“This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.” 2 Timothy 2:11

It was getting late when I remembered that the Pittsburgh Steelers were playing on Monday Night Football. Old habit and intrigue took a seat in my head as I flipped the channel to check it out. Sight and sound immediately met feelings of comfort, as old remembrances began to stir. But a quick pan of the camera, unavoidable but necessary, proved…it was all a lie. And then…it wasn’t!

Ask me where I’m from and I’ll tell you, “Pittsburgh!” Having been born and raised there until the age of 19…less than a third of my life! But I carry its influences to this day! Having lived through the 70’s Steelers Football heyday, I carry an old torch for the team. Even though they have not really lived up to their legacy. I blame Ben!

Quarterback Ben has been kind of a let down to me. Not that I KNOW much. To ME he seems to get hurt too easily and looses a lot. Much of the time…off of the playing field. Last night they won, the sounds of the crowd confirming it. That is, until the camera panned out to show the stadium COMPLETELY EMPTY of people due to Covid. The sound was faked and a lie. Then a small group of players, from both teams, took to the center of the field.. to PRAY!

The thought that ran though my head as Ben exited the field was, “Ha…typical Ben…of COURSE HE wouldn’t join the prayer circle.” An interviewer shoved a mic into his face and began to ask about his role. He responded, “well FIRST I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!” My jaw dropped and I ran to the internet. And there it was….ol Ben has had a BIG change take place in his heart. Immediately, so did I!

Now go ahead…judge me on shallowness. But I TOLD you I’m only an occasional, when it’s convenient, fan. I know almost NOTHING about football. The only pain I ever got from it was when I was punched and robbed at the Steeler’s victory parade in 1975! But…I HAVE been a JESUS fan for a LOT Longer! Call it shallow if you want, it’s OK. But after seeing a few dozen men kneel, in an an empty stadium, standing up for Jesus…I JOY in the fact that, “I am personally ‘teammates’ with Ol Ben.” And that is no lie! Go Jesus! Go Steelers!

Whose team are YOU on?

“and a great crowd of people followed Him because they saw the signs He had performed by healing the sick.” John 6:2

O.K…I’ll admit it! Yesterday was the first day of NFL Football since the Covid and protest events, and we just had to check it out! Katie is more of a football fan than me, even if it is simply to have a game on to hear the favored sounds that remind her of Fall. To be honest, my REAL interest was in the HYPE that was centered around the game. As it turns out, I was not disappointed at being disappointed!

Though I have seen the promos, it is STILL a shock to see Tom Brady in a Tampa Bay Bucs uniform! Like many, I can’t seem to understand the what’s and why’s of how that all happened! Many Bucs fans have been excited about the acquisition though, and have said, “We got us a winner now!” as Tampa went on to lose the game. But the BIGGEST and WORSE loss came by way of petty politics and advertising.

Though knowing it was going to be there in some way, I was not prepared for the significant onslaught of my sensibilities. The message was loud and clear…injustice, bigotry, racism, a pandemic and even global warming are RAMPANT in the world…and it’s all MY fault! It is now MY job to jump right up and change the way I think and live so that OTHER’S demands can be met! The assault comes more in the form of a demand than a request!

Jesus caused a stir in His day, much like Tom Brady, when He brought HIS reputation to town. Healing people of sickness and disease was a big deal back then, and because the ones who got the most success were the ones who got the closest, crowds crowded Him all the time. Their petitions went from requests to demands, and then fanned the flames of expectation. When He didn’t meet theirs…they killed Him

Today’s world does not seem to have changed much. I see it often, as people come, and then go, often hostilely leaving because their own expectations have not been met. Not getting what one feels they want, deserve or demand can do that to a person. Which is a reminder to ME that I must be careful in my own expectations as well.

As football gear and stadiums are decorated to reflect a demanding change for something I have little or nothing to do with, it is left to the customers (FANS) to determine if they want to put up with the hype. I am reminded that Jesus cares little for my demands or agenda. His call is to service and separation from the selfishness of the world. And if ANYONE understands abuse it is HIM. But with His call comes the PROMISE that if I choose to follow Him, I can and SHOULD expect the same treatment HE received. Complaining about it isn’t going to make it go away!

So….will I keep my eyes focused on Him??? Will YOU? Stay tuned!

‘As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He (Abraham) is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.’ Romans 4:17

The silent monster was back! This newest invisible specter sudden arose from within to present me an offer I couldn’t refuse. It whispered, “Make me happy and I’ll go away!” I Have fought his kind MANY times, but THIS time I was too grumpy and didn’t feel like fighting. Honestly, it was quicker and easier to throw it a snack than go to battle. So I went and got the ice cream!

TRYING to watch sugar intake lately is NO fun. I never have had to before and figured it wouldn’t be a hard…IF I ever needed to. Now PLEASE don’t tell anyone this, but when I heard of people fighting to stick to a diet…I used to think, “wimps!” Now that I have stepped onto THEIR field, I see them as warriors!

Facing the facts I’ll admit it! I am HORRIBLE at STOPPING things that I have allowed to become habits. But getting older, I have a choice to at least TRY to keep this physical house in SOME semblance of order, or just “let ‘er burn to the ground!” So…there I slunked… cocky, arrogant and confident…figuring, “this’ll be a picnic!” So I was caught TOTALLY unprepared when this NEW monster showed up!

As I licked the spoon and bowl clean, I began to feel that old familiar OTHER monster that ISN’T new. HIS name is ‘Guilt!’ And I HATE him! Having set a goal, it was self evident that I was a loser… a failure! Guilt kept attacking (I HATE when he does that). But I remembered what I did the LAST time I faced him over a different matter. So I pulled THAT sword out, swung it and smiled! “Hmmmm…it works here too,” I thought.

I am a child of God by Faith in Christ Jesus! My God is a God “that calls things that are not, as though they WERE!” And right then and there, in FRONT of this new monster, He called me “SON! Victor! Perfect! Complete!” I believed Him! And IMMEDIATELY could feel the strong monster of desire loosing its grip!

Romans 8:37 says I am “MORE than a Conqueror through Christ who loves me.” In all my years of wearing this armor, I have NEVER been able to explain what that verse REALLY means! But I don’t have to. Because I’m wearing the armor! Take THAT Mr. Giant!

What giant are YOU fighting?

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.” Romans 2:5

I currently have a like/dislike for my Doctor right now. Because I have an appreciation for reality, I cannot label it a love/hate relationship. That would be FAR too extreme! Lately I have had to make several trips to his office because of the results of my annual physical. Because he is a GOOD Doctor, he has requested other tests and even called me in for a consult! I can’t call HIM harsh…because reality is harsh enough! Here’s what I mean.

Last week my doctor, who is also my friend, had the nerve to tell me that there are some things I have been doing that I can no longer do! After I stammered, hummed and hawed a few times, I could see he wasn’t kidding. I could FEEL the resentment kind of building up inside, but quickly diverted it from him… to myself. After all, he is only looking out for my best good.

I remember years ago I went to him and he told me something I didn’t want to hear. When I balked then, he simply said, “Hey listen, I don’t care WHAT you do! Your actions won’t affect me either way! In fact, if you DON’T listen to me, I’ll actually make MORE money off of you when you get sicker!” WHAT A GUY!!! I like his boldness. And that is why he is also my friend!

It is no secret that families, society AND the Church are in crisis mode. Romans 1-3 clearly tells us why. It’s a heart problem called rebellion! We humans just don’t LIKE to be told we need to do things (or NOT do things) that we are prone to doing. And this verse today tells us that our pending death and judgment are NOT God’s Fault. It is our own doing!

As a pastor I watch as families, marriages and society crumbles. Like my Doctor, I get calls seeking advice from God’s Word as to what to do. Having paid a LOT in blood, sweat trials and tears to be in this ‘called’ position, it amazes me at how ‘few’ people are willing to heed the advice and make the changes! Usually, people slip out to seek ’better’ advice from someone else. Or none at all!

The penalty for sin and rebellion is death. It’s NOT something God simply decided to lay on people who don’t like Him. Like a shock from a broken wire, it isn’t the wire’s fault. But out of His LOVE for me, Super God set out to supply the prescription for healing when He sent His own Son to actually PAY for MY failure! He didn’t have to do that. Whether I obey Him or not won’t change HIM. But it has, can and DOES…change me!

So… How stubborn are YOU?

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

I’m simply naming it a ‘Double-Dipped Dumper Day!’ Yesterday that is. I awoke, not remembering what day it was or where I laid my glasses or Bible. Had I known what I know now, that it was just a sign of what the REST of the day was going to be like, I’d of stayed in bed. Not being prophetic, I had to trudge through the quagmire… all day. And I wasn’t alone!

I called, texted and emailed people through the morning… nobody responded. Took the car to an upholstery shop and they didn’t have what I needed. Wanted to cut the grass, but it started to rain. And when I went to visit my wife at her school, her first words to me were, “I’ll be lucky to get through this day!” Yup!!! A double-dipped dumper day! By the end of it, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself!

Ever have one of those? Sure you have. And do you, like me, feel blessed that you didn’t KNOW it was going to be that way from the start? I mean every minute before me was a minute of HOPE! And though ‘hope’ never transformed into anything, it kept me… well…HOPEFUL! Until the end of the day, before turning out the light, when I said to Katie, “this is a day for the dumper!” We agreed to simply forget about it and throw it away!!

I woke up this morning not remembering what day it was and thought, “OH NO!!!!! NOT AGAIN!” Peering over a full day ahead, the HOPE of yesterday began or morph into a sense of hopelessness before it had even begun. So I picked up where I had left of yesterday, and decided to dump the attitude as I remembered this Bible verse!

WHATEVER I do… The Bible says, do it in JESUS name… and give thanks! So as I am about to go out with some of my Jesus friends and hold Gospel signs of HOPE out on the main highway, I am going to mentally hang a Jesus Flag above my yet unknown day and give thanks! The feeling was mutual when Katie said as she left for work, “let’s not complain about today!” I’m on to something folks!!!!

“…in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” 1 Peter 3:15

I had crossed the line! Having just received “The Look” from my wife, all I could do was raise my hands and voice, in feigned surprise, and say, ”What?” But it didn’t work. I was guilty and knew it! But I also KNEW I’d be doing it again…and hopefully soon!

It was Sunday after Church, and we were heading to a restaurant for lunch to beat the Baptists! After spending time with other Believers, I found myself back in the Covid 19 world. Approaching the entrance of the restaurant, I came across 4 bicycle riders as they were about to enter as well. Being at least 10 years older than me, they were covered from head to toe (it was 95 degrees) and wore gloves and full face masks. When I got close, one biker literally jumped out of the way! THAT was when it happened!

One of the evils of this so called pandemic is that everyone is treated as if they have cooties! Personally, I don’t like it! With no one being within 20 feet of us, that someone was ME! In a flash what I THOUGHT erupted from my mouth! “Hmmmm…you protect yourself from a low chance of catching a virus, when you most certainly are going to die from SOMETHING! Why don’t you go to church?” Their only response was an angry huff!

After ‘The Look,’ my wife said, “That was mean.” As I prepared to enter self defense mode, I paused to give that statement some thought with, ‘was it?” And if it was, was I intentionally so? Since I had just interjected Jesus House (and therefore Jesus) into my ‘anti-cootie’ jab, I found it important to NOT paint Jesus with the cootie brush! MAYBE I had made the biker THINK!

In reading the Gospels, Jesus was treated as if He had cooties everywhere He went. And it wasn’t because of His looks or smell! It was because of His message. Which leads me to want to analyze how I can deliver that same message in the most effective way!

There’s a lot of information in the Bible verse today. I am called and commanded, by the Savior of the world, to be prepared in every situation, to have a response to people WANTING know WHY I am a hopeful guy! Just how bold can I be? Do I need to always wait until I’m asked? Do I go where I’m not wanted? What if where I am going is dangerous? Can I LEARN how to speak better ‘before’ I actually speak? Just how dangerous can I be? Hmmmmm…I think I need to have a Bible study on this one!!!

“This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.” Titus 3:8

I was reminded yesterday of how terribly sad, and yet incredibly joyful, a day can be. Having the honor of attending the funeral service of a local icon, it was readily apparent that the gentleman in passing was well on his way to becoming a legend.

Eric Geistert was a tough guy! And you know I love tough guys. I met him 43 years ago and the meeting made an impression. Tough, rough, factual and boisterous, he was a man you KNEW was around when he was around. His wishes EASILY became commands to employees and made others, at least, pay attention!

Eric recently passed away, having lived longer than most. At the cemetery where he was interred, a veterans honor guard was present to pay respects…honorably. When called to speak, I already new this was going to be one for the books. So I started they way MY dad always told me to start. “Sooooo, family friends and associates, I’d like YOU to tell me about Eric! What impressed you about him and what did he teach you?” I was glad I brought a pen!

Being surrounded by a WHOLE bunch of tough guys could have been intimidating. But these guys were there to pay their respects. And they did it like Eric would have himself…loud and clear! EVERY loud shout out was a sentence that had come from Eric’s own lips. “Take pride in your work!” and “don’t embarrass the family name!” were 2 that stood out. They reminded me of this Bible verse.

Living a life that stands out for its honesty, generosity, encouragement, loyalty and personal responsibility is an art that is dying off. With BLM and the destructive riots across our country, I was beginning to think the good guys were about to fade away entirely. But yesterday gave me hope!

At this saddest, yet most joyful event in a man’s history, I saw a large group of tough people celebrate a man who loved God and County. Who lived like he preached it. And made impressions on everyone he met to do exactly the same thing. I cannot wait to see him again in heaven to thank him for his service! May we all make such an impression for God.

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Our Church sets off a major road, which provides our sign ministry a great opportunity to reach a lot of people with the Word of God. Which is something we have been known for over many years…several times even making national news! But the road goes both ways and it is no longer shocking to find evidence of that conflicting truth.

Going to the Church recently, all I could do was bow and shake my head in wondering sorrow. There on the ground, DIRECTLY in front of our trash can, lay the remnants of a full meal from a local fast food restaurant. The crumpled bag, empty cup, wrappers, used napkins and empty condiment packages littered the ground. It was evident that someone had driven in, sat in the shade of the oak tree, ate their meal and then tossed their trash out the window as they sat there! But strangely, I was MOST shocked at my own reaction!

Being a passionate fellow, I have a tendency to get angry when I see injustice, evil and irresponsible behavior. My parent’s spent a LOT of time teaching me right from wrong, and I paid a LOT for my willfully rebellious and snail paced learning! But with God on the team, their combined effort finally paid off. Over the years I have had many opportunities in youth groups and scouting to pass on the lessons. Now, with trash lying at my feet, I simply felt like a failure!

Oh, I did what I usually do. I picked up the trash, threw it away, prayed for the perpetrators and went about setting up the church for our next meeting. My lack of anger was gone, but replacing it was a sick feeling of, “I don’t want to care anymore!” A SCARY thought I had to fight to push away!

At Bible Study, names of Old Testament prophets came up. Names like Elijah, Isaiah, Daniel and Jeremiah. These were men who loved, and were called by God to go to, or live among, irresponsible people and to ‘tell it like it is.’ And they DID! Discouragement became part of their job. But I have to remind myself of this…It never CANCELED their job!

There is a LOT of trash out there in the world today. And the way I see it, God has called all believers who USED to be trash throwers, to “go into the world!” The mission is to KEEP going until it is either ALL changed, or He comes back and picks US up instead! My heavenly Father doesn’t like ANYONE considering His kids failures.  Even me!  TRASHPERSONS… UNITE!

“For by one sacrifice He (Jesus) has made perfect forever those who are being made holy (perfect).” Hebrews 10:14

A hobby of mine is shooting. While I grew up with guns in the house and have always been around them, it hasn’t been until the last year that I could actually call ‘shooting’ a hobby! When I’d go, it was always questionable as to how I well I would do. Hitting the target was never consistent and keeping score never a thought! Until Dan, my friend and fellow Jesus guy said, “meet me here Tuesday morning!”

I started teaching Sunday School when I was in Jr. High School. When teachers couldn’t handle me, dad made ME a teacher. And what a wake up call THAT was! I didn’t really know what I DIDN’T know until I HAD to KNOW IT! I learned early that to be a good teacher, one needs FIRST to become a good STUDENT!

Dan began teaching me what I had never learned. I LISTENED because he was OBVIOUSLY smarter than me in the area of pistol shooting! From day one he said, “you’re doing well!” Even though I RARELY felt I was. I wanted to be perfect. He wanted me to, simply and consistently, improve. “You’ll get there,” he’d say. And yesterday I did!

Looking at the target, I see 5 misses. The middle circle is the ‘X’ ring’ or ‘bullseye.’ But anything in the BIG circle counts as ‘perfect.‘ While I was semi-happy, Dan was ecstatic! Jesus and Dan have a lot in common!

This is not bragging about what a good shot I am. The next time could easily be far worse! But I am MUCH better than I was a year ago because I have a GREAT instructor…AND I LISTEN to him. I mean BOTH of them! Jesus and Dan!

I LOVE the Bible verse today because it tells me my actual standing before God…PERFECT! To Him I am PERFECT ALWAYS! Not because of anything ‘I’ have done, but because what His SON has done on MY behalf! Now don’t get me wrong! He has a LOT to teach me and He EXPECTS me to listen to Him and do what He says! I simply commit to doing just that!

I am now PERFECT in Gods eyes…and ‘getting perfecter’ every day as I walk with Him. That’s even when I don’t FEEL like it. Misses and missteps that may look like failure to me and others are NOT reasons for God to abandon me. It actually draws us CLOSER in our relationship of teacher and student! And WHAT A RELIEF it is to know that the Master of the UNIVERSE looks at me and see a straight shooter! So…. ‘How YOU doin?’