“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:6–7

It was the second game of a double header and the team I was rooting for was down 2 runs. The batter looked small compared to the VERY large pitcher. The wind up, the pitch… the small batter made a small move with a perfect bunt and got STILL got on first base! “Nice move,” I thought! But the next batter hit a fly ball and that was 3 outs.

Standing behind the home plate I looked at a giant, the former pitcher, who was now the batter. He had earned a fierce reputation, having smacked a homer in the very first inning at bat. Coach called timeout and brought in a new pitcher. “WHAAAAAAA?” I thought. Lil’ bunt guy was being put in to pitch??? It was like David and Goliath all over again. Only Goliath had the bat and David had a ball. One…. Two… THREE…. & YER OUT!!!!!!! I went nuts and screamed as the ‘struck out’ batter kicked the dirt in disgust!

OK… I am not a baseball fan. But I had a genuine interest in this game. You see, the bunting batter and the now-smiling pitcher was my Grandson, Isaac! And I was PROUD! He showed poise, control and self-discipline facing a giant. And he had prevailed!

I met a gentleman today who has experienced a LOT of hard stuff lately. I knew he attended church regularly and we chatted about his life. The more we talked, the more concerned I grew. He had answers… and seemingly good ones. But something wasn’t sounding right. Figuratively, the ball was in my hand, so I pitched it right at him… “If you were to die today do you know FOR CERTAIN you are going to heaven?” He was bold and forceful, and without missing a beat he answered, “NO.” Strike 1

Sizing him up, I wanted the next question come across clear, and force him to do more than simply swing. I asked, “If God were to ask you, ‘Why should I let YOU into my Heaven,’ what would YOU say?” He responded with, “well, I think my good has outweighed my bad, so that should do it.” Strike 2! Now the series became VERY – serious. Digging in, I shared facts about sin, death, sacrifice, Grace and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Then wound up and pitched THE QUESTION! “Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and KNOW for CERTAIN you are going to Heaven?” His answer? THHHHHHWHACK!!!!!! YES!! HOME RUN!!!!!

The Bible says that all heaven rejoices when 1 sinner believes the Gospel. I swear I could hear. sitting there with a smile on my face, just like I did with my Grandson. I resisted the urge of a derogatory comment toward the opposing dugout…as I sensed the devil kick the dirt in disgust and walk away!

When it comes to God’s Kingdom, I have learned that little things are ALWAYS Big ones! A simple answer makes all the difference!

OOOOOOO I just heard YOUR name called & yer up! Here comes the pitch!!!!! “If YOU were to die today… do YOU know FOR CERTAIN you are going to heaven?”…..

“For He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.” Psalm 72:12

Running to and fro with a lot on my mind, I was trying to get things done for my home, the church and both families. I wasn’t grumpy, sad or down. In fact, I felt no sense of failure, overwhelming duty or spirit crushing fatigue. That is until I distinctly heard, “Pick it up!” It was then, when my vision caught sight of the paper cup, that my head dropped, eyes closed and my heart fell! And just that quickly, I knew I was in trouble!

The voice was not audible, but it was loud and clear to me. I have told the story often enough, but I’ll say it again… I hear God! Some folks look at me strange when I say it, while others get jealous. “God talks to YOU?” Yea…I get it! Shocking, right?! He does! But unlike Daniel, Ezekiel or John, He doesn’t give me huge apocalyptic visions to pass on to the masses. “Pick it up,” was what He said. And the 1 lone piece of trash on the ground was what I thought He was referring to. But it wasn’t.

I WAS shocked, but not by His voice. It was my reaction. Like you, I know what it’s like to be VERY busy and overwhelmed! But I thought I was juggling the balls rather well. Trying to please the Master should be an easy thing to realize. One piece of trash was not a huge task, but it was enough to break this camel’s back. It made me recognize that I had been performing instead of relying. It was a strange lesson, but I got it!

Jesus wasn’t telling me to ‘do’ one more thing, He was telling me to STOP! Apparently, without notice, I had run WAY ahead of Him and was doing the things “I” thought were important for HIS work to be successful. But without listening to His instructions first, I became my own foreman!. My internal ‘sigh’ was a sign that I had, unknowingly, changed places with the Master!

Psalm 72 is about Jesus, Messiah, and His Glorious future kingdom. It pretty much describes Him like the Superhero He is. I have needs and afflictions and areas that need a Superhero. He reminded me that He NEVER asks me to do HIS job! Sometimes the most important thing He asks me to do is to Stop and LISTEN. To ‘pick up’ my heavy load, place it in His hands and Let HIM be HIM! Did you know that there are no rewards in Heaven for picking up trash?

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” Lamentations 3:25-26

It was dark as I pulled up behind the car at the red light. And by dark I mean that no headlights were coming from the south OR the north. There was not a car in sight! The ‘powers that be’ created a permissible rule for cases just like this. It’s referred to as ‘right on red.’ It basically gives permission to a driver to proceed through a red light, after stopping, if traffic is clear. And it was… CLEARLY!

When the horn is pressed on the steering wheel, it makes a sound. That is what it is SUPPOSED to do. The horn does not indicate emotion in any way. TOOT! It can be a notice, a warning or even a hello! Press…. TOOT! Setting at that dark light… waiting…with NO movement from the car in front of me, I gently pressed… toot. I guess what the woman, in the Volkswagen, in front of me, heard was… TOOT! Because she stuck out her arm and waved 1 finger at me!

How long does it take to murder someone? I mean really? I KNOW I have used the illustration before, but I haven’t graduated yet! Jesus says that when you call someone a ‘fool’ in anger, you are guilty of murder! In retrospect, I can tell you that the timing from a ‘finger to rage ‘can be measured in NANOseconds! Let’s just say, ‘Lightnin’ fast!’ But the reality of feeling like a jerk, exacerbated by the reaction of the woman setting beside me… my wife…lingers long! “WAY TO GO, PASTOR” she said! So I killed her too!

How long does it take to sin? We were all stuck at an impersonal red light. But within a second, EVERY ONE of us earned ‘Hell!’ It CAN debated as to who went first! But the end is the same! The woman in front of me had the RIGHT to go on red… but nothing says she HAD to exercise it. So I exercised MY right to ‘toot!’

“It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” That verse has a LOT packed into it. Most often, in man mode, I have a tendency to ‘rush loudly.’ But I am not alone! Lamentations was written by an unfortunate prophet named Jeremiah. He was stuck in History at a LANDSLIDE caused by the sin of the nation Israel. When God called him to go warn them, the Almighty threw in, “no one is going to listen to you!”

One man’s words against a nation, written down forever, can easily be picked apart. Jeremiah places blame on Israel, but doesn’t mind throwing a little dirt in God’s face. The surprise is that God let him! So WHO caused the suffering of Israel? Was it God? Jerry puts the blame on Him in Lamentations 1:12-13. Or was it Israel… like It says in Lamentations 4:13? Go ahead and look it up and see what YOU think.

I THINK the rightful response is that NONE of us have rights! I am not the creator, police, judge, jury or executioner. What I AM, is a man in a heap of trouble. But thankfully, this verse verifies that salvation is on the way! AND… that my case would be best served if I just sit at the light… quietly… and WAIT for it! Now…. can I?

“I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘Lord, save me!’ The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.” Psalm 116:3-5

I thought it was Thursday and it was getting late. You may remember my issue with garbage day, so remembering caused me to jump into ‘hurry’ mode. Grabbing a half-filled trash bag I thought of all that wasted space!!! So I opened up the refrigerator and started scrounging for trash to fill up my bag! (Does anyone else do this????) I hit pay-dirt!

In the back of the shelf was a container of mystery! How long had it been there? What did it hold? Heading to the sink, I opened it up… and the smell hit me before I could make out what it was. Holding my breath, I poured the ooozy goo down the garbage disposal, rinsed and repeated SEVERAL times! Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I headed to the street with my garbage, only to discover that I was the only one! It was Wednesday!

It is UNusual that I am that prompt. When a nasty or unpleasant job awaits, I usually put the PRO in procrastination. It is a character flaw. In English, placing PRO in front of a word usually makes it different. It means to ‘put in front’ or ‘take care of in advance.’ There is NO such word as ‘crastinate!’ I looked it up BEFORE I started writing this because… well. You know!

WHY is it man’s natural inclination to wait for distress or sorrow to strike BEFORE we call on the Lord. WHY do I continue to search for ways to get myself out of trouble instead of giving it to Him right up front? The last 100 times I tried to be my own superhero, all I found was that my own efforts were smelly and useless for my own rescue. But since David wrote that Psalm, I guess I am in pretty good, but messed up, company.

Learning to lean on and trust the Lord with my heart and life is a long term lesson. Like ‘garbage day’ trouble seems to have a schedule and it ALWAYS shows up. But then… so does God! The longer I know, love and trust Him, the more I realize that he WANTS my garbage. EVERY BIT OF IT! IN ADVANCE! In fact, He has a word for doing just that. It is called TRUST… or FAITH! He promises HIS graciousness and righteousness as the reward He gives me when I QUIT analyzing and START the Trust process.

I have a LOT of ooozy goo in my life that needs to be disposed of. But little by little, as I trust Him, I find it is easier and SMARTER to hand it over NOW… and to stop finding ways of putting it off.

I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:2

Getting ready to pull onto the highway, I hit a perfect block. As one string of cars had just passed from the east, another string of cars began to block my way from the west. After several minutes, I pulled out. The first light I came to turned yellow, the car in front of me stopped. So did I. The next light I hit did exactly the same thing. THAT was when I heard God (or GOD) speak!

I have learned, and forgotten, a LOT of things in my life. Being a goal oriented guy, I usually set my sights on something to be accomplished and hammer-on until it’s done. Along the way frustrations and blocks become objects to remove, leap over or push out of the way. Most of the time that is how things get done. But SOMETIMES!

I have learned, forgotten, learned and forgotten that SOMETIMES the LORD… or the Lord… is the one throwing (or USING) the red lights in my path. SOMETIMES I get so busy DOING, that I simply forget about BECOMING! And there is a difference.

The secret code in the Old Testament is easily missed. Sometimes the Bible reads ‘LORD,’ All caps. Sometimes it is ‘Lord.’ Or GOD and God. I am not a Hebrew expert, but my understanding is this (Please correct me if I am wrong). Lord or God means Elohim. It is the Big, Overall, Powerful, Creator God WAY up there. The word LORD or GOD is His PERSONAL name and means Yahweh. It refers to His Personal, up-close involvement in my life as He loves me and gets involved with me on a father-son level.

It took a little more than a couple of lights for me to hear Him. But I finally got it! GOD my FATHER wanted to have a loving ‘one on one’ moment with me.. simply out of His Love for me. He cares about EVERYTHING I do and go through. And he wants to be part of it all.

This morning I was the one looking for HIM. I opened my Bible to this verse and smiled. Because I don’t need a job, stuff, a schedule or green lights to be complete. My Daddy God (and GOD) is where I get my whole life’s joy. ESPECIALLY at a red light when He wants my attention. Are you paying attention?

“For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.” Psalm 22:28

Today we vote!  That means YOU!

You get in your mode of transportation, get to the voting booth and cast your vote for the people and positions that are most God like.  By now you have done your research and know what & who that is.

Then I ask you to PRAY!  HARD for this exceptional country founded on God’s Word.  She needs a Holy boost and it is YOUR turn to see to it that she gets it!

Sand Up For Jesus Christ!

Love in Him

K.C.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18

Getting into my attic is a process much like opening a combination lock. Every step has to be done – in order. So when I had to get something from up there, I got started and followed the process from memory. Get ladder, lean it against the refrigerator, walk up 2 steps to unlatch and open hinged door, climb down, move ladder and re-position, climb up, climb down and reverse process! I was at the ‘re-position’ step when I got into trouble!

I was in a hurry when I set the ladder. Since I could see what I wanted.. right there at the edge of the attic… I knew I didn’t need to climb ALL the way up, only about 4 steps was needed. When I hit the 3rd step, the ladder started to shuffle. I stopped! Like an automatic reflex, my memory engaged as I ‘remembered’ the time I DIDN’T stop… and ended up on the floor! Accidents like that are excellent teachers. I got down, re-positioned the ladder so it was sturdy on its foundation and then proceeded.

The Bible verse today has a puzzle within itself. The name that Jesus used, ‘Peter’ sounds similar to the word ‘stone.’ If this verse is read out of order or context, it SOUNDS like Jesus is saying that ‘Peter’ is the foundation stone upon which Jesus will build His Church! Being part of ‘The Church,’ and given Peter’s unreliability toward most things reasonable, it makes me nervous that ‘open mouth insert foot’ PETER would become THE foundation for Christ’s Bride.

The Bible tells us that ‘The Church’ would be built upon Himself… He being the Chief Cornerstone and the FOUNDATION of her existence. Therefore, the verse could be read like this; “You are Peter (a little stone) but upon ME (The BIG Rock) I will build my church (see Corinthians 3:11). I love that! Christ clearly affirms that HE is the firm foundation upon which I must place my little, rocky life. And that only HE can hold me up.

I have had a LOT of accidents along the way of life. Like Peter, I can get into trouble without even trying. But I have a rather LARGE MEMORY BANK that continues to grow. It affirms and reminds me that the best thing I can do, when running through my life unbalanced, is to turn my stony life over to Jesus Christ and re-position my center upon HIM. He promises that if I do, that I WON’T fall, or that He will ultimately ‘catch me’ if I do!

“Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law.” Psalm 119:53 ESV

Setting at the red light behind a ‘snowbird,’ I was growing indignant. ‘The bird’ was paying more attention to a cell phone than to the traffic. She could have clearly gone right on red, but blocked traffic by breaking the law our cell phone use. When she pulled out… slowly, The big diesel truck from behind cut me off on the left, belching smoke while giving ‘the bird’… the bird! I experienced… ‘Hot indignation!’

Indignation is a fancy word. It means feeling or showing anger, or annoyance, at what is perceived as considered illegal, unjust, offensive or insulting. From a Christian standpoint, may I suggest that there is simply not enough of it going around these days?! Are you shocked… Literally? Then you may get my point!

EVERY human alive knows what is right and what is wrong. It is in our Conscience. God expects, at the very least, that we DO what is right and NOT DO what we know is wrong. Welcome to the 21^st Century where ‘the individual’ is king and where ‘absolute Truth’ is considered offensive!

In the above scenario, I was indignant that a foreign human would willfully and illegally block traffic. I became MORE indignant as the guy behind me blocked my way because of his indigence. I am even MORE indignant now…because 20 minutes ago my computer crashed and I have to retype half of this message!

Does what breaks God’s heart break yours? Are you nauseated at your own willful and God insulting wrongs, and do you seek to do HIS will for restoration? Because if my own sin doesn’t offend me, I really have no way to accurately become indignant at societies ills. God fixes the ‘man’ before He can fix the ‘nation!’

We are living in an age ripe for the trappings of a tyrant. It could be the beginning of the end, as so many people fight for control of what societies norms should be. But before I can righteously sort out the externals, I must start with my own internals. And it starts with an inward look and an upward prayer… “Lord… show me YOUR way.” Which is EXACTLY what Psalm 119 is all about!

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.” Matthew 20:25-26

Yesterday I discovered what it must be like to be the woman of the house! Now that I have your attention!!

Last week, in lieu of a Memorial Service where there would be many visitors, I felt the urge to wax the church floor. As Pastor, that is not typically in my job description. But I am not that kind of pastor. When Jesus wants the floor waxed and He tells ME… I know He MEANS ME! So I set to work. Not for MY glory or image, but His. That was until last night!

When I walked into the Church before Bible Study last night, I was appalled! The floors were an absolute MESS, as sticky spots competed with ground in food stains. I made a comment to my wife, who reminded me that we had about 50 people eating in that room after the service on Sunday! Strangely, I had forgotten… but now it made sense. Then I thought, “BUT WHAT ABOUT MY NICE SHINY FLOOR!!!!” It was then that the Holy Spirit interrupted…. “WHO’S FLOOR?”

I picked clip art that some will find offensive. It is of an old, black, unhappy, servant woman mopping a floor. Pretty stereotypical huh? A long time ago that was the picture of reality. Age, race, attitude and position were just the norm for that particular task. As society changed, we learned to NOT make mention of ANY of those stereotypes, lest we be labeled something unacceptable in return. BUT.. it still does not settle the need of the day. If everybody is trying to raise their image, WHO is going to clean God’s floor?

The simple definition of the word ‘deacon’ is table waiter. Elders are typically placed above the deacons in ruling authority in a church. Too often, I believe, elders can forget that to become an elder, they FIRST must learn to SERVE! Any upward position from there requires an increased servants heart. Dying to self is a difficult, but necessary, daily requirement.

I deliberately picked and placed the 2^nd picture for a reason. It is a picture of what Jesus wants to see in me as I serve Him and His. He demands a child-like, joyous spirit of service and sacrifice in every task He lays before me… no matter how small or mundane. It takes a lot of effort to lower myself to His elevation!

The Bible says, “To whom much is given, much is required.” I am SO glad and HONORED that He chose ME to serve HIM. If He wants me to weed His Garden, I am required, and will, do it with a smile. And I am reminded to clean HIS floor as efficiently and beauteous as if HE was coming to visit. Because, as I was just reminded…He is!