In The News...

I was watching something on TV the other night where an individual who was being interviewed stated in their story of the loss of a loved one, that they finally got to the point where they had to just give in to the circumstances and let go of their relative.  I must admit that I was half listening to the program but something inside of me instantly went off and I literally jumped off the couch and boldly declared to my wife and the TV with a loud voice, “I can’t do that, for every time I have asked the Lord for further instructions in the care of my wife, He continues to show me His Word concerning His will for her healing!”  

Scriptures such as Matt 8:17 which declares ““He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” (ESV) or I Peter 2:24 where Peter wrote about Jesus’ fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy boldly saying: “He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that dying to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed” (MKJV) continually play like a loop through my thoughts.  These verses flow concurrent with one of my all-time favorite statements of Jesus’ to His wondering disciples in Matthew 19:26 where he unquestionably replied to their doubt-filled question concerning how someone can get into heaven saying: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (MKJV)

You see, my Bible tells me in no uncertain terms that “with God all things are possible” and I BELIEVE it!  When the angel spoke to a teenage Mary at the beginning of the Gospels in Luke chapter one, He concluded God’s point and the coming power of His presence in our lives quite clear by telling her in the midst of the seemingly impossible situation he was calling her to fulfill that “no word from God shall be void of power.” (Luke 1:37 ASV) Read that again… “No word from God shall be void of power!”  How many of His words will have power?  All of them shall have His power behind them!  DO YOU BELIEVE THAT when you open up the cover of your Bible?

I read an article on the Yahoo Homepage this morning that was very critical of a recently produced video from Kenneth Copeland ministries where Gloria Copeland teaches about taking an inoculation of the Word in order to stand against the strong strain of flu that’s affecting many individuals.  The article was quick to criticize their ministry and the message of faith that they teach.  It then went on to tear apart many aspects of the Bible including Jesus’ teachings and the evangelical (and in this case the Pentecostal) Christians who have the audacity to believe that the Word might actually be true!

I would note that the Copelands are in no way against doctors or medical science and have doctors in their family as-well as others employed in their world-wide ministry, not to mention the countless medical professionals that support the ministry along with the millions of partners across the globe! 

All in all, the article was very critical of the Christian lifestyle and belief system that many in today’s society cannot phantom as something credible in the face of modern science and the secular society at large.  But you know… it has gotten to the place where articles like this are regularly found in the daily main-stream media.  Does it bother me? Yes!  Do I get upset? Not anymore.  In fact, I now tend to feel sorry for those who write the articles and the unsubstantiated and false information they share from what looks to me to be an un-informed and fearful mind.

Over the last few years I have seen first hand what fear can do to the way a person looks at and then responds to a troublesome situation… and it is not always kind, pretty, responsible or truthful.  For us Christians it comes down to WHO and WHAT we believe.  Do we believe God and His Word to be the WHOLE truth… or not?  Do we just believe in the parts of the Bible that seem to fit within the parameters of the way we see the world and our lives… or do we believe it to be the TRUTH no matter what parameters surround our vision of the world at any given time?

I find myself shaking my head in wonder at times each day when I see political leaders making speeches where they quote the scriptures or talk about how devout they are in the practice of their Christianity, but yet they fully support and fight for a platform that is very adverse to many of the truths clearly defined in the Bible.  From my understanding, the way I’ve been taught and the way my wife and I have always lived our Christian lives, if you don’t believe ALL of it, then how can you believe ANY of it?

Sure, one’s total belief in His Word will many times put you at odds with modern society, but what is more important… looking good and being accepted during your relatively short stay on this earth or living according to God’s standards throughout eternity?

Hummmm….

Have a great new week with many new adventures in power and faith in God’ Word… and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Who and What am I expecting to believe today?”

The Thief...

Well, let’s go three for three and end this week with another morning story!  My daily routine starts about 7:30 when I roll out of bed, immediately start speaking out the Word of God, check on my sleeping wife, pull up the covers, turn on the heater and then get myself ready for the day. From there Fiver and I plod down the hallway into the living room where the dog stops, waits for me to pet him and then jumps up on the couch to catch a few more zzz’s while I open up the sliding window drapes and step into the kitchen.

In the kitchen I get the coffee going and prepare Piper’s liquid medications.  Once that task is complete I move the three cups to the dining room table, turn on the computer, click the Pandora tab and go back to the living room to open up the front blinds. Then with a nod to the dog, the two of us head back down the hall to get Piper up.

About fifteen minutes later, after I have confessed our regular healing scriptures verbally over Piper and get her up and ready for the day, I lift her into her chair and we all go into the dining room where the computer and external speakers are filling the front rooms with soft Christian music playing styles from 1970-80’s Second Chapter of Acts to modern day Southern Gospel and current contemporary bands.

As I began assisting my wife with her first apple cider and medicine mixture today, I heard Steven Curtis Chapman’s song “The Great Adventure” come on the radio.  I really enjoy the way the song captures the listeners attention from the very start complete with the opening guitar licks and the word’s, ♫ “Saddle up your horses!”♪

That beginning and the chorus a few moments later got my mind to wandering from Piper riding horses, to the mountains and then to our many past camping adventures:

♪ “Saddle up your horses, we've got a trail to blaze

Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace

Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown

This is a life like no other, whoa whoa this is the great adventure” ♫ *

For some reason I began to recall all the tents we’ve used for all those outdoor adventures, from my folks old green canvas tent, their newer yellow and blue canvas tent I got for them when I worked in the sporting goods department at Sears in the early 1970’s, and then Piper’s and my first new six man blue nylon tent and our of course the huge two compartment blue and white nylon tent we purchased in the 1990’s… and still have today!

As we progressed to Piper’s send concoction of medicine and strawberry yogurt, I thought of a recent picture I had come across over the holidays of a camping trip we took with the rest of my family to Richardson Grove State Park on the southernmost border of Humboldt County in the redwoods of northern California.  What came to mind in particular this morning was when we got up the second day and noticed that our ice chest and lantern had been stolen out of the campsite during the evening!

When we reported it to the Ranger on duty he stated that there had been a rash of burglaries around the campgrounds that night.  It actually wasn’t too traumatic for us since most the food supplies for the weekend were stored with my parents in their trailer.  Our ice chest only had milk, a few baby bottles and other food stuffs for our baby JoAnna!  So, we just made a trip to the nearby town off Garberville, bought a polyurethane ice chest and restocked all of the items taken.  I purchased a new lantern the next summer from a sporting goods store back home!  (and since that trip I always made sure all those items were locked away in our vehicle before we turned in for the night!)

As I stepped back into our family memories today though, I began to think of how the ice chest that would have normally been stuffed with a block of ice and enough food to feed our family for five days and our bright Coleman lantern kind of symbolize a foundation for our camping needs.  The food being our very sustenance and the lantern as our light guiding us in the darkness of the evening.

That thought made me think about the verses in James that I was reading yesterday during my morning study time.  James 1:5-8 talk about when we need to ask God for wisdom that we do so without any doubt for, “A person who has doubts shouldn't expect to receive anything from the Lord.  A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things at the same time and can't make up his mind about anything.” (James 1:7-8 God’s Word ©)

As I meditated on those verses I suddenly realized how detrimental doubt really is to a Believer, for doubt is a thief of our faith.  And without missing a beat I understood that in reality, those who immediately criticized the steps we took in faith as we began to fight in earnest the attack on Piper’s health were actually (most likely unknowingly) attempting to put doubt in our minds as to the physical path we had begun to follow and thereby steal our faith!

I like the way The Voice translation puts verse eight declaring: “The splinter of divided loyalty shatters your compass and leaves you dizzy and confused.” I have to say that I did feel confused but not with our faith in which we felt pretty dedicated and confident with, but confused as to the other individuals reactions.  I guess I could honestly say that “I didn’t see that one coming!”

Romans 10:17 tells us “So faith comes from hearing the message, and the message that is heard is what Christ spoke.” (God’s Word ©)  And just like the thief who took our chest of sustenance and our light to see in the dark during that camping trip, the doubt cast in our direction concerning our steps of faith were trying to take away the foundation of our stand.  According to Romans 10:17, they were attempting to get us to listen to different message than that which Christ spoke to us through His Word.

Ah Ha… another reason for getting our daily dose of fresh anointing of God’s Word into our hearts each morning!  We may not have understood back in 2009 that the thief (See: John 10:10) was trying to steal the beginning steps of our faith for Piper’s healing, but we were secure enough in God’s love and the promises He gave us in His Word, that we did not allow ourselves to ever question what we KNEW He was instructing us to do.

So, what will it be for you?  Will you keep your heart and life topped up with daily doses of God’s Word so as to ward off the thief who masterfully tries to steal your faith… or will you be caught off-guard?  Yea… I know, easy answer… now we just got to do it!

Have a great weekend, and as you do keep asking yourself… “What message am I expecting to listen to in order to guard my faith today?”


*http://www.metrolyrics.com/the-great-adventure-lyrics-steven-curtis-chapman.html

The Morning View!

It looks like I’ve got another breakfast story to share with you!  Once again, as I was helping my wife with her breakfast today, I suddenly found myself singing to her by changing the focus of the Keith Green song that was playing on our Pandora feed.  Instead of a worship song unto the Lord, I scooted up close to Piper and sang “You are the One (for me!)” as a love song to my sweetie… I mean… its not like she could argue with me!  I had a captive audience… and yea… I know that its corny… but then again, how many of you husbands out there sing love songs to your wife in the morning?

I don’t think that the Lord saw it as a sacrilege either, as He gets all the glory for my wife anyway!  But as I sang the song again, I looked up and outside our sliding window to the tall trees that line our yard and couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with the goodness of God.  I suddenly had to stop singing to Piper and simply praise the Lord.  And even though it was a bit overcast at that moment, I felt His presence in the quiet, still, fresh morning that seemed to surround our home.

A little while later I stood on the patio while Fiver did his morning thing and continued to enjoy the clean cool morning air that enveloped me.  I don’t know what it is about the morning, but its like I can hardly wait to go outside first thing each day no matter if its 20 degrees or less in the winter, 90 with 90% humidity in the summer or a sweet northern California-ish 65 or 70 degrees in the fall and spring.  I just think that God made mornings special!

The wisdom books in the Old Testament (Job – Song of Solomon) talk about mornings some 32 times.  Psalm 5:3 states that “In the morning, O Eternal One, listen for my voice, in the day’s first light, I will offer my prayer to you and watch expectantly for Your answer.” (The Voice)  To me, this verse and others like it, encourages Believers to spend time with the Lord at the beginning of each day.  The Literal Translation of the Holy Bible says “…O Jehovah, I will set myself for You in the morning, and I will look up.” 

I like that idea of us setting ourselves before Him first thing, while we are fresh and unencumbered, before we find ourselves being taken away by the activities of our daily lives.  This is something I have done for many years now, in fact I can’t conceive of starting a day without first spending time with Papa God in prayer, praise and the Word.

I understand that each of us have different lives and have to arrange our time with Him to best fit our schedules.  In my last position as a merchandising supervisor with Home Depot I had to be to work at 5:00 AM each day.  And for six months I had to drive south of San Francisco on most of those days to cover the southern stores in our district.  This meant that I had to be on the road by around 3:30.  So in order to get some Word in each day, I went to bed around 8:00 in the evening and got up near 2:00 the next morning.

Now, with Piper’s current medication schedule and the lack of regular sleep I get, it is very difficult to get up too much before I get her up, so I’ve made a few adjustments and pray and praise before her breakfast and then study the Word after she eats and doses off, before I prepare my own meal.  This way I still get to enjoy the morning quiet while I have my daily adventures in the Word of God!

I write all this as an encouragement to each of you.  Do you need any changes in your life?  Well then, start them off by changing your schedule with a new priority of daily moments of communication with our heavenly Father.  Our two sons are following a daily Bible reading schedule through their YouVersion Bible apps.  They joined a small online group and even though they live some 1800 miles apart, one in California and the other in Oklahoma, they can share notes, thoughts and ideas about what they have studied that day.  Pretty cool, wouldn’t you say! 

Like I’ve said before, there are many ways and methods to study the Word.  Check them out and find one that works for you… Then go on a daily adventure with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost that will strengthen, encourage, teach and inspire you with a firm foundation for each and every day!

You know… I was thinking while I was preparing my breakfast today, that one of the unexpected roles I’ve found myself in during this journey we’ve been on with Piper’s health, has been to be a carrier of joy and faith.  I never realized that in order to protect our faith and encourage others, that I many times have had to be the encourager and the one to lift other people beyond their fears and looks of hopelessness when Piper and I have been with extended family, at the store or even at the various doctor’s appointments. 

But I couldn’t do it without my daily re-charge in God’s Word!  For the picture I see everyday in His Word is always greater and longer lasting than any other picture I may see throughout the rest of my day! 

Go ahead… give it a try and I bet that you’ll never be the same again!

Have a super rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “Whose picture am I expecting to SEE each day?”

Child-like Faith

As I was helping my wife with breakfast this morning I couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the brightness that seemed to glow from her beautiful brown eyes.  That gleam in her eyes was one of the things that attracted me to her in the first place those many years ago!  With the onset of Alzheimer’s that gleam has not always been there in the morning but today was one of the good days where the old spark of life in Piper was trying its best to re-exert its presence in her.

My immediate thought as I looked into her countenance today was the truth of how she always exhibited a zeal for life coupled with a strong child-like faith in God.  Matthew 18:4 tells us that: “Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom.” (The Message)  But don’t get me wrong here, while her faith may have been child-like it was far from childish or naïve.  From the earliest days of our relationship she always seemed to be beyond her years in her Christian maturity.  I believe her child-like faith was predicated on her ever-increasing knowledge of God’s Word.  To be perfectly honest, she has always had a greater understanding of the Word of God than me.

She had a knack of memorizing scripture verses.  It just seemed to come easy to her.  When she would hear or study a portion of the Word that spoke to her heart (ie; received a rhema word from God – see last week’s blog posts) it was like she would automatically memorize it for later recall, for teaching purposes or to simply enfold it into her life.  Piper was always excited about the things of God and lived to obey Him in whatever she felt He was calling her or us to do for Him.

When I completed Bible College and we returned home, I got the definite idea through things that were said and done, that there were some folks in her family who we’re under the impression that I must have coerced my wife to move to Oklahoma.  At that time there was a lot of blame for Piper’s health situation directed to me and the school and church that we attended back there.  But in reality, the opposite was true!

Piper’s immediate reaction when I shared that I felt that the Lord was telling us to go to Bible school was one of excitement and total agreement… and believe me… if there was any question from her about moving, I would have drawn back and re-evaluated everything I thought I was hearing from God!  If she wasn’t in total agreement then we didn’t go!  Over the years I have grown to greatly respect and honor her wisdom and thought on any and every decision we have ever made.

But once the decision was agreed on… watch out!  For from then on, we were standing on the Word of God for every jot and tittle of the faith adventure we were following God into… and for anything we came across along the way, if the Word said it… then we believed it as so!  One of Piper’s favorite sayings was “God said it, I believe it and that settles it!” That’s what I would call “Child-like faith!”

Over the past few weeks Piper and I have been reading from T.L.Osborn’s classic book on healing entitled: “Biblical Healing.”  In it the great evangelist to Europe and Asia tells the story of his wife’s and his hunger to preach the gospel and pray for the sick.  After initial efforts ministering to the Muslims overseas resulted in almost zero conversions they returned home to the US greatly discouraged.  But even though they felt the sting of failure, the hunger inside of them still prevailed and they began to seek the Lord in earnest for answers.

Then when a well know healing evangelist came to their town they began to see the light as hundreds of people were instantly healed by the power of God in his crusades.  As they pressed into the Lord in prayer and dug deeper into His Word they began to realize the reality of Hebrews 13:8 where the writer of the letter declares that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (God’s Word ©) They saw that this Word was in line with Mark’s words at the end of his gospel when he boldly recalled Jesus’ words and reported on the believer’s activities following Jesus’ ascension to the right hand of God stating: “And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (KJV) 

And that did it!  With the child-like faith that God would do what He said in His Word, they set off again to China, Russia and other countries and began to see the results of their simple faith in God and His Word.  Since then, T.L. Osborn and his Wife Daisy became “known for their mass-miracle ministry to millions.”  They were “also the first missionary evangelists to attend open fields or parks, in non-Christian nations, to proclaim Christ and to pray for miracles as proof that ‘He is Alive.’” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._L._Osborn)

Brother Osborn would preach a simple evangelistic message concerning the need to except Jesus Christ as Savior, pray a salvation prayer and then share examples from Jesus’ healing ministry in the New Testament and conclude with a group healing prayer over the hundred’s in attendance… and the miracles would begin to occur all around the crowd.  It was amazing… and it was all based on two people’s simple, child-like faith in God and His Word!  But like Piper, they first had to KNOW what was in the Word before they could respond in child-like obedience to that Word!

That’s probably the biggest reason for “hearing” God’s Word on a personal level! (See: Luke 2:18)    From there it only takes Child-like faith to see Him work in your life.  Have a great week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting to learn about God and His promises to me in His Word today?”

Following the Map!

When Piper and I moved here to North Carolina in May of 2014, it didn’t take me too long to fall in love with this place.  The beautiful countryside, the slower pace of life, and the outgoing friendly people seemed to envelope us and we felt home for the first time since originally leaving California back in 2006.  The only disconcerting thing was that I was having a difficult time getting a “lay of the land!”

What I really wanted to procure was a paper map of the area and after weeks of checking out gas stations, AAA and other such locations, I finally came to the conclusion that with the popularity of online map sites, they just don’t make them anymore!  When we moved to Oklahoma in 2006 I did not have this problem as I was able to get a couple of detailed street maps of Tulsa and its neighboring suburbs including Broken Arrow where we rented our home.   With that map I got an overview of the area and was easily able to visualize the big picture and then figure out locations in reference to our home.

Out here it was different!  Sure, I could get maps online but was only able to enlarge the areas in close proximity to where I was attempting to go… with enough visual detail that I could see, read and understand it.  And yes, the GPS on my phone was great but listening to a voice saying “Turn right in 100 yards…” doesn’t exactly give you the overall view of where you are and where you want to go!

Now that we’ve been here for almost four years, we have done enough travelling around the area to become fairly comfortable with our surroundings and have a greater understanding of which roads lead to the various points north, south, east and west… and where those areas will eventually lead us, be it to the coast, the sand hills, the triangle (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill) or to the mountains.

Over these past years we have spent many hours exploring and enjoying various routes around our new home.  I think I now know most of the backroads into town as well as the city streets and landmarks.  Many of our trips into town (Fuquay-Varina) are just sort of automatic now!  I also find that I enjoy the sights and sounds of the country-agricultural surroundings more since I don’t have to focus so much of my energy on taking the right roads to get where I am going.  We’ve traversed the area enough times that I think the car could get us there by itself!

I thought about all of this earlier today as I was studying from James 1:2-3.  Here the leader of the church in Jerusalem is telling us to “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (English Majority Text Version)  Verse three is what triggered my thoughts about how I was coming to know the roads around our new home.  I especially like the way that The Message Bible puts it saying: “You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.” 

When I read that, I thought about our own vivid experiences with the way we and others close to us responded to the unfolding of the disease affecting my wife.  The idea of our faith-life being forced into the open and displaying its true colors was, to say the least, an eye-opening and shocking experience for us!  Through all of this adventure in faith we have seen “the good, the bad and the ugly” in us and in others as we’ve all been forced to expose what’s inside of us in dealing with these traumatic events.

My thought today though, was centered around the question of “What determines your faith-life?”  And what immediately came to mind was the answer: “The amount of God’s Word that one has hidden in their heart.”  I recalled that Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  I also understand that this verse is not just talking about a haphazard “hearing” of the Word, but by digging into the Word with the expectation of receiving a “rhema”* Word from God specifically for you… AND THEN… by putting your feet to your faith! (See: James 2:14-18)

Through the years Piper and I have learned to “put feet to our faith” in a great variety of situations and circumstances.  Each time we have done this it has strengthened our faith and made it easier the next time we needed to step out in a stand on the truth of God’s Word.  It is kind of like all those day rides we have taken around our new home in a county we never knew existed a few years ago!  (In fact, I didn’t even realize when we purchased this home that it was in a different county than where our apartment was located!  But again, it worked out for our benefit as it is much more rural, quiet and has a lower tax structure for its residents!)

Like I stated above, most times when we venture out today, I am more and more comfortable with my surroundings and I’ve also noticed that I am more adventurous in going further from my home-zone to explore new areas and locals!

And you know… I find that the same has been true for our faith adventures.  The more we’ve experienced the truth of God’s Word through our stands of faith, the more we are willing and able to step out further into new frontiers of faith.  It wasn’t our first time around the block in trusting the Lord for our finances when I quit my position at Home Depot in order to care for my wife 24/7 in 2010.

We’d stepped out enough previous times in order to feel comfortable with where we believed the Lord was leading us.  Sure, there were moments of anxiety, but inside we knew… through many other personal examples of His faithfulness… that He would prove His love, faithfulness and truth to prevail for us in this new situation.  And… He did… AGAIN!

But it all starts with regular time in His Word.  You can’t put feet to your faith if you don’t have the knowledge of His will for you that can only be found in His Word!  Remember once again that faith begins where the will of God is known… and the more personal experiences we have with knowing His will and then taking the corresponding actions in order to prove His Word true, the easier it gets!

So, get going!  Have some great experiences in His Word this weekend!  I can’t wait to hear of your personal faith adventures.  Have a wonderful weekend, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What faith adventures am I expecting to experience today?”

*For a review of what a “rhema” Word is, read our blog post from earlier this week (1/29/18) entitled “Pay Attention!”   http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2018/01/pay-attention.html

What's Before Your Eyes

We got to bed a little later than normal last night as I wanted to watch the State of the Union address which came on at nine o’clock our time.  I think that I might be getting somewhat used to the three-hour time difference between our new home out here on the East coast and our former abode on the West coast.  But I can’t totally blame the speech as I also read past midnight once I got Piper settled into her bed!

I always finish my daily activities by either reading my Bible or from a Christian teaching book that discusses one my favorite subjects… FAITH!  When I finally closed the pages of the mini-book “Having Faith in Your Faith” by Kenneth E. Hagin and placed it on the bed stand, I paused while my eyes slowly pursued all the pictures of my lovely wife that I put up on the wall next to my bed.  The pictures date from our pre-marriage days through 2005 when the visible signs of change in Piper’s physical features began to surface.

I realized a few years ago that it was very important for me to keep a vision of a normal healthy Piper before my eyes in order to dispel discouragement in the daily care and negative changes I could see happening in her.  Those pictures on the wall next to my bed as well as the various framed portraits that hang throughout our home help me to keep a strong, faith-filled vision of what the Word of God tells me about Papa God’s will for her complete healing and recovery.

As I focused on all the fun times depicted in the pictures on the wall next to my bed, I couldn’t help but to find myself reviewing Piper’s and my life of over 47 years together.  It also brought back the tremendously difficult times we encountered after we returned home to California after our three year stay in Oklahoma while I attended Bible College. 

As the realities of the disease that we were facing began to come to light through the various doctor’s appointments, tests, scans and emergency room visits, I also found myself having to test almost everything that I had ever believed in my Christian walk.  I have mentioned on various occasions of how Piper and I immediately committed this whole journey concerning the attack on her health to the care of the Lord by placing our trust in the truth of His Word at the first negative report we received while still living in Oklahoma.

What I didn’t expect though, was the testing we would receive once we returned home.  I learned early on that I was going to have to depend on MY faith and not that of others in order to see this thing through to the finish that we are expecting.  It was at that point that I  had to decide if I really understood and believed all the tenants of my faith that I had learned and developed since becoming a Christian in the early 1970’s.

This realization was especially brought home when some individuals I expected comfort, agreement and strength from did not react as I had hoped that they would.  With false accusations flying from some of these folks, many Christian friends telling me that I needed to follow their way in believing for a positive turn in Piper’s health, and others pulling away from us while looking depressed, fearful and discouraged, I saw the importance of knowing the strength of my own personal beliefs in the truth of God’s Word and of His unfailing, non-critical and grace-filled love for Piper and I.

So… what did I do?  The only thing I KNEW to do!  I upped the ante of the daily intake of God’s Word into our lives.  In the face of all the different view-points, both positive and negative, that were flying at us from what seemed like all directions, I had to KNOW-THAT-I KNOW what Papa God says about our unique situation in his Word.  I had to KNOW-THAT-I-KNOW that we were standing on THOSE PROMISES ALONE and the physical steps that He, in line with His Word, was telling us to follow along the way.* 

Like I was telling Piper’s Hospice Social Worker a few days ago, this is why I believe the Lord told me early on that the best thing I could do for Piper (along with the physical care of her daily needs) was to saturate her in His Word.  I was a little taken back, but yet emotionally thankful as she paused and told me that in her ten years of Hospice work that she could say without a doubt that if I hadn’t been giving Piper the care I do and been filling her with the Word that she was sure that Piper would not be with us right now!

Our now familiar scripture in Luke 2:18-19 tell us that “Everyone who heard the shepherd’s story was amazed.  But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” (God’s Word ©/KJV)  As I continued to study these verses this morning I realized that over these years since that first negative report back in the summer of 2007, that I have been steadily following Mary’s example!

You’ll notice that Luke 2:18 tell us that everyone on the scene that night in the stable behind the inn in Bethlehem was taken in by the story that the shepherds told them.  Various translations tell us that these folks were amazed, astonished or struck with wonder.  That makes me think of the different times that I have seen some incredible sights when hiking in the Sierras in north eastern California.  Sometimes the panoramas that unfold before my eyes are simply breath-taking and I find myself amazed, astonished or filled with wonder.  But you know, that feeling doesn’t always stay with me after we’ve packed up and returned to our daily routines back home.

Verse nineteen, on the other hand, describes Mary’s response to what was happening around her saying that she “kept” or other translations say “treasured” or “preserved” these things and “pondered” them in her heart.  The word “kept” in the original languages means “To keep in mind, lest it be forgotten.” (Thayer’s)  While “pondered” is defined as “to combine, to converse, consult and consider; the action of comparing and weighing the facts and to bring them together in your heart.” (Strong’s, Thayer’s and Vincent Word Studies)

Vincent's Word Studies goes on to say that the word “kept” means “not merely to guard but to keep,” and further explains that “the compound verb is very expressive in the present active tense.”  Meaning that it was something that Mary thought about, considered and meditated on all the time… just like we should be doing by studying God’ Word on a daily basis.

I imagine that I keep pushing this point to you because of my on-going personal experience in having to really stand on my own faith in our daily stand for Piper’s health.  For just as I keep those various reminders of a healthy, spunky and very confident wife before my eyes, I also have to keep an active and present-day reminder of the truth, power, faithfulness and love of God before my eyes!

That’s also one reason I have not put any current pictures of my lovely wife out there for public viewing these last few years.  Not only does it hurt me to see the look of hopelessness on some people’s faces when they look upon her countenance right now but I also want people to remember her as she once was… and will be again!

So… what memories and or truths do you “keep” before your eyes on a daily basis?  Do you regularly fill your mind and your heart with the encouraging promises found within the pages of your Bible?  As for me and my family… It is the ONLY way to go!  Have a wonderful rest of the week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What picture am I expecting to put into my head today?”

 *(See: Lindsey Roberts article “You Have to Know What You Have.” http://oralroberts.com/uncategorized/you-have-to-know-what-you-have/)

Pay Attention!

Over the years it seems like I’ve found myself in front of groups of people from the very get-go!  From singing a solo in my Kindergarten class graduation to leading the entire division at Hewlett Packard in a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” (which I started off in a key that was too low… oophs! – where was Piper when I needed her!) on the occasion of the Division Manager’s birthday.  I have ended up in a leadership role in just about every job, family activity or church ministry we’ve been a part of.  Many of these positions just happened!  It wasn’t even like I was planning on interviewing for the job or activity.

For instance, after I had been at Hewlett Packard working as a silk-screener and darkroom tech for about six months in 1980, my supervisor who was transferring back to a division in the Bay Area came up to me at the coffee station and stated: “Well, are you going to apply for my position or not?”  That one threw me for a loop as I was told that one normally doesn’t apply for a management position until you’d been with the company for 1.5 years!  So, I sort of stammered out a weak “I guess so…” and found myself in the position a few weeks later!

The same thing happened with the church we were volunteering at about ten years later when we were leading the Praise and Worship and the Children’s Ministry.  The Pastor’s took us out to dinner and asked me to become his Assistant with a nice part-time salary that enabled us to purchase Piper’s long-awaited, wanted and prayed for Suburban!

A similar event had occurred with the first church we attended a few weeks after Piper and were married, when I was asked to join the staff as the Youth Minister.  And to be honest, I could go on sighting various times that this happened to us… but I think you get the idea!

One thing I learned rather quickly though, whether it was leading a meeting with my team at Hewlett Packard or Home Depot, teaching the Youth, working with their parents, planning and then leading a large Children’s Church event or preaching on Sunday morning to the church congregation, not everybody who is involved always looks like they really want to be there!

So… over the years I have honed the task of getting and then retaining the students or adult’s attention.  Now don’t get me wrong here… I am not saying that I have fully perfected this because every situation is different from the last one.  But I’ve gotten better over the years, thanks in a big part to my long-suffering wife who would stand in the back of the youth meetings or volunteer team meetings at church and regularly give me the “cut it off… NOW!” sign by making a cutting motion with her right hand under her neck!

But it wasn’t just the hand motion, it was the look on her face that belayed her true feelings and how far off I’d gotten from my lesson or how specific my timing was to be… ie; “time to wrap it up” or “STOP NOW!”  So, not only am I thankful for Piper’s discretion, but so should all those who were in attendance to our ministry over the years… as Piper was quietly and unnoticed behind the scenes (or the chairs in the room) directing the event!

Some of the funniest times would be when a member of our team at my secular job would doze off during a meeting… or a member of the congregation would nod off during a sermon.  In the meeting format I would usually ask the sleepy (or hopefully not bored) member a question in order to rouse them from the temptations of a nice warm nap! 

Since I’ve always enjoyed walking around when I preached, it was easy and seemingly not too evident of my motives, to walk over toward the eye-closed congregationalist in church.  This usually did the trick, but I also learned (with Piper’s constant encouragement) to keep on track and avoid rabbit-trails or too many personal examples! 

Another key is that I have always enjoyed using humor when I teach or preach.  A good hearty laugh keeps one’s focus on the speaker and also tends to send a surge of adrenaline into a tired listener!  Of course, all the years in Children’s and Youth ministry has also enabled me to use lots of tangible examples and a large array of hand and body motions!  Who says that an adult can’t enjoy a good laugh on a Sunday morning!

And what’s my point here?  Well, just as I work to keep my audience in tune, excited and expectant of my message at church, we should work to approach our time in God’s Word with the same enthusiasm and expectation!  Romans 10:17 declares: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (KJV)  Wuest’s Word Studies explains to us “That as the gospel is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit engenders faith in the gospel message in the hearts of those who believe.”  I would think that the key thoughts in this statement are “in the power of the Holy Spirit” and “of those who believe.”

Adam Clarke seems to agree, in discussing our intake of the Word he declares “if heard attentively, faith will be produced…”  Once again, the key being our “attentiveness” to the Word that we are studying or hearing through a preacher.  I believe that Paul had this in mind when he penned this verse as he used the Greek word “rhema” to define the Word he was referring to.  Rhema “(pronounced RAY-MAH) means ‘the spoken word.’ In the Bible, the Greek translation for rhema is “God’s Word revealed.” (https://rhemashope.wordpress.com/the-rhema-word/)  In other words, it is a word from the Lord that He has given you with some special and personal meaning, insight or revelation for your life.  It means that your coming to attentively “hear” the Word that your studying or hearing preached with expectation is rewarded by the Holy Spirit’s revelation in your own heart.

But if you’re not expecting to receive, then most likely, you’ll leave with that expectation met!  So like I always say… “What are you expecting” when you go to study God’ Word?

I would encourage you to keep that thought or question in mind every time you grab your Bible, go to church or listen to a minister on TV.  Remember “Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.” (Hebrews 11:1 God’s Word ©) 

Have a great week, and as you do, keep asking yourself… “What am I expecting from my time in God’s Word today?”