Why?

I was just here at work thinking about the 17 different people that I have seen today in my store. It's an odd thing, but not one of these 17 people were anything like the other. It would be impossible to play, "One of these things is not like the other" because of the 17, the only thing that they had in common was coming into my shoe store and talking to me.









Most of my days, I spend the majority of my time with my thoughts, and yes they do tend to revolve around me and my world...as I'm sure that your thoughts mostly revolve around you and your world. And in my world, everyone has the same thoughts as me...after all this is "my world" where I am the center.

I guess that the really amazing thing is to see the differences in humanity, I mean there is such diversity even within the races. God must really love variety, because He sure made this world full of it...well there's that...strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

Who's Word Will You Believe?

It has been a while since I posted anything here, but as I was reading the headline in my local newspaper today, I was struck with this thought. "Who's Word Will You Believe?" The headline in the newspaper was "Stricter Rules to Deal with H1N1". For those of you who don't know what "H1N1" is, it is also called the swine flu. We almost had hysteria last year because of this virus, and it appears that the CDC (Center for Disease Control) is already putting information out there under the guise of helping inform the people. I think there is something more nefarious going on here, and I think it needs to be addressed.

Now for those of you who possibly don't know, I am a Christian. A disciple and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I make no bones about it, it is who I am. So understand that everything I'm about to say is based on my belief in Jesus. Whether or not you agree, or disagree with me is immaterial, I just want you to know before you read any further.

Jesus, the Bible tells us took stripes on His back to purchase our physical healing. (1Peter 2:24) We do not have to be worried or fret about whether or not we will contract some disease if we will believe what God's Word says in regards to healing and walk in it. In other words, I choose to believe what God's Word says about mine and my family's physical health, and that is, that we can walk totally carefree of whatever the CDC is talking about concerning their latest threat of sickness. We can and do walk in this freedom every day.

I read a story about another Christian, a man named John G. Leake who worked with people who were dying of the bubonic plague. Here is an excerpt about him from his book "How To Be Filled With Spiritual Power":

For five years in South Africa, John G. Lake displayed the greatest spiritual power seen since the days of Jesus — not only for others but also for himself. While assisting doctors during a bubonic plague outbreak, he was asked why he had not contracted the disease since he had used none of their medical protection. He said, "it is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." To demonstrate, he had them take live bubonic plague germs still foaming from the lungs of a newly dead person and put them in his hands and then examine the germs under a microscope. They were dead.

This is a desire of my heart, to walk in this type of power. One thing that I know is that Jesus is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34) and that whatever He would do for John G. Leake, He will do for me and my family as well. And not only that, He will do it for you and your family too! What it boils down to is this, who's report are you going to believe?

In other words, Who's Word Will You Believe? The world's? It says that you have to watch out and be extra careful that you don't become infected with the swine flu. That is full of fear, and fear will keep you from attaining the promises of God. Or will you believe God's Word, and walk in faith holding nothing back? One produces fear, the other faith, and the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

To bottom line this for you...you have a choice of who's words you will believe. And depending on what you choose will determine what you have in your life. Remember God told us in the Bible that He set before us life and death, blessing and cursing, but that we should choose life. And that is what my family and I will be doing instead of worrying about what the CDC has to say. Strength and honor for the Kingdom and the King!

I'm Afraid That I'm Becoming Obsolete

You know that now we've been in the 21st Century for a few years, I'm becoming more and more aware that I may be in danger of becoming obsolete.

As I watch society and see the changes that have been rocketing us into a new place, I find that my thoughts tend to not fit in as well as they used to. For instance, tattoos have become common place. People are getting tattoos so fast the ink hardly has a chance of drying before they are getting another one. I for one, do not like tattoos. I remember the days when the only people that got tattoos were soldiers, prisoners and your crazy Uncle Louie (name made up to protect the innocent) who thought it might be fun to get one. Now kids are hardly out of grade school and they are designing the tat they are going to get as soon as they can. And I'm labeled a crack pot, or fool because I don't like them.

Another thing is society's pre-occupation with the "coolness" of being gay or lesbian. I personally believe that it is wrong. That is "my" opinion, which I am entitled to have. I have friends that are in the gay/lesbian camp. The friends that I have there I consider to be really good friends of mine, and I love them deeply. But I do have to say, I don't understand their decision. And I know that it is their decision to make, and if I'm to stay their friend I have to accept them and the decision they have made. I don't have to agree with it, but I love them and will continue my relationship because of my love for them.

Yet, I don't understand this whole gay/lesbian attitude to force people to accept them. It seems for the most part, and I know that I am talking in the general sense here, that if I don't accept the gay/lesbian way of thinking, and make their point of view my point of view, then my ideas, my thoughts and my opinions are labeled as hateful ones, and not worthy of any time in the debate. My obsolete opinion is just trod under foot as that of an un-enlightened primative man's musings and therefore not worth anything.

I'm in danger of becoming obsolete, because I think that a man should be a man and stand up for what is right and true in life. I'm really tired of special interest groups telling everyone else what to believe, and that if they don't agree with them then they are wrong. I'm in danger of becoming obsolete because the world doesn't want real men anymore. In the world's eyes there is no need for men. We should all be androgynous beings, not really male or female, just beings who "love" each other.

What happened to the men that fought in World War II? What would happen if we were forced to re-instate the draft and go to war in the near future? Would there being any men left to go to war? Or would they be too concerned with getting along with everyone and just refuse to fight injustice? Sometimes there is a peace that only comes at the end of a sword, I don't like it, but that is just the way it is. There are bad people in the world that want nothing more than to kill as many people as get in there way. The only way to stop them is for someone to stand between them and the innocent. That takes real men, and this way of thinking is becoming obsolete.

I may be in danger of becoming obsolete as a man in this 21st century, but let me say one thing...I will not become obsolete without a fight. There is one man here who is willing to stand against injustice, and the will of special interest groups who fight unfairly. I am that man, and will continue to be that man until they finally cover my grave with dirt. So, who's with me? Strength and honor....

What's The World Coming To? You Choose.

Okay, so last night I'm watching a little bit of Law and Order Criminal Intent on Bravo, when this commercial comes on for chemistry.com. It's one of their "I promise to...." commercials with couples that have met on the website making promises to each other in various public places.

So I've been seeing these for a while, and to tell the truth, I wasn't really paying too much attention to it, and chose to get up and grab a cup of coffee. I hear this guy saying something like, "I promise to never play the martyr role....", and then the strangest thing, I hear another male voice promising something back to the first male voice. At this point, I quit pouring my cup of coffee, and looked at the screen. I must admit that I was shocked at what I saw there in living color on my television. There are two guys standing there holding hands in a market and promising things to each other.

Now, now before you say it, I'll just go on record and say that I do not subscribe to homophobia, nor do I think of myself as a homophobe. Here is the definition of homophobia: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals. I do not fear nor have an aversion to, or discriminate against homosexuals in any way. We as part of humanity have all been created in the likeness of God and that likeness is a spiritual one. Yet I will go on record as disagreeing with their life's choices, just I would if I saw someone who was an alcoholic, or a man beating his wife and children. Which unless I'm mistaken is still my right to do in America...at least for a little while.

What I do disagree with, and have an aversion to is this type of blatant, in your face tactic to push the homosexual agenda forward. I do understand that for chemistry.com this was probably a business decision to cater to the homosexual demographic, thus increasing their marketshare and making them more money. I guess kudos to them for reaching out...but what I think bothers me the most here is that it is just one more thing in bringing this minority to the forefront, making people think that it is really the majority.

The real problem here is that from my side of the fence (an overtly Christian viewpoint), homosexuality is usually attacked by hurling insults, Scripture and homophobic rhetoric and not viewing it for what it really is...a choice. I seem to remember somewhere in the Bible where we are told that life and death, blessing and cursing are set before us, we are then told to choose life, but ultimately we are the ones who must choose. God does not force His will upon us, and neither should we force our will upon others...no matter which side of the fence we are on....strength and honor....

I Used To Fit In With The World

I was on my way to work yesterday, it was time once again to inventory the shoe store. On the way to work I was listening to my truck's radio and there were people talking about recycling our trash. They actually used the words "good trash" and "bad trash". Okay so here it is the definition of the word "trash" - rubbish: worthless material that is to be disposed of. Okay that is according to Webster's Dictionary.

As I decided that I had heard enough of that station, I changed it to another local station, and heard them talking about how "green" our city is. They used the phrase, "green footprint", meaning how well we are protecting the enviroment. I must admit, that I did not really understand what any of these people were talking about. I used to fit in with the world, but apparently not any more. I felt like an old, used up has-been from another era listening to those radio broadcasts.

I personally believe that "going green" and recycling everything under the sun is an excercise in futility. Let me explain what I mean by that. According to

2 Peter 3:7 & 10 (7)By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (10)But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

I say that it is an excercise in futility because of the fact that one day it will all be burned up in the day of judgement. This planet that people are feverishly trying to save, will be destroyed eventually...and no matter how big a green footprint we leave, it is not going to stop it.

This is not to say that I think we should willingly pollute the enviroment, no not at all. If you would take a look inside the cab of my truck you would realize that I think littering is a bad thing. So much so, that I would rather ride around with a bunch of trash in the floorboard than to throw it out.

I guess my question is this, what are we really teaching this younger generation? That if they seperate clear plastics from dark plastics it makes them a better person? How? What is the agenda here really? It seems to me to be more about "how" it makes the person who is doing it feel, than actually about the "what" it does for the enviroment.

I'm just becoming obsolete as a member of society I guess, not that that's really a bad thing...the way society is going. I'll keep my enviroment clean of trash, (I learned that from the crying Indian) but I'm not going to recycle...I'll leave that for the "feel good" generation....

Stand Up

Okay, so I'm not a fan of beauty pagents, and I don't watch them. But apparently this last Ms. USA pagent has had some controversy surrounding it. I watched the clips where Perez Hilton, this guy who's claim to fame is that he is some type of celebrity blogger was a judge for the pagent. He asked Ms. California a question did she think all states should allow gay marriage.
Her answer was that while she thought everyone was entitled to choose, her opinion was that marriage can only be between a man and a woman.

The thing that I find interesting is then a day or two later he is referring to her using the "b" word and the "c" word. I'm wondering what she did to deserve such horrid and deragitory treatment. She answered his question in a way that he didn't like! What has this world come to when we are asked what our opinions are and then we are blasted because we didn't answer in the way the person asking for our opinions wanted us to?

This little poser boy should be taken to task for his treatment of her. Where are all the women's groups? They have been mysteriously quiet as this girl has been raked over the coals. If she had been raped physically by Perez Hilton there woud be all types of outcries...wouldn't there? He has verbally raped her, and don't think it is anything other than that. He has violated her as a person, not caring the least bit for her heart. No, all he is doing is trying to get a little bit bigger piece of fame and fortune for himself, and I for one am sickened by the lack of support for this girl who stated her mind.

Okay, so I'm a little worked up today over this, because it seems that if we stand up and say what we believe and it doesn't match up to the main stream of society then we are treated as lepers or outcasts. I for one, would much rather spend time with lepers and outcasts than the mainstream of society with its small view of a person's heart.

So hear my battle cry today, "Stand up! Stand up for what is good, honest and decent! Don't cower down to the main stream of society that says you are a bigot if you don't agree with them! Stand up and look evil square in its face and call it what it is. No more should we stand idly by while all that is good, virtous and true get trampled in the name of getting along! Stand up and speak the truth in love all the while keeping your spine stiff and straight as the onslaught of popular opinion crashes into you like a wave!"

I'm reminded of the quote, "All it takes for evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing." (Dave's paraphrase) It's time for those of us who are tired of the main stream of society to get out there and divert the flow of it away from what is good and true, and aim it in the direction of where it really needs to go, the sewer.

Where are the leaders?

Okay, so I've just gotta get this off of my chest. It's really been bothering me, and to be quite honest if I don't get it out, I think I might literally explode.

WHERE ARE ALL THE LEADERS?

I mean come on, I wonder where all the leaders are nowadays. When I was growing up back in the late sixties and early seventies, we knew who the bad guys were because of the way they acted. Now that I'm forty-five, I wonder if anyone really knows who the bad guys are. What I've seen doesn't lead me to believe they do.

When my childhood hero John Wayne fought against the bad guys in the movies he was in, you could always tell who they were. For the most part it was simple, they were the guys who were trying to tell other people what to do. Things really haven't changed that much in all these years. The bad guys still are telling people what to do.

In the movies, the bad guys would start messing with folks, and some good guy would ride in and take care of them. One of my favorite scenes of all times is in the movie "True Grit". John Wayne plays a crotchity old guy named Rooster Cogburn. He's been hunting this particular bad guy for a while, and it's time for the showdown. Rooster hollars at the man, "Fill your hands you s.o.b.!" and taking the reigns into his mouth he charges his horse across the field firing a rifle from one hand and a pistol from the other.

What I love about this scene is that Rooster Cogburn just takes care of business. He doesn't wait for a comittee meeting, or worry if the political pundits will say anything negative about his decision. He just takes care of business, like a leader should.

In this day and age, we need leaders both men and women to stand up and do right because it's the right thing to do, not because it might make it onto the news and make them look better. Where are the leaders? I'm not sure, but I know this...if John Wayne were still alive, he'd probably have a big job using his boot to get his point across...strength and honor....

Life Gets In The Way

You know today I was working on a message that I'm going to share with a men's group next week. It's all about how it is important that as men we have a band of brothers that we can depend on.

As I was writing my thoughts down, I realized that I was going to tell the men that one of the things that they need to do to make it work is to be sure and find time for each other outside of church and bible studies.

I for one, have a real hard time making this happen, although I am making better strides at this year than ever before. It's just that it seems that life is always getting in the way.

I mean you want to get together with a couple of buddies and hang out around a campfire, but you've gotta do something at work that takes all night, or you have work around the house to get to. It always seems to be something.

What I've done that has really helped this year is to actually schedule my times of hanging out with my buddies. I don't take it for granted that we'll get together, I make it a priority and put it down in my scheduler...and you know what? I'm finding that life is not getting in the way nearly as much now...

Okay, so there's that...strength and honor.....

A Tribute To One of My Fathers in the Faith

On Sunday March 15, 2009 a great man passed from this life to the next. Richard Large is his name, and I say “is” because while he may not be here on this planet any longer, he is in the presence of Jesus very much alive and well.

I met Richard on an Easter Sunday in 1987 at Hillcrest Christian Fellowship in Muskogee, Oklahoma. I had decided to go to church that Easter because of a girl that I was dating at the time. (Okay, so God uses foolish things.) I remember thinking that if I was going to go to church, I had better buy some dress clothes and a Bible, so I did just that, and on that Easter Sunday, I marched right into that church full of bravado and arrogance, finding a seat that was right in front of the podium, thinking to myself, “I bet this guy doesn’t know anything more than I know about God, so we’ll just see what he has to say.”

You must understand, I grew up in the Methodist church learning all the mechanics of what Jesus did by dieing on the cross and being raised from the dead on the third day. What I didn’t learn was at the heart of why Jesus did that for us through His sacrifice. It was precisely that which Richard spoke about that day.

I must have looked pretty silly when my chin hit my chest that morning, because he did show me things that I had never seen before. I continued going to church after that every time the doors were open, and it wasn’t too many weeks later while we were at an after church fellowship that he did something which completely changed my mind about Christianity forever. While we were fellowshipping around the dining room table that night, I asked if anyone would mind if I lit up a cigarette. (I was a two pack smoker then.) Richard and his wife Ducky looked right at me, and with love in their eyes said, “No, not at all.”

That one sentence was the beginning of what changed my life. It so shocked me that I forgot to light up. I did ask Richard however, “What is this born again thing that you are always talking about?” And he instructed me to go get my Bible out of my car and he would show me. I’m pretty sure that they all began to pray for me as I left the room.

When I returned he had me to turn to Romans 10:9-10 and read it to the group, which I did. He then began to explain what these scriptures meant. I didn’t ask Jesus to be my Lord right then, but that night as I sat cross legged on my bed, I re-read those scriptures over and over until I finally decided that this was for me. I confessed Jesus as my Lord and Saviour right there on my bed and was catapulted from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of light.

I continued to serve at Hillcrest Christian Fellowship for many more years working on the praise and worship team, in children’s ministry and with the youth. I met my wife Cheryl there and it was Richard who performed our wedding ceremony. There are two things that I remember vividly about Richard Large, and they are 1) whenever listening to a teacher, or studying the Bible never take anyone’s word for anything, always find at least two or three witnesses for everything (this is something that has kept me from trouble on more than one occasion) and 2) Plod on, Plod on, Plod on. (This was a poem that Richard wrote. It had only six words in the stanza, but you could repeat as many stanzas as you needed until the situation you were in was resolved.)

Richard Large was a great man, one without whom I probably would have never accepted Jesus. He is the first Pastor I ever had, and has always had a special place in my heart. I will miss him, even though we haven’t spoken in years. I look forward to the day when I will be able to sit with him and share once more how grateful I am for all he did for me.

You are more than you think you are...

I've been pondering some stuff lately and one of those things is that we are definately more than we think we are. If we are not careful, we will only see one view of ourselves, and that is from the outside in.

There is a danger in only looking from the outside in, and that is that the outside changes from day to day. I mean think about it, how'd you look 20 years ago? I know that I was in a completely different shape 20 years ago than I am now.

What we have to train ourselves to do is to look at ourselves like God looks at us, from the inside out. When God looks at us, He sees the Jesus in us. And the really exciting thing is that while we are changing on the outside (usually for the worse) on the inside we are getting better and better, as long as we are being doers of God's Word.

We have to begin to see ourselves as He sees us. We have to find those scriptures that talk about who we are in Christ, and then begin to say that about ourselves, because after all that is the truth. There are approx. 130 scriptures in the New Testament that tell you who you are, what you have and what you can do in Christ. Find them, and begin to say that about yourself and you will see your inside man (the real you) begin to rise up and be what God says you are.

We are definately more than we think we are....we are what God's Word says we are....strength and honor....

Dave

Daddy's Just Not Funny Anymore

This morning I was getting ready for work when my thirteen year old daughter walked past me on the way to the laundry room to get some clothes out of the dryer. She had a towel wrapped up on her head in a beehive style trying to get it dry. I made a comment about the towel (which I thought was humorous) and yet she walked right on by never even acknowledging that I was even there.

It dawned on me then that my children (all teenagers)no longer think that I'm funny. My kids love me of that I have no doubt, but I have come to realize that where I used to be the center of their universe, that role has changed. This is actually something that I had not really considered happening in my life. So it has caught me a little bit off guard to say the least.

I kinda feel like echoing Captain Algren's thoughts in the movie "The Last Samurai". He is living amoung the Japanese people in their village, actually a captive, but one who has the freedom to move around and enjoy all that the village has to offer. As he is reading his journal post, he makes the comment that the people while friendly enough, treat him more like a dog that is living with them. Not an enemy, but not really worth much attention from them either. That's kind of how I was feeling this morning...a part, but not the most important part like I used to be.

And you know that's okay, it shows me that my kids are beginning to move out on their own and really become their own person. And after all isn't that what parenting really is about, teaching, training and helping your kids to become the person that God intends them to be...not someone who's parent is the center of their universe, but a part of it.

Of course a little tact from my daughter would have been nice, instead of just saying, "I didn't laugh daddy because it just wasn't funny." Oh well, just another day in the life of raising kids....life's good!

Did Jesus Use Tact?

My pastor was teaching this last Sunday on the baptism in the Holy Spirit and took us to Scriptures that were talking about the Feast of Tabernacles, and how that Jesus was in Galilee because the Jews sought him to kill him. (found in John 7)

In verses 37 - 39 the NIV reads, "37) On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39) By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified."

An interesting thing that I had never learned about was how on the last day of this particular feast the high priest would take a special empty pitcher and then there would be a procession to where he would fill it with water. It was symbolic of how God provided water in the desert for the Children of Israel when they left Egypt. It is in this setting where we see Jesus stand up and say in a loud voice, yada yada yada.

Let me ask you a question. The Jews are seeking Jesus to kill him. He sneaks into the festival, and while the high priest is doing his thing Jesus stands up and draws the attention to what he is saying about the Holy Spirit coming to those who believe on him. Is that tactful?

I'd have to go with no, it's not. This seems more like William Wallace in the movie Braveheart riding out to the English and as he said, "Picking a fight." If you'll give more than a casual glance at the reading of Scripture, you will see time and again that Jesus calls out the religious leaders of his time. Remember, "white-washed tombs", "brood of vipers", "making them twice as fit for hell". And these are just a few of them.

Jesus wasn't out to make friends with the religious leaders, and the best I can tell he didn't care too much about using tact when he spoke to them. I think that maybe we've put Jesus up on a pedastal as some kind of Godly Emily Post, when perhaps he was actually a little more like William Wallace...just a thought...strength and honor.....

Passive versus Aggressive

This last week I had an opportunity to either go passive or to become aggressive with a situation. Now to be quite honest, I tend to follow after father Adam's nature of passivity more often than Jesus' nature of aggression. Let me explain what I mean.

When the serpent beguiled Eve in the Garden of Eden, where was Adam? Right there with her. (Genesis 3:6) He had been given the charge by God to tend the Garden. He named all of the animals. I'm pretty sure he knew that a talking serpent wasn't quite right, and yet he did nothing.

Men all down the ages have blamed Eve for listening to the serpent and getting us kicked out of paradise, but if you really look at scripture the sin that got us kicked out was the sin of being passive. Adam did nothing when his wife was messing with the one thing that God had told them to leave alone.

Now look at Jesus in the Garden the night He was betrayed. There he was on His knees in prayer, the Bible states that He was praying so hard that droplets of blood fell from His forhead. He prays, "Father if it be possible, let this cup pass by me, but nevertheless not what I will, but Thy will be done."

You see Jesus had the opportunity to go passive, to tuck tail and run so to speak, but He didn't. He got aggressive and saw His responsibility through to the end. And because of that, humanity is able to become saved (John 3:16 / Romans 10:9-10) and get back into fellowship with the Father.

Now back to my story. I had this opportunity, and this time I chose to fight. To stand up to what I saw as an irrational request that should be challenged, and I did so. I have yet to hear anything back from my challenge, and it may never come. I think really it was a test to see if in fact I would stand up and do what was right. I'm glad to say that I did, and that something inside of me felt triumphant afterwards.

It felt good to not let passivity win this time, and hopefully next time I will be a little bit stronger and more able to become aggressive when needed. Strength and honor....

Hidden Meanings...

This morning on the way to work, after having had a great breakfast with my Mabookie friend Terry, I found my mind kind of wandering as I listened to the voices on my radio. I looked up at a stop light to see an older Lincoln Continental sedan in front of me. As the trunk was directly in my line of sight, I noticed that the key cover for the trunk was ajar.

Well that got me to thinking. Isn't that cool how they took something as ordinary as a key hole and covered it up using the car manufacturer's logo. There it was in front of me something that was suppose to be hidden, but in plain sight for reasons totally unknown to me.

I wondered about other things that use hidden aspects and found a picture on the internet of a hidden doorway that you can purchase to put into your house to hide a certain room from view. It looks like an ordinary bookcase, but if you know the secret you can move that bookcase and enter the room behind it.

What this really did in my thinking was to make me ask myself if I have any of those hidden type of things in my heart? Is there part of me that I keep hidden from others, perhaps including myself? And more importantly, how many of these hidden rooms do I have that I am trying to keep hidden from my Father God?

I'm pretty sure we all do it, you know put on the good face for those that we see every day. No matter what we are actually feeling, we just go into that secret room and close the door to our attitudes, feelings or whatever and put on that face that we think most people will want to see.

I know that I do this often, and especially it seems when I go to church. I don't know why I feel that I have to be perfect for my brothers and sisters in Christ, because if there is anyone who should love me without reservation it is them. Of course, I should be loving them that way as well, but it is hard to do that from behind that hidden doorway.

Why is it that we seem to put up a front hoping that people won't get too close, when what we crave as humans is fellowship? I mean the thing that I need the most to survive is good, solid relationships with other human beings, but then I try to keep everyone at bay? I kinda feel like Paul in the Bible when he said, "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."

I think that I have several hidden rooms, perhaps even hidden right now from me....it is time for me to get out of the hiddeness of my heart and seal off those hidden rooms for good! Strength and honor...

It's All About the Relationships

I turned 45 last December. That is kinda like a milestone year for me, as I feel that I have officially hit the half-way mark now. One of the things that does happen as you get past 40 is that you begin to weigh a lot of the things that you are doing as to how they will impact the world around you, and if they actually even are impacting the world around you.

The one thing that I have determined is the most important thing, and forgive me if you already knew this - I'm a slow learner sometimes, is that relationships are king. They are actually the only real thing that matters in this life. If you subscribe to the thought that I do that you are a spirit, you have a soul (mind, will & intellect) and you live in a body. And that we are created in the image of our Father Abba God, then you know that your spirit (the real part of you)will live forever.

Now phones will change, hair do's will change, life in general will change, and none of those things can or will be taken with you when you go the way of the grave, or if we are fortunate enough to live to see the return of Jesus, either way the only thing of substance that we will be able to take with us will be those relationships with others that we have made.

I was thinking about the books & movie "The Lord of the Rings". In that story, it comes to Frodo to take the one ring to Mount Doom and destroy it. He has seveal companions that help him to accomplish that. There were nine in that little ragtag band of companions, yet each important to the story. Now I've gotta tell you, in the natural I don't think Frodo would have actually chosen those that went with him.

Oh he would have taken Gandalf and Aragorn, but the others think of it. A quarrelsome dwarf and an elf of the woodland realm who didn't like each other. (An interesting side note, it was Legolas's father who had imprisoned Gimli's father in the story "The Hobbit", so there was great animosity between the two of them). And who can forget Boromir, the human who had said that what Frodo was to do was folly.

The point I'm making is that in that story fate chose Frodo's companions. In our lives we don't always get to choose who the companions we walk with may be. Our band may not look perfect, there will probably be several knotheads in the group. You may even be one of them. So if relationships are important, and they are, then we need to cultivate relationships wherever they come from, and not wait until we find that "perfect" companion for our journey.

So the next time you are somewhere meeting people for the first time, and there is someone there that just rubs you the wrong way, go up and introduce yourself, you never know, it may be that one person who ends up being just the kind of person God is sending your way to knock off a few of your rough edges, and you may be knocking off a few of theirs....

Strength and honor

Allies...Do You Have Any?

Allies: In general, allies are individuals, groups or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common or purpose.

I received a letter from John Eldredge (he's the founder of Ransomed Heart Ministries & author of Wild at Heart) yesterday and in it he made the statement that one of the most common questions that they are asked at Ransomed Heart Ministries is, "What do you do for church?"

I won't go into the entire letter, that's not really what I'm wanting to talk about here today. The comment was made in the letter that usually a person who is following after God has come to realize that 1) the heart is central to this life and 2) we are living in a spiritual war, and we have an enemy. John when on to say, and I quote, "Which leads us to wonder, Where will I find allies? Who can I take this journey with?"

So let me pose a question here. Who are your allies? Who are you on this God-following journey with? I for one, have a most excellent wife and three kids who are walking this path with me, and they are great companions as well. Yet there are times when my wife and children are not enough.

I need some male allies that can be there when life gets rough. I need men that know my story, and have walked with me for a while that I can trust. An ally is one that you can trust to have your back when times get tough. An ally is also someone who, when needed, will give you a swift kick in the butt if you need it. Allies are those who will speak the truth to you in love, and will let you do the same thing when they need it.

One of the interesting things about developing a group of allies, and I say developing because this is not something that happens by chance, is that it takes an incredible amount of time. It's through sharing your story, and letting them share theirs with you that we develop a close-knit bond that allows the initmacy required in having allies and being one.

I am a firm believer that we should attend a local body, get hooked up and do works of service there. But I think we've missed it somewhere by just thinking that through our church attendance only we will develop a group of allies. We are not in a position to interact with one another in the church setting, not because it's wrong, it's just not the proper setting for that.

Sitting in one another's home, or at a resturant sharing a meal, now this is the place that allies are developed. It's in these smaller, more intimate settings that we are able to pray one for another and encourage each other with God's Word. We are more at ease with each other, and the sharing of our lives with each other is amazing!

So keep going to church, but begin to ask the Father to show you people that would be good allies for you to hook up with. Then take a chance, introduce yourself and get to work building those relationships that will take you to the next level...Strength and honor.....

"God's Not Magic...But He Is Magical!"

I must say that what I'm about to write here may or may not be consider crazy. Not that I've ever pretended to be totally sane, but even for me this one ranks right up there.

This week in Oklahoma, we have experienced another ice storm. Although this one wasn't as bad as the one in December 2007, it did send me home early on Monday night and keep me at home all day on Tuesday. The worst part of it, was that my family was iced in at my Sister in law's house in Midwest City. You know, when you are around your family all the time, they can tend to get on your nerves (and just so you'll know that I'm not heartless, I know that I get on their nerves) but when they are not able to get home, it becomes a whole different thing, and that longing is tough.

Well, even though I was missing my family, I do enjoy being alone from time to time, and I thought that this would give me the perfect opportunity to watch all six Star Wars movies back to back. After dinner on Monday night, I put Episode I in the dvd player and began my marathon. Little did I know that by the same time twenty-four hours later I would have only watched that one movie.

After watching the entire first episode, I opted to go ahead and clean up the mess that I had made in the kitchen. Not wanting to try and watch the second movie and clean (something that I know I can't do, I get too easily distracted and forget to finish my work) I decided instead to listen to a book on CD called "The Shack" that one of our customers at the shoe store had loaned Cheryl. It's an interesting tale, a work of fiction, but a good story none the less.

I was struck by the similarities of the book's main character and myself as the story started. We both were stuck at home in an ice storm, and both of our families were at our Sister in law's house. The only difference was that Mack (the book's main character) went outside in the ice storm and fell and busted his head open. I determined right then that I would not go outside, as I was already feeling as if I was in an episode of the twilight zone.

Anyway, I continued on with the story and my work, actually finding myself being swept up into the story. In what seemed to be just a few short minutes I was drinking a cup of coffee and starting the second CD. I finished the second CD, and then decided that I should get back to my Star Wars marathon. I inserted Episode II and lay down to watch the movie. In just a few minutes I was hunkered down and fast asleep for the night.

The next morning I awoke early like I usually do, put on a pot of coffee and began my day by reading the passages in my daily bible reading plan, that I, like my friend Linda Scott have determined to actually accomplish this this year. After my reading and a little journalling, I decided to listen to the next CD in the audio book. It wasn't too long before I had finished the third and the fourth CD.

I decided to shower, and start a little laundry and house work. Putting in the fifth CD I busily worked around the house listening to the story of Mack and God and the visitation at the shack. By now I had determined to finish this book on CD before going back to the movie marathon. I was just so caught up in this story.

Later that night, I was cleaning off the computer desk, when the sixth CD ended. My CD player automatically went to the next CD in the tray which just happened to be Bryan Duncan's latest album "Still Dancin'". The title song began to play with it's James Brown-ish bluesy style funk, and I began to move my feet and hips a little.

This is where the story takes it's strange, and almost magical turn. As I was dancing and singing along with Bryan Duncan (not as well of course) I really began to move my feet and dance around. As I was doing that, I had the distinct impression in my heart that the Trinity had decided to join me. I laughed and danced the entire length of the song, mentally watching my three friends dancing alongside me. It truly was a magical moment, one of those that doesn't happen very often but when it does, oh how you will cherish it.

I laughed out loud when the second song started. It is called "Papa Ain't Gonna Quit". The reason that I laughed out loud was that throughout the entire book The Shack, Mack's wife refers to God as Papa. It's something that his whole family does. So when I heard Bryan singing Papa Ain't Gonna Quit....it really caused me to smile. I liked it so well, that I went and played it again, looking for the album cover so that I could actually be sure I was hearing things correctly.

The time I spent in Papa's presence that night, though short in what we would count as time, was incredible. And if eternity is going to be anything like that night in my home, then we have so much to look forward to.

God may have met the fathers of our faith in the wilderness wrestling, or through a burning bush, but I met God iced in on my hilltop listening to a work of fiction, though while not a true story, and not probably doctrinely sound something that my Papa used to reach down deep into my heart and bring a massive change and love for my fellow man that I never knew possible. So thank you Papa...I love You.

Welcome To My Blog

The New Year...2009 A Time To Shine

Hello there. It has been 2 months since my last confession...no wait, I'm not Catholic...it's been 2 months since my last blog post, yeah that's it. A lot has happened since November 2008, but I won't bore you with all of those details. Suffice it to say, a lot happened, and I am now so glad to know that 2009 is here.

My good friend Terry called me a few days before 2009 had officially arrived and told me his new 2009 phrase, "It will all be fine in 2009". We had a laugh, mainly because he wanted to be the first to coin that phrase before anyone else did. Okay so we both have a weird sense of humor. Anyway, a few days later, I was thinking about it and thought hey I've got one, "2009 A Year to Shine".

I love the beginning of a new year, because it is so full of possibilities, and wonder at what the new year will bring. It's like getting to have a "do-over" like when you were a kid playing games with your friends. So I've begun to think about how I have once again another chance to shine as a man for God.

God definately knows what He is doing right? I have to remind myself when I make mistakes, and brother do I make some dousies sometimes, that God knew what He was doing when He put me here at this time in history. I am not an accident that just happened as a by-product of my parent's love for each other. God had a plan, and that plan included putting me here on planet Earth at this point and time, to accomplish what He would have me to do.

It's like the beginning of all those stories that we love to read and watch. In the beginning....that's what a new year brings, a new beginning. Now what am I going to do with that? For that matter what are you going to do with it? Squander and waste it, or do the most that you can with the time you are given and impact the world around you for God. I for one choose to do as much in 2009 for God as I possibly can...for me 2009 is a time to shine.

Strength and honor for the Kingdom.....Shalom.