Month: August 2016

Have you ever had that feeling? You know, when you felt that you were in the presence of an angel. Perhaps, driving down the road and you stop or take a turn not really expecting to take but felt the need to make the adjustment only to find out something extraordinary happens. Maybe you just missed a deer in your path you would have hit without the slight deviation. Maybe you avoided a bad accident by the slight adjustment to your course. I remember driving with my Dad when I was just learning to drive and hit a patch of ice on a bridge. A huge truck was heading in our direction and I started to slide into his path. Some how I managed to make the adjustment without overreacting just in time to avoid the crash. Was an angel looking over my shoulder or perhaps took the steering wheel from me to avert the accident? I sometimes wonder just where I would be if it were not for God’s grace and intervention. I remember pulling off the road and my Dad was amazed we got through that one without a scratch. It actually gave me a little confidence in my driving though looking at it now think more divine guidance than my skill. I also remember a time when I picked up a hitch hiker trying to get over the Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge. At the time, I felt the need to help him and was well blessed for the random act. He did not hit me up for money, nor food, but simply wanted to get across to the other side. He was simply going down the interstate and we had that very brief encounter. I often think was he one of those angels mentioned in Hebrews 13:1-2? I believe that we never really know when or where or how we will be used to help our fellow sojourner so I think we need to stay on that faith journey. As flood victims continue to fight for their homes and their way of living, let us be thankful for what we have. Hebrews 13:16 says, “Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have….” Let’s be free of the things that drag us down and put ourselves into a mission of humility. Let’s be free from love of money or any other material thing that keeps us from being humble as life events could change in an instant forcing us to see from the eyes of others. Jesus told the parable in Luke 14 that when someone invites you to a celebration do not be so arrogant to think the place of honor is for you. Instead, be humble and be repaid when the just are resurrected.

T

Listen below to my brief message if you have time.

Remember the old two way radios? You know the kind that had a button on the side to allow one person to transmit while the other person listened. If you ever used one of those radios as I did for many years on the job, it can be very annoying when the other guy fails to use proper etiquette. I am guilty myself but you are supposed to use short transmissions to allow the listener to respond to the transmission to avoid missed communications. Some people in my experience key the mike and transmit way too long. It has been years since I had to use a two-way radio but sure the rules are still the same. Short transmissions followed by an ending saying “over” to signal the listener that it is their turn to speak. I have often wondered why God gave us two ears and only one tongue. Perhaps, it was to give us the ability to hear twice as much than speak? I do not believe it was for esthetic value so your sun shades and hat look cool. Do you? It may not be scientifically proven but I suspect we all tend to want to speak way more than we are prepared to listen. Perhaps, that is why we have so much miss-communication now. We all seem to be keying the mike trying to transmit instead of using our God given gift of listening to hear the “real” message. What is best? Hear with two ears first or speak with one tongue. Hebrews 12:25 says, “See to it that you don’t resist the one who is speaking.” Moses was so terrified and shaking from God’s words that he found his voice to speak only after he heard the message loud and clear. Is it best to speak first or to listen first? Perhaps, if we learn the art of listening first when we do finally speak the words we speak will be filled with wisdom. It take practice I know but it is worth the effort to listen with the intention to understand the one who is speaking then speak what He calls us to deliver. I encourage you to read more in Hebrews 12 and while you are at it, read Luke 13 about a woman who was listening to Jesus teaching on the Sabbath and was healed because of her faith. Listen first to hear the message then use your tongue to share the good news every day.

T

Listen to my brief message below if you have time.

Why do we concentrate on the negative when there are some many examples of winning attitudes?Hebrews 12:1 says, “So then let us run the race that is laid out in front of us, since we have a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us…” We should go on faith. It is a joke when I hear the 24-hour new cycle of what one candidate did as opposed to the other clown. (Not gender specific by the way.) They both remind me of a couple clowns. Unfortunately, the presidency is not a joke. Wouldn’t it be nice if they ran a race worthy of the position? We have plenty of biblical examples such as Abraham, Sarah, Moses, Rahab, Samuel, David to name a few but we also have current examples like Simone (twice), Michael and so many others in the Summer Olympics of 2016. How about more current examples of those fighting against the natural disaster of flood waters. They are just as important as any other person on their faith journey? They are running their race as put before them. Let us cheer them on and encourage them to keep running to the finish line. In one of my previous messages, I asked the question, ‘What does faith mean?” Keeping on the topic, I ask you now, are you running your race not someone else’s race? I believe those amazing athletes were so approved by God for running the race laid out before them. Read Hebrews 11: 39 and 40 about those being faithful given approval for their faith though they perhaps did not see all of the promise but were given a glimpse. It is up to the next generations to carry on their faith journey. Let us run our race according to His will not ours. Life is full of obstacles to make us stumble and fall but does that give us the right to stop running our race? No! We may even win a few races along the way but does that give us a pass to brag about our victories? No! When I look at one Olympic athlete that partied too much and tainted his own victories, does that give us the right to tar every Olympian with the same shameful brush? No! How about all of those other great winners in gymnastics and swimming and track that ran their race to victory! Grace and peace be with all who go on faith and may we all cheer them to victory. Listen to my brief audio message below if you have time.

T

What does faith mean? Perhaps, it is simply believing in something greater than yourself. As I watch the Olympics currently going on in Rio, I am totally amazed. I believe these Athletes all go on faith to see the unseen. The scientist of this world may reason how creation came into existence but there is little doubt we are led by faith to understand the universe. There is not an engineer, doctor, scientist or athlete that made it to the peak of their career without understanding they could not have made it without help. Some may deny where the help came from but most all I suspect will admit the help came when they had faith. By faith, Abraham and Sarah went from their known land to a land full of uncertainty but they possessed faith to live and grow in a land full of promise. They died without receiving the full promises, but they saw the promises from a distance.  Some of us are so blessed to have enough faith to begin to see the unseen in our life time. Read Hebrews 11:1 for a more precise authoritative meaning of faith but to me it is simply seeing not with your eyes but with your heart. Verse 2 says past elders were approved because they showed faith. Perhaps in this day of instant gratification, we may consider these words very carefully. Enjoy the reality of what our athletes in Rio hoped for with the proof of what they have accomplished. History is full of missed opportunities to fulfill a dream. It is a very pleasant feeling to see the power of faith being realized in those who refused to listen to the doubters. Go on faith to fulfill your realities in your future.

T