Month: March 2019

When I was a young boy, we taunted verbal bullies with these words, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never harm me.” That statement was not only untrue, it was also unwise because it could encouraged some bullies to resort to sticks and stones. Words can and do harm us. They may not leave visible scars but they can cause damage and scarring to our mind and spirit. Because of this, our careless words may cause more harm than we can possibly imagine. To someone who has been severely abused, angry words spoken in a moment of stress can trigger flashbacks of those painful times. To a person who has been demeaned and made to feel worthless, a simple correction or seemingly harmless complaint may seem to them like you are piling on with all of the other critics in their life. We can inadvertently rip off the scab covering a painful old wound. On the other hand, soft and encouraging words can aid in the healing process.

The book of James is a letter written by Jesus’ brother to Jews living abroad. He spends considerable time describing the untamed human tongue and the harm and evil it can produce. He warns us, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.” (James 1:19) He also points out the inconsistency of our tongue, “Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!” (James 3:9-10)

My problem is that I often spend way too much time talking and writing about the things around me that are inconsistent with God’s word instead of proclaiming the truth of God’s word and encouraging obedience to it.

Whatever problem you and I have controlling our tongue; we can all pray with the Psalmist, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalms 19:14)

I just have a little more personal stuff to share with you. It is Sunday evening and I just got back home after two days in the hospital. All of the activity last week that I wrote about Wednesday finally got to my old arthritic knees. When I started to get up Friday, I could not get out of the chair no matter how hard I tried. One of my Christian brothers came over to try to help me but I was too heavy for him to lift me up by himself and during the effort I slipped down to the carpet and he called the paramedics to help me back up in the chair. Later I found myself still unable to get out of the chair and another friend called the paramedics back to take me to the hospital ER.

They gave me a shot and some pills for the pain, took x-rays of both knees, an EKG to make sure my heart is OK and then put me on an IV and admitted me for observation. They pumped me full of liquids and steroids for one whole day. Then a physical therapist came in with a walker to get me out of bed. After a couple of attempts I was able to stand and make it to the chair and she worked with me on some exercises to strengthen my legs and knees. I sat in the chair for a while and then a nurse came in to help me back to bed, by way of the bathroom. By that time my legs were feeling better and stronger. The therapist checked me out again this morning and the orthopedic doctor cleared me to go home. When another friend brought me home, I used the walker and her cane to climb the three steps to my front door, but once inside my knees started to buckle and with difficulty I made it to my chair with confidence that it would not become my prison once more.

There is a reason I wanted to share this. When I was unable to get out of the chair, I felt so helpless and each time I would try to stand and fail my strength and confidence both were sorely tested. I prayed for God to help me stand, but instead he sent angels of mercy disguised as friends to get me the help I really needed. I was helpless, but I was never without hope. My problem wasn’t a lack of faith in God, but a loss of confidence in my body’s ability to stand and follow Him. He let me know one more time that He isn’t done with me yet.

Trust the Good Shepherd of Psalms 23. He will never leave or forsake you. He will lead and comfort you and get you the help you need to build up your confidence again when you feel helpless and trapped. Sometimes It isn’t a lack of faith that causes fear and anxiety. It is that we don’t trust ourselves to be able to walk with Him. His rod and his staff will give us the comfort and assurance we need. As long as there is breath in your body, God is not done with you yet!

It is time for me to share a little more of my personal life with you. I have just survived quite a weekend. My 76^th birthday was Saturday. It is another personal best for me age-wise, but I would have been happy to just let it slip quietly by like any other day if it wasn’t for all of the wonderful people God placed in my life who wanted to celebrate it with me.

It all began at the weekly, Saturday breakfast meeting with my Christian brothers at 6 am at Cracker Barrel. There were five men and one young boy joining together to pray, break bread, fellowship, discuss scripture and share prayer requests and praise reports. The Holy Spirit was also in attendance as always. It was a very special occasion indeed. Our wonderful Christian server even dug up a free muffin for my birthday. I don’t know if it was because of the love I was feeling or the fact that it was free, but that muffin sure tasted great.

By the time I got home I was already starting to receive the first wave of birthday messages on Face Book, emails, texts, greeting cards and phone calls. It eventually took me almost two hours to respond to them all. I put the finishing touches on my blog for Sunday and then a dear sister in Christ picked me up to go out for a birthday dinner. She had arranged for a mutual friend of ours to join us and we were at the restaurant nearly three hours enjoying each other’s company. A free slice of pie was served to me (as if I needed any more calories at that point).

Sunday morning my wonderful neighbor brought me some corned beef shepherd’s pie from her family St. Patrick’s Day meal along with more temping desserts. She also gave me a study Bible, puzzle books, a greeting card with a touching handwritten note and a festive Happy Birthday balloon. I almost felt like I was twelve again (almost). Another wonderful sister in Christ drove me to the noon service and then took me out to lunch afterward. Later, when I finally began to get hungry again, I had a late dinner of the corned beef, but saved the desserts for another day (my first healthy decision of the entire weekend).

I’m sharing all of this with you because my heart is overflowing with the love of all of those dear friends and with my gratitude for them. You would think that all of this attention would be quite an ego booster, but it is actually quite humbling. It sort of reminds me of the time Jack Benny received a prestigious award and his short acceptance speech went something like this: “I don’t really deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don’t deserve that either, so I’ll take it. Thank you.” You youngsters may need to google to find out who Jack Benny was. He also stopped counting birthdays after 39; a practice my wife emulated. When someone asked how old I was this weekend I told them that I am 39 plus shipping and handling.

Sadly, sometimes it takes a special occasion for us to realize how many people we have touched and who touch us daily. Never take any relationship for granted no matter how trivial it may seem. We are created for loving relationships with God and with others. It is not a suggestion. It is what Jesus commands us to do. (John 13:34)     

You know how much song lyrics of all kinds mean to me. Even popular songs sometime come to mind with precious memories attached to them. Today, it was an old Alan Jackson song with these touching words. “Two young people without a thing say some vows and spread their wings and settle down with just what they need living on love. She don’t care about what’s in style, she just likes the way he smiles. It takes more than marble and tile when you’re living on love. Two old people without a thing, children gone but still they sing side by side on that front porch swing living on love. He can’t see anymore and she can barely sweep the floor, but hand in hand they’ll walk through that door just living on love. Living on love, buying on time, without somebody nothing ain’t worth a dime. It’s like an old fashion story book rhyme living on love. It sounds simple, that’s what you’re thinking, but love can walk through fire without blinking. It doesn’t take much and you’ll get enough living on love.”

Have you ever lived on love? There were several times in our marriage that those words sure described Carol and me, when our love for each other and our mutual love for God held us together and brought us through. It is during those times that we discovered what was most important to us and love became our most prized possession. Even in literature, we find the power of love expressed. Lord Byron wrote, “Love will take you down paths where wolves fear to prey.” That old skeptic, Mark Twain, in one of his last writings, depicted Adam as an old man kneeling beside Eve’s grave and saying, “Where she was, there was paradise.”

Of course the greatest love story of all is found in the Bible. From the creation of the Universe to the creation of a new heaven and a new earth, God’s love is found from cover to cover. But God’s love is never more amazingly described than in John 3:16. “For this is how God loved the world; He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” That is how much God loves you and me.

Whether you are, like me, basking in the glow of precious memories; currently living on love with your soul mate; or haven’t found that person yet with whom you can live on love; we can all wrap ourselves in God’s unfailing love; living on love with Him now and for eternity. 

When I was a senior in high school, back in days of old, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for a living. One of my teachers told me, “Find something you really enjoy doing and you will never work a day in your life.” At the time that sounded like an oxymoron to me, but experience soon showed it to be some very good advice. Before I wound up as a pest control trainer for more than 17 years, I had eight different jobs. They may have seemed very different, but all of them had one thing in common – serving and helping other people. That is where I found my labor of love and freedom from work.       

God worked for six days to create the entire Universe and everything in it, then He rested on the seventh. He decreed that man should work for six days and rest on the Sabbath; worshipping and praising Him on that day. As men often do, they took a good, simple concept and made it complicated with all kinds of rules and regulations. Jesus was confronted by religious leaders on many occasions about breaking those rules and regulations. After healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda he told them, “My Father is always working and so am I.” (John 5:17) Another Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and there was a man with a deformed right hand present. Religious leaders were watching closely to see if he would heal him and break the Sabbath rules. Jesus called him to come up front then asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or destroy it?” After looking each person in the eye for an answer that did not come, he healed the man’s hand. (Luke 6:6-11) On yet another Sabbath, Jesus was walking through a grain field when his disciples began picking the grain off the plants to eat. The religious leaders pointed out to Jesus that they were breaking Sabbath rules by harvesting grain on that day. He responded, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

As a boy, I remember my mother, and later my stepmother, putting together a delicious Sunday dinner after church. It sure looked like hard work to me, but as they put the food on the table with a smile and enjoyed it with my father and me, it was obvious that it was a labor of love.

As Christians, we must follow Christ’s example and always be about our Father’s business. His business is never hard work, but always a labor of love.

An old family friend told me years ago that life is like a roll of toilet paper – the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. I’m not sure that is the greatest analogy, but I certainly can’t find fault with the conclusion. I turn 76 next Saturday, so I am certainly closer to the end of the “roll” than its beginning and the last two months have flown by in the blink of an eye. Because of that, time has become a much more valuable part of my life and I want to share some thoughts with you about its value.  

Our days are numbered in this life and we have no guarantee of tomorrow, so time has always been a valuable commodity that we too often take for granted. I have already lived longer than either of my parents.  In our youth we even seek pursuits to “kill” time while waiting for a more pleasurable event. In my lifetime (so far), technology has relentlessly sought to “save” time. Cooking has moved from the pressure cooker and convection oven to the microwave; from TV dinners to a wide variety of heat and eat meals. Even restaurants that feature “fast” food become more and more popular. But what are we doing with that saved time? Daily time together around the table as a family has nearly disappeared in many homes.

Technology has also provided us with devices to give us instant information and communication. While they can be very helpful, they also can be a distraction from personal contact and communication with other people. It is no wonder that in this age of technology, studies show that young people find their lives empty and lonely even though they are in almost constant contact with many social media “friends”. There is no sadder scene to me than a group of people staring at their devises and ignoring others in the room with them.

We need to return to the concept of “quality” time. The most valuable gift we can give anyone is the gift of our time and undivided attention (quality time) and especially sharing our faith with them. Because we have a limited supply of time, when we give someone our time and attention, we are giving them a piece of our life that cannot be replaced. It is a gift that will mean the world to our spouse and our children and all those we love. Even taking time to reach out to a stranger in need is a gift they will never forget and neither will we, because there is no loneliness in a life of personal contact with others. I found myself alone when my wife died, but I am not lonely because I share my time and attention with so many great friends and even with you who are reading my blog right now.

I hope each of you experience the joy of sharing your time and undivided attention with those you love and who love you. There is nothing you could buy them that compares in value to giving them a piece of your life.    

This week started out with another arctic blast across the Chicago area with temperatures around zero and wind chills of -20 degrees or lower. We have had several of these extreme cold snaps this winter. It makes me think of the Psalmist’s words, “Who can stand against his freezing cold?” (Psalms 147:17)

There is a lot of talk these days about manmade “global warming” or “climate change”.  Despite what some politicians have to say about dire consequences unless we make drastic changes to our economy, there is an opposing scientific view. I have heard several well-known meteorologists claim that climate change is normal and not a result of our activities, among them John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel. I am not a meteorologist or scientist of any type, but I do have a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe including this small planet. He tells us, “As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night. (Genesis 8:22) I’ll take that as a “manufacturer’s warrantee”.

Dr. Gerald Schroeder is a scientist from MIT (retired now) in the field of atomic physics. He describes how God tweaked our planet to make life possible. Science has been able to determine how the earth could be formed with hydrogen and oxygen present to provide air and water, but they have not determined how the carbon molecule came to be here and without that life could not exist. The earth is in an orbit around the sun at exactly the correct distance for life to exist. The earth rotates on an axis that is tipped at the exact degree necessary for life. One degree in any direction and life would not exist here. Climate has been changing ever since the earth was formed. There is scientific evidence of an Ice Age and we know there was a world-wide flood that science has not been able to disprove. My point is that God went to a lot of trouble to make sure the life He created on this planet could exist and He will not allow humans to destroy it before He is ready to replace it with a new heaven and new earth. (Revelation 21:1) Our world, our lives and every other part of His creation is still in His hands. That is why I am not in a panic about this extreme cold.

It does give me another blessing to count, as my old furnace continues to produce heat and comfortable shelter from the cold. God is good in every situation.      

When I was a young man and a young Christian (more than a few weeks ago), I prayed for God to help me find His light and His righteousness. With the guidance and prompting of the Holy Spirit, I found them! They were in the most unlikely spot in the entire universe; deep inside my own heart.

I felt more clean, pure and refreshed than I had ever known before. His still small voice whispered, “This is what your heavenly Father sees when He looks in your heart. Because you accepted the sacrifice of His Son on the cross for your sins in 1954, His precious blood washed away your sins and your Father only sees the righteousness of Jesus. His light – the light of the world now shines brightly in you. Jesus is the light of the world, but when He left this world to return to heaven, he passed that light on to you and to each person who accepts Him as Savior. People around you won’t always understand the source of the light, but some will see the light radiating from inside you like the powerful beam of a lighthouse guiding them from rough waters to safety. Others may see the beauty of the light as though is was shining through a stained glass window. It is then that they all will feel the love you have in your heart for God and for them along with your other fruit of the Spirit. You are not perfect, but you have been redeemed and you are now God’s torch bearer.”

It was at that time that I realized the strong desire of my heart for a closer relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I was shocked to learn that God also longs for that same closer relationship with each of His children. Over the years our relationship has grown closer. One of my favorite gospel songs states, “Some call Him Savior, the redeemer of all men. I call Him Jesus for He’s my dearest friend.” I proclaim Jesus as my Lord and Savior and I pray every prayer in the name of Jesus, but when I commune personally with Him, I use the same name his mother used when she would call him to dinner – Yeshua. It just feels comfortable using his Hebrew name; the closest I come to having a special prayer language.  

This revelation I’m sharing with you is nothing for me to brag about; but it is something for which I remain eternally grateful.