Mingle!

As the effects of the Alzheimer’s progressed and my wife was having an increasingly difficult time chewing and swallowing her food, along with the corresponding loss in weight, I did some research, talked to her Neurologist and began to custom blend nutritious and high calorie protein smoothies for her breakfast consumption. 

It was actually an enjoyable process as I dusted off my grandmother’s trusted Osterizer blender and learned to “mingle” different varieties of fresh, sweet fruits and berries, protein powder, honey, oats, yogurt, vanilla ice-cream, whole milk and other delectable ingredients that would turn into a frothy, colorful and tasty concoction for her to enjoy… which she did seem to relish when I helped her with her breakfast each morning.  

She was known to have a sweet tooth… that’s probably one of the reasons she married me… he! he!... and in the early days of our marriage, would occasionally have her dessert at the beginning of dinner… rather than at the end… just because she could without parental objection!  So, having a milkshake type drink for breakfast was very acceptable, as far as she was concerned!

I learned another side to the idea of “mingling” different ingredients this week in my study of God’s Word.  The Apostle Paul made an interesting statement about the Gospel message at the beginning of the book of Romans, when he boldly 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.’” (Romans 1:16-17 – KJV) 

Adam Clarke explained in his Commentary on the Bible, that “Whosoever believeth on Him, shall not be ashamed” meant that “They shall neither be confounded nor disappointed of their expectation (of the Gospel).” And me, being the literary genius that I am (another round of he! he!), had to look up the meaning to the word “confounded” in order to better appreciate Clarke’s definition.

What I discovered was that “confounded” describes a situation where the outcome is “thrown into confusion or disorder” and/or “mingled so that the (various) elements cannot be distinguished or separated.”* And when you put that truth together with Paul’s bold assertation that the Gospel of Christ is the power of God for our salvation and therein, HIS righteousness is revealed from “faith to faith,” or as The Message Bible puts it: “shows up in the acts of faith” we, as Christians, understand the importance of our faith-filled actions as demonstrations of the Gospel message to those around us.

So… since our faith-actions are live demonstrations of the Gospel message… Paul is encouraging us to NOT be “ashamed” or “confounded” by our expectations of the Gospel message, by “mingling” our words and steps of faith with words and/or actions of fear, doubt and unbelief that might be contrary to the truth of God’s Word.

When I used to create Piper’s morning nutritious and great tasting protein smoothies, I made a deliberate practice to only add or “mingle” the ingredients that would produce the healthiest and best tasting drink that she would savor and not reject!

The same could be said for yours and my daily Christian walk.  Paul is instructing us to only add, say and then do the practices and actions that the people around us will savor and not reject!

And you know what?  One never knows when or if something we say or do makes a positive, life-altering, encouraging or healing effect on those around us.  In recent years, I have had numerous individuals tell me how much something Piper and/or I said to them… many years ago in the past… that met a special need and encouraged them in such a way as to help them make it through a difficult time in their lives.

I can also think about those special people in our lives, through the years, that greatly blessed and encouraged us!  And I bet that you have many personal experiences as well!

So… I encourage you to be that shining example in your world and make it a deliberate practice to only live by, speak and do words and actions of faith and NOT “mingle” them with any words and/or actions that would take away from the sweet and enjoyable savor of the truth of God’s Word working in and through your life!

Have a GREAT week!  We woke up this morning to blue skies that were free from the “mingling” of thundering BOOMS, icy, howling winds and pouring rain… and WOW…  was that ever a sweet treat to savor! 

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to keep asking yourself… “What am I EXPECTING today!

 

*Dictionary.com

SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS!

I had reason to pause the other morning as I grabbed the handle to the freezer side of our refrigerator.  My attention had been drawn to the various pictures of my wife that I had taped to the door.  The thought that caused me to stop in mid- reach, was the startling reality that, even after six years, she isn’t here anymore! 

I can’t say that a week has gone by during this time, in which I haven’t found myself physically turning around, after getting up from bed in the morning… and fully expecting to see her waking, sleepy smile in the place she occupied next to me for 48 years!  But my initial shock and pang of sadness doesn’t last very long as the Lord gave me some scriptures to stand upon for situations just like these. 

A week or so after her passing back in 2018… after the kids had returned to their homes in California and Oklahoma, I found myself in the quietness of our empty home, praying at the kitchen table.  I had peace and comfort in knowing EXACTLY where she was, but asked the Lord for a picture of how she was physically (or spiritually?) doing in her new home.  After a few more moments of prayer, I sensed a leading of the Holy Spirit, instructing me to look at and combine the scriptures located in Ephesians 1:4 and Psalm 16:11… and, rather specifically, to do so using my favorite God’s Word © Bible translation.

So, after I reached to my right where my Bible just happened to be sitting on the table near me, I read the two scriptures and couldn’t help but to break out into a big smile as I gained a clear and concise picture of my sweet wife in heaven! 

After encouraging the church to “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,”* Paul went on to instruct them in Ephesians 1:4 saying:

“Before the creation of the world, He chose us through Christ to be HOLY and PERFECT in his presence.” 

While, many years previous to the Pauline Revelation, David had written while thanking the same God for not abandoning him during the various trials and tribulations of his life declaring,

“You make the path of life known to me. Complete JOY is in your presence. Pleasures are by your side forever.” 

And without a second thought, I grabbed my trusty mechanical pencil, underlined the verses, and scribbled some notes in my Bible and then wrote on my note page for the day… that my

“Piper is NOW: HOLY, HAPPY and PERFECT in the presence of Almighty God!”

…and I have held that picture of her vividly in my heart every day since that experience! 

Over the years since then, I have also made those two scriptures to be a part of my daily scripture confessions that I declare first thing every morning.  But an interesting thing happened one morning not too long after we moved into our home here in Oklahoma.  I was confessing these verses, while rehearsing the picture that they always present to me of her walking through the beauty of heaven with that big, warm, encouraging and loving smile on her face, when my tongue sort of tripped and I added to my confession that,

“Piper is NOW: HOLY, HAPPY and SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUSLY Perfect in the presence of Almighty God!” 

Well… I must say that this threw me a curve and I stopped and said aloud… “Isn’t that kind of sacrilegious to add that word… if it even is a word… to the Word of God?”  And without missing a beat, I immediately recalled all the various adjectives and double adjectives that Paul is well-known for using when he spoke of the goodness of God in his various epistles… and I thought… Well… you know what?  I bet if Paul was around today… that he would also be tempted to use “SCRUMDIDLYUMPTIOUS”** in his modern descriptions of God’s goodness!

In fact… I think that it perfectly describes Piper’s life in heaven… because it is the nature of God to be perfectly SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS in everything that He does for all of us… whether we be in heaven or on the earth!***  And I especially like the word SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS because, to me, it gives the connotation of being so good and enjoyable that it spills all over you and you get MESSY in order to fully enjoy it!

A good example would be my mother’s absolutely delicious Crab Cioppino that she used to make on special family occasions.  There was NO WAY that you could fully appreciate and enjoy the wonderful richness of the combination of crab legs, various kinds of fish and the thick Italian sauce without it dripping down your face, down your hands… any many times… on your shirt as well… even with the special Crab Cioppino bibs she always had on hand!

Therefore, if you’re anything like me… then you also want to live life with the SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUSNESS of the goodness of God dripping down from all over you!  Am I right about that?

It gives me instant peace and a spark of JOYFULL HAPPINESS when I look over at the empty other half of our bed in the morning, or at Piper’s piano that she’ll never play again or at the memories of our life and family that are hanging from picture frames around the house, when I remind myself of how Holy, Happy and SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUSLY Perfect**** she is in her new home in heaven.

And likewise, I am JOYFULLY reminded that it is also the way that our heavenly Father thinks of us who are still on this earth… and wants us to be in return… JUST LIKE HIM… with the remnants of His Grace-filled SCRUMDIDDLYUMPTIOUS goodness-like sauce dripping from us!

Now that’s a picture you won’t soon forget!  Have a great weekend, share HIS special sauce with those around you and keep asking yourself…

“WHAT AM I EXPECTING TODAY?”

 

*Ephesians 1:3 – God’s Word ©

**And YES! It is a word that the Oxford Online Dictionaries defines as a food that is extremely tasty; delicious or of a person who is very attractive!  Also check out: https://www.thekitchn.com/scrumdiddlyumptious-is-now-recognized-as-a-word-in-the-oxford-dictionary-236166

***Remember Jesus’ prayer to the Father concerning His followers in Matthew 6:10 where He prayed “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

****I understand that the word translated “Perfect” in this verse is defined as “being without blame” due to Jesus’ shedding of His blood during His sacrifice on the cross that cleansed us of our sins… but to me… Piper was made Perfect as the love of my life (as I think every husband should feel about his wife… and visa versa)!

Bright Morning Star

I guess that I have always been sort of a morning person.  As I have gotten older, I have come to really enjoy the quiet calm of the early morning where I can just sit alone and enjoy the feeling of the nearness of the Lord that seems to be so easily available at that time of day… at least to me!

I’ve mentioned on numerous occasions of how I loved to be the first up and out of the tent, and later on the trailer, when camping with the family in the mountains of northwest and northeastern California.  But even before I tried to quietly unzip the entrance flap on the tent, I also enjoyed experiencing the first light of day as it would slowly filter through the canvas or nylon sides and roof of our various tents.  Many times, I would let the little kid in me have its way and would quietly giggle as I remembered my mother’s disdain of the loud squawking Bluejays that would break the silence of the morning… and her precious last few moments of sleep in the tent!

Nowadays I look forward to and take great pleasure in flowing with the solitude of the morning stillness as I open my Bible first thing and spend time in conversation with God.  Weather permitting, I will open the window in order to enjoy the cool freshness of the day before the sounds of others pursuing the busyness of their day come into play.  Out here in Oklahoma, I have even been known to put on a thick sweater or hoodie so as to see, feel and fully enjoy the ambiance of that special time of day… without my teeth chattering!

I got the feeling this week during my Bible study times, that Jesus also enjoys the quiet stillness of the morning.  One of the very last messages that He left us at the end of the book of Revelation, which was the last discourse of the Lord’s written communication to mankind, was when He declared that,

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give this testimony for the churches. I am the Creator, the Root from which life originates, but also the descendant of David, and the true Light Bearer—The BRIGHT MORNING STAR of truth.”  (Revelation 22:16 – The Remedy Bible)

The word “MORNING” is defined in the Greek as “relating to the dawn” or “brilliant in the early day.”*  One thing that I have noticed in my early morning escapades is that when the sun begins to rise over the horizon… one can’t hardly resist being drawn to its golden glow!  But as if that wasn’t enough, Jesus preceded his self-reference to the “MORNING” with the adjective “BRIGHT!” …and this to me is where things get descriptively exciting!

Some of the words used to define this Greek word are “radiant, limpid (meaning completely clear of anything that darkens**), magnificent, sumptuous, gorgeous and white”* or “resplendent, attractive and impressive through being richly colorful.”***

So… Jesus doesn’t just compare Himself with the morning time of day… but separates Himself from anything else by His vivid descriptions and thereby bluntly records His presence in the annuals of written history, as the greatest, most wonderful, most resplendently beautiful and sumptuous sight and LIGHT that you and I will ever set our eyes upon… PERIOD!

So again, with all that in mind… why wouldn’t any of us want to get up in the early solitude of the morning to spend time… alone… with Him?

I’m pretty sure that most of us have heard the old adage that “The early bird catches the worm.”  Well… similarly, in the context of this post, one could also confirm that the early risers see things… wonderful things… in the quiet freshness of the morning and gain revelations that others won’t or cannot see in the heat and busyness of the day!

I recently started re-reading an old favorite book**** which tells the story of an Episcopalian priest, Father Dennis Bennett, who in the early 1960’s and 70’s came into the charismatic movement, received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues and was forced to resign as Pastor of a big Episcopalian church in Southern California.  After leaving that church, he took on a new assignment at a small missionary Episcopalian church in Washington state and soon became one of the world-wide leaders of the bourgeoning Charismatic Movement.

One of the main observations that stirred a greater hunger for God in his wife’s and his hearts was the young couple from another Episcopalian church in Southern California who had experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the dramatic change in their lives that drew the attention of their Pastor, who then introduced them to Dennis.  Upon their first meeting of the young couple, Father Dennis and his wife both agreed that the couple,

“radiated something that stirred feelings and responses deep inside them and that the young husband and wife seemed to know God – to be so sure of Him.”

I clearly remember Piper and I having almost identical feelings through the years of our faith walk that could… and still do… propel me to want to spend as much time with Him as I can.  And while I do take opportunities to be with Him whenever possible throughout my daily activities… my early morning coffee and study times that I set apart and committed to Him many years ago, is still my favorite, most encouraging and strengthening part of my day… hands down!

When is the last time that you spent time in the quiet calm of the early morning to experience the greatest, most wonderful, most resplendently beautiful and sumptuous sight and LIGHT of the world?  If it hasn’t been for a while… well… it can start tomorrow morning!

Enjoy the rest of your first spring week of 2025… and keep asking yourself… “What am I EXPECTING today?”

 

*Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

**Oxford Online Dictionaries

*** Thayer’s Greek Definitions

**** “Nine O’Clock in the Morning” by Dennis J. Bennett, © 1970 by Logos International

         --- This book especially spoke to my heart because of the similarity of my liturgical Catholic upbring and Father Bennett’s Episcopalian training ---

The New Sheriff in Town!

This last Friday was my birthday and I couldn’t help but to think of how the celebration of another year has not been the same since my wife Piper left this world for her glorious new residence in heaven.  The scriptures tell us that we have a mansion set aside for us there in heaven and I often times wonder what Piper’s mansion looks like. 

She was enchanted by rustic looking log cabin homes but also admired simple white, two-story farmhouses with a wraparound porch.  If I had to settle on one choice for her… I would be inclined to say that she has the white farmhouse surrounded by open green fields, a fruit orchard, a large garden and a forest of pines and towering Redwoods toward the back of the property… but I digress!

Those thoughts of missing her stuck with me this morning and when I opened my computer with a hot cup of coffee in hand, I was instantly drawn into the background picture on the screen of her standing in front of a restaurant in the little hamlet of Bodega Bay, taken on our 25^th wedding anniversary.  As I became absorbed with the picture, I instantly visualized what I would do if I was standing in front her right then and there…and the first thought that popped into my mind was that I would take the napkin and the just purchased pastry she was holding in her hand, set it down on the table behind her and simply hold her in my arms!

That perceived action made me think about all the times that I would come home from work, open the door from the garage to the kitchen and embrace her as she came up to greet me.  In many ways, those first few moments in close contact with her after work, were the best times of my day.  For no matter what had occurred on the job… the pressures and stress just seemed to melt away as I absorbed her essence that seemed to radiate peace, joy, encouragement and GRACE!

And you know?  God’s GRACE was one of the major themes that I learned about when I cared for Piper during the last eight years of her life.  We interacted with many different individuals during that time from folks in three different states.  I learned from first-hand experience that there are those whose words are proved by their actions and those whose words receive little follow through.  Putting that into a Biblical perspective… I came to understand that GRACE is the active demonstration of God’s LOVE.

While I forged ahead in my study of God’s LIGHT this last week, I came across a great example of Jesus demonstrating the physical application of Grace as He gave a hands-on lesson concerning God’s law of LOVE.  In this particular story, found in John chapter eight, Jesus had gone into the temple and began to teach the people when a group of scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery.  They wanted to test Him and told him the judgement that the Law prescribed and asked what He was going to do about it.

I kind of picture it this way… that Jesus simply smiled, bent over and seemed to write something on the ground with His hand and then turned to the woman’s accusers and said something like, “I’ll tell you what…

“The person who is sinless should be the first to throw a stone at her."*

The story then continues with her accusers being at a loss for words and one by one, turning and walking away until only the woman was left with Jesus.  Then after a moment or two of protracted time, Jesus lovingly looked over to the woman and addressed her and gently said,

“Where did they go? Has anyone condemned you?"  The woman answered, "No one, sir." Jesus said, "I don't condemn you either. Go! From now on don't sin."*

Once she left, Jesus turned back to the people He had been talking with and continued teaching them by saying,

“I am the true light revealing God’s character, principles and methods to the world. Whoever prefers what I am revealing, and opens their mind to understand this truth, will no longer walk in the darkness of Satan’s ways, or live in fear of God because of the devil’s lies, but will have the truth that brings eternal life (or “Light of Life” as another translation puts it) - (The Remedy Bible – John 8:12)**

When I read Jesus’ teaching in reference to the previous interruption by the scribes and Pharisees, it is easy for me to understand what Jesus was teaching, by both word and precept, to the people in the temple who had just witnessed the interaction.  For you see, Jesus was the physical manifestation of God’s GRACE being introduced into a Jewish religious life that had been governed by a strict and very black and white set of Do’s and Don’t’s!

Jesus was basically informing the people that there was a NEW LAW being introduced into the land… the LAW of LOVE… and that He was the New Sheriff in Town who would enforce the NEW LAW… by and through God’s GRACE!  Jesus’ words and actions with the scribes and Pharisees showed them that men (and women) no longer had the right to judge other people… their only job now… was first to LOVE God and then their neighbors as they LOVED themselves.***

And just how where they… and US today… supposed to do all that in the midst of personal trauma or heated situations when ugly things are being said and done to us and/or to those we LOVE?  In the same way that Jesus responded to the scribes and Pharisees who were ready to stone the woman caught in sin… By and with GRACE!

Do you remember the time in 2 Corinthians chapter twelve when Paul talked about the “thorn in the flesh” that he had to deal with?  Whatever the problem was**** Paul wrote that he had prayed many times that it would be removed from him but that Jesus specifically told him that,

“My GRACE is sufficient for you, for My POWER is perfected in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my weaknesses, in order that the POWER of Christ (ie; His GRACE) may rest upon me.”

In His reply to Paul, Jesus assured him that His GRACE was more than sufficient for Paul and directly related His GRACE to the POWER of God!  The word “sufficient” in the original Greek is defined as “the raising of a barrier and/or to be possessed of unfailing strength.” And the word “power” that is used twice in this verse, is the Greek word, “dynamis” from which we get our word “dynamite”  (Strong’s and Thayer’s)

In other words, when you and I extend GRACE to someone, it is NOT a sign of weakness or defeat, but a move that places the POWER of God’s GRACE directly into the situation in order to bring God’s answers, peace and satisfaction into the lives of those involved. 

Invoking God’s GRACE is actually a POWER MOVE!  It’s pretty COOL when you think of it that way… isn’t it?

I guess that is the LIGHT of LIFE (or the NOT-so-secret weapon we have at our disposal) that is in us that Jesus was talking about in John 8:12.

Seeing and employing GRACE as a POWERFUL weapon into our daily lives puts a whole new spin on it to me… How about you?

Have a terrific week as you meditate on the POWER of GOD’s GRACE… and with that in mind… Keep asking yourself:

“What am I EXPECTING today?”

 

*John 8:1-11 – God’s Word ©

**I can’t help but think of the Democratic Party here in the USA when I see this verse as a very plausible answer to the dark and morally unthinkable ways that they currently profess and speak and violently act against the current administration in the White House who are simply trying to protect our citizens and reverse the damage done to our country by the last administration.

***Matthew 22:37-39 / Mark 12:30-31 / Luke 10:27

****Most theologians don’t know what the problem was as the scripture is not specific about it.  Some say it was physical sickness although a study of the Greek words and terms used by Paul tend to convince others that it was more likely the personal persecution by the naysayers that followed him wherever he went.

Infatuated with LIGHT!

I got my first, very own camera in the early 1960’s.  It was a Kodak Instamatic 100 and I treated that device like it was worth it’s weight in gold… which to me… it was!  That camera was the start of many cameras that I have owned over the years and it initiated a life-long love of photography in me.  That passion became a full-time occupation for a number of years and then turned into a profitable side-gig that lasted until we moved to Oklahoma to attend Bible school in 2006.

I really began to explore the creative aspects of the craft when I purchased my first 35mm SLR camera in the summer of 1970 and took my initial photography class the next school year.  Over the months and years and multitude of college classes, mail-order classes and countless books on the subject that followed, I quickly became infatuated with LIGHT and its over-all effects on the picture… following the click of the shutter release.

I enrolled in that first photography class at the same time that I enrolled in the life of the gal who would rapidly become the love of my life… who… quickly became my favorite subject matter and guinea pig in countless experiments of photo composition and LIGHTING over the next 48 years!

In my quest to best capture and control the LIGHT in the large array of locations, weather and the type of LIGHT that was available at the moment… be it inside or out… I accumulated a wide variety of tools ranging from studio lighting kits to different sized cloth reflectors, small electronic flashes and my all-time favorite Rollei E36RE hand-held Strobonar… otherwise known in the trade as a “Potato Masher” due to its size and shape.

I became very aware of stray LIGHT and of how it can sort of “sneak” into a potentially perfect picture and ruin the whole desired effect!  As I look back today, at the literally hundreds of pictures that I took of my wife Piper, I am not only thankful that I took so many pictures of her (with her passing in 2018), but that I also did a good job on the overall LIGHTING and in particular, on the ability to capture many of her beautiful features and especially reflect the auburn highlights in her hair!

I’ve noticed over the last few weeks that Jesus also talked a lot about LIGHT…

HIS LIGHT

…and the importance of capturing and controlling it, so as to best highlight the LIGHT in us and in the lives of those that we come into contact with on a daily basis.  In John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people in the temple as well as to the scribes and Pharisees who were present and said,

“I am the LIGHT of the world. He that follows Me shall by no means walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of life." (EMTV)

Vincent’s Word Studies tells us that “LIGHT” is another of John's characteristic terms and ideas, playing a most important part in his writings, as related to the manifestation of Jesus and His work upon men.”  So, we see that the LIGHT of Christ that John 8:12 says is present in you and me, is a very important part and parcel of the Gospel message that we present to the world around us.

Thayer’s Greek Definitions in explaining the word “LIGHT” in that same verse, explains that “God is light because LIGHT has the extremely delicate, subtle, pure, and brilliant quality of truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity associated with it that is exposed to the view of all, openly and publicly.”

And again… Jesus said that that LIGHT comes to live in us, when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord!  Therefore, similar to my well-studied, well-practiced and eventually well-trained eye… along with a thorough understanding of the equipment I used… we, as Christians, also have the responsibility to practice and learn how to facilitate the LIGHT of Christ that is in us.  Knowing how to “read the room” per-se and lovingly utilize and/or capture, direct, soften or enhance the delicate, subtle, pure and brilliant qualities of Christ’s LIGHT… in order to best meet the needs of the individual(s) we minister to.  

And then… like a photographer… we can leave them with a beautiful portrait of who they are… or can be… within their relationship with Christ... as well as strengthening their relationships with others.

After my many, many years of being behind the lens of a camera… I now tend to see the world around me as if I am framing it for a picture!  I automatically focus in on the objects in view and look to see how the ambient LIGHT illuminates it… then I begin to figure out how I can personally… with the tools I have at hand… enhance and highlight the main subject… to make it or them look and feel their best!

So… while I depended… in years past*… upon my Rollei E36RE “Potato Masher” flash to put out just the right amount of light to capture the entire scene or simply to enhance parts of the picture… I now have a much more convenient and portable source of LIGHT… the LIGHT of Christ which will never need replacing or grow dim with use!

How about you?

Have a terrific weekend!  We have a weather front that is just about to come into the area which actually has some snow on the back end of it!  Whether we get any of that snow is still questionable according to local weather forecasts… But the good news is that we’ll have sunny skies into the 60’s tomorrow, followed by a week of spring-like weather… with lots of LIGHT… up into the high 70’s and low 80’s!  Oklahoma… don’t ya just love it?

 

*I used and enjoyed my first Rollei E36RE flash unit that I bought in the 1970’s so much over the years that I finally burnt it out and had to find another one about ten years later… after they had gone out of production!  And I still have that one… although it needs a new battery… which is also unavailable today… but don’t worry… I replaced it with a fully automatic Canon flash that still works just fine!

How to Make the Impossible... POSSIBLE!

I started listening to Southern Gospel music when we moved to North Carolina, following the purchase of our Mustang GT convertible toward the end of 2014.  The car came equipped with a satellite radio and as we took our many drives around the area surrounding our new home, we perused different stations and took a real liking to the Sirius XM Southern Gospel channel, Enlighten.

Now don’t get me wrong here… I still enjoy a fairly wide variety of musical styles.  If you come over to my house, you’ll hear our home entertainment system filling the atmosphere with sounds that range from Contemporary Christian in the morning, to Southern Gospel throughout the day and Classical in the late afternoon, as well as the late evening as I read and wind down for the night!  And in the car… well, most times I enjoy listening to the local Fox affiliate news/talk radio and… you guessed it… Southern Gospel!

I think it was the harmonies, the vitality in which the vocalists seem to put into every note they sing and the complicated intertwining of the wide array of musical instruments throughout the arrangements of the compositions, that drew me to this genre of music.  I find that most of the songs tell a story of testimony that comes from deep in the heart and life of the song writers and is then transposed and personalized through the unique life experiences and styles of the groups or individuals who performs the songs.

As I continued my study this morning on the idea of Christians having personal relationships with individual scriptures that God has spoken into their hearts, I was reminded of a dynamic testimony that I heard a Southern Gospel artist give during a live recording that has repeatedly played on the Enlighten channel.

And to be honest, I don’t even remember the name of the group nor of the individual giving the testimony.  But what I’ll never forget is the emotion behind the powerful story of God’s healing hand in the life of this man.

The gentleman had been a gospel singer for many years when he was diagnosed with, what I believe, was throat cancer.  After the required surgery was completed, the doctor told the patient that the procedure had been a success, but due to the scope of the surgery needed to remove the entire cancerous area, he would have difficulty talking for the rest of his life and would never sing again!

So, after a long period of recovery and a lot of feeling sorry for himself, the man began to cry out to God, reminding Him that He had given him his vocal giftings and called him into the ministry of music… and that without a voice… he could not do what he believed he was put on this earth to do as a minister of the Gospel. 

This process went on for a while until one day, the singer began to meditate on the faithfulness of God in the Old Testament story of Job where the man of God seemed to have his whole world collapsing around his feet.  As he prayed and cried out, the former vocal artist reminded God of His faithfulness back in Job’s time and began to claim the same faithfulness of God in his own situation. 

Then one day, as he prayed aloud… he suddenly began to talk normally, without difficulty… and discovered that he was also able to sing with the same strength and range he previously had!  God had miraculously touched his body and completely healed him.  And now in the years that have followed, he tells of the faithfulness of God through his personal testimony of his miraculous healing in venues across the United States!

The thing that strikes a chord in me each time I hear this testimony, is the passion and unshakable truth that pours out of his heart!  It is totally unmistakable to me that this man had a connection or relationship with the faithfulness of God within the scriptures that he was standing on.  Beyond any shadow of a doubt, he knew that he knew that as God was faithful to Job, He could and would be to him in his particular need as well!

And the interesting part, is that the verses that he was connecting to God with… had NOTHING to do with the physical healing of his body!  I believe that this man received his healing for his IMPOSSIBLE situation because he saw and touched the same level of the faithfulness of God in making the IMPOSSIBLE in Job’s life to become POSSIBLE … through the power of Almighty God.

It would seem… and is consistent throughout the Bible… that God can use just about any scripture that we make a deep, personal and even intimate relationship with… as a conduit to meet our needs… no matter how difficult or IMPOSSIBLE they may seem to be.

I heard a statement that an older Canadian Evangelist/Missionary to the Inuit Indigenous people who inhabit the northern regions of Canada, made at church a couple of Sunday’s ago… that really made me stop and think.  Speaking from over 50 years of ministry and countess miraculous events, he declared that,

“IMPOSSIBLE should be the filthiest cuss word known to a Christian!”

Hummm…!  What do you think about that?  After his personal experience with God through the IMPOSSIBLE healing of his voice… I would imagine that our vocalist friend would most definitely agree… that the IMPOSSIBLE is POSSIBLE with God!

It is a theme that is consistent throughout the entire Bible.  The First Mention of this truth is found in Genesis 18:13-14 where the angel of the Lord responds to Sarah’s laugh when she overheard the Lord speaking to her elderly husband, while telling him that they were going to have a baby at their very old age.  The angel of the Lord stated,

“Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?  Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (KJV)

The phrase “too hard” is translated into the Greek as “IMPOSSIBLE” and just happens to be the same Greek word that the angel of the Lord spoke to the Virgin Mary a few thousand years later, when he told her of the miraculous birth that she would have an active role in.  When Mary wondered how it could all come to be, he declared,

“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

And it is interesting to note Mary’s immediate reply.  Without any doubt or hesitation, she said,

“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.”

The truth that succinctly pulls these scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments together and flows with the purpose of our post… is what they tell us is NOT IMPOSSIBLE with the Lord. 

In the original Greek, the word “ANYTHING” in Genesis 18:14 and “NOTHING” in Luke 1:37, along with the word “WORD” that Mary replied in Luke 1:38, all speak of a “rhema” word… which again, is a word that God has given the reader special significance to in their life… and would be considered to be a word or verse in the scriptures in which the reader has developed a close, personal and even an intimate relationship with.

In the literal translation of these verses, these scriptures would actually declare,

“that NO RHEMA word of God shall be IMPOSSIBLE!”

I could tell you of time and time again when God gave both Piper and I special significance and heartfelt meaning to different scriptures that we stood on and thereby witnessed miraculous events, the positive changing of seemingly IMPOSSIBLE situations or words of wisdom and peace given in the midst of challenging and/or heated situations.

And I bet that you can too!

I love those times when I just “know that I know” that the truths from certain scriptures that I hold dearly in my heart are going to see me over and through the hard times that I face… and I then love to spend time studying and talking with the Lord in my daily Bible Studies in order to grow my inner library of RHEMA words to use in my life…

How about YOU?

I hope that you had a nice weekend and are looking forward to a positive week ahead… especially when you take the contents of today’s post to heart!

Relationships

Since the beginning of the New Year, I have been working fairly diligently at the task of preparing my house to go on the market in the spring.  So far, I have deep cleaned the bathrooms, re-stained all the cabinets in the house and this last week, have been endeavoring to clean all the interior doors and frames in order to paint or touch up as needed. 

My biggest frustration in all of this though, is the realization that I can’t seem to do as much in one day as I did when I was prepping our home in North Carolina for sale some six years ago!  I hate to admit it… but I think all the physical care of my wife over the last three to four years of her life has done a number on my knees, hips and back. 

I didn’t think much about it at the time, but even though she was a small gal, the constant physical lifting seems to have finally caught up with me… Not that I regret any of it and would repeat the whole thing over again in a heartbeat!

On the positive side, all the recent time working in the house has given me a lot of time to think about my past present and upcoming future in Tennessee.  For the last two weeks I have found myself in a time warp, bringing me back to my senior year in high school, in 1970-71 when Piper and I began our dating adventures.

I’ve told the story before of our first official date where we planned to meet up at the first school dance of the year, when she, arriving (fashionably) late, came walking across the dance floor and captured not only my imagination, but also my heart as she seemed to be aglow with each step she took toward me. 

Something clicked inside me at that moment, and while I couldn’t say that I was thinking that she would one day be my wife… I did get the uncanny sensation that there was definitely something very special about her and that I did not want to let her go, but was excitedly looking forward to exploring the future… side by side with her.

It was then that our 48-year RELATIONSHIP began, and it changed both of our lives forever!  After that, every word shared, every adventure taken, every thought conceived and every dream dreamed was a memory experienced through the eyes of our loving RELATIONSHIP. 

And it was in the focus of all those high school memories that I found myself thinking about while I washed and cleaned and painted around the house.  To me, it was as if each one of those remembrances, every smile and laugh and every word spoken by her, was an integral and empowering part of the RELATIONSHIP that we enjoyed and cultivated throughout the ensuing years.

In my Christian walk, I have also come to understand the importance of enjoying and cultivating a close and personal RELATIONSHIP with the Lord.  The Apostle John incorporates this idea into his gospel when he wrote, in this familiar scripture, about the time Jesus addressed the disciples’ (as well as we modern day believer’s) questions by replying,

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

What Jesus is telling us, is that as we ‘CONTINUE’, or “stay in a given place, state, relationship or expectancy”* in His Word, we prove to be… without any doubt… His disciples indeed!  But then Jesus goes deeper by explaining that in that mode of discovery and hungering for the things of God, we will ‘KNOW’ the truth and the knowledge of “that very truth will make you free.”**  The word translated ‘KNOW’ is that familiar word that I’ve talked about before. It defines someone who enjoys a very close and personal RELATIONSHIP with another individual.

So, we see that it is a particular truth that God reveals to us in His Word, that we can put to work, in order to set us free from any personal, physical or mental/emotional difficulties, habit or disability or way of thought.. that is holding us back or inhibiting us from reaching our full potential in life.  Strong’s informs us that that word ‘KNOW’ means “to know something or someone in an absolute way,” while the Mounce Concise Greek – English Dictionary describes it as meaning “to know in such a way that is settled… whether the action be inceptive or complete.”

The Mounce definition reminds me of the memory of my thoughts and decisions made during Piper’s and my first date… as she walked across the dance floor to me.  Our RELATIONSHIP was just at the very inceptive stage… but yet my mind was settled on the fact that I was NOT going to let her get away… as far as I was concerned, she was a keeper and anything she was to say or do from that point on… would have a permanent, and prominent position in my heart as well as a special place in my personal memory.

That is precisely what Jesus was talking about when He said that we would ‘KNOW’ the truth.  That we would have a special connection or maybe better said, RELATIONSHIP with that specific word of truth that will always stay with us and come to mind in times of weakness or difficulty.

You see, Christ and His Word are one*** and He wants us to have a very close and personal RELATONSHIP with Him and His Word.  When you and I read or study the Word it is just as if He is talking to us face to face… because He is!  Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “God’s word is living and active…” ****therefore it is just as new and fresh as when it was originally penned a few thousand years ago.

Hebrews 11:6 declares that “without FAITH it is impossible to please God…”***** So once again, like in our RELATIONSHIPS with our spouses and loved ones, we should also want to please God in our RELATIONSHIP with Him… right?  And how do we do that?  Well… according to Romans 10:17, “Faith cometh by hearing (and hearing, and hearing) and hearing by the Word of God.”*****  

In plan and simple English… that means to be constantly developing and enjoying… your personal RELATIONSHIP with Him in His Word!  So just like I have all kinds of special memories of experiences that I enjoyed with Piper over the years, that speak joy and peace into my heart… as Christians, I believe that God also wants us to have countless special memories of experiences that we’ve enjoyed with Him, that bring instant showers of joy and peace into our lives!

How close is your personal RELATIONSHIP with God in His Word?  What special memories of your interaction with Him do you like to share with others…

Have a terrific weekend!  We sure are around here in Oklahoma.  Today is the first day I haven’t had to wear my heaviest winter coat with a sweater underneath in almost a week… and instead of temperatures hovering below the bottom of my outside thermometers… we are now moving upward into the 60’s again!

PRAISE THE LORD!

And… enjoy your conversations with the Lord in your Bibles today!

 

 

 

 

*Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries

**The New Testament According to the Eastern Texts (George M. Lamsa)

***See John 1:1

**** God’s Word ©

*****King James Version

That Kind of THAT!

With the coming of Valentine’s Day yesterday, I couldn’t help but to reminisce over many of the special times that Piper and I enjoyed together over the 48 years of our relationship together… from our teenage days into our Senior years.  And as is usual for me, I found myself focusing in the wonderful 2-night holidays that we enjoyed alone throughout our marriage.  These getaways normally found us at different lodges along the beautiful Sonoma County California coast but on occasion, we also made it further north into Mendocino County.

I know that I’ve said it before, but I always enjoyed presenting my lovely wife with a special gift of clothing once we checked into our room for our stay.  Most times it was sleepwear, but I also recall a sharp outfit that caught my attention at JC Penny’s on my lunch hour one day that I thought was absolutely made for her.  It consisted of a casual pair of white dress shorts, matched with a white blouse, dotted with flowers. 

And a few years later, I also remember purchasing a pair of designer jeans for her… that after I wrapped them up… began to be concerned that they would be too small.  She was normally easy to shop for, as all I had to do was find the smallest size available.  But this time I realized that she normally wore a size 6 jeans and these were a 5!  But you know?  They fit her perfectly!

And as I thought back on those times, I realized that I don’t remember her ever presenting me with a gift… except for that of herself… and I couldn’t have asked for anything else!  With her devotion to homeschooling, church activities and just being a wife and mom… we never seemed to have much time alone together during the week.  She was one busy woman!  But when we took off to the coast together… she was all mine!  I had her undivided attention… and she had mine!

Once back at home and then throughout the rest of the year, whenever she wore one of the gifts I had given her on our holiday times together, she’d give me ‘THAT’ special look that said it all concerning our love for each other, and I couldn’t help but to smile and proudly think, “Hey, THAT’s my wonderful wife” and then get lost for moment in time, warmly reconnecting to our love and devotion to each other, highly anticipating our future… and especially looking forward to our next jaunt to the coast!

If you recall last week’s blog post, we talked of how the Scriptures point to Jesus Himself as being the TRUTH in this world.  Then we looked at John 14:6 when Jesus confirmed this TRUTH by responding to His disciple’s request for wisdom by saying,

“I AM the WAY the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No one goes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6-God’s Word ©) 

As I continued to study this verse throughout the week, I felt led to turn back to the Old Testament when God used similar terminology as He told Moses who He was and how to talk to the children of Israel about Him.  In Exodus 3:14 God replied to Moses’ questions by declaring,

“I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (KJV)

When I read this familiar verse in Exodus this week, I saw something that I had never seem before.  I realized that the word ‘THAT’ is capitalized just like God’s reference to Himself as being the “I AM.”  This discovery told me two things.  First, that the word ‘THAT’ is part of God’s official name and title and secondly, that it is just as important as the words “I AM”!

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions tells us that the word ‘THAT’ as translated in this verse is used as an “Object Clause.”  Well… I had to look that one up!  So, low and behold, I found a website entitled “Mr. K’s Grammer Planet”* where I learned that “The relative pronoun (THAT) replaces the object of the original clause.”  Which serves to confirm the importance of the word in this verse.

So… with my new-found knowledge, I found myself reading the verse with more emphasis on the word ‘THAT’… and it came out as God (and Jesus, years later) saying,

“I Am THAT (one and only) I Am!”

In Jesus’ case, I use the more descriptive version of John 14:6 as stated in the Remedy Bible along with my own descriptive aids to better explain my thoughts as,

“Jesus answered gently, “I AM (THAT one and only I AM Who is) the WAY back to my Father. I AM (THAT one and only I AM Who is) the TRUTH revealing my Father’s character and the principles upon which life is based; I AM (THAT one and only I AM Who is) the Source of all LIFE.  (and) I AM (THAT one and only I AM Who is) the BRIDGE, and no one comes to the Father except through me—because all truth revealing the Father has been provided by me.”  

When I read these “I AM” verses in both the Old and New Testaments, I sense that Jesus wants to be ‘THAT’ I AM - Who we each, individually know (through regular personal interaction and experience) as THE ONE Who blesses us by being FAITHFUL, LOVING and TRUE to His Word… throughout the entirety of our lives on this earth.

And you know what this sort of reminds me of?  My interactions with my wife (Yes! ‘THAT’ wonderful wife of mine) as I blessed her with special gifts on our 2-night holidays together… and especially as I got ‘THAT’ special look of appreciation the rest of the year, that was dripping with love and affection…

That is the same ‘THAT’ look of love and affection that Jesus asks in return from you and me… for the regular BLESSINGS that He, through His LOVE and FAITHFULNESS toward us (by His GRACE), sends into our lives!

Is Jesus and His Word ‘THAT’ Special One that you brag about to your friends and family?  He sure wants to be!

Have a great weekend!  The meteorologist on our local Tulsa TV station (channel 6) told us to enjoy the warm weather today as it is about to plummet down into negative windchills this week – complete with a nice depth of snow!  So, Fiver and I just took a leisurely walk in the (relatively) warm day (wind chills of 35) and are ready for the week ahead… which begins with a teeth cleaning and extraction for Fiver on Monday morning!

I guess that it is just another opportunity to thank the great “I AM” - Who is ‘THAT’ “I AM” - Who is always faithful to me and mine… and to YOU and Yours as well!

 

*https://mrksgrammarplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/3-Object-Clauses.pdf

Your Legal Rights

Back in the early 2000’s I had the distinction of being one of the multitude of employees of Agilent Technologies who was let go in the third phase of the company’s major downsizing efforts.  Not too long after that event I received a phone call from an attorney representing Agilent who informed me that a temporary employee who had worked for me was suing the company for wrongful termination.  Along with the company, the individual specifically named a few persons and in particular me, as I was the Supervisor who initiated her departure from my department.

I wasn’t too concerned about the situation as I had kept good notes of my discussions with the temp worker which were collaborated by the temp agency’s vice president with whom I had numerous discussions along the way.  As part of the preliminary process, I had to spend time with the Agilent legal team and then give a deposition, under oath before both sets of lawyers.

To make a long story short, this went on for months with no court date set until a week before Piper and I were scheduled to attend a leadership training event, with our church’s leadership team to… you guessed it… right here at the Rhema USA campus in Broken Arrow Oklahoma.  The trial was set to begin during the week we were to be out of town. 

When I told the contracted attorney of the conflict, he was not pleased at all and told me that they would fly me back and forth to Oklahoma.  I reminded him that I no longer worked for the company and that the training conference was part of my job with the church.  He just kept repeating that I had to be present at the court and hung up. 

But a few days later, I received a call from an Agent lawyer (whom I knew) who told me that everything was okay and that they were going to settle out of court, so that they didn’t need to bother me anymore… and Piper and I went on to the conference out here… which in point of fact, turned out to be the life-changing event that set our course of action to move out here and attend Bible College.

I mentioned this story because our blog post today also talks about another legal deposition that was given a few thousand years ago… by Jesus Himself!

In last week’s post, we described what actually happens when, according to Psalm 40:3*, we see and thereby perceive something new about who Jesus is and what He provides for us through His Word (ie; salvation, healing, provision, wisdom, grace etc..) and then decide to receive it into our lives.  And we looked in particular at the Apostle John’s gospel in John 8:31-32 where Jesus tells us

“If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the TRUTH, and the (or better said: ‘that’) TRUTH shall make you free.” (KJV)

A little research on the meaning of ‘the TRUTH’ in The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges informs us that ‘the TRUTH’ refers to “Both Divine doctrine (ie; the gospel message and/or teachings of Jesus as found in our Bibles - that we talked about last week) and Christ Himself.”  Jesus told His disciples (as well as you and me today) that,

"I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Me.” (God’s Word ©) 

So, Jesus acknowledges the spiritual fact that He Himself is the TRUTH and then seals the deal for you and me toward the end of His earthly presence when He declares to Pilate, Who He is and why He came into the world by declaring:

“To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear WITNESS unto the TRUTH. Every one that is of the TRUTH heareth my voice.” (John 18:37 – KJV) 

The underlying message of this statement was then repeated many years later to John in Revelation 3:14, when John as an elderly man, was told by the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, during in his vision of heaven while he was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, that,

“This message is from Jesus—the consistent, reliable, faithful and TRUE WITNESS—who is the origin of God’s creation.” (The Remedy Bible) 

The word WITNESS as used in these passages, is a LEGAL TERM that addresses an individual who is a “deponent” (Mounce Concise-Greek/English Dictionary) which in today’s vernacular describes “a person who gives testimony under oath, outside of the courtroom, in a deposition or an affidavit.”**  Sounds like my experience doesn’t it? 

You see, Jeus made a LEGAL deposition before the law of the land which officially declared Him to be the TRUTH and… following His death where He “stripped the rulers and authorities of their power” and “took back the keys of hell and of death”*** was resurrected and then seated at the right hand of God… Thereby giving every Christian the LEGAL RIGHT to all the promises declared in His Word… as discovered between the pages of yours and my Bibles!

Now, that’s not to say that the enemy of our souls isn’t going to fight like crazy to deter us from knowing about… much less receiving all that God has for us… RIGHT NOW… ON THIS EARTH – TODAY!  But that’s another lesson for another time.  Let’s get this one under our belts first!

Suffice to say… Our Bibles are LEGAL DOCUMENTS that came about through Jesus’ actions on and after the cross and are backed by the authority of the throne of God!

That’s pretty special… wouldn’t you say?  Well… that is exactly the way our Father God planned it to be for us… His children!

There will definitely be more explanation to come… but as for now… read this post through a few times… study out the verses (and others like them – by using a concordance) in your own Bibles and begin to exercise your LEGAL RIGHTS as a Christian.  Have a great weekend.  We’ve got the potential of some more winter weather this next week and the temperatures are already starting to fall… so I won’t be unpacking my shorts anytime soon!  PTL!

 

*Psalm 40:3 (The Passion Translation) “A new song for a new day rises up in me every time I think about how He breaks through for me! Ecstatic praise pours out of my mouth until everyone hears how God has set me free. Many will see His miracles; they’ll stand in awe of God and fall in love with Him!” 

**The Legal Dictionary - https://legaldictionary.net/deponent/

***See Colossians 2:13-14 and Revelation 1:18