The 1970's

I found the old 1977-1983 C.H.i.P.’s TV series on one of my streaming channels the other day and have been reacquainting myself with the series that Piper and I used to watch in the early years of our marriage.  After a few shows I realized two things. 

First… that Fiver does NOT like the theme song and will break out into a loud and soulful howl every time the theme plays at the beginning and end of each episode… and Secondly that this show… more than any other from the many old TV series that we used to enjoy… REALLY pulls at my HEARTSTRINGS, overflowing my memory banks with endless recollections of all the fun, adventures, loving and poignant times that Piper and I shared in the first ten years of our relationship.

I watched another episode at lunch yesterday and when it was over and Fiver and I stepped out the front door to take a leisurely walk in the beautifully warm weather, I asked the Lord why this show affected me with such strong, specific and vivid memories of Piper.  Then as we strolled and Fiver stopped every few feet to take a deeper sniff of a scent that caught his nose, I began to envision a timeline in my mind’s eye that started at one end with the date of 1970 and ended on the far side with the date of 1980.

With each step that we took, familiar activities, events and milestones began to fill the length of the timeline.  I was a little amazed at how many things were recorded in that relatively short, ten-year period of our lives… and by the time we climbed up the berm and looked across the glassy looking, calm waters of our large neighborhood pond... it hit me!

And I realized all the foundational events that occurred to Piper and I in the 1970’s that became the groundwork on which the rest of the next four decades of our marriage and family were built.  From the initiation of our dating in 1970 to our marriage in 1975, the call to ministry I felt in 1976 and our first ministry position, the fire that was ignited in our hearts for the message of faith that directed our Christian walk for the rest of our lives, and the beginning of our family in 1979, along with all the other kinds of visions, plans and, purposes that we began to pursue… all happened in the decade of the seventies!

As the C.H.i.P.s stars ride their motorcycles along the highways and byways of Los Angeles County in Southern California and pass a 1973 Pinto wagon, I’ll yell out to Fiver “Hey that looks like Piper’s Pinto” and I’ll be blasted with memories of her in that car, of all those early camping trips we took and the countless times we pulled into the parking lot of the First Baptist Church where we were employed as Youth Ministers.

Then there’s the plethora of British sportscars like my ’66 MGB that were so popular in the sixties and seventies, the young gals in their short skirts and boots or shapely jeans just like Piper wore in high school and college and all the memories of my eyes popping out of my head when I saw her in them, the lingo spoken at the time, and the way that the cameras captured the California lifestyle that Piper and I enjoyed back then. 

Yes… I finally figured it all out!  The seeing and re-living of all those sweet memories is what caused my heart strings to be plucked into the melody of a moving song of remembrances of the woman I loved and partnered with for 48 years… and of all the adventures we experienced in our teens and twenties.  

And you know what else I realized, as Fiver and I reversed our direction and headed home from our afternoon walk?  I understood that God also had a HEAVY hand in the midst of all of those events that shaped and established our future. I can look back at almost each and every one of those experiences listed on that timeline that unfolded in my mind’s eye and observe His nudge in a certain direction, Him sending special individuals into our lives at just the right time, scriptures that spoke to our hearts and led us to make certain decisions and the countless answers to prayer all along the way.

I realized with an emotional jolt that caused me to suddenly stop on our walk and pull on Fiver’s harness when he kept walking on, that God set Piper and I up for success back then… and is still doing the same for me… as well as for you dear reader, TODAY!

Was it always easy to follow His directions… NO!  Did everything always work out as planned… NO!  Did we ever make mistakes along the way… YES… many times!

Paul told his readers in Philippians 4:12-13 that,

“I have learned the secret—the secret to real peace and contentment in every situation, regardless of circumstance, regardless of whether I’m hungry or well fed, regardless of whether I am rich or poor.  The secret to real peace and contentment is an abiding trust in Christ—realizing that my strength comes from him; and through the peace, strength, wisdom and perspective that Christ gives me, I can handle whatever happens”.  (The Remedy New Testament)

The SECRET of Paul’s success in life was his abiding trust in Christ… and in looking back through our memories of the 1970’s, I realized that the good Lord was giving Piper and I the same message that we sought, to the best of our abilities and ever-increasing scriptural knowledge, to do the same.

Then I picked up a hint from Jesus Himself on how to best accomplish this task in the middle of this mixed up and crazy world that we seem to be living in today.  Jesus tells us that,

“If you continue in My Word, then are you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth (in My Word) shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32 – KJV)

So YES!  I believe that God has set us ALL up for success.  He has given us ALL the tools we need to succeed in everything we set out to accomplish in this world… ALL we have to do is to discover His will for us in His Word and then DO it… according to the way that He leads us to in His Word!  EASY RIGHT?  Well… not really… but ALL the dedicated effort on our part SURE DOES payoff!

Have a great weekend… and as you do… spread some JOY and Godly success along the way!

We are in the midst of a picture-perfect weekend here in northeastern Oklahoma… if someone were to ask me… I’d have to say that Oklahoma copied a page from the 1970’s California lifestyle that Piper and I used to enjoy when C.H.i.P.s was one of the top shows on NBC!

Fiver's 411

“All of you came to me and said, "Let's send men ahead of us to gather INFORMATION about the land for us.  Have them report to us about the route we should take and the cities we'll come to." (Deuteronomy 1:22 - God’s Word ©)

I was thinking the other day that not much has changed in my morning schedule since Piper’s homegoing a few years ago.  I still get up around seven every morning, get the coffee going and head into my study to spend an hour or so with the Lord, reading and interacting with Him through my investigations of His Word. 

Being as my study faces our front yard with views of the cul-de-sac and the adjoining city golf course, Fiver enjoys standing at the window and watching the outside activities as the neighborhood wakes up and depending on the weather, the golfers who populate the greens.  I’ve gotten into the habit of cracking one of the windows open about an inch (or more depending on the temperature…) so that he can not only catch the sights outside but also the sounds and smells of the new day.

I usually make a big deal over the opening the window so that he gets a little excited, perks up his ears and hastens to the window sill.  Once there and he presses his nose against the screen, I’ll plop back down onto my desk chair and tell him to go ahead and give me the INFORMATION or “411” for the day!  It is amazing to see how much sharper his senses are when the window is open.  He’ll start softly whimpering a few seconds before a walker comes into view and even louder if they have a dog with them! 

He'll take note of the golfers and especially so if they are talking to each other, keeps track of the two neighbors across the street who leave for work the same time each day and turns a very watchful eye on any unfamiliar vehicles that turn around in the cul-de-sac… and don’t even get me started with the noisy lawn mowers performing their daily trims of the golf course lawns… Whew!  He does NOT like loud engines or noises of any kind!

When he is satisfied with his first observations of the day, he’ll usually back up a step or two and lay down on the rug right in front of the window… while looking up expectantly at me.  And I’ll play along, turn in my squeaky but comfortable desk chair and ask him for his morning INFORMATIONAL report of our neighborhood.   I’ll say “Fiver, what’s the 411?” and he’ll look at me like I’m crazy, put his head down between his legs and close his eyes!  And so, the morning ritual goes and I’ll laugh as I turn in my chair and get lost in conversation with Lord!

I’ve been involved in a situation lately where I have had the opportunity to share a lot of counsel with some individuals in need.  As I have prepared for our times together, I have found myself praying and then searching through my Bible for just the right and succinct INFORMATION or “411” that would best satisfy the particular needs of this situation.  And as has been my practice over the years of my ever-growing personal Christian experience, I find that God continues to have the uncanny ability to bring me to the exact portions of His Word that are helpful to those reaching out for assistance.

The section scripture that has provided a solid foundation for the thoughts that I have been sharing recently, is one that I wrote about in a blog post a few weeks ago.  It is found within the third chapter of the book of James.  Here the Pastor is discussing God – like WISDOM and looks at its results in contrast to the effects of natural thoughts and ideas that come from a heart of anger, selfishness and/or fear. 

He stated that,

“Real wisdom originates in heaven and is always pure, healing, restorative, kind, compassionate, selfless, merciful, peaceful, transformational, unbiased, and sincere.”*

While,

“selfishness, envy, and all violations of God’s law of love break his design for life and cause chaos, disease, suffering, and everything evil.”* 

Informational scriptures such as these give me the 411 that I need in order to best prepare me for the events of life and to address and successfully work through the situations that I am involved with.  When asked for advice or assistance from those in need, I have discovered that God’s 411 always presents the most logical, compassionate and healing solutions to whatever or whomever this situation has entangled.

I guess you could say that my Bible… otherwise known as God’s 411 manual… has become my GO-TO source whenever proven, reliable and long-lasting tools for the successful navigation through the journey of life are sought… and I am NOT alone in this practice!  “According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Bible has now been printed over a billion times in more than 2,400 languages, making it the most-printed book in history.”**

SO… Just like I open the window for my four-footed furry friend each morning and charge him to sniff out the neighborhood and give me the 411 before we step out on our morning walk… I also take the time to study and sniff out God’s 411 for whatever or whomever comes across the pathways of my life each and every day.

I like to be in the KNOW… and I like to Be Prepared… DON’T YOU?

Have a great President’s Day today… and speaking of President’s Day… I got to thinking this morning that a President’s merits are judged by what they do with the INFORMATION or 411 that they receive while in office.  I guess that the same could be said about you and me too!  I wonder what the history books will record from my life… or yours?

__________________

*James 3:17,16 – The Remedy New Testament

**The Holy Script –

https://www.theholyscript.com/how-many-copies-of-the-bible-have-been-sold/#:~:text=The%20first%20printing%20of%20the%20Bible%20was%20in,languages%2C%20making%20it%20the%20most-printed%20book%20in%20history.

 

Why I Stay in EXPECTATION of Him...

During the years of our relationship, from dating in high school and the ensuing 43 years of marriage and ministry… which seemed to be closely related and intertwined… my wife and I had many opportunities to minister to or counsel countless individuals who were experiencing difficult times in their lives.  And in the majority of those cases, my wife would make the sincere comment that, “they need to know how much God loves them.” 

In each of those situations I would always nod my head and agree with her… although to be perfectly honest… I really didn’t understand the importance and scope of her statement until years later when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

During the last eight years of her life, I did a lot of things to keep myself strong and focused spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally.  I got up early every morning to study the Word and thereby build myself up in order to face the new day with a joyful and positive attitude and to help keep me focused if any emergency situations should arise.

I made sure that we ate right, took daily walks and diligently strived to keep a healthy and faith-filled environment around our home… but what really gave me the strength and ability to trust the Lord and all that His Word was providing for us in the face of many contrary situations, less than helpful advice, negative medical reports and the increasing changes I saw to my wife’s beautiful visage, was the personal knowledge of how intimately Jesus knew and loved Piper and I.

I finally got that revelation… that Piper seemed to know from way before we started dating… while preparing a sermon for my preaching class in Bible College back in 2008.  I know that I have written about this before, so I won’t go into a lot of detail.  But will suffice to say, that while researching my topic for the sermon one day, I opened up a new Bible translation that I had just discovered, to one of the two prayers of Paul’s in the book of Ephesians.  In this portion of his letter, he penned that,

 “You will KNOW Christ's love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.” (Ephesians 3:19 - God’s Word ©)

When I looked up the word “know” in the original Greek, I discovered to my amazement that it defines an intimate relationship as in the very act of intimacy between a husband and wife… and as the light went on inside of me, I heard that small still voice of the Lord speaking to me saying, “Jim, I know and love you and Piper in the same depth of intimacy in which you… and you alone… physically and emotionally know her.”

The graphic picture of that revelation opened up to me an entirely new and deeply personal relationship with Jesus and His Word.  And just like I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I would do anything for my wife… I knew that He would do the same for us throughout the rest of our lives together.  So, when the nights got long and dark for me during that difficult period in my life, I could and did rest in the comforting knowledge of how intimately He knew me and would always be true to the promises in His Word concerning us.

Following that understanding concerning the intimacy in which Jesus knew and loved me and Piper eventually brought me to the secure place where I simply trusted and EXPECTED Him to act… according to His Word… in all the circumstances of my life. 

According to I Corinthians 13:7 in Ben Campbell Johnson’s relational paraphrase of the New Testament entitled “The Heart of Paul”

“(God’s) Love is the most enduring quality of human existence.  It keeps on keeping on; it trusts in God in every situation and EXPECTS God to act in all circumstances.  (For) Nothing can destroy God’s love.”  

In the five years that she has been gone now, I continue to stand on the heartfelt truth of the intimacy in which Jesus knows and loves me.  The EXPECTATION that it releases into my heart has given me the daily strength to carry on and move forward in this new season of my life.  It empowers me to believe that His BEST is still before me today and tomorrow and gives me the joy of living and sharing His Good News everywhere I go!

… And you know what?  He wants to do the same for YOU!  Isn’t that special?

I hope that you are having a great weekend.  We’ve got some rain coming tomorrow with a good chance of more snow on Monday morning… but the temperatures during the week are going to be fairly warm… so the white stuff won’t last long – YEAH!

Be blessed… and as you are… share some of God’s BEST with those around you!

SUPERMAN

I’m not totally sure why, but I have been seeing many posts on my Facebook feed from a Classic TV/SUPERMAN group.  Many of the pictures and comments reference the 1950’s TV series staring George Reeves in the title role.  I do remember watching the show when I was a kid, but I would assume that it was reruns as the program went off the air in 1958 when I was still pretty young.  I have to admit though… that even back then, I had a difficult time trying to figure out how Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane never realized that Clark Kent was SUPERMAN… especially since the only disguise he wore were his black rimmed glasses?

But I digress… What I do fondly remember about the show was how SUPERMAN calmly stood on the window sill of Clark’s office, many floors up in the skyscraper Daily Planet building, bent his knees and was seemingly CATAPULTED off into the sky on his way to save a damsel in distress.

That picture and the idea of being CATAPULTED from one place to another came to mind as I continued my study in the Word that had branched off from I Peter 1:8, where Peter, in speaking of Jesus, wrote to the believers in various provinces of the Roman Empire declaring,

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy UNSPEAKABLE and full of glory!” (KJV)

Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary defines the word “unspeakable” as “ineffable” which the Oxford Online Dictionary describes as “too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.”

As I thought about that definition, I began to understand that amongst other things, Peter was telling his readers that there is a level of JOY that needs to take the worshipper to the end of their words and CATAPULT them into the fullness of God’s words.  I also saw Peter’s words as an encouragement telling us that that process is a good one to follow whenever the situations in our lives take an upside down turn for us.

One thing that I have learned through the years, is that the sooner I can stop thinking or talking about the things happening in my life from a natural standpoint and begin to see them and then talk about them from the viewpoint of God’s Word… the BETTER it is… the sooner I can let God be God in the midst of my need!  For you see… God’s Word has it all!  Whatever we need in any situation, God’s Word has an answer for it!

John chapter one tells us that God’s Word has been with us from the very beginning of time, and that His word is the source of all life, and the light for anything that we may need illumination for.  I John chapter four informs us that God is Love.  Hebrews 4:12 lets us know that His Word is living and active and is able to discern a person’s thoughts and intents, while 2 Timothy 3:16 declares that,

“Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God's approval.”  (God’s Word ©) 

And then, if you still don’t believe me, there’s Jesus himself, who when praying to the Father before going to the cross, asked Him to set those of us who believe in Him apart from the ways of the world by saying,

“Sanctify them by Your TRUTH; Your Word is TRUTH.” (EMTV)

So… like my beloved wife always said, from a tender and child-like heart, “God said it, that settles it for me and therefore I believe it!”

I sure believe it… HOW ABOUT YOU? 

If you’re anything like me, then you are going to want to quickly get to the end of your words in the face of any situation and allow God to CATAPULT you into the fullness of His truthful and powerful words.  Wouldn’t you rather face life as a SUPERMAN or SUPERWOMAN by speaking what God’s Word say about your circumstances… rather than having your own words working against you?

Have a wonderful weekend.  I would encourage you to take some time away in prayer and ask the Lord to show you ways in which you can incorporate the working of His Word into the various areas of your life.  I guarantee that it will make a noticeable change for the positive for you and yours!

We not only have rain forecast for the weekend… but we also had a 5.1 EARTHQUAKE last night!  I really thought that when we left California, that we had left those things behind… but… I guess not!  PRAISE THE LORD!