“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

It was obvious I was winning. I had my opponent in a grip that was unbreakable…all I had to do was SQUEEZE! But then, my ears perked and a sideways glance forced me to make an adjustment…”HIIIIII_YAAAAAAA!” was the cry, as my younger grandson lept upon me in an attempt to rescue his brother. It was ‘game on,’ with giggles, squeals, screams and threats of annihilation if they didn’t ‘yield!’ Something that they NEVER do!

“I’ll crush your bones to powder and sprinkle it on my cereal,” was met with “Oh YEAAA? Take THIS!” As we rolled around on the floor and couch, even parents laughed, as I worked harder to make sure that my offspring DIDN’T get hurt!! Having raised 2 sons of my own, I’ve had LOTS of practice! In retrospect, we weren’t really wrestling or fighting. We were BONDING! And I was loving every second!

I had a great question come to me yesterday in Church. “Why was God so ‘grumpy’ in the Old Testament? You know…all that killing and threatening stuff?” It was a fair question and one that “I” know makes God smile on the inside. Because the question is REALLY and attempt by the questioner to ‘understand God.’ And NOTHING pleases ‘The Father’ more than an honest attempt at getting to know Him. Even if it comes in the form of a fight!

There is no question that humans are complex creatures. Developing even 1 personal relationship takes time, trust, vulnerability and work. I can’t even imagine how God does it with MILLIONS of people. Each of us is unique and demanding in our own ‘special’ way. In the ‘Old Covenant,’ God HAS to lay down the ‘Rules of The House!’ Having provide EVERY luxury in the Garden o f Eden, only to have it thrown back in His face, He was NOW faced with fighting to win back His own creation! Enter Jesus!

Jesus gives me ‘goose bumps!’ His prayer to His Father in John 17 is NOT so much for the masses as it is for ME! In the 47 times He prays for ‘those, them and they,’ He REALLY means ME! JESUS, who knows God best, wants ME to know His father in the same way HE does. The REAL question is… am ‘I’ ready for a bonding, Father-son wrestling match in order to get close? Are ‘you?‘

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

I awoke to a quiet house…which is normal for me. But not today. At least not after last night! Outside, the fog had rolled in and there was kind of a dullness to the normal Florida morning. Inside, the sunshine was at rest as well, since, all of my granddaughters were still asleep!

I surveyed the house with a smile, What a mess! The evidence of a memorable night was easy to see as EVERYTHING seemed out of place. My wife had invited JUST the ‘granddaughters’ for a sleepover. My own 2 daughters being long grown and gone, I had forgotten what a house with ‘just girls’ can be! Even as they lay sleeping in the quiet…I KNOW it is only a matter of time before squeals and silliness begin again. We are making memories!

We are in isolation because of this virus thing. That means, as family, we are isolated together! And I absolutely love it! Last night, while going through the ‘McDonald’s Drive-Thru’ we saw a lone semi-truck driver, walking around the crowded car lot, not able to order anything, as his truck could not able to fit through the line. When I drove over to him and offered him my sandwich, he cracked his window and turned it down. “Virus,” was all he said.

I tried to share the Gospel with someone yesterday. We had gotten close enough to strike up a conversation, but just close enough for these so called ‘pandemic’ times. As they poured out their life story, I offered them ‘Him’… Jesus! Unfortunately, even HE had gotten as close as He was going to be allowed. ‘Thanks… but no thanks.’ hung in the air as I walked away.

So we are in isolation…together. As Family. And between girly shrieks and squeals that can curl my hair…and even in a messy house, I KNOW that I am one of the most blessed men on the face of the planet! I wouldn’t have it any other way!

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Luke 6:21b

Just wanted to pass on some information I just learned. Did you know that Laughing is a natural act? Yup! It comes on about the 3^rd day after birth. Babies laugh instinctively! And you already know that laughter is contagious. Laughter can be caught and it can be passed on. Tickling is a kind of laughter that comes because of surprise! Learning NOT to laugh at being tickled is a disciplined art. You can’t tickle yourself because your body isn’t surprised at what’s coming! No surprise… no laughter!

Lately, with all this virus talk, there isn’t enough laughter. And that makes me sad. When Jesus enters a heart, JOY follows. Joy and laughter are God’s way of reminding us that HE has us no matter WHAT the circumstances. I believe JOY and LAUGHTER should be signs of those who are trying to lead others into God’s JOYFUL Kingdom.

I laughed at this skit today. So I am sharing it with you as a kind of medicine.

I hope that this simple thing bring laughter to your soul. And as an assignment, why not google ‘funny skits’ or ‘Comedy’ (even ‘Christian comedians’) and see if you can find the best one that tickles YOUR funny bone.. and then SHARE IT with me so I can share it with the Brethren & Sisteren!! It might just lighten the load!

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20

Well… coronavirus or not, it’s that time of the month to pay my credit card bill. Having watched my mail and email for any correspondence eliminating my payment… none came. When I received notice that “they are behind me during this difficult time,” I found that the payment was still due! But when I looked closer, I was rather shocked!

A few years ago I took some long given advice and started putting everything on 1 credit card…then paying the entire balance off at the end of the month. Doing that not only gave me use of money with NO interest…it gave me points! These points could be exchanged for gift cards or cash back refunds. So far it has worked rather well! But I STILL have to make sure I pay the bill! And THIS one was strange!

The statement gave me the amount I had to pay, but the shockingly, strange part was that the balance due was LOWER than what I am used to paying! After looking at my transactions and figuring my figures, I realized that the coronavirus had indirectly SAVED ME MONEY! Since restaurants and entertainment establishments were mostly closed, I had no place to spend it! Therefore I naturally… saved it!

I LOVE this Bible verse today. It is one of my favorites. Jesus is talking here and He isn’t even pulling any punches. The SUBJECT of the sentence is ‘YOU!’ It is a COMMAND! He is saying, “Hey YOU… lay up treasure for YOURSELF!” Not for HIM.. but for MYSELF! In other words, He is commanding me to be ‘PIGGISH!’

God is EXTREMELY beneficial. He gives and gives and gives again! But if there are no TAKERS, there is no point to His giving. And that is the point! He wants us to take Him and try Him SO badly, He even commands us to do it for selfishly, piggy reasons! His goodness is SO good, He just can’t stand not seeing His children swimming in His good blessing. Even if it’s just to hear us squeal in delight!

I admit to taking advantage of God’s grace and doing things HIS way for reasons that may not always be Holy. Though sometimes out of ignorance, greed or even just to test Him, I have NEVER failed to receive good things from Him. Even when I’m being piggish! I just can’t wait to see what my piggy bank looks like in HEAVEN! How about you?

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4

Because of Covid-19 news, my mind was in preparation mode. I was a little rusty since the last time I was in this mode. It had been over a year ago since I prepared for a hurricane that never came. But I felt I had hit my preparation stride when, looking in the meat department, I spied a package of ‘Chicken Necks’ for $1.95! Folks…I am now prepared!

I was a Boy Scout for about 2 years as a kid. But I spent about 15 years in leadership in that program. Having 2 sons who are Eagle Scouts, I will never forget the time Colt and I were at our mountain cabin in a deluge with no power. We built a fire and cooked a meal, fit for a king, feeding family and neighbors. That skill didn’t come DURING the storm! It came LONG before any clouds were on the horizon.

On the edges of a ‘pandemic,’ it is interesting to note what people find important. Of all the things to fight over in a store, the LAST thing I would think about would be toilet paper! But the proof was before my eyes. While the TP isle was empty, there before me lay a whole case of ‘chicken necks!’ KNOWING what things would be important in a crisis, I grabbed some.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that I will survive any crisis with chicken necks! But they DO serve a dual purpose for me. First, they can make a GREAT chicken soup and feed a lot of people. But more importantly, these ‘necks’ will serve as a kind of gauge for me. Strategically placing them at the bottom of my freezer, I know that if I hit the ‘necks,’ real trouble is soon to follow! I have prepared for that as well.

I have been teaching the Bible since High School. I have LIVED with it even longer. Having tested and tried God’s Words through MANY a storm, I can emphatically state that ”Jesus Works!” ALL THE TIME! Placing my Faith in Him is NOT a helter skelter, wishy washy kind of thinking. I have PROVEN that trusting Him keeps me sane and at peace during ANY crisis.

Please note I am NOT to saying that having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior guarantees physical, personal safety! It doesn’t! But what He DOES provide is what no one can BUY at any store. And that something is TRUE inner Peace and Security, right here and right NOW! He promises that no matter WHAT storm comes… NOTHING can snatch me out if His hands. And that wherever I may go…there He already there.

This storm will come and go… but once again, I am sticking my neck out for Jesus Christ. And because of that… I ain’t chicken! Now…what is most important to YOU?

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

Yesterday’s news was surreal. I don’t get live TV anymore but that didn’t stop news from leaking into my world. Cell phone, Computer, phone calls, Text’s, emails and opinions on top of opinions. The world is in a panic and there seems to be NO way to ACTUALLY determine what is REALLY going on with this COVED-19 virus thing. So, being it was St Patrick’s Day, we did the most logical thing. We made corned beef and cabbage!

Now most of the time I find it a WHOLE lot better to not focus on crazy. At my age I have seen a LOT of it! I remember, as a first grader, being assembled in the basement of our school and told to hunker down under the older kids standing above us as they stood against the wall. Somethin’ about bombs and such! Even then I couldn’t figure out the logic and felt sorry for those bigger than me who would supposedly die first.. then fall on ME! Not much has changed.

I told you I’ve seen a lot of stuff. And there re plenty of folks around WAY older than me you can spend time with, who can top MY stories. But I guess I have seen enough to learn NOT be scared of crazy talk! Getting through it, I have learned that often it isn’t what you DON’T know.. as much as it’s about what ya DO! And the #1 top thing I KNOW….Is Jesus Christ!

I LOVE this Bible quote from John. Jesus personally pulled his disciples aside and gave them an alien package. Something they had never even HEARD of before. Like NOTHING out of this world…He gave them Himself. “His Peace,” He called it. He told them that there was noting to compare it to on Earth. And then gave them 2 big no-no’s to go along with it. He said, If I have HIS Peace, I’m NOT to allow myself to be ‘troubled’ or ‘afraid!’ He says ‘I’m’ supposed to regulate those things!

I was thumbing through one of my old Bibles and came across this little poem I wrote years ago. I don’t remember the occasion, but whatever it was, God had made an impression upon me! Enough to write something down to keep. Maybe it might help YOU right now.

When obstacles and trials seem

like prison walls to me.

I do the little that I can

and leave the rest to thee.

And when there seems no change, no chance

that fear will set me free.

Hope finds your strength in my helplessness

and calmly waits for thee!

Do YOU know His Peace?

Keep me safe, my God,
    for in you I take refuge.

2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
    apart from you I have no good thing

3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
    “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
    I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
    or take up their names on my lips.

5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.

6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    surely I have a delightful inheritance.

7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
    even at night my heart instructs me.

8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
    With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
    my body also will rest secure,

10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
    nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

11 You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Yesterday I was passing a grocery store when I remembered that my wife had stated how much she’d like to have some meatloaf. I ran in…focused on the items I would need. Grabbing some items I ended up at the meat section… and it was all gone, except for a few hot sausages and miscellaneous stuff. I did a quick shift and changed the menu in my head, than made my way to the check out. I was NOT prepared for what I saw.

I had just heard the Presidents plea to not panic and go crazy. So it wasn’t in my head to even look for signs of crazy. But when I went to get into the exit line, every one of them were at least 30 feet long… and lined with people with shopping carts FILLED every crazy edible thing imaginable! Since I don’t do panic crazy…I put my items back and left!

I guess you could say that on the surface it looks like this COVID-19 has personally cost ME money. Over $2000! I got a message yesterday from a seasonal renter from New York that said they wanted to canceled their trip next week, since all the beaches and restaurants are closed here anyway! WHAAAAA? It is amazing to be sitting in paradise and hear local reports from 1400 miles away! Especially when they’re not true! Now that it was affecting MY bank account, crazy things started to burp up in my brain…until I put an immediate halt on it!

Rule 1 of ANY scenario is to remember that everything I own…isn’t mine! This isn’t MY life… MY home…MY body… or MY bank account! And “I” haven’t lost a dime! I am a child of the King who owns it ALL! And interestingly, while HE doesn’t CAUSE the COVID-19 virus, His Word says that He can USE it to TEST ME to see how firmly I TRUST HIM! Having been through so many REAL crises… I am NOT about to go CRAZY when it comes to trusting Him now! I hope you are being sensible and using this time to share your faith AND your goods with friends and neighbors who DON’T share your strength and faith in Jesus Christ!  And REMAIN CALM.

“Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Luke 5:31-32

We were all together in 1 place but doing our own thing. My daughter was looking at her phone to pass the time when she suddenly blurted out…”EWWWWWWWW!” She had just received a picture of a friend who had gotten a deep cut on their leg. NATURALLY… everyone wanted to SEE it TOO. That is… until they saw it! When my grandson looked at it, he IMMEDIATELY turned away and almost threw up. Ahh the power of a visual!

Last night at church, my wife and a good friend were talking about God and bantering about His tolerance toward evil. Having just had a fun study about Easter, the question came up, “why did God ‘forsake’ or ‘turn away’ from His Son on the cross?” I guess we were trying to draw a line of just how close God COULD get to sin without getting TOO close! Maybe a gross picture of a nasty, deep cut, might help provide an answer. Because the answer MATTERS!

There are LOTS of opinions out there about sin and how it removes us from God because he cannot tolerate it. I listened to a national preacher repeat the ridiculous statement that unless you ‘confess’ to a particular sin, you won’t be forgiven! Being an expert at sin and having a short memory myself, I know that there is NO way I could even ‘keep up’ to get total forgiveness! My cut is WAYYYY too deep! Enter Jesus!

I have a Doctor friend that has no problem looking at pictures like this. He has seen SO many real life cuts that it is NORMAL for him. He can even go to the extreme end, smile and say, “oh… cool!” Such is the outcome of familiarity! Unless you are God!

God will not and cannot not dwell with evil. You might say He has a weak stomach for sin and, because He is perfect, can NEVER get used to it. When His own Son took on ALL of my sin, evil and punishment… along with yours, God could not even LOOK! And THAT, my friends, was the eternal deal!

I was lost in sin. God and I could not reach each other. But because of His love for both His Father AND for me, Jesus said, “no worries dad, I’ll take care of this!” And He did! EVEN THOUGH HE KNEW THE PRICE! I don’t know about you…but with a love offer like that, I simply CAN’T turn away.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

I had stepped into hell. I KNEW what I was doing when I did it…but did it anyway. Even though I had put on my best attitude and ‘nice’ hat, it took less than 60 seconds to explode. Even though I had been respectfully determined it wouldn’t. I had taken a deep breath, smiled inside and then stepped onto the Auto Dealer’s lot.

I made my career in sales. I know the process, the techniques, the do’s and the don’ts. I understand that most people cringe when you tell them you are a salesperson. I also know car salesmen have the reputation for being the worst. But the person that met me at the car was more like a terrorist!

I had gone to the car dealer because I wanted to SEE the difference between 2 car models. The only thing on the salesperson’s mind was my wallet! When I asked to see the inside of a locked vehicle, I was informed me, “that’s not how its done!” It quickly spiraled downhill and ended with him cussing me. I was glad my wife was there to confirm that it was all him and not me! At least THIS time!

I have always said that a man’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. One of my strengths is, I am INTENSE when it comes to Jesus. Having learned the lostness and hopelessness that comes from being alienated from God, I have discovered Salvation and the wonders of life WITH Him and His Son Jesus Christ! And ALL at HIS expense!

It is Lent. That means Easter, the celebration of The Savior’s resurrection from the dead to give me life, is right around the corner. If there is ANY time of the year that should cause me to draw closer to see just how wonderful and expensive His sacrifice for ME was…it is now! Sadly, I haven’t found many who feel the same way. If my wife wasn’t with me confirming the quiet, I’d think it was just me!

Telling people what they want to hear is a quick way to gain a crowd. But if the crowd is on the Titanic, it serves no purpose. Our nation and world are in deep trouble, if only due to the lack of zeal for their Creator and Savior. The salesman and customer in me sees EVERYONE without Jesus Christ…as LOST and needing to be SAVED! That is what the Bible says. And if one is saved, but partying on another ship, they’re as good as lost! God’s Word says THAT TOO!

So what kind of customer and salesperson are YOU? Are you INTENSE for Jesus in your showing and growing? Because that is the kind of life He wants You to have! Only Jesus! There is ‘NO’ other way!