Yesterday, our
Pastor shared five things that can help to keep us from falling victim to anxiety,
fear and panic while we deal with the onslaught of the Corona Virus. Most, if not all, of his points were thoughts
that I have been sharing in my last few blog posts. But that is not too surprising since Piper and I have followed
this particular ministry since the mid-1970’s, were blessed in that three of
the five churches in which we served were affiliated with Rhema and the fact
that I attended Rhema Bible College. So…
it should come as no surprise that we are thinking and acting along the same course
of action!
The five
keys he spoke of were #1, To spend time encouraging yourself in
the Word of God, similar to David in I Samuel 30:6. #2, To spend time in
prayer in order to also encourage yourself as per Philippians 4:6. #3, To do things that will make
you laugh (Proverbs 17:22, Nehemiah 8:10). #4, To turn off the news &
turn on the worship (Psalm 100:1-5), and #5, To
remember that the Lord is ALWAYS there for you! (Deuteronomy 31:6,8)
Those were
good words of advice, but what made them even more special was that it ended up
being a reoccurring theme that I heard throughout the day! I don’t necessarily know if this is happening
where you live, but our local Christian radio station (out of Tulsa) not
only was playing Godly and encouraging tunes, had DJ’s that shared all kinds of
uplifting reports, but also had many of the advertisers sharing positive thoughts,
words and scriptures in order to bless and encourage the listening audience! (Like I told Piper soon after we originally
moved here in 2006, “We sure ain’t in Kansas [referring to our home in
California] anymore!”)
So, that
was cool… then later in
the day I saw a report on “Fox News Sunday” where they were interviewing
Joel Osteen and asking for his thoughts on how we can all better handle the various
changes going on around us, and he went on to talk about how we need to focus
our thoughts away from all the bad news being continually broadcast and turn
our attention to the peace of God. With
his patented big smile and positive and friendly disposition, he explained how
it worked and made it sound very possible!
I’ve heard
many Christians talk despairingly about Pastor Joel and his ministry, but you
have to understand that his calling (from what I’ve heard him speak about in
various interviews) is to preach a simple and encouraging Gospel. And considering the fact that he has the
largest church in the US … it must be working as it is appealing to many people
not only in the Houston Texas area (averaging 52,000 attendees a week),
but also around the world!
Then there
was the tip I got from a good friend in California. If you want some information and a good laugh
about the Do’s and Don’ts of Covid -19 health etiquette,
check out the online video: “Pluto Breaks the Internet”* It’s pretty funny! And while you’re online, google all the
different “Home Concerts” that are being broadcast directly from the
homes of many well-known secular and Christian recording artists. Fox News online is also broadcasting many
different Christian denominational services throughout the week.
So… even
though there is a lot of not-so-positive news out there… if you take the
time and effort to look for it, there is also a lot of positive, uplifting
and funny reports, concerts, religious services, and much more to brighten your
day and help to draw your attention toward a more positive outlook and hope!
As far as
life in my neck of the woods… I’ve noticed a lot more individuals, couples and
families walking (or jogging) past my study window, taking advantage of
the many paths around the golf course and neighborhood. There have been many more golfers out on the
green… many of whom I think haven’t been out there in awhile as Fiver and
I got “FORED!” numerous times when balls went zinging off their
intended direction and landed at our feet near or on the other side of the
fence that separates where we walk alongside the golf course!
We’ve also
been making the best of the local “Safer at Home” policies by working in
the yard, cleaning and preparing my various power lawn tools, doing some
reading, walking more and keeping my focus on the positive and encouraging
words contained between the pages of my Bible(s) or other Christian based literature.
“And
Sooooo” as the Philosophy
Professor that Piper and I had (and didn’t really care for… as we found it
hard to stay awake in his class… I can still see him saying those words and the
gleam in Piper’s eyes as she tried real hard not to laugh when I gave
her a funny look!) used to say as he rocked back and forth on the balls of
his feet while leaning on the podium in that old large classroom at the Santa Rosa
Junior College… I leave you with a positive thought as penned by King David in
what my Passion Translation of the Bible entitles “A Cry for Help.” Expressed “to the Pure and Shining One,
as a song of praising, by King David”
“Blessing
after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord. They will not fall
away, for they refuse to listen to the lies of the proud.” (Psalm 40:4)
And Sooooo I
encourage you to take the King’s advice and seek to love and trust in the Lord by
listening more to God’s positive news than to the negative – fear producing-
reports that come from the news on a moment by moment basis. Have a great week, keep following all the
standard health protocols, and keep your eyes on the Good News of the Word… then
enjoy all the funny and uplifting videos and other entertainment that is out
there right now!
* https://www.todayville.com/edmonton/this-dog-has-some-amazing-advice-for-the-two-leggeds/
I was faced
the other morning with one of the “which way will I go” scenarios. I needed to go grocery shopping and also pick
up some supplies for my yard equipment since the lawns are coming out of dormancy
in our area. With those two needs the
answer was simple… it’s off to my local Super Walmart! The governor of our state had just recently
enacted a “Safer at Home” policy and strongly suggested that people in
the more vulnerable groups stay at home except for essential needs like food!
Well, guess who’s
in one of the vulnerable groups? You
guessed it… me! Since I’m in my sixties I
am characterized as one of those folks in your neighborhood that the younger
residents should be checking on. Can
you believe that? When I heard talk
of that on a local radio station I thought, “well that’s nice.” Then it hit me that I’m the oldest guy in our
cul-de-sac… and I’m the one they’d be checking on! But then again, Fiver and I are out a lot and
I’m pretty sure that they can see were doing quite well!
Back to my
original thought though, in preparing to go shopping, it seemed like I could
not get away from all the fearful news being broadcast on the radio, TV and the
regular alerts on my phone! Who was I
going to trust? The scary news or the Good
News of God’s Word? Well, of
course, you know I was gonna go with the Word, but that doesn’t mean that I
didn’t have to deal with the “What If’s?”
So, on the
day I planned to go, I got up at the regular time, did my Bible Study, took the
dog for a short walk and was out of the house before nine. I decided that I wasn’t going to go during
the “Senior’s Hour” that Walmart’s are now offering for two
reasons. First, because it was at 6:00
in the morning and secondly because I felt I’d be safer going when there wasn’t
a lot of people around with potentially low immune systems or other health difficulties. So, off I went at nine. When I arrived, I quickly boned up on God’s
promise of protection in the 91st Psalm and went off toward the entrance
to the store. As the door swooshed open,
I heard that small-still-voice on the inside of me say (like I’ve heard on
many occasions), “Now this is where the rubber meets the road. Are you going to actively believe Me
and My Word… or not?”
Well, I just
nodded my head in silent agreement, sanitized the handle on the cart and went
on my merry way! The store was not very
crowded and most of the shoppers were around my age or older – so much for
the senior hour! I had to congratulate
the cashier as the store was fairly well restocked with only a relatively few empty
shelves. I got everything I needed and
more! I was forced though, to get some
larger containers of things I needed… so Fiver and I will be set for a while!
That trip to
the store and the mental and spiritual calisthenics that I endured came back to
mind today as I read from Mark 11:22-24.
I was looking at The Passion Translation and realized that one of the
things that I like about this Bible is the way it emphasizes the idea of what I
call “Actively Believing” or the true meaning of having faith in God and
His Word. Jesus sets the standard for us
here in Mark 11 when He told His disciples,
“Let the faith
of God be in you! Listen to the truth I speak to you: If
someone says to this mountain with great faith and having no doubt,
‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that
what he says will happen, it will be done. This is the reason I urge you
to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—believe that you
have received it and it will be yours.” (TPT)
Robertson’s
Word Pictures explains that the key to this kind of faith is found in Jesus’
remarks that are summed up in verse 24.
He wrote, “That (this) is the test of faith, the kind that sees
the fulfilment before it happens.”
In his commentary on this verse, Joseph Benson states that “This
exhortation, however, is not to be considered as being exclusively given
to our Lord’s apostles and first disciples: it is also given to us, and
to all his true followers, to the end of the world.”
Now that’s
exciting don’t you think? When Piper and
I came to the realization of this Biblical truth in the early years of our
marriage, it set us totally free to dream big, plan big and do
big things for God. But one of the
things that repeated itself throughout the last eight years of Piper’s life
were the people who would ask to pray for her… and then pray the same
thing every time, continually asking God to heal her. Please don’t get me wrong for I am sure their
hearts were in the right place and I appreciated their love for her… but
according to Mark 11:24, that’s not the way to pray! Every time I heard that type of prayer, I
would hear Piper’s sweet little crackly voice in my head reminding me that “Jim,
we’re believer’s not beggars!”
Philippians
4:6 tells us to pray in faith, and then give God thanks for the answer (according
to Mark 11:24 that we believe we HAVE received.). The King James Version of Mark 11:24 says that
“when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them.”
That’s where
our faith comes in. We pray and
believe at that very moment (by faith in Him and His
love and faithfulness to us) that we have received the answer
to our prayer and then thank Him for His answered prayer until we see the manifestation
in the natural realm.
That’s why I
like to think of it as “Actively Believing” because the Believer
must stay actively connected to his or her prayer
by their continual faith in the Lord until they see the answer. Simple Right? Well, not really! I’ve found that it’s much harder to stay in
active faith for something you’re standing in faith for, than to keep repeating
the same request over and over… not really knowing if you’re going to get an
answer or not. Remember the definition of
faith in The Passion Translation declares that “Now faith brings our hopes into
reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we
long (or believe) for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is
still unseen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
That makes
it kind of clear doesn’t it? It’s like
that small-still-voice I heard the other morning saying “Now this is where
the rubber meets the road. Are you going
to actively believe Me and My Word… or not?”
Well… I’m
getting long-winded here! So, I’d
best shut up and let you chew on all this over the weekend! And have a great weekend around the home
while you’re doing it! By the way, my
trip to the store was great. People
seemed happy, upbeat and kept their distances.
When I got home, I washed my clothes and showered… just to follow
through on the recommended procedures I read about… while I trusted in the
Lord, stayed in faith and was thankful for His Psalm 91 protection!
Our Pastor
was teaching about standing against fear on Sunday morning and made the comment
that “Fear makes you do crazy things that you would
never otherwise do.” And it immediately made me smile as I
thought about a line from the first RED movie where the retired
suave American CIA agent is confiding in his Russian counterpart about his
concerns for the safety of his new love interest. The Russian in reply pulls down his sweater
to expose three scars in his right shoulder.
He then explained how the love of his life shot him three times
in the shoulder under the direct command of her superiors. And after a pause he looked seriously into
the eyes of his friend and said “If she wanted to kill me, she would have
shot me in the head.” Then he smiles
and declares with a great dramatic fashion that “Love makes you do cra-zzzzy
things!”
On the more
serious side though, I’ve mentioned many times of how Piper and I experienced
the stark reality of the truth behind the statement that “Fear makes you do
crazy things that you would never otherwise do.” We saw it, felt it and had to deal with it in
the midst of everything else that was turning our lives upside down in
the beginning years of Piper’s declining health… and let me tell you, THAT
IT AIN’T NO FUN! I am not sure
which was actually worse. The pain it
caused us or the pain, confusion, anger and lack of self-control
we witnessed in the lives of those responsible… which, in many respects, was
very different than their normal response to life’s pressures.
In our last
post I talked about Paul’s teaching concerning those who get caught up in fear,
turn to worry or anxiety instead of toward the peace and security in God’s Word
and suddenly find themselves being pulled in two different directions. (See:
Philippians 4:6-7) Today I’d like to
look at a different example written by another author, in this case, James the
Pastor of the church in Jerusalem and half-brother of Jesus. He also speaks of the ramifications of
someone who is trying to make decisions while thinking along two opposite paths
of thought at the same time. James
described it as being “double minded”.
In James 1:8 he matter-of-factly states that: “A double minded
man is unstable in all his ways.” (KJV)
Think about
that for a moment. It is actually a
pretty brash statement to make… but you know… we found out the hard way that it’s true! In a way, James reminds me of our
Pastor. He can be very bold and
forthright at times! In the original
Greek, the word “double minded” means, “two spirited, wavering,
uncertain and divided in interest.”
(Strong’s & Thayer’s) The
word “unstable” is defined as “inconstant, fickle, staggering or
reeling like a drunken man.”
(Strong’s & Robertson’s Word Pictures) Dictionary.com describes an unstable person
as one “marked by emotional instability.”
And like I said… ditto!
We experienced it first-hand… to the point that the Lord told me
that I needed to limit our time with these individuals.
But, I m not
saying all this just to rehash the hash… but to tell of what I’ve learned and
how apropos it has become in this new chapter, in this new season of my life,
as well as for all of us in the midst of the Corona Virus Pandemic going on
right now around the world.
I have a
tendency to pray in bed after I turn the light out for the evening and last
night was a prolonged session. I found
myself telling the Lord that I feel like I hit a wall in my personal progress
in continuing on with my life without Piper.
And as I proceeded to tell Him about all the things that I don’t see
happening, I had a sudden epiphany when I realized that I was doing exactly
what I’d been writing about in my blog to NOT do! I was bouncing back and forth in faith
between what I was believing for, according to God’s Word and what I don’t see
happening -YET - around me!
Well… that was kind of a hard blow! I simply sat there in the dark thinking WHOA! And finally, I took a moment to reset my
brain and realign my life with my faith… instead of with my impatient eyes,
ears and head!
Okay, that’s
settled… right? WRONG! This morning while I was writing out a
grocery list, I found myself beginning to get a little anxious thinking… “what
happens if I can’t get the things I need?”
(& believe or not… toilet paper IS on the list!) But thank God that the Word that I have been
putting into my heart bounced right back and IMMEDIATELY reminded that “My
God shall supply all of my needs ACCORDING to HIS RICHES in glory in
Christ Jesus!” (EMTV personalized)
Ah! What a relief it is to have
one’s faith in something that’s bigger than the US merchandise
and food supply chain!
But what
about going out to the store, is it safe? Hummm… let’s see… Oh
Yeah… there’s Isaiah 55:12 saying that “When we live our lives
within the shadow of God Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always
be shielded from harm. How then could evil prevail against us or disease
infect us?” (TPT)
So, what am
I really saying? Don’t be double
minded! BE SINGLE MINDED! Do all that you need to do in the natural to
take care of your physical needs and health concerns and then TAKE THE
LORD AT HIS WORD and TRUST in HIM! Yes, trust Him much more than you
trust in what you see going on in the world that differs from the promises
in His Word! IT’S THAT PLAIN
AND SIMPLE!
So, I’ll say
it again… Go in peace with your trust, expectations and faith in Him! Then say with me… I am expecting to stay SINGLE
MINDED on the promises of God and His Word!
When the
seriousness of the spread of the Corona Virus was first becoming apparent to
the general public, I immediately went to my Bible and opened it up to my
favorite and most well-used protection scripture found in Psalm 91:10. I know the scripture by heart but there is
something even more personal and powerful… at least to me… to physically
look it up in my favorite Bible. Here
the Psalmist writes: “No evil shall befall you, nor will any plague come
near your dwelling.” (NASB)
For greater
impact, I learned a long time ago to personalize scriptures like this, so I
automatically began to say, with a strong conviction of heart that: “No evil
shall befall ME and no plague, sickness or disease shall come near MY
dwelling!” Other translations interpret
the world “dwelling” as “house”, so I have always taken that to
believe that my confession of this verse includes everyone and everything
in my household as well as on my property!
I thought it
was very interesting and timely to observe that the newest addition to my
stable of Bibles, The Passion Translation, states this verse (combining
verses 9&10) as: “When we live our lives within the shadow of God
Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm. How
then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us?” I
just felt like that was the Holy Spirit confirming what I already knew to be
true for this particular strain of virus, at this particular point in time!
Now that a
few weeks have gone by and it seems like one cannot go but for a few moments
without being bombarded with the news and updates about what has now become a
world-wide pandemic… that standing on the truth of this verse and
many others like it in the Bible is more important than ever! With churches closed and public gatherings being
limited to less than10 people in our area, I had the opportunity to attend two
church services yesterday… without leaving the comfort of my study!
Both
churches had upbeat services, sang songs praising the virtues of God’s power
and protection and had the Pastor’s teaching on God’s abilities to keep us from
fear, heal us and keep us safe in troubled times… And in my way of thinking, it
was EXACTLY what we the people needed to hear and put our
faith in… RIGHT?
Well, according
to what I hear and see on the news… I’d be wrong with that assumption! I have been finding myself getting
increasingly frustrated and upset with all the FEAR that is being
projected by the news media. Sure, we
need to know and stay up-to-date on the facts, but why does such a highly
negative and fear-filled point of view seem to be incorporated into almost
every headline and be the center of almost every article or report?
Then to make it even worse (or simply down
right FOOLISH looking to me), is the argumentative behavior of some of the
so-called news reporters who get upset and question the President’s positive
and encouraging attitude when he addresses the nation with the daily pandemic
updates. I personally think that he is
doing an excellent job in keeping us informed and at the same time hopeful in
our country’s ability to overcome this latest national disaster.
Philippians
4:6-7 clearly and simply gives us the key to overcoming the attack of this
so-called “Invisible Enemy” by encouraging us to make the personal decision
to, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and
petition, along with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your
hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.” (EMTV)
Once again,
The Passion Translation makes it even more succinct, saying in a more modern and
understandable tone, “Don’t be pulled in different directions or
worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day,
offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing
gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace
that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through
Jesus Christ.”
The part
about not being “pulled in different directions” is what
helped me the most. I noticed this
morning that I was all built up and confident after my Bible study but almost
lost it when I glanced over at the news headlines on the home page on my computer
while eating breakfast. I realized that
in a moments time I allowed myself to be “pulled in different directions”
with God’s Good News on the one hand, and the world’s Bad and Fear-laced News
on the other. I realized after a few
moments of noticing that I had lost a big part of my peace, that I had a
decision to make. Which direction was I
going to go? Well, it was a no-brainer
for me, but understanding what had happened was a great lesson to learn! I’m going to do my best to make sure that it doesn’t
happen again.
And how am I
going to accomplish that? By following
Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:6 where he tells us to saturate ourselves in
prayer throughout each and every day. For
me that simply means keeping in communication with Him throughout the course of
my day by purposely focusing more of my attention on Him and the truth of His
Word than I do on the news and/or the opinions of others.
Then when we
follow these directions, Paul goes on to say in the very next verse, that the PEACE of God will guard our hearts and our thoughts from the barrage of FEAR
that is trying to invade our lives in the midst of this serious situation that
the world is facing. Simple right? Well… to be honest… maybe not! It is a course of action that we have to make
a personal decision to follow, and believe me when I say that it takes a lot of
dedication and commitment to accomplish! If you’re anything like me, then you’ve got
your phone apps constantly beeping alerts about the situation, the radio
telling you how bad things are… and I won’t even get into the TV news!
BUT… when you persist in following Paul’s
advice, life will be a lot more positive and calming in the midst of all the
life changes we are having to deal with.
It also helps you to be a carrier of God’s peace to a troubled
world! That’s been my prayer… that the
Love, Peace and Grace of God would be so overflowing and overwhelming in me
that it is splashes onto to everyone I should come into contact with… or at
least come near to six feet of them!
Go in His peace
and say with me… “I am expecting the peace that I am allowing to get
into me, to splash onto others today!”
One of the
essential lessons my wife and I learned throughout our many years together was
the importance of having an active, simple, childlike faith in
God and His Word. Then when the worst in
life hit us with the attack on her health, we didn’t think twice about what we
needed to do. We automatically placed
our trust in Him and committed to each other to keep His Word as the
final say-so in every decision that we would be faced with in the coming days,
months and years.
As I’ve
stated before though, not everyone thought that we had made the right decision. These folks tended to see our simple
faith as something that was… shall we say… less than intelligent! On the positive, encouraging side, the Oxford
dictionary defines “simple” as “plain, basic, and uncomplicated in
form or nature.” On the negative side, “simple” is defined as “abnormally low intelligence.” To say the least, these particular
individuals were less than positive and encouraging in their support of my wife
and I.
Ephesians
2:8-9 tells us that “For by grace you are saved through faith, and
that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should
boast.” In our understanding of the
Christian walk, grace is the foundational cornerstone of how we not only come
into the faith, but stay successfully active in it throughout our lives. The Message Paraphrase of the Bible seems to
gives us the most simplistic and succinct rendering of this verse by stating: “Saving
is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him
do it. It's God's gift from start to finish! We don't play the
major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the
whole thing!”
It’s
interesting to notate that the word “saved” in verse eight is the
Greek word “sozo” which incorporates the ideas of salvation from sin,
deliverance, protection, healing, well-being and to be made whole (physically,
spiritually, mentally, emotionally and financially - Strong's) When you think about it… it is one of the
most inclusive words in the Christian tool box for the situations in life that
we all face on a daily basis! In line
with this understanding, one could truly say and stand in faith on the fact
that
BY GRACE
I AM:
*Saved
*Healed
*Delivered
from any negative situation or need
*Protected
from all harm (ie; COVID-19)
*Live in a
continual state of Well-Being
*Have your Financial
needs abundantly met
*And be
made WHOLE in every area of your physical being as well as in all the areas
of your life!
And
according to our verse above, the only thing that we have to do is: “to trust
him enough to let him do it. (Because)
It's God's gift from start to finish! (Therefore) We don't play the major
role.” The only role that we are to
take action on is to believe in Him and His Word to do what He says He will do
with a SIMPLE faith. Faith that doesn’t bend with the emotional twists
caused by what might or might not be happening in the natural all around you.
This is one
lesson that I know I must continue on with in this new season in my life. I might even venture to say that this new
chapter is much more difficult for me, than in experiencing all that we did throughout
Piper’s final journey on this earth on this side of the Millennium Reign of Christ. At least before… I had her!
So, you can
see why SIMPLE is the word and plan that I intend to continue
with until I see her again. Afterall,
even though we may have looked naïve or foolish in some people’s eyes, the
facts tended to align with us as we continually saw the things that we were actively
believing for, come to past from the very beginning days in Oklahoma
when I was at school and continuing on through today... living in my new house
while beginning a new phase of life!
What can I
say? Simple Faith… Simply Works!
(What’s
that saying about “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?)
Have a
wonderful weekend in these different times.
Stay healthy, keep your trust in the Word and say with me… “I am expecting
my SIMPLE FAITH in God and His Word to keep me healthy and carry me
through to His victory today!”
I had a rude
awakening first thing the other morning when I looked into the bathroom mirror
on the dawn of my 67th birthday.
As I studied the image being reflected back to me, I suddenly realized
that I didn’t know the guy I was looking at!
But the more I stared at the guy, the more I began to understand why I feel like
I’ve lost ten years of my life.
When Piper
and I along with two of our kids moved to Oklahoma in 2006, my whole life as I
had known it changed… although I didn’t realize it at the time. At first things were fabulous… up until
the end of my first school year when the changes going on in my wife began to
become more visibly evident to us. But
even then, life was still pretty good for us.
The specialists that we were seeing were confused with the test results
and we still hung onto the hope that it was not too major of an event in her
life.
I clearly
remember joking with one of my coworkers in the breakroom at the Home Depot
that I worked at when I turned 55.
Hopefully he wasn’t just pulling my leg, but he kept shaking his head
saying that I didn’t look that old… which made me laugh! Then… as I kept looking over that strange
image in my bathroom mirror, I was shocked to think that the next cognizant
memory that I could pull up was when I received my Medicare card in the mail
when I turned 65!
Now, don’t
think I’m losing my marbles here… but the point is that from around 2008
through 2018, the central focus of my daily life was on Piper. The structures back home that we had depended
on previous to moving to Oklahoma had either changed or were no longer
existent. And once I left my full-time job
to care for my wife 24/7, the total extent of my life - socially and just about everything else - was her! For the next eight years her care was my job
and my existence centered around her... and
I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. I
believe it is what I was called and prepared to do. I also have come to honestly believe that when she moved on to glory, that we had fully completed the covenant that we entered into on July 12, 1975.
But now here
I am in state foreign to where I called home for over 50 years, attempting to
start over with a new version of me, which I’ve jokingly been referring to as Jim
2.0! Suddenly my focus is free
to be on anything! The problem I’m
finding out though, is when I think back to how I did things before my life
changed when we originally moved out here.
Those ten years since I was 55 are simply a blur to me… So, when I think
of a normal life, my memory automatically goes back to when I was in my mid-fifties. Therefore, whenever I look into the mirror… I
normally go into shock because what I am witnessing is not how I see myself.
I’ve been praying
about this since that morning glance into the mirror, and had the Lord show me
a couple of positive things about the here and now. The first being that while I am NOT
the man I was back then… I’m actually a BETTER version of who
that guy was. There is A LOT
more in me now than before… more of God’s Word, more personalized understanding
of that Word in me, much more wisdom learned through the expanse of
difficult life experiences that I’ve been through over the last ten years and a
much deeper, practical and working knowledge of the love, grace and goodness of
God.
The other
thing was that although those hard experiences pretty much zapped the color out
of my hair, etched a few more wrinkles in my face and caused my knees and hips
to pain me at times (she didn't weigh much but I lifted her on multiple occasions everyday for years!)... I am still in pretty good overall health! Sure, I can’t sit on my knees at the coffee
table and play games for as long as my granddaughter would like, but I can
still walk my dog for a few miles a day, chase the ball with him, go fishing,
preach up a storm and do most of the things that I enjoy doing! I’ve also learned that for me, life is about
continuing on with the practices of faith in God and His Word that carried us
through the most difficult times in my life.
Hebrews 11:1
in The Passion Translation sums up where Piper and I stood for 48 years, and
where I am planning to stand for the rest of my life on this earth. In describing faith under the inspiration of
the Spirit, the writer of Hebrews declared that “Now faith brings our
hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we
long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.”
As I’ve been
studying this verse from my newest Bible acquisition, I’ve come to understand
that the writer is not just talking about faith in general here, but about a very
specific, currently active stand of faith that the Believer is taking for the
meeting a particular need in his or her life.
It is discussing what the writer is defining as “NOW Faith!” This revelation is telling me that I can’t
just expect to coast through the rest of my physical life!
Even though
things are different and confusing for me right now without Piper at my side, I
firmly believe that God still has something for me to accomplish in the here
and now. That same burning desire for
the ministry that I’ve dealt with my entire life… the same one that most people
except my loving wife never understood, that caused me to get bored
with all the secular positions I held over the years… is still white-hot
inside of me!
And as for
Piper and I in the past and for me today, the only way to be
where He wants me to be… in the Right Place at the Right Time, Doing and
Saying the Right thing, is through an active, NOW kind of faith
in Him! I’m quickly learning while
looking at that stranger in my bathroom mirror, that some things never
change but only get BETTER and more POWERFUL with
age.
So… JIM 2.0
is moving forward with all that new and BETTER stuff inside of him! How about you?
Have a great
rest of the week, and as you do… expect to remember that your personalized NOW
FAITH in the Word of God is “all the evidence required” for you to
prove God’s will for you!
I was
walking my dog to the neighborhood pond and playground over the weekend and all
the conditions were ripe for him to have a tough time… Let me explain. On the way to the park, we have to walk behind
a row of homes that back up to the golf course we live next to. Each of these houses have decorative chain link
fencing in order to give the owners a view of the golf course. The only down side is that the majority of
these houses have dogs that reside in their yards… and most of them have more
than one family pet. And you guessed
it. When we go by, they all bark at
Fiver and I!
On this
particular walk, besides the barking dogs, there was a plentitude of golfers
enjoying their sport and then to add to the confusion, a 14 mph north east wind
was blowing. The strong wind along with
the distraction of the dogs and golfers caused the Aussie part of Fiver to become
very anxious. So, for the entire walk I
found myself gently and calmly reassuring my 65 lb bundle of energy, telling him
that “It’s Okay!” with an occasional “Good Boy!” mixed in.
At one point
I had to stop and laugh as I thought back over the last twelve years of my life
and tried to recall just how many times, I had said that phrase “It’s
Okay!” You see, whenever Piper
had an emergency situation l would sooth her and love on her by holding her
hand, look deep into her beautiful brown eyes and softly tell her that “It
was Okay”... and that I was right there with her.
I had
promised her very early on as we began what became her final journey in this
world, that I would always be there for her, and never leave her side. The thought of leaving her in the care of
someone else, besides me, for an hour or two while I ran an errand (which
only happened a handful of times) was very revolting to me. While we hung on the Word of the Lord where He promised us that He would never neglect
us or abandon us (Joshua 1:5) I also
assured her that, to the best of my ability, I would do the same for her.
This all
came back to me this morning when I sat down in my new study to read my Bible. While sitting there at my desk, my phone kept
ringing message alerts about some new terrible news about the affects of the
Corona Virus in our local community, our country and across the world. My first thought as I looked over at the
phone was… and again you probably guessed it… I softly spoke the words, this time to myself,
“It’s Okay!”
Depending on
who you’re listening to… you’re either going to live in fear, move to Montana
and live in a cave until this is all over or you are going to trust in the
Lord, use good common sense to take care of yourself and go on living your
life! I choose the later of those two
plans! How about you?
I heard four
different Pastors yesterday, teach on the positive and powerful affects of
prayer and trusting in God and His Word during this pandemic. It really bothers me when I see posts on
social media that openly criticize men and women of God who have been
reassuring us with the Biblically based truths of God’s protection for those of
us who stand in faith against the effects of this virus and actively
believe for God’s protection. (See: Psalm 91) And what makes it worse is that some of these
posts were written by people who claim to be Christians. There’s something wrong here folks? Either you believe the Word of God or you don’t. In my way of thinking… there is no middle ground.
Hebrews 11:1
in The Passion Translation of the Bible makes it simple by explaining that, “Now
faith brings our hopes (or better said, ‘expectations’) into reality and
becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long (or actively
believe) for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still
unseen.” In other words… When you actively
believe His promises… “It’s gonna be OKAY!”
So, what are
you going to believe? The barrage of FEAR
that we are being inundated with by the mainstream media or the
truth of God’s Word, working together with your good common sense, healthy sanitary
practices and a positive attitude? Just
think about it… and for good measure, remember this truth: “The LORD is
my light and my salvation. Who is there to fear? The LORD is my life's
fortress. Who is there to be afraid of?” (Psalm 27:1 God’s Word ©)
I might even
suggest that you write that verse out and tape it to the mirror in your
bathrooms and on the door of your refrigerator!
Then READ it and SAY it until it becomes a
part of you! I’ve seen enough of the super-natural
workings of God through my active belief in His Word to NEVER
doubt one word He says… and you can too!
Have a great
week. Trust in Him, and as you do keep
saying, “It’s gonna be Okay, for I am expecting the Lord to be my light and
my salvation today!”
I have to
admit that I had a pretty good day yesterday… well… mostly that is! How about each of you? How did your day go?* Mine began with another dynamite
personal study time in the Bible. Lately
it feels like my Bible Study times have taken another step upward in my understanding
of the WHAT, WHO, and HOW of this new chapter, in
this new season of my life. That’s the WHAT
this new life of mine is, WHO I am in it, and HOW
do I do it!
I painfully
realized when I returned from my new neighborhood CVS on Monday, that nobody there
knows me or what I am all about. It hit
me hard when I suddenly understood that my whole identity is still based on my
life with my deceased wife Piper. I put
it that way because for some reason, when they transferred my CVS account from
North Carolina, they put it under Piper’s name… Only when I pull up the account
online it doesn’t say “Welcome Piper” across the top (it used
to say “Welcome Jim”)… it says: “Welcome Deceased!” A little creepy wouldn’t you say?
It won’t
allow me to change it online and I’ve asked them three times at the store and
it still reads the same! Oh well… its
another funny story to tell, I guess!
What I realized on Monday’s visit to CVS for a new prescription of mine,
is that literally everyone who worked at the last three CVS’s that we
frequented between Santa Rosa, Morrisville and then the one in Fuquay-Varina,
knew Piper and I. I mean we went in at
least twice a week for her multitude of prescriptions and other medical supplies and just naturally got to
know the folks… like I said in my last post… I like to be friendly and get
people to laugh and be happy! But
here, there’s no Piper, and I only go in every few weeks or less.
As I walked
out the door Monday, it hit me that while I still see myself in line with my
practically lifelong relationship with Piper, no one here knows me that way. In the other stores the employees knew us and
knew that I was THAT guy who loved his wife unconditionally,
cared for her 24/7, and took her everywhere with him. I even had different cashiers at the Walmart
we regularly shopped at in NC mention that they would see us all the time in
the store! But now… well, I’m just
another customer. Hopefully they see me
as a friendly guy who always seeks to encourage them when I come in, but there
is nothing about me that stands out anymore!
But going
back to my morning Bible Studies… I feel like the Lord has been giving me hints
and/or clues almost daily now, that are beginning to fill in the
large number of blanks in regard to the WHAT, WHO and HOW
of this new life of mine. To say the
least, this has been a most interesting journey!
As I started
to say at the beginning of today’s post, yesterday was going well after a quick
grocery trip in the morning and a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon along
with some great weather and numerous walks with the dog. Then I kind of set myself up for a fall! I did it… Yes I did… I watched a
Hallmark movie! It was one I had
seen before and it wasn’t too sappy and I had enjoyed the plot and the actors. So, I thought that it would be okay. And it was until it came to the regular twist
in each and every Hallmark movie where something (usually pretty stupid and
meaningless in my experience… but maybe I am a little naïve since I judge every
experience in light of the relationship Piper and I had) happens between
the two love interests and they split up (before having a miraculous intervention
and they come back together and kiss as the camera fades off into the sunset!)
About the
time that this was happening on the big screen (my new 65” TV is
incredible! Sometimes I feel like I could
step right into the scene!) I went into the kitchen to get something and out
of nowhere I suddenly had the STRONG and FORCEFUL
realization that I HAVE to come to the point of acceptance that Piper is GONE
for good, is NOT coming back and that things in my life will NEVER
be the same again! Talk about a
shocker! I almost fell to the ground
as my knees went weak with the thought.
But it was a
little different this time as I didn’t fall completely apart. Instead I reached out to the counter for
support and began to think about the various scriptures that the Lord had been
showing me over the course of the last few days concerning the WHAT, WHO
and HOW of my life today.
The first familiar verse that popped into my head was from Isaiah 55:12 where
I believe the Lord had spoken encouragingly to me saying: “Jim, for with
gladness you shall go forth, and in (peaceful) joy you shall be led. For the mountains and the hills shall leap out
favorably receiving you in joy, and all the trees of the field shall
clap with their tender branches.” (Apostolic Bible Polyglot)
I believe
that He had been showing me that the mountains and hills spoken
of in this verse could be seen for me, as the difficult, uncertain and
uncomfortable things that I will have to face along this new journey. But this particular translation brought out
the idea that although it may be tough going at times, that I will be received
favorably as I follow the leadings of His peace in my spirit. So while I realized that there are still many
more steps that I need to take concerning my memories with Piper… many that
I quickly realized that I am not willing to let go of yet… that there is
some progress being made and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel…
and it is NOT a train!
Well… I’d
best bring this LONG post to a close and just say that as far as
I can see… God is still on the throne and that HE is still in charge of my life
and can be of yours as well! As much as
I don’t like having to walk this walk… I am NOT a quitter and
choose to go on with His plans for my life… whether I particularly feel like it
or not! HOW ABOUT YOU?*
Have a great
mid-week and if times get tough or you’re feeling a little blue… just expect
God’s best by concentrating on His promise of the mountains and the hills
of your life “breaking forth into shouts of joy before you!” (Isaiah
55:12 NASB)
*I love it when my readers interact with
me by commenting on my posts…. That’s why I almost always ask a question or two
in each post I write. Please feel free
to share your answers to those questions or share your thoughts with me by
leaving your remarks on my Facebook page directly under the post,
or through my personal email at jimberruto@att.net or directly on the my
blog page at pjberruto.blogspot.com. Thanks!
& I continue to pray that these writings bring a little
encouragement into your daily lives.
I kept
hearing the early morning announcers on the local Christian radio station that
I usually tune into first thing each morning, talking about how tired they were
because of the recent daylight savings time change. They were bemoaning the fact that the Monday
after the weekend time adjustment is when the effects of the lost hour of sleep
really hits. By the end of their four
hour show they were both sounding pretty tired and were not as joyful as they
usually are. Then when the next
announcer started her shift, she immediately took over from where they had left
off!
That got me
thinking about the overall effects of JOY in and on one’s life… I was raised by a mother who was almost
always very outgoing, vivacious and upbeat.
She loved a good joke and a good laugh!
It was difficult for anyone to stay depressed or down in her
presence. My Dad was also an upbeat guy,
but with a much more reserved personality.
He did though, LOVE to tell corny jokes! I’m not sure what was funnier… his
presentation of the joke or the predictability of its conclusion! Either way, like the saying goes, “They
were so bad that they were actually good!”
So, it was
pretty inevitable that I would turn out with a mix of both of their personalities. For some reason, I have always tended to be somewhat
reserved in small groups but much more outgoing in front of a crowd of people… go
figure! But I must admit, that I
have always loved to laugh, be joyful and make others around me happy as
well. Both Piper and I were like
that. They say that opposites attract,
but Piper and I seemed to have MUCH more in common with each
other than we did opposite! I have mentioned
repeatedly that it was her smile, spunky demeanor and joyful personality and
attitude on life that drew me to her in the first place. And those qualities never waned, even as the
grips of Alzheimer’s encroached upon her.
Some of my
best memories are the times when we just laughed together. We both enjoyed making each other laugh. She was always quicker on the comeback than I
was, but after a few moments of thought, I could slip in another related funny
that would keep us rolling in stitches.
The very last complete sentence that she spoke to me a couple of years
ago was, “I love you!” But it
wasn’t spoken in serious sentimentality or with tears, but with a loving giggle
that only she could do, with that very familiar Piper sparkle in her eyes and
her trademark big affectionate smile, … that I came to call her “Jimmy
smile.” I can see it in many of the
pictures that I took of her over the years. It was a unique smile with a
certain little twitch that she only did for me.
Heck… when I
asked her to marry me, her first reaction was to start laughing! What can I say? It’s just who she was… and I loved every
second of it! We both tended to use
humor as a means to cool down a heated situation or to accentuate a particular
point in a conversation. Over the years
I’ve had many members of the congregations that I was fortunate enough to
preach to, tell me that they enjoyed my use of humor in my sermon. They felt it helped to make the Word that I
was sharing more practical for their lives.
Proverbs 17:
22 tells us that “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken
spirit drieth the bones.” (KJV) Having a merry, joyful or cheerful
heart as other translations put it, was a characteristic that Piper and I actively
sought to perpetuate into our lives. I’ll
tend to find something joyful or funny about almost anything I find myself
doing during the day. As my dog and I
were walking back from the neighborhood playground this morning, he suddenly
stopped to take care of his business.
So, without a second thought I reached into my pocket to take out one of
the doggie bags I always carry and suddenly found myself singing a song about
what I was about to do!
I had to
laugh right out there next to the golf course because it reminded me of a song
that I wrote for our kids when they were younger and had to fulfill the family
job of doing the “Poop Patrol” in our backyard after our little
sheltie had been out. At first, they weren’t
very pleased about the job so I made up a marching song that started with the
words, “♪ We are the members of the Poop Patrol…♫” and they would march
around the yard with their shovel while clearing the yard of certain
obstructions. The funniest part of it
was a few yeas later when I used the same tune (with different words of
course) as the theme song for the first original Vacation Bible School that
I wrote. We never shared the original
words with anyone, but we sure laughed every time the whole group of kids sang
the song during the successful weeklong VBS!
Piper and I
came to learn… and I continue to understand… the power of a merry or
joyful heart. I can attest to the fact
that it can keep you physically healthy, upbeat and clear thinking when the
chips are down. I can’t tell you how
many times the folks from the wonderful hospice group who helped with Piper’s
care commented about how they actually enjoyed coming to our home due to our faith
and joy.
I don’t think I could keep
going without her since her homegoing, without the constant flow of His joy
filling my heart, soothing my emotions and keeping me on track. For me it has become a lifestyle. At this point I don’t know any other way… and
I am not about to start something new when His joy has been my strength (Nehemiah
8:10) my prescription for a healthy life (Proverbs 17:22) and my stress
and care remover that is my direct path to peace (Philippians 4:4-7).
What can I say…?
There’s nothing better than a good, relaxing laugh!
Have a great
week ahead… and if times get a little hectic, then try a little taste of His
joy and watch your expectations change for the positive!
As I
continue to take baby steps into this new frontier of faith, of a life without
my best friend and wife of 48 years, I’m learning to use the miracles and blessings
of that past as a foothold for the occurrence of miracles and blessings in my
present and future. It’s definitely been
an interesting year and a half since her homegoing to heaven at the beginning
of September in 2018. I realized just
the other day, that it wasn’t until the last week or so where I feel like I am
finally beginning to get my feet grounded again.
I think that
the hardest part is feeling like the whole foundation of my life has been ripped
out from under me and I’ve been walking, talking and doing things in a bubble
of sorts, with nothing familiar to hold me up… except for my walk with
God! What I discovered in this last
week or so, was that I’ve been doing things just because they seemed like the
right thing to do… because it’s what everyone in my predicament does. And with that discovery was the realization
that some of those things seemed very clumsy, uncomfortable and… well,
just not quite right for me!
When I began
to see this, I was instantly reminded of a statement Kenneth E. Hagin made when
he realized that something was amiss in his ministry. He reported that it felt like “taking a
bath with your socks on!” Once that
thought coursed through my head and my heart, I began to sense that “small-still-voice”
on the inside of me informing me about my need to follow the peace of God… AGAIN!
Just like Piper and I did for those
wonderful 48 years together.
Then, as if
I was seated in a theater watching a movie on the big screen, I began to see
many of the important decisions we made together over the years, and then I by
myself, when she could no longer communicate with me. I saw repeatedly, how the final decision we
made and the actions we took were based on following His peace in our hearts… no
matter what others were suggesting, no matter if it
seemed contrary to common sense and no matter if we had the provisions
in store to accomplish whatever it was that we felt He was leading us to do, for we knew that He would provide that need (Phil 4:19).
A very
familiar verse to me in Colossians 3:15 tells us to, “let the peace of God rule
in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”
(EMTV) A new Bible translation that I was
just introduced to, encourages us to: “Let your heart be always guided by the peace of the
Anointed One, who called you to peace as part of his one body. And always be
thankful.” (The Passion Translation)
It’s funny
in that when I thought about His peace and remembered that particular verse, I
instantly felt the warmth and comfort of His peace flooding my soul. And suddenly I had some clarity about the
direction of my immediate future. I
decided right then and there, that I was going to stop pushing myself into
doing things just because it seemed to be the right thing to do,
and to go back to Piper’s and my well-rehearsed practice of informing Him of
our needs and desires and then letting His peace rule or guide
or “act as an umpire” (Thayer’s) as to what I should or shouldn’t do!
Matthew 6:33
tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
these things shall be added to you.”
It’s interesting to note that the word “added” in this
verse infers God’s ability to place additional blessings into our lives in a repeatable
fashion. In other words, as we seek
Him first, listen and then obey (by our actions
of faith), that He will repeat the type of blessings that He has done for
us in the past. That’s not to say that
He can’t or won’t do something different, but let’s us know that He hasn’t
changed, and if He’s done it for us before… that He is well able to do it AGAIN…
and AGAIN… and AGAIN!
So, suddenly
things have slowed down for me and I don’t seem to be spinning around in busyness. The understanding of following His peace seems
to have acted as the firm foundation for my footing that I was floundering for!
I am knowing that what He had done in
the past for Piper and I, that He is willing, wanting and waiting
to do for me AGAIN in my present and future! Whew!
Thank the Lord! (Now I really understand what Colossians 3:15 means
when it says, “and be thankful!” It is
like I can’t help myself but to utter thanksgivings unto Him as I allow His
peace to flood my soul!)
So yeah, I
still don’t know where this is all heading… but what I do know now,
is that HE has it all under control, that He’ll never neglect
nor abandon me (Joshua 1:5) and that as I follow His
peace, that I’ll always find myself in the right place,
at the right time, saying and doing the right things!
Following
the guidance of HIS PEACE is now working for me… how about you? Will you give it a try?
Have a great
weekend. I’m putting my new
entertainment cabinet together today so that we can set up my new Sony 65” TV
this weekend! To say the least… I’m kind
of excited! All of a sudden my 32” TV
looks pretty tiny! I’ve got great expectations
about my present and future… What are your expectations?
For some reason,
I’ve been thinking quite a bit about one of my favorite top-of-the-morning
scriptures found in Psalms 118:24 where the Psalmist excitedly declares: “This
is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
(NASB) You may have noticed that I wrote
that the Psalmist “EXCITEDLY declares,” and when you study out
the original meanings of some of the words, it is easy to see why I am pretty
sure of the choice of my words.
I was
talking to my cousin once again the other day, and we were discussing how we felt
that many of the society approved, so-called “empowering” ways in
which some gal’s dress themselves today (with little left to the imagination)
are in actuality, very demeaning to women.
I recalled that while I personally believe that my wife had a dynamite
figure for most of her days on this earth, that the first thing that I just about
always pictured and remembered about her was her smile, her encouraging words
and the sweet spirit that she possessed… not necessarily her physical attributes…
to me, those were the icing on the cake in our relationship.
I awoke
before dawn this morning thinking about those three quality characteristics
that I just mentioned and in line with our scripture verse above, realized that
Piper’s life in the early days of our relationship, was the channel that drew
me into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Her actions spoke so much louder than
her words… not that she didn’t speak the right things as well! But like I’ve stated on many occasions, she
lived her faith on her shirt-sleeve, sort-of-speak! What you saw on the outside was who she
was on the inside. And in her
final years that phenomenon is what I choose to focus my attention on, and not
on the effects of Alzheimer’s upon her physical body and mind.
So, now let’s
see if I can connect this back to the excitement of Psalms 118:24. It didn’t take much to get Piper excited
about the things of God. As I read
through her personal notebooks from 2006 to 2008, it is easy to see that even
though she was mentally dealing with lots of uncertainties and changes, that
she was still deeply in tune to, studying and demonstrating her excitement
about God and His Word. I can recall
times at church out here when there was a move of the spirit across the
auditorium and she would jump up and down, spin around and loudly laugh in unabashed
joy and thankfulness. (Just like she’d…
or rather we’d do at our home church in California)
And that’s
the EXACT kind of joyfulness and gladness of heart that the
Palmist is writing about in Psalm 118:24.
I’ve heard it taught, and then confirmed it through personal research, that
the word “rejoice” in this verse literally means “to spin
around.” But what was not said is
that the definition of the original Hebrew goes on to say, “under the
influence of any violent emotion!”
The Greek translation is: “to jump for joy.” While the word “glad” in Hebrew
is defined as “to be gleesome.”
Dictionary.com describes “Gleeful” as being “full of exultant
joy, to be highly elated, jubilant or triumphant.”
In other
words, it describes a very physical, active, and with total abandonment
response to the joy that’s filling your heart.
I once read that the great Pentecostal Evangelist Smith Wigglesworth,
would spin and dance in the spirit for at least ten minutes… EVERY morning
when he first stepped out of bed, until the day he moved onto heaven when he
was in his eighties!
Is that the
way that you rejoice and are glad before the Lord? Maybe as you read this, you’re thinking, “well,
that’s not the way my church worships” or “that’s just not the tradition
that I am comfortable with.” But
from what I read in my Bible… this action is not something that is to be
governed or directed by a physical institution as it is something that is specifically
directed in the Word of God. I would bet
that this was exactly the way that David danced before the Lord when he brought
the Ark back to Jerusalem. It wasn’t some
choregraphed dance, but was a free-form directed by the spirit. That’s most likely why his wife was upset… because
it wasn’t socially dignified! (See, 2 Samuel 6:12-17)
I gotta say…
there is something about dancing before the Lord with total abandonment… as
the Spirit leads you. I’ve done it
many a time in the privacy of our home as well as publicly at church when the Spirit
of God was moving during a service. I
can’t necessarily explain it, but it definitely makes you feel one with God and
at peace and full of joy… when done as the Spirit directs, at the right time,
in the right place.
Just think
about it…
Have a
wonderful week and as you do say with me… “I am expecting to rejoice and be
glad before the Lord with joyful abandonment unto Him… today!”
