Loving God, Loving All, Join the Journey .....

The Guidance of God

2012-02-27T11:29:00.000-08:00

Devotional Readings: Psalm 25:1-22 and several others including those listed here.

Psalm 23:2-3

He leads me besides still waters; ... He leads me in the right paths for His name's sake

Exodus 13:21

The LORD went in front of them during the day in a column of cloud to guide them and at night in a column of lightning to give them light. This way they could travel during the day and at night.

Psalm 25:8-10

The LORD is good and does the right thing;
   he teaches sinners which way
   they should go.
God guides the weak to justice,
   teaching them his way.
All the LORD’s paths
are loving and faithful
   for those who keep his covenant
   and laws.

Psalm 31:1-4

I take refuge in you, LORD.
   Please never let me be put to shame.
      Rescue me by your righteousness!
Listen closely to me!
   Deliver me quickly;
      be a rock that protects me;
      be a strong fortress that saves me!
You are definitely my rock

and my fortress.
   Guide me and lead me
   for the sake of your good name!
Get me out of this net
that’s been set for me
   because you are my protective fortress.

Psalm 139:9-10

" If I could fly on the wings of dawn,
   stopping to rest only
   on the far side of the ocean—
     even there your hand would guide me;
      even there your strong hand
      would hold me tight!

From time to time, at least before my hip replacement surgery in March 2003, I enjoyed (that is I really looked forward to) going to the C&O Canal Great Falls National Park Montgomery Park Maryland. I started going here in about 1991. There is walking, biking and the bit more adventurous - several hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty from the novice to the more experienced. These trails are self guided in that once you begin them -- you are on your own pace to finish.

One in particular that I have a great fondness for is the Billy Goat Trail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Goat_Trail ) ( http://www.midatlantichikes.com/id163.html) The Billy Goat Trail (also written as Billygoat Trail) is a 4.7-mile (7.6 km) hiking trail that follows a path between the C&O Canal and the Potomac River within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park near Great Falls in Montgomery County, Maryland. The trail has three sections: Section A, the northernmost, is 1.7 miles (2.7 km); Section B is 1.4 miles (2.3 km); and Section C, the southernmost, is 1.6 miles (2.6 km). Section A is by far the most strenuous and is also the most popular taking about 2 1/2 hours to complete start to finish.

The path starts out very even and very gradually becomes more and more rocky. Wear your best hiking shoes and plenty of water) for this one as it does not take long before the trail begins to get more steep and more rocky. From one critique written in 2007:

Critique: I highly enjoyed this hike. While Section A is only 1.7 miles long, it feels much longer. I only started doing day hikes during this summer, and though I have done trails at least twice as long as Billy Goat Section A, I found this hike to be especially exhausting. Don't get me wrong... it's the best kind of exhausting I've ever experienced! You really feel like you've accomplished something.

The endless spectacular views and the rock scrambling/climbing made the trail one of the most diverse and exciting trails I've hiked, and at times I felt that I had been transported away from Maryland to somewhere out West! I highly recommend this trail for beginners who, like I, have had some experience on a couple of moderate trails under their belt and want to experience something more exciting than just an endless green tunnel.

The last time I tried this trail was in August of 2010. I just had this irresistible impulse to go back. I had to know that I could do it in spite of my hip. The trail kept calling out to me -- "Come by and climb me again." It was at a point when I felt that I needed to know I could 'climb the mountain', I needed to stretch myself physically and spiritually. Observe the awesome beauty of God's creation from the vantage of the high ground. I had done this trail several times with relative ease so I knew I could finish. The only difference was that now I had to overcome the physical limitations of my replaced left hip. I hadn't climbed it in many tears but I felt I knew the trail well enough to get through it. So, off I went with my water and my snacks and my best hiking boots. Instead of a hiking stick I took my cane.

I did reasonably well through 3/4 of it. I stopped when I was tired to rest, drink and eat and enjoy the view. Then I came upon this section of the trail:

And I realized that I was in for it. I was tired and near exhaustion. I looked up at the ascent and thought to myself -- My God, My God! I forgot just how steep and narrow it was. How am I going to this the way I was feeling. My legs were more like rubber than not. I had to go up because it was way too far to reverse course and go back to the beginning. I was beside myself and nearly crying. There was no going down into the Mather Gorge and there was no phone signal to call for any rescue. There were some people coming down but they were going the opposite way from me. The one's that were coming my way, just ambled up with fairly relative ease and disappeared from site. So I rested for a while and waited till the climb was clear.

I began my ascent. Let me tell you that I was scared that I would lose my balance the way my legs felt. I clung as close to the rock wall as I could and finally made it to within about 5 feet from the top. But I could quite literally go no further. I had no strength in my arms or my legs. The muscles hurt like crazy. I could barely life them. So I sat down in an outcropping convinced I was going no further. I had not the strength to pull myself up and continue to the finish line. I was at the end.

Suddenly a hand reached down from above me and told me to take his hand. He asked me my name and I told him. He reached his hand down again and repeated the command. I reached up and grabbed it and with great effort and many words of encouragement, he pulled me up to the top. He gave me his water bottle so I could take a drink. I thanked him mightily for coming to my aid and I asked for his name. He said it was Joshua (Hebrew for God is my help and my salvation)! With sufficient rest at the top I was able to descend down the rest of the trail and return to my car.

In Psalm 25 David points out that we can experience God's guidance and help if we meet certain spiritual conditions:

Confidence in God: We demonstrate this through our worship. We need to pray so that we might have our hearts right with Him. We wait for Him instead of rushing headlong into trouble. In verses 4 and 5 David likewise talks about his willingness to follow. God will extend His hand to us but we have to choose to take hold of it to receive the benefits of His help. Verse 5 also tells us that we need confidence the witness of the Word (Psalm 119:105).
The attitudes of Humility and Surrender: Give your life over to God. "O what peace we often forfeit O what needless pains we bear because we try to manage challenging circumstances the best way we think is best instead of letting God's wisdom prevail.God never forgets His children. An honest heart that pleas "Blot out all my transgressions" from Psalm 51 that sends us to our knees instead of broken bones when we trip and fall flat on our backsides or faces.

Do you need God's guidance today? Let Psalm 25:1-5 be your prayer. Place your confidence in Him and yield to Him in spite of yourselves and your circumstances. You will please God and help accomplish His purposes in your life and in the lives of those around you.

God Bless

Living and Loving your Life - The Inward Man

2012-02-23T07:11:00.000-08:00

Bible Readings: Matthew 6:19-21, 2Corinthians 4:7-20, 1Peter 3:1-7 (CEB)

We have entered the time of Lent. We are in a time of self reflection when we have an opportunity to peer inwardly and look outwardly at ourselves and ask "If I only had the next 40 days to put my affairs in order what would I do?" "How would I live?" "What would I dare to change about myself?" "What do I need to accept about who I am that can never change?" In short - Can I look at my own inner man? Do I place a higher value of my whole self? Where is the treasure I truly long to live and love my life for?

It is easy in our world to lose touch with the value of the inner man. We are a society and a culture that orients around what others see as our store houses of accomplishments, and our successes. More value seems to be instinctively placed on the image we project outwardly while the inward parts of us become "a no-mans land." -- "If the people knew what was on the inside of me ... WOW!! I would be all alone."

It is hard for us to intentionally orient ourselves inward. Very seldom is it the place we really want to be. Onward and outward as the time worn saying goes. Onward and inward just does not sound like a very natural act for man to be involved in. The words just do not occur naturally in man's nature. It is hard for us to rank the "inward versus outer man" on the same scales that our society deems relevant. It come's down to us creating our own arbitrary scales of significance versus insignificance. Therefore, in order to feel significant, we instinctively focus on developing the outward persona.

However, we must carefully examine and consider Paul's words to the Corinthian Church. Verse 16 of our reading:
¹⁶ So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day.

Paul wrote to them that their bodies were breaking down on the outside. Their outward persona is steadily perishing day after day. Life is taking its toll and there was nothing to be done to stop it. No amount of 'working on it' was going to change that reality which was ever before their very eyes.

Have you ever taken the time to notice the youthful appearances of photos placed next to an obituary notice? I can remember seeing somebody as a teenager leaving great grandchildren to mourn their passing. We enjoy remembering the youthful appearances of our parents from their wedding pictures and before. It is even more joyful to see 'what was' when we remember their more aged appearance looking at them in their caskets. "Gee - they were young once - just like me."

Paul' s philosophy is similar to Jesus' philosophy: "¹⁹ “Stop collecting treasures for your own benefit on earth, where moth and rust eat them and where thieves break in and steal them. ²⁰ Instead, collect treasures for yourselves in heaven, where moth and rust don’t eat them and where thieves don’t break in and steal them. ²¹ Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt. 6:19-21

The outward man and his possessions are subject to the winds of time and change. The inward man is going to live forever. The question is How exactly do we demonstrate that we value the inward man? How do we invest in that part of us that Jesus tells us is the most important for life?

We have to intentionally and purposefully enter into the front door of our spiritual lives and engage our inner self in a conversation, a down to earth dialog of change and transition. We need to move our hearts to where our minds have always been. Introduce one to the other in the spirit of God's love. "Yea though I walk through the darkest valley's, I will fear no evil. For God is wherever I go."

This Lent, my wife Sharon and I are going to try and work our way through the study and reading material from the movie "Courageous". It promises to be a great challenge and bring great blessing.
Please pray for us as we strive to move ourselves inward to where our treasure in heaven lives.

Be Strong and Courageous - Joshua 1:9

God Bless and may your journey to your inward self bless you and bless others.

God's prevailing love and Parenting by Faith

2012-02-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

Why God's love will always prevail in the family

Ephesians 6:1 - 4 (CEB): ¹ As for children, obey your parents in the Lord, because it is right. ² The commandment Honor your father and mother is the first one with a promise attached: ³ so that things will go well for you, and you will live for a long time in the land. ⁴ As for parents, don’t provoke your children to anger, but raise them with discipline and instruction about the Lord.

What an amazing time we all had at the Phenomenal Pigskin Party on this past Sunday. Everyone worked hard to make the evening a wonderful success for our church family. The game was well played and very competitive right up to the end. The whooping and hollering for our favorite teams and dancing to the wonderful halftime show just added to the high pitched excitement of the night.

It was wonderful to see all the families that took the time to come out on the inaugural family night. Parents and Grandparents and children of all ages set up their 'comfy' chairs. They sat with each other and talked and shared of their life. There was plenty of food to go around thanks to all those who took the time to prepare it. So many meatballs, pulled pork, chicken wings, hot dogs, sausages, coleslaw, vegetable trays and dip. Potato Chips of all kinds to snack on, Cheese Curls, Nacho chips.
Desserts of all kinds to top off and satisfy that ever present 'need for sweet' craving. It was just a nice way for our church family to come together and fellowship with each other. Praise be to God!!!

1Chronicles 17:16-17 (CEB)

David’s prayer

1⁶ Then King David went and sat in the LORD’s presence. He asked: Who am I, LORD God, and of what significance is my family that you have brought me this far? ¹⁷ But even this was too small in your eyes, God. You have spoken about the future of your servant’s dynasty and have chosen me as an important person, LORD God.

and

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (CEB) ¹¹ I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the LORD; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. ¹² When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. ¹³ When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me.

At home, we are husbands and wives, Fathers and mothers, Boyfriend and Girlfriend. Some are raising their children and others are 'empty nesters' with children in college or married and raising the next generation. Grand Parents, and Great Grand Parents. As the old song goes 'We are Family'. At Hiss Church we are each others family seeking to share the love we have come to know through the Grace of God. In the eternal equation - we are all members of God's family through Jesus Christ.

Yes, We are all family through the good times and the best of times. We come together to have a party and celebrate what the Lord has done for us. In the not so good times and the worst of times we come together as they did:

Acts4:32-33 (CEB)

³² The community of believers was one in heart and mind. None of them would say, “This is mine!” about any of their possessions, but held everything in common. ³³ The apostles continued to bear powerful witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and an abundance of grace was at work among them all.

As I am coming to know, just having been married 22 months ago, there is no such thing as painless parenting (or step parenting a 32 yo married man). Pain - even excruciating pain is a natural part of the family process. Women know better than anyone that pain is just how the family got started (Genesis 3:16). And the aches and pains, the hurts and hassles, have continued to intrude into the parenting pathway ever since, and whether we like it or not, it is here to stay.

That is why a vital faith in Jesus Christ is so crucial to a happy family. God equips us through faith to meet all the challenges of parenting, even in a toxic environment. Consider:

Ephesians 6:1: for example: "Children obey your parents." How? "In the Lord."
Ephesians 5:25: "Husbands love your wives." How? "As Christ loved the church."
Ephesians 5:22: "Wives submit to your own Husbands." How? "As to the Lord."

All these instructions to the family wrap around a core of faith in God's love and in Christ's sacrifice.

Don't try to build your family with out faith in God. Throw yourself on His grace and mercy and pray to Him: "Lord, I know that apart from you, I can't do anything but mess this thing up. So I pray that through the best of times and the worst of times for the strength and courage to hang onto You with both hands. That together, we will make this family work. To your greater glory. Amen

Almighty God - Why aren't you conforming to our expectations of you?

2012-01-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

We are in the midst of asking "Why" from Reverend Adam Hamilton's book of the same name. The first question - Why do bad things happen to good people? And vice versa good things to bad people. These are very challenging and important questions to ask and enormously difficult to respond to in a way that most people would find most meaningful. There are probably just as many answers to the question as there are people in the world. Each and every one of us has responses to this according to our own life experiences and no two life experiences are the same. There is just no set pat answer. I am not going to regale you with my answer to this as it would reflect my own earth bound wisdom.

Revelation 1:8

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

There are some who follow Jesus because they want God to conform to their expectations instead of them conforming to His.

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone. (John 6:14–15)

They expected to take Him by force and make Him the king. They perceived the Messiah as a political liberator. They didn't understand that before He will come to reign as Lord of lords and King of kings and establish His kingdom, He would first suffer and die for the sins of humanity.

Sometimes people today are that way with God. They expect the Lord to conform to their conception of Him. They expect God to conform to their expectations. They decide, and He is supposed to cooperate because He is God and is the giver of every good and perfect gift to every good and perfect person (and how many of these are out there that you know of?) It doesn't work that way. He doesn't conform to your expectations. Your expectations must conform to His.

The only thing that is going to turn us around, conform us, is a change of heart, a spiritual awakening, and that can only happen through prayer and the proclamation of the gospel. We have this automatic expectation that God will prevent the bad things from darkening the doorstep of those who proclaim themselves to be good and righteous people (legends in their own minds). This is not how it works. This was never meant to be the expectation of how things work with God. God is not a partial God - He loves everyone wherever they may be, however they be, who ever they may be, when ever they may be and WHY ever they may be. What is your expectation of God for your life?

Knowing what we know about some people we ask Why would God love THAT person? God is LOVE.

Think of God's expectation of us along these lines. Fill in the parentheses (Your name) is love. Is your expectation to love all others the same? Are you trying to conform or transform your lives to meet God's expectation of you? Where do you fall short in 'loving all'? Why are you falling short?

Think of Jesus' kind of love. Why did he embrace the cheaters and the prostitutes? Why did he touch the lepers and the dead? Why did he choose to eat with the worst possible sinners? Why did Jesus wash even Judas' feet knowing full well he would be betrayed by him and eventually killed? Why did he choose to put up with people who wanted to only trick him or were ever trying to push him away, or plot against his life? Why did God so love this world that He sent His only Son to die? Why did Jesus say 'YES' to the cross? Why not just avoid the whole thing and run away like His disciples did in the Garden? WHY WHY WHY -- The questions keep coming and the answers fleeting.

No sane person would ever expect any one to conform to this kind of love. Just too much to ask. I seriously doubt that even His first disciples, His legions of followers and even His own Mother would ever expect this kind of conformity to earth bound love. And we keep missing the point today. We expected Jesus to love us in the only way could understand or conform to -- by earthly standards. What we got was a living, triumphant example of God's higher expectations for man/woman kind.
Jesus Christ is not a means to an end. He is the end. He is the all in all. He is the Alpha and the Omega.

Loving God -- Loving All -- Joining the Journey. Why???

Come and see! Come and learn!

Finding Refuge in a Manger

2011-12-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

Greetings fellow travelers,

I must apologize profusely for my lack of postings. The holiday season has been a bit more intensive this year than in the past. There has been much going on around here getting my home ready for my sisters' arrival from my former home in Buffalo, NY (And No, there is not 6 feet of snow on the ground yet to trudge through -- YET!!!) There has been whole a lot of running and driving around for supplies. The weather has been more rainy than I remember and more than once I have found myself seeking refuge amongst dry places in malls, Big Lots and Home Depot.

Today's devotional passage is

Psalm 68:33-35 (HCSB):

³³ to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.
Look, He thunders with His powerful voice!
³⁴ Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
His power among the clouds.
³⁵ God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!

Finding refuge is not a concept that most of us relate to in the physical sense. We have our comfortable homes and vehicles and the freedom to come and go without restraint. The physical freedom we experience can sometimes hide the emotional need for refuge, until someone or something brings it all to the surface and we cannot avoid or ignore the reality of our need. It is at this very important point in time that our concept of God comes more and more into focus.

If we are not careful we can spend all our lives around the circumference of the circle of knowing God and never actually get to the center of it. It is easy to get caught up in the mechanics of living a Christian lifestyle and not truly understand what it means to take refuge in a Christian Life.

Focus on the word 'sanctuaries' in verse 35. Webster defines this word as "sacred, a holy place, as a building set aside for worship, a place of refuge or protection" The image is one of a church or other building where we go to find relationship with friendly faces or even God.

However, in this Christmas season when we await with growing anticipation the birth of the Christ Child, instead of the word 'sanctuaries' - substitute the word 'Manger' !!!

re-read the 35th verse ---

God, You are awe-inspiring in Your MANGER.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!

Now reread the whole Psalm with the word 'MANGER' .

Meditate on this during this season. Taking Refuge in the SANCTUARY of the MANGER which gave refuge to the Christ Child -- Emmanuel 'God With US'!!!

Publish Post

Merry CHRISTmas

finding your life - then giving it back

2011-12-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

Devotional reading: Psalm 34: A Psalm of David when he feigned madness before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed.

A song of praise and thanksgiving to God sung by David when he faked insanity to save his life.  He 'lost' his 'soul' that he would be sent away from the presence of man and so live another day. We prefer to lose ourselves when confronted by the ultimate enemy that even in our own great strength, we prefer 'flight' over 'fight' and run or skulk away.

Feigning madness? Faking temporary madness - and then singing a song of thanksgiving to God? This just does not sound like something to thank God for. I mean, if there was faith in God and in His message of "I am with you always"? Then why would you need to fake it to make it? Why would you feel the need to temporarily convince someone you have 'lost your mind body and soul?' I mean is or are there times when you feel safer being pseudo-insane? Do you feel safer being driven away from the company of mankind because you just cannot deal with what is going on in the circumstances of the moment you are locked in? Confronted by the enemy of enemies against which you have no sure defense or will to fight? Mother said there would be days like this. But so many days and all in a row!!?? I loved my Mom, but come on. What can happen next?

Unemployment? Disability? Foreclosure on home? Family in crisis through catastrophic illnesses or otherwise? Changing careers in midstream by necessity, not by choice? Raising children, Making decisions about caring for your aging family members at home or sending them to care facilities. Divorce, separation, death perhaps? Anything and everything that can loudly and proudly declare that the human condition is upon our lives threatening our very sanity. Life just seems to be ceaselessly cascading on us, and well, we just want to lose ourselves - get away from it all because there just seems to be one too many battles we must choose to fight.   

The central questions in life - Why me? Was I born for this? Who am I that my Lord should choose me for all these 'honorable' and 'blessed' moments? What am I - God's pin cushion?

These questions are troubling until you find the answers that ring the truest for you. These questions can be difficult if not standing next to impossible when you have no foundation in faith - no image of the light at the end of the narrowing tunnel. Being human, we require a revelation of meaning in our lives far beyond the overwhelming pictures or images of crises.

What revelation of sanity do you need to seek? Are you seeking? Sometimes, we get so focused on how we seek the answers that we overlook just how intently others are seeking to help us out of the toughest of spots? Who could be seeking you at this moment? When you are confronted by the 'ultimate enemy' do you feign insanity? Feign faith in the love which died to save you?

God Bless      

The Art of Serving

2011-11-18T08:22:00.000-08:00

Devotional Reading: Matthew 20:20-28

The art of serving.

Wait a minute.... There is an art form to serving?

Wow, this is something I have to really think about! I know there are a myriad of art forms to painting a picture, to sculpting, to delicate embroidery and most every form of crafting there is. But to serving?

But what sort of serving aspires or inspires us to create an higher art form out of it - a Van Gogh or Picasso or Rembrandt of serving??? In our home, serving means serving a meal or a drink three times a day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. I hardly believe that such simple things as these can rise to the level of the most amateur of art forms. I mean sometimes we use paper plates and plastic silverware. No masterpiece by any means you can think of. At Thanksgiving and Christmas we have guests for dinner and serve them dinner.

I can think of several different higher end restaurants me and Sharon have been to, even some of the finest ones we could afford, and the service has usually been at or well above standard. But hardly anything I would commission someone to put on canvas, sculpt out of marble or whatever other medium you can imagine. I would not even think of doing such a thing - probably would never even cross my mind to do it.

I recall our meal times on our honeymoon cruise. Four star dining rooms three times a day and one night a five star banquet on board the luxury liner. What an awesome experience. A fine dinner at a expensive, upscale restaurant yields a rich illustration of the meaning of service. With fine music playing in the background, You are escorted to your table and handed a menu of exotically named dishes you can't pronounce. Exotic foods, drinks, decadent desserts - you would never think of preparing in your kitchens. A waiter or waitress stands off to the side of a table. In formal white tie attire they wait off to the side of their tables, they are observing every move of every member of the dinner party. They are well practiced in their powers of observation.

They flawlessly take your orders, bring you your drinks. When a glass is half full, they are their to fill it back up. They prepare the meals to order and serve them on the finest dinner ware. When the last bite of food is taken off a plate, they remove the plate from the table and bring out the next course. A nearly seamless operation -- a fine tuned symphony of motion for the guests. When a diner gives even the slightest nuanced expression of need, the wait staff quickly discerns the need. They are highly trained to notice - and they seem to notice everything. They comeback frequently to your table to ask how things are. They pour refills of water, sodas, coffee with a big smile on their faces. If anything is not right, they are bending over backwards to make things right. They take their service very seriously and work quite passionately. In this way, I scrumptiously witnessed the art of service rising to the levels of a Van Gogh or Picasso painting.

That is the posture of a Christian who is called to be a living sacrifice for the Lord. We are to be "noticers." We are to be highly trained in interpreting the sign's of the Spirit's work, and we are to step into the picture at every slight prompting. Like the waiter or the waitresses, we are content to stand in the background, completely and intentionally unnoticed, blending in so we we will not interrupt the evenings natural course.

But when our services are required, we are to step momentarily into the picture - unobtrusively and only for a specific purpose. We are assigned to only one table for the entire evening. We exist for its pleasure.

That's a far cry from the lives of most Christians. We want to serve the Lord and our neighbors, but all too often we have our own agendas. Some of us do not stand in the background very easily, and others of us do not know when to step out of them. We can discern and react to the subtle signals of our spouses, a child's health, a bosses expectations, a rough-running car engine or an aging appliance, but we are clueless when it comes to the subtle working of God. Sometimes, we just learn too slow or tragically, not at all.

Like the wait staff aboard the cruise ship, we need to be highly trained and have the high desire to work. We need to enjoy the art of service - AND IT IS INDEED AN ART FORM -- beautifully and delicately preformed. We need to derive our pleasure not from seeing the items of our own personal agendas checked off, but from our quick, decisive, yet unobtrusive roles as one's who meet the needs of others. It is our calling, and according to Jesus, it is the way to greatness. We live to serve our God and all of our neighbors and each other. So ... this Thanksgiving and Christmas season be the best servants you can be. Many will be blessed.

God Bless

Delays ...... Delays ...... Delays ...... Wait for it ...... Wait for it ...... Ok, I'll get to it tomorrow ...... Maybe

2011-11-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Devotional Reading: Matthew 25: 1-13 - Parable of the Ten Virgins

My wife Sharon will be glad to tell you that I am bad at putting things off. It is not that I mean to do it, but, it just ends up happening that way. I will put things off to the last minute. I will keep promising to clean off the porch, pick up my dirty clothes, clean up my office. The list goes on and on. Without due dates or ultimatums, things wouldn't get done. Why are there delays? Good question:

1. Because we can not or do not create a sense of urgency.
2. Because it is just not very high on our priority list.
3. Because (and I hate to admit this) we just get lazy about it.

Being prepared is one of the most important things we can be. We make all sorts of preparations to do all sorts of things in this life and preparing in advance makes things allot easier and removes allot of the consequences - which I lovingly call 'frying pan moments' which my wife will not so occasionally remind me of by dropping a hint or two.

My latest effort at delays began about a year before we were married - May 2010 - when I promised her that I would clean up and clean out the room she wanted for her crafting. I promised her that I would clean out all my bachelor stuff - That took almost a year to do. Then after we were married, I promised I would bring her stuff over from her previous residence - that is still ongoing (moan). But thanks be to God for birthdays. And for her birthday present, I finally called in a handyman and had the room fixed up. I went to Home Depot and got all kinds of paint pallets for her to choose from. She selected her choice of colors and this past Saturday, we spent our time taping the room off. Now the next step is to actually go up there and paint the room as and when she always wanted it.

Sometimes in life we live for the deadline, and don’t take advantage of the present time. How many of you have had teachers who told you this assignment is due in three weeks so start working on it now? You spent the first week saying, ’I still have two weeks to get it done’. You spent the second week saying, "next week, I’m really going to get started." You then spent the day before the assignment due cramming at the library, furiously searching the internet for resources; working at lightning speed to get it done, complaining every step of the way that the teacher gave you too much work to do and did not give you nearly enough time to do it the way they wanted it. UGGGHHH

There is a danger in living for the deadline. The danger is, we don’t know what is going to happen in our lives between now and the deadline. We deceive ourselves into thinking we are smarter than we truly are. We want to think we can control the future - ours and everybody else's, but we can’t - and the frustration mounts up.

When you were a kid, did your mother ever leave on a Saturday and tell you, "I want this house completely cleaned when I get back." You intended to clean the house, but there was something you wanted to watch or some game you wanted to play, or somebody you wanted to talk to on the phone, so you did those things instead. But Daddy comes home first -- surveys the condition of the house -- Hand on hips he stares at you -- What did Momma tell you to do? As we waited till the last minute for momma to show before we got started - Daddy surprised us.

From our devotional reading - ten bridesmaids waited for the groom to gather up his bride.The text tells us that the groom was a long time in coming and the bridesmaids fell asleep because they became drowsy. For whatever reason, the five unwise ladies didn’t bring sufficient oil for their lamps. Perhaps they thought they would have enough time to buy more or that the others would share with them. But they waited until the last minute when the groom showed up at the last minute to take care of business. They were unprepared. They did not use their time wisely to be sure that all was in readiness. Prior Planning Prevents Pretty Poor last minute Performances.

These bridesmaids became tired, maybe time got away from them, maybe they fully intended on sometime going and getting the oil they needed for their lamps. I want to tell you that good intentions do not equal good actions. There are many people in the world who have good intentions, and you know that they say road paved with good intentions leads to, don’t you? I would be willing to bet that these bridesmaids were great people, probably great friends who were excited about the wedding; they just waited until the last minute. Perhaps they thought they had more time to fix their slight problem. This is a valuable lesson that we can take to heart and learn; we are not of assured more time before Jesus’ return. Many people are living the way that they are because they are sure they
have more time. They will change their actions later because they have plenty of time to make it right. They will be more faithful at another time; they will be more generous at some other point. Time is the one commodity we are not guaranteed. The real tragedy of this parable is the tragedy of being unprepared for something important.

We have to be prepared at all time to meet our Lord, and if we do not make those preparations we have to be willing to face the consequences of not doing what we were supposed to. The thing is that we are not left in the dark about what we are supposed to do, in fact most people know right from wrong, and know what God expects of them, but they don’t because they feel time is a luxury. Today, if you are delaying in making preparations for Jesus’ return than I want to tell you that you need to make those preparations. Keep your lamps filled with faith, hope and love.

I wonder what went through those five girls heads when they heard the shouting that the bridegroom has come. It probably wasn’t total thrill and excitement. It was probably a, “what are we going to do”, deer caught in the headlights moment. They realized that the time had come and they hadn’t prepared and they were not ready. It was too late; there was nothing they could do. When they tried to fulfill their duties - they were turned away!!!

Perhaps the five unwise virgins thought that their preparation really didn’t matter. We know that they thought they could just make it by anyways even though they were unprepared. Perhaps the 5 unwise virgins thought they really wouldn’t be forbidden to enter the wedding just because they forgot a little oil for their lamps. Many people live their lives like that, they feel that God will overlook the details of their lives -or they may feel that they will be alright because they are good people, but it just doesn’t work that way. I just got married 18 months ago and I can tell you the importance of getting the details right. The wedding is more inspirational to more than just the couple being married. Long term Preparation makes a difference. Planning the Details make the difference. For when you get married, Your memories will make the difference in the lives you will both live together.

God Bless

Living happily as God's People - Created to Shine

2011-10-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

Devotional Readings: Matthew 5:14 - 16 , Genesis 1:1-6, John 1:1-9, 8:12, 1John 1:1-7

"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." James M Barrie -- Creator of Peter Pan.

Human Happiness -- sometimes these two worlds and words just do not fit. Being human and Being happy. Two completely separate states of being. Yes, we are all definitely human beings with the full array of human features - A head, Arms, Legs, Feet and so on. We have a heart that beats, a brain that does it's best to think and blood that courses through our arteries and veins to keep us alive. Yes, we are all 24/7 human beings.

Happiness -- Psychologists say that people need three things to make them happy. First of all they need something to do. Secondly they need something to love. Finally they need something to look forward to. I think Scripture agrees with this. However, to be truly happy and satisfied we must make sure that we are doing the right thing, loving the right thing, and looking forward to the right thing.

Everyone needs and wants something to do! There are a lot of things that we can do to make us happy, but if there is one thing we fail to do we will never be satisfied!
-I am happy when I go hunting or fishing
-I am happy when I go see a friend or loved one
-I am happy when I go to church and experience a good service
-I am happy when I have fun with my kids
-Fill in the blank for yourself:

"I am Happy when I _________________"

-Some people are happy while they are high on life or on drugs, Some are happy when they are feeling low.
-Some people are happy while they are skiing, or snowmobiling, Some are happy reading books or doing puzzles.
-Some people are happy while they are partying. Some people just prefer to be happy alone in their own homes.
-Some people are happy while they are camping. Some are content walking the streets or living under bridges.

-Some people are happiest in the light of day while others are more content walking during the day and at night in the darkness (In Barrow, Alaska the sun sets in mid-November and doesn’t rise above the horizon again until mid January.)

In the very beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, there was only a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep (Genesis 1:1-2). The very first thing God spoke into existence: "Let there be light". The light was declared 'good' and it was separated from the darkness. The light was called 'day' and the darkness 'night'. And this was the first day (Genesis 1:5). And so life was created in all it's forms -- created that they may all shine.

The Apostle John tells us that Jesus was there in the beginning too. That He was the true light coming into the world (John 1:9). He shone into our darkness, but our darkness did not comprehend Him. John takes Jesus' identity a step further. He tells His disciples - He tells us - that we are also lights in the world. The One who came to shine uses the lanterns which are our lives, that He himself kindled by His great love for us at His resurrection. The light of our redemption was light by His eternal spark. We have a bright and holy purpose:

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; ¹⁵ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16

We often think we are called to shine as 'lights' because the world we struggle to live in is defined by the darkness of crime, war, terror, economic upheaval, rising foreclosures, rising unemployment, long term joblessness, and the list goes on. The longer we sit and meditate on today's newscasts and read local and global headlines in newspapers, receive 'breaking headlines' on IPhones and Twitter and other social media outlets; the more likely we are to believe it is always darkest before the dawn of a sunny day. We are inundated daily with horrific images of a growing and cancerous darkness. Presented with the occasional ray of sunshine and hope - we are painfully slow to believe it.

We are called to the awesome responsibility of being 'shining cities on a hill which cannot be hidden'. However, there is an even higher calling than that. We are to shine as lights because Jesus is the true Light. Our holy calling is to Reflect Him, to Display Him, and to worship Him by being the beacons, the lanterns by which He reveals Himself to others. Radiating Jesus is the highest honor we can give Him and the greatest source of life giving light that we can share with others who are defining their lives by their journey's through the darkness of a secular world.

Jesus is the Light of the world (John 8:12). This is something that early on in my own faith journey, I found very hard to believe. Even as my sisters preached these words to me so long ago when God, Jesus Christ were the furthest things from my mind, these words held no relevance to me. I was content to walk in the darkness for many years because darkness defined much of my life's circumstances and I my eyes became too accustomed to it. I can now look back in 20/20 hindsight, that I could never have stood in the Light of life because I was too pained up by the darkness. And I had had enough experience with pain to know I did not want anymore when I looked into any kind of bright light. Light is a wonderful and beautiful thing to behold. It is a miraculous healer - once you are bold enough to accept not just it's brightness but also the pain of it when you look at it first thing in your morning.

Consider your present and consider your future. We will be shining His light and reflecting His glory long after we are done with darkness of this world. It wont be because someone will need convincing; it will simply be because of who He is. Our shining is more for the sake of His eternal glory as it seeks to bring understanding to the present darkness. It shines the light of heaven into a dark and dismal night. It's warmth makes our lanterns burn brighter.

Do you reflect light or darkness into the world you live in? Do you reflect Jesus? Have you ever been able to put your darkness aside - even for a small period of time - simply to be like Him? There is no greater task. Our primary responsibility to those who walk in darkness in this world, as His servants and His children, is to show His kind of light to others. The Light of His grace. The Light of His love for all, the Light of His mercy and forgiveness, the Light of His salvation. To put on illuminate His kind of works, pray His kind of prayers, tell His kind of stories, and seek His kind of justice. All these things are to permeate everything we do on behalf of the children of His kingdom.

WHY? Because He is light, and we were created to shine. 1John 1:1-7

Gob Bless