Spring 2023 has sprung in Broken Arrow, OK

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Happy New Year and… Decade!


In many respects 2019 was one of, if not the most confusing year of my life.  When Piper was alive, I was always pretty focused, goal orientated, enjoyed dreaming about our future and knew what I needed to do and did it… especially when I was caring for her 24/7, over the last eight years of her earthly walk.  After her passing though, I found myself confused and lacking in much of the personal confidence and focus that had been driving me.  Now as the year is coming to its end, I am finding some of that confidence, focus and peace returning to me.  I am beginning to see 2020 as a literal year of new beginnings as I have suddenly found myself walking a path in this life that I neither expected, planned or have walked before.

Now I am settled here in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I’m living in a new house that I own and am getting ready to see what each day of this new season has for me to experience.  In some ways its very daunting, but in others it’s quite exciting… which in itself seems to be my biggest problem right now!  Throughout this last year I have found myself repeatedly bouncing from one opposite emotion to the other!  Excited about what’s ahead one moment and then finding myself concerned and somewhat empty and lost when I consider existence without my life-long, spunky wife at my side.

Going back in thought, previous to 2019, it’s easy to see that the last two decades were a time of drastic change for Piper and I and our family.  Some good and some not too positive! I was laid off in 2002 from my twenty-year tenure with Hewlett Packard and their spin-off company Agilent Technologies when the electronics industry in the United States suddenly crashed and burned.  Following that, our two older children got married and I received the unmistakable call to attend Bible School while we were attending a conference at Rhema in Oklahoma in 2003.  Our two younger children would follow suite in meeting and marrying the love of their lives (at Bible School) when they later attended after I did.

We moved to Oklahoma in 2006 to go to school with the dream of coming back to California and pastoring our own church.  That desire came to a screeching halt when Piper began demonstrating increasing physical symptoms of something a lot worse than what was thought to simply be the passing effects of menopause. Once we began her medical investigations and tests, we entered a course of life that would become totally consuming for the next eleven years.

After graduating and with confusing results from the various brain scans and other multitude of tests that Piper had in Oklahoma, we decided it best to return home to our former life in California.  But as I’ve chronicled in the literally hundreds of blog posts that I’ve written since 2010… things didn’t quite turn out as planned.  The former life we had wasn’t there when we returned!  Almost everything we had come to depend on in our past was no longer in operation.  But we bounced back.  We slowly learned who we could depend on (or not) and developed a new network of family and friends that we could trust and be with in our time of desperate need.

Then in 2014, after months of prayer, we (read that “I”) packed up our belongings and moved us to North Carolina to be closer to three of our four children and their families.  Plus, it afforded us the opportunity to purchase the home of our dreams in the country with about  an acre of property.  Those five years on the East Coast were sweet, had their moments of joy, were filled with lots of miracles, but was also the most trying as well as physically and emotionally straining and draining time that I’d ever experienced in my life.  At the end of 2018, we lost the physical battle for Piper’s life and I found myself in an empty house, without the most important, wonderful and cherished person that I had ever known.

And then 2019 began to appear on the horizon!  Following a few months of feeling like an absolute zombie, I flew to Oklahoma to spend Christmas with most of our kids who now lived there.  After my return, I threw myself into the task of preparing our dream home for sale, sold it and then moved myself and the dog to Oklahoma… where I am now.

I am truly hoping and believing that this is the last move for me.  That this is home!  I have a ton of plans for upgrades on the house, have returned to my adult Christian roots at church at Rhema, get to see our girls and their families in Broken Arrow on a regular basis and for the first time in who knows how long… live in the same time zone as our boys who reside in Oklahoma City and Mount Juliet, Tennessee!

As 2019 comes to a close and the new decade begins, I am beginning to feel the gears of expectancy turning on the inside of me.  I sense dreams formulating deep within my heart and even though it may seem daunting… I feel that warm and familiar trust in the truth of God and His word returning to my soul.

God reminded me the other morning of Whom I need to be listening to as I begin this new adventure.  While the warm water beat down on my back (I love the shower head and amount of water pressure this house has!)  I heard that all familiar “still small voice” on the inside of me say, "Have I not commanded you Jim? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for I, the LORD your God am with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 NASB)  “I will never neglect you or abandon you.” (Joshua1:5 God’s Word ©) 

So, need I say anymore?  I have my marching orders… pretty much the same ones He gave me back in 1975 soon after Piper and I got married.  Sure, my life has dramatically changed… but He is still the same as He was in every century that you and I have been alive… and many, many more before that!

In 2020, trust in Him, seek His directions and then follow what He says!  Simple right?

I’m expecting an exciting new decade of life… How about you?

Friday, December 27, 2019

A New Decade!


I was listening to the DJ on the local Christian radio station this morning when he started talking excitedly about the coming of the new decade.  He called it a time of new starts and new life.  I’m not sure why, but his comments also got me excited!  The thought of it being the beginning of a whole new decade seemed to make it even more interesting to me.

Over the last few weeks I have been increasingly sensing that God has some special plans for me beginning in 2020.  And while I firmly believe that He had nothing to do with Piper’s early exit from this world, I firmly believe that He knows my future and plans to be very much involved in it! 

I am also beginning to have some hints about how He is thinking about doing it.  For example, I recently realized through a series of happenings… coincidences… some may say, that I need to return to my spiritual roots at Rhema in the new year.  It dawned on me that the very foundation of Piper’s and my adult spiritual and resulting physical lives began when we connected to that ministry way back in the mid-1970’s. 

As I’ve stated before, the practical teaching of faith literally turned us on our ears!  It ignited a fire deep inside of us that was fanned to white hot flames throughout the next 40 some years.  It was the understanding and reliance on the Word of God that got us through the roughest as well as the most blessed times in our lives.  It is that same unmoving faith in God’s Word that got me through the last years of Piper’s life when her lovely self was slowly stolen from me, our family… and the rest of the world!

And now… as I enter into a totally new adventure in life without her… I need that same foundation continually building inside me to freely move on to fulfill whatever it is that He has for me to do for Him.  Truth-be-known, I most likely need it more than I ever did before!  Many things are and will be different for me in the coming days, months and years… but my life’s foundation… the strong foundation of my faith… will stay the same!

I also burst out laughing earlier today, when that same DJ told how he inadvertently left his Bible at church after the recent Christmas Eve service.  He related how he received a call from his Pastor yesterday telling him that he had found the Bible and had it in safe keeping.  Then he stated how the Pastor nonchalantly mentioned how he had gone through the book and highlighted several unrelated verses just so that when the DJ had passed, that his kids would have a good laugh as they looked through the book and tried to figure out the things that he was studying!

That caused me to giggle because I many times, think the same thing when I underline or write notes in my favorite Bibles (I have well over 50 translations!).  That thought has been magnified when I go through Piper’s Bibles and look at her notations and highlights.  It just makes me feel closer to her as I try to imagine where she was and what she was thinking when she made them.

When I finally got to concentrating on my Bible Study and not the antics of the radio DJ this morning, I honed in on 2 Peter 3:12-13 where Peter wrote about the last of the Last Days events on this earth.  He said, “Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day— but we'll hardly notice. We'll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.”  (The Message)

That statement got me to thinking about the way faith is supposed to work in us Believers.  We are to be more focused on the results of what God promises than in the physical circumstances that surround us at any given time. (Read through the so-called “Roll Call of Faith” in Hebrews 11)  That’s the lifestyle of Piper’s and my faith that got me/us through those last eight years of her life.  I wouldn’t and couldn’t afford to get lost in what I saw happening right before me with Piper’s mind and body, nor with the looks and/or words of unbelief, fear and utter defeat emanating from those I came into contact with, in person or on the phone on a daily basis!

Peter tells us that in the last of the Last Days, while the world is panicking over the terror that’s physically going on around them… that the faith-filled Christians will “hardly notice!” because the focus of their faith is on God and His promises to them.  We’ll all be excitedly preparing for what’s next according to His Biblical plans for us!  Pretty cool wouldn’t you say!

So, the way we live our lives today… is the way we’ll live our lives when the end of life as we know it today, comes to its God planned conclusion.  That’s why I plan to stick to my roots!

What roots do you have that keep you grounded when the terrors of life attempt to encroach on your lives?  Something to think about as this decade comes to a close and a new one begins… wouldn’t you say?

Have a great New Year’s weekend, and as you do, think about this post and spend some time personally talking with our Heavenly Father concerning the wonderful new adventures that await you ahead in 2020.

Monday, December 23, 2019

It's Looking A Lot Like Christmas!


As I sit at the kitchen table looking out upon the fairway of the golf course outside my window, I find myself lost in memories of Christmas’ past.  Sounds of “It’s Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas♫” drift from the stereo speakers throughout the house and I can’t help but think of the endless pictures I have swirling around my mind, beginning with those very first presents that Piper and I opened up in the living room of my parent’s house way back in 1970, to the many Christmas Eve’s we spent wrapping presents late into the evening for our children’s glee the next morning.  Then there were the countless Christmas mornings where we sat around the tree while the kids tore open their gifts as Piper looked on with her get-up-quick tussled hair, sleepy eyes but yet contented look of peace and joy on her face… dressed in the fluffy white bathrobe I gave her in the early 1980’s.

I was so exited when I purchased that bathrobe for her.  It was a big deal for me at the time as I went to Macy’s to get her what I hoped was the best robe around.  I went on my evening lunch break from my supervisor’s job at Hewlett Packard and when I returned to my desk my whole crew was waiting to see what I had gotten her! 

When I opened the box, they began to prod one young lady who worked with us to model it because she was similar in stature to Piper… You have to understand that this work team was like an extended family to us.  They all knew Piper and we even had them over to our house for an authentic Italian Bagna Cauda fondue type dinner one weekend… We all laughed so hard that evening as she paraded around the floor, turning and posing like a runway model!  It is interesting to note, that many years later, her husband became our youngest son’s basketball coach at the Santa Rosa Christian School… just coincidence ya think???

Earlier this morning as I made the bed, I glanced up at the grouping of photos of Piper that I had recently attached to the wall and couldn’t help but stop and stare at one photo in particular, where she is leaning against the fence post in front of our room at the Fort Ross Lodge sometime in the late 1990’s.  She was wearing one of her skirt/shorts outfits that I loved to see her in as it showed off her pretty legs and she just had a sweet, what I would call “Jimmy” smile on her face… that was a smile just for me… that said “This a good pose, isn’t it!”

I began to pray at that moment and commit this Christmas to the Lord.  I prayed that the Lord would help me through this second Christmas without her and help to fill the huge caverns that were left open in me when she went home to Jesus.  I prayed about all the wonderful things that she did for me as well as what she meant to me.  I also thought about all the monstrously big miracles that the Lord did for us through those 48 years together… and then I immediately thought that since He hasn’t changed, that I can expect those same kinds of miraculous workings done in our past… in my future as well!

As far as I know, Philippians 4:19 where Paul wrote that, “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (KJV) can still work for me today, tomorrow and forever.

I closed my morning Bible study with I Peter 5:6-7 where Peter encouraged his readers saying: “So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time.  Live carefree before God; (for) he is most careful with (& for) you.” (The Message)

So… that’s my Christmas 2019 prayer for you and me.  That we can be at peace and live with consistent joy as we trust HIM for our every need, be content with who we are in HIM and thereby live a carefree life… without worry or fear… as we trust in HIS ability and resources to care for us.

Have a blessed Christmas Eve, Eve, and as you do, take a moment or two to thank the Lord for His goodness and grace shown toward you this last year and then look with anticipation of His grace to come in the New Year!

Friday, December 20, 2019

Faith vs Gold


I had originally planned to only do what was minimally necessary to live comfortably in my new house until after I painted some walls and then had new carpet installed.  So, like I mentioned in the last blog post, I only moved what I had with me in my small apartment where we lived for about six months before moving here.  That meant that the majority of my life’s belongings… including Piper’s piano are still in storage.

But after being in the new place for a week, I realized that the house just looks too sterile and empty!  It is not a good feel… especially when I am still dealing with the absence of Piper during the Holidays.  Therefore, I decided while on one of Fiver’s and my daily walks, that I was going to take dominion over the inside of my house!  The verse of scripture found in Genesis 1:26 popped into my head during that brisk adventure strolling along the golf course, where God told Adam and Eve to take “dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth…” (KJV)

I decided… “Why not?”  I can decorate with what I have on hand right now and can always change it later… right?  So, for the last few days I have been hanging pictures, favorite posters and even a painting or two around the open kitchen and living areas, my bedroom and even in the guest bath.  You wouldn’t think it would make a big difference… BUT IT SURE DOES!  Suddenly I feel like we are in our own special home and not just residing in someone’s house!

I started studying in the New Testament book of I Peter this morning and had barely gotten through the first few verses when one scripture jumped off the page to me!  I could only smile and audibly utter “Wow!” as I read I Peter 1:7 where Peter wrote to his readers concerning the high value of “genuine faith” declaring, “When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.” (MSG)

That one thought brought back a flood of memories as it perfectly summarized the focus of the lifestyle that Piper and I sought to live… right up to her last breath.  It was a decision that came with countless blessings, some tough times and a fair amount of friction from those who disagreed with our chosen direction.  As I listened to parts of Piper’s sermon from the early 2000’s that she entitled “The High Places,” I realized that her faith was not only the most important thing in her life, but that she literally lived, breathed and talked the Word on a regular basis.  It's just who she was… who WE were.

And at the end of her time on this earth as I continued to see the sparkle of His joy in her eyes up until she departed for heaven… I knew that we had chosen right.  I could visibly see the “evidence of his victory!” in our bedroom on that day, at approximately 5:30 in the morning on September 2, 2018.

So, anyone would be hard pressed to try and change the way that I will continue to live my life during the final days of 2019 and throughout 2020.  How about you?  How important is your faith in God and His Word?  I know that I push that point a lot… but it is a point that has proven itself to be true over and over and over for me… again, again and again!  So why change now?

Have a terrific weekend, and as you do, take a moment or two to thank the Lord for His goodness toward you over the last year and then say with me… “I am expecting to continue to see the goodness of the Lord in 2020… as I keep my faith solidly in Him and His Word!”

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Do!


“Twas the week before Christmas when all through the house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there…”

I do have to admit that it is pretty quiet around my neighborhood, both night and day.  Although I imagine that come summer vacation and he warmer weather that accompanies it, that things will liven up a bit!  Being as we live in the cul-de-sac at the end of the block that terminates in the golf course next door, we don’ get a lot of traffic either. 

The only creatures that tend to stir during the day is those in my back-neighbor’s yard.  They have a few dogs that like to bark anytime someone walks by the trail outside their see-through fence or the golfers who stop their carts to tap their balls into the nearest hole.

As far as Christmas decorations go… I am doing better than last year as I have at least put up my small tree that never saw the light last year.  I just wasn’t in the mood back then with Piper’s recent passing a few months before the Holidays.  But this year is different.  Somewhat worse in the emotions department than last year as the full understanding of what happened has settled in over the last fifteen months, but stronger in the burgeoning desire to move on to the new things that God has in store for me. 

The tree was actually the only thing from our Christmas boxes that was easily accessible in my storage locker.  I only moved the furniture and other supplies I had in the apartment over to the new house due to the fact that I plan to put in new carpet after the Holidays and don’t want to deal with moving things out of the rooms.

So, I have a tree and no ornaments or other decorations!  But that wouldn’t do, so I went off to my new Super Walmart only a mile or two away from my place and bought a mixed box of ornaments and a couple of special ones that I thought would be special to my Granddaughter.  Then when I got home, I decorated the tree, flipped on the light and discovered that the very top no longer lights up!  Therefore, a small set of lights is on my shopping list for later today!

I keep sensing in prayer, that 2020 is going to be a breakout year for me.  I also believe that it is important to God, as to how I finish off the last few weeks of 2019.  I’ve already received directions concerning some changes that I need to make at the beginning of the new year, with the charge to jump into those changes 100% with gusto, rest, peace, praise… and lots of confidence!

That last part… the part of “with confidence” is the one that tends to alarm me though.  To bluntly put it, I just spent the last 48 years experiencing life with my one special, loving, encouraging and boldly confident wife at my side.  We were a strong team and tended to do most things in step, hand in hand and in total agreement in our stands of faith!  Now… well now it’s just me… although I still clearly hear her voice of encouragement and love in my head!

In fact, some of the changes I mentioned above were confirmed when I listened to a teaching tape of hers from twenty years ago, or as I looked at pictures of her standing (with a big smile on her face) in front of some local landmarks when we originally lived here from 2006-2009.

But if I learned anything over those wonderful 48 years with Piper, it was to always follow through and “DO” whatever it is that we felt assured the Lord instructed us to “DO” while seeking His will in prayer.  I can look back over the years and vividly see that when we did “DO” what He said, that we were blessed beyond measure… maybe not immediately, but almost always eventually!

The wise Pastor of the church in Jerusalem tells us in James 4:17 that, “…if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.” (The Message)  As Piper and I stepped out to “DO” many of the things that we felt led of the Lord to “DO”, like to move all the way to Oklahoma to attend Bible School, and then when we returned home and her symptoms accelerated, to quit my secular job in order for me to personally care for her 24/7, we simply knew it was the right thing to “DO” and better yet… that we HAD to “DO” it in order to stay in God’s perfect plan for our particular situation.

At the time, I never thought that disobeying Him would be considered “evil,” but I knew that it would be wrong for us to not be obedient.  The bottom line for Piper and I was that it was much more important for us to follow what we believed to be God’s directions than the few who vehemently came against us, thinking that we’d totally lost our marbles! 

And in the end, we were blessed tremendously by following His plans.  As a direct result of those leadings, we were able to participate in various benefits programs, receive the best medical care available for her from experts in San Francisco and be financially able to not only pay for her out of pocket medical expenses (well over $60,000) but all we needed to live comfortably as well.

So, I guess that this is my week before we celebrate the birth of Christ message to you today!  That in the midst of all the activity of the season, that you don’t forget to seek Him, get His plan and then simply said… follow through and “DO” it!

I may have some reservations about my future, but I have NO DOUBTS and NO RESERVATIONS about how important and successful it is to “DO” what He says to “DO!” It’s that thought and the personal experience of that truth that gives me the confidence to expect God’s best throughout the rest of 2019 and into the new adventures in 2020!

So… Who’s with me today?

Monday, December 16, 2019

Out of Your Comfort Zone & Christmas Wishes...


Well, you guessed it… this is the first official blog post from my new home in northeast Broken Arrow, OK!  The Five and I were awoken early this morning around 4:45 by a rather loud peal of thunder followed by a deluge of frozen rain.  We weren’t expecting the thunder so the boom took both of us by surprise.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

That I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

Being as we’ve barely been in the house a week, I haven’t yet familiarized myself with the unique sounds of the home and neighborhood and to be perfectly honest… my first thought was that the water heater blew up!  So, there I am, with the dog in tow (brave of him to stay tucked behind me…right?) running into the dark kitchen, shirtless in my pajama bottoms and flinging open the garage door!  Smart move eh?  Like what was I gonna do if I found what I was thinking in my half-dazed, sleepy mind?

By the time I opened the door from the kitchen to the garage, some more thunder sounded and I finally figured out what was happening!  I closed the door and took a quick peek out the kitchen window out to the front yard and didn’t observe,

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Giving the lustre of mid-day to objects below, in fact it was quite dark and overcast outside.

And thank God that to my wondering eyes there didn’t appear,

A miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer… I think that I might have lost it if I saw anything like that!

So, the big brave Fiver and I plopped back into bed… me in mine and him on his on the floor and twisted and turned for another hour or so.  When I took him out back at 7:00 the ground was wet and there were ice pebbles lining the wooden framing on the fence.  When we went out for a walk a few hours later, the temperature was still sitting at 30 degrees with 19 mph winds from the north.  That equated to a wind chill of 19 degrees.  By the time we got back from our walk, I thought my face had frozen!

And that my dear readers is the state of the union or of the neighborhood from my new neck of the woods!  I spent a good amount of time yesterday praying for the plans and the purposes of those plans that the good Lord has for me to passionately pursue in the final weeks of this year and throughout what I firmly believe to be a brand-new frontier of faith for me in 2020.

I was reading in James 2:23 this morning that, “The full meaning of ‘believe’ in the Scripture sentence, ‘Abraham believed God and was set right with God," includes his action. It's that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named ‘God's friend.’" (The Message)  I couldn’t help but to stop and nod my head in agreement to that statement.  I strongly sense that this new year is going to include a lot of new and at times… out-of-my-normal-comfort-zone actions on my behalf, if I am to accomplish the plans that God has for me in this new land and new life without Piper at my side!

But hey… that’s the way Piper and I lived our life in the past, so there’s no reason to stop now right?  What’s that saying… “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!”  I keep thinking about and confirming in the Word, the need to stick to my unique Christian roots… and that’s exactly what I aim to do!

I hope everyone who reads this is joyfully getting into the Christmas spirit and is able to pass HIS joy onto someone else as you endeavor to navigate the hustle and bustle all around you!  Then, as you fly out the door and jump in the car to grab that last-minute present, someone might just hear you say as you drive away:

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!



One last thought: What are you expecting this Christmas and New Year?

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Spreading the Joy!


I spent the latter part of last week and most of this week so far, preparing for my upcoming move in a couple of days.  Fortunately, I do not have a lot to pack since I’ve been kind of living in a minimal mode since I moved from North Carolina almost six months ago.  As it turns out, I needed pretty much that whole six months to make this week’s move.  The house and the previous owner’s Reverse Mortgage situation sure threw a wrench into my plans to slowly prepare the new house for my eventual occupancy.  Now the plan is to only move the things in my apartment and then paint and get the new carpets before unloading the storage bin where most of my stuff resides!  But that’s okay, as it will give me the time to create the look I desire while actually living in my new home.

But that doesn’t mean that repacking the relatively few things in my apartment didn’t bring to light more than just a few poignant and sometimes painful memories of Piper’s and my past.  Late yesterday afternoon I sat on the floor in front of our entertainment cabinet, opened the bottom doors and sighed as I looked over our collection of mostly Christian record albums that we amassed during our dating and early marriage days… before eight tracks, cassettes and CD’s came into existence! 

As I began to thumb through the large collection, my heart began to ache as I pulled out a couple of albums that had “Piper Canevari” written on the top right corner.  They were from her personal stash that she had begun to collect when we delved into the burgeoning contemporary Christian Rock scene during our college years.  Just looking at the covers of those albums and the many others that we had purchased and almost wore out during the early to mid-seventies, brought back a flood of happy times listening to music at each of our homes, going to concerts around town and attending some of the regular concerts of new and upcoming Christian bands at a ministry in the Sacramento, California area called “Warehouse Ministries.”  Ah… those were some especially good times!

Piper always had such a strong spirit of life about her that seemed to infect everything and everyone around her.  While sitting on the floor packing the albums, I couldn’t help to think of the first dance we attended during the first week or two of our Senior year in high school.  I guess you could say that this was our first official date!  We planned on meeting at the activity in the school cafeteria and then spending the rest night at the dance together.  I got to the dance before Piper and danced one number with a mutual friend of ours before Piper arrived.  My dance partner and I stood on the side of the dance floor when the song ended and were talking about something when she looked out into the crowd and said that she’d better go now because Piper was here.

It was then and there that I fell hopelessly in love with my future bride and lifelong companion.  As Piper walked across the dance floor, I couldn’t help but notice how radiant she looked and something just clicked inside of me… and I knew, as a young seventeen-year-old teenager, that I would never have eyes for another women again! 

The joy and the life that shined about her was unmistakable… and it never left.  Even when her lovely exterior features became contorted with the growing onslaught of the Alzheimer’s, if you looked closely… you could still see the brightness of that joy, inner peace and life in her eyes.

Those memories and many more coursed through me yesterday with almost every box, picture or record album that I packed.  And they got me to thinking about how important it is, to always look for the positive, the joy and the life in everyone we interact with throughout each and every day.  It caused me to recall all the wonderful people that came into our lives to support us through the last eight years of Piper’s life and it made me cry over the few who seemed to fall into a trap of deception when it came to the lifestyle of faith and joy that Piper and I always strived to live.  It deeply affected me to see the absence of hope, faith and joy in their lives when it came to Piper’s situation.

Revelation 12:9 calls the enemy of our souls, the devil, “the deceiver of the whole world…” (KJV)  Every time I turn on the news, I see the deception of the enemy running rampant in the world.  I see very intelligent and most likely good people falling for his tricks and believing his lies and therefore missing out on the hope and joy that Jesus gives to us… especially during this special Holiday Season. 

I would encourage each of you this season, to stay alert to the deceptions that the enemy puts out.  To go the extra mile to love those among your family and friends.  To look past what your physical senses are telling you, and to look deep into the eyes of those you interact with on a daily basis.  Look for the good, spread the Good News and rejoice in the truth of God and His Word.

Have a blessed week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to look for and spread the joy and life of the Good News today!”