Do!

“Twas the week before Christmas when all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…”

I do have to admit that it is pretty quiet around my neighborhood, both night and day.  Although I imagine that come summer vacation and he warmer weather that accompanies it, that things will liven up a bit!  Being as we live in the cul-de-sac at the end of the block that terminates in the golf course next door, we don’ get a lot of traffic either. 

The only creatures that tend to stir during the day is those in my back-neighbor’s yard.  They have a few dogs that like to bark anytime someone walks by the trail outside their see-through fence or the golfers who stop their carts to tap their balls into the nearest hole.

As far as Christmas decorations go… I am doing better than last year as I have at least put up my small tree that never saw the light last year.  I just wasn’t in the mood back then with Piper’s recent passing a few months before the Holidays.  But this year is different.  Somewhat worse in the emotions department than last year as the full understanding of what happened has settled in over the last fifteen months, but stronger in the burgeoning desire to move on to the new things that God has in store for me. 

The tree was actually the only thing from our Christmas boxes that was easily accessible in my storage locker.  I only moved the furniture and other supplies I had in the apartment over to the new house due to the fact that I plan to put in new carpet after the Holidays and don’t want to deal with moving things out of the rooms.

So, I have a tree and no ornaments or other decorations!  But that wouldn’t do, so I went off to my new Super Walmart only a mile or two away from my place and bought a mixed box of ornaments and a couple of special ones that I thought would be special to my Granddaughter.  Then when I got home, I decorated the tree, flipped on the light and discovered that the very top no longer lights up!  Therefore, a small set of lights is on my shopping list for later today!

I keep sensing in prayer, that 2020 is going to be a breakout year for me.  I also believe that it is important to God, as to how I finish off the last few weeks of 2019.  I’ve already received directions concerning some changes that I need to make at the beginning of the new year, with the charge to jump into those changes 100% with gusto, rest, peace, praise… and lots of confidence!

That last part… the part of “with confidence” is the one that tends to alarm me though.  To bluntly put it, I just spent the last 48 years experiencing life with my one special, loving, encouraging and boldly confident wife at my side.  We were a strong team and tended to do most things in step, hand in hand and in total agreement in our stands of faith!  Now… well now it’s just me… although I still clearly hear her voice of encouragement and love in my head!

In fact, some of the changes I mentioned above were confirmed when I listened to a teaching tape of hers from twenty years ago, or as I looked at pictures of her standing (with a big smile on her face) in front of some local landmarks when we originally lived here from 2006-2009.

But if I learned anything over those wonderful 48 years with Piper, it was to always follow through and “DO” whatever it is that we felt assured the Lord instructed us to “DO” while seeking His will in prayer.  I can look back over the years and vividly see that when we did “DO” what He said, that we were blessed beyond measure… maybe not immediately, but almost always eventually!

The wise Pastor of the church in Jerusalem tells us in James 4:17 that, “…if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.” (The Message)  As Piper and I stepped out to “DO” many of the things that we felt led of the Lord to “DO”, like to move all the way to Oklahoma to attend Bible School, and then when we returned home and her symptoms accelerated, to quit my secular job in order for me to personally care for her 24/7, we simply knew it was the right thing to “DO” and better yet… that we HAD to “DO” it in order to stay in God’s perfect plan for our particular situation.

At the time, I never thought that disobeying Him would be considered “evil,” but I knew that it would be wrong for us to not be obedient.  The bottom line for Piper and I was that it was much more important for us to follow what we believed to be God’s directions than the few who vehemently came against us, thinking that we’d totally lost our marbles! 

And in the end, we were blessed tremendously by following His plans.  As a direct result of those leadings, we were able to participate in various benefits programs, receive the best medical care available for her from experts in San Francisco and be financially able to not only pay for her out of pocket medical expenses (well over $60,000) but all we needed to live comfortably as well.

So, I guess that this is my week before we celebrate the birth of Christ message to you today!  That in the midst of all the activity of the season, that you don’t forget to seek Him, get His plan and then simply said… follow through and “DO” it!

I may have some reservations about my future, but I have NO DOUBTS and NO RESERVATIONS about how important and successful it is to “DO” what He says to “DO!” It’s that thought and the personal experience of that truth that gives me the confidence to expect God’s best throughout the rest of 2019 and into the new adventures in 2020!

So… Who’s with me today?