Where Would I Be?

It's a hot end-of-summer September day and I have an empty schedule. I did do an early-morning airport run and made several ministry-related phone calls. I also attempted to set up several appointments with no success.

And, even if I could set them up, I am somewhat land-locked because the city is resurfacing the roads around my house.

In the past, I would have fretted because I am wired to always be completing some task. Way too often my self-worth has been validated by how hard I worked and how much I accomplished each and every day. Too much of my affirmation has come from others who would say (in an attempt to meet with me); "I know that you are busy".

But instead I have come to learn that just because I’m not doing anything, doesn't mean that I'm "not doing anything".

So I grabbed my backpack with my iPad and headed out the door...I dropped off a zip drive at the computer store in my neighborhood and made my way to a local coffee shop. Along the way I met several business owners and took time to dialog with them and to introduce myself.

As I walked, I thought about how much I love to spend time with my own children. Even though there were days when goals 'had' to be achieved, I have always enjoyed spending time with them.

Now that they are adults, I often think that things can get blurred as the grandchildren seem to be the reason that we visit our children or have them over to our house. But it really isn't. I really have no hidden agenda, but just to spend time with them.

And then I 'heard' the Father speak to my soul communicating how much He loves to spend time with me; with no agenda, no real goals other than spending time with me. And as a father, I get it as my heart once again is filled with love for each of my children.

 

I arrived at the coffee shop, placed my order, and set my backpack on a table to claim it as my own; even if for a short part of my day...

And now, as I sit here drinking coffee and observing my environment, I realize that this respite is a good thing for me to have because the rest of the week is full and includes a 3-day trip to babysit some of our grandchildren and their farm, a wedding to officiate (along with rehearsal, etc.,) a family birthday party, babysitting another grandchild, and a church picnic when I return.

And that's just this week. Next week is even fuller.

Today, instead of breaking glass ceilings and building Rome, this is a day to ponder who God is and reflect on how good He is. It is a day to receive validation and affirmation as a son from my Heavenly Father. It is a day to spend time with Him and see where He takes me along the way.

I think of Henry Blackaby who suggested that we "watch to see where God is working and join Him".

Jesus said:

"...My Father has been working until now, and I have been working."..."Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you,  the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel." (John 5:17,19-20 NJKV)

I realize that it is His great mercy that has provided this day of rest and refreshing for my soul. And I let Him know that I am grateful.

Where would I be without Your great, great mercy

Where would I be without Your deep, deep love

Where would I go without Your light to lead me

Oh my Lord, oh my Lord

My Lord and my God

What would I do without Your great, great mercy

Where would I go without Your deep, deep love

Where would I live outside Your forgiveness

Without the risen Son

Where would I be?

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.

"Quit Fighting!"

Hi, my name is Tommy and I am a scrapper. 

No, not scrapper as in "one who hauls away scrap". 

And definitely NOT as "one who does scrap booking"

By scrapper I mean: a fighter or aggressive competitor, especially one always ready or eager for a fight, argument, or contest: the best lightweight scrapper in boxing; a rugged political scrapper.

As a scrapper, I don't know how to quit; it is hard-wired in me.

In hockey I love the corners and will "fight" the biggest guy if necessary to try to take away the puck. I say "try" because I am not always successful. 

I have been a scrapper from time to time and arm wrestled with leadership; especially when I see a potential problem with a direction that they are going or with incompetence.

I have been a scrapper with Cathy in an attempt to fix a problem, rather than following her suggestion to forgive and let it go. Oftentimes she responds with; "Or we could simply laugh it off and move on."

I have been a scrapper with issues of injustice and whenever I see the scales tipped unfairly.

And, sadly, I have especially have been a scrapper with the Lord. And, even though Jacob did that in the Bible (see Genesis 32), for me, that's not a good thing. Jacob may have felt it was necessary to get the blessing from the Lord by wrestling with Him; for me it stirs up a bad side of being a scrapper.

The truth is, Jacob wasn’t wrestling with the Lord as much as the Lord was wrestling with Jacob. The Lord saw Jacob's need and came down to meet with him. The Lord was breaking Jacob, changing him, transforming him. 

Smith Wigglesworth (referring to Jacob) wrote: “Jacob knew that no one could deliver him but God. And there alone, lean in soul and impoverished in spirit, he met with God. Oh, how we need to get alone with God, to be broken, to be changed, to be transformed! And when we do meet with Him, He interposes, and all care and strife are brought to an end.”  

The Lord is calling me to set aside my agenda and to allow Him to be the Lord of ALL of each and EVERY situation of my life.

He is working on my character and wants me to resist my flesh and to die to MY agenda.

I need to get alone with the Lord; not fight Him, and receive the revelation of His infinite grace and of His wonderful purpose and plans for my life.

He wants me to believe and trust and rest and know that He the Lord is in control, and that He sees it all.

He wants me to stop and to smell every flower and chew every morsel of food; and embrace every life; and know that it will all be alright.

He wants me to give it all to Him and for me to quit fighting Him.

He wants me to get to the point where I have no fight left.

"No Fight Left"
It's hard to tell if my eyes are open

When all I see is dark

And it's easy, it's easy to lose my step

To lose my step

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

And I used to dream of a life so lovely

There'd be no room for tears

Now letting go, yeah

Letting go is the hardest part

It's the hardest part

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

Ohhh...

There is no place I can go

Where you don't already know

How to reach right down and pull me out

I need you, I need you, I need you

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all...

There is no fight left on the inside

But maybe that's where I should be

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all, yeah

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all, yeah

I've given up trying

I'm giving it all to you

Songwriters: JJ Heller / Dave Heller

I want to Get My Tongue Pierced!

We live in a culture in which tattooing, piercing, and body modification have been the rage. Rarely will you find someone who doesn’t have something from one of these three areas.

To those who are getting them, they seem like the newest thing to do. But this is not new; it has been going on for centuries. King Solomon wrote;

“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV

And there seems to be no area on the human body (exterior or interior) that is off limits for tattooing, piercing, and body modification.

Body modification is a completely strange concept that I have a hard time wrapping my mind around. It is the deliberate altering of the human anatomy or physical appearance. No thanks; I have enough scars and alteration on my body from surgeries that were done to repair my broken body.

My question to those who are thinking of doing this is what happens when you turn forty and no longer feel that it is appropriate to have horns coming out of your head when you walk your daughter down the aisle?

I personally have never have been interested in getting any tattoos. With my creative mind I would probably have to keep getting “one more”…

And because each week my body gets new color in the form of bruises and bumps from playing hockey and from working in my shop or helping someone with a building project, any permanent ink that I would get would compete with my newest bruise!

Also, as a pastor, I don’t want to lead anyone astray or cause them to stumble because of something that I did to my body.

At this point, I feel the need to confess that I do have one tattoo. Actually, it is graphite from a pencil that is in my arm from the time in fifth grade when someone accidentally stabbed me. Still, it is “permanent ink”.

Lately I have been pondering the idea of getting some piercing; specifically in my tongue. I think that this would actually make me a better person and pastor. It is something that I have been working on getting done.

No, I’m not talking about installing some sort of metal in my mouth. If I did, I would probably fixate on the piercing all day like I do when I get a piece of popcorn hull stuck in my teeth!

Nor am I thinking of intentionally causing my mouth to get some holes and to bleed. I seem to do that regularly enough when I accidentally bite my tongue or cheek.

What I am referring to is my speech. I have been reading devotionals in an attempt to work on how I use my words to either build up or to tear down.

The Bible says;

 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 NKJV

“Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.” Psalms 52:2 NKJV

I’m talking about doing something to stop the destruction caused by careless words, gossip, criticism, sarcasm, etc.

 “A bit in the mouth of a horse controls the whole horse. A small rudder on a huge ship in the hands of a skilled captain sets a course in the face of the strongest winds. A word out of your mouth may seem of no account, but it can accomplish nearly anything—or destroy it! It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell.” James 3:5-6 MSG

I have the option to bless or to curse:

“A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4 NKJV

Jesus said that I will be held accountable for whatever I speak:

“…For every idle word men speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment.” Matthew 12:36 NKJV

As I have been meditating on scriptures pertaining to the tongue, I realize that I have habits and patterns of speaking that don’t reflect who I really want to be; one who reflects the love of Christ to whomever I meet.

The Bible tells me that I am to use my mouth to impart grace and blessing:

 “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.” Ephesians 4:29 NKJV

I want to be one who uses my words to speak life and encouragement and hope into those who need it…and that includes all of us!

“Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.” Psalms 34:13 NKJV

Simply put; I need to get my tongue pierced. Again, I am not talking about literally even though that would probably be much easier!

I am talking about learning to curb words that tear other down as well as those that can get me in trouble or misunderstanding:

“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” Proverbs 21:23 NKJV

Some would advise to just “bite your tongue” in an effort to not say everything that comes to mind. But I have found that all I get from doing that is a mouth full of cuts and bruises; none of which change my habits!

In fact, the taming of the tongue is harder that we want to admit; which is probably why so many don’t even try to have a filter on what comes out of their mouths.

The Bible says:

“But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” James 3:8 NKJV

At first that can seem discouraging; but that is only because I am looking to myself to do the piercing. That passage says; “no man”.

I need the Holy Spirit to do the piercing. He alone knows how to do it. I simply cooperate with what He is doing and repent when I get off course.

He alone does a piercing of the tongue that can change how we speak. He alone can stop even the harsh words that we say about ourselves.

The good news is that He wants to bring the change. Our response is to ask Him.

Today, join me as I cry out to the LORD:

“Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalms 141:3 NKJV

“Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.” Psalms 120:2 NKJV

“And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long.” Psalms 35:28 NKJV

The Message (MSG)

Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

New King James Version (NKJV)

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

Surrender VS Quitting

On March 12, 1995 I was ordained as a pastor. At the ordination ceremony the worship team sang; "All To Jesus I Surrender".

It was the cry of my heart that day and has sustained me during times when I wanted to quit; to run from the calling that is on my life to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am so grateful that His love has kept me faithful to the calling and that His Holy Spirit has continued to keep me going forward.

This year, 2019, I start my twenty first year as a pastor, and the song of my heart is still the same: I SURRENDER!

As the Apostle Paul wrote it so eloquently:

“But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24 NKJV)

“I Surrender” Songwriter: Matt Crocker Hillsong Worship

Here I am
Down on my knees again
Surrendering all
Surrendering all

And find me here
Lord as You draw me near
Desperate for You
Desperate for You

I surrender

Drench my soul
As mercy and grace unfold
I hunger and thirst
I hunger and thirst

With arms stretched wide
I know You hear my cry
Speak to me now
Speak to me now

I surrender
I surrender
I wanna know You more
I wanna know You more

I surrender
I surrender
I wanna know You more
I wanna know You more

Like a rushing wind
Jesus breathe within
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

Like a mighty storm
Stir within my soul
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

Like a rushing wind
Jesus breathe within
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

Like a mighty storm
Stir within my soul
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

Like a rushing wind
Jesus breathe within
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

Like a mighty storm
Stir within my soul
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me

I surrender
I surrender
I wanna know You more
I wanna know You more

I surrender
I surrender
I wanna know You more
I wanna know You more

I Surrender lyrics © Capitol Christian Music Group