“faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17

I had just put the finishing touch on the new floor in my wife’s sewing room. It was her Christmas present this year and I was glad it was finally done! Now I could rest easy and recover from the physical exertion it took to complete. I was in the bedroom when she walked in and told me how much she appreciated me. THEN she said, “can you imagine how THIS room will look when IT is done?” What happened next was epic!

After a look of wide-eyed shock, I started to laugh. “You’re crazy,” I said, “I haven’t even recovered yet and you’re pressing to do THIS room already?” And HERE is where it got good! “Oh no,” she said… “I know how hard you worked. Besides, this bed is SO BIG and SOOOO HEAVY how would you even MOVE it?” “Well,” I replied, “I could………….” and halfway through my sentence I realized I was dealing with either Huck Finn’s distant relative or the devil herself!”

There are moment in relationships that instantly become engraved as part of a shared story. While it might be retold over and over in a crowded setting, the only 2 parties that can REALLY appreciate it are the ones who actually lived it. She admitted today that she wasn’t even being sneaky or scheming, as those words just sort of flew out of her mouth with no thought at all! Which makes my situation even MORE tragic.

I am married to a PRESUMPTUOUS, scheming and demanding partner who has me wrapped around her little finger! It’s like she really, deep down believes that her wish should be my command! And before I can get mad, God reminds me that ‘He’ has the same mindset!

1 Corinthians 13:13 says, now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Contemplating this, I can actually interchange them with today’s verse and have it read, “LOVE, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead!” It is a lesson of God’s expectant behavior from me toward Him. A royal decree presuming that, as His child, a prince, I am expected to ACT and BE like one!

My wife is going to have to be satisfied with the picture she has in her head of our completed bedroom. But deep inside, ‘she’ knows.. and ‘I’ know, that the image is as good as had! Because her wish IS my command… sort of! God has His own plans for me as well! But they are ALWAYS for good. He has ways to get me to bite the hook and get me where He wants. But I am not protesting too much. You see, I share His life… just like I share the house with my wife. And that’s a good thing!

“I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.” Psalm 119:176

After taking everything OUT of the room to install the flooring, it was time to put it all back IN. Having taken the bi-fold doors OFF, it was time to put them back ON their hinges. A seemingly simple task, since the hinges had never moved. Setting the pin and picking UP on the door, I set it DOWN into place on the lower hinge. SIMPLE! Until I tried closing them. I HATE bi-fold doors!

There are rules and methods to installing bi-fold doors. I used to know them because 40 years ago, as a carpenter, I did it for a living. But that was 40 years ago. But even then, there is just something mystical about this kind of door. It seems to have a mind of it’s own and refuses to obey any standard laws or rules. And I might as well say it… bi-fold doors are just like ME!

I got UP, went OUT to the garage, got tools and shims, went back IN the room and got DOWN on the floor to work on the hinges. UP, DOWN, IN, OUT, door ON… door OFF! After a while, it finally closed… KIND of! Turning to my wife I said… “GOOD ENOUGH!” But it wasn’t PERFECT! When she asked me why not… I hollered, “cuz I just don’t CARE!” And in this simile on life, I think you understand EXACTLY what I mean. Being built to obey, love and serve God… I sometimes come off my hinges, hang crooked and do not function perfectly. But THANK GOD… ‘HE’ is the carpenter of my life!

ALL believers in Christ, stray. I KNOW what is right and wrong. I TRY to perform perfectly. But the fact is, perfection is EXHAUSTING! Sometimes I get to the point where I JUST DON’T CARE! And then HE comes to me! He is IN me and I am IN Him. Because of that fact, we can never be separated (Romans 8:1). That means that we are inseparable from one another. So when I can’t… He can. And He does!

I live to serve Him and know His ways. And while NO sin or failure will be assigned to me in Heaven because of His sacrifice for me, I live in a fleshy body that often refuses to hang perfectly. Often, I have to remind myself that HE is the carpenter and HE knows what He is doing. It is enough to simply ‘hang’ with Him and let Him do the work of adjustment. It is a LOT easier if I simply cooperate!

I serve a seeking Savior… He knows EXACTLY where ‘I’ am AND what ‘He’ is doing! HE CARES! And THAT, my friends, is ‘Good Enough!’

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him;… For He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” Lamentations 3:25,33

Whether it was a post-Thanksgiving or a pre-Christmas gathering could not be proved. All I knew was that all of my favorite people in the whole world were there… my family. Grandkids were running around playing and my grown-up kids were laughing and talking. It was a sight to behold. Even though I wasn’t laughing much.

I think I know why anyone over 55 is considered a senior. I balked at it and threw the AARP mailing in the trash that birthday. But after the last 10 days, it is apparent… I am a senior! Over-exerting myself in a house project recently, my back and legs are in agony. Though I try to put on a happy face, I am throwing in the towel with the admittance to myself that I am old, tired and sore! I need rest and the application of some wisdom.

Being a curmudgeon, there are some learned lessons that I hold on to and will defend to the death. There is a major belief out there in this world that God causes bad things to happen us. That stupid line of thinking had led me down some really dark paths over the years. That is until experience taught me otherwise. Jesus Christ did not save me to beat me down. And I will get in your face if you insist my Heavenly Father is a sadist! I have my life to prove it!

Growing up is a painful experience. Colds, flu, infection, bruises, sorrow, loss, injustice, heartache and heartbreak are just a few of life’s blows. I have LEARNED that they do NOT come from God. But from just plain living on this fallen Earth. And none of us are immune. But I speak for myself when I remind me of this home remedy.

When going threw a tough spots, it helps to remind myself that Rest, Time and Trust are my best friends. There is nothing wrong with stopping for a REST… even though it means I have to say ‘no’ to some important things and to some important people. I have to give myself the TIME necessary for restoration… and I need to TRUST that God knows all about my condition and is with me every step of the way… REGARDLESS of the outcome.

I owe my family an apology if I seemed cranky or irritable this weekend. But they know me well, love me, and forgive my occasional ‘senior moments.’ Because that is what families do… whether family by blood or spirit! “I” have to learn to be kind to myself and allow rest, time and trust to work their healing touch.

Omne trinum perfectum is Latin for ‘every perfect thing is threefold.’ And just like my Triune God, these three, rest, time and trust, are a perfect remedy for difficulty. What are YOU curmudgeonly about?

“You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:13

Every year, our town has a large Christmas Parade. When my kids were growing up, they belonged to differing organizations, and therefore marched in the annual event. This year my granddaughter was part of it, so the family headed downtown… along with thousands of other people. I saw a lot of people I knew. “Hi K.C.,” they would say. “How are you?” But NO one called me ‘Billy!’

It wasn’t for a couple days that I caught that thought, but since it was different and out of the blue, I had to consider it from God. Turning the idea around in my head, It was like He was saying, “think about it!” So I did.

As earth ramps up to 8 billion people on this spinning, blue ball, I discovered that almost a billion more folks squeezed in over the last 8 years! Earth’s population has more than doubled, just in my lifetime alone! And yet… no one has EVER called me Billy! Most every human is born with 2 eyes, 2 ears, a nose and a mouth. And yet, with so few categories, there are no 2 exact matches on the earth. Even among identical twins! That means YOU and I are UNIQUE!

How do YOU look? I have been told I look ‘LIKE’ someone else… a couple times like Kevin Bacon! That you disagree simply proves the point. I don’t have his fame or money, the look is WAY off and NO one has EVER called me Kevin! Because that is NOT who I am! So just what was is God was trying to teach me? I think I got it!

My dad had a parting statement he liked to use when talking with most people… and family in particular. “You are Special,” he would say. And he meant it! He got it from this verse in the Bible and threw it around like free candy. Why? Because most people don’t typically see themselves that way and therefore, need a reminder. If you have a bad image of yourself, God begs to differ!

You are you and I am me… and each one of us were created SPECIFICALLY and eSPECIALly for Him. NO one is like anyone else on this planet. YOU cannot be replaced, erased or displaced by any other human being. You are uniquely special because THAT is how God created you. To get a grasp of that concept is not braggadocios. It is life fulfilling. He made me to be inhabited for Himself. I am fearfully and wonderfully made! And so are YOU!

Why am I here? What is my purpose? What does God want from me? These questions can ONLY be answered when asked of the one who made us. Only HE knows the answers. So why not run to Him, hop in His lap and spend a little bit of time asking! He knows you better than ANYONE…and I can promise… He will NEVER call you Billy! Unless that is your name!

“The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”” John 11:44

I have just bought, and received, possibly the last 2 pair of bluejeans I will own on this earth! I have tried other brands, and while I hate what the company stands for, I love Levis. They just fit and last. I have a pair that is over 20 years old! Doing the math, I don’t really expect to live here past 83. I don’t really WANT to either! So you might say I’m dressed for work!

My oldest son is fancy! He likes nice clothes and can afford to buy them. I get HIS ‘hand-me-downs.’ He buys those preshrunk, prewashed, pre-worn out jeans for as much as $150 a pair! Me? I’m like my dad. I clearly remember him telling me about the time he got a pair of bluejeans as a kid. “They were stiff…I didn’t wash em for a month…when I put em on, I felt like a king!” A child of the depression era, he didn’t have much. A new pair of jeans was all it took to feel like royalty!

Growing up, I’d occasionally get a pair of jeans for Christmas. And I did and felt the very same thing. Those stiff Levis, unwashed jeans just kind of ‘broke in’ around me. Over time, the knees would get thread bare and the ‘bell-bottoms’ of the ‘boot cut’ got frayed. When they were ripped too far in the knees, I’d take a pair of scissors and make ‘cut-offs.’ Over time the shorts frayed into stringy edges. Cutoffs were considered COOL… AND RARE…because you couldn’t BUY ‘em that way! You wore ‘em down!

Last night was kind of nostalgic for me. While putting on my new jeans to go teach Bible Study my eyes fell upon an old snap, pearl buttoned, cowboy shirt that used to belong to my dad. Instinctively, I reached for it. At the bottom of my closet lay a pair of ‘fancy’ cowboy boots my son had given to me. I reached down and pulled them on. Standing there in front of the special crowd of desiring learners at Church… in my new jeans, my dad’s shirt and my son’s boots, my 2 daughters sat there listening to what came out of my mouth. MOST of which I learned from my own father! You might say I was in ‘tall cotton,’ because, to me… THIS is the meaning of life!

When Jesus walked up to confront the tomb of his friend, Lazarus wasn’t feeling anything! In a spectacular display of His Lordship, Jesus used the moment to carefully point out that HE ALONE is ‘The Messiah’ and one true God. After the build up and a tear, He simply did what He STILL does. He brought Life! His final words AFTER the event are just as spectacular! “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

I remember a time in my life, when as a young lad, Jesus, the Master of the Universe, said those very same words at the tomb of MY heart! I received a new pair of duds that day. Today, I am reminded that they are NOT fancy robes… but WORK clothes. Stiff, tough, long lasting WORK clothes! And if you know Jesus… you know what I am talking about. So today, I am going to work… cuz when I’m filling THESE Jeans, I feel like ROYALTY!

Maybe it isn’t so outrageous that they are called Levis!

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 KJV

I can’t see! Literally! When it comes to reading or working with my hands, I only see blur. Age has taken its toll and left me dependent upon eyeglasses to do even the simplest things. Running back and forth while working on a project, each time I needed to read something, I’d put my hand to my hair… for nothin’! You see… that is where I USUALLY put my glasses when I am not using them… but USUALLY they are not there. So before I can ‘git-r-dun,’ I have to seek glasses so I can see!

The Dollar Tree is a favorite store because they sell reading glasses for… $1. I buy them in two’s! Most times they are scattered all over the house, so finding one of a dozen pairs should NOT be difficult! Yet I weep at the irony! To complicate matters, each time I found a pair and put them on, I scratched my head. Again… literally! Because this pair has a broken ear piece that digs into my skull. The worst part is, every time I FIND a pair… it’s THIS pair. In a fit of angst… I called out to God… “WHY can’t I seem to lose THESE broken things?” I think I heard Him reply… “Good question!”

I HATE looking for stuff. The older I get the more I lose. I STILL have a ‘BOLO’ out on a set of keys! Pencils, drinking cup, book, sunglasses, wallet; add these to the list as well and I spend a LOT o time SEEKING instead of DOING! Which, I think, is the reason I may have heard God answer me. Because after, “Good question!” I’m pretty sure I heard Him remind me… “seeking is is what ‘I’ do!”

Inanimate objects have no voice. I think it would be awesome to be able to holler… “where are you keys?” and have them holler back… ‘on top of the table where you left me!’ Even if they added ‘dummy’ to the end of the reply, at least I’d a saved the frustration! But lost things don’t holler! Lost and broken things would holler even less.

I didn’t remember getting lost because it happened before I was born. Sin owned me from my first cry and takes up a LOT of my time. I get angry, frustrated and dumber as I seek to do MY own will, only finding that it scratches my life with more pain. But I rejoice that my Savior is ALWAYS seeking me… especially when I am lost and in pain. I rejoice even more that His OTHER job is SAVING me. Even from myself!

If He’s looking for me to save me… I think I’ll holler out by seeking HIM and praying more. His Book says it helps ME to be found… even quicker!

“Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer.” Isaiah 53:10 (Berean version)

The cuckoo clock made an eerie noise as I stood in the empty room…paintbrush in hand. What used to be my daughter’s bedroom had been converted into my wife’s sewing room years ago. Having lived here for 29 years, I know I have painted it at least 3-4 times. Now… after 2 carpets, she hinted she would like a wood floor too. So here I stand!

I don’t know if I thought it funny or ironic, but as I moved a drapery hanger, it revealed the color of 2 paintings ago…which was an almost exact match the to color now on the end of my brush! The KEY word being ‘almost.’ My wife likes… no LOVES… color and change! Except when it comes to men! Which MAY be the reason I am standing here, yet one more time, preparing to do another makeover!

Please do not think for one moment that I am complaining about my wife or the task. Oh no! I was standing there sweating, sore and tired… NOT because I love, or want, to do all that work. I do it because I love and want to do something nice for my wife. Today, I learned a new word for what that is… as it applies to Jesus. It’s called Kenosis!

Kenosis, in Christian theology, is the ‘self-emptying’ of Jesus own will, becoming entirely receptive to God’s divine will. Today’s Bible verse graphically explains what His Father’s ‘will’ really was! Can I say that MY experience of ‘will’ exchange, and Jesus experience, are about as far apart as heaven and hell? LITERALLY!

Someone made the comment to my wife yesterday, saying that they weren’t sure they would like to try our church. “You people really put a lot of emphasis on Jesus!’ I smiled when she told me. Because when it comes to sin, God is like an old fuddy-duddy! We humans who are drowning in the stuff, tend to paint over sin’s true evil to make it look better than it really is. But God cannot tolerate even a tiny spec of it. The price for my sin’s eradication was the horrific suffering and death of God’s Son Jesus Christ. They BOTH WILLINGLY PAID IT!

Jesus willingly poured out His own life, for His Father, for me. He didn’t want to do it (if it is possible let this cups pass from me). But pleasing His father was more important than pleasing Himself. And He asks His followers to do the same thing… “Love one another as I have loved you!” Got it!

Yup… painting a room and laying a floor is gonna be a piece of cake! And just in time for Christmas too! HEYYYY! I might as well take advantage of the timing… right? What is YOUR kenosis?

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

“Where do you want this to go?” asked one. “Where does this hang?” asked another. Then my heart went into shock as I heard someone say, pointing to me, “ask HIM, he’s in charge!” The occasion was our annual “Hanging of the Greens,” where the church gathers together for pizza and the decorating of the sanctuary for Christmas. I had picked up the tree and the pizza… but neither act qualified me to be ‘in charge!’

Decorating for Christmas can be either fun, or a drudgery… depending on the circumstances. If it is all up to 1 person, it is no fun and a chore. If it is a time to get together with the people you love who ALSO love God, it becomes a holy event where all are united in one larger purpose. In this case, the one ‘I’ counted on being ‘IN CHARGE’ was the Holy Spirit. I just provided the bait…PIZZA!

As I made my rounds talking to individuals, the sounds were ‘heart smiling’ ones. Kids were running around being kids. An older believer held one end of a strand of lights with a younger believer. I heard communication between them as they worked together to form a plan… and then execute it. ALL of us worked separately…together. With one common purpose. I knew Jesus was smiling.

After all was said and done, I DID do a ‘take charge’ thing, asking everyone to come and sit together in the glow of the Christmas lights. There, I reminded them of the story of Christmas and gave them a charge I am now giving to you. A Holy Calling for which YOU have a very important role! Yes…. YOU!

All the blessings given to us from God… Life, Peace, Joy, the eternal promise of Heaven, etc, are FREE GIFTS. We don’t DO anything to earn them. We could not, even if He required them. He came as a baby in gentleness and love, and offered Himself to us FREE. It is up to each individual to either receive the gift, or walk away from His Grace. But when we DO receive Him, He does have 1 simple request. And that is what I wanted to remind this special, pizza breathed group of decorators.

“Tell my story.” Says God. If He had asked for all my time and money and a pledge for 100% future dedication, I MAY have considered signing the contract. But He didn’t ask that. All He asks of me, and you, is to tell His story. The story of Christmas…. Of Easter… of salvation! And don’t we all love stories?

God was pleased through the foolishness of what was (spoken) to save those who believe (1 Corinthians 1:21). Sadly, too often our reaction to His request is like He just asked us for a leg! But whats He WANTS… is our lips. But is starts at the heart!

Do you love Him? Really? If so, may I ask you, this Christmas, to listen to these words from HIS heart… “Tell my story.”

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

It is the day after Thanksgiving. The commercial world calls it ‘Black Friday’ for commercial reasons, because retailers stand to make a hefty profit from Christmas shoppers! I remember walking through Walmart over a month ago… and saw CHRISTMAS TREES! It seems every year the time to start advertising holiday shopping comes earlier and earlier. Which is not really a new concept at all… Since God did it first!

About 700BC, that is before God came to earth as ‘baby Jesus,’ the land of Israel experienced Black Friday every day! Because of their disobedience, they were sent prophets warning them of the coming judgment for disobedience. Though warned for centuries, they did not listen. And the Assyrian army was preparing to roll in from the north… but NOT bearing gifts! It was a dark time indeed. But even when the world CHOSE darkness over light, God extended a promise as old as creation itself.

This morning, as I opened up my first devotional after Thanksgiving, I saw this verse. I smiled because, to me, if ANY day should be the start for Christmas preparation, the day after giving Thanks would be MY pick. It was as if God was saying… GO! NOW! And so I am.

If we look past the lights of societal progress, we have to agree that there isn’t much. The horizon looks darker still. But if we STOP, LOOK and LISTEN to God’s Word… we CAN see His Light!

From the fall of man, when God promised a ‘seed’ would come to save, the Horizon has ALWAYS held a shimmering light. Like the sun breaking through the dawn of a new day… the SON shines His light on ALL who care to look and see. Over 2700 years ago Isaiah predicted it. The coming of The Light… The SON of God. He can be the Light of your life no matter WHAT the color of the day may be… if you look to Him. SO Rejoice!!!!!   Because Christ IS coming!