“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Luke 6:21b
Just wanted to pass on some information I
just learned. Did you know that Laughing is a natural act? Yup! It comes on
about the 3rd day after birth. Babies laugh
instinctively! And you already know that laughter is contagious. Laughter can
be caught and it can be passed on. Tickling is a kind of laughter that comes
because of surprise! Learning NOT to laugh at being tickled is a disciplined
art. You can’t tickle yourself because your body isn’t surprised at what’s
coming! No surprise… no laughter!
Lately, with all this virus talk, there
isn’t enough laughter. And that makes me sad. When Jesus enters a heart, JOY
follows. Joy and laughter are God’s way of reminding us that HE has us no
matter WHAT the circumstances. I believe JOY and LAUGHTER should be signs of
those who are trying to lead others into God’s JOYFUL Kingdom.
I laughed at this skit today. So I am
sharing it with you as a kind of medicine.
I hope that this simple thing bring
laughter to your soul. And as an assignment, why not google ‘funny skits’ or
‘Comedy’ (even ‘Christian comedians’) and see if you can find the best one that
tickles YOUR funny bone.. and then SHARE IT with me so I can share it with the
Brethren & Sisteren!! It might just lighten the load!
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matthew 6:20
Well… coronavirus or not, it’s that time of the month to pay my credit card bill. Having watched my mail and email for any correspondence eliminating my payment… none came. When I received notice that “they are behind me during this difficult time,” I found that the payment was still due! But when I looked closer, I was rather shocked!
A few years ago I
took some long given advice and started putting everything on 1 credit
card…then paying the entire balance off at the end of the month. Doing that
not only gave me use of money with NO interest…it gave me points! These
points could be exchanged for gift cards or cash back refunds. So far it has
worked rather well! But I STILL have to make sure I pay the bill! And THIS one
was strange!
The statement gave me the amount I had to pay, but the shockingly, strange part was that the balance due was LOWER than what I am used to paying! After looking at my transactions and figuring my figures, I realized that the coronavirus had indirectly SAVED ME MONEY! Since restaurants and entertainment establishments were mostly closed, I had no place to spend it! Therefore I naturally… saved it!
I LOVE this Bible
verse today. It is one of my favorites. Jesus is talking here and He isn’t even
pulling any punches. The SUBJECT of the sentence is ‘YOU!’ It is a COMMAND! He
is saying, “Hey YOU… lay up treasure for YOURSELF!” Not for HIM.. but for
MYSELF! In other words, He is commanding me to be ‘PIGGISH!’
God is EXTREMELY
beneficial. He gives and gives and gives again! But if there are no TAKERS,
there is no point to His giving. And that is the point! He wants us to take Him
and try Him SO badly, He even commands us to do it for selfishly, piggy
reasons! His goodness is SO good, He just can’t stand not seeing His children
swimming in His good blessing. Even if it’s just to hear us squeal in delight!
I admit to taking
advantage of God’s grace and doing things HIS way for reasons that may not
always be Holy. Though sometimes out of ignorance, greed or even just to test
Him, I have NEVER failed to receive good things from Him. Even when I’m being
piggish! I just can’t wait to see what my piggy bank looks like in HEAVEN! How
about you?
“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4
Because of Covid-19
news, my mind was in preparation mode. I was a little rusty since the last time
I was in this mode. It had been over a year ago since I prepared for a
hurricane that never came. But I felt I had hit my preparation stride when,
looking in the meat department, I spied a package of ‘Chicken Necks’ for $1.95!
Folks…I am now prepared!
I was a Boy Scout
for about 2 years as a kid. But I spent about 15 years in leadership in that
program. Having 2 sons who are Eagle Scouts, I will never forget the time Colt
and I were at our mountain cabin in a deluge with no power. We built a fire and
cooked a meal, fit for a king, feeding family and neighbors. That skill didn’t
come DURING the storm! It came LONG before any clouds were on the horizon.
On the edges of a
‘pandemic,’ it is interesting to note what people find important. Of all the
things to fight over in a store, the LAST thing I would think about would be
toilet paper! But the proof was before my eyes. While the TP isle was empty,
there before me lay a whole case of ‘chicken necks!’ KNOWING what things would
be important in a crisis, I grabbed some.
Now don’t get me
wrong. I am not saying that I will survive any crisis with chicken necks! But
they DO serve a dual purpose for me. First, they can make a GREAT chicken soup
and feed a lot of people. But more importantly, these ‘necks’ will serve as a
kind of gauge for me. Strategically placing them at the bottom of my freezer, I
know that if I hit the ‘necks,’ real trouble is soon to follow! I have prepared
for that as well.
I have been
teaching the Bible since High School. I have LIVED with it even longer. Having
tested and tried God’s Words through MANY a storm, I can emphatically state
that ”Jesus Works!” ALL THE TIME! Placing my Faith in Him is NOT a helter
skelter, wishy washy kind of thinking. I have PROVEN that trusting Him keeps me
sane and at peace during ANY crisis.
Please note I am
NOT to saying that having Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior guarantees
physical, personal safety! It doesn’t! But what He DOES provide is what no one
can BUY at any store. And that something is TRUE inner Peace and Security,
right here and right NOW! He promises that no matter WHAT storm comes…
NOTHING can snatch me out if His hands. And that wherever I may go…there He
already there.
This storm will
come and go… but once again, I am sticking my neck out for Jesus Christ. And
because of that… I ain’t chicken! Now…what is most important to YOU?
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you
as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Jesus – John 14:27
Yesterday’s news
was surreal. I don’t get live TV anymore but that didn’t stop news from leaking
into my world. Cell phone, Computer, phone calls, Text’s, emails and opinions
on top of opinions. The world is in a panic and there seems to be NO way to
ACTUALLY determine what is REALLY going on with this COVED-19 virus thing. So,
being it was St Patrick’s Day, we did the most logical thing. We made corned
beef and cabbage!
Now most of the
time I find it a WHOLE lot better to not focus on crazy. At my age I have seen
a LOT of it! I remember, as a first grader, being assembled in the basement of
our school and told to hunker down under the older kids standing above us as
they stood against the wall. Somethin’ about bombs and such! Even then I
couldn’t figure out the logic and felt sorry for those bigger than me who would
supposedly die first.. then fall on ME! Not much has changed.
I told you I’ve
seen a lot of stuff. And there re plenty of folks around WAY older than me you
can spend time with, who can top MY stories. But I guess I have seen enough to
learn NOT be scared of crazy talk! Getting through it, I have learned that
often it isn’t what you DON’T know.. as much as it’s about what ya DO! And the
#1 top thing I KNOW….Is Jesus Christ!
I LOVE this Bible
quote from John. Jesus personally pulled his disciples aside and gave them an
alien package. Something they had never even HEARD of before. Like NOTHING out
of this world…He gave them Himself. “His Peace,” He called it. He told them
that there was noting to compare it to on Earth. And then gave them 2 big
no-no’s to go along with it. He said, If I have HIS Peace, I’m NOT to allow
myself to be ‘troubled’ or ‘afraid!’ He says ‘I’m’ supposed to regulate those
things!
I was thumbing
through one of my old Bibles and came across this little poem I wrote years
ago. I don’t remember the occasion, but whatever it was, God had made an
impression upon me! Enough to write something down to keep. Maybe it might help
YOU right now.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my
cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my
tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Yesterday I was
passing a grocery store when I remembered that my wife had stated how much
she’d like to have some meatloaf. I ran in…focused on the items I would need.
Grabbing some items I ended up at the meat section… and it was all gone, except
for a few hot sausages and miscellaneous stuff. I did a quick shift and changed
the menu in my head, than made my way to the check out. I was NOT prepared for
what I saw.
I had just heard
the Presidents plea to not panic and go crazy. So it wasn’t in my head to even
look for signs of crazy. But when I went to get into the exit line, every one
of them were at least 30 feet long… and lined with people with shopping carts
FILLED every crazy edible thing imaginable! Since I don’t do panic crazy…I
put my items back and left!
I guess you could
say that on the surface it looks like this COVID-19 has personally cost ME money.
Over $2000! I got a message yesterday from a seasonal renter from New York that
said they wanted to canceled their trip next week, since all the beaches and
restaurants are closed here anyway! WHAAAAA? It is amazing to be sitting in
paradise and hear local reports from 1400 miles away! Especially when they’re
not true! Now that it was affecting MY bank account, crazy things started to
burp up in my brain…until I put an immediate halt on it!
Rule 1 of ANY
scenario is to remember that everything I own…isn’t mine! This isn’t MY
life… MY home…MY body… or MY bank account! And “I” haven’t lost a dime! I
am a child of the King who owns it ALL! And interestingly, while HE doesn’t
CAUSE the COVID-19 virus, His Word says that He can USE it to TEST ME to see
how firmly I TRUST HIM! Having been through so many REAL crises… I am NOT about
to go CRAZY when it comes to trusting Him now!
I hope you are being sensible and using this
time to share your faith AND your goods with friends and neighbors who DON’T
share your strength and faith in Jesus Christ! And REMAIN CALM.
“Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” Luke 5:31-32
We were all
together in 1 place but doing our own thing. My daughter was looking at her
phone to pass the time when she suddenly blurted out…”EWWWWWWWW!” She had just
received a picture of a friend who had gotten a deep cut on their leg.
NATURALLY… everyone wanted to SEE it TOO. That is… until they saw it! When my
grandson looked at it, he IMMEDIATELY turned away and almost threw up. Ahh the
power of a visual!
Last night at
church, my wife and a good friend were talking about God and bantering about
His tolerance toward evil. Having just had a fun study about Easter, the
question came up, “why did God ‘forsake’ or ‘turn away’ from His Son on the
cross?” I guess we were trying to draw a line of just how close God COULD get
to sin without getting TOO close! Maybe a gross picture of a nasty, deep cut,
might help provide an answer. Because the answer MATTERS!
There are LOTS of
opinions out there about sin and how it removes us from God because he cannot
tolerate it. I listened to a national preacher repeat the ridiculous statement
that unless you ‘confess’ to a particular sin, you won’t be forgiven! Being an
expert at sin and having a short memory myself, I know that there is NO way I
could even ‘keep up’ to get total forgiveness! My cut is WAYYYY too deep! Enter
Jesus!
I have a Doctor
friend that has no problem looking at pictures like this. He has seen SO many
real life cuts that it is NORMAL for him. He can even go to the extreme end,
smile and say, “oh… cool!” Such is the outcome of familiarity! Unless you are
God!
God will not and
cannot not dwell with evil. You might say He has a weak stomach for sin and,
because He is perfect, can NEVER get used to it. When His own Son took on ALL
of my sin, evil and punishment… along with yours, God could not even LOOK! And
THAT, my friends, was the eternal deal!
I was lost in sin.
God and I could not reach each other. But because of His love for both His
Father AND for me, Jesus said, “no worries dad, I’ll take care of this!” And He
did! EVEN THOUGH HE KNEW THE PRICE! I don’t know about you…but with a love
offer like that, I simply CAN’T turn away.
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
I had stepped into
hell. I KNEW what I was doing when I did it…but did it anyway. Even though I
had put on my best attitude and ‘nice’ hat, it took less than 60 seconds to
explode. Even though I had been respectfully determined it wouldn’t. I had
taken a deep breath, smiled inside and then stepped onto the Auto Dealer’s lot.
I made my career in
sales. I know the process, the techniques, the do’s and the don’ts. I
understand that most people cringe when you tell them you are a salesperson. I
also know car salesmen have the reputation for being the worst. But the person
that met me at the car was more like a terrorist!
I had gone to the
car dealer because I wanted to SEE the difference between 2 car models. The
only thing on the salesperson’s mind was my wallet! When I asked to see the
inside of a locked vehicle, I was informed me, “that’s not how its done!” It
quickly spiraled downhill and ended with him cussing me. I was glad my wife was
there to confirm that it was all him and not me! At least THIS time!
I have always said
that a man’s greatest strength is also his greatest weakness. One of my
strengths is, I am INTENSE when it comes to Jesus. Having learned the lostness
and hopelessness that comes from being alienated from God, I have discovered
Salvation and the wonders of life WITH Him and His Son Jesus Christ! And ALL at
HIS expense!
It is Lent. That
means Easter, the celebration of The Savior’s resurrection from the dead to
give me life, is right around the corner. If there is ANY time of the year that
should cause me to draw closer to see just how wonderful and expensive His
sacrifice for ME was…it is now! Sadly, I haven’t found many who feel the same
way. If my wife wasn’t with me confirming the quiet, I’d think it was just me!
Telling people what
they want to hear is a quick way to gain a crowd. But if the crowd is on the
Titanic, it serves no purpose. Our nation and world are in deep trouble, if
only due to the lack of zeal for their Creator and Savior. The salesman and
customer in me sees EVERYONE without Jesus Christ…as LOST and needing to be
SAVED! That is what the Bible says. And if one is saved, but partying on
another ship, they’re as good as lost! God’s Word says THAT TOO!
So what kind of
customer and salesperson are YOU? Are you INTENSE for Jesus in your showing and
growing? Because that is the kind of life He wants You to have! Only Jesus!
There is ‘NO’ other way!
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8
We were driving to
North Carolina in a rental vehicle and my daughter’s family was with us. The
straight line of the map dictated we take a short cut through horse country
near Ocala, Florida. The large stables, pastures and long fences verified that
fact. Suddenly, my daughter emphatically stated…“I just saw a monkey!” We all
rolled our eyes and laughed!
I hadn’t seen it,
but both her and my granddaughter were looking out the window and had. Though
my granddaughter called it a raccoon… my daughter was adamant. “It was a monkey
I tell ya!” Again, we all laughed as the van got quiet. A few minutes later the
silence was broken as she shouted out, “AHHH HAAAA! SEE…I TOLD YA!” Looking
at her phone, she began reading a local news story confirming that wild monkeys
had indeed invaded horse country! After a few comments and wows…the van fell
silent once more.
My daughter is both
logical and inquisitive. When she saw something that seemed out of place, she
said what she saw. When everyone thought she was nuts, she took the time to
research the crazy to find out if what she had seen was really what she saw. To
her, the discrepancy between theory and reality HAD to proved… one way or the
other. As I read this verse today, I had to stop and think about what IT was
saying.
This verse follows
the directive to ‘trust in the LORD with ALL YOUR HEART.” It is a command, not
a request. The implied subject is…”YOU!” And even though the ‘subject’
doesn’t change, the ‘command’ turns into a ‘warning’ with a ‘promise.’ And just
like seeing monkeys in horse country, the statement demands some verification.
“Do not put
faith or trust in yourself!” is the pivot point of that verse. The warning
issued is there because we humans generally follow what we feel, think or
desire. God’s Word gives me LOTS of information that runs contrary to what ‘I’
want or think, and then demands my doing the complete OPPOSITE of what “I”
think! The difficulty comes with choosing who’s vision is to win.
How do YOU see things?
“My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” Job 42:5
There comes a
time and place where what has been planned, comes together in reality. This
past weekend was one of those rare times that old pictures are made of. Since
it was my wife’s dad’s 90 birthday, a family reunion was planned. Katie’s
sister and husband planned the surprise event, all WE had to do was get 17
family members (grandkids, spouses and great-grandkids) the almost 700 miles to
BE there!
It’ been a long
time since we have seen the old goat! I tease him that way because 43 years ago
when he met ME for the first time, he wasn’t much impressed that I’d be around
this long! Decades, and many kids later, I still like to tease him about that.
Some of his great grandkids have NEVER seen him, or can remember when they did.
So this special reunion came with lots of anticipation.
Some folks
wondered if the surprise might be to much for him! remembering his constitution
I said, “Nah.. he’ll be fine!” Preparations were made as we all started talking
about it among ourselves. The great-grandkids were pumped up and primed for the
main event. As he walked through the door and saw his legacy in kid form, I was
surprised that it WAS almost too much for him! Darn if those kids didn’t find a
soft spot in the ol goat! As tears ran down his cheeks, little children laid
theirs on the one they had heard about… for the first time.
It has been said
that the day we are born we begin to die. Now I know that sounds morbid. But at
the party, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for people who have decided to deny
God. The feeling and joy of family was something that no money on earth could
buy. And it helped me, once again, to look at the reason I am alive.
If you love Jesus
as I do, I can’t think of ANYTHING this side of heaven that is more wonderful
than the anticipation of GOING there and SEEING HIM… face to face! Those loved
ones who passed on before you…the ones you have heard about for so long, will
BE THERE… alive. And do I have to mention the excitement of meeting Peter,
Paul and Mary…and the REST of the ancient gang!
700 miles, 17 people and 3 days is a lot of time and distance to move to be at one in 1 place. But it was worth EVERY effort. As I sit here remembering, and smiling, I can’t help but look forward to a time and place where we will ALL be together with the one we have loved and heard about from afar. And where ‘goodbye’ will be a thing of the past! Are YOU looking forward?
