“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Psalm 122:1

‘Where do these go? How can I help? Where do you want the coffee? Is it time yet? How do the chairs lineup? Should we start now?’ These, and many others, were questions asked of Katie and I as we were preparing for Easter. It was a whirlwind week as preparations had to be made, the church setup and torn down for different events. I felt more like a Martha than Mary, and confessed a desire to switch roles!

Years ago, when my father was the preacher, he would often ask ME to preach on Easter Sunday. With all the services and preparations, adding the word ‘preacher’ to the agenda can make for a mentally tough week. Asking ME to preached freed him up for interaction with people. But don’t get me wrong… I am not whining! When Easter comes, I feel like a Groom on wedding day!

If you have ever experienced a family wedding or a funeral you will know what I am talking about. All the preparations that lead up to the exact date and time on a calendar have a way of placing the bride and groom in a kind of fog. Relatives, friends and loved ones converge, seemingly all at the same time, allowing almost NO time to spend with any ONE person. When it is over and they are all gone, what remains is a memory, along with a wish that we could have spent more time together.

Holy Week (Easter Week) is is the single greatest event in the History of the world! It doesn’t even matter if you believe it or not, because it IS! All of us KNOW that we are sinners and not worthy of God’s love. But God saw the loss of His created ones as a disaster in need of repair. Taking the initiative. and out of His love, He came to US when we could not get up to HIM. Our debt was paid and we got a chance to set at the Head Table! If we wanted it!

As long as there are ticks on a watch and dates on a calendar, there will be sorrows for opportunities missed or regrets that something was not done. It is inevitable. But Jesus Christ, the one who LONGS for quality time with His beloved, gives us a single Biblical command that will help us prepare for the ULTIMATE, UNENDING gathering in Heaven… “Do not give up meeting together!” Hebrews 10:25.

Christians are family. And while we may not always see eye to eye, we ARE all part of the same part that matters to His Son… His Heart! When we all congregate together, we get to see, hear and experience just a little taste of His Love and Grace. One day, the experience will never end.. and there will be NO sorrow or regret for time lost. Heaven WILL be GREAT? Not just because Jesus will be there… but because YOU will too!

“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

A bunch of folks were coming to the church for lunch and I needed to make something that would feed them all. With helpful ideas from family and friends, I pulled together a list of ingredients. Coincidentally, the day’s mail contained several grocery store ads, so I did some pre-comparative shopping. I got a shock when I hit the last store and realized… I would have done better if I had I reversed the order!

Without knowing ALL the prices, I had decided to FIRST hit the Dollar Store for some basics. After all… EVERYTHING’S cheaper at the Dollar Store… right? Taco seasoning at the Dollar Store… $1. A local grocery store…$.29!!! HUH? One store I went to had Tortilla shells in the ‘2 for 1’ isle priced at $2.89. When I got to the register I was told, “That’s not until tomorrow!!!” HUH? I got em at the Dollar Store for… you got it! $1!

There used to be a TV commercial for a peanut butter brand that catered to kids. The slogan was, “Choosy mothers choose JIF!” Interestingly, it was geared toward KID TV time-slots. NOT adults! They discovered it was the KIDS who helped influence the mothers just what to be choosy about! Not the other way around. In my quest to save some money for groceries, I discovered that I had ACTUALLY wasted TIME!

There are times when it is advantageous to shop for MONEY saving deals. In other situations I have found that the more precious commodity is my TIME. Determining which choice to choose, or to be choosy at all, can become a HUGE difficulty. NO where is that more true then when choosing one’s God!

After the Exodus from Egypt, the children of Israel had spent 40 years wandering and wondering in the desert. It took about another 7 years to conquer the land of Canaan. Many choices had been made along the way… both bad a good! Now this last chapter is Joshua’s last warning to the picky Israelites. In affect he said, ‘now that we’re home… who is going to be YOUR God? As for me and MY family… WE will serve The LORD!’

Easter is season of choice, and since it is a Holy Day, many folks get Friday off. On Resurrection Sunday, one can choose to go to church or not… to worship the LORD… or make the day about colored eggs and candy bunnies! Realistically… the difficulty in life is the choice! AS Jesus said, it is absolutely possible that one can save both time AND money… and still be lost!

I love Jesus Christ! He is FAR more precious to me than eggs or candy, time or money! I choose Him! And because He has done such GREAT work in saving ME, MY house is going to worship HIM on Easter Sunday. Where will YOU be? It’s time to be choosy!!

“How the gold has lost its luster, the fine gold become dull! The sacred gems are scattered at every street corner.” Lamentations 4:1

It is a fact that has been proven beyond all doubt. When it comes to eating dinner, it is actually cheaper and less painful for my wife and I to eat OUT than to stay home and cook for ourselves. WHY? Two things… uncertainty and craving. O.K….ONE thing… discipline! We never know what we REALLY want.. and when buying ANYTHING at the store… and SINCE there are SO many choices, we actually end up spending MORE time and money sorting through the choices than if we’d gone to Burger King. And so it is with life!

As dinner time approached, I had a craving. I KNEW what I wanted to eat, but also knew that Katie wasn’t that interested in picking the place. But it didn’t matter. The place ‘I’ was wanting to go was a place SHE loved as well. It APPEARED a win-win situation. Even more-so, since I had a coupon AND a gift card! It all went well … until it didn’t!

Have you ever noticed that cravings can be very deceptive? Born of desire, cravings PROMISE something that SEEMS to be better than it actually is. A craving can actually accentuate the idea that THIS THING will REALLY satisfy me! Which makes its failure worse than normal when it doesn’t. Such was the case with the choice of food. Everything was just a little off… and in the end, disappointment was NOT our friend!

The children of Israel were God’s kids. He was MORE than just particularly fond of them. Unlike the situation in the Garden of Eden, where God said “Don’t” just once, He had REPEATEDLY told them “DO NOT” with LONG explanations as to WHY they were to obey Him. AND He even added what would happen if they didn’t. And here, in Lamentations, they lie at last. With Jerusalem destroyed and “God’s chosen people” killed or ripped from their land. It APPEARED that the punishment did not fit the crime! How could a little craving have led to such complete destruction?

You and I are the gold and gems of Jesus Christ. I know it makes no sense to us… but isn’t that why we were created in the first place… to SHINE and reflect HIS Glory? The only problem is that pesky little CRAVING of independence. A desire to do things OUR way instead of His. And like a plague, desire, when full grown, soon contaminates EVERYTHING. Like old gold, we lose our shine. Like lost gems, regret becomes our daily food.

This Easter season is a good time to reflect on what it is we TRULY desire. Will doing things MY way lead to satisfaction… or destruction? Will I SHINE for Him or will I be lost in a dusty place? Easter reminds that Christ came to rescue me FOR Himself. His reach, seemingly beyond His grasp, stretched across a cross and spanned the abyss of death itself. But it STOPPED… just laying there at the threshold of my heart. All because TRUE love demands there be a choice. And choice is ALWAYS influenced by desire. How badly do I really want HIM? He is waiting for my answer, which will be proved by the very next step I take. Really!

“you were redeemed…with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect…chosen before the creation of the world.” 1 Peter 1:18-20

I was in the swimming pool with a bunch of my grandkids. As usual, my ears were continually bombarded with one phrase over and over… “my turn!” As I am getting older and weaker… my grandkids are getting bigger and stronger. But it didn’t matter! For now… they cried out, “throw me to the Moooon!” And for now I still can… sort of! So I did!

It all started when my own children were children. We had been blessed by God to buy a house with a swimming pool. Living in Florida, it was one of our greatest blessings and is still a maker of memories. I started inventing different ways to throw my kids around in the water and came up with labels to apply like ‘To the moon,’ ‘The Statue of Liberty,’ ‘Ballerina,’ ‘Flip-a-rooski’ and the family famous ‘helicopter, belly-flopper SMASH!’ My whole family knows that each means!

These days, my body pays a price for such physical exertion. I can only go so long before I get worn out and have to tag team one of my 4 tough sons to take over. I say 4 because I consider my in-laws to NOT be in-laws. They bought into the family when they pledged their lives to my own kids. They continue to pay that price every day without complaint and take over tossing around the kids the same way.

There is really only 1 unstated rule to a ‘Flip-a-rooski,’ or any other throw for that matter. BE STILL! The energy and success of the toss is all on the thrower. If the kid is all jumpy and moving around, it becomes a ‘Flop-a-rooski!’ And while it may seem to be a stretch for a metaphor, it still works when applied to my salvation. The verse above proves it.

In Christendom, we generally use the word ‘Saved’ for someone who has accepted Christ as their Savior. It is a good word. But just like the description ‘To the moon,’ I can’t help but feel it falls FAR short of its true description. The words in this chapter call it what it is…‘Redemption!’ It is an extravagant word! I can be saved from drowning or falling by grabbing onto an inanimate object like a limb or rope. But getting into God’s family and Heaven is FAR more expensive.

The word ‘Redeem’ means to ‘deliver by paying a price.’ I was REDEEMED ‘with the precious blood of Christ!’ If I were even able to collect 1 drop if that blood and carry it to heaven with me, it would NOT get me in. The process of redemption is ALL up to God. HE came up with it, HE paid the price and HE has to apply it to my life. I am simply required to Be Still… and LET HIM!

Have you taken YOUR turn at His redemption? Do you KNOW what that means? Are YOU in the family? If not… He’s waiting and you CAN be next!

As you know, I normally write the Words of the Day.  After reading this, I couldn’t say it better.  I pray this is a blessing passed on. 

It was only a matter of days before He would be crucified, and Jesus had just entered Jerusalem. The crowd had been waving palm branches and shouting His praise. The onlookers weren’t sure what was happening. In Matthew’s words,

“When [Jesus] had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, ‘Who is this?’” Matthew 21:10

“Who is this?”… This question does not belong only in first-century Jerusalem. Throughout the centuries and continuing today, people have been opinionating and speculating on the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. Some say He was a sort of guru, a wise and gentle teacher of trite platitudes and object lessons. Others say Jesus was one in a long line of prophets. And more than one apologist has argued that there are only three possibilities as to Christ’s identity: He was a liar, falsely claiming to be God; He was a lunatic, bona fide crazy and delusional, out of touch with reality; or He was, in fact, who He said He was, the Son of God, Lord.

Jesus was not low profile when He entered Jerusalem. Matthew reported that when He entered the city on Palm Sunday, “all the city was moved” when He arrived (Matthew 21:10). in their puzzlement, they asked, “Who is this?” Do you desire to see God move in such a way that your own city is stirred and your neighbors begin to ask, “Who is this?” Who is this who put your life back together and made something beautiful of it? Who is this Who restored your family? Who is this who delivered you from addiction? Who is this Who turned your sadness into joy? Who is this?

What does it take for God to move, shake, and stir an entire city? We can learn from this singular day two thousand years ago. It happened when Jesus’ followers began to experience Him, to extol Him, and to extend Him to others. The result? The people around them began to ask, “Who is this?”

We come to know Jesus when we experience being in His presence. And the way to genuinely experience Him is to listen to Him and obey Him. Such was the case two thousand years ago. The stage was set for the city to encounter and experience Jesus when He instructed two of His disciples to go into a nearby village, find a donkey, and bring it to Him.

“So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.” Matthew 21:6

No doubt. No defiance. No delay. They just “went and did” in obedience to Jesus, fulfilling the Old Testament prophecy that

“Your King is coming to you;… lowly and riding on a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9

These two followers who were sent to get a donkey could have decided that a white stallion would be much more appropriate for their Master. But they didn’t. They simply obeyed Him. Too many Christ-followers today, however, let what we think ought to be take priority over His actual commands. Yet one reason God moved the city that day to ask, “Who is this?” was the tremendous spirit of obedience among those who listened to Him. Jesus is still on His throne today, He is still speaking to us, and He is still commanding us to obey His commandments as set forth in His word. when we honor Him by obeying Him, when more of His own people begin to experience Him through obedience to His word, we will find that He is also still in the business of moving cities to ask, “Who is this?”

As Jesus began His descent into Jerusalem, the people began to honor and extol Him. They literally carpeted the road with their coats and palm branches as they shouted their praise:

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” Matthew 21:9

What brought about this outburst of praise? Put yourself in the crowd and you’ll soon find out. Look over there at Bartimaeus. Just last week in Jericho, he was blind and begging by the side of the road. But then Jesus noticed him, stopped, and gave sight to his darkened eyes with a spoken word. Now Bartimaeus was seeing everything around him. No wonder he was praising Jesus! And look over there at that man with tears of joy streaming down his face. Why, it’s Lazarus of Bethany, who not long ago was dead and in the grave… until Jesus gave him new life. And there, over there, is that formerly crippled man who for thirty-eight years could be found lying by the pool of Bethesda. But look at him now, dancing and singing and shouting his own hosannas to this King of kings.

Do you and I have any less reason to extol Jesus, to shout our own hosannas today? We have seen His greatest miracle ever: His provision of new birth through His death and resurrection. We were dead in our sin until He brought us new life.

Yet, sadly, some of us have lost the joyful spirit of praise — and we desperately need to recover it. God will move in our cities and prompt those around us to ask, “Who is this?” when we, like those of old who have experienced Him — we who choose to obey Him — extol Him with our praise.

Those faithful followers lining the street on that original Palm Sunday did not only praise Jesus, they began to extend Him to others. They wanted others to meet their Savior and Lord. Nothing could keep them from sharing the good news that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah and that they had found in Him their hope. Enthusiasm filled the day. Caught up in the excitement of this moment, the people began to ask, “Who is this?” And the crowd lining the street responded with,

“This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 26:10-11

The people who had gathered not only experienced Jesus that day, they not only extolled Him, but they extended Him to others. “This is Jesus!” was their cry.

When we do the same — when we praise Jesus for what He has done in our lives and share our stories with others — the people around us will also ask, “Who is this?” Who is this… Who transformed your life? Who is this… Who put your family back together? Who is this… Who brought you peace in the midst of such tragedy? Who is this… Who enabled you to be victorious over your addiction? Who is this… Who gave you hope in the darkness of your circumstances? Who is this? Who is this? “This is Jesus!” You have experienced Him, so now extol Him and extend Him to others.

Q & A: “Who is this?” Ultimately, each of us must answer this question for ourselves. Who is Jesus to you? Was He a liar — a figure out of history who made some outrageous and completely untrue claims about Himself? Was He a lunatic — some crazed prophet from the middle of nowhere with illusions of grandeur and delusions of deity? Or is Jesus Lord? Your eternal destiny rests on your answer. May you join with the crowd in exclaiming, “This is Jesus!” riority47 \lsdl

“Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.” Titus 3:14

Recently my wife and I had a mutually stressful day. Usually, one of us is more up than the other and can pull the other one out of that funky hole. Not this time! I came ‘up’ with the idea of going ‘out’ to one of our favorite places to eat. A kind of ‘get-away,’ ‘pick-me-up’ place. I knew I had hit a home run when she smiled. So off we went.

After being seated, our waitress arrived. After asking her name I did what I do… I sang a song with her name in it. There are LOTS of songs with peoples names… when there is one that matches the greeted, it’s kind of an icebreaker and usually gets a smile. It didn’t! Determined to have a good night anyway, I let it slide so that we could go about getting out of our funk. We didn’t!

The term ‘waiter’ or ‘waitress’ is kind of an oxymoron. The job denotes that ‘they’ wait for the ‘patron’s’ orders and then deliver. In turn, the customer provides T.I.P.S…. ‘To Improve Professional Service!’ In this case, the only folks doing any WAITING were US. We waited and waited and… well you get the picture! We both felt like this day would never end. My wife asked, “have you ever felt like you are simply treading water?”

If you think about it, treading water is MUCH more difficult than treading on land. Movements are slowed and you never really GET anywhere… except more quickly fatigued. It’s days like this that make me think of the children of Israel during the 400 years of slavery in Egypt. The thought, at least, made me feel better, because at least we weren’t being PHYSICALLY beaten. But some days, mental and physical fatigue can feel just like we are.

A natural question that is too often in life is…“what can a believer DO when getting nowhere?” I believe the Holy Spirit was WAITING for my question. Because this Bible verse jumped right out at me like a TIP…. “Learn to DEVOTE!” One of my life thoughts is that I have never learned ANYTHING the easy way. Have you? Learning usually comes AFTER a crisis or difficult time. It FORCES me to pay attention so I can get out of difficulty quicker. In a rare mood, I felt like He was trying to tell BOTH of us something!

What can you do when exhausted from treading water? FLOAT! It is simply a way to take a break from the strain and simply STOP DOING! I felt like He was saying that in order to ‘DEVOTE,’ I needed to ‘FLOAT.’ I felt God calling me to do the ‘train track’ thing… to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN! Having been a believer for over 50 years, I like to say that Christ has NEVER let me down.. EVER! And here He was AGAIN… waiting for my attention.

This verse proves that God hates socialism! As servants, just like HIM… I cannot get the strength, courage or motivation to DO what He wants in and of myself. That has to come from Him. I must get back to square 1… the OBJECT of my faith. Devoting is like floating. It is a wonderful thought that Jesus never BEATS me into subjection! He simple calls me to Himself. “Come to ME… you who are weary… and ‘I’ will give you REST.” Between you, me and my wife…it’s the best TIP I got all week!

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 3:3

My hands and arms were full of stuff as I approached my truck. Having mentally run down the list of places to go, people to see and things to do, I was confident I had it all. I fired up the truck and started backing out the driveway when out of nowhere a mental ‘zing’ ripped through my head…”phone!” Looking at the ‘stuff’ on my seat, it wasn’t there. I reversed the process.

STOP the truck, remove the keys, walk to the house, unlock the door… search. The phone wasn’t in the house@#^! Walking back to the truck, I discovered it had fallen down in between the seat and the center console, laying almost unseen! RE-starting my truck, I went on with the morning… until!

I had made a list of things that needed done this week. One of them involved a special request to fix the whiteboard in my wife’s Sunday School room. Her room is ALSO the place where the printer was. Needing to make copies for church, the very first thing I saw when I entered the room… was the whiteboard! Then it hit me…. I had forgotten the tools I needed to fix it!!!

Initially I was upset with myself. I started to blame it on getting older… then being too busy. But BOTH of those are simply EXCUSES. I had been asked by my wife to do something for her. So I took a breath… FORGOT about the circumstances, or finding something or someone else to blame… and remembered her request. What was Jesus asking me to do in love and faithfulness? I immediately left, went home, got the tools, returned and ‘got-r-dun!’

In this world failure, forgetfulness, fatigue and frustration lead to LOTS of dead ends. Places that force me to stop, think and reprocess what I am doing, where I am going and WHY! In this case, I HAD it in my memory, then forgot, I HAD written it down, but didn’t read my own notes! But thankfully, no one had died and no catastrophe happened because of my humanness. THIS time!

Proverbs 3 is a very good chapter as it gives a LOT of good advice to those who choose to follow God. This verse is NOT about telling us how to take better notes to get more things done. It IS about starting out with the correct attitude, dealing with the ‘WHY’ I do what I do… or don’t! It is literally cause and effect.

If I live my life with Love and Faithfulness toward God as my FIRST priority, this chapter lists the blessings that come with such a life! Excuses and blame are useless when my heart is wrong. They are completely unnecessary when my heart is right! “Heart… take a memo…”  

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

It’s always been there, though I rarely give it any thought. That is, until it gives me a problem. But this week, as I was cleaning out the brush and trees that were growing around my house, I rediscovered the un-seeable. It had been covered up for so long I had completely forgotten it was even there. But seen or unseen, It was still there doing its job… drip, drip dripping away!

Most of us have experienced a clogged air conditioning drain-line. We rarely notice it otherwise. This very important pipe sticking out of the wall provides a channel for water condensation from the air handler in the attic. As the hot air is turned to cool, the vapor is converted into water and runs off outside. In Florida we have to keep them clean or they clog up and can cause big problems. Suddenly I had an idea!

Grabbing a bucket, I set it under the pipe then left. Returning later, I found the bucket full AND overflowing! Now it became a math calculation. How much water does my air conditioner produce in a day? I was about to find out.

My wife loves plants and she has LOTS of them. We have a hose we can use, but the water isn’t free. I had set up a barrel to catch rainwater running off the roof, but in the dry season the barrel is empty. Since plants need regular watering, I got a little excited to see a new source for the stuff. My math calculations concluded that, depending on temperature and humidity, I can get anywhere from 4-6 gallons of water a DAY from my air conditioner! I have a new hobby!

Preachers get pretty good at similes and metaphors. We use them to get points across. And this new source immediately reminded me of this verse today. I think you have already figured it out though. My spiritual life in Christ is like an AC drainpipe! He is ALWAYS there, rain or shine, pouring out His Spirit, through His Word, to provide real life to me. When I get hot, He can cool me. When thirsty, He gives me drink. BUT!!!!

It is really up to ME to make provisions for His provision. If I fail to notice, collect, or take advantage of His supply, HE isn’t the failure. I am! And if my life gets clogged with gunk and junk, It is up to ME to acknowledge and take measures to clean it up so He can continue to provide, and I can live.

I have up to 180 gallons of water a month to use for free! I have His, even MORE, abundant and eternal life available to me as well. Will I take advantage of the resource? Will you?

“The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” Psalm 34:7

I awoke this morning to no big surprise… which is ALWAYS a joy! Nothing happened over night that rocked my world or caused me great pain or sorrow. Much needed rain was falling, and as I settled into my daily routine of spending time with the Lord, I had all my resources at my fingertips. Bible, devotionals, pens, markers… and coffee!

I have had this same coffee pot for at least 7 years now. Knowing how ‘time flies,’ it has probably been longer. In a society where things are not made to last, this Black & Decker beauty just keeps on going. The warmer is crusted with something that doesn’t wash off anymore, but it keeps on warming. The timer keeps time perfectly, supplying coffee at just the right time in the morning… as long as “I” don’t mess up the programming. Let’s just say that when it comes to my coffee pot…it does what it does.

Many of my life’s joys and pleasures are often taken for granted. This morning, with the clouds out and the rain falling, I was able to appreciate the comfort of a dry place to set and a hot cup of coffee to sip, even more than usual. I was grateful that what was going on OUTSIDE was NOT going on INSIDE! God prompted me that HE is the reason for my joy.

As time ticks by and age becomes a factor, I find it a JOY to be able to see things more clearly. Fads and stuff have come and gone. Fixes and repairs have come around to where they are due again. But the things that I have grown to MOST love about life are not ‘things’ at all! The most important and precious to me has become the love, care and faithfulness of God… toward me. Looking back… He has NEVER let me down. EVER!

The verse today prompts a picture I saw years ago of a camp of soldiers during the Civil War. Tents spread out to form a little city. Not surprisingly, the Headquarters of the General was in the middle of the camp. If a threat WERE to come from an enemy, it would have to prevail over a HUGE powerful army to get to its leader. In the verse today, God’s way proves that HIS ways are not OURS. For the one encamped in the middle of the fray… is ME! And He has made ME a promise!

It is the world’s way that the weak, poor and servants of the world exist to provide for the King. God’s way is more shocking than it is anything else. HE, The King, provides, protects and positions Himself around HIS subjects, with the guarantee of promised deliverance. All we need to do is stay within the heart of His camp!

In the Old Testament, the angel of the Lord is not some unknown creature. He is the one and only SPECTACULAR Son of God… Jesus Christ. Because of His death on the Cross for ME, He delivers on His promise that I WILL be delivered. It is wonderful to be able to look back and see that He always has. Like my coffee pot, and even BETTER and BIGGER, Jesus does what He does. THAT is why I love sitting with…and spending time with Him. Do you?