“Therefore encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing.” 1 Thess. 5:11

As I took hold of my phone this morning, it wasn’t warm and bright as it usually is after a night of charging. It was cold and dark. That could mean only 1 thing. While the charging cord was connected to the phone, the other end was NOT connected to any power! The indicator that SHOULD have been at 100% revealed it was only at 3%! And useless.

It wasn’t hard to get the problem fixed. I simply plugged the other end into the adapter and heard the distinctive ‘bo=boop’ sound, indicating the proper connection was made. Now, it became a simple matter of time before it would be back up to 100% again. As I pondered on the predicament, it reminded me of my own lack of power, just yesterday, before FLAP.

While I’ve had periods of low power and brain function before, each time it seems to be new all over again. When asked how I was doing, I was honest and said, “not real perky!” Their response was, “getting old is no fun is it?” They had found my ‘weak’ disconnection. Continuing on with Bible Study, the room actually filled full with fellow saints. I was blessed.

The Bible refers to the body of Believers as family, children, fellow citizens, a household, a body and even a building. There are over 100 Biblical references of connection to one another in Christ, it shouldn’t be hard to remember that staying powered up can be as simple as plugging in and staying connected. After last night, I was powered again.

What is YOUR source of strength and power? Are YOU connected and being used?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

“OH NO!!!” I said as I looked out at this site in the backyard. Katie had planted some sunflowers from seed, and had just transferred them. This one plant was doing very well. She even carefully thought to protect the small plant from our prolific rabbit population. I had cut some wire mesh and set it, with the sharp points up, to keep the rabbits out.

Let this picture be like a tombstone of defeat. It was taken 1 day before I saw a rabbit chomping it to death! Crying out “OH NO!!!” stopped everything. With several other plants out there, and just as vulnerable, something had to be done INSTANTLY! With plants all around, I couldn’t understand how a rabbit would climb jaggy wire to eat what isn’t usual!

In a way it proves God. There hasn’t been a sunflower out there for a rabbit to eat in its lifetime. Yet it somehow knew that, what was behind wire cage #2, was good eatin’! While it doesn’t matter what I didn’t know… the sunflower is now a gonner. Death by vegetarian! Who’d a thunk? But at the expense of 1 flower, I have learned something about guarding.

Yesterday at JYC we spoke with middle school kids who are just like that sunflower. Sweet and mostly innocent, some were moving on to High School next year. Having been a kid myself, and teaching them for years, I have learned that once an innocent heart breaks or gets broken, it is very difficult to mend. That is why God gave us this verse to live by.Are YOU living and learning what dangers to look out for when it comes to your own heart? Do you take steps to protect yourself from what you know, and may NOT know, about unseen enemies? For the enemy of your soul doesn’t care about you. And YOU are his dinner plan. Please be careful out there and ‘Guard your Heart’ by doing God’s Word.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

“HUGE!!” That’s all I can say about the new garbage receptacle supplied by our new waste disposal company. Even my neighbors concur. Before they took over, we were given the opportunity to choose what size garbage can we would want. Thinking that ‘bigger is always better,’ I chose the big one… as did most of the neighborhood! Whew… what I didn’t know!

I think perspective was what I was missing when the flier to ‘choose’ came in the mail. It wasn’t until ‘The Can’ arrived that I saw the enormity of the thing. As I said… ‘HUGE!’ The garbage I accumulate now is nowhere NEAR what it used to be. There are weeks when all I have is 1 bag! Hauling that big monster out to the curb is like going to the gym! UGH!

I’m NOT complaining! I need as much gym as I can get! But it’s nice to know, when I need it, I will have it! Which actually made me think and appreciate today’s Bible verse. God has a Throne of Grace that is even bigger than my human needs. Whether I need of His ‘Mercy’ (forgiveness for not getting what I deserve) or ‘Grace’ (God’s riches at Christ’s Expense).

Writing this, I heard the truck come and ran out to ask what the procedure is if I only have 1 bag. “Can I just set the bag out?” His response was Biblical. “It’s all gotta go into the can!” Just like with Jesus. No matter my need, there is only 1 place for me to go. A 1 stop shop for all my needs. And God promises to supply every one of them. Even if they seem too big!

What do YOU do with all YOUR stuff!??  Cuz He has a can for YOU TOO!

“Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” 1 John 3:18

“It’s a tradition,” I said. “The first breakfast is free.” I said that to one of our men as I took his bill at ‘Men’s Breakfast’ Saturday. It was his first. Later in the day he contacted me, saying he had a Springhigh Blueberry bush he wanted to give to us. He sells them, but when I went to pay, he used that same line on me. “No No… it’s a tradition!” All I could do was smile!

We had told our neighbors about the plant and their response was immediate, “you are so blessed!” All Katie and I could do was smile again. I had received an extra one from Derek, and both of us immediately knew what to do with it. We gave the extra one to our neighbors saying, “it’s a blessing from Jesus!” The tradition of giving and sharing was cross pollinating!

The purpose of giving the extra bush was that 2 plants are better than one because of cross-pollination. Bees going back and forth to each bush make for more berries. We placed them on each side of our fences so the bees wouldn’t have to travel so far. I just had to share this today because Jesus is all over this story. Today’s verse is a perfect illustration of his Love.

As Easter approaches, we are celebrating the greatest gift mankind could ever receive… ‘Life!’ His whole mission was to show the love, mercy and grace of the Father. When we come to Him and freely receive His gift, He gives us a new life of tradition when He clues us in to ‘pass it on!’ I am different because of His love for me. I am called to pass that love in my actions.

Is loving and giving part of YOUR tradition in Jesus?

“In your anger do not sin” Ephesians 4:26a

I just went through the post office to drop a letter into the mail. It took all of about 1.2 minutes. As I was about to leave, a semi truck that had been unloading for some time pulled out right in front of me, blocking my clear path to the main road. Forced to follow it, I reminded Katie again… you saw that, right?” She could only smile. “Of course,” she replied.

It’s a thing with me. Like the floating dirt cloud that follows Pig-Pen in Snoopy, it never fails. When I am getting ready to pull out, pull in, or press on in my truck, a slower and less motivated driver than me pulls right in front. Sometimes I just shake my head. Other times I simply lose it! AAAAAAAAA! I’ve yet to learn that losing it brings me ZERO benefit! At all!

When I get road rage, I become a murderer! My truck becomes my biggest witness! If it could talk, I’d be doomed! Jesus said that when I call someone names in anger, that is the same thing as actually committing murder in my heart. Today’s verse gives me stark warning that it is up to ME to handle my own heart. Because I am His, I have the power to do that!

I met a fellow murderer this week when a relative squealed on them, saying that “they get road rage all the time!” In a way I felt a little better. But then, I didn’t! There’s no honor in a Den of Thieves. Just a bunch of individual ones. God calls me RIGHTEOUS! HOLY! HIS! That said, I am supposed to control the actions that come from my heart! O.K… I’m workin’ on it!

How about YOU? What kind of sins circle the canyon of YOUR life? Is God telling you it’s time to clean it up?

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Mathew 6:33

Recently, I found myself sitting at a table with several folks not a part of my family. We had just met, and I didn’t really know their religious affiliation. When the food arrived, so did the moment of decision. Do I pray or not? Thankfully I had settled that question DECADES ago, grabbing hands, I said, “let’s pray for this food.” Everyone joined hands… and we did.

I admit I was surprised that the question of prayer had hit me like it did. Not wanting to force my faith and beliefs on someone unsuspectingly, the idea of being courteous had brought with it the decision of whether to pray or not. I could see how someone new in the Faith might have cause to pause. After years of simply doing what Christians do, I did.

The verse today follows Jesus’ discussion about the Basics of Life. One cannot get any more basic than food, water and clothes… unless one adds a house or place to sleep. All humans agree that food, water and clothes are the very fundamental necessities of life! That is unless you are Jesus! Jesus has MORE IMPORTANT things He expects to top my needy list!

Most everybody gets up in the morning, gets dressed, then grabs something for their mouths to start the day. Clothes, food and drink are basics and expected by everyone. Jesus wants me to focus FIRST on WHERE those basics come from. Not God? No coffee! It’s just that basic. I’ve learned that to have ANYTHING, I must put God first in order of EVERYTHING.

How about you? What do YOU hold most critical and important in life? Does your life prove it?

“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:9 (KJV)

We have an issue! I say WE because it concerns both my wife AND me. It’s our garage door. The door opener that came with the house was about 50 years old and pushing it wasn’t immediately providing a response. Sometimes we had to push the button 20 plus times! When it became a game to actually count the pushes, something had to be done.

Picking up a new garage door opener was simply a trip to the hardware store. When installed, I pressed it. That garage door went up. Another press… and it went down! Just like it was supposed to! Funny thing, so much joy came from that simple act. Until about a month later, when counting pushes began all over again. That was 3 months ago.

Yesterday I picked up another door opener, the only one available at the store. Unfortunately, it was the same model as the button I was replacing. Once done, one press and it worked, by this morning I was counting again! I am beginning to think that I have another issue… besides the button that is! I wondered if Jesus ever had door opening issues!

The promise Jesus made was that HE was the Door… the only entry way into a life that would sustain me and make my life worth living. I sense He was asking me if I was happy with His performance!? Did ‘I’ have any issues? I started thinking. I still am! But I am beginning to see that any issue I have had, happened because I pushed the wrong button!

Are YOU running, seeking, hoping and looking for the one true source of Life… Jesus? What buttons have YOU been pushing?

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

I have this old cooler. The plastic hinges broke on it years ago, but it still works. Whenever I take it places, be it in the back of my truck, or like last week in a boat, I have to tie a rope around it to keep the lid on. Otherwise, the wind will blow it off and the cooler will no longer be cool! The other day, while riding in a boat, I forgot to tie the lid down.

The cooler survived the windy trip up in the back of the truck, but when Clint opened the throttle to the boat, I had forgotten I’d untied the rope to the cooler. I was holding onto my hat and NOT the cooler lid. When our speed hit 53 mph… I didn’t even hear the lid go bye-bye! We searched for it later.. but it was gone. Now… I have a ‘NOT so cool’ wagon!

To this windy world, I am not cool! While it’s Biblical that ANGELS look at me in awe, that is mostly because they can’t seem to believe how God could even LOVE somebody like me! But today’s verse tells me… HE DOES! Not only that, but He makes me ‘stand firm,’ Anointed me, sealed me (tying me down as His) and placed a deposit GUARANTEEING my future!

I am not cool to the world because the world doesn’t see GOD as cool! But I do! And because I have allowed Him to tie me down to His plan, there is NOTHING that can make me lost or blown away out of His sight! Which is a GOOD thing for me to remember. And not just me.. but YOU! IF you belong to God through a relationship tying you to His son. Do you?

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:7

I felt stupid. Having just been given a brand new fishing rod and reel from Clint, I fell and broke it. Within 2 weeks he gave me a new one. Last weekend, I clumsily stepped on the reel and bent the handle. I put it in his vice and straightened it out, but that wasn’t good enough for Clint. As I left, he handed me my rod with his nice reel on it! I was blown away!

Over the years I have acquired about a dozen fishing poles. I’ve NEVER fallen or broken one… EVER. Neither have I accidentally stepped on a reel and bent it. It just seemed that some kind of bad luck was following me. I was irritated at myself for being such an oaf with MUCH nicer equipment. And a GIFT after all! But it made me appreciate my son even more!

I was thinking about him this morning as I was reading about God in 2 Corinthians. For the first several chapters, Paul makes it a point to tell me of all the gifts I have which have come from God. That I don’t deserve them is the point! It shows HIS generosity, providing me a model to follow in my own giving. It made me appreciate God and HIS Son too!

So Thank you Clint for the GREAT gift of a GREAT fishing rod and reel. I certainly don’t deserve them. But I commit to being more careful and appreciative of BOTH gifts… from both you AND God! It shows that you both want me to be a good fisherman… one for fish.. and the other for Men! Are YOU genuinely appreciative of all you’ve received?