Stories and other stuff

I had an interesting experience today. I felt led to take a road trip today, and through a confluence of circumstances and a substantial nudge from the Holy Spirit, I decided to go. I didn't want to, but I knew I needed to. There is a thrift store up the coast in the next large town that I like to go to. Sometimes I find really good stuff there and I just had a "feeling" that there was something there for me. So much so that I told a friend that I had to go there, that there was something for me. And there was. But there was something more....I was listening to a radio program and as I was getting ready to turn into the parking lot, I heard something I needed to hear about taking my feelings, or lack thereof, in this case, to God and talk to Him about them. I did, right there in the parking lot. And then I went inside the thrift store. I like looking for Christmass stuff at thrift stores. Sometimes you can find a lot of nice stuff and over the years I have foun...

Last nght, I saw a United States Congressman, on national TV call Christians the "forces of hate" and "relics of the past", in response to them declaring what God's plan for marriage is. I found the idea nonsense, but that's the time we live in. Right has become wrong, what used to be taboo to even talk about on TV is now the law of the land, and we can't expect God to bless America when we're living in outright defiance to His word. Think about that. Do we trust God, or does our money lie? If we trusted God, it seems to me that we surely would pay more attention to what He has to say on matters. But we don't. At least not our secular government. I don't hate anybody. There are people I prefer not to be around, but that's just life and if I feel that way about some, I'm sure the feeling is shaared by people who feel the same about me. I prefer these days to be not as controvercial as I used to be so there's that. But st...

One of the greatest conundrums of the Christian faith is wanting to do something for God, or wanting something (or someone) in your life, and God says "No." We think of God, sometimes, in light of our favorite attributes. He is Love. He is good. He wants to give us good things. And all of these things are ture, but like any good father He sometimes tells us no to things. He has reasons for that. One of them is that He is God and we are not. And either He is in charge or He's not. (Let me help you discern this simple truth, so you might avoid some hard and unnecessarily painful things by accepting this simple truth up front: He IS very much in charge and you're not!) In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul wanted to go lots of places. He wanted to go to Spain. He wanted to go to Asia, and the Holy Spirit told him no. Paul documents thes things in his Epistles to the New Testament churches. The no is a necessary part of being a Christian. I'm having...

I was blessed to bring a message on Sunday to a little country church near my home. Something in John 5 had really convicted me about Christmas and what we, as Christians are looking forward to. Sometimes, I think this time of year, we're looking forward to looking back. We demonstrate that in a lot of ways by the traditions we keep, and I wondered if maybe we keep them too tightly. I had finished up the sermon on Saturday night and I was feeling pretty good about life. My Utes still had a chance at the PAC12 championship game (they're in!) and I felt good about the message. I was deliviering a pot of soup to some sick friends and was driving down the Cape Arago Highway here when I got convicted about traditions: What about candy canes, Dale? Ouch! I have this "thing" about candy canes. Red and white ones are not good enough. I need red, white, and green Kencraft candy canes (before them, they were called Ike's candy canes). But they don't make the...

I'm old, but back in the day, we used to use the expression "what he said" to indicate agreement with someone else. I know it's still used today, but not as frequently as it used to be. Last night at our Bible study we were discussing a portion of the Gospel of John and it's an exchange between Thomas and the Ressurected Christ in a room. This from the Gospel of John, chapter 20:24-29 24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and...

We all have things we struggle with, things we wish we wouldn't have done, etc... I've been thinking a lot the last few days about how we move on from them. Or how sometimes we don't. I wonder why, sometimes, that God in His sovereignty chooses things to take from us instantly and how for others we need to keep working (and working, and working, and working) at getting past whatever that thing is. I need God. I know that sometimes by the things I deal with on a day-to-day basis. I can't get through a day without realizing that without God, I'd likely still be stuck in the same bad choices I made without Him. The new tool I have for dealing with those things which has helped me, is just the two simple words of the title of today's post: "No, thanks," I'm unwilling to pay the cost of disobeying God. I know God honors obedience and I have seen some pretty unique ways that God has showed up in my life. It's amazing to see God move. It...

When God speaks, I think it wise to listen. There's been a lot of this going on in my life this week; almost like some 911 emergency instructions to me to be wise. It started Sunday when I saw or heard Isaiah 43:1-2 4 times in four different ways. Two of them were Facebook memories from literally exactly 7 years ago that day. Today, it was about two things. The first is fearing the Lord. And I don't mean that reverent awe. I'm talking about straight up fear. I have a healthy fear of the Lord because I have seen Him do things that have frightened me. I think it's OK to be frightened by the awesome power of a God who can, and does orechestrate circrcumstances to suit His perfect will. The Bible is full of verses telling us that God's purposes always prevail. God does speak through His word and today those words seemed to be aimed at a place where I was at. And I was listening.

We were talking last night in my small group that because Jesus was resurrected from the dead and then ascended into heaven afterward, that through that and our belief on Him, we were granted the right to become children of God. I've been seeing that a lot this week and it was also a subject of conversation at our Bible study on Wednesday. John opens his gospel account of Jesus with that thought. I am an adopted son of the Most High God, one of the multitude of His children; a wild olive branch grafted into the Vine. As such, I know who I am in Christ, not just saved, but an adopted child into His own family. I was thinking about that today as my mind wandered a bit into preparing to not do something stupid. I have to sometimes prepare for that because there are paths that sometimes open up to us, but aren't for us to take. My friend put it this way: Sometimes the donkey doesn't move because she can see the angel blocking the path when we can't. Other times...

I love that God restores things. Several years ago I used to lead a Bible study at the local rescue mission with a friend. It was something I really came to enjoy doing each week. I used to have to get there on only four hours' sleep, but I rarely missed a Wednesday morning. That came to an end as things at the mission changed. There were several studies going on, and as time went on, it seemed that we were just confusing people because we were just doing our own thing. I'd expressed my concern to my fellow leader of our Wedensday study a couple of months before it was decided that one person would teach all five days of the week. Other opportunities came from that study though, and it led to me being able to speak at a chapel service once a month until COVID. Sortly after that, I wound up moving to Oregon. As things happen in God's time and in His way, I would make some new connections where I live now and the opportunity arose to lead a Bible study at our local r...

I was praying for someone the other day when I came to understand some things about prayers we pray. Sometimes, I think w can be praying for someone for the thing we want, when it might just be the plan for someone's life to have to go through hard things. That thought came as I was praying for somone who is going through a lot right now. I mean, a LOT. And that's sad. And again, maybe it's not. That thougt also came to me after someone else shared a thought they had about the same person. Maybe, just maybe, the stuff is the thing that the person needs right now so they'll lean on Jesus. I can relate to that. I made a very bad choice several years ago and while I still live with the consequnces of it for now, those consquences....the hard things I had to go through have made me who I am today. God kind of let me know that my act of disobedience didn't catch Him by surprise and He had plans for it. It was my choice to make the wrong decision. The consequ...

Sometimes, it's hard to understand why God puts us in the circumstances He does. I'm going through a little bit of that battle these days. It's a real battle because on the one hand, the thing I think God wants me to do, and I'm trying to do, at best results in futility and that's on a good day. The other part of that battle comes in when I have to fight the battle of the flesh to not stray off the path I think I'm supposed to be on and that's sometimes even more difficult than the first thing. Proverbs 3:5 says to trust in the LORD and lean not on your own understanding and that's what I try to do. What proverbs doesn't say is that sometimes is a very difficult thing to do. The question of how we do this finds an answer in two things: first a Christian is to love the LORD their God with all their heart, all their mind, and all their strength. When we love God first, then it's easier to see why it's good to say no to what He doesn...

 It seems to me that in God's economy, lots of things are backward from the human way we see things.  Often, the way up is down.  The last become first; conversely, the first last.  I think the story of the thief on the cross in the Bible is a good example of that principle.  He, at the last possible minute, chose faith in Christ and for that, he was with Jesus in paradise on the other side of the cross. So, too, I think it is with being faithful in what God calls you to do.  When you're faithful with the little stuff, then God will sometimes give you more stuff.  I saw this play out when I moved here.  I asked for a few things in conjunction with the move and God granted them to me.  One was more time with the Wondermutt.  Another was a job as a custodian at a church.  Yet a third was mowing the lawn at a church, and I have been blessed with all three. For a season.  Bucky, as must happen to all living animals, died just about...

There's a touch of fall in the air.  I noticed it a few nights ago, but you can tell it's coming tonight.  It's even starting to smell like fall is upon us.  I don't know the seasons really well here on the coast because the temperatures don't change a whole lot during the year.  There's that little hint of a chill though and my son mentioned tonight his dog is starting to put on his winter coat. Lately, there have been lots of opportunities for ministry.  I've been blessed to do a little bit of preaching at a small church here.  I've also been asked twice in the last couple of weeks about leading Bible studies.  I think that's going to be doable but that's also going to mean that I will have to curtail some other activities.  I think too much of a good thing can be a bad thing and now that I have people at home, I kind of need to be about making time for them as well.   It's hard to find the happy medium sometimes.  But I also know...

 If you're unfamiliar with what cowboys do, let me explain to you that riding horses is just part of it.  There are fences to mend, gates to hang, hay to be loaded.  The term for loading hay onto a truck is "bucking hay", and I had just finished helping some friends buck some hay out a field and transport it to their own field.  We were getting ready to head home and that's when the phone rang. On the other end, my son, distraught, told me he thought his mom was dead.  His cousin had come to her house to find her laying on the floor unresponsive.  Less than 12 hours later, we were on plane back to Utah, where my son was going to have to deal with the passing of his mother and the resolution of her affairs in a week's time. I've had some time to process all of the events that led up to her passing and as it is with most things in life, it's hard to see in a moment, God's hand in things, but looking back, I was able to see how God prepared things to be i...

 I had the opportunity to bring a Sunday morning message at a little church in a small community about 15 miles to the east of here.  A friend I know through the Gideons is on the board of the church and they're looking for a full-time pastor.  In the interim, they have been inviting different people to speak.  This is the third time I've been blessed to join them on a Sunday. I understand how the Bible is divinely inspired writing.  I can't take credit for my sermon; the idea came from the Holy Spirit.  Given the edits I made to it, even an hour and a half before delivering it, I don't just think it was inspired.  I know it.  And to further reinforce that, as I joined in song with the congregation I couldn't help but notice how perfectly aligned the words of the hymns that were chosen went with the message I was about to deliver.  I had to ask before I started who selected the music and it turned out the woman who arranged the song service f...

 I have been thinking about the benefits of God for the last few days.  I saw these words a couple of times last week and was challenged to think about them.  We know God, love God, understand God promises us things and is faithful to keep His promises, but I wonder how often we think of His benefits.   Psalm 103:2-5 says: Praise the  Lord , my soul,      and forget not all his benefits— 3  who forgives all your sins      and heals all your diseases, 4  who redeems your life from the pit      and crowns you with love and compassion, 5  who satisfies your desires with good things      so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. I love the sentiment behind what King David writes here.  Believers can enjoy the benefits of God's character towards His own.  Taken out of context, this might seem that God will give us whatever ...

My son and I made a trip down to Bandon, Oregon last week.  One of the things I wanted him to see was Face Rock.  As we were there looking at the Oregon coast and this particular rock, which looks like it's a face, I noticed the way the "face" was looking, both upward to the heavens and to the North. Psalm 19:1-4 says, 1 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice  goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. I noticed how the "face" seems to almost be staring eternally up at the heavens.  I thought about this and how it seems to be just another way God uses His creation to point out to man that He is quite real.  As the Psalmist wrote, God uses the heavens to speak to us about Him as creator and the rock almost serves as an invitation ...

 Maybe I'm a bit more sensitive to God's moving in my life than most people.  Maybe not most believers, per-se, but saying more than most people is not a stretch.  I think it's because one of the first things I wanted to know as a new believer was how God still talks to us today.  I did some online research about this topic shortly after accepting Christ in my life and it's right after that the Holy Spirit really opened up my eyes to God's Providence in my life. I was thinking about that yesterday.  I know someone who God has been so very gracious to and it seems that this person just keeps on going down a difficult path in spite of what God has done, rather than consider God's grace.  The thing I thought was that God knew how this person would react to being saved from some pretty severe consequences, only to return to a path of self-destructive behavior.  God knew that, and still, His grace was applied to keep a bad situation from being far, far wors...

 If you grew up in the 70's and 80's, you know the words of the title are a line from a movie.  A muppet said them to Luke Skywalker in the second Star Wars movie, which was #5 if you're binge watching the DVDs.  The young Skywalker told the Jedi Master that he was not afraid.  Yoda's reply was this:  "You will be.  You will be." Perhaps I've written about this before but I just saw a commercial again from Ron Reagan, who is unashamedly an atheist and to his own credit, at this point in his own life, he's not afraid of burning in hell. He's not afraid of it.  He's also acknowledging that's where he's headed.  I think it's easy to make stupid statements like that when you have no real concept of it.  Jesus described it as utter darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth a couple of times in parables he told.  He also used the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to describe what hell was like.  You can read the account...

I like to think I don't complain, then yesterday happened.  I had a chore at work I'd been trying, with varying stages of failure, to pawn off on someone else.  I was hoping somebody would like to take it on as a way to serve.  I was hoping someone would step forward and take that responsibility on for themselves.  I've been trying as long as I've been waiting for a warm day and the weather to change to do it.  And yesterday was the day. The thing is this, though:  The responsibility for the task being done was mine.  I was told by my predecessor that it would fall to me to ensure it was done.  And up to a couple of weeks ago, the task really didn't need to be done, but finally, the algae in the fish pond got to be too much.  I'd been talking about (which in hindsight, was me probably complaining) taking care of it.  And when I mentioned it on Wednesday night, the most unlikely volunteer I could have ever imagined showed up to help me....

 The town is small, tucked away up a river valley.  There used to be a store there, but it's closed.  There is a larger town 15 miles away, with shopping and gas stations and the like.  At the top of a hill in this town, sits a church.  It used to be a schoolhouse but a half-century ago the school was deeded to a group of townspeople that decided to start a church for their little community. The music is from the hymnal.  There are no drums, no electric guitars, spotlights, or smoke machines.  There is a pianist and an organist, and they play the hymns together.  There is no choir.  There are two ladies who lead the singing.  The only evidence of modern technology are the two screens in the sanctuary and the computer they are connected to so powerpoint slides can be used during the service.  Other than that, it's very much like taking a step back in time to a day when Sunday services were more simple. I've been blessed to see a coup...

 I had a pretty profound discussion yesterday about some Biblical things.  I have to say that the words I spoke were not my own, but those that the Holy Spirit gave me to speak because I really needed to speak the Truth.  Not my truth but God's Truth from His Holy Word.   It was a good conversation.  I had to differentiate between judging someone and making a judgment about a thing.  One is Biblical, the other is something believers do at their own peril.  In the defense of making a judgment about the subject at hand I had to explain to the person I was speaking with that I struggled with my own sins in the area of conversation so I was in no position to judge anyone. We spoke of Jesus eating with sinners and he very much did.  But He did more than that, He called them to repentance.  Think back to the man lowered through the roof by his four friends.  They hoped for a physical healing.  The first thing Jesus did was to forgive...

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.  2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV) One thing about reading the Bible I really like is how the words just become alive to you.  Yesterday, during my quiet time, I was reading a devotional a friend gave me.  This verse was part of the day's reading and the words "no regret" really jumped out at me. It's really neat how that happens.  You can read a passage of Scripture once and then read it again when you're in a very different place in life and have it speak to you in a whole new way.  I don't think I ever noticed the part about no regret. Accepting Christ as Savior was the best decision I ever made in life.  My walk has been anything but easy.  But ti's also been the most rewarding, fulfilling, and unbelievable thing I've ever experienced.  Sometimes, the old things, the old ways, try to call out to me, but I have no regret in making the decision t...

It kind of started a little while ago.  I somehow got lost from my humans and for a while, I was running around trying to find my way home.  I was hungry, cold, and scared.  Then one day a nice person caught me and took me in a truck to a big, scary place where there were lots of other barking dogs.  They put me in this big kennel.  They told me they were waiting to see if my people would come find me.   But they didn't.  Day after day passed.  The people there were nice to me.  They fed me and let me get outside the kennel for a little bit to go potty and things.  Then one day, they took me out of the kennel and I went into this room.  I was scared and they did something to me I didn't understand.  I felt this poke and fell asleep and when I woke up, those two things by my tail were gone and I hurt really, really bad.  They gave me treats that helped me feel better.  Then they put a new collar on me and put me i...

When they all had enough to eat, He said to the disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over.  Let nothing be wasted."  John 6:12 (NIV) I wanted to resurrect my old 2007 macbook computer because it still works.  Not the best, but it still does.  When it became apparent though that I was at the end of being able to do that, I was ready to just put it in the box and tuck it away because I'd ordered a brand new computer. I tried upgrading the memory to be able to upgrade the software last evening, but with no success.  I cannot even upgrade to the last version of operating system that, in theory, should run on that computer.  But a funny thing happened this afternoon.  I'd mentioned about the laptop in chit-chat at the beginning of our staff meeting and my pastor told me that one of the men in the congregation might be able to help me upgrade it. Later on in the day, that same man was at the church troubleshooting some technical issues with the sound ...

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.  Philippians 2:12-13   There seemed to be a theme of the day yesterday.  It started out with a daily devotional thought and as the day progressed, it seemed to continue to manifest itself with people I came in contact with.  The theme is this:  Be available and willing to obey the Holy Spirit.   There's a lot involved in those words.  Sometimes it's as simple as talking to a stranger about Jesus.  Sometimes, it's complex, like picking up and packing up and moving across the country.  Other times, it's taking on a task you're not sure if you're even qualified to do.  A lot of times, it's just about making yourself available and saying yes. My Bible reading for yesterday, had I...

  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV) According to the Pew Research Center, in 2020 about 65% of Americans consider themselves as Christians.  That's a declining number, but still more than half the people surveyed.  I find that number interesting because on Sunday morning, you'd be hard pressed to prove it by church attendance.   Christians need to be around other Christians.  It's how we spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Fellowship is how we learn about each other and when we can find out how best to pray with (or for) someone who has a need.  It's where we get to share our spiritual gifts with one another.  It's where we're taught Scripture by our shepherd, the pastor.  That's the purpose of church. ...

" Jesus answered, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."     John 14:6(NIV) So many times, we try to over-complicate things.  I think, these days, it's because it's hard to believe something can be so simple as the Gospel message.  How could God love us so much that He sent His son to become a sacrifice for our sins?  How could Jesus love us so much that He gave up heaven and all the authority He had to come to earth as a baby born in a stable in Bethlehem, only to face the cross?  How could it be just as simple as admitting to the God who knows everything that we are sinners in need of a Savior and accepting that Jesus paid it all on the cross for us and by believing on Him as Lord and Savior, we get to spend eternity with him? And yet, it's as simple, and as complicated as that.   I think a lot of people believe in their heads that this is true.  They understand who Jesus was, what He di...

    The fear of the L ORD  is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.                    Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV) Tonight after an incredible football game, during a program on for noise while I was doing dishes, a commercial came on featuring a prominent atheist  Mr. Atheist (which is what we will call this person) is raising money for a group calling themselves the Freedom From Religion something or other.  In it, Mr. Atheist claims that the organization works to keep religion out of government.  I wonder, does this group really have to work at this point, but that's another topic for another day.  At the end, he signs off by cockily saying something to the effect his that he is a lifelong atheist and he's not afraid to burn in hell.  That's a pretty bold statement, there.  He's not afraid.  I thought for some context, it might be good to take a look at...

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, [a]“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:24-29 It was a clear night here the other night, which doesn't happen a lot during the rainy season.  It was nice because I could se...

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,    because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown  it  to them.    For since the creation of the world His invisible  attributes  are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,  even  His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify  Him  as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Romans 1:18-21 NKJV They smell.  They're noisy.  They burp a lot.  They annoy commercial fishermen by trying to and sometimes succeeding in stealing part of their catches.  On land, they're slow and fat (like yours truly!).  In the water, they're amazingly graceful...