Positive News!

Yesterday, our Pastor shared five things that can help to keep us from falling victim to anxiety, fear and panic while we deal with the onslaught of the Corona Virus.  Most, if not all, of his points were thoughts that I have been sharing in my last few blog posts.  But that is not too surprising since Piper and I have followed this particular ministry since the mid-1970’s, were blessed in that three of the five churches in which we served were affiliated with Rhema and the fact that I attended Rhema Bible College.  So… it should come as no surprise that we are thinking and acting along the same course of action! 

The five keys he spoke of were #1, To spend time encouraging yourself in the Word of God, similar to David in I Samuel 30:6.  #2, To spend time in prayer in order to also encourage yourself as per Philippians 4:6.  #3, To do things that will make you laugh (Proverbs 17:22, Nehemiah 8:10).  #4, To turn off the news & turn on the worship (Psalm 100:1-5), and #5, To remember that the Lord is ALWAYS there for you! (Deuteronomy 31:6,8)

Those were good words of advice, but what made them even more special was that it ended up being a reoccurring theme that I heard throughout the day!  I don’t necessarily know if this is happening where you live, but our local Christian radio station (out of Tulsa) not only was playing Godly and encouraging tunes, had DJ’s that shared all kinds of uplifting reports, but also had many of the advertisers sharing positive thoughts, words and scriptures in order to bless and encourage the listening audience!  (Like I told Piper soon after we originally moved here in 2006, “We sure ain’t in Kansas [referring to our home in California] anymore!”)

So, that was cool… then later in the day I saw a report on “Fox News Sunday” where they were interviewing Joel Osteen and asking for his thoughts on how we can all better handle the various changes going on around us, and he went on to talk about how we need to focus our thoughts away from all the bad news being continually broadcast and turn our attention to the peace of God.  With his patented big smile and positive and friendly disposition, he explained how it worked and made it sound very possible!   

I’ve heard many Christians talk despairingly about Pastor Joel and his ministry, but you have to understand that his calling (from what I’ve heard him speak about in various interviews) is to preach a simple and encouraging Gospel.  And considering the fact that he has the largest church in the US … it must be working as it is appealing to many people not only in the Houston Texas area (averaging 52,000 attendees a week), but also around the world!

Then there was the tip I got from a good friend in California.  If you want some information and a good laugh about the Do’s and Don’ts of Covid -19 health etiquette, check out the online video: “Pluto Breaks the Internet”*  It’s pretty funny!  And while you’re online, google all the different “Home Concerts” that are being broadcast directly from the homes of many well-known secular and Christian recording artists.  Fox News online is also broadcasting many different Christian denominational services throughout the week.

So… even though there is a lot of not-so-positive news out there… if you take the time and effort to look for it, there is also a lot of positive, uplifting and funny reports, concerts, religious services, and much more to brighten your day and help to draw your attention toward a more positive outlook and hope!

As far as life in my neck of the woods… I’ve noticed a lot more individuals, couples and families walking (or jogging) past my study window, taking advantage of the many paths around the golf course and neighborhood.  There have been many more golfers out on the green… many of whom I think haven’t been out there in awhile as Fiver and I got “FORED!” numerous times when balls went zinging off their intended direction and landed at our feet near or on the other side of the fence that separates where we walk alongside the golf course!

We’ve also been making the best of the local “Safer at Home” policies by working in the yard, cleaning and preparing my various power lawn tools, doing some reading, walking more and keeping my focus on the positive and encouraging words contained between the pages of my Bible(s) or other Christian based literature.

“And Sooooo” as the Philosophy Professor that Piper and I had (and didn’t really care for… as we found it hard to stay awake in his class… I can still see him saying those words and the gleam in Piper’s eyes as she tried real hard not to laugh when I gave her a funny look!) used to say as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet while leaning on the podium in that old large classroom at the Santa Rosa Junior College… I leave you with a positive thought as penned by King David in what my Passion Translation of the Bible entitles “A Cry for Help.”  Expressed “to the Pure and Shining One, as a song of praising, by King David” 

“Blessing after blessing comes to those who love and trust the Lord. They will not fall away, for they refuse to listen to the lies of the proud.” (Psalm 40:4)

And Sooooo I encourage you to take the King’s advice and seek to love and trust in the Lord by listening more to God’s positive news than to the negative – fear producing- reports that come from the news on a moment by moment basis.  Have a great week, keep following all the standard health protocols, and keep your eyes on the Good News of the Word… then enjoy all the funny and uplifting videos and other entertainment that is out there right now! 


* https://www.todayville.com/edmonton/this-dog-has-some-amazing-advice-for-the-two-leggeds/

Praying in Faith...

I was faced the other morning with one of the “which way will I go” scenarios.  I needed to go grocery shopping and also pick up some supplies for my yard equipment since the lawns are coming out of dormancy in our area.  With those two needs the answer was simple… it’s off to my local Super Walmart!  The governor of our state had just recently enacted a “Safer at Home” policy and strongly suggested that people in the more vulnerable groups stay at home except for essential needs like food!

Well, guess who’s in one of the vulnerable groups?  You guessed it… me!  Since I’m in my sixties I am characterized as one of those folks in your neighborhood that the younger residents should be checking on.  Can you believe that?  When I heard talk of that on a local radio station I thought, “well that’s nice.”  Then it hit me that I’m the oldest guy in our cul-de-sac… and I’m the one they’d be checking on!  But then again, Fiver and I are out a lot and I’m pretty sure that they can see were doing quite well!

Back to my original thought though, in preparing to go shopping, it seemed like I could not get away from all the fearful news being broadcast on the radio, TV and the regular alerts on my phone!  Who was I going to trust?  The scary news or the Good News of God’s Word?  Well, of course, you know I was gonna go with the Word, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have to deal with the “What If’s?”

So, on the day I planned to go, I got up at the regular time, did my Bible Study, took the dog for a short walk and was out of the house before nine.  I decided that I wasn’t going to go during the “Senior’s Hour” that Walmart’s are now offering for two reasons.  First, because it was at 6:00 in the morning and secondly because I felt I’d be safer going when there wasn’t a lot of people around with potentially low immune systems or other health difficulties.  So, off I went at nine.  When I arrived, I quickly boned up on God’s promise of protection in the 91^st Psalm and went off toward the entrance to the store.  As the door swooshed open, I heard that small-still-voice on the inside of me say (like I’ve heard on many occasions), “Now this is where the rubber meets the road.  Are you going to actively believe Me and My Word… or not?”  

Well, I just nodded my head in silent agreement, sanitized the handle on the cart and went on my merry way!   The store was not very crowded and most of the shoppers were around my age or older – so much for the senior hour!  I had to congratulate the cashier as the store was fairly well restocked with only a relatively few empty shelves.  I got everything I needed and more!  I was forced though, to get some larger containers of things I needed… so Fiver and I will be set for a while!

That trip to the store and the mental and spiritual calisthenics that I endured came back to mind today as I read from Mark 11:22-24.  I was looking at The Passion Translation and realized that one of the things that I like about this Bible is the way it emphasizes the idea of what I call “Actively Believing” or the true meaning of having faith in God and His Word.  Jesus sets the standard for us here in Mark 11 when He told His disciples,

“Let the faith of God be in you!  Listen to the truth I speak to you: If someone says to this mountain with great faith and having no doubt, ‘Mountain, be lifted up and thrown into the midst of the sea,’ and believes that what he says will happen, it will be done.  This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.” (TPT)

Robertson’s Word Pictures explains that the key to this kind of faith is found in Jesus’ remarks that are summed up in verse 24.  He wrote, “That (this) is the test of faith, the kind that sees the fulfilment before it happens.”  In his commentary on this verse, Joseph Benson states that “This exhortation, however, is not to be considered as being exclusively given to our Lord’s apostles and first disciples: it is also given to us, and to all his true followers, to the end of the world.” 

Now that’s exciting don’t you think?  When Piper and I came to the realization of this Biblical truth in the early years of our marriage, it set us totally free to dream big, plan big and do big things for God.  But one of the things that repeated itself throughout the last eight years of Piper’s life were the people who would ask to pray for her… and then pray the same thing every time, continually asking God to heal her.  Please don’t get me wrong for I am sure their hearts were in the right place and I appreciated their love for her… but according to Mark 11:24, that’s not the way to pray!  Every time I heard that type of prayer, I would hear Piper’s sweet little crackly voice in my head reminding me that “Jim, we’re believer’s not beggars!”

Philippians 4:6 tells us to pray in faith, and then give God thanks for the answer (according to Mark 11:24 that we believe we HAVE received.).  The King James Version of Mark 11:24 says that “when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

That’s where our faith comes in.  We pray and believe at that very moment (by faith in Him and His love and faithfulness to us) that we have received the answer to our prayer and then thank Him for His answered prayer until we see the manifestation in the natural realm.

That’s why I like to think of it as “Actively Believing” because the Believer must stay actively connected to his or her prayer by their continual faith in the Lord until they see the answer.  Simple Right?  Well, not really!  I’ve found that it’s much harder to stay in active faith for something you’re standing in faith for, than to keep repeating the same request over and over… not really knowing if you’re going to get an answer or not.  Remember the definition of faith in The Passion Translation declares that “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long (or believe) for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.”  (Hebrews 11:1) 

That makes it kind of clear doesn’t it?  It’s like that small-still-voice I heard the other morning saying “Now this is where the rubber meets the road.  Are you going to actively believe Me and My Word… or not?”  

Well… I’m getting long-winded here!  So, I’d best shut up and let you chew on all this over the weekend!  And have a great weekend around the home while you’re doing it!  By the way, my trip to the store was great.  People seemed happy, upbeat and kept their distances.  When I got home, I washed my clothes and showered… just to follow through on the recommended procedures I read about… while I trusted in the Lord, stayed in faith and was thankful for His Psalm 91 protection!

Crazy!

Our Pastor was teaching about standing against fear on Sunday morning and made the comment that “Fear makes you do crazy things that you would never otherwise do.”  And it immediately made me smile as I thought about a line from the first RED movie where the retired suave American CIA agent is confiding in his Russian counterpart about his concerns for the safety of his new love interest.  The Russian in reply pulls down his sweater to expose three scars in his right shoulder.  He then explained how the love of his life shot him three times in the shoulder under the direct command of her superiors.  And after a pause he looked seriously into the eyes of his friend and said “If she wanted to kill me, she would have shot me in the head.”  Then he smiles and declares with a great dramatic fashion that “Love makes you do cra-zzzzy things!”

On the more serious side though, I’ve mentioned many times of how Piper and I experienced the stark reality of the truth behind the statement that “Fear makes you do crazy things that you would never otherwise do.”  We saw it, felt it and had to deal with it in the midst of everything else that was turning our lives upside down in the beginning years of Piper’s declining health… and let me tell you, THAT IT AIN’T NO FUN!  I am not sure which was actually worse.  The pain it caused us or the pain, confusion, anger and lack of self-control we witnessed in the lives of those responsible… which, in many respects, was very different than their normal response to life’s pressures. 

In our last post I talked about Paul’s teaching concerning those who get caught up in fear, turn to worry or anxiety instead of toward the peace and security in God’s Word and suddenly find themselves being pulled in two different directions. (See: Philippians 4:6-7)  Today I’d like to look at a different example written by another author, in this case, James the Pastor of the church in Jerusalem and half-brother of Jesus.  He also speaks of the ramifications of someone who is trying to make decisions while thinking along two opposite paths of thought at the same time.  James described it as being “double minded”.  In James 1:8 he matter-of-factly states that: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” (KJV)

Think about that for a moment.  It is actually a pretty brash statement to make… but you know…  we found out the hard way that it’s true!  In a way, James reminds me of our Pastor.  He can be very bold and forthright at times!  In the original Greek, the word “double minded” means, “two spirited, wavering, uncertain and divided in interest.”  (Strong’s & Thayer’s)  The word “unstable” is defined as “inconstant, fickle, staggering or reeling like a drunken man.”  (Strong’s & Robertson’s Word Pictures)  Dictionary.com describes an unstable person as one “marked by emotional instability.”  And like I said… ditto!  We experienced it first-hand… to the point that the Lord told me that I needed to limit our time with these individuals. 

But, I m not saying all this just to rehash the hash… but to tell of what I’ve learned and how apropos it has become in this new chapter, in this new season of my life, as well as for all of us in the midst of the Corona Virus Pandemic going on right now around the world.  

I have a tendency to pray in bed after I turn the light out for the evening and last night was a prolonged session.  I found myself telling the Lord that I feel like I hit a wall in my personal progress in continuing on with my life without Piper.  And as I proceeded to tell Him about all the things that I don’t see happening, I had a sudden epiphany when I realized that I was doing exactly what I’d been writing about in my blog to NOT do!  I was bouncing back and forth in faith between what I was believing for, according to God’s Word and what I don’t see happening -YET - around me!  Well… that was kind of a hard blow!  I simply sat there in the dark thinking WHOA!  And finally, I took a moment to reset my brain and realign my life with my faith… instead of with my impatient eyes, ears and head! 

Okay, that’s settled… right?  WRONG!  This morning while I was writing out a grocery list, I found myself beginning to get a little anxious thinking… “what happens if I can’t get the things I need?”  (& believe or not… toilet paper IS on the list!)  But thank God that the Word that I have been putting into my heart bounced right back and IMMEDIATELY reminded that “My God shall supply all of my needs ACCORDING to HIS RICHES in glory in Christ Jesus!” (EMTV personalized)  Ah!  What a relief it is to have one’s faith in something that’s bigger than the US merchandise and food supply chain!  

But what about going out to the store, is it safe?  Hummm… let’s see… Oh Yeah… there’s Isaiah 55:12 saying 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?” (TPT)  

So, what am I really saying?  Don’t be double minded!  BE SINGLE MINDED!  Do all that you need to do in the natural to take care of your physical needs and health concerns and then TAKE THE LORD AT HIS WORD and TRUST in HIM!  Yes, trust Him much more than you trust in what you see going on in the world that differs from the promises in His Word!   IT’S THAT PLAIN AND SIMPLE! 

So, I’ll say it again… Go in peace with your trust, expectations and faith in Him!  Then say with me… I am expecting to stay SINGLE MINDED on the promises of God and His Word!

FEAR vs PEACE

When the seriousness of the spread of the Corona Virus was first becoming apparent to the general public, I immediately went to my Bible and opened it up to my favorite and most well-used protection scripture found in Psalm 91:10.  I know the scripture by heart but there is something even more personal and powerful… at least to me… to physically look it up in my favorite Bible.  Here the Psalmist writes: “No evil shall befall you, nor will any plague come near your dwelling.” (NASB)   

For greater impact, I learned a long time ago to personalize scriptures like this, so I automatically began to say, with a strong conviction of heart that: “No evil shall befall ME and no plague, sickness or disease shall come near MY dwelling!”  Other translations interpret the world “dwelling” as “house”, so I have always taken that to believe that my confession of this verse includes everyone and everything in my household as well as on my property!

I thought it was very interesting and timely to observe that the newest addition to my stable of Bibles, The Passion Translation, states this verse (combining verses 9&10) as: “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?”  I just felt like that was the Holy Spirit confirming what I already knew to be true for this particular strain of virus, at this particular point in time! 

Now that a few weeks have gone by and it seems like one cannot go but for a few moments without being bombarded with the news and updates about what has now become a world-wide pandemic… that standing on the truth of this verse and many others like it in the Bible is more important than ever!  With churches closed and public gatherings being limited to less than10 people in our area, I had the opportunity to attend two church services yesterday… without leaving the comfort of my study!

Both churches had upbeat services, sang songs praising the virtues of God’s power and protection and had the Pastor’s teaching on God’s abilities to keep us from fear, heal us and keep us safe in troubled times… And in my way of thinking, it was EXACTLY what we the people needed to hear and put our faith in… RIGHT? 

Well, according to what I hear and see on the news… I’d be wrong with that assumption!  I have been finding myself getting increasingly frustrated and upset with all the FEAR that is being projected by the news media.  Sure, we need to know and stay up-to-date on the facts, but why does such a highly negative and fear-filled point of view seem to be incorporated into almost every headline and be the center of almost every article or report?

Then to make it even worse (or simply down right FOOLISH looking to me), is the argumentative behavior of some of the so-called news reporters who get upset and question the President’s positive and encouraging attitude when he addresses the nation with the daily pandemic updates.  I personally think that he is doing an excellent job in keeping us informed and at the same time hopeful in our country’s ability to overcome this latest national disaster.

Philippians 4:6-7 clearly and simply gives us the key to overcoming the attack of this so-called “Invisible Enemy” by encouraging us to make the personal decision to, “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.” (EMTV) 

Once again, The Passion Translation makes it even more succinct, saying in a more modern and understandable tone, “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 peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.” 

The part about not being “pulled in different directions” is what helped me the most.  I noticed this morning that I was all built up and confident after my Bible study but almost lost it when I glanced over at the news headlines on the home page on my computer while eating breakfast.  I realized that in a moments time I allowed myself to be “pulled in different directions” with God’s Good News on the one hand, and the world’s Bad and Fear-laced News on the other.  I realized after a few moments of noticing that I had lost a big part of my peace, that I had a decision to make.  Which direction was I going to go?  Well, it was a no-brainer for me, but understanding what had happened was a great lesson to learn!  I’m going to do my best to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

And how am I going to accomplish that?  By following Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:6 where he tells us to saturate ourselves in prayer throughout each and every day.  For me that simply means keeping in communication with Him throughout the course of my day by purposely focusing more of my attention on Him and the truth of His Word than I do on the news and/or the opinions of others.  

Then when we follow these directions, Paul goes on to say in the very next verse, that the PEACE of God will guard our hearts and our thoughts from the barrage of FEAR that is trying to invade our lives in the midst of this serious situation that the world is facing.  Simple right?  Well… to be honest… maybe not!  It is a course of action that we have to make a personal decision to follow, and believe me when I say that it takes a lot of dedication and commitment to accomplish!  If you’re anything like me, then you’ve got your phone apps constantly beeping alerts about the situation, the radio telling you how bad things are… and I won’t even get into the TV news!

BUT… when you persist in following Paul’s advice, life will be a lot more positive and calming in the midst of all the life changes we are having to deal with.  It also helps you to be a carrier of God’s peace to a troubled world!  That’s been my prayer… that the Love, Peace and Grace of God would be so overflowing and overwhelming in me that it is splashes onto to everyone I should come into contact with… or at least come near to six feet of them!

Go in His peace and say with me… “I am expecting the peace that I am allowing to get into me, to splash onto others today!”

If It Ain't Broke...

One of the essential lessons my wife and I learned throughout our many years together was the importance of having an active, simple, childlike faith in God and His Word.  Then when the worst in life hit us with the attack on her health, we didn’t think twice about what we needed to do.  We automatically placed our trust in Him and committed to each other to keep His Word as the final say-so in every decision that we would be faced with in the coming days, months and years.

As I’ve stated before though, not everyone thought that we had made the right decision.  These folks tended to see our simple faith as something that was… shall we say… less than intelligent!  On the positive, encouraging side, the Oxford dictionary defines “simple” as “plain, basic, and uncomplicated in form or nature.”  On the negative side, “simple” is defined as “abnormally low intelligence.”  To say the least, these particular individuals were less than positive and encouraging in their support of my wife and I.  

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  In our understanding of the Christian walk, grace is the foundational cornerstone of how we not only come into the faith, but stay successfully active in it throughout our lives.  The Message Paraphrase of the Bible seems to gives us the most simplistic and succinct rendering of this verse by stating: “Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It's God's gift from start to finish!  We don't play the major role. If we did, we'd probably go around bragging that we'd done the whole thing!” 

It’s interesting to notate that the word “saved” in verse eight is the Greek word “sozo” which incorporates the ideas of salvation from sin, deliverance, protection, healing, well-being and to be made whole (physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and financially - Strong's)  When you think about it… it is one of the most inclusive words in the Christian tool box for the situations in life that we all face on a daily basis!  In line with this understanding, one could truly say and stand in faith on the fact that 

BY GRACE I AM:

*Saved
*Healed
*Delivered from any negative situation or need
*Protected from all harm (ie; COVID-19)
*Live in a continual state of Well-Being
*Have your Financial needs abundantly met
*And be made WHOLE in every area of your physical being as well as in all the areas of your life!

And according to our verse above, the only thing that we have to do is: “to trust him enough to let him do it.  (Because) It's God's gift from start to finish!  (Therefore) We don't play the major role.”  The only role that we are to take action on is to believe in Him and His Word to do what He says He will do with a SIMPLE faith.  Faith that doesn’t bend with the emotional twists caused by what might or might not be happening in the natural all around you.

This is one lesson that I know I must continue on with in this new season in my life.  I might even venture to say that this new chapter is much more difficult for me, than in experiencing all that we did throughout Piper’s final journey on this earth on this side of the Millennium Reign of Christ.  At least before… I had her!

So, you can see why SIMPLE is the word and plan that I intend to continue with until I see her again.  Afterall, even though we may have looked naïve or foolish in some people’s eyes, the facts tended to align with us as we continually saw the things that we were actively believing for, come to past from the very beginning days in Oklahoma when I was at school and continuing on through today... living in my new house while beginning a new phase of life!

What can I say?  Simple Faith… Simply Works!  

(What’s that saying about “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?) 

Have a wonderful weekend in these different times.  Stay healthy, keep your trust in the Word and say with me… “I am expecting my SIMPLE FAITH in God and His Word to keep me healthy and carry me through to His victory today!”

JIM 2.0

I had a rude awakening first thing the other morning when I looked into the bathroom mirror on the dawn of my 67^th birthday.  As I studied the image being reflected back to me, I suddenly realized that I didn’t know the guy I was looking at!  But the more I stared at the guy, the more I began to understand why I feel like I’ve lost ten years of my life. 

When Piper and I along with two of our kids moved to Oklahoma in 2006, my whole life as I had known it changed… although I didn’t realize it at the time.  At first things were fabulous… up until the end of my first school year when the changes going on in my wife began to become more visibly evident to us.  But even then, life was still pretty good for us.  The specialists that we were seeing were confused with the test results and we still hung onto the hope that it was not too major of an event in her life.

I clearly remember joking with one of my coworkers in the breakroom at the Home Depot that I worked at when I turned 55.  Hopefully he wasn’t just pulling my leg, but he kept shaking his head saying that I didn’t look that old… which made me laugh!  Then… as I kept looking over that strange image in my bathroom mirror, I was shocked to think that the next cognizant memory that I could pull up was when I received my Medicare card in the mail when I turned 65!

Now, don’t think I’m losing my marbles here… but the point is that from around 2008 through 2018, the central focus of my daily life was on Piper.  The structures back home that we had depended on previous to moving to Oklahoma had either changed or were no longer existent.  And once I left my full-time job to care for my wife 24/7, the total extent of my life - socially and just about everything else - was her!  For the next eight years her care was my job and my existence centered around her...  and I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.  I believe it is what I was called and prepared to do.  I also have come to honestly believe that when she moved on to glory, that we had fully completed the covenant that we entered into on July 12, 1975.

But now here I am in state foreign to where I called home for over 50 years, attempting to start over with a new version of me, which I’ve jokingly been referring to as Jim 2.0!  Suddenly my focus is free to be on anything!  The problem I’m finding out though, is when I think back to how I did things before my life changed when we originally moved out here.  Those ten years since I was 55 are simply a blur to me… So, when I think of a normal life, my memory automatically goes back to when I was in my mid-fifties.  Therefore, whenever I look into the mirror… I normally go into shock because what I am witnessing is not how I see myself.

I’ve been praying about this since that morning glance into the mirror, and had the Lord show me a couple of positive things about the here and now.  The first being that while I am NOT the man I was back then… I’m actually a BETTER version of who that guy was.  There is A LOT more in me now than before… more of God’s Word, more personalized understanding of that Word in me, much more wisdom learned through the expanse of difficult life experiences that I’ve been through over the last ten years and a much deeper, practical and working knowledge of the love, grace and goodness of God. 

The other thing was that although those hard experiences pretty much zapped the color out of my hair, etched a few more wrinkles in my face and caused my knees and hips to pain me at times (she didn't weigh much but I lifted her on multiple occasions everyday for years!)... I am still in pretty good overall health!  Sure, I can’t sit on my knees at the coffee table and play games for as long as my granddaughter would like, but I can still walk my dog for a few miles a day, chase the ball with him, go fishing, preach up a storm and do most of the things that I enjoy doing!  I’ve also learned that for me, life is about continuing on with the practices of faith in God and His Word that carried us through the most difficult times in my life.

Hebrews 11:1 in The Passion Translation sums up where Piper and I stood for 48 years, and where I am planning to stand for the rest of my life on this earth.  In describing faith under the inspiration of the Spirit, the writer of Hebrews declared that “Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” 

As I’ve been studying this verse from my newest Bible acquisition, I’ve come to understand that the writer is not just talking about faith in general here, but about a very specific, currently active stand of faith that the Believer is taking for the meeting a particular need in his or her life.  It is discussing what the writer is defining as “NOW Faith!”  This revelation is telling me that I can’t just expect to coast through the rest of my physical life!

Even though things are different and confusing for me right now without Piper at my side, I firmly believe that God still has something for me to accomplish in the here and now.  That same burning desire for the ministry that I’ve dealt with my entire life… the same one that most people except my loving wife never understood, that caused me to get bored with all the secular positions I held over the years… is still white-hot inside of me!  

And as for Piper and I in the past and for me today, the only way to be where He wants me to be… in the Right Place at the Right Time, Doing and Saying the Right thing, is through an active, NOW kind of faith in Him!  I’m quickly learning while looking at that stranger in my bathroom mirror, that some things never change but only get BETTER and more POWERFUL with age. 

So… JIM 2.0 is moving forward with all that new and BETTER stuff inside of him!  How about you?

Have a great rest of the week, and as you do… expect to remember that your personalized NOW FAITH in the Word of God is “all the evidence required” for you to prove God’s will for you!

"It's Okay!"

I was walking my dog to the neighborhood pond and playground over the weekend and all the conditions were ripe for him to have a tough time… Let me explain.  On the way to the park, we have to walk behind a row of homes that back up to the golf course we live next to.  Each of these houses have decorative chain link fencing in order to give the owners a view of the golf course.  The only down side is that the majority of these houses have dogs that reside in their yards… and most of them have more than one family pet.  And you guessed it.  When we go by, they all bark at Fiver and I!

On this particular walk, besides the barking dogs, there was a plentitude of golfers enjoying their sport and then to add to the confusion, a 14 mph north east wind was blowing.  The strong wind along with the distraction of the dogs and golfers caused the Aussie part of Fiver to become very anxious.  So, for the entire walk I found myself gently and calmly reassuring my 65 lb bundle of energy, telling him that “It’s Okay!” with an occasional “Good Boy!” mixed in. 

At one point I had to stop and laugh as I thought back over the last twelve years of my life and tried to recall just how many times, I had said that phrase “It’s Okay!”  You see, whenever Piper had an emergency situation l would sooth her and love on her by holding her hand, look deep into her beautiful brown eyes and softly tell her that “It was Okay”... and that I was right there with her.  

I had promised her very early on as we began what became her final journey in this world, that I would always be there for her, and never leave her side.  The thought of leaving her in the care of someone else, besides me, for an hour or two while I ran an errand (which only happened a handful of times) was very revolting to me.  While we hung on the Word of the Lord where He promised us that He would never neglect us or abandon us (Joshua 1:5)  I also assured her that, to the best of my ability, I would do the same for her. 

This all came back to me this morning when I sat down in my new study to read my Bible.  While sitting there at my desk, my phone kept ringing message alerts about some new terrible news about the affects of the Corona Virus in our local community, our country and across the world.  My first thought as I looked over at the phone was… and again you probably guessed it…  I softly spoke the words, this time to myself, “It’s Okay!” 

Depending on who you’re listening to… you’re either going to live in fear, move to Montana and live in a cave until this is all over or you are going to trust in the Lord, use good common sense to take care of yourself and go on living your life!  I choose the later of those two plans!  How about you? 

I heard four different Pastors yesterday, teach on the positive and powerful affects of prayer and trusting in God and His Word during this pandemic.  It really bothers me when I see posts on social media that openly criticize men and women of God who have been reassuring us with the Biblically based truths of God’s protection for those of us who stand in faith against the effects of this virus and actively believe for God’s protection. (See: Psalm 91)  And what makes it worse is that some of these posts were written by people who claim to be Christians.  There’s something wrong here folks?  Either you believe the Word of God or you don’t.  In my way of thinking… there is no middle ground.

Hebrews 11:1 in The Passion Translation of the Bible makes it simple by explaining that, “Now faith brings our hopes (or better said, ‘expectations’) into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long (or actively believe) for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.”  In other words… When you actively believe His promises… “It’s gonna be OKAY!”

So, what are you going to believe?  The barrage of FEAR that we are being inundated with by the mainstream media or the truth of God’s Word, working together with your good common sense, healthy sanitary practices and a positive attitude?  Just think about it… and for good measure, remember this truth: “The LORD is my light and my salvation. Who is there to fear? The LORD is my life's fortress. Who is there to be afraid of?” (Psalm 27:1 God’s Word ©) 

I might even suggest that you write that verse out and tape it to the mirror in your bathrooms and on the door of your refrigerator!  Then READ it and SAY it until it becomes a part of you!  I’ve seen enough of the super-natural workings of God through my active belief in His Word to NEVER doubt one word He says… and you can too!

Have a great week.  Trust in Him, and as you do keep saying, “It’s gonna be Okay, for I am expecting the Lord to be my light and my salvation today!”