Another piece in the garden series. No topic in recent days has been more in need of wisdom than this one for me.
Living In New England, you often get the opportunity to smell the fresh manure that has been moved about at a farm or spread on a field. (And truth be told, some farms smell better than others!) Well, no story of a garden can take place without fertilizer and that means even the “spiritual garden” we often speak of. Continue reading Have You Really Thought About What Helps You To Grow?→
Memorial Day-My dad was a veteran of WWII. He did not die as many did, the very reason we celebrate Memorial Day, for those who gave their lives. My dad, like so many carried the guilt, the pain the hurt of fallen comrades. I never take the sacrifice lightly. This is the second of two articles this weekend on Memorial Day and one that appeared in numerous papers a few years ago.
(Over the last couple of days I wrote two articles on the tactics of the enemy. The first was on disconnection in the body and the second on the attack of health.)
The last few days I have written two articles on the tactics of the enemy. Even as I wrote about the weapons of the enemy being disconnection and attacks against health, there has been a lifting of the “darkness” that has impacted lives. I won’t lie when I suggest it feels like “too little, too late” on some levels. Some people have gone on to be with the Lord. Others have incurred huge medical bills, lost touch with friends and family. And I am angry! Angry at the work of the enemy and his deceptions hurting people. Continue reading Nameless, Faceless, Placeless? Keep Watching!→
The second trend is to destroy your health. The first was found here.)
The last few months I have seen two tactics of the enemy that have been developing and gaining speed. The first I addressed, was the disconnects that were occurring in people. This included busyness, depression and more. At first, I thought it might have been isolated instances, but as I talked to people, more and more people voiced their feelings of “distance”. In the past I have talked about the advent of social networks (Facebook, etc.) as one of the reasons, the stripping away of freedoms and situations that create the disconnect. Continue reading “Give Me Your Health” The Second Tactic Of The Enemy→
The other day, my friend Lynn Hiles was here to speak in our church. Our conversation turned to West Virginia and the upcoming conference. He and I had a short conversation about something that happened while I was in West Virgina last September. While I was down there the Lord spoke something very powerful to my heart.
It was not a word that was spoken or part of a message. Here is what I heard and saw.
I was watching a road. On this road was a car. While they were driving, they were starting to slowly swerve side to side. There was guardrails like any country road. As I watched it started to hit the guardrails. First slowly and then a little faster. After being tossed about, finally the car came to a stop. There were dents and scratches all around the car as the result of the actions of the vehicle. I looked at the vehicle and that was when I heard the sound of the Lord’s voice.Continue reading Grace Keeps You Off The Guardrails→
Over the last few months I have watched an trend. It is one of two that I have noticed. Both are “negative” trends capitulated by the enemy. The first one I want to address is the “disconnect”.
Disconnecting or the disconnect in its simplest form, means that something is no longer connected. It means to stop or end the supply of something. (We often talk about electricity being disconnected.) So in March I began to see people being disconnected. I thought, “Time to pray” and that is what I did. Continue reading From Disconnect To Reconnect – Community Is In The Air→
As a child one of my enjoyments was working in a garden. My parents loved to garden and it rubbed off on me. At one point I was working for a handicapped man down the street who taught me how to raise vegetables, strawberries and the like. All summer long he sat in a chair at the edge of the garden and coached me. “Put more manure in the base of that hole!” he would shout across the garden. And during that summer I watched magnificent produce come from that garden. Squash and beans and lettuce and spinach. I was amazed as I recalled the seeds that came out of jars from the past year’s harvest. And the strawberries! I would pick quart upon quart and 25¢ a basket just saying “grow!” so that I would receive more money and more work. It didn’t matter how hot it was. It was just an incredible existence. Each day I would head to his little farm, to feed the chickens, pick up eggs and go pick the first strawberries of the day. Later in the summer I would pick vegetables for hours so that he would sell them. Each fall we would collect the leftovers and he and his wife would gather the seeds for the next year’s plantings. Continue reading Just A Garden Variety Kind Of Person→
“If you guys can go to the other side of Houston, I can have you on your way home”, the dispatcher said. Home…we had not been to Vermont for nearly 6 weeks. As we left the truck stop, with the idea of a load going home, everything seemed to be going right. I climbed into the passenger seat and began to rest.
(Written in 2005, this message was one I have had to contemplate numerous times. )
Kaboom! Everything changed. Quickly.
In life, especially in the church, we talk about the “suddenlies” or that time where everything changes. When it’s good, we call it a “kairos” moment. When it’s bad…well, it is a tragedy. It is not God’s fault. Continue reading Kaboom! The Impact Of God’s Suddenlies→
This morning I was awakened by the very loud sound of rain. Roaring was how it sounded at 4AM. One of the things I like to do is “investigate” the sound. Not just know where it comes from or where it is, but what is on the “inside”. (If I am going to be awake, I am going to be alert!) As I listened for hidden patterns and nuances what I realized was the sound was getting louder because there was almost no differentiation in tempo or tone. It was fast becoming “white noise”.Continue reading The Rain Is Here!→
Another piece in the garden series. No topic in recent days has been more in need of wisdom than this one for me.
