Tornado Season!

Well… PRAISE THE LORD!  It looks like we made it through another TORNADO SEASON here in Tennessee.  I guess I should be pretty relieved as our TORNADO horns in Mt Juliet only went off once about a month or so ago… in the middle of the night… of course!

That was an interesting experience for me, as it was my first TORNADO adventure in Tennessee.  This season was quite a bit calmer here then when I lived in Oklahoma.  The actual storm that triggered our sirens though, wasn’t much different than an Oklahoma severe weather event… except for when I stepped out onto my apartment balcony in the midst of the sirens, heavy rain, strong winds and booming thunder and lightning.  I think that I must have lived in Oklahoma long enough to have garnered the typical male response to an incoming TORNADO… thinking… Oh Gee…I gotta check this out!

But… I quickly got a reality-check when there was one of the loudest thunder claps that I’ve ever heard… immediately followed by the crack of a hot, super-bright, electrical discharge that flooded my senses with the strongest scent of ozone that I have ever experienced!  That kind of shook me and I quickly retreated back into the living room of my apartment.  I’m glad that I had enough sense to only take one step onto the balcony and not the full distance out to the railing!  I think that someone must have been watching over me!  What do you think?

In that moment of less-than stellar responsibility… I learned that there are certain situations where I should not have the ability to throw caution to the wind (literally in this case…) and think that I am safe in any environment!  But you know… as I was studying the Word… as a thunderstorm was moving into our area early this morning… the scriptures I’ve been studying for about a week now, brought to mind a very specific time of when the Lord had taught me about the need to control the environment surrounding my wife and I.

I’ve told of the experience before, so I won’t bore you with the whole story, but suffice to say, when Piper was first beginning to deal with the encroaching debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the Lord clearly spoke to my heart early one morning and in no uncertain terms, explained the importance of me controlling the atmosphere around her. 

It was already becoming very apparent to both of us, that not everybody around us… be it extended family, friends, the medical professionals or even strangers that we encountered on our walks or times at the store… were in faith for the journey we were forced into.  So along with everything else I was doing for my sweet wife’s physical care, the Lord also impressed upon me the need to keep an atmosphere of faith, joy, peace and encouragement in our home and as much as I could… outside of our house as well.

Sounds easy right?  WRONG!  And I learned real quick that in order to have any sense of success in this directive of the Lord… that I needed to keep myself in a consistent and ever-growing attitude of faith, joy, peace and encouragement.

Hummmm… and just how do I do that?  Well… The verses of scripture that brought me back to this memory this morning are found in I Thessalonians 5:16-19 where the Apostle Paul closes his first letter of encouragement to the church in Thessalonica (as well as to you and me today) saying,

1)   “Rejoice evermore. 

2) Pray without ceasing. 

3) In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 

4) Quench not the Spirit.” (KJV) 

I specifically numbered each verse as they seem to be set in a logical systematic order in which to follow… and as these steps worked for me in my situation back then, I believe it is also a current day directive of the Lord written to each of us for the varying situations we find ourselves facing each and every day.

First of all, Paul encourages us to “Rejoice evermore.”  The God’s Word© translation makes it a bit more up-to-date by saying “Always be joyful” while the Message Bible seems to be a little more accurate to the original Greek stating, “Be cheerful no matter what!”  Strong’s defines the familiar word “REJOICE” as “to be full of cheer, to be calmly happy” which to me says that our calm and cheerful demeanor is simply to be a well-practiced mindset that we operate in all the time... no matter where we are or what we are facing.  It is the steadying, basic and foundational asset that we have to control the atmosphere around us.

Next, we are told to “Pray without ceasing.”  Does that mean that we are to stay on our knees at the side of our bed in prayer all the time?  No, of course not… but I do believe it is talking about our need to stay in an attitude of prayer by keeping our spirits alert to the voice of the Lord throughout our busy days.

Smith Wigglesworth who was one of the great Apostles of Faith in the first half of the 20^th century was once asked how long he prayed everyday and he responded saying that “I don’t ever pray more than twenty minutes…” and then after a pause, continued by declaring “but I never go twenty minutes without praying!”  In other words… he stayed alert to the leadings of the Holy Spirit in his life and kept the lines of two-way communication between God and himself open all the time.

And once the first two directives of the Lord are up and running in our lives, it becomes increasingly easy and “normal”, as The Passion Translation says, to find ourselves “giving THANKS in the midst of everything.”  The Bible in Basic English tells us,

“In everything give PRAISE: for this is the purpose of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 

The actions of giving THANKS or PRAISE seem to be almost interchangeable when it comes to the worship of our God, but in reality, they each have a separate focus.  The Bible Hub* informs us that PRAISE focuses in on who God is, while THANKSGIVING emphasizes what God has done in our individual lives.  But in either regard and for the purpose of our verse in I Thessalonians 5:18, either action specifically takes our thoughts off of any difficulty in the situation that we are dealing with and focusses our attention on the love, truth, ability and over-coming power of the Lord and the truth of His Word for the need at hand.

And then… once the Lord has an open door to work in the midst of whatever it is we are facing… “Quench NOT the Spirit” as He begins to assist you.  Or as The Passion Translation puts it,

“Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.”

Once He starts working in the situation, stay in faith and sensitive to whatever it is that He is doing… AND… to what He may have for you to do in the situation as well!

And so… As I stayed sensitive to… what I like to call the “HINTS” that the Lord was regularly giving me… back when I was caring for my wife, it became increasingly easier to be aware of what other’s around me were doing and thereby for me to say and do the right things at the right times… and change and/or keep the atmosphere around my wife and I in a more positive, joyful and faith-charged atmosphere… just like the way that bolt of lightning changed and charged the atmosphere around my balcony during that TORNADO producing storm...

And… since we know that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”**

You and I can have the same results – TODAY - by following Paul’s directions and walk in such a way where our reactions of THANKSGIVING and PRAISE… in the midst of anything that happens in our lives… both good or bad… causes our faith to focus on the goodness of God and hereby allow Him to work His miracles in the daily situations of our lives… be it TORNADO SEASON or not!

 

* https://biblehub.com/topical/p/praise_and_thanksgiving.htm

**Hebrews 13:8

Personal Responsibility

My wife and I were different than most of the people at her American Baptist church that she grew up in and I, along with her, participated and served in leadership positions for over eight years… before and then after we got married. 

If you were to read the doctrinal Statement of Faith on the back of the weekly bulletin, we could put a check of agreement to every bullet point… but we believed in more!  To us, there were things missing from that list.  There were parts of the Gospel message that were seldom… if ever… talked about.  We believed that our precious friends in that wonderful congregation were missing some of the most exciting and powerful promises in the Word for the daily events of their lives.

After our high school graduation, we were drawn to the Charismatic Movement that was being reported on in the local newspaper and was beginning to stir up long forgotten discussions amongst the denominational churches in our area.  There was a growing congregation in our city that held weekly “Prayer” meetings where attendees talked about seeing the manifestations of the Gifts of the Spirit that had not been widely seen or experienced by the Christian denominational churches since the great Healing Revival of the 1940’s and 50’s.

To make a not-too-long story short… we jumped in with both feet and have never looked back since!  We were always very discreet about it at church, but yet… lived out our beliefs as vividly as we could in front of the youth and young adult groups that we ministered to, as well as with our friends and fellow congregants of that church.

Following the birth of our second child, Piper and I both knew that we had a major decision to make.  She and I hungered for more teaching and involvement in this exciting part of the Full Gospel message and also wanted more for our kids.  So, we prayed (a lot) and made the difficult decision… taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for our Christian growth… and left the Baptist church to join a small, Full Gospel, Word of Faith congregation that met in a rented space at a resort/motel on the far southern part of town.

And I know that Piper would vigorously nod her head from heaven today and TOTALLY agree with me… that it was the BEST decision that we ever made… for both of us and especially for our family… which continued to increase to four kids over the following years!

We learned a lot about PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in and for the APPLICATION and consistent ACTIVITY of our faith in our daily lives over the 48 years of our covenant relationship.  And I can say without a moment’s hesitation… the portion of Scripture that I have employed most often when it comes to taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in my Christian walk (for every area of my life), is found on the most torn, stained, wrinkled and smudged… worn-out page… in just about every Bible I own… in the first chapter of the Old Testament book of Joshua!*  I have found that it makes more sense to me to read some of the verses in a reverse order, beginning with Joshua 1:9 and then Joshua 1:5… where the Lord instructed Joshua after the death of Moses, as He handed the reigns of the rulership of the Jewish nation over to him saying,**

“Have I not commanded you (add your name here)?  BE strong, diligent, confident, disciplined, assertive and courageous!  Do not tremble, BE timid nor BE dismayed or discouraged, for I the Lord your God am with you wherever you go.  And thereby NO one nor NO thing will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. For I will be with you just as I was with Moses. I will never (never, never) neglect you or abandon you.” (Ryrie Study Bible – New American Standard Bible - 1978 / God’s Word ©)

But the good Lord didn’t just leave it there.  He not only gave Joshua a direct command and a word of encouragement… He also told him EXACTLY what he needed to do in order to be successful in the job that the Lord had anointed him for.  In Joshua 1:8 He basically told the new leader that this is the KEY to make it all work… He pointedly told Joshua,

“This book of the law (or for us current day Christians – having the addition of the New Testament, ‘This Revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ’) shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure that you practice everything written in it.  For then you’ll get where you’re going and will make your way prosperous and you’ll have great success!” (a combining of the NASB/The Message)

I can’t tell you how many times my determined obedience and practice of these specific verses brought troubling circumstances into the realm of victory in my life… Like a discrepancy in my monthly income that I had to deal with this morning!  I found myself bouncing around the kitchen… audibly Praising the Lord… a couple of hours ago when I hung up the phone after a conversation with my financial consultant… with tears beginning to form, as I thanked the Lord profusely for His hand in the affairs of my life. 

But then… for a fleeting moment… I stopped my child-like response to the Lord’s faithfulness to His Word thinking that “I should be used to this by now…”  But then broke out laughing in the solitude of my kitchen declaring… “I’m glad that I’ll NEVER get used to His tangible involvement in my life!”  I mean… After all, doesn’t Ephesians 5:1 tell us: “Therefore be ye imitators of God as beloved CHILDREN?” (KJV/EMTV)  Is there anyone else out there who responds to God’s faithfulness in this same manner?

So now… bringing us back to the thought and/or practice of us taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY in and for our Christian faith, I want us to take a peek at what always tends to catch my attention whenever I study these verses… and that is… the number of times the words “You” “Yours” “You’re” “Ye” and “You’ll” is inserted into the Lord’s command and encouragement to us… the students of His Word… throughout all these verses.

I count about 16 times… How about you?

And with that in mind… I can’t help but to think that The Lord is trying to emphasize a point here!  To me, He is wanting to bring us back to the foundational Biblical truth… that each one of us… yes… both you and me… are directly and PERSONABLY RESPONSIBLE to how well these promises from God to us… are activated and there by allowed the freedom to work in our lives.

I know how in my past… it usually seemed easier to blame someone else or some extenuating circumstances… including God Himself… when things didn’t go as I had prayed and/or as I would have preferred (or for what I’ve heard called “a Faith Failure”) in my life.  But you know… I don’t see that way of thought in these verses.  I see the Lord teaching us to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for our daily faith walk.  And to do so, by pondering, meditating and SPEAKING out the Word and accordingly, the results that we’re EXPECTING to come to past (by faith) in our lives… both day and night!

How about you?

The Lord made it pretty clear to Joshua back then… and to US today… that He wants us to “MAN or WOMAN UP” and take the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY necessary to experience victory and thereby “to get where you’re going and make your way prosperous and have great success!”

Then who knows… you might just find yourself dancing around your kitchen… like a gleeful little kid… JUST LIKE ME… as you too experience the FAITHFULNESS of God to the promises in His Word… happening in your life… Today, Tomorrow… and to Infinity and Beyond!

Have a FANTASTIC week!  We are in the midst of a thunderstorm out here in Tennessee… so we’ll see how it progresses.  Now that Fiver has left us (and in particular, without having to deal with his panic and discomfort during noisy weather)… I’ve discovered that I actually enjoy the soothing ambiance a good heavy rain - complete with the dramatics of thunder and lightning!   Weird huh?  I’ll see ya all next week…

*A New Testament equivalent of Johsua 1:9 (also worn out in my Bibles…) is found in 2Timothy 1:7.  I especially like the translation in The Remedy New Testament.

**and I have added many of my notated words that have given me a greater depth of knowledge for the practical application of these verses in my life over the years.

DRIPPING and DRENCHED!

Over the last week or so, I have been waking up each morning (usually before 5:00 AM as my body seems to be stuck in the habit of taking the dog – deceased now for 3 months – out for a pre-dawn wet stop, before returning to bed…) with the words “The GOODNESS of God” running like a continuous loop in my mind.  Then on Sunday morning I heard a sermon entitled “Trusting in the GOODNESS of God” and immediately thought “Ah Ha… Finally, some direction!”

And yes, there was… at least the beginnings of a wealth of information, encouragement, faith, love and joy… that is all drenched and dripping in the GOODNESS of God.  Do you ever think about the Word of God in that manner… all gooey, drenched and dripping in the GOODNESS of God? 

I have to admit that I pan fried an angus burger over the weekend that came out just the way I like it… and after the first few bites… my face, hands and the front of my shirt were all drenched and dripping in the GOODNESS of a potpourri of grease, mustard, mayonnaise, catsup, onion, cheese, lettuce and tomato… and YES…  I put WAY too much on the burger and stacked it up WAY too high… but the resulting mess was definitely WORTH the intense clean up that was required when at last I ran my fingers repeatedly across the plate to savor the final residue still present… I guess there are some perks to living by yourself!

Now… I won’t say that this type of experience is exactly like my interactions with God and His Word every time I open my Bible or attend church… BUT, I have had enough similarly exciting and over-the-top personal adventures with God through the many years of my Christian walk… that always stirs my faith to look forward to being totally drenched and dripping with the GOODNESS of God… at most anytime!

How about you?

Psalms 20 and 21 reflect one of the many personal examples that King David attributed to the GOODNESS of God in his and his country’s life.  Psalm 20 is written from God’s point of view and recounts the steps that King Davd took as he prepared himself and his troops for battle.  It was a preparation that was fueled by his personal faith… that was over-the-top and dripping and drenched with his assurance of the GOODNESS of God for the VICTORY he was anticipating.

In Psalm 21 David describes what happened at the battle and is dripping and drenched with overwhelming joy and thanksgiving for the results of the GOODNESS of God… that ensued on the day of battle.

I would strongly encourage you to take the time to read each of these Psalms on your own, and as is stated throughout both… “SELAH” …meaning to stop, meditate and consider (for your own personal life) what you are reading along the way.  You’ll notice as you read, that David followed a specific format* in approaching God before the battle.  He prayed, laid out specific requests for the battle, confessed what he was believing for based on the scriptures available in his day (ie; The Torah) and then thanked the Lord profusely for the victory he was expecting!

In Psalm 20:5-7 The Lord says that David declared… before the day of battle that,

“We will joyfully sing about your victory. We will wave our flags in the name of our God. The LORD will fulfill all your requests. Now I know that the LORD will give victory to his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty deeds of his powerful hand. Some rely on chariots and others on horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD our God.” (God’s Word ©) 

Then in Psalm 21…after the day of battle… David was hardly able to hold back his thankfulness and joy that was dripping and drenched in his acknowledgement of the GOODNESS of God that prevailed in the battle… And he sang out to the Lord,

“The king finds joy in your strength, O LORD. What great joy he has in your victory!  You gave him his heart’s desire. You did not refuse the prayer from his lips. Selah… Indeed, the king trusts the LORD, and through the mercy of the Most High, he will not be moved.” (Psalm 21:1-2, 7 - God’s Word ©)

David was an old hand at experiencing the dripping and drenching of the GOODNESS of God throughout his life… but he still took the time… each and every time… to humble himself and do his part in opening the doors to his and his country’s existence… by praying, making specific requests, confessing what he was believing for in the Word and following it all up with consistent and heartfelt thanksgiving for the results he was expecting… as was based on the truth of God’s Word.

Fiver used to love it when he saw and smelled me frying up a thick angus beef patty… because he knew… that with a little patience (not that he had much patience)… he would also get to enjoy the sweet-licking pleasures of the dripping and drenching potpourri of grease and everything else as it spilled from me, my plate, my shirt and many times my pants onto the floor… along with an occasional toss of a chunk of meat that he successfully begged with those big brown eyes of his… let’s just say that he had me well trained when it came to sharing my meals!

And you know… I’m a lot like Fiver when I fellowship with the Lord in prayer and/or the study of my Bible at home, at church and with family and friends… I get excited because I look forward with great anticipation… to slurping up the overflow of His GOODNESS that is over-flowing, dripping and drenched… in Him and His Word!

Oooh!  That sounds DELICIOUS doesn’t it?  So, let me know how it goes that next time you fellowship with the Lord… and make sure that you bring a handful of napkins with you…

Have a fantastic week wherever you are – we’ve got the potential of thunderstorms throughout the rest of the week… but more importantly… we have the protection of the name of Jesus!  Isn’t God Good!  (See: Philippians 2:9-11)

 

 

*The ‘format’ or steps that King David followed seems to be a prophecy of what would later be taught in the New Testament through the various writers (under the anointing of the Holy Spirit) including Jesus Himself!  For some examples look at Mark 11:22-25, Philippians 4:4-9 and Hebrews 11:1 etc;

CONTACT!

I wrote last week about living within the realm of the ADJECTIVES that the scribes of the New Testament used in order to increase the understanding and passion of us, the readers, as we study and then apply the life-changing Word of God into our daily existence. 

But as I continued to delve deeper into this rich possibility of life… which many Christians I’ve interacted with over the years, write off as impossible…I kept coming back to the word “ANOINTED” in Acts 10:38, where the Apostle Peter, in speaking to his inner circle of believers, explained the good news that the Gentiles (non-Jews) could NOW have access to the Good News message of Jesus Christ!

After having an eye-opening vision by the Holy Spirit and a discussion with Cornelious, a Roman officer, Peter could hardly contain himself as he went to his people and declared,

“NOW I know for certain that God doesn’t show favoritism with people but treats everyone on the same basis.  It makes no difference what race of people one belongs to…” (Acts 10:34-35A - The Passion Translation)*

Following this revelation, he gave a quick summary of the work of John the Baptist and continued saying,

“Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, ANOINTED by God with the Holy Spirit (&) ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. (&) He was able to do all this because God was with him.” (Acts 10:38 – The Message Bible)

Well… It turns out that the word translated “ANOINTED” in this verse is defined in Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries as being akin to the Greek word meaning “to handle through the idea of CONTACT; to smear or rub with oil, that is, (by implication) to consecrate to an office or religious service.” 

And the more I looked at this definition, the more it dawned on me that the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life on this earth… as well as the Holy Spirit’s ANOINTING on the life of every BELIEVER… is the foundational KEY to the spread of Christianity in our homes, our neighborhoods, our city, state, country and throughout the WORLD… wherever you may live!

Then I understood that the level of the Holy Spirit’s ANOINTING in each of us… is dependent of the amount and LEVEL of CONTACT that we make with Him in our daily lives.  Jesus was known by His disciples to spend many a night off by himself in prayer and fellowship with His Father… and that thought along with the definition of ANOINTED being described as “to handle through the idea of CONTACT” in mind, I couldn’t help but want to add a few descriptive ADJECTIVES to the end of Acts 10:38 where most translations say that Jesus did everything He did “for God was with Him.”

After being in that level of close and personal CONTACT with the Father… I would bet that Jesus had the Holy Spirit SMEARED ALL OVER HIM!  I believe that Jesus walked and talked with the fragrance, touch, taste and texture of God embedded in his skin and clothing!

It reminded me of the nightly, one hour or more, week night phone calls that Piper and I made to each other as our relationship blossomed throughout our senior year in high school.  Now… obviously… there was no physical CONTACT made between US each night… BUT… there was physical CONTACT being made between me and our kitchen wall phone, whose cord I stretched out, walking up and down the long hallway five nights a week.

And so… let me explain… You see, since that was the main phone in our house (remember this was in the early 1970’s) and its principal user throughout the day was my mom… WELL… let’s just say that I normally hung it up with the fragrance of my mom’s (Avon) perfume and the touch, taste and texture of her powered foundation… SMEARED ALL over the right side of my face!

Then years later, after Piper and I got married, SHE would (not purposely… I think?) mark me almost daily, with a SMEAR of her bright RED lipstick on my shirt or on my lips** along with the scent of her perfume embedded in my clothes… as we quickly kissed and embraced in saying good bye on my way to work!

I would like to think that I also carried some semblance of the fragrance, touch, taste and texture of God on me when I walked into work back then… or as I take my daily walks around our beautifully landscaped apartment campus out here in Tennessee.  I do actively look for opportunities to brighten other people’s lives as I traverse my new city and state and discover its Southern charms and ambiance.  And while I can’t sniff my collar or my hands and catch that all familiar, sweet scent of Piper anymore, I do believe that the Word I study does stick to me and diffuse the scent of the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit into the places I go…

How about you? 

Are you spending enough time in close personal CONTACT with God and the truth of His Word… so that HIS ANOINTED fragrance, touch, taste and texture emanate off of you?

Have a terrific week!  We have some warm weather and blue skies forecast for all week long and I’m looking forward to catching some sun… and I pray that you can soak in some rays as well!

 

*Kind of blows away the modern-day political left’s criticism of Christianity as being a racist religion… doesn’t it? (But yet not surprising… as we know the author of this lie and accusation… See: John 8:44 / Revelation 12:10)

**There were numerous times that I fondly recall, when I turned to go out the door to the garage and my car, when Piper would reach out and grab my arm and say “WHOA! You can’t go out looking like you wear lipstick!” and rub her right index finger across my lips, wiping off the residue of her RED lipstick!  Then she’d give that cute – killer wink of hers and say “I love you!” …and push me out the door!

Living in the Adjectives…

In my morning Bible Study on Saturday, I found myself adding ADJECTIVES to many of the descriptive words that the various scribes had used in the verses I was studying… and the more I wrote in my notes, the more personal and exciting God’s promises became to me!

At one point I had to pause as I remembered the way my wife’s voice would change whenever she preached and/or taught the word.  I know that I have mentioned this before… but it’s worth a reminder.

As the anointing came over her during her sermon, she would become visibly more and more enthusiastic over the Word that she was sharing… and with her contagious smile and innocent demeanor… the congregation would almost always flow in sync with her.  Her voice would continue to raise in octaves until the congregation was literally on the edge of their seats, being totally caught up with every word, every example and every funny antidote she threw in to make her point hit home.  And everyone in that room knew that she was not only sincere, but also a living, breathing successful example of what she was saying.

Well… that memory definitely brought a warm smile to my face… but then, I had to sit back in my chair… as I had an inspired thought… ‘You know… I bet Paul was the same way when he dictated his letters to the congregations in the developmental years of the early church.’  Can’t you just see him getting more and more excited, his voice getting higher and his speech getting faster and faster as the Holy Spirit came upon him… and the scribe sitting at the table with him… struggling to keep up with him and not wanting to miss a single word!  I can’t wait to interview the scribes when I get up to heaven!

But Paul wasn’t the only one!  As I began to study how Paul piled on the ADJECTIVES to his letters when describing the goodness of God, I also discovered that most of the other New Testament writers do the same thing.  They may not use multiple ADJECTIVES to make a point, but they definitely used very descriptive words that help to bring the reader (ie; you and me) to a place beyond the natural boundaries of our thought, expectations and faith.

One of my first and favorite examples comes from Jesus Himself when he made the bold declaration to the crowds in John 10:10 saying,

“The thief (ie; the devil) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (KJV)

Notice that He didn’t just leave it at “ABUNDANTLY” but specifically said “MORE ABUNDANTLY!”  And this is a great example of why I like to look at various translations of the Bible when I study the Word.  The original Greek and Hebrew words of the Bible are thick with layers of meaning that doesn’t always fully come out with a single English word.  So, similar to the Amplified Bible which “AMPLIFIES” the traditional translations by including more words that give the reader a greater understanding to the depth of what the writer was trying to get across… Many of the modern translations will also use multiple common place words to best relate the full meaning and emotion of the points being made.

For instance, The Passion Translation tends to ignite a spark of enthusiasm, excitement and wonder into what Jesus really wants us to understand in John 10:10 and apply to our lives, saying,

“A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!” 

WOW!  I read that translation and fireworks go off inside of me!  My mind immediately brings me to Hebrews 11:1 in the God’s Word Translation where the writer teaches us that,

“Faith assures us of things we expect…”

So, I put two and two together and realize that if “Faith assures us of things we EXPECT…” and Jesus tells us that He has come to give us “everything in abundance, MORE THAN YOU EXPECT,…”  then, I’m going to start EXPECTING more and bigger things so that I don’t allow my meager EXPECTATIONS to limit the hand of Jesus operating in my life!  Wouldn’t you agree?  WOW!  Isn’t God and His Word good!

And… that is what can happen everyday as we give Jesus and His Word a door into our lives.  To me… It’s like living my Christian walk within the descriptive ADJECTIVES that the writers have given us in order to spark our faith to a brighter level on a regular basis.

And… these descriptive ADJECTIVES are found throughout the pages of your New Testament!  For example, take a look at,

Luke 6:38

Ephesians 3:20

I Timothy 1:14

Philippians 4:7 & 19

Ephesians 1:19-21

Romans 5:17

Ephesians 1:28

I Peter 1:3

These aren’t in any order, I just listed them as I thought of them and they are only a small example of the verses that accentuate the GOODNESS of God in a variety of subjects.

As I was completing my Bible Study hour this morning, I had an inkling to check out Acts 10:38 before I left my desk.  I pulled it up on my Bible Study program and looked at numerous translations until The Message Paraphrase put another “WOW!” on my lips.  Here Peter was telling a group of believers about Jesus and stated’

“Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, READY FOR ACTION. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.”

There is a lot in this verse, but in order to stay on subject I’ll just point out what caught my attention this morning.  Peter told his listeners of how Jesus came from Nazareth, was anointed with the Holy Spirit and was “READY FOR ACTION!”  And my very first thought as I read this part of the verse was, 

“Am I READY FOR ACTION when I walk out the door each morning?  Am I ready and fired up, confident and PASSIONATE about my faith in Jesus Christ and the TRUTH of His Word?”

I’d like to think I am… BUT I would be amiss if I don’t admit the times I’ve kept my head down when I’ve stepped out of my apartment for my early morning walk… simply because I’m not feeling really sociable at the moment!  Can I catch an AMEN from any other honest individual?

Are you READY FOR ACTION when you step out of your front door each day?

Now, I can understand that there may be various personal and outlying situations that may cause us to not always be at the top of our game… BUT… might I humbly suggest a few moments of your busy mornings spent in fellowship with the Lord in your Bibles (and maybe a couple of different translations*) while you pump your faith up with the Biblical ADJECTIVES that infuse us with the EXCITEMENT, EXPECTATIONS and POWER of the Goodness of God for each and every area of our lives!

And after a few days of this… I bet you’ll soon find yourselves READY FOR ACTION!

Have a great week!

 

 

*There are many FREE Bible Study programs online that you can download to your computer &/or phone.  My personal favorite is e-SWORD - https://e-sword.net/

I learned about it in Bible College and have used it daily ever since!  Most of the major Bible translations and study guides can be added for free, but there are some that you can purchase for a nominal price (which I’ve done over the years)!

Living Life Spontaneously!

If you remember my last post from a few days ago,* I talked about the idea of “TRIGGERS” (both positive and negative) and how they can set off responses (both positive and negative) in us within the daily events of our lives.  Then we took a quick peek at the inward conditioning or as I like to call it, “TRAINING” that we take upon ourselves (both knowingly and unknowingly) that tends to direct the way we respond to the situations we face.  I also shared a scripture found in Romans 8:5 to back up my point.

Well, over this past week, I have continued studying from that same chapter in Romans, with a deeper dive into verses one through eight.  Now… if you’ve read more than just a few of my blogs, then you know that I like to look at a variety of Bible translations when I study the Word.  And if that not’s enough… I also love to delve into the original Hebrew and Greek definitions of many of the words that are translated into our American English language.

So, with that in mind, I always tend to be on the alert for Bible translations that I haven’t heard of before.  A couple of years ago, I was listening to one of Piper’s and my long-time favorite Bible teachers and Evangelist (who is now in heaven with Piper… Hummm… and I’m a little jealous as she can probably talk to him anytime she wants!) and in the course of his teaching he took multiple citations from a version of the New Testament entitled “The Heart of Paul – A Relational Paraphrase of the New Testament by Ben Campbell Johnson.”

And, if you’re like me… you’ve probably never heard of it… right?  Well, it definitely caught my attention and I immediately went onto the Amazon website, found a used copy and ordered it!  It turned out to be a great paraphrase of the Bible from the mid-1970’s and sets forth the Word in a way, as the author states, “expresses the meanings of the scriptures in words and phrases which are helpful to me in my Christian living.”**

As I was studying from Romans 8:1-6, in this, which I have found to be an easy-to-read translation (maybe due to my being a product of the 1970’s!), certain words that caught my attention, kept popping up.  Those words were “MEANINGLESSNESS and DESPAIR” along with the thought of “living SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit.”

The overall theme of Romans chapter eight is that of living in unity with the Holy Spirit.  The section that I’ve been studying begins by reconfirming a truth that each of us should have firmly rooted in our hearts and have visibly explicit usage in our daily lives.  Here the Apostle Paul clearly declares to us,

“Now there is no accusing voice nagging those of us united to Jesus Christ.  For the new principle of life which Christ revealed has liberated us from the rules that unveiled our estrangement and made us feel that our very being was being threatened.” (Romans 8:1-2 / The Heart of Paul)

Then we skip down to verse six where the Apostle explains the results of following our old attitudes and patterns compared to living within the freedoms of the new life that Christ has revealed to us saying,

“To be captive to one’s own impulses (of their old nature) results in MEANINGLESSNESS and DESPAIR, but to live SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit means REAL LIFE through the unity of our beings (with Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word.) (The Heart of Paul).

I know that I’ve used this example a lot, but it was a real eye-opening experience to me.  When my wife was battling Alzheimer’s a few years ago, I was taken by complete surprise at the different individuals that quickly seemed to drift into an attitude of meaninglessness and despair.  It was like the vivid reality of what was happening to her caused them to set aside whatever hope and faith they had inside of them.  I was shocked at how fast they gave up on her.  And it didn’t take long for them to fall into a cycle of meaninglessness and despair, that was quicky followed by depression and anger.

When I first read in this version about living “SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit,” I couldn’t help but immediately think back and picture Piper from the very first time I saw her walk into my 11^th grade academic English class and sit right behind me.  Her big smile, jovial attitude, freckles and bright, adventure-filled eyes arrested my attention!  Like I’ve said before… I don’t know how I passed that class (with a “B” no less) as I seemed to spend a lot more time looking behind me than I did the at the instructor teaching the class in front of me.

SONTANEITY seemed to define her and our relationship that began that day.  What I quickly came to understand… that made her different than anybody else I’d ever met… was that her confident SPONTANEITY in life came from her intimate and deeply personal experiential knowledge of the love of Jesus… that expressed itself in, for and through EVERYTHING she did!  And you know… life around her was never dull. 

She made simple everyday tasks and activities to be fun and exciting and sometimes very unexpected… Like her humorous insights while walking hand in hand around the school grounds in high school, at the JC and at Chico state, her unexpectantly tossing a can of tomato sauce… behind her back…  to me while grocery shopping at Food Maxx, or winking at me just before disappearing into the brush to take care of personal needs while hiking in the Sierras and… even toward the end… the funny looks she’d give me as I attempted to keep both the dog and her wheelchair… as well as myself… untangled and on the sidewalk… as I pushed her around the different neighborhoods where we lived in California and North Carolina.

She never lost that bright, adventure-filled look in her eyes… although when she got sick you just had to look a little deeper to see it!  She had the uncanny ability to surprise me and our family with sudden funny sayings, actions or heart-warming encouragement… like her final words on this earth a few weeks before she passed on to glory, when she suddenly seemed to pop out of the glazed-over look that had become common place toward the end, turn to me with that same big unforgettable smile that first endeared her to me, and cheerfully and lovingly said,

“I LOVE YOU!”

I really believe that she and the Lord wanted to make sure that her last act of SPONTANEITY was the way I would always remember her… until we meet again in the heavenly realm.

So yes… I’ve had some very personal and upfront experiences with people living their lives with meaninglessness and despair and it is a very sad, hopeless and defeating way of life… why get up in the morning if that is all that you can expect of the new day ahead?

But I have also had the over-whelming wonderful and exciting, long-term personal experience of living “SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit…” which causes me “to live real life through the unity of my being with Christ” and thereby… arise each day with a fresh enthusiasm for life that is firmly founded… like my wife’s… on my deeply personal and intimate knowing of the love of God in, for and through my life.

I’ve seen and experienced them both… and without a moment’s hesitation… I CHOOSE to live my life SPONTANEOUSLY out of the Spirit of God, Who is deeply and firmly implanted as well as daily refreshed in my heart…

HOW ABOUT YOU…  How have or will you choose?

Do me a favor after reading this post… and LOOK UP the word SPONTANEOUSLY in the dictionary (I tend to favor Dictionary.com) and see if that definition fits you!

Then let me know what you think about it…

Have a SPONTANEOUSLY wonderful week as we bring to a close another month in 2026!  And while you’re at it… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in everything you do!

 

*In case you missed it or don’t remember all of it… here’s a link to my blog site:  https://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2026/04/triggers.html

**Quoted from the jacket cover by the author - © 1976 by Ben Campbell Johnson, Word Books, Waco, Texas 76703

Triggers…

Even though my dog is no longer around, I have continued taking the daily walks we took and find that while I do miss his company (and all the positive attention he drew), I still enjoy getting out to breathe in the fresh Tennessee air, while exploring my surroundings, and spending time talking to God all along the way!

My favorite of the usually three walks (sometimes four), continues to be the first-thing-in-the-morning walk… after my Bible study time and a quick shower!  The day is at its freshest point, the well-kept and nicely landscaped apartment homes complex is just waking up, the temperature is crisp and cool (except for the freezing days of winter and the HOT mid-summer scorchers) and nature and all the little critters are on full display.

During that initial walk of the day, my Bible study notes are sharp on my mind and my travelling prayer-time tends to set the course of my day.  Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about “TRIGGERS” and how certain stimuli can set off particular reactions and/or responses in us… in the daily course of our lives.

On the positive side, I’ve been remembering more and more details of one of the most special 2-night, mid-week holidays that my wife and I enjoyed at The Fort Ross Lodge up on the Sonoma County California coastline in 1998.*  As I look around my apartment today, I can’t help but notice that I seem to have more pictures of that event hanging on the walls than of any other from the 48 years of our relationship!

I won’t go into a lot of detail of the experience because it was very personal in its nature.  But suffice to say, there were some very unique and wonderful, heart-felt experiences that we encountered that were TRIGGERED by what I’ve been learning this week to be Spirit-led “premeditated words and actions of faith.”  For as it turns out, I was pretty excited about our time together (so what else is new… right!) and had (unbeknownst to her) put a lot of time in preparation through prayer, activity planning, gifts and special food treats for our holiday.  And in this regard, Galatians 5:6 teaches us that,

“All that matters now is living in the faith that is activated and brought to perfection by LOVE.”  (Galatians 5:6 / The Passion Translation) 

I don’t think that with Piper being gone for almost seven years now… that it is a coincidence that I still have many more pictures of that special time, than any other… especially since I always took lots of pictures (and especially of her) during every holiday we took together!  I believe that the Lord just likes to give us reminders of the special times that He has blessed us with… DON’T YOU?

On the somewhat negative side, I’ve also been reminded this week of some of the confusing and less-than-positive responses we received when Piper got sick and disabled beginning around 2010.  I’ve learned this week, that those reactions were also TRIGGERED by “premeditated words and actions” …but not of those activated by FAITH working through LOVE, but instead… of those driven by FEAR… which to my understanding… is the opposite of LOVE! 

I John 4:18 informs us that,

“No fear exists where His LOVE is. Rather, perfect LOVE gets rid of fear, because fear involves punishment. The person who lives in fear doesn’t have perfect love.”  (God’s Word ©)

I’d often-times wondered what generated those surprising (to me) responses back then and was given an answer in my Bible Study time this morning that correlated with a similar situation that Paul wrote about in Romans chapter eight, when he told of how the love and grace of Jesus liberated us from the rules (the Do’s and Don’ts) of the Old Testament Law.  He explained how the Law basically turned into a mess of impossible-to-follow lists of demands - that was originally intended to be something good for the Jewish people! (See: Romans 8:4 / “The Heart of Paul - A Relational Paraphrase of the New Testament” by Ben Campbell Johnson**)

So… like the intent of the Law… I believe that these individual’s response had originally begun with good intentions for us – but over time, as Romans 8:5 explains, had yielded to

“Old attitudes and patterns” and fallen “captive to whimsical impulses and past conditioning (ie; TRAINING)…” (The Heart of Paul**)

I now believe that those reactions that we encountered toward our situation, were simply the results of a (careless and unknowingly) well-practiced (or TRAINED) automatic response to the uncomfortable situations that they experienced over the years.  I’ve always felt that if they had actually realized what they were doing… that they would have immediately adjusted their actions into a more positive mode.

Once again, the Lord is reminding us (Read that: me… and maybe you too, if the shoe fits!) that the way we respond and/or react to the TRIGGERS in life depends upon the things that we have been diligent to deposit in our hearts!  And to me… that only means two things… Spending regular and consistent time in fellowship with the Lord in His Word and then to PRACTICE, PRACTICE and PRACTICE some more - what the Word teaches us… NO matter how different it may be from the world’s “normal” way of life.

The diligence and work of repeated PRACTICE relates specifically to the Godly TRAINING program that we take upon ourselves… in order to best handle the adverse situations and circumstances that may come around in our daily lives… and the verses of scripture that immediately come to my mind in support of this responsible lifestyle is where Paul told of how he learned to successfully and spontaneously respond to the ups and downs of life in Philippians 4:12-13 where he boldly declared,

“I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I’m TRAINED in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of CHRIST’S EXPLOSIVE POWERE INFUSES ME TO CONQUEFR EVERY DIFFICULTY” (The Passion Translation)

So… What will it be for you? 

What are the things that TRIGGER responses of FAITH that are empowered by Godly LOVE in the daily schedules of your lives… and what are the things that TRIGGER responses of FEAR that seem to be void of the infusion of Godly LOVE in your life?

Hummmmm… and then the most logical questions would be… What are you going to DO about it… and what are the responses of Godly LOVE that you need to start TRAINING on?

I just bought a couple of light weight dumbbells to add to my daily exercise routine, along with my walking schedule in order to help me keep up with our kids and grandkids… along with all the other things that I still want to do and accomplish in my senior season of life. 

So… that extra physical TRAINING, getting more DILIGENT with my diet and staying CONSISTENT in my daily study and PRACTICE in and with God’s Word can only help… RIGHT?  

Have a GREAT week and let me know how your PRACTICE and TRAINING in the different areas of your life is doing!

 

*Ah… and there was always the wonderful and relaxing enjoyment of taking the T-Tops off my Camaro and driving along the winding curves of Highway One with the cool ocean breezes blowing through our hair and the incomparable scenic dioramas of the Pacific Ocean outside the windshield… it was the perfect way to de-stress before we arrived at our destination! – As long as Piper didn’t remind me too many times to “Slow-Down Jim!”

**Volume One -  © 1976 by Ben Campbell Johnson – Word Books, Waco, Texas 76703