“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2 BSB

As Katie and I approached the table, the waitress began to set it up for us… a party of 3. It had been almost 2 years since we’d had dinner with our friend. I watched the door and saw her sheepishly scan the large room to find us. It was hard to determine it was her at first, since her hair was pulled back and she wore a mask. Waving, she saw us and almost immediately began to set the table!

I cannot tell you exactly how many years we had worked together in the same building. But it was THOUSANDS of hours. She knew my kids when they were kids! We had been working together when 911 happened! You get the idea. But when she came to our space, we weren’t sure what to do. Hug? Fist bump? Ask for a mask? And this was even before we started conversation, which started immediately!

I know her well enough to know she’d be cautious. Her politics were typically opposite of mine, and her religion was from a Catholic point of view. But she loves Jesus! And we are friends! That said, she was kind of warned by others that our meeting might be uncomfortable. They know Katie and our politics and religion, and even prompted her to ask about what WE thought! With that, the set up for our table conversation began!

After filling each other in on what and how everyone is doing, she said, “’so and so’ wanted me to ask you what you think about the President, Covid, masks and the vaccine?” The final and biggest question was, “Do you think ‘The Rapture’ is coming soon?” ‘Soon’ meant like this WEEK!

As we talked I could literally watch the stress drain from her face. And it WASN’T because she liked our opinion and answers to her questions. Rather, it was because of OUR subject basis. We talked about Jesus! We DID agree on the division, the craziness, the seeking of control and the labeling of everyone based upon politics and religion, But we NATURALLY flushed all that gunk down the sewer where it belongs and focused on what Hebrews 12:2 said to focus on! Jesus Christ! It was MARVELOUS!

When we parted we did so with smiles and hugs. And we promised to get together again SOON. It was a WONDERFUL time.

What do YOU think about?

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 2 Corinthians 10:13

The subject matter, at last writing, was the growing goldmine of trash at a house in the neighborhood. The bags and piles of potentially still usable stuff continued to grow and subside. That vacuum cleaner and bread maker MUST have actually worked, because within 24 hours they had been removed from the pile. But I DIDN’T mention the OTHER pile!

On the other side of the driveway a separate pile was started for ‘Yard Waste,’ the OFFICIAL name of the stuff as given by our local government. If you own a house that has trees, plants, brush or vegetation of any kind, you are well aware of this category and KNOW there are RULES on HOW to get rid of ‘Yard Waste!’ Clearly, this guy wasn’t following ‘The Way!’

The pile was a mountain! Tree cuttings and bushes had been thrown and left to accumulate at the curb. The other day I watched as the ‘Yard Waste’ truck stopped, and a representative placed a yellow “FOUL” sticker on the pile, then drove away. I KNEW what the sticker was because ‘I’ had experienced tagging myself. I felt bad for the offender, but there was nothing I could do. Like me, he had been ignorant, and now he wasn’t!

A friend of mine proudly told me he had invented a new term… “Predetermined Ignorance!” I believe his definition was of a person’s decision to remain ignorant, even in the face of upcoming reality. I could see the possibility in the infractor with the Yard Waste pile. What did he have to lose, even if he KNEW what the rules were? MAYBE they ‘d make an exception in HIS case! Hope is a big thing!

Truth be told, there are OFFICIALLY only 3 ways a homeowner can guarantee that Yard Waste will be picked up by the county. Bin, Bag or Bundle! There isn’t enough time to go into detail on HOW each of those methods MUST be followed. Having 2 properties, I am ALSO the proud owner of over a dozen trash cans I can use for such purposes! But while there may only be 3 OFFICIAL ways of Yard Waste elimination, there IS a FOURTH!

If one is smart and takes the proper steps, they CAN bypass the governmental system altogether! However THIS method eliminates ANY use of ‘Predetermined Ignorance’ as an excuse. It agrees that the pile IS the owners responsibility, and allows them to go to a private party for eradication! Naturally the payment is MUCH higher, but the hassle and work is assumed by the hired firm.

Jesus paid it all! I can bring my STUFF to Him and He will take it! He has His own manual for HOW to do that. But BEFORE He can help, I MUST agree and admit I have a problem in the first place! When it comes to trash, garbage or waste, I recommend Jesus Christ!

What’s YOUR way?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

For the last few weeks I have been driving past, what many might consider, a goldmine! It started out small, but over the days, all kinds of stuff was added to the pile! As the pile size increased, so did the interest of all the neighbors. And for more reasons than 1.

Some interesting stuff ended up at the curb! I MISSED a couple scooters, a vacuum cleaner and a bread maker when I thought, “I’ll have a closer look at them next time!” Next time, they were gone! Which is good! I don’t need any of those things. I WASN’T going to grab the ‘almost full’ case of water! When rugs, chairs and other furniture started coming out at the hands of the landlord, it REALLY got trashy.

Soon, the talk of the neighbors wasn’t of curiosity as much as “when’s someone going to clean that mess up?” Though no one personally really knew the tenant, several neighbors gathered around mailboxes to voice their opinion of what kind of person the evictee was! The opinions weren’t good…for apparently valid reasons.

WE were evicted once! Though it wasn’t REALLY our fault. The landlady wanted to rent the apartment to her best friend instead. The change FORCED us to ‘MOVE ON’ with our lives to another state… which turned out to be an upward move! Likewise, I’ve rented to people over the years who I’ve had to evict! I now have at least 7 garbage cans, 8 hammers, a dozen screwdrivers and various kitchen tools. I also have, in storage, a 100 gallon fish tank (if you are interested)!

I’ve thought about it! If someone moves and doesn’t take something with them, did they really need, or treasure it, in the first place? As my kids have recently reminded me, MY junk is NOT going to be clutter that they will deal with. “You can set the dumpster right here!” will be their call! Thus… the former neighbor, I did not know, seems to be teaching me some lessons.  Like:

Life is too short and valuable to hold onto stuff that doesn’t matter! 

What I think is important, often isn’t. 

How big my junk pile is will have a lot to do with the opinion others have of me. 

Some folks will take my garbage more seriously than I do. 

But I think the biggest critic of my pile will probably be my landlord!  Jesus said that my heart will be where my treasure sets. If I let too much worldly ‘stuff’ settle around, it will distract me from the REAL treasure of Life…HIM! Is the Lord of my mansion asking ME to consider some of the stuff I’ve been piling up in my heart? Because I can’t figure out why my wife is smiling!!!!

Got Junk?  What’s in YOUR pile?

“For our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:29

It’s summer in Florida! Which means the heat and humidity are out early and in full force. Going ‘out there’ for ANY length of time means discomfort and plenty of sweating. WILLFULLY going ‘out there’ seems sheer madness. But that is just what a few of us ‘Jesus guys’ were planning to do!

Almost a year and a half ago we felt compelled by God to stand on a very busy corner, near our church, and hold up Gospel signs. Nothing advertising our church or anything else. Just people proclaiming Jesus’ love to our world, along with an invitation to a new life in Him! As the sweat started to drip in my eyes, I couldn’t help but look heavenward… and snicker!

Jesus told His Church to go into the world and spread the Gospel and make disciples. He DIDN’T say it would be fun or easy! There is no doubt that we are taking that command literally! As we stand in the hot sun and talk among ourselves, we grow as His disciples… together. We also learn that God’s calling has a price!  Getting mad at Him only gets me more attention and heat FROM Him

I watched yesterday as one of our guys shifted to lean against a concrete light pole, the shade and support it lent seemed to be what he needed. He hadn’t been feeling very well lately and probably should have stayed home. But there he was! I haven’t felt very well myself lately, but like him, I did not entertain the thought of canceling out on The Master of the Universe! I prayed for both of us but noticed the sun did not relent! Thus the reason for my snicker!

God is a consuming fire! Like fire, He wants to consume ALL of me. That IS His end goal and He will NOT relent. He wants my life, my wife, my kids, my job, my attitude, my heart and my will… AND MORE! He does not negotiate, neither does He relent. He either gets ALL of me, or He will keep pushing every little button of my life until that one falls to His Lordship as well. Blood, sweat and tears are simply expected as payment.  

God’s price may seem high! To selfish people wanting their own way, like me sometimes, it is common to disregard Him or even pretend I didn’t hear His directive. Sweat then becomes the cause for a pity party instead of the Price. Having played on His team for so long, I have found that it is easier just to wipe my brow and snicker at that ol’ sun. Because I’ve learned, HIS reward is out of this world!

What is God ‘sweating out’ of YOU?

“I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:3-4

It’s been approximately 24,238 days, or 581,712 hours, since I was born and this verse sparked reality in my life. And for all those ticks of a clock, life has been moving toward…something. Yesterday was a landmark period that I decided to call ‘Social Security Day.’ The day I qualified, and could receive, the benefits of my years of labor.

I was a little nervous going through the application process. After giving them my information and number, the system fired back a verification code to my phone, which I input into a popped up form, and I was in! It wasn’t like I was introducing myself! ‘They’ have been keeping tabs on me my whole life and know more about ME than even ‘I’ remember. But I needed to prove that I was THAT GUY! Since fraud is a big problem!

There are folks out there who will lie, pretending they are me, in order to take the benefits for which I’ve been working. ‘I’ have a responsibility to keep my record clean and private, just as ‘they’ do. Pretending can get REALLY messy at this stage. But as long as everything is in order and info provided matches the record stored, benefits will be paid. But I still can’t figure out if those benefits were earned or owed!

God was around LONG before He got around to creating me. He knew I was coming though…and He made provisions. The Bible tells me that He upheld and carried me the whole way of my life. And that He will sustain me even after it. But an ‘IF’ is implied!!!!

God expects me to stay in His care and remain in His character. When I verify I am His by right, and apply His benefits to myself BY CHOICE, God blesses me with Himself. My choice is to remain His and be the guy He created me to be, or fraudulently distort His creation to become what He didn’t intend.

I can say that I know a LOT of ‘gray headed’ folks who love God. AND I can tell you that THEY have verified that God’s system works…EVERY TIME! He hasn’t ever let me down so I shall continue to bank on HIS SECURITY! Not because He OWES me, but because He promised.

Are YOU secure?

“…every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:19-21

The email from Senator Scott stood out immediately. His request was simple enough, but puzzling as well. He announced that the deadline for applications to a U.S. Service Academy was approaching, and he wanted help in identifying qualified candidates! That was on the 19^th. By the 21^st, a different story broke nationwide. And so did my heart!

My 2 Sons graduated from the USMMA and wore the same Naval uniform. In 1988, the Naval Academy received almost 16,000 applications for only 1000 slots! When the application process was going on, there was no advertisement. If you didn’t know, you didn’t go! It was the same for all 5 Federal Academies. The field of applicants was massive and open positions, very few. Not today.

On the 21^st, national news broke the story of yet ANOTHER cheating scandal at Annapolis! 18 Midshipmen have been dismissed and 82 more sanctioned because they broke the code of honesty and cheated on an exam. To say that the uniform is tarnished is an understatement. It seems a sign of the times!

My sons are spectacularly AWESOME. They are ring knockers…graduates from a system based upon excellence. But they don’t wear their rings. When I argued with them about being proud and wearing them, they let me know what I should have already known. It isn’t ABOUT pride! Their character shows up in their families, churches and jobs. In just that order. I am NOT BRAGGING because I don’t need to! Their lives speak for themselves.

I wear the uniform of a disciple of Jesus Christ who called me and put me into service for His Glory. His expectations are high. His commands are clear. His standard is a mirror for the USMMA Slogan, “Acta Non Verba… ‘Actions not Words’! And Jesus SAID as much! Lately, I have been noticing far too few applicants for ‘His Plan,’ and way too much cheating going on!

“By their fruit you will recognize them,” is not a description of how to tell if someone believes in Jesus Christ. It is a command to live up to! Disciples of Jesus DO WHAT HE SAYS! And that can get very rough sometimes. Especially when my own selfishness jumps to the head of the line and takes over the ship! Based upon today’s verse, Admiral Jesus has ZERO tolerance for cheaters of His system.

Am I His? Do I obey what He commands? Do I take responsibility for my actions, do what He says, love my spouse, family, Church and others, and represent the Savior in a positive light? Since it is an answer Jesus already KNOWS, I’d better get my life in ship shape… if it isn’t! Because I’m hearing some whistling and He’s coming up the gangplank!

How fruity are YOU?

“(Put no) hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but put hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 1 Timothy 6:17

In the grocery store the other day, I was walking down an aisle and saw a sign below laundry detergent that said, “SALE $4.99.” Now to ME, ‘SALE’ means ‘SAVE!’ So it got my attention! Now, we don’t NEED laundry detergent. The last time it went on sale I bought 2 big bottles of the stuff. But hey, being optimistic that I’m going to outlive those bottles, I paused and began to calculate.

I am NOT very good at high math, but I get by with the basics. 90% of the time I’m right, so I don’t worry about the other 5%. Upon investigation, I noticed the store did the math for me, telling me how much it cost per ounce…in fine print! It took me about 4 minutes to figure out that it would be cheaper for me to buy the biggest doggone bottle they had…at full retail! Then I remembered, we don’t need laundry detergent!

I figure that one day someone got a little too caught up in the bottom line. Maybe they needed more money to keep out of bankruptcy, or just wanted a bigger boat, but THAT someone started playing store math. The process of taking advantage has evolved since. A bigger bottle at a seemingly lower price… or the same price for a smaller package. It’s all the same thing. It’s about getting more without giving more! And Jesus doesn’t like it!

Today’s verse, and the couple that follow, parallel Jesus’ own words when He said, “Lay up for yourselves treasure in Heaven!” Long ago I realized this was a COMMAND and NOT a request! Treasure for MYSELF…NOT for HIM! Because, after all, He owns it all anyway…right? Well, not really. But he’d LOVE to! And here is the point.

God does NOT automatically own MY HEART! He wants and desires it. But it isn’t His to simply grab and run off with. Consider it like a tiny vacuum in the vast universe…about the size of a dime. He owns it ALL…EXCEPT for that part. THAT part is MINE. And He cannot have it unless I GIVE it to Him. WILLINGLY! But He wants it so badly He is willing to pay almost ANYTHING to get it! So He did the math!

To get MY heart He calculated the cost. It would take His life, His love, His sacrifice, the promise of eternal treasure and even the sharing of His Eternal throne. After calculating and discussing among themselves, the Trinity literally agreed to take a chance on getting ripped off! After His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ began His own promotional tour! NOW it is up to ME…to either take it or leave it.

Fellow shoppers…I have tried Him. He works. EVERY-TIME! I gave him my puny heart and He gave me EVERYTHING He promised. With MORE TO COME! Like I said in the beginning.. I am not a math genius…but I’ll take that offer all day long! How about YOU?

“Jesus…We need a cleanup in Aisle 10!”

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

My wife and I were discussing our day when the doorbell rang. I could see through the curtains that I didn’t know the person who had rung the doorbell, and proceeded cautiously to answer. Immediately recognizing the who, what and why of this visitor, I silently breathed a heartfelt prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving to God. JOYFUL that ‘I’ wasn’t ‘him’!

The young lad was both kind, and kind of new at his job as a door to door window salesman. Decorum and his boss dictated that he start off winning me over by making small talk upon which I could agree. Seeing his old used vehicle in the street, rain started pouring down upon it. Feeling his pain, I couldn’t just say ’NO’ and send him out there to get soaked. So we communicated!

I was NATURALLY kind. Having made my living in sales, I had empathy for him and his situation. He was a door to door salesman, cold calling for leads and HOPING he could find someone interested in his product, which was windows. As the rain started letting up, my ‘no thank you’ became increasingly more firm. He HAD to have had SOME experience because he kept talking… with hope in his voice. Which is what he was supposed to do!

While going over the features and benefits of his product, “IF I were to take advantage of the sale right now,” I finally dropped the shock anchor. “Son, I don’t care about saving money!” I then went on to sell HIM on the idea of finding another way of sales that didn’t involve door knocking, suggesting that he set his sights a little higher and find a better way of finding people who MIGHT be interested in his product. As I closed the door, my last thought was…”poor kid!” Because he WAS!

We learn by getting burned, failure, trial and error and by hard knocks. The PAIN of those experiences can actually be used AGAINST us. The world, the flesh and the devil PREY upon people who want to eliminate the pain of bad circumstances. God DOESN’T! He pulls no punches when He promises He will go THROUGH the waters and fire WITH US… thereby affirming that pain is on the way.

I put my life, faith and hope in Jesus Christ. NOT by Blind Faith, but by tested experience. God said, “TEST ME AND SEE!!” I did, and He passed! And BECAUSE I have TRIED other things and FOUND that THEY don’t work, it isn’t so hard to trust ‘The One’ who doesn’t demand I see to believe Him. When the world offers petty things that do not satisfy, I really CAN say, with firm commitment, “I am NOT INTERESTED!” The shock on their face is a GREAT opening way for me to start suggesting that they may want to consider Jesus!  

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.” 1 Corinthians 12:1 KJV

The scene before me was both serene and unsettling, as it brought out from within me both joy and deep concern. Driving along the highway at 60 mph, a family of ducks; dad, mom and ducklings, waddled TOWARD the 6 lane highway! As emotions and thoughts conflicted, I peered into the rear-view mirror to see at least 20 cars bearing down on the sord. My final conclusion, before returning to life as usual, was to whisper out…”stupid ducks.”

O.K., so what was I SUPPOSED to do? There are people out there who would pull off the major highway, back up and try to shoo them away from danger. But that’s dangerous AND illegal. Not to mention that stupid ducks would likely just move to some OTHER highway and do the very same thing! IF they lived passed THIS ordeal!

I am not a Duck Professor. It is not in my nature or ability to explain and educate a duck in road etiquette. Nor is it my calling to write a thesis on ‘Duck Parenting Along the Roads of Life!’ Ducks are ignorant about cars and traffic and other human things. The Ducks that DO learn are usually limp or unlively! Which, come to think about it, DOES put them on the same level as humans.

There are a LOT of ignorant and stupid humans out there along life’s roads. I don’t say it to be mean, but factual. As a human with ‘stupid’ tendencies myself, I have been known to ‘walk into it’ on MANY occasions. AND lived to tell the tale. Most lessons have come the hard way. Even though God took time to write a book on how to do life CORRECTLY, I have been prone to pushing His Spirit, and nudge, away… and walked on in spite of His appeal.

Lots of people look at God like a stupid daddy duck! Some blame Him for leading them into harm’s way. Others go so far as to invent a story that Daddy Duck INVENTED highways and cars… just to show off His power to those ‘He chooses’ to survive! It’s quackery to me! Why? Because I don’t know ABOUT God… I KNOW HIM! I am not ignorant or stupid when it comes to His character. His role as Savior comes out BECAUSE of His great love and grace toward low lifes like me! And I’ll NEVER understand why!

When it comes to knowing God’s heart, are you a contented, waddling follower… or just some sort of quack?!