Month: October 2022

After my wife died eight years ago, I began attending the noon Sunday service at Christian Life Center. That’s where I met Jeff, Jean and their son, Andrew. They invited me to meet them at a restaurant after church. It was a family meal that often included other members of their family when they could make it. They accepted me as a new member of their family at a time I needed it the most. In the summer, their granddaughter, Natalie, and her brother would come up to visit Jeff and Jean. Natalie was a pretty girl with a quiet smile that would light up the room. One Sunday, her brother had been picking on her and she was quietly pouting. I called her over and quietly told her not to ever let anyone take away her beautiful smile, not even her brother. I told her to just quietly smile at them when they try. It will drive them crazy.

Fast forward seven years to this past week. The family now lives in Georgia, but I’m still in touch with Jeff through emails and with Jean through Face Book.  Jean posted a photo of Natalie in her band uniform at school. Her smile was just as bright as I remembered it, but she has developed into a beautiful young woman now. I mentioned how much she had grown since I last saw her and Jean replied that she is just over six feet tall now. Seeing that photo brought back fond memories of those Sunday meals with that wonderful family. It had a great impact on my life.

Jane Goodall (famous for her work with primates in the wild) once wrote, “Every day of your life, you will have an impact on the world around you. You get to decide what kind of impact it will be.” Each Christian has a calling to have a positive impact on the world around us in our own special way. All we have to do is be obedient to our calling. Sometimes it will be lending a helping hand to someone who is struggling; sometimes it will simply be a smile or a sincere compliment. It doesn’t necessarily involve a lot of effort on our part and it may not seem like we are making an impact on the world at the time, but it can make a world of difference in the life of one person and they can pass it on to others. That family gave one old man their love and a reason to go on and now that positive impact is going out around the world in this blog. When God is involved, just be amazed at the impact you have on your world.

I feel sorry for those people who do not have God’s Holy Spirit in their life. They must struggle to steer their own life and keep it on course. I have mentioned before that there have been times since I became a Christian that I thought the road ahead was smooth and straight. I told God, “I can handle it from here” and slid behind the steering wheel of my life while the Holy Spirit curled up in the back seat without anything to do, asleep. Each time that happened, I quickly found myself mired in a ditch or on the wrong road, begging the Holy Spirit to take the wheel again and get me out of trouble.

I’m old enough to remember driving a vehicle without power steering. We take it for granted today, but without it you could really wear yourself out on a crooked road or a trip with a lot of turns; not to mention parallel parking. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit can steer our life with ease. Paul wrote, “The Spirit within you is the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.” Now that is power enough to steer any life through the most difficult situations and storms.

A friend told me about an incident on an icy winter road. The car was skidding out of control. She took her hands off the wheel, her foot off the brake, and asked God to take the wheel and get her stopped safely. The car came to a complete stop safely on the shoulder of the road without hitting anyone or anything.

 Is God in the driver’s seat of your life? If not, ask Him to take over and then, my brother of sister, sit back and enjoy the ride.

This past Thursday, i asked my caregiver what her favorite Bible verse is. Without hesitation she replied with Isaiah 54;17. “But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you.” I was a little surprised at first that she chose that verse, but then I realized that for someone who spends a lot of time in Chicago, that could be a very comforting promise. The very next day, I saw a warning about that verse. “Just make sure you are not the weapon turned against you.” I don’t believe in coincidence, so I think I am being prompted to write about those quotes.

First, lets make sure this promise applies to us as Christians and is directly from God. The next verse reads,  “These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of  the LORD. Their vindication will come from me.” This is a direct promise from God to Isaiah that includes all servants of God.The quote from Facebook is not,  but it does raise an interesting point. I don’t think it is referring to suicide. Have you ever felt like you have been your own worst enemy? That is one of Satan’s favorite ploys, to turn us against ourselves through negative thoughts and bad decisions.

I am reminded of accounts of Palestinian rockets being deflected and landing harmlessly in unpopulated areas. The people of Israel have created an industry by turning those rockets into jewelry and selling them to visitors.

Whether taken literally or spiritually,God’s promises are always true. I know that God has protected me from real danger and false accusations over my lifetime; even protected me from my own negative thoughts and bad decisions. He will protect you too as His son or daughter if you hold on to His promises.

I have quoted a lot of famous people in my blog, but never thought I’d be quoting Hollywood actor John Wayne. He said, “I’m only responsible for what I say, not what you understand.” Another quote about responsibility comes from former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz when asked the difference between the players he coached and today’s college athletes. “My players talked about responsibilities and obligations – today’s players talk about rights and privileges.” Why is it so important that we take responsibility for our words and actions?

We’ve all have known people who refuse to take responsibility for their actions or misunderstanding. They often find someone else to blame; society in general, or even you. I’m so glad my parents made me take responsibility for my own errors or disobedient actions. It seems a lot of parents are not doing that these days and the result is predictable and brutally obvious.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we also accept God as our heavenly Father. There are responsibilities as a son or daughter of God. Obedience is the most important. We are held responsible to obey God’s word. We are responsible to learn to recognize the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us and obey them. We are responsible to love others, even our enemies, and help them whenever possible. We are responsible to share our testimony and blessings with others. When obedience becomes a habit instead of a duty, living a Christian life becomes so much easier and enjoyable.

We are not responsible for the words and actions of others, but we will be held responsible for our reactions to people and situations around us. So make sure your reactions are Christ-like.

In  Psalms 119:105 the Psalmist proclaims, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Has the Bible lit your path lately? In my case, it has almost always given me enough bright, focused light to help me take my next step safely. The writer of the song, “His eye is on the sparrow” had that same feeling when she wrote, “When by the path He leadeth, only one step I may see.” Why doesn’t God show us the entire path to walk including our destination? I think He knows we would be so enthused about where we are going that we would stumble while taking that next step.

Imagine how the Jewish people felt when they took that first step between the walls of water at the Red Sea. They were probably thinking, “What if I sink in mud?” By faith they walked through on dry land. Also, when the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant to the Jordan river and were told to take the step into the swift river current. God stopped the river and all of the people crossed on dry land into the Promised Land. It only happened because of that first step of faith.

My Christian life has been taking one step at a time for the last 68 plus years. Even before I accepted Christ as my Savior, He has protected me and guided me toward where He designed me to be. Looking back on my life, I can clearly see every one of those steps was taking me to this blog. When we follow Jesus Christ, we must keep taking those steps He shows us. God is not pleased when we stop to enjoy our comfort zone. There have been times in my life when He has jerked me to my feet and forced me to take the next step out of my comfort zone. The Holy Spirit reminds me that I’m still on the right path I must take and when my next step is necessary. I cannot thank God enough for preparing me and guiding me to this blog. However, it is not my only service for Him. I can no longer help people with needed finances or physical help, but God has given me a spirit of empathy and understanding as I listen to my friends share their problems and then share mine with them to let them know they are not alone. Then we lift each other’s spirits and both feel better and lighter after sharing. We always find something to laugh about (usually our own silly experiences or actions). If I can reach people with this blog and put a smile on someone’s face each day, I feel my service to my Lord has been successful.

So, my Christian brother or sister, keep taking one step at a time until you arrive at the place God needs you to be and then bless as many people as you can with your God-given gifts.

A few years ago, one of my caregivers bought me a large coffee mug that I love. This Bible verse is painted on it; “In everything give thanks.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) I don’t usually question scripture, but when I first read it i thought, ‘Everything? Really?” Then I realized that it doesn’t say FOR everything give thanks, it says IN everything. There are things we encounter in life that we could never be thankful for; but in every situation there is always something for which to give thanks.

When we concentrate on those good things, it keeps us from griping about the bad things. God wants us to come to Him for help, but He does not like griping or complaining. The story in Exodus of Moses leading the Jewish nation out of bondage in Egypt is a great illustration. They were trapped at the Red Sea with the Egyptian army closing in to recapture them. God parted the sea so they could walk right through it and then closed it on their enemies. Having witnessed such a miracle you would think they would be praising God the rest of their life. Instead, they immediately began to complain about the wilderness they were traveling through. They complained there was no water and God provided a spring of water from a rock. They complained about being hungry, so God provided manna for them to eat daily. They complained about the manna and God gave them birds to eat. The more they complained, the more God led them in circles in the wilderness. They didn’t seem to appreciate anything God had done for them. Their ungratefulness and griping kept them from entering the Promised Land.

I used to think they were lost while in the wilderness, but Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, knew exactly where they were and he brought Moses’ wife to him and stayed for a brief visit. That large group of people would be hard to miss, even in the wilderness.

What lesson can we learn from that Bible account? We need to continually thank God for our blessings and depend on Him to handle the problems we encounter. The closer we get to Him, the sooner he will lead us through our wilderness experiences into the place He has for us. If the Jews had kept their attention on God and all that He did for them, they would have marched right through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. He will do that for us if we concentrate on His blessings instead of our current situation. It all goes back to what I have written before; count your blessings, not your trials.

I saw a quote from Tom Bodett yesterday. “They say that all you need to be happy in this world is; someone to love, something to do and something to hope for.” I guess Tom was a country philosopher before he did those motel commercials on TV. It is true, but it just isn’t nearly as simple as it sounds.

There are different kinds of love. We normally begin by loving our parents and other relatives. Then, if we are fortunate, we experience romantic love with our soul mate. Love between a husband and wife that lasts, has several levels of love and affection. When we encounter Jesus, we are guided by Him to love God with all of our heart, mind and soul, then love neighbors as much as we love ourselves. We experience the powerful love God has for us through His mercy and grace. The Greeks have several words for those different types of love. In English, the word love has all of those meanings and even more. If we enjoy ice cream, we say we love it too.

We need to do something for a living. We also need to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit within us to do what will please God and fulfill our purpose He has chosen for us. We need to continue to do something after we retire. I have seen people waste away and die before their time because they stop working and basically stop living.

There is nothing more wonderful for which to hope than eternity with our heavenly Father and His Son. Jesus will take us with Him into paradise, just like the thief next to Him on a cross. “Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”.

I have been blessed to know all of the forms of love. I have always had something to do to help my wife and others; to serve God; and to feel good about myself. It has all centered around my relationship with God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I wish that happiness for each of you reading this.

With all of the evil and turmoil in the world around us that seems to get worse every day, it is seemingly impossible for us to find peace of mind and, even more importantly, spiritual peace. With God all things are possible. With God it is not only possible, but it is much easier than you might think. It just takes three steps: let go, let God and be obedient to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

The hardest step is letting go. I have Christian friends who were so triggered by what they were encountering on social media that they gave it up completely. That is not what I mean by letting go. That is just trying to block out and ignore the lies about and attacks on Christian faith. The problem is that also blocks out the uplifting and worthwhile communication with our Christian friends online. Other friends have unfriended everyone who is not a Christian. That isolates us from the world and mutes our Christian witness. So what are we to do to find peace? The first step in letting go is to stop taking everything personally. Not everything you encounter is your monkey or your circus (an old Polish proverb). Then we can go to the second step of turning everything over to God to handle instead of trying to respond ourselves. When we turn it all to God, we cannot be triggered into a battle that isn’t even ours to fight.

We still have responsibilities and missions to perform as God’s children, so we can’t underestimate the importance of step three. God provides us with His Holy Spirit to prompt us to do and say what God expects of us. We don’t have to fight every battle, just fulfill our calling; the mission God has specifically chosen for each of us and let God do the rest.

One of my dearest friends was so peaceful at breakfast Saturday morning. He has stopped being triggered by others and has turned it all over to God so he can concentrate on his calling. He described the peace he is enjoying. I found that peace some years ago and I pray that each person reading this experiences it too.

The recliner with a power lift to help me transfer to my walker that my friends found and my church had delivered to me a couple of years ago began to fall apart and was no longer even comfortable to sit in. My friends (brothers and sisters in Christ) began to look for another more sturdy one. They found one for a very reasonable price and Saturday morning after our breakfast meeting, two of my friends dropped me off at home and went to look at it. They came back with the recliner a short time later. My friends had all chipped in to buy it and they were able to get it in the Tahoe one of them drives. It is great!

As I write this, I’m filled with praise for all of the wonderful people God has placed in my life since my wife died and for all they have done for me and mean to me. I have thanked each of them personally, but they all told me to thank God instead. It reminds me of what I used to tell people I helped in obedience to the Holy Spirit.

I have written before about counting our blessings instead of our trials. My list of blessings keeps growing to the point that if I tried to count them and thank God for each of them before bedtime, there would be no time left for sleep. When I write my blog, I make it a point to include the rough times as well as the good experiences that are part of the Christian life, but those rough times fade in the light of God’s continual blessings.

My brother or sister in Christ, be a blessing to others and let them know to thank God, not you. Then never take a single one of your blessings for granted.