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November 26

Tuesday, November 26th, 2024

I am continuing my Learning Journal with lessons I learned and am learning. The first installment was yesterday. You can check that out here. This is Learning Journal #2.

Have you ever noticed how some things never move as quickly as you want them to? Then again, sometimes time flies. The old adage “Time flies when you are having fun” might apply to life from time to time but not so much healing.

I’ve been in a holding/waiting period for almost 2 weeks (Nov. 11th surgery). Slowly I’ve watched the days go by as I’ve been very limited as to what I can do. Therapy. Ice. Doze off. Ice. Read. Doze off. Burning pain at time that would stop a horse (I’m guessing). I’m sitting in the surgeon’s waiting room (Friday, the 22nd) as I write this, now waiting for his PA to come in.

Waiting seems to be a staple in our lives. I don’t know about you, but I have very little patience for waiting in line, especially at WalMart or Kroger when they have 10 registers but only one open. I’m not one to jump on the bandwagon of self-checkout.

But in all seriousness, waiting is lauded in the Bible as a good thing. One of the most well-known, most well-loved, and most memorized Scripture is Isaiah 40:28-31. Verse 31 says, “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (NLT) The word for “trust” is the word “wait.” We might use the word “rely on” or “lean on.”

Truthfully, God doesn’t act at human speed. Sometimes He is much slower; sometimes He is much faster. The hardest thing is to wait. You have probably heard the old adage I’m sure: “God is seldom early, but He’s never late.” So…wait, loved one. Wait.

{Note: As you can see I wrote this last week. Things have changed since that day. My therapy is moving ahead and I have more freedom. Thanks for your prayers}.

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Guest Post-Ryan Spires

Wednesday, November 13th, 2024

It was around 2007 that I met Ryan, Amanda, Dominick, Keegan and Aleah Spires. They had moved into the area from Nashville, TN and had begun a correspondence with one of the men in the church. Chris was the administrator of our church website. After their first visit, we went to Chicago’s Pizza in Elletsville (where they were living) and a friendship began to develop that still stands today. They have moved to Martinsville, IN, about 30-40 miles away, but we still try to get together for a meal. Sometimes Ryan and I have ridden bikes together.  Dominick has recently married. Keegan has moved near Indianapolis to work. Aleah is pursuing a college degree while working at Starbucks. So their household has changed. What hasn’t changed is our friendship. In fact, we got together just this past Friday night for supper. Sadly, Texas Roadhouse was so busy the wait was 55 minutes with no parking spots available! We went just down the road to Cheddars. But the best part of the evening was the laughter we shared.

When I mentioned that I would be posting guest posts while I was rehabbing from my knee replacement surgery, Ryan submitted the following. He told me I could post it…or not. As if…

As I finished up reading Chapter 18, titled “Counted As Warriors” from Brent Henderson’s book The Roar Within, Brent provides a laundry list of emotions, feelings, and thoughts that the enemy had been shooting at him during a low time in his life.   As I read the list, I could see myself clearly writing most of the same.  I even added a few additional.  Satan likes to take the truth and twist it just enough to make it sound like it is plausible.   This is his standard operating procedure and has been that way since the garden. 

How often does he do that with me, with us?  Perhaps he twists the truth enough to believe a little white lie is not all that harmful.   Perhaps he twists the truth enough to justify our negative reaction to our spouse’s or kid’s actions.  Perhaps he twists the truth enough to make us believe that we are to worthless, too sinful, too shameful, too hurt, too broken, too <fill in the blank> to make a difference… So we stop.

The list Brent shared includes items like disappointment, worthless, divorced, unable to please. I added a few of my own: weak, unsupportive, lazy, hypocritical, numb.

I am sure we all have a list of lies we have believed or currently believing. So what do we say when we counter the lies from the enemy and shoot right back with arrows from God’s word? Jesus didn’t simply come up with some nifty self-help quotes when tempted by Satan.  He didn’t try harder, buckle down, and push forward.  He used scripture. 

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

So what should we believe?  We should believe that God loves us UNCONDITIONALLY.  I know we can rattle off the phrase that He gave His only son for us… but let us not take that lightly.   I don’t know anyone on this earth that I would sacrifice my children for.   

Because of our Father’s sacrifice, I am now a CHOSEN and ADOPTED CHILD of the Living God.  I have a purpose and a reason for being.  Not because of what I have done, but because of who God is and what HE did for me.   I have worth and value in my Father’s eyes and I must never forget that.

Good words here. It is so important for everyone of us to remember that we are important and valued in God’s sight. It is also important for us to not listen to the lies of the enemy.  Thanks Ryan for your “heart words.” Do you have something you would like to share with others on this site? I would be glad to include it during my time of recovering. 

BTW: they say Day #3 and #4 are the worst. I’ll let you know. 🙂

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November 7

Thursday, November 7th, 2024

Have you ever been “accosted,” yelled at, or screamed at? I’m sure most of would answer Yes to that question. But I have another type of incident in mind.

Have you ever been “accosted,” yelled at, screamed at, or embarrassed by a “person of God” either standing on the street corner or college campus supposedly preaching about Jesus? When I lived in a college town in the 80s-90s, one of the first things I heard about was the so-called preacher (better translated embarrassment, one-who-turned-others-off) at our local university. It was hard for me to believe the story was actually true until I heard several others tell me randomly about it. This so-called evangelist would stand in an outside common area and scream and yell at the students as they walked by. He would throw out the name of Jesus (maybe to give him some validity?), while at the same time ranting and raving about the sin and promiscuity of the college students. He screamed about the boys who had long hair and called the girls some not-so-nice names if they wore shorts or pants. (As if that is a eternal life deal-breaker). When some of the college kids would tell me I could sense my blood boiling, but I could also feel myself turning different shades of green out of sickness and disgust.

What got to me is that I have come to realize that evangelism is more about planting seeds than wielding a sword. I’m sure you have probably heard the old adage which goes something like “more bees are drawn to honey than vinegar.” It is the sweet-smelling and sweet-tasting nectar of the flower which draws the bee or butterfly to it. I seriously doubt the smell of vinegar would do that. I believe people are attracted to hearing the message of Christ by our winsome, caring manner rather than by ranting and raving about sin, and how they are anything but people for dressing or looking a certain way. Ironically, I met this man’s brother several years later and while talking with him, he talked about his embarrassment of his brother. Tragically, the man probably saw it as a badge of honor to “suffer” for the name of Christ.

I know this is a negative-type post and it is not meant to be. My point is to remind us that if we are to share the Gospel with others, let’s do it with grace and “honey” not anger and “vinegar.” Keep in mind also this does not just happen on a college campus. We often give off “airs” of arrogance and judgment in our daily speech.  Let’s be careful in what and how we say it.

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November 4

Monday, November 4th, 2024

I have recently reread the book largely responsible for my escape from legalism: Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur. This probably makes read #15 or more (but who’s counting?). 🙂 It is fiction, although the “doctrinal struggles” of the book’s main character, Pastor Jason Faircloth, are very real. I would simply encourage you to pick up a copy. You will be hooked!

Two quotes stand out in my mind. They are observations Jason makes:

“Christian growth is the lifetime process of personally discovering what is inherently valuable, and what is not.”

“The essence of the Christian walk is to live contrary to human nature.”  (Both quotes from page 249)

It is the latter one that struck me this time as I read. If there was ever someone who lived a counterculture life, it was Jesus. He rejected the supposed piety of the religious leaders. He rejected living up to the letter of the Law without sincerity and the heart engaged. An example is in the Sermon on the Mount where He says multiple times, “You have heard…but I say to you.”

Then there is the teaching in Mark 8:34-37: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (NLT) That teaching goes against the grain of commonly-heard teaching. Save  your life by giving it away? Seriously?

Walking with Jesus is a walk against the grain. It is a walk contrary to human nature. Be different. Act different. Live different. This is the call of Jesus.

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October 30

Wednesday, October 30th, 2024

In my daily Bible reading, I began this morning in the book of Romans. Considered Paul’s magnum opus, it is chalk full of truth. All kinds of truth. The purpose of this devotion today is not to give an overview of the whole book, but to give a glimpse into chapter 1.

  • Verses 1-7 has Paul greeting the Roman followers of Christ. He gives some serious doctrinal truth as to who Jesus is.
  • Verses 8-17 has Paul grateful for the Roman followers of Jesus because the love they have for Jesus has spread and others have heard about their love. He gives, perhaps, the most succinct purpose of the Gospel in verses 16-17: “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes-the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.'” (NLT)

But then he lowers the boom. He writes about God’s displeasure with sin-all sin. His approach is multi-pronged:

  1. There are those who disregard God Himself. They deny His existence. I would put them in the “We can’t see Him so He is not real” camp. Paul says they are without excuse. (v.20). He says those who want to think that way are fools. Instead of worshiping a real God, they worship a fake god (images of people, birds, animals and reptiles).
  2. Then comes a very distinct and very confrontational passage: verses 24-27. These are called “clobber verses” because they are used as clubs to confront, judge, condemn and beat people over the head who struggle with SSA. In all honesty, only those who want to justify theirs-or someone else’s actions-can overlook this. BUT…
  3. I am stopped dead in my tracks by verses 28-32. Lest I get arrogant and stand on a self-righteous soapbox, there is a laundry list of sin that condemns us all. We may say, “SSA? Not me!” and feel good about ourselves. But hold on! Look at the list: every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. Then Paul writes, “They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.” As each one is leveled, we start hopping around lest His divine foot stomp nail our feet to the floor and expose our sinful heart.

Short recap I know. There is so much more to say. I simply say: investigate on your own. Read this chapter slowly, all the while asking God to speak to your heart. The message will not only be clear; it is one you cannot escape. I think we all need the message of Romans 1, but I especially am grateful for the simple words about Good News in verses 16-17 (see above).

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October 29

Tuesday, October 29th, 2024

One of the most used passages in the Bible is found in I Corinthians 13.  You might recognize it as the “Love Chapter.” It is used in weddings. You find it on home decor, bookmarks, even non-religious items/organizations use it. That’s because “love” is the essence of life. But just seeing it as a warm fuzzy saying is missing out on the real strength and power of that passage. Let me explain.

The Corinthian church was a mess, and when I say a mess, I mean a royal mess. Division. Incest. Compromise of truth. Quarreling over spiritual gifts. Fighting over who was more important and whom they followed. All those and more. There was one thing missing in all of that mess:

L. O. V. E.

In truth, love covers a multitude of sins. but there is one sin that blows love apart. Maybe stifles is a better word. That sin is pride and arrogance. The want and desire for power. I was speaking with someone recently expressing a genuine concern for a mutual acquaintance who has gotten into hot water. People are clamoring for a resignation. Not too long ago this person was the belle of the ball, the prince of the crown.

What happened? Pride. Arrogance. The inability to want or accept criticism. Surrounding oneself with “yes” people. A crushing of dissenting voices. Compromise of values took place and in its place was placed initiatives that devalued people. Sadly, unless there is repentance and a sincere apology and an honest attempt to change, great will be the fall. I’m afraid the arrogance and “what I want” will be so strong that proper steps will not happen and a life will be broken to pieces. Blame will be cast that “I was misunderstood” or “They are too pig-headed to see the big picture.” I’m afraid “I told you so” will be uttered, which will cause even more damage. I hate that because there had been much positive action. But like a lot of things, the past will be forgotten for the present. All because this person wouldn’t heed the loving, warning voices of others.

In case you need a refresher: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful of proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” I Cor. 13:4-7 (NLT) 

Receive it. Learn from it. Give it. Practice it.

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October 23

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2024

Of all the questions people ask, one of the most frequent is “Where is God when it hurts?” That is put in different way, like “Why do Christ-followers suffer?? or “Why does God feel so far away when I’m going through a tough time?” I’m sure you could add your own variation to that. This morning as I was reading Psalm 13, I flashed back to the first time I ever looked at this psalm in depth. I was in a period of deep questioning-not when it came to where was God- but in my own life’s purpose. It was, and has been, one of the most eye-opening experiences I ever had. I’d like to share that with you today.  I’d like to suggest a Bible and a highlighter (different colors) as you study.

The chapter is written by King David. {Following Scripture is from the NLT}

If God truly forgot David as he says in verse 1a: “O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?”

Why does he say at the same time that God truly loves him unceasingly in verse 5a: “But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me”?

David also says in verse 1 that God hid his face from him: “How long will you look the other way?”

But in verse 6b he says God was good to him: “Because he is good to me.”

In verse 2 David said he struggled (wrestled) with many thoughts and had sorrow in his heart every day: “How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart everyday?”

Yet in verse 6 he sang with joy: “I will sing to the Lord.”

Finally, in verse 2b David said his enemy had the upper hand: “How long will my enemy have the upper hand?”

Yet in verse 5b he says, “I will rejoice because have rescued me.”

How can that be? Is there a discrepancy between the verses? No, actually there isn’t. The difference is between David’s feelings and David’s beliefs.  David felt God had hidden His face from him, but he believed God’s love for Him was unceasing. David felt God had hidden His face from him, but he believed God was somehow good to him.

The same is  often true for us. There is a disconnect between our feelings and our faith. And there you have just one more reason why we should not trust our feelings over our faith. And it is also one more reason why we should not get trapped into thinking “just follow your heart.” Feelings are deceptive.

Follow your faith, not your feelings. Anchor yourself in God’s Word; don’t rely on your feelings.

{Note: my unfailing thanks to Randall Arthur and his book Wisdom Hunter for the insight into this passage. It forever changed my life}

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October 22

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024

A common topic of conversation-not only among the elites, but also among common church (and non-church) people-is how Christianity is just one of many ways to God. You have probably heard it just as I have: “You Christians are so close-minded. You think you are the only ones who are right. All roads lead to God.”  In their minds, all religions are the same and none are better than another (unless, of course, you belong to said religion. Then you think you are the only one that is right). The common strain among all is they all have their good points and they all tell us how to get to God or some variation of that.

I beg to differ. While it is true there are many religions (obviously), it is not true that all roads lead to God. It is not my purpose in this devotion to tell why by listing every well-known religion and show why they aren’t. But I would like to sum it up with this: Each religion boils down to the creatures trying to get their god or gods to like them. Hence, the need for works. For alms. For treks to a city. For certain bodily disciplines. Each one is trying to reach up to their god and in the process gain his/her approval.

Christianity is different. Christianity teaches that we don’t have to try to reach up to God. We don’t have to work hard to get God to love us; He already does. We don’t have to work hard to get God to like us; He already does. In fact, God already showed us that! That is the meaning behind the Incarnation-God becoming flesh in the form of a baby. God has already reached down to us. He was fully human and fully divine, died on a cross to pay for our sins and rose again.

The best way for me to put it is the way I once hear it put: “Religion says, ‘Do’; Christianity says, ‘Done.'” Religion says this is what you must do; Christianity says this is what has been done. No matter what we hear from the crowd, there is still only one way to God and that is through Jesus Christ, His One and only Son. Faith in Him is the only requirement for salvation. John 14: 6 is still true: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”  There is simply no other way to read that. 

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October 21

Monday, October 21st, 2024

INCONVENIENCE.

During the communion part of our worship yesterday one of the men talked about Convenience vs Inconvenience. He spoke about having certain conveniences which allow him to fast forward, jack up the speed of playing a video or of simply skipping over what he doesn’t want to watch. His application was appropriate in that he brought it down to the inconvenience of Jesus dying on the cross for our convenience of confessing our sins and being forgiven.

That has got me thinking about the same topic only in a different setting. Several months ago I went to Fresh Thyme and used my debit card and was denied. So I tried it again and ditto. I was confused because I knew I had plenty of money in my account, especially for the amount of purchase I was making. So I checked it and found that someone had hacked into my checking account and had written a check for over $2000 to a credit card company. First, I have no credit cards. Second, I never heard of the company he used my account to pay for. Neither had the bank which I consulted with immediately to dispute the charge. (His payment was denied. I wish I could have been a little birdie to hear what he had to say when the credit card company said his payment was denied. Then again…maybe I don’t). The inconvenience for me was that I had to close that account, open another and alert all those whom I pay online with that account that it closed and give them my new number. Finally, I was done!  Or so I thought…

This past week, an app that is on my computer (and probably yours as well) decided that they were going to renew a charge for the next year. Like of the $100+ variety. Without reminding me that the charge was coming. I got a call from the fraud department (yeah for them doing their job) and I denied the charge. Unfortunately, the bank was unable to stop it. I will have to deal with that. The worst part is…you guessed it…they shut down my debit card. I had to get a new one, all while traveling over the weekend. I’m still waiting. AND I had to go through my bills to make sure any accounts that used my debit card for payment were alerted. What a pain! A necessary one, but it was still a pain. It was an inconvenience, especially when traveling out of state.

Inconvenience seems to be the lot for most of us from time to time. I mean, I’m glad for the bank refusing to pay for fraudulent use of my checking account. The inconvenience was worth it I guess. I’m also glad the fraud department questioned me about two charges-one I approved (Amazon) and the other I refused (but was too late).  Inconvenience is part of life. Mine were minor compared to some. Whether it is something like my experience or something bigger (and there are tons of examples I could give), how we react to them shows the character we have. I was frustrated, for sure, but I also had to remember that my attitude when dealing with people tells a lot about me. Don’t kid yourself into thinking people don’t notice how we react to situations. They particularly take note if we are a follower of Jesus.

Don’t look now. Your attitude is showing.

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October 15

Tuesday, October 15th, 2024

While I work out at the Y sometimes I will find familiar tunes that are in my Spotify Playlist. But sometimes I find what looks like an intriguing listen. Since I am on their WiFi I can listen without downloading. Sometimes it takes one or two songs before I am finding something else. One of those rare finds recently is a group called Lionheart. As I listened to them yesterday, I heard again a song called Flight 19.  Intrigued, I decided to investigate what that is and why someone would write a song about it. Here is a brief history:

Flight 19 was the designation of a group of five General Motors TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945, after losing contact during a United States Navy overwater navigation training flight from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All 14 naval aviators on the flight were lost, as were all 13 crew members of a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat that subsequently launched from Naval Air Station Banana River to search for Flight 19.

A report by Navy investigators concluded that flight leader Lt. Charles C. Taylor mistook small islands offshore for the Florida Keys after his compasses stopped working, resulting in the flight heading over open sea and away from land. The report was later amended by the Navy to read “cause unknown” to avoid blaming Taylor for the loss of five aircraft and 14 men. The report attributed the loss of the PBM search aircraft to an explosion in mid-air while searching for the flight. (Information found on several sites. This is from Wikipedia).

Hmmm. Interesting: the Bermuda Triangle. I was glad to see Lt. Taylor was cleared of any wrongdoing. What has never been solved has been what happened to Flight 19. The song by Lionheart has this chorus: “No one’s seen Flight 19/Lost at sea/Wrapped in a shroud of mystery.” It repeats that several times throughout the song.

It got me thinking. Is that not sometimes how the Christian faith is? There are times we know for sure beyond a shadow of doubt the who, what, where, when, and why. But how many times do we not know the WHY? of things? How many times have you or someone you know used that word when questioning God’s work in yours or someone’s life you know?  And very often that why question goes unanswered. It remains a mystery. Sort of like what happened to Flight 19. To this day it still has never been found.

There are times we are not to know God’s reasoning. There are times we will never know God’s reasoning. No matter how many times we hear the phrase, “Sometimes you won’t know until you get beyond the issue and look back.” While that may be true in some cases, it is not in all.  I tire of asking Why. What I have tried to do (and not always succeeding) is to remember God is God and I am not. He is not obligated to tell me of all the intricacies of His work and will. What He does want me to do is trust Him.  Sherlock Holmes I am not. I am, however, a child of His whom He loves very much. He asks me to trust Him.

{And if you get a chance, check out Flight 19 by Lionheart. In fact, I like their whole album.}

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