As Christ Loved the Church

I began my daily Bible study this morning where I had left off yesterday, toward the end of Ephesians chapter five.  Beginning with verse twenty-five I read:



“Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it.” (God’s Word ©)



And with that, I had to pause and meditate on that verse while I was flooded with what seemed like gallons of memories pouring into my mind.  That verse was probably the key verse that I sort of automatically shifted into when I realized that Piper could no longer be alone at home anymore and would begin to require personal attention around the clock.  That was back in 2010 and I never thought twice or looked back on that mode of operation.  There was never a moment of hesitation from either of us.  We simply KNEW that I was the one to fulfill that role… without question!

But let me clarify our decision… It was an unmovable decision that WE made… but not everyone agreed with us!  But you know… what they thought really didn’t matter to us.  We smiled through many unfair statements (while being frustrated, hurt and confused on the inside at their reactions) and just set our feet and attention toward the direction that we believed God was showing us that was best for Piper.  At that point it was all about her and that was all that mattered to me. 

I firmly believe that if all husbands lived by Ephesians 5:25, that we would avoid the pitfalls of most marriage difficulties, family disputes and domestic problems.  Does that sound a little too simplistic?  I really don’t think so.  The last verse of the chapter adds the caveat to the success of my statement by adding that “wives should respect their husbands.” (Ephesians 5:33 God’s Word ©)  In my way of thinking… that would be more apt to happen if the husband was loving her as Christ loved the church and gave His all for her.

I know that I’ve mentioned this before, but its worth repeating in the context of this post.  Out of all the contrary things that were said and done against Piper and I… and maybe even worse than all I experienced as I witnessed Piper slowly slipping away right before my eyes... was the accusation from a few folks that they passed onto our kids early on, suggesting that I might not even stay with her in her time of need.  That was hard… and even though I have forgiven them, it still stings today when it comes to mind.  It was a very personal attack on everything I stood for… and it brought me to tears thinking that someone would have the mistaken idea that I didn’t love my precious wife.   

That accusation made two points clear.  First, it demonstrated how out-of-touch these folks were with us, and secondly, it proved to me how much I took Ephesians 5:25 to heart and it galvanized me to push through every detail, every activity, every different test and doctor’s appointment, all the legal paperwork and the routine tasks of her daily care that I needed to perform… That reminds me of a TV commercial that evoked a funny (now) memory…

I was cooking dinner last night while watching “The Five” on the Fox News Channel when an advertisement for Ensure nutritional drink came on.  And with it, I almost choked on my soda in laughter, as I remembered a few days with Piper when we were forced to use Ensure instead of the Boost nutritional drink that I had been giving her for years.  For some reason the stores we frequented in North Carolina ran out of stock for a few weeks, so we temporarily switched to Ensure thinking it would be just fine.  Well… to be frank… IT WASN’T!  Piper’s system did NOT handle it and… well… let’s just say I was faced with some unpleasant duties for a while!  Ah… the things we do for LOVE! --- But that’s just my point… you do those things when they come up because of the love you have for the other individual.  You don’t think… you just do!

So, what’s my point in all this?  I guess I am writing to married couples as well as to those who might be engaged or thinking about it. (Maybe to single men as well...)  I would suggest that you take a few moments alone together and read Ephesians chapter five, verses 15-33.  Make a decision if you’re going to take this section of God’s instruction to heart in your relationship.  The other thing I recalled when it was suggested that I might not stick with Piper, was when I said “I DO” on that Saturday afternoon in July, back in 1975.  I made a covenant with her on that day… “come sickness and in health” and there was NO WAY that I would EVER break that covenant with her!

It’s the same covenant that Jesus made with us when He shed His blood on Calvary a few thousand years ago… and you can rest assured that He’ll never break it!  That’s what Paul is telling us through Ephesians 5:25.  What do you think about that?

Have a great Thursday, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to LOVE my spouse just as much as Christ loves me!”

Not Everyone is a Dog Lover!

I had the pleasure of spending most of the day with my older daughter Jamie yesterday.  We had fun catching up, taking Fiver for a couple of walks, drinking coffee and sharing memories of her Mom.  It was somewhat warm yesterday and didn’t require much outer attire except for a sweater.  I think it was in the upper forties during our first walk in the morning and mid-fifties by our afternoon stroll… In other words, it was quite nice!

This morning’s walk was quite another story!  The forecast was for rain all day with chances of snow in the northern counties of Oklahoma above us.  When Fiver and I stepped out the font door just a little while ago, it was 37 degrees with 11 mph winds from the north (setting the wind chill at 30º) and it was beginning to rain.  Needless to say, it was a teeny-bit crisp out there!  But you know?  Call me weird… but I enjoyed it and I think that Fiver did as well.  He always seems to have a little bit of an extra bounce in his step when its cold or snowy outside. 

On the way back from the pond, we passed a lady who walks through the neighborhood on a daily basis.  We’ve only spoken a few times but never really stopped to have a deeper conversation… and today I realized why!  She’s afraid of Fiver!  Today we had to pass each other on a narrow curve in the path and as we came together, I immediately reeled in Fiver close to me, as I normally do when passing others.  When we met, she quickly back-peddled away from him as he attempted to greet her.  I said good morning to her and she smiled and simply said, “Oh!  He always wants to come to me!” To which I replied that he was very friendly, as she picked up her pace a little and retreated away from us.

I could have sworn that as we continued in the direction we were heading, that Fiver turned his head and looked up at me as if to say, “What was that all about?  I just wanted to say hello!”  As we continued along the fence separating us from the golf course heading up to our street, I told Fiver that “Not everyone is a dog person, and we just have to respect them for that.”  Well, I’m not sure that he understood what I was saying or not, but it got me to thinking that what had just happened was a microcosm of something that seems to be taking center stage in our country today.

Yes, not everyone is a dog lover… but does that make them a bad person because they don’t think like me?  Absolutely not!  I respect those who aren’t comfortable around dogs.  After all I don’t know their life’s experiences, maybe there was some event with a dog in their past that gave them good reason to be wary of our four-footed friends. 

Almost daily now, I read of people in the news making derogatory comments about people simply because they think differently than their group… or worse yet… had the audacity to vote for a candidate that they strongly dislike.  I’ve come to the conclusion that there are powers in our society that are doing their best to rapidly turn us into a “GRACE-LESS” nation!

When I think on this subject, I can’t help but remember Paul’s words to the churches at Ephesus and Colossae, when he declared that “Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness (grace).” (Ephesians 1:7, see also Colossians 1:22-23)  I believe that he is stating that God in His love for us, continually works to forgive us and love us when we fail in our everyday lives.  In my way of thinking, that is telling me that if God does that for me, then I need to show the same courtesy toward others who may wrong me or even think differently than I do!

Some of the memories of Piper that my daughter and I reminisced about yesterday, reminded me of some of the hurtful actions and words that came against us when Piper was sick by people who disagreed with our actions of faith.  When Peter asked Jesus how many times, he was supposed to forgive someone, Jesus replied "I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22 God’s Word ©)  When you do he math… that comes to 490 times!  Well, after what we went through and the gut-wrenching lessons I learned as my wife’s health deteriorated, I’ve had to tap into that 490 times quite often… including yesterday!  But, I don’t really think that Jesus was putting a specific number or limit on grace-filled forgiveness.  I truly believe that He was teaching us to adopt a lifestyle of GRACE!

I had another opportunity to exercise His GRACE this morning!  I will admit that it always tends to irritate me when I see people miss-quoting scriptures to fit their argument… and today I came across another such incident on my Facebook feed.  But, thank God, I caught myself before I let it get me into a tizzy!  Somehow… I quickly thought about His Grace, and my frustration and irritation turned into understanding, grace toward the individual and peace for me.

What if our politicians did that today?  What if you and I did that every time we stepped out the door, watched the news, went to church or saw someone wearing something, doing or saying something in the parking lot of the grocery store or mall… that we didn’t agree with?  Whoa!  I think we could start a revolution… or better yet a revival! 

Hummm… what do you think?  Just saying…

Have a great week, and as you do, think about how you would expect to react when faced with something or someone you don’t agree with!

Sad News

I received some sad news yesterday when I read that the Pastor of the very first Word of Faith church in Santa Rosa that Piper and I attended, passed onto glory on Tuesday the 21^st of January.  Piper and I had made the decision to leave the Baptist church that we had been members and ministers at for many years toward the end of 1982.  During that time, we had been following the little weekly posting on the Religion page in our local newspaper that advertised a church called Faith Christian Fellowship, pastored by a Rhema Bible Training Center graduate named Doug Smith.  The church met in a room at the El Rancho Tropicana Motel and Convention Center in the southern part of Santa Rosa.  The part about Doug being a Rhema grad is what caught our attention and compelled us to check it out.  We first attended on January 1, 1983… and never left

Little did we know when we walked into that room arranged with metal chairs and Radio Shack equipment, that we were setting the course of our lives for the next 35 plus years… up to and including today!   I always considered Doug and our time there as my first Bible School.  He was an excellent teacher of the Word who caused both Piper and I to sit on those hard chairs in those old and funky little rooms and literally write reams of notes.  We became good friends and spent some fun times fellowshipping with them at our perspective homes, while our kids terrorized the rest of the house! 

Piper and I had the honor of leading the Praise and Worship parts of the services for about six years.  Together with Doug and his first wife Linda, their five boys and our (eventually) 3 kids, we held services in multiple locations throughout Santa Rosa (including our new home in Larkfield… I still remember when all the kids went out back to play and tracked muddy footprints across our new light blue carpet!), Napa and Petaluma.  When Doug and Linda felt the leading to leave and follow the call as itinerant/Evangelistic ministers, we transferred the church phone to our house and then spent the next twenty or so years keeping the remnant of that church and the Word of Faith teaching alive and thriving in Santa Rosa.  Our heartfelt prayers for the peace of God go out to Doug's family. 

The news of Doug’s homegoing kind of shook me because of the connection we had.  After reading the news online, I sat back in my chair and without thinking said aloud, “Piper did you hear that?  Doug Smith passed away.”  Then I immediately started laughing as it hit me that of course she knows… Doug’s probably preaching in heaven right now and Piper most likely is in the front row taking copious notes… just like she used to do!  If you’re interested, check out his obituary at the end of today’s post*** 

I recently read a statement that the great revivalist Smith Wigglesworth once made.  It caused me to pause and have one of those “A Ha!” moments, because it described exactly what happened to Piper and I after being introduced to the Word of Faith message in the mid 1970’s.  It was the follow-through on that life-changing experience that expectantly drove us to attend Doug and Linda’s church in 1983.  Wigglesworth was quoted as declaring “After you have once laid hold of the plan on the lines of faith – the simplicity of faith – you will be in a new world.”

There is a line that Nicholas Cage makes toward the end of the first National Treasure movie when he sees an indentation in a wall that seemingly matches the shape of the ornately designed antique pipe that he had found earlier in the movie.  The camera comes in close on his face as he says, “Could it really be that simple?”  He then inserts the pipe, turns it clockwise, and a secret wall to the treasure room opens up!

The look on his face and the skip that must of occurred in the character’s heart at that revelation, perfectly mimicked the way that Piper and I felt as we began to see and grasp the understanding of the power that we Christians have through our active faith in God and His Word.  As we grew in our revelation of that truth which is clearly described in the books of Ephesians and Colossians**** we began to live in another world… a world where we tended to only be moved by what we saw in God’s Word and not be moved by the negative things we saw happening around us.  

I remember telling Piper with great frustration, when we returned home from Oklahoma from 2009 into 2014 and had received a lot of conflict from those who didn’t agree with the path we were following as we began to deal with Piper’s declining health… “that it felt like were living in two different universes!”  Or… “in a new world!”

How about you?  In which world… or universe do you live?  One which is governed by the steady and secure truth of the Word of God?  Or one that is ruled by the roller-coaster temptations of emotions… based many times on fear?

Have a great weekend, and as you do, say with me… “I’m expecting to choose the truth of God’s Word when it comes to the decisions I face today!”



*** https://everloved.com/life-of/douglas-edward-smith/obituary/?flow=201&fbclid=IwAR0sCp5XCj8uU86lPSqYjCEKWaQWnxb34PegHK_b7tiGIuRYsyKuxLoQdW4



**** In particular see Ephesians 1:17-23, Ephesians 2:4-6, Ephesians 3:13-20, Colossians 1:12-14

Yikes! That's Talking About Me!

Have you ever been convicted by your own words?  I found myself facing that conundrum just this morning!  I guess you could say that they really weren’t my words… but it was a scripture verse that I used to make a Biblical point on my new series that I posted in a few places on the web yesterday afternoon.  In my very first edition of “Piper’s Proverbs” (http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2020/01/pipers-proverbs.html) I concluded my encouraging word with a verse from Ecclesiastes 4:6, to which the authorship of the book is usually attributed to Solomon.  Here the “Preacher” (see Ecclesiastes 1:1) declares to his readers, “One handful of peaceful repose is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind.” (combination of The Message and God’s Word ©)

I tend to start my personal morning Bible study each day by reviewing the notes that I’ve accrued throughout the previous day.  Today my eyes went right to where I had written Ecclesiastes 4:6, down near the bottom of the page.  As I sort-of mumbled the verse out loud, it suddenly dawned on me that this verse is talking, in many respects, directly to me.  Yikes!  Then I heard that small-still-voice on the inside saying… “Listen and take note!”  And you know?  I didn’t have to take anytime to think about it… for I knew exactly what He was talking about.

Ever since Piper passed away a little over a year ago, I have fought the sometimes constant struggle, to keep myself busy on this project or another.  I’ve done it for a couple of reasons.  One, if I’m busy, I tend to not think about how much I still miss her, and two, if I keep busy… then I feel good about myself that day… like I’ve accomplished something.  But then, every morning and just about every night I find myself talking to God and asking… sometimes pleading… “What is my purpose in life now, without Piper?”

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not trying to elicit some self-pity from any of you, for I actually have been receiving more and more hints as well as some specific directions from the Lord in response to my questions.  Especially on Sundays!  I don’t know why, but in my private times with the Lord on Sunday’s during the last month or so, I have gotten more definitive instruction and then had it seemingly backed up by the Pastor during his sermon later in the morning.  It’s kind of like I can’t wait for Sunday mornings now!

But back to the scripture.  As I began to study out Ecclesiastes 4:6, I saw that the Lord was bluntly telling me to STOP trying to keep myself busy and in doing so, expect to find His peaceful repose in the activities of fruitless endeavors.  But instead, to relax and trust in what He has been speaking to my heart in His Word.  I was reminded of President Trump on that one… Thinking that keeping busy will heal the inner wounds is like trying to “catch the wind” and is, when one comes to think about it: “FAKE NEWS!”

Okay… so be honest with yourself now.  Have any of you ever done the same thing as me.  I must admit that one of the typical responses that bothers me the most is when I ask someone how they are doing and without a moment’s hesitation, answer… like it’s some badge of great honor, “Busy, busy, busy!”  (I think it bothers me so much, because I used to say the same thing until the Lord finally convicted me about it. – I’ve learned that we can always find time to do the things that we really want to do…)

Is being busy just an excuse to not get involved in something else?  Is it just an activity you do to hide some pain?  Or does it, like me, make you feel validated… like you’ve accomplished something?

Humm… maybe it’s time to find your peaceful repose in Him… instead of in doing things to keep yourself busy…  Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to find my self-worth and my peaceful repose in Him!”

Piper's Proverbs

There was a time in the late 1990’s when I was working at Agilent Technologies when production in the fabrication area was running beyond full speed.  Order’s were booming and we had added an extra shift in the Milling Shop.  We were down one supervisor at the time, so I (as one of the two Production Supervisor’s left) had the responsibility to cover parts of both the swing and graveyard shifts.  To put it mildly, it was a crazy time.  I had some 36 permanent and temporary employees under my leadership and was working an average 50 – 60 hours a week.

Piper was so sweet to me during this time.  She would call me everyday and leave a message on my voicemail as I was usually not at my desk but either in a meeting or out on the shop floor.  Her messages always followed the same format.  First, she would give me her sweet little personalized greeting, in that unique voice of hers that I could recognize in a noisy crowd anytime, anywhere.  Then she would say a few very encouraging words and conclude with a scripture that always seemed to perfectly summarize and accent what she had said.

When I would get wearily back to my desk, my heart would always skip a beat when I saw the red blinking light on my desk phone.  I’d collapse in my fancy desk chair, call up the voicemail, close my eyes and absorb every word, every inflection of her voice and every breath she took between words.  It seemed like she just supernaturally knew what I needed to hear at that particular moment in time.

I quickly got into the habit during those very stressful months to save her voicemails and then listen to them, on a as-needed basis throughout the day!  I’m not really sure if I would have made it, had it not been for those calls.  I’ve been wanting to carry on that legacy of hers... and now I will with you.  So, every-so-often I will post a short… what I am calling: “Piper’s Proverbs” to encourage and bless you.  They may not be her words, but my intention and thoughts are the same…  Enjoy and be blessed!

__________


  Piper's Proverbs 1:1

I thought about those calls as I was standing on the berm surrounding the pond in our neighborhood on Fiver’s and my early walk a few moments ago.  When I looked out over the back side of our neighborhood, across the playground/picnic/pond area and the golf course next door, I was captivated by how bland but yet beautiful things looked!  I realized that even though we are in the dormant season out here in Oklahoma, that I could still see the Lord’s hand in the order and serenity that surrounded my vision across the horizon.  Before Fiver started tugging on the lease because he had caught a new scent, I found myself in a place of peaceful repose and caught myself quietly whispering “Thank You, Lord.” 

If you’re going through a hard patch in life today, then maybe this word is for you.  Take your eyes off the blandness around you, let go and look for the Lord’s hand in the midst of your need.  I pray that each of you can find a special place of repose in His peace and serenity today… and then find yourself quietly whispering, “Thank You, Lord.”

“One handful of peaceful repose is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind.”   Ecclesiastes 4:6

Got Depression... Need Peace?

Have you ever felt the pangs of depression creeping up on you?  I’ve always been kind of an “UP” person and found it fairly easy to push most disparaging thoughts away by simply praising the Lord and getting into His Word.  It’s also helped that I have (finally) been able to memorize familiar scriptures and mentally call them up in times of need.  Piper had the knack to look at a scripture a few times and then commit it to her memory.  But the difference between her and me was that I could never seem to remember the particular place in the Bible where they were located.  But not her!  She’d recall a particular scripture and then add the book, chapter and verse without missing a beat… usually right in the middle of a conversation with someone who needed to hear just that verse!

This last week… for reasons I’ll probably never know or understand, I had a hands-on lesson of dealing with the encroachment of depression.  It was one of those times when everywhere I looked, I saw Piper!  Taking the dog for his daily walks, I saw Piper and I taking the daily walks we enjoyed together during our last year here in Oklahoma before moving home to California, back in 2009.  Driving in the car, out of old habit, I’d find myself reaching across the console to take her hand into mine… I needed to get something out of her top dresser drawer one day and quickly found myself remembering all the wonderful times we had while she was wearing each and everyone of the items of clothes I picked up… I even brought few of them up to my nose to see if I could maybe catch her scent once again.

And the list goes on and on!  I’d look at a picture on the wall and “poof” I was there in my mind’s eye, standing in front of Piper, viewing her perfect pose through the lens of my old Canon EOS 30/Elan7E (which I still have in my personal collection)… and then I’d be off down memory lane remembering all the special two night holidays we took alone together on the California coast… the special things we did with the kids as part of their homeschooling experiences, family camping… sitting on the ball field during lunch in high school, the time we walked in front of the school during another lunch period and got in trouble from the principle himself for holding hands while doing so… and… well, you get it!  It was a more than tough week. 

So, what did I do?  Well… to be honest… I groveled along in deep self-pity for a short period of time… but you know?  That action just didn’t feel right to me and I knew that I had to do something about it.  So… I did what I had heard taught from various Christian speakers, Evangelists, and our Pastors over the years… and had in fact, personally counseled others to do… I thought back to the things that stirred me up, got me excited about life and brought back my sense of expectation in the power of God and His Word.

The first thing I finally did was to remember and verbally confess those favorite encouragement scriptures I mentioned above and then went to my short stack of books that I have here in the house and pulled out two or three of my favorite titles…  Stories of past revivals, accounts of strong men and women of God that I consider to be Generals in the Christian Faith and I began to read.  And it began to work!  The despair that was edging into my heart slowly but surely began to fade away and a renewed sense of hope and expectation gradually took its place in order to lighten the darkness inside. 

But that wasn’t all I did.  When the despair would become noticeable, I would force myself to bundle up (It’s also been pretty cold this last week… and again today…) and take the dog for a walk in the neighborhood.  On a couple of days, I hopped into the car and took a short jaunt to the nearby Neighborhood Walmart to buy myself dinner for the night.  Just getting out and around other people, giving an encouraging greeting, joking with the cashier or passing an encouraging look to the person next to me in the parking lot (who looked like he most definitely didn’t want to talk to ANYONE!) really helped to boost my spirits!  Then there was also spending the last two Sunday nights with my kids and Granddaughter, watching football together (go Niner’s!) … even Fiver had a blast!

Colossians 3:15 tells us to, “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. (KJV)  When studying that verse over the weekend, I quickly re-discovered the power of this scripture truth, especially as I put myself through the steps of kicking out those depressive thoughts!  I’ve heard it said that when you put your natural, faith-filled efforts together with God’s supernatural, that you’ll experience an explosion of God’s power in the situations of your life.  Well… I can definitely say that it happened for me!  Maybe not immediately, but little by little when combined with determination, consistency and a dash of faith on my behalf!

And who knows… if it can work for little old me… I am sure that it will work for you!  Got depressive thoughts floating around in your head… Well… try some of the things that worked for me.  1) Go to God’s Word, 2) Speak out some of your favorite encouraging scriptures, 3) Go back and repeat the things in your past that helped you to get through some rough times, 4) Get out of the house and exercise and 5) Be with those you love and or others in the familiar places you frequent… and then be thankful to God for His Love, His Grace, His Joy and mostly for His Peace!

Have a terrific week… and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting God’s best as I work WITH Him to have a PEACE-FILLED week!”

Daily Renewal...

I recently began re-reading a book written about the great Pentecostal evangelist Smith Wigglesworth who was one of the most influential preachers during the Pentecostal Revival at the turn of the 20^th century.  This book written by William Hacking is entitled and was written from the viewpoint of personal interactions between the elder Smith and the young author.  (It was originally entitled, “Reminiscences of Smith Wigglesworth)

Smith was well known for his extraordinary healing ministry, spiritual insight, his complete dependence on the Word of God (of which the Bible is said to be the only book he ever read, having been taught to read as an adult by his wife), the practicality of the way in which he lived his faith and the unorthodox style in which he ministered to the sick.  In relating an incident while visiting the evangelist at his simple home in England, Hacking remembered Wigglesworth asking to pray when their visit came to a close and then “quite abruptly, he said, ‘Now, Brother Hacking, you will have to be away to get your bus, or else you will miss the train.’”  Hacking commented: “One minute in heaven; the next minute on earth.  Spirituality plus practicality.  Smith Wigglesworth was always a wonderful combination of the two.” *

I had to chuckle when I read that comment this morning because it reminded me of someone who was very near and dear to me… Piper!  She also lived her life with a very symbiotic and totally intertwined relationship with the spirit of God and the natural realm.  When I got to thinking about it though, I realized that I didn’t spot that phenomenon when we first met in the fall of 1969.  That was the year in school that she was alphabetically seated (Thank the Lord!) right behind me in our 11^th grade English class.  During that year though, I did see that there was something special and/or different about her (in a positive way).  She just had such an uncanny spirit of joy about her.

But we didn’t spend any time alone that year (that I can remember… I’ll have to get her viewpoint when I see her again in a few years in heaven…)  We talked, and laughed a lot in class (it’s a miracle that we didn’t get in trouble!) and at weekend baseball games, trips to the beach and other such activities with the large group of friends we mutually associated with.  The real Piper began to become known to me when we started dating at the beginning of our Senior year.  I quickly realized the reason for her joyfulness.  There was so MUCH MORE to that young lady!  She was a walking, talking picture of a life happily and successfully yielded to the Lord… and she never changed!

Colossians 3:10-11 says that, “You've gotten rid of the person you used to be and the life you used to live, and you've become a new person. This new person is continually renewed in knowledge to be like its Creator.” (God’s Word ©)  I think these verses accurately describe the continual transition that occurred in Piper… and me for that matter!  I can’t recall a time during our relationship when either of us weren’t hungry for more of God and His Word!  We read it and studied it daily.  It didn’t matter what was on the schedule that day, if we were on vacation or not, or what day of the week it was.  Whether we knew it or not, according to these verses, we were continually being renewed in knowledge to be more and more like our Creator!

And we weren’t alone in this daily lifestyle.  We had (& I still have) many friends and acquaintances who lived life the same way.  YOU may be one of them!   

I have to be very honest when I say that this lifestyle saved our bacon during our life together when the hard times that come upon all of us at one time or another came to roost in our home.  There was no question… and really no other thought… but to trust in the Lord, in His Word and in His Love!  It would always tend to surprise me when some folks in our circle of family and church friends didn’t always respond like we did.  I’ve learned to have greater understanding and grace in these situations… but it still surprises me sometimes… for if you are regularly being renewed in HIS Word… then what other plausible options are there for you?  To me, that is where the practicality of one’s Christian faith comes into play.  Or like some would say… “When the rubber meets the road!”

So, have a terrific weekend.  It is cold and very wet outside here today, but will be warmer with sunny skies over the weekend!  I pray that you have a warm and SONNY weekend as well, and as you do… spend a little time expecting the best of God by continually renewing yourself in knowledge to be like YOUR Creator.”





*“Smith Wigglesworth, A Life Ablaze with the Power of God” pages 37-38, 17^th printing, ©1995 by Harrison House, Inc

What Do You Continue In?

After all my words in my blog post on last Friday where I encouraged everyone to have an unmovable, childlike trust in the Lord… I kinda had a pretty rough day on Saturday!  I was doing fine until Fiver and I were coming back from our early afternoon walk and stopped at the mailbox to see what surprises might be found therein.  Inside was a little cardboard box that had me stumped!  The return address was covered with delivery stamps and I couldn’t readily recall if I had recently purchased anything online.

By the time we got up to the porch though, I remembered that I had ordered some new business cards for the blog ministry with all my current contact information here in Oklahoma.  I tossed the box on the kitchen table and promptly forgot about it while I got busy with some other tasks that needed to be attended to.  When I sat down for lunch a while later, I saw the box, grabbed a knife and opened it up.  With great expectancy, I took hold of the bundled stack of cards and proceeded to pull one out to make sure that there were no printing errors.  Everything seemed to be correct… but yet something was wrong… It just didn’t look right… Then it hit me like a brick…

Ever since Piper and I got married I have always had personal business cards beginning with the Photography business we had for many years, for ministry projects like “The Praise Works!” in the nineties, the lawn care side business I had on and off (since junior high, to be honest) and then the blog ministry over the last nine years.  But what differed on these newest cards was… for the first time in 44 years… Piper’s name wasn’t on the top line next to mine!  It simply read, “Jim Berruto.”  I’m not sure why, but that one came out of nowhere and I instantly broke down.  Just when you think that you’re doing well in dealing with the situation something sneaks in to get you!

I would think that each of you have also experienced a situation similar to mine.  Where something comes up that catches you flat-footed and you have to stop and deal with it!  My experience over the years is that not everyone does that though… They push it aside or muddle around in self pity and/or depression.  As I’ve mentioned on many occasions, Piper and I saw that fairly often with many of the people that we interacted with during our journey with her deteriorating health.

I read yesterday in the book of John where Jesus declared to the Jews who believed in Him at the time (and is still relevant to Believer’s today): “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 KJV)  When I finished reading those words, I immediately went back to the previous day’s experience with the updated cards and the renewed revelation that she is REALLY gone.  The tears began to form again, but this time my eyes and thoughts locked on to the phrase, “If ye continue in my word” and I remembered the definite commitment we made back on that summer night in July of 2007 when we got the first negative test results concerning Piper’s situation.

Like I’ve said a million times before… wait… wait for it… listen closely… you hear it?  There’s Piper’s sweet little voice saying “Jim, don’t exaggerate!” Okay… let me rephrase… like I’ve said many times in this blog, after that commitment, we didn’t flinch and did our very best to keep our eyes on His Word in difference to what we saw happening before our physical sight.  The statement Jesus’ made in John 8 came true right before us on a daily… and sometimes minute by minute basis.  By continuing to keep our focus on God and His Word, we were literally set free from making decisions based on the roller-coaster ride of emotions.

Our focus on what we considered to be the absolute truth of God’s Word over the natural situation is the ONLY thing that kept us going.  To be honest… it’s the ONLY thing that kept me sane… especially when some others were literally going bonkers with their emotions around us.

I’ve run the gamut of feelings and reactions since those early years after I quit my secular job in 2010 to take care of Piper 24/7, and went from confusion, frustration and anger, to forgiveness, understanding and the realization I now have, of how awful it must have been to be observant of what was happening to Piper without the hope (or better yet, expectation) of God being the Greater One over sickness, disease or any potentially negative financial situation.  I began to see how living in fear is similar to the water shut off valve at my new house… but I’ll explain that story in the next blog post later this week!

In the meantime, I might suggest that you take a few moments as you read this today, to consider the things in your life that you tend to “continue in” during the good, the bad and the potentially ugly times you experience.  It could be an interesting… maybe life-altering activity for you!

Have a good week.  I’m getting the bedrooms ready for the coming of new carpet this Wednesday and am getting quite excited about it!  What are you expectant of and excited about today?

Humdinger

We are preparing for a real humdinger of a storm to blow in out here… starting any minute now!  I took Fiver out for his long walk earlier than normal this morning so that we could beat the rain and thunderstorms, although we did find ourselves in a quick shower when we got to the neighborhood pond! 

Now, a couple of hours later, the sun has pretty much disappeared and the grey skies are getting darker every time I look out the window.  The are also some rumblings being heard behind the clouds.  It looks like it’s gonna be a wild weather day!  In fact, I just got an alert of a Tornado Watch for our county and the counties all around us.  I’m sure a Severe Thunderstorm warning will soon follow.  And tomorrow… we’ll go from the mid-sixties and get our first snowfall of the season… anywhere from .5 to 1.5 inches with a daytime high of 30 degrees.  THEN on Sunday… it will be sunny skies in the mid-fifties!  Go figure huh?

So, what are we going to do with all these scary reports coming in? (Yep… just got the Severe Thunderstorm warning…)  Well, I’m prepared.  I went to the Word this morning and got the inside scoop… the 411 on what I should be expecting.  Colossians 1:26-27 tells us, “In the past God hid this mystery, but now he has revealed it to his people.  God wanted his people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery-which is Christ living in you, giving you the hope of glory.” (God’s Word ©)  Pretty clear right?  Okay… Okay… let me break it down!

The word “hope” in these verses means “expectation” (which is one of my favorite words and activities in the Bible, if you haven’t figured that out by now!).  So, what are we supposed to be expecting?  Well… let’s take a peek at that word “glory.”  Thayer’s explains that “in the New Testament it is always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor and glory; magnificence, dignity and grace.”  The Cambridge Bible relates that the word glory “so used, gives us the thought not only of greatness, wonder and bliss, but of God as the secret of it all.”

My thought on all that information?  I wrote in my notes this morning that “with all of this going on in Him (Who is living on the inside of us), how could ANY Christian not be rejoicing and at peace in the midst of any potential threat?”  Let’s see, what were the words to one of Piper’s favorite songs that she played on the piano quite often, written by Annie Herring and sung by The Second Chapter of Acts?  Oh yeah…

♪ “Why should I worry? 

     Why should I fret,

     ‘cause I’ve got a Mansion Builder

     who ain’t through with me yet.” ♫ *



Those lyrics say it all don’t they?  Ah… I can see Piper sitting at her piano playing that song from one of her numerous Second Chapter of Acts music books… that I still have and kept on the piano when we lived in North Carolina!  

Think about it… God is living inside of us with all His honor, glory, magnificence, dignity, grace, greatness, wonder and bliss.  And on top of all those GOOD REPORTS… He ALWAYS has a GOOD OPINION about YOU and ME and about all HIS good works!

So, what do you think?   Is worry, anxiety and fear in my emergency storm bag that I keep handy in these types of situations?  The answer to that question is simply NO!

My unmovable, childlike trust is in HIM!  How about you?

Have a great weekend.  I’m looking forward to seeing the snow tomorrow…  Stay safe out there and keep the eyes of your expectations on Him!



*Mansion Builder, released in 1978, is the third studio album from contemporary Christian music group 2nd Chapter of Acts, their first for the recently created Sparrow Records. Members of 2nd Chapter of Acts' touring band, a band called David, also perform on this album. (Wikipedia)

Smart vs Stupid...

I was watching the news last night where the newscaster was reporting on the situation surrounding the recent events in Iran.  After watching for a while and listening to all the different viewpoints from both the left and right, it became very apparent to me that there were two totally opposite reactions with absolutely no middle ground.  One side was thankful, confident and proud to be an American, while the other side was visibly shaken by the events, seemed to be supportive of Iran and their tactics and was almost apologetic of and embarrassed by the President’s actions taken to protect our country and our service men and women.  It was pretty obvious to me, that one side was being moved by fear while the other was at peace.

It brought back many uncomfortable memories of interactions Piper and I had to endure during our journey with her failing health.  We quickly discovered that it’s very difficult to work harmoniously with individuals who are being heavily influenced by their fearful thoughts and emotions instead of their faith.

When I turned off the TV in the living room and headed to the bedroom, it shockingly hit me that I was falling into the same trap with the decision that I had to make in the morning concerning the new carpet I was thinking about having installed next week.  My older daughter Jamie and I had gone to a local carpet dealer whose ad I kept hearing on one of the local Christian radio stations earlier in the day.  We found a carpet we liked, chose a color and arranged for the sales rep to come to my house later in the day to measure and give me a quote.

The rep came to the house on time, measured the house and let me know that he’d have the figures for me within a few hours.  Well, he was true to his word and both emailed and called me with the numbers.  The only downside was that it was more than I had budgeted for.  So, I told him that I would call him in the morning and let him know what I had decided to do.

Immediately after the call I sat down at the table and began to crunch out the numbers… and the more I concentrated on what I saw in all the paperwork before me… the more anxious, doubtful and concerned I became.  Suddenly my whole carpets, paint, move in the rest of my stuff and all the drams I had about the house began to get cloudy!  I spent the rest of the night trying to figure out a way that I could make it work… and feel good about it!  Well… it wasn't working and I went to bed with many doubtful and questioning thoughts floating between my ears.

I fell into a fretful sleep and then awoke with a start at 2:00 AM.  It was getting windy outside and I could hear it blowing things around, so I got up and looked out the windows front and back and made sure everything was still where it was supposed to be, climbed back into bed and stared at the ceiling until I couldn’t take it anymore.  I then turned on the light and read some scripture.  Once I began to get my eyes off the problem and on to the truth of the Word… my whole outlook began to shift!

When writing to the believer’s in Colossae, Paul declared that, “…Some time ago you heard about this hope (or expectation) in the Good News (the Gospel message) which is the message of truth.” (Colossians 1:5 God’s Word ©)  Thayer’s Greek Definitions defines the word “truth” as “What is true in any matter under consideration.”  Therefore… if you believe the Word of God to be truthful… like I do… then you have to concede that when push comes to shove… what the Word of God says IS the real and final truth in any matter… no matter what the physical evidence you have before you says. 

Right or Wrong? 

Like I said, for me it’s right!  But believing it doesn’t always come easy… I spent the next hour in bed in the wee hours of the morning last night building up my faith by confessing every Scripture verse that I could recall that talks about God’s faithfulness, His power working in our regard, His provision, His grace and His love for us.  Remember Hebrews 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  So there again, if the Word is the truth, then that verse tells us what to do when we feel doubtful, weak, undeciding or anxious about what’s going on before our eyes.

And you know… it worked for me last night.  When I finally turned my head and snuggled into my pillow, I felt TOTALLY different than I did before I woke up.  Most of all, I had that “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7 EMTV), found that I was excited and hopeful about the new carpet and in the natural… had a plan to pay for the expenditure!

So, I called the sales rep this morning and sealed the deal.  I went to the store a few hours later, put down a hefty deposit and set up the install for next Wednesday… and I continue to be quite excited and at peace about it!  The Lord also told me while in prayer this morning, to only think about, pray and do ONE step at a time concerning all the plans, ideas, dreams and aspirations that I have for the new house.

So, there it is!  Once I got my eyes on the solution instead of the problem, I got His peace and began to think straight and not get mixed up and do stupid things based on my emotions!  From what I’ve seen and learned through personal experience… reacting in fear is not only dangerous but it can easily make one look like a fool!  I’ve played that role in the distant past… and I’m not about to fall into that undisciplined lifestyle again!  How about you?

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to look smart by keeping my eyes on the TRUTH of God’s Word!”

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

Fiver and I just got back from our walk to the neighborhood park and pond.  About two minutes into the walk I realized that my head was a little cold and that I had forgotten my hat!  But it was about 48 degrees when we started out, so I figured that I’d be fine.  Afterall, temperature wise, I was comfortable wearing my hiking shorts and a light weight hoodie and it wasn’t like I was going to freeze or anything… right?  Well, on the way back I became aware that my head was feeling fairly warm from the sun beating down!  Ah… the woes of having thinning hair… your head gets chilled in the cold weather and fries in the heat of the sun!

Yesterday was sort of a woeful day for me as well.  I started to feel all the symptoms of a cold coming on me around dinner time on Saturday evening and awoke Sunday morning with those same symptoms and a few more.  But I really wanted to go to church, so I dragged myself out of bed, read my Bible, fed the dog, took a shower and them took him out for the same walk we just completed a couple of minutes ago.  Like I mentioned above, it is not a long walk but the temperatures were cooler than today and there was a strong wind blowing in from the north… which means it’s a very chilling wind!

Well, that approximately one-mile round trip walk felt like it was a six-mile walk, uphill both ways… Kind of like the way my Mom told that she had to walk in the snow in New York when she was a young girl!  Anyway, with the cold symptoms, my legs felt like jello and I really had to push myself to get back to the house.  Once we got home, I plopped down at the kitchen table and realized that I was not going to make it to church.  And with it… all my plans for the day went up in smoke!  It’s funny how crazy your thoughts can become when you’re not feeling well.

Throughout the day I found myself fighting off all kinds of depressing thoughts, wondering what I was doing here, where my life was going, how much I desperately missed Piper and second guessing many of the decisions that I had made over the last year or so.  But, thank God, by late afternoon I pulled myself together, starting re-reading one of the Christian books* that changed the course of our life back when Piper and I were just married, and began to refocus my attention on moving on with all the things I have felt led to pursue in this New Year.

Before the walk this morning, I found myself saying: “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”** That familiar quote got me to praying as I was getting ready for the day and I suddenly had the revelation, that I don’t need to start all over, fresh and anew… I just need to continue on from where I left off in life!  One of the things I began to see yesterday as I stood in the kitchen looking at the pictures of Piper that I had taped to the refrigerator that show the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s version of her, was that God didn’t put everything in me that He has over the years, including 48 years with the most wonderful woman in the world, a family of four great kids, 35 plus years of pastoral ministry, management positions with three world class organizations and a whole bunch of unrelated side jobs that I worked over the years to help support my family… just to forget about me now!

He also didn’t give me all those unique experiences so that I’d just throw them away and start over when the thigs in my life seemed to have taken a very wrong turn.  No… I am me for a reason!  I may not have a complete handle on what that reason is yet, but I’m going to pursue it and be successful within the realm of who I have become over the past 66 years of my life.  I am not sure why, but that revelation made me feel a whole lot better, more focused and more at peace and confident with myself and my future.

Another one of the many-favorite-of-mine-scriptures is found in Joshua 1:5.  Over the last nine years I have become particularly fond of the God’s Word© modern English translation of it, which reads, when the Lord spoke to Joshua as he stepped into a completely new role in his life as the sole leader of the Israelite nation, “No one will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never neglect you or abandon you.”  I printed out a personalized Scripture confession sheet yesterday, that I had put together soon after Piper’s passing where I had written part of this verse as “just as I was with you and Piper.”  That seemed to scratch just the right spot that I needed to scratch yesterday!

No matter what situation we may find ourselves in, no matter how desperate and or alone we might feel, it is good to know that the Lord our God is always with us.  That He will NEVER neglect or abandon us.  We learned some very difficult lessons during those years that we fought for Piper’s life, people said some awful things and a few even abandoned us… by through it all, the Lord our God stayed true to HIS Word.  Through thick and thin, the darkness of night and many times sitting on the floor in the hallway in tears… He NEVER abandoned us… And He will NEVER abandon you as well!

Have a great week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting the presence of the Lord with me wherever I go… no matter how difficult the circumstances may be!”



*The Believer’s Authority by Kenneth E. Hagin (revised edition) ©1986 Rhema Bible Church, AKA Kenneth Hagin Ministries (the original edition – the one I first read & still have a copy– was written in 1967)

**Attributed to Charles E. “Chuck” Dederich, Sr., (1913–1997)

I Need More Light!

I kinda had to smile to myself today as I was preparing the dog’s breakfast.  I had poured a cup of his Purina Pro Plan into his bowl and was reaching for his daily prescription pill that helps with a skin allergy that tends to be prevalent amongst Austrian Shepherds.  As I unscrewed the top, I reminded myself to make sure that I didn’t take his medicine by accident.  I smiled because I had a few of those mishaps when I was caring for Piper.

The first time was actually quite funny… not then but later!  It didn’t take me long to develop a routine with her daily care and things were going pretty smoothly that day until I realized in disbelief, that I had just popped one of my blood pressure meds into her mouth instead of her Aricept Alzheimer’s pill.  Well, needless to say… the usually calm and composed Jim Berruto freaked out!

My first thought was that she was going to have some terrible negative reaction to the pill and suffer horribly.  So, without much pre-thought, I shoved my finger into her mouth and began to dig around for the little white pill.  You wouldn’t believe the look of shock on Piper’s face.  She didn’t utter a sound but her eyes opened wide and she seemed to be saying, “JIM!  What are you doing?”  But I kept foraging around, praying that she wouldn’t bite me (which I probably deserved!) and after three or four tries finally got ahold of it and pulled it out!  A few weeks later I related the story to Piper’s wonderful Neurologist in San Francisco, who immediately burst out laughing and said, “I don’t think that one blood pressure pill is going to harm her!”

A year or so later, I did the same thing… but this time didn’t panic and she was fine after swallowing it.  The weirdest one was when I accidently popped one of her Aricept’s into MY mouth and immediately swallowed it… thinking it was my blood pressure medicine.  You have to understand that there were a few mornings… okay, maybe more than just a few, where I was a little bit scrambled and exhausted from watching over my sweet little wife in her time of need.  There were times where I tended to do… before I thought about what I was doing!

Well, to make a long story short… Let’s just say that it was a weird day.  I ended up with a headache and feeling a bit agitated and dizzy.  But thank God, I was fine the next morning!  So, needless to say, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t take the dog’s Apoquel this morning!  I am glad that I had the light of understanding about what I was doing today!

And speaking of light… I find that I have been thinking a lot about heaven this last year since Piper’s passing.  I did some research in the Bible to find out what God says about His home, and read a couple of books and reports about people who say that they had actually gone there and returned.  I’m a tiny bit skeptical about those reports because as far as I can see, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of Biblical evidence to back up what they are relating.  It’s not that I disbelieve them… I really want to… but I’m just weary about it.  But nevertheless, I think about heaven and what Piper is experiencing almost every day.

I sometimes find myself talking out loud during the day at home or in the car like she’s listening to me and I ask her all kinds of questions about what she sees, feels and does there.  It’s not that I am expecting her to answer… but it makes me feel close to her and dig deeper into my Bible to get some answers.

I was thinking about light this morning as I’ve noticed that I need to drop a light from the ceiling in the kitchen over the dining room set, in order to brighten things up for me.  The kitchen has ceiling cam lights that look great but don’t give me enough light to comfortably read my Bible at the kitchen table.  When I thought about that subject this morning, I immediately thought about the light in heaven.  Revelation 21:23 tells us that there is no need for either the sun or moon in heaven “for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (KJV)  I guess Piper and the others there never have to concern themselves with being able to see things clearly!

John 1:1 declares that, “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Then a few verses down goes on to say, “He (Jesus) was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.  The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.” (John 1:4-5 God’s Word ©)  From reading these verses, one can safely deduce that Jesus and His Word (ie; the Bible) are one in the same.  Therefore, when we read and study our Bibles, we are receiving the LIGHT of wisdom and understanding from God Himself!  And on top of that Good News, the darkness in the world CAN’T overcome, destroy, steal or extinguish it from working in your life… if you stand firm in your faith in that WORD!

Right now, I put the light from the top of Piper’s piano on the dining room table so that when I want to clearly see what I am reading I twist the knob and turn it on.  When I want wisdom and direction from God, I open up my Bible and let its light shine upon my soul and then flow into my mind!  But first I have to take the effort to open it up and read it (or turn it on… sort of speak!).

How much of God’s light are you absorbing on a daily basis?  With me, I’ve found that the older I get, the more light I need… to see physically as well as spiritually.  How about you?
Have a great first weekend of the New Year and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to turn on the light of God’s Word into my life with greater regularity this year!”