“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;” 1 Peter 5:2

THE question came from my lovely wife. And, depending on what we’ve done recently or upon what I have planned, it CAN be an irritating one. “So what are we eating tonight?” THE question can be loaded. Like last night. I told her my idea and she said, “if I don’t eat a salad tonight I’m gonna kill somebody!” “WHAAA?” I was shocked, because Katie doesn’t get serious about food. But the look on her face showed… she was now!

When it comes to food, I’m more picky than her. Since she’s at her job all day, the mystery of “what’s for dinner” has been picked up by me! SOMETIMES, like last night, she doesn’t LIKE what I plan. When that happens, it’s easy to take the rejection personally. A simple comment like, “the meat was too tough,” can make me feel like it was MY job to make sure the cow was relaxed when I killed it! And I’ve never killed a cow in my life!

This week at church, the subject of how to give and take criticism came up. It came up because “I” brought it up. I had just read an article about it and was intrigued. It is MY job, as the King James Version says of this verse, to “Feed the Flock of God.” For the last 10 months that hasn’t been easy. Lots of sheep don’t WANT fed or don’t LIKE what’s in the trough! I’ve gone to take the bleatings, or lack thereof, personal!

I am honored to have the best dog gone herd of sheep there is. And since I don’t HAVE a dog, I am it! Having been ‘it’ for so long, and growing up in a house where my dad was always ‘it,’ I know that it is a fine line between ‘supplying’ and ‘force feeding.’ Every once in a while, I cross it. But thank God I’m reminded when the “eager to serve” meter tips to “I’m gonna kill someone!”

The term the writer of the article used to describe herself was as a “serial-advice-giver.” Standing in the middle of the room with all eyes on me, the ‘staff’ hit me hard. It was embarrassing!! And I KNEW the shepherd who threw it! Jesus was simply showing me that I had crossed the line! I had taken the comment, “what’s for dinner,” WAY to personally.

I care! Sometimes too much! But that care comes with a problem because, SOMETIMES…the sheep don’t! And OFTEN…what has slipped into the herd is not a sheep at all! It is times like this that I have to take a break, back off and ignore the bleating (or lack thereof). Even Jesus honors the free will of the flock. If they don’t like what He’s serving, He LETS them go graze where they wish.

After some suggestions from some sheep who love me, I made adjustments. Yesterday, my wife got salad, I took a break, and I’m working on a cure to not force feed those who don’t want what’s on the menu. I’ve also returned the flocks $50,000 bonus. Those dog gone, flocking sheep…don’t they know I can’t be bribed!!!??? 

“How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.” Psalm 31:19

For the last year I have been taking shooting lessons from a GREAT instructor. Yesterday was class. At this point we are practicing and working on pulling everything together… over and over and over again. Because all of this practice will SOON be put to the test. There is a competition coming up in less than 2 weeks.

I didn’t really decide to start this hobby. My friend and fellow Church member simply TOLD me where to be and when. Then INSISTED! Honestly I simply showed up to honor him…and to shut him up! I didn’t realize I could have this much fun and enjoy shooting so much. But I never HAVE succeeded in shutting him up! Which is a good thing.

Dan is a GREAT instructor. He knows his stuff and how to teach it. He doesn’t put up with any nonsense either. MANY times he has told me, “QUIT FOOLIN’ AROUND AND FOCUS!” Something I have ALWAYS had a hard time doing. My listening to HIM, and not focusing on what ‘I’ think is important at the time, has made me better… in more ways than one.

The thing I shoot at is called a target. As a target, it is what I aim at. AFTER I shoot, it really isn’t a target anymore. It becomes a gauge where everyone, including myself, can SEE how well I actually shot! After reading Psalm 31 today, this verse stuck out and I saw how I could make a point here! And here it is… GOD LOVES to SHOW OFF!

The biggest problem between people and God is unbelief. People focused on themselves can find LOTS of excuses NOT to believe in God. But when I SEE Him as He is, it becomes easy to spot him all over the place! This verse today says that He LOVES to show off the target of His love (ME), to those who don’t know Him. You can easily see the bullet holes of grace, love, power and benefits of God by looking at MY life. Because honesty, I SHOULD be nothing more than a disgusting gutter monkey!

How shot up are YOU and are YOU showing off as God’s target? 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1

Having made several trips this week to various stores, I was shocked to enter one that had a gal setting behind a desk, right at the doorway. The paraphernalia on the desk included Covid warnings, safety instructions, masks and hand sanitizer. Since I don’t wear a mask, the lady asked me, “would you like a face covering?” Because my sensibilities had been violated, my answer came with an angry edge to it…”No!”

A year, even 6 months ago, I could understand. But now, this mask thing has gone so far, it has become a political tool with dangerous repercussions. ‘Faith’ is what made America strong and resilient. But ‘Fear’ is being peddled as the new normal. And the masses seem to have lapped it up. Is it possible that, as a nation, we may have entirely lost our most precious commodity?

The U.S.A. was founded upon Faith in God. If God is taken out, there is really no foundational basis for our country to rest. What is left is nothing but fear. What I see and hear everyday is proof that our nation is losing its heart and soul to a lie… and all under the umbrella of personal peace and safety.

I grew up watching the Lone Ranger. The stories were predictable. It was usually a whole town that had succumbed to an evil that had overtaken it. Everyone KNEW what was wrong, but no one DID anything about it. That is until the ‘masked man’ showed up, evil was conquered, and righteousness prevailed. The final scene was a silver bullet left behind with the Lone Ranger heading toward another town. I miss him!

The former greatness of America is PROOF that Jesus works. He said in Mark 8:35, “If you lose your life, you will save it.” Which is a 180 degree turn from what I see today. What made America great is self sacrifice, working hard toward a greater good, loving and caring for one another, and drawing closer in crisis…not isolation.

The Lone Ranger wore a mask over his eyes to give him anonymity. He wasn’t looking for fame or personal wealth. I STILL have NO idea why people wear them today! But personally, I’d rather live by Faith than die in fear!

If you’re afraid to die, you’re already dead!

“But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people.'” Ephesians 4:7-8

Normally I write the Words of the Day in the morning, and while I had several ideas to go on, I could NOT get past the overwhelming feeling of gratefulness. It is all because of YOU! The only explanation I have comes from this verse today. Jesus Christ gives Gifts to His people. And the gifts ARE PEOPLE! SO I want to acknowledge and thank YOU… for YOU!

You’ve probably heard me say the line that “No one of us, have it all together. But all of us together, have it all!” It is a description that perfectly describes family and friends…and more importantly, ‘The CHURCH!’ So THANK YOU for being part of MY life. Knowing YOU makes ME a VERY WEALTHY MAN!

May God’s Peace and Joy reign in YOU today!

“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6

Last night Katie and I were treated to a royal gathering. The royal guests included my daughter and her family, and my nephew and his. Three couples, 3 Princes and 1 Princess (all 4 and under) shared play, dinner, discussion, royal history and advice. Though not advertised, the theme of the evening could easily have been called ‘Raisin’ Royalty!’

I haven’t seen my nephew for several years, since his living in California prohibits backyard get togethers. Being Family, we all shared a history that goes even BEYOND his lifetime. I shared stories about his dad while they all filled me in on the joys and challenges of being young parents! With kids playing in the pool and running around us, THEY were the obvious focus of attention. Which is the way it’s supposed to be.

Having spent the morning at the hospital and on phone calls and texts with MY sheep (the Church), I realized that life is am ever-learning and recalling experience. When I reached down to pick up the baby, my brain IMMEDIATELY went into recall mode! “Support his neck! Hold him so any sudden move won’t cause him to flop out of your arms! HE CAN’T WALK YET so DON’T STAND HIM UP! Beware of projectile vomit!”

I got away with all of them except the latter. Holding him tight, he kept jumping up and down… then threw up on my legs! What would be horrifying if an adult was humorous with a baby. Why? Because that’s what babies do! As we actively sat there, it was no surprise to me that the conversion was predominately on how to effectively raise great children! Being Christians…that means ROYALTY!

As Believers in Christ, we are destined to rule and reign with Him in Glory. What happens HERE is literally Spiritual Training. Unfortunately, and far too often, God’s kids expect GOD to do most of the work…as if by magic. It’s apparent by the kinds of requests I get. “Please pray that __________ gets healed, _________ gets a job, ________ gets relief from pain and ________’s life gets better or saved.” As a kind of spiritual dad, it becomes MY duty to explain THEIR role in the process. And it’s ALWAYS WORK!

I think that we are all children and all parents at the same time. Always learning, recalling, encouraging and cleaning up vomit or poop (yes both happened last night)! But I have to remind myself that when I was born into His family, the position came with expectations and responsibilities. The older I get, the bigger they are! But after seeing my nephew and all the parents last night, I KNOW they are all going to be JUST FINE!

So…..how old are YOU?

“For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29

I was sitting in the Medical Lab waiting to be called for my annual physical. I had tried to resist, but there was no way to get the blood test done without wearing a mask into the office. They supplied me one and I joined 5 other masked hombres in silence. Not being used to the mask, I got a tickle way up in my nose, which grew into a HUGE irritation. Then the question hit me, “to pick…or not to pick??”

I didn’t want to cause alarm in others by indulging in unacceptable behavior. Neither did I want to risk the chance of shoving a potentially diseased finger up my nasal passage! As the irritation grew, I couldn’t even find a magazine to hide behind, since during this so-called pandemic, magazines are outlawed too! Finally I buried my nose into the bend in my elbow and rubbed hard! It was then I heard…”Mr. McCay?”

Reflecting on that experience, and after reading this Bible passage again, the comedic side of God seemed to be leading me to the question, “does God pick His nose?” Digging deep, that was the question I got! Saving the next natural question, “does God even HAVE a nose,” for later, I started to scratch the itch!

The question of predestination and the debate of election (picking) believers based upon God’s foreknowledge, has been going on for centuries. I don’t mind telling you that I think some MAJOR theological bigwigs are simply out of their illogical minds when it comes to the subject! And it all has to do with the nose!

Does God pick me because He knows I’ll pick Him? Or do I pick God because He knows I HAVE to pick Him? In all my digging I have come to the conclusion that the answer to BOTH questions is YES! Which in EITHER case, points to this absolute fact… ‘I am living proof that… God indeed…DOES pick His knows!’

Do you?

“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But (because of His great love for us) God…” Ephesians 2:3

It was a birthday for my 4 year old grandson and my daughter, wise as she is, called to ask, “Hey… how would YOU like to give the birthday boy the thing he wants the most?” Feeling like I was being played, I didn’t care and said…”SURE!” She sent me the picture of a VERY cool looking Remote Control (RC) Car. She even offered to order it for me from Amazon to have it delivered. After looking at it, I called back and said… “Order 2!!”

Boys like RC Cars and ALL of my grandsons have them. I don’t! I figured having an RC Car to add to the Bubble Gum machine and the ‘Skeeter Gun’ just might win me some Grampa points! When they came to the house, I showed them the car, and off we went to the front yard. I didn’t realize ‘I’ was about to be tested!

A car is for driving. And my 2 grandsons took turns driving it into a tree! When 1 drove, the other chased it! Several times, they’d pounce on top of it like a cheetah on prey, then pick it up and haul it back to throw it down to start again!! My daughter saw my eyes and started laughing. She knows me too well, and it was all I could do to keep my mouth shut!

Being honest, I don’t like RC Cars. They take time and practice to master and they don’t interest me enough to invest. But I don’t like them most because of how I felt when the kids were playing with them. I found myself getting upset when my grandkids treated them in a way that could easily have broken them. They were having fun! I was getting reminded of MY tendency to CONTROL! Sometimes…I’m an idiot!

God made me and I am HIS. Like an RC Car, He could EASILY MAKE me do His bidding and force His will on me. Instead, He set me FREE and even allows me to make a wreck my life! And the crazy thing is, no matter how many times I make a mess of His life in me…He NEVER stops loving and giving Himself to me! Cost is no object! He paid with His LIFE!

I’ve concluded that I don’t really care about RC Cars! I care about the sons! It is not my job to control them, but to teach them. And THEY, along the way, are teaching ME a LOT about myself! So next time they ask, “can we play with the RC Car,” I’ll have to remind myself to ‘R’emember ‘C’hrist and let them go play! After all, they always come back to me when it breaks…or the battery dies!

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

We had our Granddaughter over this weekend, which is an occasional occurrence when her parents go out of town. Though it only happens a few times a year, the 3 of us have developed a kind of ritual. First thing on Friday night SHE decided where she wanted to go for dinner. When we got home, it was time to pick a movie. I didn’t realize how low our standards were!!!

It was Gema who said, have you ever seen “Teen Beach?” Apparently she had and, fancying herself as a dancer, she liked it enough to watch it again (OH GOODY!). I was going along for the ride because I didn’t have any suggestion of my own. When the opening scene started with singing and dancing on a beach, I felt myself being sucked into the vortex of meaningless entertainment!

I like 50’s music and musicals enough to be drawn into the story. But describing the movie as ‘hokey’ would be an understatement. It was brainless and cute, entertaining and nonsensical, cheesy and nutty at the same time. The last movie scene ended, as it had begun, with a dance number on the beach! After the credits rolled, Disney + automatically rolled right on into…you guessed it…’Teen Beach 2.’ Katie & Gema were ecstatic as plans were made to watch IT on Saturday night!

As we did things on Saturday, “Tonight it’s Teen Beach 2,” kept coming up. In a kind of weird way, I started looking forward to it! I didn’t know how much, until they told me that “Teen Beach 3” would be watched on Sunday Afternoon! My heart didn’t flutter, but SOMETHING registered! Getting home first on Sunday, I was asked to find the movie and have it ‘ready to go’ when they got home. Little did I know!

Desire, mood and attitude have a LOT to do with what I look forward to. When something I really love is hovering on the horizon, I find life easier to navigate even ‘rough’ seas. Long patches of ‘not so much’ can make me despondent and grumpy. Katie doesn’t like grumpy and neither does Jesus! They BOTH remind me over and over again that I am to be JOYFUL! And that for my joy to last, it cannot be based on silly nonsense. I must look to things that really matter.

As I surfed the TV, my heart began to flutter. It turns out, there IS NO ‘Teen Beach 3’ movie! They never made one…but MIGHT!!!! I became confused because I couldn’t decide if the single tear falling down my cheek was from joy or disappointment! So I thanked God, wrote a note to them and then took a nap! Sorting my feelings will just have to wait for another day!

So…….what are YOU looking forward to?? REALLY!!!

“(be)ing confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

I walked into the gym and didn’t see my 3 tough-guy, work out friends in the back corner. These High Schoolers are an inspiration, and a hope to me, for many reasons. Standing alone adjusting the music pumping into my headphones, one of them came up to shake my hand and say hi! He was working out! In more ways than 1!

Taking off my headphones, I smiled and greeted him. Pointing over to his friends at the leg machine, I couldn’t believe my eyes!!! The weight those guys were pushing was so great as to be humbling! There’s NO way I could do that! I went over to say hi and ask how much was on the machine! “463 pounds,” they said!

Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that everything in a gym is based upon WEIGHT. When I walk up to a machine and see that the last person to use it pressed TWICE what I did, it makes me wonder why I even bother! After all, ‘I’M GOING TO DIE ANYWAY!’ It’s an excuse I use a LOT to try to get out of working out. But people who care about me don’t really fall for my excuses!

When I stood in awe at the machine, I had this crazy idea and said… “Can I give that a try?” My young friends said…”SURE!” And moved away to let me in. They DIDN’T WALK AWAY! “You can DO IT!” was the mantra I heard as I heaved and pushed that 463 pounds… 1 time! They cheered me. And I felt like a champion.

Let me get this straight! I didn’t feel like a champion because I lifted the weight! I felt like a champion because of the guys who encouraged me! The guys have no real reason to even pay any attention to an old guy like me, much less cheer me on. But they DID. And, like weight on a bar, their actions proved the inside strength of character in their heart. And I appreciate them!

God pays attention to me! When HE wants to WORK OUT… HE comes to ME! I don’t deserve it and don’t even know why He bothers! But He DOES! His Word even gives me a promise that when I LET Him IN, He WILL work His Character OUT… through ME! Which usually comes in ways that ‘I’ can’t see.. But OTHERS can! I have learned to pay attention and always try to keep the door of my heart and spirit unlocked for Him to have access.

Are YOU letting Him Work Out – In You?