Military

See You Later

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SONY DSCAt 1:20 AM Friday morning, my mother passed away. Instead of saying “goodbye,” I choose to say “see you later.” From my conversations with Mom, I believe the moment she took her last breath, she immediately went to Heaven.

On Wednesday of last week she had a horrible day, so I sat beside her and spoke to her about what and who she had waiting for her in Heaven. Two of my sisters joined me as we sang “Jesus Loves Me.”

Over the last week I continued to reassure Mom that it was ok to die; that she did not have to continue to fight for her kids; and that, we would all be fine, and I said: “Mom you can go on the Heaven.”

Love you Mom, and I’ll see you later.

…….I may not post here for a few days as I tend to the situation at hand….

Vintage 1969

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moonprintThe picture to the left was taken 45 years ago. It is the remnant of one of the first foot prints to be left on the surface of the moon.

On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr. touched down on the surface of the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission. At 10:39:33 PM EDT, Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module and climbed down the ladder to the moon’s surface. He then made his historic statement: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

moonbootArmstrong and Aldrin were wearing boots made from a special silicon rubber developed by GE. To commemorate this event, GE decided to make 100 pairs of a moon boot sneaker called The Missions, and they will sell for $196.90 a pair.

Even though the Bible doesn’t say anything about walking on the moon, it does say quite a bit about walking for the Master:

• We are called to follow the example of Jesus and walk in love (Ephesians 5:2).
• We are to follow in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham (Romans 4:12).
• We are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
• We are to walk as children of light (Ephesians 5:8).
• We are to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).
• Paul issued a warning to those who walked in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but were busybodies (I Thessalonians 3:11).

You don’t have to buy a pair of fancy boots to go on a mission for God, but you should take the time to acknowledge Him and allow Him to direct your paths: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).”

Ever Been Gobsmacked?

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wowI want to do two things with this blog today. First, I want to share Lamentations 3:22-26 with you—it’s a favorite of mine: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Second, I want to express my long-overdue gratitude to the Navigators. While I was in the Air Force and was stationed in Colorado Springs, I came to know Christ. Shortly after that, I was befriended by a “nav,” and was invited out to the Navigators headquarters in Glen Eyrie in 1972.

I was gobsmacked to learn how much Scripture my friend had memorized. There were several shoe boxes full of hundreds of cards with Scripture printed on them, and he had committed them to memory.

By the way, there was a third thing I wanted to do today—I wanted to use “gobsmacked” in a sentence. Gobsmacked means “astounded.”

I was more than just astounded by the spiritual discipline of the people I met at the Navigators—I was also challenged to begin memorizing Scripture, and I’m thankful for this because it changed my life (Psalm 119:9-11).

One of the first verses I committed to memory was the passage from Lamentations, and there is some gobsmacking and astounding truth in these words from the prophet Jeremiah:

• God’s love is steadfast and it never ceases
• His mercies are endless, they never go stale, and they are renewed every morning
• God’s faithfulness is great
• Because God’s resources are enough to meet my needs I can hope in Him
• When you wait on God and seek Him, you will experience His goodness and His salvation

If you will claim the truth of this Scripture, you might just have a gobsmacking day today.

Feed-Sack Faith

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7802561-horse-and-carriage-in-florence-italy-resting-horse-having-feed-from-a-hessian-sackSince I come from a family of eight children, I know the importance of being on-time when it is meal time, and when possible, being at the head of the line. In fact, eating is one of the few things I do well, so I do as much of it as I can.

This may be why I like what Solomon said in Proverbs 15:15: “a merry heart has a continual feast.” I’ve never been too concerned about eating a large meal; I would rather put the feed-sack on and “graze” all day long.

You don’t have to be a cardiologist to know that the health of your heart is a key factor in the health of your entire body; and Solomon knew that the attitude of your heart determines your perspective on life.

There is a direct connection in Scripture that links a healthy heart to the outcomes of your life. The key here is not the circumstances of life, but the Christ who died to give you life.

Notice the principles in the following verses:

• Psalm 13:5-6: Because I have trusted in Your mercy my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.
• Psalm 27:14: Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!
• Proverbs 4:23: Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.
• Proverbs 14:30: A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.
• Proverbs 16:23: The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.
• Proverbs 23:26: My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways

Are you living a life that is characterized by a robust faith, or is your spiritual health busted? In Proverbs 17:22, Solomon said: “A merry heart does good, like medicine.” If your life is all famine and no feast, you may need to get into God’s medicine cabinet and take a healthy dose of His Word.

Destestable or Acceptable?

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echoIf someone surprised you with a tape recording of everything you have said this week, what would you discover? This question came to my mind after I read Psalm 19:14: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

After listening to the recording, what would you discover about the words of your mouth and the meditation of your heart? Would God find your words to be detestable or acceptable?

There are several places in the Bible that remind us of the importance of minding our tongue:

• Psalm 144:8 Warns of a person “Whose mouth speaks lying words, and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.”
• Proverbs 6:2 reminds us that, “You are snared by the words of your mouth; You are taken by the words of your mouth.
• Proverbs 16:24 says that, “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

If you could stand at the edge of a valley and hear the echo of every word you have spoken in your life, what would you hear? Would you hear the reverberating sound of pleasant and wholesome words, or would you hear the hollow sound of rude and crude language?

I encourage you to take the next day or two and focus on Psalm 19:14, and make it your prayer to God: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

Resistance Measures

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6C8299885-1307017-magicphoto-hmed-0220p-filesTo say that my skills as an electrician are poor would be a gross understatement of my ability—I have almost none.

I remember an incident in a house in Texas that needed some wiring in the attic. After I had applied my talent to the problem, I flipped a switch and there was a momentary flash of fire. After that experience, I decided it was cheaper to call an electrician.

Even though I don’t know much about electricity, I do know a little about the function of a resistor. It’s used in a circuit to control the flow of current to other components. As an example, if too much current flows through an LED it’s destroyed. A resistor regulates the current, so the LED can shine without getting fried.

As I was reading the book of James, I thought of the importance of resistors. James said: “Resist the devil and he will flee from you (4:8).” James knew that by resisting the devil, you can control the flow of a negative current to the various components of your body.

Think about it: To be the salt of the earth and the light (LED) of the world, you have to be a resistor for Jesus. James gives several instructions in the building and maintaining of a powerful resistor (4:7-10):

• Submit to God
• Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
• Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
• Cleanse your hands, and purify your hearts
• Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

I hope these last ten words will help you remember everything written above: James insists that you resist, so your light will persist.

The Breath of Life

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hotWhen hot air balloons, a conversation can go from bad to ugly. When a balloon is filled with hot air, it can go from loose and baggy to beautiful.

There is something captivating about hot air balloons. Once during a trip to New Mexico, I was fortunate to have a room that faced the mountains, and the land between the hotel and the mountains served as a launching pad for hot air balloons. As each balloon slowly filled with air, it would begin to gently rise upward and would eventually float up into the sky and out of sight. This event reaches a grand scale each year during the month of October when Albuquerque has its annual festival.

Whenever I see a balloon launch, I’m reminded of the words of Solomon: “the dust of mortals goes back to the ground as it was before, and the breath of life goes back to God who gave it (Eccl. 12:7).” The “breath of life” is a reference to the spirit that dwells within you.

The words of Jesus help to explain this: “Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life (John 5:24).”

Just as the hot air gives life to the balloon, the regenerated spirit gives eternal life. When life ends, Jesus makes an eternal difference. You can pass from “death to life.”

What is it that you think of when you see a hot air balloon in flight? Watch this time lapse video of the Albuquerque festival, and share your thoughts.

The Loggerhead LIfe

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Loggerhead_Sea_turtleLoggerhead is one of those words that has several different meanings. There is a large-headed turtle that is a reddish-brown that is called a loggerhead, and there is a bird that also bears this name. Some people are confused by the word and associate it with a logger who works in a forest and harvests trees—but this is incorrect.

A more common use of the word is when it is used in reference to people who dispute the facts of a situation. They begin to quarrel over the issues, and they are said to be at “loggerheads.”

Paul spoke about the loggerhead-life of Christians when he wrote about the relationship between the Spirit and the flesh: “I say then, walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law (Galatians 5:16-18).”

Because the desire of the flesh runs contrary to the desire of the Spirit, the Christian is at “loggerheads,” and this is an impasse that will sap you of your spiritual vitality. When you experience times of dryness and a sense of emptiness, it might indicate that you are not walking in step with the Spirit.

When, however, you walk in the rhythmic cadence of the Spirit, the power of the flesh begins to falter. The Christian walk is stepping out of the darkness and into the light. John said, when “we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (I John 1:7).”

The key to “walking by the Spirit” is realizing that you do not cleanse yourself; you do not create the light; and, you do not generate the power—it all comes from the relationship you develop as you take a stroll through life with the Lord.

There are three brief statements about this “walk” in Ephesians 5, and I share them with you to keep you thinking:
• Be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (5:1-2).
• Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord (5:9-10).
• Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is (5:15-17).

Today is the 4th

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4-july_1100030757012814-intSince today is the 4th of July and the start of a long weekend, I will not post to this blog again until Monday.

Each year at this time, I like to listen to God Bless The USA by Lee Greenwood. You can click here to listen to it now.

Enjoy your day as you celebrate the vision of our Founding Fathers.

Take A Number

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28241276-take-a-number-words-on-a-ball-or-sphere-of-3d-numbers-to-illustrate-waiting-patiently-for-your-turn-In an effort to lighten her heavy load, Mom instituted a numbering system. Steve was #1, I was #2, and Brad was #3.

Whether it was our clothes or a drinking glass, each of these items had a number. When Mom had finished the laundry, she would tell us to get our clothes and put them away. When I was thirsty, I would drink from the glass with a #2 printed on it.

I would never drink from a glass that had the #3 because Brad had drank from it, and I most certainly would never wear underwear marked with #1 because Steve had been in them.

According to Jesus, God is in the numbering business as well. He said, “the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Matthew 10:30).” This is evidence of the love and care of God for His children.

The Psalmist spoke of this when he wrote: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite (147:3-5).”

When you realize that your days are numbered and there will come a time when you will step off into eternity, it causes you to reevaluate your life. This why David said: “Teach us to number our days, so we may gain a heart of wisdom Psalm 90:12).”

So, before your number is up, you may want to get things in order.