Swimsuit Ready RE-ISSUED

THE FOLLOWING WAS POSTED JULY 2012 AND RE-POSTED AT THE REQUEST OF A FRIEND

Swimsuit season is in full swing. It is the time when we brave the elements (and the stares) and go swimming. But something is wrong; simply put you are not ready to show yourself at the beach. What happened?

You spent all last winter putting on extra pounds (to keep warm during the cold winter). Not feeling confident enough to pull on a swimsuit; your plan was to get to the gym and work out so that when swimsuit season was here, you would be fit and ripped and toned; or at least fit into a swimsuit that didn’t look like it was formerly used as a circus tent!

You knew that a bit of exercise would help you tone and lose excess weight, and also feel better about yourself.  So you rose (with the best of intentions)and set your goal; “Gotta work off that holiday weight!!!!”

And suddenly, June was here and you knew that swimsuit season was very close; I guess that the “All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet” was much closer!

And now you find yourself facing the hot summer months of July and August wishing that you had heeded the warning last spring and that you had taken the time to prepare when you had the opportunity. Now you look for ways to keep yourself hidden simply because you are not “swimsuit ready”.

It may be a bad transition, but in a similar way in God’s Word (the Bible) we are exhorted to take time to get ourselves ready so that when we are needed we will be ready. Did you catch what I said? Let me put it another way (using the Apostle Paul’s word. He said; “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV)

He also challenged us to "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth." (2 Timothy 2:15 Amplified Bible) 

The writer of Psalm 119 put it this way; “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11 NKJV)

Take time today to “exercise” your will by spending time reading the Bible to get yourself ready for where life will take you next. Don’t be caught off guard; the next season will soon be upon each of us. Will you be ready?

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11 NKJV)

HOPE'S CHILD

In the darkness of a quiet night,  

Hope found a place on earth.

From eternity to measured time 

arrived through virgin birth.

In a new born child Messiah dwelt

Though no one really knew,

The day would come when called upon

To see this mission through.

His mother watched her child grow strong,

and too soon become a man.

In sorrow knowing deep within

He would complete God's plan.

He healed the sick, and raised the dead,

still few would dare believe,

This man was who He said He was

We just could not conceive.

Then one dark day the time arrived 

His mission was complete.

I watched as He was beaten, 

nails in His hands and feet.

Compassion still shown through His eyes

Like none I'd ever known.

He closed His eyes and hung His head 

To His Father He had flown.

The next two days had stumbled on 

The future held the same.

The third day broke the darkened sky

And once again Hope came.

Oh death where is your victory,

Oh grave where is your sting.

This child born into darkness wins 

and with Him HOPE He brings.

Larry Houghton 12-09-2019
 © 2019 All Rights Reserved
Used With Permission from the Author 

Another Day In Paradise

“How are you doing?" I asked a friend who I ran in to at a local store.

"Living the dream!" He exclaimed; "It's another day in paradise!"

Really? This is what he dreamed of when he was up all night studying for the finals? This was his dream life and all that it included?

My friend was being sarcastic for his life was marked with many trials such as a failed marriage and bouncing from job to job. His response masked his pain that he was longing for a better life that was filled with supercalifragilisticexpialidocious moments of unending joy!

Truth is, much of life is marked with doing what we need to do: Get up, get dressed, eat, brush our teeth, go to work or do our chores; and at the end of the day we do it all in reverse order and go to bed.

That is how much of our lives go; marked with the occasional outing to purchase groceries and other household items...only to get up and do it all again the next day.

If that isn't enough, throw in the fun tasks such as cutting the grass, shoveling the snow, weeding the garden, taking out the trash, and cleaning the fish tank.

Fun isn't it? Mundane? Boring?  I haven't even added in the trials and hardships that we go through as we live in the real world of brokenness that is so far from the paradise that we long for.

Unfortunately, we stop short and look for approval, validation, and life from things that will never really bring real life and fall short of paradise.

We strive throughout the minutia of our day to get everything that we can possibly want to make this bearable such as tablets, computers, dishwashers, ovens, cars, Roombas, leaf blowers, paper shredders, smartwatches, roof rakes, salad spinners and all of the other modern conveniences  that we need to break up our boring world.

So, we mark our lives by BIG events such as the big holidays, birthdays, weddings, vacations, funerals, graduations, etc. We spend our days planning and longing for the day when we _____________ (fill in the blank).

And yet that isn't really what this life is all about. In fact, many people use their vacation to get away from all that they have by going deep into the wilderness where they can be off the grid and have absolutely no modern conveniences; including running water or electricity.

Real life comes as we pay attention to that heart cry that says;

"this can't be all that there is..."

It is the heart cry from One who put eternity in our hearts that causes us to seek life. 

                 

Life is about just showing up and doing what is on our plates for the day. It is about being consistent and faithful to the items on our agenda for the day. Its leaving room for spontaneous divine 'interruptions' that cross our path.

Life, real life is learning to wake up and be grateful for even being able to wake up. It is looking for and expressing gratefulness in the minutia of this everyday, mundane existence that we call life.

Life comes from the One who Himself wants to give life this side of paradise. He put the heart cry in our hearts for paradise.

Today, at this very moment, He is reaching out to you; calling to you to come to Him because He wants you to have real life. Today. Right now.

His Name is Jesus and He tells us how to get this life in Matthew 11:28:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

He is the one who said in John 10:10 that He came to that we may have life (Zoë) and life abundantly (superabundant in quality or superior; excessive, exceedingly, beyond measure, superfluous, vehement).

Sounds like paradise this side of paradise doesn't it? And you can have it each and every day no matter what happens. It is a matter of choosing how you respond to the grace and mercy that awaits you at each and every turn of your day; from the moment that you awake.

Your response to Him is to say "yes". It's not based upon what you have done; good or bad...that is what His death, burial, and resurrection is all about. The Bibles says in Romans 10:9-13:

"...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

Jesus will help you to live today and every day after that in paradise; here on earth and eternally beyond this life.

All Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Vulnerable on the Ice

Most people have heard the story of Peter walking on water (Matthew 14:22-34). He made a request to Jesus (who was also walking on the water) to be able to walk on water and Jesus granted his request and told Peter to come to Him. 

Peter walked on the water towards Jesus. That is until Peter looked at the strong winds and the waves and he became terrorized and began to sink. And Jesus reached to Peter and pulled him to safety.

We read the story and are either amazed that Peter was able to do so or we write him off as faithless because he was afraid and sank.

I personally have spent a major portion of my life walking on water; which really isn't that hard considering the fact that it is in a frozen state when I do so...Usually going thirty miles per hour with a piece of 1/4" steel strapped to each foot.

So walking on water (for me) doesn't seem to be that big of a deal...that is until I try to do so when it it ISN'T frozen or else when I don't have skates on. Then, for me, it is very hard to walk on water.

I ran into this recently when I was making my rounds around the local ice rinks picking up hockey pucks. I hit a patch of ice (on the ice) and my feet almost slipped from beneath me. Almost; but I didn't...and I was able to stabilize myself and not fall down.

I voiced a "thanks" to the LORD for His intervention as I continued my journey around the rink and then made my way home. 

When I arrived home and stepped out of my vehicle, I hit a very small patch of ice in my driveway and went from standing upright to a horizontal position of the ground in a millisecond; tearing my jeans as I cut my knee on the frozen ground.

I voiced a "thanks" to the LORD for His intervention as I brushed myself off and went into the house to attend to my knee that was now bleeding. 

As I was taping a gauze pad to my knee, I pondered how I was unable to do the simple task of walking on a tiny piece of ice; after all I do it several times a week on rinks that are about 1,400 square feet. The piece of ice that I slipped on was only about one square foot!

Had I, like Peter, taken my eyes off the LORD; troubled by my surroundings? 

No, I was simply missing a key component necessary for me to walk on water; my ice skates. 

And yet, like Peter, I realized that even with skates I still need the LORD to do what I do. My ability to walk on water was predicated by my ice skates.

That slip on the ice in my driveway was a wake-up call to me how complacent I can get as I look to myself to do what I do.

Symbolically, the ice skates represents the gifts, abilities, and anointing that comes from the LORD that enables me to do what I need to do. I realized (as I was bandaging my wound) just how vulnerable I am in this life; how dependent I am upon the LORD. 

There is no way that I can walk through the slipperiness of this world on my own efforts or strength. And just like walking on ice, it doesn't matter how often or many times that I have done something...Simply put, I NEED HIM FOR EVERYTHING THAT I DO!

So I pondered...how many times have I tried to do things in my own strength and abilities as I lean on my past experiences? 

How many times have I ignored the near slips or the actual slips as opportunities for me to hear the LORD calling out to me to look to Him instead of myself?

Bottom line: we ALL need Jesus.

One of the problems with having successes is that we have the illusion that we can do this on our own, and so we slowly drift away from Him.

But when we slip and fall day after day after day trying to do things in our own strength; that is when we become more aware of how much we need Jesus.

The Good News is that when we turn and call out to Jesus, He IMMEDIATELY welcomes us with open arms

Oh Jesus; help me to see You and to keep my eyes upon You lest I continue to slip and fall or sink...

Keep your stick on the ice; I'm pulling for you!

I Spilled Coffee on My Shirt!

My mom instilled in me at an early age a sense for fashion. And, except for when I don’t, I always like to keep up my appearance. 

She believed that clothes should be kept clean (which was no small task for her since she had ten children). So each day my mom would wash and dry the laundry so that once again clothing would always be kept clean and ready for the next event.

Mom instructed me that clothes do make the man and therefore each fall she would take me shopping to pick out the newest style of clothing.

My mom was so in tune with fashion that I had bell bottoms the same season that they first came out in the seventies, along with paisley shirts, vests, bandannas, and tie-dyed t-shirts. She let us boys dress like hippies and the girls wear dresses made from paper.

When this new thing called “disco” came along, she took me to the store to purchase leisure suits with white and brown platform shoes. 

Fortunately, I quickly learned that "stayin alive" meant that I should not have anything to do with the whole disco scene, and I got as far away from it as I could possibly get!

Today, I may not always be in style (sometimes one must wait several years for an older style to come full circle), but I do have a sense of what looks good together

My dress shirts are sent to the local dry cleaner to be professionally cleaned; heavy on the starch. After wearing them for an event, I promptly send them back to the cleaners for a fresh start.

My suits are neatly hanging in a closet awaiting to be paired up with a pair of dress pants and a matching tie. My dress shoes are polished and shined to military precision.

I pay attention (and will even ask) if my socks match my pants.

Even when I am casual in my attire I care about whether what I am wearing matches; including when I am just running up to the store or cutting the grass.

Another thing that mom taught me was that it was important to not spill food on your clothing and to always keep it clean. When we were little, she made bibs to cover my clothing as I worked on getting food and beverages into my mouth without spilling.

I’ve worked with quite a few co-workers who could have used this training from my mom. In fact, it seems to me that each time they put on a new shirt, they insist on spilling food on it!

In fashion and food my mom taught me well.

So, you can imagine the horror when I spilled coffee on my shirt!

No, this wasn’t a special shirt, but the idea of staying clean in my appearance was put to the test as I tried to figure a way to conceal the major faux pas in the fashion world. I thanked God that Miranda Priestly wasn’t around!

Quickly I went to the nearest source of water to dilute the stain before it set in, knowing that it would still need to be pre-treated with laundry soap (to attempt) to remove it.

I realize that what I call a sense of fashion has the undertones of OCD; in that clothing really serves a basic need for modesty and warmth. Beyond that is mere vanity and preference.

And the delusion that I can always keep my clothes clean (or anything for that matter) is OCD in full bloom!

As the great comedian Phyllis Diller once said; “Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing”

As delusional it is to think that I can keep my clothes always clean, it is even more delusional to think (and believe) that I can keep my life totally clean at all times.

Like a fresh shirt, my life can be an open target of the misdirected things that fly towards me (or out of my mouth) and land in places that puts my illusion of righteousness to the test as I tried to figure a way to conceal the major faux pas to others in my world.

My feeble attempts to stay clean or to even clean up and conceal my mess will always (in my efforts) fail miserably. Simply put, it won’t work.

Like spilled coffee on my shirt, I need to go quickly to the only source that can “dilute the stain” before it sets in, knowing that it will still need to be washed with something greater to remove it.

In Isaiah 1:18 the Lord calls out to all of us who have “spilled coffee on our shirts” (sin) that we can’t seem to remove;

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

The Lord wants to remove ALL of the stain so that there are NO reminders that anything was “spilled”.

“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12)

We may not be able to start each day with new, or at least clean clothes, but we can awaken with the hope that as we turn to God each day, we will find His mercy fresh and new waiting for us to use. Great is His faithfulness; in that we can place our hope!

Are you ready to get your life cleaned up? Have you tried to clean up your life with no success? Are you tired of trying to do it your way? Call 1-888-NEED –HIM; someone is waiting to talk with you.

All Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Prodigal Son

NOTE: I'm not sure wrote this...I found it in an old file. Enjoy!

  (In The Key Of "F")        

Feeling footloose and frisky, a featherbrained fellow force his father to fork over the family farthings, And flew to foreign fields.

He frittered his fortune, feasting fabulously with faithless friends.

Fleeced by his fellows in folly, and facing famine, he found himself a feed-flinger in a filthy farmyard.  Fairly famishing, he fain would fill his frame with foraged food from fodder fragments.

"Phooey, my father's flunkies fare far finer!"  The frazzled fugitive forlornly fumbled, facing facts.  

Frustrated by failure, and filled with foreboding, he fled forthwith to his family. Falling at his father's feet, he forlornly fumbled, "Father, I've flunked!   and fruitlessly forfeited family fellowship favor."  

The farsighted father, forestalling further flinching, frantically flagged his flunkies to fetch a fatling from the flock, and fix a feast. 

The fugitive's fault-finding brother frowned on the fickle forgiveness of former folderol.  But the fruitful father figured, "Filial fidelity is fine, but the fugitive is found!  What forbids fervent festivity?  Let flags be unfurled!  Let fanfares flare!  

Father's forgiveness formed the foundation for the former fugitive's future fortitude!