“Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah (Peter), for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.”

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'” Matthew 16: 17 & 23

I went to bed last night with hope. I awoke, tried to breath through my nose, said a few words out loud then walked to bathroom. It wasn’t looking good! The Bible says, ‘Hope differed makes the heart sick.” And I was! This is day 6 of a nasty cold, or something, that I just can’t seem to shake. You know… and you remember… because you have been here too! My morning ritual confirmed that I am not out of the woods yet! What I WANTED and what I GOT are 2 different things!

I can think of nothing more humbling than illness. When healthy, life is good and choices are endless. Illness brings with it doubt, weakness, disappointment and a strange sense of failure. I am reminded that I am NOT that strong and that, in reality, I can fix almost NOTHING. I am a finite being, capable of being destroyed by a microscopic parasite! But… what is this HOPE thing that I cling too?

The 2 verses above we spoken to Peter by Jesus within 6 verses of each other. The first one is a blessing that God had revealed something to Peter that Peter could NEVER have received on his own. The 2^nd one is a curse, received the exact same way! And Peter is confused. 1 moment dominated by God… the next… by satan. Living on the sick and dying Earth, you know that feeling too! But don’t get depressed! There is MORE to the story!

When I am not well I become introspective. I talk to God more, ask more and seek more. I thank God for family and friends who lay no more pressure on me than to ‘take it easy and get rest.’ That ‘time and God are on MY side.’ As I read and listen for God’s voice, I CAN hear that He is trying to tell me something. So I read and listen even more. The red letters AFTER Jesus says these 2 statements to Peter give me a clue as to what He wants me to see.

Matthew 16:24 says, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.“ In Peter’s case he literally DID… being hung on a cross upside down! The bold challenge of Matthew 16:25 brings the harshness of the decision to my own doorstep! Jesus goes on to say, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” If Jesus is serious, then I realize He isn’t interested as much in healing my sickness as He is in seeing me DEAD! SHOCKING stuff!

There is nothing more I want than to FEEL better. But I hear God whispering to me that ’feeling better’ is overrated! He has a MUCH better life for me if I will just quit being so whiny and selfish and turn it ALL over to Him. He reminds me AGAIN that He is NOT interested in a Co-op. He wants a TOTAL INVASION! This sickness is showing me that what I’ve GOT is NOT what God wants me to HAVE! But what my Flesh WANTS… is NOT what I am going to GET! After listening to Him, that is OK with me! 

“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Colossians 1:28 BSB

My granddaughter sat at the counter eating a crunchy snack. When the bag was empty, she started to play a game with the crumb, using her hands to sweep them all into a pile. “How thoughtful of her,” I thought. Then she swept the pile right onto the kitchen floor! My wife had just cleaned them 2 hours before! I was horrified and corrected her actions by admonishing her for trashing her grandmother’s recent hard work! A little guilt might help??? Or so I thought.

Later, we were at a restaurant and again, the whole scene played out like a scene from the Twilight Zone. I watched with interest as she gathered a small pile of breadcrumbs together in front of her. Without even looking my direction, she quickly swept them right onto the carpet… with ZERO remorse, I might add! In shock again, I appealed to her sympathetic side by explaining someone ELSE will now have to clean up HER mess. Even now, I am not sure if the teaching moment made a difference.

Around the world at various times I am sure there have been peasants who were executed by tyrants for lesser offenses. Lawbreakers and the inconsiderate shared the same fate. Death, banishment, hard labor, beatings and prison are penalties for infractions of any kind. While 1 or 2 of those options may have appealed to me at that moment, all I could do was shake my head with a smirk. After all, she IS my Granddaughter! I paid for her meal.

The only thing harder than ‘being good’ is to try to teach someone ELSE how to ‘be good.’ Because of SO much bad, the system seems rigged for failure. Holding up a list of rules seems to make things WORSE… not better. Enter God, the original ‘Rule Maker!’ He DEMANDED that men be PERFECT if we want to be on His team. 2/3rds through the play, everyone in the room was SHOCKED when He tore up the script!

It is an impossible task to teach people, who are already guilty of being bad, to behave. Guilt had only 1 consequence… punishment. But when God sent His Son to PAY for guilty, Teachers became Preachers of a New Gospel. And the new script? “It isn’t about what you DO… it is about who’s you ARE!

I love my granddaughter. I want everyone ELSE to love her too. With that in mind, I work to instill qualities that will help in that regard. But regardless of what anyone else thinks or believes, she IS MY GRANDDAUGHTER. My love for her makes me choose to see her… perfect! Which is exactly how God sees her! The lessons WILL continue because she is related to me! Crumbs and all!

“God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness (The Law), which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14

I received a certified letter for Ken McCay that looked official. It stated new evidence had been discovered that Mr. McCay was guilty of causing a multiple car crash on U.S. 41. Instructions for the court date and time, as well as a warning of severe penalties for failure to appear, actually made me laugh! You see, Ken McCay was my father. And he has been dead for years!

I supposed I could go dig him up from his resting place out behind the church, since I know exactly where his remains are. But I think it would be a major waste of energy. No matter the judge, jury or prosecutor, they will NEVER make the charges stick! When he died, he became FREE from the wrath of the Law! They couldn’t even dismiss the case… because there IS NO case!

Satan is a cunning, yet defeated foe! He has no power The verse above clearly states that “God forgave us ALL our sins!” It goes on to say that he then DESTROYED the very definition of sin (the Commandments) by nailing them to the Cross with Christ! Even if a reasonable charge of murder could be made against a believer, God the Father, and Judge, would respond… “What is murder!?” Not only are Christians FREE.. We are FREE INDEED!

Guilt and shame are powerful tools in the hands of our adversary. Fortunately, there is not a speck of truth to the charges. But if satan can get you to BELIEVE you are a filthy sinner deserving of punishment, then he can literally steal your joy and ability to live a victorious life. While his charges are false, they CAN be effective. A soldier who accidentally shoots himself in the foot during battle is just as useless as a dead soldier who took a fatal shot to the head.

Grace is a BIG word. MUCH bigger than we can even realize or imagine. When I go to the beach there is usually a little child who is setting near the water digging a hole in the sand. He giggles and laughs as the hole fills with water. “Look mommy, I made an ocean!” Such is the case of the believer who tries to EARN God’s forgiveness by good works motivated by guilt. The OCEAN is VASTLY larger than anything WE can even imagine or build. All we need to do is SWIM in it!

That notice for Ken McCay? I threw it in the trash with a smirk! If they want my dad, let them come get him! I have more important things to focus on.     

“The former regulation (The Mosaic law) is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope (Jesus’ Grace) is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” Hebrews 7:18-19

My quick run to get something from my truck was impeded when I heard the sound of the riding lawnmower in the next yard. Looking toward the sound, I saw Willy… and he saw me. As I started toward him, he stopped under a shade tree and turned off the engine. I hadn’t spoken with him in a while and it was time to catch up.

Willy cuts lawns in the neighborhood so we don’t talk very long. Quickly sifting through greetings, Jesus stuff and landing at trivial matters, we somehow got to talking about ethanol fuel and just how the corn produced alcohol additive can damage an engine. How did the government come to mandate such a ridiculous idea? A little research revealed that it was politicians, farmers and tree huggers!

In 2001 the EPA and farm lobby concocted the idea mandating ethanol. It satisfied the greed of farmers looking for a way to make more money from forced growing of corn. It gave the EPA and excuse as they pressed to clean up air pollution. Having grown up in Pittsburgh in the 50’s and 60’s, I compared the air to then and in 2001 and concluded that most people had NO idea of what air pollution really was. So for 18 years, Americans have been living with the damage ethanol can do to a weed-eater!

If I made you upset at the former paragraphs… I have your attention. Now I am going to add fuel to the fire. Since the birth of the Church, satan and controlling wackos have been messing with your Christian roots, mixing the Mosaic Law with Grace, FORCING you to gum up your life with legalistic muck. In the effort to sabotage you, they use the Old Commandments to make people feel guilty, pointing to the old system of do’s and don’t s for corrective action. But Jesus tells us to not fall for it!

Telling a legalizer that the Old Testament Law was ‘weak and useless’ is like stabbing at a sleeping, junk-yard dog. In an effort to win an argument they may get loud and vicious… but they will not have any Biblical grounds on which to stand. This verse, and others like it, prove the point.

The Old Law PROVED that I was a sinner in need of a Savior. But that is ALL it did. It had ZERO ability to save me, since it simply proved my failure. Jesus came, fulfilled the requirements of the Law and paid it’s penalty on my behalf. I am SAVED by Grace through Faith… PERIOD. It is a FREE GIFT which I may either receive or reject. It is just that simple!

Over the years I have thrown away weed-eaters and chainsaws because of damage due to Ethanol laced fuel. In the world and the church, FAR too many people have been damaged by the lie that to get to heaven you have to BE GOOD… which is impossible! Jesus came and CLEARLY threw out that old ‘ weak and useless system and now says, “to get to heaven… you simply have to BE MINE!”

What are YOU running on?  

“And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10

I had just received a forth threatening letter from the County where I live. 4 letters from 3 agencies telling me I am out of compliance and that legal action could be taken if I do not correct the issues immediately! All I could do was shake my head and roll my eyes! Some people have WAY too much time on their hands!

We had an old house on a property that we sold. We sold the house for $1…the buyer planning to move it to another property. About 3 weeks ago the house was moved. Instantly I started getting letters that I was out of compliance because there is a water well, a septic system AND some debris that had not yet been cleaned from the move. Which is all very funny… here’s why.

I had contacted the county months ago to let them know that the electric to the house had been disconnected and that the house was going to be moved. The process took longer because the county delayed the process. I called to have my taxes lowered since the house would be gone. I was told that it wasn’t possible to lower them until NEXT year! Though the house is gone… I am STILL required to pay TAXES like it is still THERE!

Hebrews 10 is a MEGA chapter in the Bible that deals with the problem of man and sin. It requires a lot of concentration to actually understand what Christ did on the cross. The term ‘once-for-all’ is used several times as God explains that, not only did He rid mankind from ALL sin, He destroyed the law that described what ALL sin was as well! Poof!!! Just like that – GONE! Unfortunately, most Christians do not understand the memo! They are still paying taxes on something that is GONE!

Some days, just like you, I feel guilty. Because I drag this flesh around, it is inevitable that I will ALWAYS fail the ‘Perfect Test,’ at least while I walk this Earth. That failure can bring sorrow and shame, creating a DEEP desire be free from it. One way to feel freedom is to beg and seek God’s forgiveness. But having been forgiven 2000+ years ago, once for all, this verse, and many like it, remind me that I need not ASK for something I ALREADY POSSESS! It is POSSESSING that perfect gift that actually helps me to live MORE perfectly! If I’m free from it….why LIVE IN it?

Today I will call the county and remind them that my house is still there…. at least on the books! Maybe THAT will get them to lower my taxes! In reality, I am blessed with an even GREATER, LONG TERM reality. My sin is GONE FOREVER… and I NOW own a mansion in glory where I will NEVER have to pay taxes. You see…. Since my dad is the King, He rigged the system to MY favor!! POOF!

“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” Luke 12:24

Getting home last evening the sun was still up and the weather was beautiful. Doing what I normally do when Katie and I get back together after work, we were telling each other about our day. As I was talking, a bird flew into the garden beside the house. Right in the middle of one of my sentences, Katie immediately turned her head and said.. “Awwww look! A female cardinal!” We both stopped and watched her!

You may have heard about Katie’s garden. She LOVES flowers, shrubs, birds and butterflies. Every morning she sits there for her quiet time, looking out at the scene and listening to her fountain. Now, it was providing another very peaceful moment, stopping both of us in mid conversation! Recalling this Bible verse, my smiling face turned into an inquisitive scowl when I remembered that Jesus said ‘RAVEN’… NOT ‘CARDINAL!’

Cardinals are mostly herbivores – seed eaters. They are clean and very pretty. Ravens, on the other hand, are omnivores, eating both seeds and meat. They are mostly carnivores… scavenging on carrion (dead animals), garbage, rodents and cardinal eggs! My scowl simply reflected a question… why did he say RAVENS and not Cardinals. It appeared to me, based upon what they eat, that ravens are NASTY birds. What was Jesus’ point?

The very next 2 verses that follow Luke 12:24 point out a nasty problem for humans. That of ‘anxiousness’ or ‘WORRY!’ “DO NOT BE ANXIOUS,” Jesus says. As soon as I recognized it, I was forced to admit that, at least in MY life, I am more similar to a raven than the cardinal. And that WORRY and ANXIOUSNESS more adequately represent ‘carrion’ than ‘birdseed!’

Just coming off Easter and remembering the cost and pain it took for God to redeem me from the Lake of Fire, it should automatically register that a small thing like worry should not even be a ‘blip’ on my life monitor. But it does! With Christ’s life flowing through mine, I SHOULD look and act more like a Cardinal than a Raven. But sadly, and far too often…well…you get the picture.

I am not sure that this is the reason Jesus used a dark scavenger bird instead of a pretty songbird for an example of His loving care. It would make sense though! There is NOTHING pretty about my flesh and God has every reason to ‘shoo’ me away from His garden. But this verse reminds me that I have the CHOICE to place my life and trust into HIS sustaining hands. And when I do…. I can truly live a much prettier life… AND with a SONG!

How do YOU look and sound?

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Psalm 122:1

‘Where do these go? How can I help? Where do you want the coffee? Is it time yet? How do the chairs lineup? Should we start now?’ These, and many others, were questions asked of Katie and I as we were preparing for Easter. It was a whirlwind week as preparations had to be made, the church setup and torn down for different events. I felt more like a Martha than Mary, and confessed a desire to switch roles!

Years ago, when my father was the preacher, he would often ask ME to preach on Easter Sunday. With all the services and preparations, adding the word ‘preacher’ to the agenda can make for a mentally tough week. Asking ME to preached freed him up for interaction with people. But don’t get me wrong… I am not whining! When Easter comes, I feel like a Groom on wedding day!

If you have ever experienced a family wedding or a funeral you will know what I am talking about. All the preparations that lead up to the exact date and time on a calendar have a way of placing the bride and groom in a kind of fog. Relatives, friends and loved ones converge, seemingly all at the same time, allowing almost NO time to spend with any ONE person. When it is over and they are all gone, what remains is a memory, along with a wish that we could have spent more time together.

Holy Week (Easter Week) is is the single greatest event in the History of the world! It doesn’t even matter if you believe it or not, because it IS! All of us KNOW that we are sinners and not worthy of God’s love. But God saw the loss of His created ones as a disaster in need of repair. Taking the initiative. and out of His love, He came to US when we could not get up to HIM. Our debt was paid and we got a chance to set at the Head Table! If we wanted it!

As long as there are ticks on a watch and dates on a calendar, there will be sorrows for opportunities missed or regrets that something was not done. It is inevitable. But Jesus Christ, the one who LONGS for quality time with His beloved, gives us a single Biblical command that will help us prepare for the ULTIMATE, UNENDING gathering in Heaven… “Do not give up meeting together!” Hebrews 10:25.

Christians are family. And while we may not always see eye to eye, we ARE all part of the same part that matters to His Son… His Heart! When we all congregate together, we get to see, hear and experience just a little taste of His Love and Grace. One day, the experience will never end.. and there will be NO sorrow or regret for time lost. Heaven WILL be GREAT? Not just because Jesus will be there… but because YOU will too!

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

A bunch of folks were coming to the church for lunch and I needed to make something that would feed them all. With helpful ideas from family and friends, I pulled together a list of ingredients. Coincidentally, the day’s mail contained several grocery store ads, so I did some pre-comparative shopping. I got a shock when I hit the last store and realized… I would have done better if I had I reversed the order!

Without knowing ALL the prices, I had decided to FIRST hit the Dollar Store for some basics. After all… EVERYTHING’S cheaper at the Dollar Store… right? Taco seasoning at the Dollar Store… $1. A local grocery store…$.29!!! HUH? One store I went to had Tortilla shells in the ‘2 for 1’ isle priced at $2.89. When I got to the register I was told, “That’s not until tomorrow!!!” HUH? I got em at the Dollar Store for… you got it! $1!

There used to be a TV commercial for a peanut butter brand that catered to kids. The slogan was, “Choosy mothers choose JIF!” Interestingly, it was geared toward KID TV time-slots. NOT adults! They discovered it was the KIDS who helped influence the mothers just what to be choosy about! Not the other way around. In my quest to save some money for groceries, I discovered that I had ACTUALLY wasted TIME!

There are times when it is advantageous to shop for MONEY saving deals. In other situations I have found that the more precious commodity is my TIME. Determining which choice to choose, or to be choosy at all, can become a HUGE difficulty. NO where is that more true then when choosing one’s God!

After the Exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel had spent 40 years wandering and wondering in the desert. It took about another 7 years to conquer the land of Canaan. Many choices had been made along the way… both bad a good! Now this last chapter is Joshua’s last warning to the picky Israelites. In affect he said, ‘now that we’re home… who is going to be YOUR God? As for me and MY family… WE will serve The LORD!’

Easter is season of choice, and since it is a Holy Day, many folks get Friday off. On Resurrection Sunday, one can choose to go to church or not… to worship the LORD… or make the day about colored eggs and candy bunnies! Realistically… the difficulty in life is the choice! AS Jesus said, it is absolutely possible that one can save both time AND money… and still be lost!

I love Jesus Christ! He is FAR more precious to me than eggs or candy, time or money! I choose Him! And because He has done such GREAT work in saving ME, MY house is going to worship HIM on Easter Sunday. Where will YOU be? It’s time to be choosy!!

“How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner.” Lamentations 4:1

It is a fact that has been proven beyond all doubt. When it comes to eating dinner, it is actually cheaper and less painful for my wife and I to eat OUT than to stay home and cook for ourselves. WHY? Two things… uncertainty and craving. O.K….ONE thing… discipline! We never know what we REALLY want.. and when buying ANYTHING at the store… and SINCE there are SO many choices, we actually end up spending MORE time and money sorting through the choices than if we’d gone to Burger King. And so it is with life!

As dinner time approached, I had a craving. I KNEW what I wanted to eat, but also knew that Katie wasn’t that interested in picking the place. But it didn’t matter. The place ‘I’ was wanting to go was a place SHE loved as well. It APPEARED a win-win situation. Even more-so, since I had a coupon AND a gift card! It all went well … until it didn’t!

Have you ever noticed that cravings can be very deceptive? Born of desire, cravings PROMISE something that SEEMS to be better than it actually is. A craving can actually accentuate the idea that THIS THING will REALLY satisfy me! Which makes its failure worse than normal when it doesn’t. Such was the case with the choice of food. Everything was just a little off… and in the end, disappointment was NOT our friend!

The children of Israel were God’s kids. He was MORE than just particularly fond of them. Unlike the situation in the Garden of Eden, where God said “Don’t” just once, He had REPEATEDLY told them “DO NOT” with LONG explanations as to WHY they were to obey Him. AND He even added what would happen if they didn’t. And here, in Lamentations, they lie at last. With Jerusalem destroyed and “God’s chosen people” killed or ripped from their land. It APPEARED that the punishment did not fit the crime! How could a little craving have led to such complete destruction?

You and I are the gold and gems of Jesus Christ. I know it makes no sense to us… but isn’t that why we were created in the first place… to SHINE and reflect HIS Glory? The only problem is that pesky little CRAVING of independence. A desire to do things OUR way instead of His. And like a plague, desire, when full grown, soon contaminates EVERYTHING. Like old gold, we lose our shine. Like lost gems, regret becomes our daily food.

This Easter season is a good time to reflect on what it is we TRULY desire. Will doing things MY way lead to satisfaction… or destruction? Will I SHINE for Him or will I be lost in a dusty place? Easter reminds that Christ came to rescue me FOR Himself. His reach, seemingly beyond His grasp, stretched across a cross and spanned the abyss of death itself. But it STOPPED… just laying there at the threshold of my heart. All because TRUE love demands there be a choice. And choice is ALWAYS influenced by desire. How badly do I really want HIM? He is waiting for my answer, which will be proved by the very next step I take. Really!