Author: admin

We’re taking a little break from the grind.  We’ve headed south for a few days and this is our view. The feel of the surf winds, the wave sounds, and the magnificent scenery all remind me of how incredibly good our God is.  Paul put it best:

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. Ephesians 3:14-15

As I’m thinking about the Creator and His creation, I’m distracted by a voice I hear in between the crash of the waves.  A beautiful, sweet voice praising our Lord on the beach.  The voice sings one word over and over, Amen, and that really just says it all.  As I watch, the voice lifts her arms and her face toward Heaven and continues the Amen praise.  I find myself joining in this impromptu praise from my balcony perch.  It’s Sunday and a little later we’re headed to Church, but I feel  I’m already there.

The view from my seat is a little different than in years past, not quite as high.  This view is slightly obstructed by a palm tree.  Now, I have nothing against palm trees, but this one happens to be in my way.  As you can see, it is obstructing the sunrise.  Despite the obstruction, I’m still reminded of the length and breadth of God’s love.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

Ephesians 3:16-18

I read about Charles Inglis, a ship’s captain, who once had a passenger, a German, 19^th century evangelist, George Muller.  Mr. Muller had a speaking engagement at a certain place and time.  Because of the dense fog, which had kept Captain Inglis on watch for 24 hours, that engagement was in jeopardy.  Mr. Muller suggested to the Captain that they head to the chart-room for prayer.  Captain Inglis says:

I looked at that man of God and thought to myself, What lunatic asylum could that man have come from.  I never heard of such a thing as this.  “Mr. Muller, do you know how dense this fog is?”   Mr. Muller replied, “No, my eye is not on the density of the fog, but on the living God, who controls every circumstance of my life.”

He knelt down and prayed one of those simple prayers, and when he had finished I was going to pray; but, he put his hand on my shoulder and told me not to pray.  “firstly,” he said, “because you do not believe God will, and secondly, I believe God has, and there is no need whatever for you to pray about it.”

George Muller said, “Captain, I have known my Lord for fifty-seven years, and there has never been a single day that I have failed to get an audience with the King.  Get up and open the door, and you will find the fog has gone.”

I Will Life Up Mine Eyes, Glenn Clark

Our view of the Son may sometimes be obstructed, but our faith and our praise can bring it fully into sight.  Our prayers and our praise will cause the fog to dissipate and give us a clear view.

Interestingly enough, as the songstress concludes her praise, the sun comes into full view on the horizon.  The view that was once obstructed is now fully visible.  Some would say it is the tilt of the earth, I say it is an answer to prayer.

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:19-20

…The praise being offered at the beach was the exact same praise we sang that morning at a Church we attend when we’re this way.  Further confirmation that prayer and praise, focusing on the God who controls everything versus the obstruction hiding our view, always clears the way ahead to see the Son.  He is just that good.

Sometimes we just need to reflect.  Take time to think about the deeper meaning.  You know, peel the onion.  We know an onion is an onion by its appearance, but we must always peel away the outer skin to get to the onion, to get to the rings of flesh.  You know, break off the papery skin that protects the meat inside.  Most times, the peeling process brings with it a few tears as well.  To get to the good stuff, the outer barrier must be removed.  The useable sweet stuff is well below the papery outer surface.

Our walk with Jesus is much like an onion.  We may attend Church, hang out with His people, put some money in His plate, all the surface stuff that can be done (seen) without peeling back the layers, without getting to the meat.   Why am I rambling on about onions, you ask?  I’m not quite sure.  Here’s my thought process…

I was studying on a few verses in 2 Timothy.  When I read the Bible, I try to think about it as more than just words on a page.  I try to think about the words and check myself against them.  I try to apply, sometimes over-apply and end up in a rabbit hole (as I did with the onion).  I try to think below the surface and actually to the sweet relationship with Jesus.  So, when I read, I’m asking myself questions about The Word, trying to peel away the outer skin.  Often, these questions bring tears, but I know of no other way to get to where I need to be with Jesus than to peel back the layers. 

An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

2 Timothy 2:5

As I read this verse and studied on it, the do I’s or did I’s, come to mind.  I end up with more questions then answers, sometimes.  It’s a probing, a prickling.  In the case of this verse, I started thinking about me being an athlete in a competition.  When I ran track in high school (not well, I might add), there were certain rules to follow in the race.  I ran the 1600 meter (1 mile — I know, why would anyone do that to themselves?).  That’s four times around a football field.  You might think you just get out there and run, but not so.  You’re assigned a lane, that’s a rule. For the first full lap you must stay in your lane, that’s a rule.  You must not impede other runners, interfere, trip them or knock them down, that’s a rule.  You must complete all 1600 meters of the race, not three laps and you’re done (that’d be the only way I could win, maybe), that’s a rule.  You must cross the finish line in order to complete the race, that’s a rule.  There are many other technical rules to running a race, but those are the obvious ones.

In the context of running a race, here are some of the questions that I wrote down about this verse:

1.         How did I run the race, how did I compete?

2.         Did I false start, take off out of the blocks but was DQ’d?

3.         Did I finish the race?

4.         Did I follow the rules?

5.         Did I give my all in the race or slip slap along, running some, walking some, resting some?

6.         Did I train properly for the race, was I conditioned?

7.         Did I talk to my coach, my trainer, to get the guidance, instruction needed for the race?

8.         Did I follow the training guide, did I even read it?

9.         Did I put forth my best effort or did I do just enough to slink over the finish line?

10.       Did I cut the course and hop over the fence instead of running straight through the  gate to the finish line?

12.       Did I pull others along with me or were they left in my wake?

13.       Did I encourage others throughout those grueling laps?

14.       Did I offer to train with any of the other runners?

15.       Did I share my training materials with them?

16.       Did I introduce them to my coach, my trainer?

17.       Did I make sure the other runners were hydrated with Living Water?

18.       Did I point them to the protein, the nourishment that would give them the strength needed  to begin the race and the endurance needed throughout the race to the finish?

19.       Did I see to it that they had the proper footwear?  Gospel shoes – a pair of Air Jesus’s?

All of these questions for just a 12 word verse.  So many layers, so much to think about, so many questions to answer.  But, this is how you build relationship with Jesus by getting below the skin and to the meat.  Not just being content with the words on the page, but being willing to strip away the outer covering to get to the heart of the verses or to get the verses to your heart.  By probing the scriptures and peeling back, our lives and the lives of others should be changed like Paul’s.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.  And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Make no mistake, it is me that needs the peeling not The Word.  The Word has no covering, no skin, it is flesh, it is alive, it is not hidden.  We need only spend time in The Word and on our knees in order to be changed by It.  We need only to humble ourselves and peel back those things which would keep us from the meat.

Meet my friends.  Black Cow and Black Cow.  They live in the field behind us.  As I walked the road they kept a close eye on me, watching my every move to see where I was going and what I was doing.  I was curious about them too.  When they wandered over to the fence, I kept thinking how much they looked alike.  I really couldn’t find a distinguishing feature – something that set one apart from the other.  They looked about the same age, they had the same build, obviously the same color, and I really thought if I saw them out in the field from a distance,  I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.  But, I can tell you right now, there’s one person, or cowson, that could tell them apart and that would be their mothers.  If their mothers saw them standing together at the salt lick, they would be able to tell which one belonged to them.  They’d be able to tell by sight, smell, actions and instinctively know which cow belonged to them.  To me they look exactly alike – four legs, two ears, same color, same walk, same actions, same moo…

It made me wonder…do I look like everybody else?  Not do I have two legs and two ears, but am I the same as everyone else?  Do I walk the same, do I act the same, do I say the same things?  Can others tell me apart from others or do I look like every other two-legged, two-eared person?  Do you hear what I’m saying?  Can the world see a difference in me or do I look like the rest of the world?

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?  What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?  And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them

and walk among them.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,

and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD.

Don’t touch their filthy things,

and I will welcome you.

And I will be your Father,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the LORD Almighty.”

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

Brother Paul tells us here to separate ourselves from the world.  Don’t look like others.  Don’t talk like others.  Don’t act like others.  Paul’s not saying that believers are to insulate or isolate.  He’s not saying don’t engage with the world.  He’s saying get out there into the world but be different from it.  He’s saying get out there in the world but don’t look like the world.  There’s only one difference between all the black cows of the world…

One day Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Take these people up to the Promised Land.’ But you haven’t told me whom you will send with me. You have told me, ‘I know you by name, and I look favorably on you.’  If it is true that you look favorably on me, let me know your ways so I may understand you more fully and continue to enjoy your favor. And remember that this nation is your very own people.”

The LORD replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t make us leave this place.  How will anyone know that you look favorably on me—on me and on your people—if you don’t go with us? For your presence among us sets your people and me apart from all other people on the earth.”

Exodus 33:12-16

The difference between us all is our hearts.  Moses said it – God’s presence among us sets us apart.  God’s presence in our lives makes us distinct, different.  We should not look like, act like, talk like, be like everyone else in the world if God’s presence is among us.  If we do not have God’s presence in our hearts, we will look like the world.  If we look like the world, God’s presence is not among us.

“Most people have heard about Jesus in our world. Our country was founded upon Christ and Christian values. The thing is, there’s a cognitive dissonance. They hear Christianity, and they’re seeing Christianity. It just looks like the world. It looks like everyone else except that you just slap a label on yourself,” Gokey shared. “People who not just talk about it, but live it sacrificially, they’re the ones that grab people’s attention. So we need Jesus people to do that.” Danny Gokey

Gokey is saying you can call yourself a Christian, but if you are not living like a Christian you look like every other black cow, there’s no set apart in that.

We are a chosen people, a people belonging to God.  Do our lives look like we belong to God or do we look like every other two-legged, two-eared person?  Do we act like chosen people, those set apart? 

What does set apart look like in real life?  How about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control?  How about generosity, faith, compassion, forgiveness, mercy, grace, selflessness?  All those things our Jesus lived out.  All those things the world is diametrically opposed to.  If the world is completely opposed to those things, when we practice them, people will see a difference.  Unlike, those mother cows who were the only ones to be able to tell their babies apart, the world must be able to tell us apart.  The world must be able to tell who the Jesus people are.

It’s that time of year, again.  I feel like I say that often.  Maybe because the years roll round, faster and faster, and it’s always – that time of year, again.  Well, this time of year I’m talking about is preserving time.  You know, plant it, grow it, pluck it, preserve it, all in preparation for the winter months to come.  Preserving is not such a thing anymore.  We usually rely on Del Monte, Green Giant, or the store brands of those to plant it, grow it, pluck it and preserve it for us.  Then, they happily sell it and we buy it at a high price.

In the past we have preserved things by freezing them, but this year we tried canning.  Tomatoes first, and recently peaches.  The peaches are fantastic this year and we thought wouldn’t it be great to have that yummy, fresh, goodness to remind us in winter that spring will come?  The canning process is a little time consuming, and a good bit messy, but so worth it.

We first prepared the fruit by dropping the peach in a pot of boiling water for one minute. It’s called blanching.  Pull it out and place it in an ice water bath.  This is done so that you can easily remove the skin.  You need to get past the tough outer peal and the messy fuzz to get to the goodness.  After blanching the skin slides right off and you can see the yellow beautiful flesh of the peach.  After removing the skin, we removed the pit that old timers called the stone. Interestingly enough we found an almond in the pit of our peach. Well, not actually an almond, but a nut that looks exactly like an almond, skin and all.  I was amazed.  After a little research I found that edible almonds really do come from almond trees and that this little nut was not really an almond, it just looked like one.  In fact, this little nut contains a low dose of cyanide.  Yep, the stuff that kills.

Getting rid of the fuzz, the skin, the pit, and the nut of a peach leaves you with the super juicy, yummy fruit of the peach.  Much like us, right?

You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 (Amplified Bible)

Well nobody’s perfect except Jesus.  But, isn’t Matthew telling us here that’s what we’re working toward?  We are to be like our Heavenly Father, right?  We know that none of us are perfect, no not one, but that does not mean we’re not to be moving in that direction, the sanctification direction.  Sanctification is just a big word for becoming more holy, more like Jesus.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.

All of us who are mature should embrace this point of view. And if you think differently about some issue, God will reveal this to you as well.  Nevertheless, we must live up to what we have already attained.

Philippians 3:12-16

Sanctification is a process, just like preserving.  We must blanche, defuzz, toss the pit, and be wary of the poison.  Getting to the good fruit is hard work and sticky. How do we go about it?

Make it your practice, each of you, to review your character – take it in relation to life, to your dear ones, your household, friends, acquaintances, your country, your work.

See where I, in the same relation or circumstances or situation, should act differently.  Plan how best such and such a fault can be eradicated, or such and such sin, mistake, or omission, be avoided.

A weekly review at least you must have.

God Calling, by Two Listeners

You see, it’s always that time of year for preserving.  It’s time consuming and messy, but working toward perfection is our preservation.  After honestly examining our lives, thoughts, motives, actions, it sometimes feels like we’ve been blanched and quartered, doesn’t it?  But, if we are not taking stock of our lives regularly, and we’re just drifting through, Sunday-to-Sunday, we’re not striving for perfection.  If we are not spending daily time with the Lord, seeking his ways and acknowledging Him, our paths will not be clear.  If we’re relying on others to do the preserving for us, we’re going to pay a very high price.

In your quiet time remember that as surely as every snowflake that falls has a perfect design, and no two designs are the same, so within the folds of your being lies a design.  Ask the Father that this divine inner plan of your life may stand forth revealed to you as it should be, unfolding in perfect sequence and perfect order in such a way as to bring the greatest good to the greatest number.

I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes, Glenn Clark

I’ve talked about this book before.  It just happens to be one of those books that every page turned contains such great wisdom that you want to share that wisdom with those you care so deeply about.

We all learned in science class a little about snowflakes.  Remember, no two flakes are exactly alike?  Every single snowflake is uniquely designed for its journey to the earth’s floor.  Just like us.  The most interesting thing about the snowflake is that it is intricately woven around a tiny speck of dirt, dust or pollen that’s super high in the atmosphere.  Ice crystals wrap around and form around this tiny bit of dirt and it is transformed into this beautifully woven snowflake as it makes its way to earth.  Just like us.

I’ve been chewing on that word “design.”  Design is defined as “a plan or drawing produced to show the look or functions of a building or, garment, or other object before it is ever built or made.”  Design, a plan envisioned before it is made.  Just like us.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:16

He saw our unformed substance.  This sounds so scientific, doesn’t it – we were an unformed substance?  We’re told daily to follow the science.  So, let’s do just that.  The Hebrew word for “unformed substance” is golem meaning just that, an unformed substance.  However, it specifically means an embryo.  If we keep following the science, we learn that an embryo is the early stage of development of an animal (us) within the uterus of a mother.  In humans, the term embryo is an unborn child until the end of the seventh week of conception.  It is then called a fetus.  That’s the science. Look it up.  Even in our unformed state, each day was formed for us.  We weren’t formed and then a plan was made, He didn’t say what am I going to do with these people.  We were designed for the plan by God!

For You formed my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise You,

for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Marvelous are Your works,

and I know this very well.

My frame was not hidden from You

when I was made in secret,

when I was woven together

in the depths of the earth.

Psalm 139:14-15

God had a plan for each of our lives before we were ever made.  Before we were born every day was recorded in His book.  Read that sentence again, and again, and again.  Just think of the magnitude of that.  That’s how special you are to God, that’s how precious every single unformed substance, every single embryo is to God.  The God of the Universe designed us, our minds, our bodies, our spirits before the world began, and then He memorialized it by a missive, a letter of instruction, a written order straight from The King.  

Ask the Father that this divine inner plan of your life may stand forth revealed to you as it should be, unfolding in perfect sequence and perfect order in such a way as to bring the greatest good to the greatest number.

As children of the Master Designer, we then must do as Mr. Clark suggested.  We know that the Father designed us with a divine inner plan.  We then must seek the revelation of the Designer’s plan.  The one written down in His book.  The one that will unfold in perfect sequence.  The one that will bring the greatest good to the greatest number.  And what is the greatest good?  To spend eternity with the Divine Designer.  And that’s something we need to get out to the greatest number.

ENDNOTE:  My goals in writing today’s blog were to encourage everyone who reads it to remember that in this willy nilly, crazy world we live in, God designed us with a plan in mind.  We were not haphazardly created, we were not a theory that came into existence, that we were loved so much that the Creator created us before creation.  We were designed with a purpose and a plan. 

To share the wisdom of God’s Word and Mr. Clark was the goal.  But as I studied, another point emerged front and center that I could not skirt. Abortion.  It is not a political issue, it is a God issue. The world would have us think different.  For believers, the Bible only gives us one way to believe.  It’s deeper than terminating a life, as if that wasn’t enough.  When we look at it in the context of the Creator, the Divine Designer and look at the characteristics of who He is, if we are honest, it becomes obvious.  He has a plan for every single unformed substance or He would not have designed, planned and created — He wrote it down in His Book.

Abortion is wrong. Not because I say so but because God says so. But, viewing abortion through the characteristics of God also shows that His grace is sufficient. Sufficient for those who have chosen abortion, those who have encouraged abortion, those who have participated in abortion. God’s grace does not cover only certain sins, it covers all sin. Since we believers have received God’s grace and continue to receive God’s grace on a daily basis, we have experienced firsthand the forgiveness, love, compassion, care, support that He gives us. We must show that same grace we have received from God to others. We must forgive, love, have compassion, take care and support those who have made different choices. We must show them the God we know.

We must pray for the revelation of the Designer’s plan that’s written down in the book, for each of our lives and the lives of others. To follow any other plan is man’s way and a willful disregard for our Creator.

Are we readable?  I am.  Whatever is in my mind is all over my face.  I can have a conversation with you without even opening my lips.  Eyebrows up.  Frowns down.  Wide eyed surprise.  Mini eyed suspicion.  Big smile.  Little grin.  Pursed lips.  Red faced.  Pale faced.  Head held high.  Head bowed.  Nose tilted up.  Mouth agape.  Tears flowing.  Stoic stare.  Mischief eyes twinkling. 

I can carry on that conversation with the rest of my body too – kind of like charades.  Rubber neck nation.  Hands on hips.  Arms folded.  Arms flailing.  Finger pointing.  High fiving.  Toe tapping.  Jazz hands.  Anxious panting.  See what I mean? 

What do you say when you say nothing at all?  What are some of your wordless communications?  Hmmm…where do those actions come from?  Our expressions reflect what’s inside.  Our moods, our thoughts, our attitudes flow out of our bodies through our minds.  Oh, I know, some of us are much better at not being readable.  Some of us are more composed.  Pokerfaced.  Not me.  You neither?  For some of us, try as we may, we cannot hide what we’re feeling inside.  Penny for your thoughts kind of people.  We’re not alone.

And Jacob began to notice a considerable cooling in Laban’s attitude toward him.  (NLT)

At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him.  He wasn’t treating him the same.  (MSG)

Jacob also noticed Laban was not as friendly as he had been before.  (CEV)

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.  (KJV)

Genesis 31:2

Remember this story?  Isaac sent Jacob to Laban (his mother’s brother) to find a wife.  Jacob worked for 14 years for the woman he loved, Rachel, because of Laban’s trickery – see the tension building?  Jacob had a slew of children and as he continued to work for Laban, Laban  became a wealthy man.  Jacob says hey man I need to make a way on my own and provide for my children.  Laban says, oh, don’t leave me, I’ll pay you.  What do you want?  Jacob asked for the speckled, spotted and dark-colored sheep and goats.  Laban said ok.  But, Laban again was the trickster.  He went out and removed all those he promised from the herd.  Jacob continued to take care of Laban’s flocks. 

With a little bit of miraculousness involving some shoots and bark, Jacobs flocks increased incredibly and he became a very rich man.  Laban’s sons were not happy with Jacob’s prosperity and accused Jacob of robbery.  Can you just imagine the looks from Laban’s sons?  Daggers.  Hands high in the air.  Finger pointing.  It is at this point that Jacob notices a change in Laban’s countenance, in his mood.  Laban wasn’t quite as friendly as he had been – his attitude, his position, his posture, his expressions, his demeanor, his disposition, had cooled considerably, and it was written all over Laban’s face.  Jacob read Laban’s face like a book.

Are we just as readable as Laban?  Chances are, we are.  When I think about that, I make the yikes – ugh face.  Why?  Because I know what’s in my mind is written on my face and in my actions and I’m not always proud of that.  Here’s the thing – it’s not about changing the look on my face or taking my hands off my hips, it’s about changing what’s inside my head – that crazy mind of mine.  You got one too.  Our brains power our whole bodies.  My brain tells me to smile, frown, cry, laugh, clap, dance, point – my brain tells me how to act, based on what’s inside.  My mind tells me how to express myself.  Does anybody besides me need a good mind renewing – yes, yes you do, I can see it!  I’m glad I’m not alone.

So, how do we go about it?  We can’t just change.  Oh sure, some things we can, but we can’t change our minds without the power of God.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Here there is no conflict with the law.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.  If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another.  Galatians 5:22-26

Our minds are changed when we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives.  Oh sure, it’s a tug of war sometimes.  We want to scowl when we don’t get our way, but we cannot change our body language, our face conversations, our flailing arms, we are powerless to do it alone.  Only by remaining in Jesus can we change what we say, by changing what we think.  What we think dictates our conversations.

Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches.  Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit.  For apart from me you can do nothing.  John 15:4-5

If we want our conversations to change – verbal and nonverbal, we must remain in Jesus, under the control of the Holy Spirit.  Staying connected to the vine is the only way we can produce the face fruits – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.  What’s in our minds is written all over our faces.  What’s your face saying?

The white horse moved along, choosing its own trail, heading down and northward on a slant.  With another appraising glance at the cloud, much nearer now, Hopalong Cassidy drew his six-shooters one after the other and carefully wiped them free of dust.  They were worn silver-plated Colt .45’s, their bone handles networked with tiny cracks, their balance perfect.  It had been weeks since he had drawn a gun for any reason, but he knew the price of safety was unresting vigilance.   The Trail to Seven Pines, by Louis L’Amour

Duh, duh, duh, duhhhhhh!!! Louis L’Amour is one of my favorite authors, mainly for his subject matter, the west.  I love the dirt, the grit, the cows, the mountains, the horses, the history.  You know, how the west was won and all that jazz.  I read westerns to relax.  To me they are mindless reading.  I don’t have to concentrate and overthink (which I tend to do) things.  A really good western author like L’Amour has a way of telling a story so that you can see it in your mind’s eye.  You can picture the views, the sounds, the people, the smells.  when I came across this little paragraph the other night about Hopalong Cassidy, I went from mindlessness to consciousness.  It was my snap to. 

…but he knew the price of safety was unresting vigilance.

Dag…I kept reading that partial sentence over and over.  This crazy profound thought in a book made for entertainment and pleasure.  God speaks in the oddest of places.  So, in order to get context, I backed up.

It had been weeks since he had drawn a gun for any reason…

Hopalong drew his gun for protection against robbers, bandits, rustlers, outlaws, wild animals, you know, the evils of his world. How long has it been since we have drawn our “gun” to protect ourselves from the evils of our world?  Are there not storm clouds gathering on a day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute basis in our lives and the world around us?  How long has it been since we have drawn on our protection against that which would rob us of our peace, our joy, that which would rustle up feelings of fear, inadequacy, insecurity, or that which would hijack our heart and separate us from God?

Hopalong’s protection was a set of perfectly balanced Colt .45’s.  What’s our weapon of choice against this world?  As followers of Christ, we have been given the most perfectly balanced weapons in the universe.  The Word of God and Words with God.

Now, I know that some of you more gentile readers of this will gasp at the comparison – gun and Bible or gun and Prayer, but there is nevertheless a connection.  If we believers are doing what we’re supposed to be doing, we would be drawing on our perfectly balanced protection not just for the moments when robbers and bandits and rustlers and outlaws and wild animals are near –but we should be dusting off our weapons like Hopalong, regularly, long before danger approaches.  You see, sometimes in those moments of danger, it just may be too late.  We must be vigilant, our eternal safety rests on it.

Put on all God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil.  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rue this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 4:11-12

Gunslingers of the west were rarely careless with their weapons but they also understood that not using their weapons to aid them in their battle, for protection, would most certainly mean their death.  Have we ever thought about our weapons in that way? You know, the perfectly balanced weapons of God’s Word and Words with God.  The lack of use of the most precious weapons God has given us will most certainly mean our eternal death?

When was the last time you drew your perfectly balanced weapons for any reason?  Have you been vigilant in preparing for a showdown with the rulers and authorities of the unseen world?  We do not fight this battle alone, but in order to withstand the barrage of bullets hurled in our direction by the evil one, we have got to be ready.  We have got to know where our strength comes from and be able to completely rely upon that Source.

Battle Belongs Phil Wickham

I’m reading this book, I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes, by Glenn Clark, published in 1937.  It was in a box of books our mom had, I’m not sure where she got it.  In the front is stamped “Springfield Lutheran Church, Pleasant Valley, Penna.”

I just love this book.  It is old.  The pages are super thick, super yellow and the edges rigid as if hand cut.  It is hand tied and the needlework is visible at each turn.  The cover is green cloth, you know that really thin linen-like stuff they used to cover books with.  This book just makes you want to touch it, to hold it, and sometimes I just do.  One would think with the age of the book, nearly 85 years, that the book would be brittle, pages chipping, maybe even a little fragile, but it’s not.  This book and its message were made to last.  The books of new with their precisely cut, glued pages and glossy cardboard covers aren’t made to last and sometimes neither is their message.

And that is why I have written this book, to help you be that man for your home, your community, your neighborhood.  Glenn Clark

In this wonderful book written specifically for men, the spiritual leaders of their homes, I’ve learned enduring lessons about the hind.

The red deer is Europe’s largest deer.  Although the red deer is one of the Scottish Highlands most iconic sights, they originally hail from the Turkey-Persia area and are actually the only deer species to inhabit all of Africa.  The male red deer is called the hart and the female red deer is called the hind. 

The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.  Habakkuk 3:19

So what makes the hind creature so spectacular?  The hart is also a magnificent creature, but there’s something special about the gal – and it’s her feet.  The hind is known to be the most surefooted animal.  Why is that?  Because of the way her feet work together.  When climbing craggy, rugged mountainous areas, the hind’s back feet land exactly where her front feet have just left.  As she moves, her front feet test the dangerous terrain and when she finds safe footing, her back feet then land right in that exact spot.  Her front feet and her back feet line up in perfect correlation in order for her to traverse the terrain and reach the mountaintop safely.  It’s precision tracking.

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. Luke 10:27

In order to reach the heights of life, we too must have precision tracking.  Our feet must perfectly correlate.  Our hearts and our minds must line up.  There’s a reason it is called the Greatest Commandment.  When our hearts and our minds are in perfect alignment, nothing is impossible.

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mark 11:22-23

Our hearts and our minds must completely align with Him in order to scale the mountains of this world.  All four feet (heart, soul, strength, mind) must be coordinated to safely climb the mountain.  In the mountainous regions where the hinds travel, those back feet not landing exactly in the front feet footsteps, even by a fraction of an inch, can be deadly.  One misstep by our back feet can cause the mountain to crumble starting an avalanche of boulders and we find ourselves laying at the bottom with rocks piled on.  But, each step taken toward the top of the mountain, feet-in-feet, opens a more spectacular view than the last step.  Ascending the mountain Jesus’s way – without doubt in our heart and believing with our minds  — opens up the most panoramic vistas ever imagined!

True vision can only be found when we convert our feet to hind’s feet.  It is a life long process.  Sometimes we do misstep.  Sometimes we are off by a fraction of an inch and we suffer devastating consequences.  But as we work at having hind’s feet, aligning our back feet to our front feet, our hearts with our minds, the Lord will encourage us along the way and we will safely reach new heights which open to glimpses of Heaven.  Praise the Lord of the Mountain!

Rubus phoenicolasius.  Wineberries.  These sweet babies grow wild, mainly in the Appalachian Region, ripening for the pick around mid-July, depending on the elements.  This has been a good rain year and the wineberries are a popping.  Wineberries are sometimes mistaken for wild raspberries and are actually in the rose family.  They can be used just like other wild berries for eating, freezing, and jamming.

Wineberries are not native to the United States they arrived from the west as an ornamental plant.  And like most things that are not native, they tend to go wild and sometimes become invasive, like stink bugs!  Just like those pesky stink bugs, the wineberry bushes pop up from nowhere and take over.  We’ve got quite a berry patch.  The bushes grow very densely, right on top of each other, sometimes making it hard to harvest the fruit because of their prickly branches.  Sometimes the fruit is right out in the open, and sometimes you have to move thorny branches to get to the berries, but it’s definitely worth the scratches to harvest those sweet berries.  If you’ve ever picked berries, you know it can be ouchy.

Tony and I were out berry-picking on the east side Saturday morning.  As we’re yumming and ouching,  we hear the peep, peep, peep of my chick-chicks.  Turning around there are two of my gals heading our way.  As they’re making their way to us, they’re eating the low lying berries.  They kind of work like we do – eat and walk, eat and walk.  Once the low lying were cleared out, we offered them some of our pickings which they obligingly gobbled up.

A couple of pints in and we’ve worked our way to the west side.  Once again we hear the peep, peep, peep of my chick-chicks.  We’ve become the Wineberry Pipers.  We toss them a berry here and there and then each step we take, they are on our heels.  We offer them the sweet fruit and they follow us.  They want more and more and they would follow us down any path to get the fruit.

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.  Psalm 16:11

My chicks made me think, are we willing to follow Jesus down any path for the sweet rewards that come with following Him?  The sweet joy of His presence?  The sweet joy of eternal life with Him?  Kind of like our berry patch, the world is invasive.  It is quite subtle, a plant pops up here then a runner underground pops up another little berry patch, then that one pops up another little berry patch, and it just goes on and on, all happening underground, until the prickly vines sometimes obscure the sweet rewards.

Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow.  Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:4-5

But, we know the path, don’t we?  The path to the joys of Jesus.  Sure enough, those briars and thistles in the world will threaten to take over and will need to be held back or cut off to get to the fruit.  Those thorny branches in life will need to be anticipated and avoided. But, if we are following close behind Him, He will help us with the brambles and the thistles and the thorns, and we won’t have to navigate those prickly parts by ourselves to get to the sweet reward.

Do you ever feel like all you ever do is cleanup?  Me too!  Look at that overgrown, weedy, poison-laden, dead-tree patch.  That’s what I’m talking about.  It needs cleaned up, but it didn’t always.

When we moved to our property about nine years ago, most of our yard looked like the above.  The property had been vacant for a period of time and had not been tended to.  We all know what happens when we don’t tend or take care, things become overgrown and out of control, just like in this shot.  Now I like a natural look but I also like it to look half-way neat and cared for.  We’ve worked super hard in our yard to reduce the overgrowth.  We’ve pulled, hacked, drug trees, burned, mowed, rock carried, etc., to try to create a little order out of a lot of chaos.  It’s been a new challenge for us having moved from a postage stamp sized lot in town to one out yonder that takes quite a few more than  7.5 minutes from pull to push to keep up.  But, we just love it.

The part that is a little frustrating to me is that we are in constant cleanup mode.  We finally get rid of the burn pile (after years, no kidding) and then there’s more.  More branches break, more limbs are cut, more brush to burn.  It’s constant.  We try to work in patches and get one patch completely cleaned up to be able to be maintained and then move to a new patch.  The maintenance is the easy part, the cleanup is the hard part, well…not really.  We cleanup a patch, move to the next patch, and before we know it, the cleaned up patch looks like the next patch, like around that tree, and we have to go back and pull, drag, cut, and burn all over again.  If we are not super alert a clean patch can quickly become an overgrown patch again.  It’s a vicious cycle.  Over and over.  It is constant cleanup.  

But, what I have noticed is that if we are able to stay on top of the already cleaned out brush, if we are proactive in our maintenance and not reactive in our cleanup – you know, only pulling the stuff when it becomes overgrown instead of before it’s out of control – it is much easier to tend.  As Barney Fife would say “Andy, you’ve got to nip this thing in the bud, nip it, nip it, nip it!” And Barn is right!  If we handle it when it is a small problem we may avoid the crisis of overgrowth.

So then, let us purify ourselves from everything that makes body or soul unclean, and let us be completely holy by living in awe of God.  2 Corinthians 7:1

Purifying, cleansing, cleaning up, is a two-step process.  Turning away and turning toward.  Getting rid of the brush and overgrowth (sin) in our lives, and turning toward God (becoming holy).  Ripping out the sin in our lives and maintaining the cleanup by living a life set apart, dedicated to God, working on holy by cleaning and controlling.

But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires.  Romans 13:14

Run towards Him and run away from sin.  Maintain what is cleaned up.  Let the words of Christ, in all their richness live in our hearts and make us wise.

…for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. Colossians 3:9-10

Our wicked deeds are our weeds, and we all got ‘em.  Life is full of brush piles that need to be tended.  If we do not maintain, we will spend our lives cleaning up the same brush piles over and over again.  We cannot control the weeds around the tree on our own.  Only by giving Him complete control are we able to keep the weeds from coming back.  Turn away and turn towards.

Lord, make me as holy as it is possible for a man to be on this side of heaven.

Robert Murray McCheyne