16,790 Times...

  (This post is a reprint of a post I wrote back in July of 2016 when Piper was still with us)

Every morning when I help my wife up from bed, I begin by placing my right hand under her left arm and my left hand under her shoulder on the same side (as she normally sleeps on her left side).  Then I gently lift her into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.  I always tell her what I am about to do and sometimes add a few silly phrases along the way, like today…  As I got into position, I laughingly told Piper that I was lifting her up with my ‘big strong arms!’  Then I had to pause and ask her, “I wonder how many times I have put my arms around you over the years?”

If you figure that we have embraced at least once a day over the 46 years of our relationship, that number comes to 16,790 times!  Of course, there were a few days when we weren’t together due to work or church retreats, conferences and the such.  But then there were also LOTS of occasions when we embraced more (many, many more…) times than just once a day as well.  So, I would conservatively have to say that the number of our embraces is at least double the minimum 16,790 times!

Now, you might be wondering where I am going with this.  Well, when I am assisting my wife in the morning as well as any time that I help her to get up, move about or simply stand, I have to put my arms around her and support her.  I guess you could say that I am acting as her foundation to keep her upright and steady!  Over the last seven years I have never lost my grip or accidentally dropped her!*  Her legs may occasionally collapse on me and I have to let her gently go down to her knees so that I can get a better ‘handle’ on her… but she knows that she is safe and that I am still in control of the situation!

My example with Piper goes right along with Paul’s petition for us in Ephesians 3:17 when he prayed that we would be “rooted” and “GROUNDED” in God’s love (KJV).  The word “GROUNDED” is an architectural term referring to the foundation on which buildings or houses are built upon.  Without a strong and solid foundation, a building would shift and eventually fall down in the midst of the natural storms and disasters that occur around the world.

I come from California where most residents have come to realize the utmost importance of the foundation upon which their home is built.  In my home county, most home owners will shy away from a cement slab foundation as it is very inflexible during an earthquake and can easily crack and cause havoc to the house.  In San Francisco, architects have developed a type of roller foundation that actually flexes with a quake and helps to keep the tall buildings intact and its residents safe.

I have to admit that I got a little annoyed at the various inspectors that checked out our new home here in North Carolina during the escrow process of the purchase.  Every one of them went to great lengths in explaining the type of crawlspace foundation that the house has and to clarify with me that the brick enclosure had NO weight bearing function but was simply for aesthetics.  But it did get me to thinking about how any other foundation but God’s love is simply aesthetics in the life of a Christian.  When our lives get shaken, the aesthetics won’t hold us up for long, and will quickly cause us to take a great fall!

I have said it time and again, of how Piper’s and my ever-increasing intimate knowing of God’s love for us has been the solid foundation that has held us up throughout the earth quaking, tornado spinning, tsunami flooding that has come upon the home of our lives since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2007.  His love has given us the strength to get up each day with a smile of EXPECTATION, an underlying dependence in His grace to see us through, and the unshakable faith in His Word that fills us with His JOY… no matter what new and or emergency situation we may face.

Over my years in ministry, I have seen those whose foundations collapsed when faced with the storms of life… and the results were not pretty!  It is also not the results that our heavenly Father has planned for us, His kids!  He has given each and every one of us the tools and material in His Word to build a strong and solid foundation for our lives… but it is up to us to take what He has provided and become “GROUNDED” in His love and truth as found in the Word of God.

Have a great weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Whose or What kind of foundation am I EXPECTING to hold me up and keep me steady… when the storms of life come my way?”

 

*Although… I did partially drop her the very first time I foolishly picked her up and attempted to carry her up her parent’s front steps when we were in high school…  I have to laugh now, because after that… she was never real comfortable with me carrying her! 

So… I wonder who got the last laugh… Although looking back today (in 2023), I wonder if the worsening ach in my knees has anything to do with my lifting and carrying her for all those years when she was sick… (Oh, well… it was worth it!) 

Tip Top Condition

As many of you know, one of my favorite recreational activities is hiking.  Some of my most enjoyable memories, both as a child and an adult, are hiking through the towering Redwood forests throughout the five northern California coastal counties from just above San Francisco to the Oregon border.  But as far as breath-taking views go, I would have to say that the trails that my wife and I discovered, and later with our four kids in tow, within Sierra and Plumas counties in the northeastern Sierras… were even more spectacular!

The terrain of the Sierra Nevada’s is not as thickly forested as in the Redwood groves and intermittently open up to ah-inspiring vistas of a seemingly endless views of distant mountain tops, meadows, ice cold creeks, waterfalls, sharp and steep cliffs and picture-perfect thunder-cloud formations that you feel that you can reach out and touch with your extended arms!

I have found that I cannot hike a Sierra trail without a smile on my face and a CHEERUL expectancy of the discovery of the outstanding views that I might encounter around the next bend or at the top of the next highpoint of the trail that we will crest.  And as I thought about all this on Fiver’s and my morning walks over the last few days, I realized that in many respects, that same CHERRFUL expectancy of discovery is the same way in which I approach and enjoy my faith!

It didn’t take much thought to see how much I enjoy my daily “Coffee Time” in the Word first thing every morning.  That time set aside in the quiet still of the morning has been a part of my regular routine of my adult life for as long as I can remember… long before Piper got sick and while the children were growing up.

The settings may have changed over the years, different houses, different cities in different states, or sitting at a camp table under the canopy of Redwoods, Pines or even the Oaks out here along Fort Gibson Lake in the Sequoyah State Park campgrounds… the CHEERFUL expectancy of deeper discoveries in the revelation of the truth of God’s Word fills my heart as I sit down with an open Bible, note pad and steaming hot cup of coffee! 

Now that my friends… is a very integral part of a happy life lived in a state of CHEERFUL expectancy of what one might observe and learn around the next turn along the trails of their life.

After living a full life that also came with persistent persecutions, the Apostle Paul happily and proudly wrote to the Christians in Rome declaring that,

“For I am not ashamed of the GOSPEL of Christ: for it is the POWER of God unto SALVATION to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For THEREIN is the RIGHTOUSNESS of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall LIVE by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17 – KJV) 

In this foundational portion of Scripture, Paul is explaining what the Gospel is, what It teaches us and once knowing and growing in the regular discovery of that revelation, how we as Believers should live and experience It our daily lives!

The original Greek definition of the word “LIVE” describes a LIFE that is “fresh, strong, efficient and efficacious (efficacious meaning “to be successful in producing a desired or intended result*) and/or “to live a life that is alive with CHEERED and highly expectant feelings.” (Thayer’s and Mounce Greek Definitions)

And you know… that original definition which describes the way we should live our lives, makes a whole bunch of sense… especially when you also understand that the word “Gospel” simply means “glad tidings or good, joyful or CHEERFUL news!”**  When one regularly keeps an eye on and studies the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ… you can’t help but be CHEERFUL!

Listening to and doing what the Good News tells you not only fills you with a CHEERFUL countenance, but also works to keep you healthy and in TIP TOP condition… physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and even financially… WHY?  Because it keeps you focused and in tune to God’s ways, God’s thoughts and alert to His steps of righteousness, thereby helping us to make good and strategic decisions!

Proverbs 17:22 informs us that,

“A cheerful disposition is good for your health; (but) gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.” (MSG) 

Another translation of this verse describes the effect of a heart that is not CHEERFUL saying,

“one whose heart is crushed (ie; one whose heart has placed an idol before God) struggles with sickness and depression.” (TPT)  

I like to pull up to the filling station first thing every morning because I depend on and enjoy the CHEERFUL disposition of heart that meets and builds my expectation and satisfies the hunger and thirst of my life!  I couldn’t imagine a day without it…

How About You?

Have a great week as you expectantly hike the CHEERFUL trails of deeper DISCOVERY, in the righteousness of God and His Word for your life!

 

*Oxford Online Dictionaries

** Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary

Intimate and Personal

As I was going online the other morning, so I could send a birthday gift card to our second granddaughter… I’m kind of embarrassed to say that… I had to stop and think about exactly which birthday she was going to be celebrating this year.  But it didn’t take long for it to dawn on me that she was going to be sixteen years old… and with that revelation… I was overcome with all kinds of happy (and emotional) memories of the very young, sixteen-year-old Piper Canevari, complete with her engaging smile and bubbling personality, that I was first introduced to and got to know, less than a month after her sixteenth birthday, on that first day of eleventh grade English in September of 1969!

And… WHEW… Who knew what a life-changing impact that that smile, those cute freckles and her contagious laughter would have upon that much older (Ha… five months to the day older!) 100% Italian boy who, because they were alphabetically placed, sat directly in front of her!

While being lost in the countless memories of our high school years together, I began to realize that after we actually started dating, one year later on the very first day of our senior year, that our relationship was all about trust, honor and respect.  We quickly became a team that selflessly looked out for the best in and for each other… as we literally spent hours each day getting to really know and understand each other! 

We enjoyed an ever-increasing trust and respect for one another and found ourselves being comfortable to share just about anything.  I guess that you could say, that as far as our conversations, discussions and the personal things we talked about went, we quickly developed a deeply PERSONAL and INTIMATE relationship between us… something that only increased throughout every day of the following 48 years that we had together.

I noticed today as I reviewed all my hand written Scripture notes from my daily Bible study, or as I refer to it as my “Coffee Time” with the Lord, that I had a lot of “I’s,” “YOU’s” and “ME’s” written on the 5.5” X 7” note page.  Out of the eight different verses and notes, those words were written at least 22 times!  I also became aware that the word “KNOW” was quite common within those same verses as well... and that got me to thinking…

It turned out that every time the word “KNOW” was used, it was translated from the same Greek word “ginosko” which according to the online Bible study resource “Equip God’s People”* means “to know intimately, to get acquainted with and figuratively: to have sexual intercourse with”** (ginosko is used 223 times in the New Testament)

Well… it didn’t take a rocket being shot off outside my study window in the cul-de-sac for me to rapidly ascertain that God was clearly showing me the importance of Christians having an ever-increasing intimate and deeply personal relationship with God and the truth of His Word… and as a specific and definitive example… he flashed all the memories of Piper’s and my very personal, budding relationship in high school and then the disciplined and diligent… and QUITE ENJOYABLE, I might add, relationship that she and I continued to develop over the many years of our union!

I’ve told before, of how when Piper got to the point in her battle against Alzheimer’s, where she couldn’t verbally communicate anymore, of how our INTIMATELY close and PERSONAL relationship came in handy.  You see, I knew the things she liked, the things that pleased her, as well as what her answers would be to most questions, how she would respond to different stimuli and I was also well in tune to her physical changes and needs.

It was both confusing and difficult for me to see how some folks, by their words and actions, who were close in family relationship to her… actually knew VERY little about her.

Over the past 53 years of my life, I have diligently pursued my relationship with the Lord through His Word, through prayer and through fellowship with other believers.  But the INTIMACY and PERSONAL depth of that relationship was revealed to me, when – in 2008 while preparing for a sermon for school- the Lord began to show me how intimately He both “KNEW’ and “LOVED” Piper and I.  (And looking back today, I can see that it was in preparation for what we were to face with the attack of Alzheimer’s).  At that time, He led me to Ephesians 3:19 and told me that in the days to come that:

“You will KNOW (ginosko) Christ's love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.” (God’s Word ©) 

The next ten years was a time of great trial but also a time of great learning, as I began to systematically look at my faith and personalize it to the point that I KNEW that God loved me as INTIMATELY as I loved Piper… and as I did for her… stay true to His Word for us… as He promised Joshua before the battles for the Promised Land by declaring,

“No one will be able to oppose you (insert your name here) successfully as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never neglect you or abandon you.” (Joshua 1:5 – God’s Word ©) 

My challenge to my readers today, would be to ask you how PERSONALLY you believe that God intimately “KNOWS” and “LOVES” you!  When you read and study the Word, is it as if the Lord is speaking directly to you from a place that is deeply PERSONAL and INTIMATE to you?  And is that the same way that you “KNOW” and “LOVE” Him?

It was the way that I eventually began to “KNOW” and “LOVE” that sixteen-year-old that I met as a Junior in high school… It is also the way that I increasingly came to “KNOW” and “LOVE” my Father God and the truth of His Word… even when the circumstances around me didn’t agree with His Word… Afterall… He “KNEW” and “LOVED” me better than anyone else (yes, even more than Piper!)… How could I possibly disbelieve Him!

Have a great rest of your week, and as you do... Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST which is the way that He INTIMATELY and PERSONALLY “KNOWS” and “LOVES” you! 

We’re chilling at a lovely 107+ here, with a lightly overcast sky and a southernly wind… So, all is good – PTL! 

 

*https://www.equipgodspeople.com/

**https://www.equipgodspeople.com/lexicons-word-study/new-testament-greek/strongs-g1097

EXCITEMENT and EXPECTATION - part 2

Back in the mid 1990’s, my wife and I hosted and led a Thursday night prayer group at our house, just north of our hometown of Santa Rosa, California.  The group was made up of church leaders from our previous fellowship who were interested in starting a Word of Faith Church in our city.  Each week we gathered and prayed for specific direction on how to accomplish this plan, which was our hearts desire for our community.

To say the least, we were all unified in purpose and overflowed with EXCITEMENT and EXPECTATION.  When we heard through a relative of Piper’s, of a couple from the Bay Area who had just graduated and returned home from the Bible School that I would eventually graduate from in Oklahoma, we immediately invited them to come and speak to our group.

I can still remember most of Paul’s teaching to us as if it was just yesterday!  It is easy for me to picture him walking through the middle of the 12-15 of us who were spread throughout our living room, seated on our sectional couch, piano bench and kitchen chairs, as he taught on the subject of faith.  What stands out the most is when he suddenly stopped and asked us “How many of you are activity standing in Faith for something right now?”  Both Piper and I were surprised as our hands immediately shot up, when only a few others in the group joined us.*

Paul went on for the remainder of that night, teaching us of the importance of being and staying in active faith in God and the truth of His Word.  One of the many verses he taught from included Roman’s 1:16-17 where the Apostle Paul was basically teaching the same message and declared,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” (KJV) 

As Piper and I continued to grow over the ensuing years in our understanding and practical application of faith in our daily lives, we also came to realize that it is actually IMPOSSIBLE to please God without it!  Hebrews 11:6 informs us,

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6 – KJV) 

So, while the writer of the book of Hebrews** tells us that it is IMPOSSIBLE to please God without faith, The Apostle Paul declares that our ever-increasing understanding of the righteousness of God (ie; who we are in Christ in our place of right standing with God) is continually revealed to us… through our regular actions and stands of faith throughout each day of our lives.

We also learned that being in active faith, believing on the truth of God’s Word for something in our lives, projected us through the mundane exercise of life and channeled us into the realm of God’s EXCITING, EXPECTANT, and LIMITLESS possibilities!

When Piper got was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, many people were initially taken back by my encouraging and joyful demeanor.  A few even got upset with me!  But how could I allow myself to be drawn into hopelessness and/or depression like some of them - when Piper and I continued to stand in the EXCITED EXPECTANCY of God and His Word working in and through our situation.  And if those same individuals were honest today… they would have to admit that God’s hand of mercy, peace, provision, strength of joy was working mightily amongst us!  It would be difficult to put a number to all the miracles He did along the way for us.

So, if you’re anything like me… then I am sure that you want to BE and to DO all that God has planned for you as a member of His family… and we can’t ever reach our full potential unless we continue to grow in our understanding and application of who we are as the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.  And according to the Apostle Paul…  God’s righteousness is revealed to us from each of our stands of faith on His Word to the next stand of faith!

I’m EXCITED and highly EXPECTANT about my faith… HOW ABOUT YOU?

Have a great weekend.  We’ve got a short reprieve this weekend from the intense heat we have been experiencing with temperatures now only in the high 80’s… instead of a heat index of up to 115!

Have a cold beverage just for me, take a stand of faith and then EXPECT to see God reveal more and more of His righteousness to you!

 

*Paul and his wife ended up starting a church closer to their home in the East Bay area of California, but did help us with the logistics of getting the church started and connect us with another California graduate of Rhema Bible Training College who became our pastor for the next twelve plus years.

**The writer of the Book of Hebrews is not named in the Bible and while most people tend to think that Paul wrote it, there are many (including myself) who feel that the writing style and composition of this letter are very different than Paul’s.  It seems obvious that the writer was a leader in the church, skilled in the Old Testament scriptures and very familiar and well-studied in the Pauline revelation.  My personal favorite (even though I have absolutely nothing to prove it) is that it was written by Paul’s original close associate Barnabas!

An EXCITING and EXPECTANT Message!

This last week has been a daily experience of mental flashbacks to many of the special times that my late wife and I spent together throughout our long relationship from high school into our senior years.  I’m not sure what triggered all the vivid memories and dreams.  It may have been the recent celebration of Father’s Day, or the family gathering at our youngest daughter’s house for the 4^th of July, or then again… it might be our upcoming wedding anniversary next week… that would have marked 48 years of marriage… in addition to the five years we spent dating and being engaged previous to our wedding on July 12, 1975.

Wow… a total of 53 years!  That’s a lot of time, commitment and love that was invested between the two of us!  And without a moment’s hesitation, I would honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed just about every moment of it!  That’s not to say that we didn’t have our little spats, disagreements or annoyances… but they were relatively few, short in duration, quick in forgiveness and long in making up!

When Piper was initially diagnosed with the potential of the early onset of Alzheimer’s, the Lord began to show me in many different ways, of how my relationship with her was and/or should be very similar… if not identical… to our personal relationship with Him.  I didn’t realize back then in 2007, how important that information would be to me in the near future, as the reality and shock of the Alzheimer’s came to light in her body.  The personal revelations of the depth of God’s love for Piper and I, being understood in the same light and degree of the deep love between Piper and I, is the truth and hope that got me through my most difficult times during the following eleven years.

If I was to use just a few words to simply describe Piper’s and my relationship, I would say it was one of love, honor, trust, respect and EXCITING EXPECTANCY!  The same words that I would use to describe hers and my relationship… both individually and together… with the Lord.

I was listening to a Pastor’s teaching on Romans 1:16-17 a few Sundays ago when she stated, “If people aren’t excited about the Gospel message, then they need to hear the same Gospel you heard… the same EXCITING, EXPECTANT and TRANSFORMING Gospel that changed your life!”

In Romans1:16-17 the Apostle Paul wrote,

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the (exciting and expectant) POWER of God unto SALVATION to everyone that believes, both to the Jew first and to the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God IS REVEALED from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (English Majority Text Version)

When I heard the Pastor say that and then began to take a more in-depth look at Romans 1:16-17, I couldn’t help but to stand up at my desk and shout a resounding “YES!” and then immediately relate my introduction to and following life with and in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to that of my EXCITING and very EXPECTANT relationship with my wife… Hum… now that I think about it… maybe that’s what triggered all my positive and heartfelt memories with Piper!

There is way too much information and Biblical insight from this verse to share in today’s (already getting too long) blog post… So, I’ll share more in upcoming blogs!  But for now, I’ll leave you with the EXCITING and EXPECTANT definition of the word translated “SALVATION” in our verses above.  Dake’s Study Notes explains that,

“Salvation is the all-inclusive word of the gospel, gathering into itself all the redemptive acts and processes. It is used 119 times in the Old Testament. There are 7 Hebrew and Greek words for "salvation." They are used 388 times and are translated by 23 English words, some with various endings, which mean salvation, deliverance, save, health, help, welfare, safety, victory, Savior, defend, avenge, rescue, and preserve.”

Therefore, from the repeated use of that one word alone throughout both the Old and New Testaments alike, it is simple to deduce that Moses, Jesus, Paul and the rest of the writers of the Bible… taught, preached and lived… a Gospel for the WHOLE man (and/or woman)!  The message they brought forth for the world to hear was and still is meant to minister to the entire spirit, soul and body of mankind. 

And all one has to do to prove that statement is to look at the variety of subjects that Jesus and Paul alone taught on.  Subjects ranging from the most important, number one step of the saving of our souls, to those that touch just about EVERY aspect of human life on this planet.  Including the health and healing of our physical bodies, our emotional and/or mental health, the supply of our finances, our social interactions with others, (and in particular with our relationship with members of the opposite sex) and our intimate relationship with our spouses.

I’ve mentioned before of when Piper and I first began to understand and experience the Gospel message in the light of the EXCITING and EXPECTANT “power of God unto salvation” of the whole man in the mid-1970’s.  It changed everything for us and set us on an adventure in our faith lives that shaped our future.  And I can most honesty report that my faith walk today is even more EXCITING and EXPECTANT to me than it was back then… the VERY SAME THING that I could say about Piper’s and my EXCITING and EXPECTANT relationship from the first time I held her hand in high school in 1970, to the last time I held her hand during the final five hours of her earthly existence in 2018.

Can you say the same thing about your relationship with God and the truth of His Word?  I sure hope so!  Would you use the words: EXCITING and EXPECTANT to describe that relationship? 

If not… or if you want to know how to increase it in your relationship… STAY TUNED to further blog posts coming soon to a smart phone or computer near to you!

Have a great weekend… and as you do… Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST in and through your lives!  After a night and morning of thunderstorms and sitting on the floor with the dog for a while to help keep him calm (at 3:00 this morning), the day out here has turned into a beautiful Oklahoma scene of deep blue skies and incredible cloud formations!

Be and stay Blessed!

I Love a PARADE!

I was trying to remember this morning the last time that I went to a PARADE.  Piper loved a good PARADE.  She would sit in wonder while she watched the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving PARADE on TV each year.  She loved the floats, but most of all… it was the marching bands that always caught her fancy!  I’m pretty sure that it reminded her of the anticipation and fun that she enjoyed while marching and performing routines in our local Rose PARADE each year with our high school band.  Piper’s main band instrument was the flute, but when they marched in a parade, she proudly played her high-pitched piccolo!

Now that I think about it… I believe that the last PARADE that I actually attended was our hometown Rose PARADE, but this time, it was Piper and I watching three of our four kids playing with the Santa Rosa Christian School band from the back of a flat bed semi-trailer pulled by a deep green semi-tractor!  Our oldest daughter Jamie, had carried on the tradition of her mom and also played the flute until she got braces and for the fun of it, switched to the tuba!  Like his older brother before him, Jeremy played the trumpet and our youngest JoAnna, took up the clarinet.  The children definitely got the Piper gene with their musical talents and also played a number of different instruments!

What got me thinking about PARADES this morning was a familiar scripture passage from 2 Corinthians 2:14 where Paul wrote,

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us like a victorious PARADE to reveal the beauty of being in union with Christ and thus spread the loving fragrance of his character, methods and principles everywhere we go.” (Remedy) 

I guess that I was reading this verse today from the viewpoint of a father as I immediately started thinking of how God… just like an earthly parent… loves to show off His kid’s talents, abilities and victories in an exciting PARADE where everyone present can watch and ooh and aah with the same delight that I would see in Piper’s eyes when she watched a dazzling marching band!

In God’s eyes though, what He wants the spectators to see and enjoy, is the dazzling ways in which we, His children, display “the loving fragrance of His character, His methods and His principles” within the world in which you and I live our daily lives!

2 Corinthians 2:15-16A goes on to explain that,

“Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way of salvation—as an aroma redolent with life.  But those on the way of destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse...” (The Message)

It is interesting to me, that while we basically are told what God expects the world to see in us… that not everyone will see… and necessarily be in agreement with… what He sees! 

So, what do we do?  Well… I don’t see anywhere in this verse or throughout the New Testament where God tells us to act any differently than the way He desires us to live.  We just keep playing the instruments of life that He has given each of us to play and practice… in order to keep honing our talents throughout the individual course that He has set before each of us.

I kind of had to learn the hard way for awhile in my life when people would get upset with me for following my Christian beliefs… when they didn’t like what I was doing.  But once I got past ME… and realized as Paul is saying in these verses above, that they were really having a problem with God and His Word… rather than just with me… that I finally learned how love these individuals, pray for them and communicate with them in ways that would not trigger their frustrations.

I have to give it to Piper in that she never stopped improving her skills and talents with the piano.  She was constantly learning new pieces for church praise and worship services, but also spent time learning, practicing and playing (what I would consider the more intricate and difficult) classical pieces of music for her own pleasure… and then surprise me with a special gift when she would play the pieces just for me! 

You don’t know how much I miss her playing the piano.  I will find myself at times… just staring at the now silent piano and imagine that I’m observing her little fingers flying across the keys as the glorious sounds blend into a wonderful crescendo of fragrant melodies that were the signature musical notes of Piper.

That’s the way that I want to live my life.  I want to continue improving the sweet fragrance of God’s character, His methods and His principles that pour forth from my life and act as an aroma redolent with life.

How about you?

Have a great Fourth of July weekend, and as you do, keep EXPECTING to share God’s BEST with others, through the sweet sounds and fragrances of God that emanates through you.