“’You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Jesus to His disciples, after a storm nearly sinks their boat…” Matthew 8:26

We just finished laying our yard with a rock border and then filled the whole area with stone. I walked out in the morning to find that rocks had been knocked over…some moved. Initial shock turned into a BIG smile, as my next words were, “why those little….!”

We had our entire family over last week during the tail end of this Covid 19 virus ordeal. Three of my youngest grandsons had been out there playing in the new stone area just having a ball. I had not gone out to check on them since, why mess with perfection right? But the evidence of what they had been doing lay before me.

Here’s the funny part. Having been a kid myself, a LOOONG time ago, I never even THOUGHT about boys being boys. While my wife had designed a beautiful rock garden, our grandsons saw it as a construction site! Moving the rocks back into place, I was sorry I had missed the fun! I won’t the next time!

I personally believe it was satan who kicked up that storm on the Sea of Galilee. I mean you couldn’t ask for a better opportunity to destroy the whole ‘lot’ of his enemies. Including God Himself! This ‘pandemic’ thing has a gone WAYYYY past reasonable and…I believe I can see satan’s hand very clearly, as his plan is always the same. Destruction and fear.

God created the universe and mankind, NOT FOR US. But for HIM! Being creative and imaginative Himself, He planted those qualities in the hearts of men (and kids). But He did NOT leave! He stuck around to be an integral part of His plan to inhabit the hearts of people. He KNEW it was going to get tricky at times. But undeterred…he stayed! And invites!

Rules of safety and self preservation were never a part of God’s plan. God is wild and fierce, and He calls us to the action of joining Him in battle. A vandal has stuck his hands where they do not belong… and God is calling you and me to join Him in an epic story of “not on MY watch!” And THAT is ALL a part of the fun! Now, the only thing Jesus wants to know is…are going to ‘rock’ by Faith… or fear? It’s time to join Him!

“He (an insignificant, no named angel) threw him (satan) into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” Revelation 20:3

I got a BIG Butt…but didn’t really know what to do with it! Being on the frugal side is what got me the butt. I had family coming over and thought it’d be fun to make a meal. Looking at the grocery store ads, I saw ‘pork butts’ were on sale…CHEAP. I was sold and ended up with a big one. The only question I had was… “Now what?”

I MUST confess…in my almost 65 years, I have never cooked a pork butt! Maybe it’s the SLOW thing or maybe it’s that I’m not a huge pork fan. But I was about to learn something new all the same. The first thing I learned was that I had been deceived all those years! It’s NOT a butt…but a shoulder. Butts are hams! Cute! The next thing I learned was that ‘low and slow’ means just that. I ended up pulling and all-nighter!

The big butt had been slow roasting for 6 hours. When I checked, it didn’t look like what I knew it was supposed to. So I put it back into the heat for 2 more hours. After nothing had changed, and being too tired to mess with it, the recipe words, “you can’t over cook a butt” came to mind. So I just closed the oven door and went to bed, choosing to operate by faith!

The Bible verse today is kind of like a BBQ. When Christ returns to set up His 1000 year reign on earth, the times will be unprecedented. Peace, justice and prosperity will be His method as He provides EVERYTHING good for His kingdom. Buttttt…all things will change at the stroke of a 1000 year clock! Can you see why?? Go ahead…read it again and see if you can find it.

We humans don’t truly understand God things very well. When we try, we often end up JUDGING God for things we would NEVER allow…since WE would NEVER let some things exist if WE were in charge. And one of those things lies in the word ‘MUST!’

Satan is a liar, murderer and a deceiver. It is what he does. In human wisdom, we would take him out behind the barn and put a bullet in him! Case closed! Yet God says ‘MUST!’ And only after the shock and horror of that word can one begin to grasp the concept that ‘Choice’ is God’s Gold. His patience, love and desire to give me a chance to choose Him over everything else, operate like the heat of a BBQ…’low & slow.’ Because to get to a butt like me…He must! 

“(Uzziah) sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success…But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord his God, and entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense.” 2 Chronicles 26:5 & 16

The U.S. Government, utilizing the IRS, has issued a decree that all taxpayers shall receive a stimulus check to help during the corona virus outbreak. It was supposed to be automatic. If you paid your taxes, you get a check. I did…but I didn’t. After about a week, I checked, but still…nothing. I became motivated to find out why. It turns out…I’m not eligible!

It is April 30^th and ‘Tax Day’ has been over for 2 weeks. EXCEPT… the U.S. Government EXTENDED the filing date due to the… well you know. Just for fun, last night at Bible Study, I asked how may people had filed their taxes. In a room of about 20 people… only 2 raised their hands! I hadn’t filed mine either. But that didn’t make me feel any better.

I am not eligible to receive a stimulus check because I didn’t follow the rules. I HAD been NOTIFIED what I needed to do. I just hadn’t taken the time to notice and obey. Now, the piper is piping and it’s time for me to pay the consequences. But having a PhD in the ‘College of Hard Knocks’ I am not too upset. I have learned my MOST important lessons the ‘hard’ way.

King Uzziah started out well. Have been trained by a pro to follow God… he did. And it is recorded that he was BLESSED by God for doing so. That is UNTIL AFTER! It wasn’t the power that was the problem. Many a good king has had the same power and ruled well. It was his PRIDE that got him. The scary thing is…pride has no way of being measured… UNTIL AFTER.

I cannot tell you how many time I have smashed against the rocks of life. But thank God for Grace. Each time I was given an opportunity to be humbled, repent, and then go on. The Bible doesn’t say that Uzziah was given that opportunity. But he had the same God ‘I’ do… so I imagine ‘he’ did. But didn’t!

I have said it over and over and over. SEEK GOD FIRST! PUT GOD FIRST! THEN… He promises, ‘all things’ will fall into place. But then, power, greed, self sufficiency or even a big check comes along and somehow servant actions change. EVERY man crashes feeling confident he won’t! UNTIL AFTER!

I SHOULD have paid my taxes on time. ‘I’ am called by God to be responsible and do the right thing REGARDLESS of trends, special circumstances or second chances. He holds ME to a higher standard. One more time, by looking around to see what everyone else is doing, I just got bit. I’m sorry Lord! Thank God for GRACE!  

“Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'” John 20:29

During the so called pandemic, I headed to Walmart. Which is an oxymoron all on its own. I headed to the south door, but it was closed off ‘for my safety!’ having to walk the length of a football field to enter the north door, I didn’t FEEL any safer. In the store, up and down the aisle, single file, forced to follow an older lady with walker…I searched for the items on my list.

Katie wanted a can of ‘Ro-tel Diced tomatoes & peppers’ I saw the ‘Canned Vegetables’ sign and headed down that aisle. Then up.. then down. 4 times! Frustrated, I found a worker and asked directions. As it turns out, Rotel is found in the ‘Ethnic Food’ aisle. My search for honey proved the same. Honey is NOT found near the sugar, neither is it in the ‘Baking Needs’ aisle! Honey is next to the peanut butter! Staring at the honey, I fell into a dark hole of thought seeking product placement logic because, seeing was NOT believing.

Life produces various and significant events that SHOULD point us to logical questions like ”What is the point?” Why are we here?” “Is that all there is?” and “Where is God in all this?” To me, a so called ‘Pandemic’ SHOULD be that kind of event. But I fear it is not the case.

Most churches have closed but stores are open. I’d have thought when faced with the possibility of viral death that people would be more interested in Spiritual matters. But one of the biggest complaints I have heard is “my gym is closed!” People walk and run (NOT at the beach) to exercise their bodies. But show little concern for their Spiritual and eternal life. I see it! But I can’t believe it!

I stand on the fact that Jesus Christ is the Creator and Lord of the Universe. NOT because I see Him. But because I KNOW Him. Questions came to me that forced an answer, and asking and seeking led me to meet Him…personally. KNOWING Him.. I BELIEVE Him. And the more I learn OF and ABOUT Him, the more I BELIEVE HIM.

PEOPLE are in mortal danger. NOT because of a virus, but because of sin and separation from the one who created us. And while some people look in fear in all the wrong places, God is STILL calling to each of us to come and get to know HIM. If you know Him, you are like an expert ‘stock boy’ and can TELL those who WANT to know what YOU know. They may be surprised to hear that “God isn’t down that aisle!”

“Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” James 1:14-15

The fella standing there in front of me was a sight. His back and rear end were a little torn up from his pride being dragged off to where he hadn’t intended, or wanted, to go. But that wasn’t the ugliest part. It was the face that told the story. Downcast, sad, embarrassed and somewhat ashamed…I just looked away from the mirror. Because the fella… was me!

I had just praised my wife this Sunday and here today, Monday, I had gotten ugly after the 2^nd event within the same day. Going to get a shovel I grabbed it, and a whole bunch of other tools fell into my face. ‘I’ hadn’t put them there that way. My wife’s desire to keep things orderly had. In anger I yelled… ‘’quit moving MY STUFF!” And just the by way it came out… I KNEW I had blown it.

Last night I grabbed my electric toothbrush. After butterin’ it up with toothpaste, I stuck it against my teeth, hit the button and… nothin’! I followed the charging wire with my eyes to see its plug…below the outlet. Her hair dryer had taken its place. At least last night I didn’t SAY anything. But desire WANTED to!

Human desire exists for itself alone. It wants what it wants without rules, reason or etiquette. And I have learned that ‘desire’ is one of the devil’s favorite playgrounds because, he LOVES playing the long game. Like a snake, selfish desire can strike without even being seen. And USUALLY with something stupid or incidental as a trigger. Now I was embarrassed…again!

It seems like a minor thing. I didn’t get awful and punch her or anything. I mean, no police had to be called. But the results were the same. It was a double whammy as BOTH of us had fallen victim to human desire demanding its rights!

Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what your gonna get.” Unfortunately, God would disagree on this one. His LOVING response to my ridiculous outburst could EASILY have been, “I told you so!” HE gently led me to today’s Bible verse as the reminder. And reminded me that the victim of evil desire is NEVER supposed to be the same guy that uses the toothbrush…or shovel! 

“Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.” Rev 3:19

Having not seen my daughter and her family in a while, we opted for a drive and a visit. Walking into the foyer there was a huge string of balloons, tape on the floor and boxes positioned like some jungle gym. The isolation from the Covid 19 thing had turned their creativity up to ‘extravagant!’ My grandson grabbed my hand and excitedly dragged me to the boxes.

One of the boxes had been turned on its side and plastic cups hung from the top in a homemade shooting range. I was handed a Nerf Gun and, just that fast, it was game on. Even though it was only a toy, every shot hit a cup, making me feel pretty good…from about 6 feet! I reloaded and backed up to about 15 feet! But the results were not the same!

Now I don’t know if it was expectation, determination or just plain competitiveness with myself, but I was slightly disappointed! So, silly me, I loaded up again! And got the same results! It was only THEN that I reminded myself that ‘THIS IS A TOY!’ A Nerf gun is not made for accuracy… but for FUN! Even though I was taking serious aim, it was not possible to be perfect. Then a thought hit me!

“Why do I sometimes take things that AREN’T serious…so seriously? And why do I leave some things that ARE serious… completely unattended to? In His own playful way, I knew Jesus was trying to tell me something. This morning’s devotional confirmed it.

Oswald Chambers said, in his book, ‘My Utmost for His Highest,’ “Get alone with Jesus and either tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you – or else tell Him that at all costs you want to be identified with His death.” In other words, either turn around and take Jesus and His work in you seriously, or completely walk away from His disciplining hand. But BE SERIOUS about one or the other!

I am a human. And humans LOVE to have their cake and eat it to. ‘I’ like to pick the things ‘I’ want to work on…or not! Which really makes me ‘my’ own ‘god’ most of the time. Which can make my Heavenly Father irritable. There are things He wants to work on in my life that I seriously do NOT want to take seriously. Today He is telling me to quit playing around and take aim at a target HE is pointing to. Because Life is NOT a game!

Seeing this today, I just had to forward. There is a way things work and a way things don’t work.. And then there is God’s way! One of my favorite Bible verses that remind me of God’s way is Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. I have found MANY times that a RIGHT way to do something does NOT necessarily mean it is the God thing to do. Before being exercised, FAITH makes me nervous. AFTER it is exercised, I’m STILL nervous. And THAT is the point!

In the world there is a clamoring for guaranteed safety. And in the words of C.S. Lewis in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, where Jesus is portrayed as athe Lion come these words…“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion”…”Safe?” said Mr Beaver …”Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Are YOU wise and are YOU walking by FAITH???  Wise people do!

In her dazzling poem “The Summer Day,” Mary Oliver asks a poignant question: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” We all know that life is precious, yes, and that there are moments of great serenity and gentle joy. We know the soft touch by the delicate hand of an aging grandmother, and we know the quiet glory of a sleeping newborn. The dew found blanketing the earth every morning, with absolutely no human effort, still amazes me and stirs my soul to praise. All I have to do is walk outside to find fresh mercy. But for all its preciousness, life is also, at times, uncon­trollably wild. Have you ever thought about how much a human being goes through on this pilgrimage around planet Earth? Life races along the route of the wildest roller coaster, heaving and thrusting, twisting and turning its way through all those dark tunnels of trauma. The sacred marriage that was once sealed in vows and meant to last a lifetime is ended with the stroke of a cheap pen purchased in bulk at Walmart. Some of the children who were trained up in the way that they should go are now — like the prodigal son in Luke 15 — sleepwalking their way through a far country while Dad sits on the porch weep­ing. The business venture that seemed so unsinkable, so Titanic, is taking on water. And we’re seeing it now — pandemics unexpectedly arise and change the world overnight. Life is not colored neatly between the lines but is more like the confluence of two mighty rivers crashing together. The good creation that gives us groves of irrepressibly yellow aspen trees is the same creation that is sitting on top of fault lines that will soon shift and destabilize an entire region. The ecstatic celebration of a new birth is often followed by our attendance at an unexpected funeral. Scores of people think they have a game plan, a coher­ent and thoughtful approach to life. But we all know that a plan doesn’t mean anything when something goes horribly wrong. Or, as Mike Tyson once quipped, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”1 Yes, life moves on us. Things shift, disruptions occur, and economies unexpectedly tank. The sturdy life we thought we had was, upon closer examination, more like a frag­ile house of cards than we would like to admit. If this is true, the question then becomes, How do we become the kind of people who know how to handle whatever life throws at them? How do we learn to think on our feet and navigate the terrain we never expected to traverse? In short — and this is the question at the heart of my new book — how do we become wise? The ancient prophets of Israel gave us a clue:   This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’ — Jeremiah 6:16, emphasis mine In the book of Job, we read:   Ask the former generation and find out what their ancestors learned, for we were born only yesterday and know nothing, and our days on earth are but a shadow. Will they not instruct you and tell you? Will they not bring forth words from their understanding? — Job 8:8–10 Both Jeremiah and Job tell us to pursue the older saints that have discov­ered The Way. Ask them where the good way is and find out what their ancestors passed on to them. Pursue the ones who have found strength in God to get back up after having fallen down. Pursue the ones who have overcome the unholy ambitions of their youth. Pursue the ones who have climbed the mountain of God. In our information age, though, this discipline of asking for help is in disrepair. We are largely untrained in the art of conversation. It just takes too much work. Human beings can be so complicated, so we go online for a quick search. We hope to find the right information. Maybe there’s a how-to video that’ll help us. But with all the crucial questions in life, you don’t need a search engine; you need a sage. In the moments where critical discernment is needed, you don’t need an “internet pastor”; you need the true communion of saints who will do the slow work of discerning the way of the Lord with you. But very few in our society will encourage you in their direction. We live in the days of the glorification of youth. We live among those who praise slim bodies instead of sound minds. We live in an age that loves pop stars and forsakes old war veterans. We follow the tabloids for news of the latest celebrity marriages while missing out on the wis­dom of the old married couple sitting in the pew next to us. The extent to which we continue in this direction is the extent to which we forfeit one of God’s great gifts. Still, the ancient paths can be found. There is a life of elemental wholesomeness and vitality, a kind of life that can rise above the besetting sins and cheap seductions that have thrown many lives off course. There is a life that can weather every storm. And isn’t that what all of us are longing for? So, just ask! Don’t play the fool. You don’t always have to learn the hard way. Look around the landscape and find someone who has a life worth emulating. Buy them a meal. Come prepared with a legal pad and four or five good questions. If you’ll take the time and do the work, you’ll find sages along the way who can save you a lot of heartache. In short, make it your goal to spend the rest of your life chasing wisdom. Adapted for Devotionals Daily by Daniel Grothe,, author of Chasing Wisdom.

“He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.” 2 Chronicles 26:5

I hadn’t seen Dave in YEARS! You know how it goes. You meet and get to know someone, friendship grows…then something happens to separate the relationship. They move away, you get married, or you both fall into different lives that no longer intersect. Yup! There he was… Dave! My old friend…or at least I THOUGHT!

When I saw HIM, my initial reaction was exuberance and joyful surprise. It LOOKED like he had the same reaction when he saw me as well, because he immediately started walking my way. Yea… just 2 good old pals preparing to greet one another…during a pandemic! The thought hadn’t even occurred to me until we were about 7 feet apart. Then ‘The Rule’ hit me about keeping a 6’ safe distance apart. And faster than an approaching bullet, my brain registered ‘Warning!’ Between head and heart, I had a decision to make!

At 6.7 feet I noted that Dave, like me, had not stopped moving. My smile immediately became bigger because before we had even come together for that ‘friend hug,’ a societal ‘no-no,’ I KNEW I was going to get it! In this situation, my relationship with Dave was greater than the fear of a virus. He showed me that it was for him.

2 Chronicles 26 tells a story about Uzziah, a 16 year old lad who was thrust into being the King of Judah. This story has a LOT to do with his mentor…Zechariah. The book says that Zech ‘instructed him in the fear of God.’ In other words, Uzziah had to LEARN how to honor, respect and relate to a God who could snuff him out at any time if he didn’t! It’s a good story. Up until the end when he forgot his learning… AND his place!

What is the opposite of Faith? If you have true faith in God, you can easily guess it. Because THAT thing is the biggest God killer in all the universe. When THAT thing is allowed to rise, IT can become a formidable god that will become harder and harder to topple. I guess I can just as easily say that God is waiting to see how close I want to get to HIM during this so called crisis. It’ll either be Him… or the other thing. And the winner takes all!

“Consider the ravens (cardinals): They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” Luke 12:24

A few years ago my wife was gifted an avocado tree. It’s a funny story now, because at the time, when all of her co-workers were gifted Apple Watches, SHE was the ONLY one given the gift of a tree! Did I say several years? Yes I did! And to date we have watched that thing do absolutely NOTHIN’! Nope.. not even 1 avocado!

We bought and planted a lemon tree about 8 years ago. It seemed to take forever to get any lemons. Our first, after 3 years, yielded 9 lemons. Then it got citrus canker! Now we get LOTS of lemons… but they’re ugly and can be pithy at times. But an ugly, pithy lemon is better than NO lemons right? That hopeful rational holds as we watch the avocado tree.

This spring we saw avocado blooms…which is not new. But like before, the blooms turned into little fruit, then just like that…they were gone! Last week as we rested from yard work, my wife noticed our yearly visiting red cardinal as it returned to make its nest in our yard. She was SO happy! There he was… flittering among the green avocado leaves. Then it hit her what he was doing!!! Guess what fell from grace?

Being Bible people, we are well aware of this verse in Luke. It is part of the Beatitude sermon Jesus preached, which is also recorded in Matthew. But in light of our recent discovery, I now have a different take on the verse. I mean.. I didn’t expect GOD to feed HIS BIRDS with OUR AVOCADOS! And just like that red bird flittering our in a green tree… it hit me!

I know his concept well. NOTHING I have belongs to ME. It is ALL God’s! God uses HIS possessions in MY hands to bless HIS creatures. I get that and my wife and I are givers. But I am being convicted that It is MY responsibility to guard my heart against the unlicensed theft of God’s fruit in my heart.

Katie wove a net around the tree to keep the birds away. We didn’t KNOW they were stealing from us until we were sitting still and taking a break. Now we do! Since she put that screen up, you wouldn’t believe what has happened. We have several avocados that are growing rather well… AND NEW buds are coming appearing!

Today, I am late in my posting because I had some concerns that kept me up last night. Remembering this recent event has caused me to put 2+2 together. I wonder what treasure I have allowed flittering thieves to steal from my ‘could be’ fruitful life?