MAGI GIFTS

We had all gathered at the appointed time.  Each one bringing gifts, food, hugs and wishes of good cheer to all the others.  The kitchen / dining room in our little house was crowded to say the least.  I had arranged the tables around the perimeter of the room so all the food could be easily accessible.  We would eat buffet style tonight.  We simply have too many family to sit around a given table and eat.  I believe the smells saturating the room from the goodies that were brought and the food cooking on the stove and in the crockpots had already made me gain 5 pounds. 

Bo spoke to God and thanked Him for the food, family and fellowship.  He asked Him to bless our time together.  We attacked the food.

In years past it was Chris and Derek, then Hunter who would not be interested in eating but wanted to get right into the “presents”.  This year that role was played by Renae and Andie. 

“Let’s do presents first”! they pleaded. 

Sometimes Grumps have to be firm.  “No way!  Eat then presents”.

The food had no chance of winning but it put up a good fight.  Wave after wave of seemingly starving consumers lay into the piles of confectionary delights.  They held up for a while but eventually begin to dwindle. 

“Now presents”?  They asked again. 

“As soon as Chris is through eating.  He is the last one”. 

Now the pressure was on.  He had no chance to sit and enjoy his food.  It was like boot camp at Alameda.  “Suck it up and get out”!

So we all gathered in the living room, crammed onto the couch, two to a chair, sitting on the foot stools, but we were there.

Derek and his family were missing due to illness.  He sacrificed his time with us to prevent us from catching the flu-like crud that he had.  Kinsley was teething and also had developed some of her Dad’s  symptoms.  Lauren was preforming the duties of a doctor and good mother. 

Matt, Kimberly, Strawberry, Josiah and the unborn baby affectionately called “Number 3” had celebrated with us earlier in the month.

So here we were, set, ready to pounce on the gigantic pile of colorfully wrapped gifts.  But first things first.

Hunter had already marked the Christmas story in his new Bible.  Chris took it and with his children and family around him begin to read.

“And it came to pass, in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed”.

His voice was clear, strong and he continued the scripture reading. 

“And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in  swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn”.

My first born son was reading to his family about God’s first born son.  If you don’t think you can get blessed hearing the Christmas story read, try that one on for size.

This  is not the first time this has taken place.  I have vivid memories of my Dad, Paw-Paw, reading to us.  I can still see my Mom, Granny, sitting by his side listening like it was the first time she had ever heard the story. 

I have had my share of times when I was the reader and my children sat around me listening to this same story. Somewhere, stuffed back in a spot where I placed it so I wouldn’t forget where I put it, is a video of Paw-Paw sitting in a rocker in Bo and Neet’s living room.  He is reading just as Chris did on this night and we all sit around listening.  I was warmed and blessed by that time.  But tonight is something special. It’s almost like passing the sword or the baton. 

The portion of scripture ended and we bowed our heads and prayed.  I don’t remember the words I said.  I know I prayed for those who could not be with us.  I thanked God for His blessings and asked that He draw us near and make us grateful for The Gift that He had given us.  

As we said “amen” and I raised my head, I noticed tears in my sister’s eyes. (I missed them too Sis.) 

Julie put her camera on the tripod and begin filming the event for viewing in Christmas times to come.  But now the onslaught of the Christmas presents began.  It started out slowly.  “Let’s give out one gift at a time so we can watch everyone open theirs and see what they got”……needless to say, that didn’t work.  In just a short time gifts were piled in front of each of us and we were ripping paper and holding up our prizes.

In a few days I will forget what I got in those boxes.  We usually do.  I doubt you can remember what you got last Christmas. 

But  I want to share with you some of the gifts I got this Christmas that I won’t forget.  They are in no particular order. I’ll forget to mention some that were special but I’ll just jot  some down as they roll over in my rattled brain.

·         A day off work to go last minute Christmas shopping with my wife.  Yes, you heard that right.  I enjoyed shopping with my wife even if the day was long and Grump was getting more grumpy with every minute.

·         Making bird houses from the cane poles that grow on our land.  I know they looked like a third grader made them but it was fun and they came from our land.

·         Smelling the apple cider stuff that Keva puts together only at Christmas. At 61 years old I finally recognized what a chive is and what a combination of chives and cinnamon can do to apple juice.

·         Holding my newest grand-daughter as she wore her Santa suite at her first Fulford family Christmas dinner at Nanny’s. 

·         Sitting with Mrs Hermie and Regina on Christmas Eve morning in their lovely little home on Active Road, drinking coffee and enjoying the hospitality and company of these two fine Christian friends.

·         Listening to the chatter of the Collum family gathering at North Side Baptist Church in Calera as we shared our food and shared stories of days gone by. (I remember the old family times at Papa Dink and Mammy’s house when similar voices, the ancestor of these young people, made the same happy chatter)

·         Hunter and I wearing the same “Snoopy” shirt at Christmas

·         Hunter showing me his Christmas gifts.  Instead of toys and games now he is proud of devotion books, study Bibles and of course his Alabama gear.

·         Making eggs in a basket on Christmas morning for my wife.  (“Don’t put my eggs on the bread, it will make it soggy.  I hate soggy bread”, I can hear her now.)

·         Sharing that special time when it is just me and her, Gracie and the girls (cats) on Christmas morning.  (There was no sadness there, just peace)

·         Watching Perrin as he played with his cowboys and Indians…..then stopped and climbed up on the couch beside me and “read “ me a few lines from his book.  (If there is anything more fantastic than having your grandson sit beside you at Christmas I don’t know what it is.)

·         Hearing Renae sing “Happy Birthday Jesus” as the finale of the Heritage Homecoming Christmas program.

·         Leading a choir in which my two oldest granddaughters and my wife are members

·         Sitting in the sanctuary of Heritage and realizing that The Gift from God The Father was given to me and lives in my heart. You can’t top that one!

And although there are more, and I could sit here at the computer on the day after Christmas 2012 and make a list that you would tire of reading, I’ll end with this last one.

·         A phone call from Matt and Kimberly telling me my new grandchild, which will be here in April 2013 will be Grandson number three!

We are told in Matthew chapter two that the Magi brought costly gifts to Jesus on that special day many years ago.  I am sure they were meaningful and were well received with joy and thanksgiving. I’m sure Joseph and Mary’s hearts were full and about to burst.  I know that because I sense that same fullness this morning.  I feel that same joy and peace and I just want to say “thank you” to all of you and especially to “Our Father”.  Merry Christmas.

SMELLS I LIKE

I was driving down the road the other day and passed an industry off to the side of the road.  It was a company that makes railroad cross ties.  From this industry came the smell of creosote.  I slowed down and took in the smell.  As I did the thought came to me that I needed to make a  list.  So here is a list I’ve put together.  It’s in no particular order, and has absolutely no spiritual significance.  So if you don’t like my list, make your own.  Here are smells that I like:

Creosote

Leaves, rotting in the woods in the fall

Taboo – perfume

Hot chocolate chip cookies right from the oven

Coal burning in a pot belly stove

Salt water and the Gulf of Mexico beach

Baby powder

Cedar lumber

Pine kindling

Bio-silk

A library

Freshly ground coffee

Rich Chilton County dirt just after plowing

The smell of wood burning in a fire place

Leather

Apple cider simmering on the stove at Christmas

 

If you aren’t familiar with some of these smells, take some time and smell them for yourself. You might just find something that will make you smile.

WORDS ON A ROCK

 I have found that it is not that hard to convince people that they have done wrong.  When the Word says “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”….most don’t try to argue.  They may try to justify their actions, blame them on others, but they will pretty much admit that they have done wrong. 

 Often, people will just accept the fact that they have done wrong and “so what”.  “I’m not the only one” or “I’m not the worst” are excuses we use to lessen the guilt.

What I’d like to discuss is the various ways people try to keep themselves from committing these wrongs again.  Because after all folks, it’s one thing to be forgiven of your past sins and another totally different thing to not do those things again. 

 In another writing I have spoken of the fact that Jesus was not teasing when He said “Go and sin no more”.  So let me share a few ways we go about trying to  be righteous.

  Rules:  Thou shalt not!  On a mountain somewhere I’ve never been, in a place I’ve never seen and couldn’t point to,  God gave Moses a list of rules which someone has called The Ten Commandments. With His own finger He wrote these words on a rock and gave them to Moses.  You will not do this and you cannot do that.  If you do this will happen and if you don’t that will happen.  And so the Children of Israel and those of us who live in this century and in this place, have made valiant attempts to obey those rules.  But I just stopped by to tell you that words on a rock will not change us. You nor I can make it happen.  I contend that if those words could have been followed why would Jesus have had to come and die for me? 

It has been said somewhere that “the law is like a mirror”.  When you wake in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror you can clearly see that your face needs washing and your hair needs attention.  But none of you will take the mirror off the wall and try to wash your face with it. No one is foolish enough to try and comb his hair with a mirror.

So it is with the law.  It shows us where we have failed and where we are wrong but the words on that rock cannot make us righteous. 

Rituals:  Others will put on the robe of “rituals” in order to be righteous.  I’ll read my Bible, I’ll pray three times a day, I’ll go to church on Sunday and Sunday night and Wednesday night.  We make these attempts.  We will do good and perhaps the bad will go away.  We will put ourselves in the right positions and just maybe we won’t be tempted and fail. But rituals, no matter how religiously preformed will not free us from the chains of sin.   

 Regulate:  I’ll do whatever it takes Dear Lord.  What do you want me to do? I’ll make it happen.  I’ll regulate the thoughts I think, the words I say, the acts I commit and then sin will be overcome and I will win.  I don’t have to tell you that doesn’t work do I?  My strength is not a challenge to Satan.  My plans are not a contest for him.  My attempts are not a match for his power. 

So how is sin overcome in our lives? How can I obey the command of Jesus and “go and sin no more”?  What can I do to follow the instructions in Romans 6:6 that tell me that from “henceforth we should not serve sin”?

I firmly believe that much of our misunderstanding concerning this topic comes from our definition of “sin”.  Some feel that sin is anything that is out of the center of God’s will.  While others believe that in order for sin to be sin it must be premeditated, intentional, knowingly committed.  Perhaps that is a topic for another place and time.

In Zachariah 4:6 we are told that it is; “Not by might, nor by power but by My Spirit, saith the Lord”.  All the effort I can put into living for God will not free me.  All of the hoops that I jump through will not save me.  All the words that are written even though they are written on a stone…will not deliver me. 

I think then it is only when I commit my all to Him, when I turn loose and fall into the arms of mercy and grace that I will be able to live as God intended for me to live.  Instead of simply using all of my might, and obeying all the rule, regulation, and rituals I release my situation into His hands.  It is then that I am not only made free from the guilt of sin but also made free from the power of sin.

BLESSINGS FROM THE JUNK YARD

 BLESSINGS FROM THE JUNK YARD

 

Over the 29 years in which I have worked for Chilton County EMA, very seldom have I taken all the vacation time which I have been allowed.  Usually it works out that at the beginning of December I will ask how many days I have and then over the month I will take that many days off.   

Such was the case last week.  It was a take it or lose it vacation day and so I thought I’d get a few little things done around the farm.  I planned on hauling off some scrap iron and making enough money to pay for a used tire and used battery for my old 81 Ford truck. 

 As I prayed that morning I was completely aware that I wasn’t going to see that many people that day.  I think it was by design.  I have a better vacation when no one else is around….ha.  But I prayed my usual prayer, “Lord, help me be a blessing to someone today”, Doubting, hoping, I wouldn’t have the opportunity. 

I  arrived at the scrap yard and as the girl was weighing my load I asked her about her dad who was the owner of the scrap yard.  He had a stroke over a year ago and had not been doing well.  She was excited to tell me that although he had not regained his ability to talk yet, that he was attending church every time the doors were open and that he was attempting to say grace at each meal.  I was very glad for that news and left the yard thanking God for helping him and drawing him closer. 

My next stop was at the used tire place.  The old man who owns this place has had many medical malady’s and is  only operating off 40% of his heart now.  I have mentioned to him on occasion how that he needs to focus on getting his heart right with God with little or no response. 

This morning, sitting off  to the side of the shop was the old owner and a couple of other folk.  I waved and spoke a general good morning as the men started working on my tire.  One of the guys sitting there impressed me as being a “meth-monkey”, a “crack-head” or some such.  Although the day was warm and I was wearing a t-shirt, this poor soul was bundled in a hooded jacket and seemed to be freezing.  He was frail and you could only see a small portion of his tan, wrinkled face through the front of his hoody.

I had no reason to talk to him.  I didn’t know him.  But that did not stop him from walking over to stand in front of me and begin a conversation.  “

Oh, great!  Just what I need”.

As our conversation continued he somehow mentioned the name of the guy at the scrap yard.  I told him that I had just came from there and how the guy was doing.  I guess I thought that was a good “Christian-eez” thing to do. 

“He and I have been going through the same sort of thing”, the guy  said.  “I have been dealing with throat cancer.  The chemo and radiation have been eating me up”. 

Now I felt really  bad.  I had labeled him as a drug abuser when in fact he was dealing with a serious condition. 

“Well, how long have you been over your cancer”, I asked.

“I’m not”.  He said bluntly.  Just a short time ago the doctor did a bunch of test and told me I have lung cancer and only have about 90 days to live. 

Now what do I say?  “Well, sometimes God gives us times like that to make sure our hearts are right with Him”.  I’m reaching, trying to share a Christian view of this with this old guy.  (Honestly, I doubt he is my age.)

“I’ve already done that”, he said.  Now the little slits that were used for eyes were open wide and I could see his big ole brown eyes.  In the corner of one a big ole tear drop formed.  He begin to tell me how that it was only by the blood of Jesus that he could ever expect to make it to heaven.  He told me how blessed he was. 

We talked about heaven, and mercy and grace and peace.  He spoke of how his children didn’t understand the peace and desire he had to just “go home”. 

Obviously, this little guy didn’t own a handkerchief because he was now wiping his nose on his sleeve.  The tears now came out of his eyes and made their way like a steel ball in a pin ball machine down through the tracks and wrinkles in his face finally falling off his cheek onto his old coat. 

I thought to myself that  I was standing here talking to a man who in 90 days or so  would be walking in a place called paradise. 

I reached out and patted him on the shoulder.  “Thank you for sharing your story with me today”, I said.  “You have been a real blessing to me”. 

We exchanged names and I left him standing there amongst the old tires and the grease.  I doubt that I’ll ever see him again this side of heaven.  But I hope that someday I will walk up to him and thank him again for sharing his story with me. He will never know how much he blessed me today. 

No Lord, I wasn’t much of a blessing today.  You blessed me with the good news from others. 

I have said recently that our nation and our world is “going to hell in a hand basket”, ( I have no idea what that phrase means, do you?)   But I have been given hope today.  Hope from an old junk man who tries to say the blessing even when he can’t talk, and hope from a dying man who is in ear shot of home. 

Let the world do what it will.  Let this nation run its course.  God is still on the throne and Jesus sits at His right hand and souls are being saved and lives are being changed.  And that my friend is why you and I cannot give up or give in. 

Try to be a blessing, try to tell someone about Jesus.  You might just find yourself on the receiving end of the deal.  

"THANKS-HOARDING"

 

When you have lived all of your adult life “responding” to emergency calls they often run together and I can only remember certain calls when I trip over their memories that I have left lying around on the floor of my mind.  I tripped this morning and this call came to mind. 

The “beeper” blared it’s obnoxious tone and immediately I responded to the report of a structure fire with heavy smoke showing.  As I pulled up on the road in front of the structure I identified it as a double wide trailer, clear of exposures on all sides with heavy smoke from the front windows. 

Another volunteer firefighter was already on scene dressed in turn-out gear.  I quickly donned my bunker pants, threw on my jacket and swung my Drager air pack over my head and buckled it in place.  I reached behind me turned the wheel on the air pack allowing the compressed air to flow through my mask.  Reaching back over my shoulder I pulled my red nomex hood over the top of my head and then strapped on my helmet.  I slid my hands into my fire-gloves and I was ready to rock.

By this time the engine had pulled up in the front yard and someone had pulled an inch and three quarter hose to the front door.  As my partner and I approached the door I patted the top of my helmet and yelled through my mask “Gim’me water”! 

On our hands and knees we opened the door and crawled inside.  The smoke was intense.  You could literally not see your hand in front of your mask.  We had learned to “see” with our hands so with one hand cradling the hose I reached out my other hand and “looked” for the wall.  Only inches to my right I felt what I thought was the wall.  Reaching to my left I felt what I assumed was another wall.  We must be in a hallway. We continued on down the “hallway” dragging the hose.  As yet we had not “seen” nor felt the fire. 

 “Bill, this is crazy”! My partner yelled.  The ”hallway” seemed to wind its way through the house instead of going in straight lines like most hallways.  We continued on until we faced the dragon and quickly put him to sleep. 

After the fire was extinguished and the smoke cleared I experienced my first encounter with “hoarding”. The “hallway” we had entered was in actuality stacks and stacks of books, magazines, cloths, yard sale items and various piles of “junk”.  These things were stored in cardboard boxes and in most places, throughout the house, stacked to the ceiling. Only a tiny trail led from one room to the next. 

 I’m sure to the owner of the home, these things were good, these things were valuable.  But because they were stored, stacked and stashed in his home, because they were “hoarded” they become a hindrance and certainly were no good for anyone. 

Let me see if I can transition here.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day 2012.  Recently, I have been reading the unabridged writings of E.M. Bounds.  In that work he explained the difference as he understood it, of gratitude and thanksgiving.  He stated that, “Gratitude is an involuntary, inward emotion of the soul while thanksgiving is the voluntary expression of that gratitude”. He further states that “Gratitude is felt in secret while thanksgiving is an open expression of that feeling”. 

Without a doubt, we all receive the benefits of the blessings of God.  Many of us stop long enough to recognize that involuntary emotion of gratitude.  We may even be cognizant of the fact that we should not only be grateful for the things that God does for us but also for “who” God is and what it means to be loved by an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present God.  A few, oh Lord, an ever decreasing few, will even experience that personal relationship with the Holy Trinity and experience that involuntary, overflowing, gratitude inside our hearts. 

However, I suggest to you this morning, dear reader, that we have become “Thanks-hoarders" instead of “Thanks-givers”. We hold that gratitude in our hearts and do not in any way express it openly. 

Someone has said that we must be “thanks-livers” as well as “thanks-givers”.  We must voluntarily express to God and to others our thankfulness to Him by the things we say and the way we live. 

 I hope I can do that tomorrow.  I hope I can do that throughout this coming year.  I don’t want to hoard up all my gratitude inside myself, doing no good for anyone and becoming actually a hindrance to myself.  I want to express and communicate that gratitude to those I meet.  I want to voluntarily give my offering of thanks to God. 

ESCAPE HATCH (I COR. 10:13)

I have read the above referenced scripture many times throughout my life.  I’ve turned it over in my mind’s hand and looked at it from what I thought was every side.   

I can accept the statement that the temptations I face are nothing new.  Satan is really not picking on me when adverse things come my way.  Others have faced the same problems and temptations.  Some have faced much more than I.  I can’t call out to God and say “Why me, Lord”? 

I certainly understand the statement that God is faithful.  That’s one of the few things I can testify to about growing old.  When I was young I didn’t have a lot of experiences to fall back on regarding God’s faithfulness to me.  But after all these years, and all these miles, and all these trials I can stand with the Apostle Paul and tell you “yes, God is faithful”. 

When my sweet Mama died she asked me this question, “He won’t leave me will He”?  I was able to tell her with absolute assurance, “No Ma’am He will never leave you”. God is faithful. 

When Paul said that our God will not allow us to be tempted “above” or more than we are able to stand, I understand that.  He is  our loving Father.  If we love our children, if we love our grandchildren, if we know how to love anyone or anything….our God, our Father loves us so much more and He will not put anything on us that will drive us beyond our limits and His care. 

But the statement in the 13th verse regarding escape has caused me to pause and consider it's meaning. Let me quote it to you from the KJV.  (The real Bible)  “…but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it”. 

The thought I’ve always had regarding this statement has been that God would insert some special circumstance, some supernatural occurrence, some angel, some person to come by to get me out of my situation.  That’s happened, that will happen in many instances.  But I think His meaning here is deeper than that.  

 

I believe the “way of escape”, the “escape hatch” if you will, was provided for us many years ago.  I think it has been here our whole lives.  I think it is so close that perhaps we can’t see it. I believe the “way of escape” for us is the gift God sent on the Day of Pentecost.  I believe the “way of escape” is the Holy Spirit of God.   

When I am tempted, when I am in trouble, when my world is crashing in around me, I need not look for an angel in a fiery chariot to come riding by to save me. But instead look to the Comforter who is in my heart.

In John 14 Jesus told His disciples that The Father will, “give you another Comforter….He will abide with you forever…..He will dwell with you and shall be in you”.   

If your heart has been forgiven of sins and your life has been totally committed to God and He has given you His Holy Spirit, then you have had that “built-in escape hatch” installed into your being.  He is “in you” and is ready to assist you at a moment's notice.  

You understand that an escape hatch is useless if not used don’t you?  If you don’t know how to use it, it cannot benefit you in times of emergency.  Emergency service folk practice using emergency equipment and practice getting out of tight spots. Does it not make sense to you dear reader that we should practice the presence of the Holy Spirit?  We should recognize that He is right there with us, in the car, driving down the road, at our job site, in every conversation and at the supper table.  We should recognize that there is no where we can go that He is not with us.  Then when the emergency comes, when we are faced with trials and temptations, our “way of escape” is oiled and ready to function to get us out of our troubles.   

Check out your escape hatch today.  Ask God to make His Holy Spirit real in your life.

 

                                                                          ************

I almost stopped there.  I almost left without giving you the following scripture. It’s one of my favorite.  There may be some of you who don’t understand how God goes about giving His Holy Spirit to us.  You may have thought that there is some sort of mystic, far out, process that you must go through.  You may think that you have to “do” something special, “be” in a certain place.  Let me share a gift with you, for that is exactly what our loving Father calls it.  Look at this scripture, look at these words.  As I read them from the Word just now it blesses my heart again.  

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him” Luke 11:13 

As I write this, Christmas 2012 is only a few weeks away.  Keva has asked our kids and grandkids what they want for Christmas.  Do you think that what they ask for we won’t bust our butts to get for them? Do you think that we are more gracious than our loving God?   

Do you need that “heavenly hatch”?  Don’t wait another day.  Don’t go into another battle without it.  Go to your Father and ask.  He will be more than happy to install it in your heart.

THERE WILL BE NO SALAD IN HEAVEN

My friend Carol Jones died this week. When a friend dies who is not that much older than you , you tend to think about dying a little more than you normally do.

So as I walked to the tabernacle this week I begin talking with God and telling Him my thoughts on dying. (Like He really needed me to tell Him anything.) 

I shared with Him the words I had heard my Mama say on the day she died. She said, “He knows I’m not afraid and He won’t ever leave me”.  I told Him the words I heard my Daddy say on the day he went home. He said, “I’m not afraid to die and I know where I’m going”. Then I proceeded to tell Him how I didn't want to leave Keva to be by herself and how much I’d miss my loved ones and how much I’d miss our walks in the woods. I told Him how much I’d miss that little place on Poplar Springs Road that He has given me to tend. Then I shut up and listened. If you don’t do that very often you need to try to make a habit of it. We need to do a lot more listening to God than we do telling Him stuff.

He simply and kindly reminded me that Jesus had gone to prepare a place for me. My friend, my savior, my brother, the one who gave Himself for me……was getting “my” place ready. He knows what I like and He is fixin’ it just for me.  Wow, if that don’t light your fire, you’ve got some really wet wood.  

I imagine that if He knows what I like and is getting that all set up, He also knows what I don’t like and will be making sure I don’t have to endure those things.

With that in mind I thought I’d make a short list of things that I don’t expect to experience when I get to Heaven.  There are many but I’ll just share a few of them with you.

·        There will be no slow drivers in Heaven. If you decide to drive your chariot down the streets of gold and you want to take a slow leisurely drive, I’m sure there will be a passing lane.  I won’t have to sit in traffic or wait in line behind some dear old saint who can’t drive over 20 MPH. 

·        As a matter of fact, I don’t think there will be any lines in Heaven. No waiting in line to get to see Jesus (I don’t know how that will work but I am somehow sure it will). No waiting in line to splash in the river of life or to eat from the tree of life…..just walk right up and enjoy.

·        There will be no “heartburn” in Heaven. I will eat at the marriage supper of the Lamb and won’t have to worry if I eat a bit too much. I’ll leave my Pepto when I go. 

·        And speaking of eating, don’t you just hate it when you have to eat healthy stuff instead of what you enjoy? I asked a health specialist once how to tell if food was good for you. She said, “Put it in your mouth and if it taste good spit it out it’s probably not good for you.”

Beth Moore said that if there is one piece of grilled or baked chicken in Heaven she will scream. If there is salad there, I’ll join her.

Just saying all that to remind you that Heaven is going to be great. The Word says, “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for them that love Him”. Carol Jones was a man who loved God and I bet he is not disappointed this morning.  I'm sure I won't be either.  

So if one day, you happen to see me standing in line somewhere at the salad bar you can pretty much bet that my mind is not on what I’m about to put on my plate. My mind will be somewhere else. I’m probably thinking about Home. 

WORDS TO REMEMBER

Even with the innumerable words and statements that one hears over the course of his life there are still very few that "stick with you" for very long.  I can remember a few things that were told to me by wise men and women though out my life but in comparison to the many things that have been shared with me, the ones I remember a embarrassingly few.

 Ashamedly I tell you it is the same with the lessons that I am supposed to be learning from God.  God speaks through His Holy Word, through His ministers, through Godly teachers and even through common men and women.  His guidance and directions are delivered to us in various ways suited just for our situation.  When they are heard, they are impressive.  When they are heard, they provide help and comfort.  But soon those helpful, comforting, impressive words are forgotten.  They are placed back on a high shelf in our minds and over the years covered with the dust of busy-ness. 

I say all of that to share with you something God spoke to me this morning.  As I walked down a familiar trail in the woods behind my house I could hardly see the ground.  As I've said before, the sun is lazy this time of the year and refuses to roll it's fiery head out of bed until long after I am up and moving. But as I contemplated over whether or not I was exactly where God wanted me to be at this particular time in my life and whether or not I was giving to God all that He required, in my heart and mind I heard these words.

Now before I share this with you I want to extend a disclaimer.  I'm not sure this statement will hold up the scriptural scrutiny, I haven't studied the scriptures yet in order to find any references.  However I believe if I took the time there would be ample scriptural reference to back this up. 

I'm also aware that sometimes what I might attribute to being a word from above might actually be the cold pizza I had for breakfast this morning.   I don't believe this to be the case here.

I've shared with you in other post how that many years ago down at Higgins Ferry on Lake Mitchell, God spoke words of forgiveness to me. Those words are just as clear today as they were back then.  I could take you back there now and show you almost the exact spot where I was standing when God spoke to me.  I can do that with the statement I heard this morning too.  I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when these words came to me.

Here are the words, I hope they bless and challenge you as they did me in that cool pre-dawn sanctuary.

"If you will give me all you have, I will give you all you will ever need, and in addition I'll give you the things you want". 

That would be quite a profound statement if it came from a rich man here on earth.  If a multi-millionaire gave you that promise you would be fit for life.  Yet how much more a statement I can hang my soul upon for the rest of eternity because it comes from the almighty Father.

The old Quaker writer Hannah W. Smith called that concept Surrender,  total complete surrender.  That's where I want to be.  I want to go back to that spot from time to time, perhaps every morning, and make sure my Father has all I have, so that He can give me all I need. 

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NOW AND LATER

I know you know the story.  If not, you can read it in the 14th chapter of Exodus.  The Hebrews stood with their backs to the sea.  There was literally no place to run.  Pharaoh's army pressed down upon them trapping them between a sea of water and a sea of angry men determined to return the rebellious slaves to their tasks.

God had given them orders through His main man Moses to go to the promise land and take it for their own.  But here they were, facing a barrier they could not cross, a force they could not defeat and a task they could not accomplish. 

They had no earthly way of crossing that river.  There was no possibility for them to fight against and defeat the mightiest army in the known world.  These men had never been out of the land of Egypt, how could they find the promise land much less take possession of it? 

They were afraid, they cried out in fear to the Lord and cried out in protest to Moses.  "It would have been better to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness"!

Can you put yourself in their Sinai sneaker for just a moment?  Can you feel their fear?  Can you relate to their rhetoric? 

I bet you can.  If we occupy the same  planet and you are living in the same old world where I live, although your problems might not be as literal as theirs, you too have been left with un-crossable barriers, un-defeatable forces and un-accomplish-able task. 

You have felt the hopelessness and have heard the enemy's wicked laugh as you tremble before your assailant.  How do they say it? "Been there, done that and have the "T" shirt". 

I can picture them falling on their knees in the hot desert sand. The heat from the sun beating down on their heads and the heat from the soldier's breathing down their necks.  Hopeless is a word that might have best described them. 

But what a difference between their now and their later. 

In the lives of those Hebrews something happened and that something was God.  While they stood still the angel of God moved between them and the Egyptians.  Moses' hand moved the rod over the sea and the sea moved back and revealed an interstate highway right through the middle of the water. 

Only a short time ago is was "Why have you taken us here to die in the wilderness"? and now it is, "The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God; and I will exalt him" 

How would they have behaved on the West side of the river if they would only have believed the promises of God? If they could, with eyes of faith have looked on that situation and seen the promised outcome.  There would have been no fear.  There would have been no trepidation, there would have been no cry of defeat.  They would have been dancing for joy at results not yet seen.  The rumbling at the Red Sea would have been the pounding of Hebrew feet as they danced in the sand.  But that didn't happen.

Some of you are standing in a place like that today.  Barriers separate you from the promised side.  Forces that are beyond your control press down on you.  Task that you have no earthly way of accomplishing stand like a bill-board proclaiming your defeat even before the battle begins. 

But open your eyes.  If you could feel now what you will feel when the battle is over, you would behave differently.  Dancing instead of defeat, singing instead of sighing, triumph instead of trepidation.  The only thing that separates us from victory is faith in an unstoppable God. 

He is on our side.  He is able to do what He promised.  He will never fail nor forsake us.  Live in the now if you must but never forget what things will be like in just a short time.  Live like you truly believe His promises. 

BELIEF vs BEHAVIOR

If you ask most people from around here they would tell you we live in a Christian nation.  I suppose that is a semi-true statement, IF you use the term very lightly.  I haven't done a study and I'm not sure how you would verify the results but I'm sure someone has a survey somewhere of the people who claim to be Christian and who "believe" in God.  

For example, if you asked "the man on the street", "Do you believe in God"?  You would most likely get an affirmative answer from an overwhelming number of responders. 

What about:  "Do you believe God sent His Son to die for your sins"? 
"Do you believe there is a heaven and a hell"?
"Do you believe Jesus has gone to prepare a place for Christians when they die"?

I understand that I live in a rural section of the "Bible belt". I realize that my residence is in basically the "Heart of the Heart of Dixie" and if you conducted the same survey in other locations around the U.S. there might be a different response.  But the average man/woman in our community would respond with a resounding "yes" to each of those questions.  Their belief is strong. 

In our church especially, the answer to those questions would no doubt be in the affirmative.  But if you believe something strongly, should not that belief have some life changing effect on your behavior?

I believe in an omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (ever present) God.  But does my behavior reflect that belief?  If my God is all of those "omni" things why do I drag and slump and frown and struggle through the day? 

If God sent His Son to free me from the guilt of my sins why do I not ask for His forgiveness?
If God gave me His Holy Spirit to free me from the chains of my sins, why am I content to be held by them?  If there really is a heaven and a hell why don't we make plans to live in one and shun the other?  If Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, why don't we prepare to live there?

I understand the scripture that says "Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" but simple mental recognition is not what that scripture is promoting.  Our belief must make a change in our lives.  We must accept Jesus as our Savior and allow Him to make the necessary changes in our lives that will prepare us to serve Him here and live with Him forever in that place which He has prepared for us. 

Take just a moment today and do a maintenance check on your life.  What you believe is probably pretty established.  But ask yourself the question, "Has what I believe made a difference in who I am and how I live". 

God wants us to be different.  Believe in such a way that it changes your Behavior. 

WINGS

For most of his life he had wanted to fly.  I guess his interest was sparked at a young age by meeting those who had learned the secret of flight.  He read books, listened to stories and studied hard.  He sat through many lectures where the presenter expounded on the skills of flying.  But alas, he could never quite get the hang of this flying thing.

Often he would sit and gaze into the sky, longing to be up there instead of down here.  All he could see here was dirt, trouble, problems, suffering and it wasn't fun nor productive.  If he could only fly! If he could only "slip the surly bonds of earth", get above all this clutter he then could be all that he was meant to be. But it wasn't happening. 

He tried.  Often he would climb with great difficulty to the heights of some structure and throw himself off only to find himself at the bottom, bruised and broken and in worse shape than when he started.  But he didn't give up. More reading, more studying, more listening, more practice.

One day as he sat reading and contemplating his desire to fly, the thought came to him, "What if I had the wings like the birds?  Then I could fly."  But how would he develop or construct wings? 

He begin his design and went about constructing his wings.  His wings had to be strong and sturdy.  They would have to bear him up in times when the storms were raging. They would have to enable him to sore above the problems down below.  They would have to be anchored securely to his body, his fuselage so that they could not break away.  The first wing he found was the wing of surrender. 

He understood that his ability to fly would not depend on his own strength (Lord knows, he had tried that before and failed).  He must first surrender completely to the higher power.  He would have to give up on thinking he could fly by his own might, power, or cunning.  And so he simply consecrated all that he was and all that he had and when he was finished with that wing he took a paint brush and dipped it in some red paint and wrote "SURRENDER" on the wing.

"That should do it" he though, but almost immediately realized that one wing would never lift him from his earthly prospective.  One wing will not function without the other.  Another wing must be constructed. 

So following his initial pattern he built a second wing.  It was equally as strong and stable as the first.  He attached it to his vessel and when the construction was completed he once again took the brush and wrote the word "TRUST" on the wing. 

"That WILL do it", he said. "With Surrender and Trust I will sore above the problems and troubles of this life".  And he did.  With surrender and trust securely attached to his vessel he immediately sored high above the problems of life and begin his journey toward the heavens.

Consecration, surrender is of vital importance in the life of a Christian.  Giving God my all.  The modern day marketers are not the first to use the word "bundle".  The old church called total surrender, giving God our "unknown bundle".  We may not know what will befall us in our future, we may not know what's down the road or around the bend but one thing is for sure, we have surrendered it to God. 

But without the second wing we will never get off the ground.  Trust must accompany surrender.  I have given it all into God's hands and now with all my body,mind, soul and spirit I trust Him to handle it.  Oh, I must make an effort, every effort that I can to follow Him and obey Him but ultimately, it is His battle to fight, His war to win. 

Take those two wings dear reader.  Dip the brush of your will into the red blood of Jesus and write in big letters SURRENDER on one wing and TRUST on the other and FLY, fly above your troubles, you trials, your temptations and your doubts. 

The old prophet Isaiah knew this secret.  In the 40th chapter of his book and in the 31st verse he said, "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

As Christians we are often like an eagle in a chicken coop.  We know we can fly, we were made to fly. The wings are available to us and the sky awaits us.  We sense it in the depth of our being.  But we are grounded by our failure to surrender and our lack of trust.

So fly then little eagle.  Even the sky is not your limit.  The splinders of eternity await you.  God has plans for you to fly.  Take the wings of surrender and trust, sore above your common life and see your world from the  eagle's point of view. 

A WALK IN THE WOODS

I had the opportunity to travel to north Alabama with a group of teens.  I almost called it a blessing.  If you have ever traveled with a group of teens you might think it should be called a curse.  But "anyhow", I went there with them and was tasked with the responsibility of being the speaker for their teen retreat. 

Pranks, fussing, wondering off when they were supposed to stay in one place, boy friends sitting too close, girl friends trying to be "too sweet", questions, thousands of questions, "When do we eat", "Do I have to sleep in the same cabin with him", "Why can't we do this" or "Why do we have to do that"...and the smell, don't teens know how to take baths?  You know what it was like.  You have probably been cursed before.

The morning I was supposed to speak, I woke up early and made my way out into the beautiful north Alabama hills.  Those of you who know me know that there is no place I'd rather be than "out" just enjoying God's beautiful creation. 

I was amazed at the huge age old trees. As the cool fall wind blew through those valleys and around those hills, the trees waved their arms in the wind as if they were saints at an old Holiness camp meeting.

There were so many colors in the forest.  Different types of trees producing different shapes and colors of leaves.  The hardwood parading their beautiful fall fashions while the evergreens refused to change their cloths and kept on their rich green garments.

The rocks, all shapes and sizes.  You could let your imagination run wild and see all sorts of creatures structures and objects as you looked at the rocks.

I stood back on the mountain side and was awe-struck at the beauty of the scene.  All the individual sights and sounds combined to make  a  mosaic of magnificence.  Each tree, rock, bush and even the old stumps contributed what they had to make the scene so surreal. 

You don't have to go to the mountains to see that sight you know.  Look across your congregation.  People that are so different.  Young babies, little "yappity" children, "I can't wait to get out of here" teen-agers, people in coats and ties, farmers in over-alls, and even a few old stumps all combine to make a montage of miracles. 

The love of God is the light that shines through their individual  idiosyncrasies and forms a beautiful rainbow.  Look at them independently and they are beautiful.  Look at them collectively and they form an even more exquisite portrait.

God really knew what He was doing when He created the world didn't He?  Whether we are talking about nature or humanity.

DON'T GET MAD GET BUSY

I sat and watched him last evening.  He tried to assume a comfortable position in the chair across the table from me as we sat alone in my office.  The meeting had been arranged by his parents.  He had gotten into some trouble.  Oh, legally it was a misdemeanor but to the family it might as well have been armed robbery.  It lay heavy on their thoughts and minds and it was a load for this young man to carry.

He is a good kid.  He has been raised in a good church.  He has sat under Holiness teaching and preaching.  He has grown up around Christians.  But as we talked I became angry.  Because someone had let this young man down.  Someone hadn't done their job and now he was confused, wondering, and even by his own admission, "not doin' what God wants me to do". 

He is on the right track now.  He is under conviction and knows right from wrong.  I told him it was his decision and that God was too much of a gentleman to ever push him into something he didn't want.  He stated that he just wants to know what to do.  I told him that the day he calls out to God, God will answer and come running.  I asked him to call me the day he turns his life over to God.  We prayed and parted ways for a while. 

But when he left I was angry.  First I was angry at our denomination.  We call ourselves Holiness people and stress how much we care for the lost.  Yet our national, district and local leadership stresses more political correctness than Holiness.  We require our churches to submit more reports, forms and files than souls.  Instead of a denomination that carries the torch for Christ likeness we have become a denomination that looks more like every other church on any given corner in the U.S.

Then I got angry at the preachers.  As I was growing up my pastor was one whom I could always depend upon to have my back.  He was the man who prayed for me and was concerned about my soul.  He was the one who would be there if I was sick, injured or needed help.  He wrestled with God and the devil and stood before us each week and proclaimed "thus saith the Lord".  But not today.  It is more about, careers, 401ks, insurance and retirement.  Instead of "Here am I send me" it has become "Here am I send money". Hirelings and not shepherds. 

Then my anger turned toward the family, fathers and mothers who feel it is more important to focus on our child's batting average on the ball field than his walk with God.  Parents who will stress the importance of a kids SATs than his SOUL.  Good men and women who don't feel successful unless they can provide a quarter million dollar house, a late model car and all the electronic gadgets invented within the last year for their children.  And yet these well meaning, good people have forgotten what a family altar is all about.  They have forgotten the responsibility, the God given responsibility, given to them when that new born baby was placed in it's mother's womb. 

And then I got angry at me.  How many young men have crossed my path, how many people whom I could have influenced if my focus would have been in the right place. If I would have loved like I say I love, cared like I am suppose to care, sacrificed like I have been called to sacrifice what kind of difference could God have made. 

I heard a story many years ago, I can not be sure if it was true or if my memory of all the details are clear but it went something like this.  A great bridge several miles in length spanned a might river.  Thousands of cars passed across this bridge each day.  However one night during a violent storm a barge broke loose and smashed into the pilings of the bridge causing one of the spans to crash into the river.  As the cars sped across the bridge toward the other side many disappeared over the edge of the break into the blackness of the night and fell 100's of feet into the murky water below. 

A couple of cars saw what was happening and slammed on the brakes just before going over the edge.  One man quickly exited his vehicle and dropped to his knees thanking God for sparing him such an awful fate.  But the man in the other car quickly jumped from the vehicle and begin running back along the bridge, waving his arms, crying to the top of his lungs, screaming for others not to go over the edge.  Some ignored him and plunged to their death. But some stopped and were saved. 

Do you see why I'm angry?  You and I have by the grace of God stopped just this side of the edge.  We have been saved from our spiritual vehicle and fell to our knees thanking and praising God for His deliverance.  And we continue to kneel there as 100's, thousand's rush past us every day and fall into eternal darkness. 

Oh dear reader, warn them, help them.   No matter how stupid you think you might look, no matter how uncomfortable you might be in doing it, no matter if you've never done it before, for your sake, for their sake, FOR GOD'S SAKE, stop the traffic!

I'm so sorry that I have been so immersed in my own situations that I have let others go over the edge.  There are so many people like the young man I mentioned that are wondering and lost and speeding toward eternity without any help or warning.

And I'm mad, and I hope you are too.  But let's not waste our time on being mad.  Let's not point our fingers but instead raise our hands, wave our arms and get busy warning of the sure eternity that is ahead.