Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! or Ah-Ha!

I was reading from a somewhat obscure 1906 translation of the Apostle Paul’s letters along with the letter to the Hebrews entitled “The Letters of St Paul to Seven Churches and three Friends with the Letter to the Hebrews”* this morning, and in particular in Hebrews 4:11 where the writer stated,

“For God’s Word, in which I base my argument, is not a thing of the past nor something external to us: it is still living; it is instinct with energy; it is keener than any two-edged sword: that can but pierce flesh, but this finds its way to the dividing line between the animal life and the immortal spirit: it pierces the deepest recesses of our nature; it analyses the very emotions and purposes of the inmost heart.”

And what immediately caught my eye was, number one, that the writer made the point to begin with, by declaring that he was basing the argument that he was making to his readers on the Word of God, and secondly, in defense of that statement, he quickly explained that God’s Word was not something that should be seen as external to him nor to the subjects of his letter.  Then he stated what he considered to be the true definition of what the Word of God should be… or how it should be seen and understood by those who read and study it.

With that… I paused and found myself lost in thought as I gazed out across our cul-de-sac at the beautiful, luscious green golf course beyond.  The one statement that kept bouncing around in my mind was “How do you process the Word when you read it?”

How do you receive the Word that’s coming into your mind?  Do you process it with a sense of urgency, with passion, with a humble and teachable heart that is hungry to learn new things and change when needed?  Do you come to the Word with a pre-established determination that it is the real truth, the final Word… no matter what your natural circumstances are shouting to you… OR… do you simply see and understand it as another point of view for the various events going on in your life… that may… or may not… have any influence on those events?

That thought kept rambling around inside of me as I finished my study, fed the dog, took a shower, grabbed the dog’s harness and headed out the door for our morning trek along the golf course and the neighborhood park beyond.  On the way back we came up to three golfers totally absorbed in their game.  We watched one of them as he swung his club down to the ball and observed the whack of its contact and corresponding trajectory… as it sliced to the left and fell far short of the next hole, a ways up the course.

I thought “Whoops!” as I raised my eyebrows to the dog and burst out laughing as the guy yelled out a loud and distressed “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”  Then the next golfer hit his ball, and although I didn’t see where it went, we knew it also wasn’t the shot that the player was desiring when he started complaining about the landing of the ball.  But then something happened…

The third player immediately changed the atmosphere of the moment by explaining to his friend the things that were actually done well with that particular drive.  By then we were beyond audible range of their conversation but I could tell that the second golfer was happy and receiving the advice from his friend as a learning experience 

As Fiver and I continued on our walk, I couldn’t help but to compare what we just experienced against my Bible Study earlier in the day.  It looked to me that the first two golfers were simply out there playing a round of golf and just taking for granted (and getting upset about it in the process) that they were going to make bad shots and accept it as part of their game… while the third member of the group was definitely looking at every shot he took as an opportunity for improvement!

If I were to use their specific example for myself… I would have to admit that I approach my daily Bible study as the third player on the golf course seemed to approach his game… with the desire to learn and grow!  I mean… I don’t want to be just the same as I was yesterday… I want to be better.  I want to know more and therefore have a greater array of tools in my personal toolbox in order to be more proficient in the game of life!  To be a better man, dad, grandpa, friend and minister of the good news of the Gospel message. Would you agree for all of that in your life as well?

You see… like the writer of the book of Hebrews, as expressed in this translation, I see or process the Bible as a vital part of who I am.  It is not something that is external to me.  It is what I have come to believe and experience as the very truth of God that I have allowed inside in order to help me make changes, to let go of harmful habits, activities, thoughts or preconceived ideas of people, places or things and continue to strive to be Christ-like in everything I do.

So then… let me ask you again… “How do you process the Bible when you personally read and study the it?  Is it an outward ‘Ahhhhhhhhhhh!’ experience or a personal ‘Ah-Ha!’ and intimate ‘Thank you Lord for showing me how to be more like You!’

Have a wonderful weekend… and as you do… keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!

 

 

*The Seven Letters of St Paul to Seven Churches and three Friends with the Letter to the Hebrews,” Aurthur S. Way, MA, Copyright © BiblioLife, LLC

MOVE!

In my last blog post* I mentioned how much hiking was a part of our family camping adventures through the years.  One of the reasons that perpetuated that desire in the first place… is that I am a DOer!  When I am on vacation, I like to get out and DO things, to explore the countryside and to follow a trail up a mountain just to see what is visible from the top!

I’ve been that way since I was a kid.  My dad also liked to hike when our family went on our yearly camping adventure… but many times would frustrate me after the morning breakfast was finished and the dishes washed… when he wanted to sit in a camp chair and relax for a while and read the local newspaper** … before our morning hike!

For many years, our usual camping vacation with Piper and the kids began with me developing a migraine on the first afternoon after arriving at camp and getting set up, followed by Piper being a little bothered with me after breakfast the next day, because I was chomping at the bit to GO on a hike… when she wanted to relax a little bit and catch her breath before the day’s physical activities began!  I don’t remember a lot of that, but the kids laughingly tell me that it happened just about every time!

Likewise, I would get frustrated with Piper’s family when we would spend time with them on their vacation up at the Sea Ranch on the northern Sonoma County, California coast.  Again, I mentioned in my last blog, that we hardly ever slept in, but it was the norm with them.  And then when they did get up, it seemed (at least to my restless self) to take them forever to get ready for the planned family adventure to the local ice-cream store, the tennis courts or the swimming pool. 

So yes… I tend to be an individual who likes to get up, GO and DO things!  I’m also pretty sure that this tendency applies to my personal Christian walk.  Even when I study the Bible, I tend to read it from the viewpoint of how I can GO out and DO what the verses I’m looking at are encouraging me to DO, BE, SAY, THINK, or ACT.  Is that how you read your Bibles or the way you feel when the preacher is giving his or her message on Sunday mornings?

As I have been studying the LOVE chapter in I Corinthians 13 over the last few months, I’ve realized that Paul’s command isn’t just to HAVE love, but to DO love!  You see, Romans 5:5 already informs us that: “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (KJV)  So, why then would he dedicate an entire section of his letter to the Corinthian church to tell us of something that we already HAVE?  No, I think that his point is to tell us to get up and DO the actions of the fruit of the spirit of LOVE - that was given to us when we became born-again.

Likewise, in Matthew 28:18-19, in the scripture that has come to be known as “the Great Commission” Jesus tells us “All power (authority) is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.  GO ye therefore, and… (DO!)” (KJV) 

The word translated “GO” is defined in the original Greek as “to traverse, to live, to MOVE, to go to and fro, to experience, to GO or proceed in any way or course of life – to live in a certain manner.” (Strong’s, Thayer’s & Mounce)  To me… Jesus is simply telling us to GET UP and MOVE!  To DO and to BE the Gospel message! 

And since the word “gospel” literally means “The Good News”… He is encouraging us to DO it with a joyful heart and a happy disposition!  To let the smile of the gospel working in your life, that emanates from everything you DO and say, shine forth and splash onto anyone who comes across your path!

Now THAT, my friend, is what I would call DOing the gospel!   It’s called: Letting the Good News of the gospel message shine through the GOOD person you are and the GOOD life you live for Him…24/7!

Simple right?  Have a terrific new week, and as you DO… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

 

*http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2022/06/icouldnt-help-but-to-smile-this-morning.html

**You know… that’s probably why I always liked to pick up a local newspaper wherever we went on vacation with Piper and the kids.  Hummm… I never realized that before!

Practice, Practice, Practice!

I couldn’t help but to smile this morning as Fiver and I began our morning walk along the golf course to the neighborhood park and pond.  In the distance I noticed what looked to be a mom and her four children power-walking through the neighborhood.  I had also noticed them yesterday morning and was instantly reminded of my wife Piper and our four children.  Just like our family, two of the children were older and two were noticeably younger...  and the mom was shorter than both of the two older kids.

Piper was a very disciplined individual.  Which was sort of interesting because she came from a fairly undisciplined family.  Both my mom and dad were very disciplined.  I don’t ever remember them “sleeping in” on the weekends... nor on vacation for that matter.  They always arose early and spent the weekend working on various chores, both inside and outside of the house.  And needless to say, my two siblings and I grew up under and learned that same life discipline.

As it turned out, Piper was a lot like my mom.  She was outgoing, loved to laugh, was gracious to everyone and exercised daily.  Besides doing her sets of Canadian Airforce Exercises for years, she and the children walked pretty much every day... in addition to our daily walks either before or after my secular job… depending on the shift I was working at the time.  And that’s why I couldn’t help but to smile at the sweet memory of Piper and our kid’s daily walks, which Piper accounted for as a part of the children’s daily physical education time for their quarterly homeschool records.

That discipline in our daily lives also helped us in our spiritual walk as well.  The writer of the book of Hebrews made an interesting statement when he or she wrote,

“But solid food is for the mature, whose spiritual senses perceive heavenly matters. And they have been adequately trained by what they’ve experienced to emerge with understanding of the difference between what is truly excellent and what is evil and harmful.”  (Hebrews 5:14 - TPT) 

The King James Version talks about those that are mature in the Christian faith by stating that they are those, “…who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”   While the God’s Word © translation says that the mature are those “Whose minds are trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil.”

Piper didn’t keep her slim and trim figure after having four children by eating whatever she wanted nor with a lack of daily exercise.  She made a point to eat right and stick to her exercises and daily walks.  One of the reasons we loved camping was because of all the beautiful hikes we took throughout the parks and surrounding areas where we had pitched our tent, or in later years, parked our trailer.  That’s not to say that we didn’t enjoy sitting around the camp and resting… but hikes… and many times… strenuous ones, were a part of the regular vacation activity that we enjoyed!

Hebrews 5:14 likens our commitment to the regular disciplines of good health and exercise to that of the mature Christian, who regularly “TRAINS” themselves by the regular and repeated (study of and) “PRACTICE” in the Biblical standards of faith in God and His Word and of the discerning of good and evil in the course of our daily lives.

And again… just like in the practice of nutrition and physical exercise, we also learned that there are times when it is a lot more difficult to walk in this life according to the Biblical standards that are set forth in our Bibles, than to go along with the ways of the world’s thinking.  We personally experienced that when we followed what we believed to be God’s way for us when Piper got sick… and its quite similar to what most Christians today are experiencing in our ever-increasing, modern WOKE leaning society.

But I have to tell you (as I am sure that many of you already know…), that although it isn’t always easy, the results of continual training and practice, practice, and more practice in the life-giving and life-saving principles of our Christian faith are much more rewarding, encouraging and peace rendering in our hearts, than by yielding to the pressures coming from almost every direction we look!

So, what do ya think?  Are you up to joining in with the Christian exercise and practice plan?  It could very well change and enhance the entire course of your life!

Have a great weekend, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life!

I'm Glad for It!

There are times in the course of my daily life when I come across something that reminds me of different things that happened during the 48 years that my wife and I were together and especially when I was caring for her during the last eleven years of her earthly existence.  Some are funny and cause me to smile or maybe even burst out laughing in some of the most unlikely places.  At other times, they may cause me to tear up or catch me unaware, so-much-so that I need to make a quick exit from the public place I currently am in and find a quiet spot alone in order for me to compose myself.

I will admit though, that with the passing of time, the smiles and laughs now exceed the sad times as I find that I tend to enjoy replaying all the fun and sometimes down-right silly things that Piper and I did together from high school into our senior years.  Even when the ravages of the Alzheimer’s encroached upon her mind and body, we could still find things to laugh about… and I went out of my way to share funny things with her, even during the times when she was unable to show any recognition at my attempts at humor!  I always loved to make her laugh… as she did to me!

Over the weekend I suddenly found myself thinking about some of the unusual responses and reactions that different individuals had made during Piper’s illness.  And I could only laugh and shake my head (which could have been dangerous since I was shaving at the time…) as I thought… “You know… they just didn’t react like normal people do in similar situations!”

But then… I had a sudden thought that almost made me drop the razor that I was rinsing under the running water in the sink.  Out of nowhere I heard myself say… “You know Jim… You’re actually the one who doesn’t always react like ‘normal people’ do!  And… I had to laugh!  Because it was true!

In I Corinthians 13:11, The Apostle Paul explained to the church in Corinth, when they were experiencing some growing pains and the intermixing of some of the world’s ways with those of God’s, that:

“When I was a child, I spoke about childish matters, for I saw things like a child and reasoned like a child. But the day came when I matured, and I (purposely) set aside my childish ways.”  (TPT) 

I can clearly remember three times in our lives when Piper and I purposely set aside our childish ways in order to step up into the place of maturity that we believed God wanted us to be.  The first was soon after our marriage when we had read some books that talked about the authority that we Christian believers have in Christ.  We decided at that early point in our marriage, that we wanted to step up and not only be at the game… but be playing on the first-string squad when it came to our Christian walk.

The next momentous time came when we received the first negative report on the results of Piper’s original three brain scans while out here in Oklahoma in 2007.  It was a pretty black and white… and easy decision to make.  I remember taking her hand that evening after I got home from work and us entering into heartfelt prayer fully acknowledging the fact that there was no scientific, medical cure for Piper’s situation and that we were openly and obediently putting ALL OF OUR TRUST in God and in the truth of His Word for her life.  His would be the final word on every decision we would make from that day forward.

The third time was actually made by me in the absence of my wife, when I felt the Lord directing me to make a move to Tennessee early last month, as I seek to fulfill His calling on my life in this new chapter and season of my life.  I am totally convinced that God is not done with me yet and am extremely excited to accomplish whatever it is that He has for me to do for Him!

I realized as I stood with razor in hand the other morning, that Piper’s and my decision and determination to put our trust wholly in the Lord… a decision made and set in-process before we returned to our hometown after Bible College… may have disturbed some of the homefolks.  As it turned out, many, if not most of the concerns, questions and suggestions that they made to us had already been considered months before we left Oklahoma.  Piper and I had made the decision that it was time to step up, or “man-up” as I like to put it… and either believe God and His Word or not.

And what we discovered along the way, was that the inner images of the promises of God in His Word that we were faithfully standing on… grew progressively bigger on the inside of us, than the fear, doubt and unbelief that others tended to see.

So… what can I say in my defense?  We were incredibly blessed along the entire path.  We had extreme favor with our medical teams, with approval of county, state and federal benefit programs and with just about anyone else we met along the way.  We got to buy and live in our dream home for almost five years, drive around the beauty of North Carolina in sweet ride that was both Piper’s and my delight, make many new friends in three different states and see and enjoy Piper as she lived out her life for a good five years longer than what medical science told us to expect… with lots of laughter and joy and the vivid witness of the grace of God all around us!

So… I guess I do think and respond a bit differently than a lot of the world around me… and you know what?  I’m glad for it!

How about YOU?

Have a terrific week ahead… and as you do, keep EXPECTING God’s best for your life! 

We’re looking at some Excessive Heat Warnings for the next few days… but I’ll take the heat and its accompanying breezes anytime over the cold, ice and snow! 

TENNESSEE

As many of you probably know, I just returned from a two week visit with our oldest son and his family who live just east of Nashville, in the great state of Tennessee.  I had the stark revelation a few months back… that no matter how hard I tried… I couldn’t seem to see a future for me in Oklahoma.  I realized that I had lost the vision and enthusiasm with all the plans I had made for my home and property here in Oklahoma… and after some time of prayer and self-searching, I finally came to the understanding that this house was simply a very needed (at the time after losing my wife) place holder for the new chapter and season that I was entering into in my life.

I also became aware of the fact that I sorely missed the tall trees and mountains of both northern California and North Carolina.  As wonderful as Oklahoma is with its great people, abundance of churches and strong conservative values, it is quite FLAT out here!  And so… the impending high school graduation of our oldest granddaughter presented the perfect opportunity for a great adventure!

I had mentioned in previous blogs that the first tell-tale sign that I had noticed concerning a subtle change that was going on with my wife back in the early 2000’s, was the gradual loss of her confidence.  But you know… she wasn’t the only one to experience that loss.

Once we received that first somewhat scrambled negative report from her original three brain scans in 2007, I became focused and driven to do whatever I needed to do for her… and I pretty much did that for the next eleven years of her life.  But when she went home to be with the Lord in 2018, I suddenly lost my purpose for all that focus and drive… and I found that my own confidence had begun to wane!

I seemed to be okay around town… for that was one of the reasons I decided to move to Oklahoma.  Besides having most of my kids here, I was already familiar with the area, as I had attended Bible College here.   But that old love that I had for taking road trips and exploring new areas seemed to have gone away in a poof of smoke!

They do say though, that with the passing of time comes healing and I have seen that evolution in me over the 3 plus years since Piper’s passing.  With the revelations about my current status in life and the ever-increasing desires for needed change… a road trip to Tennessee was not only looking to be the thing to do… but also the thing that I NEEDED to do!  It would also give me an opportunity to scope out the area and see if a possible move to Tennessee was to seriously consider!

Driving by myself, across a few states to get to my son’s home in Tennessee sounded possible and all the mental pictures of the majestic scenery along the way tickled my sense of adventure… and besides, it was only a little over an eight-hour trip away… I could easily do that… drive southeast down the Muskogee Turnpike, get on interstate 40 East and go straight… piece of cake… Right?

 And well… you know it was!  Both ways in fact!

As it turned out… My son and his family had been planning a week-long celebration at Disney World following their oldest daughter’s graduation.*  So the plan was for me to house sit their home along with their incredibly cute Goldendoodle puppy and 7 chickens out back… and spend time with them both before and after their trip to Florida.

So, I had two days before they left and two days after they returned to spend with them and get personal tours of different towns and historic sites that seem to surround them on every side!  For a history nut like me… It was like being in paradise!

As per my normal process, I had already done a ton of research on the area and had focused my attention on the neighboring town of Lebanon, some 15 minutes east of Mt Juliet where my son lives.  It is a small town that dates back to 1801 with a population of around 38K.  It boasts an historic and quaint downtown square, complete with a statue of a Civil War general who lived in the town and a restored pioneer cabin.  It is also surrounded by specialty shops including an old guitar shop, a hole-in-the-wall used books store and an old-fashioned candy and ice cream shop.

Therefore, besides wrangling the chickens and collecting their daily assortment of fresh eggs and walking the dog, I spent the week the kids were on vacation taking daily excursions into Lebanon and explored a good majority of the neighborhoods and surrounding areas of the town.

A personalization of Romans 5:5 from The Passion Translation tells us that:

“Our EXPECTAIONS (of God and His Word) are not disappointing fantasies, because (through them) we can now experience the endless love of God cascading into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives in us!” 

I was EXPECTING great things from my trip to Tennessee… and you know… I was not disappointed… even though it took me a few days and multiple trips into Lebanon before I found some neighborhoods with smaller homes with the size of property that fit into my potential plans.  And granted, it is a little more expensive there than in Oklahoma… but I continue to EXPECT that God will keep to His Word and: "shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 KJV - personalized)

So yeah!  I am excited about my future.  I loved the rolling hills, tall pines and mountains that I saw and am highly EXPECTANT of what God has in store for me. I am EXPECTING His Word of promise to come true in my life!

How About You?  What are you EXPECTING… and are you EXPECTING it to come true in your life?  Hummmm… just think about it!

Have a great week, and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST in your life!

 

*Their younger daughter was also graduating from the 8^th grade… so it was a dual graduation vacation!