Stirring Up Your PASSION!

What or whom do you think of when you hear the word “PASSION?”  Those of you who know me and/or have been reading this post for any amount of time, would immediately know that without a moment’s hesitation, that I would say my beloved wife Piper.  Throughout our 48 years together we had a very PASSIONATE relationship.  But it wasn’t a PASSION based strictly on feelings or the energy of the moment, but developed through a lifetime effort of love, respect, honor and giving one to another, as we sought to serve the Lord in and through our lives.

Ours was a PASSION that was founded on the love of God and His Word.  Paul summed it up in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 when he wrote,

“For it is Christ’s love that fuels our PASSION and motivates us, because we are absolutely convinced that He has given His life for all of us. This means all died with Him, so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for Him—the One who died for us and now lives again.” (TPT)

When I think back of my memories of Piper, I see that she was very PASSIONATE in just about everything she did.  Even before we started dating in high school, I was always impressed of how enthusiastically she would get behind a plan that a group of us friends had come up with for a Saturday trip to the coast, or an after-school softball game at Howarth Park near her family’s home.  She was always in for an adventure!

Later on in life, during a period when finances were tight, she could make a trip to a local fast-food restaurant seem to be the most wonderful and luxurious event of a lifetime!  She was PASSIONATE about our family, homeschooling, ministering to the youth or children at church, playing the piano, daily exercise, walks around the block, shopping at Food 4 Less or the totally out of the blue times when she would suddenly turn to me, look deeply into my eyes and say, “I love you!”  Like she did a few months before she passed in 2018.

She vividly and unmistakably lived her entire life with a PASSION for Christ and as an encourager to anyone around her.  I think that the Apostle Paul must have had her in mind when her wrote “… but my supreme PASSION is to please God” (Galatians 1:10 TPT) and in Ephesians 3:9, declaring that “my PASSION is to enlighten every person to this divine mystery (of the gospel of Jesus Christ).”

I think about her and her PASSION for life whenever I pray and consider my current place in life and the plans and purposes that the Lord still has for me.  I think once again, about Paul’s words of encouragement to the church in Rome and still prevalent to us today where he wrote,

“Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your PASSION toward Him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let Him fill you with excitement as you serve Him.” (Romans 12:11 TPT)

I like the excitement behind Paul’s words!  I like the PASSION that it stirs up in me!  That’s probably why I enjoyed working so much with the youth and children in the church.  Many times… it is a lot easier to stir up excitement and PASSION in the younger crowd than it is in us adults!

What about you?  What do you think and FEEL when it comes to the PASSION you have in your life… and in your relationship with God?  Is it RED HOT and RADIATING off of you?  If so… how much HOTTER can you make it?

And if not… Why not? And how can you reverse your current course in life?

Hummmmm… lots to think about on this weekend… but there are lots of rewards connected to the stirring up of your PASSION for life and for God… and lots of fun in doing it!

Have a great weekend… and as you do… keep EXPECTING and PARTICIPATING in God’s best for you!

Simplicity...

Throughout the 36 plus years of our ministry together, my wife Piper and I spent the far majority of our time working in the realms of Music and Student Ministries, many times with those 2 areas combined or going on at the same time.  I don’t think that I could accurately recall all the times over the years where we would lead the Sunday morning praise and worship service with the church and then file out the side entrance with the kids in tow for Children’s church in the Children’s Center.  And yes, while it made for a long and sometimes exhausting day, we enjoyed just about every minute of it!

So, whether it was working with the church’s Youth Group or Children’s Ministry or even the College Career/Singles, we always tried our best to assure that the message we delivered was brought forth in the simplest and most understandable way for the age group.  As I have most likely mentioned in other blogs, we also tried to make it FUN and exciting for our students, which meant that we were always looking for new and innovative ways to share the gospel.

Now I have to admit right up front, that Piper was much better at simplifying her Children’s Church messages than I was!  I would usually get too descriptive or involved in my lessons and tend to lose the kids!  But I am also very thankful that those kids in our first few years of Children’s Ministry were very patient with me, as was my wife who would many times walk to the back of the classroom to help direct my presentations!  I think that my one saving grace was my sense of humor and the intermixing of games, multimedia clips, activities, snacks and other surprises which helped to keep the kids connected!

I did much better with the Youth, but at first, still tended to be a little long winded!  But again, I learned and got to the point where I could hone and fine tune the important parts of my message into a ten or fifteen minute delivery. 

My point being, that even out of the classroom and into the daily activities of life, both Piper and I tended to share the gospel message in the simplest of terms… with lots of practical examples.  I think that this is one reason that Piper was so good at homeschooling.  She could turn just about any life event into an interesting, most times funny, and always meaningful, educational lesson!  While some families got burned out with homeschooling after a few years, Piper got more and more excited about it!

I guess that is one of the main reasons that I enjoy studying the Bible with the use of many translations.  I am always looking for the real meaning behind a verse, or maybe better said, the simplest interpretation of what the writer was trying to convey to their readers… without a lot of added description… or as I like to say… without a lot of added fluff!

For instance, I was reading from the Sermon on the Mount this morning where Jesus shared,

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”  (Matthew 5:6 NASB)

And as is my normal protocol, I looked up many of what I considered to be the most important words in the verse in the original Greek.  I’ve learned over the years that the original Greek in which the New Testament was written, was much more descriptive and definitive than the English language and the full concepts of the writer were sometimes lost when translated.  That said… one can also get so lost in the theological content of religious terms, that it is easy to lose the simplicity of the true point!

I remember years ago when in a casual conversation with a group of youth who were getting hung up on the idea of being “righteous” before God.  After a lot of interaction, I finally told the group that to me, “righteousness” simply means “being able to stand right there (in His presence) next to God.”  I explained that God is holy and pure and if you are comfortable with your life decisions and feel that you can stand right alongside Him without any condemnation, fear or doubt… then you’ve probably attained a level of righteousness in your life.

Simple, concise and easy to practically apply in your daily life.  I firmly believe that this is the way that our heavenly Father wants us to understand Him and live His ways and thereby enjoy the satisfaction and/or joy that comes with a life that is dedicated to Him.

What do you think?

We are halfway through the week and I am excited about it!  Have a great rest of your week… and as you do… keep EXPECTING and living God’s best in your life!

Appropriate Behaviour!

I was thinking the other day as I was ordering a couple of new 2022 calendars, that Piper’s yearly calendar selection was always very special to her.  Since the years in our first apartment, the calendar that hung in the kitchen was always hers!  She took great pains in selecting the right one with uplifting pictures and sometimes with meaningful sayings… but mostly one’s with a scripture theme for each month.

When we moved into our new home in North Carolina I wanted to keep the tradition going for her and always tried to have “her” uplifting calendar hanging in a prominent place in the dining room where we tended to spend the majority of our time together during the day.  The kitchen was off of that room and with her condition, Piper did not cook anymore, nor spend much time in there.

But the dining room was in the center of the house and had a nice view of the living room and of our front yard and neighborhood beyond and in the other direction, another gorgeous view of our spacious backyard through the sliding glass door that led to the deck, the patio and the lawn and garden.  And even though I had set up a study/office in one of the front bedrooms, I tended to pay bills, do my daily Bible Study, and keep up with all of her medical paperwork, while sitting at the table in the dining room due to its easy access for Piper and her custom wheelchair.

When I bought the house here in Oklahoma, I automatically felt as if the kitchen was hers and set up everything in the room according to the way she herself would have done it!  Which also meant that the calendar would have to be selected according to her tastes. 

I noticed after a few weeks, that the original 2022 calendar that I had purchased for the kitchen… well… it just didn’t seem to be the right one!  I don’t know if I could explain it… but when I looked at it… it just didn’t shout “PIPER!”  So, as I sat at my computer last week, looking through my favorite calendar website, I suddenly had a wave of peace with a few hints of Piper’s sweet laugh coming from somewhere in the recesses of my heart, when I came upon the Lang “Heart and Home” calendar for this New Year!  I had to smile and could almost hear her say “That’s it, Jim!”

So, when I brought in the large flat package that the postman left on our front porch on Saturday, I’m not sure who was more excited about it… Fiver or me!  For some reason, he always gets very excited when I bring a package in the front door!  And when I unwrapped the calendar, and exchanged it on the wall with the first one that I’d bought … I actually think the dog nodded his head to confirm that it WAS the RIGHT one!

And you know?  He was right!  It not only was the RIGHT one, but it was the APPROPRIATE one for the kitchen… and maybe more importantly to me… it was the APPROPRIATE one to best honor the essence of Piper’s memory.  Now, when I look daily upon the calendar to check for scheduled events, my heart gives a happy sigh as I hear her sweet voice from somewhere deep inside of me saying “It’s me, Jim!”

I was reminded of Piper’s kitchen calendar this morning when I was led to read from Psalm 23:6 in the Passion Translation, where the Psalmist inquired of the Lord saying,

“So why would I fear the future? For your goodness and love pursue me all the days of my life…”  

The word translated “goodness” has a long list of connotations including “good, pleasant, agreeable, valuable in estimation, happy, prosperous and becoming.” (Brown-Driver-Briggs)  But the definition that stood out to me today, was the idea of God’s “goodness” as being something that is “appropriate” to us, which Dictionary.com describes as something that is “suitable or fitting for a particular purpose, person or occasion.”

And while I admit, that I immediately thought about all the inappropriate things that were done or said to Piper and I over the years of her illness, the Lord quickly turned me from that line of thought and bought it up-close and personal by asking of me…

“What is YOUR ‘appropriate’ response to the daily events of your life TODAY?”

Well… that question didn’t necessarily surprise or shake me, but it did make me sit back in my desk chair and think for a couple of minutes!  I love the way that the Lord can easily turn a direction of thought and point it right back to me!  Have you ever had that happen?  I would bet that we all have!

The one common denominator that I saw with the different individuals whose actions were… shall we say… less than appropriate toward Piper and I in our situation at the time, was that the majority of their reactions were triggered by personal fears that they were dealing with.  But with the Lord’s question to me about ‘appropriate’ responses, I immediately deduced that if we were to respond to any given situation according to the will and purpose of God… as found in His Word… then our words and/or actions made in our response to any situation would be driven by His love and not be tainted by our personal fears.

Kind of simple right?  Well… that is the way that I believe God wants things to be for us!  His ways and His lifestyle aren’t meant to be a complicated web of does and don’ts… but a life that is devoted to and led by His Love operating in, for and through us unto others! 

It means that we have to keep growing in the wisdom, knowledge, understanding and operation of His Word… but hey… If you’re anything like me… Well… that’s where the real fun begins!

Have a great new week.  Keep finding and responding with His ‘appropriate’ responses to life’s situations and be a blessing to others… and while you’re at it… keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

Beautiful Valleys!

I have to admit that I have been thinking a lot lately about my beloved wife who had the joy of going to her heavenly home in September of 2018.  Now, it’s not like I don’t usually think about her, because I do, but just when it seemed like everything was moving forward for me… well… then came the holidays!

I was thinking that this year was going to be so much better than it had been for a long time… and in many respects it was!  Thanksgiving was fun.  It is the first time that I cooked for the family since Piper left us, and it was the first whole turkey that I baked since… well, probably before we went to Bible School in 2006.  Thanksgiving was always special for Piper and I and the kids.  We enjoyed entertaining and usually had Piper’s extended family over on Turkey Day!  This may sound weird, but one of the fondest memories that I have of those times was of all the effort that the whole family put in to straighten out and clean the house the day before the big event!

You see, being as we were a deeply committed homeschooling family, our house was not always a picture-perfect replica of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine picture spread!  It is kind of a given when your home is multipurposed for family life, school, ministry and as a business office.  We knew that going into our homeschooling adventure and simply made it work.

So, that said… the day before Thanksgiving was normally a beehive of activity as everyone picked up after themselves.  The kids collected their school books, assignment paperwork and all the other school paraphernalia left around the house and organized and filed it in the homeschool room where they each had a desk and a file cabinet along with the multiple bookshelves around the room.  And it was usually all accomplished with laughter and camaraderie.

Then come the next day and our family worked together in the kitchen to prepare a sumptuous meal!  One of the many things that I enjoyed when company came over was the way that Piper sort of skipped around the house, playing the part of the perfect hostess, making people smile and being sure that all needs were met and that everyone felt special, wanted and loved.  Now, I have to admit, I see that same trait in our older daughter Jamie!  It is heartwarming for me to see Piper’s legacy continuing through our children’s lives.

My Christmas focus was thrown off when my doctor scheduled me for a colonoscopy a week before the special day.  I knew that I had nothing to worry about (which I didn’t as everything came out fine) but it still caused me to deal with some anxiety.  I had never had one before and had never been put out under anesthesia before either. 

I was prepared though and when the day finally arrived, I found it to be a sweet sorrow when they were wheeling me into the procedure room.  For I flashed back and found myself reminiscing over all the times that I had stood by Piper’s side and held her hand, in the countless doctor’s offices, specialist’s exam rooms, and the multitude of emergency rooms we visited between 2006 and 2018.  I tried my best to not focus on the fact that I was going through my first medical procedure without her sweet little hand holding mine!

So anyway… While it seemed like the holiday’s went off pretty well for me and my kids, the memories of Piper still seemed to pop up everywhere we looked, in almost every conversation we had and with every Christmas ornament I hung on the tree.  Then when I thought it was over for the year, I scheduled the dog for a teeth cleaning and had to live through the day in an empty house alone… with just me and my thoughts… about you-know-who!

But don’t despair as there is a silver lining behind all of this!  When I was walking Fiver in the cold 2-degree morning air at the beginning of this week, I found myself thinking about and reciting parts of the 23^rd Psalm.  Since Piper’s homegoing that particular Psalm has become a real stalwart for me.  I usually speak it out first thing in the morning, in the mid-afternoon and just before I turn the light out for the night… and multiple times throughout the day.

I’ve memorized it in a variety of translations and many times will cut and past the different renderings to best fit whatever need I have at the moment.  On Monday as I gazed out along the empty golf course (not sure why the golfers didn’t want to be playing with frost on their noses and the 21 mph winds…) I absent mindedly kept repeating verse four where David declared,

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (KJV)

When Fiver grabbed a scent and pulled me over to a nearby fence post, I remembered a fence post where we would stop almost every time we headed over and up to the Plumas National Forest and our favorite state park near the California/Neveda border.

When driving on Highway 49 through the little town of Sattley, California (pop 49) in Sierra County, you come to a stop at the crossroads where you can turn left to take highway 89 northwest to Graeagle where we were headed, or right to continue on Highway 49 to the booming metropolis of Sierraville. 

I have always been thankful that there wasn’t much traffic to speak of when we would come to that intersection. For the sight that unfolds before your eyes after traveling up and down the mountains is absolutely spell bounding and it takes a few moments to gather yourself in order to take the turn and drive on!  And believe-you-me… we would never drive on, but make the turn and pull off the 2-lane highway along the barb wire fence that separates the road from the pristine land. 

For Piper and me, it was a sight that simply took our breath away!  Looking out to the east was the absolutely gorgeous Sierra Valley.  Settled snuggly between the Sierra Nevada mountains, the view is extraordinary.  The combination of the green grasses, marshes, wetlands, birds, cattle and/or horses and an occasional old barn is almost indescribable!

Fiver’s jerk on the leash reminded me that we were on a walk and that he was ready to move on.  But as we walked, I suddenly had the thought that all valleys are not dark and sad places to be.  I began to realize that while the valley that I’ve been walking through has been a hard place for me as I miss Piper so much, it was a wonderful and beautiful place of transition for her.  The word “death” in the Greek is described as “The separation of the soul and the body by which life on earth is ended.” (Thayer’s)  And I couldn’t help but think and add to that statement “and for the Christian, it is where their eternal life in heaven begins!”

I remember when she passed at about 5:30 in the morning on that Sunday and of how I looked into her eyes and clearly noticed that the gleam of life that always sparkled from them was gone, and I couldn’t help but to exclaim with tears of joy saying, “Oh Baby, you’ve gone home!”

The memory of that moment of joy for me, as I thought about where she’d gone, connected me to that beautiful valley that we experienced so many times together over the years.  In an instant I had a whole new outlook on the valley that the Lord has been leading me through over the past three plus years.  The Passion Translation renders the beginning of Psalm 23:4 saying,

“Lord, even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have…”

That translation makes me picture the Lord holding my hand as He continues to lead me through His beautiful valley on the way to the specific and perfect plans and purposes that He still has for me to pursue with passion and joy!

So, I have a new outlook on the valley that I’m almost through, as the Lord is preparing me for beautiful outlooks ahead.  As my wife is blessed in her new place of life, I am assured that my blessings are not just in the distance ahead but also here and now in the beautiful valley that is amazingly gorgeous everywhere I look!

How about you?  Have a great weekend.  Look for His beauty in the valley around you and rejoice and be glad that He is taking good care of you!

Believe, Say, Do!

Well, we made it through our first snowstorm of the season over the weekend.  Like I mentioned in our last blog, the storm didn’t produce as much severe weather as was originally forecasted... but did end up giving us more snow than the corrected forecast did after the weather service removed the winter storm watch.  We got enough to give us a thin blanket of white across our neighborhood lawns and the golf course right outside my windows.  The streets and sidewalks were still pretty warm, and the snow quickly melted as soon as it hit those surfaces.

The only downside for Fiver and I, was that the snow tended to pack in-between his pads making it very uncomfortable for him.  So, with that in mind, we only took one normal walk along the golf course and otherwise kept our activities to the backyard where we would chase the ball, stop and clean his pads and then toss the ball some more!  I’m going to look into a set of snow booties for him!

I was texting back and forth with our older son in Tennessee yesterday as they got the brunt of the storm that only tended to touch the northeastern parts of Oklahoma as it moved to the east coast.  One of the topics we touched on was how having the right clothes and equipment as well as some past experience, can make everything a lot more bearable… and maybe even a little fun!  We agreed that after the storms we went through last year (and my pervious experiences in North Carolina), that we had a good idea of what to expect and were more prepared and less concerned this time around!

The idea of having the right equipment and experience can also be said about each of our individual walks of faith.  We had a guest speaker at church yesterday who at one point in his message, told a story about a rough patch that his mom had gone through when he was young.  His parents were in the ministry and his dad was the pastor of a growing church of 2000 members… in a town with a population of around 3000 people.

And although he didn’t go into a lot of detail, there was a time span of a couple of years where his mom fell into a deep depression, where she spent most of her days alone in the parent’s darkened bedroom.  It seemed like nothing was working to help her until she got a hold of the same book that Piper and I had read very early in or marriage, that ignited a flame in us and acted as a catalyst for our faith for the rest of our lives together.*

The guest evangelist stated that what made her experience unique and set her free from the depression, was that she not only believed what she read, but that she also began to speak it out and then act out what she was saying.  One of the main foundations of the book is based on Mark 11:24 where Jesus taught saying,

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (KJV) 

Well, when I heard that part of the story I thought “YES!  That is exactly what set Piper and I apart from the rest of two extended families and gave us the vision, the peace, the joy, the dedication and the physical and emotional strength to succeed in life during both the good times and the more difficult ones.”  And I am not saying that to brag, but instead to humbly state that we did it… because it worked!

When Piper got sick, we saw how all kinds of individuals handled the situation.  There were those who believed God’s Word with the same understanding as us... but had failed to consistently say and do it.  As it turned out, they found it impossible to come into agreement with what we were doing.  By that time, our actions were almost second nature to us and were totally focused on the answers from God’s Word that we were EXPECTING.

Then there were those who didn’t believe exactly like we did but did believe in the power of prayer.  These folks hooked up with us where they could and continually encouraged us and stayed closely connected with us throughout our whole ordeal.  One good friend of ours even called me just about every day to pray with me!  And then when he got sick a year or so ago, I did the same for him until he went on to his heavenly home… and he’s probably telling his corny jokes to Piper in heaven as I write this post!

And lastly there were those who wanted to believe with us… but with a complete lack of Biblical understanding, could not get past what the physical circumstances were telling them.  On the positive side though, they would at least try to smile and tell us nice things… but the hopelessness in their eyes was very apparent.

Over the many years of my Christian walk, I have come to see that there is a vast difference in the level of an individual’s faith between just BELIEVING what the Word of God says… and BELIEVING IT, and then ACTIVATING IT by SPEAKING IT out, followed by putting feet to your faith and DOING what you’re saying.  Remember that Hebrews 11:1 gives us the definition of faith by explaining that,

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

That kind of conviction empowers one to say and do what they are believing for… because they know that they already have what they are EXPECTING!

Christianity isn’t just a set of principals or a doctrine that we believe in.  It is a living, breathing, power-packed, God-infused (through His Word) lifestyle that can not only change our personal lives, but through us, can literally influence and change the world for the better!

Isn’t that the kind of influence you want to have?  I sure do!

Have a terrific week, and as you do… keep believing for and EXPECTING God’ best in your lives!

 

*The Believer’s Authority” by Kenneth E. Hagin, © 1986 RHEMA Bible Church

Fear Not!

It’s crazy how fast the weather can change around here.  I may have told of my first experience with this amazing phenomenon when we originally moved here to attend Bible School.  We’d only been here a few months when I arrived at my job, one clear, bright sunny Saturday morning in the outside Garden Department at the Home Depot in the early fall of 2006. 

I was dressed in my standard work apparel of shorts, a collared Polo shirt, hiking boots and the mandatory bright orange apron.  When the first cashier came out and we opened up the outside gates to the Garden Department around 8:00 AM, the gal looked at me like I was a little on the daffy side!  I thought that she was just being funny and finally asked her if there was a problem, to which she replied… “Why are you wearing shorts?  You’re gonna freeze in a little while?”

She could tell that her comment confused me, so she proceeded to tell that there was a cold front coming in.  I kind of laughed it off as it was warm and the sky was a deep blue… until about an hour later when I noticed this darkness coming up the horizon to the north of the store… but I still didn’t think much about it… after all… it couldn’t move THAT fast could it?  Well… it could and it did and within an hour I was freezing! 

After that day I always kept a sweater and/or a jacket in my locker!  In the next six months, I also learned that the same… if not worse… can happen with the coming of heavy rain, thunder and lightning or a snowstorm.  One minute it is clear and the next, a storm blows in and with the snap of your fingers the deluge is upon you!

And that is the way it has been over the last few days.  They’ve been forecasting a strong winter storm, but the severity of the storm system has been in constant fluctuation.  When I went to bed last night it was supposed to start raining within a matter of minutes, with snow following by the early morning hours.

When I got up, it had rained but there was no snow and the predicted all morning and afternoon snow had changed to a 50% chance for a few hours in the early afternoon.  As I look outside my large study window right now, at about 11:50 AM, I notice that there are snow flurries blowing across the golf course and through our cul-de-sac.  I just checked my local weather app and they upped the chances of snow to 80-90% for the next few hours! 

So… maybe we’ll get enough of the white stuff for Fiver to play in.  This looks to be a quick front and the weather is supposed to warm up into the 50’s on Monday… Which means, this fair-weather California boy will get just enough of a taste to enjoy… and then be back to dry weather again… until the next surprise comes up!

One important lesson that I have learned during my time living in the south, combining our five years in North Carolina and our overall five years in Oklahoma… so far… is to keep my wits when the different severe weather threats come on the scene, trust the Lord for His protection, and listen attentively to that inner voice to hear what He wants us to do!

It kind of reminds me of Jesus’ encouragement to the leader of the Jewish Synagogue Jairus, when he came to Jesus requesting Him to come to his home and heal his sick and near-death daughter.  If you recall the story in Luke chapter eight, you’ll remember that Jesus headed for Jairus’ house, but stopped along the way to heal another sick woman who had literally crawled in faith, through the crowd, in order to touch the hem of Jesus’ clothing.

I’m sure that Jairus was getting more than just a little anxious at the interruption and was most likely on the verge of completely losing it when someone from his house came and told him, “Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.”

But take note of how Jesus responded to the negative report.  He totally ignored the messenger and spoke directly to Jairus saying, “Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.” (Luke 8:49-50 – KJV) 

“FEAR NOT!  BELIEVE ONLY!”  Now that’s a personal moniker that I have taken upon myself… especially in these last fifteen years.  I’ve come to learn that things tend to work out best for me when I take Jesus’ advice and not allow myself to fall into the trap of fear… in WHATEVER I am doing, or with any situation I need to deal with, at any given point in time.

And when I am standing in faith for a particular purpose, I’ve learned to follow Jesus’ instructions and not listen to the voice of reason or even natural fact… when it is contrary to God’s Word.  But instead, I reject the encroachment of fear and keep my faith in the supernatural, over-riding truth of the Word of God, in connection for whatever outcome I am believing for.

That way of life has helped me to adjust to the occasional severe weather patterns out here that were non-existent in California… and learn to enjoy this area for its unique beauty and the special benefits of the southern lifestyle, country hospitality, conservative values and the noticeably more relaxed approach to life.

And when God’s EXTRA-Ordinary intervention is needed in my life… I like Jairus, have also learned to listen to Jesus’ advice, to not entertain fear and to keep believing for God’s Word to do what He has promised us that it will do in the lives of us who actively “FEAR NOT and ONLY BELIEVE!”

Have a great weekend!  Stay warm and keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

One-Stop-Shop!

My oven ignition module went out over the weekend, so I contacted my home warranty company, and they sent an appliance repairman from Sears.  As he was working on my oven yesterday afternoon, I stood nearby in the kitchen and talked with him.  I mentioned how my first real job was at Sears following my senior year in high school.  In the course of the conversation, I reminisced of how that old “B” store, which opened in 1948, was still the local go-to store in the early 1970’s when I worked there.

I told the repairman, who was originally from Texas, of how I remembered that old tri-level store as being an almost one-stop shopping extravaganza!  You could buy or order just about anything from that store, from popcorn to farm and garden supplies, to socks & shoes, camping equipment and some of the best hand tools made (I worked in sporting goods and hardware… so I might have been a little prejudice)! 

And then tucked in the corner under the stairs in the basement, right near where I worked… was the magical world of the renown Sears Catalog where one could order just about anything you could imagine, meeting almost any need anywhere!

When I was attending Junior College, I worked most nights that the store was opened, so when things slowed down toward the end of the evening, I enjoyed perusing the pages of the catalog.  I ordered many unique items over the years, including a custom steering wheel and a new leather top for my 1966 MGB… come to think of it.. I also replaced the horn through the catalog… hummm… did I get the rollbar that way too?  Nope, I purchased it from the boyfriend of the cute evening switchboard operator, which was also located in the basement!

The idea of that old store being a one-stop, meet-all-your-needs location reminded me, believe it or not… of my Bible!  BUT WAIT!  Before you go looking for a new steering wheel for your car in your Bible, let me explain this in light of the last blog post I wrote (1/2/22 – http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2022/01/when-extra-ordinary-is-ordinary.html)

There are countless verses in the Bible that talk about how we can do all things through Christ or of how God will supply our every need,* but as we discussed in the last post, in order to receive the ALL’s and EVERY’s promised us in God’s Word, we have to believe to see God’s EXTRA-ORDINARY working in our lives!  And in order to do that… well, as I’ve mentioned many times before, it takes us developing a totally different mindset than most other people! 

It takes a mind-set of EXPECTATION that God not only CAN but WILL do for us whatever He promises us in His Word!

The last recorded promise that Jesus told us before He physically left this earth and ascended into heaven where He sat down at the right hand of God was,

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.)** 

That’s quite a promise with a pretty unusual list of EXTRA-ORDINARY phenomenon’s… wouldn’t you agree?  How do you think your next-door neighbor would react if you nonchalantly mentioned this as a normal activity of yours… as you talked while trimming the bushes separating your two yards?  Probably like our parents (having 2 teacher dads) reacted in 1980 when we told them that Piper planned on homeschooling our kids!  So yeah… you know “The Look” and the shocked silence that followed!

But you know?  It’s NOT their reaction that counts… it’s yours!  The word “believe” in this verse means “to have faith in, to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit or place confidence in.” (Strong’s and Thayer’s)  When I read these definitions this morning, a light went on in my understanding and I immediately realized that this kind or level of belief is as one who has developed an understanding of something that is personally known as the truth, is never questioned and is just taken for granted. 

That reflection reminded me of the engineers that I worked with in the fabrication areas at Hewlett Packard.  When they were called in to work on a problem, they would first list the truths that they already knew, like the make-up and characteristics of the material used and/or the chemical interactions that were going on.  Those were pre-existing truths or facts that they did not need to re-study or question.  They took that knowledge as a given and moved on in their investigation from that point.

That's what I believe Jesus was telling us in His last directives to us.  He was saying that once we got to the personal place where we believed the truth, power and love of His Word, to be the first given and/or known fact in any situation, then we could say and do the EXTRAORDINARY, seemingly impossible deeds that He spoke of in these verses… and know... that He will CONFIRM His Word with His signature, EXTRA-ORDINARY “signs following” ***

It's actually a pretty simple concept!  To me, it just comes down to the question of if I really BELIEVE God and His Word to be true, and if so… am I going to act on it… or... watch everything that is near and dear to me, fall apart around me?

As for me and my family... we'll believe God's One-Stop-Shop over everything else!

 

*Philippians 4:13,19

**Mark 16:17-18 (KJV)

***Mark 16:20 (KJV)

When the Extra-ordinary is the Ordinary!

Have you ever been guilty of sitting in church on a fine Sunday morning, listening to a rousing sermon… and suddenly find your thoughts going down a rabbit trail that may… or may not… be related to the subject of the sermon?  Well… I’ll be the first to raise my hand and admit that I have… on many occasions through the years!

I am not sure why, but I have received some wonderful revelations from God through that still-small-voice* on inside of me during such times.  I would admit though, that for me, the vast majority of those rabbit trails did directly relate to or branch off from the Sunday morning subject!

And it happened again yesterday morning!  The pastor had just begun her sermon entitled “Empowered to do the work” and had us turning (or in my case, clicking) in our Bibles to John 20:22, where Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples during His first visit with them after He was raised from the dead… and bingo!  I was on my way down another trail that began with the thought “that Piper and I had built an atmosphere of faith around our family.”

The path yesterday was a little different than other trails I’ve found myself going down, as I was still hearing and alert to the Pastor’s words and was even taking notes… in fact, two sets at the same time!  One for her lesson and the other for what I felt the Lord was personally sharing with me.

The simple fact is that we raised our family differently than most of the others in our extended families.  Sure, there were some similarities, but there were also some characteristics and traits that were priorities to Piper and me.  There were the visible things like homeschooling when everyone… and I pretty much mean everyone in both of our families… thought that we had lost our minds. 

There was our church involvement, which when you’re the Assistant Pastors there automatically tends to be a lot of that… but our experience was unique in that we were over the Student Ministries and therefore got to involve and work with our own kids throughout their childhood and teen years.  Church participation and ministry was in many ways, a family event for us!

But as I listened simultaneously to the Pastor speaking with my physical ears and that still-small-voice* quietly speaking on the inside of me, I realized that some of the main personal characteristics and/or what the Bible calls “The fruit of the Spirit”** that are deeply engrained in the makeup of who our kids are today, were “caught” more than they were directly “taught” by Piper and me.  I aways tend to give Piper the majority of the credit when it comes to the homeschooling and nurturing of our kids… and rightly so, but in this respect, I would have to also admit that I played a vital role in what the kids “caught” in our home!

It was simply a part of Piper and me.  It was a constantly growing and fluid part of us.  It was the way we interacted between the two of us whether we were alone or with the kids, at church, in the neighborhood, at the store, on vacation or when visiting family and friends.  What they saw… anytime day and night… was what they got!

I remembered a couple of scriptures that I’d been studying over the last week as all this was going through my consciousness yesterday, where the word “extraordinary” was used to describe the works of God through the hands of different individuals in the New Testament and that which are also available and possible for us today!

There was the verse I’ve alluded to in a couple of my last posts where the people present when Jesus was teaching in a house, reacted in awe after they witnessed a miraculous event and declared, “We have seen extraordinary things today!"***  Then a more recent study where I found it stated that “God did unusual and extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul.”****

Then another light went on and I understood that in our daily routines of life, we never allowed God’s Word to become ordinary to us… for in our constant pursuit of our child-like faith… His Word always stayed “extra-ordinary” to us!

And the LEGACY of that lifestyle that was observed and “caught” in our home… no matter which of the different neighborhoods where we lived over the years… is that which is evident and very visible in our adult children and their family’s today!

We live in a world that is constantly changing, consistently being shaken and moved by the current flavor of our society, where fear is prevalently featured in the daily news, highlighted as the basis for questionable political agendas and disguised as the norm in formulating the underlining motives employed to sell many of the products, we see advertised on the various media platforms.

But those vacillating values and fears don’t have to move those of us who view the extra-ordinary values and power of the Word of God over and above what the world has to offer.  Instead, our dependence and faith in the extra-ordinary essence of the Word can empower our lives to be much more successful, stable, happy and meaningful!

By keeping the Word as the “extra-ordinary” power and source of your life, you will always experience the victory over the ordinary pressures, lies and fears of the world in which we live.

Then... when you step out your front door each day, you’ll quietly smile and confidently proclaim, “Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and makes known through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (KJV) 

I pray that you have a great week as you keep EXPECTING His best in your life… and in doing so, keep His Word EXTRA-ORDINARY in your every thought, word and action!

*See: I Kings 19:12, Job 4:12,16

**Galatians 5:22-23

***Luke 5:26  (EMTV)

****Acts 19:11  (AMP)

Icing On the Cake!

My high school girlfriend of three years, fiancée for two years and wife for the next 43 years, and I did not necessarily correspond with each other through long love letters.  Mainly because we were never apart from each other long enough to where a detailed letter would have been needed in order to catch up on each other’s current events and/or feelings toward one another.  I think that the longest time we were apart was for a two-week period when I took six high school students from our Youth Group across country by train, to attend a national Youth conference in Green Lake, Wisconsin in 1979.

But we, especially Piper, enjoyed leaving each other little LOVE notes.  She would regularly send me off to work with a LOVE note, written on my napkin… many times with her signature red lipstick, hidden in my lunch bag.  While we were dating, she often times gave me little, mini books (mostly scripture based) that talked about the LOVE that she felt for me. 

I enjoyed writing a few LOVING words on the mirror in our master bath when I left for work, using a bar of soap as my writing utensil!  I’d also been known to leave her a post-it notes, hidden away somewhere where she would eventually find it during her daily homeschooling activities.  I think that we just liked to surprise each other with a reminder of our affection toward the other. 

I even found an intimate article of her clothing on the passenger seat of my car one early morning when I got to work… although I don’t think that it was done on purpose as she was very private about such matters.  Since I parked the Camaro next to the washer and dryer in the garage, she had most likely taken the clothes out of the dryer and put them through the open window onto the seat while she moved a load from the washer into the dryer... and the item probably slipped off the pile without her knowledge.  But on purpose or not… it sure did make me think about her ALL DAY!

And speaking about thinking of her all day, whenever I read one of her napkin notes, or her note in a little book that she’d given me, or even today, when I read her notes written in the margins of her many Bibles, my first thoughts always go to the memories of the individual who wrote the notes and the countless LOVING memories that we had made with each other… BEFORE, I ever read the actual words written down on the current piece of paper.  Then the current notes, added to the thoughts in my mind, were like icing on the cake!

Jesus told us in John’s gospel that “If you keep My commands, you will live in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by His love.”  (TPT)

For us living in the New Testament age of the church, we can understand Jesus’ use of the phrase “to keep My commands” as the “keeping of His Word.”  When I read this verse and others like it, I can’t help but to directly associate God’s Word with His LOVE for you and me.

The Apostle John, who is also known as the Apostle of Love, wrote in John 1:1 that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  (KJV)  

Then later on in his first epistle John explained that, “We have known and believed that God LOVES us. God is LOVE. Those who live in God's LOVE live in God, and God lives in them.”  (God’s Word ©) 

Following that, John again wrote in his revelation at the end of the Bible, of when he saw Jesus before the throne of God, and described Him saying, “He wears clothes dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God.”  (God’s Word ©)

So, my reason in presenting all of these scriptures to you, is to prove my point, that I firmly believe that God wants us to see, think of, believe and act as if His Word is the written version of His LOVE for both you and me!  That when you pick up your Bible and open it up to whatever you are going to read, your very first thoughts, like mine when I saw and still see today, a note written by Piper, is fully focused on all the wonderful memories of His goodness in your life that you and He have experienced together…

So that your heart palpitates with the thoughts of being in His presence again.  With the thoughts of Him telling you of how special you are to Him, and of how much He wants to bless your LOVE, your commitment and your obedience to Him. 

When I turned out the light last night and laid on my bed in the darkened room, I suddenly called out to the Lord and told Him how much I miss hearing Piper’s voice and experiencing her audible words and physical touch of her LOVE for me…

But you know… I will never have to express and/or experience that void in my life when it comes to the LOVE of God toward me… for His visible expression of His LOVE is always available to me whenever I open up my Bible and begin to immerse myself in His written Word… in His written LOVE for me.

And neither do you!  For when you look at your Bible, I encourage you to first see and remember all of the memories that you hold near and dear of His loving interactions with you in the past… and then enjoy the icing on the cake as you partake of a fresh experience with His LOVE whenever you read His Word of His LOVE written specifically for you!

I hope that you are having a great weekend… and as you do, enjoy some loving fellowship with your heavenly Father… and keep EXPECTING His best and His LOVING touch upon your life!

No JOY = No _______!

I was listening yesterday afternoon to a well-known minister of the Gospel whose ministry Piper and I have supported since the mid-1980’s.  He was sharing from Mark 4:14-15 where Jesus was teaching the parable of the Sower and declared,

“The farmer sows the Word as seed, and what falls on the beaten path represents those who hear the Word, but immediately Satan appears and snatches it from their hearts.”        The Passion Translation 

The minister’s emphasis on Satan coming IMMEDIATELY to steal the Word that is in your heart, quickly rang a loud bell of familiarity, as Piper and I experienced that truth as soon as we returned home after attending Bible School in Oklahoma.  We were full of the Word, had what we believed was a plan given to us by God concerning the steps we were to take as we began to focus on Piper’s physical needs and… IMMEDIATELY… were met with a strong front of resistance.

And the similarities of experience did not end there.  The minister went on to talk about the importance of having and keeping your JOY when, as Jesus was also referring to Satan said, the “thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy.  But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!” (TPT)

The preacher explained that in order to maintain your expectancy of the Lord’s abundance and a life lived in His fullness, we have to be and stay full of Jesus’ JOY… and we do this by continually filling up with His Word!  He shared how JOY comes to us in the same manner that faith does.  Just as Paul told us in Romans 10:17 that, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (EMTV), Jesus taught many years prior that, “If you keep My commandments (ie; My Word), you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and I abide in His love.  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may abide in you, and (or SO) that your joy may be full.” (EMTC)

It would seem that the strength of our FAITH and the level of our JOY are intimately related!  An absence or lack of either force in our lives points directly to a lack God’s Word stored in our hearts!  Piper and I witnessed that phenomenon throughout our multi-year battle with the sickness that attacked her body… in every geographical location we lived in during that time!  I firmly believe that was one of the main reasons that the Lord had told me to saturate us in the Word on a daily basis beginning in 2009… and it is a practice that I continue with today.

When Jesus was talking about having His JOY “abide” in us, He was teaching us of the importance “to stay in a given place or state of expectancy” in the power of His JOY. (Strong’s)  Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary tells us that His JOY is to be “a settled and permanent position” and one that shows us “to be in a close and settled union with Him.”

The revelation of NO JOY = NO WORD, or a distinct lack of the Word prevailing in our hearts, really opens my eyes… WHAT DO YOU THINK? 

I also realized this morning that my personal JOY not only gives me spiritual, physical, mental and emotional STRENGTH as Nehemiah 8:10 declares, but it also helps me to be more CONFIDENT and CREATIVE, and less CRITICAL and JUDGEMENTAL of myself as well as with others!

PLUS… I like the feeling that a JOYUL heart gives me!  HOW ABOUT YOU?

I pray that you are having a JOYUL week and that you are continuing to EXPECT God’s best for your life!