When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:34

Every Thursday morning the sound hits my ears and REMINDS me that I have forgotten… again! The garbage truck makes a distinct noise and reverberates through my house, as I frantically rush to get mine out BEFORE it passes by! I discovered it is then that a series of rather important decisions need to be made.

Garbage collection is sophisticated. There are separate containers for garbage, yard waste, paper or plastic/metal waste. There are 3 separate trucks! Each week, as I scramble to put on street clothes to try to beat them to the curb I think, “Which truck am I hearing and which container should go out first?” There is no exact correct answer, since it varies each week. Having to make so many decisions about weekly trash just seems wrong!

Of the 613 rules, regs and laws laid down in the Old Testament, it was easy to get confused over which one was THE most important. The story in Mark describes HOW difficult it was when one of the TEACHERS asked Jesus that question. His 2 part answer actually provided at least 4 containers for sorting it all out! When the teacher summarized them for verification, Jesus gave him a B+ and an “almost there,” validation. “Clear as mud,” is all I can say!

No matter WHAT else you may be thinking, “It’s NOT ABOUT YOU!” ONLY the submitted ones can even see that. Which makes dragging our own personal trash to the curb a very intense project indeed. Simply put… God first, others second, me… last!

Churches are not unlike synagogue’s of Jesus day. They are full of people TRYING to do God’s thing, but often in their own way! It is tempting to look for shortcuts. The longer I serve Him, the more I have to remind myself that there ARE none! God first, others second, me… last! EVERYTHING about ME has to go into one container or another. I do not get to keep ANY of my own trash! PERIOD!

Back in the old days when ‘I’ was a kid, we didn’t take out trash. We burned it ALL! Everyone had a burning barrel or fire pit and EVERYTHING went into it. From boxes to egg shells! And what didn’t burn got buried! Simple and easy, there was NO sorting ANYTHING out , since EVERYTHING was trash! Before Christ, God had pretty much the same policy! His hand on MY life now forces questions and decisions with a closer look at my intentions and dissensions.

In this life, ONE rule stands out above all the others… it is NOT about ME!

“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

I received a call yesterday stating that our church failed! I’ve heard it before, and groaned with the news, which would require work on my part for clean up and restoration. You see, our church gets our water from a well. According to the law, it must be tested regularly to make sure that no bacteria or harmful substances come out when the faucets are turned on. Seeing that our ‘well’ test showed sufficient “ick!”  Cleanup was required!

On the way out the door I grabbed some chlorine and a brush. Cleaning the tank that holds the water isn’t really hard. The bacteria doesn’t like chlorine and is killed when exposed. Opening the tank I poured a generous amount into it, and let it set. Though death was immediately visited upon the microscopic vermin, I heard nary a sound! After some time, I flushed the water system and refilled! Bye Bye Bacteria!

Don’t you wish that getting rid of the ‘ick’ in life was that easy? When hurts, habits or hang-ups arise, wouldn’t it be nice if we could simply add some juice and flush! It would be quick and painless – with nary a sound! Some folks DO try to drown their problems to get rid of them, but they use the wrong juice! Enter Jesus Christ!

Unlike life in the old times, when water had to be drawn and carried, modern plumbing and capitalism makes getting it… easy. For city water, simply open a faucet and you can get all you want… instantly. The bill comes due every month! A well system requires a little more maintenance, but with the same results. We take it for granted. But we shouldn’t!

Jesus adds a little more to the process than just getting the water itself. HE says that HIS water is different. And that drinking from it will completely destroy thirst, or the need for ANY other water… EVER!! Many folks have heard the story. Few actually take the plunge.

Water is a basic necessity of life, second only to air. Without it… we die! The water that Jesus is speaking of is LIFE. And the source of this wellspring is Himself! Interestingly enough, READING God’s Word helps us to HEED God’s Word! By drinking HIS life inside us, we find that the thirsty craving of purpose and meaning will not rise again. It is a promise from Him!

If you have never taken Jesus up on His promise, you are missing out! He came to kill the ‘ick’ of our lives and replace it with Himself. If you HAVE tasted Him and find yourself thirsty anyway, well… you’re drinking from the wrong faucet! You have been made to run on God’s Juice. Nothing else will satisfy!

“be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.” 2 Peter 3:17

Florida has another hurricane headed our way. Normally that doesn’t get me too excited, but today I found myself looking at the maps and predictions rather seriously. Where will it hit? When? What will it’s affect be on traffic? How would I avoid it? No… I am not planning a trip or going anywhere. But I have some friends that are in the middle of it, and they are headed my way!

Florida Snowbirds are northern folk who come down for the winter. Howard is a smart one and is usually the first to get here. He has a schedule and plans WAY in advance. This time though, Howard’s plans collided with Hurricane Michael’s, and if he doesn’t make a shift in his route, the collision could be literal! Today, the questions of what, when, where and how are very important to Howard!

Chapter 3 of 2 Peter lists a great many warnings of its own and deals with the same questions ALL of us face. What, when, where and how. The subject combines ‘The’ Second coming of Christ AND ‘The’ Day of the Lord! Written almost 2000 years ago, it may not SEEM up to date… until you read it! Looking at our world, the clock appears closer to Midnight than ever before!

Weather and its predictions have come rather far over the years. Maps, experts, pressures, fronts… all provide clues of what MIGHT happen. But if you know weather forecasting, you know it is still a big guess. And a guess is NOT a prediction. Peter writes about a certain prediction and he wants us to KNOW about it. His evidence may surprise you!

2 Peter 3:1-3 is too long to put here. But it basically says that the key to understanding the world’s future end requires you knowing what the past prophets said! In other words, evil, and man’s draw to it, are predictable. What happened in the past, WILL happen again. Only worse! BE WARNED!

Howard will look and plan and plot… and since I know some things HE may not know, I may make some suggestions of what to avoid. He can determine if he wants to follow them or not. Howard is an adult! But so are YOU. And like Peter’s audience over 2000 years ago, you can either trust him and do what he suggests… or not! But he promises a WHOLE lot of peace and security if we follow his advice. But know this… YOU are now on Life’s road, the clock is ticking, and the choice of destination…. is yours! Happy Trails!

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

The evidence, compiled over the last few days, strongly suggests that I am married to a crazy woman! As I lay on the couch, she flits here and there, doing one thing after the next. The air doesn’t even settle before it gets stirred up again by her passing. And all I can do is watch! You see, I am out of gas!

For the last few days I have had an intestinal thing that prohibits movement too far from a porcelain throne! And you know what that is like. When sickness comes, it changes the whole direction of my usual activity to zero! I WANT to get up, feel better, do things and accomplish something. But my body says, ‘No!’ Meanwhile, there she goes by again… zzzip! And a strange sensation is left in her wake. One that I haven’t really noticed much before? It is called ‘guilt!’ And I don’t like it!

Thankfully, I have never experienced a long illness. Lots of people have been hammered with debilitating diseases or circumstances that have left them immobile for weeks, months, years… or even a lifetime! This little experience of mine is teaching me something I didn’t go looking for. And it is embarrassing, humbling and yet, strangely holy!!

Society categorizes people for convenience. We are validated by what we ‘DO’ or contribute. One is either a ‘giver’ or a ‘taker.’ A ‘provider’ or a ‘user.’ And while that mentality may not always be a bad thing, it CAN have the depressing result of stamping someone’s life as ‘IN-valid.’ Which, Biblically speaking, can be an OUT-right LIE!

The scientific definition of ‘Work’ is the force required to move an object a distance…blah blah blah! Words that go along with it are toil, labor, accomplishment and activity. But in God’s economy, that definition doesn’t stick. God wants us to GIVE UP our OWN activity and yield to HIS. In HIS world, HE is the worker who gets things done. WE are to be the branch through which HE produces fruit. OUR job is to simply ‘ABIDE!’

This little bout of sickness will go away. But I pray the lesson I am getting from it does not. I am NOT ‘SOMEBODY’ because of what I DO or ACCOMPLISH! I am who I am because of who ‘HE’ is in me! And even if I am only BREATHING with Him… my life is validated by His connection to my sigh! And THAT, my friends, is not nothing!

He must increase… I must decrease!

“Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?” Galatians 4:16

Going to my mailbox, I saw the envelopes from the power company. I know what they are because electric bills are like good clock work. ALWAYS on time! Having more than 1 property, I didn’t notice there were more envelopes than usual. Since paying bills is NOT my top priority, I threw them on the pile thinking, “I’ll get to these later.” Three days later coincided with the EXACT date I opened the letters AND read the ‘disconnect notice!’ O.K…. You’re laughing! YOU’VE been there too?

APPARENTLY when I did online “Bill Pay” last month, I neglected to hit the “SEND” button. In my mind I HAD paid my bills. Reality resulted in the power company labeling me a LOSER! I had to dial the company 3 times before I could reach a human being. After I explained the… ‘yuck yuck’… mix up, the phone human verified my “loser status!” In a nice way, of course. “I’m sorry sir, there is nothing we can do” which implied ‘… until you bring us cash… RIGHT NOW!’ The lady was NOT my friend! She hears the same story every day!

Being a teacher, pastor, manager or even a parent requires telling and teaching truth. KNOWING the truth is supposed to set us free. We can trust it, bank on it and ultimately use it to better our lives. But HEARING the Truth comes without an emotional filter. When I get bad news, I get angry, upset or sad. It takes a process to get through it all before I can accept it as reality. Knowing Jesus, who IS Truth, shortens the process for me!

I go to a church that has seating room, and you don’t even have to come early to get one. Over the years the Pastor had gotten into some real hot water with folks who decided to jump FROM Truth rather than stick TO it. It has been a challenge all my life. My Dad was a Truth teller and he had a way of making enemies too. I guess it runs in the family!

One of the biggest temptations of someone responsible for ‘Telling the Truth,’ is to keep the mouth shut! Just don’t SAY anything and ‘Telling’ won’t become a problem. I tried that approach with myself and found it NEVER works. I learned that believing lies drags the problem out even longer. So truth telling, based upon God’s Word, is a must.

My power never did get disconnected. I managed to remain calm, “SURPRISE,” and asked for a manger, who then took the time to look at my history. We worked out a plan and I am happy to say I am no longer considered a LOSER! But… THAT depends upon who you ask!

So what kind of teller… or HEARER… are YOU?

“Pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” Jeremiah 42:3

Last week I went to the church to set up for a group. Upon opening the door into the back of the building, the smell hit my nose, causing me to sigh, “Oh no… not again!” The smell screamed, “dead rat!” Having been here many times before, I was NOT excited to begin the process that I have learned to call…”e-RAT-ication!”

You may not believe this, but I actually prayed! “O Lord, please help me to find this nasty thing quickly. I could use a lot of help here!” Finding a dead rat in an attic can be a long, slow, stinky, hot process. Unlike finding a needle in a haystack, the major sense required is smell. Which means deliberately smelling the disgust over and over again, until it gets stronger. No fun!

Several men did a preliminary search-look on Sunday, but nothing was found. Brother Larry came to help, and our search moved SLOWLY from the attic, to the wall, then “PEEEEEEEEUUUUUU” to particular spot on the wall where a light switch was located. Grabbing a saw I started cutting drywall. NOTHIN! Outside the wall was an electric box connecting wiring to our light our big cross out front. Taking off the plate, Larry and I found a rather large dead snake coiled inside! 4 days of searching, digging and cleaning as we went. Had God had let me down!

Remember the prayer I prayed? The key word was “QUICKLY!” To me, 4 days did NOT fit that description. In retrospect, there was no need to cut out drywall INSIDE when 2 screws would have revealed the problem on the OUTSIDE! My initial thought was, “all that extra work… for NOTHIN!” I’m used to that kind of stinking thinking in my flesh. So I started reflecting BACKWARD on the PROCESS. Here is what I found.

Two closets are now very clean. The attic has a LOT less junk lying around up there. Two other rooms have been purged. And the BEST part was I got to spend some good time, AND make a memory, with Brother Larry! To top it off… it wasn’t a rat but a snake! Not inside but outside. And it is now gone! The path to success was longer, but it certainly produced a LOT more benefits THIS way!

Sometimes we are not certain that God is there, that He cares, that He is WITH us this time, or that we will even be successful in the long run. But I have learned something over the years. Each time I start down a road, with my attention focused on God, the JOURNEY becomes as fruitful as reaching the final destination.

If life is long, tiring, hot and stinky, it pays for me to look backward and remind myself of what I KNOW. That God has come through my uncertainty before, over and over again, and He promises to be with me again. From there it simply becomes a matter of following my “knows.”

Life is FULL of stinky things… Get Jesus!

“Lord, how many are my foes! How many rise up against me! … From the Lord comes deliverance.”

“May your blessing be on your people.” Psalm 3:1 & 8

Driving on a back road with no traffic, I saw 2 bicyclists riding up ahead and into a sharp turn. I slowed, and when the opportunity came, I passed them cautiously, thankful that I didn’t accidentally hit them! Later in the day, while driving with my wife, someone passed me, got in front of me, then slowed down! It was when my wife got upset with my attitude that I realized why Jesus had to die for my sins!

In the first incident with the bicyclists, I was grateful. Had I hit one of them, I’d have been guilty of manslaughter and my day would have been ruined. In the 2nd incident, according to Jesus, I was not just guilty of manslaughter… but actual MURDER! One version of Matthew 5:22 says, “if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” Uh-Oh!

I know when God is dealing with me, He often uses my wife to remind me I am being sinful! So yesterday, after she pointed it out, I murdered her too! Then this morning I read something from a parent who lost patience with their children. She said something like, ‘my children did not CREATE my mood, they simply revealed it!’ Ouch! Boom! GUILTY!!!

It is natural for my selfish ‘flesh,’ as it sits on its throne of power, to blame anyone else for the wrongs in the state of the Kingdom. But when I step off my throne and let God rule, I learn that the problem is not THEM…. it’s ME! At that point, ‘shame’ joins ‘guilt’ and it is an EASY process to lock MYSELF in the dungeon as my own prosecutor. But God reminds me… ‘don’t do that please! You are MINE and I want you FINE!’

One of the greatest gifts God gives me is the ability to realize that “I” am usually ‘my’ own problem! Anger, rage, impatience and frustration are already IN me. They do NOT come from outside. Outside forces simply ‘reveal’ the sin within. When I see and admit the REAL problem, with God’s help, He then delivers ‘deliverance’ right to the doorstep of my heart! When that happens, my wife can love and appreciate me once more. Even though I’ll probably murder her again!

What a WOMAN!

 

 

“let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.” Proverbs 1:5

My lovely wife has been working a lot lately… and her boss noticed. The notice turned into some extra money and I decided to help her spend it!!! She had mentioned a desire several times over the last couple months, and though it sounded a little strange, even for her, I encouraged her by taking her to the local music store. There, she picked out a bright, shiny red, bass guitar! Yes… my wife is COOL!

I met my wife 41 years ago as I was playing drums in a band. Though that ended my music career (“Oh no! Your not playing in another bar,” she said) I still have the drums. We have some family members who play the guitar, but no one plays the bass! One thing led to another and her desire led to reality.

She was kind of sheepish to get started. “Don’t laugh,” she said. As she sat there plucking the strings all I could do was smile… from the other room of course. She likes to learn in private. After about an hour she came out of the room and said, “I’ll bet that drove you crazy! All that Bloom, bloom!” All I could do was smile bigger with pride! Like I said, my wife is cool!

Having learned to play piano, tuba and drums I could never get into a guitar. It seemed too difficult for my taste! I didn’t want to take the time to learn the complexities of a guitar, but I appreciate those who have. The bass seems a lot easier. No chords… just one note at a time. In reality… it is a lot easier to learn. All you have to do is put your finger on the right string and on the right position, then pluck! The sound will either correspond to the music.. or it won’t! The thing is, EVERYONE will know.

God LOVES for us to be open minded and WANTS for us to learn new things about Him. He has given us His Word, the Bible, for over 3500 years. He promises that if we take the time to seek and learn His tune, then live our lives corresponding to it, the music we make together will be beautiful. But it takes PRACTICE! Read, apply, pluck… then do it again.

God is real and His Word is true! I can attest to it because I have tried and applied it for years. I can also verify it though the lives of others who join in the symphony that God is building. How does YOUR life sound? Why not be cool like my wife… and try Him! I can guarantee He will be smiling!

“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of ‘knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,’ for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ.” Philippians 3:8

Mike just bought a house in town. He already owns a condo in another town. So Mike had to, like the Beverly Hillbillies, load up a truck and move! Yesterday, a few of us went to help unload. As a stack of old wood came off, one of the guys said, “Hey Mike, you’ve got a problem here!” There on the boards were hundreds of termites that, coincidentally, just happened to be moving at the very same time as Mike! After a quick conference, Mike decided to move that wood to the trash pile! Mike is smart!

Termites eat wood. They are often hard to see because they burrow into their meal, then hide, eat and breed there. They don’t like light and generally like it damp and rotten. Humans generally like the opposite environment, so we don’t generally go looking for them… until evidence is discovered and it is too late!

I know that my sin is like a nest of termites. That is obvious. As I hold, coddle, nurture and feed my flesh, its nest only grows bigger, darker and more rotten. But Paul goes a WHOLE lot further than fleshy sin in this verse. Sadly, his point will be lost on a LOT of supposedly, ‘good folks.’ Because he isn’t just talking about bad stuff here. He’s referring to even the BEST stuff this life offers! So now, “he’s gone to meddlin!”

Paul lived among the elite. Born, raised and destined for the high life of society, he chose to choose Christ. And it cost him EVERYTHING! Losing his status, position, home, family and friends, Paul went from the penthouse to the pen! And here he explains that he hasn’t gone far enough! Moving even further away from worldly good stuff meant he didn’t just need to relocate, he had to refocus! He calls all the ‘good life stuff’ of the world ‘garbage.’ The King James says ‘dung!’ Which is just a nice word for _____! Yes… that word!

As sinful human beings, we should be shocked at the possibility of being able to personally KNOW God in the first place. Once I met Jesus Christ and started moving out the old to bring in the new, I found that He isn’t interested in ANY of the old stuff ‘I’ thought was important! I learned He wasn’t interested helping me move, He wanted to takeover! I had to ask myself, “Do I REALLY want to KNOW Jesus Christ THAT much?” Well… sign me up Paul!

It has been said that, ‘Experience is the best teacher.’ MY experience has proven that the more I grow to know Jesus Christ as my Lord, the better He becomes. When He points at something in my life that needs to be thrown on the trash pile, I find myself arguing less and agreeing more. In light of how big my trash pile has grown, I am coming to realize that “You’re right!” is just another way of saying, “Amen!”

So what’s eating you?