Month: February 2022

While I was in rehab and for the few weeks I have been home I have been receiving a four word message repeatedly from the Holy Spirit. It is, “Love is the answer!” My inquisitive mind kept wondering what the question might be. My research turned up quite a few possibilities. I prayed about which question to write about in the blog. Then I realized that love is the answer to most questions we encounter living life as a Christian.

God is many things and the Bible tells us that one of them is love. It is His love for us that caused Him to send Jesus to Earth to die for our sins in our place so we could have eternal life (John 3:16). God’s mercy, grace and blessings we receive as His children are all demonstrations of His deep and abiding love.

Just as God’s actions toward us are guided by love, our actions as His children should also be guided by love. Jesus teaches us to love one another as brothers and sisters in God’s family; to love our neighbors; and to even love our enemies. In the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, Paul gives us a detailed definition of love that I have written about before, but it bears repeating so you may want to read that entire chapter again. He concludes that faith, hope and love will last forever and the greatest of them is love. Love is powerful when it is true to that definition.

Martin Luther King, Jr. encountered a lot of hatred. He rightly pointed out that hate will never drive out hate; only love can drive out hate, so he met their hatred and violence with love and peace. As a Christian boy growing up in a segregated city, I never heard Dr. King say anything I disagreed with because it was clear to me that the nonviolent protests of that movement were in accordance with God’s word and especially with Jesus’ teachings. The answer to racial injustice was love, not hate, and love is still the answer to our problems today.

Love may not be the solution to every problem we encounter or the answer to every question we might have, but from my long years as a Christian I can tell you with certainty that love will never make matters worse.    

I’ve never shared a story on my blog like this before, but this true story from the 1940sis is still relevant today. The couple told it to their grandson and he shared it with a Knoxville, TN, reporter and it has now showed up on social media.

A seminary professor was vacationing with his wife in Gatlinburg, TN. One morning, they were eating breakfast at a little restaurant, hoping to enjoy a quiet, meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. Finally, the man came over to their table. “Where are you folks from?” he asked in a friendly voice. “Oklahoma” they answered. “Great to have you here in Tennessee,” the stranger said. “What do you do for a living?” “I teach at a seminary,” he replied. “Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I’ve got a really great story for you.” And with that, the gentleman pulled up a chair and sat down at the table with the couple. The professor groaned and thought to himself, “Great … Just what I need .another preacher story!” The man began, “See that mountain over there (pointing out the window)?  Not far from the base of that mountain, there was a boy born to an unwed mother. He had a hard time growing up, because every place he went, he was always asked the same question, ‘Hey boy, who’s your daddy?’ Whether he was at school, in the grocery store or drug store, people would ask the same question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’ He would hide at recess and lunchtime from other students. He would avoid going into stores because that question hurt him so bad. “When he was about 12 years old, a new preacher came to his church. The boy would always go in late and slip out early to avoid hearing the question, ‘Who’s your daddy?” But one day, the new preacher said the benediction so fast he got caught and had to walk out with the crowd. Just about the time he got to the back door, the new preacher, not knowing anything about him, put his hand on his shoulder and asked him, “Son, who’s your daddy?” The whole church got deathly quiet. He could feel every eye in the church looking at him. Now everyone would finally know the answer to the question, ‘Who’s your daddy?’ “This new preacher, though, sensed the situation around him and using discernment that only the Holy Spirit could give, said the following to that scared little boy.. “Wait a minute! I know who you are! I see the family resemblance now. You are a child of God.” With that he patted the boy on his shoulder and said, “Boy, you’ve got a great inheritance. Go and claim it.” “With that, the boy smiled for the first time in a long time and walked out the door a changed person. He was never the same again. Whenever anybody asked him, ‘Who’s your Daddy?’ he’d just tell them, ‘I’m a Child of God.'” The distinguished gentleman got up from the table and said, “Isn’t that a great story?” The professor responded that it really was a great story! As the man turned to leave, he said, “You know, if that new preacher hadn’t told me that I was one of God’s children, I probably never would have amounted to anything!” And he walked away. The seminary professor and his wife were stunned. He called the waitress over and asked her, “Do you know who that man was — the one who just left that was sitting at our table?” The waitress grinned and said, “Of course. Everybody here knows him. That’s Ben Hooper. He’s the former governor of Tennessee!”  Someone needs to be reminded that they are a child of God. It may be you or someone you know. It just might be a life changing reminder.

I ran across this recently on social media. “A person’s most useful asset is not a head full of knowledge. It is a heart full of love; an ear willing to listen; and a hand willing to help others ” Although we should never sell  short the usefulness of  knowledge based on God’s word and personal experience, that statement puts them in the right order for a full and productive Christian life.

I have always had ears that are willing to listen, but I’m working on paying closer attention without my mind thinking of a reply or my solution. As a husband, it took me a while to realize when my wife would share with me something that was bothering her that she wasn’t looking for my solution, but just a willing, understanding ear. As a man, I thought I had to fix things for her even though I knew she was fully capable of handling it herself. There are definitely times when silence is golden. James, the brother of Jesus, had it right when he wrote, “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)  Job’s friends had it right when they silently sat with him for days without speaking. It was when they began to speak that they made matters worse for him  

At this point in my life, my spirit is still willing to provide a helping hand, so even though my body is weak I can still provide help to others by reaching out to them with encouragement and prayer Help doesn’t always have to be physical or even financial to be of great value to those around us .Strong people lift people who are weaker than them, instead of putting them down.

Every born again Christian is provided with a heart full of God’s love. Our acts of kindness are simply that love put into action. Love is not an object we possess; it is something we do and something we feel when others show their love for us through their actions. The Greeks have several words for different types of love. There is romantic love for our mate; brotherly love for our brothers and sisters in Christ; love for our parents and family members; and love for our neighbors and mankind in general.  In English we have that one four letter word to describe all of those and even a strong like of things (like ice cream or pizza). When we are filled with God’s love, those other kinds of love come so much easier.    

I have always tried to fill my head with knowledge and since the age of 13, I have not been afraid to share that knowledge with anyone who would listen – even large groups of people. Add to that 68 years living life with the Holy Spirit as my teacher and developing a deeper relationship with Jesus and our heavenly Father and I was ready to share what I know with you in this blog. I hope you find it both useful and encouraging.  

One of the hardest things for me to do as a child of God through Jesus Christ is to face attacks and false accusations about Christians without taking them personally and becoming angry. But Jesus tells us that we should be glad when that happens instead of angry or upset. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

I have more than 200 friends on Face Book whose level of faith range from devout Christians to avowed atheists. I expect a snide post occasionally from non-believers, but I am caught completely by surprise when a member of my church and someone I believe to be a Christian posts something negative. That happened recently when a friend from church with darker skin pigmentation than me posted a very negative post about Evangelical Christians. I responded that I thought he was one and he reacted with a laughing emoji.

Evidently, someone taught him that evangelical was a code word for “white racist fake Christian”. I then commented that I have been an evangelical Christian for 67 years and my experience does not match his definition. I explained that my definition of evangelical Christian is a born again child of God who wants to share their faith with others. I have never been fake in my Christian faith or racist and I never met any true believer of any race who was fake or racist, even in the segregated church I grew up in during the 1940s and 1950s,

I understand the stereotyping that caused him to believe that. Extreme racists in the South back then joined the KKK and claimed to be Christians, but their use of a burning cross to instill fear instead of love and their violent tactics were evidence the Holy Spirit was not in them. Those “white Christians” were lumped together with me and all true believers with light skin pigmentation. That is the reason all stereotypes are false. Skin color has nothing to do with the Christian faith or character of a person.  After all, color is only skin deep. As you can see, I don’t like to use white or black when it comes to describing race unless it is in quotes. Those adjectives are designed to divide and make us believe we are as different as night and day; of course we aren’t.

How should we react to such harsh, negative and untrue statements? First, we should rejoice that we are worthy of the same treatment Jesus and the prophets faced. Then, we should follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We should simply state our true position without anger, accusation or argument or ignore it and move on as the Holy Spirit dictates. What we should not do is take it personally, even when they try to make it personal, or get into an argument, which is exactly what they want. We have God’s Holy Spirit to guide us in every situation . As long as we obey Him, we can’t go wrong. .  .

I want to share one more post about lessons God has taught me during my battle with the Covid virus. The first lesson is how important it is to have Christian friends or family close around you to keep you accountable and look after your wellbeing. I was grateful for the wonderful people God has placed in my life, especially after my wife died, but they literally saved my life by getting me to the hospital in time. The virus seemed mild to me, but the more serious effects were visible to them and they knew I needed immediate medical help. I was so weak that I have no memory of most of the two weeks in the hospital. I don’t remember even one of the many tests they ran on me. I don’t even remember several phone conversations I had with one of my friends about those tests. I know they found a blood clot in one of my legs, but I have no idea how they discovered it. I have never had a blackout like that before and I pray I never have another one. Always thank God for the Christiian people He has put in your life and never ignore their observations, whether it is about your physical or spiritual wellbeing.

I wrote about another lesson in my first post after getting back home. It is taking one day at a time; letting God proceed to guide or heal you at His pace.  His timing is always perfect. Don’t fret about the past or worry about the future; just take things as they come today and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Your life can change in an instant, so don’t ever take things or people for granted. Nothing takes God by surprise, so stay close to Him in prayer and worship.

Being completely away from my home life for five weeks, I was anxious to get back, but what I returned to was one problem after another. My home phone, TV and internet connection that are bundled were all shut off for nonpayment of two bills that arrived while I was gone. My other utilities were behind but not shut off. My mail had not been checked and delivery was halted and on top of that I couldn’t find my mail box key. When my mail was picked up by a friend, there was a letter from VA saying I made too much money in 2020 for benefits, but did not specify what benefits. (It turned out to only be transportation to the hospital, which was covered by Medicare instead.) There was also a bill from a doctor at the hospital for $830.00. (That was also covered by Medicare) God and my friends helped me tackle one of them at a time until they were all resolved without me returning to the hospital with a nervous breakdown. God taught me it is not just one day at a time, but one thing at a time.

Friday morning my brothers in Christ and I resumed our weekly breakfast fellowship. I missed it and my blog even more than I imagined and it is so good to have both of them in my life once again. It reminded me how important fellowship with others is to a healthy Christian life. The old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” really rings true for me right now. It is so good to be in my home and feeling healthy again.

Whatever you face, face it with God at His pace with His timing. He will never let you down         

The rehab center where I was placed for three weeks of rehabilitation is also a nursing home so the others in physical therapy with me were all around my age, but of course I felt like the youngster of the group. That is until one evening as I watched TV in my room and I felt cold. I asked for a blanket to put around me. There I sat in a wheelchair wrapped in a blanket and I thought, “Am I that old?” The answer from God was clear, “Yes you are my child. Why do you ask?”

Don’t get me wrong, getting old doesn’t bother me. It is the side effects of aging that are the irritation. My body gets older and begins to wear out, but my spirit and mind are still young and energetic. You look at me and you see an old man with bad knees, but inside I’m still that eleven year old boy who gave my life to Jesus. I’m still that young airman at the altar watching my beautiful bride come down the aisle with her father. I’m still the energetic man who has served my Lord and walked with Him throughout my life In spite of my limitations now.

I read some time ago that when an elderly person dies, a library of information is burned to the ground and lost. I have determined that I don’t want to let that happen in my case. I write this blog to share with you all that I’ve learned from others and from my own personal experience so it is not lost. I want younger Christians to know what I know about God as a result of my personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. I want to share it all with you including the good and bad; my mistakes and my victories; trials and temptations and God’s eternal grace and love that have brought me through this life so far.

One of my favorite passages of scripture that describes aging children of God is found in Psalms 92:14. “Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green.”

The old man is back after two weeks in the hospital and three weeks in rehab for Covid Omicron. My symptoms seemed so mild that dehydration and/or low blood sugar sneaked up on me and almost took me out before I knew what hit me. Fortunately my friends saw my weakening condition and got me to the hospital in time. That variant seems to affect each person differently. It seems like everyone I talk to who have had it have had different symptoms.

 After five years of posting twice a week, I have really missed sharing with you these past five weeks and I hope you have missed my blog too. My recovery is definitely the result of the prayers that have gone out for me across this country and around the world and God’s quick answer to them. Because my friends have shared my blog and my situation with their brothers and sisters in Christ, I know at least five churches that I have never set a foot in have been praying for my recovery. Even if I didn’t know about it, I have felt those prayers every step of my recovery. God isn’t done with me yet and I feel stronger and healthier now than I did before I got sick.

I had to fight my natural instinct to try to rush things. Instead, I put it on God’s perfect timing. He reminded me of a song Christy Lane released in 1981. Every night in the hospital and rehab I sang these words and it helped me sleep peacefully.
“I’m only human. I’m just a man. Help me believe in what I can be and all that I am. Show me the stairway I have to climb. Lord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time. One day at a time sweet Jesus, that’s all I’m asking of you. Teach me today, show me the way, what I have to do. Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine, so for my sake teach me to take one day at a time. Do you remember when you walked among men? Jesus you know, if you’re looking below, it’s worse now than then. Pushing and shoving, crowding my mind, Lord for my sake teach me to take one day at a time. One day at a time sweet Jesus that’s all I’m asking of you. Give me the strength to do every day what I have to do. Yesterday’s gone sweet Jesus and tomorrow may never be mine, so for my sake teach me to take one day at a time.”