“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” Proverbs 4:23-25

“AHHHH!” It had happened THAT FAST! And it freaked me, right out! Driving home yesterday I was jammin’ to the radio! You know… feelin’ good! But the next song wasn’t nearly AS good. Now I have a VERY fancy radio in my truck! It has more presents than I have set! I ALSO have SIRIUS XM, a gift from my wife. Looking at the radio to change presets… a big truck darted across my front bumper!

I was in the far right lane of 3 lanes going about 45mph. A car in front of me was in the middle lane… and about 100 feet ahead. It took about 1 second to hit the radio button and look up. When I did, the tail end of another truck was JUST clearing my front right bumper! I hadn’t even seen him sitting there, when he just shot out in front of us! ONE SECOND! “Thank You Jesus!” was all I could say!

Now I’m not crediting Jesus with keeping me from a wreck… though He may have! But there is a danger in thinking, “It doesn’t really matter what I do, cuz Jesus has my back… Nuh-UH!” That is NOT the correct direction of responsibility God expects. Today’s verses prove it! The subject of EVERY ONE of those statements in the Bible… is ME! ‘I’ am to guard ‘my’ heart, mouth, eyes and thoughts!

There is no doubt that if there had been a wreck, and a police officer was called, that the OTHER truck driver would have gotten the ticket! But “I” STILL would have some shame to bear. Cuz I HADN’T been paying FULL attention to my driving. Had I been on a cell phone, evidence would prove that I was culpable! Had I been on my old motorcycle, I’d probably be dead saying “Hi” to Jesus!!

Proverbs 4 tells what it takes to ‘Get Wisdom!’ And it doesn’t come by osmosis! In fact, ALL 31 Chapters of Proverbs are the instructions on HOW to ‘Get Wisdom’… if I WANT it! But like pushing a button on a radio, versus paying attention to the road, it is ‘MY’ choice to do what ‘I’ want! I’m just glad I WASN’T on my cell phone… and that I sold my motorcycle! Do YOU have… and do YOU apply… God’s Wisdom to YOUR life?

“Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble.” 1 Corinthians 10:31-32

I was on it before I was in it, she got off it until I got through it! We were riding the ATV and my wife was all bundled up for the cold. She had insisted that, even though the weather was chilly, she wanted to go for a nice and easy ride through the mountains to see the foliage. A friend was leading the way and she made sure to tell him… NO ROUGH STUFF! It was going BEAUTIFULLY… for a while!

He was keeping to the main, mountain roads, when he veered off and hit what I might call a ‘dude trail.’ That’s one where the wife stays home while I ride alone with the crazy guys. That doesn’t make it a man only trail… because my daughter likes them too! “But dude!!!” You get the idea. Suddenly, I was on it and in it when she cried, “STOP!” And she got off it! It was hairy, but I eventually got through it!

My lovely wife was none too happy when she got back on the ATV. The rough trail got even rougher, and she had to command me to let her off a couple of times! After a while we got back to the main roads and she chided the guy who was leading the way. He said, “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t that bad when I rode it a few years ago!” All was forgiven and we continued on… having learned a thing or two.

I like to think I’m a pretty good driver. But that trail caught me by surprise! Going a little too fast to catch up, I didn’t see what was coming to form a good plan. Caught by surprise, I was in it before I really knew what to do. After that, it was mostly ‘winging it’ to get through it, while Katie waited… wanting NOTHING to do with IT! Which is kind of an example of how life simply goes sometimes.

God gives us His Word so that we can know Him better. That knowledge is a trail that, when followed, will get us closer to Him than where we were. But sometimes it takes us through situations that we don’t like, are ill prepared for, or simply just don’t want to go through. Sometimes he leads us to rough patches. Sometimes we land there because we’re following our own way.

Today’s verse reminds me that no matter WHAT I face, I can count on Him to get me through. Tough times help me learn the hard way, how to NOT make someone else stumble… AND how to help others out when they do. Are YOU Glorifying God in YOUR circumstances… no matter how difficult? Are YOU learning to lean on Him to keep out of, or get through the rough patches?

“Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” 2 Corinthians 5:2-4

“WOW!!” What else COULD someone say when they see that picture? Katie and I had the pleasure and honor to take a few days and head to our mountain cabin in the Pa. Mountains. As soon as we landed, we KNEW we were in a different place. Having just left Florida with a temperature of 93 degrees, we landed in Pittsburgh where it was 47 degrees! We reached for our jackets right away!

It was about 12:30am when we reached the cabin, having driven in the dark the whole 2.5 hours. From the lights of the rental car, we could only get GLIMPSES of the color of the leaves, only a hint as to what the full season would bring. The FIRST thing we did was to unlock the cabin and turn on the heater! The next day we woke up and walked outside to look at the mountain before us… “WOW!”

Such extreme changes, when they happen so fast, can take me by surprise! The mountain forest before us cried out, “HERE YA GO!” We deliberately had gone there to see EXACTLY what we had EXPECTED to see. FALL! And we weren’t the ONLY ones to do it. Asking an airport worker if it was ALWAYS this busy, he was surprised at the volume of people this week. I told him. “It’s the leaves!”

The craziest thing the whole time was talking to the locals who live there. They weren’t as infatuated with the beauty. “Yup! That’s fall for ya! Guess we’ll have to start raking soon!” The ‘WOW!’ Seemed to be missing because time had stolen it’s impact. Sitting in the yard at the base of the mountain, all I could do was thank God, and then tell Him how much I loved Him for His Life in me.

It’s been a long life, and this trip reminded me of some of the MANY blessings… I MAY have been taking for granted. WHERE I live and work can get kind of hot and crazy. I try to remind myself that one day it will all change for the BETTER… FOREVER! And that I am FALLing into His hands with every breath… changing daily into the image of His Son… My Savior! One day, I will take a trip back HOME!

Are YOU prepared for THAT DAY? Are YOUR eyes glued to The Savior in admiration, beauty and love? Do you long to serve Him no matter what or where He sends you? Because Fall is coming.. and it’s looking pretty good over there!  

“Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12

Looking over my front yard I was very unhappy. Different kinds of weeds had made themselves a home, right before my very eyes. As those weeds grew and spread out, they killed the GOOD grass in their destructive, invasive path. I could allow them to continue, or I could put a stop to it! I chose to sit in the yard and start pulling them out by the roots… one by one. As I did, it left many bare spots.

Gazing over a yard of green, LARGE spots of brown and gray stood out. I knew I needed to do SOMETHING to get grass to grow there, or lose it all. Seeing my neighbor hadn’t cut his grass in a while, I joked with him about it. He told me he was letting it ‘go to seed’ so It would grow back! After asking a lawn guy if that would work, after he said yes. I rethought & stopped my weed work!

Instead of pulling weeds, people driving could see me bending over, with scissors… cutting stems of grass with seeds on top. I took them over to the bare spots, dispersed the seeds, raked them in and then watered them. God helped when it started to rain! It’s going to take some time!

What you have just read in a simple story is the Story of Israel… AND AMERICA… as we watch the lawn in our both countries… die! God has principles and techniques that come from inside His very own heart of love. Both countries, founded on GOD’s Principles from His Word, grew into prosperous and mighty nations… until arrogance, pride and idolatry invaded… taking our land. It’s decision time!

What am I, as a Believer in Almighty God, to DO? Today’s Bible verse gives up the recipe for health… it is MY responsibility and duty to DO IT! God’s heart is a loving chasing heart. He WILL come through and take His rightful place at MY and OUR REQUESTS. But WE must first TURN from our own ways of arrogance and sin… and SEEK HIM! HE will… if WE will! The question is… will YOU join me?

“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” 2 Corinthians 3:16

The time was 4:20pm. Katie, usually home from work by then, called to tell me she’d be late. We needed to eat before Bible Study so we wouldn’t be hungry, so I hatched a plan and ran it by her. An Aldi grocery store is about 1.5 minutes and NO red lights from our house. After disconnecting from Katie, I turned for the keys and headed toward the truck. I was at Adli’s front door in 1.2 minutes!

I knew what I wanted after our talk. I knew where to find it once I got into the store. Being a man on a mission, nothing stopped me from parking, going right through the open front door at Aldi and getting what we needed. I was prepared, having both cash and a credit card in my wallet. Within 10 minutes of our conversation, the oven was on and I was preparing dinner! BAMM!

That story may seem silly, simple and plain, but as simple as it is, it points out the problem most people are facing in today’s world. The USA may have started out great, but it is FAST becoming a horrible mess because of bad turns! People have lost the simple knowledge of WHERE to TURN for the help and resources necessary for sustaining ‘The Good Life.’ Things appear to be getting worse!

Ancient Israel had a steady problem as she continued to turn away from God and follow other nation’s lifestyles and gods! The REAL God did not appreciate that. The warnings God sent to them take up much of the Old Testament! When they ultimately lost their way, God chose to block their way, because HE didn’t want them back… anyway! Their story is a warning to Jesus’ Church.

Today, if you go to visit Israel’s Bible sites, you will find most of them filled with rocks! Rubble and broken buildings lie where previous places for communion with God USED to take place. America too, founded on The Bible and Christian Faith, is fast becoming a war zone for unbelief and idolatry. Sadly, the views and sympathies are now following political party lines, as we are being divided.

A recent poll showed that most Republicans support Israel, while the Democratic support for the Palestinians has been trending upward! As a Christian and follower of Jesus Christ, I know WHY our country, and the world, is moving toward darkness. People have chosen to ‘grab a snack’ of somethin’ else, instead of turning to the storehouse of Faith to get Almighty God’s Abundant Life!

It takes a conscious effort and decision by an individual, when faced with sin, evil, bad consequences or even death, to TURN FROM those places and MOVE TOWARD The Lord. Only THEN will the veil of unbelief be lifted and Faith and Grace made home in heart. What are YOU looking at? Where do YOU TURN when life gets ugly? If you KNOW God…it’s time to SHARE God! He’s waiting… for now!

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Wha-da-ya-wanna watch tonight? Every night about 9pm, the question is asked by one of us. The day is done and we have a habit of sitting beside each other to watch a TV show before we go to bed. Having just signed up for a live TV service, the menu scrolled… leaving us stumped and overwhelmed! With world events happening quickly now with Israel, we picked a news channel!

Overwhelmed is not really a strong enough word. I logged a couple story leads into my brain, and later looked them up on my phone app to quickly verify them from another source. There, I found even MORE information that left me, not only overwhelmed… but SHOCKED! On top of the war in Israel, two different sources from the founders of AI said that soon… AI could take over the world!

Danger, concern, angst, wonder and worry seemed to pile in on my brain to a point where I just could not put all the pieces together. No human could make sense of it. It seemed like a battle was forming up from every side. Having lived with ‘overwhelming’ many times, I knew that the very next emotion to barge in, unless I ‘got a grip,’ was panic! So I closed my eyes… and talked to Jesus.

Diane is a Church friend who was heading on a long planned tour to Israel with her daughters… 2 days AFTER Israel was attacked. I’ve talked to her a couple times since, and she too was sadly overwhelmed. I’m thankful it was 2 days before and not 2 days AFTER! With new reports and concerns piling up hourly, I HAD to bow my head and humbly ask Jesus, “What do I do NOW?”

Looking up a Bible reference online, I saw a heading that pointed to some words… ‘Hold tight!’ Having recalled a verse to that end, I typed them into my browser, adding ‘Bible Verses.’ Comparing verses, translations and versions… today’s verse is what I got! And it’s PERFECT! So I’m passing it on. Because we don’t live in the past or future, we live NOW. Good WORDS Jesus!

Are YOU tempted to panic? Are YOU a wonderer or worrier? Jesus is giving words of comfort, along with instructions for our spirit, eyes, hands, mind and heart! Are you trusting Him and doing what He says?  WHATDAYOUGONNADO?

“Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.” Romans 13:7

“Uh-Oh… I know… I owe!” The words were as much an admission of guilt as they were an apology. It didn’t matter that it was an accident. Time had passed… I SHOULD have KNOWN. So there I was yesterday, calling a man who owns a company and who is also a Christian friend of mine. The conversation started with those words! Yes… I owed him money. But I owed him more than that!

Last month my credit card was declined at 4 locations. It was a sign that I needed to contact them, the burden being on ME. I had tried to purchase something their computers saw as ‘fishy,’ so until I cleared that up, my card was useless. Ultimately, we discovered a scammer had tried to use my card & reputation. A new card was issued. But it was MY job to notify my creditors of my new card info.

I honestly thought I had called all of them. But I kept getting phone calls from an unknown number… and didn’t answer. It’s been about a month, and it finally hit me. Our Gym membership must have been on that card! DUH! So I called my friend, apologized, and gave him my new information. At the exact same time, a lil demon showed up to turn the tables on me, hinting, ‘you don’t owe him that!’

We pay for gym time, which means we receive regular hits to our card… whether we show up or not! 3 years ago we made a commitment… “we want to join your gym” (I didn’t really) “and agree to your terms.” That demon thought followed with something like this… ‘well you didn’t REALLY use that gym THAT much… remember vacations and sick time off?’ Giving him the card # QUICKER, I hung up!

I’m smart and spiritually minded enough to know when a thought is foreign. I learned that as a kid. I once stole some bubble gum from a store that, later in the night, HORRIBLY ended up in my hair and all over my bed! I don’t steal! That little demon was recognized as foreign and quickly dismissed. But God! Thinking about thievery, I began to realize… I AM a THIEF! And I STEAL and OWE DAILY!

I pay my taxes and my debts because it’s the honorable thing to do! But The Spirit moved into that vacated demon spot and whispered… “What about Respect and Honor? How are you doing in THOSE departments!”  Suddenly I realized I had been WAY too quick to pat myself on the back! Because I’ve been stealing honor and respect from people… who may not even know they’ve been robbed!

Romans 13:10 goes on to say, ‘Love is the fulfillment of the Law.’ It doesn’t take a behavioral therapist for me to realize I’ve been holding back in some areas! So today I am being led to roll up my sleeves, put on my ‘Love Gloves,’ and get to work on doing better in that area because… I.O. GOD, AND all the people He created… some LOVE! What, how much, and to whom do YOU OWE?

“He replied: ‘Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.'” Luke 21:8

“Hey Babe… YOU make that Destroyer look GOOD!” Last Saturday, Katie and I went to Tampa for the Navy’s Commissioning of its newest Destroyer, the Jack H Lucas. Personally, it was the most Patriotic event I ever attended. Both sons had a hand in getting the ship, and the ceremony there. My lovely wife stood for a quick-pic, and 15 minutes into the ceremony I received a text… “Israel is at War!”

It was hard trying to mentally focus on what that text meant! I didn’t know the story or how bad things were in Israel. Sitting beside my wife, able to see my son across the crowd, all the while gazing at the most powerful Naval Destroyer ever built, produced more of a ‘NO FEAR’ kind of feel to it. Knowing the Word of God was ‘icing on the cake,’ helping to make my experience a proud one.

This last weekend was full of surprises as nations, political parties, citizens and the news media ‘spun’ the story to highlight it to their own advantage. To make matters worse, we watched an updated story on the concern of ‘AI’s’ potential to “take over (the world),” from the man who invented it! Watching, I realized that practically everything I own or do… is registered with ‘THEM!’

But WAIT!!! Do NOT que the Scary Music! I’ve been here before! Starting Back in the 70’s when ‘The Late Great Planet Earth’ was written! Most all my life has been filled with the ‘fear’ of living in ‘The Last Days!’ I was easily hooked! That is until ‘My Father,’ the Heavenly One, with His Spirit, reminded me to NOT ‘focus on the hocus pocus! That He ‘has my back!’ I have nothing to fear!

This morning my eyes, heart and spirit rested upon one of my old address numbers… 111! There, I had an inspiring time as I boldly circled the supernatural, powerful and soothing characteristics of God Almighty! MY shield and MY protector! A cross-reference in my Bible, and a text from a friend, sent me to today’s Bible verse! As ‘Calm’ settled in, I knew EXACTLY what He wanted me to tell you.

“DO NOT FOCUS ON THE HOCUS POCUS” has been a saying God gave me years ago, when people I heard were ‘claiming’ things and ‘blaming’ things based upon their own personal Biblical interpretation. Praying and reading His Word, my Heavenly DAD’S commanded some advice!! ‘DON’T GO THERE! I want you to ‘FOCUS ON MY SON!’ Now, I work hard to do JUST THAT!

DO YOU need to read Psalm 111 and remind yourself that God ALWAYS has your back… and wins? Then please… Focus on HIM! YES! These ARE exciting times! But NOT as exciting as Heaven WILL BE! Focus on Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to ‘destroy’ any fears or worries about the world, flesh, devil or the future!! And, even BETTER than my wife, JESUS will make ANY threat lose its focus!

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way as to take the prize. Everyone who competes in the games trains with strict discipline. They do it for a crown that is perishable, but we do it for a crown that is imperishable. Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air. No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

I hate the gym! Always have. So yesterday, as I was preparing to do my workout, my friend, fellow Christian and gym owner, who by the way has muscles from head to toe, gave me a pep talk. I told him, “I just don’t get a thrill out of lifting weights for no visible purpose. Cutting grass or wood at least produces a product!” He said that , “an old body that WORKS… IS your goal!”   Touche’!

There’s was a TV on the gym wall playing ‘Super-human’ TV. I watched it as a distraction, while pulling on a rowing machine, and found myself going through different emotions. When someone showed off their kicking skill with a soccer ball, or their ability to ride a skateboard down a railing I thought, “what a waste of time!” Bouncing a golf ball off a club isn’t that impressive!

But when I saw the skydivers doing aerobatics in the air, when a bike, dirt-biker or snowboarder did a multi-flip off of a giant leap…my thoughts went to “WHOA!!! THAT’S COOL!!” Then I kinda felt a heavenly nudge with (I think) God asking me, “so why is THAT cool… but the bodybuilder lifting a car isn’t?” Filtering my thoughts, I had to admit that my foolishness was NOT ‘cool!’

In EVERY instance, what ‘I’ thought was cool came from an area if interest of MINE! I have zero interest in bodybuilding my physic into a Hercules! I have ZERO desire to show off by telling people.. “hey.. look what ‘I’ can do! “ Jesus reminded me, “I CALLED you to be a bodybuilder for my Church.” AND that “You are not here to impress the world… just HIM!” And said further… “II Am watching!”

I apparently gave too much yesterday, and hardly slept last night because my legs and arm muscles HURT! Maybe Gym-Man’s speech pressed me ‘harder than I’m used to.’ But God OFTEN does that… just like He did with Paul. I’m just praying that God has somebody special in mind, someone He wants ME to show HIS ability to save them from hell!  Are YOU working out with Jesus in God’s Gym?