“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” Proverbs 4:25
“EH!” Was the word of the day for me. Said quietly, and to myself, it marked my mistake or failure to ‘KEEP A STRAIGHT LINE!’ It’s painting time at the McCay house, and that means pulling out old tricks that haven’t been used in a while. Like any habit, painting straight lines comes with rudimentary practice and habit. It’s been a while since I painted.
Being 2023, I thought technology might have caught up! So I went to the Paint Store and asked them for an ‘Automatic Line Brush!” When the technician told me it was back by the ‘left- handed smoke shifter,’ I knew I was on my own! Painting straight lines is something humans still have to do by hand. In other words, it’s an acquired skill that comes with time.
Years ago I painted for a living. The ‘Old Man’ gave me some tips to help me get better and faster at it. The best tip being, “watch where you’re going… NOT where you’ve been!” Since it’s tempting for me to look back to see how I’m doing. But doing so actually CAUSES my hand to a wobble. Then, when my focus shifts, the ‘the straight line’ I want, is NOT what I get!
The concept of ‘watching where I’m going and not where I’ve been’ is not a new one. In fact… it’s Biblical! The Old Testament verse came out of the Book of Proverbs, which dates back to King Solomon, King David’s son, who wrote them about 3000 years ago! In other words… the advice is VERY old! Only Solomon wasn’t talking about painting. He was pontificating LIFE!
Sailors and Pioneers have used that advice centuries before Google Maps. You lay a compass heading, look for a spot far in the distance, then aim straight toward it. Once there, you do it again… until you’ve arrived! When men failed at getting to God, Jesus came here and clearly stated… place and keep your eyes on ME! I AM THE WAY! When I do THAT, HE clearly works!
It’s just plain human to look back! But “everybody does it,” is not an acceptable excuse! Painting has reminded me of a very big truth I had forgotten. So I’m working on my ‘looking ahead only’ skills. How about YOU? Are YOU walking in His Truth and looking ahead only at Him?
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
“Oh BOY! The TEA is KICKING IN!” I don’t know if it’s because I’m older now, or because of a medication I’m taking, but I do know that lately, it’s been harder to ‘go’ than usual. Being one who hasn’t had this problem before, I thought I could just let time pass and everything would go… back to normal. But reality was saying otherwise! Then Katie intervened!
I admit it… there was some pride on the line. For years Katie has been a great advocate for a special tea she drinks every night. I’ve been with her many times when another lady hinted about ‘the problem,’ and Katie would immediately chime in to provide HER secret weapon. Not having the problem myself, I’d laugh. Recently, bent over in pain, I wasn’t laughing!
We all know what right and wrong is. We ALL KNOW which is which too! As I agonizingly looked up, my bride had a priceless smirk on her face. Holding a tea bag, she lovingly asked… “would you like me to make you some Smooth Move now?” I KNEW she was right, but it felt so wrong! Swallowing both pride and the tea, the countdown started, with a 7:59am liftoff!!
Being human, experience has taught me that ALL of us are in the same boat. We ALL have things within us that need to get gone! We all have need of something to help us do just that. Experience has ALSO taught me that Jesus REALLY DOES WORK! HE offers me His life to make my life go smoother and better! BUT… I have to be willing to take the remedy and apply Him.
Resistance to His Truth, and remedy, is futile and only hurts YOU! Jesus never fails! But He can’t succeed, either… unless you let Him into your life. Are YOU willing to give Him a try at smoothing out YOUR old problems and become a new you??
“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8
From the corner of my eye, something caught my attention. When my brain realized something was off, it subconsciously did the math and woke me up! Turning my head, I spotted two rows of Christmas decorations at Walmart… and Christmas 2023 was officially kicked off. Not looking for it, it found ME. Now, like it or not, I cannot deny… He’s Coming!
There have been random spotages of evidence pointing toward what lay around the corner. But none as brilliantly lit and monstrous enough to make the bold declaration like the Walmart display. The message was clear and made official… “IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME!” I had just put away Halloween and fall decorations, now it is clear. I need to get the Christmas Stuff!
There is NO Holiday like Christmas. Which means there is NO Holiday that takes quite as much WORK as getting prepared for Christmas. Easter has 2 boxes of decorations. The 4th of July… 1. Halloween and fall make up about 5. Christmas??? About 23 Boxes PLUS! The celebration usually starts the day after Thanksgiving (1 box). But we’re starting now!
I pondered the thought, after my initial reaction to the Christmas display caused a “humph” in me. Whatever would cause ME to form a “scrooge” attitude toward my favorite Holiday? After giving it more thought, I have to admit a spirit of sadness had briefly overshadowed my brightness, light and Joy! I thought, “68 years of Hope… FOR WHAT? Look at the world!”
Yes!!! Look at the world INDEED! It is a mess and getting messier! But for ‘People of The Book,’ that should… no MUST… cause us to light up even more brightly than before. Because He SAID it would get darkest before His Return. THIS now, gives me ALL THE MORE REASON to shine. He’s COMING! Where once HE was… now I AM… the Light of the World. So are YOU!
Being a beacon of Hope is a choice. Will you make it? We have enough Scrooges in the world!
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30
“What Happened?” is the question when ‘IT’ happens. And ‘IT’ is not really something I can always put a finger on! Each night around 9pm, my lovely wife and I take a seat next to each other and turn on the TV. Watching ‘a show’ is our way of winding down before bed time. Once in a while, the TV screen gets interrupted and freezes when the internet signal goes out.
I have 3 potential internet failure points… the incoming Internet Terminal, the Wireless Server, the TV itself. All 3 need to be ‘in sync’ and uncluttered to be able to ‘talk’ to each other. When their memory buffers get filled with old stuff, turning them off and on again will clear and reset them, making them capable of clearly receiving the internet signal as it is sent!
Sometimes the program we’re watching locks up and I’ll have to call for a ‘break,’ then turn everything off and on again. It takes time to ‘boot’ back up, but when it does, interruptions are no longer a problem. One doesn’t have to understand computer technology to catch the metaphor between internet signals and the communication between the Holy Spirit and ME.
The FACT that this verse says ‘DO NOT GRIEVE the HOLY SPIRIT,’ proves that it IS possible to DO so. The term ‘grieve’ emits the exact same sensation that comes from losing a loved one to death. This verse says that the PERSON of the Holy Spirit CAN be provoked to feel great sadness or loss because of MY actions! Chapters 4-6 of Ephesians list many grieving points.
I received the Holy Spirit when I was saved as a boy. I was sealed and secured for eternity when the Holy spirit came to reside in me. Sadly, I have OFTEN turned the room of my heart, the place He resides, into a disgusting, filthy pigsty by MY choices! Since he can’t go away, He is forced to live in squalor, until I take measures to clean it up, and keep it clean… WITH HIM!
Have I loved my wife today… deliberately. Even when she doesn’t seem to deserve it. Has my wife honored me? Did I show the appreciation or patience as needed? Have I been selfish in my desires and attitudes, or am I seeking to find ways to show love to Him and the people around me? Do I selfishly lie and lust, or do I love and lean on the one who lives in me?
I do NOT want to make God sad, or grieve Him anymore than I already have. Do you? Are you? Today I’m going to spend time reading Ephesians 4-5 and ask God where I might be hurting Him. Have YOU ‘reset’ your Body, Soul and Spirit to LIVE FOR Him and bring Him JOY?
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Eph. 5:25-27
‘Oooo… I’d better get that,’ I thought! Company was coming and Katie was at work. But they were all due back home about the same time, so I was ‘redding up’ the house (a Pennsylvania term). As I was picking things up and putting them away, the light hit just right and I saw a couple of spots on the floor that needed to be removed. I went to grab a rag.
When I returned to the living room and looked really hard to find the spots that had been there only a moment ago, I couldn’t see them. Stepping back and allowing the light to hit the shiny floor, I was able to see the 2 small dull spots that stood out and wipe them clean. Then the thought hit… ‘Why were you so concerned about a couple, almost invisible spots?
Men are pigs, and being a man, floor cleaning isn’t really on my radar of importance. But the ‘company’ that was coming was my daughter and her family. The person that would really care about having a clean floor… is my wife! And I know my wife! She likes things to look nice and clean. Even if it really isn’t something my daughter would care about. My Bride does!
Jesus used today’s verse as an example of what He expects from ME, and ALL married men. Jesus is a husband too. Jesus took GREAT PAINS to clean and purify His Bride… ‘The Church,’ because… HE cares too! Jesus, being God, is perfect. Therefore He MUST have a perfect Bride. So He cleaned He on the cross! He wants her to know the importance of ‘’CLEAN!
DO you find yourself concerned about the things of God, simply because you love Him? Does what He wants, and expects, motivate YOU to get down on your knees to clean those offending spots of yours for Him? If you’re not sure you can see those offending spots, just ask Him to point them out. The rewards for caring about what He cares about are out of this world!
When I read a good devotional, I sometimes pass it on to you. This is awesome! When I shared it with Katie.. she agreed and said.. “That’s why I work with little kids!” I hope this helps you become like one! Enjoy… K.C.
Seeing Through Six-Year-Old Eyes
Article by Marshall Segal Desiring God
One afternoon this summer, my 6-year-old came running through the house to find me. His eyes were wild with excitement. “Dad, you’ve got to come look — right now. Come look, come look, come look! Hurry, you’re going to miss it!”
We raced back to the living room, to the big window looking out over our backyard. From the day we moved in, that window has been our favorite room in the house. My son’s eyes searched one of the trees, searching and searching, and then he saw it again. “Dad, there! There! Do you see it? Do you see it?” And I did. Probably 25 feet up in one of our tallest trees was the backside of a big raccoon, comfortably perched out on one of the branches.
I mean, at first, we assumed it was a raccoon (too big to be a squirrel, too small to be a bear, too fat and furry to be a bird). We sat transfixed, watching that rear end — waiting for the animal to eat, or climb, or fall, or even just scratch an itch. Then it moved. Its tail swung down where we could see it, with its trademark black and gray stripes. “Dad, its tail! It is a raccoon!”
As I looked in my son’s eyes — and there was so much in those eyes — I saw a wisdom I once had and now sometimes struggle to remember. For that moment, he was my teacher, and I was his son.
Monotony or Creativity?
For the “mature” like me, raccoons are almost immediately a nuisance. They make homes under porches and climb down into chimneys. They tear away shingles and break holes in walls. When we see them, we reach for the phone to pay someone to come and remove them. Within a business day, if possible.
When my children see a raccoon, they see an entirely different creature. They’re not worried at all about the structural integrity of porches or the possibility of a four-legged home invasion. To them, animal control may as well be the KGB (just watch any animated movie with animal control workers). No, when they see a raccoon, it may as well be a triceratops. They don’t see problems; they see curiosities. They ask questions (lots of them): Where did he get his stripes? Why is he sleeping during the day? Does he have any friends? Can I pet him? We see trouble; they see beauty. We see monotony; they see creativity. We see a nuisance; they see a story.
Oh, how much we might learn from them, how much more we might see through their eyes. G.K. Chesterton writes,
“Children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult (leap for joy) in monotony.” (Orthodoxy, 81)
What 6-Year-Olds See
I recently felt my flabby imagination when our family went to pick KinderKrisp apples at a local orchard. Having tasted apples every week of their lives, it was our children’s first chance to actually grab one from a tree.
You could see their minds spinning, trying to connect the dots — they knew both apples and trees, but could not imagine them holding hands like this. They stared up in amazement as branches like the ones they’ve found in our front yard now reached out, wrapped in bright green cardigans, and nearly handed them the juicy red fruit. And, of course, they tasted better than any we ever bought from one of those bins at the store.
To our shame, my wife and I weren’t connecting dots anymore. We were just trying to keep our kids from throwing apples at each other or bothering the innocent bystanders filling bags around us. So which of us saw the actual reality of the orchard? Who saw the apples as they really are — the 6-year-old or the 36-year-old? Chesterton weighs in,
“When we are asked why eggs turn to birds or fruits fall in autumn, we must answer exactly as the fairy godmother would answer if Cinderella asked her why mice turned to horses or her clothes fell from her at twelve o’clock. We must answer that it is magic. . . . The only words that ever satisfied me as describing Nature are the terms used in the fairy books, “charm,” “spell,” “enchantment.” They express the arbitrariness of the fact and its mystery. A tree grows fruit because it is a magic tree. Water runs downhill because it is bewitched. The sun shines because it is bewitched.”(71–72)
Our decades-long familiarity with this magic doesn’t make creation any less magical.
That we’ve watched God do his magic over and over and over again, doesn’t make it less miraculous. That we can begin to predict what will happen — birds from eggs, apples from trees, rainbows from storms — doesn’t suddenly render any of it “natural.” As much as modern science might have us think otherwise, nothing in all of creation is on autopilot. No, the Son of God “upholds (supports or maintains) the universe,” every apple of every kind in every orchard, “by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3) — even the ones in those store-bought bins.
God Has Not Grown Old
In this way, our cute, “naïve” children are our theology professors. Watch as Chesterton traces a typical boy’s imagination into heaven:
“Grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. (think about that)! It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore.” (81–82)
Don’t believe him? Then let God tell you in his own words:
“God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. . . . God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. . . . And God saw that it was good. . . . And God saw that it was good. . . . And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:3–31)
God made a world even God could admire. And we only assume he eventually got bored with it all because we’re not him, because we don’t see this world like he does — because we assume he’s like us.
If you understand what Chesterton’s saying, you can’t see a sunset the same. It’s even more stunning when you realize (as a pastor once showed me) that God not only paints a new sunset for us every 24 hours, but that as the world spins, he’s always painting sunsets. He never puts the brush down. Somewhere in the world, right now, he’s ushering the sun below the horizon again, conducting her slowly with his brush, mixing in oranges, purples, and blues.
And as he does, his heart soars over what he sees. Because when it comes to sunsets, God is more my son than he is me.
Remember That You Forget
This dulling dynamic in adults is rooted in a subtle but dangerous forgetfulness. Chesterton warns us that, in the end, all of this is really not about raccoons, apples, and sunsets:
“We have all forgotten what we really are. All that we call common sense and rationality and practicality and positivism only means that for certain dead levels of our life we forget that we have forgotten. All that we call spirit and art and ecstasy only means that for one awful instant we remember that we forgot.” (74)
Have you been lulled into forgetfulness? Have you even forgotten that you’ve forgotten? Have the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things slowly choked out your ability for awe and wonder? Then find an orchard or a local park. Go outside at dusk. Take that walk you’ve wanted to take. Be on the lookout for the bunnies, squirrels, birds, and bugs you’ve trained yourself to ignore. Give yourself some space to be curious again, to ask the questions you haven’t asked in decades.
And if you happen to have one, take a 6-year-old with you.
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers…” 2 Thessalonians 2:1
‘They’re here!’ I thought… as I ran to the door. After weeks of planning, then rescheduling because of illness, my youngest daughter arrived with her whole family. Because they live almost 4 hours away, and because of differing schedules, we don’t get to see them very much. But as ‘looking forward’ became ‘here and now,’ Joy filled my heart and lasted all weekend.
My granddaughter ‘Cypress’ is the cutest little thing. I know most every grandparent thinks that and I am no exception! When she got here, the age old game of playing shy came too. I know it well. As she turned her head away, I caught her peeking with 1 eye as my daughter said, “go see Papa.. you’ve been waiting!” But I know the game. It doesn’t happen that fast!
There’s a little game of ‘playing hard to get’ that goes on between Cypress and me. But that game has been played with every one of my granddaughters, when they were her age. As they got older, the game waned, until it was gone altogether. But that’s just how things Grow! As life takes on a responsibility of its own, heart holes can become a sign of maturity. Sniff!
Today’s Bible verse is God’s addressing of those ‘heart holes.’ Having seen most of our kids and grandkids this weekend, we awoke today to a kind of loneliness that is only produced by love for one another. The kind that, when absent, makes itself known only in the sorrow of silence. Of all the things I love about Jesus, HIS addressing of THAT silence is His GREATEST!
There is NOTHING on earth that addresses the Godly Sorrow of yearning and loss like Jesus Christ. I missed my kids before we even left! But we planned to get together again THIS MONTH! Looking forward to ‘soon’ makes ‘the heart hole’ pill easier to swallow. But for family and loved ones that have passed on, a much stronger medicine is necessary.
IT IS A FACT!!!! WEWILL BE GATHERED TOGETHER WITH JESUS. There is a DATE coming! A TIME! A REUNION! And it will NEVER END! The BEST part is.. we will ALL be with Jesus Christ … FOREVER! In light of eternity… it is coming SOONER… than later! As I Consider the Joy that is ‘to come,’ it helps me face hard days with something to LIVE FOR! How about you?
Are YOU looking forward and planning YOUR reunion of joy? Because it is possible to be so stuck on ‘back then,’ that you can miss the REAL joy and reason for where you are right now. Do you look forward to the anticipation and joy of ‘The Gathering?’ Do you let that promise fill and encourage you to keep working and moving forward? Because THAT is precisely what God wants His Hope in you to do!
“He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 Amplified Bible
Saturday night (or very early Sunday morning) it’ll be time to readjust my clocks 1 hour backward. And I’m looking forward to it! It is this time of year I get to gain that hour of sleep, stolen from me last spring, when I was forced to move the clock 1 hour ahead! Time changes are tough! They interrupt my body’s natural rhythm. And I need all the rhythm I can get!
Yesterday, as I was reading my Bible and contemplating, I ‘memory drifted’ while looking back on my life. Hearing that wherever you go… there you are, I was feeling VERY blessed. Looking back from where I came, I know I had never imagined that where I am, is where I’d be! For me, that makes loving God SO easy! Turning back to look helps me to better see ahead!
I’ve always loved this Bible verse because it seems to capture my whole life, put it into a time capsule and then bury that sense of wonder inside my heart. Unlike real time capsules that have a ‘wait time,’ I can open mine at any time. Each time I take the time to do that, I am even more blessed by God and His beauty, in and around me, AND His loving purpose for me!
When I looked yesterday, I had the sense of ‘OOOOOO!’ Like looking at a beautiful sunset, there is no better sound than that. Then realizing that His purpose for me has always been right on track, yet still just a small part of forever, I felt ‘Ahhhhhhhh!’ Seeing the world’s confusion and not knowing what’s going on, all I can grasp is the wonder of ‘Wowwww!’
My heart, as does EVERY heart, KNOWS! It knows how small and insignificant I really am. But that God Himself is in the process of making me, to present me, as His greatest gift to His Son… Jesus Christ! I have a past that He has used (sins erased), a present that seems to be very Biblically active, looking forward to a time and place where everything will come together for His ultimate eternal purpose!
In my High School Yearbook one of the questions we had to answer as seniors was, “what is your favorite season and why.” I had written, “Fall – because it’s a cool time to think!” Then as now, I can honestly say… yes it is! How are YOU doing with then, now and later? Are you looking at your life through God’s lens? Enjoy your extra hour and think about it!
“You who call on the Lord, give yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. The Lord has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm: “Never again…” Isaiah 62:6b-8a
Having the opportunity to speak to High School Freshman classes, and having spent hours preparing, I was nervous! I told them so. The presentation I had prepared was, “How NOT to HAVE to live with your mom after graduation.” Preparing and RE-PRE- preparing, Katie guessed why I was so nervous saying, “You care about this too much!” She was right!
When I was in high school, I didn’t get much help in the “whaduhyawanna do with your life,” department. Consequently, as a junior, I found myself in the ‘Guidance Office’ talking to an uncaring counselor. When I asked, “what am I going to do with my life? I have no ideas?” His response was “There’s a catalog over there… go look through it. You’ll find somethin’!”
50 years later, as I sweated the details of what to say to kids who are now where I was, I was again… VERY NERVOUS! I look around the world and I do not like what I see. Evil is not just lurking… it’s attacking… and right around the corner! Truth be told, I actually wonder how much freedom today’s kids will have. Will their voice, if they choose to have one… matter?
This verse I read this morning… jarred me! Written by a prophet of God about 3,000 years ago, it is GOD telling people what it is that HE wants! It may be the craziest piece of Scripture of all! God wants ME, to PESTER Him, until He DOES, what it IS… HE REALLY WANTS to DO! Go ahead… read it again! Apparently after 3,000 years, He hasn’t been pestered enough!
The opportunity to stand before classes of kids, starting out where life starts mattering. On a road of Apathy! From there on, their lives will be tracked and scored. Winners go on to win. Losers will go on to ‘the college of hard knocks’ to learn ‘the hard way…’ or just plain lose! But the one thing that kept me nervous was their apathetic ‘freedom of choice.’ Now God… I get it!
The apathy in the room scared me. I tried to scare that from them with numbing facts of what awaited if they didn’t start the course clearly pointed out before them. Checking the news when I got home, I saw Jews being viciously persecuted around the globe. The UN, our own Senate and Congress have become a zoo! Many people have yet to learn a thing! I give up!
I don’t mean I give up – up! I can see that doing Earthly things Earthling’s way isn’t working. This verse today feels heavier to me. So instead of poking at the world, I’m going to try poking at God to remind Him (at HIS request) that it is HIS wish to make Jerusalem (the City of Peace) the center of a loving peaceful world… where we who love Him will live FOREVER! But I have to ask myself if I really CARE enough to work up my voice! What about you? “HEY GOD!”
Here’s a challenge… I was a kid in the 60’s. Try reading the 60’s chapters in Isaiah! See what God has to say about what just MIGHT be going on… TODAY! And POKE HIM! After all, HIS heart is broken too!
