Author: [email protected]

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.  Ecclesiastes 3:3

The countdown to kickoff has begun at our house, and with it, comes the assurance of fall.  I can’t wait for the leaves to turn, the temperatures to fall, the fire to be lit, and the sound of cheering to begin.

Just like the weather, our lives are lived in seasons, and it’s probably a good idea to begin to recognize where we are in life’s seasons and start maximizing each one.  Although, it’s hard for me to believe, I think the winter of my life is either here, or it is really late in Fall.

In spring, we begin to look for God’s purpose in our lives and prepare for it the best we can.  In summer, we tweak the purposes from spring and begin to carry them out.  In Fall, we take those purposes and begin to work harder and smarter to achieve them while we begin to transition to winter.  In winter, we assess our accomplishments, enjoy our rewards, pass on helpful advice, and take our bows on a job well done.

No season can last forever, and we are only meant to be fruitful during our time.  As we prepare for seasons to come, it’s important that those coming into seasons behind us don’t forget the fruit that was borne before them.  The person in each season can learn from those who have experienced the seasons and learned from each one.

Lately, I have heard so many friends who have lost a parent, a friend, or a trusted mentor utter these words, “I wish I had made time to listen to them more and taken their advice to heart.  I regret the time I wasted.”  This includes everything from family to career advice.  I pray that we all take time to listen to those seasoned folks in our lives.

Every generation stands on the shoulders of the generation that came before.  Jealously guard the values and principles of our heritage; they did not come easy.  Ronald Reagan

I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me shall not die, but will live forever.  John 11:25

When I was growing up, our youth group had destination unknown every fourth Sunday night of the month.  Although, we were a small group in a small town, thus, not many choices, it was still fun to guess where we would be on those nights.

Randy and I took that concept to another level, and now we try to do destination unknown for our grandsons.  They pack a suitcase, and we start out.  They have no idea where we will end up, but they can ask  questions to try and solve the mystery.  It doesn’t really matter to them where we are going, they just enjoy knowing we will be there when they reach their destination.

I recently attended the funeral of a friend, Steve, and in his eulogy, the minister told the story of a visit he had with him. Steve had been battling cancer, and the prognosis was not good.  He asked Steve very frankly, “Do you know where you are going when you die?”  Steve answered honestly when he said, “no.”   It was at that moment, that the destination unknown mentality kicked in for Steve, and he began to seek answers.  About nine months later, Steve was baptized and began to live his life as a Christian.  He began to be at peace with his destination.  He died assured of his destination.

Randy’s aunt lost her struggle with cancer last week.  She lived with grace, laughter, kindness, smiles, compassion, and love. She ministered to each person who visited with her in her last days comforting those who came to comfort her.  She died as she lived, assured of her destination.  Her funeral was held on her 80th birthday which was so significant of a celebration on earth and in heaven.

It’s a special destination when we know that Jesus has prepared a place for us and we are with Him.  How long will we live?  As followers of Christ, we will live Forever!

A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life.  Proverbs 13:7  

Pretentious is defined as; attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc. than is actually possessed. 

I know people, as most of us do,  who sometimes can’t help themselves – they become pretentious during certain situations.   It’s important for them to lift themselves up in front of others in order to make themselves look special or important.  The sad thing is that most of the time, the very people they are trying to impress are the ones who are the least vulnerable to the ruse.

One of my favorite movies is Steel Magnolias, and I am especially fond of Drum, the father.  He is a salty character who has no problem saying exactly what he is thinking.  My favorite line comes from Shelby when she says, Daddy always says, an ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure.  So true.

This past week, Randy and I took the two younger grandsons to Great Wolf Lodge in LaGrange, and I have to say it’s impressive.  One of the things you notice in the first few minutes in the water park is that there is no pretension there.  The guests of all ages, shapes, sizes, colors, ethnicity, backgrounds, and genders are all in swim suits.   No one is worried about what others think, how they compare, how much weight they need to gain or lose, how their hair looks, how old they are, or their economic status.  They are accepted in the group because there is no pretense here.

I thought that heaven must be like this.  No pretense.  Everyone is on an equal footing.  It doesn’t matter how many degrees you have, how rich you are, how beautiful, how handsome, how smart, how successful, how talented, how famous, how beaten down by life, or how perfect or awful you look in a swimsuit, everyone is loved exactly like they are!

As Christians, we are blessed to have a heavenly home awaiting us that offers no pretense.

God’s Not Finished With Me Yet

Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally, I may be wrong.  Make me thoughtful but not nosy, helpful but not bossy.  With my vast store of wisdom and experience, it does seem a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest, Lord, I want a few friends at the end.  Amen.  Cookbook prayers (Thanks, Daphne)

Mindsets are patterns that make your mind operate a certain way.  I find that I can set myself up for problems when I decide to react to the same people or circumstances in the exact same way and expect different results.  It just isn’t going to happen.  Resentment has a way of building, but letting that happen only affects me, not others.

Sometimes it’s hard to realize that your perspective on a problem or issue could be wrong.  I’ve always tried to weigh different perspectives and be objective, but it’s really hard when you KNOW you are right.

It is at this point, when change must happen.  I hate change because it takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to try new things.  Change cannot happen quickly.  If one tries that approach, multiple things can go wrong, and one ends up quitting before change has a chance.

In order for change to happen, I have to be one hundred percent committed to one change, one risk, one idea, or one decision at a time.  I have heard that little changes can yield enormous results.  So, eat the elephant one bite at a time.

This week I have made one change in my mindset patterns.  I’m asking God for clarity to see situations honestly and to act with wisdom and responsibility.  I’m committed to that one change and then, hopefully, I can add more.

God’s never finished with us, and I love that He offers new ideas and avenues for change to make us stronger and better.

Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.  Philippians 3:13

God’s power sustains everything.  Hebrews 1:3

A couple of weeks ago at exactly 5:58 pm, the electricity went out in our neighborhood and surrounding areas (I know the time because I was at the end of a newscast on TV).  When I called in to report the outage, the message let me know that it should take a couple of hours to restore service.  I and other neighbors immediately walked outside to see if everyone else was indeed experiencing a power outage, and we gathered around on the street to visit.

Later, it occurred to me that that was the first time in a while I had “caught up” with those neighbors, most of whom I have known for twenty eight years.  I wave when we pass each other, speak when we are in the yard, but I hadn’t taken the time to ask about their life.  Turns out, two have had accidents that totaled their cars, one has severe health issues, and one is putting their house up for sale.  Amazing!

I began to think of a lesson learned here about times when I experience a power outage  in my relationship with God.  I don’t spend enough time alone with Him to read, listen, and pray and thus my spiritual  connection loses its power.  It’s easy to replace time with Him in the mornings with television news, emails, and other mundane issues, but I find if I miss that time with Him, my days are not the same.  If I put it bluntly, I miss God and the conversations.  Power in me begins with a jolt of Him in the morning.  Power outages help you realize how powerful the presence of God is in your life.  I’m trying hard to stay plugged in to the source.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and glory, forever!  Amen.

Above all these things, put on love which binds everything together in perfect unity.  Colossians. 3:14

A few months ago as I listened to a commencement address, the speaker talked about the importance of staying in touch with classmates as they all go their separate ways.  He called it circling back around.  Afterwards, I began to think how like classmates we are as members of a family. We are like branches on a tree in that we all grow in different directions, but we still have our roots which are the same.

When we circle back around, it gives us a chance to remember parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles who are not present physically anymore, but to whom we owe our heritage.

This past weekend, Randy and I had the pleasure of reuniting with his cousins and their families at a reunion held in his hometown of Madison, Florida.  The first cousins alone are 16 strong.  Once you add spouses, children, and children’s children to the mix, it’s quite a group.  As the cousins arrived, you notice that physical change is inevitable, but the personality and love stays the same.

We joined together not only to celebrate, but also to support our aunt who has been diagnosed with cancer.  It reminded me of wagon trains in the old west who circle around to protect those on the inside from threats on the outside.

I began to wonder, do we really appreciate family enough?  We tend to take for granted that we can always see each other if the mood strikes us, but that’s not always the case.  We sometimes put off calling just to talk and catch up,  thinking we can always do it.  We think we can say, “I love you” on the next visit, but what if we don’t have another visit?

Through the weekend, I noticed the underlying truth that although we might be separated by distance, by jobs, by families, we are all united by the bond of love.  I’m thankful for the opportunity to circle back around to get a dose of the love that unites and bonds us.

Trust the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding.  In all they ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3: 5-6

I love to float in the water because it’s amazing to me how peaceful that sensation can be!  You feel totally at peace with only the beating of your own heart resounding in your ears, and your slow, steady breathing.   You are suspended almost by unseen arms.  Peace is all around you – that unmistakable presence of God.  You instinctively surrender to it and relax.

In order to float in this life, you have to make a decision – do I let go, relax, and let God,  or do I fight against that urge and try to swim through problems and do it on my own.  Floating involves complete surrender and trust in God.

I can think of so many times when I or someone I love, agonized over a decision, a situation, an uncertainty, a bad diagnosis, a disappointment, or just an everyday problem.  Sometimes it’s even the sight of seeing the suffering of others who, like us, are stumbling in dreams to which they thought they were entitled or plans unrealized.  It’s at these times, when I float on the love and prayers of those folks who love and care for me.  They come in and mirror the face of Jesus, and it’s like I feel them sitting beside me with my hand in theirs.

At this point in our lives, we find ourselves in the midst of friends, relatives, and countless others who are facing cancer, divorce, retirement, illness, depression, family issues, and many other problems.  When all of the earthly  scientific remedies have been sought, treatments exhausted, and answers not forthcoming, where do we go?  My answer would be, just float.  Give it to God and let him sustain you with those everlasting arms.  He’s got this – float!

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.                               The Declaration of Independence

In high school, we were required to memorize and be able to quote, the first  paragraph and the famous lines above of The Declaration of Independence.  It’s a beautiful piece of writing, and it made us aware of the gratitude we owe to the patriots who wrote it.  It was a revolutionary document for a revolutionary time. Although Thomas Jefferson is credited with drafting the original copy, there was a committee of five who edited and approved the final copy.   Fifty six men from the original colonies signed it with fifty two of these being orthodox Christians. Three Georgians were among the signers;  Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, and George Walton.

I read, not surprisingly, that the Bible supplied many of the points listed in the Declaration.  These men used their biblical background to write this Declaration and based on these truths, men fought and died for this country’s freedom.

The first truth is, The Lord our God is one  (Deuteronomy 6:4) which gives the general consensus of a Judaeo Christian nation.  It ties us together.

The second truth is that all men are important and of individual worth.  For this cause, we bow our knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.            Ephesians 3:14  

The third truth is that human life is sacred as evidenced in Psalm 139:13.  For you created my innermost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  We all matter to God.

As we celebrate the 242nd anniversary of our Nation’s freedom, it is only right that we should pause and remember the inspiration upon which this nation is built.  Men and women who strongly believed in the words above sacrificed everything for the freedom we so willingly enjoy.  My prayer is that in the next 200 years, Americans will still be celebrating their freedom!

America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.  Abe Lincoln

God Bless America!

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

Riptide is defined as a strong current below the surface of a body of water which moves in a different direction than that of the surface current.  When one is caught in a riptide, the correct thing to do is not fight against it, just go with it staying parallel to shore until it releases you and you can swim in.  Good in theory, but oftentimes not what happens in a real life situation.  Human nature is to fight against it and struggle until you are worn out.

Our family just returned from a delightful beach trip to Florida.  It’s no secret that we all love the ocean, but I realized on this trip that each of us enjoys it differently.

I personally enjoy the calm, clear ocean water with the small rolling waves just right for a lazy float on a raft.  Randy enjoys a day with bigger waves to body surf into the shore.  The boys love those days when the ocean is rough enough to jump waves and they especially love it when they get knocked down.  No matter how many times, they were knocked down, they always got up to get back in the game.

Struggles in life can come when we least expect them just like a riptide.  They can carry us where we don’t want to go, pull us along where we don’t want to be, refuse to let us go, and wear us out.  The important thing is not how many times we get knocked down, how far we stray from what we know is right, how tired we are of fighting, but the fact that we don’t stay there.  We get back up and face those struggles. God never condemns us, but He expects us to get back up, dust ourselves off, and get back into the fight!

Calm seas are easy and don’t require much effort.  It’s the riptides that show how strong we are!

With the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.  2 Peter 3:8       Loosely translated, this verse says, God has perfect timing – never early – never late.  God is never in a hurry but He is always on time.                   

When we entertain friends at our house, the planning, set up, grocery shopping and cooking of sides is my job.  The grilling of the meat is Randy’s job.  Although there are things that we do well together. coordinating the grilling with the rest of the dinner is dicey at best.  Randy loves to laugh and talk with friends, which means he doesn’t always check the main part of the dinner.

Usually, the banter goes something like this…Randy, is the meat ready?  What – Meat?  Yes.  No, not yet.  Should I put the salad together?  No, not yet.  Please give me ten minutes before it’s ready.  OK.

Usually in less than ten minutes, the door will open, and Randy will announce that the meat is just right.  Great, but I needed ten minutes.  At that point, he will say, “Well, if we have to wait that long, it will be too late, and the meat will be overdone.” 

That’s just the way it is with us and God on so many occasions.  He asks, Will you trust me with this?, and oftentimes, we reply, No, not yet.  Later He asks, Will you trust me now?  We reply, No, not yet.  On it goes until you have done almost all the things you wanted or needed to do, worried needlessly, lost sleep, and are at your wits end, then you tell God that the time is just right.  Luckily, He never says it’s too late.  Rather, He takes us as we are and continues to love us.

Alexander Maclaren says, Christ sometimes delays His help to test our faith and energize our prayers.  Our boat may be tossed by the waves while He continues to sleep, but He never oversleeps.  He is never too late.