What Path are You Taking to Find The Lord's Peace?

The Lord’s peace is always available to you no matter how you try to get to it. You can choose a hard path or an easier path.

…and peace is not to be confused with happiness.

2 Thess. 3:16, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.”

1 Cor. 14:33, “for God is not characterized by disorder but by peace. As in all the churches of the saints,”

2 Cor. 13:11, “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice, set things right, be encouraged, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

Col. 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.”

Rom. 8:6, “For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace,”

Phil. 4:6-7; “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Love Ya,

Dad

I Thought You Quit Smoking

My Dad used to smoke… a lot. Growing up I remember Dad always having a cigarette, pipe, or cigar in his hand. Back then it was not known how bad smoking was for your health, it was just cool …and addicting. Dad tried a few times to quit, and when I was in high school he finally quite …completely.

When I was out of school for the summer or a holiday I would sometimes travel with Dad while he worked. I remember one time in particular traveling with him. As we drove along we past under a bridge, and Dad said “That’s where I threw out my last cigarette.” Several months earlier, that was the point where he finally decided to quit smoking. It was a big, memorable moment to him. That bridge became a landmark for him representing when he “turned his life around.” I have the same landmark representing a big, memorable moment. It was when I decided to turn my life around and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Yeah, kind of a big deal.J

But I remember Dad did not completely quit smoking right away. Every now and then he would smoke. Usually it was a cigar which was not supposed to be as bad for you. He would do it outside. He was not trying to hide it because Mom knew and I knew too. He was doing it so we would not have to smell it. I remember one time walking out the garage to the driveway and finding him smoking a cigar, and I joked with him saying, “I thought you had quit?” He said he had quit the BAD cigarettes butt the cigar was not as bad for him, and it was helping him build up strength to completely quit (Isaiah 40:30, “Even youths get tired and weary; even strong young men clumsily stumble.”). It did not take too long before Dad did quit completely, including cigars. It was not easy for him to quit the addiction, but he did.

We’re all born sinners (Psalm 51:5, “Look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me.”) and have an addictive life before we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior (Rom. 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”). I was in college when I became a believer. It was in March of 1985, and I’ll never forget the moment. It was not under a bridge, but on my bed in my dorm room. Before that moment I was living with some bad habits, but those bad habits did not disappear when I became a believer. It actually took some time before I was convicted enough and strong enough to quit those habits.

We have to show some grace to believers who are still “addicted to some bad habits.” It takes some believers longer to get strong enough to break the addiction, and we can help them by loving, supporting, and encouraging them even when they are still “smoking” (Job 4:4, “Your words have supported those who stumbled, and you have strengthened the knees that gave way.”).

Love Ya,

Dad

God and Blue Bell Ice Cream

I’m sure you've heard by now that Blue Bell ice cream was pulled from all grocery stores and production is shut down because of the contamination with Listeria. “Listeria is the name of a bacteria found in soil and water and some animals, including poultry and cattle. It can be present in raw milk and foods made from raw milk. It can also live in food processing plants...”¹. The symptoms include “fever, stiff neck, confusion, weakness, vomiting, and sometimes preceded by diarrhea”² and you can die from it. It’s tragic for Blue Bell and those individuals who contracted the Listeria disease, and a huge concern and disappointment for those of us who love Blue Bell ice scream. It created a huge panic and rightly so, but I didn’t respond by saying I will never buy Blue Bell again. No, I can’t wait for them to fix the issue and make more Blue Bell ice cream. Sure, there’s other ice creams out there and some of them are really good, but they’re just not Blue Bell.

This is like our relationship with God. We contaminate ourselves with sin, but God doesn’t say “Ewwww, I won’t have anything to do with him”. No, He can’t wait for me to “fix” my issue and find my way back to Him (Matt. 28:20 “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”). In fact, He doesn’t even wait, but guides me in “fixing” the issue and back to him (John 16:13, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will quide you into all truth...”). And sure, there’s other gods out there, but they’re just not The God (1Ch. 16:25, “For the Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise, He is more awesome than all gods.”).

 God is better and sweeter than Blue Bell ice cream …and that’s saying a lot ;) (Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good!”).

Love Ya,
Dad

^1,2www.foodsafety.gov

Hold My Hand

When you were young you and I held hands a lot, especially when you started walking. I held your hand to keep you steady, and you wanted to hold my hand to give you security. You trusted me and knew I would never let go. As you grew you and I continued to hold hands when walking. If you stumbled I held onto your hand to keep you from falling and hurting yourself. You grabbed really tight onto my hand and waited as I lifted you back up to your feet. I never let go (Psalm 37:24, “Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand.”). As you continued to grow sometimes you wanted to go in a different direction and pulled on my hand. If I knew it was the wrong direction I held onto your hand and steered you back in the right direction. I never let go. As you continued to grow sometimes you yanked your hand out of my hand so you could go in the wrong direction. I caught you, took your hand, and steered you back in the right direction. I never let go (Psalm 139:10, “even there your hand would guide me, your right hand would grab hold of me.”). As you continued to grow eventually you stopped holding my hand. I’m not sure when it happened, but one day I looked down at my hand and it was empty. Sometimes you still wanted to go in the wrong direction and I had to figure out a way to help steer you back in the right direction without taking hold of your hand. I never let go. As you become an adult I hold onto to your hand by praying for you. The next time you feel lead to “change directions” maybe it is The Lord answering my prayer and holding your hand.

I never let go …and I never will

(Psalm 73:23, “But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.”).

Love Ya,
Dad

Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God!
I strengthen you –
yes, I help you –
yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand!

Oh no! I'm lost!

I was with my Dad and brother. I was around 5 or 6 years old. We were in Sears at Northpark Mall. I was following them, but looking at the new Matchbox car my Dad had just bought me. I looked up and they were not in front of me. Oh No! Where did they go! I started walking fast to catch up. Surely they were just around the corner. No! They were nowhere in sight. I had no idea where they went, which direction they went, or the next store in our shopping adventure. I walked around the mall for days looking for them (Okay, maybe not days). I couldn’t find them. I would never see my family or friends again. I was doomed to stay in the mall for the rest of my life. How would I survive? That was it, I couldn’t take it anymore. I stopped right in front of Woolworth’s (a store that you probably never heard of because it’s old) sat down in the middle of the mall and cried. I didn’t just cry, I balled like a …well, like a lost 5 year old. A young couple who were in Woolworth’s heard me crying and came out to find out what was wrong. I told them that my mean Dad and brother didn’t love me anymore and had abandoned me. I told them how they devised a cruel plan to buy me a toy so that I would be distracted while they sneakily ran away, and now I was going to have to live in the mall for the rest of my life, and my name was Hansel and I didn’t know where my sister, Gretel, was …wait, that’s not how it went. Oh yeah, I just told them I was lost. They comforted me and told me they would help me find them. About that time a mall security guard (no, his name was not Paul Blart) came driving up in a golf cart. They told him what was going on. He put me in his security golf cart and told me we would drive around looking for my Dad and brother. It wasn’t long before my Dad spotted me and realized he was caught and would have to take me home. Just kidding. He called my name and came running to the police security golf cart, very happy to have finally found me. He and my brother had been looking for ME a long time.

Madison knows this feeling from when she got lost at Medieval Times. She was distracted. I thought she was with your mother, but no, I had LEFT her. She was afraid and crying, and a lady from one of the shops came out to help her. She even got a free toy out of the ordeal. And I know how my Dad felt when I discovered she was gone. It was horrible! As soon as I realized she was gone I was going to do whatever it took to find her and get her back, and the joy I felt when we found her was beyond description.

Funny how we can get distracted by “shiny things” and lose sight of The Lord. We can even focus too much on things The Lord has given us. The good thing is He never loses sight of us (Jer. 31:10, “…He will watch over his people like a shepherd watches over his flock.”). Unlike my Dad and brother, He always knows where we are. He knows immediately when we are “lost”, and will do whatever it takes to get us to look up and follow Him. He might even send other people into our lives such as a young couple, or a cool security mall cop with a cool, police security golf cart, to help us find our way back to Him (John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”).

The best thing to do is never take our eyes off of Him and then we won’t get distracted (1 Cor. 7:35, “I am saying this for your benefit, not to place a limitation on you, but so that without distraction you may give notable and constant service to the Lord.”) and become lost, but when we do (and we will) we need to immediately look up and search for Him (Jer. 12:13, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”). We’ll find Him right there beside us.

Love Ya,
Dad

Find Your Target

I started playing baseball at age 8, and was a pretty good player. Unfortunately, by the time I was 10, I was average with the rest of the guys my age. One of my problems was sometimes I wouldn’t think quick enough to make a play. When I was 10 and playing second base in a game, a high pop fly was hit to me. As it streaked a mile into the sky and then started arcing down towards me, I remember thinking, “Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it. Don’t drop it…” over and over as it was coming down. Yes! I caught it. I was really proud of myself. Everyone was yelling praises at me. My coach was jumping up and down yelling how great I was. I'll probably get a trophy for such an incredible catch ...Oh wait, they weren't yelling praises at me, they were yelling, "Throw it!." The runner on first wasn’t exactly the best player either because he had started to run instead of stay on base and wait to see if I caught it. My coach was yelling, “Throw it to first base and get him out!” That's when I looked and saw the back of the runner and thought, “Oh yeah! I can get a double play!” One problem. The runner was in between me and the first baseman. What I was supposed to do was take a quick step to my right so I could see the first baseman and throw. But I panicked! With everyone yelling “Throw it!” I just stared at the back of the runner and threw the ball. Yup, you guessed it, I hit the runner in the back. That’ll teach him to not get in MY way. How embarrassing. What’s that saying? “Pride cometh before the fall? Yeah, that’s the one :/ I just needed to stay calm, take a step, focus on my target, and throw.

You’re going to have many situations in your life that will make you panic (Psalm 55:5, “Fear and panic overpower me, terror overwhelms me.”). Just remember: stay calm, take a step, and focus on your target (Psalm 145:5, “I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor, and your amazing deeds.”). Once you do this, the Lord will help you see the issue is smaller than you thought, and there is a way around it.

Love Ya,

Dad

Mind the Gap

We had a great trip to London several years ago as you remember. We enjoyed riding the tube and listening to “Mind the Gap.” Chelsea enjoyed riding the tube so much she went for an extra ride J That was one of the worst times as a parent that your Mom and I went through as we tried to find her.

I still remember it really well. It was during rush hour in London, so the tube was crowded. When the tube stopped at Victoria Station we prepared to get off. There we people waiting to get on, but they waited for us to get off. It took us a little longer because of the luggage we had. I remember Chelsea and I being the last ones to get off when the bell rang signaling for departure. A man who had been waiting for us to get off heard the bell and suddenly jumped on, blocking Chelsea from getting off. I thought she was right behind me, but when I turned around the doors were closing and she had a sad, confused look on her face. We started to panic, but I figured I would be Super Dad and stick my arm in the door as it closed, stop them from closing, grab Chelsea, and swoop her to safety …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! Unfortunately, by the time I thought of this the doors had closed …wa wa wa (I also found out later that the doors might have closed on my arm and started to drag me). Then your Mom had a great idea and started shouted “Hit the button! Hit the button!” Great idea! Hit the button on the side of the train that would stop the train and open the doors. Again, I thought I would hit the button, stop the car, open the doors, grab Chelsea, and swoop her to safety …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! I turned quickly to the car as it began to pull away and what to my horror do I see? Well, I didn’t see a button to hit that’s for sure. I yelled “Where’s the button!” Your Mom yelled “I don’t know. There’s got to be a button!” But there was no button. I watched in horror as the car pulled away and you looked at us with astonishment and helplessness. I turned to your Mom and she said “Call her on her cell phone.” Another great idea! I’ll call her on her cell phone, calm her down, tell her to wait for me at the next stop, I’ll ride to the next stop, get off, and embrace her with a big, protective hug, and bring her back to the family …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! About that time Chandler informs us that the battery on Chelsea’s phone is dead, and we discovered none of us had a cell signal down in the tube. This was getting worse by the second. We decided that I would get on the next train and ride down the line to see if I could find her, and the rest of the family would go up top to find a worker to help us. I thought to myself, I’ll ride to the next platform, Chelsea will be standing there, I’ll get off, give her a big, protective hug, and bring her back to the family …ta da, Super Dad to the rescue! I got to the next stop and Chelsea wasn’t there. I didn’t know if she had gotten off or stayed on the train to ride on down the line. What do I do? I had failed as Super Dad, it was out of my control (Jer. 10:23, “Lord, we know that people do not control their own destiny. It is not in their power to determine what will happen to them.”). I decided to get off and find help. I went up top and found a friendly worker who started calling down the line. In the mean time the rest of the family had also found a friendly worker who started calling down the line, and also created an announcement for Chelsea to go find a worker. Since I was up top I now had a cell signal, so your Mom was able to call me and we told each other what we were doing and who was helping us. I kept trying to push them out, but the worst thoughts of someone grabbing and kidnapping Chelsea kept coming into my mind. It was one of the worst moments in my life. Thank goodness we have the Lord to help us. I prayed several times for her return, as did your Mom (Psalm 55:17, “Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice.”). I was standing talking to the lady and man helping me, when I heard screaming on the phone. For a second I didn’t know what was happening and I feared the worst. After a few seconds your Mom started shouting to me that they had found Chelsea! I was flooded with relief and praise to the Lord.

In the end, I hadn’t really done anything to get Chelsea back (NOT Super Dad). It was Chandler who turned around at just the right moment and saw Chelsea walking by. She would have missed the family if he had not seen her. On the train, a really nice lady saw what happened and told Chelsea she could get off at the next stop, walk to the other side of the platform, and take the next train back to Victoria Station. The Lord can put people in our lives to help us. Chelsea never cried or panicked, but just did what the lady said and got back to us.

“God is good all the time and all the time God is good.” He answered our prayers knowing that Chelsea was fine the whole time, and that He was watching over her.

He also taught me that sometimes things are out of my control. I can’t hold onto you three and protect you for the rest of my life. I have to let go sometime and trust Him and you (Phil. 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”). I realized this when it was time for Chelsea to go off to college for the first time. I realize again as Chandler is at college and Chelsea gets ready to leave to study abroad. I’m sad, but I’m sad for me not for you because I know the Lord will take care of you and be watching over you, and I trust all of you.

There will be times in your life that you have no control, and don’t know what to do, you may even be in despair over the situation. The Lord is in control and will answer your prayers, just bring the situation to Him.

Love Ya,
Dad

It's Chandler's Turn

In two days we leave to take Chandler to college. It’s going to be really hard for us and we’ll miss him immensely, but Chandler is getting ready to start the next chapter of his life, The Pursuit of Higher Knowledge, or as you know it the fun college years J.

I wanted to give him something to mark the occasion and hopefully help him remember us back home missing him. A Dad is always wanting to give things to his children, whether it’s love, food, gifts, time, a stern lecture (ha, ha), or knowledge. Second to love, one of the things a Dad wants most to give his children that they can have forever is wisdom. That’s one of the reasons I started these devotionals. Solomon did it when he wrote Proverbs (Prov. 5:1, “My child, be attentive to my wisdom, pay close attention to my understanding,”). Knowledge is different from wisdom. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you don’t have the wisdom to use that knowledge wisely then it does you no good. The Bible mentions wisdom 65 more times than knowledge …hmmm, I wonder why. It’s kind of like in the movie “Aladdin” when Jafar wants to be and becomes the most powerful genie in the world, but Aladdin reminds him that he has all the cosmic power in the universe, but a itty, bitty living space, and Jafar is confined to the lamp …for 10,000 years …bummer.

Prov. 22:6, "Train a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." This is not just about your spiritual walk, but also how you should live and treat others …it’s about wisdom and integrity. I want to give wisdom to Chandler as he embarks on his college career, to Chelsea as she travels abroad to study, and to Madison as she becomes a self-sufficient driver (and only child at home). I hope you will allow The Lord to bless each of you through me and your mother as we all travel down these roads together.

Psalm 127:3-4, “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are the children born in one’s youth. (NIV)

Love Ya (And will miss Ya),

Dad

The Beach

Pastor Miller taught about “drifting” in our faith. That made me think about the ocean current, which led me to thinking of the beach, which lead me to thinking about our family vacation last summer at the beach, which lead me to thinking about the undercurrent just offshore ...whew, that was a lot of thinking. Your Mom and I loved watching you play/swim in the water, but we warned you about the undercurrent carrying you off. We said that you would not notice it until you looked up and saw you were farther down the beach from us. Sometimes you would not look up and did not notice how far away you were, so we would call your name to get your attention and show you how far you had drifted away. A lot of times you were surprised by how far you had drifted away from us. Sometimes there were more dangers involved with the drifting, such as an idiot with a fishing pole and a really large hook right next to us. During these times we watched you more closely so you would not experience what it was like to be a hooked fish.

Sin is like the undercurrent. Sometimes you play around with it and it carries you away from The Lord. Sometimes we “look up” and notice how far away we are, and we pray and repent (Heb. 2:1, “Therefore we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”). But sometimes we do not “look up” and we get far away (1Tim. 5:24, “The sins of some people are obvious, going before them into judgment, but for others, they show up later.”). There is no staying in one spot when you are in the current. So if you are not moving closer, you ARE moving away (James 4:8, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners…”).Thankfully The Lord is always watching us (Psalm 37:18, “The Lord watches over the innocent day by day…”) and paying attention to the “undercurrent,” and when it starts to carry us away He gets our attention to show us that we have drifted away. Hopefully we hear Him trying to get our attention …before we drift into the really large hook or get swept away.

Love Ya,

Dad

Every Breath

When the doctors took Dad off of the respirator they said he would go quickly. It was really hard watching my Dad pass away. 

One of the signs the nurses told us about would be the change in his breathing. It would become shallower and have longer pauses in between each breath. So, I would sit there watching him, counting his breaths and the seconds in between each breath. At one point the pauses got as long as 30 seconds, and I thought “This is it. Dad is going.” But he didn’t go that quickly. As you know he lasted another 11 days. For 11 days I would just watch and count.

While this was going on I was telling your Mom about me counting his breaths and the changes in it. She was saddened by it of course, but then she said something to me that I will always remember. She talked about instead of counting every breath, we should make every breath count. It’s simple, but very profound. The Lord doesn’t want us to just sit there and count every breath and waste those moments, He wants every breath to count ...for Him (Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise The Lord! Praise The Lord!”).

Are you counting every breath (Daniel 5:23, “But you have not glorified the God who has in his control your very breath and all your ways!”), or are you making every breath count (Eph. 5:15-16, “Therefore be very careful how you live – not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”)?

Love Ya,

Dad

Our Amazing Race

Your Mom and I love The Amazing Race TV show. We love watching the teams race around the world, completing different challenges called Detours, Road Blocks, and U-Turns. The teams know they’re going to have these challenges, but they don’t know what the actual challenges will be until they get to them. At the end there are 3 teams racing to the finish line to win 1 million dollars. As they come to the finish line the teams that were already eliminated (Because they were eliminated they have already finished their race) are lined up on both sides of the finish line and they are cheering as the teams race in.

Our spiritual life is much like The Amazing Race. We have detours as we go through life. We have road blocks and even some u-turns that we didn’t expect (John 16:33, “…In the world you have trouble and suffering…”). We know we will have challenges, but we don’t know what they will be or when they will occur until we get to them. What we don’t think about very often is that we’re racing towards the finish line (1 Tim. 4:7, “I have completed well, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith!”), and that finish line is heaven and being with our Lord.

By the time we each finish our own race we will have had several people who have finished their race and gone onto heaven. When it comes my time to finish my race I picture those people (like my unborn son, brother and Dad) standing around “the finish line” cheering me as I walk up. I miss a lot of these people very much, but it gives me comfort to know they will be there cheering me as I enter the gates of heaven. What a great finish to the biggest race of all time …talk about a great reality show!

In The Amazing Race TV show when the winning team finishes they aren’t thinking about the struggles, Detour challenges, or Road Blocks. They’re just happy to finish and win. And at that moment all the struggles and challenges are worth it. When we enter the gates we won’t be thinking about all our struggles, challenges, trials, and troubles (John 16:33, “…but take courage, I have conquered the world”), we’ll just be glad we finished and we’re home.

The main difference between The Amazing Race and our race is that we have The Judge helping us through our race (Heb. 4:16, “Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.”) making sure we get through the detours, road blocks, and u-turns, and making sure we reach The finish line.

No, we won’t win a million dollars but we have already won something far more valuable, 1 Tim. 4:8, “Finally the crown of righteousness is reserved for me. The Lord, the righteous Judge, will award it to me in that day – and not to me only, but also to all who have set their affection on his appearing.”

Love Ya,
Dad

2 Cor. 4:8 We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are perplexed, but not driven to despair;

Act 26:22 I have experienced help from God to this day...

Psa 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth!

Phil. 1:19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Lepers and Zombies

As you know Chandler and I have been watching “The Walking Dead” and loving it. It hit me that zombies are the modern day equivalent to Biblical time lepers. Lepers were considered unclean and people were terrified to be around them. Lepers were not allowed to live in the city limits around other people and when they did enter the city they were required to shout “Unclean, unclean, unclean…” as they walked down the street. If someone heard a leper walking down the street shouting “unclean” the person would drop everything they were doing and get away as fast as possible with fear in their heart because they didn’t want to become infected.

Then Jesus came along and actually TOUCHED a leper (Mark 1:41, “…Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…). Not only did He touch the leper, but He had COMPASSION on the leper (Mark 1:41, “Moved with compassion Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him…) …this was unheard of.

Lepers today are not heard of very much, and we are not as scared of them. We understand the disease better today and are not horrified by it like the people of Jesus’ time. So this got me to thinking and trying to understand what it would have been like to experience a leper and watch Jesus touch a leper. This lead me to zombies (I know they’re not real). I felt this was a close comparison. Nobody wants zombies living near them. Zombies have skin and body parts falling off. Zombies kind of shout unclean by “growling” as they walk which warns people of them coming. When people hear the growling they drop everything and get away as fast as possible …well, everyone except Darryl (Inside joke with Chandler)..

If I every came across a zombie I would be horrified, and I would be filled with a fear like I have never known (except one time when I was very young and my sister closed my bedroom door leaving me alone in pitch blackness, and who knows what monsters were in that blackness with me). This is why I compare zombies to lepers. It helps me to understand the horror of Jesus touching one. Image yourself in a zombie infested world. You have found a safe “town” with a fence around it. The fence isn’t perfect and every now and then a zombie gets through. When one does get through you hear it growl and you know to run and hide. Now imagine Jesus has come to this town and is preaching compassion. While he is there, a zombie gets through the fence and is walking down the street growling (“Unclean”). While everyone starts to scream and run, Jesus turns around to face the zombie. He sees the zombie and is full of compassion for the zombie. In Mark 1:41 it says …”Jesus stretched out his hand…” Stretching out His hand implies that Jesus reached for the leper. He did not wait for the leper to come all the way up to Him, He was not repulsed or afraid of him. Now imagine Jesus walking towards the zombie and reaching out to him. He then TOUCHES the zombie! “He must be CRAZY! Doesn’t he know what zombies are and how they can infect him?” But He doesn’t get infected. Instead He says “I am willing. Be clean!” and right there in front of your eyes the zombie becomes a normal person again. AMAZING!

Amazing what a little compassion can do to a person. We’re supposed to have compassion (Col. 3:12, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another…”) for people (which are not near as horrifying as zombies). I don’t even come close to having the compassion that Jesus has. 

The next time you want to complain about someone, laugh at someone unusual, be horrified by someone doing something weird, remember Jesus’ compassion for the zombie (leper) and ask yourself “Should I have compassion on this person?”

Love Ya,
Dad

"I Pity the Fool!"

Mr. T played B.A. Baracus in the original “A-Team” TV series back in the 80’s. Aaah, the 80’s ...not only did we have good music, but we also had good TV shows, like “The A-Team” and “Magnum P.I.”

Whenever I read Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, I hear the voice of Mr. T, and I’ll tell you why. So the verses are, “Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor. For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.”

B.A.’s famous quote from the TV series was “I pity the fool!” So here’s how I hear Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 in my head with Mr. T’s voice, “Two people are better than one, because they can work faster and smarter, and help each other out. For if they fall, one dude will help the other dude up, but I pity the fool who falls down and has no dude to help him up!” That is the way I hear it, in fact in a college Bible study I was asked to read these verses. You guessed it I read them with a Mr. T accent. The guys in the group busted out laughing. Unfortunately, the teacher did not think it was as funny, but I still remember the verse to this day, so maybe it was not all that bad.

It helps to hear it that way in my head because it makes me laugh, but it also reminds me how important it is to not only have good friends, but have good Christian friends. We are all sinners and we all stumble or fall at times. If we have a good Christian friend, he/she will help us up. They will also help keep us accountable and visa versa. Fool is sometimes the right term for this verse because sometimes it is our fault for not having that good Christian friend to help us up. We sometimes do not think about the spiritual level of people we want to be friends with. Then when we fall he/she is not willing to help us up. In fact, they may even laugh at us, gossip behind our backs, be embarrassed we fell, or ignore us.

So think about your closest friends. If/when you fall will they help you up …physically or spiritually? If not, then I pity you fool for not having anyone to help you up!

And if you do not know who Mr. T is then I have not done my job right as a Dad.

Love Ya,

Dad

Pump You Up

Madison listens to music before a game to pump her up. She likes to put on her headphones and listen to it by herself. It is not for anyone else in the car to listen to, or join in. It is all for her, and helps get her ready for a game. It helps her put her mind in game mode and focus on the upcoming match. This is very common, a lot of athletes do this before a game.

Praise music at the beginning of a Worship service can serve to “pump us up.”

Madison has particular songs that she likes to listen to. These particular songs really pump her up. There are certain praise songs that touch my heart more than others …they “pump” my heart up for worship. 10,000 Reasons is one of those songs. Every time I see it displayed on the screen as the song we will sing next a smile comes to my face because it means so much to me and I really worship The Lord when I sing it (Psalm 30:12, “So now my heart will sing to You and not be silent; O Lord my God, I will always give thanks to you.”).

Next time you are in church and the music starts to play, let the songs pump you up for worship and let your heart really worship the King (Psalm 100:2, “Worship the Lord with joy! Enter his presence with joyful singing.”).

Act 16:25, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them.”

Love Ya,
Dad

King Richard III

King Richard III, the last king of The House of York in England, ruled for only 2 years, 1483 - 1485. Henry Tudor of Lancaster thought he should be king, so he and his followers went to battle against King Richard III in the War of Roses. King Richard III was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field, ending his reign, and beginning King Henry VII’s reign.

So how does this make you feel about King Richard III and King Henry VII? You feel kind of sorry for King Richard III dying just because King Henry VI wanted to take his crown. Things are not always as they seem. Do not jump to conclusions and make rash judgments of people. King Richard III had 2 nephews who had a claim to the throne, but they mysteriously disappeared from the Tower of London shortly before Richard became king ...how convenient. It is believed that Richard had them murdered so they would not be in the way of his crown.

We are good ...really good at making quick, rash, and often wrong judgments of people. We need to slow down, and get all the facts. In other words when we meet someone new we need to get to know them before we make a judgment about them (John 7:24, “Do not judge according to external appearance, but judge with proper judgment.”). We also need to find out the facts for ourselves instead of taking gossip for the truth, or what other people's opinion is about someone (Luke 6:37, “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”).

Love Ya,

Dad

Lessons From Katniss

As you know I just finished Reading “The Hunger Games” and I really liked it. Katniss is a great character and heroin. I realized there are a lot of things we can learn from her. Here are a few lessons we can learn from Katniss.

Lesson 1: Let’s start with the most obvious one, her sacrifice for Prim (John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.). Jesus taught us this, and through the “The Hunger Games” story we see a parallel to Jesus’ sacrifice for us, but we also see the example of love and sacrifice we should have for one another in our own family. Are you willing to be a Tribute for your sister, brother, mother, or father?

Lesson 2: Katniss is great with a bow and arrow, and she is not afraid to use them to not only defend herself, but also to release her wrath. God is the same God today as He was in the Old Testament (Psalm 7:12, “If He does not relent, He will sharpen His sword, He will bend and string his bow.”). I will bet He does not miss either. Thank goodness we have our Lord Jesus Christ to intercede for us, or else I would be a “Bang, head shot.”

Lesson 3: Water was life! Without it Katniss and the other Tributes would have died. Those first few days Katniss did not have any water and she was slowing dying. At first she could not understand why Haymitch did not send her any water when she was so desperate. Then she realized that he was not sending it for her own good (2 Peter 2:9, “if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials,”). Haymitch could see the whole picture and knew she was close and heading in the right direction. He knew that by not sending the water, Katniss would keep searching in the right direction, and he would not have to waste an expensive gift.

Katniss is not Jesus, or God, or perfect.

Lesson 4: Katniss selfishly fakes her love for Peeta in front of the cameras to save her own life. She’s very good as showing her love when it matters most, when she really needs to, when she is desperate to save her life. But as soon as they are back home and the cameras are gone, she grows distant from Peeta. We can be a lot like that. When we are in trouble or in the middle of a trial we cry out to the Lord and proclaim we love Him and need His help, but as soon as the trial is over sometimes we slowly forget how much we love Him and we grow distant from Him (Matt. 24:12-13, “and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved.”).

Lesson 5: Katniss hates the Career Tributes from the beginning because they are arrogant, and give her hateful looks. I do not blame her, but we have been given a command to forgive. (Col. 3: 12-13, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.”).

Lesson 6: Katniss knows everyone is watching, so she plays the part to look good and get things from people. As believers, we have people watching us too, and we are to play or rather live the part, but for a different reason (Heb. 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us.” (or the game)).

There are a lot more lessons, but that is enough for this devotional.

So, are you Katniss, Prim, Peeta, Gale, Cato, Rue, Haymitch, or (cue music: dun, dun, dun) President Snow? We will find out in another devotional.

Love Ya,
Dad

The Dream

I had a really weird dream that made no sense.

I was with a group of people in our bedroom, and it was very chaotic. Lisa was with me but I didn’t recognize anyone else, but evidently I knew them in my dream. We were preparing for a very important person to show up, but at the time I didn’t know who it was. I knew he would be walking to our place, which was out in the countryside.

A friend of mine (who in real life I only keep in touch with through Facebook, and is not a Christian) called me. He and I were supposed to meet our important guest out in the yard as he walked up. My friend was calling to tell me he was delayed and could not be with me to greet our guest. I was very disappointed he would not be there. While I was on the phone, Ms. Kitty (yes, for some reason she was still alive in my dream) pooped on the carpet. Lisa made an exclamation then picked up the poop with her BARE hands, and it did not seem to bother her (sorry to gross you out). At this time when everything was chaotic and I was not ready to go out and meet our guest, our very important guest walked into the bedroom. It was Jesus Christ. I realized I knew all along whom our very important guest was going to be, and now he had arrived unexpectedly, early (1 Thess. 5:2, “For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come in the same way as a thief in the night). He wore jeans, a t-shirt, and glasses. I could not see his facial features, for some reason they were blurry to me, but he looked like just an average guy. I told my friend on the phone he was here and that I needed to hang up. He said he understood and sorry he could not be there. I hung up and stepped into the bathroom to let Lisa know He was here. She made another exclamation and said “Oh no. He’s early.” I said I know and took the poop (with MY bare hands) from her hand so she could go out and greet Him. I threw it away and then stepped back into the room (without washing my hands) for my turn to greet Jesus Christ. I did not know what to do. I stood there awkwardly not knowing what to do or how to greet The King. I finally shook hands with him and said “Welcome.” What a goober I can be (Funny, my hands were clean, no poop). I then knew what I was supposed to do. I lowered my head, closed my eyes, and cried for all my sins and shame, and said “Sorry.” Then I knew He was smiling and I suddenly knew I was supposed to be filled with joy. I FELT my whole body filled with an inexpressible joy and started laughing from all the joy. I opened my eyes and He was beaming with a smile at my joy. We started to walk out of the room and I stopped and asked Him if I could hug Him. He said “Yes.” I stepped to Him and wrapped my arms around Him and hugged Him tightly. He returned my hug with strong, protective arms. I could not stop hugging Him. I did not want to stop hugging Him, and saying “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

I woke up while I was hugging him. I thought what a cool way to end the dream, but what a weird dream. I asked myself several questions. Why did I dream THAT? Why did it take place in our bedroom? Why did my friend, who I have not talked to in several years, be the one to call me? Why was it he who was supposed to be with me to greet Jesus Christ and not one of my really close friends who are believers? Why was I so disappointed he would not be there? Why could he not make it to meet our very important guest? Why did Ms. Kitty poop on the carpet and at such an important time? Why did Lisa pick up the poop with her BARE hands? Why did I take the poop from her with MY bare hands? WHY did I dream THAT?

As I pondered these questions a few answers started to surface in my mind. My friend is not a Christian, and therefore meeting Jesus Christ was not important to him. I wanted him with me to meet Jesus Christ so he could believe. He was delayed in the dream, because in real life he has not accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, and does not want to. My really close friends actually, everyone I know who is a Christian, were there in the room. I just did not realize it because I was focused on my non-believing friend. Ms. Kitty pooped so Lisa would have to clean up the poop/junk/trash/sin. She did it with her BARE hands because she (and all of us) is dirty with sin (Rom. 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”), and sometimes our nasty sin does not bother us. Instead of having Lisa just throw away the poop, I took it from her with MY bare hands because I am just as dirty with sin, but in the presence of Jesus Christ we were clean (John 15:3, “You are clean already because of the word I have spoken to you.”). It took place in our bedroom because the bedroom is a very intimate place, where we can tell secrets, hide things, keep others out, show our emotions, and feel alone. It’s the one room when guests come over that you close the door because you threw all the stuff in there and it’s unclean, and you can keep guests out of your bedroom (Psalm 44:21, “would not God discover it, for He knows one’s thoughts.”). Yet, Jesus Christ walked right into our bedroom, and was not embarrassed, horrified, or angry by what he saw…

…He just smiled!

I know why I dreamed THIS dream.

Love ya,

Dad

Stars in Daylight

Did you know if you climb down into a deep enough hole in broad daylight then look up you will see the stars? One of my instructors in college told us this. He was teaching on bridge construction and talked about how deep the holes for the bridge support pillars have to be. Then he mentioned that if you went down into one of those holes and looked up you would see the stars. I remember thinking, “That is so cool! I want to try it. Where’s a hole deep enough for me to crawl down into.” The reason is the hole is so deep that the sunlight is cut off from your vision. When deep enough in a hole/pit, the sun’s light is blocked out and you see the stars. This is such a wide known belief that Aristotle mentioned it in one of his essays in the 300 BC’s and Charles Dickens begins Chapter 20 of Pickwick Papers with it. That is how cool it is.

Sin is like a pit. If you are deep enough in sin it is hard to see the Light. The deeper you are in a pit, the darker it is, and the harder it is to climb out. In fact, if you are deep enough you cannot get out alone, you need a ladder or rope. If you are too deep in the pit of sin you need help getting out. Prayer (Lam 3:55, “I have called on your name, O Lord, from the deepest pit.”) and accountability (ECC. 4:9-10, “Two people are better than one, because they can reap more benefit from their labor. For if they fall, one will help his companion up, but pity the person who falls down and has no one to help him up.”) are the ladder and rope you need.

The interesting thing is that this is a myth. It has been proven to be incorrect. At the bottom of a pit you will still see daylight. The same is true of sin. No matter how deep you are in the pit of sin, you can still see the Light as long as you look up. Satan wants you to believe if you get deep enough, The Lord will not forgive you or want to help you. The Lord will hear you and help (Psalm 103:3-4, “He is the one who forgives all your sins, who heals all your diseases, who delivers your life from the Pit, who crowns you with his loyal love and compassion.”), no matter if you accidentally fell into the pit or crawled down willingly (Psalm 7:15, “he digs a pit and then falls into the hole he has made.”).

So the next time you find yourself in the pit, look up.

Isaiah 38:17, “Look, the grief I experienced was for my benefit. You delivered me from the pit of oblivion. For you removed all my sins from your sight.”

Luke 17:3, “Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.”

Heb. 3:13, “But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception.”

Love You,

Dad

The Beach

I am sitting here at the beach, enjoying the view, and writing this devotional. What a great place to sit, relax, and write a devotional. The beach and sand are great, the sound of waves rolling in is enjoyable, the temperature is very comfortable, the sky is a brilliant blue, the sunrise is a golden glow, and the setting is very relaxing. God sure did do a good job when He created this place.

But even in this place there are problems. My stomach really hurts from my sunburn. Only my stomach got sunburned. But, but …I had a tent! The only thing I can figure is I forgot to spray it with sunscreen to protect it. At least only my stomach was not protected, but it still makes me uncomfortable, and harder to sleep at night.

It reminds me that even in a great, relaxing place such as this we still need sunscreen, and that sunscreen comes in the form of God and His Word (Luke 11:28, “But he replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and obey it!’”)

No matter how comfortable, relaxed, secure, or strong we feel, we still need protection (2 Thess. 3:3, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”).

God is like the tent we had. The tent is anchored and firm, it is not going anywhere. As long as I am under the tent I am protected, but when I move away from the tent I expose myself, and need protection such as sunscreen. When I wonder away from God I expose myself to sin/evil and need sunscreen, but in the form of God’s word and the Holy Spirit (Eph. 6:10-20, (Spiritual Warfare), “…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God…”).

And remember, use sunscreen even after you get sunburned or it will get worse.

Psalm 91:14, “The Lord says, ‘Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me.’”

Psalm 25:21, “May integrity and godliness protect me, for I rely on you!”

Love You,

Dad

It's Just Around the Bend Part 2: We Made It!

It was a long journey, but we finally made it to the boat ramp. Even though the day started out cool it got hot by the time we finished our journey. The heat added to our exhaustion. Even though we were exhausted and a little cranky at times we still worked together. We all paddled to help us get down the river. Some of you even got in the water when it was shallow and pulled the raft down river.

We learned quickly this was not a quick sprint, but a journey of endurance. We did not have a lot of choice in the matter, this was the journey set out for us. We could not stop in the middle of it when we got tired and say, “That’s enough. I’m exhausted and I’m going to quit here.” That was not an option. There was no way to stop and go back to our car. We had no choice but to “run with endurance” (Heb. 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us.”). It is the same with our walk in Christ. We get exhausted, frustrated, and cranky sometimes, but we cannot say, “Whoa, I’m tired. I’m going to take a break from being a Christian, and not worry about the people around me and how they view Christ through me.” Sorry, we do not get to take a time out from being a witness for Christ …even to other Christians. Now let me take moment right here to say I know I am not perfect and I do not always present the best witness for Christ (a lot of times because I am tired and cranky). I am sorry for that, but I am also human, and we humans are not perfect. The Lord knows this and forgives us, but He also wants us to do our best, which is why we are to “run with endurance.” Sometimes we stopped paddling because we were so tired, but after a rest we paddled again.

Finally the boat ramp came into view and we felt our spirits lifted with the joy of seeing it. I think I even heard a little “Hallelujah” chorus from somewhere. I think we all would have shouted for joy if we had not been so tired …and too embarrassed to cheer in front of the two guides at the boat ramp. As we came within thirty yards of the boat ramp (our finish line) our joy was suddenly sucked away as we felt the raft shudder and then come to a complete stop. What happened!? The river became so shallow our raft was dragging on the bottom and would not move anymore. We all had to get out of the raft. We could have stopped right there, become angry, sat down and pouted, and told the two guys to come and carry us the rest of the way (I am sure they would have laughed and walked away …and I would not have blamed them). But we did not. We got out of the raft and several of us pulled the raft across the pebbles and shallow water. Even though the raft was heavy we pulled it all the way to the ramp, we endured. It was easier to pull the raft and endure because we were so close to the finish …it was right there, we could see it clearly. (2 Tim. 4:7, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith!”). It is easier to endure when you can see the finish line, but when the finish line is out of sight we still need to endure and finish.

That was a long, tiring river journey, and we suffered a little (Rom. 5:3, “Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,”), but it was worth it for the memories, the growing, and the togetherness.

I hope when our journey here ends we can say, “I have endured, I finished my journey, and I have kept the faith!”

Oh, and the two otters …to be continued.

Love You,
Dad