“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

“It’s a tradition,” I said. “The first breakfast is free.” I said that to one of our men as I took his bill at ‘Men’s Breakfast’ Saturday. It was his first. Later in the day he contacted me, saying he had a Springhigh Blueberry bush he wanted to give to us. He sells them, but when I went to pay, he used that same line on me. “No No… it’s a tradition!” All I could do was smile!

We had told our neighbors about the plant and their response was immediate, “you are so blessed!” All Katie and I could do was smile again. I had received an extra one from Derek, and both of us immediately knew what to do with it. We gave the extra one to our neighbors saying, “it’s a blessing from Jesus!” The tradition of giving and sharing was cross pollinating!

The purpose of giving the extra bush was that 2 plants are better than one because of cross-pollination. Bees going back and forth to each bush make for more berries. We placed them on each side of our fences so the bees wouldn’t have to travel so far. I just had to share this today because Jesus is all over this story. Today’s verse is a perfect illustration of his Love.

As Easter approaches, we are celebrating the greatest gift mankind could ever receive… ‘Life!’ His whole mission was to show the love, mercy and grace of the Father. When we come to Him and freely receive His gift, He gives us a new life of tradition when He clues us in to ‘pass it on!’ I am different because of His love for me. I am called to pass that love in my actions.

Is loving and giving part of YOUR tradition in Jesus?

“In your anger do not sin” Ephesians 4:26a

I just went through the post office to drop a letter into the mail. It took all of about 1.2 minutes. As I was about to leave, a semi truck that had been unloading for some time pulled out right in front of me, blocking my clear path to the main road. Forced to follow it, I reminded Katie again… you saw that, right?” She could only smile. “Of course,” she replied.

It’s a thing with me. Like the floating dirt cloud that follows Pig-Pen in Snoopy, it never fails. When I am getting ready to pull out, pull in, or press on in my truck, a slower and less motivated driver than me pulls right in front. Sometimes I just shake my head. Other times I simply lose it! AAAAAAAAA! I’ve yet to learn that losing it brings me ZERO benefit! At all!

When I get road rage, I become a murderer! My truck becomes my biggest witness! If it could talk, I’d be doomed! Jesus said that when I call someone names in anger, that is the same thing as actually committing murder in my heart. Today’s verse gives me stark warning that it is up to ME to handle my own heart. Because I am His, I have the power to do that!

I met a fellow murderer this week when a relative squealed on them, saying that “they get road rage all the time!” In a way I felt a little better. But then, I didn’t! There’s no honor in a Den of Thieves. Just a bunch of individual ones. God calls me RIGHTEOUS! HOLY! HIS! That said, I am supposed to control the actions that come from my heart! O.K… I’m workin’ on it!

How about YOU? What kind of sins circle the canyon of YOUR life? Is God telling you it’s time to clean it up?

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Mathew 6:33

Recently, I found myself sitting at a table with several folks not a part of my family. We had just met, and I didn’t really know their religious affiliation. When the food arrived, so did the moment of decision. Do I pray or not? Thankfully I had settled that question DECADES ago, grabbing hands, I said, “let’s pray for this food.” Everyone joined hands… and we did.

I admit I was surprised that the question of prayer had hit me like it did. Not wanting to force my faith and beliefs on someone unsuspectingly, the idea of being courteous had brought with it the decision of whether to pray or not. I could see how someone new in the Faith might have cause to pause. After years of simply doing what Christians do, I did.

The verse today follows Jesus’ discussion about the Basics of Life. One cannot get any more basic than food, water and clothes… unless one adds a house or place to sleep. All humans agree that food, water and clothes are the very fundamental necessities of life! That is unless you are Jesus! Jesus has MORE IMPORTANT things He expects to top my needy list!

Most everybody gets up in the morning, gets dressed, then grabs something for their mouths to start the day. Clothes, food and drink are basics and expected by everyone. Jesus wants me to focus FIRST on WHERE those basics come from. Not God? No coffee! It’s just that basic. I’ve learned that to have ANYTHING, I must put God first in order of EVERYTHING.

How about you? What do YOU hold most critical and important in life? Does your life prove it?

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9 (KJV)

We have an issue! I say WE because it concerns both my wife AND me. It’s our garage door. The door opener that came with the house was about 50 years old and pushing it wasn’t immediately providing a response. Sometimes we had to push the button 20 plus times! When it became a game to actually count the pushes, something had to be done.

Picking up a new garage door opener was simply a trip to the hardware store. When installed, I pressed it. That garage door went up. Another press… and it went down! Just like it was supposed to! Funny thing, so much joy came from that simple act. Until about a month later, when counting pushes began all over again. That was 3 months ago.

Yesterday I picked up another door opener, the only one available at the store. Unfortunately, it was the same model as the button I was replacing. Once done, one press and it worked, by this morning I was counting again! I am beginning to think that I have another issue… besides the button that is! I wondered if Jesus ever had door opening issues!

The promise Jesus made was that HE was the Door… the only entry way into a life that would sustain me and make my life worth living. I sense He was asking me if I was happy with His performance!? Did ‘I’ have any issues? I started thinking. I still am! But I am beginning to see that any issue I have had, happened because I pushed the wrong button!

Are YOU running, seeking, hoping and looking for the one true source of Life… Jesus? What buttons have YOU been pushing?

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

I have this old cooler. The plastic hinges broke on it years ago, but it still works. Whenever I take it places, be it in the back of my truck, or like last week in a boat, I have to tie a rope around it to keep the lid on. Otherwise, the wind will blow it off and the cooler will no longer be cool! The other day, while riding in a boat, I forgot to tie the lid down.

The cooler survived the windy trip up in the back of the truck, but when Clint opened the throttle to the boat, I had forgotten I’d untied the rope to the cooler. I was holding onto my hat and NOT the cooler lid. When our speed hit 53 mph… I didn’t even hear the lid go bye-bye! We searched for it later.. but it was gone. Now… I have a ‘NOT so cool’ wagon!

To this windy world, I am not cool! While it’s Biblical that ANGELS look at me in awe, that is mostly because they can’t seem to believe how God could even LOVE somebody like me! But today’s verse tells me… HE DOES! Not only that, but He makes me ‘stand firm,’ Anointed me, sealed me (tying me down as His) and placed a deposit GUARANTEEING my future!

I am not cool to the world because the world doesn’t see GOD as cool! But I do! And because I have allowed Him to tie me down to His plan, there is NOTHING that can make me lost or blown away out of His sight! Which is a GOOD thing for me to remember. And not just me.. but YOU! IF you belong to God through a relationship tying you to His son. Do you?

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7

I felt stupid. Having just been given a brand new fishing rod and reel from Clint, I fell and broke it. Within 2 weeks he gave me a new one. Last weekend, I clumsily stepped on the reel and bent the handle. I put it in his vice and straightened it out, but that wasn’t good enough for Clint. As I left, he handed me my rod with his nice reel on it! I was blown away!

Over the years I have acquired about a dozen fishing poles. I’ve NEVER fallen or broken one… EVER. Neither have I accidentally stepped on a reel and bent it. It just seemed that some kind of bad luck was following me. I was irritated at myself for being such an oaf with MUCH nicer equipment. And a GIFT after all! But it made me appreciate my son even more!

I was thinking about him this morning as I was reading about God in 2 Corinthians. For the first several chapters, Paul makes it a point to tell me of all the gifts I have which have come from God. That I don’t deserve them is the point! It shows HIS generosity, providing me a model to follow in my own giving. It made me appreciate God and HIS Son too!

So Thank you Clint for the GREAT gift of a GREAT fishing rod and reel. I certainly don’t deserve them. But I commit to being more careful and appreciative of BOTH gifts… from both you AND God! It shows that you both want me to be a good fisherman… one for fish.. and the other for Men! Are YOU genuinely appreciative of all you’ve received?

“In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” John 5:17

“I just LOVE your SON!” If I heard it once I heard it over a dozen times. And it wasn’t about just ONE of my sons. Both were mentioned by people I didn’t even know. It was an annual maritime shindig, and because I’m dad, I got invited. It is ALWAYS fun to go and meet people who work with and know my offspring. I feel like royalty… because I AM!

Growing up a Preacher’s kid is kind of a tough gig. Expectations ya know!? I was always either living up to them, or falling far from them. But they were ALWAYS THERE. It came with the genes. I didn’t ask for, or volunteer for it. But dad did. And his boss was always Jesus. He made that perfectly clear. Living under HIS roof, his expectations of me were the same.

I guess it just rubbed off. I was tough on my kids as they grew up. Having been continually reminded of my special relationship with God and HIS Son, I was always looked at like my attitude and actions should mimic Theirs. It just kind of became the main goal in every situation. So it wasn’t a surprise to hear that my offspring were great examples as leaders.

The goal was always to encourage my kids to grow up to be better than me. That’s how my dad saw it too. I expect MY kids will continue to hold that very tough measuring tape for my grand-kids. It’s just how it’s done. Not because of who ‘I’ am.. but because of ‘WHOSE’ I am. I am not Ken’s kid. I am GOD’S Prince! And the world is supposed to see that naturally.

Who do YOU represent and how do others see you? Are YOU working with the Father to become like His child?? The crown can get pretty painful at times. That’s the nature of Thorns.

“We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” Galatians 2:15-16a

Signs are meant to get attention… to sell something… to satisfy a need or desire. The sign at the fast food restaurant said, “try our strawberry pie!” For some reason it triggered a memory of their apple pie I used to enjoy. In my head I was eating one. So I turned into the drive thru and ordered an apple pie. The place was busy, but with every inch, I anticipated.

It took about ten minutes to get to the pickup line, but when I got there, the lady inside the building spoke in broken English, “we no have apple pie!” My reply was direct and to the point… “HUH? Why didn’t you tell me that when I ordered one?” Yes, I was upset. I had built up expectation and anticipation that was not going to be achieved. She didn’t understand!

Jerry Reed said it in a song long ago. “He who expects nothin’, ain’t gonna be deceived!” But what would Earth be like if I didn’t know and have the expectation of Jesus and Heaven? In talking to some people this week, I was again surprised at the lack of expectations for life after death. When I asked them what they thought happened after death, they had no idea!

Maybe I need a better sign! Or a bolder move? I KNOW what will happen when I die. I will go to Heaven to see Jesus. That expectation met will only be followed by a greater and glorious life than I have here. With THAT kind of knowledge, maybe I can help improve people’s expectations of a better life here… AND there. What expectations are YOU living with?

“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.” Galatians 2:19

Like Elvis, I was ‘caught in a trap!’ The fancy term is ‘agathokakological!’ And I was living it to the maximum! The word simply means “consisting of both good and evil.” And while I could easily have made the excuse that “Everybody does it,” the truth of the matter is that God doesn’t care what everybody else does. He cares about ME and what ‘I’ do! I was blowing it.

My intention was good. At least it started off that way. Something that I did as a good gesture of faith actually started to turn out to be much more than I had bargained for. It was supposed to be simple. But ‘IT’ turned complicated and costly. The joy I had at the first quickly dispersed into something completely the opposite! God was showing me something!

Starting off the cleaning of the pool area to make my bride happy, turned into a much bigger job than initially thought. Soon I realized that the work I had figured on putting in at the start… tripled. I wasn’t happy about it! I’d been confident and joyful at the beginning. But soon, in light of the real amount of work, I got grumpy and could FEEL the change!

It’s easy to label myself a loser or bad guy based upon how I feel. The standard of excellence can easily reveal the fact that I am NOT perfect. But this verse today gives me a new vision. God does NOT see me as a bad guy with potential. He sees me as PERFECT… ALL THE TIME! The OLD imperfect me died when I became HIS. Now all I need to do is remember that!

Don’t be two faced