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!

Jacob's Great Adventure

Last night my wife and I watched our grandsons, Jake, who is four, and Jack, who is almost seven months. As with most kids those ages, they can be quite a handful, especially Jake, whose energy level is pretty much without limits. We live in a two bedroom apartment, so it is pretty tight quarters for an active four year old. Since Nan needed to give Jack a bath, I decided to take Jake on a walk around the grounds of our apartment complex to see if I could help burn off some of that energy and make the rest of the evening a little less hectic.

The walk turned into quite an adventure as Jake immediately took the self-proclaimed role of "leader." It turned out that this was for the best, since I didn’t have an “imaginary, invisible map” like he did. Throughout the adventure he would take out the map, unfold it, and tell me what the map said about which way we should go.

“The map says we have to follow the sidewalk this way!“

The map took us on a journey that included the discovery of gold! It was right where the map said that it was, under the “X” on the ground. All we had to do was dig it up with our imaginary shovels. What a wonderful discovery in these hard economic times!

We also spotted a stray cat that “needed to be rescued,” but was to skittish to allow us to get too close, a giant inflatable snowman, a manager scene missing the baby Jesus, and Christmas lights. After passing by some Christmas lights, Jake spotted more up ahead and said,

“How convenient, more Christmas light up there!”

After a very extensive exploration of the entire complex, traveling most of it more than once, Jake announced,

“The map says we’re lost!”

He then turned to me and with all to melodrama he could muster cried out,

“Just look at the mess you’ve gotten me into!”

All I could do was laugh.

So reflecting on the adventure of last night, got me to thinking about how we, "only being human," often want to blame others for the bad decisions that we make. And how sometimes we even want to blame God, when He was there all along trying to warn us about the trouble ahead, if we had only taken the time to listen.

It is that feeling down on the inside of you that says, “If you do that it isn’t going to turn out good.” But too often we just push right past it and do what we want to do at the time. Or sometimes we just aren’t listening for it at all. And we inevitably find ourselves stuck with the consequences.

The Bible reminds us how to listen for God.

“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.”

I Kings 19: 11-12 (NKJ)

So when all else fails, as it is likely to do, LISTEN! He will speak to you in that "still small voice."

(Author’s note: after all was said and done, we did find our way back home!)

Having A Birthday At Christmas

I have a friend who has a birthday on December 25th, and I was thinking about what a rip-off that is to celebrate your birthday at that time of the year. Who has time to think about your birthday when so much other stuff is going on.

It makes me wonder how he feels, taking second place to all the "hustle and bustle" and the "dashing through the snow" to get the "best deals" at the "door-buster specials" during the "holiday sale" for "everyone on your Christmas list" at "Your Place for the Holidays."

I wonder if he resents "Santa's Big Scene," at the mall or the "Christmas Parade" in every town around. And I wonder how he feels about "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire," and "The Grinch" stealing all the attention away from his birthday.

But hopefully this year his family will at least remember to try to make it about him and he won't be entirely left out . . . just maybe.

So may I just say to him,

"Happy Birthday, Jesus! You are the only Christmas gift I really need!"



"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'"
--Luke 2: 8-14 (KJV)

Merry Christmas!

November Thanks

I think November must surely be my very favorite month of the year. I enjoy the cooler weather moving in after another of Florida’s long, hot, humid summers finally gives up. I like the fact that November means not breaking into a sweat first thing in the morning simply from walking out of my front door and to my car!

The change somehow energizes me, puts a bounce in my step, gives me a little get up and get ’em in my get-a-long! But even more than the change in the weather, I enjoy that Thanksgiving happens in November.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year for me. I guess that I like it so much because it is a little less commercialized than some of the other big holidays like Christmas, Easter, or even Halloween. It is as if the giant commercial machine didn’t have time to mess with Thanksgiving, because it had to get rolling on to Christmas if it was going to fully capitalize on the money making potential of December’s biggest holiday.

And, that’s just fine with me! Leave Thanksgiving alone!

I like that my memories of Thanksgivings past are filled with the warmth and love of family and good friends. Of days that overflowed with Mom’s good cooking, and laughter, and peace.

I like that Thanksgiving comes more towards the end of the month. It gives me plenty of time to think about what I am thankful for.

This year, like every year, I have much to be thankful for--even though it has been a very hard year. In fact, it has been one of the tougher years of my life. And the tough season hasn’t past yet. But it will pass. And I am so grateful, because through all that has happened, I have loved and I have been loved beyond measure!

So this month, my wish for all of you is that you might know the boundless love of you creator. And be forever thankful in every situation, trusting in Him, resting in His love for you.


"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever."
--Psalm 30: 11-12 (NKJ)

Sometimes Just a Little More Noticeable

Have you ever thought about how everything around us is in a constant state of change? Of course, that’s obvious!

But have you noticed how there are certain defining moments in time that abruptly bring into focus just how much things have changed? Yes, there are certain points in time when how much has changed is just a little more noticeable!

Last night was such a moment. Last night our nation elected the first African-American to the Presidency of the United States. An amazing change by itself. But possibly even more noticeable, Americans elected a man who has promised to take our nation in a much different direction.

When the results of the election were announced, some were overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation for the promise of change. Others were gravely disheartened by the prospect of the change that this election decision would bring.

Some were uncertain about the change, some feared the change, and some really didn’t care what this new President-elect would bring. They were just glad that all the political advertising that was interrupting their television watching had come to an end!

Some knew it was going to be for the best. Others knew it was going to be for the worst. But regardless of where you stand on the issues, I think that you know that we are in for some changes--some “noticeable” changes. Still one thing hasn’t changed. And that is our deep need for true healing in our nation.

There is too much that divides us in our country. There is an abundance of dishonesty, and lack of integrity, and yes, wickedness. How sad that so many in our country have turned their back on God and failed to honor Him. How frightening to think that we have not held our Creator in reverential fear!

The Bible reminds us of God’s promise:

“. . . if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJ)

It is time to stand up for what is right and against that which is wrong. We truly do live in the best country in the world, but we need to pray that it remains that! So, I’m asking you to pray for our nation. Please pray!

I would also encourage you to pray for our new President (and all of our leaders) that God Himself would touch his heart, and guide his decisions, trusting that what the Bible teaches us is true:

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD,
Like the rivers of water;
He turns it wherever He wishes.” Proverbs 21:1 (NKJ)

May God bless you and God bless America!