“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” Jesus John 7:24

Normally the morning would find me writing pithy thoughts at a different time. But today was different and I had nothing to do with it. If I had, I may have preferred to change the circumstances altogether. A Higher Power has called, and disobedience carries a penalty. ‘The Notice’ dictates I have been summoned, by Sarasota County District Court, for Jury Duty! Now where’s my hat and cowboy boots?

I am a legal resident of this county and pay taxes. That means, THEY have a right to call on me to serve Justice! Someone, somewhere has been accused of something ‘allegedly’ illegal! The law states ‘that somebody’ has a right to a jury of their peers. While I don’t know what THEY’VE done, I DO know I’ve personally done enough wrong in my own life to at least give ‘em a fair shake! So off I go.

The rock solid system of justice and judgment has been distorted to a point often unrecognizable. Most folks who avoid the strict interpretation of Jesus’ words are quick to report that “Jesus said, “Thou shalt not judge.””  Usually the reminder is used to get them ‘off’ the hook while trying to put the judge squarely ‘on!’   I love to tell them that Jesus said nothing of the kind!  In fact, when it comes to judging, Jesus even commands it!

Handing off a baby to a complete stranger, shouting a password or allowing a pedophile to become an elementary school teacher are exaggerated examples of WHY we are supposed to judge. As Believers we are called to admonish one another when error in judgment has been witnessed. When iron sharpens iron, sparks are the result! It is each of our duties to help one another stay within the lines!

I’d been called once before for jury duty and after arrival was quickly dismissed due to a ‘deal’ struck between the prosecution and defense.  But I was prepared then, as I am now, with ‘The Truth.’ My father, also a pastor, was once called to sit on a jury for a murder trial. When asked what he’d suggest if the defendant was found guilty, he said, “Hang ‘em high!” He was dismissed!

Jesus called His Bride, ‘The Church,’ to stand as witness to His perfect Glory, Grace, Mercy and Truth. That means I carry an obligation to always be prepared to stand for Him, no matter the case, be it in the position of defender, prosecutor or judge. God’s Word is the standard by which I am to be labeled. His word NEVER fails. I know THAT to be ‘The Truth’ because I have been ‘The Defendant’ WAY too many times!

Are you like Superman? A defender of Truth, Justice and the American Way??? hee hee…. Then keep your eyes open and go be fabulous!

“(Be prepared to) Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer (or address) everyone.” Colossians 4:6

There we were… all 27… ER… 28 of us! It started slowly, with just 6 of us, and then grew. It was a family gathering, all related and gathered for a kind of reunion, a matinee, (French for a daytime party) which was by then, turning into a soiree (an evening party). If you’ve ever tried to say goodbye to everyone in a big family, you know it’s time consuming. It was then I came face to face with # 28!

Bending over the hot tub end of my son’s pool, I was saying goodbye to several of my grandkids. Looking each one in the eye, I telling each one I loved them, I moved from one to the next, until it fell upon someone NOT one of my grand-kids! Having 11 of them, I’m proud to say I recognize each one. But # 28 wasn’t one of them. She was a neighbor girl visiting. I said “Hi- G’bye. I don’t know you!”

The girl, of middle school age, was in the hot tub with 5 of my grand-kids. Decorum dictates that an old guy like me does not focus on a young lady in a bikini, whom he does not know… for long. When I realized that I didn’t recognize her, I quickly bid her adieu. Unfortunately, God has laid upon my spirit that I did not handle the whole goodbye situation as well as I should have. So it’s class-time!

I can give excuses. It was getting late and I was worn out. Up at 5:30 am to prepare for a men’s breakfast, I needed to do the same again the next morning for church. Katie offered to drive and she doesn’t see as well at night so we needed to leave. Disquieted, the Spirit confirmed God wasn’t convicting me of anything wrong. He was encouraging me, for the next time, to do things better!

My whole life has meaning and purpose. I am God’s ambassador to the world. He reminds me the title came at a very high cost, which HE paid. And yes, He has high expectations of me. Had I been paying attention, I would have known she was there earlier and could have left a more God-like impression. In the rush I even missed a couple Grandkids! Patriarch-pastor grampa should do better.

The Bible verse today leaves room to add what I did… in parenthesis. And here’s the point! While I may not be answering someone’s question, I am ALWAYS leaving an impression of my King on someone I meet! I really want those impressions to represent Him well. Especially if they’re kids!  Do you?

“My beloved spoke and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.'” Song of Solomon 2:10

“Shhhhhhhhh… listen to me.” Though no sounds were heard, the secret, like a whisper, had been passed. The only recipient of the message was me. It both quickened and quieted soul and spirit. My Savior was speaking and, it appeared, He had much to say. With that intimate call came anticipation. I could almost not get to my Bible and study place fast enough. It was an invitation!

Every couple has a secret language, whether in words or gestures, that speaks clearly to one another, even when in a crowded room. It is an intimacy that excludes all others, reserved for the love of their heart. That language, unique as it is, exists between parent and child, friend and friend, husband and wife… and yes… Jesus to His Bride. He was trying to tell me something.

Recently, I have noticed that God has been taking a bashing in the real world… even among Believers! As the times become more confusing, evil and even dangerous, the shock of personal setbacks from sickness, death, financial loss or corporate failure automatically seem to look around for a fall guy through a pointed finger. Not being physically here, God is often on the receiving end of the blame.

I am embarrassed to admit that for many years God was my favorite scapegoat. I blamed Him for EVERYTHING! If He is ALL POWERFUL and can DO ANYTHING… it was obvious to me that HE HAD to be the one to blame for ANY setback or failure. It took a decades and a lot of tears, to learn that the problem wasn’t in my conclusion… but in my premise! Either I heard, or I was taught… wrong!

The idea that God can DO ANYTHING is one of satan’s biggest lies. He serves it up with extra gravy. Experiences, along with a desire to know the Truth, forced me to turn to the ONLY place where I could possibly find an answer to my questions… The Word of God! Jesus repeatedly ‘spoke The Word’ from God to His people. That Word cleansed, drew and strengthened His own to focus.

God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have an ongoing love affair with me. God, like a giddy guy in love, longs to have a deeper, more meaningful relationship with me. But to understand Him I must learn to master the method of His language. There is NO hocus-pocus! He whispers and speaks to me EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH HIS WORD! To understand His love, actions and directives I must READ!

Reading produces a spiritual sound that can take time to learn and understand. Since my ways are not His ways, the education and change must happen in ME. Like a school kid… I must show up for class, listen and PAY ATTENTION. Some folks learn faster than others. But I learned long ago that ‘The Word’ is The Teacher! It is through His Word, the Bible, that my ability to gain peace, joy and love, along with the ability to lose all fear, worry and anxiousness are acquired. God loves me enough to tell me what He wants me to know. Do I love Him enough to take the time to read and listen?

Do YOU?

“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4

Being too young to worry about it and too old to take it for granted, the subject of ‘death’ somehow crept into my thoughts as I was pilfering through my room. I call it ‘my room’ because it’s not an office… since I don’t really DO anything in there except throw my stuff.   In the corner, instead of the attic, was a container labeled ‘Summer/Winter Clothes,’ which provoked another thought!

Early last fall I had climbed into the attic and pulled down the box to get some sweaters. Now that spring is here, it’s time to pull out the summer stuff and put away the sweaters! Living in a changing world, it’s a regular ‘thing’ I do! My room holds stuff that prepares me for that world. Out of nowhere a funny question hit my head, ‘what’ll happen to all my stuff when I’m dead?”

Though it hit out of the blue, it wasn’t the first time in pondered my passing. In fact, I already KNOW what will happen to my stuff, cuz my kids told me there’d be a dumpster rental! Which begs another question. Since I have it here but can’t take it with me, will I need this same kind of stuff when I get to Heaven? So I did what I do, turned to my Bible, and landed on today’s Verse.

‘No more tears’ says a lot! Not so much about me personally, but for the whole human race entirely! People cry over all kinds of things, some more than others. If tears are gone, then physical and emotional hurts and pains will have to be removed. That means I won’t need a lot of the kind stuff I’m holding onto now! Stuff like sweaters and shorts… or even workout equipment!

Being a Jesus person is a daily, interesting adventure! Things that come or happen often lead to questions or situations beyond my ability to know for certain. Because Jesus lives inside of me through His Holy Spirit, worry and wonder don’t have very far to go for solutions. The Master has already confirmed, in His Word, that He has everything in my world, and the next one… covered!

Are you sweating details better left in God’s hands? Do you worry about things or do you look at life through His ‘forever eyes?” Do you find joy and peace in reading His Word on a regular basis? 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

“Trash or recycle?” Katie asked me this morning. After my initial “Huh?” she explained that the handful of pens in her hand had quit writing. Her inquiry was in which bin to throw them… trash or recycle? Surprisingly, it was a spiritual moment! After telling her the subject of today’s message, her mouth and eyes opened in ‘WOW’ fashion, then we both exclaimed… “PERFECT!”

The theme for tonight’s Bible Study will be… what we ARE doing now, and what we WILL be doing in Heaven. The answer can easily be found in every book of the Bible. But I’m convinced that the proper description and display of ‘Worship’ has been abused. If someone asked for a modern example of worship, they’d be more apt to get a shiny gold pen rather than a written line of text!

The idea that worship is raised hands, closed eyes, swaying bodies and lips repeating, “You are worthy oh Lord,” just doesn’t sit well with what today’s Bible verse is trying to convey! God has perfect Holy Angels surrounding His throne continually proclaiming His Holiness and worth. My little voice adds no value to their message. What is God trying to say in the message of the pens?

Katie and I have different reactions when pens quit working. If it is in her hand and it stops, she tries a few times to see if it will go again. If it doesn’t, she throws it away! In her words, “a pen is supposed to work! When it doesn’t, I have no desire to try to coax it to do its job.” Me? I’ll try heating it in my coffee or with a lighter. I’ll even apply enzymes, sucking on the tip to make it go!

The purpose of a pen is to write. The purpose of man is to…? When Lucifer chose to oppose and take over God’s position, it is interesting to note that the weapon of God’s choice to defeat him was NOT to throw him away. His most bold move was to bend down to form a weapon out of… DIRT! Filling the dirt-bag with Himself, God announced His plan to all of creation. His enemies laughed!

Being a dirt-bag in a dirty world, getting dirtier by the day, is a tough assignment. Is my job to simply squeak out some shiny noise about God’s value among the dirty? Or, as seems to be indicated by today’s verse, am I to yield my life to Him and allow Him to personally introduce Himself to other dirty people by allowing Him to touch them through my hands?

Am I doing what He created me to do? Are you? Even in the dark times?

“I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I consider the work of Your hands. I stretch out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land.” Psalm 143:5-6

“There are 2 kinds of people,” I said to 2 of my grandkids. When I’m with ANY kids I like to dump wisdom on them! Since I’m more partial to my own grandkids, I REALLY like to slather it on! If they appreciate it or not is not really my call. Farmers farm, teachers teach and gram-paws are supposed to pass down wisdom! “Goal oriented and task oriented people,” I continued… “which are YOU!”

Driving the car I held them captive! Their captivity showed when they rolled their eyes in a, “here we go,” kind of way! They had been content to ride silently in the car, listen to the radio or look at their phones. Me? I knew that the time we share is rare and priceless… AND I want our time to matter since, one day I’ll be dead! I’d like them to have something WISE to say at my funeral!

Since they didn’t know about goal or task oriented people, I told them that Goal oriented people are focused on reaching a particular objective, while task oriented people focus on doing things. That while BOTH types of people are necessary, each of us has a bent toward one trait or the other. Summing the conversation, I said, “a way determine your own trait is to ask ‘whaduhyawant?’”

Being a goal oriented person, I don’t like rules. Rules are great for hemming task oriented people into their roles, but I have found that often, there are ways to get things done that don’t fit within a list of rules. Hence, my discomfort with the Old Testament Law! Since there are 613 laws, it’s not uncommon to focus on 1 so much that I break another without realizing. I needed a big picture!

As I was reading IN The Word that Jesus IS The Word, the Holy Spirit gave me an elbow nudge with the thought that “Jesus IS The Law!” When that idea exploded inside me, something actually settled in my heart too. I LOVE Jesus! I want MORE of Jesus. And maybe, If I put JESUS as the goal and head of my daily life, doing ‘The Law’ will just come about naturally. Whaduh’I’want? I want more Jesus!

So… that all being said, lemmie ask YOU… Whaduh’U’want? What and where do you focus your time and efforts? Are you reading and meditating on God’s Word… His Son? I pray today’s verse will be a big help to you… no matter HOW your oriented!

“When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.” Deuteronomy 20:1

“Ughhhhhh!!!” was the sound I made, because it was the feeling I felt! In the writing world the description is called Onomatopoeia… a word that mimics a sound. I was feeling that way because I realized the job in front of me, but I didn’t really FEEL like doing it! It wasn’t a hard or labor intensive job… it was just not going to be fun! I needed a motivator to adjust my attitude!

Katie’s new car showed the evidence of many a small battle. While the multitudinous dead carcasses of bugs splattered on the front evidenced her victories, the job of cleaning them off and waxing it to prevent further carnage fell upon me. If you’re looking for a dead bug cleaner offer… I’m not your guy! But the job needed done so I did what I do and started by turning on some Jesus music!

Ever since I was old enough to ‘DO’ stuff, I found that, for me, doing it with music made the job easier. Varying between rock music, country or Christian, depends on my mood and attitude. If you come around when I’m really blue, you’ll likely hear Elvis singing Gospel music! But I wasn’t that low so, Oldies slowly changed my attitude and lifted me up enough to get the job done. VICTORY!

In reading up on the story of David and Goliath last week, I found today’s Bible verse in the notes of my Scofield Bible. When I turned to the Old Law I was quite surprised! Right there was God giving a command to the Israelites that, BEFORE they go into battle, they’d better ‘check their attitudes!’ After committing to be a warrior for God, Rule #1 was “Do NOT be AFRAID! HMMMM!

Being an emotional kind of person, I have to confess that ups and downs too often follow external circumstances. I can easily see how facing a big or difficult job can naturally start off with a poor attitude. But a poor attitude can determine how far one can rise in the altitude of any work environment. As God led me through The Word, I found LOTS of God commands about my attitude.

Sorrow, happiness, worry, fear and anger are just SOME attitudes that can determine the altitude, or success, in the areas of faithfulness, encouragement, gentleness, patience, love, joy, and peace. I discovered that God has PLENTY of words telling me what my attitudes should be. All of them pointing toward, as His child, DOING something with, and through Him. I can hear Him singing!

How is YOUR attitude as you face family, friends, associates and the world? Do you have your Jesus face on?

“Help us, God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake.” Psalm 79:9

“What we’re watching is not a political movement… it is evil!” Those were the words of Tucker Carlson this week BEFORE he was fired (or left) from FOX News. The story was so big I received SEVERAL links and posts from fellow Christians. Which is interesting because I don’t watch ANY news! Presumably I was sent the link because of my vocation. Listening to the speech… I say Amen!

I don’t say Amen because it’s my job to do so. Having lived 67+ years in America, I can remember from where we came. As a boy I prayed the Lord’s prayer and said the Pledge of Allegiance every morning in school. To NOT participate would have brought discipline. I saw the church rise, and lose, when prayer was taken out of school. I was a senior in High School when Roe v Wade was passed!

What I see today truly fits Tucker’s definition. This is NOT about politics. This is about the satanic kingdom of evil invading and taking over our individual hearts and societies. Many Believers in Jesus Christ have been warning this for decades! Unfortunately the deliberate deaf will not hear! At this time, evil has MORE than created just a beach-head! It has taken over government, schools and businesses.

Frustrating is a nice way to describe my feelings. In years past I taught Revelation as a future serious possibility! Now, it is here! And it is MORE than just serious! The picture today may offend some people. But it represents the whole gambit of why we are… where we are! Interestingly enough, the picture led the story in “The Times of Israel!” They should KNOW how a country gets taken down!

As far as speeches are concerned, Tucker Carlson didn’t give one! What he gave was a SERMON! A sermon lays out a story with a problem, and ultimately gives God’s opinion and advice as to where and how that story might end. Tucker’s Sermon ended with the encouragement that, since Evil has invaded our country… “maybe we should all take, like 10 minutes a day, to pray about it.”

And THAT is PRECISELY where YOU come in! So PRAY!! Then once you pray… ask God what He wants YOU to DO about it as well! Because you know where this is headed if we don’t attempt to stop or slow this evil down! Are YOU engaged in God’s Battle?

“I pray that you…grasp…the love of Christ, and know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:19

We were sitting on the sidewalk dining ‘en plein air.’ It was a BEAUTIFUL day as Katie and I enjoyed each other’s company. Soon, 2 folks were seated right beside us, and so close I could have almost eaten off THEIR table! They were only 2 people, but the way the older woman was behaved, they became a spectacle of 3!

It became obvious the women were mother and daughter, and it didn’t take long to figure out the sad reality of their lives. The third party at their table was a dog, all dressed up in baby clothes, sitting in a stroller. While mom barked short sentences to her daughter, she kissed all over and baby-talked to the dog! At one point she held a piece of ice for the dog to lick as a treat. It was all I could do to keep my mouth shut!

The daughter was in her early 20’s, wearing rebellion in her demeanor, from head to toe! Poorly dressed, tattooed all over and grossly overweight, she just SAT there silently conveying disgust. It was obvious she wasn’t there because she WANTED to be. Soon, it became easy to see and hear why! The loving attention that SHOULD have gone to the daughter was being audaciously poured out upon her rival… A DOG!

Knowing God through the perfection of His Word, It isn’t hard to see that there are a LOT of things wrong with the world. What SHOULD be plain to people, because God has MADE it plain (Romans 1:9), is that we were created for a unique and special purpose. Our position in the chain of creation was to be the dominant representative of Almighty God in the world made BY Him…FOR Him. Each one of us being filled with the person and purpose of our creator.

To ascribe human traits to that which is not human may be entertaining. Cartoons and movies do it all the time because sadly, anthropomorphismis profitable! But to assign undeserved traits to undeserved things instead of people, ESPECIALLY those under our care, is not only sin… it’s idolatrous treason! Something God WILL have MUCH to say about it at judgment.

There is NOTHING more special, valuable or deserving of God’s love and Grace than those for whom it was created. To steal a human privilege and present it to an undeserved animal or a thing causes alarms to go off inside my head and heart. Which is why God calls humans into the unique position of being FILLED with ALL HIS fullness, to go about the business of proclaiming that privilege to the ones for whom it was intended.

My dad used to leave everyone he talked to with the words, “You are Special!” He said it because, whether they knew it or not…they WERE! But those are words ALL human beings need to hear… from God through you and me!

Do YOU realize how special YOU are to God? Do you thank and praise Him by receiving those words and then graciously pass them on to others? Because the Good News is only Good News when it is shared! And proclaiming it isn’t a ‘ruff’ job!