“Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” Hebrews 12:13

In the effort of preparing to bring joy to my lovey wife, I found myself doing something I have never done, with the goal of meeting an exact specification, of which I have NO idea! I’m sure it’ll turn out just fine!

Living for 32 years in a house with my artistic wife has had it’s challenges. She gets tired of things looking the same and likes to change them to meet a standard only SHE knows. And she KNOWS it when she SEES it! I’m not complaining. Just stating facts. With new pavers going in next month, I have been working to get everything ready. I discovered that leveling ground is an art!

Our patio area must have been built on a Monday. While it LOOKS good, the runoff from major rains pool water in places we do not want. Even the gutters were hung wrong! The water runs and pools to the middle! We hope to eliminate where rain rests with new pavers. One area REALLY needs to be re-leveled to do that. Using my eyeballs, I found that task more challenging than it looks!

Hebrews 12 has been coming up to me a lot lately. It’s subject is about my cooperation with God to meet His standards in order to properly grow. If you’re like a lot of folks who think, “it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere,” you will not like this chapter. It is full of exact details of what God expects ME to DO, with disciplinary warnings if I DON’T! It, too, is harder than it looks!

What I believe, and do, CAN HURT ME. AND…it can hurt others as well. That is why ‘measuring’ my faith is not only possible, it is a requirement. God provides the tools and help to do what He expects, and His expectations do not change! But He is clear as to WHO is the one to do the sweating! It’s ME!

The world, even the Christian one, is FULL of ridiculous fairy tales that, when applied, will NOT help when the floods of pain, hardship or testing come. So God tells me, when it comes to being SURE I am walking in His ways, that ‘I’ am the one responsible to make sure the way I’m going…really IS…level! And I too, will know it when I see it!

“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16

I have developed a habit that I don’t like. I accidentally discovered it when I got out of bed and found myself, first thing, stepping on a scale! In the couple seconds I stood there awaiting the digital scale’s calibration, I realized it was about to tell me if I would be ‘happy’ or ‘disappointed!’ Then thought hit me…”hey meathead…are you outta your MIND?” Which is probably the most sane thought I had for the rest of the day!

After a physical about 6 months ago, I was told to lose some weight. That diagnosis has caused me to make many changes, altering my lifestyle. Stepping on a scale, something I rarely did, is now a common occurrence. While standing there waiting for the ‘BEEP’ and result, the thought of my mental state led to a term I’ll call “Hocus Focus!” After acknowledging that I AM nuts…the NEXT question was, ‘but what am I nuts FOR?”

Today’s Bible verse didn’t just come to me from my daily Bible reading. I actually went LOOKING for it with the attitude of, “can you tell me where to find the flour?” After meditating on its meaning, it appears to be more like discovering a cure for cancer! The subject of the verse is ‘YOU!’ And I mean ‘ME!’ Like SO many Bible verses, GOD is indirectly speaking to ME. And He isn’t asking questions. He’s giving COMMANDS!

If I can’t swim, the easiest thing to do is avoid water! Weight is not MY primary problem! But HOCUS FOCUSING on it can take my eyes OFF of what my problem REALLY is. What I do, where I go, what and why I believe and how I allow those primary things to dictate my life is what ‘the Doctrine of my life’ really IS! AND THAT affects other people as well. So God is telling me I’d better discern, watch and FOCUS VERY carefully.

There’s an old saying, “the main thing, is to keep the main thing, the main thing!” In a world full of turmoil, sorrow, manipulation and lies, the most important thing, as far as the Bible concludes is, ‘what is true, and is my main focus standing upon that truth? ‘ Reading more into this verse, the prize for doing just that ISN’T a microwave or a new car! But ‘ETERNAL LIFE!’

What I DO today is FAR more serious than I previously thought! MAN…I’ve got to get rid of some REALLY SERIOUS dead weight! 

“… my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

I can SEE again! Or at least I THOUGHT so! One of the lamps in the house had broken and needed repair. Which was both good and bad news. Good in that, I knew how to fix the problem! Bad because, I MAY have gone overboard! As I was reflecting on the purchase of the repair parts, I got ‘The Nudge!’ Was God tying to tell me something??

The lamp had been driving me crazy for a while. When it finally broke I went online to look at how much it would cost to get the part to fix it. Unlike the old days, shopping online provides PLENTY of options. I discovered that I could get the part I needed for $6.99. Shipping was free, as long as I spent more than $25! But after clicking through all the options, I found a site where I could actually get FOUR of that same part…FOR ONLY $8.99! I should have quit while I was ahead!

The box came with 4 parts. Using 1, I now had 3 more for the future…JUST IN CASE! The box of parts sat in the living room, driving Katie crazy, for a week before I mentally accepted the fact that I had to PUT them somewhere! But in a garage FULL of pieces and parts…WHERE could I put them where I would REMEMBER them WHEN I needed them? Having NEVER needed to fix this particular part on a lamp in my life…EVER…I now had 3 more for any possible future failure. And they ONLY cost me $2 MORE!

O.K…I MAY be overthinking this! But then again, maybe not! When the water line to my ice-maker sprung a leak last week, I bought a couple parts that ended up being ‘left over’ then too! I stuck them in a tiny corner of one of my dozens of drawers with the thought, “I’ll remember I put them there!” But now…I’m guessing that when I die, my kids are going to go CRAZY sorting through all the VALUABLE STUFF I left behind! And there’s that nudge again!

Does God supply ALL my needs at the exact time I need them? Is it possible that He already supplied.. but I lost or wasted it? Do I need to become more organized? Is it time to clear out the garage? Or should I make out a will to prohibit any sibling fighting over my treasures? Should I have SAVED the $2 and just got 1 part! It’s all so confusing! But with the lamp repaired, at least I can SEE!!!! Or can I?

Today’s Bible verse adds some confusion to itself too! Depending on which version I looked at, the first word was either ‘AND’ or ‘BUT!’ Some versions left those off altogether. To me…there is a BIG difference between AND and BUT! But before I start thinking too crazy AGAIN…I’m just going to focus on the most important part of the verse, “MY GOD SHALL SUPPLY” and leave the rest right there…in the corner of that drawer…where I’ll NEVER forget it again!!     What bright idea!!!

“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2:17

Having previously made the appointment to meet a friend for lunch, I had PLENTY of time! Besides lunch, I had made a list of things to do, then crammed in a couple more good measure. The clock was ticking…and I was ‘on it!’ But all that thinking had me a little worn, so I sat down to relax for ‘JUST a few minutes.’ Tic Toc!

I never really considered how much math and time go together. As I planned the time of my departure, I ticked off the things I needed to do and ‘how long’ they ‘take me.’ When forced, it takes me 4 minutes to shower, 3 minutes for drying, brushing teeth and shaving. Depending on the event, it can take me 1.5 to 2 minutes to get dressed. Yup!!!! Plenty of time. Except…I laid my phone and keys down…SOMEWHERE! And just like that…having NOT planned for stupid…I was out of the time stuff!

En route…traffic, slow drivers in the left lane and red lights all became my enemies as I tried to MAKE UP for LOST TIME! And I really believed I could do it…beat time, that is! But looking back on it, I realize how ridiculous the concept of grabbing, stopping or making up for lost time really is!

I don’t own time! It isn’t mine and I can’t really buy it! Since time is a unit of measure that God has implemented on earth, all I CAN do is use it to measure my steps. Since time is impartial, it can’t cheat and shave a little off to give someone else. Time has no heart, mind, concern or feelings for ANYTHING. The USE of it is STRICTLY up to ME! Though this verse implies that there IS a judgment coming that will measures how well I USED time! Strangely, the prize is eternity with the timekeeper!!

EVERYONE wears a watch, carries a phone, or hangs a clock to enable them to know what time it is. But if the basis of all things eternal is NOT time, but knowing and doing God’s will, shouldn’t I stop watching the clock and take more time to know and do His Will? Thankfully, God has told me how to do just that! It’s by slowing down and using time to READ, LEARN and then DO what HE says! 

Times up

“But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:5

Today is, or would be, my father’s Birthday. If he were alive today, he’d be 93! Though he has ALWAYS been a part of my life, even after he died, I STILL find the number hard to believe! 93 is a LOT of YEARS! But today is not just significant because it’s HIS birthday! It is ALSO the Birthday of something He started…and then left behind.

Today is the 44^th Birthday of the Congregational Church…a church He founded in 1977. I remember it well because I was there. Like most churches, it was not born out of joy or celebration, but in sorrow and pain. It came about when a small group of people, looking for a fellowship to learn and grow in Jesus Christ, met and decided to start their own. Yet I know it to be one of the most painful decisions my father ever made.

While it is true that wounds heal…scars last a lifetime. And while it isn’t beneficial to relive their cause, scars DO give the necessary ‘head of steam’ to move us onward. Having been there for the birth of my 4 children, I RARELY remember my wife discussing the pain and labor of their delivery. Only the joy of their births. So today is a celebration!

We all know ‘Church’ is HARD! It always has been. Like a ship, it is built for a mission. Made up of parts and people that often break down, and facing a continuing hostile environment, it’s a wonder that ships go anywhere! It would be safe if the Ship simply sat in Port! But like the saying goes, ‘that isn’t what ships are built for!’ Neither was I!

The world has developed an unfortunate saying that, like the harbor quote, goes against the very reason I was created. As people in a lost and dying world, “STAY SAFE” is probably the most ridiculous message I have ever heard! The Apostle Paul knew and lived dangerously and pressed people to get out there and do the same! The Church has a mission and a message. NEITHER is SAFE!

I have to admit chuckling at the thought of being upset with my earthly and Heavenly Fathers. For as long as I can remember, I KNEW I was made for a purpose. AND that living out that purpose would bring unwelcome pain. But I can’t really stay mad that both Fathers built and put me in the position for which I was created. Because deep inside I know, I was never meant to be ‘safe!’ If you love Jesus Christ…neither were YOU!

The very thing I didn’t want to hear was the very thing I needed the most! As a walking ‘dead’ person, I needed LIFE! But LIFE requires work, mission and cooperation! Working together creates friction. Going places is dangerous. There is ALWAYS the temptation to simply quit and be safe. But CHURCH is all about Birthdays! Which is WHY I am here in the first place!

Happy Birthday Dad… and to the Congregational Church of Laurel!

“…our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope…” 2 Thessalonians 2:16

Waking to the darkness is not exactly one of my joyful experiences in life. After a restless night, I found that I was sleeping my best when I was rudely notified by my alarm clock that it was time to get up. As I struggled to climb into reality, and before my feet even hit the floor, one thought brought joy to my spirit…IT’S FRIDAY!!!!!

I’ve been up for a while now…AND had my coffee…so I can think with a little more clarity. And I am wondering just WHY I quickly perked up at the thought that it was Friday? I concluded what everyone already knows…Friday has special meaning because, to students in school, and employees punching a time clock, Monday through Thursday were WORK days. Friday is the LAST day before THE WEEKEND! And WEEKENDS meant NO MANDATORY WORK!

I’m not a student anymore, nor do I punch a clock. In fact, for last 20+ years, weekends usually mean MORE work for me, personally. But my head and feet didn’t recognize that in the dark fog and slap a frown on my face! In fact, my immediate reaction was a SMILE…a spark…a joy! But WHY???? Maybe it’s the power of the past!

Memories, especially GOOD ones, linger longer than reality and have a way of bringing with them the FEELINGS associated with what WAS or USED to be. Something that happened long ago, like a trip with the kids to the mountains, a honeymoon, Christmas…those things still can make me smile! And a smile on my heart puts a smile on my face. Such is the POWER OF THE PAST!!!

I deliberately cut out, and used, the MIDDLE of this Bible verse. It gives me a POWERFUL message all by itself, even if it’s not the total and complete thought of the verse. The POWER of this message comes from something that happened in the PAST! God and His son Jesus (HIMSELF), when they looked at me with GRACE…then LOVED and GAVE! And the gift that they gave, even BEFORE I was born, was the ability to look forward…with eternal encouragement and good hope! Kind of like a Friday!

I like this idea that the past has a way of catching up with me. When that thought of eternal encouragement and good hope hit me, it had automatically made me smile. Because, in light of eternity, EVERY DAY is like a FRIDAY! I don’t have to be down, sad, blue, depressed or worried. And THAT is GOOD NEWS!

There is a WHOLE LOTTA GOOD THINGS COMIN’ because of what God already did. More than I can even think or imagine, the Bible says. So I believe I will take this as a heavenly nudge and plan for a GOOD day instead of a dark one. And if you want to join me…TGIF to you too!  

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 11:30

Yesterday I played pretend! I have to admit that it wasn’t for fun, but out of necessity. In reality, I subconsciously KNEW I was playing. But the whole point of playing ‘pretend,’ is to make it look real…right down to the smallest detail. The outside uniform, the actions…even the tiniest inflections in the voice! Arrrrrrrrr! I was playing the role of pastor SO well, the only one who knew I was really gaming…was ME! Oh…and God of course!

Now might be a good time to throw out the “But everybody does it!” card. But then I’d be stepping out of my pretended role! And in the game of pretend, even excuses can give one away. NO!!!! I’ve got to keep going…and pretend…and not stop. I gotta be BRAVE and STRONG and FEARLESS and NOBEL! ESPECIALLY NOBEL! That way, everybody seeing me will actually BELIEVE that they believe me! Which is the whole point of the game. Isn’t it?

But for right now, I’m in a self-imposed time out. Because sitting here, alone at my computer, I don’t have to pretend. In fact, I already know God, the one I am MADDENINGLY in love with, would prefer I NOT play right now. And what a relief!!!

These days, acting heroic has been tough! It’s kind of like soldiers who have prepared for battle. Even though ‘Boot Camp’ has been perfected to match the intensity of battle, no one REALLY knows how they will perform until they find themselves facing the REAL thing. That’s why they call it REALITY! Apparently, playing pretend is supposed to help!

Sometimes I have to write when I don’t feel like it. Or preach, or encourage, or help…often under the pressure of a time clock. And though I REALLY don’t like THAT part, I’ve played pretend enough that I’ve even gotten good at beating the clock! For now though, it’s just me and God. And I gotta confess. I’m FEELING pretty puny down here!

Pastor, husband and father are three of the biggest roles I play. Having done them for a LONG time, there ARE times when “ya gotta fake it till ya make it!” Times that require, if not the ACTUAL wisdom and aura of a great leader, at least the APPEARANCE. But as the song says, “Truth be told, the truth is rarely told!” So I pretend.

I’m not as wise, staunch, faithful, joyful, brave, clean and reverent as some people THINK I am…sometimes. Sometimes I am just plain scared out of my mind! I get confused, angry, lost, hurt and have even been known to lose faith! Although thanks to ‘Pretend,’ most people don’t notice. But me and God know. And we’re talkin’! I LOVE talking to God…the ‘Real Deal…’ because He REALLLLLLLY loves me…even when I’m pretending!

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15

Getting up every morning and putting on the shoes of my vocation is not really something that causes rapturous joy! But yesterday, I found myself at a Donut shop talking with one of my Jesus ‘tough guys’ with just that feeling! And though I almost missed it, the point didn’t miss me! We were having laughing and having FUN!

I got a video the other day from my son. He was laughing and having a ball ‘doing donuts’ on a Tugboat! Yea, I thought the same thing. Because I’d never think to put those things together either! But there he was, in recorded time, doing something even HE never would have been able to think up! The joy in the donut shop was kind of like that.

Our meeting started with, “hey, I’d like to get together and talk,” and turned into 2 hours of CHURCH time! As we talked, we laughed, got serious, asked questions, wondered and by worshiped through our attitudes. When the place closed down around us, we stood outside and carried on in the parking lot! More questions, discussions and laughter came as serious subjects and fears fell to the ground…one by one…all brought on by the HOPE that comes from following our mutual Savior.

The Bible verse today is quite presumptuous! It presupposes that when I DELIBERATELY put Jesus Christ FIRST in my life, then this other something will naturally follow. That something…Peter calls HOPE! It’s a strange and fuzzy kind of emotion. I know when someone is happy when they are laughing or smiling. I can SEE sorrow and pain in tears. But what kind of face screams out HOPE??

There MUST be an air or aura of hope that somehow gets displayed when I am focusing on Jesus, because the Bible tells me to ‘BE PREPARED’ with an answer for it when it happens. Which leads me to wonder and question, “do ‘I’ show it when I am out in the world?” And if I do…HOW? And can I turn it on an off? Am I even making SENSE now?? I’m going to have to end here and talk to the guys about this…because right now, I’m just doing donuts!

Is it better to do something than to do a lame nothing??? HMMM I wonder… and HOPE so.

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” 1 Corinthians 4:20

Finding the day to ourselves and with a task to get done, Katie and I decided to tackle the job of digging, pulling, cutting and removing all the roots from a tree we removed from the corner of our patio area. Peaches (a pet name for my wife) wanted new pavers. Peaches is GETTING new pavers. Peaches is digging!

The palm tree wasn’t really tall as much as it was decorative. What it missed in height, it made up for in roots! For the future new pavers not to sink, we were told to “get em ALL out!” So we dug deep! When my shovel hit something different, it required me to go deeper. What I found was an underground conduit, WITH wiring, going…SOMEWHERE! What I uncovered was a mystery that I SHOULD have already expected!

While digging and pulling, the words, “I can’t figure out what this is for,” kept coming out of my mouth. When Katie said, “well, why did you put it there,” I was shocked! She said, “I even helped when you did it and remember you getting mad and cussing when it wasn’t going well!” Yup… that was me! But I don’t remember exactly what it was for OR how and where it connected to the main power! Another shocking conundrum!

As I get older I find that there are LOTS of things I don’t remember. It’s not that I am losing my mind! It’s just that I have had SO many years to do SO many things, I just can’t hold it all in my pea pickin’ brain! I like to THINK I remember the IMPORTANT stuff! But apparently not! NOW….knowing the power source and purpose of this buried electrical wire has become EXTREMELY important!

Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe, has laid down principles that ALWAYS work…ALL the time! Like gravity, these ‘power’ principles can be counted on…even MORE than religion! But “TALK” isn’t one of them! If digging through this confusing world of 2021 finds me, at times, flustered and irritable, I should automatically COUNT ON the fact that Jesus Christ has THE ANSWER and that HIS POWER is there…ready and available to be used.

Like that buried conduit and wire, I HAVE the potential for the power to overcome the emotional misgivings of today. The obvious lack of peace, irritability and confusion are simply signs that I have FORGOTTEN Jesus and His Power are there…READY to be used. But it is up to ME to choose to make that connection. Love, Joy, Peace and ALL the other spiritual fruits are there to be had and enjoyed. LACK of them simply proves that “I” have FORGOTTEN my power source.

There’s a benefit to finding that power line, We can use it right where it is, and for our enjoyment, when the new pavers go in. But for today I am going to REMEMBER the lesson of the buried power cable and be joyful. And TRY not to forget that JESUS has ALL the Power I NEED…for today AND for tomorrow!

And THAT’S the shocking truth!