FIRSTS!

Well… it looks like winter is finally going to catch up with us out here in Oklahoma.  We had a very mild and some might say warm fall… but alas… plunging temperatures with the accompanying winter mix are all a part of the forecast for the beginning of the new year!  

So, I guess, as my mother always said… much to my chagrin as a kid… “All good things must come to an end.”   But… I don’t know how you are feeling, but I am sensing that new and maybe even better good things are in store for 2022!  Who out there will agree with me?

When Fiver and I were out earlier this morning taking what will be our last morning walk of 2021, I couldn’t help but take notice of all the extra boxes and assorted discarded items that many of my neighbors had piled next to their garbage cans that were set on the curb for today’s weekly pickup.  But then it dawned on me…

This is the first pickup since Christmas!  So, with that in mind, and knowing that the New Year starts tomorrow… I thought that it was quite apropos as a visual reminder of the familiar saying, “Out with the old and in with the new!”

I have always tended to get excited about the start of a whole new year!  I may not be one to party and cheer in the new year when the clock strikes midnight, but I do get enthused about the fresh beginning each January first promises to bring!  For some reason this year seems extra special for me.  It will be the beginning of the fourth full year since Piper’s homegoing.  This last year has been a year to catch my breath and somewhat settle into my life without her.

I am enthusiastically looking forward to 2022 as being a year to move forward and establish many new FIRSTS in my life.  Luke 5:26 tells of the reaction that came from a group that had gathered to listen to Jesus and witnessed a miracle that came as a response to receiving party’s faith.  According to The Message Bible,

“The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, ‘We've never seen anything like that!’" 

Did you catch the sense of awe-struck excitement that captured the people’s hearts and minds?  Read it again,

“The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, ‘We've never seen anything like that!’" 

That is what I am EXPECTING in 2022!  I am planning for a lot of FIRSTS in my life throughout the entire New Year… how about you?  Won’t you join me in EXPECTING many new, better, seemingly miraculous things from God in your life starting tomorrow and lasting for the next 364 days?

All it takes is personal commitment, dedication and consistency in your personal faith.  Just remember that Hebrews 11:1 tells us that,

“Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot (yet) see.”   (God’s Word ©) 

And that Hebrews 10:17 declares,

“faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”   (EMTV)

So… YES… I am excited about this New Year of 2022.  I am over-the-moon to see and hear about all the spectacular things that our heavenly Father has in store for you and me!  In fact… I’m so excited that I may even stay up until my Bulova Pendulum Chiming Wall Clock in the living room melodiously rings in the New Year!

How about you?  Are you excited to personally witness some things that you’ve never seen in your life before?

I pray that each of you have a blessed, safe and EXPECTANT New Years!

 

-       Jim

A Strange Time of Year!

I did a little research this morning and learned that over 160 nations around the world celebrate Christmas, while only a few over 30 countries do not.  And I had to admit… that I had to grin… just a little… when I gathered that information.

As I have perused the mainstream media over the past year, I have come to realize that Christianity has been portrayed more and more often as public enemy #1… especially in the minds of those who favor the WOKE culture that seems to be gaining unparalleled influence in today’s world.  We’ve been called a great number of negative names, falsely accused of being ignorant of and insensitive to the changing attitudes in society and then cancelled… while they place us into nice little boxes because we don’t agree with them and their ever-changing, morally deficient principles. 

And why?  Well… we believe in a loving God and in the truth and infallibility of His Word and… to be blunt… THEY DON’T!

So yeah… I couldn’t contain a grin and a chuckle as the vast majority of the world will temporarily pause from their worldly pursuits today and… whether they understand it or not… celebrate the birth of the Son of God, Who came into the world to suffer the judgment of all our sins (including theirs) so that each of us could have a pathway to everlasting life.

As I was reading from Luke 5:26 earlier today, I found myself taken-in by the reactions of the people in the house listening to Jesus preach when four men tore apart the roof and lowered a man on a bed through the ceiling, right in front of Jesus.  The main thing that caught my attention was that although it didn’t seem to faze Jesus, it sure stirred up some strong feelings within the others in the room.

Jesus just sort of stood there and watched what was going on.  When He observed the faith in the one’s involved, He forgave the sick man his sins and then healed him.  Following that, the healed man and his four companions simply grabbed the bed, walked out of the house and returned to their own homes while they glorified God! 

What was particularly interesting to me, was the way Dr. Luke (the writer of the epistle) recorded the response of the Pharisees and doctors of the law who were in attendance by notating, “And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, ‘We have seen STRANGE things today.’” (KJV) 

With most of our collective focuses set on the Christmas Season, I couldn’t help… after reading this scripture… but to reflect on all the STRANGE THINGS that occurred before, during and after the original event of Christ’s birth over 2000 years ago.  The unfolding of all of these unique, one-of-a-kind events were so STRANGE that every time the angel Gabriel came to tell it to the different characters in the story, his first words were always preceded by and/or included the command “Don’t be afraid!”

Whether it was Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, or the young teenage Mary, or her espoused husband Joseph or even the lowly shepherds watching over their flocks by night, the messenger angel of the Lord prepared the way by letting them know that YES… it was a STRANGE event, but NO… it was nothing to be afraid of, for Gabriel also reassured Mary saying that, “no word from God shall be void of power.” (Revised Standard Version) A literal translation of that verse could state that “The Word of God will never fail!” (footnote in TPT)

My Holiday thoughts on these points would lean to the idea that God wanted us to know, that the entrance of His influence on this earth… in the form and personality and power of Jesus Christ… would hail a change in the “status quo” of the world and be a direct challenge and/or alternative to their rapidly deteriorating ways.

I firmly believe that God was clearly telling each of us, that through the ages to come, that our new norm would be to EXPECT STRANGE THINGS.  Those things that would be seen as very STRANGE to the world’s way of doing things.  To EXPECT that the STRANGENESS of the Gospel message, coming through the powerful Word of God, spoken from our lips, would be the bright light that causes the darkness that once prevailed… to be extinguished… one person at a time!

So, what’s my Christmas message? 

It’s simple… EXPECT to be STRANGE!  EXPECT the STRANGE Gospel message (to the world’s way of thinking) to move mountains (Mark 11:22-24), “to supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 EMTV), to heal the sick (I Peter 2:24) and be the answer for just about ANY need you may have or any situation that you may face in life. (Mark 10:27)

So why not just learn to ENJOY it!  Enjoy being STRANGE!

Have a wonderful and STRANGELY beautiful celebration of Christmas and an exciting, and STRANGELY EXPECTANT New Years!

Responsibilities and Side Trails!

Once Piper and I discovered the awe-inspiring beauty of the Plumas National Forest in northeastern California, we felt like two kids in a candy store!  The initial thing we did on our first trip in 1976, was to stop, before we went up the mountain to our campsite, at the general store in the metropolis of Graeagle, California (population 737).  Along with the customary unhealthy but delicious vacation snack foods, we sought to purchase whatever hiking trail maps we could get our hands on!

From that day forward, with every vacation we went on to the Sierra’s over the next 29 years, we soaked up the gorgeous sights and were enthralled by the local mining history, while we trekked along as many trails as we could explore throughout each trip!  Piper and I tended to be more adventurous in the first four years before we started our family and liked to start on one trail and then meander along on the side excursions on the many trails that intersected the main one.

I clearly remember on one occasion when we were hiking up a mountain, through a thickly forested area of tall pines, when the trail suddenly popped out of the shaded canopy into an open area along the edge of the mountain.  We quickly realized that this particular spot offered a breath-taking and majestic view of another two mountain peaks, separated by a rich green valley in-between. 

It was so overwhelming to our visual senses that all we could do was to grab each other’s hand and in unison say “Wow!” while we collectively caught our breaths from the strenuous hike and the surprise of the scenery before us!  The funny thing was that because we took so many side trails along the way… that we were never able to find that exact spot again… which was frustrating when the kids got older and would have enjoyed the trail and the rewards that they could have seen at the end of the trail!

During my Bible study this morning, I likewise found myself taking a couple of totally unplanned side trails when studying, once again, from I Corinthians 2:15-16.  When I read the last sentence in verse 16 where Paul explained,

“But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ,”  (TLB)

I thought, “Well, that’s not too surprising especially since we were created in the image and likeness of God.”  In Genesis 1:26 God is said to have declared “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” (KJV)  

Then my line of thought continued on to the next chapter where a more detailed version of this event is written.  I noticed that after Adam was created that God specifically told him that,

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.  But you must never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when you eat from it, you will certainly die.”  (God’s Word ©)

From there I read through chapter three and mankind’s defining moment when Adam and Eve fell to the deception of the serpent, disobeyed God and opened wide the door of sin to come into the life of every person throughout the coming ages.

When I finished reading and put my Bible down, I suddenly began to contemplate the idea… what if Adam had prevented his wife from eating of the fruit, and rebuked the serpent?  I would confess without a second thought, that I am definitely a traditionalist in that I fully believe that one of a husband’s major roles in the marriage is to protect his wife whenever possible… and I am not just talking about physical protection.

With my personal experience with Piper’s health issues, I am especially sensitive to this.  In our situation I quickly learned that I needed to not only take care of her physical sick-ness related needs and watch over her and protect her from physical harm… but also from wrong diagnosis, hurtful words, depression oozing off people who might come into her presence and from things that would zap us of our faith… when we needed it the most!

With the celebration of Christmas just a few days away, it is easy for me to see a very different outcome than that of Adam and Eve, from another covenanted husband who stepped up, took his role seriously and protected his espoused wife. 

When Joseph learned that the woman that he loved, the woman he was under covenant to marry, was with a child that was not his… his first thought was to care for her and to protect her from living in shame… not to blame her and try to pass the responsibility of the situation off on her… contrary to Adam who quickly declared to the Lord when asked about their transgression and stated,

“That woman, the one you gave me, gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." (Genesis 3:12 God’s Word ©)

And then take a look at the results… Adam’s refusal to protect his wife caused their once blest of the Lord, idyllic life to crumble in a matter of moments.  It was also a mistake that negatively affected the lives of every single human being that was born after them.  

If I were Adam though… the thing that would have hurt me the most was knowing that I let my wife down… and worse yet… knowing that SHE knew… that I threw her “under the bus” sort-of-speak when she needed my support the most!

But in Joseph’s case… well… the total opposite happened.  Because he let her well-being be more important than his own… he listened to the angel of the Lord, proudly took Mary to be his wife and protected her through the perilous journeys to Bethlehem and then to Egypt.  He also took the child as his own, and provided for and shared the care of Mary’s first-born son…

For Joseph, his taking responsibility for the care of his wife-to-be proved to be a one-of-a-kind event that would positively affect every boy and girl, man and women alive then and in the future to come.  For through the young virgin girl Mary… with Joseph’s unrelenting care and protection… was born unto us… “this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11 KJV) 

Hummmm… I bet you never thought of the Christmas story like that!

 

I pray that each of you have a most joyful, blessed, encouraging

                                          and peaceful Christmas  - Jim

A Force to be Reckoned With!

I remember when our Pastor back in Santa Rosa preached a sermon early on in his tenure at our church and described the reading and study of the scriptures as being similar to the skin of an onion.  Now that rang a very familiar tune in my heart as I have had lots of experience peeling and chopping onions in preparation for my world famous… at least in my head… pasta sauce!

For me, one of the foundational steps in the making of my sauce is the peeling, chopping and then lightly browning of the onion(s) in olive oil, before any of the other ingredients are added to the sauce pot… and believe me… when it comes to sauce pots, I have a pretty good selection of them for almost any size crowd who will enjoy my all-time favorite meal.  On both ends of the spectrum, I have some for one or two diners and a couple of very large, heavy-duty stainless-steel containers for the times the different youth groups we worked with held church-wide spaghetti dinner fundraisers.

So, yeah!  I am familiar with the unique consistency of the many layers to an onion!  That said, over the years, I have also become very familiar with the one-of-a-kind, unique and special make-up of the Holy Scriptures that are contained within the pages of yours and my Bibles.

Like many of you have most likely experienced before, I still find myself in awe when I read a familiar verse in one of my 50 plus Bibles (I like to collect different translations…) and see something in it that I had NEVER seen before… a word, a thought, or a totally different viewpoint that brings a deeper revelation and understanding to my life… and many times… it is exactly what I needed for a particular situation that I was facing at that specific moment in time!  You know what I mean?

Well, that happened numerous times over the last three days as I read from I Corinthians 2:15-16 in Piper’s 1974 New Living Bible where Paul wrote to straighten out some theological problems in the struggling church at Corinth.  He taught,

“But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can’t understand him at all.  (and) How could he?  For certainly he has never been one to know the Lord’s thoughts, or to discuss them with Him, or to move the hands of God by prayer.  But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually DO HAVE within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ.”

When I read this translation for the first-time last week, my thoughts, as seems to be a common practice for me lately… went back to my early days with Piper!  And I reminisced and wrote in my notebook “One of the first things that I learned from Piper was that I could actually have a two-way conversation with God!  Before her, my prayers consisted of a lot of begging and very little believing!”

As I have mentioned before, when Piper and I got together, I was a practicing, good Catholic boy with a heart toward God… and very little else when it came to any practical knowledge about Him!  Before Piper I knew God like I knew a celebrity on one of my favorite TV shows!  I knew of and about him or her, but I didn’t really “KNOW” them personally.  The only thing I was familiar with was what I saw on their TV show or heard on the news!  Likewise with God.  Even though I attended Parochial School for six years, was an altar boy in good standing and went to church every Sunday, I knew a lot about Him… but had absolutely NO idea that I could interact with Him on a personal basis!

I can still remember hanging up the wall phone in my parent’s kitchen (anyone remember those?) after talking to Piper for an hour or two (every night after dinner) with my head spinning (in a good sense) over the things we had talked about concerning our religious beliefs.  She could quote chapter and verse from the Bible to prove most of what she said, while the things I thought to be true were only based on what I had heard or decided upon in my own rather limited understanding.

When I prayed back then, it was like me trying to converse with a character on the TV set in the middle of the show… while I sat on the couch in my parent’s living room!  The section of our verse in I Corinthians that initially caught my attention was where Paul said,

“For certainly he (the man of the world) has never been one to know the Lord’s thoughts, or to discuss them with Him, or to move the hands of God by prayer.”

Beginning in high school and then ensuing over the many years of our relationship, I learned and had repeatedly witnessed that Piper’s prayers definitely moved the hand of God!  By the time that we were in our thirties, I realized that Piper’s prayers were a force to be reckoned with!

If I had the time, I could give seemingly countless examples of when she prayed and stood in faith for a variety of situations that others around us said was impossible.  Be it our family’s needs, a friend’s healing from a report of cancer, extended family members returning to church, people in situations needing a reversal from the path that they were heading or for church members who had gone off course in their personal faith…  when Piper went to the Lord in prayer… she meant business!

You see, she “KNEW” Him.  She “KNEW” how much He loved and cared for her… as well as for all who have committed their lives to Him.  She “KNEW” her Bible.  She “KNEW” who the Word of God says that we are, she “KNEW” the benefits of being a son or daughter of the living God, and she strove to live her life according to the standards set within the pages of our Bibles… no matter what others around her thought… or how strange the world’s ever-changing standards may have been!

And you know… She was absolutely NO DIFFERENT than you or me!  She wasn’t some super-spiritual person who walked on the water.  She liked to have fun and sometimes do outlandish things!  She was just an ordinary (cute) girl who loved God (and happened to capture my heart in the process) and wanted to do right by Him!

Romans 2:11 tells us that, “God does not play favorites.”  *  If her prayers could “move the hand of God”, and “bother and baffle” those living their lives in doubt and unbelief around her, then so can yours and mine!  I’ve seen the progression in my own life from my early Catholic days that changed dramatically by the influence of one individual… and so can you!

So, what do you think?  Do you want your prayers to “move the hand of God?”  Well then… grab your Bible (I suggest you get one that is easy for YOU to understand – and one will do… you don’t need 50 of them!) and begin to get to “KNOW” Him and all that He has promised and provided for you! 

Then begin to pray and step out in faith… fully EXPECTING your prayers to be “A Force to be Reckoned With” as they enable God to move on your behalf and do what He says in His Word that He will do for you!

 

*God’s Word ©

 

Smarter Than the Average Bear!

♫ “Yogi Bear is smarter than the average bear,

Yogi Bear is always in the ranger's hair.

At a picnic table you will find him there

Stuffing down more goodies than the average bear.

 

He will sleep till noon but before it's dark,

He'll have every picnic basket that's in Jellystone Park.

 

Yogi has it better than a millionaire

That's because he's smarter than the average bear.” ♪*

 

So… you might be wondering what an old song about a cartoon series from my past has to do with any scriptural subject that I may be writing about!  Well… if you don’t know by now… NOW YOU DO!  It’s just the way my unusual train of thought seems to work!  I guess you could blame it on some thirty plus years of coming up with exciting, different, challenging and creative ways to share the gospel with youth and children… with a few adults thrown in along the way!

Piper and I shared a common passion to always make the gospel of Christ to be an exciting and fun place for our young charges to be.  Our desire was that they would always associate Jesus as a friend and recall their personal experiences with Him as very pleasant and memorable encounters.

I mean let’s face it… Piper and I loved a fun time, we loved to laugh and make others laugh along with us… and when you put us in a room, leading a group of teens or elementary school children… the odds were that we would have fun and LOTS of it… all encompassed around the very positive message of Christ’s love, grace, peace and acceptance for each of us… just the way we are!

So yeah… I’m reading from 1 Corinthians 2:16 in The Passion Translation during my Bible Study time this morning where Paul is teaching the church saying,

“For Who has ever intimately known the mind of the Lord Yahweh well enough to become his counselor? Christ has, and we possess Christ’s perceptions.” 

And I immediately sensed the thought that “Hummmm… we, as Christians, have the mind or the perceptions of Christ… Who intimately knows the mind of God!”

Then I leaned back in my chair, scratched my head and further considered the idea that if that is true… and it is, since Jesus Himself told us that God’s Word is the truth in John 17:17… then... we Christians have the ability to be a step ahead of everyone else in the world who has not YET accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord (See: Romans 10:9-10)!  The King James Version tells us that “we have the mind of Christ.”

According to Thayer’s, the definition of the word “mind” infers “the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness (in others) and of hating evil.”  Mounce Concise English-Greek Dictionary defines it as “a settled state of mind, or a frame of mind”

Plainly said, having the mind or perceptions of Christ, gives us a greater degree of understanding to things going on around us... than those who don’t.  In some respects, one could (humbly) say… we just might have an edge that could enable us to be a little smarter than the average person whose mind… as non-believers… has not yet been “transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and well pleasing and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2 EMTV)

And that is precisely where it happened!  As soon as I completed this line of thought, the picture of Yogi and Boo-Boo Bear dancing through the campgrounds at Jellystone Park, grabbing a food basket from right under the watchful care of Ranger Smith and running away with Yogi calling out “Hey Boo-Boo!” zipped right into my mind!  Then for the next ten minutes, all I could hear was the show’s theme song of “Yogi Bear is smarter than the average bear…”

But you know… as silly as that may seem… I bet-cha anything that you’re now singing that song and will remember it when it comes to hearing the perceptions of Christ… as you study God’s Word, increase your understanding of it and begin to trust Him more and more for EVERYTHING, EVERY SITUATION, EVERY NEED, EVERY BIT OF WISDOM that you may desire and EVERY BLESSING that you may need!

And when you get that extra perception of the situation that you find yourself in the middle of… and are able to see victory in the midst of seeming failure… You too will tell those around you that,

“Hey Boo-Boo… Yogi and I ARE smarter than the average bear!”

Isn’t God Good!  Have a great rest of the week, and in doing so… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!                                                                                       

 

*source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/tvthemes/yogibearlyrics.html

Developing Relationships...

I’ve been thinking about relationships lately, and how they develop between individuals.  Relationships come in all different shapes and sizes, and exist for various reasons and needs.  But my line of thought centered around close, personal relationships between two individuals.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I would unequivocally say that my most rewarding, successful and longest tenured relationship was between my wife and I.  Her’s and my friendship seemed to leap from “Hi, my name is Jim!  Hi, I’m Piper!” to one that encompassed the sharing of our deepest thoughts, desires, hopes and dreams… overnight!

I was thinking about it on Fiver’s and my morning walk today.  It is important to note that Fiver has a good ear when it comes to my multifaceted and at times, oddball and unrelated one-sided conversations that we share each day!

I was telling my four-footed companion that after the first two weeks of being together, Piper and I just seem to fit into a groove that we never slid out of!  To put it mildly… we were very comfortable in each other’s company and just seemed to know how to bring out the best in each other… plus… she made me laugh and I sent the laughter right back at her!  I’ve often times thought that my favorite thing in life was to see her happy with her patented Piper smile that seemed to reach her eyes and convey excitement and life anywhere we went, in any activity we participated in. 

As the seasons of life changed from high school to college, to young marrieds, to becoming mom and dad and all the years that ensued, we continued to enjoy each other’s company and grew daily in our understanding of the unique nuances that made each of us who we were, at each stage in life.

I knew her practically better than I knew myself.  I knew how to approach her when discussing different subjects.  I knew how to cause her to feel warm and cozy and well loved and respected.  And… I also knew the triggers and attitudes that would upset her… and did my best to avoid those words and/or actions… Although looking back, I must admit… I was not always as successful as I would have liked!  Sometimes I would want to smack myself for pushing somethings as far as I did… has anyone else ever been there?

I can pretty much say the exact same things about her toward me concerning what I just wrote.  But you know… We also constantly worked to improve our relationship and to keep it exciting and adventurous… and I can honestly say that it never got old!  We both had our individual ways to surprise the other with funny comments or actions, small gifts or meaningful/loving keepsakes.  This was all something that I tried my best to keep going when Piper’s cognitive abilities began to drift away.  I wanted her to know… to the very end… that as far as I was concerned, nothing had changed and I was going to keep responding to and interacting with her as if all was normal… normal for us that is!

The verse of scripture that got me thinking along this line of thought is found in Ephesians 3:12 from The Living Bible, where Paul is talking about God’s plan for the church (you and me), our responsibilities in the world and our ensuing relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

With all of this in mind, Paul assured us that

“Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of His GLAD WELCOME when we come with Christ and trust in Him.”

Thayer’s Greek Definitions says that this scripture describes “that relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to him and have assurance that he is favorably disposed towards us.”  I like having that kind of a personal relationship with God, in knowing that I am acceptable to Him and that He is favorably disposed toward me!  Don’t you?

I discovered through the years… that there are many people out there that don’t even know that God likes them… much less loved them so much that He sent His only Son to take the punishment for their sins so that they could have this kind of relationship with Him! (see: John 3:16)

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges defines this type of relationship between us and God as “the boldness of intimate intercourse” and in doing so bluntly declares that our relationship with God should be extremely close, deeply personal, and open to any subject, conversation, need or dream… no matter how private, unorthodox or seemingly out-of-reach it may be!

Using my example above, God’s desires you and I to have an enjoyable, exciting, adventurous, safe, loving and ever-growing connection with Him… similar… and even better than Piper and I had.  Piper and I always felt free to share anything with each other… even when we might have been upset with one another… storming angrily out of the room (which seems to be so prevalent in the presentations that Hollywood gives us) was not an acceptable option in our home.  There was a freedom in our union for either of us to go to the other for support, comfort and advice on any subject.  We also enjoyed the extravagance of just aimlessly sharing thoughts, dreams, visions and hopes.

I’ll let you in on a little secret… since Piper passed… I do that same thing with God now… and I think He enjoys it!  He and I have developed the habit of sharing all kinds of ideas, thoughts and dreams right after I turn off the light each night!  And I am MORE than sure that He would LOVE to do the same thing with YOU!

So, what do you think?  Is that the type of relationship that you have with our heavenly Father?  Is it one that you’d like to have?  I think He’d like it… and I am pretty sure that you would too!

Have a great new week, and as you do… Spend more time with Him and keep EXPECTING His best in your life!

Lessons Learned in 1979

I was listening to a Christmas song playing on my entertainment system this morning that sent me on a journey back into Piper’s and my history… all the way to the summer of 1979 and through the spring of 1980.  The song was performed by a husband and wife Southern Gospel team and recalled special Christmas moments shared by a loving couple.  Many of the examples used to describe the special times rang a bell as they would also describe some of the feelings and events that Piper and I shared… especially in the five years before we started our family. 

I couldn’t tell you why my memory honed in on that particular time in our lives, but it centered around the six to nine months when we had rented a home from a family in our Baptist congregation that had moved out of state.  It was a beautiful, big, four-bedroom home that backed up to a creek.  The family wasn’t sure how long that they would be gone, so they had decided to keep the house and rent a portion of it to us… and in doing so, left a lot of their furniture behind.

The huge living room had a retracting curtain that could separate the area into two rooms, with each section sharing half of the centrally positioned fireplace!  So, Piper and I basically rented the kitchen, dining area, half of the living room, the master bedroom and one other bedroom where we stored all of our extra stuff… which wasn’t much at that 4-year point in our marriage.

It was a great house with one major problem for us… It was so big that the gas and electric bill was crazy high.  Piper was working at Hewlett Packard at the time, while I was building my fledgling Photography business and receiving a small salary for my Youth Minister position at the church.  We didn’t have many expenses and if we were very frugal with heating of the house, we did okay.  We kept all the bedroom doors closed which meant that while the front area of the house was somewhat comfortable with the addition of a sweater for both of us… the master bedroom located down the long dark hallway, at the opposite end of the house was usually freezing!

It took a dedicated effort… but as long as we stayed diligent with the thermostat, turned off nonessential lights in the house… and in particular, limited the usage of the heat lamp in the ceiling just outside the walk-in shower which REALLY helped to dispel the icicles that would attempt to form when we stepped out of the hot shower… we made it through the one and only winter we lived there. 

When Piper became pregnant with our first child and my parent’s made an offer to us to rent my recently deceased grandmother’s home, we decided to make the move.   And we quickly discovered that my grandmother’s little two-bedroom house, in a quiet and quaint neighborhood in the Montgomery Village area of our town… was perfect for our growing family!

After reminiscing with those memories of pleasant times past, I was reminded of an area of scripture where the Apostle Paul was talking mainly about God’s plan for salvation… but also could be understood as a conversation about God’s continuing plan for each of our lives on this earth.

Ephesians 1:10-12 tells us,

“He (God) planned to bring all of (our) history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth.  God also decided ahead of time to choose us through Christ according to His plan, which makes everything work the way He intends.   He planned all of this so that we who had already focused our EXPECTATIONS on Christ would praise Him and give Him glory.” 

Living in that big house taught Piper and I a few things that we kept with us throughout our lives.  We learned that if we made a plan and stayed diligent with it, that it would help us to meet our tiny budget… and NOT be a major donor to the profits of The Pacific Gas and Electric Company!  (Ah… I can still hear my dad yelling out to us kids, “Turn out the lights… we don’t own stock in PG&E!  --- sound familiar to anyone else?)

Paul also talks to us about being successful in the plans that God has made for each of us.  While Piper and I had to stay focused on our goal and be responsible for our own actions… Paul is instructing us… when following God’s plans for our lives… to keep our EXPECTATIONS focused on Christ and be diligent in fulfilling our personal responsibilities to follow through on whatever He is telling us to do!

It is interesting for me to have seen how those lessons learned in the early foundational years of our marriage... way back in 1979... were the very ones that carried us through the most difficult of times in the latter years of our marriage before Piper transitioned to heaven.  I’ve told in past blog posts of some of the “suggestions” or “advice” or just plain persecution that I received as Piper went through the declining stages of Ahzeimers…

BUT… the good news for us… was that by that time in our marriage we were way beyond listening to any other opinion or suggestion or advice that was in any way, shape or form different than that of God’s Word.  Our EXPECTATIONS were focused on Christ… and it was those EXPECTATIONS that carried us through and brought Piper into the place where she is now

“Holy, Happy and PERFECT in the presence of God.”  

                                                  (Ephesians 1:4/Psalms 16:11 – God’s Word ©)          

Do you know where the focus of your EXPECTATION is when it comes to the plans of God for you and your life?

Have a great weekend, and as you do... Keep EXPECTING God's best in your life!

Secret Places!

Have you ever had a SECRET PLACE where you went to get away, to recharge or simply to dream?  I’m not necessarily talking about a place where you were completely alone and/or hidden away from sight… but of a place that held special significance to you.  A place, possibly hidden-in-plain-sight… but a marked spot, unique in your personal experience, where you could go and be refreshed.

I can’t actually recall having too many of these places in my childhood… but once Piper and I got together in high school… we almost immediately started finding SECRET PLACES that were meaningful to us.  In high school, we would spend a good portion of our lunch period walking around campus but not before we went out to the field to our special SERCRET PLACE right out in the open, surrounded by probably half the school eating lunch, playing sports or goofing around.  It wasn’t private, but it was our spot where we would eat our lunch and simply enjoy each other’s company!

In Junior College we had a favorite Oak tree where we sat and enjoyed our lunch in nice weather or in inclement seasons, in the parking lot facing Mendocino Avenue in the front seat of my grandparent’s old 1951 Chevy which had been my daily driver since high school.  At Chico State we had a SECRET PLACE deep into wilds of Bidwell Park along the creek, where we’d go for weekend picnics and barbeques using our little hibachi grill!

Then after our marriage and with the growth of our family, we discovered new favorite SECRET PLACES for our family times together and for special moments alone with each other.  We never needed to go on fancy vacations or expensive restaurants to have an enjoyable time.  We lived a relatively short distance away from the Pacific Ocean and it never took much convincing for an adventure to our SECRET PLACES along the rugged cliffs and breathtaking views of Bodega Bay. 

We found our SECRET PLACES for extended vacations at Humboldt Redwoods State Park along the Avenue of the Giants in northern California or in the Sierra Nevada mountains near the Nevada border at Plumas Eureka State Park. 

We’d always find a favorite city park, not too far from (or in) the various neighborhoods we lived in over the years, where we’d go quite often each week for a fun time with the kids.  Back in the 1980’s Piper and I had discovered a little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant in the Rincon Valley area of our home town, where we could enjoy a quiet table, a view of the creek flowing just outside the window and a steak and spaghetti dinner for $7.00!  Can’t get much better than that! 

As life got busier in the 1990’s with homeschooling, ministry and my job at Hewlett Packard, some of Piper’s and my best “quicky dates” consisted of a stop at the drive through window at our local Jack in the Box for burgers, drinks and fries for Piper and onion rings for me and then a quick drive up the Fountain Grove Parkway and into the far corner of the Yard Bird’s Home Improvement Store’s parking lot that looked over the city.  Once there, we’d park the Camaro, relax, enjoy the view, the meal… but most of all… the sweet company!

While attending Bible College out here in Oklahoma from 2006-2009 we sort of accidently came upon the back entrance to a Nature Reserve on one of our daily walks near our rental duplex.  It quickly became our SECRET PLACE where we found great peace and solace as we began all the initial testing with Piper’s changing needs.

In North Carolina, our SPECIAL PLACE was our beautiful home on an acre of property in the country, that backed up on two sides to forest lands!  That place was definitely a gift from God during a most difficult time in our lives.*

And now, I would have to say that Fiver’s and my SECRET PLACE is out in plain sight, walking through the backside of our neighborhood along the beautiful golf course just outside my front windows and the small community park and pond beyond.

I think that God gives each of us SECRET PLACES along the road of our lives where we can find times of peace, reflection and self-renewal… But I also believe that we have to be aware of and take… or maybe make… the time to take advantage of these SECRET PLACES and the benefits they add to our personal existence!

Psalm 91:1 informs us that,

“He that dwelleth in the SECRET PLACE of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” 

And this scripture is talking about YOU and Me folks!  God not also shows us specific SPECIAL PLACES of personal meaning and purposes within the activities of our daily lives, but He also provides a SECRET PLACE within Him where we can dwell, that affords us a level of rest and peace that may seem impossible to those who don’t know Him… or even those who believe in Him… but haven’t yet or don’t want to take the time to develop a strong and deeply personal relationship with Him through His Word.

The dwelling of His SECRET PLACE goes with us EVERYWHERE we go!  It doesn’t matter if we are caught up in rush hour traffic, in a crowed grocery store, at school, or enjoying a time of recreation with family and/or friends. 

His SECRET PLACE is a 24/7, 365 days a week position… and the more you get to know Him, the more of His peace, His love, His personal direction and His grace you will benefit from!  And with it… the greater awareness of and sensitivity to His constant presence in your life... in the midst of any situation and at any time of the day or night.

So… my suggestion?  Look for and find those SPECIAL PLACES that are most likely hidden in plain sight all around you, where you can retreat to for solace and recharging… but at the same time… take the time, to spend MORE time in fellowship with your heavenly Father through the reading and study of His Word!

I hope that you’re having a great week, and as you are… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

* I just talked to one of our neighbors from our North Carolina neighborhood yesterday... & there is a huge development going in behind our house and beyond!  It definitely was a SPECIAL PLACE for a specific time & need!

The SWEET SPOT!

♪ In Your presence, that's where I am strong

In Your presence, O Lord, my God

In Your presence, that's where I belong

Seeking Your face, touching Your grace

In the cleft of the rock

In Your presence, O God* ♫

 

I was following another rabbit trail the other morning while I continued pursuing my study on Biblical JOY and came across I Chronicles 16:27 when King David had triumphantly brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem and the priests and people were declaring the wonders of the Lord God saying,

“Splendor and majesty are in His presence. Strength and JOY are where He is.”      (God’s Word ©)

The celebration of the people declaring that, “Strength and JOY are where He is” immediately caught my fancy!  And the King James Version really brought it home by translating the people’s vocal rejoicing as “strength and gladness (or joy) are in his place.” 

Think about that comment for a moment in the light of our last few blog posts… God has a particular location of Strength and JOY… and it is at His place!  The phrase “in His place” is defined by the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions as “a standing place, a post, a locality, an office, station, or as a special place.”  When I read that “His place” was described as “a special place”, I couldn’t help but to push back in my desk chair and shout out… “JOY is God’s special place… it is His SWEET SPOT!”

Dictionary.com defines “a Sweet Spot” as “a point, range or particular set of conditions that will achieve the most desirable or effective outcome.”  That definition explains why the JOY of the Lord is such a powerful tool… or maybe better said now… such a powerful PLACE for us to be throughout the ups and downs of our daily lives!  So, if it is God’s SWEET SPOT… then it’s the SPOT that I want to run to when I perceive some rough, or as they say out here… “Severe Weather” in the forecast!

I was watching a news documentary on Fox Nation last night while I was preparing dinner and when the well-known conservative political figure being interviewed spoke of things suddenly being turned upside down in his life, I immediately replied (to the screen… does anyone else do that?) and emphatically declared that my world was turned upside down when Piper was attacked with sickness and then passed on to her heavenly home.

The only difference being though… was that the man on the TV was angry and confused while I had chosen a course of peace and JOY in the presence of the Lord… side by side with Him… in His SWEET SPOT!  That is not to say that it wasn’t hard… in fact the most difficult time in my life… but I was able to go through most of it with a JOYFUL and expectant attitude of the goodness of God working in our situation… which infused me with an atmosphere of peace, that helped me to be a steadying influence, most importantly to my wife, and then also to those we interacted with.

As the song chorus above declares, in His presence… in His SWEET SPOT, is precisely where we belong.  It is where we become and stay strong.  It is the locality where we come face to face with our heavenly Father, are touched by His grace and find safety and protection in the cleft of the ROCK… Jesus Christ!

It is the place where I am assured to find the SWEET SPOT of my life again now that Piper has been promoted to heaven… where she now resides in the physical, tangible SWEET SPOT of God! 

For us, it is a spiritual place, the point, the range or particular set of conditions that will achieve the most desirable or effective outcome for us in our daily lives!

In His Presence, that’s where I want to be… it is the place… the SWEET SPOT where we belong… wouldn’t you agree?

Have a wonderful week, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your lives

 

*https://lyricstranslate.com

Playing a New Song

As I’ve continued to study along the lines of Biblical JOY, I keep coming back to the point that at times, JOY is something that is totally up to us as individuals, to initiate in our lives.  Sure, there are many times when things are going great and it just sort of springs itself upon you. 

There are also times during a rousing song service at church on Sunday mornings when one can’t help but to experience the JOY of the Lord almost like a charge of lightning coursing through your body… at least at the churches that Piper and I attended and/or served in! 

I have many times seen… and have done it myself… when people suddenly jump out into the aisle, spin circles, dance a jig or even take a lap around the sanctuary due to the JOY of the Lord that flooded their being!  Those are the high times in life.  Like when you’ve accomplished a long-term goal, or your child aces a test at school, does well in a church or school program or scores the winning point in a game.  That is when it is easy to be enveloped into JOY and celebrate the special events of life.

But what about when times aren’t going so well?  When there seems to be a dark cloud following you around throughout your day.  A scripture that is becoming familiar to us in this blog, as found in Psalms 9:2 declares,

“I will find JOY and be glad about You. I will make music to praise Your name, O Most High.”  (God’s Word ©)

The King James Version says “I will be glad and rejoice in thee,” with the phrase “I will be glad” defined in the original Hebrew as “to cause to rejoice, to make joy” (Strong’s).  In other words, as the more modern translation above puts it… there are times when we have to go and make… or FIND our own JOY!  It is something that we need to initiate on our own!

But wait!  We are not totally alone or without help in this process.  God in His Word wouldn’t tell us, His kids, to do something if it wasn’t possible for us to do!  Psalm 97:11-12 gives us a hint by informing us that,

“Light dawns for righteous people and JOY for those whose motives are decent.  Find JOY in the LORD, you righteous people. Give thanks to Him as you remember how holy He is.”   (God’s Word ©)

There’s a couple of keys in those two verses.  First of all, we are assured that the “LIGHT” of Godly wisdom will come to or “dawn” on those of us who live righteously in the world.  And then secondly, He tells us that we will always FIND our JOY in the Lord when we “give thanks to Him” and “remember how holy He is!”  So, again, it is something that WE have to do.  It is an action that WE have to initiate.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary says that this entire Psalm and the previous one as well, are a “summons to praise the King with a new song.”  Therefore, when things aren’t going like you want or need them to… then maybe it is time for you to stop the music and sing a “New Song” into the situations you are dealing with!

The Prophet Habakkuk gets more explicit in his writings on this exact subject by telling us that,

“Even if the fig tree does not bloom and the vines have no grapes, even if the olive tree fails to produce and the fields yield no food, even if the sheep pen is empty and the stalls have no cattle - even then, I will (to) be happy with the LORD. I will truly find JOY in God, who saves me.”  (God’s Word ©) 

So, there it is!  According to all these scriptures on JOY… we can most definitely have a say on the mood of the atmosphere around us and thereby in the outcomes of the situations we face in life… whether things are going splendiferously or heading down the drain!

And…if you’re anything like me… then you’re gonna want to be surrounded by and filled with the JOY of the Lord as much as possible throughout your day and NOT… down in the dumps digging a hole!

Wouldn’t You Agree?

Have a wonderful weekend.  We’re going down to Oklahoma City tomorrow, to celebrate our newest Granddaughter’s birthday.  Should be FUN! 

Have a great weekend, and as you do… keep EXECTING God’s best in your life!