Not Ashamed

I watched him get out of his car and struggle to make it  into the waiting room. We were both having our vehicles serviced. He waked with two canes and every step appeared excruciatingly painful for him. When he found his seat he asked if I could help him down. He took hold of my hand for support as he sank into his chair. He commented, "I need a hip replacement. I've already had both knees replaced but still need a hip replacement."

With that we engaged in a conversation. I had a book sitting to my side but decided I would not read today. I found out the man named Jim lived in Weatherford but had not been home in some time. Turns out he was helping his daughter deal with two tragedies.

He talked about how he would see his deceased loved ones again. He then said he knew he would see them again in heaven. I saw my open door. I asked how he knew for certain he would see them again in heaven. How he knew he would be in heaven. He said because of the blood of Jesus he was right with God. I smiled and told him I was a preacher.

Then he replied with conviction, "I am not ashamed to be a child of God and tell others even if they do not want to hear it." That resonated with me. I knew right then it would be the subject of a blog.

I am not ashamed. I love that truth. It reminds me of a verse.

Romans 1:16 (ESV)
¹⁶  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.


The word ashamed means not to feel shame. May we never feel shame for the gospel and for our Lord Jesus. He is everything. He is the only hope for the world. He is the only way to salvation and a right relationship with God. Like Jim, I feel no shame either. I am humbled and proud to be a child of God all because of the grace and shed blood of Jesus. 

The Rustling Of Pages

When you preach in different churches from week to week you never know who you will meet or what you will encounter. Such was the case this past week once again. Brenda and I enjoyed ourselves meeting complete strangers but feeling like brothers and sisters in Christ before we left.

Brenda and I walked into a gathering of people we did not know. I gave thanks to God for the opportunity to minister His word once again. God burned a message in my heart for those people and when it came time to preach I entered into it enthusiastically.

I opened with a prayer and then announced the text we would study. What happened next stunned me. It came so unexpectedly it caught me off guard. All over that little sanctuary I heard the rustling of pages as people opened their Bibles turning to the selected text  to study with me.

That sound proved as moving to my soul as any song we sang that morning. I paused before starting the message just to listen to the rustling of pages all over that room. Maybe that is a sound many preachers and parishioners take for granted. Maybe it not a sound heard where you worship. That beautiful sound reverberated in my ears. Not a loud over the top sound. I doubt anyone else in the room even noticed it this past Sunday. No sound that day moved me more deeply.

I noticed. I loved it. I love God. I love His word. I love the local church. I love the people of God. I love getting to preach and teach His word in any setting. Ido not take preaching for granted nor people hungry for His word for granted. We are living in times when the truth of God's word is devalued for other worship expressions. Many times Bible truth taught or preached is little more than a pithy devotional thought.

I am old fashioned. I still believe God has a word to share with people all over the world. I believe that word comes from the sacred scriptures. I love the rustling of the pages when people gather to study and learn. I know in these times many use their smart phones or other electronic devices to look at the Bible. That may work for them but I prefer to hold the sacred book of the Bible.

I like the feel of the leather in my hands. It broke my heart after 15 years of reading, studying and preaching from the same Bible I had to recently purchase a new one and  am breaking it in. I love the weight of it in my hands. I love pointing people back to truths embedded in the text itself. I love expounding the truth. I love seeing the black type of the print (and the red type for the words of Jesus.) I love underlining, hi lighting, making notes in the margins, circling key words in a passage, and recalling where certain verses are located in certain spots on the printed pages after years of familiarity. In my ministry I have worn out three Bibles preaching. By the grace of God I plan to wear a few more out along the way. Truth is I do't like my new Bible and on the hunt for a better one with wider margins for taking notes.

I know I am old fashioned and I do not apologize for it. I love the book. To hear good folks flipping pages in their Bibles fired my soul deeply. I thank God for those people and that sound He brought to my attention. I hope I never forget it and live to see it repeated over and over again in my ministry.

The Ministry Of Prayer

The longer I minister the more I realize one of our greatest ministries is prayer. Brenda and I visited with a long time friend last night. Before parting company our friend said to me, "Give me something profound and pray for me before I leave."

I had nothing profound on my mind at the moment. I searched through the files of my mind and recalled a scripture which I quoted. Then we bowed to pray. We love our friend. To pray for such a dear one was no trouble at all. It was an honor.

I poured my heart out in fervent intercession. I lifted this dear one before the throne of grace to find help and comfort in difficult times of need.

It is a true blessing to intercede for others. It is an added blessing when you get to do this in person with them by your side. I recall so many times praying with and for people in hospitals, in their homes, in moments of crisis, before ball games, and at the end of worship services. I have emailed and texted prayers. There is something all together different when you pray with them in person.

The ministry of prayer is tender. Those are precious moments. It is at the very essence of a shepherd's love for a flock. The ministry is prayer can transport any situation from the natural to the supernatural and from the temporal to the eternal.

So look for those opportunities to pray with people. I am sure they abound. Who needs you to pray for them and with them today? In this way you are the love, comfort, hands, and heart of Jesus.

Life On The Road

Another road trip Your truth I'm called to share,
Another mission taking Your compassion and care,
Bags packed - the first lady and I again on the road,
Restaurants, strange beds,  packed bags to unload,
Prayers for anointing to help others we beseech,
Grateful for another opportunity to  go and preach,
Going to places and churches where we've never been,
Willing to go just about anywhere that Jesus sends,
Life on the road  puts miles between us and home,
Our lives are surrendered no longer counted our own,
Whether we labor to love, serve, and feed a local flock,
Whether we're on the road in doors He choose to unlock,
No matter the calling nor  unpleasantry of the sacrifice,
With Jesus and my first lady life on the road will suffice.

At Bethel

I came to Bethel to wrestle with You in fervent prayer,
I pressed past all the distractions layer on top of layer,
It is just You and me in this sacred spot we've met before,
Where I encountered You here in this place I ardently adore,
You opened my eyes to see things beyond the natural
Revealing Your heart and mind seeing the supernatural,
Here in Bethel my heart and mind are flooded with peace,
Because in here I am still and all my strivings have ceased,
In Bethel I content myself to sit in Your company of One,
Preferring time alone with You Jesus Christ God's Son,
Here in Bethel it seems as if time stands perfectly still,
All that matters is You revealing -me discerning Your will,
I diligently keep watch on this sacred and most holy ground,
Where You deeply desire to be sought in prayer and found,
I do not take Bethel, this blessed house of God for granted,
Time alone with you in Bethel is for what my soul has panted.

In The Stillness You Are Here

In the stillness of the morning You are here,
Though trials surround I have nothing to fear,
In You I find all my thirsty soul will ever need,
In You my hungry heart is fueled to succeed,
The tempest rages near the eye of the hurricane,
Your mysterious ways very often hard to explain,
Deep in the recesses of my mind questions linger,
Yet I am held in Your tender sovereign fingers,
In this stillness I find solace and blessed refuge,
From the raging storms of life with their deluge,
In the stillness You are here removing all dismay,
With grace sufficient for the hour on full display,
In You I find peace, hope, and true contentment,
Pouring out the bitterest cup of deep resentment,
You are trustworthy, faithful, always dependable,
Though my small faith is not always commendable,
In these hushed reverent still hours we meet alone,
In the stillness with You where I most feel at home,
I would not trade these precious private devotions,
Where I pour out my heart and deepest emotions,
In the stillness with You I crave to settle and dwell,
Together with You I say with my soul it is still well.

Wait

I was in a hurry but You said wait,
I argued You were running late,
You were in no hurry nor haste,
Much too delayed for my taste,
You are timely not ever slow,
Perfect in timing in the know,
I mount up like an eagle's wings,
New strength from waiting brings,
Waiting isYour purging refining fire,
Waiting not always my true desire,
Letting You work Your perfect will,
So I wait prayerfully perfectly still.

Do They Really See?

Do those all around really have the eyes to see,
Beyond the surface to the heart of the real me,
Do they see beyond the bold preacher on stage,
The child inside no matter how the body aged,
Do they really see the warrior feels like a child,
The prophet sometimes feels timid, weak and mild,
The burdens weigh heavy on my shoulders to bear,
Do they really see, do they really hear, do they care?

Sweet Tea And Jesus

I had breakfast with a friend earlier today. We get together to talk from time to time. We talk about the Bible mostly sprinkled in with a few politics. Our get togethers usually last for a couple of hours.

Just before I walked out the door I noticed a little plague hanging on the wall of the cafe. It read, "Sweet tea and Jesus."

At first, I celebrated. Then I took a second look and the thought occurred to me. Shouldn't the sign read, "Jesus and sweet tea." Jesus never comes second to anyone or anything. He never plays second fiddle in the band. He never plays a supporting role in the unfolding drama of life. He is the maestro. The conductor. The director. The head coach. The CEO. He is the star. The headline performer. He is always the main attraction.

That is the world we live in. While many will agree Jesus is important, they just will not go so far as to say HE IS MOST IMPORTANT. Jesus falls way down the line for many people. People value things like food, sex, money, possessions, sports, music, houses, vehicles, pets, and much. Each of these things has been elevated to greater importance than Jesus rightly has exclusive authority to as His own.

None of the above listed things is bad in and of themselves. The point is Jesus is of greater importance than all of them and all else. He is to be our first love.
Revelation 2:1-5 (ESV) 
¹  “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
²  “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false.
³  I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary.
⁴  But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
⁵  Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Jesus said, Matthew 22:37-38 (ESV) 

³⁷  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
³⁸  This is the great and first commandment.

John the Baptist got the order right. May we not forget it. 

John 3:30 (ESV) 

³⁰  He must increase, but I must decrease.” 

It is never sweet tea and Jesus. Even here in the deep south sweet tea comes after Jesus. 

His Foolish Choice Cost Him His Life

I left home early one morning on a cloudless bright sunny day. I had errands to run in town. On the other side of town another indulged in the carnal desires of his flesh. Throwing caution to the end he walked closer and closer to the edge. Neither us had any idea our paths would cross twelve minutes later resulting in a collision and a fatality.

I drove listening to music out of our neighborhood in Runaway Bay. I turned left onto Highway 380 and crossed the bridge over the Bridgeport Lake lost in thought. Several miles away another lived on the edge. He danced with danger. He flirted with fatality. He put his life in harm's way and in the end it would cost him.

I arrived in Bridgeport and made my way through town turning onto highway 114. The fatal collision loomed only two minutes ahead. I saw him in the distance. He positioned himself right in the middle of the highway. As I drove closer, I ket thinking he saw me coming and would move. He did not. I honked my horn but he still did not move. I honked again and tried to swerve.

This time he tried to hurry out of the way. It was too late. I could not swerve enough to miss him. He did not hurry out the way quickly enough. Our paths collided. The thud of the impact reverberated all through my truck. My natural reaction was to close my eyes and grip the steering wheel tighter. I saw his lifeless body fall limply to the ground in my rearview mirror. I later discovered the impact damaged the front of my truck.

Why was he in the middle of the road? Especially on highway 114 as busy as the traffic is on that road. Why didn't he get out of the way? Why did he not heed the warning from horn? The victim chose to live on the edge. A foolish choice that in the end cost him his life. It cost me too.

I left home earlier that morning with no warning I would be involved in a fatal accident only twelve minute later. A tragic ending to a life.

I guess at this point I better clarify something. I did not hit another person. I hit a buzzard feasting on road kill in the middle of the highway. The impact broke the front grill of my truck and killed him. The last bite killed him. He saw me coming. His appetite for the raw flesh of whatever he ate ended up costing him his life.

I am sure that buzzard exuded in confidence. He had most assuredly avoided other vehicles that same morning. He thought he could take one more bite before soaring away. That foolish decision proved fatal. He probably did not have time to fully swallow that last bite before I hit him.

This reminds me of a scripture. Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV) 
⁷  Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
⁸  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

People try and mock God all the time indulging in the desires of the flesh. They fornicate. Commit adultery. Pursue fantasies through pornography. They guzzle alcohol and dabble in drugs. For the most part they get away with it for a season. God sees all and knows all. Ever so often their sins catch up with them and the penalty is fatal in this life. Then there is another death, a spiritual death for unbelievers in the afterlife. 

I have preached two funerals of people I did not know personally who died of drug overdoses. Both were young men. Neither expected that last injection would be their last. Each year someone has one last drink for the road before slipping behind the wheel in a drunken stupor. They confidently start the ignition and pull out reminding themselves they made it home safely in the past. Only this time they kill someone and maybe even themselves. O, what a foolish decision sowing to the flesh can be. 

The forbidden taste of immoral lovers is savory until the truth is exposed. The cheaters are discovered. The fornication is found out. The flesh sowed forbidden pleasure but now reaps destruction. 

Choosing to indulge the flesh leads to corruption. That literally means to "perish, decay, and destroy." It may not look that way initially. People sin all the time. Most appear to get away with it without any ill effects. What they cannot see is the decay in their souls. They do not notice how sin never satisfies. The flesh always craves more. Nor do see the case building against them for eternal judgement and condemnation. 

The glutton wants more food. The alcoholic wants more drink. The marijuana smoker lives to get high again. The immoral want another sex partner or another steamy night with their lover. Hear this clearly. SIN WILL TAKE YOU FURTHER THAN YOU EVER WANTED TO GO. SIN WILL COST YOU  MORE THAN YOU EER WATNED TO PAY. 

Let's go back to that buzzard ferociously feeding in the middle of the highway. He kew imminent danger approached. He could not pull himself away. He had to have one more bite. Just one more nibble before escaping to safety. SIN TOOK HIM FURTHER THAN HE WANTED TO GO. He could not pull himself away. The desire for more took him further toward danger than his senses knew. That one last bite proved fatal. SIN WILL COST YOU MORE THAN YOU EEVER WANTED TO PAY. It cost the buzzard his life. it costs millions enteral damnation. 

Read soberly the words of Jesus. John 10:10 (ESV) 

¹⁰  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

The thief, Satan, the Devil, Lucifer, the Accuser of the brethren has ambitions of taking out as many as he can. If he cannot get them before they believe in Jesus for salvation he will relentlessly try to to destroy their lives. He will kill as many lost as possible. he will steal as many as possible. He will tempt the saved and try to destroy and kill them as well.

WAKE UP! The very sin that lures us, baits us, draws us, entices us is also the sin that can destroy us. One toke and a person can get hooked. One drink and a person can be enslaved. One sexual encounter and a person can be in bondage. One click on the computer and a person can become addicted. 

Let us be on guard. Our adversary never rests. He deceives. He probes the weak and vulnerable. He has legions of demons at his command. He will oppose God and His followers to the very end. We must resist temptation in the strength of Jesus. Life and death hang in the balance. The stakes are too high. Eternal life or eternal damnation await. 

Choose Jesus. Choose holiness. Choose His righteousness. Choose the Holy Spirit over the flesh. For all of eternity you will be glad you did. 

Simpler Times

I sit literally astonished at the craziness of society. The hatred. The entitlement. The arrogance. The total disdain for life. The intolerance of a God centered world view. The constant reshaping of values through movies, sitcoms, and other media outlets.

I find myself longing for simpler times. Like when I grew up in the country for a few years. I contented myself with an old broom handle and a rope. That broom handle became my horse charging into all sorts of make believe adventures. I galloped on that horse from our hose to all my daddy's family living around us. I went from field to field and forest to forest.

I remember walking out into the garden with a salt shaker in hand and eating vine ripe tomatoes to my heart's content. I remember picking blackberry and eating them. Nature provided the best snacks back in simpler times. I picked watermelon and cold not wait to dive into one. We didn't mind the seeds. We had contests to see who could spit further.

I watched my paternal grandfather break up the ground with a mule and plow. He did not use a tractor. Hard labor. He worked on all his own cars ad did the reset of my family. A talent I did not inherit. I saw him and my uncle kill and slaughter a hog right before my eyes. They dipped in a boiling black cauldron to peel the hide off him. My paternal grandmother taught me how to milk a cow and gather fresh eggs. There was always something to do in the country. Now I get these things at the grocery store. What will happen when the shelves are empty and there are no more groceries to be bought.

I had relatives with no indoor plumbing. They used old fashioned outhouses. So did I when I came to visit. I explored in the woods around our place. I remember getting scared to walk under the large oak tree at night  with branches hanging over the road down the hill from my house no my way to my cousin's house. I always thought a boogey bear might be up in those limbs. I usually sprinted past those branches.

I fell in love with reading out in the country. I also fell in love with sports. One birthday I got a baseball mitt, baseball, and a backstop. I threw that ball against the spring loaded backstop  fielding endless grounders and pop flies. I taught myself how to dribble a basketball devoting free time during P.E. to it.  Nobody on my father's side of the family played sports. I guess my love of sports came from maternal grandfather who was a four spot letterman back at Lufkin High School. He was my hero.

We played games out in the country like hide and seek, freeze tag, king of the hill, and cowboys and Indians. We never heard of a video game. It never crossed our mind to stay inside to watch television except on Saturday mornings when the cartons played. I did enjoy watching Disney shows on Sunday evenings. I did not know we were pretty poor. It did not matter. I had everything I wanted or needed on my grandfather's old farm. I had tee shirts, jeans (many with holes in the knees from my sliding in them.) We invented faded and ripped jeans before they became a fashion statement. There was always plenty to keep a young boy preoccupied.

The worst times were nap times. I often pretended to be asleep, remaining still and quiet, while my brother and cousins squirmed and kept getting in trouble. I confess it. I FAKED ALMOST EVERYONE OF THOSE NAPS! The end result is I got to go back outside and play sooner than anyone even, though I did not take a nap either.

Racism did not enter my mind. My best friend in fifth grade was a black guy named Dennis. I had many black friends in high school. Some of them were afraid to get off the bus at a football game where the KKK were known to be active. I assured them I had their back and told them to follow me.

Now it is BLACK LIVES MATTER, ANTIFA, WHITE FASCISTS, NEO NAZIS, KKK, WHITE SUPREMACY, and a world filled with hatred fixated on color. People act as if shouting louder is going to make everyone join their side. Pundits spin everything on the news programs further propagating their point of view. Protests turn violent. Nobody listens to voices of reason.

I am for black lives. I am for white lives. I am for brown lives. All lives matter. I hear so much shouting about color but so few shouting louder that the only color that really matters is the blood of Jesus  that forgives people of all races  their sins. Only Jesus can transform. Only Jesus can redeem. Only Jesus can unite people of different cultures. Only Jesus can solve the ills of society.

President Trump can't. Congress sure can't. Judiciary members can't. ONLY JESUS CAN. The further our society drifts away from Him and His truth the worse things are going to get. We need bold gospel preachers to preach the blood of Jesus in a world where color means everything. Black, White, Green. All have significance. Well I am here to promote red. Red for the blood of Jesus. That same spilt blood redeems the black, the white, and the brown.

I long for simpler times. When you could just talk and say what was on your mind without worrying about being politically correct. Where words were not redefined. Where gay meant happy and not an alternative lifestyle. Where there were only two genders. Where guys went to the men's restroom and gals went to the women's restrooms. When the marriage covenant meant something and people stuck out the hard times until the good times came again. Simpler times when a man's handshake meant something. When his word was his bond. Simpler times when kids played outside without fear of abduction or gun violence. When an outing at the movies could be wholesome clean entertainment. Where kids did not have to have the latest fashions and where parents were more concerned about being parents than their child's bests friend.

Simpler times when kids had chores. They were expected to do their part. A time when kids learned the value of hard work, commitment, dedication to doing their best, and living a God honoring life. Simpler times when we prayed at school, read the Bible, and even tallied how many went to church each week between the girls and guys. Mrs. McKinney tallied the results and the winner each week got a special privilege. I know what she was doing now. She was encouraging all of her students to worship somewhere each week. That was well over three and half decades ago and I still remember her asking for a show of hands and making her tally marks on the black board.

Simpler times when church did not feel programmed and synchronized. When preachers preached hared truth that did not tickle the ears. Simpler times when little black boys and girls and little white boys and girls could play on the same teams not concerning themselves with the prejudice of adults who spewed their hatred.

Simpler times. Now the times are complicated. The problems are multiplying. Every expert thinks they have the solutions but nobody who gets elected really makes things better. Here we are. Sitting on a powder keg as a nation about to explode. Tensions are boiling feverishly and will overflow the great melting pot if God does not rescue us from ourselves. Does anyone else long for simpler times?

May Our Hearts Draw Closer Than Our Mouths

Isaiah 29:13 (ESV)
¹³  And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,

There is much mouthing in church today. People saying and singing all the right things. What about doing the right things? What about practicing what you preach? What about living out the faith? 

It appears to me so much of what happens in our worship gatherings and holy huddles is just lip service. We can study holiness but hypocrisy still abounds. We can teach about prayer but few still stand on the walls of the city giving watch in prayer. We can focus on giving but statistics prove year after years the minority give the majority of funds and do the majority of the work in ministry. We can read about forgiving others but people in the pews still hold grudges and harbor bitterness. We can preach about loving God most with all the heart, soul, mind and strength [Matt 22:37-38] but people have other first loves. 

Jesus abhors pretence. He is opposed to religious games. He detests lip service as opposed to heart service. While many in the church honor Jesus with their lips they do not honor Him with their hearts. Their hearts are very distant from the One they profess to revere. There is no fear of the Lord in such people. 

Where is their fear of the Lord among the people of God. We are spoon fed love, grace, forgiveness, mercy that nobody looks at justice, righteousness, holiness, and consecration anymore. GOD is all of those. There is no fear, no reverence, no terror of God. He has become chummy. We try to whittle Him down to be a god of our own choosing and liking. THIS WILL NEVER BE. 

Yahweh is the Great I Am. He is who He is. He will never be whittled down. He does not lower His standards to get a crowd. He knows the pretenders as well as the defenders of the faith. He knows the blood bought from those just giving lip service. He sees the true church though membership figures usually double the actual attenders in most congregations. 

To the pit of hell with lip service. Jehovah wants our hearts, our minds, our souls, our passions, our love, devotion, and service. He wants heartfelt worship and service not religious routines. May pretence be shattered in the light of His presence and His holiness.

May the fear of God not be a commandment taught by man out of theory. May it become a conviction again among the people of God May we study and believe. May we say and sing what we mean and what we aim to live. May our hearts draw closer than our mouths.

Jealousy And Gossip

jealous |ˈjeləs| adjectivefeeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages:he grew jealous of her success.
gossip |ˈɡäsəp| nouncasual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true: he became the subject of much local gossip.
It is that time of year again. New clothes have been bought. Supplies have been packed. The tardy bell is about to ring. A new school year begins. Along with it comes Friday night lights, marching bands, cheerleaders, dance teams, cross country, basketball, baseball, volleyball, homework, tests and all the rest. 
You can bet your bottom dollar at some point jealousy and gossip will rear their ugly heads in the very near future. Social media will be used to embarrass, harass, humiliate, and isolate helpless victims. Bullying will commence, as those at the top of the pecking order, start picking off defenseless prey and attacking viciously. Others will pounce as well until the victim is defeated. 
Drama will fill the air as relationships are strained and severed. There will be backstabbing, blackballing, and backbiting. Some will be two faced, pretending to be a friend in one moment, and then running down others behind their backs. 
Rumors will surface. They will spread like wild fire even if they are not true. Juicy unsubstantiated gossip will be whispered in hushed tones. It will spread. The strong love to beat down the weak and defenseless. 
Jealousy and gossip will follow in the sports arena. One will get mad over the starters and the bench sitters. Others will accuse the coaches of playing favorites or not having an eye for "good talent" when they see it. Individual statistics will become more important than team success. People will be out for themselves. Arm chair quarterbacks will sit in the stands voicing their opinions about the play calling and personnel on the field making themselves look foolish in the process. 
If you think I am talking about students you would be wrong. I am talking about adults. Parents. Parents who are jealous of other students. Parents who are jealous of other parents. Parents who connive, manipulate, pump other students for gossip, throw others under the bus if it makes their child look better. 
I'm talking about the good old boys. Those who appear righteous publicly but in secret have no integrity. Those who will smile and shake your hand and ten run you down with gossip the first chance they get. I used to think only women gossiped. I was wrong. Men gossip at places like coffee shops, barber shops, cafes, meetings, and across barbed wire fences. They huddle at games and other school activities shooting the bull. The only bull they often shoot is spreading gossip at the expense of the unsuspecting.
Women are certainly not exempt. They befriend students to learn who did what over the weekend. They want all the details. If certain ones slip up these women will go straight to the proper authorities to inform while turning a blind eye to the same actions by the privileged few. Rules will be bent for the privileged. These privileged will not be held accountable for breaking the same rules. Jealous gossiping women will be behind the scenes pulling the strings like puppet masters causing much drama. 
Hypocrisy will abound. So called Christians will be at the root of much of the jealousy and gossip. Parents acting like children. Parents trying to live their pathetic lives through their children or grandchildren. Petty people jockeying for position in a contest where few others are even competing. 
After enjoying the sanctuary and solace of the summer the jealousy and gossip are set to make their annual debut in the upcoming school year. Parents will be cruel. Gossip will be unrelenting. Jealousy will steal the joy from many. Instead of celebrating the successes of all children some will seethe in bitter envy enslaved to jealousy. 
The in crowd will congregate. The outsiders will not be accepted. Surrounded by this turmoil are some good parents, willing to serve, supportive of all children, kind, warm, filled with grace, and love. These are the safe haven. These are the safe place. These are the people who can be trusted. Thank God for such people. Their character stands taller than the jealous and gossipers. These are the followers of Jesus living to model His life in private and in public. These are the ones who ignore petty people and their silly childish games. Such people are rock solid. They can be counted on. They are the backbone of any community though they may not be the most vocal nor the most visible. 
Such people guard secrets to the grave. They celebrate everyone's achievements and successes. These good and decent folks never stir up drama. They may have actually been the recipients of jealousy and gossip themselves and empathize with the latest victims. Praise God for such people. These good and decent folks will sit quietly at school functions. They will be kind to all. Yet they see right through the facade, the phoniness, the presence, and the two faced of jealous gossipers. 
Welcome to another school year.

The Bookends Of Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (ESV)
¹  For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
²  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

Last week Brenda and I  had the chance to make a hospital visit to see a young couple and their brand new baby boy. What a joy as they embark on this new chapter in their young married lives. New life. They wheeled the infant into the room. Of course Brenda oohed and awed over the baby. I smiled from ear to ear and remembered when I was first introduced to my boys after they were born. Truly worshipful experiences. 

I just got off the phone with a couple who lost their dad and father-in-law. He died unexpectedly. Their emotions were raw as we prayed over the phone. All too soon a son lost his daddy and a daughter-in-law lost her father-in-law. 

Such is the ebb and flow of life. Some are born today. Some will die today. And we are left to celebrate the one and grieve the other in between the bookends of birth and death. 

I have been present for both occasions. I have celebrated with couples as they held their bundles of joy. I've seen the love. I have witnessed the overly cautious parents wanting to do everything by the book. I have watched nervous first time parents staring in wild eyed wonder at the miracle of life. I have celebrated wit the long time parents who were blessed with another unexpected but divinely ordained new life. 

Over the years I have watched these infants grow into toddlers, children, teenagers, and into adulthood. How the time flies. 

On the other hand, I have held grieving wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, children and friends in my arms at the death of loved ones. There are no words to say. Over the years I have steered away from cliches. One of the most valuable pieces of advice offered to me as a young pastor was to just be there for people and pray for them. I have sat with families with the deceased still in the room and offered prayer. I have fought back the tears myself seeing the grief in the members of the flock mourning the loss of a loved one. I have no words to make the pain go away. 

It is hard to imagine that on one side of town a new life comes and just a few blocks away another life can end. 

At only 50 years of age I've learned some things along the way. Life is a gift. So many people take life for granted. Life is a precious gift. Each day is a day to  make and cherish memories. Each day is an opportunity to be the hands of feet of Jesus to others.

Most parents can remember sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and crying babies because they are hungry. Those days are exhausting. Especially if you have more than one child. There are celebrations when the child crawls, bobbles back and forth learning to walk , and then starts talking.

Some parents are in a hurry for that child to learn to talk. Those of us who are seasoned veterans are more patient. We know once they start they will not stop until they become teenagers. They will become sullen, distant, moody, and want more and more independence as teens.

With sad hearts I have sat next to parents dropping their children off at college. I have experienced it myself. Our table is only two thirds full now days.

One day those little children will grow up into adults. They will fall in love and marry. In time many will be blessed to become parents. They will know the joy of fatherhood and motherhood. There will be many milestones along the way.

Those same parents will age. First their is young adulthood. Begrudgingly they will move into middle age. At some point the autumn of middle age gives way to the winter of senior adulthood. The hair grays or departs. Hair starts growing in places you never expected before like in your nostrils and out your ears. The joints start to ache a little more than they used to. Bodies will tire more easily. They might become a little more forgetful.

Over time they will attend the funerals of parents, siblings, extended family, and close friends. They will see preachers come and see preachers go. They will learn the reality of living on a fixed income.

One day, all too soon. some will experience the excruciating grief of the death of a spouse. They will muddle through the initial days and the funeral in shock. The reality sets in over and over again in the days, months, and years to come. The bed is cold and empty where the departed husband or wife once slept. The cozy table for two now becomes a lonely table of one. The television is kept on, not so much to watch, as just to have a little noise in the house. It is harder to cook for just one when you have spent decades cooking for a family.

The senior adult still has their church if they are followers of Jesus. Those are days to look forward to. Sundays and Wednesdays with a few other special days sprinkled in between. They enjoy their class and fellowships. Over time though they will sit next to other grieving widows and widowers experiencing the same pain and loss. Sadly the senior adult will watch their class dwindle in attendance as people die. Then a few new ones will drift in. Some will age to the point they will graduate to the senior adult class. Their next promotion after that will be eternity. New people move into the community or transfer their memberships adding new faces. New friendships are made.

Still there is the isolation at home. While new parents are frantically trying to feed and bathe the infant the senior adult sits alone. Reading a book. Watching a TCM movie. Listening to music If they are savvy enough they may browse social media to see what everyone else is up to.

As the senior adult ages he or she will often feel cold no matter what the temperature is outside or in a room. They may wear long sleeves or even a sweater. They may lose some of their earring and not catch all of a conversation. Their eyes may dim and they will need large print reading material.

Some are blessed to die in their sleep. They put their heads on their pillow and wake up in the presence of Jesus in heaven. Others will walk the painful road of deteriorating health. Life may linger but not active life. The senior adult may slowly become more and more homebound. They may not feel like getting out, not even to make a worship service. Leaving the house becomes laborious.

The kids will call from time to time. They will visit along with the grandchildren which brightens the day. Then the sad reality returns once everyone leaves. The house falls silent again except for the memories. Every picture a memory. Every room in the house brings back other memories of happier times. Songs remind the senior adult of their departed love. Old movies remind of sitting on the sofa watching movies together eating popcorn. Now the popcorn gets stuck in the teeth and the señor adult is often too tired to stay awake for the whole movie.

The sleep only comes in spurts each night. Those long lonely nights seem pass slowly like molasses over hotcakes.  A familiar pattern develops of trying to sleep but getting up and down all night. Prayer helps. In fact, prayer is about all the aging senior adult may feel like doing. As their health and strength wanes so does their feelings of usefulness. They may even question why God allows to linger longer. They yearn to go home. To their eternal home.

One day they graduate. Some go peacefully. Others suffer horribly before crossing over. Some die surrounded by family. Others die alone and are not discovered for days.

These are the bookends of life. People are born. At some point they die. None of us can escape these bookends should Jesus tarry in coming back. No matter how we try to fight it, try to ignore it, resist it this is the natural ebb and flow of life. There is birth. There is death. Death may come sooner for some and later for others but that is the final chapter.

The older I get the more I am able to enjoy both seasons of life. I can truly celebrate new birth. I see the sudden reality of death and how it rips the heart to shreds. I know I am somewhere in the middle. I know life is a gift. Children are a gift. Friendships are a gift. I am closer to the final chapter of my life than to the introduction.

I want to cherish life while I can and with those I love. I enjoyed holding Brenda in my arms a couple of days ago. I contented myself just to hold her, to listen to the rhythm of her breathing as she slept, to feel the softness of her hands, the warmth of her skin, and smell her hair. I took in that moment. I let it imprint on my mind. I do not want to forget it or take it for granted. I hope to have thousands or more moments like that.  I know many others would give anything for such an experience, or to drink coffee together, talk about the weather, or just to see their departed again.

In between the bookends of life let us live while we live. Live the full and abundant life Jesus purchased for us. [John 10:10] There will be distractions, temptations, trials, tragedies, and some triumphs along the way. Let us squeeze the most out of life in even the little experiences.

One day my last chapter will be closed. I hope through these writings to leave a legacy that points people to Jesus and minister hope and spiritual life  long after I am gone. Until that day I hope to get the most out of my remaining time between the bookends.

Steadfast Imagination

Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)
³  You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. 


Today I praise God that He guards, protects, and preserves His children. Some might quickly argue that God does not always protect. They will cite 9-11 or the Boston Marathon bombing or some other tragic event. They will point out that people who loved and trusted God died or were seriously injured in those events.

I too could make such an argument. My sister drowned. My grandfather died of leukemia. My mother died of a heart attack. My wife suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. My two youngest sons tore knee ligaments requiring surgeries even after Brenda and I bathed them in prayer for GOd's protection repeatedly.

You and I only see part of the story. We do not see the end when God continues to guard, protect, and preserve our souls from wrath and hell after life. In the end that is far more important than the temporary life we experience down here. He does keep. He does guard. He does protect and preserve all the way through eternity for the blood bought redeemed children of God.

He keeps His own in perfect peace. Or to put it another way, He keeps them in welfare. I am not talking about the governmental assistance program. I am talking about the wellness Horatio Spafford wrote in his famous hymn It Is Well With My Soul. This is a welfare far superior than anything the government can offer.

We are taking about deep matters of the heart. Like the email I received from a widow this week. She misses her husband who died years ago,  but she is well. She is strengthened day by day. She is protected in the lonely night watches. She is comforted all hours of the day and night when the tears unexpectedly start flowing again. It is well with her soul.

There is a wellness this world knows nothing about as they look to temporary things to comfort. There is a wellness that goes deep in the soul. The heart may still grieve. Questions may still linger but, like Spafford, the people of God can still sing, "It is well with my soul."

To maintain this wellness we have to win the battle in our minds. Better I should say we need God to win the battles in our mind. The word mind in this verse means "imagination." Has your mind ever raced off into fear, anxiety, and doubt? Have you ever dwelled on the most horrible scenarios playing out in your future. The imagination can lead to wonderful creativity and calm assurance in the middle of adversity when Bible truth is pondered. When the mind dwells on trouble it can lead to raw terror.

Where is your mind today? What things do you imagine? Are looking forward to a brighter future or consumed with thoughts of crisis? Our worry will not change the end outcome.

When our imagination remains steadfast in trust, or confidence and security, we can live in that perfect peace. Should the IRS call you can still have peace if you place your confidence in God. If you get diagnosed with a terrible disease you can still find security in God. If your spouse up and decides to leave you there is still perfect peace available.

We live in a world where people try anything and everything to cope with the problems. It is much simpler to turn those troubles over to God and keep our imaginations immersed in scripture. This is the key to living a stress free life. A life of perfect peace in the good times as well as the bad ones.

I don't know about you but I prefer the life of perfect peace over a life of stress and hysteria. I prefer the tranquility of imagination steadfastly fixed on God and His word than the rampant mental rumblings leading to sleepless nights and ulcers.

Whatever you are up against God can handle it. Turn it over to Him. Leave it with Him. Let Him do the heavy lifting while you do the work of trusting and keeping your mind steadfastly focused.

The Quiet Time Nobody Wants To Have

My quiet times are the most important and valuable part of my days, as with so many of you. Many times such devotions have to be fought for. Early hours and or late nights are the only way to keep those quiet times consistent. They are more than important They are vital. Crucial to maintain a vibrant faith.

Over the years I have had some profound encounters with the Lord in my private times. In mind I go back to a quiet time near the shore of Lake Palestine sitting at a picnic table. I think of a time I had with the Lord in the mountains of New Mexico. I think of numerous encounters I've had at the prayer cabin over the past two decades. I think of one in a green lounge chair in my living room in Hudson, TX as well as some in the prayer room at FBC Seminole.

Those encounters with God are the life blood of my walk with Him. I know it is the same for you. We are nourished in those times. Rebuked. Encouraged. Consoled and comforted. Called in new directions. Our times with God can spin in many different directions depending on the need of the moment. Usually we read scripture. We ponder truth. We pray. Some worship through music. Some sit silently listening for the still small voice of our Creator. Some write in journals. Some kneel. Some prostrate themselves before the only true King Jesus.

I can assure you I read a passage today about a quiet time nobody reading this would want to have. Before I share it with you I'd like to ask a few questions.

Is God the ultimate authority in the universe? If so, does that include your life? Does He have the right and authority to command you to do anything? Is your only Biblical response to submit to His authority and obey Him if you want to honor God? What if His commands are illogical? What if your obedience makes you look foolish to those watching? What if nobody understands? What even those closest to you do not believe you heard from God at all?

We like devotions that encourage and words from the Lord that inspire and strengthen. There are hundreds of devotion books written each year and more written over the past centuries. You can have all sorts of devotional experiences from people like Charles Spurgeon, Watchman Nee, Oswald Chambers, Chuck Swindoll, Charles Stanley, Beth Moore, Joyce Meyer, Ann Graham Lotz, Billy Graham and so on. I bet if you read eery one of them from cover to cover you would not have a quiet time our Bible character had I will soon show you.

We prefer upbeat, positive, simple, devotional thoughts. Not stuff that is too deep. Our generation is fast losing touch with the deep walkers with God from centuries past. Those who walked alone, preferred the company of God over the company of people, and did not begrudge solitude nor silence. These are the breeding grounds for a deep walk with God.

Here we go. Ready or not you may not believe God would actually lead one of his servants to do such a thing. Not just a servant. One of His prophets. A major prophet who heard clearly from the Lord. Read carefully.

Isaiah 20:2 (ESV)
²  at that time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, and loose the sackcloth from your waist and take off your sandals from your feet,” and he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 


Just in case you do not fully understand what God required of Isaiah let me also include verse three to leave no doubt.

Isaiah 20:3 (ESV) 
³  Then the LORD said, “As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and a portent against Egypt and Cush, 

God commanded Isaiah to walk around naked and barefooted. For THREE LONG HUMILIATING YEARS. Totally absurd. Yet the scripture is clear. The LORD, meaning Yahweh or Jehovah, spoke these words to His prophet. Totally humiliating. Who believed this man of God really heard God tell him to drop his sackcloth and take off his sandals? How many of his contemporary prophets doubted Isaiah on that one. 

I am sure Isaiah was the talk of the town. How many doubted he really heard from God. How many former associates steered a wide path form the once honored prophet out of embarrassment. How many ridiculed him to his face and behind his back. For what? FOR OBEYING GOD!

I told you this is the quiet time nobody wants to have. Nobody wants God to tell them to do something that makes no sense, will bring ridicule, and looks so foolish to family and friends. 

Not once in my three decades as a follower of Jesus have I ever read a devotion on this passage in a devotion book. I would never have stumbled on this passage if I had not been reading through the book Isaiah in my quiet times. 

Those two verses stopped me in my tracks. I thought of the close walk the prophet had with Jehovah to hear Him clearly and the strong faith he had to obey God's command. How would we respond if God clearly commanded us to do something so outlandish nobody would believe we were obeying God? Would we talk ourselves out of it? Would we rationalize it away? Would we dismiss the whole thing in an act of rebellion?

Obedience to Jehovah is not always easy. He does require some unusual things from His servants. I praise Him I have never received any commands like Isaiah did that day and do not expect to. That is not the point. The point is God has the right to demand anything of us. Empty your pockets. Empty your savings for a kingdom cause. Uproot and move. Forsake the American dream for God's kingdom dream. Talk to a stranger about their salvation. Rebuke a family member or friend over sin. Confess your sin to a trusted individual. Wash someone's feet. Express worship in a way that is not widely accepted in your circles. 

Each one of those things brings us to what Henry Blackaby called the "crisis of belief." We have to choose to believe God and obey or doubt and disobey. 

We better be very careful about flippantly going through our devotions. On any given day God could show up and demand something outrageously outlandish of any and all of us. Then it will come down to faith and obedience just like it did for Isaiah. May we always choose the path of obedience no matter how foolish we look.

Country Church

I preached in a country church yesterday. I saw jeans and boots but no slacks and ties, other than the tie I wore. People greeted one another warmly. Hugs were offered. Even to me. Love permeated the atmosphere. I saw the joy of hard working country folks coming to worship and adore their Savior.

The worship service featured many hymns I have not sung in years. It felt good to my soul to sing some of these anthems of our faith. I often get wary of learning another new song when there are so many old ones we never sing anymore. This will not set well with the contemporary crowd. I am okay with that. Some of the songs we sang yesterday have been around 200 years. We will not be singing some of these new songs in 200 days much less 200 years. I thank God for all kinds of music but yesterday it did me good to sing songs I sang when I first got saved.

I thank God I got to preach. This is not something I take for granted. It is a responsibility I take seriously. We dove into the sacred scriptures together. Those sweet people opened their Bibles and studied along as we expounded the truth. That is what they came for. They did not come to have their ears tickled. They wanted truth.

We laughed. Some cried a little. We all looked at our lives in the light of God's truth. I saw no presence. Those people were salt of the earth kind of people. Hard working. Good folks. Some of them retired. Some still working. Some with young children and others empty nesters.

I love country churches. I have preached in many of them over the years. Country churches are no more perfect than city churches. I like the simplicity of the country church. Simple people. Simple worship services without all the hype and programming of city churches. People are relaxed, unless you preach too long, then they begin to squirm and fidget.  I never seem to notice.

I know God uses big city churches. I know many big city churches are effective. I have spent much of my ministry in small towns and serving country churches, either as pastor, or preaching revivals and filling the pulpit in the pastor's absence.

Most country people are straight shooters. They say what they mean and mean what they say. Several times yesterday I received encouragement from those in attendance. They were not just mouthing empty words. They meant the things they said. It meant much to me.

Brenda and I enjoyed lunch with two widows. We ate with them and their husbands almost every Sunday 26 years ago when we served that church. We miss their husbands but enjoyed lunch and an afternoon to visit in one of their homes. It felt like old times. Of course we are all older now. The bond in our relationships is only stronger after all these years. What a blessing to enjoy visiting in a home. Hospitality is often forgotten in the city church. Fewer people open their homes anymore.

What made the day even more special is that I got to enjoy it with Brenda. She grew up a big city girl. It took some time but now she prefers the small town life as well. A slower pace of life. In the country people have time to think, to reflect, to meditate, or to ponder. They ponder out in the garden, on the tractor, doing laundry, fixing supper, or gong to town. In the country the only gated communities are the gates to pastures where the cows graze. Cattle guards replace the security guard of gated neighborhoods in the city. In the county many people never lock their doors. Some even leave their keys in the ignition of their vehicles.  This is slowly changing as crime encroaches the country folks as well as the city.

The country church enjoys tings like "Singings, dinner on the grounds, pot luck suppers, cottage prayer meetings, Great Day in the Morning, Son Rise Services, and Revival Meetings." Deep relationships can be forged in the country church. A country church can feel like home and the members like extensions of your own family.

I have preached in some city churches as well. Lost people live in the cities as well. God uses urban churches just like He uses rural churches. On this day I am thankful for the country church. I am thankful for such sweet people as I worshipped with yesterday. May God bless country churches and their country pastors as they labor to reach the farmers, ranchers, cowboys, cowgirls, and those who prefer the country life. I cut my ministry teeth in the country churches of Rochelle Baptist Church in Rochelle, TX and Spring Creek Baptist Church in Weatherford, TX. How I thank God for those people who loved me, taught me, extended patience and grace to me, and helped me on my journey in ministry. I say it again. I thank God for country churches.

Where Did The Time Go

Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday in my mind I taught Taylor to throw and catch a ball in my front yard in east Texas. I walked many miles pulling him his green wagon. He could not get enough. I wrestled with him on the floor and would throw him in the air and catch him. He giggled and said, "One more time dad." We played hundreds of basketball games in the driveway. I would get a big lead to see if he would quit and give up. He never did and if he kept trying I let him win.

I can still see Tanner walking around in overall shorts without a shirt in the middle of the summer in the backyard. His skin tanned a dark shade of brown. He turned around and shook his "Peter Cotton Tail" for me wiggling his hind quarters from side to side. I grin thinking of him laying down in the outfield picking flowers bored with the tee ball game going on in front of him. He often walked into a room with mischievous grin notifying us he had been up to some shenanigans with his brothers. Tanner made money as a child at a high school football game coloring rocks and selling them to earn money for the concession stand. He always made us laugh with his witty comments.

I can see Tucker running around the backyard with his cape and sword. He played the super hero part fighting off the villains on the jungle gym. He directed the scene for his older brothers and neighborhood friends telling each one what part they would play. We called him the "Little General." He walked around the house with his blanket sucking his thumb until nearly kindergarten. Bravely he took that blanket to Brenda and told her it was time to give it up because he was a big boy.

Turner was always a happy baby. He loved to smile and he loved to ask the ladies at church for gum or candy after the worship service. I nicknamed him "Velcro" because he stayed stuck to me. He wanted to sit next to me, sit in my lap, or hold my hand wherever we went. He tried to keep up with  older brothers but they were too fast for him back then. He waddled after them as a baby with pacifier in mouth wanting to fit in. As a child he asked deep questions about God and the Bible.

I got the chance to coach all my boys in one sport or another. We focused on playing for the glory of God and learning fundamentals. All of them have been more successful in sports than I ever achieved in high school or college. I am proud of them and their biggest fans.

Time has flown by. I spent two days with Taylor and Tanner on a special overnight get away. They wanted to go fishing. I just wanted to spend time with them and seek God. We laughed on the drive. We sang songs. I let them pick all the music. We listened to s mixture of Christian rap, country, and love ballads. We swapped stories and laughed some more.

They fished. Each caught a number of bass and catfish. I read and prayed. We ate Mexican food and watched a little preseason football on television late at night. They got up early to fish and the weight of our time together hit me. I may never again have time with just the two of them alone. Taylor leaves for college later today. Tanner leaves tomorrow. Soon the once filled dining table will again have two empty spots. Our supper fellowship will be minus two.

Where did the time go this summer?

Tucker is in football practices going into his senior year. Knee injuries robbed him of his sophomore and junior football seasons. He has worked hard to rehabilitate from two knee surgeries and goes into this season with high hopes. Last night he sat down next to me filling me in about football practices since I had been gone for a couple of days. I looked at him thinking how fast the time has flown for him to be a senior. He still loves super hero movies but no longer wears a cape. He is tough. Funny. Not overly affectionate. He is not the touchy feely type.

Where did the time go?

Turner is also in high school football practice. He is a freshman getting his first taste of two a day football practices. He came home the first night, showered, ate supper, fell asleep on the couch, and then I coaxed him from the couch to his bedroom. He also is recovering from a knee  surgery. He is happy to be able to run again and to play football. He also has worked hard this summer putting on muscle and increasing in strength in all his core lifts. He is no longer "Velcro." He never sits in my lap anymore, since he is as tall as me, and he no longer wants to hold my hand. Sitting by me at a restaurant is no longer  a big deal. He is one of the happiest people I know. He genuinely loves people.

I made those boys a high priority when they were growing up. I did not hunt, fish, and seldom ever played golf. I preferred to give them my time. When I traveled to preach I took one of them with me as often as I could. Precious memories. I poured my life, and more importantly, Jesus into them with relentless devotion.

Now I look and they are all nearly grown. I can see the empty next around the corner. I can say I gave them my time, my attention, my love, my prayers, and my support. I tried not to take raising them for granted. Just the same I sit today and wonder where the time went.

I do not begrudge their growing up. That was the point. God entrusted those boys to Brenda and I to raise them, teach them about Jesus, and encourage them to follow God's plan for each of their lives. I celebrate this. Taylor plans to teach history and coach. Tanner plans to teach english and coach. Tucker and Turner have not figured out their callings yet.

While I do celebrate their growing up I am saddened. I miss them riding on my back and me bucking up and down like a bull eventually bucking them off. I miss them sitting in my lap watching a movie or running out to meet me when I came home from the office or from a preaching trip. I miss playing ball with them in the yard. I miss when they looked at me as their hero. I miss their sweet prayers before a meal and their playing missionaries with their plastic toy soldiers. I miss sitting them in a circle around me and telling them Bible stories and teaching Bible truth to them. I miss when Brenda and I could fix all their hurts with a kiss, hug, or a bandaid. Now their problems are often bigger than we can fix and so we point them to God who can help.

Driving home yesterday Tanner played a country song that touched me deeply. I hid the tears behind my shades. The song was about a daddy and his son. I tried to play it cool not wanting Taylor or Tanner to see my emotions. For them it was a fishing trip. For me it was special time with my oldest boys. The nostalgia of the trip hit me powerfully. I soaked up that time with my boys like a sponge. I took snapshots with my heart noting memories. I regret we did not get one picture of the three of us together.

Where did the time go? I will enjoy them while I can. Soon they will meet the love of their lives, marry, have their own kids and own lives. One day it will just be Brenda and I. That will not be all bad. I will pursue her and enjoy her with renewed vigor. We will eat where WE WANT TO EAT and do what we want to do. That will be a rewarding next chapter in our love relationship.

Still I cannot help but wonder where did the time go.

When Your World Is Crumbling

Today as some of you read this your whole world is crumbling. There are a multitude of reasons why. What you took for granted; health, spouse, children, job, friends, and all the rest may be falling around you.

Your once tranquil life, taken for granted, started to crack and then large chunks started falling. Before you could repair it your whole world tumbled down around you. You stand today covered with a cloud of dust. Everything is disoriented. Fears arise along with despair.

Maybe you had the time to see the cracks over the years but neglected to do anything about them. Maybe you never saw it coming and the downfall came as a shock catching you totally off guard. Either way you stand today surrounded by the rubble of shattered dreams and snuffed out hope.

To make matters worse are the battles in the mind. Prone to worry. Anxiety snakes its way into your thoughts poisoning faith. Anxiety wraps its angry and violent hands around the throat of trust and hope  strangling the last breath from them. You are left with fear. Depression. Stress.

In these dark dungeon moments the enemy plays on the mind. The despair sets in like a heavy fog blotting out the light of hope. There seems no escape. No way out. No deliverance and what is worse you entertain the thought there is no DELIVERER! In these suffocating moments the thought  comes it would be easier to simply end it all. One slit of the wrist and the temptation to escape your crumbling world is promised. One overdose. One bullet and everything can get better the enemy hisses in your mind. The pain of your crumbling world screams louder than any other voice it seems. This voice demands to be heard. There is another voice. A still small voice. A comforting voice. A voice of hope and peace. It is the voice of God spoken through scripture.

 Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV) 
⁶  do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
⁷  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When your world is crumbling and it feels there is not one single thing you can do to keep it from falling you can still have peace. How? Very simply. You make the choice to not be anxious about anything. In our passage today the word anxious means "do not take thought or do not take care." How often do we dwell on our crumbling worlds leading to more despair.

How do you not take thought of your crumbling world? You pray about everything. You turn those burdens, concerns, immovable mountains, sorrows, and pain over to Him in prayer. You make the choice not to worry about anything but to pray about everything. And you leave it with Him. You do not give into the temptation to pick them back up when you leave the prayer closet. YOU GIVE IT ALL TO HIM AND LEAVE IT WITH HIM.

You argue this is impossible. I reply no it isn't. I am living this truth right now. When my ministry world crumbled around me I stressed, worried, and lived in anxiety for years. I prayed but then would immediately run mental marathons trying to figure out how to solve my problems. This led to sleepless nights, dark depression, and lack of hope. Anxiety strangled the life out of me. At times I felt like I was losing my mind and my grip.

My future is more unclear but not uncertain today. I write this no longer a shepherd to a local flock but as a shepherd to an internet congregation. Why do I have peace in the middle of my crumbled world? Each time in the past few weeks when anxiety reared its head I turned those things over to God. It makes no sense. I am free. I am covered in peace. My ministry world is still crumbled in pieces all around me. All I have left are these writings and a handful of opportunities with individuals. Yet I'm living in peace.

God's peace. Not the peace manufactured by the world through the temporary escapes of sin. No. God  offers true lasting peace to people with crumbling worlds. The word peace means "quietness and rest." People without the peace of God do not have quiet minds. They have racing minds with all the possible horrible outcomes. They play out worst case scenarios envisioning themselves coping with the aftermath. God's peace leads to rest. Contentment. Stress free nights of sleep. Relaxed days of trust.

This peace of God guards, or literally protects like a sentinel guarding a gate, the hearts and minds of people from all walks of life who trust God. This peace defies explanation. It is illogical to a watching world who expect people to crumble when their worlds crumble. There is no logical reasoning behind the peace of God when a person is diagnosed with cancer, when the spouse dies, when the child rebels, when the finances run out before all the bills are paid, when the job ends, when you are rejected, when you are abused and abandoned, and when you are persecuted.

God's peace that surpasses all understanding is available. It is yours for the taking if you choose not to be anxious about anything and to pray about everything. Will you really turn those matters of prayer over to God. To take thought of those heavy burdens no more.

In God's peace there is comfort. There is hope. There is freedom. There is reason to keep pressing on.

I wish I could take your pain away. I wish I could repair each of your broken worlds. That is beyond my ability. What I can do is reach into my tool box and pull out the hope of God's word. There is peace available even when your world is crumbling. Do not be anxious about anything. Pray about everything. Rest in God's peace weary one. Rest in God's peace.

Encourage

encourage |inˈkərij| verb [with object] give support, confidence, or hope to (someone): we were encouraged by the success of this venture | (as adjective encouraged) :  I feel much encouraged.
Everybody needs encouragement. Children. Teenagers. Adults. Everybody. Leaders. Followers. Athletes. Coaches. Students. Teachers. Law Enforcement officers, First Responders. Nurses. Waitresses. Cooks. Receptionists. Mechanics. Hose cleaners. Etc. 
I received some encouragement today from a lady who just recently started reading these posts. Her words were like wind beneath my wings. So much so, in fact, even after posting two other articles just moments ago I had to write another one. 
We all need to encourage others as well as to be encouraged. We live in very discouraging times. Encouragement is not always offered. People are sure quick to offer criticism. People are not so generous with encouragement. 
A couple of months ago I was watching a summer league basketball game Tucker played in. I watched one of his teammates make a few mistakes. I could tell he got down on himself. He had no family there to support him. I did not think much more about it more engrossed with Tucker's play. 
I ran into that young man who had not played so well in the hall way. In that moment God whispered in my spirit to talk to that young man and encourage him. I called him by name and called him away from the crowd. He looked like I was about to get onto to him. I said, "You know what your only problem is. You do not believe in yourself. I think  you are a great athlete. Go out there and play with confidence." He looked shocked. He asked, "You really think I am a great athlete?" I affirmed I had always thought that about him. 
The whole conversation did not last longer than 30 seconds. I pray the impact on his young impressionable mind lasts much longer. 
Whom needs your encouragement today? Whom has God brought to your mind or brought across your path to encourage?  Look for the forgotten. The neglected. The unappreciated. Look for the ones most people take for granted that always receive encouragement. You may just make someone's day. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV) ¹¹  Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 

Ministry At Home

I have served Jesus in vocational ministry for over three decades. Most of that time I have served as a local church pastor. I preached thousands of sermons and taught multitudes of Bible studies. I have ministered to people in the hospitals. I have sat with the bereaved. I have evangelized the lost and sat in more meetings than I count determining ministry direction.  That has never been my greatest ministry. My greatest ministry is at home.

Recently one of my boys spent a great deal of money on brand name closing apparel. I asked him about it. We talked about the value of a dollar and how much the brand was really worth. We talked about how rich people were getting in that company all for a simple logo. We talked about priorities. That was ministry to my son.

Brenda shared some disturbing news she received with me. We sat on our bed as she unburdened her heart. I put my arm around her. She looked at me with moist eyes and said, "What do we do next? Should we pray?" With her head buried in my chest and my arms wrapped around her we laid the situation before the Lord. That was ministry to my wife.

We often talk about what we received from God after a worship service as a family both when I am preaching and when others do the preaching. I like to the hear the insights God gives each one. That is ministry to my family.

Last May on the last day of school Turner came to the truck in tears. He told me he had just learned his favorite coaches was leaving. He did not talk for much of our drive but I could see him crying out of the corner of my eye. The night before Turner wrote this coach a letter telling him of the impact the coach had on Turner's young life. Over lunch I assured Turner God would take care of this coach who follows Jesus. We also talked about how God moved in Turner's heart to write the coach a letter. The coach wrote Turner a letter before class ended for the last time of the year. Turner still has that letter posted on his mirror. Through our conversation God comforted Turner and Turner saw how his letter had ministered to the coach. I had the chance to minister to my son.

I have had the chance to offer counsel when needed. To pray with wife and kids on many occasions. We have shared family devotions many times and had family gatherings where sin had to be confronted. We have prayed for healing for one another. Several times on vacation we held a worship service as a family with each person taking a part. As often as I could I have tried to include my boys in my other ministry. I took Taylor on a mission trip. I've taken them all one on one to camps I preached. I have even taken them into retirement homes and hospitals to visit people.

I hae preached thousands of times. I have preached to an audience of one as well as to an audience of a thousand. I have preached in several different states and in two foreign counties. The most important ministry I have ever done or will ever do has been right here at home. I've spoken hard truth when necessary, extended grace when needed, offered Biblical counsel when asked, comforted broken hearts on several occasions, encouraged the discouraged, and even ministered to my own family in the hospital when Tucker and Turner had knee surgeries. NO MINISTRY I HAVE DONE, AM DOING, OR WILL EVER DO IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY MINISTRY AT HOME.

As You Please

I wrote the following words in my prayer journal this morning. "I want to concern myself with Your heart and mind. I can only make myself available to You. You have every right to do with me as You please. As You please. As You will. As You want. As You desire and ordain. You are worth the sacrifices. You are worth the many mysteries trying to discern Your will. You are worth all the trials. You are worth the hardships. You are worth it all a thousand times over. I do not want these things to be lip service. I do not want to offer empty words to You. You see right through them."

I had to pause after those words to think. Do I really mean He has every right to do with me as He pleases? For that matter do you believe He has every right to do with you as He pleases? Truth be told what we want is not important. It is what He wants. That should be the consuming thought of our daily lives.

What does He want. He has the right to do with any of us as He pleases. He charts the course. He plans the journey. He dictates the roadmap. He determines the end destination.

Did not Jesus Himself model this attitude? Matthew 26:39 (ESV) 
³⁹  And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

The word will means to "desire, wish, or please." Jesus submitted Himself to what pleased God. Namely, death on the cross to redeem humanity. What pleased God meant pain, hardship, suffering, and ultimately the sacrifice of life. Do any of us really think we are above God calling for us to endure some difficulties along the road of service to Him. 

We see this same attitude in Jesus elsewhere in scripture. Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV) 

⁵  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
⁶  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
⁷  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
⁸  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
⁹  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

What pleased God is what Jesus concerned Himself with. Should it be any different for us? 

We are consumed with what we want. What house we want. What cars we want. What clothes we want. What cell phones we want. What size television we want. What new gadget or gizmo we want. What food we want (no chicken for me please.) So much of Christian America is focused on selfish wants. Selfishness pervades our society. Sadly it premeates many homes also. 

This translates into the local church as well. How many members are more concerned with what they want in ministry more than what God wants? They want their kind of music. They want their kind of pastor. They want their kind of programs. They want. 

Let's face the truth. A deep current of selfishness runs rapidly through the hearts of many Christians. I find myself fixated on that line I prayed. "You have the right to do with me as You please."  If those are not empty words they cut the heart out selfishness. My want and will submit to God's want and will. 

This life is not about me or you. It is all about Him and His desires for His kingdom. Each of us has a role to play in that kingdom. Some have larger roles than others. Some have more prominent roles than others. That should not concern us in the least. He is the director and we are only stage players in God's unfolding drama. He assigns our parts. We are to learn our role and give it our best effort. It is what pleases Him. 

There is no room for selfishness. No room for rivalries in the kingdom. We are all playing for the same team and fighting the same enemy. Our adversary Satan. We are not in competition with other churches. There is so much jealously, envy, and disdain among many church leaders toward other brothers and sisters in Christ. There is a lot of fake glad handing and insincere double talk. 

Whatever role assigned to us, whatever path we are called to take, whatever hardships we are forced to endure, may we always be able to say honestly, "As You please."