nod and went back to his car.

Last week we took our pooch to the Vet and as I was getting ready to lift Piper out of the car in the parking lot, the side door of the Vet’s office opens up and two of their techs came out and up to us asking if they could help by taking care of Fiver while I moved Piper!  As I thought about that event on the way home after the appointment, I mentioned to Piper that the handicap parking place is not visible from the windows of the Vet’s office… so how did they know we were out there?

Like I said… this happens over and over again.  In one of our “darker” moments, when we were leaving the hospital after Piper’s two day emergency stay there back at the end of December, the young doctor who had been attending Piper during her stay, walked us out, along with one of the nurses to our car and assisted me as I got my weak little wife into the car.  Then she stood there in the cold and talked to me for a while, giving me all kinds of friendly and knowledgeable comfort and advice as to what we could expect from our decision to call in hospice.  We had been to hospitals on many occasions back in our hometown and we were lucky if we saw the various doctors for more than five minutes each time!

So my point?  While I don’t believe that Papa God causes some of the unfortunate things that each of us find ourselves dealing with in this life, I do believe that as long as we keep our eyes and our trust upon Him and His Word, that we’ll discover many occasions when He walks on the water to us in the midst of the darkest times and storms of our lives!

I bet that if take a few moments right now to think about it, you’ll realize that some of the folks you’ve come across are actually some of these God-lead water-walkers… sent to assist you!

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I really expecting Papa God to send someone across the churning seas that I may find myself in the midst of today?”

Sing, Shout and Leap!

It is hard for me to believe that we are into our fourth day of fall already!  It seems like summer just began, and here we are thinking about trick or treat, pumpkins, hot apple cider, Thanksgiving and then Christmas!  I guess the one thing we can always be assured of in this life is that the different seasons of the year will always come and go no matter what else is happening around us!

I think that the same could be said for the different seasons in our lives!  I enjoyed this last summer here in North Carolina.  It seemed to me that it was a bit cooler and definitely not as humid as last year.  I can remember thinking back in July of all the summer projects I had and wishing that the nicer weather would continue so that I could complete them all!  Well, as it turn out, I got about half of them completed! 

The project I wanted to finish most was the first section of our raised bed garden.  As it got later and later into the summer I told Piper that I was still going to plant some veggies no matter when I got it finished!  And although I ended up planting some tomatoes and zucchini at the end of July and beginning of August, I have already harvested at least one zucchini and there are a multitude of tomatoes slowly ripening on the vines!

One of the many things I’ve picked up from my wife over the years is her uplifting efforts to pray for and enjoy the various seasons of our lives.  I can clearly recall her confession at the beginning of the holiday’s, school year, our kid’s life events, various church projects we led, and other important times in our lives that “this was going to be the best _____________ we have ever had!”  And you know… the memory of that confession helped us many a time when things weren’t going as well as we hoped, or we hit a snag, or just felt our energy waning. 

Throughout my life I have found myself in the same spot as the disciples did when they were rowing their boat across a lake when a storm suddenly came up.  Previous to this, Jesus had commanded the disciples to go on ahead of Him at the end of a long day of preaching to a huge crowd of hungry listeners while He stayed behind to dismiss the crowd and then find some solitude in prayer with His heavenly Father.

Matthew 14:24 takes up the story explaining, “Meanwhile, the boat (that the disciples were traveling in) was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves.” (The Message)  I found it interesting as I read this today, that the disciples were right in the middle of doing EXACTLY what Jesus had told them to do when the storm came up.  John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible tells us that “the Syriac and Persic versions say, it was "many furlongs from land"; and the Arabic expressly says, "about twenty five furlongs": which account seems to be taken from John 6:19…”

It looks to me that by the time the storm came up, the disciples were well committed to their course of action and could not turn back at that time.  Have you ever been in a situation like that?  I sure have…  In fact it happened to me just the other night when I was helping my wife to get ready for bed.  She was extremely weak that night and to be honest, my strength was waning more than usual!  As I sat on my knees and took off her shoes, I suddenly felt totally drained and leaned back thinking that I didn’t know if I had the strength or not to finish the job and gently get her into the bedroom and bed.

But, as I sat there and looked up at her thin countenance, I reached deep inside and verbally proclaimed that there was no one else to help me at the moment and I HAD to complete the task at hand!  I also reminded myself that if Papa God thought me to be able to take care of my sweet wife, then He could give me the strength to make it through THIS night.  (I’ve learned to take this ONE day at a time!)

Then I remembered Nehemiah 8:10 and how “The Joy of the Lord is our strength” (KJV personalized) and began to sing that simple children’s song declaring that “the joy of the Lord is my strength” and then the funny verses that we sang countless times throughout the years of children’s ministry: “If you want joy you must SING for it (la la), If you want joy you must SHOUT for it, if you want joy you must LEAP for it…” ♫  although I must admit that I didn’t leap at that point like we would have done in Children’s Church but I did burst out laughing at the antics going on in our bathroom that night… and miraculously discovered that I had the strength to finish my responsibilities for the evening!

I looked up how far 25 furlongs would be in miles and it comes to about 3.25 miles.  So, they were a ways into it… but they kept going and didn’t turn around.  Yea they may have panicked and screamed when they saw Jesus walking on the water thinking it was an eerie apparition (most of us might have done the same thing!)… but they kept rowing toward their destination!

And Jesus came into their boat, met their need and they completed that part of their mission so that they could help Jesus minister to ALL the sick in the land of Gennesaret on the other side of the lake… EXACTLY where Jesus had told them to go!

So what do you think?  How many times have you found yourself so far into a project that you couldn’t stop or couldn’t go back and had no choice but to suck-it-up and complete the task at hand?  When that happens, I’ve found that the best thing to do is to follow the example of the disciples on that early morning adventure many years ago…

Scream?  NO!  Invite Jesus into your boat!  His presence has the tendency to immediately calm things down and give you the strength to go on!

Hummm… I like that idea!  What about you?  Have a good week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… What am I expecting to do when it looks like I don’t have the strength or ability to go on?

Be Daring!

Years ago Piper and I, along with a group of sponsors that we put together for this specific occasion, took our youth group and some of their friends to what was then Marriott’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara California.  The park has changed hands a few times since then and is now called California’s Great America and is owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company.  In what was to became a regular plan for the many trips we took to that park over the years since then, with different churche's youth groups, we split the students and sponsors up into groups as they enjoyed the many entertainment events, rides, gift shops and food.

Piper and I teamed up with our good friend John Sillman in the leadership of our small group.  John was an adventurous young man and kept trying his best to get me to go on the various roller-coaster rides throughout the park.  I had endured a scary incident on an old wooden roller coaster at another park as a kid and had vowed that I would never go on another one again!  But you know… John persisted throughout the afternoon and finally convinced me to try it out… and I did… and I had a BLAST!

After that and many more rides on the various rollercoasters throughout the park, John and I turned our attention to Piper!  As many of you know, Piper is normally quite the adventurous kind or you might even say “daring”...  EXCEPT for some reason which I don’t recall, she would not step a foot unto a roller coaster!  Thinking about it now though, it may have been the upside down turns, as I do recall that she never liked doing any kind of gymnastics in which she had to be upside down.  But anyway, we gently worked on my sweet young wife throughout the late afternoon and into the evening hours.  And then when there was about an hour left before the park closed for the night and our return home, she reluctantly gave in!  Well… you can figure out the rest!  She LOVED IT and ended up riding one particular roller coaster almost continually until we had to leave!

As I continued my study of Matthew 14:22-33 this morning, I discovered that Jesus many times also calls us to be “daring” in our walk of faith in this life!  If you remember the three things that I wrote about in Monday’s blog post (“It Works Every time – 9/18/17) then you understand that according to Matthew 14:27 when “…Jesus said, "Calm down! It's me. Don't be afraid!" He was in effect teaching us that when we are tempted to or actively react in fear to a negative situation that He will immediately call out to us and encourage us to:

1) Calm down!

2) Get your eyes back on Me

3) And after that: Don’t be afraid!

Upon further review I noticed that the term “Be of good cheer” from the King James Version of the above verse comes from another Greek word that means “to be ‘daring’ or full of boldness.” (Strong’s for G2294)  So when you put this new information together with Wednesday’s blog’s* thoughts of Jesus encouraging us to take steps of faith, you can deduce that Jesus is actually adding a fourth step to the three mentioned above and is telling us after following the first three steps to then:

4)    Prepare to be “daring” and bold in order to follow what He is about to tell us to do in response to the negative situation before you!

The Oxford Online Dictionary defines to be “daring’ as one who is “adventurous or audaciously bold.”  To be “audacious” is to be “willing to take bold risks.”  What do you think?  Does that describe your Christian walk in difficult times?  One thing I have come to learn about Piper and I over the years is that when different folks have spoken against what we believed to be our Spirit-led steps in the various situations of our lives, that it only served to strengthen our resolve to complete the things He told us to do!  So once again, in effect, they were actually helping us to be “daring” and audacious in our steps of faith!

I’m not sure about how you feel about it, but I get a ZING of excitement when I think about Papa God calling us to be “daring,” adventurous and audacious in following the steps that He calls us to take in this life!  That is probably why some people have looked at Piper and I like we had just landed from another planet when we’ve told them what we are doing in response to God’s call!  I’d love to know what you think about this…

So… I encourage you to mull over what I’ve written about today over this weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting myself to be considered ‘daring,’ adventurous and audacious in following God’s plan for my life today?”

*“Come Ahead!” 9/20/17

Come Ahead!

Over the years in my Christian walk, I’ve come to have a pretty good idea of when the Lord is leading me to do something new.  It usually starts with a word or a thought that sort of pops into my head.  But the thing that differentiates it from all the other things bouncing around in my mind is that it is always accompanied by a deep sense of peace, confidence and encouragement!

I came to this line of thought last night as something we were watching on TV triggered a memory of a gal that I had hung around with for a short period of time before Piper and I started dating.  I really don’t remember much about it except for some of our conversations.  As I was relating some of this to Piper, who also was friends with her, it dawned on me that I did not always feel very comfortable or confident with her as she had kind of a negative way of joking about some of the things I said or did.

Then I looked over into my wife’s deep brown eyes and almost came to tears declaring: “But with you things were different!  Whenever I am around you, I feel that I can do anything!”  Piper has always had uplifting, encouraging and comforting words for me, similar to how the Lord speaks to me and just like Jesus had for Peter during their walking on the water incident recorded in Matthew 14:22-33.

In verses 28 and 29 we witness a bold act by Peter as he called out to Jesus, who was walking on the water toward the disciples in the boat, and said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water."  To which Jesus immediately replied, “Come ahead…"  (The Message)  The King James Version says that Peter asked Jesus to “bid me to come unto thee on the water.”  In the original Greek, when you “bid” someone to do something, you are asking them to “urge” you on or to incite them to action by a word.  A modern definition of the term “urge” is “to try earnestly or persistently to persuade someone to do something.”

In my thinking, this puts a different slant on this story.  It would seem that Peter was beginning to know Jesus pretty well by this time and realized that he could take a big step of faith, away from the comfort and safety of the boat and walk on the water like Jesus… IF… Jesus earnestly and persistently encouraged him along the way!  And on the other hand, Jesus understood the heart of Peter as well as his impulsive tendencies which many times caused him to act first and think later!

Jesus’ reply to Peter’s request was a simple “Come ahead” with that word “Come” meaning “To come or go, to accompany, to enter or to grow.  Metaphorically it implies one’s coming into being, to find place or influence or to be established.” (Strong’s and Thayer’s)  So it looks like Jesus wasn’t just saying “Oh yea, come on down!”  But instead was encouraging Peter to take a step of faith and accompany Him as He walked on the water.  To me, it looks like Jesus was wanting Peter to step way out of his comfort zone in order to become more established in the heavenly kingdom principles by finding his place of influence in Jesus and His Word!

When I look back on my life, I can readily see how the Lord continually prodded Piper and I to take greater and greater steps of faith out of our comfort zones and into His perfect will for us.  Many of these steps have directly prepared us for what we find ourselves facing today. 

What about you?  Have you heard the voice of the Lord calling you to step out of the comfort and safety of the boat of your life, in order to grow and become more established in Him?  The first step can be a little scary, but you know, it DOES get easier each time you hear and take steps to obey His call.

Have an adventurous rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourselves… “Am I expecting to step out of my boat when the Lord bids me to do so today?”

Works Every Time!

Back in July of 2005 my wife and I had made arrangements to spend a week alone at our favorite campground in the Plumas National Forest in northeastern California.  This special vacation was to be in celebration of our 30^th wedding anniversary.  It would mark the first time that we had spent a whole week alone on vacation since we had kids beginning in 1980!  Sure we had been on week long conventions for the church over the years without the kids, but they were filled with classes and workshops throughout each day and night and left little alone time!

We had both been looking forward to this adventure for quite a while and when the day to leave finally came, we were quite excited.  As we pulled onto the highway in Piper’s big green Suburban pulling our 17 foot Nomad trailer all was well and content… until we traveled about five miles and came into the city limits of the town immediately south of our home town.  When suddenly, “Blink!” the Check Engine light came on!

To put it mildly, I was NOT a happy camper (or in this case… camper to be!) as I told Piper what was going on and saw her normal smile turn down into a frown!  So what did we do?  Yes, you got it… we prayed as we continued to drive along highway 101.  After a few moments of prayer we both felt like we were to go on!  So with a deep swallow and a confession of faith, we headed south to the town of Petaluma where we would turn east and be off to the mountains.

Well, to make a long story short… after we were about four hours into the six hour trip the Check Engine light finally went out!  Once we arrived at the campground and got the trailer maneuvered into position (which was a challenge I always enjoyed… contrary to my Dad who hated that part of camping with a trailer…), I popped the hood and immediately started laughing as I spotted the cap to the oil reservoir sitting upside down on top of the engine, where I had put it some eight hours before when I checked the oil level before our trip!  Needless to say, the rest of our trip was fantastic and we actually ended up making arrangements to stay a few extra days.

The memory of the beginning of our first weeklong… and so happened to be our last… vacation together without the kids, came to my mind over the weekend as I read from Matthew 14:31.  This verse is part of the familiar story of Jesus walking on the water in the midst of a big storm, to His disciples who were trying to cross a lake in a small boat.  You’ll recall that during the adventure, Peter asked Jesus to call him to come out onto the water with Him.  So Jesus said “Come” and Peter stepped out onto the water and began to walk to the Master, and that is where our verse comes into play.  Peter was doing well until he took his eyes off of Jesus and took notice of the adverse wind that was blowing and causing havoc all around them.

Once his eyes were diverted from Jesus, he began to sink and quickly called out to Jesus to save him and “Immediately, Jesus reached out, caught hold of him, and said, ‘You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?’ " (God’s Word ©)  What grabbed my attention was the fact that Peter must have been pretty close to Jesus when he stopped concentrating on reaching his goal of walking to Jesus.  Every translation I checked states the same thing.  Jesus didn’t have to run or dive in and swim to get to Peter.  He was close enough that all He needed to do was reach out His hand and grab hold of him.

So what’s my point?  Peter was almost at the finish line!  He gave up too soon!  He was just about to finish a fantastic experience of faith when he started to put more faith in his immediate surroundings than on Jesus’ command to “Come!”  I have the picture in my mind’s eye that the other disciples in the boat were just staring at Peter with their mouths wide open when he stepped out of that boat.  They were most likely amazed at his faith… until he gave in and began to sink!

Peter’s example is a little opposite to Piper’s and my example as we began our anniversary trip.  While we had opportunity to give up and turn around and go home at the beginning of our long planned vacation together, Peter was at the end of his adventure when he turned away from his “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

Over the last ten years of our faith stand for my wife’s health, we’ve faced lots of opportunities to give up and throw in the towel.  We have seemingly had every kind of distraction working to get us to take our eyes off of Jesus.  From strange, incorrect or simply un-Biblical suggestions from folks we trusted to the pretty horrendous physical changes happening to Piper right before our eyes.  But you know, Jesus answered our questions and told us, as well as Peter and the other disciples in that boat back then, exactly what to do when the storms of life come unexpectantly and shake your boat! 

When the disciples were terrified at the sight of Jesus walking on the water toward them in the middle of a storm, Jesus told them to do three things.  He immediately called out to them across the waves declaring, “…"Calm down! It's me. Don't be afraid!" (Matthew 14:27 God’s Word ©)

When the challenges of life suddenly pop up and it looks like all will be lost, Jesus tells you and me to:

1)    Calm down!

2)    Get your eyes back on Jesus and the Word

3)    And after that: Don’t be afraid!

You don’t know how many times I have employed those three actions when an emergency unexpectantly popped up with my wife over these last ten years.  And once I acted them out, I suddenly had the peace of heart and of mind to make the right decisions, to trust the Lord in the midst of what was happening at the moment and do exactly what I needed to do!

One of the biggest things we have seen over this time has been the effects of fear on a person’s mind and actions.  Fear makes one do and say all kinds of crazy, unthoughtful and potentially dangerous things to those in need!  Fear takes and keeps one’s mind, mouth and actions away from Jesus and His Word… which is the ONLY power that can and will help you!

So, we had a GREAT time celebrating our 30^th wedding anniversary up in the breath-taking Sierra’s back in 2005… because we didn’t give in to the lie of engine problems, but instead went directly to prayer for the source of our help.  And as with that example, we have also made it through some rough storms as we continue to face and deal with my wonderful wife’s health needs.  But whether it is a car problem, health emergency, financial need or any other type of personal problem that one may face, the answer is always the same!  Calm down!  Look to Jesus and His Word and Don’t be afraid!  From what Piper and I have learned… It works every time!

Have a great new week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “To Whom am I expecting to look to when the emergencies of life come to me?”

47 Years Ago Today...

Today marks the 47^th anniversary of when my wife and I began to date way back in September of 1970!  In many respects it seems like it was just yesterday as I have nothing but fond memories of our dating days.  We dated for five years before our marriage on July 12, 1975.  Then we waited for another five years before we started our family.  For some unexplainable reason the number five must have had some special significance in our relationship!  Piper originally wanted to have five children until the Lord told her after the birth of our youngest, that our “quiver” was full. (See: Psalm 127:3-5)

Lately we have been watching some of the episodes from the first three seasons of the hit 1970’s TV show “Chips.”  I was telling Piper that watching these shows is like taking a step back into our personal history.  The cars, the clothes, the music (disco), and the familiar character actors of the time, are all a part of who we are today!  But you know what hasn’t changed over all these years… is Jesus Christ!  He is still the same, in fact Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (God’s Word ©)

And you know… whether we drove to church in my 1966 black MGB or our new black 2015 Chevy Equinox, we are still worshipping the same God who loves us just the same as He did when we were practically still kids holding hands as we walked the halls of Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, California.

I can think back over the years since 1970 and recall many of the mistakes I’ve made since then, but I am relieved and blessed to know that Papa God says to me: “I alone am the one who is going to wipe away your rebellious actions for my own sake. I will not remember your sins anymore.” (Isaiah 43:25 KJV)  Over these same years I have found people who are happy to remind me of my mistakes, but … as far as I am concerned… the only One whose opinion really matters to me is God and what He says in His Word!  Well… that’s not being truly honest…

I was talking with our oldest daughter on the phone yesterday and I told her how much I miss hearing my lovely wife’s encouragement and opinions on the things that I do each day.  A good example is the last time I preached to an adult audience a few years back at church.  Many kind folks came up to give me a good report about what I spoke on… but it wasn’t the same as Piper couldn’t communicate her thoughts to me and hers just seem to have Soooo much more meaning to me than the nice things that others said!  Maybe it’s just a husband thing???

I saw a similar theme working within the story of Jesus and Peter waking on the water in Matthew chapter 14 today.  In verse 29 Jesus replies to Peter’s request and tells him to “Come ahead” (MSG) to which Peter immediately steps out of the boast and starts walking on the water until… “he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet.” (verse 30 MSG)  But Peter was quick to amend for his mistrust and cried out to Jesus for the help he knew His Master would give to him.  And Peter was right for “Immediately, Jesus reached out, (and) caught hold of him…”  Then He did not lash out at Peter for his mistake but simply stated: "Faint-heart, what got into you?” (verse 31 MSG)

I’d like to think that I (and you readers as well) have been much like Peter over the years of my life.  For Peter started out by boldly asking the Lord to let him walk on the water and did so when Jesus said “Come ahead.”  But then he faltered after a few steps forward and looked down at the situation around him and began to sink.  But he quickly came back to his senses and did the only thing he knew to do and that was to call on the saving name of the Lord Jesus Christ... and I love the next line in The Message Bible that says “Jesus didn’t hesitate!”

If it had been me, I would have been tempted to let Peter sink and squirm a little bit in the churning waves, just to teach him a lesson before I gave him a hand up and out.  But not Jesus, He didn’t think twice about it!  I believe that Jesus knew the heart of Peter and because of THAT knowledge, He immediately helped him.

Yes, Peter made a mistake by taking his eyes off of Jesus, but he quickly saw where he went wrong and turned right back to Him… because in his heart he was committed to the Lord and His ways.  In many ways that has been the story of my life since that day back in 1970… and I am Soooo thankful for God’s loving grace throughout the many days, months and years since then!

What do you think about that?  I bet if you look back through your own life you could see many occasions where the same thing has happened to you!  Those kind of remembrances just want me to stop where I am and PRAISE THE LORD… How about you?

Have a great weekend, and if you get a chance, share your personal stories of God’s love for you with others… and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Whose love, grace, forgiveness and encouragement to go on, am I expecting to receive today?”

What Are YOU Looking At?

Well, the storm has passed and we awoke to a glorious day with bright blue skies and a crisp, almost-fall-like, morning!  We had a few strong gusts of wind on Monday night that definitely shook the house, and a very short period of heavy rain yesterday morning with the skies opening up late in the afternoon.  So again, I am thankful to God and His watchfulness over us during the storms of life.

I was impressed with what Matthew 14:25-33 teaches us about facing the storms of life when I studied it yesterday morning.  The key of the entire lesson seems to focus (pun intended!) in on how we look at what is coming against us.

This first came to light during the previous evening when we were watching a segment of “The Five” on Fox News.  They were discussing some of the parts of Hillary Clinton’s new book that were released prior to the book’s going on sale.  As I listened to a few of her statements concerning her view of the 2016 Presidential campaign, I was amazed at how totally differently she saw things than the way most conservatives including myself saw them.  I was a little stunned at how she could take the innocent words and statements of others and attribute them to some nefarious scheme that only a fiction adventure, conspiracy theory writer could dream up.

At one point I hit the mute button on the TV remote control (we have a ‘smart’ remote that controls every device and every function on every piece of equipment with our entertainment system… and it is fantastic!) and mentioned to Piper that I am still in awe at how people can think so utterly different from each other.  That it is almost like they are from two different worlds!  But as I read from the Word yesterday morning, I began to have an appreciation of how this can happen!

In Matthew 14:25-33 we find Jesus’ disciples traveling in a boat after a ministry event, when a storm arises.  Jesus had sent them ahead while He stayed behind to pray.  Well, when the veracity of the storm reached alarming proportions the disciples got a little alarmed and then totally freaked out when they saw Jesus coming toward them… walking on the water… in the middle of the storm.  And that is when things got especially interesting.  The Scriptures tell us:

“And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."   And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."  He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."   Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:25-33 English Standard Version)

What immediately stood out to me in this verse is the different ways in which Peter saw things during the storm.  First he and his fellow disciples were terrified when they thought they saw an apparition floating across the waves toward their boat.  Once they realized it was Jesus and not a ghost, Peter gained confidence and asked the Lord to command him to come out on the water as well.  So Jesus did, and Peter did as well… until he took his physical eyes off of Jesus and began to spend more time looking at the waves beneath his feet than on Jesus and His command to come.  And… SPLASH!  Peter quickly began to sink like a rock (hummm… another pun!).

Then the revelation hit me… It all depends on what your eyes are focused on in this life!  There are a lot of people out there who think a whole heck of a lot different than I do… because our eyes are on different things!  As I analyzed the above portion of scripture I understood that in the midst of a storm in this life, discerning the events happening around you with your physical eyes quickly initiates a fearful response to the situation… and that fear causes one to do many crazy things!  On the other hand though, by spiritually discerning the storm we initiate our faith and therefore respond to the situation within the standards set by the Word… and not those of the world.

Piper and I have personally experienced this as we have stood on our faith in the Word for His healing for her.  Not everyone has always seen things the same way we see them… and at times this has led to frustration and friction between us and them, especially as we have continued to follow what we believe are the Lord’s directions for us, no matter what the situation looks like on the outside.

The Message Bible paraphrases Peter’s response in verse 30 by stating: “But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"   I had to laugh at that description of the events of that day, for I have personally experienced how one can lose their nerve when standing in faith, despite some very contrary evidence that is screaming into your eyes and ears!  It takes nerve to stand up for what you believe you are doing that is agreement to God’s Word, but in disagreement with what people close to you may be telling you… and others about you!

So… whose point of view matters the most?  Well folks, Piper and I have come too far for too long to put our expectation and view on anything but Papa God and His Word!  How about you?

Just what are you looking at? 

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Who or What am I expecting to focus my eyes on today… or tomorrow… or the day, month and year after that?”

My Part / God's Part

I was feeling a little overwhelmed and thankful last night as we watched the weather report about hurricane Irma just before we retired for the evening.  What brought on the emotions was my increased sense of the faithfulness of God, and the reality of the power of our prayers!  The reporter on the news show was standing in the downtown area of one of Florida’s major cities with water up to his knees.  And while things were bad, they weren’t as bad as they could have been… as everyone had been reporting that it would be.

Over the last week we and a lot of other Christians around the country, had been speaking to the storm and commanding it to dissipate quickly, and last night’s evening report was proof that prayer works.  The storm didn’t hit Florida as a category five but as a four, quickly reducing to a category three as it made landfall.  Then from there it kept going down.  So yea, the damage was bad in some places but not as devastating as it could have been!  As of this morning, it is continuing to follow a northwestern path across land and is lessening in wind strength and rain.

That path also means that it will miss our new home state of North Carolina.  We are getting a bit of the residual effects from the storm today and tomorrow with wind gusts up to 30 mph and some rain beginning tonight.  Whew… and Praise the Lord!

Now some may think that speaking to the storm instead of praying directly to God about it is a bit strange, but you know… it is exactly what Jesus taught us to do in Mark 11:22-24 and is exactly what Jesus did when faced with similar hurricane conditions in Matthew 8:23-27.  I have often marveled at how Jesus would teach on a certain subject in the Gospels and then demonstrate what he taught shortly thereafter.

I Corinthians 1:9 tells us that “God faithfully keeps his promises.  He called you to be partners with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” (God’s Word ©)  This passage perfectly describes what I am talking about.  I have seen many miraculous and unexplainable things in ministry over the years, but I still continue to be amazed and astounded when I see God move in accordance to our obedience to His Word.  It NEVER gets old with me!  According to this verse, we are partners with Jesus Christ, so that when we obey His Word and do our part in obedience to that Word, He in return, does His part in answer to our actions of faith.  Pretty cool wouldn’t you say?

Now I have seen, read about and personally experienced some people saying that this kind of action is simply done as a “do to get” scheme… as a sort of selfish action that is only focused on personal gain.  But in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  Warren Wiersbe in his commentary of I Corinthians writes that “these promises are certainly not an excuse for sin (or selfish personal gain).  Rather, it is the basis for a growing relationship of love, trust and obedience.”*

I can’t help but appreciate and love God more than when I see His faithfulness to my obedience concerning the truths of His Word.  What about you?  On days like today, after once more experiencing the love of God and the power of His Word in combination with the winning effects of prayer, I can’t help but want to shout of His glory from my front porch! Wow… Isn’t God Good!

Have a terrific week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting my steps and/or actions of obedience to God’s Word to work miracles in my life today?”

*Be Wise, A Commentary on the Book of I Corinthians, Warren Wiersbe, page 21

Protection Mode

My wife and I were in the kitchen working on dinner a little after six in the evening yesterday, when there was a knock at the front door.  We have a double pane glass storm door in front of the metal door, so I normally keep the regular door open in order for the daylight to flood in through the storm door.  At that time of day I supposed that it must have been one of our neighbors coming by to chat with us.  Well… Fiver’s response to the individual at the door made it very apparent that it wasn’t someone that he was familiar with!

Our pooch normally has a deep resounding bark, but yesterday it was even deeper, very loud and very purposeful… When I came out of the kitchen the hair on the back of his neck was standing up straight and it was easy to see that he was definitely in protection mode!  As I approached the door I had to hold back a laugh as there was a tall young man with a very startled look on his face literally backing down our front steps.  Once I got near the dog and put my hand on his back he immediately calmed down.  It turns out that the man at the door was selling roof repairs and wanted to do a free inspection after the hail storm we had last week.

I didn’t accept the offer, but took his card and got him to smile and relax as I told him that Fiver would have probably licked him to death.  It was interesting though, that in the year that we have had him, I had never seen that side of him.  It was kind of comforting to see what a good watchdog he is!

That incident reminded me of another side of Piper that I had never seen that occurred during the second year of our marriage.  At that time we were managing the apartment buildings that we lived in and were responsible for collecting rent, building repairs, upkeep of the grounds, and the pool service.  On this particular weekend I was adjusting the chemical balance of the pool when one of the tenants who lived right across from the pool entrance gate stepped out to chat with me… in her bikini!  This gal was a few years older than me (I was 24 at the time) and was sort of a free-spirited, I guess you could say back in the mid-seventies in our liberal county in northern California, kind of a “hippie!”

I must admit that I was not attracted to her and was a bit uncomfortable standing alone with her in that skimpy outfit near the pool.  Throughout the conversation I kept trying to get back to what I was doing, but she sought to pursue the encounter.  Finally, from behind me a hand quietly, but very noticeably, slipped under my right arm… and my spunky little wife suddenly appeared at my side!  I was NEVER so thankful to see my bundle of joy.  Now, Piper was her normally charming self but she made it perfectly clear through her actions that I was HER property!  The gal quickly ended our conversation and returned into her apartment.  Piper helped me to finish my work and then walked with me back to our apartment.  Once in the privacy of our home she let me know that she was just protecting our marriage and what the Lord had joined together.  She was and has always been one to not allow anyone (or anything) to come between us.  And that was the end of the conversation and we never spoke about it again.  Although it has been the source of a good laugh on occasion through the many years since then!

I just began a new Bible Study on the book of 1^st Corinthians and was reading some of the key verses about the book from chapter two verses 6-8 this morning.  These scriptures talk about the wisdom of God that Paul was sharing with the church in order to assist them with the secular type difficulties that they were experiencing at the time.  Paul declared that he was using “wisdom to speak to those who are mature. It is a wisdom that doesn't belong to this world or to the rulers of this world who are in power today and gone tomorrow.”  Then he went further to say: “We speak about the mystery of God's wisdom. It is a wisdom that has been hidden, which God had planned for our glory before the world began.  Not one of the rulers of this world has known it. If they had, they wouldn't have crucified the Lord of glory.”

My immediate thought when I read these verses was that Piper has always demonstrated an awareness and sensitivity to that “hidden wisdom.”  More so in fact, than just about anyone else that I know.  Then, for some reason, I had the revelation that she and I have always seemed to have had a more literal understanding of the scriptures than the rest of our families.  From the early days of our marriage we simply took the Word for what it said.  If God said that He would meet our needs, (Philippians 4:13) then we had no reason to ever doubt that He meant exactly what he said.  And when the Word says “by whose stripes you were healed” (I Peter 2:24 MKJV) then we have and continue to believe that healing is His will for his children.

But we have also learned throughout our life experiences with the Word that we have to actively protect the blessings and promises that He gives us through His Word.  Sort of like Fiver protecting us yesterday from a possible threat at our front door, or Piper protecting the covenant of marriage that we have between us.  I guess you could say that this is the same thing that I have been doing with our stand of faith for Piper’s healing.  I learned early on, that in her weakened condition, I as her husband, had the responsibility of protecting her from forces that were potentially harmful to her as well as to her faith.  Hummm… I guess in some respects I am paying her back for the ways she watched over me for all those years!

So what am I saying?  Well, if you are standing in faith for any promise of God’s as written in His Word… like for healing or finances, for example… then you have to diligently work to protect that stand of faith by continually building yourself up in the Word that talks about those particular promises or blessings, avoid or spend minimal time with people, places or things that may water down or even attempt to steal what you are believing for, and keep a very personal and open line of worship, praise and prayer with our heavenly Father.

Simple right?  Well, the actions themselves aren’t that hard to do, but it is the continuance of those actions that will get put to the test over and over again!  One of my favorite sayings over the last few years has been something that our Pastor continually declares saying: “I will not be defeated and I will not quit!”

So yea… It takes some commitment, it takes a lot of effort and you’ll most likely face some persecution over your stand of faith… but in the long run… pushing through and beyond all those potential negatives will ALWAYS prove to be well worth the effort!  (Take a look at 2 Corinthians 2:14 for an instant pick-me-up!)

Have a great weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Am I expecting to protect the things I am standing in faith for today… and tomorrow… and the day after that?”

How Do You See Things?

When is the last time you just stopped, looked around and thanked God for all the blessings in your life?  I had an opportunity to do that very thing earlier this morning.  After I poured myself a steaming hot cup of Folgers “Simply Gourmet” Natural Caramel coffee, I stepped out onto the front porch.  Once outside I walked to the very end of our veranda and leaned against the railing the runs next to the driveway.  From there I quietly gazed due west across the vast lawn to the tall maple and pines that line our property.  Since I had mowed, swept and trimmed the lawn yesterday, everything looked well-manicured and orderly.

While one bird called out from the tree to my left and another seemed to answer from a neighbor’s yard, I stood amazed at what I saw before my eyes.  I am not sure how many times over the last almost two years that I have stood in that same spot and have been overwhelmed with the goodness of God to Piper and I.  In the solitude of the moment, all I could do is utter words of thanksgiving to our heavenly Father for this wonderful place that He saw fit to lead us to.  All I could see at that time was the blessings of God.

It didn’t matter that my wife and I have been going through the toughest, gut wrenching battle in our lives with the attack on her health, at that moment in history, all I could see was how good God is!  It was like I put on a special pair of glasses that filter every trial and tribulation out and I was seeing through the eyes of the Creator of the universe.  And WOW… what a view it was!

Lately I have been studying a verse that is probably very familiar to most Christians from 2 Corinthians 5:7.  My favorite God’s Word © translation puts it this way, saying: “Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.”  I was actually led to that verse after hearing a song on the Sirius Southern Gospel channel “enLighten.”  And while I do not remember the artists, I do recall one line that kept repeating: “I’m just an old sinner saved by grace.” ♫

Please don’t take this wrong, but every time I hear that saying it tends to turn my stomach, because it is utterly untrue!  I think some folks believe that it is a very humble statement for a Christian to make, but according to 2 Corinthians 5:7 that is NOT the way God sees us once we become born again!  That scripture makes it VERY CLEAR that an “Old Sinner” is what we USED to be!  NOW, WE ARE A NEW CREATION and all the “Old Sinner” stuff has disappeared!

The Message Bible declares that “The old life if gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!”  From my understanding of the Word, when it says to “Look at it!” we should now look at our new lives from God’s point of view!  It would be similar to the way I looked around our property this morning… through the eyes of the goodness of God!  Adam Clarke in his “Commentary on the Bible” explains that “The man is not only mended, but he is new made; he is a new creature… He formerly had his portion in this life, and lived for this world alone; he now hath God for his portion, and he looks not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are eternal. Therefore, old things are passed away.”

That description of our New Creation Life in Christ makes it pretty clear that in this New Life, we are to be looking at things that are eternal - like God and His Word - as the new standard by which we not only live our daily existence, but as the ultimate truth in each and every situation we face!  So, with that in mind, I have to ask again:

How do you see things in this New Life?  By the way it used to be, or through the new eyes of faith?  Which do you think is more exciting… the old tried and has been?  Or, the New, freshness of Papa God and the creative, dynamic, life-changing, power of His Word?

You know, this is something that I have to face every day whenever my wife and I go out.  I see it in the faces of just about everyone we pass.  Many take one look at her and it is immediately obvious how they see things – through the eyes of worldly despair and hopelessness.  But occasionally, we see something different.  A smile and a certain brightness in the eyes of one who sees things according to the truth and expectation of God’s Word.  Believe me when I say that those are the people that we want to be around!

So which are you?  As His New Creation, I believe God is calling us to see things differently.  To be a light, a hope and an encouragement in other people’s lives!  Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… How am I expecting to look at my world today?”