Watch Your Step!

I got my first introduction to a Tennessee snowstorm this past week… although, to be fair, I hear tell that this last storm was not a usual example of a normal snow event in the state.  This particular storm was a much more powerful experience from Mother Nature.  I’ve actually seen worse in Oklahoma, but the cold out here definitely seems to be colder to me, than the cold in Oklahoma!  I’ve been told that it is due to the higher percentage of humidity in the Volunteer State.  But anyway that you look at it, frozen snow and ice on the ground… is still a dangerous combination… especially if you don’t pay attention when you are outside!

Throughout the storm and its cold aftereffects, I’ve made a point to stay as close to Fiver’s daily walk schedule, as both of us tend to get a little stir-crazy if we spend too much time in our small apartment.  The walks may not be as long or in the same areas, but just getting outside for a small amount of time helps immensely!

The main hazard that I’ve had to stay alert for are the various stages of the slick surfaces that we walk on.  The snow isn’t that bad, but as the temperature plummets downward it starts to harden and become slippery.  Then when you add a small layer of ice… well it can get quite treacherous out there!

So… I’ve learned to master the shuffle step, the slide step and the automatic toe tap where you touch the surface before your next step in order to discern its stability!  But above every other technique, the most important is to simply WATCH YOUR STEP… and I am talking about each and every STEP! 

I allowed myself to get distracted the other day when we had stepped onto the road and began to walk when I noticed a gal making a raucous as she was trying to get something out of her car.  Well in that quick moment, I stepped on some black ice, lost my balance and began to go over backwards… but that God for a big dog… as I immediately pulled up on the lease and Fiver proved to be the unmovable force that steadied me and returned me to an upright position!  PTL!  Needless to say, he got an extra treat when we got home!

One of the habits that I discerned in my wife, early on in our dating relationship, was her uncanny ability to have a scripture for almost every event in her life.  The Bible was not only her source for the spiritual wisdom and direction in her life, but it also played a very tangible role for just about everything in her physical, day to day existence as well.  I can clearly remember the stunned looks on people’s faces (both in the church and in the secular world) when she would nonchalantly, but yet very positively, associate a particular verse that spoke into the present situation… in a very literal manner.  She’d say, ‘Well you know, the Word says…” and then encourage whomever she was conversing with to trust God’s specific Word on the subject… right then and there!  And they would say Huh? What? Well… Yea!  It does doesn’t it!

Well… I grabbed on to her revelation of the literal understanding of the scriptures and tend to do the same thing nowadays.  So… walking safely on the frozen snow and slippery ice was a prime candidate… and the verse of scripture that immediately came into my mind was Psalm 37:23 where the Psalmist declares:

“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” (KJV) 

I’m pretty sure that you can see why this verse was such an obvious choice for me.  The Baptist writer and theologian John Gill, wrote in his mid-1700’s Exposition of the Old and New Testament, that the man spoken of in this verse,

“… is blessed of the Lord; the steps which he takes in life are ordered by the Lord, both with respect to things temporal and spiritual: his good conduct is not of himself, it is a blessing of the Lord, who directs and keeps the feet of his saints, and inclines them to take such steps, and pursue such methods, which he succeeds and prospers;”

In other words, this theologian… a few years before my lovely wife, also caught the revelation of the scripture’s very tangible validity and usage in both our natural and spiritual lives. 

As I studied this verse, I came to understand that the man (ie; person) being spoken of (or to) is actually more than just a ‘good’ man but is, in particular, a ‘strong’ and  ‘valiant’ man whose is more on the stature of a ‘warrior!’  Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions describes this individual as: “a strong man or warrior (emphasizing strength or ability to fight)”

The Message Bible calls this man a “Stalwart” which Dictionary.com defines as someone who is “strong, brave, valiant, firm, uncompromising and a steadfast supporter of an organization”– which in this case would refer to our Christian beliefs and personal faith.

The Psalmist is specifically talking about a man, woman, boy or girl who is strong and steady in their faith and valiantly stands firm when people or the physical situation around them is telling them that it’s not working and to give up! 

Yours and my job as that strong individual, is to be the unmovable force (like Fiver was to me on the ice) and allow the Lord to work in and behind the scenes in order to cause you to succeed and prosper… and by doing so… show Himself to be faithful to His Word that you are standing on!

Makes good sense to me… How about to you?

As long as we keep our eyes alert to the places He is directing us to STEP… as well as where NOT to STEP… we may SLIP and SLIDE and even occasionally FALL… but quickly find ourselves right back in an upward position…  And the very next verse in Psalm 37 tells us why

“We will not be thrown down headfirst because the LORD holds on to our hand.” (Psalm 37:24 - God’s Word ©) 

Have a great rest of your weekend… and wherever you may be… stay warm… stay alert… and Watch Your Step!!

Hummmm… TASTY!

As part of my preparations for the storm that is now upon us, I spent the majority of my day yesterday cooking and preparing meals to have ready… in case the potential of ice-driven power outages did occur as the skies released their fury upon us.  So, I boiled eggs, fried bacon, roasted chicken and veggies and set aside the ingredients for additional sandwiches and desserts… and in the process… filled my house with a potpourri of delightful and mouthwatering fragrances.

And as you can imagine… FOOD was top of mind... for me… throughout the balance of my day.  I even found myself getting excited at the prospects of the coming storm and my need to hunker-down and stuff my mouth while reading a good book or two for the duration of the next few days!

But that wasn’t all that I was thinking about.  The picture of me stuffing my mouth with some delicious morsels of perfectly seasoned meats and vegetables also got me to consider how the Bible encourages us to stuff ourselves with delicious morsels of the perfectly seasoned and proven Word of God!

A favorite scripture of mine since moving to Tennessee and stepping into the new season of life set before me, has been Psalm 34:8 where the Psalmist wrote:

“O TASTE and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” (KJV)

The Message Bible gives a little more description in line with my activities from yesterday, as I prepared for the storm, saying,

“Open your MOUTH and TASTE, open your eyes and see— how good GOD is. Blessed are you who run to Him.” (MSG) 

Other translations conclude this verse stipulating,

“…Happy and Blessed is the man, woman, boy or girl who put their trust and expectations in Him.”*

So… see if you can follow my train of thought here… The Psalmist is using the analogy of an individual bringing food to their mouths and tasting it, as a comparison to an individual tasting, through the hunger of their hearts, the delicious and nutritious Word of God and thereby taking it into themselves and making it to be a part of them and their lives.

When we eat, the food we put into our mouths, chew up and swallow, eventually becomes a part of us.  It is nutritious for us, strengthens us, feeds us and helps to keep us healthy.  It is a very personal and individualistic type of activity.  Most people I know are not going to expect (nor want) someone else to chew their food for them and then return it to them to swallow… RIGHT?  Gross thought… but true!  Eating the great variety of wonderful foods available to us is something most of us enjoy… the fragrance, the texture and the taste… RIGHT?

Well… that is why the Psalmist compares our study of the Word to the idea of one bringing food to their mouths, inserting it, tasting it, chewing it, savoring it and then swallowing it so that it can do the actual work that nutritious food is designed to do for the human body.  If you and I refuse to eat, our bodies will eventually break down and wither away with sickness or disease.   The same is true of our need to regularly take in the life-giving, strengthening and good health giving (both spiritually and physically) Word of God.

If we refuse to partake of the Word, and not take the time and effort to taste it, chew it and swallow it, our spirits will become starved and weak and have ZERO effect in our daily lives.

I just took a break to get some lunch and opened my refrigerator to see its shelves stacked with good food and boy… was I ever tempted to eat it all!  And that friends… is the same way that I believe the Lord wants us to react when we open up our Bibles and see it’s pages full of delicious, nutritious and POWERFUL morsels of God’s Word!

YUMMMMMMMMM!  I’m ready to TASTE and SEE… How about you?  Have a great rest of your weekend and I’ll try to post some updates on the storm throughout the weekend!

 

*JBS, BBE, DRB, ABP+ and Brenton translations

The Color of My Words

I always feel close to my late wife whenever I go grocery shopping.  I’m pretty sure that it is because of all the time we spent in grocery stores together over the years.  When the kids got old enough to stay home alone, going to Food Maxx or Raley’s became one of those opportunities where we could spend precious time alone with each other…

And my shopping excursion to my local Kroger’s yesterday was no different!  From the very first plastic bag I pulled to place my zucchini in, until I wheeled the cart away from the self-check area, my mind was awash with memories of us walking, talking and laughing our way through the hollowed aisles of canned, bagged and boxed food items.

But the real moment that brought happy tears to my eyes was when I was pushing my loaded cart to my car in the parking lot.  As I proceeded down the lane between the parked cars, I couldn’t help but smile when I passed two older ladies walking toward the entrance of the store.  They were deep in conversation and didn’t notice me as they walked by.  But what caught my eye and caused me to stop and turn around after I had passed them, was the white-haired (obviously older of the two) gal wearing a bright purple jogging suit and new athletic shoes.

The laughter that came up from deep inside of me and brought a rush of joy-filled tears to my eyes was the immediate thought that my Piper, if alive and in her seventies today, would definitely be the one wearing the bright colored jogging suit… although I am pretty certain that her COLOR of choice would have been red!  She used to sport jogging suits when they were popular back in the nineties and had numerous sets including a bright blue and a bright red one.

She tended to enjoy wearing brightly COLORED clothes that made her skin tone pop with vibrancy.  The bright COLORS also displayed the full effect of her personality and outwardly encouraging heart.

And that little journey down the sweet halls of her memories stirred up inside of me yesterday, sort of encapsulated a thought that I had been thinking about and investigating for the last week or so… with that thought being,

‘Do Our Words Have Color?’

Do our words represent the differing spectrum of COLOR perception?  A quick look at some prevalent scientific discussions on the subject quickly confirms the reality of that question.  And if that then be true… have you ever considered the COLOR of the words that you speak into your own life as well into the lives of others that you converse with?  Are your words pleasing and or acceptable to God?  In Psalms 19 :14 David prayed,

“Let the WORDS of my mouth and the MEDITATION of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.” (NASB)

A very simplistic definition of the words “Words” and “Meditation” would tell us that “the WORDS of my mouth” relates to the actual words that we speak out loud, while “the MEDITATION of my heart” being the words we think about and in reality, are the words that we speak to ourselves.

So… with all that in mind, what WORDS do you speak (either aloud or to yourself) on a regular basis?  What COLORS do you employ in which to paint the daily world that you are involved with?  Are they bright with enthusiasm, encouragement and vitality or dull, dark and potentially depressing to yourself and others?  Now this doesn’t mean to imply that our words always have to be loud and overly joyful, but can also be soft and gentle as they bring enthusiasm, encouragement, vitality and Godly hope to people (including ourselves) who are hurting.

I was thinking on Fiver’s and my morning walk today, that I actually paint the foundation of my day as I get up, study my Bible and then shower and get dressed… way before I ever step out of the front door and into the public world around me. 

What do I do?  I confess the power and COLOR of the Word into my day!  I take scriptures that I have memorized over the years and keep active in my heart like “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13), “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19), “I am strong, confident and courageous, I do not tremble and I am not dismayed for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go” (Joshua 1:9), “The joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10) etc… and I speak them out of my mouth and thereby pre-paint my day with a Godly, power-packed, encouraging landscape picture that serves as the foundation of the people, places and things that will become a part of the picture of my day!

So… what COLORS are you painting your day and the encounters that you have with others?  Are they bright purple, like the lady at Kroger’s yesterday?  I think that we all have unique COLORS and tones that best present our personalities and the way we encourage others with… wouldn’t you agree?

So… Give it some thought, pray about it, and then grab your brush and go out and paint your world!

Have an exciting, encouraging and brightly COLORED day today… Then slip me a comment and let me know about the COLOR of the words that you like to paint in the daily activities of your life.

Words That Produce Life

Well, I have finally become an official resident of the Volunteer state, Tennessee!  Earlier this week, I spent an entire morning driving out to the next town about 30+ minutes away, in order to surrender my Oklahoma driving license in exchange for a Tennessee Real ID driver’s license.  Then I turned around and headed back home to Mt Juliet and a stop at the county clerk’s office to acquire a Tennessee license plate. 

As it turns out, I was minus one important piece of documentation… my car’s Oklahoma registered pink slip (which was actually green), and needed to drive back to my place, which thankfully wasn’t too far away.  Upon my return to the clerk’s office, I opted to get a specialty plate that celebrates Tennessee’s rich music history and just happens to have a picture of a guitar on it that looks exactly like my brother’s 1960’s replica, that he played during our band days (and still has today) in the late sixties and early seventies!  I sent him a picture of the plate and told him that it was in honor of him and our band, “The Higher Priced Spread.”

I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed or not, but going to these governmental state and county offices tends to not be most people’s favorite activity.  And from what I have personally experienced in the four different states that I have lived in… this distaste seems to be a common thread.  So, I had to laugh and make a quick decision that I was going to keep a positive and joyful demeanor, when I drove up to the Driver’s License office and the line was with at least ten people standing outside the door!

As I inched toward the door, I could hear the moans and groans and less than complimentary remarks about how slowly things seemed to be moving.  But I kept a smile and interjected a humorous remark whenever it seemed to fit.  And you know… it really wasn’t that long a wait.  I was in and out within an hour and before long had the not-so-happy looking clerk (at both offices I went to) smiling, laughing and thanking me for coming in!

So, when I finally got home, I felt satisfied that I had brought a little bit of cheer and LIFE into the lives of those individuals that I interacted with. 

In last week’s blog post, we talked about speaking Words that give LIFE and took a peek at the scripture from the book of Proverbs where King Solomon wrote,

“Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose.” (Proverbs 18:21 MSG)

And I mentioned in the postscript, that in my next post, we would look at a few places where we could find Words that give LIFE that we can speak into the lives of those around us.  Well… I am pretty sure that you’ve already deduced that I was going to point us to the Scriptures to find power-packed, creative Words that are infused with the glory of God… that we can put into our hearts and then release through our mouths into the atmosphere we inhabit!  So… then… Let’s Do It!

In John 1:1 & 4 the Apostle of LOVE wrote that,

“In the beginning the Word (ie; Jesus) already existed. The Word (ie; Jesus) was with God, and the Word (ie; Jesus) was God…  He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.” (God’s Word ©) 

This verse, and many like it throughout the Bible, informs us that God’s Word is actually Jesus talking to us and is in fact, the very source and power of the life that we need in which to bring the tangible, life and/or situation changing presence of His power into everything we do, say and think!

When I interact with people, like at the two different agencies I went to get my new state documents, the Word that is inside of me just sort of comes out in my conversations.  It has become a part of who I am… I guess that was one of the many things from my wife’s life that rubbed off on me!   And it is that Word… Jesus’ Word… coming forth from my lips, that changed the environment of complaining, short tempers and exasperated faces into some laughter, the release of tension and positive vibes around the office.

Remember, if you will, where Mark concluded his gospel, by declaring that the disciples (as examples to the entire church, past, present and to come*),

“went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the WORD with signs following. Amen. (Mark 16:20 – KJV)

In other words, the Lord works with us, will guide us, inspire us and teach us in our daily Christian walk… but it is His Word, spoken from our lips, that brings the life, change and the miraculous power required to bring a positive outcome to the various situations and needs that we and those around us might encounter on a daily basis.

So… What will it be?  Words that kill… or Words… His Words… that have the creative power to produce LIFE?

Have a terrific rest of your weekend!

 

 

*See Ephesians 4:11-12 / Mark 16:15-18

From Leftovers to New Beginnings!

My wife had a way of turning something that may give a hint of negativity into a more positive outlook, word or action.  A good example took place years ago when she called our kids into the kitchen in order to help her prepare a family meal.  As they walked in one asked, “What are we having?” to which she cheerfully replied “Leftovers!”

Well… that kind of went over like a lead balloon and was followed by less than stellar grunts of enthusiasm.  But… if you knew Piper… then you know that their response didn’t move her one bit, nor decrease the big smile on her face.  She simply paused, thought for a moment and said, “You know what?  Let’s change the name from ‘Leftovers’ to ‘New Beginnings!’”  

And while I have to admit that the name change never quite took root in our family, it did get all of us to think about how the things we say or hear can regulate how we respond to the activities and events in our daily lives… Like the way “Leftovers” connotates mental pictures of something old, stale and potentially flavorless, while “New Beginnings” stimulates more enthusiastic expectations of something fresh, new and yummy in its own right!

Piper’s example goes hand in hand with a scripture that I have been revisiting over the last few weeks…  In Proverbs 18:21, King Solomon wisely notated that,

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (KJV)

I personally like the way that the Message Bible paraphrases this verse by bluntly saying,

“Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose.” (MSG)

Solomon seems to be making it clear that the words we speak or listen to are either going to produce LIFE or DEATH in the situations that they are spoken into…  According to my photography minded thinking… It’s simply BLACK or WHITE!  There is no middle ground… There are no complimenting shades of gray to soften or redefine the picture that has been taken (or the words that have been spoken or listened to).

So… what can we do about it?  Well… Solomon, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, plainly teaches that the choice is totally up to you and me!  In other words… we have the personal responsibility to watch over the things that come out of our mouths… as well as the things that we allow to come into our ears!

Paul speaks similarly in I Corinthians 15:33 when he told the recipients of his letter to,

“Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (KJV)

In that portion of his letter, he is encouraging the church in Corinth to be careful with whom they listened to, or hung out with.  He is basically telling us that by associating with those who are constantly speaking words that produce death, they run the very real risk of corrupting their good Christian morals and character.

But once again, the responsibility for the choice… was up to them!

Which will you choose… Life or death?  What would you rather speak into the lives of those you communicate with… and which of those two choices would you rather listen to and thereby receive into your own life?

It looks to be a Black or White decision…

Have a great first complete week of the New Year, 2026… why, it’s the perfect time to leave the “LEFTOVERS” behind and to heat up some “NEW BEGINNINGS” in your life… by taking personal responsibility for the things you might say… or choose to listen to… wouldn’t you agree?

 

PS:  Next time we just might look at a few places where we can find the words of life from which to speak…