DEVOTIONALS

“Faith at IHOP” Friday, December 4th, 2020

“The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it’s going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” John 3:8

In the Spring of 2005, during my very first week of youth ministry, I was challenged to learn how to make effective use of “office hours”. The Church I was working with in Florida requested each of their ministers be present in the office roughly half of their working day. I spent much of that first week organizing my books and furniture, studying the Church directory, and trying to figure out how to make an office space look informal enough for teens, yet professional enough not to be judged badly by their parents. I also had to learn how to answer phone calls with just the right mixture of professionalism and warmth. What I settled on was quite the mouthful, “Hello, you’ve reached the Fort Walton Beach Church of Christ, my name is Curt, how can I help you?”. A call came in toward the end of that first week that I’ll never forget.

The phone rang, and after I made it through my lengthy greeting, a man spoke up telling me how he had recently become homeless and he was hoping to find someone to talk to. I told him I would be in the office for the next couple hours and I’d be very happy to meet him. I gave him walking directions to building, hanged up the phone, and went back to studying faces in the directory. As a novice minister I was nervous about the impending conversation, but I was also eager to share God’s love with someone in need. The man indeed showed up, introduced himself as Van, and described the painful life events that recently led to his current homelessness. Van was from Mobile, Alabama, and with nothing left for him there, five days earlier he had set off walking east along highway 98 toward an undetermined destination. He didn’t have a plan. He described sleeping at night underneath piers on various beaches, walking all day beside the busy highway, and eating gas station hotdogs and burritos. I kept expecting him to ask for financial help: for food, for a motel room for the night, or maybe for a bus ticket, but he never did. All he was asking for, was an explanation for what he called a confusing and bizarre encounter he’d had that morning while walking through town. 

Van reported that a man in a black truck had pulled onto the road’s shoulder just in front of him, said he looked hungry, and asked Van if he could buy him breakfast at the IHOP a few hundred yards down the road. Though Van was suspicious, he was in fact very hungry, and so he accepted the offer. Van climbed into the truck and moments later they both sat down at a booth inside IHOP. After Van had ordered a short-stack of pancakes with a side of bacon, the man handed the waitress a $20 bill and asked her to please serve Van whatever else he might want. The man said to Van that he was sorry he couldn’t enjoy breakfast with him, but because he was pressed for time, he really must be leaving. Van objected “Wait! why are you being so kind to me, especially if you were in a big hurry? The man casually said he was a Christian, and if Van really wanted an explanation for his kindness, he should go to a church and ask someone there about it. Again he expressed his regret that he couldn’t stay and left Van by saying “God bless you”. Well, Van finished his pancakes and asked the waitress to borrow a local phone book. He looked in the yellow pages, and then from the payphone began calling each church in the order they were listed. Van told me several calls went unanswered, others were picked up by machines, and I was the first actual person he had been able to reach. Van’s difficult life was the culmination of a variety of factors, but his current homelessness had been caused by his brother’s coldness and a business partner’s betrayal. Earnestly, he asked “why, when everyone he knew had turned their backs on him, would this stranger take time to reach out in such confusing kindness”? Van’s background knowledge of God, Church, and the Bible was extremely limited. So I had the great joy of explaining how God’s love for mankind caused Him to send His own son down to earth to take the punishment for our sins. I said that the man in the truck, probably because he was motivated by God’s loving sacrifice, wanted to show grace and kindness to others. After sleeping on the sand under a pier each night, Van continued to come by the building during the day to learn more about God. Though I offered financial assistance, Van would never accept more than lunch at McDonalds. Ten days after I first met Van, he received salvation through his baptism into Christ. Van’s routine continued for another couple of weeks, but after a time I never saw Van again. I still pray for him and wonder if he’s continuing to grow in his relationship with Christ.

I marvel at all that had to happen for Van to come to the knowledge of God’s love and salvation as he did. —The gentleman in the black truck must’ve been looking for a way to live out his faith. Van had to be in a position that he would notice and truly consider the kindness of a Christian. My elders had to require an amount of office time for their youth minister. The waitress had to be accommodating enough to loan Van a phonebook. The church members had to be welcoming enough that a disheveled stranger felt comfortable attending services.— Sometimes we wonder if our Christian efforts are making any difference at all, and all too often we allow that type of discouragement to take root in our hearts. Once discouragement settles in we stop looking for ways, big or small, to add to God’s Kingdom, and who knows what opportunities are thwarted by such defeatist thinking? Usually, you’ll never know the effects of your faithful living, but God promises us that there’s always a benefit. Keep living out God’s calling in your life.

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow”. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

Prayer Prompt: God, please help me to be available whenever you call. Amen

“Say It” Wednesday, November 25, 2020

"And Jesus answered and said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine--where are they? Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?'"  Luke 17:17-18

While traveling towards Jerusalem, Jesus was met by ten men who must’ve known something about who he was, because they called him by name and asked him to show them pity. These men had the dreaded and contagious disease of leprosy, meaning they couldn’t operate in regular society but had to stay separate from the healthy. They had to remain socially distanced in perpetuity. They were forced to live in quarantine as their bodies literally deteriorated over time. Leprosy was especially cruel to its hosts because it was a disease of loneliness that held no hope for improvement. Imagine knowing that the only thing you could count on, for the rest of your life, was the relentless progression of the social and physical pain that accompanied the further dilapidation of your fleshly body. Those prospects would understandably make thankfulness a waning emotion. 
When the ten asked for Jesus’ pity, he gave them a task. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priest, (priests served as the quarantine medical officers for the Jewish community). I am a little surprised that all ten men actually obeyed Jesus’, because at the time of the command nothing at all observable had happened. Scripture says they were only healed once they chose to follow Jesus’ instructions, “as they went, they were cleansed” (Lk 17:14). After they showed themselves to the priest and were proclaimed clean they were free to rejoin society, to hug their children, to kiss their wives, and to put their lives back together. With the anticipation of such wonderful joys and a reawakened hope for their future, it’s not terribly shocking that nine of the men rushed back to the delights and practicalities of their daily lives. A blind person who has their sight restored wants to see and take in as much as possible, right now. In Acts 3, Peter healed a man who had been lame since birth, and the man immediately began to jump around and exercise his new mobility. I am somewhat surprised by the fact that one of the ten actually paused his excitement long enough to go find the man who had unlocked his freedom. Jesus highlights that the one thankful man was a foreigner, WHY? Well perhaps he was trying to shame his Jewish audience by pointing out that those who had the most for which to be grateful, were actually the ones who failed to say “thanks”. Perhaps being a foreigner made him more likely to return to Jesus? The nine Jews likely had families, houses, and jobs nearby which would beckon for their immediate attention, while the foreigner probably had a journey separating him from any such interests. If this was the case, then the nine let their excitement over their gifts distract them from being thankful to the gift giver, while the foreigner was able to pause long enough to realize the importance of saying thanks. 

When we read and talk about this account, we’re often pretty hard on the nine Jews and refer to them as “the ungrateful lepers”, but I bet they were grateful. I feel sure they appreciated being healed by Jesus and being allowed once again to embrace loved ones they had been forced to leave. What we learn here in Luke 17, is that there is an enormous difference between silently feeling grateful, and joyfully expressing your gratitude with words such as “thank you”. Verse 15 says that “when the Samaritan saw he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice”. He not only felt appreciation for Jesus, he made it a special priority (before he did anything else) to return to Jesus with praises. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and expressed lavish thanksgivings. 

Make it a priority this week (and indeed throughout your life) to express, say, shout, yell, or sing out your appreciation to God for the salvation of your soul and the blessings with which you’ve been entrusted. While you’re at it, tell the people around you how much you love them and that you treasure all that they do. Don’t just FEEL grateful — say “thanks”! "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15 

Prayer Prompt: Thank you God for saving me, for showing me your love, for allowing me to be useful in your Kingdom, and for being with me daily! Amen

“Miss Thelma” Friday, November 13, 2020

“Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you…” Matthew 20:25-26

I have many great memories from my time as a kid in the Cub Scout program. Among those memories are a weekend we spent at a local lake cleaning trash from the water’s edge and around primitive campsites. A couple thousand scouts from the tristate area, including Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma had come together for a Jamboree. The weekend’s various activities were wrapped up with a speech from the then governor of Texas, George W. Bush and a concert by a very young LeAnn Rimes. Another unforgettable experience came when we traveled to witness a Native American traditional Pow wow in Dalhart, Texas. We watched in awe as dozens of Indians, dressed in unbelievable animal furs, danced and chanted to the relentless beating of drums. I’m sure I annoyed my entire family for weeks afterwards as I found household items to pound upon while trying to duplicate that enchanting rhythm. 

All of my Cub Scouting memories were facilitated by the mother of one of my close friends named JD. Thelma Stone, JD’s mom, served as our pack leader for several years and did a great job running our weekly meetings, helping us earn our merit badges, and organizing special trips like those I mentioned. At each week’s meeting Miss Thelma always had the supplies and instructions needed for us to finish an activity or craft from our Scout book, ensuring that no one fell far behind. Everyone absolutely loved and appreciated Miss Thelma, so we were confused and upset when she informed us she would no longer be our pack leader. She explained her decision saying: “yall are Cub Scouts and you really ought to have a man as your leader, so I’ll be stepping down and Mr. Long will be taking over”.  I don’t mean to be too hard on Mr. Long, but after a couple years, the entire Scouting program in town completely dissolved. I don’t know all that went into Thelma deciding to step down as our leader, but I imagine she felt pressure to be a certain way, and struggled against insecurities that silently convinced her she was the wrong person for the job. 

Jesus sternly warned his disciples not to be domineering once they became leaders in His Church. He didn’t want them to follow the harsh worldly examples, or for them to imagine that the Church was a base from which they could amass power and influence for their own ego’s sake. Instead, Jesus directed them to be servants who were actively looking out for the good of others. Today, we are to follow those same instructions, and imitate the personal examples Jesus humbly illustrated for us (like foot washing). It’s certainly a difficult line to walk though. We are called to be humble enough for even the most menial of jobs, while confidently telling others, like Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “imitate me as I imitate Christ”. It’s made still more difficult because the world tends to demand clear lines of delineation between servants and decision makers. It’s always been that way because worldly leaders reinforce their positions and powers through outward expressions of superiority. Through his personal actions and teachings, Jesus destroyed the superficial gulf between serving and leading — he said they go hand-in-hand. “…even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others…” Matthew 20:28

Miss Thelma was a great example of a servant leader. Sadly, it seems insecurities and fears convinced her she wasn’t qualified for the role she had been fulfilling so dutifully, and we suffered from her absence. How many of us fail to step up to leadership because we fear we’re unqualified? On the flip-side, how many of us refrain from getting our hands dirty because we know personal service often gets messy? God wants to use you to lead others into a deepening relationship with Christ — Let him. God insists that your leadership be proven genuine through personal and sincere service — Do it. 

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms”. 1 Peter 4:10

Prayer Prompt:Lord, please grant us the courage to lead, and the humility to serve.

“Cinnamon Rolls” Friday, November 6, 2020

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.” Matthew 25:21

Thursday was always cinnamon roll day at Black Mesa Bible Camp. Since well before the first year I was blessed to go to camp (1988), Claire Durham from Keyes, Oklahoma, served as the camp’s head cook, and she baked the world’s best after-dinner-dessert. She had developed a recipe entitled “cinnamon rolls for 100” and tweaked it year after year until her creation simply couldn’t be improved upon. As Claire aged, she trained Dianne Varbel of Clayton, New Mexico, to be her replacement in the camp kitchen. I’ve always imagined there might’ve been a little solemn ceremony to commemorate the moment Claire handed over her renowned and beloved weekly meal plan along with all its treasured recipes. Dianne was well up for the task and graciously served as head cook for the next ten years or so. 

Years passed, and as a teenager I was allowed to become a junior counselor alongside a handful of friends (Mitch, Darren, Nicole, and Leslie), who’d all grown up going to camp together. Each summer we served as jr. counselors during camp’s first session, and two weeks later we all returned as campers for senior session. Those were the golden friendships of my youth, and those people are all still important to me today. One particular summer during jr. session, we hatched a plan to spend a bit of extra time together enjoying each other’s company. Our scheme was for each of us to quickly finish our nightly cabin duties, somehow get the campers to bed on time, slyly sneak out after lights out, and rendezvous back in the kitchen. The ultimate goal was to hang out together while eating reheated cinnamon rolls leftover from dinner. As far as we knew our plan was actually working out great -I must’ve eaten four large rolls with melted butter on top- but we pushed our luck too far. Turned out that when Nicole’s absence from her cabin had been noted, her head counselor reported to the camp director (who happened to be Nicole’s father) that something was amiss. When we'd determined it was time to call it a night the four of us each began quietly sneaking through the dark, behind shrubs and cactus towards our own cabin back doors. Nicole’s dad however, was making rounds looking for us and I wasn’t as quiet as I thought. As I rounded the last dark corner before I was home-free, I was met by Tom Bailey (Nicole’s dad) standing squarely between me and my destination. In a controlled yet obviously chafed tone “What have y'all been doing?” was all he asked. Startled, guilty, and afraid, all I managed to weakly say was “nothing”. Mr. Bailey angrily said “get in your bed and go to sleep, I’ll deal with y'all tomorrow”. And he did deal with us. We were made to clean every bathroom, sink, and shower in the entire camp. 

What will your answer be on the day of judgement when God asks what you’ve been doing? Will a guilty conscience cause you to shrink in fear of disappointment or punishment, or might some perverse sense of self-preservation spur a dishonest response? The truth is that God isn’t only interested in us staying out of trouble, he also has expectations that we assist him with his soul saving mission. Tom wasn’t furious at us jr. counselors because we wanted to spend a little extra time eating cinnamon rolls together. No! His disappointment was that we seemed not to understand how he wanted/needed our help running a safe and beneficial camp session for all the kids. God does want us to live righteously, but he’s also seeking our involvement and contribution as he offers redemption to all of mankind. In the parable of the talents told in Matthew 25, a master is pleased with two of his servants because they took what was entrusted to them (money) and invested it beneficially. His other servant was fearful, and so he hid the money given to him in order to be able to return the same amount when his master returned. That last servant was called “wicked and slothful” because he hadn’t joined in his master’s overall effort, but instead only sought to avoid condemnation. Have you joined God’s overall effort? When God returns and asks what you’ve been doing, what will your answer be? 

“For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14

Prayer Prompt: Father, help me to courageously participate in your mission. Amen

“Fear Can Be Ghoulish” Friday, October 30, 2020

"The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.” Zechariah 10:2

—It came right at me from high in the tree—

Like most kids, Halloween for me was an event greatly anticipated. What’s not to like? I mean, you get to dress up as your favorite superhero, or maybe even something just a tad bit spooky. Even better still, enough cavity-causing-confection could be reaped from one night of door-to-door begging to last weeks. But about the costumes; my family could never spring for the expensive store bought versions. So while my friends were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, Mario, or Luigi, I always donned a humble homemade number. Over the years my older siblings helped me dress up: once as a hobo using some of my dads ragged work clothes, and another year with a cardboard box they sent me out as a painted Tetris block. When they grew annoyed of helping me, they just threw a sheet over my head with eye holes cut out and said I was a ghost. Perhaps the neighbors felt sorry for me and my lackluster ghost-sheet, because I recall raking in more Snicker bars and Dots then ever. Despite my candy success, that particular Halloween turned out to be the scariest of my childhood. After collecting the standard boring hard-candies and Tootsie-rolls on our local streets, we walked across town to seek our sugary fortunes in the wealthy neighborhoods. For a while our efforts were rewarded, until something so terrifying occurred that I insisted on going straight home. The sun had long since set, and the darkness was only interrupted by deficient, sporadic, and humming yellow street lights. As we cut across a gloomy and foreboding front yard filled with spider and gravestone flourishes, “it” came right at me from high in the tree. Flashes came from afar, loud shrieks assaulted us, and I really-truly-thought the thing hurtling down upon us was a demon straight from Hades. I was so scared that I didn’t want to have anything to do with any haunted candy from this house. Turned out, it was a plastic skeleton’s head atop black and white cloth made to look like creepy robes of a ghoul, racing down a rope anchored near the front door. The demented homeowners thought it would be hilarious to terrify kids using a strobe light, scream recordings, and a ghoul attached to a pulley flying toward them, AT NIGHT. They may have had great laughs, but I had nightmares. 

Why does the world so often seek to scare us? Why does the world (or at least segments of our society) use terrifying terminology, slanted statistics, and petrifying predictions to foist a worldview upon us with fear as its central tenet? What does anyone stand to gain from making us afraid? The answer: A LOT. Consider the heaps of insurance products marketed to Americans: car insurance, home insurance, cyber insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, travel insurance, and if you still want more “protection” from devastation then buy an umbrella policy to fix any policy deficiencies. We are by far the most insured society of all time. Last year Americans collectively spent 1.926 TRILLION dollars on various insurance products (just shy of 9% of America’s total GDP). Other segments of society, like politicians, purposely incite fear in our hearts as well. This year, a record 9.9 billion dollars has been spent on political advertising. Roughly 50% of those dollars are spent to produce negative ads that try to win your vote by stirring fear of the others, or of what the other side will do. Government uses the fear of all kinds of things to manipulate constituent’s behavior, i.e. fear of cancer to shock smokers into quitting. Commercial ad agencies make use of our existing doubts and play on our inherent fear of the unknown to persuade us to buy their product. Some, like the Halloween homeowners I mentioned, may even kindle your fears for nothing more than their own amusement. 

Fear is one of the most persuasive emotions; able to kick us into high gear or it can paralyze us. It has a unique ability to uncover what we hold most dear and treasure in our heart, fear-by-itself is neither evil nor righteous (Proverbs 9:10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…”). Next time you recognize you’re experiencing fear, take a bit of time to ask a few questions, like: Is someone deliberately causing you to fear, and if so, what do they have to gain from your fear? Is your fear legitimate or is it simulated? Are you afraid of doing something, or merely afraid of doing without something? God doesn't tell us we should never experience fear, but He does tell us not to fear the wrong things, and to never be afraid of living for God or carrying out his mission for us. 

Deuteronomy 31:8 “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” 

For further reading:  2 Timothy 1:7, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, John 14:26-27, 1Thessalonians 4:13-18

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please help me to see truth clearly. Amen

What’s Next? - Friday, October 23, 2020

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Dottie Taylor was the matriarch of one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Sunray Texas. The town actually acquired its name from the very first outfit of wildcatters (Sunray Oil) that took a chance drilling exploratory wells in the area. Although that company later changed its name to “Sunoco”, the name “Sunray” stuck and has been the town’s official name since its founding in the early 1930s. The Taylor family has owned and operated “Taylor Drilling” since the first oil derricks began appearing, and has weathered the cyclical booms and busts so often associated with the oil industry. 

I don’t know how my dad came to know Dottie, but she often hired him to do all manner of odd jobs around her house. He had repaired her roof, installed security lights, built shelves in her garage, and every year he hung dozens and dozens of strings of Christmas lights all over and around her place. I served as dad’s go-for assistant on that particular task, making sure he had whatever he needed and didn’t have to continuously climb up and down the ladder (mostly, I think I was there just for company). Large multi-colored bulbs where attached all along the complex roofline and under the eaves. The standard white Christmas lights were strung high in the many trees Dottie had surrounding her extravagant house. When done, the trees at night looked as though they were being crushed in the tenacious grasp of a luminescent snake suspended in midair. Dad used a 17 foot extension ladder and a telescoping pole to reach the highest branches of her most prominent Elm trees near the road. Dottie would say, “I want my lights to be the highest in town, they need to be visible from way down the street”, and she would often ask “Can’t you get those lights on the very top branches?”. Stringing Mrs. Taylor’s lights was usually a 2 or 3 day job and it always happened right around Halloween. 

One year dad had been perched high in the canopy of Dottie’s Elms before he rushed down the ladder. He barked at me to pick up the tools and any loose lights because a “Blue Northern” was coming in and we didn’t have much time. I didn’t know then, but I know now that a “Blue Northern” is a cold front that sweeps down from Canada across America’s high plains with bizarre strength and speed. It’s able to do so because the high plaines offer scant resistance from its nonexistent mountain ranges and forests. Reminiscent of pictures I grew up seeing of dust storms from the “dirty 30s”, we were actually able to watch the cold front speeding toward us before it enveloped us with its powerful wind gusts and blowing rain. We had been enjoying a perfectly sunny day with temperatures in the 70s, but just minutes later we were jumping into the truck to escape sleet that would soon became snow. Before that afternoon turned to evening the temperatures were in the low 20s (nearly a 50 degree swing within a couple hours).

Folks in most regions joke that if you don’t like the weather, well, just wait a little while and it’ll change. That’s often true, but no matter where you live a 50 degree swing is remarkable. That kind of jolt is difficult to experience, hard to prepare for, and it can leave you with a sense of something like whiplash. These past months, since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, have been jarring for many of us. We’ve experienced a major shakeup: in our work lives, with our family and travel plans, with where and how we worship. Even though our area has been somewhat protected, compared to major hotspots, all of our everyday lives have changed dramatically. “Zooming” wasn’t only added to our vocabulary, it’s been included in our regular schedules. We’ve been forced to practice social distancing whenever we leave our homes, that is, if we leave our homes. We’ve discovered who among our friends and family is in an elevated risk category, and we’ve all reanalyzed to what extent our own actions might adversely effect them. Many of us have come to a deeper appreciation for: the small things, the time we have with people, the hugs and handshakes, the blessing and fragility of this life on Earth. Our lives are gift from God himself, and he wants to bless us with whatever is before us. Life will never again be just like it was before, and it won’t always be just like it is now. Things change, people change, but God’s love and care for us is constant. We find ourselves in a strange season of life that came upon us suddenly, but our calling is the same today as it was last year — to love and enjoy God while inviting others into His incredible family. 

“Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow…” James 4:13-14

Prayer Prompt: God, please help me to treasure only the treasures. Amen

The Lion’s Den - October 13, 2020

“Be alert and of sober mind…” 1 Peter 5:8

--We realized we had to clear out, and clear out fast-- During a couple high school summers, I was blessed to work alongside a Christian brother at Palo Duro Canyon state park in Texas. When Matt West and I learned that an elderly gentleman from our church, Elon Baker, was looking for a couple workers for his maintenance crew, we jumped at the opportunity. Matt and I were assigned to the Pioneer Amphitheater that hosted the outdoor musical drama “Texas”. Each Summer evening the drama attracted over 1,500 spectators, and our job was to help keep the various facilities looking good and in working order. We cleaned the amphitheater with leaf blowers, fixed restroom toilets, repainted chairs and signs, and helped with the landscaping. Every Friday, 650 new potted Kalanchoes arrived from a local greenhouse that we had to place in prearranged locations. On a few occasions we were even entrusted with limited oversight of 3 or 4 trustees from the local county jail — those were not our favorite days. We were just young teenagers, but Elon was patient and taught us all kinds of skills that still serve me well today.  

Though the tasks were occasionally tedious and the weather was always hot, we both loved this summertime job. Our favorite perk of working in the 2nd largest canyon in the United States came at lunchtime. Elon liked to take brief naps in the air conditioned office around noontime, and to accommodate his siestas he granted us hour long lunch breaks. We would take about 5 minutes to eat the sandwiches and chips from our brownbags, and use the remainder of our time hiking up and down the canyon walls. We would come across all types of desert wildlife like: scorpions, rattlesnakes, horned toads, lizards, and mule deer. One Friday morning, after setting out the Kalanchoes, we hiked in a new direction toward a place that looked as if it could be a cave entrance. It turned out not to be so much a cave as a steep depression behind one of the many “Spanish Skirts”, which are sparse outcroppings of sedimentary rock named for their colorful resemblance to formal Spanish dresses of bygone years. We kinda slid down into the depression, and were shocked to find ourselves immediately next to the severed head of a mule deer. A couple of its legs lay nearby and patches of its tawny hide were strewn about. Full of curiosity, we thoroughly explored the area wondering what could’ve possibly taken down a full grown mule deer (they can grow nearly twice the size of a whitetail). We ruled out coyotes or a bobcat, and remembered we’d heard rumors of mountain lions in the canyon. Though we had never seen one, nor personally known of anyone who had, we reasoned the culprit had to be a mountain lion. Then it began to dawn on us that we were out of sight, well beyond shouting range, and standing in the midst of a powerful predator’s recent kill. We realized we had to clear out, and clear out fast. A healthy fear overcame any lingering curiosity and we scrambled up out of the lion’s den. Once back at the office we called a park ranger who referenced several recent sightings, and told us he needed to see the area. An hour later, accompanied by 2 men with guns, we trekked back to the same spot only to find that all the major body parts had been dragged away. 

It’s considerably unnerving to realize you’re in real danger without protection. Maybe you also know the eerie shivers that come hours or days later once it fully dawns on you what could’ve happened. Our society today is risk-averse, especially in matters of personal and physical safety. The ever increasing number of arms sold each month in the U.S. is evidence of our preoccupation with self defense. Often however, that same vigor for “safety first” just doesn’t extend into our spiritual lives. WHY? Well we imagine, either by arrogance or apathy, that we are in command of ourselves and we’re not vulnerable to the silly attacks that entangle weaker souls. Most dangerously, we consistently underestimate Satan’s abilities and under-appreciate the zeal with which he schemes to take us down. I wonder if many Christians only academically believe there is a real satan, but in practice act as though he’s little more than fairytale. The apostle Peter certainly knew Satan was a clear and present danger when he compared him to a lion prowling for an easy meal. Peter knew that if we allowed ourselves to grow complacent, if we let our guard down, Satan would surely take advantage. Some of us need to wake up to the truth and stop wandering into the lion’s den looking for adventure. You are not invincible, and Satan hasn’t forgotten about you. Remember that our job is not to defeat Satan. NO! Defeating Satan is way out of our spiritual abilities, that’s God’s job. Instead, we are told to be sober and vigilant, and to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. James 4:7

“…Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith…” 1 Peter 5:8-9

Prayer Prompt: Thank you Lord for protecting me from Satan. Please help me to stay alert for his attacks. Amen

“What’s Our Purpose?” - Thursday October 1, 2020

Many young Christians think their purpose (or highest aim) is simply to go to Heaven. I want to go to Heaven too, but that desire has a somewhat limited power to affect daily life right now. For many, Heaven can feel just too far removed to play an integral part in day to day decision making. For sure, the desire for Heaven is motivating; it has the power to get people's attention, to cause them to take a good look at their lives, and to realize that sacrifices made for God will be worth the cost. On the flip side, the fear of Hell has the potential power to wake a person up from their spiritual slumber. These two ultimate outcomes can certainly move people to action, but we were created to do more than to populate these eternal destinations. 1) The Christian's purpose is far richer than simply attaining Heaven, or escaping Hell. 

Our purpose is to help God achieve HIS aims, not because He requires our help, but because He has chosen to work through us (an incredible honor). So any discussion about our purpose best starts with identifying what God is wanting to accomplish. 2) God seeks to free us from the shackles of sin in our lives (now & eternally), while living with us in harmonious fellowship. See scriptures below for reference.

A) "In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28  

B) 2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

C) 2 Timothy 1:9 "He has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace."

D) Ephesians 3:10-12 "His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Jesus' encounter with "the rich young ruler" (Matthew 19:16-27) is very helpful towards answering the question of purpose. The young man seems only interested in achieving (earning) eternal life. He wants to know "which" commandments to focus on. Even after Jesus gave him an answer, he still knew he was lacking something. So Jesus tells him exactly what would be required of him to deserve Heaven; he would have to achieve "perfection". Evidently, the young man was interested in his own achievements rather than God's purposes. His wealth took up the place of highest import for him. Peter even jumps in and asks basically the same question, "what we will get out of this deal"? 3) Our purpose is to make God's objectives paramount in our lives.

4) Our purpose includes enjoying God himself, while appreciating and making proper use of the vast blessings He's given us. Jesus told the rich young man: “go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me”. Incredibly, he stood face to face with Jesus and turned away from the invitation to work side by side with the Savior. He chose his stuff over fellowship and camaraderie with God in the flesh. 

A) 1 Timothy 6:17 "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our ENJOYMENT."

B) Nehemiah 8:10 "the joy of the Lord is our strength"

C) John 10:10 Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly”

What’s your purpose? Well, here’s an attempt at a concise answer. Your purpose is: to live in a Christ-Like manner, making use of every opportunity to advance God's objectives. To enjoy fellowship with God. To help communicate God's love and guidance to those in & near your life. 

That’s the true purpose for everyone, though each person's specific method (or calling) will vary based on unique gifts & relationships. Your own calling is the specific way in which you can assist God to achieve His objectives. Whether you know it or not, your life presents a plethora of interesting & powerful possibilities. Will you join God's mission, or will you merely stick to your own?

1 Corinthians 10:31 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please bless all of us with a clear vision of our purpose and function within your Kingdom. Amen

“Holiness - Happiness"

"The idols speak deceitfully, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain…” Zechariah 10:2

My sister Carrie and I would raid our piggy banks, scrounge around the house, and hunt under the couch cushions. We were in eager search of enough change to buy ourselves treats from the sno-cone stand that took up occupancy each summer in front of an old closed down service station on Main street. Fifty cents would buy a small, and if we ever had two whole dollars we could each enjoy a large size all to ourselves. That was a rare treat indeed. 

My dad’s mother, we called her Vovó (grandma in Portuguese), owned a coin operated carwash in the nearby town of Cactus which my dad maintained and serviced. Whenever we helped clean out the stalls and vacuum cleaners and wash the mud off of the concrete we were each paid a dollar or two, as long as we worked hard and didn’t slouch. I’ll tell you this, during the summer time we were motivated little laborers - we were working for those delicious sno-cones. Another of our duties was to count all the quarters that came out of the various machine hoppers. Carrie would put the quarters in piles of 40 and I would stack them inside coin wrappers that had the words “ten dollars” printed on the outside. I am still very embarrassed to admit this, but one particular day after wrapping rolls and rolls of quarters, the temptation to pocket a few overwhelmed me. I’m sure I thought just a few coins wouldn’t be missed, and perhaps I deluded myself with other justifications for the pilfering. Well, once my mind was moving in that direction it took only a tad more to convince my eight year old brain that an entire roll also wouldn’t be missed, and then I could be assured of frozen treats for weeks. For the life of me, midway through that summer, I couldn’t understand what happened to the quality of those sno-cones. The ones purchased with stolen coins were far too crunchy and seemed little more than colored ice. Thankfully my guilt ridden sugar rushes came to an end just days later. My older brother grew curious as to why I was suddenly flush with cash. After a quick search of my hiding places -which he knew all about- he took my ill gotten loot and handed it over to my parents. Even though the jig was up, I remember feeling oddly liberated.

My childish pursuit of immediate happiness caused me to end up confined by guilt and remorse. People of all ages discover the same results when they fall victim to Satan’s schemes. He tempts us to chase happiness through the acquisition of things, professional titles, money, and power with influence. He convinces us that we deserve the objects of our desire, and so we have every right to claim and take them. Satan will even plant in our mind the pious sounding cynical question “doesn’t God want you to be happy?”.  Even many Christians are led astray into pursuing holiness and happiness in equal measure at the same time. If we do this however, we will find that we achieve neither. Holiness and happiness are not antithetical, but only the singular pursuit of God’s holiness produces a meaningful and lasting happiness. The question is: deep down, do we most want to feel good or do we want to do good? Consider the words of the 17th century puritan author Thomas Brooks: “Holiness is happiness in the bud, and happiness is holiness at the full. Happiness is nothing but the quintessence of holiness”. The famed theologian Matthew Henry said “goodness and holiness are not only the way to happiness but happiness itself”.  Better still, listen to the apostle Paul: "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." 1 Timothy 6:17

Prayer Prompt: Lord, help me not to chase after vain things falsely promising happiness. Amen

“Pessimism Rejected” - Friday, September 18, 2020

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

My family and I lived in 5 different houses by the time I was in the second grade. It seemed normal to me to pack up all your belongings and settle into a new place every 12 to 18 months. Plus, a couple of those moves felt like grand adventures. I did however, come to miss friends from previous neighborhoods. Ricky, Wayne, and Sarah were fantastic friends across the street from us when we lived on Orlando Street in Lubbock, TX. Their father was a sales rep for a company that sold women’s pantyhose. I knew that because there was a large and very embarrassing advertisement of a woman putting on a “L’eggs” brand pair of dark pantyhose right on the broadside of his company Astro van - ugh! Midway through kindergarten I learned we were leaving the big city of Lubbock for a tiny little town a couple hours north. Though I was sad to be leaving such good friends behind, I was excited to be moving to Sunray, TX where my Grandma lived. To me, being near Grandma more than made up for whatever we were leaving behind. Our family of 6 moved into an undersized 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom house crammed into about 1,100 square feet. It was very tight inside, but we did have a big yard that was on the very edge of town with open farm fields as far as you could see. For the most part this rental house served our family well. I particularly loved the big Elm trees in the front yard which were perfect for climbing. Growing in the backyard were 4 peach trees, a pear tree, and a mature grapevine that made for great snacks at the end of summer and fresh jam during the winter. 

After living in this rental home for a couple years, you might imagine how pleased I was to overhear my parents talking about trying to purchase this house at 801 Avenue R. I was 9 or so years old and was too young to understand the intricacies of home buying, but it sure seemed like if we bought this place then we’d be staying put - and that pleased me just fine. I remember dad answering a phone call one evening just before dinner, and after the call ended he cheerfully announced to the whole family that we were now proud home owners. Dad was grinning and kind of danced around our small living room in the way that only goofy fathers can dance. I got myself caught up in the celebration. In fact, I was so excited that I picked up the phone and called Joshua Quirk, my best friend from down the street, to share with him our great news. Joshua was sort of confused by the news, but he understood that I was happy and so he said “I guess that’s great”. I was so happy that I just had to share our good fortune with someone. That little house was the first large purchase either of my parents ever made, and the sticker price of $20,000 in 1990 was a big deal for us. We lived in that house for 7 years until life events sadly necessitated another move. 

There were many family memories made at 801 Avenue R, and plenty of them were rough and even scarring, but I’ll never forget how joyous we were the day we collectively became home owners. When I look back on that period of my family’s life, I strive to focus on the happy occasions and meaningful milestones rather than the struggles we endured. It seems to me that it’s far too easy to be cynical, jaded, and pessimistic in this life, but nothing good comes of that. There’s always something to be weary and worn-down over, and too often we allow a melancholy mindset to permeate our consciousness. Truthfully, it can take considerable effort to choose joy over gloom, but the emotional investment is always worthwhile. Gloom is a bankrupt emotion, while joy pays dividends to ourselves and those around us. The words Nehemiah once spoke to the Israelites are still good instruction for us today: “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep…This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:9-10

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please help me to reject pessimism and embrace a joyfulness for you and all you’ve done for me. Amen.

“The Return” Thursday Sep 10, 2020

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all…, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”  2 Corinthians 3:17-18

A friend of mine in high school, I’ll call her Cynthia, came from a family of Christians, and she grew up attending worship services and Church activities at least three times a week. The Church provided much of the content of her life’s experiences, at least until the age of 17. At Christmas time she went caroling. At the end of October she participated in and later helped run the Church’s Fall Festival. Every winter she joined the youth group’s ski trip to Wolf Creek, Colorado. During the summer Cynthia attended Blue Haven Bible Camp in New Mexico, and she participated in and volunteered with VBS. At school her friends were all fellow Christians who ate lunch together everyday, and each Monday (when lunch was an hour long) they all crammed into the Church van to be taken to Wendys by the Church youth minister. Her mother even worked at the building as the Church’s secretary. 

From the outside Cynthia was the picture of a joy filled Christian, basking in all the earthly blessings associated with living the Christian life amongst a healthy congregation of spiritual brothers and sisters. Despite appearances however, Cynthia was never at peace. She sustained deep emotional and spiritual injuries from the battles taking place beneath the surface. She never seemed to develop an abiding faith in God, or a confidence in his protection and salvation. At times she felt helplessly inadequate. She suffered from a terrible self image and gravitated toward people and activities that provided momentary relief and the illusion of social acceptance. Though Cynthia was living in the midst of God’s blessings, she continuously grasped for what the world seemed to be offering. 

Perhaps you also know people like Cynthia, maybe even someone in your own family. If so, then you know how heartbreaking it is to watch them chase after lies while rejecting God’s truth. You wish you could connect the dots for them. You wish you could convince them that they’re throwing away a treasure in search of a fake map. But you can’t. So what are we to do? Well Jesus answers that question when he spoke about a son who insisted on leaving his family behind in order to live it up. The young man’s father eagerly waited day after day for his son’s return, and when it finally happened he celebrated like never before. This was a representation of the way God is with us. God doesn’t try to force us into righteousness, and He’s not eager to dole out punishment when we choose foolishly. Instead, He patiently waits for our spiritual homecoming and rejoices when we turn our eyes to Him. We also should love deeply, pray often, and wait eagerly.

To gain your heavenly inheritance is God’s vision for your life. He longs for you to live as you were designed and intended to function. Let’s not be like the 10 spies coming back from scouting the promised land terrified, pessimistic, and resigned to a life wandering in the wilderness. God wants us to accept victory — and if we follow him — victory will actually become a way of life for us. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it. 

“…there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” Luke 15:7

Prayer Prompt: God, please sustain all those who are praying for the return of folks like Cynthia. Thank you for the grace and patience you offer. Amen

WHO decided it was a good idea to arrange awkward teenagers on a football field with musical instruments, ask them to read and play multiple pieces of music, all while marching in formation to create abstract shapes only viewable from elevated stands; seriously, who? Jokes aside, I have great respect for what marching bands are able to accomplish, in part because I know how much work goes into their performances. My own musical education started in church and intensified in the 4th grade when my class had to learn to play the flutophone (recorder). Around the time I was entering the 5th grade my mom was going through a long Kenny G phase, and being the impressionable youth I was, her taste for jazz unfortunately encouraged me to choose the alto saxophone. Although I later upgraded to the tenor-sax, my own jazz career just never took off. 

My high school took its marching band very seriously, and two-a-day practices began a couple full weeks before classes. Once classes commenced, practices shifted to 7:00 AM every weekday and 7:00 PM every Monday and Thursday. Up until our first halftime performance we were allowed to use music holders, which displayed our sheet music at eye level while we marched, but after that we were required to have all 3 of our songs completely memorized. To this day I can still uselessly play large chunks of the theme song to the movie “Live and Let Die”. Marching band was proving to be far more involved than I had imagined, and I was struggling. 

During that time in my family’s life, mom was working night shifts at the hospital and dad was driving charter trips for Trailways. So, mom was just getting home around the time I headed to school, and dad would often be away multiple days at a time. We lived 12 miles from town out in the country, which made travel arrangements for extracurricular activities very difficult. My parents were doing the very best they could, but I just couldn’t physically make it to many of those practices. My kindhearted band director tried to work with me, but as marching competition neared, he explained that he was giving my position to someone else and I would become an alternate. Getting cut by itself was rough, and the new job I was assigned only increased my embarrassment. For the rest of the season my only function was to attend to the drum major’s podium. When the band marched onto the field I would roll the podium out to its proper position. After the show began, I was to roll the podium to the opposite sideline near the 50 yard line until the show was over, at which point I followed the band off the field with the podium rolling behind me. I had to stand at attention next to a glorified stepladder while I watched everyone else perform the march and music that I had worked so hard to memorize. Plus, I couldn’t help but imagine everyone in the stands looking right at me and wondering how bad a person had to mess up to be relegated to ladder duty. 

Anytime we join a group or team there are always obligations we are agreeing to fulfill. Every relationship comes with commitments we intend to keep, but there are times we really struggle to do so (either from lack of ability, or lack of motivation). Christianity also comes with expectations that might intimidate or convince us we can’t sufficiently follow through. However, for every expectation God has for you He will always provide a motivation and method for you to do what He asks. When God says you should forgive others, He offers you grace. When God asks you to love others, He reminds you what Jesus did to deliver you from the penalty of sin. When He asks you to share your story, He reminds you that without Him there would be no story. When you embrace the expectations God has for you, remember this: He’s always willing to help you through and give you what you need. Our God is not a god of obstacles or shortages that can prevent us from faithful living. No, not at all! Our God “…is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”Ephesians 3:20

Prayer Prompt: God, help me to accept the challenges, blessings, and duties to which you have called me. Amen

“Resurrecting Problems” Aug 26, 2020

“…Samson thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. Judges 16:20

I was itching to use the new Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun I received for Christmas, but the occasion of its first use wasn't so jolly. The wintry weather on December 28, 1998 had kept most people indoors, and Ace (my high school friend) and I were bored to tears from the inactivity. We realized it was still hunting season for geese and Sandhill cranes, and we figured why not head out to take a few shots. We drove about 5 miles past Umbarger, TX to a playa lake surrounded by deep green fields of vibrant winter wheat. Geese and cranes migrate together and spend time each day in the fields gleaning any grain remaining from the previous harvest. After eating their fill they fly to a body of water to spend the night in relative safety, protected from any predators by the cold water surrounding them. Our strategy was to arrive at the playa lake while the birds were eating, so we would be in position to fire when they returned. It seemed like a good plan, but after a couple hours of sitting on the frost covered dirt I began to whine with numb discomfort. 

Ace was a far more serious hunter than I, and wanting to be successful, I allowed him to dictate our schedule. As the sun was going down however, I insisted I just couldn’t stand the cold and I was going to wait in the car. Ace relented, but before we were 20 yards from the water’s edge we heard the faint but definite honking of an incoming flock. The last remaining daylight only allowed us to see the vague edges of the bird’s classic “V” flight formation. We waited until the honks were directly above us before we opened fire and emptied our shotguns in their direction. The flock quickly changed course, but the sound of a single splash reported success. We hadn’t thought through how to retrieve a dead bird from the water, and for several moments we were frozen with indecision. I argued that since Ace was clearly the better marksman I was sure he had hit the bird, and he couldn’t just abandon his prize.

To my shock, with air temperatures in the teens, he began disrobing all the way down to his undergarments. So there Ace was, wearing nothing but a white pair of “Hanes”, holding his reloaded gun in his hands, wading into a freezing pond to retrieve a dead bird. Luckily the pond was shallow, no more than a few feet deep. Ace retrieved what turned out to be a large Sandhill Crane and emerged from the water with thick mud clinging all the way up to his previously bare thighs. He dropped the Crane in a 5-gallon bucket, shoved his gun at me, and quickly pulled on his winter clothing. With my friend now fully clothed we jogged the half mile back to the car, placed our shotguns and the bucket with its cargo into the back seat, and revved the engine praying the heater would stave off hypothermia. Excited but relieved, we both took a few deep breaths and headed back to the house. After 10 minutes, the car heated up nicely and we began to relax from the excitement, but the heat also had a reviving effect on something else. In an instant the “dead” crane leaped from its tomb, squawked loudly, and beat its large wings around the small backseat. Terrified, Ace stomped on the car’s brakes sending it into a skid which only ended when we slammed into the bottom of the drainage ditch beside the caliche road. Adrenaline rushed and we somehow managed to grab the crane by its neck, and after exiting the vehicle we finally dispatched with the bird in a manner about which I wouldn’t feel comfortable writing. 

I learned a few things on that cold December day: 1) Don’t expect great results from decisions poorly thought through, 2) I really could talk Ace into doing anything, and 3) Problems that aren’t thoroughly dealt with, can come back to haunt you. 

Samson’s refusal to recognize Delilah as a serious threat to himself, and to the life and safety of his people, provides a great example. Delilah coaxed Samson into giving away the secret of his strength, not just once or twice but on four separate occasions. He didn’t take his role as Israel’s judge and protector seriously. Why didn’t he see her for who she was and deal with the dangerous problem? Another example: When the Israelites prepared to take possession of the “promised land” they were told to either annihilate or completely displace the land’s current inhabitants. They didn’t follow through, and so they suffered severe consequences for generations. Idol worship plagued the Israelites and they were on the losing side of countless battles all because they didn’t deal with their situation in the manner which God decreed. The same cycle plays out in our modern lives when we fail to deal with problems in the way God instructs us. Once we have finally dealt with an issue in a Godly way, then we must move forward and let it stay in the past. Don't bring it up again to punish yourself or others. If you let a dead crane jump back to life, it’ll wreck you every time.  (see also: 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 & Luke 9:62)

Prayer Prompt: God, please help us to focus, not on the past, but on where you want us to go. Amen

“Open Mic” - Wednesday’s Devo Aug 19, 2020

“Those who guard their lips preserve their lives, but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.” Proverbs 13:3

It’s never pleasant to suddenly realize you’ve done or said something you wish you could take back. About 10 years ago, I joined a mission team organizing and conducting a week long Bible camp for teens in Ecuador.  We provided transportation for students from all across the mountainous country to bring them to a beautiful camp facility built and maintained by the Bellevue Church of Christ back in Washington State. The facilities strained during that week to serve about 210 young people, 25 Ecuadorian adults, and 15 members of the American mission team. 

The daily schedule was packed with 3 meals, 2 Bible classes, craft time, sports, and an evening worship service. To coordinate the movement of so many people in an orderly fashion took fantastic organization. Blessedly our camp director served as a comptroller for an entire air force base back home, which meant they knew how to make things happen on time. To synchronize the movement of the various small groups, 30 adult leaders (both Spanish and English speakers) were assigned two-way radios and instructed to have them turned on within arm’s reach at all times. These were invaluable, but frequently annoying. 

After being interrupted 3 separate times while teaching a morning Bible classe, I reached for my radio and intended to turn it off before reattaching it to a strap on my backpack. When class concluded my students were dismissed for lunch while a few adults went back to our cabin for a short rest. On my way back to the cafeteria I stopped by the director’s office to recharge my radio’s batteries as instructed. Upon entering I was greeted with sighs of frustration and a good bit of laughter as well. Turns out I hadn’t turned my radio off at all. Instead, when I strapped it to my backpack, I had inadvertently depressed the talk button which stayed engaged for more than an hour. I was apologizing to our team leader when it hit me: Not only had I rendered everyone’s radio useless, but I also subjected the entire staff to hearing everything I said over the past hour and a half. Oh no! Just what had I said? Incredibly embarrassed, I sat down and tried to make an accounting of all the thoughts that had escaped my unguarded lips. Had I complained or talked about any of our team members? Had I joked about any of my goofy students? Did I bemoan aloud the bizarre and gross chicken-foot-soup served last night at dinner? The director saw the anxieties on my face and reassured me that my broadcasted words had been merely obnoxious, but not offensive. Whew!

That incident powerfully drove home the point made in Matthew 12:36 “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter”.  When we speak without thinking, we risk all manner of casualties. So many folks end up hurt because of what another said when they thought their words wouldn’t be repeated. That day in Ecuador I relearned a vital truth: if you’d be embarrassed or ashamed for your comments to be repeated, never speak them in the first place. Seriously!

We all know how much damage careless words cause. Many relationships have ended due to the wounds inflicted on the battlefield of “harmless talk & chatter”. But words are also incredibly powerful tools God wants us to wield for good. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes through hearing”.  Therefore our words, our speech, can cause harm when we don’t consider their effect, but they can also activate blessings leading even unto salvation.

Prayer Prompt: Lord, help me to control my speech to help and not to harm. Amen

The blue 1995 Chevy S-10, that belonged to my high school friend Ace, was broken-down. The problem had something to do with the clutch slipping, and in any event his compact truck wasn’t going anywhere until after Braum’s, the fast-food joint where we both worked, cut new paychecks. We were feeling antsy and we just had to find something to do. While Ace’s mother, Anne, was enjoying an afternoon nap, we resolved she wouldn’t really mind if we borrowed her sedan as long as we weren’t gone too long. Prairie Dog hunting was a favorite pastime of Ace’s, and although my marksmanship was inferior to his, I enjoyed being out in the boonies and taking a few shots with his Russian made SKS rifle. 

We knew of a pasture with an old railroad boxcar set 300 yards or so away from the nearest caliche dirt road. The boxcar had once been used as a hay barn of sorts, and experience told us we could hide around one of its corners waiting for the prairie dogs to relax and stop barking out their alarms of danger. Fortunately for the plump rodents the wind was coming from behind us, and our scent in the air warned them to stay safely tucked underground. After an hour’s frustration and a few errant shots, I figured we should head back to the house before the car’s absence was noted. Ace was annoyed at my anxieties, but he relented eventually. We got back in his mom’s white sedan, cranked up the air conditioner, closed the automatic windows, and headed back towards town. As if on cue the fat prairie rodents climbed atop the dirt mounds surrounding their holes and seemingly began mocking our failed attempts. Ace, who hadn’t taken his eyes off these smug scurrying targets, hit the brakes hard, retrieved his thirty-aught-six rifle, and using a fencepost to steady himself squeezed off several rounds. He shouted in delight, and as he climbed the barbed-wire fence to admire his handiwork, I followed behind. After ample time for Ace to gloat over his incredible shot I again reminded him we had to get back. We retraced our steps, re-climbed the fence, and attempted to get back into the car. I say attempted because in our excitement one of us must’ve hit the automatic button controlling the door locks. 

That hot summer day, far from the nearest person or working landline phone, we stood flummoxed locked out of Ace’s mom’s car which still had its engine running and its AC set to max. Out near the boxcar we found a stretch of discarded bailing wire which we straightened and fished through the top of the sedan’s door attempting to break in. All we accomplished however, was ripping up the rubber seal between the doorframe and car body which would never again properly keep out rain water. Realizing the car would likely overheat soon, we accepted our fate and jogged to the nearest farm house to use their landline. We called Anne, who borrowed a neighbor’s vehicle in order to pick us up and save her car. The half hour before Anne arrived was filled with horrific dread over the anger that was sure to rain down upon us on account of the mess we’d created. I have never, even to this day, heard so many profanities spill out from one person’s lips, much less from someone’s mom! All of those curses were aimed squarely at us, and unlike my earlier shooting, Anne never missed. Ace was made to endure weeks of punishment for the sins we collectively executed. I however, despite what I deserved, was dropped off at my house and never heard further from any adults about the matter. Very unfairly, I escaped scot-free while Ace was chastised and grounded. We were equally guilty, but unequally punished. 

Two criminals were crucified for their crimes right beside Jesus. Although their personal guilt was virtually identical, their eternal destinations could not have been more different. One criminal taunted Jesus and clung to his haughty insolence while the other put his life in the hands of a righteous God, meekly asking Jesus to “remember me”. Similarly, we are all guilty of sin before God and therefore we’re all subject to judgement, but once again mercy will be experienced by some and not by others. Why is that? Pride! Pride can keep us from admitting out guilt. When we deny our guilt we don’t look for a solution, even if the solution comes in the form of a free gift. It’s painful to let go of pride, but the reward is immense and eternal. Is pride standing between you and God, between you and salvation - even just a little bit? 

Prayer Prompt: God, please show us how to be set free of pride’s imprisonment. Amen.

“They Are Listening” Wednesday, August 5th, 2020

“… they said “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” Acts 17:19-20

In a recent sermon, I spoke about the results of a survey conducted by Barna Research. The survey reported 3/4s of American adults reject the notion that there are absolute moral truths. Most of those respondents believe all truth is relative to particular people and specific situations. Additionally, 4 out of 5 American teenagers claim that NOBODY can say for certain whether or not they actually KNOW what truth is. For these people, it seems truth is merely a social construct -OR- it just doesn’t exist. 

Several times during that sermon, I mentioned how the world likes to imagine truth as being flexible and adaptable, but that everyone really does have a standard of right and wrong. It might seem as though our culture has totally rejected the idea of absolute moral truth, but what folks are usually dismissing is someone else’s interpretation of truth. Our society today prefers (demands) to be the authority. Our pop culture, with all of its dramatic convulsions, claims it can best decide what’s moral & what isn’t. Yikes!

In the midst of that sermon, a very sharp eight year old boy named Noah was trying to process and apply the message to his personal life experiences. He turned to his mother and said, “when I tell you at night that there are monsters in my room, and you say ‘NO! monsters don’t exist’, you are just denying my truth”. Even 5 days later when Noah’s mother was trying to correct a “fact” that a friend had told him, Noah once again protested “stop rejecting my truth”. Certainly, that young man will keep us all on our toes.

The three lessons I’ve taken away from Noah’s reaction to that sermon will certainly stick with me. 1st) The cultural messages bombarding our children are being delivered perhaps more loudly and ferociously than in times past. Definitely there are more avenues through which worldly perspectives can reach our kid’s eyes and ears, and we as parents have to be conscientiously alert and ready to defend against potential threats. 2nd) When preaching, I really need to pay very careful attention when I give voice to the world’s perspectives. I must be sure to clearly state the veracity and superiority of God’s teachings. If I’m not careful, I just might communicate to an eight year old boy, the exact opposite of my intended message. 3rd) Even when we might not expect it, our children are always listening. They hear the tender (or harsh) interactions between parents, and they often mimic our exact words and attitudes. They hear the sentiments we communicate to God in our prayers. They absorb and understand the spirit motivating us when we discuss the lives of others and our feelings about their choices. Children can act as a mirror for their parents and alert us to unhealthy or immoral tendencies we’ve yet to eradicate from our lives. The fact that they are always listening is both good and bad news. Bad news because they might soak in something we’d rather they not. Good news because it means we have ample opportunities to teach and reinforce God’s truths. And, it’s not just kids who are always watching and listening, the world is paying attention as well. Will our words and actions line up? Will the evidence of our life choices suggest we truly believe God’s message -or- the world’s? 

Prayer Prompt: Heavenly Father, please help me to make the most of my opportunities to share your truth with my children and with others. Amen.

What Is Truth? - Tuesday, July 28, 2020

“Genuine Friends” Tuesday - July 21, 2020

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

One Friday night, toward the end of June in 2012, I parked my pickup curbside in front of my in-law’s home in Florida. They live at the end of a nice peaceful cul-de-sac filled with young families and retirees. We were staying the night with Alison’s parents after enjoying a family dinner and enjoyable game night. Saturday morning, after getting ready for the day, I walked out the front door planning to head to Lowe’s, but I was shocked by the obvious absence of my pickup. After double checking to see if anyone had borrowed or moved it, I called the Sheriff’s office to report a stolen vehicle. An officer came to the house, filled out a report, and informed me that several other cars in the area had been broken into as well. If anything like this has ever happened to you, then you know the helpless feeling such an act provokes. However, a far-fetched idea occurred to me: I took to Facebook, explained what happened, and asked friends in the area to keep an eye out for my truck. 

Later that evening a close friend, Kevin Marler, called from his cell phone and said, “Hey I think me and my family are driving right behind your pickup”. After confirming the license plate number, I asked Kevin to call the Sheriff, report their location, and then let the cops take it from there. Kevin said “There’s no way I’m letting them out of our sight”. So after the Marler family called the Sheriff, they tailed the thieves throughout the north side of Fort Walton Beach. Soon they, and the thieves, saw the flashing blue and white police lights in their rearview mirrors. At this point the thieves decided their best chance of escape would come in a residential neighborhood. My truck (with the two thieves), the Marler’s minivan (filled with their entire family), and two police cars drove at high speeds past dozens of quiet homes bordering the city’s municipal golf course. The car thieves hopped a curb and lost control of my truck, which promptly stalled in the very green front yard of a nice split level house. The two thieves exited the vehicle and led the cops on a brief but dramatic foot chase through the 8th and 9th hole of the golf course. Thankfully they were captured without injury to anyone. While Alison and I were driving to the scene, Kevin narrated all these events to us over the phone. After everything calmed down, the Seright and Marler families along with the arresting officers all posed for a picture with me as I was happily reuniting with my truck. In so many instances, besides this one, Kevin had demonstrated his devotion as my friend.

I imagine all of us have been blessed with a fair number of friends throughout our lives, but how many of those were willing to put themselves at risk for you? How many of your current friends are willing to confront you with difficult truths you won’t enjoy hearing? We use the words “friend” and “love” quite loosely these days. Friend has come to mean anyone with whom you have an occasional interaction, and the word love might equally be employed to describe feelings about a burrito or a spouse. Crazy right? 

It can be all too easy sometimes, to assess the friends in your life and become discouraged if you find them to be less than completely noble or totally devoted. Perhaps it’s more difficult and painful to appraise the friendship that you offer out to others, but all relationships are based upon both parties unselfishly caring for the other. I want to challenge you, and myself, to make an honest evaluation of what we are giving to those around us. Is the friendship we’re offering as good as the friendship we’re expecting? Proverbs 27:5-6 tells us: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” If you’ve been blessed with genuine friends, listen to them. If you seek to be a genuine friend, then in crucial moments, be willing to kindly tell others what they need to hear. A true friendship is a treasure, so guard and nurture it. Don’t discard a true friend because of a misunderstanding or disagreement.

Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for the true friends you’ve placed in my life, and please help me to offer genuine friendship to others. Amen

“That’s Not What I Meant to Say” - Wednesday, July 15, 2020

“Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison”. Acts 8:3

In 1997, at the age of 16, I was blessed to participate in my first international mission trip to the northeast region of Brazil. We planned to visit several nascent congregations to encourage the brethren, to participate in evangelistic door knocking efforts, and to assist with their backlog of requested Bible studies. Everything about the Brazilian culture was new and exciting to me. While door knocking, I was amazed by the warm reception we received at practically every household. We were often invited inside and served coffee or Coca Cola regardless of how poor the neighborhood in which we were canvasing seemed. We were also welcomed with exuberance when we worshiped with the local congregations; it was as if we were long-lost relatives returning home. Though my Portuguese was very rudimentary, several times I was asked to lead prayers during Sunday morning worship. In preparation, I would first write out an English version of my prayer and in the evening my dad would help me to translate it into proper Portuguese, which I would read during worship. My dad did such a nice job translating the prayer and coaching my pronunciation that people approached me after worship for conversation. It usually took them a minute or so to realize I had no idea what they were saying to me. Although I was a very shy teenager at home in the states, for some unknown reason I felt nearly fearless in Brazil. As in most Latin American countries, Brazilian men and women exchanged a brief kiss on each cheek when they greeted one another. Oh man was I embarrassed when I learned, through experience, that men absolutely did not exchange a kiss in the same fashion. The group of young Brazilians I was with had a great time watching me painfully learn that truth. 

One Sunday we were returning to worship with a congregation for the second time, and I had set the objective in my mind to communicate a specific message to a young lady I’d met the week before name Claudia. Now please remember, I was 16, dumb, and feeling strangely gutsy. I didn’t want my dad to know what I was up to, so I decided I could translate my message all on my own with nothing but an English/Portuguese dictionary. I didn’t want to make any mistakes, so I wrote it out and practiced until I could confidently recite it from memory. Following Sunday’s worship, I found Claudia and greeted her in the traditional way, and then I boldly told her “você é quase bonita”. To my dismay, her reaction to my pronouncement was not at all what I had hoped for. In fact, I was dumbfounded when she scrunched up her eyebrows, sorta snorted at me, and then briskly walked away. Obviously I had said something wrong and I had to find out what. So I reworked my translation several times and discovered that I should’ve said “você é a mais bonita”. Her reaction made much more sense when I realized that instead of telling her that she was “the MOST beautiful”, I had actually said “you are MOSTLY beautiful”. That embarrassing experience helped me to learn an important truth: What we mean to say, isn’t always what people hear, and what we think we understood, isn’t always what people meant to say. 

One of the most famous Biblical misunderstandings is recorded for us in Acts chapters 8 and 9 about Saul, who would later become known as the Apostle Paul. When Saul left Jerusalem, he had letters of authority from the high priest which gave him permission to arrest followers of Jesus and forcefully bring them back for imprisonment or worse. The thing is, Saul wholeheartedly believed he was serving God by doing this. He thought he was helping to put down a dangerous heretical movement that was luring Jews away from correctly worshiping God. He had misinterpreted all of the signs and miracles performed by Jesus, and had failed to recognize the multitude of fulfilled prophesies. Saul might’ve taken great comfort in the fact that he wasn’t alone in his misunderstanding; the entire Jewish leadership saw things in the same light. Saul had been spiritually blind long before he was plunged into physical darkness on the road to Damascus. Now think about Ananias. Ananias, a follower of Jesus, was instructed by God to go to Saul, lay hands on him, and miraculously restore his sight. Though we’re not told explicitly how Ananias felt, it seems clear from Acts 9:13-14 that he had doubts and serious anxieties. He was being instructed to search out the man who had come to town for the express purpose of persecuting and arresting people just like him.  Perhaps he was understandably scared, or maybe like Jonah with the Ninevites he wished God’s righteous judgement to come down swiftly upon Saul. Regardless of what Ananias felt, he dutifully obeyed the Lord’s commands, and we’ve all been blessed because he did so. Saul intended to serve God, but instead he persecuted the Lord and his Church. Ananias wanted to protect the Church from Saul, but if he hadn’t listened to God he would’ve harmed it instead. For each of them, it took a dramatic and miraculous intervention to get them to humbly respond to God’s callings. To get their attention: Saul was deprived of sight while Ananias was provided a vision. Sometimes I wonder: what’s it going to take for God to get our attention. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, I want to hear and understand your will for my life. Please help me to get past the noise of this world. Amen. 

“Clep Test” - Tuesday, July 7, 2020

“…God said (to Abraham), “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Genesis 22:1-2

Near the end of my 4th year at university, I was completely expecting to walk across the stage, receive my diploma, and leave the ceremony with the degree I had pursued. However, during the announcement portion of chapel one morning, I heard something about seniors needing to drop by the administration office in order to “apply for graduation”. That was a foreign concept to me. I naively thought that if I took (and passed) the courses my academic advisor laid out for me, then I would graduate along with everyone else. It’s never been uncommon for me to miss or to forget important details, but rarely has that flaw threatened to derail my basic life plan as in this instance. Well, I apprehensively stopped by the admin building and explained I wasn’t sure what it meant to “apply for graduation”. The nice lady behind the desk explained it just meant that my transcript would be reviewed to confirm I had indeed finished all my required course work. She said, it’s no big deal  and we can actually do it right now. I thought great, all that worry for nothing. To my consternation though, her formerly cheerful face turned downward into an anxious grimace. She took a deep breath, looked up at me with sincere pity, and explained that unfortunately I was 12 credit hours short of being able to graduate. The early symptoms of a minor panic attack began washing over me. I sat myself down on a bench in the office’s lobby to attempt digesting what I’d just been told. I mean, my wife and I had both had jobs waiting for us in a different state, we had student loans demanding repayment, we had life plans to get on with; all of which were dependent upon graduating in May of 2004. 

I had been sitting on that cold hard bench for half an hour when the same kind lady approached me in the lobby. She sat down right next to me, and offering a bit of comfort, she put her hand on my shoulder. “I couldn’t stop thinking about your situation after you left”, and she continued “I looked deeper into your transcript and I realized that the 12 credit hours you’re lacking can all be fulfilled with general studies courses”. Uncomforted, I said yes thank you but that would require me to stay here another full semester, and I don’t know how I can do that. With the shadow of a grin on her face she said, “maybe not, I have an idea for you to consider”. I grabbed onto the tiniest ray of hope she was offering, and said I would do whatever she needed if it meant I could graduate on time. She handed me several pages she’d printed out listing all the different subjects for which there were CLEP tests available. It had to be explained to me that if I took (and passed) a CLEP test, then I would receive the same number of credit hours as if I’d actually taken the semester-long course. She cautioned, “it won't be easy, and you might not succeed, but if you can pass the tests for four different subjects by next month, then you’ll be able to graduate according to your plans”. I took this angelic lady’s suggestion and ran with it. For weeks, I obsessively studied 1)Spanish, 2)Macro Economics, 3)American Government, and 4)Psychology. I took these four tests over two days, and an unbelievably long week later, I received word that I had scored high enough in each subject to be awarded the 12 credit hours needed to graduate on time. 

Tests can be terrifying and their results devastating, but when a test’s outcome is positive, they can also be truly liberating. Favorable test results mean your work and study paid off, and you can move ahead to the next challenge. We traditionally view the account of God instructing Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as God testing Abraham’s obedience. The language in Genesis 22 certainly lends itself to that interpretation, and I’m not contesting such an understanding. However, there is more going on here than a straightforward test looking to gage Abraham’s reaction to an odious task. Is Isaac’s father being tested? Yes he is, but at the same time, Abraham is provided a remarkable invitation to test the God of the universe. God has already promised Abraham to make him into a great nation with descendants as numerous as the stars. Abraham doubted God’s faithfulness, and when Sarai remained barren, he agreed to father a son through her maidservant Hagar, which ended in gloomy misery for all. While failing that test, God was searching for another way to lead his servant into greater, and eventually unquestioning-faith in his dependability. God was basically saying, you didn’t believe me earlier, will you believe me now? Abraham was provided the opportunity to gage God’s fidelity. This mutual testing back and forth culminated in the dramatic moments of Isaac being restrained atop the firewood, Abraham raising his knife to slay his son, and finally the angel of the lord stopping Abraham at the last instant. At that moment it was God (not Abraham) who was proven dependable. Verses 5 and 8 record Abraham passing his test before those climactic events. Verse 5 clearly shows Abraham trusted that both he and Isaac would return to their servants after offering their sacrifice. (Gen 22:5 “He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. WE will worship and then WE will come back to you.”) Verse 8 also distinctly indicates that Abraham was convinced God would provide a lamb (in Isaac’s place) to serve as their burnt offering. (Gen 22:8 “Abraham answered, “God himself will provide THE LAMB for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.) 

From that day on, Abraham knew he could trust God, and God knew he could trust Abraham. Remarkably, God has allowed himself to be tested by his own creation again and again, what will it take for you to finally believe you can count on God to do what he’s promised?

Prayer Prompt: Father, please forgive my lack of faith at times, and help me to grow towards unconditional obedience. Amen.

“Burnt Pancakes” Thursday, July 2, 2020

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters… Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”. 1 John 3:16 & 18

During a Sunday afternoon lunch, an elder and his wife were telling Alison and me about the various struggles they’d experienced in their marriage. They (Jack & Gwen) were wanting to encourage us because they imagined we, like the vast majority of married couples, had our share of challenges to the health of our relationship. Gwen asked us if we had ever been worried about the survival of our own marriage. We laughed and told them we really wished someone would have warned us not to stress too much if we fought, even during the immediate months after the wedding. I proceeded to describe our earliest skirmishes and battles, some of which began even before our honeymoon trip was half over.  In retrospect, those early quarrels were silly and childish, but they felt powerfully distressing at the time. For example, only weeks after moving into our first apartment as a married couple, I had a melodramatic outburst about Alison’s pancakes. I have no idea what I was thinking, but what I said was “who doesn’t know how to cook pancakes correctly, do you need me to have my mom call you to explain it?” Trust me I know, I’m lucky she didn’t beat me with a baseball bat. In another embarrassing altercation (for me), I bawled Alison out for not recording a purchase she made at “Sonic” for a couple of kids she was babysitting. The total cost of the transaction was less than $5, but because that $5 dollars overdrew our checking account, I ranted about how irresponsible she had been. I shouldn’t fail to mention that while I was finishing my bachelors degree, she was the only one earning any income for us to put into that account. Speaking of regrettable comments: in the course of one of those agitated exchanges between us, I remember someone speaking the words “maybe we should’ve never gotten married in the first place”. So yes, we had reasons to worry about our relationship’s longterm viability. 

Jack explained how a couple times their marriage went right up to the brink of dissolution, and was only saved by their mutual respect for God and the original love to which they had both committed on their wedding day. Gwen expressed that commitment meant complete commitment, regardless of the difficulties or the amount of effort required. Jack had a particularly serious demeanor, and so I was shocked by the joke I thought he was trying to pull over on us. He said, “we really struggled for quite awhile, but you know, we seemed to really hit our stride after (he thought for a moment) after year number 14 or 15”. I chuckled thinking he was kidding; surely they didn’t battle and clash for 15 years before things began working out. Jack just starred at me while he waited for his message to sink in.

I’ve often thought about that conversation we shared over lunch, and marveled at how seriously Jack and Gwen took the pledge they’d made to God and to one another. It wasn’t just a hardheaded or stubborn will to not divorce either. No! They had vowed to love, honor, and cherish each other no matter how much personal sacrifice was required of each of them to do so. And, they didn’t know how to do that naturally or right away, they had to learn what that meant and what that looked like. God doesn’t love us because we have earned his love or because we have fulfilled all of his requirements. Instead, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:18). Likewise, we don’t love our spouses because they are overwhelmingly worthy of love. Love, for it to mean anything, must always be a gift, and must continually be offered and renewed by the giver. My wife knows all about my failings and weaknesses, yet she loves me anyway. How can that be? Well, it’s possible because God created us in his own image and he demonstrated pure love to us by giving us grace and forgiveness when we didn’t earn or deserve it. Let’s not demand from our spouses what even God doesn’t demand of us. 

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8

“How'd That Happen?” - Thursday, June 18, 2020

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope & a future”. Jeremiah 29:11

I really enjoy looking back over sections of my life & asking the question: What are all the many things that had to happen just so, in order for a particular blessing to come to fruition? For example, I was blessed to marry Alison. Now then, what events took place that allowed that blessing to become possible? It’s hard to know where to start to answer that, but I’m going to begin with each of our decisions to attend Harding University.  

For Alison, there were almost innumerable factors leading to her decision to study at Harding. Alison’s uncle, Hugh Groover, taught & coached at Harding for decades. Jeff & Suzanne Custer, Alison’s parents, both attended Harding. In fact, Jeff later taught there while he held the “visiting missionary” position when their family came home from the Brazilian mission field in the 90s. While her family was in Searcy, Alison attended the 5th grade at Harding Academy. Later, when her family moved to Pennsylvania, Alison loved going to Camp Manatawny, which had close ties to Harding & often invited singing & skit teams from the university to perform during summer sessions. Those are the most obvious influences on her decision.

There were far fewer explanations for why I chose Harding. No one in my family had ever traveled far from home to attend university, & furthermore I had never heard of the place before my final high school summer. During that last summer, while I was at Black Mesa Bible Camp, the older brother of a close friend (Mitch) gushed all week long about an awesome school he was attending somewhere in Arkansas. That brother’s impression & experiences influenced Mitch to choose Harding, which in turn heavily swayed my ultimate decision. Plus, after an on campus visit, I realized Arkansas had green trees, rivers, & mountains - all things the panhandle of Texas sorely lacked.

So, now we’re both at Harding, what else was required? As I mentioned, Alison grew up as a missionary’s kid in Brazil. The same thing is true of my dad. Dad’s family spent 17 years in the northern regions of Brazil teaching the scriptures. This commonality between Alison & me was amplified by Dr. Howard Norton, who was a Harding professor. Dr. Norton had been an integral part of the first major Brazilian outreach efforts made by Churches of Christ back in the late 1950s. When he returned to the states after nearly 20 years in country, he made it his life’s mission to support, encourage, & strengthen anyone endeavoring to spread the Gospel in Brazil. He knew, & he was connected to everyone with even the slightest ties to his beloved second country. Each year, Howard organized a month long summer mission trip to Brazil comprised of university students. He led his students all across the country to knock on doors, sing at public schools & shopping malls, & to buoy the spirits of missionaries he feared might be discouraged. Howard spent each spring semester recruiting students, & each fall semester preparing his team for the objectives ahead. He found Alison easily enough, but he had to coax her a bit into joining his team. He found me, because I had chosen to study Portuguese to fulfill my degree’s foreign language requirement. I, however, turned Dr. Norton down time after time because I didn’t believe or trust that I could actually raise the $2,200 needed to fund my participation. About seven weeks before the team was scheduled to leave the country, Dr. Norton contacted me again & told me he believed I really should reconsider. I explained I just didn’t know enough people to actually raise sufficient funding, especially with so little time remaining. He asked, “is that really all that’s holding you back?” I said yes, but that’s a huge problem! Dr. Norton replied, “I thought you might say that, so I’ve already found a local church who’s willing to finance your entire trip’s expenses, what do you say to that?” Yes! Awesome! That’s what I said to that. Alison & I met each other during that mission team’s preparatory meetings, & in the following months we fell in love, & roughly a year later we were married. 

There were a lot of ingredients needed to arrive at that outcome, & I believe God provided us the opportunities to choose to walk down this specific path in our lives. Sometimes God blesses us from the reservoir of Godly choices our ancestors made generations before us, other times He makes things happen out of nothing. He can work over long arcs of time, or in an instant. I don’t believe God forced the matter for Alison & me, or that He even knew what we would choose. 

God told Jeremiah “I know the plans I have for you”, but they were very broad, “plans to prosper you & not to harm you, plans to give you hope & a future”. Many people take these words spoken to Jeremiah & they extrapolate that God has an exact plan for their lives that He’s going to make happen, no matter what. This just isn’t the case. We are all given the responsibility to accept & choose God’s path, or we can stubbornly take our own road in life. Usually, the folks we read about in the Bible are the ones who accepted God’s plans & went on to do incredible things for God. Those who insisted on telling God no, for the most part, disappear in the fog of history. This evening, pick a blessing that’s occurred in your life & then trace the events & decisions that had to take place in order for that blessing to actually materialize. It’s amazing to see how God was working. 

Prayer Prompt:Thank you God for working in my life, please help me to have the courage to choose your path. Amen.

“Soda-Jerk” Tuesday, June 16, 2020

“…Forgetting what is behind & straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

In the course of my senior year of high school, a good friend told me the place they worked was needing an extra employee, & they thought they could help me get the job. The old-fashioned soda shop where my friend worked was called “The Fountain”. They served handmade malts, sundaes, & any other kind of ice cream dish you could describe to a soda-jerk. The Fountain was located inside a classic town square, directly across from a working courthouse built late in the 19th century. 

Along with ice cream specialties, they had a booming lunch time business that catered to lawyers, reporters, & courthouse lookie-loos who enjoyed watching whatever happens in courtrooms. That year, I only attended classes from 8 AM through 11:30, so I was the perfect candidate. I did indeed get the job, & it turned out I was pretty good at making malts & coke floats, but not so good at making the elaborate lunch-time sandwiches on their menu. The job came with significant perks like: a free meal each day after the lunch rush ended, one desert each day before I clocked out, & I got to work with my friend & some other extremely nice people. The Fountain was owned by a mother & daughter team named Martha & Deanne Sheets. They treated their employees with appreciation, almost like family even. 

When I had been on the job several weeks, Deanne decided my friend & I could be entrusted with closing down & locking up the shop each day. We felt proud to’ve earned the boss’s trust, & we wanted to be worthy of it. This went well enough for months, but eventually we began making small mistakes. Several times we left lights on that should’ve been turned off. Once or twice, we left containers of the day’s soup on the counter, instead of putting them in the refrigerator. Our largest mistake happened on a Thursday evening, but we didn’t learn of it until after the lunch rush on Friday. When business slowed down that afternoon, Deanne & Martha called us both into the office, & they didn’t look like they were about to give us raises. They told us: “Yesterday, when you closed the shop, you accidentally turned off the circuit breaker controlling the large freezer, which held seven 5-gallon containers of ice cream.”  They continued, “We really enjoy having you both work for us & we like you both, but the recent mistakes you’ve made have begun to add up & are hurting our business”. Well, I felt about a foot tall, & I wanted to crawl under my chair. Their rebuke was a lot like having a parent tell you they’re not mad at you, just very disappointed. I was sure we were being fired, but much to my surprise, this is what Deanne & Martha told us: “We are both Christians, & God graciously forgives us no matter how many times we mess-up. We also forgive the two of you, & we’re asking you to respect that forgiveness. Please give us your absolute best efforts here at work. Can you do that for us?” In our shock, we both quickly responded in the affirmative. 

The rest of my time working at “The Fountain”, I did give my very best, because I knew that I should’ve been fired but wasn’t. They had every right to yell, scream, & demand for me to pay retribution for the spoiled ice cream, but being inspired by God’s love, they didn’t. That’s why grace is so much more motivating than justice. God could demand justice from each of us, & if he did, it would mean certain death because we’re all guilty. Justice is fulfilled by Jesus’ death on the cross, he died in our place. When God forgives us, he asks us to respect that grace & to live lives that are worthy of his grace & calling. My boss forgave me, chose to forget the past, & invited me to move forward towards our common goal. This is also what God does with you & me. Let us extend the same grace with one another.

Prayer Prompt: God, your forgiveness is most precious to me. Help me to likewise show grace to others. Amen.

“Fellowship Hall” Thursday, June 11, 2020

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes & ate together with glad & sincere hearts, praising God & enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47

I learned the hard way, not to eat cousin Shirley’s deviled eggs. Right beside the church building, on the same lot, the Sunray Church of Christ had a parsonage. Back in the old days, the preacher’s family would live in that house, but by the time I was a child enjoying three worship services and two Bible classes a week, those old days had passed. Since the preacher no longer occupied the small home, it had been modified by taking out several interior walls to open up space, allowing for the house to be transformed into the church’s new fellowship-hall. One of my favorite activities on the church calendar was the potluck fellowship meal, held right after worship, every 2nd Sunday of each month. Far more service was squeezed out of that little fellowship hall, with its creaky floors and cramped kitchen space, than you would think possible. Betty Brown could always be counted on to bring a crock pot filled with delicious roast beef, potatoes, and carrots slow cooked to perfection. I learned who cooked and brought my favorite dishes, and who did and didn’t insist on putting vulgar amounts of onions in their casseroles. I would wait anxiously in line, praying those foods didn’t run out before I got my turn at them. I always had a backup plan though. In the event that only gross onion goulash remained, no problem, I’d just rush to the desert table where I knew my grandma, Edith Steddum’s famous chocolate pie was waiting for me. Just for the kids, there were a few hard and fast rules for our itsy-bitsy fellowship hall: #1) Absolutely no running or horse-playing.  #2) After you've filled your plate, go eat outside. #3) Even though this was unofficial, all the kids knew to avoid F.I. Stanley, the preacher, — he was grumpy before lunch. Lastly #4) Never, never ever, under any circumstance eat cousin Shirley’s deviled eggs - they’d make you sick. 

I loved that fellowship hall and the potlucks it facilitated, because it truly did enable genuine fellowship for our church family. Some people cynically say that churches would be great places if it weren’t for all the people, but I totally disagree. The most fantastic blessings in my life have always been delivered through God’s people in his Church. Fellowship occurs when folks who are happy to be Christians come together, and work united toward a common goal. Of course that’s easier when you can actually physically be together, but I’ve witnessed our Blacksburg congregation fellowship in amazingly creative ways these past several months. I doubt that we’re near the end of these current trials, but as Sir Winston Churchill put it, maybe we’re at the end of the beginning. Here’s what I do know: If we stick together, we will thrive!

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12

“Flames & Floodwaters” Tuesday, June 9, 2020

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:2

Just a few blocks from our house in Lubbock, Texas there was a playa lake that grew after large rainstorms and evaporated during dry spells. Because lakes and ponds in West Texas were something of a novelty, my sister and I spent many hot summer afternoons playing in and around the small lake. Though I was quite young, perhaps only five years old, I have a dramatic memory of one such day that seems crystal clear. Last week, I made a telephone call to my sister, Carrie, to double-check the details lodged in my mind about that day — she confirmed my recollection. I was at the lake with my dad and three siblings, but Carrie and I had strayed away to play by ourselves near a finger of water jutting out from the main body of the lake. The depth of the water (about chest deep), was such that we could wade across from one side to the other by balancing on stones, which must’ve been placed there for that exact purpose. We made up some kind of game to see who could cross the fastest, and we were greatly amused until the game turned into a serious misadventure. As I was unsteadily balanced atop a stone in the deepest section of water, my feet slipped and I went underwater. My legs couldn’t find the ground underneath me, and I couldn’t get my head above the lake’s surface to get in a reviving breath. In my panic, I sincerely believed I was about to die, and I almost certainly would have died if it weren’t for Carrie’s quick thinking. Because she was a good bit taller than me, she was able to courageously lunge into the water and pull me out to the safety of dry land. I’ve always known that my sister saved my life that day, and it felt great to know Carrie would do anything in her power to protect me. 

Having a protective older sibling in your life, who’s willing to look out for you is fantastic, but they can’t always be around when you get yourself into danger.  God IS always around, and he’s promised to shield and strengthen us by his presence in our lives. Notice, in Isaiah 43:2, that God doesn’t tell us we won’t experience serious difficulties. No! He says we WILL face floodwaters and fierce flames. The real, and very meaningful pledge God makes here, is that he will see us through the hardships we encounter; the floodwaters and the flames will not overwhelm us. Think about your own life, and then remind yourself of all from which God has saved you. 

Prayer Prompt: Thank you Lord for my salvation. Amen.

“Can of Worms” - Tuesday, June 2, 2020

“See to it, brothers & sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”  Hebrews 3:12-14

That opens a whole new can of worms! 

If you’ve attended even just a few services at the Blacksburg Church of Christ, then you know who Bob Pusey was. I only came to know Bob during the past eight years of his life, but the energetic faithfulness I observed in him, will stay with me forever. He was involved in so many different ministry areas, and often, he was either the leader, the organizer, or the chief proponent meticulously working to ensure things went in a productive direction. He coordinated many fellowship trips for our seniors, to tour historic churches, to eat at distant peculiar restaurants, and to watch plays at the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theatre. The senior group, along with Bob, had a strong spirit of service as well. Their group purchased gifts for children at Christmas, crocheted shawls and caps for residents at a local nursing facility, paid for kids and teens to attend church camps, and created beautiful book marks decorated with scriptures. Bob could be as sweet as molasses, he would often shower people with praise when he felt called to encourage a person in their own Christian service. However, he could be stern when he sensed a strong word needed to be said. For example: during Wednesday evening Bible studies, if Bob thought our conversations ever strayed too much toward the technical side of things, he would say “well, does it matter if point A or B is true? isn’t the point really…?” He had a way of focusing, and helping others focus, on what was really important. 

Bob was aware of his own mortality. About six years ago, I was blessed to be in one of our church’s Community Groups with Bob. One Sunday night, he started sharing about how he had been in the market for a new house, but he said the question dawned on him, “what business does a person in their eighties have purchasing a new house?” Instead, he said, I should be focusing on how I can share my blessings with others; and that’s what he routinely did. He once had a new ministry idea, that he called “can of worms”. He put a container out in the church foyer, and its label read “can of worms”, with instructions telling people to drop in a note with questions related to the Bible or faith in general, and he would reply as best he could. Bob wasn't scared of complex questions. He was the kind of person who enjoyed growing spiritually, and he wanted to help others do the same. I gleaned quite a bit of wisdom from listening to Bob over the past eight years, and I pray I can be just a little bit like Bob myself. 

If I understand Bob’s past correctly, he once had an “unbelieving heart”, but through the dedicated loving patience of his wife (and with God’s calling), he finally “came to share in Christ”, and Bob definitely held his “conviction firmly to the very end”.

Prayer Prompt: Thank you God for the faithful examples provided by fellow Christians. Amen.

“It Is Well” - Monday, June 1, 2020

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Horatio Spafford famously wrote the hymn “It Is Well with My Soul.” But do you know his story? As a thriving lawyer in Chicago, he had wealth and prominence. But a series of tragedies stripped him of everything. His only son died of scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, the Great Chicago Fire wiped out the city and all of Horatio’s wealth. Two years later, all four of his remaining children died in a shipwreck. Sailing for England to join his wife, who survived the shipwreck, he passed the spot where his daughters were buried at sea. Upon seeing the sight, Horatio sat down and penned “It Is Well with My Soul.” All his children—gone. His house—burned. But his soul—at peace. 

Even in the face of tremendous heartache, Christ’s peace anchored Horatio. No matter what happens, can you also sing “Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul”? Why or why not?

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please help me to look for your peace and joy in everything I experience. Amen.

*This edited version of Horatio’s experience is written by A. Hascall

“Transformed” Thursday, May 28, 2020

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy & dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness & patience. Bear with each other & forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:12-14

I ended up selling Wilbur for 34 cents a pound. There were a grand total of 32 kids in my fourth grade class at Sunray Elementary, and at least 19 of them were in the agricultural organization called “4H”. It was THE club everyone wanted to join. 4H sponsored all kinds of activities designed to help prepare younger generations to run their parent’s or grandparent’s farm someday, but raising and showing livestock is what caught my attention. Some of my classmates raised huge Angus and Hereford steers, others grew Finewool lamb, but both of those enterprises came with prohibitively expensive startup costs. If I really wanted to raise livestock, it was going to have to be hogs. So, without knowing anything about how to choose, raise, or show hogs, I jumped into the program. With help from a friend’s dad, I attended a livestock auction for the first time in my life, and with $40, I purchased a cute red Duroc piglet, that I named Wilbur. I hadn’t a clue what I was in for. The 4H pigpens were just outside the city limits, and on days my dad couldn’t drive me, it took 20 minutes to ride my bike out there, to feed and exercise Wilbur. That’s right, pigs are supposed to be exercised. Well after awhile, I got a routine figured out, and I thought I knew what I was doing, but eventually it was time to show Wilbur at the 4H fair, which I had never before attended. I was told how you have to wash and groom the pig, and that a dozen or so kids would be walking their pigs (with whips, not leashes) around a corral. This would all be happening while several roaming judges assessed, not only the pigs, but also the kids showing their pigs (it sounded like and anxiety attack waiting to happen). My friend, Gavin, who had helped me so much throughout this experience, informed me that I was going to need to buy an outfit, very different from the clothes I typically wore. First of all I needed cowboy boots. Then I needed Wrangler jeans, and a western shirt with pearl-like buttons; Gavin was very specific about the buttons. I learned so much during that year, like: how much it costs to feed a hog for 8 months, how much commitment and time it takes to raise an animal, how to look like I knew what I was doing even though I didn’t, and most importantly of all - never name anything that you’re going to sell by the pound. 

When we’re told in Colossians 3:12 to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness & patience”, it’s important to realize we’re being told we need a complete life makeover. Paul uses this analogy because the clothing we choose to wear on the outside, is often an expression of who we are inside. Fair or not, our clothes are often the first thing by which people make an initial assessment of our character. If we go to the beach, go hiking, or take someone on a romantic date, we want to dress appropriately for the occasion. Paul isn’t really telling us which clothes to wear, his point is that we should be emotionally dressed for the occasion of representing Christ to the world around us. The world is often dressed in revenge, indifference, pride, cruelty, and irritation, but when we leave our past worldly ways, we become new creations through Christ, and God has provided us a new spiritual wardrobe.

You can’t be a follower of Jesus without striving to embody these characteristics, and they need to be evident even to the casual observer. Learning new things and putting on completely different characteristics isn’t instinctual. We learn how to live this new life from studying what Jesus and his apostles did, from observing and mimicking mature Christians around us, and by the power of God’s spirit within us. Thankfully, we’re not in this alone.

Prayer Prompt: Lord, help me to leave worldly thinking behind. Amen.

“Gossip Separates” Wednesday, May 27, 2020

“There is a time for everything… a time to be silent and a time to speak,” Ecclesiastes 3:1,7 

“A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” Proverbs 16:28

“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.” Proverbs 20:19

“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed & depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit & malice. They are gossips.” Romans 1:29

“Those who consider themselves religious & yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, & their religion is worthless.” James 1:26

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29

“Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down.” Proverbs 26:20

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please help me to think through the consequences, before I speak. Amen. 

“Connection” Tuesday, May 26, 2020

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

5,783 miles and an eight hour time difference really challenges a relationship. Only a few months after my wife and I began began courting, we were separated as the fall semester of 2002 began. Alison returned to Harding University in Arkansas, and I traveled to Porto Rafti, Greece to begin a semester abroad. We struggled to find effective ways of staying in touch with one another. Before the days of “zoom” meetings, it was quite expensive to talk on the phone, and internet access was far from ubiquitous. The eight hour time difference was the other significant challenge we faced. I was sleeping during the majority of Alison’s free time after her classes dismissed, and she was sleeping during the part of my day when I had dependable internet access. “Penny Talk”, and a predictable routine, helped us find a solution to our connection problem. Penny Talk worked a lot like a calling card, but instead of using an old fashioned phone, you spoke online, and it was cheap; for $5 you could talk for an entire hour. We both built a predictable routine so that we knew when the other was going to be available. She was usually back in her dorm around 9:30 PM, so I could wake up at 5:30 AM, slip on my flip flops, head downstairs to the deserted computer room, put on my dorky headset with a build in microphone, and login for a nice private conversation with Alison. Im convinced that we learned more about each other over those “phone calls” than we ever would’ve in person. When a relationship is just beginning, there are so many distractions that keep people from really listening to what’s being expressed. We worry about all kinds of things, like: clothing choices, where to go for a date that’s not too expensive but also not too cheap, am I talking too much, will the other person think I’m being dull, & most importantly - do I have bad breath. In our situation, we were blessed by the absence of most of those concerns. We could just listen, while we each learned about the other’s life experiences. We always felt closest when we prayed together before logging off. Even though we didn’t see each other for nearly four months, our relationship grew, because we were committed to staying connected.

The image painted in Zephaniah 3, is that of a God who, despite our physical distance, is nevertheless with us. He doesn’t visit us occasionally and then leave. No, our God lives amongst us as we experience the joys and pains of this life. When we are content and joyful, he rejoices. When we are fearful or anxious, he is a comforting, reassuring presence. Comforting, because we know that he can save us from whatever danger we face. Reassuring, because he’s told us that no matter how badly we’ve messed up, he is eager to receive and forgive a humble, repentant soul. People often wish they could see God, they think it would be much easier to believe in, and obey a God they could see and touch. The Israelites saw God’s presence many times, yet they were famous for worshiping deaf and dumb idols. The key to a thriving relationship with God isn’t seeing, or even audibly hearing him. No, the key is connection. Determine what best helps you to eliminate your distractions so that you can effectively commune with God, and then make a routine of doing that again and again. Doing so, will make it all the sweeter when you finally do see God face to face. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please help me to mute the noise of this world so that I can best hear you. Amen.

“Fisherman” - Monday, May 25, 2020 

“Then He said to them, “Follow Me, & I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 (NKJV)

Over the past year or so, Dennis Smith has been cleaning and maintaining the church baptistry. I believe God moved Dennis’ heart to take on that service, because God was preparing Dennis to use that baptistry. For several weeks, Dennis has been evangelizing to someone he had personally never met. Over “Facebook Messenger”, Dennis and this person, Jennifer East, have been studying the scriptures together, discussing how the gospel sets each of us free from our past, and provides eternal hope for our future. At an opportune moment, Dennis asked Jennifer if she believed that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God, she told him “yes”. She began thinking that she would become a Christian, but only at a latter date in the future. Dennis gently encouraged her to read the book of “Acts”, and so for the first time in Jennifer’s life, she opened up the Bible and began reading God’s word for herself. 

As she read through “Acts”, she noticed the many conversions described in the book. She saw that when people were convicted of their sins and desired to be forgiven, they all did something about it. So, Jennifer logged back on to Facebook Messenger and asked Dennis a beautiful question: she said “why can’t I be baptized like these people in the Bible”? Dennis told her, “if you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of the living God, you can be baptized, there’s nothing stopping you”. Jennifer made the decision to take Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and she was baptized Sunday afternoon for the remission of her sins. Hallelujah!!

From Rachel Smith: Dennis has created a scripture ministry on social media, and we have been praying that something good would come of it. I ask that you please pray for Dennis as he helps guide Jennifer through the many questions she is asking. She is very new to this and is eager to learn. Dennis is also eager to teach her the Word, and he is depending upon God’s guidance. Over the past nine years, Dennis and I have grown a lot while attending church services at BCOC, especially in the last few years. We are so grateful for the Word being taught by the leadership. Thank you, Rachel.

Prayer Prompt: God, please help me to increase my desire to spread your word to those who are still lost in this world. Amen.

“Interest Level” - Friday, May 22, 2020

“And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart… You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house & on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:6-9

My dad seemed to always have a toothpick in his mouth & a list of things to do lying around. You probably wouldn’t think those two items could have anything to do with the other, but my dad often found novel uses for common items. Somewhere around 1990, dad bought a 1974 green Ford truck with a headache rack above the cab, which allowed him to haul long ladders & 2 x12 planks that he used to construct scaffolding. He promptly upgraded the truck’s exterior with a deep blue coat of paint that he kept washed & waxed. It wasn’t a real nice truck, but he kept it looking alright & running in good shape. The interior of the cab however, was a mess. Parts from the hardware store, receipts & invoices, empty donut boxes, as well as random nails & screws bounced around all over the truck’s bench seat. But, dad seemed to always know where any specific item was located. Now, back to the lists I mentioned. He used lists to remind him what jobs still needed completed, when an order was ready “Sherwin Williams Paint”, & what supplies he still had to buy next time he was at “Bartlett Lumber” in Dumas, TX. He used to have a hard time keeping track of all those lists, because they’d get lost amongst the other papers, but his toothpicks solved that problem. There were multiple cracks in his truck’s dashboard, & three of them were the perfect size in which he could vertically lodge a toothpick. If he split the other end of the toothpick carefully enough, he could insert one of his lists into the split end of the toothpick. Before long, his dashboard looked like it was decorated with miniature road signs. I guess it worked for him.

Most people have a hard time remembering details, at least in regards to one or two areas of their life. God knows this about us, & he’s tried to help us out. He told the Israelites to write his words on their doors & gates, & to wear symbolic tassels on their clothing, & even to put something on their forehead between their eyes. Yet, they still forgot. God would send prophet after prophet, sometimes to good affect, but most often the people would listen for a bit & then carry on as though they never heard the message. We’re no different today, except we have far more ways to remind ourselves of what’s important to us, & therefore perhaps fewer excuses. The problem of forgetting is really closely connected to how much motivation & interest one has. For example, how often does a sports fanatic forget when the next big game is scheduled? How often does a high school boy forget that he has a date with his dream girl? How often do we forget when someone owes us money. You see, when our interest in something is high, we pay attention & remember. This probably isn’t equally true for everyone, but I’m sure the principle effects us all. 

“Does a young woman forget her jewelry? Does a bride hide her wedding dress? Yet for years on end my people have forgotten me.” Jeremiah 2:32

Prayer Prompt: Lord please help me to keep the most important things, important to me. Amen.

“Face to Face” - Thursday, May 21, 2020

“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Exodus 33:11

Why was God’s relationship with Moses so personal?  Well, their rapport wasn’t always quite so harmonious. When God first called Moses into his service, Moses argued with God & hesitated to accept the duty God wanted to place upon him. In fact, after Moses protested several times, we’re told in Exodus 4:14: “the Lord’s anger burned against Moses”. So, with such a rough start, how did they become remarkably connected? I suppose their solidarity grew in a similar manner to the way closeness grows in any healthy relationship. For a marriage to progress, for example, each spouse has to become vulnerable to the other, & if that vulnerability is honored, then the two grow closer together. That cycle is necessary in any kind of relationship, & it continues on & on until one party breaks the trust invested in them by the other. This is exactly what we see happening between God & Moses. God discovered he could trust Moses to faithfully carry out his mission, while Moses learned that God would strengthen & equip him with everything needed to lead the Israelites out of slavery.

There is however, a major difference between their relationship & the ones we all experience with one another. Our marriages & friendships are between equals, whereas Moses was not at all an equal to God. God showed incredible regard & patience to Moses, but commands only went in one direction. Moses was allowed to ask questions & voice his doubts, but he had to be, & he had to show humility before the Lord. Their relationship thrived for two main reasons: Moses’ humility, & the time they spent together. Our connection with God (& with others) can also thrive if we are humble & we spend time together. Scripture tells us: “Come close to God, & God will come close to you.” James 4:8

Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for coming down to Earth & inviting us to be connected with you.

Who’s People? - Wednesday, May 20, 2020

“For the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you.” Exodus 33:5

Why would God destroy his own people? Here’s the short answer: God was prepared to destroy these people because they were corrupt & idolatrous. They were difficult, but there’s more to notice here than just that. God kept displaying his awesome power & love to these people, while they complained about everything. Nothing in scripture seems to upset God as much as idolatry does, & these people just don’t seem to understand that. Chapter 32 & 33 detail a high level negotiation between God & Moses about the future of these Israelites. In three places God refers to the Israelites as being Moses’s people, as in Exodus 32:7 "Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt”. However, every time Moses speaks about the people, he calls them God’s people. In the way a marriage counselor might tug at a couple’s heartstrings, by asking how each person felt about the other when they first met, it seems like Moses is appealing to God’s emotions. Moses even offered his own life as an atonement for Israel’s sin. Although God was planning to destroy these people & build a brand new group, Moses was actually able to change God’s mind. It looks like God was moved by Moses’s devotion to these people. 

What we see in these two chapters foreshadows what Christ did for us on the cross. God didn’t take Moses up on his offer to be an atoning sacrifice for Israel, because although Moses was righteous & he had found favor in God’s sight, he wasn’t faultless. Moses was guilty of sin, & therefore he didn’t qualify. Jesus however, was both righteous & sinless. It’s easy to look down upon the Israelites for their grumbling & idolatry, but in so many ways, we are just like them. We are a guilty selfish people in need of salvation from our slavery to sin. Blessedly, because Jesus pled on our behalf for God, we have a promised-land in heaven for which we can eagerly await. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, thank you for your unending love & mercy. Amen.

“Stiff-Necked” - Tuesday, May 19, 2020

“I will send an angel before you & drive out the Canaanites… Go up to the land flowing with milk & honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people & I might destroy you on the way.” Exodus 33:2-3

Why was God going to send an angel with the Israelites? There are two parts to this answer: Firstly, God was furious at the Israelites for casting & worshiping an idol made out of the very gold with which God had furnished them, as they left slavery in Egypt. God’s anger was so great, that he told Moses “Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them & that I may destroy them.” (Exodus 32:10). God had decided he would send an angel with Israel, because he couldn’t stand to be in their presence without obliterating them. Secondly, God wasn’t about to back out of his own promise. Moses pleaded with God, & asked him to remember the promises he’d made to the patriarchs: to give them a fruitful land & to make them as numerous as the stars. Instead of God himself, God’s angel would fulfill the covenant while also providing a buffer between God & his people.

What does it mean to be a “Stiff-necked people”? This term would’ve related well to an agrarian culture that had experience driving oxen & donkeys. If an ox were stiff-necked, it meant the animal was stubborn & impossible to lead. You might want it to turn left, but no matter how much pulling or prodding you exert, it just won’t take your guidance. God called Israel stiff-necked, because no matter how many miracles he showed them, or how dramatically he rescued them, they continued to bow down to deaf & dumb manmade idols. Even Aaron, who led the crafting of the golden calf, said to his brother Moses, “You know how prone these people are to evil”. God was utilizing the promised-land as a carrot, while plagues & earthquakes were his giant stick. Neither the carrot nor the stick seemed to be working.  

What happens next? You’ll need to read the rest of Exodus 33, to see what God’s angel does, & to learn if Israel continues to be rebelliously stubborn. Chapter 32 & 33 are fascinating chapters. Pay special attention to the dialogue between God & Moses. 

Prayer Prompt: God, please forgive me when I have been stubborn & difficult to lead. Amen.

“Cast off” - Monday, May 18, 2020

“For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” Lamentations 3:31-33

Sunray elementary definitely believed in corporal punishment, & I remember very  clearly the moment I was apprised of that fact. Mrs. Risner was my first grade teacher, & she had also been my uncle Joe’s first grade teacher some 35 years earlier. My mom once told me she worried that I’d be doomed as soon as Mrs. Risner learned of my relation to uncle Joe. Apparently, my uncle & his friends had treated her so badly, that my mom was convinced she was still angry at the whole family. The details are a little fuzzy, but I was told that during lunch time, uncle Joe had rubbed a small amount of kerosene on his teacher’s chair. When class resumed & she eventually sat down, the kerosene powerfully reacted to her dress. Her dress was made out of a type of synthetic fabric that the kerosene sort of dissolved or melted. The apex of my uncle’s big joke came when Mrs. Risner rose to write on the blackboard, she did so with several small holes in the backside of her dress, of which she was totally unaware. 

Even years later, a teacher could be forgiven for being angry about something like that. However, I don’t really think the punishment that I received from Mrs. Risner had anything to do with uncle Joe. Nope! I earned the punishment all by myself. One Friday during class, for some reason, I thought it was hilarious to keep rolling crayons through the door into the hallway. After being reprimanded twice, Mrs. Risner marched me down the short hallway into the principle’s office, where she promptly administered three swats with an enormous paddle. My rear-end was sore & I was embarrassed, but that was the necessary punishment to get my attention. 

What did you first notice when you read the scripture from Lamentations above? For me, it was the idea that God might bring grief to a person & cast them off. Of course, that’s a very pessimistic view, & it’s not at all the main point of the passage. I think it stood out to me because our culture is not very comfortable with a vengeful god. Many in our culture prefer a divinity who is available 24/7 in case they need something, but they don’t want a divinity who asks too much of them. People like a god who is always eager to hear from them; a god who easily shrugs off their sins as if they were no big deal. I get the idea, that there are folks who just want God as a buddy, but not as a Lord. 

The God who is described in Lamentations 3,  doesn’t sound like a buddy. He sounds a lot like a parent, who reluctantly, has to choose to discipline one of his own beloved children. The parent wishes he didn’t have to doll out any punishment at all, but his love compels him to do so. Likewise, God is not eager to bring anyone grief, but he’s willing to do so when it’s necessary. Remember: “no one is cast off by the Lord forever”.

Prayer Prompt: Lord, thank you for your unfailing love. Please help me to appreciate your discipline in my life. Amen.

(See also: Nahum 1:2, John 3:16)

“Rare” - Friday, May 15, 2020

“…In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions". "Then the Lord called Samuel." 1 Samuel 3:1&4

During my time as a student at Harding University, I was blessed to study abroad for a semester in Porto Rafti, Greece. I enjoyed all kinds of blessings during that time of 2002. Each week we traveled into downtown Athens to worship with the local Church of Christ, which simultaneously conducted services in three languages: Greek, English, & Albanian. Although the brethren were overwhelmingly friendly & we all tried hard to build relationships, it was difficult. The church building was located in a 15 story concrete building in the midst of a very hectic business district. Since there was no air conditioning, the windows were always kept open, which allowed the street noise from below to spill inside. The concrete construction of the building caused the sound of car horns, conversations, television shows that were left on across the alley, & chairs scrapping across the floor to bounce back & forth in a deafening cacophony. With all of that in the background, sadly, the language barriers ended up putting the last nail in the coffin of would be friendships. There was always so much being said, but very little of it being understood. 

In 1 Samuel 3:1, we’re told “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions”. Every time I’ve studied About Samuel, I’ve always wondered why God’s word was rare & why there were so few visions? There are many potential answers, & I’m only going to highlight a few of them. 1. Access) Today, we can pull a Bible off a shelf, watch an online sermon, or play a church podcast on our phone whenever we wish, but Samuel’s compatriots had no such access. No one had a copy of any scriptures in their home, & the only chance most folks would ever have to see written scriptures would happen when they visited the Tabernacle. So, the word of the Lord would’ve seemed rare regardless of how often God was actually speaking. 2. Corruption) Israel’s priests at the time were Eli & his two sons, & they were scoundrels! God could’ve had Eli’s sons, Hophni & Phinehas, on his speed-dial, but unless they were faithful to communicate God’s message to his people, no one would ever know. Moreover, we see that Eli’s sons regularly distorted God’s law for their own benefit & they even abused the women who were serving at the tent of meeting. Their corruption drove people away from God & could’ve caused even the most devoted Israelite to become jaded. 3. Desire) Hearing God’s word isn’t like listening to the latest album or watching your favorite sitcom. When you actually listen to the word of the Lord, you are required to do something; it compels a response. People, in Samuel’s day & our day alike, are not often eager to be corrected or convicted of their sins. The word of the Lord might’ve seemed rare because only few were looking for it. God has never been silent, but people have often closed their ears to him. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, help me to make my mind & heart ready to be changed by your word. Amen.

“Overcome” - Thursday, May 14, 2020

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

My mom said, a little bit defensively, “I’m just resting my eyes”.  I’ve often enjoyed hearing about how my mother’s career as a nurse was shaped by her life experiences & by our family’s economic struggles. Sometime after a couple of my siblings were born in the 70s, it was clear to my mom that she would have to go to work full-time in order to meet the household’s expenses. The job that was most readily available to her was that of a CNA (certified nursing assistant). The local hospital was eager to help her acquire the training she needed to quickly get started on the job. Soon however, the birth of two more kids stretched the family’s resources even thiner. Something had to give, so mom devised a solution that she prayed would work for the longterm; mom was going back to school. There were a couple of critical questions that had to be answered to make this solution work. First, was there a hospital who would be willing to employ her while sending her to school to earn a degree in order to become a RN (registered nurse)? And secondly, with so many demands on her time, how would mom continue to care for her kids in a quality way? Almost heroically, Mom found the puzzle pieces & she began fitting them together. We would move to Sunray TX to be close to my grandma who could care for us kids while mom was either in class or at work. She found a hospital in the city of Dumas, 17 miles from Sunray, that wanted to employ her & agreed to help finance her studies at Amarillo Community College, 50 miles from Sunray. Every week mom was driving hundred of miles & working many 12 hour shifts, often even night shifts for the increased pay. I really can’t imagine how my mom found the inspiration, the determination, or the energy she displayed during those grueling years. When I once caught mom briefly sleeping during a Sunday morning worship service, I really should’ve been much more understanding. Oh, she’ll always claim “I was just resting my eyes”. 

Jesus promised us that we would have trouble in this world, & his proclamation shouldn’t have been news to anyone. In Genesis 3, because of Adam & Eve’s sin in the garden, God told us that women would have pain in childbearing & men would have to laboriously toil to earn a living from the land. So, it’s confusing to me, when people assume that God somehow assured us that if we would only follow him, then he would make our lives serene, always happy, & comfortable. Of course, it’s reasonable that folks would desire those things, but a huge problem arrises if we falsely think that God has promised them to us - in this life. When we make that wrong assumption, & then we experience hardships, it causes us to doubt. We ask: Where are you God? Why have you forgotten me? Can I trust you? Have I done something wrong? Do you even exist? 

Here’s what God, through Jesus, actually promised us in John 16:33. He promised us that we could have peace amidst our troubles, & that peace would be a result of knowing that Jesus has “overcome the world”. He’s telling us we can also overcome this world. Through his resurrection, Jesus proved that there is so much more than the difficulties of this earthly place; there is a place of heavenly rest in the fellowship of God. Are you fatigued, suffering, or facing daily adversity in your life right now? If so, God wants you to know that you are not all alone, your sorrow will have an end, & your future is in heaven with him.

Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for my mother who worked so hard for us & displayed a reflection of your unconditional love. Amen

“Artists Provided” - Tuesday, May 12, 2020

“…I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: * the tent * the ark of the covenant * the furnishings * the pure gold lampstand * the altar of incense * the woven sacred garments * the anointing oil & fragrant incense…” Exodus 31:1-11 (condensed)

I was paid $200 for roofing work when I was only ten years old: I cut ridge caps, installed courses of shingles, & kept ice-cold Cokes within arm reach of my dad. For a decade or so my dad was a self-employed home renovator & all around handyman. He added small additions to people’s homes, re-roofed houses, insulated attics, re-floored trailer houses, built carports, & fixed potholed parking lots. His job required him to become a jack of all trades, & at first I was just his ride along buddy. I was occasionally promoted to a paid helper whenever there was a job that necessitated more than one set of working hands. Often his job required serious endurance & a high tolerance for yuck! The worst job I remember  involved running a new sewer line & fixing burst water pipes under a trailer house in mid January winter. I kept returning to the truck to warm my frozen fingers, but dad never stopped until that job was done.  Most of the jobs weren’t bad, but a few were miserable.

Those skills I learned in my adolescence proved invaluable years later. Following Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, I took a Florida youth group to New Orleans to help the clean up & rebuilding efforts coordinated by the local Church. Then about four years ago, I was blessed to accompany our campus ministry students on a mission trip to work with the Mobile Inner-City Church of Christ. Both of those teams were asked to help build & repair things that should’ve been outside any of our areas of expertise. Among others jobs, those team members repaired sewer lines, built wheel chair ramps, fixed holes in floors, reattached siding, fixed the church wifi & printer, repaired lighting fixtures, erected the church street sign, & even filled in potholes with concrete in the parking lot. There was always at least one team member who had just enough skill to help us get the job done. Every team member had been prepared to serve in these disparate tasks through earlier life experiences. God prepares his workers for what he asks them to do.

Notice all of the different skills required to build & furnish God’s tabernacle as described in Exodus 31. Have you ever wondered how there were Israelites even capable of doing such fine craftwork? I mean they had been held in slavery over four hundred years, so when would they’ve had a chance to learn about working with luxury goods? Well actually slavery in Egypt was a perfect situation in which to learn about working with gold, bronze, gemstones, & fine linens. Egypt was an incredibly rich place with a Pharaonic court that adored beautiful jewelry made from Nubian gemstones & gold. In the delta region they grew plush cotton & raised vast herds of sheep from which elaborate linens could be manufactured. In a rich country like Egypt, or even our own country today, think about who does the most manual of labors. It’s always those at the base of the economic pyramid, & at that time the Israelite slaves were at the very bottom. Sure, most of the slaves toiled making mud bricks, but a good many Israelites would’ve been used for the grunt work required to allow the elite Egyptians to live in opulence. Amazing! No matter how oppressive your situation, or how hard your job or life is, God might be preparing you for great service to him in the future. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, help me to endure hardships even when I cannot see a bright side. Amen. 

“Pray For Who?” - Monday, May 11, 2020

“But I tell you, love your enemies & pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil & the good, & sends rain on the righteous & the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:44-45

Kyle Washburn was a serious twerp. I can’t remember if there was a reason my siblings & I were out in the yard together one Saturday morning; there must’ve been a reason because we didn’t hang out all together very often. Well, whatever we were up to it caught the attention of Kyle Washburn who lived across the street from us. Kyle was around the age of my oldest sister Catherine, & on account of us all attending the same tiny school down the street, he knew us all pretty well (he also knew our sensitivities). 

My somewhat vague memories of that Saturday clarify significantly as a drama unfolded right in front of our house at 801 Avenue “R”. Perhaps Kyle had just gotten in trouble with his parents, maybe someone had recently kicked his dog, or maybe he was just bored, but for whatever reason Kyle came out into his yard & started hurling insults & jeers across the street at us. After his wit & sarcasm really heated up he started targeting my two sisters, Carrie & Catherine. I actually do remember what he called both of them, but for propriety’s sake I dare not repeat or record his words here. My brother Chris was a pretty accomplished name-caller himself, but he wasn’t about to put up with dumb-O-Kyle degrading our sisters in public. Chris rushed into the house, retrieved his Daisy Red Ryder BB gun, & he was pumping air into the piston as he bounded down the front steps. He took aim & lobbed a bb across the blacktop separating the warring factions. After Kyle turned to run for the safety of his house, the tiny round missile hit its mark right on the fleshy part of Kyle’s backside. I’m embarrassed to say so today, but never in my life had I been more proud of my brother, & us four siblings probably never felt as close to each other as we did the day our big brother stood up for us. 

It’s natural to want to take vengeance on those who wrong you, but God has called us to rise above the debased instincts common to this fallen world.  As Christians we don’t typically use the term “enemy” to describe those we don’t get along with, but most of us do have tussles with folks from time to time & all of us have been mistreated. It was accepted in Jesus’ time, much like ours, to love friends & hate enemies. Jesus however, took what was accepted & radically upended it by telling his followers to love enemies as well as friends. He even went on to teach us to pray for enemies; not spiteful prayers demanding justice & vindication, but loving prayers seeking blessings & salvation for those who hurt us. Violence begets violence & hatred begets hatred, but we’re told in 1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins”. Don’t search for a way to strike back next time you’ve been hurt, rather pray that you can find a way to lovingly serve your antagonist & potentially end the sad cycle of hate.  (PS: Kyle was fine)

Prayer Prompt: God, please protect me from those who seek to hurt, & empower me to humbly obey your call to love & pray. Amen.

“Symbolized Exile” - Friday, May 8, 2020

“The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, you are living among a rebellious people. They have eyes to see but do not see & ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious people.” Ezekiel 12:2

It’s always difficult to sense movements or societal shifts in the present; of course hindsight only sheds its light after the fact. What is happening in our world, in our country, in our commonwealth? During this Covid era: many people are blessed to continue efficacious & hard work while others, mostly through no fault of their own, find themselves with time on their hands & vices to entertain. Some are worshiping at the altar of self sufficient healthiness, & others look to government more than ever to secure everyone’s physical & financial wellbeing.

What do the people of God say? What do the people of God do? It’s far easier to ask questions than to supply answers, but something in my gut tells me we’re not quite rising to this gargantuan challenge. It’s not as though we should’ve had a ready answer to this in our hip pocket. However, as God’s people, we need to discover his will for us in this specific time & faithfully follow, move forward, & even lead.

Please consider the following words of Thomas a' Kempis (1379-1471): "Blessed indeed are those ears which listen not for the voice sounding without, but for the truth teaching inwardly. Blessed are the eyes that shut to outward things but intent on things inward. Blessed are they who are glad to have time to spare for God, and who shake off all worldly hindrances. Consider these things, O my soul, and hear what the Lord your God speaks."

Prayer Prompt: Lord, show us how we should live & minister to our hurting world. Amen

"Recognize" - Thursday, May 7, 2020

"Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord... The Lord came & stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”  1 Samuel 3:7&10

I met Alison Custer, my future wife, in the spring of 2002. We were attending an organizational meeting at Dr. Norton's home to prepare for a summer mission trip to Brazil. I quickly noticed how she seemed to effortlessly make people feel at ease. Everyone she spoke with appeared to be more joyful after conversing with her than they were before (I know I always was). We began something of a relationship during that mission trip, but when we returned to the states she went home to Pennsylvania & I had an internship with an inner-city church in Houston. 

I don't know if it was serendipity or providence, but Alison's brother was getting married late that summer in Arkansas. I'm sure I was happy & all for her brother & soon-to-be sister in-law, but mostly I was excited the wedding would provide an opportunity for me to be around Alison. Her family arrived a week before the wedding & camped with their RV near the small Arkansas town of Cherokee Village. Myself, I was so excited that I left Houston in my Silverado & for 650 miles I only stopped three times when I feared my wonky gas gauge was lying to me again. I only had a cursory description of where the Custer's campsite was located, so when I finally arrived I was scanning left to right & noticing every person. When I spotted Alison walking across the campground, I nearly stopped my truck right where I was to go greet her with a big bear-hug. She, however, was nearing her campsite & I thought I shouldn't block up the entire road. So I drove over & parked next to the Custer's RV like a sane person should do. All the better I didn't run up to hug her anyway, because the young lady I nearly bushwhacked was in fact, not Alison. Though I may've imagined I knew Alison better than I knew anyone else, the truth was I was still very early in the process of knowing her.

Samuel had nearly lived his entire life in the Lord's house, & yet we're told “he didn't know the Lord”. Samuel certainly knew all about the things of God. He knew about the various basins needed for ceremonial cleansing & about the altars. He knew where the ark of the covenant was located & he knew he must stay away from & never ever touch it. But just knowing about someone, or about someone's stuff, is nothing when compared to personal interaction. The first two times God called Samuel it was only an audible calling. God was pursuing Samuel & he was going to find a way to get through to him. Since just speaking to Samuel wasn't working, on the third occasion we're told: "The Lord came & stood there, calling as at the other times".  God was persistent with Samuel & God is patient with us.  At some point however, if we ever hope to recognize God, or more importantly to be recognized by God, we have to open our eyes & focus our ears.  We must be eager for God's guidance & instruction. The Lord is calling; are you listening?

Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for your patient & persistent calling. Help me to better listen. Amen.

"Is God Calling?" - Wednesday, May 6, 2020

"Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up & went to Eli & said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy..."  1 Samuel 3:7-8

There was a time, only 20 years ago, when cell phones weren't ubiquitous & calling plans weren't "unlimited". During that era, if you were a broke student like myself, you had to limit your calls & monitor how many minutes your conversations lasted, & (at 25 cents a pop) you only texted if it was actually important. Moreover, if you were away from your home area & "roaming" you just didn't answer the phone at all until the capital R disappeared from your screen (unless your parents were paying the phone bill).

One Saturday I joined a group of students going to the lake at Heber Springs just about 45 miles from Harding's campus. Right as we left Searcy, the big R showed up on the screen of my Sprint flip phone, so the phone was closed & safely tucked into my backpack along with the sunscreen I should've been, but wasn't, using. After a couple hours of swimming & diving into the lake we took a lunch break, & I noticed I had three missed calls from an unknown number which I frugally ignored. When we headed back to campus I vowed I would return the calls once it wouldn't set me back five bucks, but it was evening before I finally sat down to redial the mysterious number. Bruce McClarty, the minister at the College Church of Christ & future Harding president, answered the phone & explained that each month the church invited a different Bible student to preach on a Sunday night & he wanted to know if I was interested. Of course I was interested!

The sermon I ended up delivering was so so, but the overall experience was fantastic for me. Because of that opportunity, I was introduced to a couple elders who happened to head up the church's missionary efforts. Less than a year later, as Alison & I were preparing for mission work in Brazil, those relationships that began despite three missed calls, led to the College Church fully funding our efforts for a time span of up to two years. It would've been expensive to answer those original phone calls, but not getting the message would've been far costlier. 

How do you know when God is calling you? How do you know which invitations to ignore, which to consider, & which to grab hold with both hands? Scripture tells us "Samuel did not yet know the Lord", but the historian Josephus claims Samuel was already 11 years old when he heard God's calling, & we know that Samuel had grown up serving at the side of the prophet Eli every since he was weaned by his mother, Hannah. So... Samuel had heard lots about God. Undoubtedly God's scriptures were ingrained in his mind if not also into his heart. The night the boy Samuel heard God, he had to be coached by Eli to realize that God was actually speaking to him, personally to him. To help us understand that God has a personal desire for each of us, we too need coaching & mentoring by those more mature in the faith. Just like Samuel, with open ears we need to say "speak Lord, your servant is listening" 1 Samuel 3:10

Prayer Prompt: God, I am listening. Please help me to recognize your calling. Amen.

"Poured Out" - Tuesday May 5, 2020

"...we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; & character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." Romans 5:2-5

A poem called "Hope"

It’s magic and it’s free. It’s not in a prescription. It’s not in an IV. It punctuates our laughter, it sparkles in our tears. It simmers under sorrows, and dissipates our fears. Do you know what Hope is? It’s reaching past today. It’s dreaming of tomorrow. It’s trying a new way. It’s pushing past impossible. It’s pounding on the door. It’s questioning the answers. It’s always seeking more. It rumors of a breakthrough. It whispers of a cure, a rollercoaster ride of remedies, unsure. Do you know what Hope is? It’s candy for the soul. It’s perfume for the spirit. To share it, makes you whole. (author: unknown)

Prayer Prompt: Lord, thank you for what is to come, & help me to see the blessing of what is before me today. Amen.

"Doubt" - Monday, May 4, 2020

"Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear..."Jude 1:22-23

Very casually, one Friday in my freshman New Testament survey class, Dr. Neller brought up a so called "contradiction" between two of the gospels. He explained that in one account, the temptations Satan laid in front of Jesus occur in the order A-B-C but in another account their order is A-C-B. Dr. Neller wanted to know what we thought about this & how we would explain the difference to a skeptic. At first, the majority opinion was that this was a very small difference indeed & it seemed silly to even be discussing it, but the professor insisted: "does this not challenge your understanding of the inspiration of scripture?", "which account is correct & which is incorrect?" Well... this was a bit like Dr. Neller pulling the pin on a grenade & throwing the bomb amongst us to see how we would respond. Just as the discussion was getting somewhere the bell rang & the professor said he expected a few paragraphs from each of us explaining our solutions by Monday morning. 

For some of the students, this was the first time they had been forced to wrestle with such a question regarding the Bible. Myself, I was irritated. I just wanted the correct answer because being asked to question the Bible was very uncomfortable & even seemed mildly wrong. My roommate & I (he was in the same class) we talked & studied about this subject all weekend & we both squirmed Sunday night as we tried to write intelligent positions that would answer all of our professor's challenges. We wanted a nice, tidy, & simple answer. On Monday morning it was apparent that our responses were lackluster, but it turned out that he wasn't all that interested in whether we arrived at a correct answer. Most of us wanted to know why Dr. Neller had cruelly done this to us. He explained that he didn't want any of us to go out into the world teaching the gospel if we hadn't personally wrestled through it ourselves.  He wanted us to think. He said, "people will challenge you every week, because if they can find a reason not to believe the veracity of scripture, then they can dismiss Jesus' challenge to take up their cross & follow him". 

Reflexively doubting everything -or- believing everything: both are equally convenient & insufficient solutions because they dispense with the necessity of reflection. We're told to be merciful to those who doubt. We're not told to run away from doubt or to be fearful of it. If someone near you is struggling to believe or has a list of questions, please don't make them feel ashamed, rather walk with & encourage them as they wrestle toward faith. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, thank you for being patient with me as I grow in faith. Amen.

"Seek (Part Two)" - Saturday, May 2, 2020

"But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart & with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

When my dog, Pepper, ran off during my 6th grade year I searched everywhere I could walk within an eight block radius, without any success. Defeated, I headed home, but I remembered that the dog-catcher for Deaf Smith County lived directly across the alley behind my house. When I saw his official county truck in his driveway, I anxiously approached his front door excited that perhaps he had seen my dog, or better still, maybe he had already picked up Pepper. It could be that I had interrupted his dinner or something else because he wasn't enthused to talk with me, but he did say he knew what my dog looked like & he hadn't seen him. Everyday, for nine days, when I saw him & his truck come home from work, I obnoxiously repeated my inquiry on his front porch. Each day his annoyance with me grew more obvious, but I persisted because I desperately missed my dog. On day ten, as I was gazing out into the backyard from my bedroom window, I saw the dog-catcher's truck coming down the alley. He stopped at our gate, & when I climbed through my window to go meet him, I saw the only partial smile that man ever displayed towards me. He had found Pepper & he had bypassed the pound to bring my dog directly home. He & I were both relieved the search was over.

What does it look like to seek the Lord with all your heart & soul? Well... it looks like a father daily searching the horizon for his prodigal son to come home. It looks like a shepherd leaving 99 sheep behind because one of his charges is missing & in danger. It looks like the Israelites enduring forty years in the wilderness because they had been promised a homeland. It looks like a woman who for twelve years has suffered a debilitating ailment reaching out trying to grasp the hem of Jesus' clothing. 

Does the way we seek after God resemble any of those descriptions? Our Christianity cannot merely be a hobby, a pastime, or a diversion - not if we truly want to see God on the other side of this life. God sought after us so much that he sent & sacrificed his only son. Therefore, he expects us to take our search for him seriously. In Proverbs 8:17 God promises us: "I love those who love me, & those who seek me find me."

Prayer Prompt: Thank you Father God for not ever giving up on me. Amen.

"Artists Needed" - Thursday, April 30, 2020

“See, I have chosen Bezalel ... & I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge & with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver & bronze, to cut & set stones, to work in wood, & to engage in all kinds of crafts." Exodus 31:2-5

"I'm in the Lord's army" "If you're happy & you know it" "Jesus loves me" -- We always started with worship songs like these, but the highlight of "Bible Hour" at the Sunray Church of Christ was the puppet show & what came with it.  This was a congregation that was built up & sustained by wheat farmers & cattle ranchers. Our hymns were sung slowly with a twang, most men wore leather holsters for pliers on their belts, the women's hair was usually worn big, & the order of worship was exactly the same -every week.  

As a kid I liked church a lot, but I loved "Bible Hour", because it was designed to help me visualize God interacting with his people. The puppet show was written & performed by five or six adults who, through their puppet characters, would act out events from the Bible. That was great, but it got even better! Occasionally there was a quiet but fantastic guest star who fascinated me through an additional visual medium. This woman was a seriously skilled & gifted artist. As she listened to the puppet's lesson, she would paint something inspired by the story. I remember her painting a star when the show was about Jesus' birth, a pasture when the topic was the 23rd Psalm, & she created a portrait of a zealous wild man when we learned about "John the baptist". She used her gift to help me think about & see God. She wasn't much like everybody else at church, but thankfully, everybody else appreciated that God had uniquely equipped her. 

Can you imagine how overwhelmed Moses must've felt when God was instructing him to build & furnish the Tabernacle? Moses didn't get to have a picture for reference & the materials didn't just miraculously appear in neat organized piles. The instructions weren't only complex either, they required skilled craftsman who knew what they were doing. God called for an altar of incense to be built, elaborate priestly garments to be sewn, ornate drapes manufactured with cherubim woven into them, & don't forget the other curtains made of goat hair. Plus, this all had to happen while the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness! Try to imagine running this construction project.    

God did however, supply what was needed. God called on artistic craftsmen like Bezalel & Oholiab who could offer their talents to glorify God & provide a way for him to dwell among his people. Years ahead of time God had been equipping those people with the exact expertise needed to build his tabernacle. That's what God does; he equips & he calls. Some of you have been answering God's calling for years, others of you are nearly convinced that you have nothing to offer, & maybe a few of you just grew tired of answering. In whichever category you find yourself today, please believe me when I tell you, the Kingdom of God needs exactly what you can offer. 

See also: Exodus 26:7, Exodus 26:31, Exodus 28:11

Prayer Prompt: Thank you God, for providing people like Bezalel who offer their artistry for our enrichment & for your glory. Amen.

"Seek" - Wednesday, April 29, 2020

"You will seek me & find me when you seek me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:13

I spent a lot of time with Pepper, our family dog, during my sixth grade year. When I was just a toddler, a nurse my mom worked with invited us over to pick out our favorite puppy from her own dog's recent litter. My mom's choice to allow us to have a dog blessed my life fantastically. My siblings would argue today that Pepper was in fact the family dog, but I always thought of him as my very own. He was a strong German Shepherd mix & when I put on my rollerblades he could pull me fast for blocks & blocks on the sidewalks. When our family moved to a new town during my sixth grade year I found it difficult to fit in & make new friends, so after school I spent all my time with my dog. You can probably understand then, how grieved I became when someone left the side gate open allowing Pepper to run off. I searched hours for him everywhere I could imagine that he might've gone. I felt desperate to find my dog.

Have you ever lost something you treasured? Jesus told a parable about about a woman who lost a coin, & he explained how she searched tirelessly until she rediscovered it. She was so excited that she called over her friends to rejoice with her. Then Jesus said: "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10

In another parable Jesus talks about a man who discovered a treasure buried out in a field. The man quickly sells everything he owns so that he can afford to purchase the land & thereby claim the entombed prize. Jesus' point was that there is nothing more valuable than the Kingdom of God.

In both parables we see a depth of emotion that often accompanies the desire to have, or find, valuable things. Of course we don't always find the thing for which we're searching. Sometimes it's gone forever or it's just out of reach. Throughout the Bible God promises us that he is not gone, & that he is never out of reach. But, we have to seek God with all our heart; we have to feel desperate to find him.

Prayer Prompt: God, help me to rejoice more over your presence in my life. Amen.

"Creation" - Tuesday, April 28, 2020

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." Romans 1:20

The whole family was staying in a campsite deep in the country's second largest canyon near the banks of the Prairie Dog Fork of the Red River. This was the setting for one of my earliest & also most dramatic memories. The day had been filled with normal camping activities; setting up the tent, building a cooking fire, & eating mom's roast beef, potatoes, & carrots she'd wrapped in foil & cooked directly on the fire's coals. We enjoyed a very good dinner & arranged our sleeping bags before we went bed, but it didn't at all turn out to be a peaceful night. After perhaps a couple hours of sleep, I was shocked awake by tremendous thunder & I was confused by water quickly running through our old canvas tent. We were at the bottom of a canyon in the midst of a genuine flash flood that had the creek bursting its banks. My memories about how we drove out of the canyon that night are blurry, but I do remember finally calming down only after the storm had passed & we safely arrived at grandma's house soaking wet.

How do we learn about God? Well, we read God's word in the Bible, we attend classes about God, & we participate in worship services that are designed to honor God. Of course we also dedicate time to spend with God in prayer. These are all the normal & reproducible ways by which Christians are expected to come to a deeper understanding & appreciation of our creator. I wonder however, if some of us are missing out on another avenue of knowing God. Since God created everything we can observe in nature, then we should be able to learn a lot about God from admiring his handiwork. Paul told us God's eternal power & divinity are evident in the natural world all around us. Have you seen that? Do you take time to reflect on nature & ask what it shows you about God? What does a mountain range, a beautiful sunset, or a springtime thunderstorm say about God? On that camping trip as a kid, I learned that God wields incredible power.  As you go about your day, take time to observe the world around you & contemplate what invisible qualities it reveals to you about God. 

Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for blessing me with your creation! Amen. 

"Past Due" - Saturday, April 25, 2020

"I will give you a new heart & put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone & give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you & move you to follow my decrees & be careful to keep my laws." Ezekiel 36:26-27

As a third grader, I participated in a scholastic competition called "Ready Writing". Mrs. Foreman, our team's writing coach, assigned a new writing prompt each week & I was supposed to write a short first draft by each Wednesday & a final draft by each Friday. Sometimes the prompt was to write about something like your favorite family vacation or to write a narrative with characters moving through a plot line. I really enjoyed Mrs. Foreman's program (at first), but the assignments kept coming & some of the writing prompts were really boring to me. At that age I wasn't what you might call a conscientious student; too often if I didn't like a subject or assignment I just didn't do it. Eventually, after I had shrugged off three weeks of writing, Mrs. Foreman confronted me in the hall after school. She delivered a "come to Jesus" message that I wasn't expecting. Among other things, she said "Perhaps you've bitten off more than you can chew" & "You need to decide by tomorrow whether you're in or out of this program". I figured there was no way I could catch up on the three weeks of overdue writing prompts & start on a fourth week at the same time. So, totally embarrassed of myself, I informed her that I was quitting.

Occasionally we feel like we're behind, past-due, or even totally failing in our personal Christianity, & it can seem as though there's no way we could ever catch up. It's during those times that Satan's lies hurdle from the back of our mind to the front. Satan whispers & shouts at us: "you were never gonna make it anyway", "you should just pretend everything's fine", "God is so mad at you", "Christianity is just too hard", or "you should just quit". If we listen to Satan long enough & continue the sin-shame-hide cycle, our hearts become injured & calloused. The major flaw in this type of thinking lies in the idea that God is angry with you, that He demands you turn in all your past assignments, & that you catch up with everyone else.

God doesn't operate that way. Think about how God responded with David, or Paul, or Peter. God confronted each with their sin & communicated that they could start afresh. God receives you just as you are & then He walks with you while helping you to grow in faith & obedience. In Psalm 51:10 David cried out: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, & renew a steadfast spirit within me", which is exactly what God was prepared to do.

Prayer Prompt: God, please help me to ignore Satan's lies & believe your words of grace. Amen.

"Treasure" - Thursday, April 23, 2020

"The wise store up choice food & olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. Whoever pursues righteousness & love finds life, prosperity & honor". Proverbs 21:20-21 

Every summer my grandma, Edith Hataway, would industriously can & preserve the produce from her expansive garden. She would pickle her cucumbers, freeze her okra, & can more than a hundred quarts of green beans & carrots. I snapped more green beans then the next 20 country boys put together. Grandma's grape & wild plum jelly would honor the finest biscuits ever baked. Some of my fondest childhood memories were made each fall when grandma would buy 12-15 dozen ears of "Willey Wieck's Sweet Corn" grown in Etter, Tx. We would spend an entire day shucking the corn, washing it, & finally packing the ears in Ziplock bags to stuff the deep-freeze full. 

Edith raised up her own seven children & was a huge contributor to the upbringing of many others. She understood the necessity of hard work & conscientious productivity.  

Though Edith was serious about storing food each harvest for the upcoming winter, I saw her treasure God's word year round. Grandma was at Church every Sunday & Wednesday, & her Bible was always open on the kitchen table (when the green beans weren't piled up). In the 1980s, as the USSR began opening up, she joined efforts of the Church to buy & ship Bibles to Russia & Ukraine. Grandma isn't the only reason I am a Christian today, but she has been pivotal to my understanding of the love of God. King David originally wrote the following words in scripture, but the feelings he expressed were certainly in my grandma's heart as well; "I have hidden your word in my heart...I meditate on your precepts & consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." Psalm 119:11,15-16

Prayer Prompt: Thank you God for powerfully revealing yourself to us through scripture. Amen.

"Never A Waste" - Wednesday, April 22, 2020

"Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58

My first official job was at an ice cream & burger joint called "Braum's" in Canyon, TX.  I was eager to start working (& earning a paycheck) so that I could afford to buy to gas to fuel my Silverado & maybe someday ask a girl out to the movies. I was pretty disappointed when I learned that my part-time minimum wage job was probably only going to finance one or the other of those activities, & not likely both.  

Mrs. Strickland, the persistently surly manager at Braum's, often snarled the phrase at us "if you have time to lean then you have time to clean". It didn't matter that the floor had already been moped & the countertop was immaculate, we were told to "do it again".  It was sometimes hard for me to do my job with excitement & a meek spirit when the commands seemed so pointless & silly. I suppose everyone wants to think that their efforts are making a difference, & when it doesn't feel that way our motivation can quickly evaporate.

As Christians, we're called to have a unique perspective regarding work. Colossians 3:23 tells us "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters". Our employer isn't Braum's, Kroger, Lewis Gale, or Virginia Tech; regardless of who signs the paycheck our employer is always God. Work is important for many reasons, but the key to contentment regarding our jobs, is having the right motivation to do our work. Our work, wherever it occurs, is a tool we use to honor God. If we are seeking to honor God with our work then there are no silly or pointless tasks. Nothing you do for God is a waste of time.

Prayer Prompt: Lord, may I seek to please you in all my tasks. Amen.

“Never Canceled” - Tuesday, April 21, 2020

“Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, Then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79

I had the opportunity in 2002 to study abroad through Harding University for a semester. I chose Harding's campus in Greece, not in elegant Italy or exotic Australia, because the centerpiece of the Greek program was a two week trip to the Holy Lands centered around Jerusalem. I had long imagined myself walking in the footsteps of Jesus & his disciples; experiencing the Sea of Galilee & the Jordan River. I wanted to see the ruins of Jericho & visit the plains where Sodom & Gomorrah once stood. I looked forward to being 1,400 feet below sea level while floating on top of the Dead Sea. We were supposed to see the Garden of Gethsemane & eat a traditional meal with a Jewish family near Bethlehem. Such a visit to Israel would've been deeply meaningful & memorable, but it never happened.

Throughout 2002, deadly violence was erupting in Israel; hundreds were killed from rocket attacks & retaliatory airstrikes. On top of that, the drumbeats of the upcoming war with Iraq were reverberating throughout Europe & the Middle east. Those two truths together meant that out group wasn't going anywhere near Israel. As naive students who didn't appreciate the gravity of those threats, we were angry that we couldn't do what we had planned & wanted. Blessedly we had grownups in charge of us who truly knew what was best for us. 

Today, it seems as if everything has been postponed or canceled. There are no professional sporting events to go to, the theaters are closed, vacations have been nixed, no collective graduation ceremonies, no weddings or funerals, & we can't even come together to worship in our church building. However, there's at least one thing that hasn't & never will be postponed or canceled; God will continue to take care of us through everything. "God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6

God is the grownup in charge of us, & so even in the dark times, the mercy of God is always available to comfort & grant us peace. We should not interpret the presence of difficulties as an absence of God. 

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please increase my faith & grant me peace. Amen.

"What Will Our Grandkids Say" - Monday, April 20, 2020

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Ephesians 2:10

Question 1: Had you been a German Christian during World War II, would you've taken a stand against Hitler or helped those targeted for persecution?

Question 2: Had you lived in the South during the 60's civil rights movement, would you've stood beside those facing discrimination & physical danger; would you've taken a stand against racism?

Question 3: Before Covid-19, at least 2 billion people were staggeringly poor & 1 billion were hopelessly malnourished. Today, in the midst of Covid-19, those numbers are far higher & some people's desperation daily grows deeper. When your kids or grandkids grow up & realize you lived through this time, how will they judge the response of you & me, or the response of God's Church?

Those first couple questions don't hit home too much because they're somewhat hypothetical for many of us, but the last question has kept me awake some nights. In the shadow of great suffering, we have opportunities to help. None of us can solve this situation, but we can minister to those who are hurting. 

We desperately need to think outside of ourselves & our immediate concerns. If you are healthy, how can you help someone who is ill? If you are financially sound, how can you assist someone who isn't? If you are able to enjoy some sort of fellowship, how can you extend that fellowship to others who are enduring loneliness? We all need to dig deep & think creatively. Often old answers will no longer work. For now, most of us have been spared the dire consequences of this pandemic, so let's not sit on our hands in anxious fear. Instead, let's see how we can "spur one another on toward love & good deeds". Hebrews 10:24-25

Prayer Prompt: Lord, I treasure your blessings; help me to generously share them with those in need. Amen. 

*The questions above, in various formats, have been shared on many websites. One such site is www.maxlucado.com

"Smoke In My Nostrils" - Saturday, April 18, 2020

"...‘Keep away; don’t come near me, for I am too sacred for you! Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day." Isaiah 65:5

Sometimes bluntly (but more often in subtle tones) people have a way of believing & communicating that they are "holier than thou". Perhaps you've heard someone ask "how can you have this problem, or act that way, & still call yourself a Christian?"  What they're implying is it's inconceivable that they themselves would ever fail or sin as badly as you have. Maybe you've also said or thought something similar about a fellow Christian who has acted ungodly. It's a "natural" human tendency to compare ourselves to others, & it's also "natural" to judge others more harshly than we do ourselves. We, however, are not called to act "naturally"; we're called to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2).

We must all acknowledge that we are what we are by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10), & no one can be holy except by God's grace. It's okay to correct someone who's done wrong, but if it's not done in love, neither you, the other person, nor the Kingdom of Heaven is likely to benefit a single iota.

Sadly, some people have given up on church because, to them, Christians seemed more interested in pointing out other's flaws than in glorifying God. Hurting & reproachful words spoken or repeated tend to push people away from God rather than closer to Him. This is not good at all. Let love reign! If correction is needed (& it sometimes is), let your words be guided by an intention to bring people out of darkness towards God. Never let your "natural" desire to feel good about yourself tempt you to speak judgmentally or harshly about others.  

Self-righteousness is a stench in God's nostrils, but humble & sincere Christians are "the pleasing aroma of Christ unto God". (2 Corinthians 2:15)

Prayer Prompt: Lord, thank you for forgiving me of my wretched sins & please help me to joyfully proclaim your salvation to others. Amen.

"Leap Of Faith" - Friday, April 17, 2020

"No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Joshua 1:5

I was thrilled to be finishing high school, I didn't particularly enjoy that experience, but I was still very anxious about what was coming next.  I was excited to be starting life's next chapter & I was happy & determined to be heading to Harding University. I looked forward to being a Bible major & living in a place that had trees & rivers & to be working towards what I wanted to do in life. That was all true, but I was also terrified. Terrified; that everything would be different, that I wouldn't succeed at college, that I would struggle to meet people & make friends, that I wouldn't have enough funds. I really did have trouble sleeping that summer as the time approached for me to drive 750 miles away from home & begin life all by myself.

I don't think I could've followed through with my college plans if I hadn't known who my roommate was going to be. I had known Mitch Wiggains from Black Mesa Bible Camp since I was 9 years old, & we were going to Harding together. I believed I could survive because Mitch was a true friend & he would be with me. He was great at all the stuff that I struggled with. He loved new things & he made friends with everyone. I would succeed because Mitch would help me. 

I wonder what finally convinced Joshua that he could successfully replace Moses & lead God's people into the Promised Land? Of course the words God spoke directly to Joshua were powerful & effective, but I think there was even more going on. Moses had been humble & honest about his own insecurities from the very beginning & yet God was able to accomplish great things through him. Joshua had the privilege of witnessing first hand what God can do with a flawed person who is simply willing to obey God. Joshua didn't have to believe in his own capabilities, no, he only needed to believe in God's capabilities & to trust that he wouldn't be alone. 

You never have to go through life alone. God is always with you, & plus you have your fellow Christian brothers & sisters by your side. To whom can you provide comfort & encouragement today?

Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for surrounding me with faithful Christians who have helped me as I try to follow your will. Amen.

"Why Not Fear?" Wednesday, April 15, 2020

"...Then you will be prosperous & successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong & courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9

She just wouldn't move -not backwards or forwards- she sat down & when I tried to pick her up she screamed. A few years back my family took a quick trip to Washington DC to visit some of the most well known attractions. While at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, Eden & I started up a flight of stairs located in the middle of a huge atrium surrounded by early planes held aloft by cables.  Apparently the building's architects had wanted visitors to get the sense that they also were somewhat suspended in midair. The sides & of the staircase were made of glass & the stairs themselves were constructed to look as though they were floating. When all of those factors combined, Eden was overwhelmed with fear & she simply had to sit down right where we she was. 

Imagine Joshua's fear after Moses' death. Joshua was called upon to guide God's people, which would be intimidating under the best of circumstances.  God also wanted Joshua to lead a military campaign against hardened enemies to take possession of the Promised Land. God told Joshua "don't be afraid" just like I told Eden on those stairs "don't be afraid". I wonder if God had more success than I did? 

If you try telling a depressed person to "cheer up", an anxious person to "just relax", or an angry person to "calm down" you'll quickly find out that approach doesn't work, & you just might get punched in the process. But God didn't just tell Joshua to not be afraid. No, the most important comfort God offered Joshua came when he said "the lord your God will be with you wherever you go". God gave Joshua a reason to be courageous no matter how formidable his foes were. If God can split the Red Sea then he can defeat any human force. Whenever you sense fear creeping into your heart; remember Jesus' words  "I will ask the Father, & he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever," John 14:16.  We are never abandoned.

Prayer Prompt: God, thank you for being with me always. Amen.

"Potiphar's Benefit" - Tuesday, April 14, 2020

“So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate." Genesis 39:6

Imagine Potiphar's glee; He purchased Joseph merely hoping to acquire an adequate household servant, but he soon observed that everything Joseph touched turned golden. Potiphar probably felt lucky just to have a servant who wasn't resentful, lazy, weak, or conniving. Plus --far from exhibiting any of those typical inadequacies— Joseph came along with a huge & totally unexpected bonus. Potiphar "saw that the LORD was with Joseph".

Treasuring the presence of the LORD in his own house, while being a prominent official of Pharaoh, put Potiphar in a somewhat awkward position. Egyptians recognized a myriad of gods & even worshiped Pharaoh himself as a deity, but Joseph's Lord demanded that he was the one & only God.  Awkward or not, Potiphar couldn't deny (& wouldn't resist) the material wealth that came from the presence of Joseph & his God.

Do people see the LORD with you today?  What are the observable differences between your life & the lives of non-Christians? There should be plenty.

Jesus called us to be "the light of the world" & he wasn't just trying to make us an impressive  spectacle. Rather, he was expecting that his existence in us would improve & bless the lives of those with whom we interact. Potiphar, because of Joseph, worried for practically nothing. Right now, like Joseph, we should also: 1) Be a calming influence, 2) Diligently serve our peers & employers, & 3) Introduce people to the LORD. 

Prayer Prompt: Father, help me to live up to my calling & show others what it looks like to trust in you. Amen.

"Prosper" - Monday, April 13, 2020

"Walk in obedience to all the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live & prosper & prolong your days in the land that you will possess." Deuteronomy 5:33

Wet your hands, add soap, lather all over & in between fingers for at least 20 seconds, rinse hands, & finally turn the faucet off using a paper towel. Over the past few weeks, we've all been reminded of these instructions dozens of times. This information is everywhere! It's repeated on posters taped above sinks, on television ads, in emails, & from our own children. Bill Curtis is even singing songs about it during NPR's podcasts of "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" 

And why is it broadcast everywhere? Well, it's broadcast everywhere because following these instructions is just about the most effective way a person can reduce their risk of contracting Covid-19.

When God communicated his 10 commandments, He twice carved them in stone with his own finger. He & Moses spoke them to Israel shortly after leaving slavery in Egypt & again 40 years later before entering the "Promised Land". They are repeated & referenced over & over throughout the Bible. God's people are instructed: "...Talk about them when you sit at home & when you walk along the road, when you lie down & when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands & bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses & on your gates." (Deut 6:7-9)

And why were God's commands broadcast & repeated so often? Well, because respecting God (to the point that you keep His commands) is the most effective way to "live, prosper, & prolong your days". God loves you & wants you to physically & spiritually prosper. Nothing you do in life will be more determinative toward your prosperity than keeping His commands, but please do keep washing your hands.

Prayer Prompt: Lord, I repent for not following you in every way. Please help me to increasingly cherish your words. Amen.

"Oh He Cares" - Saturday, April 11, 2020

"A furious squall came up, & the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him & said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Mark 4:37-38

At wedding ceremonies, at the birth of a child, at baptisms: these are likely times we most feel sure of God's presence in our lives. However, other moments we endure like the death of a loved one, times of family turmoil, financial struggles, sickness: these experiences tempt us to look heavenward & ask "where are you God?" We tend to imagine God is right next to us when we're happy, & that he's distant when things go awry. 

The problem lies, not in God's proximity to us, but in what we expect of God. God sent his son, Jesus, so that we would be free of sin & condemnation, NOT in order to guarantee us a beautiful passage through this physical world. While still a toddler, Jesus & his parents had to escape to Egypt in fear of King Herod's wrath. Years later Jesus was rejected by his family, betrayed by his friends, & put to death by both the Jews & the Romans. God was not far from Jesus during any of those experiences, & God's not far from you today.

During the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus' disciples asked "don't you care?". Jesus rebuked the storm & then he rebuked his disciples saying "do you still have no faith?" Well, how is your faith today? Do you know that God is with you & that He cares deeply for you? He is & He does!

Prayer Prompt: God, please help me to know your presence & to trust in your protection. Amen. 

“Anxiety” - Friday, April 10, 2020

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness & the anxieties of life, & that day will close on you suddenly like a trap." Luke 21:34

Our society is plagued by anxiety these days. Will the stock market rebound? Will retirement have to be pushed back for years? Will I be laid off from work? What if someone I love falls ill? What if I catch the virus? 

Anxiety silently steals & blunts the joys of life that God intends for us. Now to be precise, anxiety is not a sin but an emotion. However, anxiety can lead us to entertain temptations until ultimately we do sin. Many people, trying to disarm their anxieties, turn to alcohol, or drugs, or promiscuity. Others become addicted to physical fitness, to body building, to television, or they become workaholics. Usually those addictions are not a person's root problem, they are just the visible symptoms of an underlaying sickness. 

So what would God have us do when we're anxious? Well let's look at how Jesus dealt with his own anxieties. In Matthew 26:38-39 Jesus said "...My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here & keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground & prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will”. Jesus shared his concerns with his friends, he prayed fervently for God to change his situation, & ultimately he looked for God to strengthen him for what was coming.

Jesus didn't try to numb-out & neither should we. Let's share each other's burdens, let's lay our prayers before God, & let's wait expectantly for God to thoroughly equip us for whatever is to come.

Prayer Prompt: Lord, help me to rely upon you, & please protect me from turning to the things of this world for momentary comfort.

"Strengthened by God" - Thursday, April 9, 2020

"The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:9-10

The day I turned 16 & received a drivers license at the DMV was the same day I signed the loan to purchase (with my parent's help) my first vehicle. It was a 1989 Red Chevy Silverado that I loved owning, but it was plagued by all sorts of electrical problems. The taillights only worked about 75% of the time, the radio speakers cutout when driving on bumpy roads, & the speedometer bounced so that you only knew your speed within a 15 mph range. Those problems were obnoxious for sure, but the flaw that vexed me most was the faulty gas gauge.  After running out of gas on the road a couple times, & because my wallet couldn't support filling the tank all the way up, I developed the habit of buying a little bit of gas nearly everyday. I was operating under a shortage of knowledge, cash, & gasoline.

Our society today is operating under a fear of shortage. There aren't enough ventilators. Stocks of critical medicines are dangerously low. There aren't enough hospital beds. You can't find masks or hand sanitizer to buy anywhere & apparently the world's supply of toilet paper has vanished. 

Despite those very real shortages, there is something we all have access to that will never run short. God's love & care for us will always be in abundance. God will always be with us ready to help & strengthen us for whatever is coming. If fear is in your house or knocking at the door, remember "God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

Prayer Prompt: Father God, please help me to be more aware of your presence in my life. Amen.

"Careless Words" - Wednesday, April 8, 2020

"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment." Matthew 12:36 (NASB)

As a kid in the tiny town of Sunray, Texas there wasn't a plethora of choices when looking for entertainment. Sometimes for hours, I would ride my bike with my next door neighbor Josh. During the summer, my cousin & I would search up & down the alleys scrounging for frogs & salamanders to capture from underneath the covers of people's water meters. 

Most of what we did was perfectly harmless, but occasionally when we got really bored, our activities became slightly destructive. There was the time we accidentally burned down the dog house in my backyard (my dog Pepper was fine). On another occasion, we rode our bikes out of town to a site where an oil well was being dug. We ended up losing our shoes in the sulfurous muck pit beside the well, all because we wanted to see how deep it was. Well, it was pretty deep & we were lucky we only lost our shoes. 

As events & businesses have shut down due to the threat of this viral pandemic, some of us have been busier than ever while others have found they have too much time on their hands. 2 Samuel 11:1 says "In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war... David remained in Jerusalem." Now we don't know why David stayed in Jerusalem, but because he did stay, he found himself unoccupied & perhaps even bored. But he didn't stay bored very long because his wandering eyes found Bathsheba, & then David made a string of immoral decisions that would haunt himself, his nation, & his entire family.  

Everything we do, everything we say, all of it either shines on God's glory or it casts a shadow over it. Remember, someday we will all have to give an accounting for our words & our actions. Don't let this time of physical distancing become an opportunity for Satan in your life. Rather, look for ways you can encourage one another & build up God's Church.

Prayer Prompt: Lord, please protect me from temptations, & help me to make the most of the time with which you've blessed me. Amen.

 “Dry Bones” - Tuesday, April 7, 2020

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, & he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD & set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back & forth among them, & I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”  Ezekiel 37:1-3

Ezekiel was a prophet during some dark days for God’s Old Testament Israel. They had been worshiping false gods. Now they were living in exile far from home. Jerusalem’s temple lay in ruins. It appeared that all was lost, including the promise of the coming Savior. The people were like a pile of dry bones. They had no life, no future.

Without God’s blessing, there is no meaning to our life either. On our own, we’re the same as they were—guilty, helpless, & hopeless. In our sinful nature, each of us is like a pile of dry bones. But even though they had given up on the Lord, he had not given up on them. The Lord said to Ezekiel, “Prophesy to these bones & say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, & you will come to life.’” 

We don’t have to wonder which word of the Lord Ezekiel used. It’s the same word of the Lord that our dry bones long to hear every day, namely, that we have a flesh & blood Savior, a substitute—Jesus Christ. Unwrap those swaddling clothes & you’ll find a baby. When they crucified him, he bled. When he rose, his disciples could touch the nail prints in his hands. God’s Son, Jesus, has taken the hopelessness & death of all our sin on himself so that we might have life with God now & forever. The Lord provides hope to hopeless sinners. He gives condemned sinners a bright future. He rattles our bones together & breathes into us the breath of life.

Prayer Prompt:  Dear Jesus, in whatever way my hope is dried up, be my resurrection from the dead. Amen.

“Jesus Conquers Death” - Monday, APRIL 6, 2020

“Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands & feet wrapped with strips of linen, & a cloth around his face.” John 11:43,44

Death is not a pleasant subject. Just talking about death makes people uncomfortable & at times even fearful. Our culture minimizes death as much as possible. It doesn’t even like to use the word death. There are dozens of alternatives for that word. But even though the doctor tells you that your loved one “passed on peacefully,” those words cannot change the fact that the one you loved is gone, & you are alone. No words can change the reality of death.

Except for Jesus’ word. Standing outside the tomb of his friend, he called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Jesus yelled to a dead man, & dead men can’t hear. Jesus told a dead man to come out, & dead men can’t move. But indeed, Lazarus listened & came out! Do you see the big picture here? Jesus has power over death because Jesus is God. That is why he can even conquer death.

Someday it will be you in the tomb. No matter how hard you try to extend your life through exercise, eating right, or medicine, your physical life will end. But on the day this world comes to an end, Jesus will speak his words to all the dead: “Come out!” And your body will rise because Jesus tells it to. This time it will be a body that cannot die.

The only way to face death without fear is through Jesus. We spend so much of life avoiding & fearing death, but the good news is that we don’t have to. We have a Savior who conquered death for us.

Prayer Prompt: I praise you, dear Savior, for conquering death for me. Amen.

“Moved By Death” - Saturday, APRIL 4th, 2020

“Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.”  John 11:38

Does death make you sad? Do you cry at funerals? If so, you’re in good company because Jesus did the same thing. Death hurts. The pain of death is sharp, & it can linger far too long. Jesus’ friend Lazarus had died, & when Jesus arrived at the tomb, he wept. Isn’t that amazing? Not only does Jesus share in our humanity, but he also shares our pain over death. It hurts him because Jesus knows that death is not natural. He knows it is not the way God wants things to be. 

The Bible tells us, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). God didn’t create Lazarus to die. Sin caused him to die. God didn’t create you to die, but sin will cause you to die too.And so, Jesus weeps at death. But he did more than that. He did something about it. He went to his own death to pay for the sins that cause death. You see, Jesus died on the cross because of sin. Only, it wasn’t his sin. It was the sin of the world, including yours. He took it away from you, made it his own, & he died for it. Sin was no match for him—he paid for it. Death was no match for him—he rose from it.

It's okay to mourn & to miss your departed loved ones. Jesus knows your pain. But more importantly, Jesus wants you to know that he has gone through death ahead of you & for you; & then conquered death ahead of you & for you.

Prayer Prompt: Lord Jesus, thank you for dying & rising to give me hope even when I weep. Amen.

“A Glorious Plan” - Friday, APRIL 3, 2020

“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.” John 11:17

Wait, did you read that correctly? Jesus was late! His friend Lazarus was sick. Jesus is the Son of God, who heals the sick. But when he heard that the friend he loved was ill, he waited around for 2 days. Then, when he finally went to see him, Lazarus had been dead & buried for 4 days!

Why did Jesus let Lazarus die? The obvious answer is that he had a plan. Yet that seems like the kind of trite cliché we share when we don’t know what else to say. You’ve probably heard it. Whenever life takes a turn for the worse, people like to say, “God has a plan.” It’s true that he does, but often we can’t see God’s plan. Can you imagine the frustration of Martha & her sister, Mary, as they waited for Jesus & watched their brother die?

Perhaps you can, because you know what it’s like to experience pain & wait for God. 

When life is awful, God’s plan doesn't always make sense. The cancer that won’t go into remission. The spouse who dies slowly. The loved ones you bury. It all makes you ask, “Jesus, I know you can help. Where are you?”

He is exactly where he needs to be. He always is. In the case of Lazarus, Jesus’ plan was to glorify God by miraculously raising Lazarus from the dead. For that to happen, Jesus had to allow Lazarus to die.

Remember Lazarus the next time you are suffering & wonder why God is allowing it. Remember that he does love you & that he does have a plan. Remember that the one who had the power to raise Lazarus from the grave has the power to raise you out of whatever you are enduring.

Prayer Prompt: Lord Jesus, give me strength in my troubles & faith in your glorious plan. Amen.

“The Savior You Need” - Thursday, APRIL 2, 2020

“Yes, Lord,” [Martha] replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:27

In the midst of mourning the loss of her brother Lazarus, Martha answered life’s most important question: “Who is Jesus?” Knowing the answer to that question is the difference between eternal life & eternal death, & Martha’s beautiful confession is the correct answer.

It is sad, then, that most responses to that question are wrong. When you ask people today who Jesus is, often, you will hear that Jesus is a wise teacher who met a tragic end. There are probably as many different versions of who Jesus is - as there are people answering the question. And some would even say that's a good thing. In an age where you can personalize everything from your smartphone to your happy meal, why should religion be any different? The modern take on religion is that it is impossible to know anything with certainty. Therefore, you make your own truth, & everyone’s beliefs are really just opinions.

But can there really be different opinions about who Jesus is? Not according to Martha. Jesus is the Messiah—a Hebrew word that means “the Anointed One.” This word tells us Jesus’ job. Jesus is the specific One, chosen by God, to cover sinners with his perfection & wash their sins away in his blood. His blood can do that only because he is the Son of God.

Jesus is both God & man in the same person. The Messiah has to be fully human to live under God’s law, obey it perfectly in our place, & die the death we deserve. He has to truly be God so that his life & death count for all people of all time. All that content is packed into Martha’s confession. Notice her use of the word “the.” Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. That is exclusive. Jesus is not merely one option among many; he is THE One & THE Only. Thank God! Jesus is the exact Savior you & I need.

Prayer Prompt: Jesus, help me to always confess & proclaim that you are the Messiah, the Son of God. Amen.

“Life & resurrection” - Wednesday, april 1, 2020

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” . . . Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection & the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; & whoever lives by believing in me will never die.” John 11:21-26

When someone you love dies, one of your first thoughts is probably about the hole it leaves in your life. You think about everything you went through together, & you want that person back. That’s where Martha's thinking went. Can you hear the frustration in her words? Martha knew Jesus could've healed her brother but he hadn't.

Doesn’t that make you wonder why?  Whenever God doesn't fix things to our liking, we’re tempted to think that either God doesn’t have the power to help, or he doesn’t want to. Like Martha, it’s easy to want Jesus to immediately cure all our troubles. So Jesus gently corrected her—& corrects us—with his promise: “I am the resurrection & the life.” You see, even more than he wanted Martha not to lose her brother, Jesus wanted her to know that he could do more than heal the sick.

Our biggest problems are sin & death, and Jesus is the solution to both. Jesus came so that even if you get sick, even if your heart stops beating, you will never die. He came so that you can live forever with God in heaven. He came so that one day, even long after your body has been buried, it will rise & live again. He proved that he can do it by raising Lazarus from the dead.

That is why Jesus is the resurrection. He brings the dead back to life. In fact, Jesus is the life. He gave his life so that our place with God is alive & well. While you are on this earth, Jesus does not promise you a smooth ride, but he does promise you strength for the journey. As surely as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, those who believe in him will also rise from the dead.

Prayer Prompt: Jesus, please help me to deal with earthly grief in a healthy way, & thank you for being my resurrection and my life. Amen.

“Servant Leadership” - Tuesday, MARCH 31, 2020

“When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together & said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, & their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, & whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, & to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:24-28

Government officials are a good gift of God, & God has called us to respect such leaders (Romans 13:1-7). But here in the United States, it can be hard to watch all the backbiting & nastiness among politicians. Jesus saw this same kind of attitude among his disciples. They were filled with envy, jockeying for positions of honor. He said that’s how the government officials of their day acted. They fought for places-of-power & control at any cost. But then he looked at his disciples & said, “Not so with you.”

You see, Jesus’ kingdom has different values than the kingdoms of this world. In the kingdoms of this world, it is all about power & prestige. It’s about asserting control over others. Jesus says that his kingdom is completely different. In Jesus’ kingdom, the first are last & the last are first. The greatest are those who are servants & slaves to all.

Jesus didn’t just preach these values, he lived them to the extreme. He did not take a throne of power, but he was lifted up on a cross in weakness. He did not come to be served, but to serve & give his life on the cross to buy our freedom from our sins.

Now Jesus calls us to live in his kingdom & spread the truths of his kingdom to everyone. This means we protect & care for those in need & advocate for individuals who are marginalized instead of advocating for ourselves. It means we love those who have lost their way. It means we don’t jockey for influence, & it means forgiving others as we have been forgiven by Jesus. What a different, & wonderful, way to live!

Prayer Prompt: Lord God, thank you for the blessings you give us through governments - help us to act towards them in the way you would have us act. Thank you for the even greater gift of my King, Jesus Christ, who rules in my heart with love. Amen.

“Pride” - Monday, March 30, 2020

“Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons &, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right & the other at your left in your kingdom.” “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered.” Matthew 20:20-22

Pride has been called the sin behind every other sin. Pride is thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought. Pride keeps us from thinking we need God’s forgiveness. Pride is spiritually dangerous.

It was pride that led two disciples, James & John, to ask Jesus if they could sit in places of honor in his kingdom. They believed that they were worthy of places of honor & respect. They wanted to make sure they got those special seats before the other disciples did. Their pride even led them to believe they could drink the same cup of suffering that Jesus would drink. But Jesus graciously responded, “You don’t know what you are asking.” Their pride kept them from hearing how foolish they sounded.

It can be easy to point out pride in others, like the disciples, but our arrogance keeps us from seeing it in ourselves. Pride blinds us from our own pride. So, how do we know when we are falling into the sin of pride? Well… If we are feeling entitled, if we are filled with anger or arrogance, we can assume that pride is lurking behind those feelings.

So, what can a person do to extinguish pride?  First, acknowledge it & confess it before God. Next, receive God’s forgiveness for your feelings of pride. Finally, fix your eyes on God. You see, when your eyes are turned upward towards your glorious, powerful, gracious God, it becomes much harder to look down on anyone else.

Prayer Prompt: Lord Jesus, please forgive me for my pride, for puffing myself up & looking down on others. Lead me to grasp your glory, power, & grace so that I walk in true humility. Amen.

“Remarkable Promises” - Saturday, March 28, 2020

"However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. … Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not." Romans 4:5,16,17

Consider some of the promises Abraham believed in, as repeated by the Apostle Paul in the book of Romans. Paul called Abraham’s God the “God who justifies the wicked.” To justify means to declare “not guilty.” And if God saw the wicked things Abraham did and called him not guilty of them, then Abraham had the right to walk through life believing that God was never going to punish him.

Paul said that Abraham’s God is the one who “gives life to the dead &calls things that are not as though they are,” which means that Abraham had the right to look at death & expect life. He had the right to look at situations that aren’t good & expect that good will still come from them.

Paul also said that these promises are “guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring,” & he defines Abraham’s offspring not as those who are of the same bloodline as him, but as anyone who has the same faith Abraham did. If you believe in the same God Abraham did, it means that whenever death claims your body, it won’t be the end since your God brings life from death. And since he calls things that are not as though they are, then you also have the right to look at situations that are not good & believe that some good will still come from them. And remember, all of these promises are “guaranteed.” They were guaranteed through the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus, who perfectly fulfilled every promise God made about him.

Prayer Prompt: Father in heaven, help me to hold on to your remarkable promises so that I stand firm in my faith. Amen.

“The Future” - Friday, March 27, 2020

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you nor forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

It’s natural to wonder about the future. Even those of us who are “content to live in the moment” types wonder about what the future will bring. It’s also natural to be anxious about the future, particularly in worrisome times. The scripture listed above are the words of Moses, spoken to God’s people centuries ago, but they are timely words to us, as well. 

Here’s how the Word of God affirms us in worrisome times:

1) God’s Word affirms the experience of anxiety when we are entering “unknown territory.” The Hebrews were about to enter unknown territory (the Promised Land!) & they were afraid for their future. Certainly, we are entering into unknown territory with the outbreak of Covid-19 & we are anxious about the future. And so, The Bible affirms our experience & feelings of anxiety as God’s people throughout the ages have faced “unknown territory” & its accompanying anxiety.

2) These words encourage us to be reasonable, not reactionary. Remember, we have never, truly & comprehensively, known what lies before us even in ordinary times. Even when things are going well, there is always the possibility of calamity. Some of you know this from personal experience. So, in one sense, while today’s territory feels uncertain to us, it has always been so.

We have to take precautions, be smart & responsible - but we don’t have to be reactionary, I.e. unduly fearful or anxious because we can consider, reasonably, that our situation is always one of complete dependence of God - truly & comprehensively. But the most powerful resource for us from this text is this:

3) Whatever is ahead of us, the Lord is there too. “It is the Lord who goes before you.” God is not quarantined. God is in-control. The future is filled with the presence of God & God will meet us there as one fully aware of the terrain & ready to guide us through it. Those were the words of Moses to God’s people, then – & they continue to be God’s word to us, today! So remember, in your anxious moments, to tell your heart, “It is the Lord who goes before me! He will be with me! He will not leave me nor forsake me. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Prayer Prompt: Father in heaven, help me to feel your peace in my life. Teach me to walk according to your guidance whether conditions are calm or tempestuous. Amen.

“A Gift” - Thursday, March 26, 2020

“Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.” Romans 4:4,5

There is a difference between a gift & an obligation. If you have a job & put in your required hours, your boss has an obligation to give you a paycheck. The paycheck is earned. But a gift is given under no obligation. The recipient did not earn it.

This is the point the Bible makes about Abraham. God was not obligated to bless him. Abraham was “ungodly” in many of the same ways we are. He was imperfect, he sinned, & he fell short of doing all that God requires. God was under no obligation to bless Abraham, & likewise God is under no obligation to bless us.

And yet he did bless Abraham. He gave him great wealth & fame. He made him the father of a great nation. And, most importantly, he made him the ancestor of Jesus, the Savior of the world. God has done the same for us. Although he is under no obligation to bless us, he has. He has given us food & clothing & shelter, friends & family, & most importantly, someone to save us from our sins.

And now he simply says, “Trust me. Trust that all you have comes from me. Trust that I will provide all that you need for your body & soul. Trust that your sins are forgiven through Jesus & eternal life is yours.” We did not earn any of these blessings. God was not obligated to give them. But he has, & he does. They are all his free gifts.

Prayer Prompt: Father in heaven, thank you for the gift of my Savior, Jesus. Amen.

“Joseph” - Wednesday, March 25, 2020

“Joseph had a dream, & when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose & stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine & bowed down to it.” His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream & what he had said.” Genesis 37:5-8

One of the pleasures of growing up is discovering our capabilities. Maybe you found out that you could write well or speak well. Or maybe music has always come naturally to you. Or maybe you are a math whiz. It can be exciting to discover what we can do. The problem comes when we forget how we receive our talents. We might forget that our talents are gifts of God to be used to serve others.

That’s what happened to a teenager named Joseph in the first book of the Bible. When Joseph was 17, God gave him a dream that one day he was going to be a great leader. In fact, God told him that even his own brothers would bow down to him. Instead of humbly thanking God for this gracious prophecy, Joseph seems to have bragged about it to his brothers.

Instead of self-promoting, Jesus showed us a different way to live. Although Jesus was God, he did not use his power to promote himself over people. As the apostle Paul wrote, “Jesus made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, he became obedient to death, even death on the cross”. (Philippians 2:6-11) It was on that cross that Jesus paid for all of our sins of self-promotion & self-service.

Now that we have seen Jesus’ willingness to serve us rather than be served, let’s follow Jesus’ example today, thanking God for the gifts & talents he has given us so that we may serve others.

Prayer Prompt: Lord God, we know that every good & perfect gift comes from you. Help me to use the gifts that you have given me for your glory & in service to my neighbor. Amen.

“Favoritism to Love” - Tuesday, March 24, 2020

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; & he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him & could not speak a kind word to him." Genesis 37:3,4

When I see my kids act out, it feels like I’m looking into a mirror. Not only do my kids look like me, but they sin like me too. I wish I had just passed on my physical traits to the next generation. Unfortunately, I passed on my sinful, spiritual traits as well. The same thing happened to a man named Abraham. God told Abraham that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. Abraham passed this special promise on to his descendants. But that is not the only thing that he gave to the next generation. He passed on the sin of favoritism as well.

You see, Abraham had two sons, Ishmael & Isaac. Abraham favored Isaac over Ishmael, & it led to hostility. Isaac repeated the same sin. He also had two sons, Esau & Jacob. Isaac favored Esau over Jacob, & it led to hostility. By now, you would think that this family would have learned its lesson, but Jacob followed the same pattern. Jacob favored his son Joseph who was born from his favorite wife Rachel. And he wasn’t subtle about his preference. He made Joseph an ornate robe. And guess what? it led to hostility in the family.

Unfortunately, favoritism didn’t stop with Joseph. Favoritism continues to affect our families whenever we love one of our family members more than another.Thankfully, we have a heavenly Father who does not show favoritism. He loves the people of this world equally—so much so that he sacrificed his son, Jesus, in order to save all of them from their sins, including their sins of favoritism. This means he has saved you, too. You are forgiven for every time you played favorites & hurt someone by doing so. Take comfort in that forgiveness today. And, thank your heavenly Father by refusing to play favorites.

Prayer Prompt: Dear heavenly father, forgive me for repeating the sins of the past generations. And graciously lead me to follow your ways. Amen.

“Getting Back On Course” Monday, MARCH 23, 2020

“[Jesus] answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except for the sign of the prophet Jonah.” Matthew 12:39

In the fall of 1985 a 45-ton humpbacked whale, supposedly heading for the warmer ocean water to the south, made its way into the San Francisco Bay, swam up the Sacramento River, & “landed” in a wetland. A great deal of effort was required to get it back to its original habitat.

Human beings also go off course at times. One who did so deliberately was the prophet, Jonah. God had called him to preach the Word in Nineveh, which was the pagan capital of the Assyrian Empire. But like the whale, Jonah got into the wrong channel. Instead of going east to Nineveh, he boarded a freighter at Joppa & sailed west on a ship that was bound for Tarshish on the opposite end of the Mediterranean Sea. But God put Jonah back on course. During a severe storm, Jonah was cast overboard & was swallowed by a large fish. Preserved alive, the prophet heeded the second call from God & preached repentance in Nineveh.

Jesus referred to Jonah’s experience & applied it to himself: “As Jonah was three days & three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days & three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). By being crucified, buried, & raised from the dead, Jesus Christ put a lost & floundering humanity back on course—the course of salvation by faith in him.

Prayer Prompt: From the hymn "Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me"

Jesus Savior, pilot me

Over life’s tempestuous sea;

Unknown waves before me roll,

Hiding rock and treacherous shoal.

Chart and compass come from thee:

Jesus, Savior, pilot me. Amen.

Click on the link below to watch 11 month old Piper Verdusco see clearly for her first time ever.

Piper's gift

“NOT WHAT WE DESERVED”  SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2020

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.”  John 9:1-3

You're probably familiar with the concept of karma. Some people explain karma as: “What goes around comes around.” If you do good, good things will come your way. If you do evil, watch out! But is this truly the way things work? What have you observed in your life or the lives of others? Are people always rewarded for their good deeds? Do evildoers always suffer the consequences of their actions?

Jesus’ disciples didn’t believe in karma, but they did assume that suffering was the result of evil actions. Of course they were puzzled, when they came across a man who was born blind. How could he have done something so bad in the womb as to deserve a life of blindness? But if his parents were the ones cursed with a blind son because of their sin, how was that fair to the child?

Jesus told his disciples that the blindness wasn’t the consequence for a specific sin committed by either the man or his parents. In reality, the consequences of sin are far worse. The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” The punishment for disobeying God is complete separation from the source of life for all eternity. This is what we all had coming to us. 

The Bible tells us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”But the Lord does not treat us according to what we have done. Instead, he shows mercy to all who repent. God’s works of love are displayed in us when he calls us to see that his Son Jesus, has already taken our punishment upon himself. God treats believers as his children, with love & care, even though we have not earned that status ourselves. His blessings to us are a gift. We may still suffer while we are in this fallen world, but the Lord will one day rescue us from it all & take us into his eternal fellowship in Heaven.

Prayer Prompt: Dear God, thank you for treating me according to Jesus’ good deeds & not my own. Please bless me to have ever-increasing compassion on those suffering, & spur me on to share the good news of salvation with them. Amen.

“Just dust”-Saturday March 19, 2020

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm 103:13,14

At times, it’s easy to forget what we are. We know how we look. We know what we have done and what we hope to do. We are not some plant. We are not some animal. We are at the top of the food chain. We are human! Yet, we are just dust. But we are the designers of skyscrapers; the makers of atomic weapons; and builders of civilizations. Yet, we are just dust. Sometimes we act like we will live forever. Even then, in the back of our mind we know better. We are just dust. It’s a fact we must face. To ignore it will doom us. If we do not face our frailty, we will never find our strength. Meaning to life, joy in life, and peace is not found inside of us. We are just dust. Ideas and plans, hopes and dreams may swirl within, but finally, they will come to nothing. Rich or poor, wise or foolish, weak or strong, at the end, the caption over our life reads, “For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

Those may be old words, but they are true words. Good thing they are not the last words. The final words for the planned outcome of the human race were spoken under dark clouds on a hill far away. They were recorded for the generations ahead. We treasure them. “It is finished!” he said. The one who spoke those words was the same one who told us that dust would return to dust. Now he was shouting we need not fear that return. He had just finished his rescue mission. He had just told a dying human, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” How can this be? How can frail children of dust enter into never-dying glory? Only their Creator can allow this to happen. Only their Judge can ordain it. Only their Redeemer can make it so. “I am the resurrection and the life…” the Redeemer proclaimed. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25) he explained. The dust can return to life. The curse of Eden has been broken. Compassion washed over guilt. “God so loved the world…” God the Father knew we could not measure up to the standard that holiness demanded. So, he sent Jesus. He turned the curse upon his own Son. We went free. He knew it had to happen that way. He knew, and he still knows, the ones he loves are just dust.

PRAYER PROMPT: When from the dust of death I rise To claim my mansion in the skies E’en then this shall be all my plea; Jesus has lived and died for me. Amen.

“God Hears Our Prayers” Friday, March 20, 2020

“LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief. Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” Psalm 143:1,2

Ten-year-old Mason was feeling frustrated and a little desperate. The boy had been trying to get his father’s attention during breakfast to explain that he needed a parent to sign a permission slip for school. Today was the class field trip. And although Mason knew he had been misbehaving recently—and was even grounded all last week–he was still hopeful that dad would give him permission to go. Mason pleaded with his father, “Dad, please? I’ve done all my chores this week as Mom asked me to. I promise I’ll behave!” Dad, however, was distracted by an ongoing group text with his boss about an important project they were presenting that day. In his frustration, Mason almost shouted at his father: “Dad, did you hear what I said?!”

Unlike earthly parents, our heavenly Father is never too busy or distracted to hear our cries for help. But still, it so often seems that when we pray there is no answer—or at least, not the answer we hoped for. So how can we convince God to answer our requests for help? Can we, like young Mason, point to the good things we have done or offer promises to improve? Will our good deeds sway a holy God and move him to bless his obedient children? Sadly, no. We must confess with the psalm writer, “No one living is righteous before you.” As one pastor has warned, “Never pray for God to give you only what you deserve—you won’t like the result.”

Rather, listen to how the writer of this psalm appeals to God’s mercy. It is the Lord’s loving-kindness that moves him to rescue us. We have not been faithful to God, but he has kept his promises to us. He forgives us for the sake of his Son, Jesus Christ. So we pray in Jesus’ name, reminding the Lord of the sacrifice he made so that we might become his children.

Prayer Prompt: Lord God, only you can rescue me from the many troubles in my life. I ask you to help me because you are a kind and loving Father and not because I have earned or deserved it. Amen.

“Light Up Your World” Thursday, March 21, 2020

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:8-14

Remember those miners in Chile who were trapped underground for 69 days back in 2010? Picture them before the first small drill broke through: running out of food, water, and light as batteries died… trapped in darkness so deep in the earth. It might be fun to visit and explore a cave, but it must be terrifying to be trapped in the dark, totally dependent upon someone else to rescue you. Imagine being caught in an even worse never-ending darkness! That’s the darkness of being separated from God, of being trapped in sin and captive to eternal death.

But Jesus broke through that dense darkness with the bright light of salvation which he accomplished by his suffering and death for us all. Through his Word, God has called us out of the darkness of unbelief into the wonderful light of faith in Jesus. God has turned us from darkness into being “light in the Lord.”

Now he calls upon us to live in that light, to let our faith shine. In thanks to Jesus for rescuing us from the darkness of hell, we let the brightness of Christ shine through us and expose the darkness around us. Jesus has made us beacons of light to those still in spiritual darkness. For his sake, we will seek to live in ways that please our God and light up the world with the good news of Jesus. As his believers, it’s time to shine!

Prayer Prompt: Dear Jesus, thank you for bringing the light of heaven into my life through your perfect life, death, and resurrection! Shine through me so that I can light up the world around me! Amen.