Parents, Does Someone Need Your Presence? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, does someone need your presence?  Once, when I was in the throes of heartache from a break up with my now wife of thirty years, my parents drove back from a vacation to check on me. The drive was 12 hours and they only stopped for gas and arrived in the middle of the night.  They knew me well and knew my selfishness probably had as much to do with the break up as Anita did, a life lesson they could address later, but for now, they decided to drive all the way back home towing a boat in order to sit Shiva with me. They did this because they loved me “no matter what” and hated that I was hurting. I say “sit Shiva” in the Jewish sense of mourning with me through the grief of the presumed death of this relationship, not sitting Shiva in the sense of hanging out with the Hindu god. The word Shiva in Hebrew actually means seven, because it was a seven day grieving process in which the mourner could express their grief and work through their loss and slowly return to normal life. Joseph did this seven day mourning period when his father Jacob died (Genesis 50:10) and Job’s friends sat with him for a week after he lost his family.  This kind of help through grief is sometimes just a silent presence with the one grieving. For example, Job 2:13 says of Job’s friends, “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”  Our emotional and spiritual presence can speak much more than words sometimes. The fact that we  have made the effort just to let someone know we are with them.  A pastor friend offered to sit Shiva with me one time when I was heartbroken over a situation as shepherd of my flock.  He said he wasn’t sure he had any words that would encourage me, but that he wanted me to know that he was glad to be with me in silent spiritual and emotional solidarity. 

Jesus was like that for us.  He was glad to come all the way from heaven to be with us in our situation here. Our sin leaves us in a desperate situation, we are all destined for death and we can’t do anything to change that. Jesus, God With Us, adds an element that Shiva doesn’t promise. Shiva helps us process the grief and loss and helps us continue, but the Incarnation of Jesus here with us brings Hope.  The fact that God became a man, allows Him to experience and acknowledge our loss, but as God He is also able to bring rescue. Those who love Jesus and follow Him will live eternally with Him. The end of life here on earth is not the end. Jesus doesn’t just sit Shiva for seven days, He is with us all the time. When Jesus was getting ready to leave the earth to be with the Heavenly Father He wanted those who had connected their lives with Him to know they were never alone.  He assures them with these words: “No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” John 14:18-20 (NLT2) Jesus was not just God With Us for 7 days, or 33 years. He is always with us! His Holy Spirit presence is always in us. If we belong to Him, He is in us, and as we are strengthened and encouraged we can also be an encouraging presence in seemingly hopeless situations. There are some sad and difficult situations all around us right now and there may be someone you can sit virtual Shiva with. The COVID isolation may not allow our physical presence with someone who is hurting, but fortunately we can be with them virtually to bring emotional and spiritual support as they process their grief. We can assure them that God is with them and He cares and that we do too. Maybe we could let them know we will be thinking about them and praying for them everyday for seven days (or longer).

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, We Gotta Live Up To What We've Already Attained: Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, We gotta live up to what we’ve already attained. Here’s a Tuesday throwback to an article I wrote 10 years ago…

“I have the privilege of coaching some great young leaders at a local gymnastics gym. I think it’s wonderful when the extraordinary happens in March every year. Somehow, as if by miracle, many of the cheerleaders suddenly learn things or execute skills they have been trying to accomplish for months. Cheerleading tryouts seem to bring out the best in these young athletes.

I don’t know if it’s just their competitive nature, but cheerleaders who haven’t been able to manage a back-handspring by themselves since last year’s tryouts are able to do it again as if by divine enablement at the vernal equinox. If they can do a back-handspring now, and could do one year ago, why can’t they seem to manage it the other 10 months of the year? Maybe they are just not motivated. Maybe they talk or think themselves out of it. Or maybe the muscles just atrophy from lack of use. But many of the girls are in the gym all year around and just don’t perform up to the same level they do at tryout time. It is an interesting dynamic. It seems flip-flops (an old school term for back-handsprings) come out in the spring with the warm weather both inside and outside the gym.

But don’t we all do this to a certain extent? I remember a few years ago before my wife’s class reunion; we suddenly started eating a lot healthier, we worked out a lot more, got some fancy haircuts and clothes. Then, when the reunion was over, it was back to less healthy eating, less regular exercise and some other bad habits. We seemed to perform up to what we wanted to when we wanted to.

What if we could keep that kind of motivation all the time? I know, I know… some people perform exceptionally well all the time. They keep their weight in a healthy range, they eat healthy, they workout, they can execute a back-handspring anytime. But if the rest of us are capable of losing weight for a reunion, or performing a back-handspring for tryouts, or whatever, why don’t we do it all the time? I’m guessing there are several answers for these phenomena, but it probably has much to do with how we see ourselves when we aren’t trying to impress someone, compete with them, etc.

Unfortunately, a similar thing happens in our walk of faith. We go through fits and starts in our spiritual life. We go to a camp, seminar, or (back in the day) a revival, and we are “on fire” for God. Or we understand some important bit of wisdom. But then life happens and we somehow lose traction and don’t live what we know to be true (we used to call it backsliding). Paul the Apostle encourages us to not go backwards in our faith walk, but build on what we have already learned. He says, “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.” Philippians 3:15-16 (NIV)

I love to see a cheerleader get a back-handspring AGAIN just before tryouts, but it thrills me even more when a cheerleader can build on that skill and perform at a higher level the next year. God must enjoy seeing his children live up to what he has already taught them and enabled them to do.

Keep Moving Forward in life and faith! I want to encourage you to live up to what you have attained before. God has gifted you and enabled you to do some pretty awesome things. Keep using your gifts, doing good, and living well.”

Hope you enjoyed this throwback article from a decade ago.

Hang in there people! God Is With Us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Something is Lost And Must Be Found? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, Something is lost and must be found? When I went to youth camp for the first time, my parents gave me some spending money for snacks and miscellaneous activities. It wasn't a lot, but to a young tweenager it was more than enough for a week. We climbed on the church bus and drove to Panama City Beach laughing, singing and other youth group things. When we arrived we were divided into boys and girls cabins and the cabins were divided into other rooms of 6 to 8 people. In order to keep the smallish rooms livable, the leaders had made a competition for the cleanest room. At the end of assembly of Worship and Bible Study each night the leaders would announce the winning room. Our room never won that competition for some reason, but we sure enjoyed our time together as God’s kids at camp. By the third night or so, it was obvious we would never win that award, so we thought we would have some fun with those who came to inspect the rooms while we went to the assembly. We had filled a small trash can full of water and put it over the door and we all exited out the other door. We could hardly contain ourselves when one of the leaders, who happened to be one of the Moms of one of the guys in our room came to assembly soaked from head to toe. She was smiling, but just barely. Our room had extra clean up duty the remainder of the camp. I’m thankful for the loving adults who made sure we stayed safe, had fun, and learned how to live like God’s children. On that same trip that my parents had given me an adequate amount of spending money, the first day I reached into my wallet to buy a snack, it was empty… I was distraught. I was pretty sure I had grabbed it when I left the house, but it was not in my wallet, not in my suitcase, my sister didn’t have it… a generous friend said you can borrow some of mine. I fretted and sulked the rest of the day trying to have some fun on the beach and at the pool. Friends and Adult leaders tried to console me and assured me that I could borrow whatever I needed. That night at the Worship Assembly, I grabbed my new Bible that my parents had given me just before the trip. As we sat down after singing and started our Bible study, the Camp Pastor said those exciting, comforting, and powerful words…”Please turn in your Bible...” (to the Bible passage he was preaching from). And then, as I opened my new Bible, the money I had been looking for fell out… A joy and relief came over me as I celebrated God’s goodness and His provision. I could pay back the money I had borrowed. My fretting ended and I could listen to the message that God was giving to us through His Word, His Spirit, and one of His preachers.

The longest Psalm in the Bible, Psalm 119, which has been used in Jewish, Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant worship for millennia, has a verse that says, “I rejoice at Your word As one who finds great treasure.” Psalm 119:162 (NKJV) As a young tween, I had found the treasure of the money my parents sent me for camp, but I was also discovering the even greater treasure of God’s Word and the fun and fellowship and connection It fosters with God’s people. I have wonderful memories of church camp, memories that have helped shape my life and ministry. We may not always find monetary treasure in God’s Word, but we can find treasures of God’s love that are greater than all the money in the world. It seems like right now we may be losing a lot… jobs, savings, peace… but we gotta keep finding the treasures in God’s Word. We gotta be careful not to lose the blessings of His Word to us. He gives peace and joy, comfort and blessing...He reminds us of His love for us and teaches us how to enjoy the treasure of love for each other, just like those friends and leaders at youth camp who cared about me and made sure I had what I needed. If something is lost and must be found, start by seeking the treasure of God’s Holy Word.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

(Not my photo, I borrowed it)

Parents, Do You Have COVID Dyscalendaria?

Parents, do you have COVID Dyscalendaria? Last night I set my alarm and laid my clothes out for church... I had my shoes and underclothes ready too, as has been my practice since early in my ministry. Part of it comes from my FOBL, Fear Of Being Late.  For a few years my kids used love to help shine my shoes each week  when they were little to help me get out the door on time, which made Anita a little nervous with the shoe polish and their matching “Sunday Best” outfits… so, she would wait to dress them ‘til after the shoe shinin’.  So, this morning, I jumped out of bed, fixed our breakfast smoothies, hopped in the shower and was getting dressed for church with my clothes laid out for speedy Sunday AM prep. Anita said, “what are you doing up so early?” I said, “I need to get to church and I don’t want to be late.” She started to laugh and said “today is Saturday!” I started to protest, but picked up my phone to look. It clearly displayed, “Saturday, July 18.”  I began to laugh and wonder how had I missed an entire day. I hope I’m not getting “CRDS!”  That’s “Can’t Remember Diddly Squat!” Anita and I are still laughing at my COVID Dyscalendaria.  

When Jesus was talking to those who belonged to Him about what was to come in the apocalyptic times, He was encouraging them to remember Who they belonged to and warned them to be ready, because no one but God the Father knows when the end is coming and He was returning to Earth to gather His people.  He was telling them to keep being and acting like their “Jesus self” even when time seems to drag on.  Jesus says,  “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.  Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.  Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Matthew 24:36-44 (ESV) When Jesus returns, the reunion with Him will be much better than any Sunday we can anticipate here on Earth, but it will also be a Great and Terrible Day for those who haven’t connected their lives with Him. Being late will not be an option at that point.  So, even if you have some COVID dyscalendaria and forget what day it is, don’t ever forget who you are and Whose you are. If you haven’t yet connected your life to Him, do it now, as these end times birth pangs seem to be increasing. (Matt. 24:6-8)

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, How Firm Is Your Footing? Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, How firm is your footing? In elementary school, I went to a special little school in an urban area right next to a Children’s Hospital. The school didn’t have any play fields, and we didn’t have a track, but we had a blacktop kickball “field”. On this field, we had glorious, fight-to-the end-of-recess kickball games any nice day that the teachers could take us outside. We had a small gym, but it was always hot and it always involved battle-ball or medical-ball (battle-ball with a twist - when hit, a person fell right where they were hit, and if the team “medic” dragged them back to the end line, they could play again... great game except for when the medic was tiny and the person hit was twice their size). Anyway, back to the outside utility space. In 4th grade, our school was invited to bring a track “team” to a meet on a real track with other schools in the area… I was asked to be in a “run off” for a spot on that team. I wasn’t a great runner, but for my school I was fast enough to compete for the last place on the team. I lined up with another boy and we were to run around the perimeter of the kickball field. The PE teacher said, “Go,” and we were off like a thundering herd of turtles. My little spindly chicken legs were going as fast as they would take me. I was competing to be the last fastest kid on the track team. I imagined myself in the Olympics, sprinting around the oval, headed for the finish line, neck and neck with the other last fastest kid at my school ...Until… rounding the 3rd corner, with my little lungs about to explode and my heart pumping out of my chest, I hit the gravel that the other kid had stepped in my lane to avoid, his foot hit my foot and the other foot slid in the gravel… It happened so fast, but at the same time, it felt like slow motion…I fell to the ground like a Kitchen Aid whisk turned sideways on high speed, rolling over and over… the ground versus skin friction winner was painfully obvious. The other kid finished the race with "the thrill of victory" and turned around to see me in "the agony of defeat," trying to stand up covered in skinned knees, hips, elbows and hands. Each raspberry wound was full of sand and small gravel. My hopes of 100 meter dash Olympic Glory had been dashed at the tender age of 9 on the rectangular track of our special little school blacktop playground.

The Prophet Habakkuk and his people were experiencing some really tough times. They were in a time of drought and famine and another nation would invade and take them into captivity. It challenged their faith, everything that had been important to them was being stripped away. They were losing their footing. But Habakkuk encourages himself and his people, urging them to keep the Faith and not give up their Joy in the Lord. He says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights..” Habakkuk 3:17-19a (NIV) Deer are very sure-footed, (unless of course they are on ice - reference Bambi or any number of deer-on-the-ice rescue videos on social media). During these challenging times of COVID and unrest, we hafta keep our Faith footing. The Old Testament prophet encourages us to keep hanging in there, that God will take care of us… it is how we will joyfully make it through. Even when we take an embarrassing tumble or we’re in really difficult times, God is with us and glad to be with us. Even when He disciplines His people, He is still glad to be with them. Habakkuk is not pointing to the power of positive thinking with these verses, he is just reminding us Who loves us and cares about us, that we are His people and we belong to Him. God has not forgotten us, He will make us surefooted again.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, What Triggers The Treasures of Your Heart?* Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, what triggers the treasures in your heart? As a child, my family had an old Wurlitzer JukeBox. We would buy old vinyl 45 records to play in it. Dad had somehow enabled it to play with no coins. We had songs from artists like Sonny & Cher, Elton John, Harry Chapin, John Denver and many others, mostly selected by my mother. We had dozens of records in that thing… most were late 60’s and early 70’s pop music like: “One Tin Soldier (the legend of Billy Jack) by Coven, “Black Water” by the Doobie Brothers, “The Streak” by Ray Stevens, even some Tennessee Rockabilly called “Fastest Truck on Wheels” by a long lost cousin (you can hear it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cgjakEB5KU). One of my sister’s friends loved one song so much she just kept pushing the buttons until that song was the only song the jukebox would play for hours. The songs theme was less than edifying. I think we may have retired that record from the playlist after the incident. Everytime I hear one of those old songs, I am whisked back to the downstairs game room of my childhood home. I can see out the sliding glass door to the aggregate patio, the green grass, pine trees, blackberry vines, the tall grass of the field next door and the steeple of the church behind it. I can smell the wonderful aromas of my mother’s cooking and hear the laughter and sometimes out of tune sing-a-long attempts of friends and cousins as we juke to the tunes emanating from the curved glass old Wullitzer. We wait for the large holiday meal; adults in one room and kids at the “kid’s tables” and we wait a bit more for homemade Orange Crush ice cream. Isn’t it funny how all these treasured memories hidden in my heart are revealed when I hear one of the scores of songs from the old fancy phonograph player?

One of the Biblical musical artists must have known this heart-to-music-to-memory interconnection as he wrote down and played songs that reminded him and his people of their relationship with God. David was said to be a man after God’s own heart, who had a heart to heart attachment with Him. It was so strong and so valuable he didn’t want to lose it. It is said that he used Psalm 119 to teach his son Solomon the Hebrew alphabet and he connected a song to each letter to help him grow in his spiritual life. In one of his Psalms he says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11 (NIV) By the time my kids came along there were all kinds of scripture songs, Veggie Tales, and kid’s hymn sing-a-longs that we played almost non-stop in the mini-van, hoping to hide them in our hearts… They actually helped me remember who I was in Christ as we drove along… well until someone cut me off in traffic, then I needed a song on repentance (Psalm 51 maybe!)… We gotta be hiding God’s Word in our heart, not just for knowledge, but to actually live out the treasure of love and connection with God and other people it teaches. Songs from that old jukebox remind me of who I was in times gone by, but God's Word reminds me who I am right now and who He is making me into.

Hang in there people! God is glad to be with us! I’m praying for us all!

Parents, There's No Place Like Home! Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, There’s no place like home. After a trip many years ago to the beautiful country of South Africa, I was glad to be back on American soil, enjoying the freedoms and blessings of the good ol’ U.S. of A! I had enjoyed the raw beauty of a safari in the wild... lions, strong and majestic, seeing and hearing them a couple of times too close for comfort… seeing baby elephants between their mommy’s feet… warthogs, wild dogs, zebras by the thousands, giraffes, kudu, impala, hippos, crocodiles, and hundreds of other wild birds and beasts. I had seen two oceans and their tumultuous converging from a perspective of mountainous beauty, rolling plains, gorgeous beaches that met majestic mountains. I had seen the very rich and the desperately poor. I felt the discomfort of at least 23 different people groups Asian, Indian, Afrikaans, English, and several different African tribes all vying for power, peace or just human validation. I had met wonderfully welcoming people and the not so nice. I had been well received by friends and rejected by a church I wanted to visit because I didn't look or sound like them. I had tasted the great diversity of delicious foods, fresh fruits, biltong, and some that didn’t agree with my southern American palate. I had stayed in beautiful homes and slept in a car fearing for my life. I had enjoyed privileged status at borders and experienced being misunderstood in the wrong place at the wrong time and the great fear of being incarcerated by an officer of the law shouting at me in another language I didn’t understand, Uzis drawn and lights flashing. It was overall a wonderful experience but I was ready to kiss the ground when I arrived home. There is something about being home.

As comfy and cozy our homes may be, they are not still not our real eternal home with Jesus. We are going to a home that is always full of love, and comfort, and no pain. Peter reminds us of what he heard from Jesus Himself that He has a place ready for us. He warns everyone who belongs to Jesus, not to get too caught up in our worldly comforts to the detriment of our forever relationships with these words, “Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.” 1 Peter 2:11-12 (MSG) We gotta be thankful for the blessings of our earthly homes while keeping our Heavenly Father’s home and blessings always in view, inviting as many to join us as we can! There’s no place like our heavenly home!

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, You Can Run But You Can't Hide. Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, You can run, but you can’t hide! Forty years ago, I took a Mission Trip to New England with my church. I was in a musical, yes, you heard that right, a musical! Back in that day, I sang in the school and church choir… I was marginally talented, but they needed some people to stand up there, move their lips, and move around. I even got a speaking part in the musical! (A year later, when they were desperate for faces on stage, they put me in the youth ensemble, which, by the way, had some very talented musicians. Yeah, I know, right? Me in an ensemble singing... But one time during a mic check, I discovered that my mic was turned down completely and no one could hear me… Oh, it was definitely for the better, but the reality of being in an ensemble for another face on stage rather than a voice, was a reminder not to go into music ministry of any kind.) So, as we travelled around New England, singing in churches, listening to the ensemble sing “Jesus Paid It All,” God began to speak to my heart about serving Him in full time ministry… I tried to listen, but I am easily distracted and not sure I wanted to hear Him at the time. However, when a friend and I were canvassing a neighborhood with door hanger invitations to the musical, and a large dog came running around the corner of the house barking with his large canine teeth exposed, God had my full attention. I knew my friend could run faster than me, he was in track and football,so out running him to the fence gate was not an option… had we encountered a gater, in the water it may have been a different story, since I was a swimmer… So, as I was sprinting away from Cujo (you younger people look it up… it was a horror movie from the 1980’s involving a big dog, though I never saw it… I hated horror movies and usually liked dogs). I quickly said, “Okay God, if you save me from this large, lunging, New England dog, I’ll answer Your call to ministry.” So, when we returned home, I told my church I had responded to a call to ministry… My announcement had mixed reviews, some encouraged me, others weren’t so sure. For the next several years, I denied my call and began to run from God… I tried to balance rebellion with faith, as my beautiful and wise bride says, it’s like straddling a spiritual fence… until finally, 10 years later, I could run no longer. In the words of a 70’s and 80’s rock band (sort of)… “My jig was up, the news was out, They finally found me, the renegade who had it made, retrieved for a bounty, nevermore to go astray, this'll be the end today, of the wanted man” … I took my new wife and enrolled in seminary in Texas. There have been ups and downs, enormous joys and devastating disappointments, but God has never left me alone on this journey. Even when I was running, His loving hand of protection was on me over and over again. His discipline is on me, but He usually administers it firmly enough to get my attention, but gentle enough not to wipe me out (I don’t always enjoy His discipline, but know that it is necessary).

The words of the weeping prophet, Jeremiah, tell us that he apparently struggled with and through his call to serve God. He pleas for mercy in correction, knowing that we are fragile creatures. He says, “I know, Yahweh, no one's course is in his control, nor is it in anyone's power, as he goes his way, to guide his own steps. Correct me, Yahweh, but with moderation, not in your anger, or you will reduce me to nothing.” Jeremiah 10:23-24 (NJB) As we all feel a little out of control with all the recent events of 2020, we just need to remember, though we are free in Christ, that God’s pursuit of a loving, connected, unending relationship with us, supersedes any plans that we may have. We can run but we can’t hide from His great pursuing love for us!

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Why Wait In A World That Asks "Why Wait?" Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, why wait in a world that asks “why wait?” When the children were small and the world of troubles could sometimes seem big, we would often have an after dinner treat of home popped popcorn, or banana bread made from overripe bananas, or one of our cheap favorites, crispy rice marshmallow treats.  With the marshmallow treats I would make them all in one big bowl in the microwave... melt the butter, then add and melt the marshmallows, then pour in the rice cereal, then press it in a pan and wait for it to cool… It didn’t take long until the kids (and Dad and Mom) would want a bite from the spoon before the yummy  even got to the pan.  Eventually, my little barbarians and I would get the Pavlovian response as soon as we would smell the buttery, sweet, crunchy, meltedness exiting the microwave and we would all end up in the kitchen simply eating right out of the big bowl we melted it all in… we all had marshmallow on our chins, clothes and hair… but it was so good!  There were fewer pans to clean up, but more kids to clean up (and maybe a couple of adults). We eventually added peanut butter and/or Cocoa Pebbles or even made it out of Reese’s Puffs cereal.  None of us would have passed the famous Kid Marshmallow Test, where 600 children were brought into a room, one by one and told, if they did not eat the one marshmallow on the plate before the researcher got back they could have two.  Only a third were able to delay their gratification long enough to get the second marshmallow.  Researchers followed these 600 kids for many years and they discovered that those who were able to wait had higher SAT scores, were healthier, and able attain more academically.  In addition, they discovered that when they were in their 40’s, these impulse resisting kids were still better able to resist temptation.  

There seems to be a spiritual principal played out in the Marshmallow test, because Jesus tells those connected to Him in Luke 6:21 (CSBBible)“Blessed are you who are now hungry, because you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, because you will laugh.”  And He should know, after His baptism, He was able to resist 3 different temptations, after being in the wilderness without food for 40 days. As we wait through this pandemic, we can’t give up too soon, even when some are asking “why wait?” In this instant society we live in, we gotta hang in there… we can’t give in to those things that so easily tempt us… Jesus says we will laugh in the end… one thing I love better than chocolatey, buttery, peanut buttery, marshmallow treats is a good ol’ make my face hurt, body shaking, can’t breath, healing, whole body laugh! 

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Do Not Worry. Words From COIVD 19 quarantine

Parents, don’t worry. Growing up in my home one of the ways my parents expressed love to people was through food. My mother could cook anything… I used to open the pantry doors and didn’t see much, but when she opened them, she saw endless possibilities. She never seemed to worry because she could take a little of this and a little of that… whatever was in the kitchen and make delightful meals. My dad could do the same thing outdoors. He could smoke, grill, and deep fry anything found in the freezer. Anita’s family also likes to gather around the table to enjoy good meals, good conversation and lots of love. Together, we like to try to do this for our family and friends too. When our kids were young, we tried to always have a hot breakfast for them before school and on weekends, to give their brains fuel for learning and let them know we care about them. By the time my kids were teens, they began to learn how to cook breakfast for their friends too. Our kitchen became known as the IHOW (International House of Waffles) with the neighborhood kids and friends who would come over for homemade waffles (made in a waffle maker given to us by Anita’s grandmother when we were first married) with fruit, chocolate, syrup, juice, milk and whatever else makes a weekend breakfast taste good. Anita always had some waffle mix and fixin's on hand. Occasionally, but not often, were “kitchen incidents” where something goes wrong. Like when one of the kids, still learning to cook, put a metal pan of chili into the microwave! Don’t try it! It can ruin a microwave, a pan, a floor - when the pan is dropped, and the food inside. Another kitchen incident involved all my girls. We had an overused toaster oven (think 6 in the kitchen) and my oldest was toasting some bread, which started a flame inside the oven… my oldest and youngest daughters ran around the kitchen screaming “fire, Fire, FIRE!” My middle daughter, who happened to be walking by, simply, unplugged the toaster, opened the oven door, blew on the small flame like blowing out a candle and kept walking. The other two just looked at each other, and we all began laughing. Now, all my kids also show their love and care by preparing good food for people, with many fewer kitchen incidences… (My oldest, even has a plant-based cooking show, an upcoming cookbook, and a “plant based playbook” to help people get started with healthy meal prep.)

God loves us all so much and shows that love when He provides for us in so many ways. When Jesus was talking to His disciples, He told them to make a priority of doing what is right (like loving God and people) and don’t make the food or other essentials the top concern, and God will provide. He says, “So don't worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you." Matthew 6:31-33 (CSBBible) One of the ways we can love each other well is providing good food for the people we love, thanking God for it and enjoying it together. During this socially distant time, we may have to get creative with how we do this, but the important part is to keep seeking to love God and the people around us. I’m confident, He will give us ways to do this. Kudos to those churches and kitchens who help provide for those who may not have much during this difficult time.

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!

Parents, Not What I Expected.* Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, not what I expected. During one holiday celebration, my family and I had gone to a family reunion when I was a child.  I was just like any other boy, I loved fireworks.  I loved the explosion, the anticipation of the explosion and the effects of the explosion. The older cousins were lighting firecrackers, but apparently these were older or cheaper fireworks and not all of them would explode. So, we younger, elementary school aged, cousins would go pick up the duds and wait for a lighter to try them again... so we could be like the older cousins. I had one in each hand. What I didn’t know was that one had a fuse that was unnoticeably still smoldering.  Then bang, it blew up, instant pain in my fingers and ears!  With my ears still ringing I looked at my fingers that had blood blisters where the firecracker had exploded. The firework fun was over and then the frightened and hurting water works started. My dad knew just what to do; he got ice in a wash cloth and had me go to a quiet place, sit down and hold the ice pack… there were not many quiet places since my grandmother’s home where the reunion was happening was less than 900 sq.ft. and there were more than 30 first cousins at the time (my mother was one of 11 siblings). My mother, grandmother, aunts and uncles all checked on me, I think even my sister felt bad for me.  I finally fell asleep on the drive home.  I had learned several things that day: respect the fireworks, they are great fun, but also powerful and dangerous; there is comfort and healing even after a traumatic experience and it’s a blessing to have a family that cares. 

There is a powerful person of the Holy Trinity that gives us the Greek transliterated word “dunamis,” which means power and where we get our word “dynamite.”   The Holy Spirit does many powerful things: He reminds us of who we are as God’s children made in His image and the things we do, thoughts we have, that don’t match that truth and how they disconnect us from Him (John 16:8). We also know that the Holy Spirit permanently lives in us (John 14:16-17), He seals us for eternity so we are never again disconnected from God again (Eph. 1:13), He teaches us the truths we need to know (John 14:26), He guides us into that Truth (John 16:13), He reminds us of Jesus’ teaching (John 14:26), He bears spiritual fruit through us (Gal. 5:22-23), He comforts us (John 16:7), He equips us with spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:4-7), and He fills us that“dunamis, “ when He empowers us to do His work (Acts 1:8).  The Holy Spirit is such a blessing, probably much more than we knew or expected when we begin to connect our life with Jesus.  We can have surprising power from the Holy Spirit for living as God’s children even when we are hurting, or doubting, or experiencing hardship.  He connects all His children together as family to help and comfort each other too!  Maybe we can all let the firework celebrations of this weekend remind us of our dynamite God! 

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all! 

Parents, Don't Go For The Cheap Stuff. Words From COVID 19 quarantine

Parents, Don’t go for the cheap stuff. I took a semester off of college to work at the World’s Fair in New Orleans in 1984. I had some of the most delicious spicy foods I had ever had. I had up close encounters with movie stars, performers and leaders from around the world. I experienced cultures I never knew existed. It was a crazy time in my life, I was questioning everything. I arrived just before Mardi Gras and my first day of work was Ash Wednesday… and no one showed up at the office. Apparently everyone was recovering from their pre-Lenten celebrations. I noticed that not many people really gave up anything for Lent either… go figure! The longer I stayed in New Orleans, the more parades, parties and festivals I went to, the more of my faith and life’s treasured values I let fall by the wayside and I picked up cheap counterfeits. The parade krewes threw trinkety plastic doubloons, necklaces, cups, balls, and all kinds of cheap shiny stuff to the thrill of temporarily excessively happy parade goers and this image illustrated those 6 months of my life. At a certain point, it all became too much and I decided to return to college. Unfortunately, I continued to run from my faith for a few more years until God really got my attention and reminded me I was His child, but I had been chasing after things that His children don’t chase. I was building a life with the cheap, temporary and shiny stuff and experiences and giving up faith and relationships that were treasured, reliable, and true.

Apparently, there were some knuckleheads like me in the early church too, who had begun a relationship with Jesus, but had gone for the cheap, valueless and temporary instead of the solid, invaluable, and eternal… Paul reminded them that God’s grace and love for them was so great that He still wants to spend forever with them regardless of their unwise choices. But He also reminded them that when this planet is burned up and gone, they would survive, but they would be (to borrow a phrase) smellin’ like smoke, because all that was important to them had proved worthless and would be burned up. Paul says, “Anyone who builds on that foundation(of Jesus) may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.” 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 (NLT2) So, when it comes to building our lives, we don’t need to go for the cheap stuff… I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be smellin’ like the smoke of cheap living for an eternity. So we gotta build our lives on the foundation of Jesus, and build true and strong loving relationships with Him and His people. We gotta love people, and bring them God’s Joy, apologize when we mess up and restore when we have torn down a relationship that’s valuable, good, and true…

Hang in there people! God is with us! I’m praying for you all!