Pompous Pacer

The year was nineteen seventy something and I was about to enter my senior year of high school. I had been working a side-job taking care of an elderly man who had multiple sclerosis (MS) and was deteriorating in his physical health. Mentally, he was a sharper than any tack that I had ever seen!

My job started off pretty simple: I would go over to his apartment (which was only a block away) and help him into his wheelchair in the morning; sometimes helping him get his socks on.

As his MS got worse, I would also go over to his apartment in the evening to help him out of his wheelchair and into his bed.

In time, he needed more help as the tremors would sometime make simple tasks very difficult for him, like preparing breakfast or pulling up his pants.

We had looked at several assisted living facilities, but none would meet his or our approval. Again, this was the seventies, and most of the facilities we looked at smelled like urine all the way out to the parking lot.

No way could we let him live there.

He was a very smart man who had a very prestigious career and had made a good income, so money wasn’t really an issue. His wife was deceased, and he had no children.

The solution that he came up with was to hire in-home nursing to give him further assistance. He also purchased a lift to assist getting him in and out of bed and another for the tub.

He also had another idea; he wanted to buy me a car so that I could drive him places.

I want to say that he was really a great guy and I enjoyed spending time with him. He loved reading books in order to stay a step ahead on new technology and the latest trends.

As I said, his mind was sharp as his body was falling apart. He joked with me that his mind would still be working for several days after he was buried in the ground.

Did I mention that he wanted to buy me a new car?

I really had no reason to respond the way I did when he purchased a brand new car and gave it to me. The plan was that it would be mine to use as much as I wanted and it was mine to keep after he died.

The problem? It was an AMC Pacer! No teenager wanted to drive, let alone be seen in a Pacer! Remember, this was sixteen years BEFORE the movie “Wayne’s world” came out and made it ‘popular’.

And, no, it didn’t come with a factory issued licorice dispenser. That was an aftermarket item that you couldn’t get until 1992!

My oldest brother had a Dodge Challenger at the time which further added to my reluctance to drive the car. His was cool, mine was lame!

The man told me that he had done research in Consumer’s Report and said that this was one of the best values in the market today. He also liked that it would be easy to load and unload his wheelchair in the back. And he loved that he could see out the windows.

That last statement didn’t help at all; if he could see out, then others could see in!

I should also mention that my next older brother had a Camaro with a spoiler on the rear. My next youngest brother had a Nova!

There is no way that I would be seen in a AMC Pacer.

So I made excuses not to drive it.

Yes, I turned down his generous gift to me. I NEVER even drove it! And I starting spending less and less time with him in order to NOT drive the car…I wanted the provision; just not in that way.

In a very short time, his body failed to the point where he was placed in a nursing home. He died within the month. I didn’t know what happened to the car; and didn’t really care at the time where it ended up.

I had been an ungrateful and proud teenager who, although I needed a car, choose to let pride stop me from receiving a gift from a generous person who wanted to show his appreciation for me.

I also missed out on my opportunity to spend time with this great man.

I missed it by allowing my pompous pride get in the way.

As I write this I have several thoughts.

First of all, it reminds me of Naaman in the Bible. He was a great and honorable man and the commander of the army of the king of Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but he was also a leper. (Read the story in 2 Kings Chapter 5).

Naaman had a chance to get healed of his leprosy, but he didn’t like how it was to be done.

Naaman was told that if he wanted to be healed; “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

 

Naaman said, “NO!” In fact he became furious at the preposterous suggestion. He wanted the provision; just not in that way.

Fortunately, he gave in, did what he was told to do, and received a complete healing.

My other thought is wondering how many times have you and I missed provision simply because we were too pompous to receive? How many times did it come and go and because pride caused us to stumble and fall short?

Finally, what about provision for that hole in your soul; for that sin in your life? Have allowed pride to stop you from simply receiving the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ?

Naaman almost missed it by allowing his pompous pride get in the way.

Be careful that you don’t make the same mistake.

“Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.” (Hebrews 3:15)

“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (1 John 1:7-10)

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on Him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

All Scripture is from the New Living Translation (NLT), copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Two Weddings, a Memorial Service, and a Tornado

Well, it wasn't a quiet week here in St. Paul, Minnesota, my hometown, out on the cliffs of the Mississippi. 

Cathy and I had settled ourselves on the love-seat in our family room to veg out watching TV when the call came un-expectantly in the form of a text message: a friend of the family had died and with it came the notification of a pending memorial service.

It was already scheduled to be a busy week after we came back from a min-vacation on the Northern Shores of Minnesota. The week included a fishing tournament with fellow pastors and ministry leaders, and a wedding rehearsal and officiating the wedding ceremony. 

Prior to our trip up north, we had spent three weekends up at the family cabin cleaning up debris left in the wake of a tornado; something that defiantly wasn't on our schedules!

I also had several other opportunities to fill my calendar which (for sanity) I turned down including a trip to Sturgis, South Dakota and a trip to California to go fishing in LA and then play hockey in San Francisco.

I decided that living out of a suitcase for that many weeks on the road would put too much stress in my life that would leave me (potentially) weary by the time I came to the wedding. This would prove to be wisdom from above.

I should note that this week I have another wedding rehearsal and am officiating another wedding ceremony....And then four more weddings after that.

Then as my schedule seemed FULL, my physical health was stressed in the form of a head or sinus cold; which arrived full-forced just in time for the day of the wedding.

With the cold came headaches, blurred vision, congestion, sinus pressure, flem, mucus, coughing, hacking up a lung or two, and a raspy voice; which was eventually lost. 

I should note that on a good day I have some memory issues due to taking too many knocks on the old noggin. With a head cold I am (without the Lord's help) clueless at best. So to say that I was in trouble was amplified by a night of no sleep.

I am not writing to solicit sympathy or empathy from readers who "have been there", but simply to say as much as we can possibly plan our schedules we are still vulnerable to things that come at inopportune times like death and tornadoes.

With all of the modern apps and the multitude of ways that we use for our calendars to schedule our lives, we are still unable to script our own lives.

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:13-16)

And that includes other things that come up such a dinner invitation or a request to come outside to look at a sunrise, sunset, rainbow, or a flower. It includes spontaneous opportunities for free tickets to an event or to help pack food at "Feed My Starving Children"; simply because they need extra hands.

My point is that with life comes opportunities. How we choose to embrace them makes all the difference if we are to become better or bitter; it’s really our choice. We can either get through our busy schedules or we can slow down and smell the flowers. 

I am happy to report that the Lord came through and the wedding ceremony went off without any other surprises and then, the following day was the Memorial service where we gathered to honor the person whose life touched so many. Thank God for His faithfulness. 

I look forward to what comes next between this moment and this week's wedding. My prayer is that each of us will be open to the gift of each opportunity that comes our way; KNOWING that ultimately the LORD is in charge.

“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” (Psalm 37:23)

“And we know 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)

That's the news from St. Paul, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.

Happy New Year 2019

What will you do with new opportunity? How will you use it?

The world we are in (at least here in the USA) is so divided, isolated, and partial to whom we will show allegiance.

This past year was marked with people reacting rather than responding to events as we left our mark in the history books without really making anything good from all of our efforts.

This past year was marked with people choosing sides and people being asked; “Whose side are you on?” as we further drove wedges between each other.

Enough division! Enough choosing sides! Enough is enough people! Let’s step out, forgetting the past, and make a difference in our world.

The world is looking for some heroes who will cross party lines and show love to those who are not like “us”. 

Jesus told a story of “The Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37) to explain whom we are called to reach out to. In the story it was the religious folks who were too busy to cross over to the other side of the street and show mercy on a person who needed their help.

In fact, in the story, the man who helped out was an “enemy” of the one who needed his help.

This is a New Year; A Fresh Start; A Chance to Do It Differently. How 2019 turns out to be partially in your control based upon how you choose to view it.

As Oswald Chambers wrote:

“As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous, forgetful delight, nor with the quickness of impulsive thoughtlessness.

But let us go out with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us.

Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future.

Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ.

Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.”

The question one year from now will still be; “how did you make a difference in this world this year?”

The Apostle Paul wrote:

 ^“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17

Jesus said (in the story of the Good Samaritan);

So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

You may be asking; "So, how do I do this?"

To be straight forward, you can't do it on your own...

Billy Graham wrote:

"Are you trying to face an uncertain future without the Lord Jesus Christ? Only in Christ will you find real hope and, ultimately, eternal life. He calls you to turn away from sin and to receive Jesus Christ by faith as your Lord and Savior. 

You can do that right now, wherever you are. You'll begin a relationship with God, and He promises that you will be forgiven and become a completely new person."

Then, and only then will you make a difference in this world that will be for good and for the glory of God.

Happy New Year! I’m pulling for you to make a difference this new year!

Some More Lust-Full Thoughts

Editor’s note: I wrote this blog in 2009. I am re-posting this revised version because I continue to see people on social media who are struggling with the area of lust.

LUST in the New Testament that is translated “A longing” A longing …. especially for what is forbidden. A strong desire, especially sexual desire. 

But Lust is not just sexual desires. Lust is anything that has turned you aside to some other thing instead of the LORD.

The good news is that Jesus wants to give us freedom and victory in ALL areas of life. Please take some time to read, ponder, and pray. Don't wait until you are "boiling over" - Pastor Tommy O

1.) Scripture is pretty clear that whatever we sow to, that we will reap. Since we know that it works with sin; that should be confirmation to us that it also works with sowing to spiritual things.

Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also will reap. For he sowing to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh. But he sowing to the Spirit will reap life everlasting from the Spirit. But we should not lose heart in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not faint.

James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin. And sin, when it is fully formed, brings forth death.

2.) As long as we are alive we will opportunity to be enticed into sin. It really is a matter of what we do about it.

2 Timothy 2:22 But flee youthful lusts, and follow righteousness, faith, love, peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

3.) We are called to cast our cares upon Him. He doesn’t take them from us, we cast them upon Him.

1 Peter 5:7 casting all your anxiety onto Him, for He cares for you.

4.) We need to be aggressive to cut off that which causes us to be drawn away from God. We need to see the bigger picture of what we have in Him.

Matthew 5:29-30 And if your right eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it from you. For it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be thrown into hell. And if your right hand offends you, cut it off and throw it from you. For it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be thrown into hell.

5.) We need to covenant our lives; settle some things before God; to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Job 31:1 I made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I look upon a virgin?

Matthew 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

6.) We need to be aware that as long as we are alive, Satan will be ‘out to get us’. We need to remember that he is already a defeated foe and that in Christ we have the victory.

Genesis 4:7 If you do well, shall you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door; and its desire is for you, and you shall rule over it.

7.) The choice is up to us individually what we will do; no one can do it, or pray it for us. We make the choices, day by day; moment by moment.

Deuteronomy 30:19 I call Heaven and earth to record today against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live

8.) “We must assume the inevitability of attacks by an enemy hostile to our spiritual interests and build our defenses in the places he is most likely to attack” -Gordon MacDonald ‘Rebuilding Your Broken World’

          PDI (personal defense system)

             #1 Adopt a repentant life-style

             #2 Pay the price of regular spiritual discipline

             #3 Cultivate key relationships

             #4 Resist the ‘applause’ that belongs to Christ

             #5 Take time to have fun

             #6 Hold things loosely

             #7 Be filled with the Spirit of God

9.) It still comes down to God's Grace

Ephesians 2:1-10  And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience; among whom we also had our way of life in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us  (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), and has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, 9  not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.

10.) We need each other: This is from -“The Shepherd’s Covenant” Focus on the Family Pastoral Ministries www.parsonage.org

Genuine Accountability: 1 Samuel 18:1 And it happened when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was joined with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as he did his own soul.

Right Relationships: 2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

A Servant’s Heart:  John 10:15 Even as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep.

Constant Safeguards: Ephesians 6:10 Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

Embrace God Intimately: James 4:8  Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.

Remember, LUST is not just sexual desires. It is anything that draws us away from our love of the LORD. 

God has been offering you better things all the time, and you have been missing them. 

So I implore you today to make certain that there is no lustful thing in you that would rob you of the glory. Then the LORD will take you to the very summit of the blessing where you can be increased day by day into all His fullness.

“Keep your stick on the ice; I’m pulling for you!” -Red Green

Like Giving Medicine to A Cat…

I’m sitting at home one night; mindlessly watching TV with Cathy when a commercial comes on for a product that will cure some ailment for a cat.

They show the human and she is happy. They show the cat and it too is happy. They show the family and everyone is happy.

As the saying goes; “Happy cat, happy homelife” or something like that.

The commercial is so moving that I stand on my feet because I, too, want this kind of rich and abundant life, and I reach for my car keys and my wallet.

And then reason prevails and I think of at least three reasons why I shouldn’t pick up this product…

Number One: The side effects are devastating for the cat. They include depression, difficulty with swallowing, vomiting, and diarrhea.

“Yeah, that’s what I want”; I say to Cathy. “A cat who is now depressed, because it can’t swallow and is projecting fluids from both of its major orifices!” I sit back down on couch, trying to get that image out of my head.

The second reason why I shouldn’t pick up this product is; “Have you ever tried to give medicine to a cat?!”

I don’t care how happy the humans and the cat are, it is very apparent that whoever wrote this commercial clearly has never tried to give medicine to a cat!

Simply put, you don’t! Take it from one who has tried you can’t; period.

When I was a young lad, my family tried to hide the medicine in our cat’s food. The cat showed us what’s what and ate every morsel of food as it pushed aside the medicine we had cleverly hidden inside of the food dish.

None of us felt safe to go to sleep after the cat gave us the; “Don’t ever try that again” look and hissed at us.

When my children were young, Cathy and I tried giving medicine to one of their cats.

I told Cathy to bypass the ‘hiding-it-in-the-food’ trick because experience taught us to not even go there…

So, we tried the ‘take-two-people-to give-it -to-the-cat’ approach. That is where two people (usually the parents) are needed because one holds the cat’s mouth open as the other shoves (or attempts to shove) the medicine down it’s throat.

It’s kind of a good-cop, bad-cop trick that never really works.

We thought that by one of us speaking lovingly to the cat while prying open the mouth, somehow the cat would trust us as the other person shoved the medicine down the throat. After all, we were trying to help the cat get better; we were doing something for the good of the cat.

 

This, too, ends up with the cat hissing as it gave us the; “Don’t ever try that again” look.

It also includes many memories burned into my children’s cerebral cortex as they watched in horror as their beloved cat resisted our attempts to heal it by yowling to the point of being ridiculous; memories that therapists would later refer to as “billable hours” as they attempted to help us get those images out of all of our heads. 

Oh, and third reason why I shouldn’t pick up this product is, I don’t own a cat or any pet for that matter….

I changed the channel on the tv and then, in true pondering fashion, I thought of God and how I act towards Him as He attempts to do something for my own good.

How I push away all that He does for my good.

How I yowl and resist and work hard to not take what God has “put in my food dish” that will help me.

How I think that at times He can seem to me to be overbearing and too demanding as I hiss at Him as I give the; “Don’t ever try that again” look.

But the truth is that everything He does is for my good; after all, I am made in His image and (as a Christian) bear His Name.

The truth is that He owns me; I belong to Him.

He doesn’t want to shove anything down my throat. He wants is asking me to stop resisting Him and stop struggling and to take the medicine.

He says to me; “…open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” (Psalm 81:10).

“So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so that He can show you His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.” (Isaiah 30:18)

Waiting for A Harvest

It’s that time of the year again when gardens are tilled and seeds or plants are planted, watered, and then we wait…and wait… and wait…

If you think about, it’s amazing how long it takes for the seeds to germinate; and then how long it takes from germination until we see flowers. Then how long it takes until the crops come up and we can eat the produce…

It’s several months until we see anything for all our labor; if we see anything at all, because there are many conditions beyond our control such as weather and the quality of the plants and seeds.

This is true for all crops including flowers, trees, and vegetables.

Another huge factor is the condition of the soil; is it clay, sandy, or black? Each serves a different purpose depending upon what type of crop is planted.

But it should noted that the condition of the soil didn’t come that way by chance. This soil was prepared by the gardener ahead of time in anticipation of what was to come.

In fact, it takes a tremendous amount of work to turn untamed land to good soil: Rocks must be removed (again and again), thorns pulled up, and hard places roto-tilled to loosen up the soil, because even the best soil must be broken before it can become beautiful.

And then, as I said, we wait…this is how things grow.

So, is it worth it???? Is it worth all the arduous work just to even prepare the soil to receive the seed or plant? And why must we wait; why can’t things happen faster?

If you’ve done gardening for any length of time you know that the answer is “yes”, that it is worth all of the hard work that goes into preparing soil and planting for the future harvest.

Being able to pick rich and fresh produce from soil less than one hundred yards from the kitchen door is so very much worth all of the effort and the waiting period!

And before you know it, it’s State Fair Time! Time for ribbons and trophies!

But what about areas of our lives where have been waiting for a harvest?

We are not naturally good soil for God to plant into us His Word

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14)

 

Too many Christians are content with remaining un-tilled soil. We delude ourselves by thinking that the condition of the soil doesn’t matter.

We don’t want God to point out where we need to be changed. We prefer to remain rocky and weedy. We prefer to try to grow things despite the resistance in our lives

None of us are beyond God’s ability to change us. But His change takes time: - It doesn’t happen in a single day. Even so, He can change us from a desert land to a fruitful garden

My friend Rev Bob Tolliver wrote:

“Trees do not grow year-round. In the Spring, life begins to flow and leaves begin to appear During the Summer a new layer of fiber slowly begins to form under the bark.

In the Fall, the new wood has created a new "circle" from the most recent growth and begins to mature. Interestingly, it is during the most desolate and severe season that the hardening and maturing takes place ---- the winter.

During those times, it appears that life is gone and the tree is dead, but the life as simply retreated to the roots leaving the outward appearance of death.

All of that to say that perhaps the most important seasons of our walk with the Lord are during those times when we feel we have spiritually "flat-lined" and have lost any ground gained.

Just the opposite is true. It's through those "dark nights of the soul" when we can become the most mature ---- if we don't fight it.”

Soil that was called “good ground” didn’t come that way by chance. This soil was prepared by the GARDENER ahead of time. But it was not the soil that did the work

To be good soil that receives God’s Word: I must be open, receptive to God and His Word. There can’t be resistance or reluctance on my part to having stones removed. I must welcome it daily. I must allow it to change my thoughts, attitudes, prejudices.

Secondly, every area of my life needs to be reachable/available. ALL the ground in a garden is tilled for fruitfulness. ALL areas of my life need to be tilled by the Holy Spirit. This takes time, but it must be done. Again, He is the One who will do the work; we cooperate.

The key ingredient to good soil being productive is how much God is really in control of our lives, and how obedient and responsive we are to His Word.

The Holy Spirit has come to help us bear fruit to be productive, appointed to bear fruits that honor the Father. And there will be a bountiful harvest of divine fruit because my Heavenly Father has been working with great skill in His Garden and I chose to respond to His work in humility and with my heart.

Our Heavenly Father has a Garden that He has been working on; a garden that He is proud of, filled with blue-ribbon produce. A Garden that He longs to share with the world. It’s the lives of you and I!

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)