"Man Up!" - Discovering the "Why's" of Life

Over the last few years I have had countless healthcare workers and other concerned individuals ask me if I have help to stay with my wife when I have to out.  My normal reply is yes, my daughter helps me when needed, but I usually take Piper with me everywhere I go.  I made up my mind at the beginning of this journey that I was going to do everything I could to keep our life as normal as possible and that I wanted to be able to take Piper out and about around other people so as to keep her in the midst of outside stimuli and therefore as sharp and alert as possible.

Throughout the process I have had to learn a few things (usually by trial and error) concerning the ability and functionality of transporting her in different locations, around folks who are not comfortable with people with special needs, and in various weather conditions.  Certain tasks like taking her grocery shopping with me have become almost second nature… well almost…

Yesterday as we navigated the aisles in the pharmacy section of the Super Walmart in our new hometown, I was pushing Piper in her chair in front of me with one hand and pulling a cart behind us with the other, when I veered to the right in order make room for an elderly lady to pass by us.  I smiled to the lady, who ignored us, and then continued to move forward only to have the front right wheel of the cart catch the corner of a side cap display of finger nail polish.  Well… you guessed it!  It came crashing down with a very loud boom and the sound of glass bottles hitting the floor and rolling all over the place!

Then to make matters even more embarrassing, a female voice comes projecting from a few aisles away yelling out… “Are you okay?”  So with a crowd congregating to check out the damage, I cleared my throat and muttered… “Yeah, we’re okay… just embarrassed!”  I am thankful that the female employee who came over to take charge laughed when she saw the mess and caught my red-faced complexion and told me not to worry that she would take care of it!  I even got to crack a smile at the sight of the little old lady we were trying to avoid suddenly became animate and very conversational as she got down on her knees to help pick up little bottles with glee!

Now that experience doesn’t really have much to do with the subject of today’s post except for the fact that I am sure that the Lord’s hand was in the midst of that embarrassing situation helping me to get through it with a little bit of dignity!  I hate to say it… but I think having my wife in a wheelchair elicited some quick forgiveness and understanding in the eyes of the crowd that encircled us!

But my point for today’s post is the knowledge that Papa God always has an answer for us when we come to Him in His Word and prayer.  I’ve always been kind of a “Why?” individual, but nothing like I have become over the last six or seven years.  From the moment we finally got a firm diagnosis of Piper’s situation, I became sort of a fanatic in seeking the “Why’s” and “How’s” of everything about the disease as well as with everything we needed to do medically, financially, physically and most of all… spiritually!

Some of the hardest questions that I have been painstakingly praying about and poring over in His Word have been in the arena of social interactions with others in the face of Piper’s very visible needs.  It is something that I have to deal with almost every time we go out in public and privately with loved ones.  “But I thank God, who always leads us in victory because of Christ…!” (2 Corinthians 2:14 God’s Word ©) Over the years since we left Oklahoma in 2009 the Lord has given me bits and pieces to the puzzle through a variety of scriptures during my daily study times in the still quiet of the mornings when I am alone with and totally focused on Him.

Recently He folded back another layer of 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 to me and showed me what I have now come to realize as the three different outlooks that normally come up when we step out in faith in obedience to His individual directions for us.  It is so simple, I am surprised that I never saw it before!  Those three outlooks are described in this portion of scripture as “Ours,” “His” and “Others!”  This revelation gave me instant understanding, peace, a jig of joy and better equipment to successfully walk in my growing attitude of forgiveness.

I will spend next week discussing my newfound freedom descriptor’s, but for now, just let me encourage you in your seeking of Godly wisdom for the needs and various situations that arise in your life!  Whether it be an embarrassing situation right in the middle of a crowed Walmart, something that unexpectantly comes up at work or a seeming impossible situation within your family, always KNOW that Papa God is on your side, has your back and has the answers that you need!  It may take some effort of diligence on your behalf as you set time apart to seek Him in prayer and through the pages of your Bible, but the answer, the peace, the dance of joy and the better equipping of you to do what needs to be done is always there for the taking!

Have a great weekend.  Keep a joyful countenance and keep asking yourself… “What ANSWERS am I expecting from Him today?”

"Man Up!" - Always Victorious

I have always been sort of a history buff.  I enjoy reading about the history of the places we’ve visited, about United States history and especially the story of the area in which we live.  Our recent move to North Carolina has opened up an entirely new wealth of information to devour!  Yesterday I happened across a couple of books written about the history of the county we now live in.  So I immediately purchased a Kindle version of one and ordered a used copy of the other.  Later in the afternoon my wife and I, along with the pooch snuggled next to me on the couch, found ourselves in our study being regaled with descriptions of the county’s geographic treasures, abundance of waterways, and tales of early discovery.  It is evident that our small county was large in its contributions to our budding country!

Over the years, I have also become a history buff when it comes to the history of the Lord’s works in my wife, my family and in me.  As we continue to move forward in discovery of the new things that He desires for us to accomplish in our lives, I can’t help but to go back in our personal history to be regaled by His wondrous interventions in our past.  Many times this historical perspective is the final incentive to boost my faith for the next, sometimes seemingly impossible step He is encouraging us to take.  

As I look back over the last month or so that I have been walking through my morning study times with the Lord with the directive to “Man Up!” as my guide, I realize that one particular set of verses keeps popping up in my daily notes, with the major emphasis centering around the words of the Apostle Paul boldly declaring: “Now thanks be to God which always causes us to triumph in Christ…” (2 Corinthians 2:14 KJV)  Then when I take that declaration as a filter while reviewing my own life’s history, I can’t help but notice all the “victories” that overwhelmingly highlight my story!  Those victories are the keys that help to enable my future.

I kind of like some of the words that the more modern God’s Word © version uses in this verse.  Here the editorial team translated: “But, I thank God, who always leads us in victory…”  Two words stand out to me as I study this statement.  The first is that which underscores my ability to “Man Up!” in this New Year.  It is the definitive declaration of “ALWAYS!”  I believe that the Apostle who wrote over half of the New Testament was telling us of the importance of always having an attitude of victory in every situation we face in our lives.

Previous to this statement he is telling his readers that although he had an open door of ministry in a certain region, that he did not have peace and was concerned because he couldn’t find his close friend and ministry associate Titus.  But that didn’t deter him.  He simply said good bye to the people there and moved on into Macedonia.  The next verse tells us that he thanked God in the midst of his difficulties and knew that he would eventually have the victory and find Titus.

In my striving to follow the Lord’s directions to “Man Up!”, I realized that I have to have the expectation of victory in Christ in everything He calls me to do.  I don’t go into a situation with the thought of failure or second best… I continually look to Him for His victorious conclusion.

The other word that stands out to me in 2 Corinthians 2:14 is “leads.”  Therefore the key to always expecting a victory is that we always follow His leading!  So… when we go into a situation our eyes are not dependent upon what we see, hear or feel in the natural or on our own abilities to gain a victory or successful conclusion to what’s before us, but that we are so intent looking for, listening to and obeying His leadings that we can’t help but attain His victory.  As I sit here this morning with my wife at my side at the dining room table with a view of our beautiful ¾ of an acre piece of property that the Lord has blessed us with, I can’t help but be amazed and somewhat astounded as I recall all of the victories that He had gained for us as we have kept our eyes on His leadings over the last six plus years.

And sure, it always hasn’t been easy or at times looked anything like a victory, but our faithful stand in, by and through Him has seen His vision come to fruition as we stuck to and obeyed the path He set out for us to follow… many times within the sounds and negative actions of naysayers.  I have also come to notice that I have a lot more self-confidence, peace, joy and the corresponding strength that comes from His infillings of joy when I am expectant of His victory!

I think that is the truth that motivated Paul to encourage and enable the church at Philippi to “Always be joyful in the Lord, I’ll say it again: Be joyful!” (Philippians 4:4 God’s Word ©)  So… what will history record about you?  When you look back through the years of your life are you encourage and enabled by all the victories you see?  In case that’s not what populates the pages of your past… the cool thing is that you can still write your future by taking 2 Corinthians 2:14 to heart and make it a reality in your life… STARTING TODAY!

So therefore have a great and encouraging day as you continue to ask yourself… “What VICTORYS in Christ am I expecting today?”

"Man Up!" - Forgiveness

I am beginning to realize the appropriateness of the Lord’s 2016 mandate to “Man Up!” for with the purchase of our new home we are finally settling in to a period of permanence in our lives.  This is something that we haven’t experienced for almost ten years.  Since we moved to Oklahoma in the summer of 2006 so that I could fulfill an almost life-long goal to complete my Biblical training for the ministry that we had been involved in for over 30 years, we have lived in temporary housing in cities that we knew we wouldn’t be staying in for long!

Now with a new home on a beautiful piece of property in the northeast central region of North Carolina, we have a solid base of operations for our lives and the ministries the Lord has for us to accomplish.  As I look back upon the last nine years with special focus on the last six, I understand that much of this has been a time of preparation for what lies ahead.  The journey and ensuing battle that we have been waging for my wife’s good health has been an experience filled with a great multitude of lessons to be learned.

One of the most intense of those lessons has been the act of forgiveness.  Besides all the things I have had to deal with surrounding the attack of Alzheimer’s in Piper, I never thought that I would also have to deal with the negative ways in which some others have handled our situation.  At first I was shell shocked and then I got angry… at them and then at the strange feelings, thoughts and words that it aroused in me!

But I must admit that through it all, Papa God has been at my side for He has continually reminded me that even though people may, be assured that “I will never neglect you or abandon you.” (Joshua 1:5 God’s Word ©)  And over the recent years He has taken my hands in the roughest stretches and walked me through the path of forgiveness.

It seems though, that just when I think I have learned this lesson and am ready to move on to the next, something stirs me up and I find myself rehashing the past and those familiar feelings of hurt, anger, confusion and unforgiveness raise their ugly heads again.  This experience happened at the beginning of the Holidays about a month ago and haunted me for weeks.  In frustration I finally got alone before the Lord and asked why this keeps happening.  I think I’ve gotten people forgiven and their insensitive actions forgotten and up they pop again!

After a while in prayer I finally came to the revelation that it is not just the old incidents that come to my remembrance, but that new, different… and yet similar situations continue to present themselves.  With that information I leaned back in my chair in our study where I had been praying and realized that He was right! (like dah!)  So as I thought about it and pressed into the Lord with more diligence, I heard that still small voice inside of me say that I had to develop an attitude of forgiveness. That in my case it wasn’t just a one-time act to forgive and forget, but a mindset I needed to build up in me that continually looked to walk in forgiveness toward what might be the personal weaknesses and/or failures of others that Jesus talked about in Matthew 6:14.

Then as I continued to study out this attitude change I needed to make, I came across Jesus and Peter’s interaction documented in Matthew 18:21-22.  Here we find Peter asking what I’m sure he thought was a very intuitive and humble question when he inquired of Jesus, “Lord, how often do I have to forgive a believer who wrongs me?  Seven times?” And “Jesus answered him, ‘I’ll tell you, not just seven times, but seventy times seven.’” (God’s Word ©)  As with many I’ve heard discuss this verse, the first thing I did when I read it was to multiply 70 X 70 and come up with the sum of 490.  But you know, I don’t think that was the specific point that Jesus was trying to convey.  I believe that He was trying to tell Peter and those of us who have studied this teaching through the following decades that as a successful believer we need to develop an attitude of forgiveness.  To enter in and out of the situations and events, the ups and downs of life with a forgiving heart.  With an attitude that doesn’t look for or receive offenses but looks to forgive and emit the love of God to all involved.

On a hunch I looked up the word “forgiveness” in a modern dictionary and discovered that like the word love, “forgiveness” is a verb or action word.  The really interesting part is that “forgiveness” is considered to be a “transitive verb.”  Which, as I studied deeper, learned that it has two characteristics.  The 1^st being that “it is an action verb expressing a doable activity,” and 2^nd that “it must have a direct object, something or someone who receives the action of the verb.” (See: Grammar Bytes at http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/transitiveverb.htm - a grammar teaching website)

So with an attitude of forgiveness one would continually be alert and sensitive to the need to forgive those who might offend and/or hurt them.  Taking an offense and stewing on it would just not be who we are!  Instead of getting upset and judging the offender we instantly release forgiveness and thereby allow the Lord to enter in and have His way with the need at hand.

Hummm… seems like I barely touched on this subject, but alas this post is getting too long so I’d better sign off and continue on another day!  But I would encourage you to think about it.  What would it take for you to develop and walk in an attitude of forgiveness?  It definitely has set me free from some things that have been hanging on to me for six or so years now… and I bet it would do the same for you!  Have a wonderful week and keep asking yourself… “What can I expect from an attitude of forgiveness working in me?”

"Man Up!" - What Filters are in Your Bag?

I have mentioned many times in past blog posts of my infatuation with the art of photography.  From the earliest days with my Kodak Instamatic 100 camera through the years with a fully accessorized professional Canon F1 outfit and onward to my current DSLR model, I have always loved observing and capturing images of my world through the lens of a camera!  With the help of all kinds of photo related classes from High School through College as well as multiple mail order and later online classes with literally tons of experience as both an amateur and at the professional level, I actually became pretty proficient at the art.

Over the years I have also taught many seminars and one high school level course offered through our children’s large Independent Study Program.  I also had the experience of teaching a good sized room of participants at a weekly variety of classes offered to Mormon women at their local ward.  It was actually quite fun and entertaining… It also pushed my expertise as many of the questions asked were quite technical concerning specific camera equipment and photo composition.

Remember now, that the majority of my training and experience began in the mid-nineteen sixties and went through the early 2000’s.  Which means that my background is mainly in film and not digital photography.  I developed a lifelong fascination with the use of filters after being introduced to their usage in high school.  Throughout my school years and into my adult and married life, I built up quite a collection of special purpose filters used mainly for black and white photography.  I even went through a period where I experimented on the effects of these black and white filters with color film and came away with some interesting prints.

I think the most unique photo was taken one day while I was at the coast with my young wife and shot a picture of the clearing sky with a red filter just as a seagull flew through my frame.  What turned out was a spectacular print where the red somehow separated throughout the blue sky while the clouds and bird maintained their natural color!  I still have a large print of that picture although most of the red has faded out over the years.  Every time I see that picture I think about Jesus’ triumphant return in the skies!

The interesting advantage of using filters is that they can change the original look of whatever you a photographing.  They can enhance colors or tones, brighten or dull the lighting exposure, change the mood of the scene or give the print a completely different sense of purpose than what your physical eyes and mind comprehend. 

The purpose of filters goes hand in hand with the next tenet that the Lord has been showing me concerning my need to “Man Up!” in 2016.  Ephesians 5:2 instructs us to “Live in love as Christ also loved us.  He gave his life for us as an offering and sacrifice, a soothing aroma to God.” (God’s Word © Translation)  Remember the last part of this scripture talking about “a soothing aroma to God” as well touch base on that thought in another upcoming blog.  But for now let’s concentrate on our ability to “live in love as Christ also loved us.”

To me the idea of living in love is comparable to seeing the photo you desire to capture through the eyes of the particular filter you have attached to your lens.  Most times when I would take a black and white photo I would imagine the finished print before I ever raised the camera to my eye.  Then I would select the filter in my collection that would give me the results I desired.  I think that the writer of Ephesians, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is telling us the same thing when it comes to the effect or result that we wish to see or have in our interactions with other people.

According to our scripture, our desired result should always be love… just like the results that Jesus attained after His death, burial, resurrection and assumption to the right hand of God.  His finished work has given us the ability to love all whom we come into contact with… whether they deserve it or not!  But I believe the key is how we see and/or enter into each interaction with those we come into contact with in our daily lives.  Do we see and enter into each new day with the filter of Jesus’ love attached to the lens of our hearts, thoughts, body language, mouth and subsequent actions?  Contrary to the vast array of filters that I packed around in my camera bag for the various pics I would be taking, Jesus’ filter of His type of demonstrated love is a one size fits all!  His love can change the visible outlook of any situation you enter into… no matter what the composition of the natural scene or need you may be looking at!

Another interesting discovery that I made concerning this verse is that when it says to act “as Christ also loved us,” it is instructing us “to love in a social and moral sense.” (Strong’s)  Thayer’s Greek Definitions says it means “to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, and to love dearly.”   My explanation of that directive would simply be “to do the right thing for whatever the situation or need required.”  In other words, to physically reach out and physically help the individual in any way you can.

As I have stated on more than one occasion, love is considered to be a verb… an action word!  An English grammar dictionary will tell you that without the verb the subject of the sentence cannot express its meaning.  Without seeing the situation or individual you are with through the filter of the kind of love that Jesus showed us and then putting physical action to it, we will never see the results that Papa God desires us to exceed in!

The new age of digital photography has done away with the need to carry a variety of filters in your camera bag anymore as you can now change anything about your photo later on through the technology of photo editor software.  But when it comes to the photographs of your daily life, it is still of utmost importance to always carry with you and to use the specific filter of Jesus’ love… wouldn’t you agree?  See, you are quite the photographer and maybe never knew it until now!

Have a great weekend.  Keep your filter handy and see the results of His love in your daily interactions with others… Oh yeah… and keep asking yourself: “What results am I expecting my love–infused actions to make today?”

"Man Up!" - the Comic Opera or...

We have a strikingly bright, red colored Cardinal that graces the far reaches of our backyard almost every day.  This morning I stood by the window and was memorized  as the little bird poked along the grass searching for delectable morsels to devour.  When I grabbed the binoculars that I keep on the buffet in the dining room for just such viewing occasions, I noticed that his little guy had a brownish-red partner on the other side of the fence mimicking his actions.  I later learned that the bright red bird is the male and the brown one with reddish highlights is the female of the species.  It seems that these birds do not migrate during the winter and are commonly found throughout the southeast in backyards, parks, woodlots and shrubby forest edges.  Since most of that description fits our backyard, it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of these fellas!

My interactions with those pretty birds got me to thinking about some of the similarities between them and my wife and I.  (Huh…  seriously?  Well, just hang in there with me and you’ll get my point!)  We are commonly seen together, love the great outdoors and especially forested areas and are not scared off from the call and blessings of God by the harsh winter elements that have come against us in life!

In teaching me about my need to “Man Up!” the Lord set three or four foundational tenets before me.  Back on December 2^nd, He specifically told me that the very first thing that I would need to do is to continue developing the ability to recognize and close the door to the wiles of the enemy of our faith… ie; the devil.  Ephesians 6:11 in the King James Version tells us in no uncertain terms to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”  The word “wiles” isn’t used too much in modern language but it means “a stratagem or trick intended to deceive.  A disarming or seductive manner, device or procedure.” (The freedictionary.com)

Many times the wiles or strategies of the enemy are hidden, secretive or disguised in such a way that the unsuspecting victim doesn’t realize the lie until they’ve fallen into his trap.  I’ve also come to learn by personal experiences that the methods of deceit could be so implicitly visible and inconceivable that they just can’t seem to be real… but they really are.  I read somewhere that in many cases the wiles of the devil can be likened to a comic opera where the falsity of the premise of the plot is so blatantly obvious and opposite to the truth that it makes you laugh in unbelief… but yet it captures your attention and pulls you in to the drama!

The point of this first foundational tenet is to keep your eyes and your faith solidly fixed on Papa God and the unshakeable truth of His Word… no matter what you are seeing, hearing or physically experiencing that is contrary to that Word.  I like the way that the Message Bible puts this verse: “And that about wraps it up.  God is strong and he wants you strong.  So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials.  And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.”  It makes logical sense that in order to succeed at this, you also need to be a consistent student of His Word!

As my wife laid on that hospital bed in the Emergency Room a few weeks ago looking drawn, pale, weak and but a mere shadow of the effervescent, uplifting and active person who she used to be, I had an immediate decision to make.  I could give in to my very real feelings of loss and yield to the sense of the need of the moment or choose to continue to put my faith in the Word of healing that we have been standing on for many years.  Well, I am sure you know which direction I went.  In reality, I had no choice as I was not about to give up and give in to the trickery or wiles of the Devil!  And you know… of course you do… that Papa God’s Word worked for my wife’s good back then just as it is at this very moment, as I recently reminded her of my vision of her bounding up the multiple front steps of our new home!

He is offering you the same benefit and blessings today as He gave us in that room on the fifth and sixth of December of last year.  Remember that “He wants you to be strong."  So in time of need, reach out and "take EVERYTHING the Master HAS SET OUT FOR YOU… so you will be able to stand up against EVERYTHING the Devil throws your way.”  According to what I’ve been learning lately, this is a basic ingredient for growth in your faith and in your life as well!  He’s given me all the tools I need, and I plan to learn about and use each and every one of them… How ‘bout you?

Have a great day today, keep your eyes fixed on Him and keep asking yourself throughout the day… What or Whose Word am I expecting to depend on today?”

To 2016... and beyond!

When I opened the curtains on the slider leading out to our deck in the backyard this morning, I was greeted by clear, crisp blue skies, a slight breeze and temperatures hovering around 28 degrees.  Needless to say, it was a glorious morning and a glorious start to the first full week of 2016!  I would like to go on record declaring that I am excited about all the positive possibilities before us in the New Year.  Even though our 2015 ended in a whirlwind with the move, a cold and cough for me and Bronchitis along with two related trips to the Emergency Room for my wife, I am full of expectations of God’s best for our future in the Township of Hector’s Creek near the small town of Fuquay-Varina in Harnett County, North Carolina.

About a month ago, the Lord dropped a few words into my heart concerning 2016.  As I was studying His Word in our dining room, I heard Him say: “2016, the year to Man Up!”  That caught my attention as we were going through some difficult emotions at the time concerning the recent loss of a loved one.  In the days that followed I began to realize that His words for us for 2016 was not specifically related to all the hoopla involved in that family situation, but in the need to make some changes in myself in order to successfully meet the exciting future challenges that are to be set before us in the New Year.

I am also beginning to understand that the command to “Man Up!” is not necessarily meant to face the days ahead as a strong, confident individual, but as a humble, loving, grace-giving, faith-filled, forgiving man of God as defined in His Word.  The Lord has been giving me many new explanations of past and current experiences to learn from through various scriptures over the last month.  It is beginning to unfold as a daily teaching from Him.  In fact, I awoke this morning quite excited to see what today’s lesson would be!

I would like to share those lessons over the following weeks in this fresh new year of 2016.  I believe that the current plan is to continue posting a new blog three days a week.  The specific days may vary according to our weekly schedule, but I will do my best to meet the three day a week plan!  I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you and am expecting to receive some meaty feedback as we grow together in Him and learn what He means when He encourages each of us to “Man Up!”

I will leave you today with a poem Piper and I read this morning by an anonymous author as part of the preface to a book written by John A. MacMillan who was a Christian Missionary Alliance missionary sent to China and then the Philippines in the 1920’s.  The book is entitled “The Authority of the Believer” and it came from a series articles first published in The Alliance Weekly (now Alliance Life) and later published as two separate pamphlets. Our pray is that the poem will stimulate you to develop a greater hunger for and become a more vibrant example of the things of God in 2016 to your world.

Authority

When mountain walls confront the way.

Why sit and weep?  Arise and say

“Be thou removed!  And they shall be

By the power of God cast in the sea.

 

All power on earth, all power in heaven,

To Christ, the Son of God, is given;

And from the throne He will endue,

And hindrances will flee from you.

 

O’er all the power of fiend and man

Say through the Lord, “I surely can”;

Take from Him power on earth to tread

On serpent’s sting, on dragon’s head.

 

Whate’er thou art, O mountain high,

Where’er thou art, in earth or sky,

Whene’er thou art, truth is the same,

“Be thou removed, in Jesus name.”

 

“Be thou removed!”  Faith bids thee start

For yonder see – Arise!  Depart!

I may, I can, I must, I will,

The purpose of my God fulfill.”

 

--- Anonymous

Just What Are You Expecting in 2016

As 2015 comes to a close tonight at 11:59, I would like to take a few moments to comment on the good, the bad and the ugly of this current year.  I realized this morning that for us, the end of 2015 was very much like the beginning of 2014.  It was a time where we were completely focused on moving!  Last year it was 3000 miles from the West Coast to the East while this year was but a hop, skip and a jump about 20 miles south-east to the countryside near the little town of Fuquay-Varina from the apartment we had been leasing in Morrisville, NC.  Each of the moves had their own unique challenges but both were loaded with the visible evidence of the Lord’s hand throughout the accomplishment of them!

Looking back over the entire 12 months of 2015, I can see all the positive lessons I have learned from both the good and bad experiences of life.  Like I stated above, my wife and I have incurred a great multiplicity of examples of Papa God proving His love, His grace, and His abundant provision to us as we have sought to stop, look and listen to Him through His Word, prayer and the leading of the Spirit deep inside of us.

One of the roughest lessons I’ve had to face and learn through was the shocking personal realization of how fear and depression can totally incapacitate an individual.  That understanding was cemented yesterday as I conversed with Piper’s homecare nurse about the powerful effects of depression.   It has solidified my resolve to never allow it a foothold in my life!  (and believe me, with the battle for my wife’s health, I have LOTS of opportunities!)  It makes me remember my wife’s ability to turn the threat of depression into an opportunity of praise and worship to our heavenly Father.  It was the caveat that empowered her to write and sing simple praise tunes to the Lord that numerous generation of kids that we worked with over the years are most likely teaching their own kids and grandchildren today!

Over the last month I have noticed many negative prophecies being shared in various Christian circles.  They highlight what the prophet declares is all the terrible changes and fearful things that we can look forward to in the next year.  The threat of terrorist attacks is being fueled through the TV and online news and talk shoes.  When I observe these reports I clearly see the enemy of our souls standing behind the scenes whispering: “Fear!"  "Fear!"  "Fear!” 

But when I read the Word of God the pressures of those fears are erased as I hear the voice of the angel as he spoke to the shepherds in Luke 2:10 expectantly declaring: “FEAR NOT: for behold I bring you tidings (or in modern language: ‘good news reports’) of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (KJV) 

I hear the reports from the Gospel of Mark where the writer boldly documents the works that the Lord Jesus has empowered each of His children to do on this earth and then sums it up with the iron-clad proof that he witnessed in the following years declaring that: “they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and CONFIRMING the word with (miraculous) signs following.” (Mark 16:20 KJV)   

And then the icing on the cake being the Apostle Paul’s peace-giving and confidence building statement to the young Pastor Timothy expectantly expressing the truth that he himself regularly experienced in the face of the continual dangers that affronted him with the faith building words that “God has NOT given us the spirit of fear, but of POWER, and of LOVE, and of a SOUND MIND.” (II Timothy 1:7 MKJV)

So with all that, I am boldly, excitedly and expectantly looking forward to the victories that the Lord has for me and my wife in 2016.  I am boldly, excitedly, and very expectantly looking forward to how the Lord will use my wife and I to share His loving, grace-filled and exceedingly, abundantly above Word of life with those we come into contact with throughout the New Year ahead!  

I declare in agreement with the Word that fear has NO hold and therefore NO place in me.  I choose to face and live the daily occurrences that I experience in 2016 through the filter of my increasing intimate experiential knowledge of Christ’s love, as Paul prays for us in Ephesians 3:19 and 20.

How about you?  What does the New Year of 2016 hold for you?  Remember 2 Corinthians 2:14 tells us in NO uncertain terms: “NOW thanks be to God, who ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ…”  (2 Corinthians 2:14 MKJV)  Do you really believe that?

May the Lord bless you and fill you with His Love, His Grace, and His power as you walk each day in service unto Him in 2016… and through it all keep asking yourself… “Just what am I expecting in the New Year?”