The Phone Call

I am reminded today of the scripture in Genesis where Isaac sowed in a time of famine, and reaped a hundred fold return. (Genesis 26:12) As I sit outside on my balcony, the sky is overcast. The air has a slight chill, with a hint of fall on the horizon. I am praying and studying the word of God. My mind is also running in several different directions.

I think about the phone call I had last night. I get one from him every night. It was my seven year old grandson. The boy has the gift of gab. I say he inherited it from his mom, who likes to talk, and from his late great grandmother, who passed away several years before he was born. Zach likes to talk, and last night he was on a roll. But his subject threw me. I'm not sure where he got his ideas, who he had been listening to. Could it be that God was speaking to the boy? I think of Samuel, who heard the voice of the Lord at an early age.

He was talking about helping the poor. He spoke of how the church (of which he is a part of, and I serve as pastor) needs to be more involved in helping the poor. And we need to be more involved in missions work, and in giving to missions. He went on with several ideas about fundraising. I listened, and wondered. I felt challenged, but was thinking of my own needs, and the needs of the church.

The economy is down. People aren't working. We are doing all we can to stay above water. I wanted to tell him these things, but didn't have the heart to speak negatively about helping the poor or missions work. I didn't want to tell him that I wanted to do more, it just wasn't possible right now. I didn't want to dishearten little man, which I affectionately call him. After all, he is right. We need to do more.

Last night's phone call is stuck in my head, in my mind. And as I think about it today, I am reminded of this verse in Genesis. Isaac sowed when it didn't look like the right thing to do, or the right time to do it. He sowed anyway. He gave, and he kept on giving. He was faithful to serve, and faithful to expect. He believed God would produce a bountiful harvest. And God did!

I am thankful for the phone call last night. I am blessed by the child like faith and the enthusiasm. I am challenged in these times to give more, do more, pray more, be more!

Sifting and Shifting

The shift is on! God is taking us to new levels. It is exciting to sense the move of God in our midst, and to know He is moving in His church. As believers, we sometimes get stuck. Stuck in traditions, stuck in our mindsets, stuck in doing the same old things over and over, and yet expecting different results. When a fresh wind from heaven moves over us, it picks us up and carries us to new and exciting things.

The church must be on the move, we must not become stagnant. When God moves, we must move with Him. But we also need to understand that with the new shifting comes new sifting. Not everything that you carried at the last stage will go to the next one. Some things will remain behind. There will also be some people who will no longer be attached. They may be family, they may be long time friends. But when relationships get toxic, God will move them out of the way. Some will hold you back, will postpone or detour your destiny. God dealt with Abraham about this separation, and He dealt with others. Joseph went through a process that was brought on by the evil acts of his brothers, but God used it for a Divine Purpose, in order to get him to the intended place.

The process of preparation in your life is just that, it is a process. Some will abandon you, thinking you are a sinking ship. You may feel as if you are in a prison. But take heart, it is only a cocoon. It is a birthing chamber. In the pit, in the prison, in the fiery trial, God is developing you, molding you, shaping you. You are on the potter's wheel that the prophet Jeremiah spoke of.

Take heart. Change is coming. Transformation is coming. God is working on you, and He's working in you!

Snakes in the House

A man in nearby Asheville NC is being charged after it was discovered his mobile home was filled with venomous snakes, some of which there is no known antivenom, and extremely dangerous. The man had checked himself into the emergency room of an area hospital, and the investigation began. He had been bitten by one of the snakes.

As I read this story in the local news, I thought about how similar this is to real life. We often bring poisonous things into our home, with little or no regard for their danger. Our negative attitudes can be destructive to ourselves, and everyone around us. The choices of sin lead us into the pit of poison. Bitterness is another-- in fact, one of the words used to define the word bitter is to poison. Compromise, indifference toward God, ungodly lusts and habits are other dangerous snakes.

If you have "snakes in the house" you need to get them out. They will eventually bite you. They are not your friend. They are full of poison. Its time to destroy toxic relationships, and anything that can potentially kill you. This included the company you keep, the things you see on the tv screen or computer, and the relationships you carry.

Get rid of the snakes in the house before they get rid of you!

Hurting People Hurt People

Any journey through life will bring your share of hurts. There will be misunderstandings- in the home and family. Your spouse may feel neglected, you may sense that you are treated unfairly by your parents. You may have conflict with a sibling. Friendship squabbles are also difficult. They sometimes turn into wars, with people taking sides, and the hurt becoming more entrenched in their pain, and in their anger.

It is easy to preach from the sidelines to those whose response is coming from a hurtful situation. Grow up, stop acting childish. Get over it, we often preach. Sometimes the words we say, although carrying a measure of truth, only serve to make the pains deeper and the hurt person more engrossed in their feelings. It's somewhat like telling someone who has lost a loved one to just get over it. The fact is, that not everyone is able to deal with hurt and misunderstandings at the same pace.

I am not advocating petting and pampering someone who only wants your sympathy votes, and is stirring up a mess with their gossip and lies in the process. The truth I seek to drive home is that often times we are in a process of healing, and we are not there yet.

I know personally the feelings of rejection. Being raised in a large family, and the oldest child, I sometimes felt lost in the family. Some of the problems as a child, I carried into my adult years. So I can sympathize with those who feel as if they have been overlooked, rejected, or been hurt by words or actions. While I may not agree with their handling or reaction, I feel compassion for them.

I know it hurts. Its possible they didn't mean to hurt you. Its also possible they did. Either way, I am pulling for you. You are a good gift, have tons of potential inside you. God wants to heal your hurts today.

Be Blessed, in Jesus' name!

Don't Quit

At numerous times in the past I have used this poem, both for personal strength, and to strengthen others. It is an encouraging word to those who may feel like giving up. This poem is not my own. Its author is unknown. I share it today in the hope that it will help you hang in there.

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;
It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

(Author unknown)

Don't Poop on My Parade

I often get my thoughts through various experiences of life. Such is the case today. I am sitting outside of my camper at Ocean Lakes, just outside of Myrtle Beach, SC. It is one of the most enjoyable and relaxing things we do. We absolutely love the opportunity to get away, even if just for a few days.

I set up a little tent outside the camper for extra space, just in case it would be needed. Next to the tent is our vehicle. I glance over at the tent, and notice there is bird poop all over it. Looking beyond to the Tahoe, I see bird poop all over the side of it, as well. In fact, upon further investigation, there is bird mess on the door panel (the window was down) and inside the doorway to the tent. Directly above is a power line. Several birds are there as I look up.

The birds remind me of life. There are times when in the midst of our enjoyment, something messy happens. Some stink occurs. It is not due to a fault or anything we have done, it just happens. It was caused by another. And it will need to be cleaned up by you. You didn't do it, you didn't cause it, but if it gets clean, you will be the one to clean it. I remember last year during our vacation time. When I returned home, I had to deal with several "messy" situations in the church I pastor. None of which were due to something I had done. And I will admit, I have made more than my share of problems, lol. But isn't it like the devil to try to steal your joy and peace, and often times just after, or during, your blessing!

I wrote a little poem. It is just a humorous attempt on my part to make light of what is going to be some scrubbing on the tent and car. Here goes:

"Birdie, birdie, up so far.
Why'd you do this on my car?
On my brand new camping tent,
And even inside your stinky went.
They parked my camper beside the power line,
Otherwise, all would be fine.
I'm on vacation
For planned relaxation,
Instead this vexation.
Here I am stressing
Because of your messing."

Has your parade, er uh, vacation ever been pooped on? Like me, you have more than likely faced times when things happened that were not of your doing, and it got dirty and messy. Maybe like myself, you wanted the bird that caused the mess to clean it up, but you knew it wasn't going to happen. I'm just here to tell you to move on. Clean up the mess. It's life. It happens. Get over it.

Y'all be blessed!

Flawed Friends

Have you ever noticed that we want our friends to become to us what we've never become to them? In fact, we expect them to be what we could never be to anyone-- perfect. Perfect is being without flaw. A perfect friend never is unfair, never treats you wrongly, never overreacts to a situation. A perfect friend is just that... perfect in every way. But that person doesn't exist. Truthfully, you don't have any perfect friends, and you are not one yourself.

You may have friends of whom you've never had a fight with. There may be those with whom you seem to hit it off. That is great! We all need friends that are special to us. Everyone needs a friend that will stand with him through thick and thin. A friend that will go to battle with them, believe in them, and encourage them, no matter what they have done or are going through. But even that friend falls short of the perfection mark. We just tend to overlook, ignore, or are purposely blind to their shortcomings.

My wife and I are away on vacation. Our grandson, his mom, and dad are with us, as are some friends. Zach, the grandson, Samuel, and Sydney Grace were collecting seashells yesterday as the sun was going down. It was for a project for my daughter Ti Ti, who leads Kid's Church back home. They returned with some perfect sea shells, among others that were imperfect. What they don't know is that Samuel and Sydney Grace's dad had bought an assortment of sea shells in the camp store, and planted them so as to help their project. The perfect shells to them weren't formed from the ocean, the grind of the water, waves, and rocks. Truthfully, I've never studied their formation. I just know most of the seashells you pick up at the beach are cracked, chipped, or have an imperfect form. Like my friends... and like me.

Job was going through the crisis of a lifetime. Calamity after calamity, trial after trial had hit. His finances, his home, tragic loss of lives and property, and his health were all affected. He was having wife problems. He needed his friends, but they weren't there initially. And when they showed up, they said nothing. Things got worse when they finally spoke to him. They played the blame game. Instead of encouragement, came accusations. Job called them "physicians of no value." Physicians are supposed to help heal, aren't they? Job's friends had become his frenemies-- friend enemies. Do you have frenemies? Have you become one?

Before Job could be restored, he had to pray for those flawed friends. I believe he had to forgive them. So must you and I. We are flawed, we are imperfect. Our shell is cracked, fragmented, and chipped. But Jesus loves us anyway. We should love one another as He has loved us!

Lord, thank you for my flawed friends today. Bless them, I pray. And forgive me when I hurt them. In Jesus' name, amen!