My method of thought….
Many have already said that is an oxymoron. But in reality I do. I have lots of things that just bubble over time in my life. The last few days have been spent “cleaning” up files. Always interesting as I have a number of files that appear “incomplete.” Yet every now and then I will return to them and add a topic or a sentence to them. Continue reading My Method Of Thought -The Wave To Come
Last week I was bemoaning the fact that I had not seen a cardinal since early spring. As the few snows melted away in the early part of the year there were a couple of them that brightened my view. But it had been months.
This morning I decided to take on the humidity of the day. I walked down the road and took a new path. As I moved down the path, I could see the bright red creature, flitting around the pathway. A cardinal! I could tell it was eating breakfast as the result of the thunderstorm last night. There were bugs, worms and seeds alongside a small puddle. He just bounced around. As I shortened the distance between us, it flew up to a fence rail on the side of the path. Finally as I was a few feet away, it arced up to a light on the side of the neighboring building. And moments after that it began to make effort to get under the roof overhang. Continue reading The Cardinal and The Church – A Little Birdie Told Me
I was engaged in a small chat yesterday. I thought we have relegated the “newness” of God to a “coming” and not a “here” thinking as I watched what others have to say. Our actions in “tomorrow” speak louder than our actions of today.
“This is the day that the Lord hath made.” Psalm 188:23-25
What is it that we are “waiting” on? Our tomorrow is today if we see that. While our naturalness is catching up to our spirit, we have the potential to open it up today. Continue reading What Is The Church Of Today?
I called my daughter last night and my grandson Jacob answered. He wanted to tell me all about his new clothes and his news shoes and how excited he was for school to begin today. I asked him if I could pray for him and he said “yes.” As he said “amen” he began to tell me that Jesus talks to him every day. That He was going to school with him. “I see Jesus every day at school.”
Now let me be very clear. As much as I love Jacob and all my grandchildren, I know Jacob has a child’s side that can cause trouble for him and his mom. He can be stubborn, develop an attitude and more. But if I have learned one thing it is this. His grace is sufficient for Jacob. For me. For you. Continue reading Jacob and Jesus – A Walk With Grace
One of the interesting things about God speaking to His people is how He speaks. People often ask what I think His method of speaking to them is. While there are multiple answers on the subject, today let us talk about the process of His talk to us called “seeing.”
1 Samuel 9:9 (Before this in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spoke: “Come, and let us go to the seer”; for he that is now called a prophet was formerly called a seer.)
Continue reading What Do You See? The Walk Of Seeing
This morning as I thought about our local church fellowship I reflected on many of the church fellowships that I have attended over the years. The majority of the church fellowships that I have been involved in including one that I pastored for 15 years often looked at a need and went to bring reparation to the need. Too often that method has the potential to burn people out.
One of the greatest difficulties in church life is to determine who we are and what we have been called to, determining our capability, seeing the potential and recognizing the responsibility to do what is needed to do. Continue reading Playing Games – Too Often What We See Is Like Playing A Game
It is nearly Thanksgiving…Usually one of the first shots at “family”. (Sometimes in more ways than one!) I want to be clear, as I “unpack” something. My childhood table did not always happen well. We had drunkenness, fights and even blood…So hear my heart. Jesus can “grow” you up.
Hospitality
I love people. It doesn’t matter whether they are friends, family or foes. I really do. (I drive my wife crazy sometimes. I am sure she can tell you how many hundreds have set at our table, slept in our beds, on our couches and more over 20 years. This year will be no different. And it probably is one of the major reasons I bemoan the loss of our home through no fault of ours. NO ROOM!) Continue reading Hospitality – Honor – Home – How Do you Rate?
A
s the world of Facebook, Reddit and news blew up over the VMA’s and Miley Cyrus, my heart was crushed. As a dad, I can only imagine the parent’s internal responses to all of the news. The finger pointing, the accusations and the pain. Does anyone ever really comprehend how hurtful legalism and gossip really are? (I am pretty sure my own children did some pretty dumb things. I never stopped loving them. Ask them. I never waffled about grace, truth and love, but loved them. ) Is it really what she wore? What she did? Or just that unlike so many bound in the church, you just happened to see it? Continue reading Experiencing Grace Truth and Love
Coming from a prophetic voice this may sound “silly” but I sense we have missed the thought process of “care about caring.” We have become so enamored about the flash and the miraculous that sometimes we lose track of little scriptures.
Like this one. James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted.
I am obviously not a pastoral gift (Though that being the title they slap on anyone who leads a church fellowship.) but I do care about people. Perhaps not with the same measure of mercy that is enfolded in a pastoral gift (Ephesians 4:11) in their function or grace, but it exists. How many nights have a I cried, praying with tears in my eyes?
Lately I am gripped with the thought of how many are going through physical pain, sickness and illness. I confess I am not “good” about it. It makes me angry and desirous to see it all end. I cannot accept the acceptance of it all. Last night someone’s words about a sickness, couched in these terms, “my sickness” (Interject specific disease.) pinged my redline. (Sorry…)
Today I sit here and I think about my friends who are in the battle against sickness, ailment and disease. Frankly it is a struggle for me. I think we have got so caught up in destiny and what God is doing “for me” that we may have forgot what He wants to do “for them.”
I encourage you to think about those around you in your prayers, words and deeds.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8) It continues on to tell us it is in refuge in Him that we have opportunity to see this. In Matthew 5:6 it tells us that “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst…” We are fast approaching the “seeing” of God in many ways. My friend Randall shared last night a testimony that was amazing, of the appearance of God to a former Muslim cleric. This is not the first time I heard a story of this type.
The kingdom of God is at hand. (Matthew 3:2) The “wow’s” of God right before our eyes. As Elisha prayed, Gehazi’s eyes were opened. (2 Kings 6:17) Continue reading Full Days Ahead – Just Watch and See