Wisdom & Understanding

I got up earlier than my usual early morning trek into the backyard with the dog today, in order to get out and back in before the heaven’s opened up and the predicted severe weather hit with a vengeance.  I must say that we timed it pretty good, although I was a bit surprised how fast it came upon us.  When we slipped out back there were a few clouds in the sky and I could see the moon and some stars.  I found myself thinking that we probably could have waited longer, but within a half hour, the deluge of rain came down and the thunder was roaring… and Fiver WAS NOT a happy camper… in fact he’s still not.  He is currently sitting at my feet under my desk!

When we came back in a little after 5:00 AM, I sat on the bed and opened the Bible sitting next to me (in Piper’s usual spot – you know, I did it again last night and turned over after waking up from a dream and fully expected her to be there before I came to my senses…), and turned it to Proverbs 3:5 and stated aloud that, “I trust in the Lord completely, and I do not rely on my own opinions. But, with all my heart I continually rely on Him to guide me, for I know that He will always lead me in every decision I need to make.” (The Passion Translation-personalized)

And then without missing a beat, I burst out laughing and said before I knew what I was doing… “And I thank God that I don’t have to rely on my own understanding or personal opinion on anything!”  Then I paused for a moment, thought on God’s grace and continued, “For God says that He pours out His kindness and grace by giving us every kind of wisdom and insight… of wisdom and practical understanding, when He revealed the mystery of His plan to us that He decided to do through Christ.” (Ephesians 1:8-9 The Passion Translation & God’s Word ©)

I have come to realize through all the twists and turns in my life, that I really DO depend on Godly wisdom for the daily decisions I need to make… no matter how big or how small they are.  And I would have to confess that I first learned of this habit through my wife in the early days of our marriage.  When it came to receiving and exercising the grace of God with wisdom and practical understanding, my wife was second to none.

I noticed last night while preparing dinner and watching the news, that something went off inside me when they played a couple of video clips of two different Democratic Governors.  In the clips, they were making public comments concerning the large groups of individuals in their states who were protesting against their very strict orders to not open up the commerce in their states and enforcing stiff penalties that the protestors felt threatened their constitutional liberties.   The thing that triggered my reaction was the speakers repeated use of the word “science.” When I thought about it, I realized that they spoke of the field of science like it was a god.

Then as I did this morning, I had to sigh with relief and thanksgiving that, as a Christian, I don’t have to strictly depend on man’s (or women’s) study within the various fields of science for the final decisions that I base the actions of my life on.  I know that there are those in the world who would think of me as being simple minded when I declare my trust, my allegiance and my decision-making processes to be well-founded on the wisdom and practical understanding that the Lord gives to me when I do my homework, research the evidence presented through the study of science, add God’s opinion to it and go with how His peace then leads me. (See also: Philippians 4:6-7)

I still find myself at awe whenever I think of all the wisdom and practical understanding that God gave to me through His grace, when I cared for my wife during the last years of her life.  There were day’s when my head was literally spinning from all the responsibilities on my plate (like the time I drove off from the gas station BEFORE removing the nozzle from my gas tank… Whew!  The attendant was NOT happy with me!), but His grace NEVER waned and I found myself doing all kinds of things that I never thought I would ever find myself doing, as well as many tasks that I had NO IDEA how to do!  I can’t tell you how many nights I went to bed exhausted and sore, only to wake up the next day feeling strong, rested and ready to go.  Isn’t God good!

So, as I look out my large study window and gaze upon the brighter skies with the temporary break in the rain, I can only smile, rejoice and be thankful for the grace that God gives to me… and EVERY Christian… that comes with the added benefits of wisdom and practical understanding to help guide us through all the decisions that we need to make in our daily lives.  Who of you are ready to give Him a CHEER of thanksgiving!  Hip, Hip Hooray!  (Okay… maybe not real spiritual… but you get my point!)

Have a blessed weekend and remember to add His Grace-filled wisdom and understanding whenever you need it in your life!

Mechanically Seperated Turkey

I found myself laughing this morning as I headed to the kitchen to get the dog’s breakfast, before I took a shower and got ready for the day.  When I had finished my Bible study time, just previous to this, I got up from my desk in the study, took a step back and sat on the leather loveseat behind me where the dog loves to lay during the day.  You see, he can lounge on the couch and keep a watchful eye on everything going on in front of our house at the same time!

While sitting next to him, I reached out and began to stroke his fluffy, soft, thick white coat and considered what we were going to accomplish throughout the day.  It was pretty cloudy and dark outside, so I pulled up my weather app and noticed that rain was projected for the next hour or two.  That’s when I made my decision and walked into the kitchen.  The laugh unexpectantly popped out because as I walked out of the room, I turned to the dog and declared: “We’ll be on a ‘Rainy Day Schedule’ today.”  I laughed because of the look on the dog’s face when I told him the plan.  To me that look either said “Huh?” or “I could care less!”

Do you all remember being on a “Rainy Day Schedule” when you were kids in elementary school?  For some reason, I have a very vivid memory of being in fifth grade at St Eugene’s Parochial School during one such “Rainy Day Schedule,” which meant that we had to eat lunch and spend the lunch period in the classroom.  That school didn’t have a cafeteria, so we always had to bring our own lunch, except for the very special hot dog day when you could pre-order a hotdog or two and choose between a grape or orange “Nehi Soda!” in a glass bottle!  That was pretty big stuff for us Catholic kids back then!

But on that particular rainy day, I remember munching on my favorite lunch time sandwich which my Mom had made for me, consisting of Buddig’s very thinly sliced (mechanically separated) turkey lunchmeat, along with a bag of perfectly sliced carrot sticks (I never could figure out how she could slice them so exactly even!) and a fresh red apple.  And as I savored the flavor of the honey roasted meat (at least I thought it was real meat…), I read from my all-time favorite Hardy Boy’s novel “The Mystery at Devil’s Paw.”  

Ah… good food, classic literature and a good rain storm blowing past the wall of windows that looked out on the playground, the ball field, the distant creek and through the trees along the creek, the occasional glimpse of a car speeding by on Sonoma Highway across from the Flamingo Hotel!  At that time in my life… I didn’t think that things could get any better than that!

But as I grew up and matured in life, I quickly learned that life could and did get even better than those cold winter day’s in school.  Meeting my future wife in high school, experiencing an outrageously fantastic life with her, raising four wonderful kids,  having the honor and blessing of ministering the gospel to all kinds of great kids, youth, college-career age individuals and adults alike… and above all… getting to live a life where we “continually experienced the immeasurable greatness of God’s power made available to us through faith. So that our lives would be an advertisement of this immense power as it works (in, for and) through us unto others!” (Ephesians 1:19 The Passion Translation – personalized)

While breaking down this verse in my study time this morning, I was once again taken in with the awe-inspiring realization of what Albert Barnes’ declared in his “Notes on the Bible” concerning Paul’s words, explaining: “There is much emphasis and energy of expression here, as if the apostle were laboring under the greatness of his theme, and wanted words to express the magnitude of his conception.”

I can just imagine Paul sitting at his desk, and hopelessly staring out the window as he searched his brain to come up with just the right words to properly describe the point he was so desperately trying to convey, concerning the magnitude of the immeasurable greatness of God’s power that He has made available to you and I through our active actions of faith.

2 Corinthians 12:4 tells us that when Paul was taken up into heaven, “whether this happened to him physically or spiritually. Only God knows.” (2 Corinthians 12:2 God’s Word ©) that Paul “heard things that he was not able to explain. He heard things that no one is allowed to tell.” (ERV)  That tells me that Paul saw and heard things that were so phenomenal and unexplainable according to human understanding and language, that he was at a loss for words to explain the wonders that he had witnessed.  It also told me that the Lord shared some very personal and intimate secrets with him that he was not allowed to share with the world.

I can get somewhat of an understanding of this when I think of the relationship that Piper and I developed through the years.  We were always open and honest with each other and had the freedom to share our most intimate and private thoughts, concerns, hopes and dreams with each other that no one else in the whole wide world would EVER know.

I firmly believe that this is exactly the kind and depth of relationship that Jesus wants to have with you and I as well.  Just like the Lord felt comfortable and trusting in His very personal relationship with Paul, He wants to feel that same way about you and me… and according to Paul’s example… of us with Him.  When I read portions of scripture like this, it always makes me stop and take a personal inventory of my relationship with the Lord, to make adjustments where needed and strive to develop the deepest unity with Him that I can possibly attain… and I have also learned, like with my relationship with Piper, that it is a daily, ever-growing type of relationship that just gets better and better!

How close and intimate is your relationship with the Lord?  In my experience, there are ALWAYS ways to improve it and draw closer to Him!  Don’t allow anything to (mechanically, physically, mentally, emotionally) separate you from having an intimate and very personal active relationship with Him.

Cultivating Thankfulness

Okay… let’s play a little game!  See if you can name 10 things that you are thankful for in the midst of all the crazy upheaval that is going on in our lives due to the Corona pandemic.  Okay… Okay… let’s make it 5!  I’ll start.  Let’s see… First, I am thankful that I live right next to a beautiful golf course.  I think that I figured out why the Lord selected this location for us.  I realized this morning while walking Fiver next to the perimeter paths (on the other side of the wire fence) that the golfer’s walk or ride around the course, that I get to interact with the golfers on a daily basis!  Being as it is just the dog and I at home, I relish every opportunity that I have to talk to another person!

I also enjoy the serenity of the greens.  I couldn’t help but pause on the driveway today, in the quiet of the early morning, when taking the garbage bags out to the curb, and enjoy the beauty that was before my eyes!  I’m also thinking about starting a side business selling used golf balls, as my collection of lost white, orange and yellow balls is growing almost daily!  I’ve even found them on my front lawn… and I have NO idea how they got there since it is in the totally opposite direction in which the course is supposed to be played.  I have learned however, to be careful of the lefties when walking by the vicinity of one particular hole.  We’ve had some balls slice right toward us and land at our feet on more than one occasion!

Secondly, I am thankful that I am still healthy and strong and able to take Fiver for walks in our beautiful neighborhood multiple times a day.  Thirdly, I am very thankful that our kids are all staying healthy and still working throughout this pandemic.  Fourthly, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying working around my yards at my lovely new home, planting new flowers and vegetables as well as planning the new landscaping that I am dreaming about for the backyard.  

And Fifth… and by far not the least, I am thankful for the Lord and the truth of His Word that I so vivaciously align my life with, for I know that I know that  “When we live our lives within the shadow of God Most High, our secret hiding place, we will always be shielded from harm. How then could evil prevail against us or disease infect us?” And of His faithfulness to us when He tells us that “I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will find and feel my presence even in your time of pressure and trouble. I will be your glorious hero and give you a feast.”  (Psalm 91:9,10,15 – The Passion Translation) 

I had another one of those “Hummmm…” moments of lost thought this morning as I studied the part about the Lord being our “glorious hero.”  For with a tear in my eye, I thought about my adult-life-long desire to be Piper’s hero.  I have thought about that a lot since her passing and may have even mentioned it before in my blog posts.  Normally when I think about this idea, it is usually followed by that small-still-voice inside of me that reminds me that I did put aside everything in life to care for her 24/7 during the last eight years of her life… so, in that sense, I guess that I was a hero of sorts to her… although to me, it was just me doing my job as her husband (driven by my intense love for her) that I signed up for when we confessed our wedding vows to each other back on that beautiful day in July of 1975.

I watched one of those military homecoming videos on my phone last night and couldn’t help but to cry when the fiancé of the returning solder ran across the college football stadium, where the surprise event was taking place at half-time, and literally jumped into his arms and cried hysterically!  (Geez… I’m crying now as I write this!)  I guess deep inside, I was wishing that I was that guy and Piper was the gal jumping into my arms… Maybe something will happen like that when I cross the veil and see her again in heaven… that would be kinda cool… don’t you think!

Okay… those are my five things and now IT IS YOUR TURN!  Tell me five things that you are thankful for in the midst of this pandemic.  Let’s see how many of you leave a comment on my actual blog page at http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/ or leave a comment on Facebook or send me an email at jimberruto@att.net.

I believe that your stories of thankfulness can and will be a great blessing to all of us… especially right now when most of us could use a good word or two!  Have a great week and remember the Apostle Paul’s advice to us when he wrote: “Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness.” 

A Can of Fear...

I caught a few remarks from a Democrat politician a couple of days ago and was surprised when I realized that all he was doing was stirring up FEAR into the hearts of his audience, which was mainly made up of mainstream media reporters.  Think about that for a moment.  That FEAR would then be published in papers around the country, broadcast on radio and TV and zoom through the internet at breakneck speeds.  The one refreshing aspect of his report was that it was not spoken out against the President… but toward a decision made by the Senate Majority Leader.

Being in positions of leadership in ministry and with three major US corporations for most of my adult life, I have first-hand experience concerning the effects that FEAR has when dealing with decisions that one may not agree with.  FEAR can not only serve to diminish the attitude of the individuals involved, but can spread like wild fire within a work group unless it is immediately addressed and resolved.  I have also witnessed how it caused employees to make wrong decisions when operating machinery and put theirs as well as their co-worker’s safety in harm’s way.

In many respects, the same can be said for members of a family, within social friendships and in church congregations.  To my surprise, I came to the understanding early on within the journey that Piper and I were forced to embark upon with the attack on her health, that one of my main and most reoccurring responsibilities was to dispel FEAR that rose up in many of the people that we interacted with. 

In our case, if left unattended, it would physically affect Piper’s health, as she would become confused, glassy eyed and less responsive if she stayed in that environment too long.  That situation was one of the many factors that contributed to our decision to move to North Carolina.  I calculated the other day that Piper actually lived five years longer than the average life span of someone diagnosed with Alzheimer’s… and I am very happy about that statistic!

With all the FEAR being broadcast over the airwaves, in print and on every electronic device we carry with us, it almost takes an act of God to stay in a place of peace and rest!  And you know what?  That act of God did take place over 2000 years ago when Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected and given the highest place of authority and honor at the right hand of the Father.  Paul explained this when he prayed for us in Ephesians 1:18-20 that:

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named…” (KJV)

So, there you go!  With all those major secular forces attempting to influence us by FEARFULLY telling us where we can go, what we should say and even worse… what we should be thinking, its more than refreshing to know that as Christians, we are accountable to a HIGHER POWER, to a name that is greater than FEAR!  A name that can bring order in our lives in the middle of a world-wide shake up, and leave us in peace, love, joy and with a positive attitude!

I was reading in Philippians 4:7 this morning that “it is in the place of God’s wonderful peace that transcends all human understanding, where God makes known His answers (to our questions) through Christ Jesus.” (The Passion Translation-personalized)  That scripture tells me that if I allow the world’s FEAR to enter into my life, then I am NOT going to get the answers that I need to know!  FEAR will cause us to make uninformed or mis-informed decisions that will only serve to make things worse and keep the cycle of FEAR operating in our lives.

When we enter into and STAY in the place of God’s peace, then FEAR doesn’t stand a chance of sneaking into our daily thoughts, actions or desires!  Our daily attitudes and possibilities will turn into CAN-DOs rather than CAN-NOTs!

So, which CAN do you want to DO?  The unlimited resources and abilities of CAN-DO or the limited, joy stealing, attitude busting, energy zapping, dead-end of CAN- NOT???

I’ve always been a CAN man myself… How about you?  What possibilities ARE you or ARE you not expecting today?  The choice is up to you!  Have a GREAT weekend!

The Future...

I’ve been getting out and about a little more often lately as Oklahoma is slowly opening up things again.  It is nice to see more cars on the roads and an increase in foot traffic with people out taking walks or doing some shopping.  Mind you now, it is nothing like before the pandemic hit, but I sense that people are beginning to feel more confident (myself included) to get out in the lovely spring weather that we are having.  This morning while driving out to the bank, I noticed more smiles on peoples faces than I had in weeks past.  There just seems to be a growing optimism that we are over the worst of this situation and slowly but surely getting back to some semblance of normal again.

Finding some semblance of normalcy is kind of where I have been since the initial shock of Piper’s passing wore off and I began to take a serious look toward a future without her.  I was sharing some of this yesterday in the produce aisle at my local Super Walmart with a fellow shopper with whom I had struck up a conversation.  I had noticed earlier that she was wearing a hoodie that said “North Bay Imaging” written on the back.  So, when she came walking past me while I was bagging some fresh broccoli, I just had to excuse myself and ask her what “North Bay” the advertisement on her sweater was talking about.  Well, she broke into a big smile and said “Northern California!” 

Well, as you can imagine, that led to a long and interesting conversation.  I found out that she and her husband lived in Vacaville and are now in the process of moving to a little town not too distant from Broken Arrow.  Turns out that they are Christians and are enjoying the receptive environment here in Oklahoma that is quite different from what they were used to in California.  She enquired about my story and then asked what I was doing now, to which I replied, “Well, to be honest, I guess I am just trying to find myself!”  Her immediate reply was that I was in good hands with my faith in the Lord and was assured that He has a perfect plan for me.

I am not sure about what you may think about that comment, but I love it when people respond to difficult situations with an instant boost of peace, joy and confident expectation in the God, Who is bigger, stronger and wiser than anything we may be faced with in life.  I was thinking about that conversation and could only emphatically nod my head and smile this morning, as I have been blessed throughout my adult life to see the miraculous power and intervention of God repeatedly occur in almost every kind of situation!  It is something that I have come to expect and yet always find myself at awe when it happens.

Psalm 23:6 in The Voice translation declares, “Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me where I go, always, everywhere.”  I had to pause after reading this verse this morning and reflect on the revelation that many of the writers of the books in the Bible, thinking in particular of David and Paul, wrote with an adamant certainty concerning the faithfulness of God.  These were two men who had their own troubles in life, may not have always made the right decisions and fought some very cardinal thoughts at times, but yet loved the Lord with all their hearts, continually humbled themselves under the mighty hand of God and were overwhelmed throughout their lives, with the overflowing grace of God.

I can attest to those same things in my own life.  These two men struggled with things in life just like me, but yet God knew their hearts and continually pursued them, was always there when they needed Him, and when they tripped up, lent a strong arm to help steady them.  I too have felt that strong arm helping to steady me.  I bet most of you have had the same experience.  I am not sure why, but this last week has been very emotional for me.  I wrote down in my notes the other morning that “I am fiercely and emotionally missing my Piper today…”  It hasn’t been a time of breakdowns and tears, but I have definitely felt that pain in my heart that comes about when I think of her not being next to me as I walk the dog or drive to the store or strongly wish that she could once again cuddle with me on the couch while watching some stupid movie on TV!

But it is weird… I guess one could say, for at the same time, I clearly hear His small-still voice reassuring me that everything is okay, that His plan for me is on track and that my job is to keep believing, to keep doing what I need to do and NOT try to figure any of it out within my own understanding!  (See: Proverbs 3:5-6) 

As I was walking Fiver along the perimeter of the beautiful green golf course next to our neighborhood earlier today, I contemplated (like I have many times since her homegoing) just how well Piper and I did in living our faith, raising our kids and being a positive force in the churches we served in as well as in the communities where we lived, worked and played.   Without too much deep thought, I responded aloud that I can honestly report that I believe that we always strived to do our best by living out our faith in and through our lives, to the best of our abilities, with the current information and knowledge we had at any given time.

And you know… Piper may have crossed through the veil and I am left here without out her, but the course of life that we chose to live hasn’t changed one bit!  My faith and my direction in life is still based on His Word and His directions for me.  Therefore, like David, I can still say without a doubt that, “Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me where I go, always, everywhere.” 

The Passion Translation prefaces this concluding verse to the 23rd Psalm by declaring: “So why would I fear the future...” and then ends it with the comforting thought that, “Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to Your glorious presence to be forever with You!”   I like the way this translation puts it… for anyway I look at it, my future is a win, win situation!  I am blessed with His presence in my life here and now, and then will be blessed living for eternity in His presence, as a part of His life in heaven… oh yeah… and with Piper as well!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your week!  I’ve got some tomatoes and basil to plant and am looking forward to a spring and summer filled with landscaping plans for my backyard!  Be blessed with the knowledge and expectation that He is pursuing you today!

Wet Wood...

I enjoy listening to the Sunday Morning Inspiration program on the enLighten Southern Gospel channel on Sirius Radio.  They mainly play the old hymns, some with very traditional renditions, as well as others with modern translations, albeit Southern Gospel style.  These hymns bring me back to a simpler time when Piper and I were just starting out along the marriage road.  The Baptist church we attended had a very good music program with an excellent adult choir, some marvelous soloists, a few small groups of singers and one or two who sang duets, of which included Piper and I. 

Today as I look through our copy of what was then, the new church Hymnal that was presented as a gift to us by Piper’s parents in 1977, I have to smile at all the various hymns where Piper transposed the music into a different key and then wrote out the chords so that I could accompany her on my twelve string guitar, while we sang a special on Sunday mornings or on other occasions.  Ah… those were wonderful times that helped me to develop a love and a special place in my heart for those hymns.

When we left that traditional church and began attending fellowships with the Charismatic/Pentecostal  style of worship where the old hymns were set aside for the contemporary verses & modern tunes, Piper and I would occasionally rework some of the hymns into more of an upbeat tempo and sneak them into our song list when we led the music!

This morning as I was listening to the satellite radio playing a live recording of a very powerful hymn of praise, my attention was caught when the music ended and a member of the band laughed and stated:  “Well, if your fire’s not lit after that song… then your wood must be wet!”

That saying immediately got me to thinking about our EXPECTATIONS when we come to the Lord in prayer with a request.  When we put that need before Him… is our wood wet or dry?  Do we really have the expectation that the wood will burn or just smoke a lot?  Are we confident that He will answer our request… or are we just “A hoping and a praying?” (a comment I’ve heard many people say after praying and I ask what they are believing for…)

In Psalm 27:4 the Psalmist writes, “Here’s the one thing I crave from God, the one thing I seek above all else: I want the privilege of living with him every moment in his house, finding the sweet loveliness of his face, filled with awe, delighting in his glory and grace. I want to live my life so close to him that he takes pleasure in my every prayer.” (The Passion Translation)

As I read that verse in the pre-dawn hour, after taking the dog out for a quick business walk, I began to wonder “What fills me with awe?”  Is it HIS unlimited abilities “to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we ask or think…”  “far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams?” (Ephesians 3:20 The New King James Bible / The Message) or… is it with the frustrations due to my own limitations and abilities? 

The Passion Translation says that God “will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination” and I thought as I plopped my head back down on my pillow, “Just what am I EXPECTING from GOD?  How GREAT are my REQUESTS?  How UNBELIEVABLE are my DREAMS?  And how WILD are my IMAGINATIONS?”  When I got up for the day a few hours later, I looked up the difference between hope and expectation. 

From what I could determine… in the world’s way of thinking, hope is better than expectation.  I read that “HOPE is a positive feeling which originates from within. It is related to one’s desire that something should happen. EXPECTATION is also a similar desire but unlike hope, most of the expectations depend on others in order to get fulfilled.” Their conclusion is that “Hopes are considered to be healthier than expectations; (for) failed hopes are not as dangerous as failed expectation.”*

That definition kind of made me do a head turn and utter a dumfounded “HUH?”  From my Biblical word studies, this totally defies what the writers of the Bible meant in their usage of the word HOPE… which I’ve said many times… is better translated EXPECTATION.  “In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.”**

So, if we go back to my original question of what are you expecting when you pray… you can see that what I am really asking of you and me is, “Do I really trust God and His Word to be true and/or to work in my behalf?  Do I, like the above Biblical definition of EXPECTATION declares, have a trusting and confident expectation that God will come through for me?”  Do I trust HIM enough to trust what HIS written Word says?  Or, is my prayer a simple HOPE, based on nothing but my own desires… and NOT on God being true to HIS Word?

When I go to light that campfire… Am I sure that my wood is dry and will catch fire… or am I just hoping that it is and will not result in a smoky mess? 

Successful prayer is a lot like having a roaring campfire.  It takes a little bit of homework.  When I went camping, I always brought some well-seasoned wood that I knew would start all the cooking fires while we were on the trip.  My kids can attest to the fact of having wood under their feet in the car, that was stored under the floormats while traveling to our camping adventures. 

Likewise… Before I come to my Father God with a request, I always make sure that I have built up my faith in His Word (See; Romans 10:17) so that I can have an earnest EXPECTATION of gaining the results that He has promised in His Word.

Tell me… What do you think about that?  Have a terrific new week!  I am planning on getting out a little more this week as Oklahoma has been slowly opening up things again!  Stay safe out there and ask yourself… “What am I EXPECTING when I pray today?”



*(http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-hope-and-expectation


**(https://bible.org/article/hope)

Crises Management

I could only shake my head last night as I laid in bed and caught the beginning monologue of a talk show host whose perspective on American politics closely align with my own personal beliefs.  She began by talking about all the divergent views that are out there concerning the validity of the public use of masks.  Then she moved on to the differing reasons why some states are beginning to open up while others are not.  Many of the various clips that she showed demonstrated how a large number of health professionals, leaders in our government and news personalities have vacillated back and forth in their vehement statements concerning much of the information that is coming out concerning the Corona Virus.

I can’t help but cringe with disbelief at the comments and actions that have been taken by some of our federal and state leaders.  It looks obvious to me that a few of these individuals seem to posses very little skills when it comes to Crises Management.  I hear terms like “facts” and “science” being tossed around, but don’t always see courses of actions that are based on those two guiding-lights.  I see two contrasting concepts of thoughts coming to light.  One that basically says that people are stupid and need to be controlled by those who know best in government, and the other oppositely declaring that people are smart and can figure things out when presented with all the facts and information available at the time.

As Christians, I believe we have a third concept of thought that we must factor in to any decisions we make.  It centers around the truth in God’s Word.  For example… When Piper and I received the first negative test results from her original three bran scans taken in the summer of 2007, we had an important decision to make.  We had to choose between whose word we were going to use as the guiding light for every current and future decision we would need to make throughout the years to come.

And as I’ve written on many occasions, it was a NO-BRAINER for us.  At that moment, for that decision, it was like we’d been training and preparing for that important resolution all of our adult lives!  Without a second thought, we placed our faith, our hopes, our expectations and Piper’s very life into the hands of God and the truth of His word.  From that point on, that singlemindedness, determination and commitment was the foundation and beacon of light that guided our every course of action, every medication and every decision we would need to make.  I recently came across a new translation of Proverbs 3:5 that clearly states exactly what we did saying: “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make.” (The Passion Translation)

The first time I read this translation, I had to pause and add the word “PERIOD!” after the initial five words of the verse!  “TRUST IN THE LORD COMPLETELY”  To me that just about said it all.  It was all that mattered to us.  But we also learned pretty early on in the journey that we were embarking on, that it was important to not only NOT rely on your own opinions but also of those of others (who feel like it is their God-given right to share all their wisdom with you) that is contrary to what the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit is telling you.

I’m seeing that what we learned and experienced back then is also very apropos to what we are all dealing with now concerning the Corona Virus.  With all the various viewpoints and differing opinions of what is right to do or not to do… as Christians, we need to make some personal decisions.  Like with Piper and I, our first and foremost commitment should be to use the Word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit (which is ALWAYS in line with the Word) as our guiding light and/or beacon to guide us in the course of action we choose to take on a daily basis while this crises is here.  I guess you could say that this is to be our first step of Crises Management in any and all situations that we have to deal with!

After Piper and I made that foundational decision back in 2007, I began to pour over every scientific study, report, article and idea, no matter how fact based or far-fetched it was in order to find out all I could about Alzheimer’s.  I wanted to know EXACTLY what we were facing, all the alternatives and be able to carry on intelligent conversations with the various medical professionals we worked with along the way.  Then with all that information, we/I would make all the decisions that we needed to make using the beacon of the Word as our guide.

The same is true today.  I firmly believe that a born-again, spirit filled, well informed Christian, who is in active fellowship with the Lord, will always have more common-sense and make better, more well-rounded decisions than the intellectual who depends strictly on the scientific facts that they base their trust in.

Psalm 23:1-3 tells us that “The Lord is my best friend and my shepherd… He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss.  (and) That’s where he restores and revives my life.”  I like to be in His resting place, in His oasis of peace for it is where He can restore and revive me in the midst of a crisis situation like the Corona Virus.  Philippians 4:6-7 also informs us that it is within that place of His peace that we are able to receive the answers to successfully manage the crisis’s around us. 

Here Paul declared: “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful (place of) peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.” (both – The Passion Translation)

With His Word on the subject, your research on the physical factors involved and in the place of His peace, you’ll always get the answers you need and can walk the course of action you’re led to follow with peace, security and joy!  Give it a try… it’s always worked for me and I expect that it will do the same for you!