Trusting in a Great God

Have you ever known someone who seems to have a lot of faith in God, until something happens to them, or to a loved one? Then suddenly, they find themselves questioning how God could have let this happen?

The next thing you know they are mad at God. They are ready to “throw in the towel“--give up on God--just because things didn’t turn out the way that they thought that they should.

They begin to say things like, “If God really loved and cared about me, then He would never have ever let this happen!”

Maybe they go as far as cursing and screaming at God.

Disappointment, frustration, anger, and just plain not understanding overwhelm them.

I think that in part, we bring it on ourselves, because we are somehow geared to think that we need to be able to figure everything out. We think that we have to understand the whys of everything that happens.

We are all guilty at some time or another of trying to give God advice on how He should handle a particular situation. We figure out in our own minds the best resolution to our problems and then present it to God like a Christmas wish list, rather than just trusting that He knows what is best for us.

But if we could truly understand how great our God is, I think just maybe we would take a different approach in our relationship with God.

We need to begin to try to understand the greatness of God as demonstrated in all that He has created and surrounded us with.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.” --Psalm 19:1 (NKJ)

We cannot possibly begin to grasp the greatness of His creation, the vastness of space, and the wonders of the Universe. Nor can we ever truly understand the intricate workings of our own bodies. So how can we hope to fully know the One that created it all, and fully understand His love for us?

In Ephesians 3, Paul prays that we “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height--to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” Interestingly, he prays for us to comprehend something that passes knowledge.


Yes, we need to seek to understand. We should seek to have an intimate relationship with God. But above all, we must learn to trust Him no matter what comes our way. We must trust Him like Job did when he declared,

“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” --Job 15:13a (NKJ)

It is what we are instructed to do in Proverbs, and it comes with a wonderful promise.

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths." --Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJ)

In the very midst of all the hurt and confusion and pain, put your trust in Him, and even though what you are having to walk through may not change, He will give you the strength to go on. He will supply your every need!

Could it be that we don't think that God sees us and knows us completely?

“Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.” --Isaiah 40:28-31 (NKJ)

This day I invite you to experience for yourself the incredible peace that comes from trusting in a loving God.

Declaring The Marvelous Works Of God

It's been one week since my last blog post. One week since our beautiful granddaughter passed away. In fact, I received the news that she had died, while I was writing about her that Sunday, a week ago today.

This past week has been filled with lots of tears and lots of laughter, feelings of great loss and moments of great joy.

And in the stories told and re-told by my wife, who spent the last two hours of Elania's life by her side, I have found incredible peace, comfort, and wonderful victory.

In the last hours of her life, Elania so allowed God to fill her and move through her that those who came to comfort her, were comforted by her. Those who came to be strong for her, were made strong in her strength. Those who came to calm her fears, had their fears relieved by her fearlessness. In her passing there was great peace for all who would take it.

Over the almost nine years of Elania's short life, my wife and I, along with countless others, have prayed for her. In our prayers, one of the things that Nan and I would boldly declare was that Elania would "live and not die, and declare the marvelous works of God!"

In our minds, we saw her as a young adult, free from cancer, completely whole, ministering the good news of God's love to thousands of people all over the country, forever changing people's lives.

But, how many of you know that God sometimes sees things a little differently than we do? His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and because He knows the beginning from the end, we can be at peace knowing ". . . that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." --Romans 8:28 (NKJ)

You see He did answer our prayers. For in dying in Christ, Elania forever lives, free from cancer, completely whole. And through her life and in her passing, the marvelous works of God are being declared to thousands of people all over the country, who are being forever changed.

And that's only what's happening now! This has only just begun! The full story of her life and death hasn't even been told, yet. That story is for her Nana to write and to tell.

And in the days to come, she will write it and she will continue to tell it to all who will listen, again and again.

And if you ever read it or hear it, you will never be the same again. It simply is not possible to hear the story and not be changed!

Talk about making your life count for something! You did it, Elania! You did it!


I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. --Psalm 9:1-2 (NKJ)

It's Okay To Be Done

“I’m done!” Elania announced to my wife, Nan, with a sigh.

Nan was rushing through the airport, several years ago, with her two grandchildren trying hard not to miss the connecting flight that would bring them back to Florida. With her baby grandson, Shane, in her arms, along with the all the paraphernalia that comes with traveling with a baby, she had been trying to encourage her three year old granddaughter to walk faster, when Elania decided she was too tired to go on.

And so, she told her “Nana” she was “done.”

“No, baby, you can’t be ‘done!’” Nan cried, more than a little panicked at the fact that Elania had just stopped right where she was. “Just a little further!”

After some pleading, Nan managed to convince her to push through and they made the flight.

During the year prior to coming to stay with us in Florida for a short time, Elania had proved herself to be quite a little fighter. She had been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. After surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments and a second surgery, things looked good for a complete recovery.

Life went on for the next several years, but then the cancer returned. More surgery, more chemotherapy, and surgery yet again, are the events that have marked her life over the past couple of years.

While recovering from the most recent surgery, and as she was about to begin yet another round of chemotherapy and radiation, she contracted an infection that left her too weak to proceed with the treatment. It was also discovered that small piece of the tumor that they not been able to remove during the last surgery, had grown aggressively.

There was nothing left to do, but leave her in God’s hands.

Yesterday, as she lay in her hospital bed, she told her dad that she hoped her mom would hurry up and get there because she was really tired. She was tried of fighting, and she wanted to go home.

When I heard what she had said, I knew, in my heart, she was saying, “I’m done.”

Part of me wanted to cry out, “No, baby, you can’t be done!”

But how can you say that to a child that has had to go through all that she has been through in the almost nine years of her short life. Hasn’t she earned the right to just be done?

Her mom did get there. Nan also got there and they spent last night and this morning singing songs to her, sharing hugs, kisses, and smiles and Elania even laughed.

Nan told her, "Elania, you’re so strong!"

Elania nodded her head in agreement and then flexed her muscles for Nan.

Nan said, “You make me strong.“

Then late this morning, she was done, and she went home to heaven.

While our hearts are torn and broken, we rejoice that she is free, and safely home at last.

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelations 21:4 (NKJ)

Elania Marie Canady, September 19, 2000 - September 6, 2009

Little Miracles, High Places and Amazing Achievements

When I sat down today to write, I was surprised to see how much time had past since my last posting. Time does have a way of moving right along, especially when you are busy.

For me, the last month and a half has been packed with so many events and activities that it wouldn't be possible to share them all with you. So I've narrowed it down to three things, as indicated by the title of this post.

LITTLE MIRACLES

On August 11th, my son Chris, and his wife Charity, welcomed Aribella Grace into the world. After years of trying to have a successful pregnancy, Chris and Charity had all but given up on the dream of having their own child. But our timing isn't always God's timing. God had a plan and answered their prayers with a beautiful baby girl.

HIGH PLACES

This picture is one of the views from the top of Mt. Evans in Colorado. The top of Mt. Evans sits 14,264 feet above sea level. My sister and I hiked to the summit on August 17th. (Now you know why they are called the Rocky Mountains!)



Fortunately, the highest road in North America takes you most of the way there, since in places that high, there seems to be an extreme shortage of oxygen! (Much different than the less than 200 ft. altitudes that I am accustom to in Florida!)


AMAZING ACHIEVEMENTS

On August 26th, my parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary! I was in Colorado, along with many other family members and friends, to help them celebrate this amazing achievement.

Their lives have been an a true testimony of the power of faith, hope and love.


So maybe, just maybe, you can understand why I'm feeling mighty blessed right now!

The Fine Art of Flirting (How Those Sparks Keep The Fire Burning Brightly)

People often tell my wife, Nan and me that they cannot believe that we have been married for over 15 years. They just have a hard time comprehending that people that have been together that long, could act the way that we do around each other.

Well, I’m here to suggest to you that there is an art behind such a relationship. And it is an art that we have learned to do well (after all, we’ve had over 15 years of practice). It is the fine art of flirting.

Let me stop here long enough to say that not all flirting is of the “fine art” variety. There is a great amount of inappropriate flirting going on in the world, as I am sure you know.

I believe if you are married or in a committed relationship with someone, then that person should be the only one that you flirt with. Many a marriage has been ruined by what started out as “innocent” flirting.

And why does it happen so often? Because it feels good to flirt and to be flirted with, and it is probably something that is missing from their relationship at home.

But if you’re good at flirting, it feels no less “good” when you are flirting with your own spouse. It fact, I believe it feels much better, because it carries no burden of guilt with it.

There is quite a range of flirting that Nan and I engage in, from very intimate to very public. Both are important.

The intimate flirting is important because it is something that only the two of us share, which strengthens our unity and commitment to one another.

The public flirting is important because it is an outward declaration of our love for each other to the entire world, or at least as far as to those who are watching us (and people do watch). Not being afraid to show our attraction to each other in public causes trust to build between us.

Hopefully, our public flirting also serves to inspire and encourage others to work on their relationships so that they, too, can experience the joy of what we have.

Good flirting sometimes harkens back to the time when everything was new in your relationship and rekindles those feelings of excitement and anticipation of what might come out of what was only just beginning.

I recently called my wife and asked her to go to dinner with me, but I did it as if I had never asked her out before. The exchange started something like this:

“Hello, is this Nan?”
“Yes.”
“Oh hey, this is Robert. Robert McArthur? I don’t know if you remember me . . .
“Oh, yeah, how are you doing?”
“I’m good. Hey, I was just wondering . . . .”

That began an entire evening of acting like we were on a first date. The only difference was that she did come home with me to spend the night, something that would have never happened on our first date! But it was okay, because we were married before we walked through the door of our apartment!

It isn’t hard. It’s loads of fun. And it feels good.

Don’t know how to start? How about walking up to your spouse in the kitchen and saying, “So, do you come here often?” You might be surprised where the conversation goes from there.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Special thanks to Jessica for sharing with Nan and me some of the flirtations that took place between you and your boyfriend. It helped me realize that the spark that keeps things hot for Nan and me is the flirting, and it inspired me to write this in the hope that it might help others to find a way to have this much fun! From what I can tell, I think that you and Marc have this down really well. Can you imagine how good you’ll be at it after 15 years of practice!?!

My Precious Treasure

"Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life."

--Proverbs 31: 10-12 (NKJ)


For over 15 years I have wanted to write a song specifically for my wife, but never had just the right words or tune. Then last night as I was going around turning out the lights, I walked past my keyboard and decided to play a tune or two before I went to bed.

I do this sometimes, because it relaxes me to play some of the few melodies that I have written over the past years. I started off playing an untitled instrumental that I had come up with maybe a couple of years ago.

As soon as I started, I found myself singing words to the music! I had only finished the first few lines when I stopped, for fear of forgetting what I had sung, and ran to get my laptop computer so I could write it down.

Over the next hour or so I worked with the words I had been given and wrote her the song that I had been wanting to write all these years.

I truly feel blessed to have the rare and unique relationship that I have with my wife. My prayer is that others will learn how to love this deeply.

So, even though I am not able to share the tune with you, I thought you might enjoy reading the lyrics to Nan's song.



MY PRECIOUS TREASURE

God gave me a treasure,
That treasure is you, dear.
He blessed me much more than I deserve,
So much more.

My heart overflows with love,
As I thank my Lord God for the blessing
He gave to me,
When you became my wife.

This love is, oh, so rare
There are few that can dare compare,
To this amazing love we share,
Each and every day we live.

You will always be precious,
So precious to me, dear,
I gave you my whole heart long ago,
Long ago.

And with each new morning star,
I will rise up and somehow,
I’ll love you more than e’er before,
You truly are my life.

Oh yes, you’re truly my whole life.

I’m just so thankful you’re my dear wife.


"He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the LORD."

--Proverbs 18:22 (NKJ)

Aribella's Lullaby

My newest grandchild is due to arrive next month. The arrival of Aribella has been much anticipated as my son and his wife have been trying to have a baby for quite some time, without success. They chose her name before my daughter-in-law became pregnant, because it carries the meaning, "Answered Prayer", which is exactly what she is.

I wrote a lullaby for her and just thought I would share the words with you.



ARIBELLA'S LULLABY

Sleep little baby girl,
No need to fear,
We’re right here.

Angels watch over you
As you sleep through the night.

Just close those sleepy eyes
And drift on away,
It’s okay.

And when the morning comes,
And on through the day
We’ll laugh and play.

Two eyes that shine so bright,
And soft hair that reflects the light,
Your small hands that know to hold on tight,
So precious in our sight,
Sweet baby.

You are the miracle,
God sent to us,
To cherish.

We’ll be right by your side
Each step of the way.

And every day that comes
We’ll bow and pray,
And thank Him.

Grateful to God above
For our heart’s desire,
Our answered prayer.

You’re truly,
God’s gift of love,
Our Answered Prayer.

The Love of a Father

Today is Father’s Day, and I’ve found myself thinking a great deal lately about the different things that Father’s Day might mean to other people, given the wide range of unique experiences that they may have had with their fathers.

Personally, I always think of Father’s Day as being a celebration of who my father is and what he did for me, rather than being about me as a father. And so, I even find myself sometimes just a little surprised when one of my kids or my wife makes it about me.

I am blessed to have a wonderful father who loved, cared and sacrificed for me, as I grew up, and who continues to love and encourage me today. He worked hard to give me a life full of rich experiences, and lived out a life of compassion and caring for others in front of me.

My relationship with my dad has a lot to do with how I understand God as my loving, Heavenly Father. Unfortunately, not all fathers leave their children with fond memories of their love and support.

So I can’t help but think that it must be harder for those who did not have a wonderful father, to experience the richness of knowing God as their Father, and having that closeness of relationship with him. With my own father, I’ve experienced the kind of love that would have caused him to lay down his own life for me, if needed, so that I could live. But what about those who haven’t known that kind of love?

And what about those, who haven’t known a father at all?

I guess it’s up to all of us to show forth the Love of God in all of our thoughts and words, and in those things that we do, so we are a reflection--however dim--of the Heavenly Father’s love for them. In doing so, perhaps they can experience what it is to be truly loved beyond measure.



“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.” --Psalm 68:5 (NKJ)

Still in the Palm of His Hand

As an update to the previous post on my granddaughter, I thought you should know that after observing her in the hospital for a couple of days, it was decided that the symptoms that she was exhibiting were not of enough concern to make it necessary to do any kind of emergency surgery. As a result she was released from the hospital and allowed to return home where she will await the originally scheduled surgery on June 25th -- still in the palm of His hand.

In the Palm of His Hand

Our grand-daughter, Elania, is in a fight for her very life.

She was first diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor when she was only two years old. After surgery, chemo-therapy, radiation, and a second surgery, she remained cancer free up until she was seven, at which time they found another tumor had developed.

Once again she had to have surgery, but this time it was even more invasive than before, as they had to go through her cerebellum in order to remove the main tumor. The decision was made to treat a couple of other areas of concern with chemotherapy. The surgery left her with some challenges in her efforts to recover and unfortunately, despite more than a year of chemotherapy (some of it very aggressive), test results showed that one of the areas of concern had grown.

The decision was made to do surgery again and a date was set. Unfortunately, before the surgery could take place Elania started displaying symptoms which led her dad to take her to the emergency room at a hospital in Savannah, Georgia, last night. From there they felt the need to airlift her to the hospital in Atlanta where the surgery was originally scheduled.

At the time that I am writing this, I don’t know any other information as to how she is doing, and that fact is very frustrating, but at the same time I have a deep inner peace that can only come from God.

I believe it comes from the personal relationship that I have with my Heavenly Father and the trust that I put in Him. I know that He knows the end from the beginning and while things happen that I don’t understand, it just isn’t always necessary for me to figure it all out. I just need to hang onto the knowledge that no matter what happens, God will bring good out of it as I trust in Him. And in that trust is the peace that passes understanding.

I choose to believe that God is good, all the time, and that He is for me rather than against me. That is why I can come to Him like a child comes to his father, and give him any concerns that I have, knowing He is well able to take care of them all.

The devil, on the other hand is a liar and will do everything that he can to deceive us so that we won’t trust God.

So this morning, with the alarming reports of last night still fresh in my mind, the Lord prepared me for this time of not knowing.

He spoke to me.

It wasn’t like an audible voice. No flashes of lightning or claps of thunder. It was just a quiet reminder of something that I already knew in my heart.

These words came gently up from the inside of me.

“The devil may blow and he may bluster, but the LORD says, 'I’ve got this one in the palm of My hand.'”

(Interestingly, “bluster” is not a word that I would typically use, so I decided to look up the definition in Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary where I found that it carries these meanings: to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats, or to blow in stormy noisy gusts, or to be windy and boisterous. Sounds to me like he is just a bunch of hot air!)

Our prayer is and always will be that Elania be made healed and whole, however God chooses to do that, and our comfort is in knowing he holds her in the palm of His hand.

Still Under Construction

She was an older woman, though I would have a hard time saying just how old. She was pushing a mostly empty wheelchair that afternoon a few days ago, near the entrance of the parking lot at the shopping center where I work. I saw her there, but initially I didn’t really take notice of her more than to make a brief mental note to avoid hitting her as I drove into the lot on my way to my store. I was very focused on other things. I had things to get done and the day was already wasting away.

It was my day off and I had only come to work to pick up some empty boxes for my daughter who was packing up her household for their upcoming move to another city here in Florida. I had a plan and I was trying to work my plan. I wasn’t prepared for interruptions. So, honestly, I was a bit annoyed by this one.

But how are you going to ignore an older woman who is hunched over, pushing a wheelchair across a parking lot, when she is looking distressed and is trying to flag you down as you are trying to pass to the right side of her without running her over? So I pulled up a little, so as not to block the entrance, stopped and rolled down my passenger side window to find out why she seemed so desperate to get my attention.

She came up to the window and briefly explained her predicament. She was homeless, the shelters were all full, they wouldn’t be feeding until that night, and she was feeling sick from not having eaten. Could I please help her out?

Now, I had long ago decided never again to give money to people in her type of situation, but I did feel prompted to help her get something to eat. Since she was headed in the direction of the Wendy’s restaurant on the corner, I asked her if something from there would be okay. She said that would be fine, so parked my car in a nearby spot and got out. I walked the short distance with her to the restaurant, mostly without speaking other than to ask her if she needed help getting her wheelchair over the curb.

I held the door for her as she entered and held my breath as the rush of cool air from the restaurant left me downwind from her un-bathed body. I followed her to the counter and told her just to order whatever she wanted. She placed her order to go, and I presented my debit card to the cashier and she completed the transaction.

I said, “Okay?”

The lady simply and quietly said, “Thank you,” like she was responding to someone who had stepped out of her way or had held a door for her.

My obligation was complete, so I just walked away and left her to collect her order. I’m embarrassed to admit that I can’t even say for sure that I said, “You’re welcome.”

As I walked away, I was a little bothered by what I perceived as her lack of gratitude. Hadn’t I just interrupted my own plan and gone with her to Wendy’s and let her order the largest combo meal on the menu and paid the bill?

And yet at the same time, I didn't want her to make a big deal over what I had done and bring attention to it. All I really wanted was what I had done to be between her, me and God--and for her to be grateful to God.

I went back to my mission of loading up the boxes and within a couple of minutes I saw her again in the parking lot. The food that I had just purchased for her was no where to be seen, though it may have been tucked away with her few belongings. But what really irritated me was that she had stopped someone else who was getting into their car and was apparently begging off of them, too.

The whole situation started to really get under my skin and so I tried telling myself, “Just let it go. Forget it. What’s done is done. Don’t let it consume your day. You’ve got other things to get done and you sure don’t have time to let this get to you.”

It didn’t help.

Am I the only one that is a little slow to pick up on the fact that sometimes God is trying to show you something?

So I spent a lot of the day considering what had happened and how it made me feel. And slowly, I started to see some pretty powerful messages that I think God especially meant for me.

You see, nearly every morning I take my wife’s hands and we pray together over the day ahead, and over our family and loved ones. I ask God to put people in our path that we can be a blessing to, so that they are touched by the goodness of God and drawn to Him. When I pray it, I mean it with my whole heart. But I have to tell you, I don’t always hold onto that prayer as I get busy in my day.

Still, even though I wasn’t looking for an opportunity at that moment in the parking lot, it didn’t take long for me to know that God wanted me to help that woman. I sensed it deep on the inside and I acted on it. I was obedient.

Do you realize that there is a big difference in being obedient and being willing?

I did it because I knew I was supposed to do it. God let me know that He wanted me to do it. It wasn’t going to take much effort or time or sacrifice. So I just did it and got it over with. I certainly wasn’t excited about doing it. I wasn’t shouting,

“Hallelujah! God answered my prayer!”

But you see, I would have been, if I had been willing instead of just obedient. Oh yes, I did it, but how much more of a blessing would I have been to her and just how much more blessed would I have been if I had only done it with a willing heart.

What if I had taken the time to just show a little more kindness, instead of looking at her with mistrust? What if I had made the effort to talk with her, to get to know her, to encourage her, and maybe even find out if she had some other needs? What if maybe I had even said,

“How else can I help you?”

Or what if I had said to her,

“I just want you to know that God Himself spoke to my heart and told me to help you. He sees you, He knows where you are, and He loves you”?

What if?

How much more blessed would I have been in blessing her? And how much more grateful to God might she have been?

And then there’s the other lesson (one that I’m supposed to already know).

I am only responsible to act on what I feel God is telling me to do, to the best of my ability (with a willing heart). I'm not to worry about the results. I’m supposed to leave the results up to Him. If He tells me to do something, He undoubtedly has a good reason for it. I just need to do it and trust Him to make of it what He will.

It could very well be that what happened that afternoon was intended more for me than for her. Maybe it was to see if I would be obedient, and then to show me how obedience is not enough. I must be willing, so that the next time I’m prompted, I will be a much greater blessing and in that blessing, be far more blessed.


"If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land."

--Isaiah 1:19 (NKJ)

Representing Well

Today is Mother's Day! And as I was reflecting on my own mother, and how grateful I am to be so blessed to have such a wonderful mom, I was struck by how far-reaching are the implications of taking on such a responsibility.

Simply by having a child you change the lives of thousands of people. And as time goes on, potentially thousands upon thousands of lives will never be the same--for the better or for the worse--depending on the path that your child's life takes.

I wonder if my mom thought about how many lives she was going to change by having the four children that she had. Did she have any idea of the multitude of lives that would be forever touched by her decision to become a mom? And did she realize how her decision will continue to change lives long after she is gone? That the effect will likely never stop, as our children touch lives and have children of their own who will also touch lives?

So just as an encouragement to all the moms and potential moms out there: Raise your children well, making an abundance of love the key thing.

And as a reminder to those of us who are children: Represent well the one who sacrificed the most to bring you into the world.

If we all do this, the whole world will be changed.

Things Hoped For, Now Revealed

Some of you have asked about whether the duck eggs that were pictured in my March 9th post had hatched. (And some of you had no clue that there was a picture of duck eggs posted in the first place!) Regardless, I wanted to let you know that, indeed, they did hatch.

I'm afraid that I haven't done a great job of capturing the picture here, but I did want to send you the evidence showing that those things which I had hoped for, did come to pass!

God is good. And in the midst of uncertainty and adversity, life goes on to declare His glory!

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard."

Psalm 19:1-3 (NKJ)

A New Song

Have you ever gotten a song "stuck" in your head? If you are like most of us, it happens from time to time. Ever notice how often it is a song that you don't particularly like and especially find irritating after it has played itself over and over in your head for most of the day?

My mother-in-law and her sister actually "try" to get a song stuck in each others' minds, as a playful irritation, by subtly humming a tune in front of one another, until it is good and lodged in for the day.

It used to happen to me much more often than it does now. I think that is because I have learned how to replace the song in my head with a new song from my heart.

After all, for most of us, our minds and are hearts are not always in sync. If we let it happen our mind can get us into all kinds of worry and anxiety. On the other hand, if we would let it, our heart would lead us into peace. We have to hold the thoughts of our mind captive to that which we hold in our heart.

That's why the Bible says, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding." --Proverbs 3:5 (KJV). You just can't always trust your mind, but if your heart is a heart after God, you can always trust it.

So what kind of song are you going to carry into this day? You could let the cares of this world fill you with a song of doom and gloom, or you could let a song rise up from within you heart full of hope, joy, and peace.

It's an easy choice for me. How about you?

Of Things Fragile and Delicately Balanced, Of Things Not Promised Beyond This Moment

My sister is truly an amazing person. She has an inner beauty that resonates on so many different levels. She is loving, caring, compassionate and brings much joy and laughter into the many lives that she touches.

Being the only girl in our family, with three brothers, she is quick to let you know that she is the princess. But don't think for a moment that this means she is prissy, by any means. She has a zest--a particularly keen enjoyment--for life, that comes, I think, from an appreciation for all the blessings of God that surround her each and every day.

She lives with her husband in the ski country of the mountains of Colorado, and takes full advantage of the opportunities that she has to participate in outdoor activities like camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, snow-shoeing, and, of course, skiing. Well, that is, she has until recently.

Just over a week ago, toward the end of a day full of skiing the slopes with friends, she fell and broke both bones of her lower right leg. Very suddenly everything in her life changed. After surgery to repair the damage, her very active lifestyle was replaced with a very restricted one which included no weight bearing on the injured leg for eight weeks and continued therapy after that. Quite a change for someone who is always on the go!

It could have been much worse. She will recover. She will walk, hike, bike, kayak, snow-shoe, and yes, probably ski again.

But it has made me think about how fragile and delicately balanced our lives are, and how suddenly everything that we know can change. And it has also reminded me that we are not promised more than this very moment. And so we should live each moment to it's fullest, grateful to God for His blessings to us.

Where I live is much different than where she lives . . . or probably from where you live. But God's hand is evident in all things that surround us if we will take the time to see.

Where I live, each morning I have the opportunity to walk and appreciate the beauty of what He has placed before me in this moment.

When I live in this moment, I find that I can have hope for those things to come.

" The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork.

Day unto day utters speech,

And night unto night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech nor language

Where their voice is not heard." Psalm 19: 1-3 (NKJ)

Why Can't People Just Treat Me Right?

Have you ever thought, "I sure wish that person hadn't treated me that way!"? If you work with the public you probably feel like that a lot of times! I know that I do.

So, I was thinking about how I would like to be treated by others, and decided that I would write down a few of those thoughts and share them with you (in no particular order).

• I would like people to be kind and friendly, and invest a little of their time to show some interest in me.

• I would like people to be patient with me. I would like them to take the time to try to see my heart, because sometimes I say things that don't come out just right, or I do things before really thinking them through and I make a mess of it all.

• I would like them to recognize the good in me and assume that the areas that aren't so good are areas God already knows about . . . and that He is working on them with me.

• I would like for them to be helpful and supportive of me. I would like them to believe in my potential and encourage me to excel. I would like them to be gentle when correcting me and genuine in their compliments to me.

• I would like them to listen to me when I am trying to tell them something that is important to me.

• Mostly I just want to be sincerely loved and appreciated on a regular basis.

Now, no doubt if you were to make your own list, many of the things that I put on my list would show up on your list as well. But there would just as likely be things on your list that I might not have considered, so I would encourage you to make your own list.

Now, after you've made your list you could have copies made and give them out to everyone that you know or meet, and hope they start doing you right!

But that's not really how it works, is it? No, the list is for you. It's to remind you of what God expects from you when it comes to how you treat others.

You all know the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." But how often do we really think about how big that assignment really is. To ask yourself in every moment of your dealings with someone else, "How would I want to be treated if our positions were reversed?"

What a different world we would live in if everyone followed the "rule!" But, while we can't make others follow it, we can impact our world by obeying God's command for ourselves.

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." --Matthew 7:12 (NKJ)

Oh, and one other important thing to remember: the commandment is about doing . . . not about not doing, so it requires action on your part. You can't just "not do" and fulfill this commandment!

Words Once Spoken, Held Forever in the Heart

I saw an old friend, Mike Peterson, in church today. I probably haven't spoken more than a few words to him over the past year or so, but he greeted me with a warm embrace--evidence of the bond that remains strong between us, though our paths have moved us in different directions.

I was reminded of what an impact he had on me when I first came to the church. And then I was struck by how I still carry something in my heart that he said probably 17 years ago.

I had involved myself in the church by serving as an usher. Mike was the Head Usher at the church. He was a great believer in the power of prayer and before each service he would have all of the ushers join hands, he would say just a few words from his heart, and then we would pray for the service.

It was during one of those times that he shared four simple words with us, which he repeated several times:

"Refuse to be offended! Refuse to be offended! Refuse . . . to be offended!"

What else, if anything, that he said that day, I could not tell you. But those few words, spoken I believe under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, went deep into my heart and have forever changed me.

"Refuse to be offended!"

And since that day have I always refused offense? No, I am ashamed to say that I have not. But why is it so very important for me to try to do just that?

I believe that it is for this reason: Offenses come at us every day in many different ways and from many different sources, from little petty offenses to major affronts. Nearly every time that someone speaks to us we have an opportunity to take offense with something they say. And that is just what the devil would like for us to do.

Offense is a trap because out of offense comes bitterness which steals our peace and our joy. And without joy, our strength is drained and we are trapped! And now, filled with bitterness and resentment, the road back to freedom is so much harder to reach, when we could have avoided the whole detour in the first place if we had only refused the offense.

So, here's how you refuse offense: You simply make the right choice. It's your decision. You can choose to be offended, or you can choose to love, the way God loves you everyday.

Even though we all do things to offend God every single day, His choice is to love us. Why should our choice be any different with those around us.

In I Corinthians 13:5b the Amplified Bible tells us a little about the God-kind of love that is needed to melt away offense:

"Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]."

My challenge to you and to myself is to not be "touchy" and to not "pay attention to a suffered wrong." In loving others, like God loves you, you will find great freedom.

Still On Fire

"Love is friendship set on fire." --Jeremy Taylor


Today marks the 15th anniversary of my marriage to my beautiful wife, Nan. What God began as a friendship, He developed into a deep and abiding love between a husband and wife.

It has been an amazing journey of trials and triumphs. Through it all, though, God has poured out His endless mercies and has graced us for what we have faced.

He has demonstrated His great love for us and has shown us how we must love--by making a deep, committed, steadfast, unfailing, unwavering choice, to love beyond what we feel. For love is not about a feeling, though it certainly can be felt! Rather, true love is an act of faith.

It is an act of faith on a truth that we know in our hearts. And that truth is this:

"Love never fails."
--I Corinthians 8a (NKJ)

Nan and I act out our love for each other on a daily basis and in giving to each other we find such blessing in return. It is this commitment to love that keeps our friendship on fire!

Today, I would like to challenge you to make a decision to "love" someone and find some way, if only a small way, to demonstrate that love. Take that step of faith, and know this: "Love never fails."

Man Down!

On my way home from work each day, I usually stop to check our mail at the mail boxes near the front of our apartment complex, before driving the rest of the way back to our apartment. But yesterday, I broke the routine.


Our four year old grandson, Jacob, was at our place spending the afternoon with his Nana. So I figured that Jake and I could walk down to get the mail. That way Nana would have a chance to get supper going and take a well-deserved moment for herself. (Jake can really wear a person out fast, and she had been with him over three hours by the time I got there to give her some relief!)


As I got to the apartment, Nan greeted me at the door. I didn't see Jake, though, so I asked Nan where he was. Nan playfully said, "I don't know! I can't find him! He was here, and now I don't know where he is! Can you help me find him?" Of course, these were all cues to let me know that Jake was hiding from me and it would be my job over the next several minutes to search our home from top to bottom before eventually finding him in one of his favorite hiding places, under the end table by the sofa. So that's what I did and before too long we were out the door and on our way to the mail boxes.


Now, you have to understand that Jake seldom walks anywhere. He almost always runs and this afternoon was no different. I, on the other hand, seldom run anywhere! Fortunately, my walk is only slightly slower than his run. I would let Jake run a little ahead, and then stomp my feet hard against the sidewalk, as if I was running hard to catch up to him. He would squeal and laugh and glance back to see how close I was to catching him. Then once I had caught him, the whole scenario would replay itself.


Jake is at an age where he is not a particularly good listener. It reminds me of something they used to teasingly say about my grandfather, "He's not hard of hearing. He's just hard of listening!" But with Jake, it sometimes concerns me, because he doesn't have a lot of experience with understanding first-hand what can happen when you don't listen.


I can tell him all day long to stay on the sidewalk, and not to go out into the street. And I can explain the dangers of being hit by a car, but he only sees the reasons why, in his mind, he needed to do it. "There was a kitten that needed me! I wanted to walk on the other sidewalk!" I try not to let him get too far ahead of me because of this very thing.


So, as we were "walking" down to the mailbox, Jake decided that he would duck between to parked cars to hide from me. But as he stepped off of the sidewalk he stumbled and took a small spill onto one knee on the pavement. It was nothing terribly serious, just a slight scrape. After inspecting the knee, a very few seconds of "fake crying," and another lecture from me on the dangers of going out into the road, he was back to running down the sidewalk, only to stumble and fall once again.


No scrapes this time, but he did grab his ankle and with a second even shorter "fake cry" he explained, "I hurt my . . . this thing!" I started to ask if he was going to be okay, but by that time he was already up and running again.


On up ahead Jake stopped to once again check his knee injury and after looking closely discovered, BLOOD! "I'm bleeding! I'm bleeding!" he exclaimed, followed by more "fake crying." By the time I reached him he had plopped himself down on the sidewalk. I looked carefully at his knee and was actually able to see a little blood coming up in the scrape. I assured him that I thought he would live to which he over-dramatically responded, "You . . . go on without me . . . just . . go on without me!"


Being the compassionate grandpa that I am, I laughed and said something like, "Come on, drama boy!" And with that he was up and running again. There was not another mention of it until we arrived back at the apartment, where for Nana's sake it became a two-bandaid crisis!





Of course, Jacob knew I would have never left him behind. And so it is with our Heavenly Father. We can be assured that he will never leave us no matter what or who we face.




"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
--Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJ)

WILDFIRE! --well, not exactly.

Today, it is colder where I live in Florida, than it is where my parents live in Colorado. That is not usually the case, by any means! But my wife and I really do enjoy the few days that we get here when the temperature dips a little towards what most of the rest of the nation routinely experiences every winter. And so while many people here are complaining about the cold, Nan and I don't mind at all that it dropped down around the freezing mark last night.

After all, it does give us the opportunity to use one of the "perks" our apartment affords us--our fireplace. Our apartment is on the third floor of one of the buildings in our complex. And as a reward for climbing all those stairs to get here, we enjoy the added features of a vaulted ceiling and a fireplace in our living room. Naturally, we get a little excited when it looks like we might actually be able to have a fire in the fireplace, without turning on the air conditioner to compensate for it!

This was the case last night. When Nan and I got home late from a meeting at our church, our apartment was pretty chilly, no doubt a result of having left the window open to let some cool weather in! So Nan suggested that I could build a fire in the fireplace with the firewood she had gotten a few days earlier in anticipation of the coming colder weather. That way we could enjoy a little quiet time together in front of a cozy fire, before bed.

And so that is what I set about to do. I am not going to detail all that I did to try to get the fire started, but let's just say that after over an hour of trying, I decided to pack it in for the night. I had about decided that the wood that Nan had gotten, must have been treated with fire repellent or something. And further, I couldn't imagine how it is that wildfires are such a problem when I couldn't even intentionally start a fire in my own fireplace! So I woke Nan up--she had fallen asleep waiting on the couch--and we headed to bed.

This morning I awoke with renewed determination and once again set about the task of building a fire. This time with great success (see photo below, as documented evidence).

Once again I was secure in my masculinity. I had made fire and was confident that if Nan and I were ever stranded on a remote island somewhere that I could do it again--if I had a big enough box of matches!

And what did I learn? I found out that it isn't always easy to keep something burning. You have to keep feeding it. And the more you feed it, the hotter it gets and the more it spreads. And so it is with us on so many levels.

What's burning on the inside of you? And what are you doing to keep that fire--that passion--alive? As you go forward into the new year, remember if you want it to live, you have got to feed it!

Have a blessed 2009!