“Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.” Romans 12:9

This morning was a typical day for my wife and me. The alarm went off, we both got up, I poured my coffee… AND hers. She went to 1 room to spend her quiet time with God… I went to the other. After a few minutes I heard her holler… “Happy Valentine’s Day!” I repeated, “Happy Valentine’s Day,” then added, “I didn’t buy you a dang thing!” She responded with, “I didn’t buy you a dang thing either!” And THAT.. was our Valentine’s Day!

I abhor, regard with horror, hate, and detest Valentine’s Day! If you know me, you know that. If you don’t… you do now! I refuse to go into the history of this day because its origin is cloudy at best. Personally, I believe it was invented by an unhappy woman in a back room of Hallmark… or the lunch room of a candy or flower shop! The advertising world has implanted into the male brain..”dude.. don’t be a loser.. buy your gal something special today!” Women have been programmed to respond to the day with.. “What’d ya get me?” And I protest!

You may think me mad… but being a male, I don’t notice that WOMEN are pressed to do ANYTHING special for their men. Real men don’t swoon over a card, flowers or candy. What real men WANT is already known. But I don’t see an increased budget in advertising for ANYTHING in that arena. So let me be the Lone Ranger, since fair is fair… “Ladies…take special care of your man today!” I may deserve a medal for that from the men… or a lynching from the ladies. SO be it!

You may wonder why I am so ridiculously opposed to the idea of this day. Well it is actually very simple. If I TRULY LOVE my wife…and if she truly loves me… should LOVE not be displayed EVERY day! If you catch my drift, you would realize that loving Valentine’s Day is a sell out! If you do, you are settling for WAY too little and YOU have been conned!

We awoke, I honored her by pouring the coffee, we said, “I love you,” to each other and then we went to worship God individually… together! And THAT my friends.. is the MEANING and SECRET of a romantic and God centered relationship… because it is impossible to correctly LOVE each other without loving GOD FIRST! First… I am not worthy of it. And second…I don’t have the capability!

Today’s verse has many versions to it… both positive and negative. We are called to LOVE unfeigned, sincerely, without dissimulation, deceit or hypocrisy. We are THEN commanded to abhor, regard with horror, hate, and detest all EVIL. Finally we are to cling, cleave, hold onto and hold fast to everything GOOD! It sounds to me that those instructions are not directed toward a single day!

If your love relationships consists of yours and mine … you have a problem. God demands that we give EVERYTHING to HIM.. and to those we cherish. There is to be no ‘I, ME or MY’ in any relationship. It is ALL OURS! That is how God shares Himself with me… and that is what He expects from me in return. I refuse to simply BUY something because Hallmark wants to make a buck! 

 Happy Day to you and yours!

“I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:8 KJV

I was behind in my honey-do list and found some time to get several things done around the house. Work for me generally includes gloves so I don’t have to spend so much time cleaning the grunge from under my fingernails. I buy the Dollar Tree gloves in multiples so I always have a pair on hand. Going to my truck, in a hurry as usual, I dug behind the seat where I usually throw my gloves when I am done with a job. I came up with 6… and they were ALL LEFT HANDED!

I’d like to say I laughed and thought it humorous. But being honest, it made me angry! How can I possibly LOSE 6 right hand gloves? Where did they go? Is there a systematic pattern I go through that causes the problem? Are sinister forces at work… deliberately upsetting my timeline and spirit… just because they can? (yes… I really gave that one a serious thought!)

David was right handed. I know because he refers to his right hand a lot. The majority of people are right handed… therefore the right hand has come to symbolize a person’s strength. Now that my mood, plan and timing had been interrupted, my attitude instantaneously switched dwarfs! I went from ‘Happy’ WITH the Lord to ‘Grumpy’ in the flesh faster than Superman can change suits! But I was MORE upset that I could so easily ‘be moved’ than I was at the loss of the gloves.

It has been said that Michael Jackson used his famous right hand glove to cover the affects of a skin disease… which may be true. I KNOW ‘I’ have a dis-ease when my flesh gets uptight at interruption. I ALSO KNOW that there is only 1 remedy! It is holding onto HIS powerful hand.

Of all the spiritual questions asked, this one is the most common… ‘how can God love me when I am such a sinner?” It is an underlying question that ALL believers experience. Feeling dirty and carrying the evidence of grunge under my nails, how can God even love me? While looking up the different versions of this Scripture, I discovered differing punctuation as well! Which leads me to believe previous saints wrestled with the same question.

Some versions use a period between ‘me’ and ‘because.’ Some use a semicolon. I have set the Lord always before me(.;) because…! I think HOW this verse is punctuated makes a difference. My spirit is not free and secure because ‘I’ have made it so. I am free and secure because HE has made me so. By turning to Him and placing my strongest hand into HIS… I can rest assured that I shall not be moved from my secure position… no matter how I feel! In other words.. I vote for the period version!

Driving home from running errands I was going past the Dollar Tree. I pulled in and bought some more gloves because… I am NOT going to let the loss of a glove.. and my mood… stop me from getting the job done. Right Lord?

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

The other day I found myself in the very important roll of supervision. A couple of my grandkids were here and I noticed an extreme excess of energy flow. Being an expert, I knew that kind of energy had to be purged before it blew up into something messy. So I took them out front to run around the yard. Setting down in the grass, my eyes noticed some weeds in my grassy lawn. Being an expert child watcher, I had the ability to pick out those weeds while child caring. Some call that multi-tasking! I call it smart!

While watching and pulling, I remembered having written about this weed thing before, utilizing the metaphor of weeds to sin. Suddenly this Bible verse popped into my head, creating a path of potential wisdom I had not yet seen before. So I spiritually took a walk with Him. Apparently He thinks I can do MORE than just 2 things at once! The thought struck me… ‘Whatever you do – DO!’ DO-DO! There HAD to be a double meaning!

I distinctly remembered the last time I started pulling weeds, and that back then there were a LOT more weeds then than there were right now. At that time, I was pulling them to get rid of them in the present! I hadn’t REALLY thought about the impact weeding THEN would have on the future! I began to see what He was trying to teach me. Less weeds had produced less seeds! And apparently less seeds produced less weeds! A no brainer?? Indeed…! But I sensed that there was something more to this idea!

One way or another I was going to have my way with the weeds. Even if I didn’t pull or chemically treat them, I would run over them with my lawnmower. My life, whether I thought about it or not, had an appointment with weeds… regardless of my plan or thought about them. I was discovering that faithfully PULLING them was more effective, in the long run, than just running them over! Using the same 2 hands to pull them (in advance) was FAR more effective than using my hands to push the mower later!

If I am doing something ANYWAY, is it possible to mix faith with that event ahead of time, WITH the expectation of seeing a greater result…. on purpose? Apparently it is! My understanding of ‘Faith’ was being sharpened by The Expert! The path is opening up into a field!

Hebrews 11:1 has always been a mystical verse to me. I have swallowed the pat explanations of it being a mystical thing that I’ll never REALLY understand here. But deep down, that explanation hasn’t settled well! I am seeing that Faith is not a mystery… it is a WORK! A DOING of something in the physical… all the while EXPECTING a spiritual long term result. It is not something to ATTAIN. It is a secret weapon to be used in ordinary workings of my day to GAIN an ultimate spiritual result. This Bible verse proves it.

Today’s verse does not stand alone. It is repeated in 1 Corinthians 10:31 and Proverbs 3:16. So it must be important! The question I seem to be continually pressed to ask is.. “how can I DO.. RIGHT NOW… what I am DOING… for Him and with Him? ALL THE TIME!” Hmmmmm. THIS is going to take some serious and deliberate multitasking!

“How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?” Psalm 13:2 NLT

Moving slightly faster than the speed of traffic, I noted the light about half a mile ahead… AND the one after it. Utilizing my ‘superior to monkey’ brain skills, I calculated the timing and KNEW I was going to hit the first red light for 1.7 minutes and the next one for 3! If I made a right … NOW … I could take a little shortcut and utilize the eastbound light and save 2 minutes. Which I did! Which is crazy! Because I had absolutely NO where I HAD to BE in 2 minutes!

Elvis wrote a song with the lyrics, “We’re caught in a trap, I can’t walk out…” I can see how the ‘we’ and ‘I’ apply because when it comes to my red light mania, my wife knows I’m a psycho! It has been said that wherever you go, there you are! Which is true. But SOMETIMES… my wife is trapped WITH me! You see… HER crazy is ME!

I have mentally calculated my expenditure for gasoline and can see that rushing ahead to save 2 minutes actually costs me MORE money than sitting and waiting at the red light! But realizing that there is a monetary cost to my mental state has not diminished my behavior. Every addict KNOWS what is wrong with them!! How to get FIXED is another matter! But I am beginning to sense that God has a plan for me… because I am getting tired! I am beginning to get the sense that… He has me right where He wants me!

I have never learned to simply sit still and control my inner being very well. I am either running or resting. When I am thinking, I am running in my head. Which is often a painful trip because of where my mind likes to run! I know there are supposedly drugs for that! But at 63, I have no interest in drugs for ADD. Besides… its too late now and I now my condition isn’t one that can be fixed like a headache! THIS is going to take a power superior to my own!

I am not writing this stuff for anyone but me. Lord knows I am not trying to change the world! I am just trying to get a handle on MINE! I’d LOVE to get to the point where my head rests still and doesn’t run ahead of me to a crazy place! The advice I give to others is not always what I take myself! But I KNOW that to ‘give up’ something I must also ‘take on’ something as a replacement….

O…O…O….! I believe I may on to something…Did  I just sense that that my Heavenly Father just uncrossed His arms! And… OHHHHHHH! Is that a smile I can see…. starting to break out on His face?    Hmmm!   MAYBE!!!!!!!!!!!

“The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things: Who have said, ‘With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?’” Psalm 12:3-4

My head hurts! Both the outside and inside! My dad has been gone now for about 18 years. But he is still memorable because of what occasionally creeps up in my life. He had bouts with pilar cysts on occasion, and that wonderful trait has been passed on to me. Yesterday I went to my favorite doctor and he cut two of them out of my scalp. NO!!! THIS is NOT a picture of MY head!

When I went to see my son last week, his wife told me was in a sore mood. HE had just had a big pilar cyst cut out of his scalp… and he was rather cranky! Apparently passing on the love continues. MAYBE next time we can get together for a family discount!!!!

The pain on the inside of my head is NOT from cyst removal. But the problem is no less inherited. My mind carries within it the propensity to think things that it should not. Inherited flesh sees to it that even at my best, I still carry with me the bent of stinkin’ thinkin’! And like those pesky cysts, which only grow larger when left alone… well those thoughts have ‘got to go’ because they are not good for me! What to do? I go to the GREAT Physician and His Word for eradication surgery.

I like my doctor. He is also a friend of mine. Truth be told, I’d rather spend time with him as my friend than as my doctor. But it’s nice to know that when doctoring needs done, a friend holds the scalpel! It is the same scenario with God. God is also my friend and He loves me. But LOVE is an ACTION that often goes where it is NOT exactly welcome! Just like my earthy physician gives me sound advice for a healthy life, so does my heavenly Doctor!

There is a TV show out now called ‘Dr. Pimple Popper.’ It is popular for a VERY weird reason. We ALL seem to react in the same way to the grotesque! Our first reaction is to repel and say “OOOOO GROSS!” But for SOME reason… we seem go back for a second or third look! It is the same with the sin of stinkin’ thinkin’. There is an inherited, grotesque fascination with it. THAT is why we need help in getting rid of it!

This verse today, when taken literally, portrays a picture of some cranky folks standing around with no lips! But it is a metaphor for judgment. Jesus said that HE ALONE was THE only ‘Truth’ in the Universe (John 14:6). Whether you think He is, or is lying, or just plain nuts… is YOUR decision. But for anyone claiming that ‘TRUTH’ title for themselves, this Psalm says they will be ‘cut off’ from God’s world. Their own opinions of themselves will not be welcome. Me? I’d rather get stinkin’ thinkin’ cut ‘out’ HERE… rather than let it fester to get cut ‘off’ THERE! Scalpel? 

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

It was time to change the oil in my 13 year old truck. It is something I do myself and I have done it many times. It is ALWAYS a spiritual experience! This picture shows the actual access point of entry for removing and replacing the oil filter. The first few times I change the oil, I was at it for a LONG time and significantly increased my cussin’ and anger abilities. Then one day… it all changed!

Auto repair is the area I believe I have shed the most tears. I REFUSE to pay someone to do this for me. So one day, at my wits end, I paused and prayed, “Lord… this is gonna sound crazy.. but I can’t SEE where to screw on this filter, but if you guide my hand, I know WE can get this done together WITHOUT the drama… Thank You!” BAM!!! DONE!! So this time, as I reached up in that hole, I smiled and said, “Lord.. I’m ready when YOU are!” My oil change has become a church service!

In all my years I have never been satisfied with my own understanding, or others explanation, of Hebrews 11:1. Deep inside I sensed that there was something tangible in that foggy description of the BIG thing that pleases God. Now, to my liking, I believe I have discovered it!

When a soldier enlists in the army, He is GIVEN a weapon, TRAINED in how to use it, then SET FREE to fight. There is NOTHING magical about it. Using all of his senses, like seeing and hearing, he enters the war zone LOOKING and ANTICIPATING where he can utilize his weapon and skills to eliminate the enemy. Can it be that THAT is what God wants me to do with this Faith thing? I believe so!

Everyone likes the idea a being a super spy, like James Bond or Ethan Hunt. They are athletic and can fight, drive anything, shoot everything and even dance! They also look good in a Tux! They have a knack for getting out of any jam, even with limited resources. They are GOOD at what they do as they exercise their training and skills for the cause of freedom! Can I?

As I go through life I can SEE, HEAR and SENSE where the enemy resides. Being securely connected wirelessly to God’s home base, I can receive information and release His weapons into an area overrun by the enemy. I CAN expect VICTORY! While my weapons are spiritual, sizing up the situation is ALWAYS FIRST…physical! It STARTS with activating MY senses and SEEING my target. It ends with the release of His powerful, unseen force. The goal is to bring His freedom into hostile territory! But the FIRST weapon is my senses. With this explanation, there is really nothing mystical about Faith! It may never make sense in the physical world, but that is it’s power!

I realize that the oil change story is wacky. It makes no sense and may have even anger some people. “If God helped him with an oil change, why didn’t he heal my mom!” That sentence, while it MAY have merit, is full of mystery and error. All I know is, since I began giving the problem of my oil change to Him, cussin’ has not been an issue. Imagine what He can do when I turn that unsaved person I see… over to Him…and then follow up with the invisible action of FAITH!? Roger that?

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9

While doing my morning routine and spending time with God and His Word, the back of my mind was planning on what I would DO afterward. I had to get some things at the store, make a couple visits, and get some things done at the church. But in what order? Having dedicated to writing letters to out of area politicians to encourage them to follow GOD’S path, I decided the post office was the first stop. It went pleasantly downhill from there.

I usually try to eat a healthy granola bar for breakfast. When unavailable, I eat cookies! I KNEW that the best price for granola bars was 3 miles north of me. I was heading south. After the Post Office, I’d planned to go next door to the grocery store where there was a sale on something else I wanted. While there, I walked by a display and noticed THEIR price for granola bars, on sale, was $1.00 less than the cheaper place north! I bought 2 boxes! This stop saved me $18.00! Coincidence?

If there was ever a confusing verse in the Bible for me, this is one stands out. Because of free will, I know God does NOT control my every move. I can make plans and decisions on my own WITHOUT Him. On the surface, this verse ALMOST seems God is saying, “go ahead and plan.. but I’ll make you go where I want you to go.” Which would immediately get my hackles up. Because I don’t like being FORCED to do ANYTHING. And neither do you. So what is the meaning?

One verse of Scripture can easily be taken out of context and turned the wrong way. For example, “God helps those who help themselves,” is not only wrong… it isn’t even in the Bible! So the question of this verse remains, does God MAKE me ‘step’ to do something contrary to my own will? To get the flavor of the verse, I read the whole chapter. And NO! That is NOT what it means.

God wants my whole life and everything in it. But it must be a free will offering to Him. The more I give Him, the more He can use. The more I am used, the more I learn, grow and gain other opportunities. Along the Way on HIS path, I have discovered unexpected blessings and joys I never would have experienced, had I gone my own way. Things I miss or take for granted just seem to pop up along the way. And like flowers and smells, bees and trees, God’s way is abundant with good things I never expected.

When I make my plans with GOD in mind… when I commit to walk WITH Him along my planned route, He often points out to me what I would never have experienced alone. Each step of MY plans, when placed within HIS plans, is a step in a blessed direction.

Did I really save $18 because of God? I don’t really know for sure. But then.. do I really NEED to? Because I KNOW my Father… and He is enough!

“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:2

I noticed I needed some clean socks, underwear, blue jeans and long sleeved shirts. I also noticed the hamper on my side of the room was overflowing… logically putting 2+2 together, I grabbed the hamper and threw it all into the washing machine. Since it wasn’t quite a full load I threw in a couple towels as well. No sense wasting good space right? Finding a packet of something that promised a ‘fresh smell for up to 12 weeks,’ I threw some of that in too. What could it hurt!?

My wife freaks at the way I do laundry. Many a time she has chastened and warned me to NOT throw HER stuff in with MINE. She fears discoloration and wrinkles. Me? Not so much. If my socks or underwear come out a little blue and wrinkly… who’s gonna notice? Being the mature one, I do not discriminate against HER way of doing laundry! I let her do MY dress shirts and pants!

As I was pulling out the laundry to throw it all into the dryer, a yucky smell hit my nose. Not being stupid, I instinctively knew that this should not be. After all, I used the scent beads! Investigating, I carefully looked at the rubber seal around the inside of the door. Pulling at it, I noticed that deep inside a rubber fold, black smelly crude had grown and collected. My cleaning machine actually needed cleaning! Who’da thunk?

My wife and I have different jobs in the house. You might say we discriminate. I CAN be a male chauvinist pig as I believe there are some things that are the man’s job… and there are some that are the woman’s. Cutting grass, working on the car, clearing drains and killing wildlife in the house are MY jobs. Cleaning the floor, washing the sheets, washing windows and dusting are hers. Cleaning smelly crud out of the washer CLEARLY fell under my jurisdiction! So I did!

When it comes to my Christian walk, Jesus and I are a team. And just like with my wife and I, there are things that only HE does.. and things that ‘I’ am responsible for doing. Happily… the disgusting, stinky, dirty area of sin falls under HIS expertise. But it appears I am not completely off the hook. Today’s verse reminded me that my body, soul and spirit can be washed clean by Him.  But it is MY job to BRING it to Him in the first place. ‘Draw near… SINCERELY!’

I admit that cleaning the of crud of my life is a nasty business. But I have learned that there are some areas where God does NOT want my help. In fact, my interference… interferes! I am called to sincerely show up with the dirty laundry… He then lovingly cleans. No role reversal is permitted. The meaning is obvious… If I smell, see or sense ANY crud in my life… and I DO have the senses to notice… I am required to deliver it to HIM. And THAT is how God does laundry EVERY time!

“you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” Colossians 3:9-10

Calling to confirm plans to visit my son and his family for dinner, I told him I was free and could come earlier if he had any projects needing my help. He snickered in the phone and said… “Oh, I got a project!” Anticipating, I smiled. Until he said, “I’m changing the brakes on my truck!” Immediately I was transported to a ‘not so happy’ experience years ago! I reluctantly agreed to help because I have learned that family trumps bad memories every time.

It was many years ago on a cold and snowy winter day when the old car we drove needed brakes. We were so poor that even the cheapest brakes put a dent into my wallet. But the job had to be done. After reading up on the ‘how-to,’ all went well until it was time to bleed the brake line. As I applied pressure to the bleeder valve, it snapped off from rust, resulting in one of the few times this grown man ever cried! Flashing back to the present, my son had just asked for my help… so I sucked it up and headed out.

On the way I reminded myself that it couldn’t be THAT bad. I fought to convince myself to look at the positives. I live in Florida now, so snow was out. It wasn’t going to cost ME anything but time, which I had. Monetary cost to me was out… because it was HIS truck! When I got there I was elated! He hadn’t just purchased the brakes.. but had gone ahead and bought ALL new rotors AND Calipers as well! That might not mean much to some… but the point is.. EVERYTHING was BRAND NEW! There was NO chance that old rust was going to be a factor!

While working, the occasion became even MORE joyous when my other son showed up to help.. then my daughter arrived. In-laws and a pack of grandkids congregated around as the guys worked. The GOOD news is, the job went off without a hitch. I suffered a brain burp when it came time to bleed the brakes!!! But it was not a problem at all! All that remained was the test drive! I was never so happy as to ‘almost be put through the windshield,’ in my life! It was a good day as I chocked up NEW and GOOD experiences in auto repair!

The verse today says that I no longer operate under the conditions of my old life, since it has passed away. Life is no longer cold and bleak, since Jesus Christ gave me a NEW life with NEW operating conditions. I am promised that the Holy Spirit is ALWAYS with me…so I am never alone. Because I have access to HIS mind and strength, I do not have to rely on my own. I also have a great loving Church family who encourages, supports and helps when difficulties arise. All in all, operating in this NEW life is MUCH better than operating in the old. I can STOP things even better than I used to.

Sometimes driving down memory lane can be a GOOD thing. Especially when it reminds me… I don’t HAVE to ‘go there’ anymore! But I have decided I will continue to avoid auto repair!