Carrying On!

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, then you most likely know that I am a man that puts a lot of stock in the Word of God.  Which as I wrote about yesterday, is what my wife and I have come to see as the script for the story of our lives! 

I know many people who look to the daily news in order to stay informed as to what is happening in the world that may affect their lives.  I have come to learn that no matter what the news says, I do not have to fear or be moved.  Instead, I am thankful because the Word of God tells me that no matter what… My God will always lead me in victory! (See: 2 Corinthians 2:14)  I’ve made a point over the years to always look at the Word first thing each day, before I look at any paper or electronic news source.  This way I am fortified for any natural reports that I may hear or see.

My reliance on the Word has only increased over the last nine years with the battle for my wife’s health.  And throughout that time, I have learned many lessons concerning how His Word affects the very core of our daily lives.  I have seen that when one is fighting a war for a loved one’s health, that this individual NEEDS the constant input of life that only the Word of God can give!

Early on I would find myself getting very frustrated and drained when I was around certain Christians.  Recently I have come to understand that in most instances, when we were around these folks, the only Word that was being spoken was coming from myself or my wife when she still was still able to converse with those around her.

Romans 10:17 tells us that,

 “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.”  (ESV)

So, in other words… No Word = No Faith!  The writer of Hebrews tells us that,

“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)  

I now understand this verse to mean that fellowship with other Believers, that is centered around the Word… brings life and involves the whole man… spirit, soul and body!  If the conversation is only based on natural things, then it is only a mental exercise!

Don’t get me wrong.  There is definitely a place for these kinds of discussions, but when the conversation is center on an individual fighting for their very life, then I want to speak the Word into the discussion!  Believe me when I say that those of us who are in the throes of a life-or-death situation NEED to hear the Word in order to continually build up our expectations for the miraculous power of God’s Word to be working in our situation.  Remember Hebrews 11:1 declares that,

“Faith assures us of the things we expect…” (God’s Word ©) 

People in the middle of a battle NEED to keep their expectations HIGH!  I am so thankful for friends like my long-time buddy John who calls me from California on a weekly basis to encourage me with testimonies that he’s been a part of as he has prayed for friends that needed a touch of God.  Many times, though, he simple calls to build my expectations by sharing a favorite scripture with me.

So yeah… I am a man who greatly desires to hear, and hear, and hear the Word!  For you see… that for Piper and I… the truth and reality of God’s Word has become the very foundation of our lives.  For us it is His Zoë… the absolute fullness of the God kind of life!

It is the power that gives me the strength to get up with a smile (most times…) in the middle of the night to meet my wonderful wife’s needs and then to keep a smile on my face, as well as faith in my heart and on my lips… when I see the devastating changes that have come upon her person.  It is the way that God’s personal words to me that “the best is yet to come” stays sharp and alive in me!  I mean let’s face it…

“If God be for us, then who (or what) can be against us!” (Romans 8:31 KJV)

Therefore, let me leave you with this question to ponder over this weekend:

“Do you have God’s Word of life ever growing in intensity, reality and power in your daily activities?” 

I sure hope so!  Have a great weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What part of God’s Zoë life am I expecting to encourage, uplift and empower me today?”

PKB Sightings!

I’ve been dreaming about my beloved wife quite a bit over the last few weeks although, it’s not like they contained any deep conversations or special loving moments together.  In most of the dreams… she was just there… somewhere by my side, a quiet participant in whatever was going on in the dream!  But yesterday morning was a little different.

Just before I woke up for the day, I dreamed that she and I had gone to her doctor to get a report on some lab work that she had done.  In this scenario, she was in her early 50’s… which is the age I tend to remember her at, since it was soon after that the physical effects of the encroaching Alzheimer’s began to become evident. 

We were standing at a counter in the doctor’s office when the doctor approached us with a bit of a smile on his face, opened the folder in his hand and said, “We’ve discovered that your wife is pregnant!”  And with that, Piper and I both laughed, well knowing that she was past menopause… and I woke up… with a chuckle that broke through the smile on my face!

I have no idea where that dream came from.  I did have some lab work done last week, so I can understand that part… but the pregnancy?  I haven’t thought about Piper’s pregnancies for a long time!

So… like I said, I’ve been having a lot of dreams about her and since they began, I kind of got into the habit of jotting down a one-line summary… under the title of “PKB Sightings” on the bottom of my daily Bible study note page, of my first waking thoughts of her that day.

Today’s initial thought of her was of her PASSION for just about everything she did.  It was one of her trademarks that separated her from many of her contemporaries.  Whether it was her love for God, her love for me and our children, the excitement and joy with which she approached homeschooling, our ministry with the children and youth at church and even the enthusiasm in the way she ministered to our neighbors or others like the cashiers who rung her out at the grocery store!  She was an exciting individual to be around and spread her PASSION for life to everyone she interacted with!

It's therefore no coincidence that after writing down today’s “PKB Sighting” at the bottom of my note page, that I was eventually led in my Bible study to Philippians 3:12, where the Apostle Paul is writing about his life and in particular, concerning the way that he was constantly striving toward the goal of his ministry call from the Lord saying,

“Not as though I had already attained (the full measure of God’s call), either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (KJV)

Interestingly enough, the term “I follow after” in this verse is defined in the Greek as, “to pursue or to seek after eagerly, to earnestly endeavor to acquire.” (Thayer’s)  And a deeper look into the meaning of “to earnestly endeavor” explained as, “The bold and sufficient pursuit of an activity with more PASSION, endeavor and application and therefore, often succeed.” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

So, with that understanding, it’s easy to see that Piper, as well as everyone else who reads and studies Paul’s writings… including YOU and ME, had and has a TERRIFIC example to follow in the way we pursue our Christian Faith, our callings in life and the ways in which they all intertwine in our daily activities!

The modern PASSION Translation of the Bible, in keeping with the theme of its translation, states Philippians 3:12 as,

“I admit that I haven’t yet acquired the absolute fullness that I’m pursuing, but I run with PASSION into his abundance so that I may reach the purpose that Jesus Christ has called me to fulfill and wants me to discover.” 

I love the idea of living life and all of the things that I endeavor to do throughout the course of my existence with such a PASSION that it oozes all over anyone that gets near me… HOW ABOUT YOU?

I pray that you are having an exciting week and are running with PASSION into the fullness of God (as promised throughout YOURS and MY Bibles) and are stretching out to reach the fulfillment of His purposes while you discover EVERYTHING that He wants for you to discover in your life!

… and all along the way… Let your PASSION ooze off on those around you!

Color and Clarity!

As I’ve probably mentioned a time or two… I like a lot of light!  So, first thing every morning I go around the house and open all the blinds.  I made it into the study around 7:15 this morning, said hello to Fiver, who was already reclining on the loveseat in the darkened room, and nonchalantly spun the handle on the blinds expecting light to flood the room… and you know what?  It didn’t.  I stead I was met with a murky gray day that made every house and the truck parked outside my window in the cul-de-sac look the same undefined shade of blah!

I had seen the truck parked a time or two in my neighbor’s driveway, but had never really paid attention to it.  But as it was now parked across the street, directly in front of my house, I noticed that it had a good-sized sign attached to one of the side doors.  But no matter how hard I tried… it was just too gray outside to read it!  So, I shrugged my shoulders and went back into the kitchen to get the coffee going.

By the time I walked back into the study to prepare for my morning Bible study, something caught my eyes through the slats on the open blinds… It was a ray of golden sunlight that had finally made its way over the houses at the other end of the block!  And low and behold, the gray truck had miraculously turned into a maroon red and the multicolored sign on its side boldly advertised a local roofing and construction company!

At that point I turned to the dog who had since joined me at the window (he is the prefect size where he can rest his chin comfortably on the window sill!) and mentioned what a difference the sunshine can make in one’s perception of the day… and I instantly heard that familiar, small, still voice on the inside of me quietly say, “Just as the Son’s light also brings color and clarity into one’s perception of their world!”

Now, I can’t say that the dog heard the same thing that I did, but he suddenly looked up to me with a cocked head and an upright ear… as if to confirm that it was a word of insight from the Lord!

When I tuned back to my desk and sat down in front of my Bible study program that was opened up on my computer, I automatically thought of John 1:1-5 where the Apostle of love penned,

“In the beginning the WORD already existed. The WORD was with God, and the WORD was God.  He was already with God in the beginning.  Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.  He was the source of LIFE, and that LIFE was the LIGHT for humanity.  The LIGHT shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.” (God’s Word ©)

I had to smile as I understood that this verse of scripture defines the Son of God and refers to Him as the WORD, the LIFE and the LIGHT that shines in the dark… with the darkness never being able to extinguish it! 

I thought back fifteen minutes in time when everything was murky and gray outside and of how fast just a little bit of the sun’s golden colored light totally changed what was sitting in plain view right before me!  The situation in the cul-de-sac didn’t change, nothing moved, there was no bolt of lightning that suddenly rained down from the sky and the ground didn’t shake… but all it took was a thin line of golden light that slowly expanded from the tailgate of the truck facing westward in the cul-de-sac, to the houses across the street and finally to the beautiful greens of golf course beyond the houses.

And as I turned in my squeaky desk chair and looked out the big window that overlooks my front yard, I smiled once again as I realized that I didn’t actually need that ray of golden sunlight to suddenly appear on our side of the block that ends with the cul-de-sac that bumps up to the golf course (and the bright yellow golf ball also sitting right in front of my house between me and the red truck… that’s why I never leave my car outside of my garage!) 

All I needed to do to brighten my day and bring clarity and color into my life was to pick up one of my many Bibles scattered throughout my house or reach inside of my heart where I have hidden His Word (See: Psalm 119:11).  For you see, God’s LIFE and God’s LIGHT is always available to us… 24/7 – 365 days of the year – WITHIN THE PAGES OF HIS WRITTEN WORD as found in YOURS and MY BIBLES - to bring insight, clarity and or definition as well as color to every and any situation we may face… anytime and anywhere! 

The information contained in today’s blog post is very timely and applicable to the current and highly charged unrest in the MIDDLE EAST.  Darkness seems to be creeping out all over,,, but yet… YOU and I KNOW exactly how to dispel that darkness… Don’t We!

STUDY the Word.  BELIEVE the Word.  PRAY the Word and then LIVE the Word… Let HIS LIGHT and LIFE overtake the DARKNESS and make it run away from the power of God working in and through His WORD… that is working in and through YOU!

Have a great weekend!  Keep EXPECTING God’s BEST… and as you do… pass it on to others around you… who may need a little LIGHT to brighten their day today!

♪ TRUST ME NOW! ♫

I recently came across the original sheet music that Piper and I used for one of the songs we sang together in the Rock Opera that I wrote back in 1972.  Piper and I did not act in the performance, but she and some of my former rock band members provided the music for the production of which I directed.  I also played my trusty Kawai electric guitar* and shared the mike with Piper for the intro song that I wrote, and the beautiful tune based on Psalm 37 entitled “Trust Me Now” which was written by another favorite of my early Christian experience song writers, Ralph Carmichael.

Looking over the lyrics to “Trust Me Now” and remembering the intensity in which we joined our voices together… way back then after we had only been dating for a little over a year… makes me realize what a prophetic voice that song became for our lives over the next 47 years that we shared together. 

The Psalm from which the song was written, talks of the benefits of an individual… or in our case, a couple… who puts their lives and total trust in the hands of the Lord.  It speaks of the personal trials and tribulations that we all go through in our lives, of the mental torments we face and fight, and of the questions we cry out to the Lord.  It then concludes with a buildup in the musical score as the Lord cries to the heart of the individual and implores them, saying with passion… that even though you “Say you’re nobody… I LOVE YOU!”**

I discovered a similar line of thought this morning, as I read I Timothy 4:15 in The Passion Translation, where the Apostle Paul is encouraging his son in the Lord Timothy concerning his personal faith walk and lovingly tells him to:

“Make all of this (everything previous to this verse in I Timothy) your constant meditation and MAKE IT REAL with your life so everyone can see that you are moving forward.” 

Paul, just like the psalmist, is appealing to his young protégé, to make his personal relationship and therefore his faith in Jesus Christ and the truth of His word to be REAL in his life.  He’s telling Timothy to make the things that he believes and stands for in his daily walk to be a vital and inseparable part of who he is. 

In the song “Trust Me Now” the Lord repeatedly tells us that as we deal with the ups and downs of life, to take and make personal, the heartfelt truth that “I LOVE YOU!”  Knowing without a doubt, that “I will never neglect you or abandon you.” (Joshua 1:5 – God’s Word ©)

And in I Timothy 4:15 Paul implores us to,

Make the Word of God to be “your constant meditation (ie; PRACTICE it) and to MAKE IT REAL with your life…” ***

It is easy for me to look back today and see how the simple words to that song “Trust Me Now” quickly became the standard for Piper’s and my life.  It still amazes me when people around me quickly respond with worry and or fear when circumstances go sideways before us.  It’s just not natural for me to think that way… That’s not to say that I have not been challenged to yield to the negative and highly questionable things I read in the mainstream media… but I’ve learned to STOP, take a breath and call to mind the much more truthful reporting that I find as I study in the Word of God!

My faith and the way I choose to see and respond to the world around me is thoroughly personalized and settled in the truth of God and His Word.  When difficult situations arise… Like the current upheaval and atrocities that have occurred against Israel in the Middle East, I choose to listen to the soothing voice of the Lord as He gently reminds me to “Trust Me Now!”

I walk in personal peace, for WHO HE IS and what He has promised me, can NOT be separated from me… within the course of my daily life…

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Have a terrific weekend as the wonderful Fall weather fills the air with dreams of pumpkin pie, warm fireplaces and family coming together for the holidays… and while you’re at it… Keep EXPECTING God’s Best… and then pass it on to someone else!

 

*This was pre-12 string guitar days!

**It also reminds me of the very last words that Piper spoke a few weeks before she passed, when she suddenly seemed to come out of the fog that had overtaken her, turned to look at me and with clear eyes and a smile said, “I LOVE YOU!”  She then smiled for a moment longer, turned her head and returned to the foggy state that she had been in… Isn’t God Good!

***The Passion Translation/God’s Word ©

PRACTICE!

I have been thoroughly enjoying the privacy of my backyard since we finally got the fence repaired and back up a few weeks ago.  Three quarters of the fence separating my house from my neighbors behind me, came down in the early morning hours of Father’s Day when a vicious storm, boasting 100 mph winds blew through the area.

The home behind me is a rental and the ensuing process of working with the management company turned out to be a long and arduous ordeal that finally came together when I was able to communicate directly with the agent managing the property.  And I have to admit, that although I was quite skeptical of the repair quote that was given by the fencing company that they chose… the contractor actually did a great job that far surpassed my expectations!

As it turned out… this last summer proved to be a season of unexpected expenses!  A few weeks after the fence went down, my roof developed a leak and recently I found myself in need of a new battery for my car… and when you add a few unseen Vet visits for Fiver… Well… let’s just say that my faith in God’s promise to supply all my needs*got lots and lots of PRACTICE!

With all of the EXCERCISING of my faith this summer, I began to take a look at the scriptures and see how the word PRACTICE was used throughout the New Testament.  And what I learned was that the Biblical usage is pretty consistent with what most of us would think of when we hear or think about that word!

For example… After sharing some specific advice concerning the difficult situations that his protégé Timothy was experiencing in his new role as leader of the early church in Ephesus and Asia Minor, the Apostle Paul encouraged the young man to also stay diligent with his own spiritual growth and well-being.  He summed up his guidance by stating,

“Practice these things (ie; all the scriptural truths that he had previously shared with him throughout the preceding chapters of I Timothy).  Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress.” (I Timothy 4:15 - God’s Word ©)

In the same verse, the Remedy translation says to,

“…TRAIN yourself in the PRACTICE of God’s methods, so that everyone may see your continual character development.”

The word most often translated PRACTICE in the New Testament is defined in the Greek as “to perform repeatedly or habitually, to exercise, to give painful attention to (which makes me think of the old saying “No pain No gain!”), to occupy one’s self with, and a condition of body or mind that comes strictly as a result of repeated exercise or practice.”**

After reading this, I got to thinking that Piper and I pretty much took on a Christian lifestyle of PRACTICE in the development and continual growth of our faith-walk that began even before we sealed the deal and said “I DO” on July 12, 1975.  And looking back, I can also see that there were always those individuals along the way, that attempted to interrupt our steps of PRACTICE and thereby hope to stall or stop our forward progress.

I personally felt that their idea of what they perceived to be a failure in life, meant that you STOP, RETREAT back to what you were doing before and GIVE UP HOPE of ever progressing in the area that you were pursuing!  For Piper and I though, there was a period to STOP when something we were actively PRACTICING didn’t quite attain the progress that we desired.  But we would instead, use that time to find out what or where we wet wrong, make the corrections and then move forward with renewed vigor in our PRACTICE, as we let go of the mistakes and implemented the corrected course of action.

Let’s face it… PRACTICE isn’t always a walk in the park!  It can be difficult and painful as you develop new physical or spiritual muscles, new lifestyle habits, or practically apply new faith truths and principles into your daily life.  But the positive results of your repeated and consistent efforts are well worth the temporary pain or inconvenience.

A quick point to note here, is that there can also be a negative side to PRACTICE… if you knowingly or unknowingly repeatedly PRACTICE the wrong things!  For what you PRACTICE will be what you do… when certain situations come into play in your lives. 

I only mention this because I witnessed it first hand when Piper got sick.  When faced with the shock of her deteriorating needs, there were some individuals that reacted in obvious FEAR, ANGER and HOPELESSNESS that was physically detrimental to Piper’s health.  And to be honest… I don’t think that they actually knew what they were doing… because it was an unknowingly normal… PRACTICED response in their lives.

So… Let me ask you today… What are the important areas within your lives where you are actively PRACTICING new healthier habits, new faith truths and/or revelations, or the positive ways in which you would like to respond to the daily activities that you face on a regular basis?

Like I said previously, I’m discovering that the regular PRACTICE of my faith has been a lifestyle choice that Piper and I knowingly (or maybe unknowingly… for in some respects we just sort of stepped into it!) made while we were just beginning our journey together as older teenagers in the early 1970’s. 

When DID or WILL the regular PRACTICE of the positive things in your life begin?

Have a great rest of your week.  The weather is definitely changing into cool and crisp fall days around us here in northeastern Oklahoma.  How ‘bouts where you live? 

Nevertheless… however your weather is… just keep EXPCTING God’s BEST and feel free to share it with others!

 

*See Philippians 4:19

**Strong’s, Thayer’s and Mounce Greek-English Dictionaries

Southern Gospel Harmonies!

I have probably mentioned in past blogs that I began to listen to Southern Gospel music after we moved to North Carolina in the summer of 2014.  At the time, I had been looking for a fifth generation Mustang GT convertible (2005-2012) for well over a year and finally found one in Virginia that met almost all of my extensive list of ‘Must Haves!”  So, with much excitement we made the deal and had it transported to our apartment complex in Morrisville, NC where we were living.

The purchase of the used, but showroom quality vehicle included a year of Sirius XM satellite radio and it was through that medium that we discovered the enLighten, Southern Gospel channel. 

A year or so later after moving into our dream home in the countryside near the booming metropolis of Fuquay-Varina, NC, our son-in-law, who just happens to own a home entertainment installation company in Tulsa, put together and set-up a nice system for our home that included speakers covering the front living areas of the house, the garage and stereo deck speakers outback as well.  It then made sense to add internet access to the Sirius Radio that we enjoyed in the car to our home system.  After that, we began to listen to and enjoy Southern Gospel music all day long… pretty much anywhere we went!

As I have thought about it over the years since then, I realized that one of the main reasons that I am drawn to the Southern Gospel style of music is because of varieties of HARMONY that the singers, quartets and bands employ in the presentation of the songs they perform.  I love good harmony and find myself picking out the individual lines that each participant is singing!

I think that I developed my appreciation of HARMONIES because of my wife Piper.  For not only did she live what I considered to be a life in HARMONY with her faith and her daily activities, but she also brought a soothing and beautiful HARMONY into my life as well as the lives of our children... and for that matter…into the lives of just about anyone that she interacted with.

And besides all that… she was a talented musician and seem to excel at figuring out HARMONIES most every time we sang together and/or led children and youth musical performances over the years!

I thought about HARMONIES this morning as I studied in my Bible from Philippians 3:13-14 in the God’s Word © translation where the Apostle Paul wrote,

“Brothers and sisters, I can't consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.” 

As I considered these verses, I found myself focusing on what Paul said that he did throughout the course of his life… which was to not look back and to keep running straight toward the goal that His calling in Christ offered him.  Instead of saying that “I don’t look back” the King James Version puts it as “forgetting those things which are behind.”  And it is interesting to note that in the Bible, “to forget” doesn’t necessary mean to erase bad memories… but “to no longer be influenced by or affected by them.”*

It was the idea of “not looking back” or “forgetting those things which are behind” that got me to thinking about HARMONY in life.  For I realized that “looking back” at your past failures and/or allowing their memories to negatively influence your present and future focus… can and will produce dis-HARMONY which leads to DISSENTION in you and the plans you feel led to pursue.

I remember my days of running track in Junior High where we were taught to never look back while running a race, but to stay fully focused on the finish line ahead.  Looking back can cause you to lose a step and/or break your concentration and possibly trip and fall… effectively taking you out of the race.

In the course of life, Piper and I also learned that there are always going to be people out there who will want you to break your focus on your goals by getting you to look back at what they considered to be your failures and effectively re-focus the pursuit of your future goals through the constant and limiting memory of past mistakes.

In both of these examples (and the personal memories of possible failures in your own past, it is clear that) looking back and allowing past failures or mistakes to negatively influence your future will almost immediately trigger dis-HARMONY and the accompanying effects of DISSENTION that tends to squash future plans, success and happiness in your life!

And you know… it doesn’t just happen in people’s lives, but also in the life of an organization or even a country… as seen by what is going on in our own country as the far left is trying their best to stop our county’s positive forward moving future and get us all to focus on what they consider to be the failures… or sins… of the past… and then plan and re-evaluate our future according to those mistakes… From my Biblical point of view… a move in that direction will do nothing but to exasperate the sounds of dis-HARMONY and DISSENSION that is already being stroked…

But as for me and my family… and I would imagine for each of you as well… we will choose to follow the good advice of Paul and live a life in beautiful HARMONY with the truth of God’s Word and the experience and expectation of His GRACE operating in our daily lives!

Have a great weekend!  Fall has definitely sprung in our part of the country.  We woke up in the low 40’s this morning and I even had to put on a hoodie for our morning walk... and it felt GREAT!  It will still be a while before I break out the thermals… but no matter what I have to wear… I gonna sing in HARMONY and still walk forward and not allow past mistakes to negatively influence my future successes… HOW ABOUT YOU?

 

*Be Joyful, a study on the book of Philippians by Warren W. Wiersbe, published by David C. Cook

Birthday Dissension!

My dad was totally tone deaf and as the saying goes…”Couldn’t carry a tune in a paper bag!”  Which is kind of funny as I came from a very musical family!  Our house, when I was growing up, was always filled with music.  My mom had a great voice and loved to sing.  She even sang in a popular trio in high school that performed at many school and community events.  She played the piano and would often sit down and play the hits from her generation as well as the various hymns that she sang as part of the St Eugene’s Cathedral Choir… that toured in Italy on a couple of different occasions.

She also taught us three kids to play the piano… a proficiency that didn’t seem to stick with me as I was always more concerned about singing the silly words of the introductory pieces than the notes I was supposed to be learning!  My brother had the talent to pick up just about any instrument and play it!  As for me… I wanted to play the guitar and sing!  So, my brother and I, along with a few friends of mine, started a garage band when I was in Junior High that I stuck with throughout my senior high days.

My dad’s very flat singing range was well-known throughout our extended family and was a joke that he played up his entire life!  My wife Piper always said that he could be taught to hear the notes and sing in tune… but I think the sparkle in his eyes and the laughter that it stirred in others when he “sang” made it clear that he was quite pleased with the “talent” he had!

I came across a verse of Scripture this week that talked about God’s intended purpose for unity or one could say “harmony” within groups of people like a family, a church, a work team, a community service club or even a sports team.  And I was immediately drawn back to the anticipated yearly event when my folks would call me up on my birthday and sing their special acapella rendition of “Happy Birthday” to me.  My mom would always take the lead and sing the upbeat tune with perfect pitch while my dad would sing “harmony” and hold certain notes and place particular emphasis on certain phrases… completely out of tune with my mom!

I would always burst out laughing and put the phone on speaker so the kids and Piper could be tickled with their antics!  And as I laughed at their unique “style” I would think about how funny it was… and at the same time… about how “awful” and in some respects “disturbing” it sounded from a strictly musical point of view!

The Apostle Paul taught us in I Corinthians 12:25 that,

“God's purpose was that the body should not be divided but rather that all of its parts should feel the same concern for each other.” (God’s Word ©) 

The word “divided” is translated “schism” in the King James Version and refers to a potential “split, a division into differing parties or as dissention.”*

With that definition, I also considered how the interaction of dissention in a family, a church, at work and even in our nation, is a classic and well-used ploy of the enemy of our souls to bring havoc and destruction to the unity, strength, resolve and success of any organization… or any individual’s life as well!

Dissension introduces a loud, awful and disturbing dis-harmony into any of the above areas in our lives.  It is meant to bring distraction, confusion and frustration into any situation and works to break up the concentration, focus and will power of those involved.  Piper and I personally experienced it when she got sick.  I’ve also seen it trying to enter into my life since she went home to be with the Lord, in order to impede my forward process in life… and I saw it again yesterday… in the confusion working within the upper levels of our federal government in Washington!

The answer that I continue to follow when dissention tries to rear its ugly head in my life, is to follow Jesus’ own advice when He taught His followers,

“So above all, constantly chase after the realm of God’s kingdom and the righteousness that proceeds from him…  Refuse to worry about tomorrow, but deal with each challenge that comes your way, one day at a time. Tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Luke 6:33-34 – The Passion Translation)

I have discovered time and time again, that my focus on the love of God and the truth of His report… as is written in His Word…keeps me forward focused and not distracted by the offbeat concerns, fears and the uninformed “advice” of others! 

And you know what?  I believe that the same will work for you!

And while I enjoyed my mom and dad’s dis-harmonic rendition of “Happy Birthday”, I would much rather sing and listen to the sweet harmonies that Piper taught our kids and I when we sang our modernized, guitar driven rendition of “Happy Birthday” to the members of our extended family.  (and just when I thought it couldn’t get any better… our older son Josh and his girls continue to put together even better harmonic and multi-instrument driven versions of their own that they sing and record for the family!  Some traditions are just meant to improve and keep going!)

Have a fantastic rest of your week.  Stay focused on the good report of God’s Word and do not allow any dissention to enter into the focus of your life!

*Strong’s, Thayer’s and Mounce Greek - English dictionaries”