Working At It!

Whew!  Last night was a wild whirlwind of heavy rains, thunder, lightning and tornado watches!  I was awoken around 1:00 AM with rain pelting against our bedroom window and thunder booming overhead!  So, I got up and looked out some of the windows both front and back and everything around us (ie; trees!) was still hanging in there… swaying like crazy… but staying anchored!  Which is exactly what I was “working at” by keeping my trust and peace… firmly anchored in God’s care and protection over us and the rest of our neighborhood.

I said “working at” because in the midst of the rumble, it was something that I had to stay focused on…  Especially when the severe weather alarm went off on my phone app about a half hour later warning about flash flooding in our area.  And while we live in a location that is not subject to flooding, it still got me to contemplate what else was going to hit us that night!  Things finally calmed down around 2:00 AM and I was able to fall asleep for a few hours.

After I got up for the day at 7:22 AM (I happened to glance at the clock as I swung my feet over the side!) I noticed on my phone that the National Weather Service had extended the tornado watch from 2:00 to 3:45 AM.  I kind of laughed when I read that and told the dog who was waiting patiently to go outside, that I’m glad I slept through that alert!

I always habitually pray over us and our family, our property, our neighborhood and our county every night when I go to bed.  But on night’s like last night when strong storms are highlighting the forecast, I tend to be a little more diligent and purposeful in my prayers.  Does that make sense?  It’s not that my regular prayers aren’t meaningful, but the threat of severe weather seems to warrant a bit more “oomph!” in my evening communications with the Father.

But the real test of your “oomph” or sincerity comes when the dark clouds let loose and send forth their full fury of everything they’ve got!  So, what do you do then?  Well… for me, it is always a good time to take a personal inventory and see just how much I actually trust God or not.  On many past occasions and again last night, I have sensed the Lord reminding me that I had put my trust in Him… and NOW was my time to prove it to Him… as well as to me!

So, that’s when the “working at it” comes into play!  Last night after my second round of checking out the windows, I finally laid down, clasped my hands over my chest and simply began to thank the Lord for His protection… the very protection I had prayed for when things were calm about three hours before the current storm blew in.  And even as the lightening flashed outside the window and the house shook from the boom of the closely following thunder with the rain beating on the window, I continued to focus on His lovingkindness and promises of protection!

Then the uncanny occurred.  With everything outlandish going on around us in that bedroom last night, I had a wave of His peace flow over me and then the rest was soon to follow!

So… like I’ve been known to say… “This faith stuff… this trusting in the peace, protection and love of God stuff, really works!”

I’m not sure why I wrote all this today!  It wasn’t at all what I had planned to talk about, but it just sort of came out as I sat down at my keyboard… So, it must be special for some of you who read this post today!  If you find yourself anxious, worried or overly concerned about anything in your life today, I would suggest a few moments in prayer with the Father and a look at and personal confession of Philippians 4:7-9:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, along with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers (& sisters), as many things as are true, as many as are honorable, as many as are just, as many as are pure, as many as are lovely--if there is any virtue and if there is any praise--meditate on these things.  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.”  (EMTV)

Then… well then… you “work at it” by continually thanking God for the peace, love and protection that He is providing for you right now… in the midst of whatever you’re going through or dealing with.

Have a great week!  I look forward to hearing about your good reports!  And in the meantime, say with me… “I am expecting God’s peace, protection and love to surround me today!”

Continue to Continue! (practical faith pt 6)

I have enjoyed these last set of blog posts as we’ve looked at many of the simple and practical ways in which we can live and grow in our personal faith.  As I was soaking in the hot stream of water beating down on my neck and shoulders in the shower this morning, I heard that small still voice of the Lord inside me giving me another important step in applying faith practically into one’s daily life.

As is my daily routine, I was confessing some scriptures concerning who the Bible says I am in Christ when I suddenly became aware that every time I began with a new verse the word “CONTINUE” would pop into my head.  So, I would pause, start over and say “I CONTINUE to…” do whatever the scripture said about me.  And then it dawned on me… with my lightening quick mind… that God was trying to tell me something important here!  He was attempting to get me to see the importance of “CONTINUING” on in one’s faith… day by day, month by month and year by year… no matter (or maybe more precisely… because of) what ever else is happening in your life.

In my last post I mentioned when I had recently been thinking about all the blessing of God in our lives over the years.  One of those blessings was the first house we ever rented that had a gazebo in the backyard over looking a creek.  And I remembered how much I enjoyed sitting under the cover of that gazebo in the morning rain while I studied my Bible.  Then it hit me… I’ve been studying the Bible every morning since way back then in 1979… and probably before that!  It is a practice that was important enough in Piper’s and my lives that we chose to and worked at CONTINUING it throughout all these years since then.

One of the most often repeated activities that we experienced in our years as Assistant Pastors in the different churches we served in over the years, was seeing new folks coming into the church all excited about the things of God and then drifting away… only, many times, to be repeated over and over again.  The two of us… especially Piper, always seemed to be drawn to the folks that looked a little needy our maybe had experienced some rough times in life. 

We would get to know them and share how our heavenly Father loves us so much that He has provided promises of blessings that touch every area of our lives.  But… that it takes commitment, determination and a strong desire to “CONTINUE” moving forward with Him… especially in the bad times that seem to get to all of us during our lives.

It was always difficult to see them experience the ups and downs of their walk.  Some left and never returned and we eventually lost contact with them, while others had their rough patches but kept returning and pressing on with Him as they began to experience and share His love and provision for them and their families.

After 10 of the 12 spies returned from scouting out the land that God had promised the children of Israel with a fear-laced negative report, God instructed Moses saying, “But because my servant Caleb has a different attitude and has wholeheartedly followed me, I'll bring him to the land he already explored. His descendants will possess it.” (God’s Word ©)  This verse makes it pretty clear why Caleb had a different attitude than his fellow spies.  God said that he “has wholeheartedly followed me…”  The Message Bible says that “he follows me passionately” while the King James declares that he “hath followed me fully.”

Dictionary.com defines “passionately” as “having, compelled by or ruled by intense emotion or strong feeling.”  To me, that describes someone who is committed to CONTINUING on with the things of God… wouldn’t you say?  The word “fully” is described in the original Hebrew as “to fill, to be full of, to be accomplished in or to consecrate.” Which again, defines a dedication to CONTINUE on with God.

An interesting sideline to Caleb’s story occurred about 40 years later after Moses passed and his servant Joshua (the only other original spy that agreed with Caleb) assumed the mantle of his leadership and successfully brought the children of Israel into the Promised Land. 

As he began to divide up the land with only a few more tough battles to be fought in certain regions of the country, Caleb says “Hey!  What about me!”  Joshua 14:10-11 reports the conversation as Caleb declared: “So look at me. The LORD has kept me alive as he promised. It's been 45 years since Israel wandered in the desert when the LORD made this promise to Moses. So now look at me today. I'm 85 years old.  I'm still as fit to go to war now as I was when Moses sent me out.”  (God’s Word ©)

Caleb never failed to CONTINUE in his quest for God and His promises throughout the 45 years of wandering through the desert.  His passion for God never waned even as everyone else who started out with him and Joshua complained, fell away and died in the wilderness.

That’s the way I want to be!  How about you?  To CONTINUE on with your passion for God is another very simple but practical way to live your faith on a daily basis.  When Piper and I were going through some of the roughest moments at the beginning of our journey with the attack of Alzheimer’s on her brain, it simply came down to the decision of who or what we were going to listen to when it came to fighting that thing.  But one look at the fear in the eyes of those who disagreed with our approach in trusting God and the ugliness of the symptoms attaching themselves to Piper’s body… and we knew that we were simply to “CONTINUE” with HIM, HIS WORD and HIS directions to us, like we’d always done… and the rest is history… or I guess you could say “HIS-story!”

Have a wonderful weekend as you CONTINUE to apply these simple but practical ways to walk your faith in HIM on a daily basis.  And as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to CONTINUE on with HIM and HIS ways no matter what!”

A Different ATTITUDE (practical faith pt 5)

Today was one of those mornings that just started out weird!  Have you ever had a day begin like that?  I didn’t sleep well last night and got up on numerous occasions.  After having some strange dreams, I woke up again around 5:30 AM with a headache and proceeded to twist and turn until I finally gave up at 7:15, tossed my feet over the side of the bed, almost tripped over the dog and stumbled into the bathroom…  But after a trip outside with the pooch in tow, a hot shower, a cup of coffee and my Bible study, things began to improve.  I’m sure that the coffee helps, but there is nothing like a shot in the arm of God’s Word to energize, stabilize and lift one up in the morning!

From there I went back into the kitchen to get Fiver’s and my breakfasts ready.  I opened the freezer and took out a bag of breakfast sausage and began a search for the kitchen scissors, which for the second time this week had gone missing.  As the previous frustration that I had felt earlier in the morning began to creep back in, I stopped moving for a moment and asked the Lord where I’d left the scissors… again.  And within a flash something on the inside directed me to look on top of the refrigerator… where I set them down after slicing open the wrapping on a six pack of sparkling water that I had set up there.

And sure enough… there they were… in the exact place I found them the last time I lost them!  Well, that was enough to break the dam and I burst out laughing at my silliness and for the goodness of God Who is even concerned about the little things in our lives.

That incident got me to thinking about how good God had and continues to be in mine and Piper’s life and now with me alone.  I thought about ALL the blessings He bestowed on us in the midst of the roughest patch in our lives.  The great places we lived in over the last 11 years… okay… maybe not the duplex we lived in during the last year in Oklahoma… the medical support we had, the cars we owned, the wisdom He poured down on me in some pretty tricky situations, the new friends we made, and the finances to not only get everything Piper needed, but the best of said equipment, clothing, special diet needs, medicine and overall care.  Then I had to pause for a moment as I thought, “You know?  We expected all that…”

Does that statement sound improper, snooty, sacrilegious or prideful to you?  Well. Let me explain what I mean!  We expected God’s best for us before we ever returned home from Oklahoma.  At that time, we had absolutely no idea of what that was, but we knew that it would unfold before us as we stayed true to His Word and personal directions to us.  Let me put it another way… by the time we left Oklahoma we were power packed in the Word and could see no other alternative than God’s way for Piper’s needs.

You could say that when we hit the runway at the International Airport in Sacramento California (where our son worked)… that we had an ATTITUDE!  We had an ATTITUDE that was solely focused on God, His Word and His way.  And to be perfectly honest, anyone who tried to shift our focus from that point on… lost before they ever spoke a word!

When we drove through a nice park-like housing community not too far from either of our folks homes a few weeks later, all Piper and I could see was the blessing of God working for us.  I believe that it was on a Monday or Tuesday when we first drove through the grassy, tree lined neighborhood complete with paved walking trails that led to various picnic and play areas, a community garden as well as a quaint little lake near the recreation center with its two pools and jacuzzi… and by Friday we had signed the lease and moved in the following week.

When we looked upon our new home, all we could see was God’s hand at work.  We came, saw, prayed and moved in with the unshakable confidence and peace that “my God will supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 EMTV)  There were others that almost immediately saw our move with a different ATTITUDE.  While we were solely focused on the promises of God and His ability and love for us to fulfill those promises (which didn’t preclude the planning of our finances accordingly… for we believe in doing the natural part as well as the spiritual), they seemed to be overly focused on the financial arena.

But you know?  This neighborhood had it all.  Everything we needed and could have hoped for.  It was beautiful and well planned which enabled us to take daily walks and unwind from all the stress and tension that was surrounding us during those first pivotal years of Piper's sickness.  It was safe for Piper when I was at work, and we were surrounded by friendly, helpful neighbors… not to mention that the owner’s wife was a retired nurse who told me to call her if we ever needed help with Piper!

It reminded me of the Lord’s comments about His servant Caleb as the Israelites were about to enter the promised land when He stated: “But because my servant Caleb has a different attitude and has wholeheartedly followed me, I'll bring him to the land he already explored. His descendants will possess it.” (Numbers 14:24 God’s Word ©)

Joshua and Caleb secretly went into the land that God had promised their people along with 10 other spies and they all saw the same sights… But those two had a “different ATTITUDE” than the others.  All they could see was the blessings of God, His abilities, His overpowering strength and His hand at work in their lives, while the others only saw the imposing size and strength of those who inhabited the land.  Guess who made it into the promised land and who didn’t…

We’ll go a little deeper into this verse next time, but until then… Let me ask you a question: “What is your ATTITUDE?”  Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, continue to say with me… “I have an ATTITUDE of expectation in the promises of God working for me!”

PRACTICAL FAITH pt 4

I decided on Saturday that I would give the backyard a chance to dry out before I continued working on my landscaping project.  So, I took the opportunity to go through the back rooms in order to organize them before I contacted my realtor this week.  The guest room was relatively easy except for the fact that it contained most of the left-over medical equipment that we had purchased for Piper’s needs over the last year of her life.

It was a little emotional, but I got her hospital bed and some other accessories ready to be donated and then tossed out three bags of her clothes that were no longer wearable.  From there I moved onto the study.  The first order of business for this room was the mountain of paperwork that was stacked on the corner of my desk.  I had tried to keep on top of it, but with everything going on for the last… okay, okay… since we’ve been here, I was not always current with it!

Most of it was paid bills but there was also lots of information concerning Piper’s insurance policies, Medicare info, and doctor’s reports.  So, I sat on the floor, made three or four new piles next to me and then filed appropriately… either in the file cabinet or trash bin!  With that done I moved to the matching bookcases.

That was kind of fun for as you probably all know by now… Piper and I loved books and along with all my Bible School books, we accumulated quite a few other volumes over the years.  The two bookcases in the study are overflowing and its pretty evident that the new study in Oklahoma will need to be large enough to accommodate another bookcase or maybe even two!  But the real find amongst all the treasures in the cases was another notebook of Piper’s, filled with her literary gems compiled during 1997.

I really didn’t get a chance to peruse the book until yesterday morning.  I took advantage of a rare moment to sit in the quiet of the day before church, sip my coffee and think, pray and dream a little in the warmth of the room we had deemed to be our study.  We had high hopes for that little corner room painted a bright blue with white accents.  Along with the matching bookshelves, desk and file cabinets, we put our second loveseat in it and imagined a TV on the wall with ceiling stereo speakers and envisioned many enjoyable times cuddled on the couch watching a movie, sports or simply reading a good book while enjoying vibrant tunes.

But alas, as Piper’s conditioned worsened it just never happened.  In fact, we never got to spend much time in the room at all!  With Piper’s chair, it was just easier to stay in the front rooms.  But yesterday was a perfect time to enjoy the ambiance of our study!  As I leaned back in the comfortable desk chair, I took Piper’s notebook off one of the filing cabinets and began to go through it page by page.

What I discovered was another example of PRACTICAL FAITH in action.  The first section of the book contained her daily Bible study notes.  I always thought that she had very pretty handwriting and felt myself being captivated by her words.  In my imagination I could see her at the kitchen table with an open Bible, the notebook and a pen in hand.  Then I could hear the quiet “Oh!  I see!” or “Hummmmm…” quietly emitting from between her lips as she nodded her head and then began to write in the book.

I realized that back then, her daily study process included reading and mediating on certain portions of the scriptures and then writing them down in the form of a personalized confession of what she was learning.  She took the actual scripture, made it sound as if it was meant just for her and then wrote it down as if she was stating it as a personal statement of who she was according to the verse(s).  Then throughout the day, she tended to work that confession into her various conversations with others.

For me, reading that book was like looking into her personal diary!  Because, as I read the confessions, I saw who she was becoming.  Those daily confessions written from March through September of 1997 were a picture of the Piper I knew in the following years as she became who the Word says she was through her personal study and daily confession of it.  That folks, is what I would call simple but PRACTICAL FAITH in action!  Piper named our College Career group back in the early 1970’s “Faith Action.”  Who knew that it would be a prophecy of the lifestyle that she would come to be known for!

I confess… That’s the same legacy that I would like to be remembered by.  What about you?  Have a great week, and as you do, continue to confess with me… “I am fully expecting to exemplify a lifestyle of PRACTICAL FAITH in my daily activities!”

Practical (simple) Faith pt 3

You’ve probably noticed by now that I sort of have a thing for what I call “Simple Faith” and the “practical application” of it in our daily lives.  As I was meditating on those concepts and looking up scripture that tended to agree with it this morning, I suddenly had to laugh with the thought of why that’s always seemed to be important to Piper and I over the years.

My initial thought was that we spent close to 35 years ministering to children, youth and college/career age classes.  And when teaching younger individuals… well, you’ve got to make it somewhat simple in order for them to grasp the truths that you’re wanting to teach them.  With some of the smaller churches we ministered in, we had large variations in the ages of the students within the classes and had to learn the nuances of the students and know when to teach up or down depending on the circumstances.

But the more I thought about it, I realized that our zeal to share the simple truths of God’s Word began way before we were married and dove into our formal ministry together.  I can go all the way back to our high school youth and college/career group days and see that we were ministering to our fellow students then.  I can picture countless individuals who came through the groups to whom we spent hours sharing the deeper promises and revelations of God’s Word to, by showing them how simple it was to take advantage of the things that God has already provided for us as a part and parcel of our salvation.

In I Timothy 2:7 the Apostle Paul told his young protégé about his own ministry stating that, “This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.” (MSG)  When I saw this verse this morning, I thought about how similar that is to what Piper and I always believed our ministry was all about.  And while we mostly ministered to Christians in the church who were still fairly immature in their faith (both youngsters and adults), we always strove to present the Gospel in a simple manner that our audiences could relate to.

Over the years, in the many Christian circles we’ve been involved with, I’ve come to think that the two most common mistakes in relating the Word to others is to intellectualize it or to flower it up so much that you lose the simple truth of it!  My biggest pitfalls when teaching the Word was to flower it up with too many examples.  And I can’t tell you of how many times that my sweet and funny wife saved the day by her “Enough Jim!” look from her seat in the front row in the church, or with her animated “Cut It Off!” motions to me from the back of the classroom!  She definitely knew and understood the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Silly) strategy, although she would never use that term.

So, what’s my point in today’s post?  Well, it’s actually quite simple…   When it comes to the practical application of your faith, you need to keep your understanding of it SIMPLE so that it is easy to integrate God’s truth into the activities of your daily life.  Jesus made the blunt comment to His disciples in Matthew 17:19-20 when they asked Him why something they did in His name didn’t work… but did when He did it.  I love the way The Message Bible puts it saying: "Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." 

To me, Jesus tells us here to simply take Him and His Word at face value.  All it takes is SIMPLE FAITH to believe what it says and then JUST DO IT!  Don’t question it.  Don’t intellectualize the simple truth and power out of it or flower it up so much that you lose the meaning of what it simply says!

BINGO!  It’s rather SIMPLE wouldn’t you say?  Go ahead…  As you study His Word this weekend, step out in SIMPLE FAITH and JUST DO IT!  And as you DO… say along with me… “I am fully expecting God’s Word to work in my life today as I apply it to everything I do!”

Practical Faith pt2

Yesterday marked 7 months since Piper packed up and moved into her new abode in the glories of heaven.  Well, to be truthful here… she really didn’t pack up ANYTHING!  The fact is that she left everything here for me to deal with!  Every-so-often I’ll look around the house and in particular in our bedroom, and I’ll think about how strange it is to have all of her belongings… but not her!

Recently I was praying out loud in the house and began to thank God for the 48 incredibly blessed years that I had with Piper when for some reason, I suddenly began to laugh and cry as I pictured her bright and engaging smile and that patented Piper gleam in her eyes.  Then I spoke aloud, most likely to the dog and exclaimed that “Piper never lost that smile in her eyes until she left us… and took it with her!”

I clearly remember when I awoke on that fateful morning after spending the whole night holding her hand and looking closely into those eyes and just couldn’t keep my eyes open any more… and turned to look at her and immediately noticed that the gleam, the light and the smile in her pretty brown eyes was gone.  All I could happily say was “Oh Piper, you’ve gone home!”

I also remember a lot of other happy times when her actions taught me many life lessons that I still practice up through this day!  One of those lessons was the practical ways in which she lived her faith.  I’ve told on many occasions of how Piper lived her Christianity.  Of how it was just an integrated part of who she was.  I saw her do this throughout the five years that we dated before our marriage, but I never learned her method until after our wedding and we began our life together under the same roof.

She had a simple faith.  A childlike belief in the goodness and love of God and a no-questions-asked acceptance of the truth of his written Word.  Colossians 3:16 tells us to, “Let Christ's word with all its wisdom and richness live in you. Use psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to teach and instruct yourselves about God's kindness. Sing to God in your hearts.” (God’s Word ©)

That verse perfectly summarizes Piper.  She believed and had a deep respect with an ever-increasing understanding of His Word.  When we moved into that first apartment in July of 1975, I used to watch her with rapt attention as she sought out the truth in His Word.  She would pour over her New American Standard Bible on a daily basis.  And whether she actually knew what she was doing or not… she had a process that she pretty rigidly followed.

Once she grabbed hold of a scripture, she would read it, study it in context to the verses around it, look it up in other translations and write it out for days in a row.  Then as her understanding grew, she would regularly confess it, use it in her daily conversations and work it until it simply became a part of her life.  That is how she automatically seemed to always have a relevant scripture for almost any situation in life.  And most times… it would take those around her by complete surprise as she would suddenly mention a scripture that could help them with what they were dealing with… and I’m talking here about anything in life… no matter how unusual it sounded!

I can vividly remember many occasions when we’d be sitting around the table at her folk’s house or on one of their coastal vacations that we went on with them, when we adults would be talking about someone or some situation when Piper, with her sweet disposition, would suddenly pop in a scripture as an antidote to the need at hand. 

In response to her suggestion, everyone would laugh while Piper and I just sat there with a smile on our faces.  And I am sure that she was probably thinking the same thing as me when I’d think “Wait for it… Wait for it…” and then they would suddenly stop laughing and realize that she was quite serious!  Over the years I had seen that same reaction over and over again whether we were chatting with people at church, with friends or even when ministering to the youth and kids.

You see, to me, that is what the practical application of your faith is all about.  Piper believed that God was bigger than ANY need or situation and depended on HIS Word to be the solution or a major part of the fix that people needed in the situations that occurred within their daily lives.

What do you think about that?  I’ll share some more examples next time, but until then, think about how you could incorporate the Word of God and the answers that He has packed within the pages of your Bible into your daily needs, activities and overall lives.  Have a great rest of the week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting to put God’s Word to work in my daily life… today!”

A Practical Application...

Happy April first everyone!  What does that old poem say about how April showers bring May flowers?  Well, we had a few showers yesterday that brought April sunshine today… but then there is rain forecast for tomorrow! Oh Well, it doesn’t really matter since our sunshine should emanate from the inside and not be dependent on the outside circumstances… or weather!

How did your weekend go?  As far as my usual “I miss Piper-itis” goes, I had a pretty good weekend.  That’s not to say that I didn’t have an occasional emotional memory that evoked a tender thought or tear, but overall, it went fairly smooth… PRAISE THE LORD!  I did find myself though, thinking quite a bit about the benefits of living with a “Practical Faith.”  Now, what do I mean by that?  Well, I would define it as a simple faith in God and His Word that intertwines and works… almost unconsciously… with very practical applications in your daily life.

I was sort of raised with the idea that one’s religious beliefs were to be kept to yourself and were separate from your daily life.  I am not sure that I ever totally bought into that concept and when I met a vivacious young lady named Piper in High School, who simply lived her faith like it was just a part of who she was, I threw that part of my upbringing into the wind!  I rapidly learned that with her, it wasn’t a constant matter of thinking about when and how you would insert your beliefs into a situation but that it just flowed naturally throughout her entire life.  Her faith was meticulously weaved into the very fiber of her being… that’s the only way I can explain it… it is just who she was!

And to be perfectly honest… I still am not really sure as to where she got that since I didn’t see that same simple intimacy and practicality with God and His Word in the rest of her family or friends.  I guess it backs up my theory that God just puts certain things in different individuals.  As I’ve stated before, I was also a bit different than the rest of my family.  My burgeoning interests in Christianity after I’d been with Piper for a while actually had my family wondering if I was being brainwashed by Piper!  That mis-notion was quickly dispelled though, as they got to know her and her honest sincerity.

The thought that really got me going in this direction over the weekend was the realization that I took the time to write down in my Piper’s Story Journal (book 2) that, “I have no other choice right now but (as Proverbs 3:5 commands me) to ‘Trust in the Lord with all my heart, and not rely on my own understanding,’ because without Piper I now have NO physical or mental concept of my future.  According to Proverbs 3:6, I have no real choice but to ‘Always let Him lead me, for He is the only One I can trust and depend on to clear the road for me.’” (Proverbs 3:5 God’s Word ©/ Proverbs 3:6 CEV)

You see… that ‘s where the physical application of my faith comes in.  Without a working, actual and complete trust in Him, I would be overwhelmed by an unfillable emptiness, a hopelessness that could easily cause me to do some stupid and regrettable things and be filled with an ever-increasing depressive attitude and outlook on life.  I’ve seen it in other folks through the years when someone lost a spouse or were overwhelmed with changes in their lives.  I’ve seen their lives go from bad to worse and ministered to them as they fought bitterness and self-pity while walking around like zombies!  And many of these folks were fellow Christians in the church!

I know that God has more for me to accomplish in this life before I move on to be with Him… and Piper again.  So, in order to move forward I have to continue to put my faith to work in very practical ways on a daily basis.  Without it… well… I would be a lot more than a mess!  I’ll share more on this important subject of the simple understanding and practical application of our faith in our daily lives in more posts to come.   But in the meantime, I would encourage you to take some time and look inside to see just where your relationship with God and the application of your faith in YOUR daily life is.

This could be a very exciting journey for us to take together!  STAY TUNED!

Have a wonderful new week, and as you do, say with me… “I am expecting the practical application of my faith to greatly increase in my life today!”