“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:16

I couldn’t believe he said it!! So asking for clarification – he REPEATED it! In my thinking his statement ridiculous, he expanded, with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his lips…just for clarification! But it was now out there on the table, in the restaurant where we were eating. “The REASON,” he said, “that you keep losing your wallet, keys and phone is because you are too prideful!” “RIDICULOUS!” I thought! Until I gave it some thought!

The scene HAD to be either comical or serious to the folks in the restaurant. How were THEY to know that I was a pastor too? The frocked-up Orthodox Priest with the big gold cross looked like GOD. Which left ME looking like some kind of sinner! The occasion was his invitation to spend time and chat. Since we are friends and cohorts, we did. And I was getting schooled.

I don’t like getting older in many respects. Since he is older than me, I asked his advice on how to stop losing my stuff after I lay it down. Looking for sage advice, I DIDN’T expect ‘THE TRUTH!’ But he’s a hard head too, and wasn’t going to feed me pap! That’s why we like each other! But his diagnosis kinda hurt a little. So it took some processing.

“You think you are SO important and necessary that you rush around frantically trying to do all YOUR important stuff, instead of slowing down and thinking about what you are doing and just BEING WITH GOD!!” COME ON MAN!!!! HOW does one make THAT kind of connection from that evidence. Except that his explanation came from experience. He had discovered it in himself and was passing it along to me!

In the end, HE was right and I was appreciative! I DO have a tendency to take myself too seriously, far too often. But I am grateful that family, church and friends are loving enough to put up with my prideful selfishness. Even if I’m too ignorant or stupid to see it in myself. So THANK YOU GOD for telling me the truth. AND for a friend that is willing to put himself out there to boldly share it as he did!

In the end… I WAS a sinner in need of some advice!!! Leaving, I did the next natural thing and paid the bill! I mean hey…it always costs something to get repairs done!

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

I have a friend named Frank. Well…at least I THINK he’s my friend. I call him that because I have him in my cell phone’s address book. But there’s a LOT of people in there, who aren’t! Friends that is. But Frank has a unique position as a specialist in his field. That I even HAVE his personal cell number is unique…since very few have it! Yup…Frank is my friend! I think!

The other day introduced an emergency situation that was rather scary and I didn’t know what to do. Peering over the edge of ‘Freak-out Cliff’ I remembered, “wait… YOU know Frank! He’ll know what to do!” Since it was late and I hadn’t yet fallen OFF the cliff, I texted him. Then awaited an answer from Frank. I got nothin’! So I CALLED another friend and got through IMMEDIATELY.

Ever since 9/11 it seems a ‘thing’ to call out and praise those considered ‘First-Responders.’ Anyone who works in Law Enforcement, the military, as a firefighter, an EMT, or in the field of medicine, became immediately qualified to receive adulation and praise because of their title or position. Thank God for people who show up in emergency situations! But I happen to believe that there exist people worthy of even GREATER honor than them!

A First Responder is just that. The FIRST one to arrive… AFTER a crisis has come. Often, the damage is already done and the job necessitates them the clean up crew. Heroes, the ones who run into burning buildings, rescue the hostage or bring the dead back to life, are rare. But I believe there exists a position that is even GREATER and MORE necessary than the First Responder! And like Frank… I don’t even know what to call them!

When you find a Church, you have found the place MANY of these people call home. With duty and relationships thicker than blood, THESE are people on a mission. They sally forth DAILY, looking for ways to help, bless, encourage, strengthen and grow people up into a higher position than the one they find themselves. Their ‘Manual’ comes directly off of God’s personal shelf! So their advice really isn’t even their own.

Who do you call when you are about to lose it? When loss grief, pain, fear, and all those horrible conditions that persist like an overwhelming unquenchable fire…when they rise to utterly destroy…who do YOU call when a First Responder would be that LAST person you wanted to see? When you need that ounce of prevention…NOT the pound of cure?

In the Church we call them brothers…and sisters. And I thank God that my cell phone contacts have a bunch of them! People willing to give God’s hand…through theirs. Are YOU are hero? All it takes is a yielded heart and a desire to serve The Master Servant…Jesus! He’s taking applications!

“Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:19

Every week in Church we play and sing songs, from a video screen hanging, from the front of the Sanctuary. While this may SOUND elementary and simple, I can certify that it is anything but! Having been at this Church business most of my life, living today’s Bible verse is a lot harder than it seems.

It takes 3 of us to get the music up on the screen. I usually pick the songs to go with the sermon, Charles downloads and tweaks them onto the computer, and Mike executes the program during the service. Picking songs is more difficult that I want it to be, because never being sure about music is tough. Especially when everyone has their own idea of what they like.

After trying to mix it up with modern videos and old hymns, I was shocked to hear that someone didn’t like a couple videos because, ‘the songs were old’…by like 10 years! And watching faces as we sang “In the Sweet By and By” was like watching someone get a cavity filled… without anesthesia! It has been recorded that there are more fights in churches over music than anything else! And I get it!

It is an absolute fact that if “I” don’t like something, it only stands to reason that JESUS wouldn’t like it either! And since me and Jesus make a majority… well you don’t even GET a vote! Add to it that the songs I want to jump up and dance to don’t even get your toes a tappin’… and we have serious and ‘less than ideal’ worship issues! Thus…the verse!

I listen. In fact, I have to admit I don’t even LIKE picking the songs. But sometimes I get suggestions that simply make me cringe! It’s a judgment call and one that we ALL have to live with. Because sometimes ‘momma LIKES to sing bass while daddy sings tenor!’ And the point is that we all are required to get along ‘in love’ by The Boss Himself!!! That’s Jesus..not Bruce Springsteen.

So I’m going to take the suggestions and switch it up again and try some old, and other stuff. Which is guaranteed to not be pleasing to everyone. I just thank God that our Church errs on the side of love and forgiveness more than judgment. And we’ll live to sing again! As long as no one asks for “Shall We Gather at the River…” we’re good!

PRAYER REQUESTS

There’s a LOT of sick folks out there. Whether Covid, Strep, back issues or other physical ailments, we need to get better. Since Jesus Himself said to “pray the Lord of the Harvest sends workers into the field,” I think it is perfect to pray for the workers who are already out there, and ailing, to get better… right?

“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.” James 5:17

I anticipated the question before Katie even got home to ask it. She hasn’t been feeling very well lately, so I KNEW she wasn’t going to want to go out to eat. But I was ready! Coming through the door she greeted me, and then skipped the small talk and asked ‘the question!’ ”What’s the plan?”

I’ve been married to this woman for decades. I KNOW that, ”What’s the plan?” is REALLY CODE for, ‘what’s for dinner!’ KNOWING her favorite food and ANTICIPATING her mood helped me with a very simple answer that was guaranteed to please. “PIZZA!” I replied. Evidence of a sickly smile was proof that I had NAILED IT!!

When you think about it, Pizza, like a good Sub Sandwich, is a perfect food! If ordered correctly it has ALL the major food groups, is relatively inexpensive (I collect coupons) and it’s quick and easy. 1 phone call, a short drive and BAMM!!! Hooked up! The ONLY thing that can really go wrong is getting sick of eating it! Which only spoiled people could do anyway, right?

Because we EAT EVERY DAY, satisfying our hunger in a ‘non-prison camp’ environment CAN become difficult. Food can easily turn into a quest for pleasure instead of simply providing sustenance. It is EASY to replace the goal with a desire instead. We have been studying about prayer, and I have been convicted, possibly on behalf of all Christendom, that we have been doing the whole prayer thing…wrong! The evidence is there!

“What do you want, need or desire,” turns into a printed prayer list. When we don’t get what we want or like, it is easy to complain! I know because I’m good at it! But THANKFULLY, God is a God of Love and Grace who puts up with all of my selfish and childish ways. But unless I grow up and get smarter, I fear I may just be talking to the wind and receiving only rice and water for the effort!

I’ve come to believe that this Bible verse is literally a seed of wackiness planted by God. It seems out of context and leaves the goal or purpose up to the reader. Hadn’t God already warned Israel that failure to obey him would lead to drought and famine (Dt. 28:24)? Could it be that Elijah, like me with Katie, already KNEW and ANTICIPATED God’s will, and that he spoke those prophetic words in COOPERATION with God’s will and purpose? It’s food for thought!

What does GOD WANT from me? What does HE want me to pray earnestly for… and WHY? Does my prayer factor in HIS WILL? Or am I just asking for selfish desires that actually provide NO sustenance to forward His Gospel and will in this dying world? Do I pray to accomplish HIS will, or to simply get prayer over with? I’m just looking for a pizzadatruth!

What do YOU really want?

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

One evening last week, while relaxing at home, I received a text message from a vacationer from Colorado that was anything BUT relaxing. Along with a picture of a dead Palmetto Bug, the text read, ”I’m not sure what kind of bug this is!” I called back immediately and said, “Welcome to Florida! That’s a DEAD bug!”

I remember when I saw MY first Palmetto Bug as a teen. The 2.5” long thing crawled out while I was in the bathroom and stared at me…it’s antennae moving with an intimidating, “I own you now,” kind of look! I completely freaked out! When I swatted it with a towel… IT FLEW! Thinking it’s sting might be poisonous, I screamed like a little girl and ran out the door! Today, I see Palmetto Bugs in 1 of only 2 ways. Alive…or dead!

The name Palmetto bug is really just a southern, genteel way of saying cockroach. They are, in fact, one in the same family. Because of that fact, NO one wants them in their house. I spray the house myself with a Boric acid based spray that does a good job at killing off the ones that get inside. Every bug on its back is a victory! Which, in a weird way, kind of parallels my Christian Walk.

Roaches have habits. They eat all kinds of disgusting things, and use their antennae to PREEN themselves like movie stars! These 2 habits are their downfall. For them, ingesting Boric acid, is like me swallowing razor blades. Since roaches blood doesn’t clot, they simply bleed out! Preening themselves only makes matters worse and takes the Borax home with them to the family. My flesh has those same habits! I eat a lot of junk and preen during the process!

To become a Believer in Christ means I MUST die to myself, in my flesh, and allow Christ to live inside me instead. Dying to myself DAILY is necessary because ‘The Flesh’ is chock FULL of nasty habits that will never simply wash or go away on their own. Death is the ONLY remedy. And though I sometimes wish God would have made the process of walking with The Savior EASIER, it is what it is! DESIRING to ‘die to myself’ is actually a GOOD thing because, as Jesus says, I can’t REALLY LIVE until I die. It’s a Spiritual principle.

There is no nice way to say it. In my flesh I am a roach! But when roach K.C. chooses to die to himself and I live according to the Spirit, God calls me SON! And THAT…is a piece of magnificence I hope you just might notice!

How are YOU living? 

“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19

It’s not like we didn’t know there was a possibility of running across one, or that they were even there. After all we aren’t stupid! So when 7 of the family went for a hike along a predetermined route, we were, for the most part, cautious. Sticking to the trail, we followed the signs and arrows through the woods. It was my grandson, the last one in the line, who shouted out…STOP!!!! And there it was! Right in the middle of the trail!

Looking at the picture…do YOU see it? Because WE didn’t. In fact, 6 of us had already walked over it or trampled to the side of it! IT being a coiled up yellow rattlesnake! But something was strange! It wasn’t moving or rattling. It was just lying there as if in a coma! I poked it with my walking stick to see if it was dead. It wasn’t. But I found no sign as to why it just laid there. So I thanked God and we continued the hike.

Katie and I ran into, almost literally, a VERY fat thick BLACK rattlesnake that same week. And HE was chattering. He saw us from a few feet away and, true to form, rattled. We gazed at each other for some time before he had enough and slithered away! It was beautiful…for a rattlesnake! And it did EVERYTHING it was created to do. It warned and rattled…and ultimately submitted to our presence.

I am not afraid of Rattlesnakes. The Bible verse today gives me some information that I can put into my Faith bag and use on my journey here. I am not stupid! And because of my Savior, Jesus Christ, I am not afraid either.

There are some crazy people out there that take this Bible verse out of context, grabbing and playing with poisonous snakes to prove something that Jesus NEVER intended this verse to mean. The verse is an illustration and the snakes and scorpions represent demonic evil in the world. Wise believers don’t tempt or play with evil. But wisdom comes with time and effort, and ALL mature believers carry scars reminding us of the times we grabbed, instead of tread around evil.

I belong to Jesus Christ. I am His and He is mine. I am special to Him. Because of that, I take ‘walking BY FAITH’ quite literally! I try not to play with things that have the potential to hurt me. But I don’t avoid walking as His representative in this evil world, fearful at every turn at what COULD happen. I trust Him to give me wisdom and walk with me. If He and I run into a snake of some kind along life’s journey…it’s the snake that has the problem!

Do YOU walk in fear seeing nothing but danger… or do you walk by Faith WITH the Savior!

“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” Job 12:12

I own 2 Queen Palm Trees…though not by choice. They came with the house when I bought it over 30 years ago, and they were tall even then. The responsibility to care for something I did not choose came along with the house that I did! So…being a responsible homeowner, I considered it part of my duty to keep the tree trimmed. I am now questioning that assumption.

Palm trees are messy. When the seed pods start to bust out and bloom, they drop yellow crud on the ground and draw honey bees. But as the process matures, each phase becomes more messy. Ultimately, if left alone, the palm tree looks like it is growing spears, then orange seeds drop to the ground where they begin fermenting and turn to stink. I don’t like stink!

Because they are over 40 feet tall and I only have a 30 foot ladder, Katie asked me to please be careful. She loves me! Over the years I have tried hiring people to trim the trees for me, but their price and unreliability always led me to just do it myself. Yesterday I asked my friend and neighbor to give me a hand because he had offered. We trade help back and forth that way! As I hung from the top of the ladder, and while reaching up with an electric chainsaw as high as I could, I suddenly had an epiphany! “WHAT THE HECK AM I DOING???”

It may have been external factors that provided the wisdom. With the temperature about 180 degrees and the humidity equivalent to being submerged in a swimming pool, I looked down from my perch and experienced a moment of clarity! Maybe I was prepped for wisdom by the letter I received from the Social Security Administration the day before. It said that I was now a qualified recipient!

Like my neighbor and me, ‘older’ and ‘wiser’ are pals. And like the trees that came with my house, one just comes along with the other. And sometimes it’s a shock! I can remember things that I used to do that now make me cringe with, ‘I can’t believe I did that…and LIVED!’ But according to the Bible, that is the way it’s SUPPOSED to be!

I am called by God to READ HIS WORD, GROW UP in wisdom and then PASS IT ON as I grow. It is a convenient way for people to learn without falling first. Some learn faster and easier than others. But not me! Being stubborn, I’ve learned most things the hard way! Bible reading often confirms what I was too dumb to learn or believe in the first place. A process I don’t recommend!

I’m starting to believe that the wisest thing I can do now, is to cut the trees down! Now where’d I put that chainsaw?

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

When on vacation, and depending upon weather conditions, there are times we have a lot of time to kill. We call it vacation because we NORMALLY kill time by working. But even at rest, we are driven to find SOMETHING to do to fill up the hours. Staring at the walls or sleeping has its limitations. I discovered that one of the greatest time killers of history is called a jigsaw puzzle!

Now jigsaw puzzles are an acquired taste. As a kid I remember watching my parents pour over strange cutout pieces, trying to fit them together to match a picture on a box. Even then I thought the process was the dumbest idea on earth! That is until I grew up and found myself, on a rainy day, with time to kill.

To set the record straight, I personally NEVER START a Jigsaw Puzzle. Katie has that drive. When the rain comes and stays for a while, I’ll look for her, only to find her upstairs at our cabin, pouring over pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. KNOWING it is a waste of time, I will delay my joining her until I’m nearly out of my mind. But alas… the call of boredom can only be resisted for so long.

We own a HUGE collection of puzzles in boxes upstairs at our cabin. With puzzles that vary in numbers of pieces and pictures, NO ONE should remain bored for long. Just grab and go! But this year Katie showed me a sophisticated level of boredom that I have not seen before. Instead of grabbing a puzzle that’s there, she went SHOPPING for NEW one!!!! “WHY?” I asked! Her answer? “I don’t really like the pictures on those boxes!” Bored, and now baffled, I just stood and watched her enter the puzzle department at Good Will! Funny huh???

What is this infatuation we humans have with ‘NEW?” I knew someone that went to great lengths to restore an antique piece of furniture, only to get rid of it a year later because they were tired of it! The Bible even has an opinion about the subject. NEW things replace OLD things because OLD things no longer satisfy us! If things break down, fail or fall down in satisfaction, only NEW will do!

There are MANY times I find myself tired of my old self. I don’t like where I am, what I’m doing or the fun level of my old self. Like everyone else, when I hit that stage, I become vulnerable to decisions that do NOT always present themselves with a good outcome. But thank God I have a choice to go ‘NEW’ with Jesus Christ. Turning the picture box over to Him, HE can create a new one out of the old. And he’s really good at it!   I’m just glad my wife hasn’t traded ME in!

“I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Romans 7:25

Being a saint and perfect Son of God can be VERY tiring! Have you noticed? I’ve heard it takes special material and a LOT of pressure, accompanied with time of course, to make a diamond. Pig poo??? Not so much! What?? You don’t like my reference? Well, my little cupcake, Let’s take a stroll!

While on vacation in the mountains my wife applauded my peace and serenity. She admitted, when I was that state of rest, that she had been worried about me before we left! She said I was so stressed out and mean, that she wasn’t sure she wanted to go to the mountains with this ogre! Now that we were there and the AHHHH factor had settled in… it turned out I was a pretty nice guy after all! She liked the nice guy. She even said, “I didn’t like you before we left! WHEW!!!!!! HARSH!!!!

I am a crazy man on the road. Being goal oriented and driven, I drive that way. In the mountains, where traffic is extremely limited, winding narrow roads don’t ALLOW for speed. And since death over a cliff isn’t my preferred method of dying, I can handle the occasional sight seer in front of me. Besides…wrecking a RENTAL car carries EXPENSIVE consequences! But now… I am home!

The very first time Katie and I rode together since back from vacation, she YELLED at me! Now it’s not like ‘I’ can yell. But I know her yell well! “HEY…STOP IT! Where’d MY MAN go?” Catching a look at myself in the rear-view mirror as I looked at the psycho woman I had just passed, I saw a tinge of green in my face. Like David Banner in ‘The Hulk,’ the ogre was coming back with a roar!

Paul was Psycho too! And YOU KNOW EXACTLY what that term means. Because it applies to YOU as well! Maybe not when behind a wheel. But YOU know! The term that sophisticated Christians use is ‘Agathokakological.’ And yes, please feel free to use it as you apply it to yourself…you sicko you! The term means what we all ARE…”that which consists of both good and evil!”

I have noticed that the road construction on U.S. 41, in places 6 plus lanes wide, are STILL under construction. And psyco people who drive SLOW… in the passing lane… by themselves… WEARING A MASK… have not left the area. Unfortunately…neither has the Ogre within me. But I am working on it with the help of the Holy Spirit… (SURE I am!).

I am SO grateful that Romans 7:25 STARTS with the promise of hope for me BEFORE it goes on to describe my state of agathokakologicalness! It says, ‘Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” And THAT is PRECISELY the method of turning pig poo into a diamond. Or a cupcake!

Are you familiar with the process?