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June 5

Thursday, June 5th, 2025

Lance McCullers, Jr is a Major League Baseball pitcher. He has been unable to pitch for the past two years because of injury. I apologize that I cannot elaborate on that more since I heard of him but did not follow him. He has recently been in the news. He was able to start pitching again this season and has had a tough way to go his first 5 outings. (He won his first game in almost two years when he defeated my Pittsburgh Pirates by outpitching Pirate sensation, Paul Skenes). Let’s just say I am not happy about that!! 🙂 

Anyway, he has been in the news recently because after losing his fifth straight game, he began receiving death threats. They were especially distressing because they were directed to his wife and two daughters. An adult can somewhat understand that, but how does one explain that to a daughter that there is someone angry enough to make threats against your life? Long story short they were able to track the threat to a man who was a drunken bettor from overseas and upset at losing money. Notice the two words: drunken bettor. They don’t go very well together and this time was one way it was proven.  He has apologized to Lance and his family and asked forgiveness. Now…here come the gem of this story. When Lance heard of this man’s willingness to apologize face-to-face to him, Lance responded by saying, “As a follower of Christ, I’m called to love our neighbor and to forgive. I would be open to that, but for me, I’m just happy it’s behind us and thankful to everyone that was involved in this in keeping us safe.”

I highlighted the point I want to make. “As a follower of Christ.”  Forgiveness is sometimes one of the hardest things we are called on to do as followers of Christ. Jesus addressed that by saying numerous times that as we have been forgiven we must also forgive. He was our perfect example and simply said to follow in His footsteps. He once told a parable with that point in mind about a slave thrown in prison. He begs to be forgiven and released so the king grants his request. He then goes out and finds a man who owes him much less, throws him and his family in prison, until the debt is paid. Does anyone else see the idiocy of those actions and expectation? The king finds out about it and confronts the man with the stupidity of his actions and throws the man and his family back into jail. (I bet that was a happy jail cell). The point of the parable is easy to see: as you have been forgiven, so you should forgive. 

Even though Lance is a Houston Astro, I will be a fan because he followed Jesus’ actions. But please, Lance, don’t pitch so well against the Pirates next time!!  🙂

June 4

Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

One of the tenets of the faith is (or should be if not) is to allow Scripture to explain Scripture. That is, IMHO, one of the dangers of group Bible study that needs to be passionately avoided. I’ve heard it and I’m sure you have also: “What does this verse mean to  you?” In our effort to personalize Scripture and make it meaningful in our lives, we fall into the trap of often misusing Scripture or misapplying it. So when we ask, “What does this Scripture mean to me?” it is easy to make it mean something it doesn’t. After reading Psalm 147 this morning I decided that I would simply record it here and then allow it to tell us what it needs to tell us. No “this means this to me” but “This is what the Scripture says.”  Here you go: Psalm 147:1-11. 

How good to sing praises to our God! 

How delightful and how fitting!

The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the exiles back to Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

He counts the stars and calls them all by name. 

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understand is beyond comprehension!

The Lord supports the humble, but brings the wicked down into the dust. 

Sing out your thanks to the Lord; sing praises to our God with a harp.

He covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures. 

He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry. 

He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse or in human might. 

No, the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his unfailing love.  (New Living Translation) 

Take your time and read it slowly. Okay…now read it again and meditate on it. See what it says about God, who God is, and what God does. You won’t have to ask, “What does this Scripture mean to me?” You can sit back and see who God is and know that the God who is described here is in your corner. What more do you need to know than that?

June 3

Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025

Well…I definitely feel like an old man today. My oldest daughter, Tami, reaches the big 5-0 mark today. She has been a real joy and blessing to have, raise, and watch grow into a godly woman. She has a heart as big as the ocean, especially for kids. Even though she has never had any of her own; never been married; she oozes love for kids. She has taught Kindergarten for almost all of her 25 years teaching. The last 3 have been spent teaching in our local Spencer-Owen School System. Due to a heart attack (SCAD) 4 years ago, she lives with us (her apartment had 25 steps almost straight up and the doctor said, “No way”).  So after living on her own for 3-4 years, enduring COVID, leaving in the dark and coming home in the dark, having almost zero friends due to said schedule, she moved in with us and has stayed. Plus, affordable housing in Spencer is almost non-existent these days due to expansion. She is enjoying a vacation of sorts to Tennessee where she lived for the first 15 years of her teaching career. We encouraged it, especially after the rough teaching year she had.  Happy Birthday #1 daughter (birth order). 🙂

I finished reading Proverbs on May 31 so I just continued reading the book which is next: Ecclesiastes. If you haven’t read it, you must. I challenge you to do so. I read Chapter 2 this morning and there is NO WAY someone can read this book and say the Bible is irrelevant. Ecclesiastes is as relevant a book in the Bible as you will read just about anywhere. In 1:9 it says, “History repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is new.” Hmmm sounds vaguely familiar to “Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

In Chapter 2 there is more “pull-no-punches” stuff.  “I tried pleasure and found it was meaningless.” (2:1) “I tried to cheer myself with laughter and wine and found it was foolishness.” (2:2-3) “I built and made gardens and planted trees. Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure…it was meaningless, like chasing the wind.” (2:5-11) His conclusion? “So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless-like chasing the wind.” (2:17)

What a sad state of affairs for the wisest man on earth. Solomon was given so much and he threw it all away. Ecclesiastes is his story of endless and meaningless pursuits. It is sobering. It is raw. It is honest. It is relevant. People today are no different than they were in Solomon’s day. Pursuing pleasure, temporary answers, and a salve to an empty life that will never be satisfied, except in a relationship with Christ. Stop pursuing that which does not last and pursue the ONE who loves you more than you know.

May 29

Thursday, May 29th, 2025

I’m going to step a bit out of my comfort zone this morning. I’m going to suggest you join me in a month long search. Normally I post Living in the Shadow on LinkedIn as a daily devotion. But I’m even going to forego that today. Why? Because this is one of those ideas that only a seeking and searching Christ-follower can sense its importance or relevance. I have been preaching through the Bible in 2025 using the Everyday Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp as a reliable guide. Each Sunday’s sermon has been centered around the previous week’s daily devotional reading which, as you can imagine, requires that I read ahead. It also requires that I work ahead since I am not now, nor have ever been, a pastor who waits until that week to work the upcoming Sunday’s sermon. That gives me the shivers even as I write that. 🙂  So…on June 22nd my sermon is entitled What to Pray For. Not a real imaginative title, I know, but I’m at a loss to catch better clickbait. 🙂  Here are the three points (I normally do two) of the sermon:

A HEART THAT LONGS FOR GOD (42, 66-69)

A HEART THAT SEEKS PURITY (51)

A HEART THAT TRUSTS  (62, 73)

The Scripture reading for that week (and for that Sunday) has been Psalm 40-77. Obviously I can’t preach on that whole passage, so I did what I have done all year: highlight and pick and choose. As I read those chapters and as I read the devotions I found the thread I wanted to focus on. The numbers in the parentheses above are the chapters I’m going to glean the sermon from. Psalm 40-77 focuses on the simple things- things we pray for and God is more than willing to answer.

So, here is my challenge: I’d like to ask you to join me in a month long adventure of praying these three yearnings each day. I have already begun doing so this week. I finished writing the sermon yesterday and my plan is to share on June 22nd how God answered my prayer. Will you join me by praying these three things each day for the next month? Whenever you have your daily Quiet Time (or Encounter Time as I call mine), ask God to grant you these three requests. Read the chapters and see if they convict you to start and continue this quest. I, obviously, have no idea how God will answer my prayer, but I am excited to see! Maybe keep a journal to record your thoughts and God’s work in your life.

Will you join me?

May 27

Tuesday, May 27th, 2025

Happy Tuesday! Or Happy Day After Memorial Day! I hope you had a relaxing Memorial Day and during your day took the time to be grateful for the men and women who have served our country and  prayed for the families of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I tried something new yesterday. I texted every one of those who served in the military from the church and thanked them for their service. I’m not looking for a “WOW! That was fantastic!” I wanted to encourage those who served that they did not do it in vain and are not forgotten.

Every other month I read the book of Proverbs. I take the day of the month and read that chapter. Today, I read chapter 27 because…well…it is May 27th. 🙂 Rather than pontificate as though I’m an expert (I’m definitely not), I thought I would simply record some of the verses that stood out to me this morning and share them with you. I will then let you draw your own conclusions.  Ready?

Verse 1: “Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.”

Verse 2: “Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth-a stranger, not your own lips.”

Verse 6: “Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.”

Verse 9: “The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.”

Verse 10: “Never abandon a friend-either yours or your father’s.”

Verse 17: “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”

Verse 19: “As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.”

Verse 23: “Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds.”

There you have it. I’m wondering two things: 1) which one stands out to you as most meaningful? and 2) was there any other verse that particularly reached your heart today? Have a great day as you get back “into the swing of things.” 

Burning Hearts – April 13

Friday, April 11th, 2025

I talked a little bit about the life of David last week. This week I’m going to take a deeper dive into his life. In fact, last week I compared Saul to David-the arrogance of Saul vs the humility of David. (You can catch that sermon on YouTube). Last week was a really strange week due to having to cancel in person services because of the flooding in our area and the county commissioners putting us on a RED travel alert. A RED meant only emergency personnel were to be on the roads.  Since I live 2 miles from the church building and it is all highway, I was able to come to the office and prepare for a live stream. But we chose to err on the side of caution and ask people to stay home.

This week will different. Not only will be meeting in person-Lord willing- my main focus will be on David. I’ll start by looking at Psalm 139 (a fantastic passage that blows the abortion advocates out of the water that the baby is just a blob of tissue), then move onto specific actions in David’s life. I’ve titled the sermon Hero and Zero because David was both. Specific actions in his life show him as a hero; specific actions show him as a zero (not worthless but a mistake-maker).

One of the things I like about the Bible is that it paints people as people-warts and all. No whitewashing. No skipping over the bad parts. David is no different from me. I’d like to invite you to join us in person at 9:00 and 10:45 AM. If you are unable to, please join us via our live stream via our Facebook or YouTube channel. You can send a request to join our Facebook Group at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship or view our public page at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship-Spencer, In. Or you can watch via YouTube at Owen Valley Christian Fellowship. I look forward to seeing you or hearing from you online. And let me ask you to do me a favor: please let us know you are watching and then feel free to comment-yay or nay. If you have any questions, please ask and I will get back to you. Thanks. And thanks for praying for us.

April 10

Thursday, April 10th, 2025

“God doesn’t really care.” If I have heard that once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. (It may or may not have slipped from my lips a time or two in the past. Just sayin’) 🙂

Last night during my Wednesday Night Conversation class, this was the topic of discussion. Everyone there acknowledged what I just said: they had heard (or used) it before.  We also came to realize that much of the belief in that lie is too many think that God is just like we are. He has failures, limitation, and weaknesses…just like us. We sometimes give off the idea that God is prone to doubt, questioning His actions, and even prone to regrets that He could/should start all over again. Here’s truth: God is not like me. God is not like you. He is God, and I am not, neither are you (even though we act like it sometimes).

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what God is like. I called these 3 non-negotiables + one:

God is Omnipotent. God is all-powerful. He can do everything-possible or impossible. He is not limited. He never gets tired. He never forgets. Take a moment to pick up a Bible and read Psalm 115:3 or Isaiah 40:28.

God is Omnipresent. This is an easy word to figure out. God is all-present and everywhere present. He cannot be confined, either in heaven or on earth. He is not confined to a building, nor is He removed from our lives. Wherever you are He is there. Psalm 139:7-12 will blow your socks off.

God is Omniscient. He is all-knowing. He knows all that can be known. He knows all thoughts, all desires, every unuttered secret (hence my mom’s words: “You can’t hide, Bill. God knows what you are thinking.” (Thanks mom for keeping my “guilt alarm” on high alert!)

God is Omnibenevolent.  Yeah…I know it isn’t a word. God is all-loving. He loves perfectly and is full of love.  His love never runs out and never lessens. He doesn’t need us to feel satisfied, but we need Him to be fulfilled.  “For anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” (I John 4:8 NLT)

So what does this all mean to me, to us?  Four things:

  1. God has proven Himself.  He has nothing more to prove to anyone.
  2. God always keeps His promises. Take that to the bank.  What He says, He will do.
  3. God has come and will come again. The first time He came as a baby; the next time He will come as conquering King.
  4. God’s presence always brings a presence of peace. In spite of the circumstances, His presence will being peace and calm.

I hope this encourages you today.

April 2

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025

What do you do when your finely tuned approach to Christianity and your faith is rocked? For sure it wipes out the whole idea that  following Jesus is a walk in the park. “Biblical faith involves not just your mind; it also requires a commitment of our heart that radically changes the way you think.” (Everyday Gospel Devotional-Tripp-p. 114)  What a shocking wake up call when one finds out the Christian life is not one of ease, but one filled with difficulty, experiences that rattle your cage. I will admit that I get upset when I hear of those shysters who simply want to take advantage of people to line their own pockets.

A recent incident/teaching has got me a little riled up. The teaching is by prosperity teacher (I refuse to call her a pastor) Paula White. It is called Paula White’s Passover Promises. Here it is in a nutshell:

Paula White, televangelist and spiritual advisor to President Donald Trump, has suggested to donors who give at least $1,000 to her ministry between April 12 and 20 that God will release seven supernatural blessings upon them. “[W]hen you honor God on Passover…you can receive these seven supernatural blessings, for you and your house, according to Exodus 23.” 

The blessings she claims donors can release from God with their gift include:

  1. An angel assigned to them;
  2. God being an enemy to their enemies;
  3. Prosperity;
  4. Sickness removed from them;
  5. Long life;
  6. Increase and inheritance; and
  7. A special year of blessing.

She ties these blessings to a passage from Exodus 23 where God commands the Israelites to celebrate the Passover (verse 15).

Question: Can I throw up now or later?

I spent some time at the local hospital on Saturday, Sunday and Monday visiting a man who has really struggled with diabetes and an infection they say they can’t find. This is not the first time he has been in for the same thing. I went to the hospital yesterday (Tuesday) after receiving a text from his wife that he had passed away. He had gone from only moaning on Saturday, to sleeping (finally) on Sunday, to being fairly alert and able to take dialysis on Monday, to having a very talkative morning only to pass away just moments later. They were both godly people and had raised 6 children to love Jesus. So…please tell me Mrs White-Cain, where your spiel comes in at? Oh yeah, that’s right! They didn’t send you a $1000.

People, be on the lookout for hucksters and shysters like her and others of her ilk. Fortunately for Tim, his salvation was not determined by works, or giving money to shysters, or “naming it and claiming it.” He is now dancing on streets of gold (he had a leg removed to his knee due to complications with diabetes). And he is singing his country gospel at the top of his lungs-on key.

I’m grateful God is not tied to hucksters and shysters but is simply full of love and grace.  (And yes I know this post is a bit snarky).

April 1

Tuesday, April 1st, 2025

I can remember as a kid taking advantage of April 1st, aka April Fool’s Day. Playing tricks on people until they realize what day it is always brought laughs (or being beat up).  🙂   Because I was so lovable and kind I was able to avoid the latter. Seriously, most people, when they realize the day lay aside their frustrations and join in the fun.

But being a fool or being called one is not anything to brag about. Below are just a few of the verses from Proverbs that have a very common theme: fools.

“Therefore, they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way, choking on their own schemes. For simpletons turn away from me (wisdom)- to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.” (1:31-32)

“Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” (12:15)

“Wise people think before they act; fools don’t-and even brag about their foolishness.” “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.” (13:16,20)

“Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with  their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.” (17:28)  Abe Lincoln: “It is better to keep your mouth shut and thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.”

“The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.” (18:7)

“Don’t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice.” (23:9)

There are more. Here is something for you to consider doing. Beginning today, read a chapter of Proverbs a day. By the end of the month you will have read through all of Proverbs. Take a pencil, pen, or highlighter that won’t bleed, and underline as you read. Find one verse each chapter to highlight for that day. When you read through the book again, use a different color highlighter and look for a new verse. Oh…look for the verses that talk about fools.  Happy reading! Happy growing!  And while you are at it, determine not to carry today’s joke beyond April 1.

March 24

Monday, March 24th, 2025

Compromise. A word with double meaning. It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing.  When two (or more) people compromise or soften a position for the purpose of moving forward or making things right or unity, that is a good thing. Sometimes it is called “The Art of the Deal.” However, compromise can also carry a bad connotation. It gives the idea of softening too much, of giving in without much of a struggle, especially in the world of values and beliefs.

My thoughts turn this morning to a character in the book of Judges that all I have to say is one word or one couple and 99% of the people know who I am speaking about. Hint: (_________) and Delilah.  But much goes on in the life of Samson long before his escapade with Delilah. Here is a brief summary:

  • Born with a Nazirite vow over him. The vow required no strong drink, to not eat any forbidden food, and, in Samson’s case, don’t cut his hair. Even his mother had to abide by the first two while pregnant.
  • Samson is born and in time kills a lion who attacks him. Later he touches the carcass to get some honey. A clear violation of his vow.
  • He falls in love with a Philistine woman, a clear violation of his sanity. The Philistines were Public Enemy #1 to the Israelites. His misadventures involving her were many.
  • Later he spends time with a prostitute in Gaza. Again, a clear violation of his vow. (What is it with these Philistine woman?)
  • He meets his match in Delilah, a Philistine woman (Same question as above). If you know the story, Delilah whined her way into his secret: “cut my hair and I will be as weak as any other man.” Even that was not a spur of the moment revelation. He slowly got closer and closer to revealing the source of his strength with her.

Samson is captured, his eyes gouged out and he is put in prison. His long locks of hair now gone. They were a symbol of his vow and the presence and power of God. But in all of this mess something good is happening. Judges 16:22 tells us: “But before long, his hair began to grow back.”  Lost in his compromise was the presence and power of God. But deep in that dungeon where he ground out grain, Samson’s relationship with God was being restored.

The consequence for Samson’s compromise was dark and painful. Compromising our values and beliefs leads to pain unimaginable. Maybe feeling cut off from God’s presence and power. But just as Samson’s hair began to grow again, our relationship can be restored. Don’t allow the fleeting pleasures of this life lead to a compromise you will regret.