Why Was I Singing That?

As I stood out in the rain earlier this morning while tossing the ball to Fiver, I found myself unintentionally singing a song that had been playing on my home entertainment system as the dog and I went out back.  It was a Southern Gospel tune that was slow and melodic with a sound and style that resonated with me.  The only problem was that the words that I was repeating were totally unbiblical!  They sounded good.  They sounded very humble and very loving… except again… they were a misrepresentation of Biblical truth.

With great feeling and purpose, the deep baritone voice kept repeating the chorus singing, ♪“I’m just an old sinner saved by grace.”♫  Now don’t get me wrong here… As a Born-Again Christian we all have to go to the cross of Christ to enter into the ABC’s of salvation where we Admit that we are a sinner, Believe in Jesus and put our trust in Him and then with our mouths Confess Him as our personal savior and Lord… RIGHT?

But that is not where we should stay in our Christian walk.  In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Apostle Paul tells us what happens to us next by declaring, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (KJV)  So yes, you and I WERE old sinners who WERE saved by grace but NOW… we are NEW CREATIONS IN CHRIST!  And according to the Word of God, those OLD THINGS are passed away… or better said – GONE – and everything from now on is NEW!

With Piper’s passing, I have spent a lot of time going through old picture from our past.  And while it is fun, deeply meaningful and most definitely pulls on my heart strings, I can’t stay there.  I enjoy comparing pictures of her from the seventies, eighties, nineties and into the 2000’s before she was promoted to heaven.  To me, those pictures are proof of not only how beautifully she matured from a spunky, cute teenager into a gorgeous, mature women of God, but also of the wonderful life that we developed and grew with our children, our ministry experiences and with our extended family and friends.  And then there are the Grandkids… What more could I say! 

“Life with Pipe…” as I like to say it, because I like things that rhyme… got better and better as the years went by.  Throughout the years we changed, we grew, we made mistakes and learned good things from them… and we kept on going forward, not wanting to miss any of the good things that the Lord promises all of His children!

Likewise, why would any Christian want to stay right where we all start as a baby Christian?  Jesus Himself moved FROM the CROSS to the THRONE…and so should we!  In fact, concerning this very point, Ephesians 2:4-6 tells us, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (KJV) 

And while you and I may not as of yet, be physically seated in heaven next to Christ as Piper is… it is positionally where you and I as Believers sit after we become born-again.  Thinking about our Christian life in that manner, puts a whole new spin, strength, purpose and determination on the way we should be living our lives… wouldn't you agree? 

So again, YES, I was an old sinner… but NOT anymore!  Therefore, for you or me to be thinking, saying or singing that “I’m just an old sinner saved by grace,” we in effect, would be telling a lie and discrediting most of the revelation that Jesus gave to Paul.  The writers of the New Testament epistles were anointed of the Holy Spirit to tell the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Good News of who we are after we receive salvation and move forward from the cross toward the throne.  I’ve heard it said that the CROSS was a place of death and defeat (of our old lives) while the THRONE is the place of our new lives where we can experience our ever-increasing VICTORY in Christ!

I guess that’s why I like the thought of “WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING?”  Philippians 4:13 tells me that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (EMTV) Therefore, every day I love jumping into His Word EXPECTING to discover more and more of the man I am called to be, of the things that HE wants me to do, and of the lives that HE wants me to touch for HIM… in this life… and then in eternity!

Whooo!  Kinda makes me want to jump and shout!  Will you join me in that?

Have a great weekend, and keep EXPECTING His best!

New Glasses...

I took an early morning drive today to beautiful Owasso, Oklahoma… about ten minutes away!  The reason for such an exciting adventure was to pick up my new glasses.  With everything that’s been going on in my life, it was probably a good three years since I had my eyes checked.  The last time I went was back in Morrisville, North Carolina when Piper was still with us. 

So, as I am trying to step back into some semblance of a normal life again, I thought that getting my eyes checked and a new pair glasses would be another positive step in that direction!  My eyesight hadn’t changed that much, but I do notice that everything is a lot clearer now with the new glasses.  Therefore, I guess that I done good! 

When I got back out to my car after picking up the new spectacles, I spent a few moments comparing the strength and clarity of the new pair against my North Carolina clear set as well as with my prescription sunglasses.  It was a little funny to notice how the increased ability to focus on whatever subject I was observing with the new glasses over the old, gave me a noticeable peace of mind and contentment!  I also realized that I was unconsciously EXPECTING to see better with the new glasses… (I’m thinking that a cost of $1173.00… before insurance kicked in… might also have had something to do with that expectancy!)

That EXPECTATION reminded me of my morning Bible Study where I ended up studying from the book of Psalms in chapter 119, verse 114 where the author wrote of the Lord, “You are my hiding place and my shield. My EXPECTATION is based on your word.” (God’s Word ©)  According to this, we Christians should also have some pre-established EXPECTATIONS in life… and in our case, those EXPECTATIONS should be crafted by our knowledge of the truth of God’s Word.

The Apostolic Bible Polyglot puts an interesting spin on this verse by declaring, “You are my helper and my shielder, by your words, I raised (my) hope.”  In the Greek, the phrase “I raised my hope” implies the idea of “to stretch oneself or to reach forward.”  So, you can see how the author of this psalm was telling us of the Word’s ability or inherent power to cause us to raise our hopes or expectations... to stretch ourselves above and beyond our personal comfort zones.  To EXPECT more of and through God in the daily course of our lives.  To dream and imagine BIG, to ask Big requests of Him and to do BIG things for Him!

The Message Bible encourages us to say of the Lord that “You're my place of quiet retreat; I wait for your Word to renew me.”  This rendering infers two things.  First that we have to make and take the time to get quiet before the Lord on a regular basis and secondly, to do so with the EXPECTION that He will renew and refresh us when we meet with Him.

I learned from my cute high school girlfriend (who later became my wife) early in our budding relationship, that the Word of God was her “place of quiet retreat” and personal place of renewal for her life.  It was one of the many personal convictions that she lived before me, that also became an active trend in my life as well. 

I took up the personal habit of keeping my daily Bible Study notes in the same book that I used for my meeting notes in my secular jobs throughout the years.  This way I had the quick availability of catching a moment of refreshing from my notes taken from the Word of God, throughout the day, to recharge me in the midst of whatever activity or trauma was unfolding at any particular moment!

And you know… I still do that today by taking my notebook with me whenever I go somewhere in the car and/or keeping it opened on my desk throughout the day for a quick pick-me-up!

So, just as my new glasses have helped me to have a clearer focus on life around me, so does my regular quick stops in my “place of quiet retreat” within the Word of God!  I am not sure if someone might call that “fanatical” on my behalf or not… but what I DO know is that it sure works for me!  Give it a try… if it’s not already a practice in your life!

I don’t want to live a sedentary life where I am not forced to stretch myself on a regular basis.  I enjoy learning, growing and doing bigger and better things for the Lord… How about you?

Have a good week… stay warm and dry (we had some snow this morning and its still quite chilly outside!) and keep EXPECTING BIG things of the Lord!

It's OKAY...

Okay… So, I’m not sure if it was from a lack of sleep or what… but I just finished a nice breakfast of maple brown sugar oatmeal, a couple strips of turkey bacon and an orange, got up from the table, walked to the sink to rinse my bowl when SPLASH…  water sprayed all over the front of my shirt!  You see, I flipped the lever up on the faucet and at the same time reached for the spray nozzle… and didn’t realize that it was pointed at me and not to the bowl in the sink… until I squeezed the handle! YIKES… that was cold!

What can I say?  It’s Monday morning!  But I also had an interesting beginning to the day.  After being cloudy all day yesterday, it began to rain in earnest around seven in the evening.  When I checked the weather app before turning the light out, later in the evening, there was a slight chance of thunderstorms forecast for around three or four the next morning.

Well… the chance turned into the real deal and I was awakened a little before four with some LOUD booms of thunder and BRIGHT flashes of lightning.  After few seconds of listening, I turned over to go back to sleep and suddenly thought about the dog.  So, I slid out from under the covers and looked at the foot of the bed… and sure enough, there was the big guy, shaking on the floor with eyes as big as saucers! 

I knelt down next to him and began to comfort him while I gently petted his back.  After a while, things quieted down and I got back up to check the weather radar to see what else we might have in store.  And sure enough, it looked like we had about a fifteen-minute break and then there was another strong front coming right back at us!  Fiver had calmed down, so I threw on a coat and shoes and took him out back to do his thing while we had a pause in the rain.

Once we got back inside, we heard the rumblings of thunder and Fiver’s shakes resumed.  Since it looked like we had another LOUD stretch coming, I gave him a dosage of Sileo to help him stay calm and after awhile went back to bed. 

Well, it was kind of interesting in that the next big wave never came!  But, about an hour later Fiver woke me up looking quite fidgety… and it was an action I understood, so I got up once more, and took him outback where he met his need and looked quite content upon our return inside!  Then he jumped on the bed and was out like a light until 7:30 (an hour later) when I got up for the day!

So… needless to say, I was a wee-bit tired and foggy when I got up!  But prior to breakfast I had spent an hour in fellowship with the Lord, taken a shower and gone with the pooch out for a brisk walk to the neighborhood park and pond where the water level was noticeably higher and spilling rapidly through the culvert into the overflow creek.  In other words, I should have been more awake when I went to rinse the bowl!  Oh well… these things happen!  It was actually a little funny, so I took a picture before I changed the shirt!

Afterwards, while I pulled off the wet top, I thought about all the times when unexpected, emergency situations arose while I was caring for Piper from 2010 through 2018 and… like last night… when unexpected things happened with the dog!  Most times my immediate approach was to softly tell them that everything was OKAY… which in effect was telling them to not be afraid.  I can assure you, that there were plenty of opportunities for me to stay calm, gentle and reassuring with my response during those times of attending to other’s needs. 

But you know… I’ve had a good example to follow!  I did a word search on the phrase “Don’t be afraid” in the God’s Word © Translation of the Bible and noted that it is used 353 times!   I guess that I’m not the only one comforting others with that all important encouragement!  I would imagine that it is a response to the situations that we all face on a daily basis in our lives, that is of utmost importance to our heavenly father!

It was one of the first statements that God made to mankind as He introduced the Gospel message to the saints at the coming birth of the Christ Child, and concerning His triumphant return as described in the book of Revelation!  I’ve had first-hand experience with the effects that yielding to fear can have on good people... and it ain't pretty!  I guess that it is no coincidence that one of the very first scriptures I memorized as a young Christian so many years ago, was Paul’s advice to his young Pastor protégé Timothy when he encouraged the young man that “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2  Timothy 1:7 KJV) 

I’ve also thought it interesting that in the King James Version, it is called THE spirit of fear and not just a spirit of fear.  That to me, puts a higher significance on the destructive nature and power that this particular spirit can have on mankind.  If you don’t believe me, just turn on the news to see what’s happening in Washington DC!

I’ve heard it taught that the opposite of FEAR is FAITH.  But I would have to disagree and say that the opposite of FEAR is actually one step before FAITH, and that being LOVE, because “FAITH worketh by LOVE*” (Galatians 5:6 KJV).  I believe that my well-practiced ability to comfort my loved ones in times of need, comes because I’ve learned that for me, the key to life is that “by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.” (Ephesians 3:17 The Passion Translation) 

I’ve found that it is easier for me to bring (or keep) others in a peaceful, restful place... when I am already there!  What do you think about that? 

If that is not necessarily easy for you… then I might suggest that you commit to confessing the two prayers of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:15-23 and Ephesians 3:14-21 every day.  Personalized the prayers by changing the “you” to “me” and then make them an audible confession of your faith in Him! 

Do that for a few weeks and you can’t help but begin to see some changes in the way you feel and think… and respond to the events in your life!  Have a great week, and keep expecting God’s best for you!

 

*In particular… knowing how intimately and personally Jesus loves you!  (See; Ephesians 3:19)

Toe Socks!

When Fiver and I stepped out the front door this morning, we walked right out into a blustery, cold and crisp winter day here in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma!  When Fiver stopped to add his mark to the neighborhood doggie 411 light pole directly in front of our house, his leash went behind his front paws, so I had to bend over to untangle it. 

With me being long-waisted, that also meant the customary tug on the back loop of my pants in order to adjust my jeans into proper positioning… (enough said?).  But this morning held a hidden surprise for me… as soon as I lifted up my coat to get to the loop, a gust of the 13 mph winds blew an icy rush of 34-degree air right up my back!  And needless to say, it was a shock, and I immediately hollered out a resounding WHOOOOOO!

That icy, cold touch reminded me of my sweet Piper’s hands.  They were always cold… in fact, when I used to get terrible migraines, she would put her cold hand on my forehead with results very similar to that of a chilly, wet washcloth!  And speaking of Piper…

When I first sat down in my study for my daily Bible time early today, I leaned back in my chair and let my eyes peruse the myriad of family pictorial history on the wall in front of me.  My eyes came to rest on a picture of Piper and a young Joshua sitting on a log in a Redwood grove where we were camping at the time.  What caught my attention was not only the joyous smiles on both of their faces, but also the very colorful socks that Piper had on!

As I looked at the brightly striped socks, it dawned on me that she really enjoyed wearing bright colored socks the whole time we were together.  I remembered that she had a pair of striped, knee-high toe socks when we were dating that she’d wear with her jeans and occasionally with shorts.  I also recalled when I had to begin dressing her during her illness, that a few of her once bright socks had faded.  

I specifically remember this because I had to put out a lot of effort in visiting numerous stores in order to find her brightly colored crew socks.   As it was, I ended up finding a source online.  I guess gals nowadays don’t care for brightly colored, thick crew socks!  Bright ankle socks were easy to find, but I needed to keep more of her warm as she became less mobile.

When I finally got to opening up my Bible, I felt the urge to take a look at the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.  I began in the familiar King James Version where it declares. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”  Then I decided to take a peek in The Passion Translation and immediately understood why I had the urge to check out these verses. 

To me, this modern translation puts a different twist on this Biblical favorite saying, “But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.” 

The thought that the fruit of the Spirit are varied expressions of God’s divine LOVE expressed in us through the characteristics of JOY, PEACE, PATINENCE, KINDNESS, VIRTUE, FAITH, GENTLENESS and STRENGTH of SPIRIT really got me to thinking about the way I act on a daily basis… and specifically, if my ACTIONS consistently match the words that I SPEAK…

And then I was drawn back to the picture of Piper’s socks!  Bright colored socks are like the actions we take in correlation to what comes out of our mouths!  Brightly colored socks catch your attention!  Let me just say, that if Piper had on her brightly colored, knee-high, striped toes socks with a pair of shorts… you would notice those socks!  Colorful socks draw eyes to them… at least they do for me… (maybe I’m a little strange here… although I do also recall other people commenting on Piper’s choice of socks!)  I had a lady that worked for me at Hewlett Packard years ago who always made sure that her socks matched the shirt that she wore each day… bright or subdued, pink or blue… they always matched!

So, what am I trying to say here?  In the book of James, LOVE is called “The Royal Law” (James 2:8 KJV) and we are told that if we fulfill it, that we will do well in life.  And while I may not wear brightly colored socks like my wife did… although I did buy a pair of almost fluorescent yellow ankle socks at the end of last summer… I do want the LOVE of GOD to shine brightly off of me!  Which according to our scripture in Galatians 5:22-23, means that I need to have eight characteristics of His LOVE working in me, working for me, and also working through me unto others!

I always thought that Piper’s brightly colored socks looked good on her.  They matched her bubbly, uplifting, joy-filled, caring and warm personality… And that’s exactly the God-kind of LOVE that I desire for people to see in me… How about you?

Which characteristics of God’s LOVE is your life brightly demonstrating today?

The Place of Joy

Joy (joi)

 

the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation:   (Oxford Online Dictionaries)

 

I was talking with our oldest son yesterday and at one point we got on the subject of the JOY that just always seemed to emanate from his mother.  I mentioned that it was very interesting for me to see that even as the debilitating symptoms of Alzheimer’s encroached upon her, that she never lost that JOY.  Granted, as things progressed, there were long periods of time when she would seemingly stare off into space without demonstrating any physical symptoms of recognition, looking like she was lost to the world.  But every so often the real Piper would pop out and when it did, her expressions and the few words were always filled with JOY!

Like the big smile that she gave to our neighbor just a week or so before she left us for heaven.  Her suddenly turning to me in the months previously to her passing, looking me straight in the eye and with a big smile saying “I love you!”  Whenever the real Piper arose to the surface… it was always the JOYFUL Piper we all knew and loved.  Throughout the last eight years of her life, I can attest that she NEVER got out of sorts, angry, impatient or violent… as numerous (helpful?) people warned me that she most likely would!

You see, I knew my wife.  I very well knew what was inside of her.  Over the years I had seen older individuals in our church as well as family members and some friends who seemed to become a different person (and not in positive way) in the last weeks and hours of their lives. But Piper I knew!  I fully expected none of that to come out of her… because there was none of it in her!  Yes, I believe that she was born with the God given gift of a JOYFUL personality, but she also spent the entire time that I knew her cultivating that particular fruit of the Spirit as defined in Galatians 5:22.

I kinda got stuck on a scripture this morning that specifically focuses in on the subject of JOY.  As I have mentioned before, the book of Nehemiah chronicles a very bitter sweet time in lives of the Israelite nation.  Having just returned to their beloved city of Jerusalem after an extended period of exile, they stood aghast at the destruction that overwhelmed them anywhere they looked.

Tears were openly flowing, emotions were abounding unrestrained, and hopelessness began to settle in.  So, what did the leaders do?  They called a public gathering and the priests began to read the Holy Scriptures concerning all the promises that God had made to them.  Then Nehemiah the governor stood before them and in no uncertain terms told them to stop their bawling, to stop feeling sorry for themselves and

“he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the JOY of the LORD is your strength.” (KJV)

His command to them in the face of the spiritual, physical, emotional and financial pain they felt was to take up the JOY of the Lord!  I personally liked the way that The Bible in Basic English put this verse saying, “this day is holy to our Lord: and let there be no grief in your hearts; for the joy of the Lord is your strong place.” 

The Voice Translation encourages us to, “Let the Eternal’s own JOY be your protection.”  The Good News Bible declares that “The joy that the LORD gives you will make you strong."  And of course, my favorite God’s Word © translation says “Don't be sad because the joy you have in the LORD is your strength." 

Although all these various translations may use different words, they all point out the fact that this kind of JOY is His JOY!  It is the JOY that we get from spending time with Him.  I would admit that it was very easy for me to be JOYFUL when I was in the presence of my wife.  The JOY of the Lord that bubbled and gushed out from her would liberally splash on to me when I was with her!

I was watching an old western on the GRIT cable channel last night and feeling nostalgic, when the sweetheart of the lead character reached out to touch the shoulder of her loved one in order to encourage him as he went out to face the bad guys... and I immediately found myself looking at a picture of Piper on the wall next to the TV and cried out, “Oh Piper, I miss your joy, your words of comfort and the feel of your hand in mine.”  Whenever I felt down and needed encouragement or a touch of JOY, she was always there for me.  But now… well now I’m on my own.  It’s been more difficult for me to put His JOY on in her absence.… but it is NOT impossible…

So, what have I been training myself to do?  When  am down, I begin to audibly praise Him, confess His Word and simply take the time to get near to Him.  I’ve discovered time and time again, that my praises unto Him act as a conduit into His presence.  Psalm 16:11 teaches us that “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of JOY; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” (KJV) 

And its sort of funny, because EVERYTIME I get into His presence, His JOY splashes on to me, my expectations are lifted up to the place where His are and I feel a whole lot better!  Not only do I feel better, but I also know that I am safe and secure and at rest in His strong place.

His JOY can do that for both you and me!  It’s the place I desire to be and the attitude in life that I want to display to the world and liberally splash it on to everyone that comes near me, near my house or even as they pass my car on the roadways around Tulsa Oklahoma! 

How about you?

Personal Responsibility

I have been constantly remined over the last twelve years, of the importance of personalizing my faith.   It was a lesson that I was forced to learn when the severity of my wife’s health condition was beginning to be made clear to us in 2008.  Over the ensuing years I found myself questioning just about every Biblical truth that I had ever believed.  Now, that may be thought of as a rather blasphemous statement coming from a man that had been in active Christian ministry for the vast majority of his adult life.

In my defense though, I would also say that I did things rather unconventionally in my ministry training… some might even say a bit backwards!  The mainstay of my training was learned in hands-on experience within the various churches we attended and served in.  And although my wife and I did attend countless seminars, conferences and hours of Christian leadership and Bible study classes throughout the years, I didn’t actually attend an accredited Bible College until after some thirty plus years in staff ministry positions at five different churches in northern California.

I entered Bible School thinking that I knew a lot… only to find out how LITTLE I actually did know!  Those classes brought new levels of understanding to me that I didn’t even think was possible.  It made me re-think many of the ministry approaches, decisions, counselling and teaching that I had engaged in since the early 1970’s.  Don’t get me wrong here though… not all of it was of a negative nature, but it definitely gave me a great depth of understanding to the heart and purpose of ministry. 

I guess you could say that it took the “ME!” out of our ministry.  It reminded me of a class that Piper taught a few times in our Children’s Church classes on the subject of PRIDE.  The point that stood out to me was that “I” is the middle letter in the word PRIDE!  And believe me… I could see that there had been a lot of “I” in many of my ministry endeavors… especially in the early years.

When we returned home after Bible School, I was immediately faced with some tough decisions.  With everything I had learned at school, the reality of Piper’s rapidly declining health and a lot of family and friends feeling like it was their responsibility to share all their hopeless, negative, doubt-filled and faith stealing opinions about her with me, I quickly discovered that in many respects… I was on my own when it came to keeping the stand of faith that Piper and I had agreed upon in prayer, while she was still lucid in Oklahoma.

It was at that point that I realized that in order to stay the promise that I had made to her, that I had to really know that I know the Biblical truths I was standing on and exactly WHY!  That it was firmly and unequivocally based on what was in my heart and that I wasn’t just believing it because someone else believed it or because it sounded good to me.  In other words, my faith HAD to be founded on my own deeply entrenched and intimately understood convictions of the truth of God’s Word!  I had to KNOW without any hesitation that God intimately knew and loved Piper and I so much, that He would always be true to His Word for us… to the Word that we were standing on! (See: Ephesians 3:19)

Paul’s writings to the Corinthian Church in 1 Corinthians 2:5 perfectly summarizes the lesson that I learned.  Paul explained that the intentions of his teachings to them was “that your life of faith is a (personal) response to God's power, not to some fancy mental or emotional footwork by me or anyone else.” (The Message Bible)  In other words, their faith life was up to them, not someone else.  It all depended on how they understood it and put it into personal usage in their lives.  In effect, he was saying, that each of us have to take the responsibility for our own faith.

I do not believe that I could have made it through the difficult years of Piper’s final journey… nor that I can face today and tomorrow without her… except that I now know WHO, WHAT and WHY I believe… and come any storm… God and His Word will ALWAYS stand firm for me and with me!

Can you say the same?  Who is responsible for your faith?

WHAT IF?

All I can say is WOW!  Was it ever C-O-L-D yesterday!  When we took our morning and afternoon walks, it was in the low-forties with 35 to 40 mph gusts of winds from the northwest, blowing down across the open spaces between Oklahoma and Canada.  The windchill factor easily took another ten degrees off the stated temperatures.  I had an Optometry appointment at eleven and as I pulled out of my driveway, snow flurries began to fall from the sky.  The flurries never amounted to much and the sun actually came back out in the early afternoon… but it sure didn’t seem to affect the temperature at all!

I hadn’t had my eyes checked for a couple of years and had noticed a change in my eyesight… so, I figured that it was a good time to get some new glasses.  I am glad that I went as everything in my eyes checked out fine and my sight had only degraded a small amount for both distance and close-up.  So, with that, I ordered a new pair of inside glasses and decided to keep the sunglasses as they were… at least for now!

I had received a Benefit Debit Card from my insurance company at the end of last year for $500.00, with the stipulation that it had to be used for medical related proposes and expired at the end of 2020.  So, with the thought that I wanted to get some new spectacles in mind, I called the Optometry office where my youngest daughter used to work, made an appointment for yesterday and had the $500.00 card amount credited to my account.  Needless to say, that helped my out-of-pocket expenses tremendously!

With that appointment completed, I was able to check off another item on my long to-do list, as I continue to settle in to my new life, in my new house, in my new city and state, in this new chapter and season of my life.  It seems like everyday presents new challenges to my state of mind while I forge on through all the changes that I am experiencing with the absence of my wife, my kids Mom, my best friend and long-term partner in just about every dream and imagination that I have ever had since I was seventeen.

I would have to say though, that without ANY HESITATION, my faith, my expectations, my trust and my commitment to God and His Word have continued to grow throughout every step that I’ve taken… whether I took them willingly or not!  As I was praying Paul’s Ephesians prayers* the other day, the thought suddenly popped into my mind, “What if we REALLY took God at His Word?”  As the strength of that statement penetrated my mind, it gave me reason to pause, to push back from my desk and stare out toward the vacant golf course outside my study window.

For lack of a better term… I would say that I have prided myself for years proclaiming that I fully believe the Word of God… without question, with a child-like faith.  But that statement, which seemed to emanate from deep inside of me, kinda shook me up!  For as I looked out the window and REALLY contemplated what my response would be if God personally asked me that question (which was how I tended to take the question anyway!), I could see many times where I immediately began to think of excuses why I couldn’t believe it for that particular set of circumstances!  Be honest here… Have you ever done that?

I like the way that The Message Bible puts the beginning of Ephesians 3:20 when Paul stated in very descriptive words, “God can do anything, you know…”  That introduction to the rest of the verse says it all… doesn’t it?  But, do we… you and I… REALLY believe that?

What if we did?  Think for yourself… How different would your life be if you unequivocally, unreservedly, and without any hesitation or doubt… no matter what the circumstances may be… did REALLY believe and ACT as though God’s Word was true and that He loves us so much that He will ALWAYS do for us what He says that He will DO in His Word?

I know that this question has really stimulated my honest, heartfelt and frank thoughts and communications with the Father concerning where I stand.  Am I a BELIEVER or a PARTIAL – BELIEVER?  Do I only believe Him when things seem possible to me… or at any time, in any place whether I have a fat bank account or not, whether medical science has a cure for it or not or when the mountain seems just too big or unsurmountable… or not?

What do you say?  Simply said, I think that it comes down to one simple question… Do you Believe Him or not?

Have a great weekend, and keep expecting God’s best!

 

*Ephesians 1:17-23 and Ephesians 3:16-21                                                                                                 

Power Off... Power On!

Our power suddenly blinked out this morning just as I was getting started on my Bible Study.  If you haven’t guessed it by now, this is one of my favorite times of the day.  The house and neighborhood are quiet, the heater is beginning to chase away the morning chill and it’s just me, God, a cup of coffee and Fiver lounging on the leather love seat behind me, as he keeps an alert eye on the cul-de-sac out the window!

But the power outage really did nothing to affect my study as my computer, displaying my eSword Bible Study program, automatically switched over to battery power and the light pouring in from the large window to my left, gave me more than adequate light for my note taking.

Over the weekend I felt led to look at a scripture found in the book of Job that really excited me.  The thoughts of “excitement” and the book of Job don’t usually go together in my mind, and in fact… Job is probably one of the least worn sections in any of my Bibles!  But this verse was different.  At the end of the book, the writer makes an amazing statement that I decided to take personally, for it encouraged me in a special way and put a smile on my face that seem to last for the rest of the weekend!

After all the shock, pain and heartbreak that Job had gone through, his perseverance in sticking with the Lord paid off when it was documented that “the LORD blessed the latter years of Job’s life more than the earlier years.” (Job 42:12 God’s Word ©)

Let me explain a little… I had determined to take down the Christmas tree and pack up all the Christmas decorations on Saturday afternoon.  And what began as a simple task turned into an emotional fiasco!  The first thing that hit me as I began to take off the ornaments on the tree was that Piper and I will NEVER set up and enjoy that tree together again.  Then as I probably mentioned in a previous blog post, a good many of the hand-crafted ornaments that we have hung every year since our first few Christmas’ together, were love-gifts given to Piper by her students at the large Christian pre-school where she taught in the early years of our marriage.

So, all the precious memories of those years before we started our family, came flooding back to me… and needless to say… I became very sentimental, to the point of tears.  Then there were all the ornaments that our kids had made, the family stockings and… well… you can figure out the rest!

That’s why that particular scripture was so well received by me.  When I first read it, I was feeling kind of sensitive, feeling a bit sorry for myself and was tending to see myself as the wasted guy sitting in the bar with Job and agreeing with his sad, sob story (although I can honestly say that I have never had a drink in a bar)!

I’ve noticed that one of the primary thoughts that come to haunt me when those times of sorrow hit, is the overwhelming feeling of being lost without any purpose or meaning to life.  But that verse nailed it as I immediately felt as if the Lord, like with Job, was telling me that… SOMEHOW and SOMEWAY… my latter years would turn out to be even better than my earlier ones when Piper was at my side!

And speaking of being overwhelmed, I have to admit that I was more than a little confused with the thought of that seemingly outlandish and impossible statement!  I mean… How could life for me, possibly be any better than it was with Piper?  But that questionable thinking was quickly quenched when I remembered another scripture found in Luke 18:27 in The Passion Translation when “Jesus responded, ‘What appears humanly impossible is more than possible with God. For God can do what man cannot.’”

So… at that point I made the decision to walk in faith, to put my trust completely in His Word, to not rely on my own opinion (See Proverbs 3:5) and let Him do WHATEVER and HOWEVER that He wanted to do in and with my life… and (do my best to) NOT WORRY about it anymore!

And you know what else?  I am also learning that this same advice and course of action can be… and SHOULD BE taken when it comes to the current atmosphere of confusion, fear and deception that seems to be running rampant in our nation’s capital, where people are saying one thing while physically doing the complete opposite… and then blaming the other party for exactly what they are guilty of!

It looks and sounds like everything is falling apart, but as with my personal lesson this weekend, I firmly believe that God is NOT done yet and will always have the final say!  For once again, as Jesus Himself stated: “The things that are impossible for people to do are possible for God to do." (Luke 18:27 God’s Word ©)

That’s what I believe and in Whom I have set the expectation of my faith.  How about you?  And like I found out once again this morning… EVERYTIME the power has gone out in my home… It will always (eventually) come back on!  (What’s that saying about keeping the switch of faith turned on?)

Have a great rest of the week and keep expecting God’s best in your life today!

Blessings and Steaming Dog's...

When I awoke this morning (as has become a habit of mine for many years now), I immediately began to think and audibly confess that “This is the day that the LORD has made and I choose to rejoice and be glad in it!”  (Psalm 118:24 ISV – personalized) 

Two hours later, as the dog and I stepped out the front door into the frigid, 25-degree morning, I couldn’t help but stop, breathe in the clean fresh air and enjoy the beauty of the quiet, still view that just seemed to mesmerize me as it unfolded before my eyes.  The grass still had a layer of frost icing its blades and the golf course was as of yet empty of any early morning players.

While we walked along the perimeter of the course toward the neighborhood park and pond, I couldn’t help but stop and think about how blessed I was to live in this particular neighborhood, in this particular city, within this particular state.  I was tickled pink to read that my new home town of Broken Arrow was recently named as the 11^th safest city in the country by the website “MoneyGeek.com.”

Sure, the weather can get crazy at times as compared to my old home in California… but you know?  I’m kind of learning to enjoy it!  The last week or so has been pretty chilly with strong winds blowing from the north.  As Fiver and I were walking home (into the wind) yesterday afternoon, it literally felt like my face was going to freeze!  But I still had to smile as I found myself pleasantly pleased over it.

I mean things are good!  During our top-of-the-morning jaunt just a little while ago now, I found myself once again, counting my blessings.  After a ten-year battle of the bulge, I am FINALLY back to the weight that I was at when I quit my management position at Home Depot in order to take care of my wife… and it feels good to be able to buy smaller sized clothes that actually fit me right!

Through the technical wizardry of ZOOM, I got to participate last night in a cross country, video Babybook Baby Shower for the newest member of our family, Jeremy and Aubrey’s daughter Harper Quill.  Our older son and his lovely wife planned and organized the event and we had an audience from three different states including Tennessee, California, and two cities in Oklahoma. 

But I do have to admit, that even though I thoroughly enjoyed seeing everybody again and the fun family banter and memory sharing, I am still having a bit of difficulty adjusting to the idea of attending Baby Showers!  I’m sure that most guys would understand what I am saying here.  Baby Showers were always Piper’s department!  She would attend and then fill me in on all the details when she returned home.  This being both Grandpa and Grandma isn’t as easy as it seems… at least to me!

Do you ever take the time to just stop in the midst of your busy day and take account of all the blessings around you?  Ephesians 1:3 tells us that “Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer.” (God’s Word ©) 

Sure, there are crazy things happening all around us, but according to this verse, we ALSO have all the blessing that heaven has to offer at our disposal!  And as far as I am concerned, I aim to focus each day on those blessing and not on the worry and fear that the world continuously dishes out!

Psalm 91:15 strengthens this conviction by sharing another promise of the Lord when He said, “I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will find and feel my presence even in your time of pressure and trouble. I will be your glorious hero and give you a feast.” (The Passion Translation)

That’s the meal I choose to fill my dinner plate with… HOW ABOUT YOU?

So, I would encourage you today to stop and smell the roses!  Take a moment or two to think about and then thank the Lord for all the blessings in your life, after all, there is always someone who has it worse (probably much worse) than any difficulties that you and I might be facing in our lives today.

STOP and CHOOSE to REJOICE and BE GLAD similarly as I did first thing this morning, before I even set my feet on the ground, looked out the window or took a peek at the morning news!

The choice to be happy and thankful for the blessings in our lives is up to us!  As a kid growing up, whenever I felt down, my Mom would tell me to go out and get some exercise… and you know, I still follow that advice today.  After this morning’s cold, crisp walk amongst the frozen dew and laughing at the steam that came from the neighborhood dog’s mouth as he barked at Fiver, I can’t help but REJOICE and BE THANKFUL for the BLESSINGS of the Lord upon my life… and then let that Joy and Thankfulness liberally splash unto to others!

How about YOU?

What am I Passionate About?

For some reason, I found myself thinking a lot about PASSION during my Bible Study time earlier this morning.  Maybe it was the verse from Ephesians 3:9 that I was reading in The Passion Translation that triggered my thought pattern.  In this verse the Apostle Paul wrote that, “My passion is to enlighten every person to this divine mystery (the Gospel of Christ). It was hidden for ages past until now, and kept a secret in the heart of God, the Creator of all.” 

My immediate response after absorbing his statement was, as you might imagine, “What am I PASSIONATE about?”  Had this been a little over two years ago, I would have spontaneously replied… without any discussion… Piper!  And in many respects that would still be my first response today.  Although my thought process is slowly but surely shifting the thinking of my PASSION for her to be in terms of the past, recalling the poignant memories that I will always have of our 48 years together and not in respect to future dreams and plans… at least not in this age, on this earth!

So, what else am I PASSIONATE about?  Well, I would have to agree with Paul, that throughout the majority of my adult life, I have also had a growing PASSION for the Word of God.  As I pondered that thought this morning, I realized that I thoroughly enjoy reading the Word, teaching the Word, writing songs and singing about the Word, and then writing about the Word in different formats and for varying purposes.

And all that started while in high school and college as Piper’s and my relationship blossomed.  After our wedding we immediately jumped into Youth ministry and I found that I enjoyed writing Youth Lessons, skits and retreat programs and then moved on to years of writing Children’s Church lessons and curriculum, songs, plays and a whole bunch of Puppet Skits!  And in-between and throughout all of the years, there were the opportunities I had to preach in the adult services on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights, at Convalescent Hospitals, as well as in a public park a time or two!

I think the greatest and most important honor I have ever had though, was to be able to be 24/7 care-giver and full-time Pastor to my wife when we could no longer be involved in a church both in California and North Carolina.  Then for the last ten years, I’ve been writing this blog… and who knows what the future holds… Well, actually I have a few projects in the works… but they are not ready for public knowledge yet!

Dictionary.com defines PASSION as, “a powerful or compelling emotion or feeling; a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm or desire for anything.”  Speaking from personal experience, I would say that a person’s PASSION for something or someone is the almost uncontrollable force or power that causes them to go far and beyond what others might consider to be the norm in the successful accomplishment of their plans, goals and dreams concerning that said PASSION.

I remember that it would always startle and confuse me when people would question all the things I was doing for Piper in her time of need, be happy about being at her side 24/7, and give my best effort to keep our life as normal as possible for her.  For me there was NEVER a question about what I did.  I was PASSIONATE about my wife and had been since the day we started dating.  In my eyes… everything I did was just a normal part of my responsibilities as her husband… I always figured that every husband would do the same… but sadly, came to find out that I was mistaken!

In my way of thinking… when you are PASSIONATE about something, there is no-one nor no-thing that can stop you from doing your best in whatever you need to do!  That is also how it is for me with my trust in, dependence on and study of the Word of God.

It is also interesting to me, that one of the biggest lessons I learned while Piper and I journeyed along her final trail on this earth, was that Jesus is also very PASSIONATE about His Word as well as being PASSIONATE about His love for you and me!  The portion of scripture in Hebrews 4:14 where the writer tells us that “God's word is living and active” (God's Word ©) has taken on a whole new and deeper meaning to me since I began to personally understand and experience the living, active and powerful interactions of God with me whenever I open up my Bible!  It is no longer just a book of good words or positive thoughts to me… but it is HIM in personal dialogue with me! (see: John 1:1)

So, as we move on into this new year with all kinds of crazy things seemingly happening all around us… let me ask of you?  “What are you PASSIONATE about in your life?”  What thing or things are you so deeply entrenched in so that no-thing nor no-body can shake the foundations of your life.  I’ve learned that it sometimes takes a reordering of the things that are important to you in order to get one's priorities right.  But whatever it takes… let me suggest that we do it sooner than later as things seem to be more unreal every time I look at the news!

Have a great ending to your first full week in 2021, keep your eyes and your trust on HIM… and you’ll be sure to make the right choices!

Sleep Well America!

I have to admit that I had gotten pretty tired of the same old stuff that I was hearing on the news for the last few months.  In fact, during most of the month of December, I took a hiatus from the news and commentary programs that I used to enjoy watching.  It was depressing and to me, my beloved country and all the wonderful things that I firmly believe that our forefathers planned for it, seemed to be quickly spiraling down the tubes!

It got to the point where I found myself seriously considering if freedom really is on the way out in our country?  Is socialism making a bold move into a part of how we live our daily lives?  And is the brazen deception, lies and daily doses of misinformation coming from a very vocal segment of our political leadership and mainstream media going to have the final word in my life?

With all those daily concerns bouncing around everywhere I turned, I finally went to the Lord in prayer to bring up my questions… BUT THEN… I remembered:

When Piper and I began our final journey together on this earth, when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, we had a wide array of voices speaking to us… and many of them were not in the positive mode!  There were small but very loud and vocal contingents of individuals who not only gave us a wide assortment of reasons why they thought that everything we were doing was wrong, question our every move and accuse us of all kinds of selfish and unkind motives and behaviors, that were totally based on false narratives of our lives as husband and wife, as parents, as ministers of the Gospel and for our strong stand of faith in our doing only what we felt the Lord was calling us to do.

But you know what?  Our minds were already made up.  Our course of action was already set, and our thoughts, words and corresponding actions of faith were fully focused on the truth and power of God and His Word!  Scriptures like Ephesians 1:19 became our lifeline where we thanked the Lord and confessed as we prayed “that we would continually experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to us through faith. (And) That our lives would continue to be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through us…” (The Passion Translation – personalized) 

To be rather honest and blunt… we just chose to NOT LISTEN to what these very vocal and loud voices said to us.  We sought to stay friendly and respectful of them… but DID NOT yield to what we firmly believed was incorrect and harmful information for us to follow… mainly because it did not line up with the Word of God, of which we had made to be the captain and foundation of our plan in facing what was ahead of us.

Now, some ten years after the beginning of that battle, we face similarly troubled times.  With an array of very vocal and loud voices yelling at us through printed, online and broadcast media, along with political leadership, we are receiving a constant barrage of incorrect and harmful information about the future of our country.  So, what do we do?

I think we do the same as Piper and I did for the last eight years of her life.  We simply DON’T LISTEN TO THEM… but instead… LISTEN TO GOD and the TRUTH OF HIS WORD!  When we started our journey back then, we saw and yielded to a voice that was BIGGER and MORE POWERFUL than the negativity that at times surrounded us.  Was it easy?  NO WAY!  Did our actions pay off?  YESSIREE! 

Throughout the ensuing years we found favor almost everywhere we went, were able to procure the best of medical care for Piper, came across different kinds of benefits and other programs that helped immeasurably in paying many of the expenses of her care, and was miraculously able to pay thousands of dollars in cash for everything else without incurring any debt whatsoever.  And along the way we moved across the USA, bought our dream home in the country (and car!) and lived her final days, in what I believe to be, the exact fashion of faith, peace and joy… that she would have wanted it to be!

So now… as we enter into another year of unknowns, facing all kinds of potentially destructive changes in the life that we have been blessed to live in this country, I believe that we should choose to NOT listen to the negative voices but instead to the voice that WE KNOW to be BIGGER, MORE POWERFUL and MORE TRUTHFUL than any other voice in the land.  And through it all, with our obedience to God and His Word, to expect that “We will experience the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to us through faith. (And) That our lives will continue to be an advertisement of this immense power as it works through us…” and then splashes liberally onto others all around us!

Remember too, that Hebrews 13:8 tells us that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (God’s Word ©) and what I have seen and experienced in the past… I whole heartedly expect to see Him do again… for you and for me as we continually “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and (then see that) all these things shall be added to us.” (Matthew 6:33 EMTV) 

So, CHIN UP! and FAITH UP as we enter into 2021.  Switch your focus from what the world is (literally) screaming at you and focus your eyes, your ears and your heart on the firm foundation and truth of God and His Word! 

And then we’ll be able to, as Mike Lindell on the all familiar “My Pillow” advertisements always says, “Sleep well America!” *

 

* (and believe me I know that commercial… because the dog howls EVERYTIME that it comes on!!! – I think that it has something to do with the notes in the jingle.  I’ve also heard of other dogs that react the same way!)