Stories and other stuff

 I've been considering for a while now just how amazing God is and how God moves in my life in ways that just leave me gobsmacked.  When I was walking down the street in Chicago by myself a couple of weeks ago, I got a little word from God about something He wanted me to do. This particular thing came to pass today.  He told me what He wanted me to do, and then it came to pass that the opportunity presented itself and I did it. I'm working on a sermon I've had an idea for going on for about a month or so now.  I was concerned that the next opportunity to speak at a church might not be the right venue for the message, so God in his Providence provided me a different audience who this message might work for. You just never know what will happen when you say yes to God.

 Tomorrow is Independence Day.  It's the day we celebrate the birthplace of the idea of the United States of America.  Constitution Day comes later this year.  On the 4th, we celebrate the document signed that signified that Americans wanted to be a free people, under self-rule and free from the tyranny of their king. In the opening salvo of the document, they clearly point out that the rights they believe all men should have are given by their Creator.  According to the law of non-contradiction, the truths they hold to be "self-evident" (great words, are they not?) about how the Creator of the Universe blessed them with being created equal, says that for these words to be actually true, the Creator must be.  He cannot not be and have the Declaration of Independence be a truthful document. Our freedoms in America hinge on that document.  The people then fought a war over it.  We've been fighting wars ever since to keep and protect those freedoms....

I was in Chicago over the weekend where I found myself face to face with a sea of naked people riding bicycles through the heart of the city.  I can't describe it except to say that it's probably the most depraved thing I've seen in a long time. I get protesting.  I get that some people like being naked.  I also think that we used to have morals and community standards which prevented such displays from occurring.  The thing that strikes me about it is the lack of shame.  Some were only partially naked, but the vast majority were exposing things that used to be illegal to do in public. I don't understand but then, again, I do.  The apostle Paul warned us about the world in which we live today in his letter to Timothy where he describes the last days. I had to cross the street the parade of nudity went down to get back to my hotel and after the first glimpse of it, you become desensitized by it.  I wasn't gawking at naked people, but I was in literal sh...

 A lot going on in the world to be sure.  There are wars.  There are rumors of wars.  There is economic turmoil.  It's just getting harder and harder to stay afloat, it seems.  The time just flies, and here we are, over half way through 2023.   Among the distressful things to me this week was news that my favorite baseball team, the Dodgers, caved to some tremendous(/) pressure and decided to invite a group of men, dressed in drag, as nuns, to receive an award from the team over the weekend.  Had they done the right thing in the first place, I wouldn't even be writing this, but some things just go too far and this was one. The LGBTQ+ community is not, by population numbers, a large group in America.  Yet here we are, with June being called "pride month".  And many corporations are on board in what they see is a move that makes "smart business", I suppose.  I guess it is...until it's not anyway. There's backlash for this startin...

 It's interesting to me (I'd use the word funny here but funny only in the "How did you do  that?" kind of way) how God sometimes causes or allows things to happen to get our attention.  I had a little moment like that yesterday.  While the story is a private one, I can, in round-about terms explain the importance of recognizing what God is saying. During the sermon at church, there was a part where I really felt like the pastor was speaking directly to me. It was explaining how two different circumstances involving the same item (in this case, Joseph's robe) were used by God to shape an outcome that affected everything.  God, in His providence worked these circumstances to put Joseph where God wanted Him and twice, his robe (coat of many colors and the robe Potiphar's wife ripped off of him when he fled from her advances) was involved in advancing the story. I have a thing going on in my own life right now where I could glean some things from this part of the...

 Time is just flying by these days.  I do not know if it's just a by-product of getting older or if time is really flying by faster than it used to.  It seems to me, and to others I talk to that all of creation seems to be in a hurry these days. We live in trying times, to be sure.  We hear of wars and rumors of wars.  People call that which is bad, good; that which is good, bad.  We live in days that Paul wrote about and we see the signs of the times all around us.  And we wait, expectantly, for Jesus to return. The news today is distressing.  Our country is facing yet another first and I'm just mindful of something our pastor said on Sunday which was, "what goes around comes around."  It seems that what was wished on others has come to roost on the one who wished it.  I find no joy in seeing this happen.  I'm just mindful that I'd also heard this philosophy explained in another practical way by Dr. J Vernon McGee who put it this w...

A friend of mine who is a pastor reminded me about the topic of pride and God's feelings on the matter.  His thought that he shared online got me to thinking about the subject of pride and that's what today's post is about.   From an early age, I was taught the right thing the wrong way.  I was taught to take pride in my work but the meaning behind that sentiment was that I was to do the best job at whatever I was doing and find satisfaction that I had accomplished the best I could.  That puts the focus of satisfaction on me.  Look at what I did. In thinking about pride, (what pride month is all about is another matter in and of itself), and the phrases we use in association with the word, I thought about taking pride.  The phrase taking pride kind of insinuates that pride is something to be taken, and if it exists as something to be taken, who are we taking it from? And that leads me to think of the many things God says about pride in the Bible. ...

 The note wasn't place where these types of notes to the pastor should go.  It was left on a seat in the sanctuary and wasn't signed.  It was discovered today while the sanctuary was being cleaned up a bit and the note simply said this:  When is the book of Revelation going to be preached? I think that's just where we are these days.  These aren't the end times, per-se.  These certainly seem to be the last days and as the church shrinks in America, we are fast becoming a remnant of the body of Christ that once existed here in the USA.  We're curious about what's to come because it's apparent that there's a strong possibility that we will actually see the last prophesies start to unfold In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John is given inside information about what's going to happen at the end.  The Apostle Paul wrote about the times in which we live in his second letter to Timothy.  Most importantly, the Lord Jesus Himself spoke about the ...

 At an evening of worship at a local church last Sunday, I started listening closely to the words of some of the songs that were sung and I had a thought run through my mind, which is that Christians are truly peculiar people.   The why of the thought is that we were singing about the day we die.  Not that any of us are in a hurry for that, mind you, but that we understand that our hope of all hope is beyond the life that is what we have here.  While we are here, we worship our God, while at the same time longing to see Him, the One who was pierced for our transgressions and that gave up His life as a ransom and payment for sin for the lives of those that would believe on Him. I wonder what people that aren't believes think of a people who would sing about the day when we must leave this earthly tent and more on to our home in Heaven.  The other thought that I have is that these same people really have nothing to sing about when their time is at an end. I'm...

 One of the things I find interesting is how things in God's kingdom is how God uses our gifts differently.  Just as each of us are differently able to do certain things in life, so it goes for ministry.  Not every ministry opportunity is right for every person.  I had a hard time wrapping my head around that at first.  In my mind, if one wanted to serve one's God, shouldn't they be able to do anything they wanted? The short answer to that is no.  And the longer version of that answer adds to the No, the idea that thinking like that isn't even Biblical.  It's not up to us to decide what we will do for God.  It's God who calls us to join Him in areas He calls us to work in.  The Bible tells us that long before the foundation of the world, He prepared the good works for us in advance.   I understand this principle though.  Sometimes, our gifts don't match up with opportunities to serve.  Other times, those opportunities migh...

 A man I have known my whole adult life was recently found to have cancer.  Shortly thereafter he suffered a stroke.  The prognosis is not good.  And this man has had his share of bad news over the years and to know him would be to think of him as a decent and upright man and to not understand why such a terrible thing could happen to such a man as him. I also know this man to be a Christian because I was there the night he made that profession of faith.  Me, being me, was being a "martha" at the moment it happened but I was in the auditorium when he came forward.  I couldn't have been happier then.  I'm still happy for that now. We all need Jesus.  My brother in Christ will need Jesus to see him through this trial even if it means at the end of this illness, he will go home to be with Jesus.  I know that either way, this man wins.  It's hard to express that to someone who doesn't share a belief in Christ like that though.  He's dyi...

 I don't know who is responsible for the sentiment, but I heard it a few days ago being re-quoted and the sentiment I'm speaking of describes the war Christians fight with the old self this way:  "most of the battles we fight are fought between our ears." I find that true.  Most of the things I struggle with in my own life are things from the past that try to creep their way back in.  I understand the words Paul the Apostle wrote when he said we are "to take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor 10:5b) Sometimes those past things can try to worm their way back in to your life.  Sometimes it's a thought, sometimes something else will trigger an old memory, like meeting someone that reminds you of someone else from your past.  Other times, it's just waking up alone and realizing you're alone and facing that reality that causes those thoughts from when that wasn't the case to creep in. The battle is real even if it's f...

 The older I get, the more I see a real truth at play in life, which is that most of our lives seem to be spent around the idea of trading time for money. I need to plant some grass.  Well, I probably NEED to pour concrete and dye it green, but what will do instead is planting grass.  However, because three dogs co-habitate with me, I need to plant grass that is already ready to go.  My people call this type of grass, sod.   Sod is not an in-demand item in the marketplace in which I inhabit, so I have two choices for this purchase.  One is to have it delivered.  The other is to pick it up and drive a total of 7 hours to do that.  My cost to pick up:  about $200.  My cost for delivery:  $750 So, my cost savings is worth the time and gas to fetch said sod.  I'm trading time for money.  Often times, we trade money for time, which n this case would have been to pay the delivery fee.   The nice thing is that I ca...

 I love God, and I mean that.  I mean, with my whole heart, love God.  Not perfectly, but i'm trying harder and harder to not try so hard.  By that, I mean I'm just trying these days to just do the things God is asking me to do so that I can be closer to Him.  It was an interesting week for me.  It became somewhat evident that I was going to be taking a week off from the things I'd normally do, but not by my own choice.  Where my choice came in was to see what God was doing and saying yes to that, even though it meant having to do without the things I really enjoy getting to do. This last week for me has been kind of like a performance review.  I have a better understanding of some things I need to change about the way I'm doing things.  The first one starts with taking off the name tags.  By that, I mean the things that identify what I do (like job titles).  I'm not this or that.  I'm me.  I get to do this or that and onl...

 Why do we forget sometimes that God is Sovereign? I had occasion to ask myself that question earlier today in response to a conversation I had with someone else the previous evening.  I explained to said someone that I quit fighting something in my life a while ago.  Every time I tried to change the situation I found myself in, I explained, it was a disaster, so I quit fighting it. Doing that was a choice, but for me, it was a choice of whether or not God was Sovereign and was I going to let Jesus be Lord of my life, or was I going to just try to go my own way? In the book of Acts, a man named Saul was fighting God, all the while thinking he was defending God by persecuting Christians.  But Saul met a man named Jesus.  Acts 26:4 describes the encounter this way:   Acts 26:4 (NIV)  We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice  saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ Back ...

My son asked me today why I make my bed each day.  I was pretty good at that for the longest time, but I have been slacking.  I noticed the other day I'd been slacking on a lot of things.  Not intentionally, but the slip had been happening.  I replied that I try to do that because it means I've accomplished one thing during the day.  I never quite understood the importance of making my bed until I started doing it.  It looks nice and it's a nice thing to climb into a made bed each night instead of climbing into the crumpled mess it winds up each morning after myself and the dog mess it up during the night. Attention to details in life matter.  If you don't stay on top of the dust, things get dirty.  If you don't take out the trash when it's full, it overflows.  If you don't clean the shower, you get pink stuff growing in it.  If you don't put things where they go when you're done with them, then they become clutter and then you can't fin...

 Once a month there is a prayer meeting on a Friday evening that is hosted by one of the local churches.  It moves from church to church each month and the purpose is to bring people from all the local churches together for a time of worship and prayer. Last night, it was at a church a friend of mine attends and I'm so glad I went.  Sometimes life gets hard and we just need to find some time and a place to just get away from whatever is pulling on us and just let out some worship. I did that last night.  Got my hands up and everything.  For me, lifting both hands up in worship is not an easy thing to do because I get a little self-conscious.  But not last night.  Last night, I just worshiped God with a bunch of other believers who were there to do the same. I saw a man on his face last night.  Others were singing and signing the words they were singing.  Hands were lifted up, voices were lifted up, and petitions for our community, our leaders...

 My goal is to write a blog post three times a week.  I find myself falling very short of that mark these days.  It's not because I don't have the time.  It's mostly because I don't make the time and get busy with other things and before I know it, the day is gone.   I get convicted about things like this from the Holy Spirit.  It's not because the things that keep me busy aren't good.  They are.  It's a matter for me to use some discernment about what is best and start formulating a priority list based on that.   The Lord Jesus has some words about this that he spoke to one of two sisters.  One was listening to Jesus, the other was about the house trying to prepare things for her guests that day, including the Lord.  When she complained to Jesus, this was His reply:  (Luke 10:41-42) 41  “Martha, Martha,”  the Lord answered,  “you are worried   and upset about many things,   42  but few t...

 It was a blessing to be invited to speak at a Resurrection Sunday Sunrise service over the weekend.  I was doubly blessed to bring the message at the main church service as well, but today's post is about the sunrise service. Speaking in public can be scary, especially when you're not very good at speaking off the top of your head.  For the service, the Holy Spirit gave me some remarks that were appropriate for the occasion and and led into the service.  Before I left the house I made sure I had the remarks separated from the main message and off we went. The gentleman I was with told me rain was in the forecast but not until mid-morning.  When we arrived there were quite a few people gathered.  All total, we had 22. Someone had built a nice fire.  We sang a couple of hymns a-capella and then it was my turn. Ever tried to read wet paper?  Because when it was my turn, it started raining for real so I did what anybody would...crumpled up the papers...

 Today is Maunday Thursday.  Today we commemorate the last full day of the life and ministry on earth of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It's also Passover.  Our Jewish brethren celebrate this night as the night death passed them over.   What should be a time of peace and celebration is anything but this year.  As I write this, news reports are saying that Israelis are conducting airstrikes on Palestinian positions.  This is after Israeli police had to restore order at one of the mosques that sit on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  It's considered an affront to the Islamic world to have Jews enter their holy site.  The temple mount is administered  of the Jordanian Government. While nobody knows the day or the hour that the Lord Jesus will make good on His promise to return, events sure seem to be leading that way in a hurry.  One thing we know for certain is that, in the process of remembering the last week of His life, His death on th...