I watched the movie Sound of Freedom and was overwhelmed by the personal sacrifice of one man to keep a promise to a Dad whose two children had been kidnapped into the world of child trafficking. It made me think of the power of one inspired person who believes in a mission or purpose. It made me want to, even more, live out my life purpose. The movie is about the dark side of the world of child trafficking and …
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One day while at a lake, I saw a family of ducks waddle around a little beach and then get into the water. As they started paddling in the lake, I saw order emerge – a nice clean column of ducks with Mom and Dad up front. I doubt it was by oldest or tallest, but it was definitely orderly. I’m not sure how this natural orderliness came about. But, I think it has the stamp of God on it. …
A Most Horrific State On a recent trip I ran into an old friend who had experienced some challenges with his health and family. In a wearisome tone he accepted his plight….a life without much zeal, purpose or hope. I heard things like, “What can you say?”…..”I don’t know…”…..”It is what it is…” There he was….a wandering, broken life in a broken world. I felt both loss and emptiness as I drove away. It saddens me that depression and …
One fall day a few months ago, while sitting outside, I felt a cool faint breeze brush across my face. It was portending the winter to come. It was gentle and comforting. In that brief moment, I felt something else. I suspect it was God’s presence. I was stunned into stillness to ponder my rest in Him….to slow down my hurried life and just be with Him. I pray you and I both have more and more of those moments. …
I recently went to a silent retreat for a weekend. Once there, I noticed it was taking quite some time for my body and soul to unwind and slow down. Both finally matched the restful, tranquil and sacred place where I was. Why did it take so long for my body and soul to wind down? Like a car at 160 miles an hour, it took time to literally slow down my thoughts, the pace of my walking and my …
But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them. I have given them Your word and the world has hated them; for they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. John 17: 13-14 There are times when we want to escape this nasty, trouble-filled world. Yet, we must stay. But just “staying” is not enough. …
I get pretty wrapped up in this earthy life of day-to-day. I sometimes can act like this is it. That life begins and ends here in my small world. I also sometimes forget the wonderful things God has for me in this here and now on earth. Things He has uniquely equipped and designed me to do. Maybe it’s just to use my optimism to uplift someone at the grocery store or to talk to be compassionate to a friend …
Sometimes I tend to hold back and stay in a comfortable place sort of oblivious to God. But my heart wants to move beyond that safe place and toward Him. I had a vision that I was in a room and the wall represented safety and the middle of the room represented the mysterious unknown place where God’s heart was. Will I stay by the wall and clutch it for safety or will I run toward Him in the mysterious …
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20 (NIV) When we’re young we’re full of vim and vigor. We think we can do anything. Then, as we get older we find out that we can’t do life very well in our own wisdom. As …
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV) I have lived …
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 In the midst of great pain and anguish, life can be quite difficult. Pressures from others, from day-to-day existence and challenges within us can squeeze the life out of us and steal our joy. But, the peace and love of God is more powerful than any life event and …
It’s impossible to fully put into words God’s love. It’s so wide and deep and unnatural from a human perspective. Yet, in a way, God’s love is quite simple and tangible. You can see it a neighbor’s kindness….in a heart-felt thank you….in someone going out of their way to help another who is hurting. Of course we know: God is love….and when He is present in others hearts, we see His love shine through in astounding ways. I was led …
Walking up the stairs one day after my first chemotherapy treatment, I had a bounce in my step that I’d not had in several days. I felt better than good; I felt really good. I had gotten really tired around noon that day and regained my strength late afternoon. In that moment of realizing the state of my health, I became overwhelmingly focused on gratitude and all the things I’ve been given from the Lord. A beautiful home and loving …
I knew one day during this cancer journey, that at some point, I’d likely be curled up in a ball of pain. It happened a few weeks ago after a shot of Neupogen, a medicine to spur my white blood cell count. It brought about excruciating pain in my joints and bones. In the middle of that pain, I realized I have a choice. Stay inward, focused on the pain and my needs – or direct my eyes to the …
We went to Hilton Head recently and I got to do something quite special. I sat alone in a beach chair in the water as the tide went out. For 30 minutes my mind and soul were transfixed on the wonder, scale and epic nature of the ocean. For me, the vastness of the ocean is a powerful metaphor of the immense nature of God and the expanse of His everlasting love toward us. Even the waves lapping on the …
I am finding that I tend to be ok with the big challenges of life, but that I often hold onto the small day-to-day challenges – little pains, dealing with the healthcare bureaucracy, being tired, etc. I keep these things to myself and don’t give them to God as I want to. I need to pray about why this is so. I know Matthew 10:28 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall …
We will rejoice in you and be glad. We will extol your love more than wine. Song of Solomon 1:4 For years I tried to gather up all the diamonds and jewels this world had to offer. I was so obsessed with gathering up material things that I was oblivious to God’s abundant goodness and beauty all around me. He was around me all the time with eternal treasure, yet I was blind and uninterested. This poem is about that …
I’m learning a lot about God’s intense, caring and personal love. In the course of my short cancer journey (March 2021) I have experienced God’s love in many ways, the deep love of God through friends and the love of the Lord in other ways like by sitting quietly on our patio in His presence. I am thinking there are a lot of ways to experience His grand love. For me, right now, it seems to mainly come in two …
As we transition from winter to spring it stirs my heart to see life emerge in both animals and plants. It is surely a picture of Easter and resurrected life. Last week, on a warm spring morning, I saw several small birds flittering around our water fountain to get a drink of water. I was reminded of how well they are taken care of, yet how much more God loves and cares for us. Hope you enjoy this poem about …
At Easter we celebrate the beauty and life resulting from Jesus’ painful work on the Cross. He endured tremendous agony to carry the sin burden of us all, yet on the other side is abiding love and wonder. We get to experience a fullness of life that simply cannot be replaced by any work of man, no matter how great. Here at Easter, I pray that you yield your very life to Him so that you can experience the utter …
A Life with Friends I am very fortunate to be rich in friends, close friends….my wife and family of course, my business partner, small group brothers and others who have come into my life. Because we are true friends, they can tell me when they think I’m wrong or they can correct some error in my thinking, but even more important that that, their main concern is to move me closer to God, where He can address any issue or …
I’ve been reading a devotional book by Randy Alcorn that features portions of sermons by the great Charles Spurgeon. The book is on heaven and it describes beautiful and profound aspects of heaven in a real and tangible way. You may be like the Apostle Paul and yearn for that place, yet God has a plan for us here on planet earth. But one day….one day, we shall see as never before and experience a love so deep we cannot …
“Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. – John 5:19 (NIV) I don’t know about you, but I do a lot each day by myself….not “as I see the Father doing” How do we reach this oneness with God, where we only do what the Father desires of us? Surrender might be high on the list. …
My mother died on a Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 10:30 in the morning in Indianola, Mississippi, a small town about 22 miles from Greenville, our hometown. She went on to a new life with the Lord while my sister Libby and I stood at her bedside. It was a sacred moment of watching a life well-lived end on this earth, then head to golden shores. I suspect it was the Lord that led me to write this poem some …
A friend of mine recently shared that she had made a choice to stop “cursing the crisis”. In her case, the crisis was Covid’s many frustrations. While not diminishing the reality of the pain it has caused, I think she was speaking to her attitude about the crisis. I resonated with her comment as I too had been cursing the crisis. So what do we do? Do I curse the situation and complain, knowing that I have little to no …
God’s Sycamore Song You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12 (NIV) God’s voice, or song, can be heard and experienced in many ways, but for me significantly in nature. The way trees move to and fro, the way ocean waves crash in a rhythm and the hypnotic sound of crickets on …
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ… Ephesians 4:15 Truth and love truly go hand in hand. It seems love was made for truth and truth for love. This is especially true in relationships and in these politically charged times. I can have the most powerful truth in the world, but if I don’t express it in love, it will likely land with a thud…and …
We live in a world where we can enjoy beauty, laughter, wonderful weather and bounty one day and the next day face evil, darkness, pain, doubt and heavy burdens. Yet, in either case, we all have the promise of the nearness of God. I’ve often considered God’s presence a bit like The Matrix. I’m in the ‘ordinary’ world, yet I know another world is just a thought away. I thank God that He is indeed with me and He is …
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 My daughter and I went to Texas recently to visit my sweet sister who is valiantly and gracefully dealing with cancer. Because her immune system is weak, the doctor suggested she and her husband move to a more secluded place away from the college campus of Baylor. So, they are now living with dear, sweet, loving friends they have known since the mid-1980s. …
For anyone who has been in some pain or grief, this poem is for you. I pray it reminds you that the darkness can bring about the unity and purity of your heart with God’s. I have seldom reached the bottomless pit or “dark night of the soul”, but pray that if you are in that place, you will know of His grand love and care, even in the midst of your doubt, hurt, pain or grief. I pray you …
I pray that we “may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: 18-19 Learning to receive God’s love has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my entire life. Without a close sense of His love, I tend to reject or minimize His nudges and …
For many years I trusted God but resisted His pull for my whole heart. I would (and still can) so easily turn from God to pursue my own way. It was as though some days I was living life on a razors’ edge – a non-committal place, yet a place of tremendous peril. In this poem I try to convey the two sides – the pain and darkness of turning away and the light and joy of being …
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 I have often wondered why more people don’t do all sort of really bad things to get what they want. Why isn’t the crime rate much, much higher? There are certainly people down on their luck who could justify any numbers of crimes to get what they …
Despite our past failings and mistakes we can still experience beauty, goodness and joy. About 10 years ago, we planted new trees and shrubs in our backyard. As a centerpiece we planted this Japanese maple where we could see it outside our patio windows. We knew its color would be awesome, not to mention its beautiful shape. When the tree was still small I noticed it leaned to the right. I tried to correct it by pulling it …
Remember trying to crack open the piñata at a friend’s birthday party? There it was, a thing of great value, swinging from a rope tied to a tree limb. As a kid your only desire is to break it open. But you’re blind-folded, so you can’t ever hit the darn thing! So a helpful parent comes along and does what all parents do at piñata parties. First, they tell you to stop swinging (so they don’t get killed)! Then …
As a parent, you love your child or children in a way that is nearly impossible to explain. Even the love we have for family pets is hard to fathom and put into words. There’s a feeling we simply can’t explain fully…it’s a deep abiding connection to a person or beloved animal combined with our intense care and love for them. What do you feel for your child, friend or family pet as you read these phrases? I love you deeply …
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:1-7 I would bet you have musical favorites that stir your soul….songs that you instantly tap your foot to or that you (want to) sing at the top of your voice….sounds that send your heart …
As an Enneagram 3, (an achiever) it is very hard for me to just walk away from my work and do something that is not connected to a goal…like taking a stroll for no good reason. You too may have some personality style that you are comfortable with yet it’s hard for you to break out of it and do something new or challenging. Maybe you are learning, like me, to release that thing we “go to” for stability so naturally. This poem …
Separated…but loved In a still and darkened room Grandma waits in thin draped gown Her family waits across the town Laughing gone, now only frowns Concerns have come so near to roost Fear and angst they do seduce. No way to love or reach outside I only wish that I could hide In her room, there by her side Oh Grandma Jane, a joyful soul Without her here, there is a hole Within my heart I cannot fix I pray …
A few weeks ago, before I turned 59, I wrote this poem about how striving for achievement and goals can weigh us down...or better put, weigh me down. The sense I had was that I still have work to do to surrender my goals, plans and my very days to Him...to trust Him. Not sure if you can relate, but I know I want to continue my journey toward complete freedom, where I can trust Him more and more …
“Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, [Jesus] said to [his disciples], ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’ So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” Mark 6:31-32 …
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” -Hebrews 4:12 …
And we know that for those who love God all things (no matter what the season) work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (emphasis added) …