Month: January 2025

Remember that song by The Go-Go’s? Vacation all I ever wanted, vacation had to get away… Well, that’s what we’re planning. Yep. Selling seashells by the seashore, well, not really but you know what I mean. We’re planning a respite, a rest time, a break, a little peace. I bet a lot of folks are doing that this time of year.

Planning a getaway gives me a little heartburn. You see, I’m a very structured person. I’m sure you never would have guessed, I do hide it well, right? In case you didn’t know, I’m slightly ADHD, (yes, I have the papers to prove it), but only slightly. My mind is constantly moving at this frenetic pace, and in order to keep up with it, or manage it, I need structure. Most folks love vacations because they are anything but structure. A break from the grind. A time to do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want. No alarm clocks, no bedtimes. A time to see new sights, hear new sounds, do new things. Nevertheless, a vacation, a getaway is a time to rest. Rest from the pressures of work. Rest from the chores of home. Rest from the running. Although sometimes we need a vacation to recuperate from our vacation, don’t we?

The Bible talks about rest, you know. Remember what God did after creating creation? He rested. No, he didn’t plan a trip to rest, he rested because His work was complete, done.

On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy,
because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation.
Genesis 2:2-3

Then there’s the Promised Land. The land of rest. The ultimate vacation, right? The land flowing with milk and honey.

Today you are doing whatever you please, but that is not how it will be when you arrive in the place of rest the Lord your God is giving you. You will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession. When he gives you rest and security from all your enemies, you must bring everything I command you – your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your special gifts, and your offerings to fulfill a vow – to the place the Lord your God will choose for his name to be honored.
Deuteronomy 12:8-11

After 40 years of wandering on an 11 day journey, I can see why a rest was in store. The Promised Land was meant to be a place of rest. Remember, milk and honey? How’d that turn out for them?

Ah, but there’s another rest described by the writer of Hebrews:

For this Good News…only we who believe can enter his place of rest.
Hebrews 4:2-3

We can go to the beach, on a cruise, to the mountains, to Europe, wherever, but our rest can only be found in Him. If we want rest, if we want peace, we don’t need to go on vacation. That rest and peace is ours right here on earth.

This new place of rest was not the land of Canaan, where Joshua led them. If it had been, God would not have spoken later about another day of rest. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who enter into God’s rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world.
Hebrews 4:8-11

A special rest. Who doesn’t want that? In fact, Jesus made it possible for all of us to have that special rest. In fact, Jesus is planning the vacation, only it’s not for just a week or so. It is eternal. It is not just a vacation to rest, it’s a rest for life!

There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

A rest where we will find true rejuvenation, relaxation, refreshment, rest, for all eternity. The ultimate, never ending vacation. A rest with the most spectacular heavenly views.

We used to go to the grocery store most Saturday mornings and I recall one specific Saturday God taught me a priceless lesson (aren’t they all?!?!?). It’s amazing where God teaches us. If you think that God cannot speak to you in the mundane, every day exercises of life, look a little harder. The more you look, the easier it is to see. Anyway…

As I started through a door in the grocery store, I noticed someone walking behind me using their cell phone – aren’t we all? The person looked up from their phone as I held the door. She blew me a kiss. A little much for just holding the door but, well, ok. Then it hit me, she had touched her fingertips to her chin and moved her hand towards me. She signed thank you. She smiled. I smiled. It gave me pause. You see, she was deaf. Prior to me holding the door, she had been communicating on her smartphone. That was the bam! for me. I praised God.

I had never really thought about it until then, but cell phones have revolutionized life for our deaf friends. Think about that. Once they could not communicate by telephone. Once they could not communicate unless the person they were communicating with was in front of them. Some deaf folks couldn’t communication without pen and paper. How incredibly awesome are cell phones for those who cannot hear? To the one who cannot hear, cell phones are priceless.

I have really chewed on this incident and asked myself two questions – Am I deaf? Are you deaf? I don’t mean can we hear, but are we deaf? You see there’s another definition for deaf, other than unable to hear. That definition for deaf is “refusing to listen, heed, or be persuaded.” Look it up. Again, I ask…

The second question I asked myself is – Do I use the resources provided to me? The deaf community uses the resources provided to them to hear, a device, something that was transformational, something that completely changed their communication. Why don’t I? Why don’t we?

Jesus asks us the same thing. In His teachings, He tells a story and then follows up with a profoundly deep statement – four times, the same exclamation. The statement seems benign and many times we gloss over it heading to the next teaching.

“For before John came, all the teachings of the Scriptures looked forward to this present time… Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Matthew 11:13-15

“A farmer went out to plant some seed…Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8

“I the Son of Man, am the farmer who plants the good seed…Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”Matthew 13:37-43, Mark 4:14-23

“If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple…Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!” Luke 14:26-35

Four times from His lips. Seven times in His Word. What does that say? Here’s the Message:

“Are you listening to this?
“Really listening?” (MSG)

Aha! That’s what it’s all about. Listening. Do we listen? Do we pay attention? Do we heed? Do we obey? That’s what listening is? He’s saying, are you paying attention to what I just said? He’s saying, come on guys, listen – really listen.

“You have been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others have not. To those who are open to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who are not listening, even what they have will be taken away from them. That is why I tell these stories, because people see what I do, but they don’t really see. They hear what I say, but they don’t really hear, and they don’t understand.” Matthew 13:11-13

You see, it’s not about our physical hearing, it’s about spiritual hearing. It goes way beyond just hearing the words Jesus said. You know, even Satan heard the words. Anyone can hear Jesus teachings, but not everyone will listen. Let those who have ears hear and understand. To those looking, seeking the truth, if we are truly listening, it will be revealed. The Holy Spirit will open our minds to the teachings of our Lord. What does that mean? It means that when we study His Word, one of His revolutionary communication devices, when we seek Him and truly listen to Him, He will communicate the meaning of the scriptures by opening our minds. He will give us understanding, which is transformational to us.

Then he opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures. Luke 24:44

Just like those who cannot hear use the communication resources available to them, why would we all not use the communication resources available to us? The Word of God the Father — God the Son, God the Spirit, is revolutionary. Why would we not want that?

We could learn a valuable lesson from our deaf friends. Use the priceless resource we are given. Use the communication resource that will transform our lives.

Let the one who has ears hear…start a revolution!

Have you watched the Wolf Moon the past couple of nights? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I love watching the sky, the day sky, but especially the night sky. The visible and the invisible night sky moon, stars, planets, constellations really leave me in awe of the Creator of all.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?

“Who kept the sea inside its boundaries as it burst from the womb, and as I clothed it with clouds and wrapped it in thick darkness? For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!’

“Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night’s wickedness? As the light approaches, the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal; it is robed in brilliant colors. The light disturbs the wicked and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

“Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you explored their depths? Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!

“Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there? But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!

“Have you visited the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of hail? (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war.) Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind?

“Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground and make the tender grass spring up?

“Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes.

“Can you direct the movement of the stars—binding the cluster of the Pleiades or loosening the cords of Orion? Can you direct the constellations through the seasons or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth? Job 38:4-33

Such a beautiful passage. With every question, God is revealing Himself to us. His Power, His Might, His Control, His Presence, His Provision, His Creation. In this passage of Job, He’s revealing who He is through His Creation of the Earth. Some of these questions that reveal who He is are astounding. Have you ever thought about the foundations of the Earth? You know, what it’s made up of, how it spins, how it stays in the sky, the dimensions — all 24,901 miles round and 7,926 miles through. Think about the precision of that.

These questions reveal such intricacies and details and yet that same powerful God is the One who knows the number of hairs on our head. This should give us pause. This should make us ask and seek…Who is God?

Last Wednesday was New Year’s Day. The day we made resolutions, declarations, promises to ourselves and others. The day we started things with such enthusiasm and hope for the future. The day we pictured life being just a little bit different than it was the day before. The day we committed to something, to do or not to do, that was the question.

Last Wednesday we may have stood resolutely, maybe even in defiance, but definitely determined, and laid down our be it resolveds. Maybe even answering, with a fist pump or high five, the questions posed last week — Are we all in? Are we done with dabbling? Will we be all in with Jesus this year? YES! I am right there with you! So…just checking in…

This Wednesday, one week later, seven days in, to use a very annoying phrase (because it strikes my last nerve), “How’s that working for you?” For sure, we will not be completely transformed in seven days, but are we still raring to go and gung ho in our all inness (if that’s a word) with Jesus?

Some of us may be still be going full throttle seven days in and some of us may have lost a little of our vim and vigor. This is, of course, to be expected. When we commit to being all in with Jesus, we need to remember that there’s something happening in the atmosphere that we cannot see or hear. When we say yes to Jesus, a supernatural something happens – war is waged in the heavens for our souls. If we are not all in with Jesus, Satan has already got a foothold. Remember what Paul told the Ephesians?

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

So you see, if your enthusiasm is waning a bit in your all inness (if that’s a word), it is to be expected. The Lord told us it would be like this in His Word. He didn’t say just flip the switch and you will be transformed. He didn’t say just change your mind, change your attitude, change your priorities, He said: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. He knew we would need help with our resolution, our commitment, our declaration to Him and He gave it to us in His Word.

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

The Word of God. It is the revealer of God! That really is the number one, sole purpose of The Bible it is a book about God. Yes, it is our life’s bread, our sustenance, our energy, our power, our guide, our director, our comfort, but those are byproducts that flow from the revelation of the character of God. We try hard to make it a book about us, but it really is a book about God. If we want to know God, if we want to be changed by God, if we want to be all in, we have got to read The Bible.

We make all kinds of excuses for not being in The Word of God on a daily basis. None of them good. We’re too busy, we don’t have time – not even 15 minutes to ourselves. When, in fact, it isn’t that we don’t have time to be in The Word, it’s simply that we don’t want to be in The Word – ouch, ouch, ouch – sorry, sorry, sorry. There are a million excuses we make, but when it boils right down to it, none of them hold water.

Believers must be in The Word of God, we must know The Word of God, or we will fall for the “schemes of the devil.” This is not about legalism, following the rules, checking the boxes. It’s about discipline over dabbling, getting to know God, the One who came to save us, the One who comforts us, the One who loves us, the One who provides for us, the One who sustains us, the One who created us, the One who loves us, the One… We cannot follow God if we don’t know God and the only way to know Him is to be in the Word. Hard Stop.

So, are you ready for a reset? You’re not alone! We need to recognize there is a battle raging and who is fighting the battle. If we think we can just will ourselves to do better, to read our Bible more, to pray more, to go to Church more, to be better people, to fulfill all those resolutions we made, we will surely fail. But, if we are strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, we will prevail. It is His power that helps us keep our commitments, our promises, our resolutions.

I’m challenging you today to reset. And that’s tomorrow’s challenge, and the next day and the next day…Let’s reset together, carry each other along, hold each other up, with the most important tool He gave us. His Word.

Whether it’s five minutes a day or hours a day, get into The Word, get to know God!

I’m a numbers person. I love numbers, they always make sense. 2+2=4, always! Check out some of these numbers:

• 783,000+ words in the NKJV of The Bible.
• 16,000 words average person speaks
• 783,000/16,000=49 days to speak the Bible aloud

• 23,000 verses in the Old Testament
• 8,000 verses in the New Testament
• 23,000+8,000=31,000 verses in The Bible
• 1 verse a day = 365 verses a year
• 31,000/365=85 years to read The Bible!
• 2 verses a day=730 verses a year
• 31,000/730=42 years to read The Bible!

• 70 hours average to read The Bible
o Genesis-Malachi (52 hours) Matthew-Revelation (18 hours)
o Less than 3 straight days in a row.

Here’s the long and the short of it:

If we spoke The Bible, it would take 49 days. If we read 1-2 verses a day, it will take 85 or 42 years – at that rate most of us are not going to live long enough to finish the whole Book. BUT, if we set aside 15 minutes a day – turn off the TV, turn off social media, turn off the news, put down our crafts and phones – just for 15 minutes a day, we can read the entire Bible in 280 days!!!

The Word of God opens up a whole new world for us, literally. So, if our commitment got off with great enthusiasm or to a rocky start, now’s a good time for a reset. You don’t have to wait until January 1, 2026, to recommit or reset. Start now, start today, and everyday thereafter. Everyday can be a reset!

Let’s read the Book, the words spoken by His lips onto the pages of His Book. Wow!

A new year, a new opportunity. Of course, ever second of every day is a new chance. Yes! A chance for what, you say? A chance to be all in. To be all in with what you say? Not what, but who. All in with Jesus. Will you be all in this year with Jesus?

Will you take your place in the nativity? Will you walk into the stall? Move right in. Pull up some straw and have a seat, sit in His presence? You know you’re part of it, right? You know you’ve been invited, right? The other option is to peek into the nativity, note how cute He is, ooh and ahh over Him, maybe drop off a gift – in the plate or of your time — and just walk away, just get on with our lives.

Isn’t that what we do when we’re not all in, when we dabble? When we’re not completely committed? We peek in on Him. We take a glance and then avert our eyes. We see that hanging out, taking our place beside the manger in the nativity, accepting the birth to rebirth, may require something of us – change — and we just move on. We check Him out but we’re not serious about Him. We speak of Him, but are not committed to Him. Oh, occasionally we go back to the nativity to peek in and see if He’s still there (especially when we need Him or especially when it would look good), and then back to the world. When will He become our world? You wonder that too? I have very few answers, but I got this one. He will become our world when we become serious about Him. When we stop dabbling and move into the nativity

How do we know if we’re living in the nativity, how do we know if we’re serious about Him? Our lives will speak it! If our lives have been changed by our commitment to Him, we are living in the nativity. If our lives have not changed, we are not living in the nativity. Simple as that. Our lives must be changed in order to live with Jesus. What do you mean, you say? The Word of God says we must be changed. Well, give me the list of rules and I’ll follow them. Show me the dos and don’ts. I can follow the Commandments, 1-10 – I can check those babies off. That’s not at all how it works.

It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. Galatians 6:15-16

Do our lives look different before we entered the nativity and now? Have we shaken off the old ways? Do we still talk the same, act the same, have the same attitudes, work the same? Do we still hold onto grudges, anger, fear? Do we still think the same? Only of ourselves – our wants, our desires? If we do, we’re only dabbling in Jesus. We dabble in church — Easter and Christmas? We dabble in prayer – only when we need something? We dabble in the Word – dusting it off in a crisis and making it say what we want it to say. We dabble in our relationship with Jesus – on again/off again. Dabbling is dangerous. Why so? Because it’s superficial. We think we’re living in the nativity and we’re not. We think a little bit of Jesus will do us. We think we can have Jesus without changing. It’s just not possible.

I appeal to you brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2

It doesn’t mean we just do things differently or that we stop or start new behaviors. It means we become new people. It means we live differently. Make no mistake, change can be a drawn out, laborious process, but a process nonetheless. Remember, a process is a series of actions or steps taken to get to an end. But look at the promise.

And I am certain that God, who began a good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

He began the good work. He will finish it. He will return. He keeps His promises. Are we done with dabbling? Are we done with the superficial? Are we serious? Are we all in?

There’s a spot in the nativity, right beside the Baby Jesus. Are we changed by this Baby?

Be near me Lord Jesus, I ask you to stay, close by me forever and love me I pray.