Homer

Posted on August 17, 2010 by day1of1

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6

August 17, 2022 would have been my father’s 84th birthday. In the nearly nine years he has been gone, I have found myself in more and more situations where I am doing things he did, saying things he said, and generally moving into that role of becoming my father. And while most people dread the thought of doing what their parents did and saying what their parents said, I find myself comforted by it. It’s nice to hear people say that something I did; a movement, a gesture, a mannerism reminded them of my dad.

Dad & Rich

In looking back upon my life with him, I inventory the numerous memories, looking for those things I most want to emulate. I see strengths and weaknesses and find myself learning from both. My father wasn’t perfect – apart from Christ Jesus, no one can make that claim. But I recognize many strengths in him that I would like to develop and enhance in my own life.

My father was dedicated, loyal, and willing to sacrifice to make sure the needs of others were met. Over the course of his married life, he opened his home to his mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and her two sons. He saw to it that they were fed, clothed, sheltered, and their basic needs were met. Some cringe at the thought of the in-laws staying for a weekend. Over time, they would come and they would go, but at least one additional family member lived under my father’s roof for nearly 25 years.

My father had the greatest work ethic of any person I have ever known. A cousin of mine once had the opportunity to work with my father for the Parks Department of the city of Saginaw. In most cases, being paired up with a family member would draw criticism. Somebody would be getting preferential treatment. As my cousin tells it, the crew didn’t tease him for a cushy assignment, they teased him because they knew he would be going home tired that night after my dad was finished with him. My parents rebuilt their house working evenings and weekends while holding down full time jobs and watching kids. Dad would use his vacation time to work around the house. And there was nothing more terrifying for my sister and me to hear than my father say, “Come here, I have a ten minute job for you.”

My dad was a simple man. He enjoyed the simple things in life. His simple views did not make him ignorant or incapable of accomplishing things; despite the labels some would give him. He made the most of every opportunity life gave him to do what he felt was most important to him: To be a loving husband, to take care of his family, and to raise children of whom he would be tremendously proud. For 44 years he demonstrated his first goal. Through a lifetime of hard work, effort, and sacrifice, he accomplished his second goal. And for the rest of my life, I will do all that I can to ensure that his third goal will come to pass in every possible way.

I miss my father. In my most difficult moments I find myself wondering what he might say, what perspective he would give. But my memories tell me everything I need to know. Love the people God has given you to love unconditionally, no matter how difficult that task may be. Work tirelessly to accomplish everything God has set before you so that you might know the fullness of His good gifts. Pour all that you can into your children, teaching them the value of hard work while praying that God would show them grace in abundance.

Thank you Homer. I’ll see you soon.

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First Love

Posted on August 16, 2010 by day1of1

I recently watched “The Hurt Locker,” a movie chronicling the work of an American Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq.  It shows in great detail the dangers our soldiers face every day.  I found the movie eye-opening, the story interesting, and the main character – Sergeant First Class William James, a rather interesting person.

 
James, played by Jeremy Renner, is that classic character that moviegoers love, but would be rather unpopular in real life.  He is a rogue soldier – showing a reckless edge that makes him very difficult to work with in a team setting.  He frustrates his fellow team members with his brazen disregard for protocol and procedures.  This approach makes him tough to work with but it is also what makes him effective.  By working on the edge, he is able to set aside the danger and the horrors of his job and simply do it.  Seriously, here’s a guy who disarms bombs with the same cool confidence that a banker has while counting coins or a construction worker uses when pounding a nail.  As the story progresses, his confidence takes hits, but through it all he manages to keep coming back.  We eventually learn why he is the way he is, but what’s interesting is that we don’t discover this motivation until after he has returned home.

 
For most soldiers, the return home is a time of excitement – an opportunity to receive the reward that comes to a soldier for service to his country.  For James, the opposite seems true.  We see him alone in a grocery store, pushing a nearly empty shopping cart.  His wife comes into the aisle with their son, her cart filled with food.  She asks him to grab a box of cereal and meet her at the register.  He agrees, but he seems lost, clearly out of his element.  He is shown later, cleaning leaves from the gutter.  Many soldiers talk about wanting to come home to help take care of the house.  Again, he seems distracted – a bad thing on a ladder.  I was struck with a strange thought: he was more likely to get hurt on an extension ladder in his front yard than in combat handling a bomb.  They show a discussion in the kitchen between him and his wife.  He’s telling her about a situation where dozens of people were killed.  She listens but gives no reply, no acknowledgement of the strangely violent story he is relating.  Instead, she asks him to chop some vegetables for dinner.  Finally, we see him talking to his son – just a toddler.  Here is where we would expect him to release his past, to embrace his future, and to begin the process of moving forward.  That’s what you’d expect.  This is what he said:

 
“You love playing with that. You love playing with all your stuffed animals. You love your Mommy, your Daddy. You love your pajamas. You love everything, don’t ya? Yea. But you know what, buddy? As you get older… some of the things you love might not seem so special anymore. Like your Jack-in-a-Box. Maybe you’ll realize it’s just a piece of tin and a stuffed animal. And the older you get, the fewer things you really love. And by the time you get to my age, maybe it’s only one or two things. With me, I think it’s one.”

 
It’s at this moment you expect to see him embrace his son, celebrate this life and begin the next chapter.  Instead, the next scene is a line of military helicopters landing, troops disembarking, and James returning back to active duty, doing the most dangerous job in the most dangerous place on the planet.  This may seem wrong to you or I, but to him, he was simply following his heart to be in the place where he could do the one thing he loved.  This may strike us as odd, but as I thought about it, I began to make sense of it and to see a connection between James and the life of a believer.

 
Putting your trust in the Lord, loving Him above all other things, having confidence in what He says despite what the circumstances show is one of the most important, yet difficult things a Christian can do.  In fact, many believers never quite open themselves up to the fullness of what God has in store for them because they can’t fully follow the love they have for God’s word.  Family members don’t understand.  Friends can’t wrap their minds around it, but when we make God number one, when He is truly first in our lives, God opens doors that we could have never imagined possible.  It is in this hope, this assurance, this promise of God spoken over our lives that we place our total focus – and that place becomes the one place where we find ourselves truly fulfilled.  Seek His love.  Find your place – to the glory of His holy name.

 
I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. – Psalm 18:1-3

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Time to Go

Posted on August 13, 2010 by day1of1

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” – Deuteronomy 31:7-8

I find myself relating to Joshua in many ways.  Here’s a guy who was certainly gifted by God to do amazing things.  However, up until this point sometime later in his life, he’d been able to get by without having to step out and reach what would be his full potential.  That time is now coming to an end as Moses is about to die and Joshua has been chosen to be the one to lead the people of Israel into the promised land after 40 years of wandering and waiting.  Oh yeah – the party’s over.

Or has it just begun?  For Joshua, this role of leadership doesn’t represent the world’s view of stepping up after years of simply hovering in the background as an underachiever or as one of those loveable characters who ignores their abilities and is thrust into action.  To think so would eliminate God from the equation and make us think that He hasn’t been preparing Joshua for this.  We know that’s not true.  God has been with Joshua all along – planting the seeds in Him that God know would be needed at this time of testing and great trials.

For years, I’ve wondered what God has been preparing me for.  I’ve often caught myself recognizing the groundwork being laid for some future event and thinking I was none too sure that I wanted to move ahead, you know – “If this is just preparing me for something I don’t know if I want it to come.”  A foolish, flesh-led thought.  I obviously assumed that yesterday’s small struggles were simply preparing me to deal with tomorrow’s big ones.  How foolish to assume anything about a God who knows everything – including, as Jeremiah 29 tells us, His plan to prosper me, not to harm me, to give me a future and to give me a hope.  I’m 38 years old and only now seeming to come to that place in life where I’m finally ready to be a man, to settle in, and to fully realize the promises of God in me and for me.  That is what the world might call a slow start or a late bloomer.  I believe that I have been groomed in a Joshua mold – filled with experiences and opportunities to succeed and fail in order to come to the place now where I recognize the full extent of God’s calling to me to surrender my life completely to Him.

The first part of the book is complete.  The characters and the setting have been established.  The plot is thickening and the hero is beginning his work.  In the chapters ahead there will be adventures, chills and spills, advances and delays, romance, suspense, peace and ultimately victory and a happily (for)ever after ending.  God will write, direct, and produce while I star in the show.  Every moment will be purposeful, no scenes will be lost.  And in all of this, I will reap the harvest that God has set in place for me in its fullest measure.

It is my humble prayer that you too would join me in an epic adventure of your own.  God has been preparing you for your role and your story all along.  As your character has developed and as your experiences have given you cause to learn and to grow, you too have been created to star in one of God’s magnificent plots set out for your life.  I pray that nothing will hold you back from filling every page with every blessing God has sent into your life.  Open your heart and your life to the complete love given to you by our great God.

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Rise to Glory

Posted on August 11, 2010 by day1of1

Colonel Robert G. Shaw: [points at the flag bearer] If this man should fall, who will lift the flag and carry on?
[Thomas steps forward]
Cpl. Thomas Searles: I will.
Colonel Robert G. Shaw: I’ll see you in the fort, Thomas.

 
This exchange happens as the 54th Massachusetts Regiment prepares to attack Fort Wagner at the end of the 1989 movie Glory.  As the soldiers at the head of the attack, it is certain that the number of casualties will be high.  Yet Colonel Shaw, played by Matthew Broderick asks this question of his men to see who among them would step forward and take the lead in the battle.  The fact that Searles is the man to reply is brings a storyline full circle.  A free domestic living who has known Shaw since childhood, his genteel nature has labeled him the worst soldier in the regiment.  He finally proves himself in battle and despite being wounded, refuses to leave the regiment as they head into this final fight.  Through his bravery, he is redeemed to the unit, to Shaw, and also to himself.

 
By itself, this creates a powerful moment.  But the story doesn’t end there.  The reason Shaw even asks this question is because he is denied by his first choice.  Private Trip, played by Denzel Washington is a man who is driven to fight by a deeply rooted anger.  He wants revenge for every wrong that has ever been perpetrated against him.  His rage buffers him from friendship, camaraderie, and even civility.  So when Shaw wants to recognize his valor by allowing him to carry the colors, he refuses, leaving Shaw to find another flag-bearer – the job Thomas volunteers to take if the need should arise.

 
And so the regiment sets off across the beach toward the battle that would be their destiny.  The fighting is intense, leaving them to hide and wait to attack under cover of darkness.  In order to rally the men out of hiding and into an attack, Shaw and the flag-bearer head up a sand dune toward fort.  The man holding the flag falls, so Shaw grabs it and continues his charge.  He advances only a few steps before he too is fatally wounded.  The men of the 54th take in the scene, having been suddenly thrust into a moment of despair.  Their leader is dead, they are under attack.  If they go forward they might die.  If they run away they might die.  If they stay put, they will die.  It’s one of those moments that seem to last for an eternity.  Suddenly, Private Trip, the last man anyone would have expected, leaps to his feet, lifts up the flag and screams out the only command he would ever give, extolling the men to “Come on!”  Inspired, the men rise and begin their assault on the fort, but without their best soldier by their side.  Despite years of hurt and anger building up a hate for life, Trip set it aside and answered the call.

 
The life of a Christian is not unlike this scene.  Think back over the years of your life.  Consider the hurts you’ve experienced, the mistakes you’ve made.  Satan uses these things to dupe us into following the footsteps of one of the two soldiers.  Some of us are like Thomas – looking at ourselves as weak and unworthy, incapable of doing what needs to be done because of our own insufficiencies.  Some of us behave more like Trip.  We hold onto every injury, every hurt, every misfortune and use our anger as an excuse to refuse to answer the call.  This can trip up any believer, but it is especially damaging when it happens in the lives of Christian men.  Too many churches are filled with Thomases and Trips – men who disappear in weakness or leave in anger.  Either way, they don’t step up, don’t answer the call to be the godly men that the church, their children, their spouses, and their Heavenly Father needs them to be.

 
Consider the words of Ephesians 4:1-6…

 
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 
God has given us clear directions on how was should live our lives for Him.  Our lives do not come with a 100% happiness guarantee.  We face struggles, hardships, shortfalls, and danger.  In many ways, we struggle to feel the freedom that Christ provides because we get ourselves trapped in the prison of shame and guilt that our sin has built around us.  But by His hands, through the death of His Son and the encouragement of the Spirit, we can choose to stand, to submit, to lead.  May we find the strength we need to live lives according to His purpose so that we will rise to meet every challenge we face in pursuit of the destinies God has laid out for us to pursue.

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Earn This

Posted on August 10, 2010 by day1of1

Saving Private Ryan is one of the most realistic war movies ever filmed.  Stephen Spielberg set out to create a film that not only provided an interesting plot, but to deliver combat scenes with a greater level of authenticity than ever before.  For many that is its claim to fame.  For me, the most memorable and impactful element in the story is the significance of saving the life of James Francis Ryan.

Capt. John H. Miller, played by Tom Hanks, is an interesting everyman turned hero.  In many ways, he exemplifies all of the men who responded to the call to defend our country.  He was intelligent, humble, and a natural leader.  After successfully storming the beach and destroying German defenses at Normandy, he was given the assignment to lead a small band of soldiers into French countryside in search of Ryan, played by Matt Damon.  As the men travel into harm’s way, the constant discussion is about the absurdity of the mission.  Their basic question – what is so important about one man that the U.S. Army would risk the lives of eight to find him?  It seems to them an unnecessary risk and an insult to the men who must risk their lives in order to find one ordinary soldier who to them is no more important than anyone else.  Even Miller, who as a good officer defends the mission, privately questions the logic, confiding in his sergeant that, “He better be worth it. He better go home and cure a disease, or invent a longer-lasting light bulb.”

Along the way, they encounter German soldiers and in the fighting, two of their men are killed.  This further exacerbates the men.  As they near their breaking point, Miller reveals information about himself to quell the fight, but to also give the men some clarity into the purpose of their mission.

“ I’m a schoolteacher. I teach English composition… in this little town called Adley, Pennsylvania. The last eleven years, I’ve been at Thomas Alva Edison High School. I was a coach of the baseball team in the springtime. Back home, I tell people what I do for a living and they think well, now that figures. But over here, it’s a big, a big mystery. So, I guess I’ve changed some. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve changed so much my wife is even going to recognize me, whenever it is that I get back to her. And how I’ll ever be able to tell her about days like today. Ah, Ryan. I don’t know anything about Ryan. I don’t care. The man means nothing to me. It’s just a name. But if… You know if going to Rumelle and finding him so that he can go home. If that earns me the right to get back to my wife, then that’s my mission.”

To Miller, this and every other mission accomplished helps him to earn his way home.  Everyone would clearly rather be home, but they realize that in order to get home, they are going to have to earn it.  Ironically, the one man who has the free pass home realizes this just as well.  After being found and told about his brothers and his orders to go home, Ryan refuses to leave because in his mind, he had not earned it.  He couldn’t leave his post when they were about to come under a serious attack.  Miller and his men decide that in order to complete their mission, they too would join in the defense of Rumelle.  Unfortunately, all but two of the original eight would be killed in the attack, including Miller.  But before he dies, he speaks two words to young Private Ryan that would define his life and create the signature moment of the film.  As Ryan kneels over Miller, he pulls him close and simply says, “Earn this.”

I can’t begin to imagine how those words must have affected Ryan.  To know that these men followed orders and willingly gave their lives specifically for him, so that he might live had to be an incredible burden.  For us as believers today, we ought to take a lesson from Saving Private Ryan when it comes to how we see the sacrifices made for us by Jesus Christ.  God gave the order – go and redeem what has been lost with the shedding of your own blood.  And so He did.  Like Ryan, we didn’t deserve this grace, but it was given to us so that we might live and know the love of God in its fullest measure.  The words of John 15:13 ring true: “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

Ryan lived the rest of his life with that constant reminder there, pushing him to make himself the best man he could be.  How tragic would it have been if he would have been saved only to return home and become a bank robber or a bum.  He didn’t deserve the grace that was given to him, so for him to fail in life would have cheapened the great sacrifice made on his behalf.  For this reason, Ryan was compelled to live a good life.  We too must look at our lives and the opportunities that lie ahead as a part of our God-given destiny as a gift from the Father.  To not pursue our destinies, to avoid the work laid out before us, to push away from the table too soon would likewise cheapen the gift and injure the one providing it – in this case God Himself.  Let me be clear: we can do nothing to earn our salvation, it has been given freely.  But with the gift of salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit alive within us, we can show how much we appreciate our Heavenly Father through our diligent obedience and willing commitment to pursue the kingdom endeavors for which we were created.

Thank you to the soldiers who gave their lives so that we might live in freedom from tyranny and oppression. Moreover, thanks be to Jesus Christ who died so that we would have freedom from sin and live eternally in heaven. May we live every day of our lives with the constant reminder to live for the One who gave us life, who saved our life, and who sustains our life until we finally make it home to eternal life.

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Your Heart is Free

Posted on August 9, 2010 by day1of1

Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time. – Deuteronomy 4-39:40

 
There is a short scene in the 1995 film Braveheart that not only sets the tone for the rest of the movie’s plot, but it also speaks a word of inspiration to anyone watching the movie.  Young William Wallace’s father, Malcolm, has died in battle.  William approaches the wounded and lifeless body of his father, lying on a table with blue light shining down upon him.  Suddenly, as if he were living in a dream, William is lying beside his father who turns to him and says, “Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.”

 
It’s a powerful moment.  Malcolm’s final words to his orphaned son foreshadow all that William would achieve.  It’s as if the father has paid a price through his own sacrifice to provide his child an opportunity to grow and become great.  And while I understand the inaccuracies that come with Hollywood renditions of history, the scene also conveys the importance that the spirit of his father would continue to have in the life of William.

 
Many families look at their situation and decide that their children have no hope of accomplishing more – of achieving anything better.  This poverty mentality keeps generation after generation in bondage.  In truth, opportunities exist for each and every one of us because God made us to fulfill a specific purpose to advance His kingdom purposes.  So instead of speaking of all of the things we can and will never do, we fix our hearts on Him and confess that we will be who He made us to be.  We seek His will for our lives.

 
It was important that William Wallace go on to do something great because of the example that his father set for him.  He dreamt of a free Scotland and did all he could to pursue it – even laying down his life.  William needed to know that he too had the opportunity and the right to go on to do whatever it was that his heart led him to do, because it is in our hearts that God’s love, peace, and grace lives and flourishes.  Our minds will convince us to do what is prudent, safe, and logical according to our limited wisdom.  Our hearts will lead us to do what is in total alignment with the will of God that lives there in the form of the Holy Spirit.  Intelligence will take us so only so far, obedience to Him will take us to eternity.

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Righteous Living

Posted on August 8, 2010 by day1of1

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land. The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse. – Proverbs 10:28-32

 
Solomon’s case for us to strive to live our lives in righteousness is very convincing.  His argument is simple, yet very powerful.  The righteous man and woman of God will achieve more, have more, and know in full measure the love and blessings that come from the Father.  This promise from God spells out to us a convincing case for any believer to strive to live in righteousness.

 
These things are proven true in those people who align their lives to the will of God.  I see this play out every day in the lives of the faithful.  They have surrendered their lives to God, have obediently submitted to living for Him.  Because of this, theyare filled with the blessings mentioned in the proverbs.  They have safety and security, knowing that God is working each day for their good.  They possess levels of wisdom and perspective that those who live on their own abilities simply don’t have.  And they have a heavenly joy that nothing and no one on earth can possibly touch because it is made complete by the Holy Spirit. 
Whether you are a lifelong believer or just coming to realize the significance of your faith, these things can describe your life today.  You are empowered through your righteousness to do greater things, in by His direction you do these things each day.  This is nothing surprising or unexpected – it is the expectation on which you can rely because it is the promise of God spoken over your life.
Because this is given to you by the Father, it is my prayer that you will maximize its benefits in your life through all that you say and do.  May God bless you and sustain you today.  May He keep you safe, give you creativity and insight into your work, joy and peace in your rest, and above all the gift of love that can only come from Him.  Know that in every moment of your day, as you move to and from the many things you must accomplish today, God is there with you, blessing you abundantly.  Use that knowledge to make every moment count, bringing Him glory and honor every step of the way.

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Watering the Garden

Posted on August 7, 2010 by day1of1

I’ve been thinking a lot about my father lately.  It’s hard to believe that it has been nearly three years  since his passing.  Life for me has been a roller coaster since November of 2007.  I’ve experienced some pretty dark days, but I’ve also accomplished some rather amazing things too.  And while the best is yet to come, I wish that he were here to share in this with me.

 
It’s funny what you remember from your childhood.  I will see or do something simple and it brings a flood of memories back into my mind.  One of these simple things is the nozzle I have on my garden hose.  In this day of advanced technology for everything, including nozzles, mine is a basic Craftsman brass nozzle that you spin to achieve either a spray or a stream.  It’s what dad always had and I’ll never buy anything else for one simple reason.  For years, I watched my father water the plants in our yard in the early evening.  He’d sit on a chair, wearing a white t shirt, blue jeans and work boots and use the hose to thoroughly water his roses, plants, and shrubs.  He’d sit there in silence.  He barely moved.  But there he’d stay, alone with his thoughts (and the plants).

 
For as long as I have owned my house, I too have spent many summer evenings sitting outside in a chair watering my plants just as my father did.  It makes me feel good to know that I share something with him – even something as insignificant as a method of watering plants.  It’s a connection with my father that I don’t find in any other place and in those moments I will often times find myself sharing the events of my life with him.

 
It shouldn’t surprise us that boys want to grow up to emulate the good things they see in their fathers.  I’m sure there’s a psychological reason behind it, but there is clearly a spiritual one as well.  God made us in His image.  We learn everything we know about life, about love, about compassion, and about joy from seeing it in Him.  The good we see in our earthly fathers is perfected in our Heavenly Father.  I find that true of my own dad and my Heavenly Dad in the words of James 1:17.

 
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

 
Dependable, consistent, and loving: Thank you Father, and thank you dad.

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Dot Dot Dot

Posted on August 6, 2010 by day1of1

I have a trivia question for you.  What is an ellipsis?

 
Cue the Jeopardy music…

 
Here’s a hint…
 

You’ve seen them before…
 

Many times in fact…
 

Already in this blog…
 

Yes, the three dots at the end of a statement are called an ellipsis.  Now for the next question… (couldn’t resist).  What does the … mean?

 
Many people think that it means that the sentence is incomplete, words missing, or more to say.  This is true, but I was surprised to find out that there is a little more to it.  What I discovered is that the dots not only mean that the thought has not been completed, but it also leaves the suggestion that the reader can supply the missing words themselves.  This added element is rather interesting to me.  To say that I am not done speaking, or that I will continue my thought later is one thing.  To allow somebody else to finish my thoughts for me is quite another.

 
We’ve all experienced situations where other people do that to us.  We often describe this by saying somebody is putting words in our mouth.  Nobody likes this.  We don’t want others to allege we’ve said something when we haven’t.  We do our best to communicate clearly so as to not confuse others or leave the slightest hint of ambiguity.  When you clarify your message, you reduce the opportunity for misinterpretation or misrepresentation.  This also means the opposite is true – to allow others to speak on your behalf increases the likelihood that your words will be misunderstood and have the worst possible construction placed upon it.

 
So if we can so readily see how letting others speak for us is a problem, look at how God might view this.  His word is given to us daily.  God has given us the gift of the Holy Scriptures to serve as His written word for the benefit of all mankind.  We learn who God is, what He has done for us, and how we should respond to Him in the pages of the Bible.  God also speaks over our lives, giving us guidance and protection as we travel the path toward our destiny.  With such important matters on the table, it is critical that His word be delivered to us in a true, unaltered state.  There are two reasons for this.  The first is so that we hear clearly and accurately what God desires for us without add-ons and earthly errors.  The Bible teaches us that the best of our earthly wisdom doesn’t even compare with the folly of God, so what could we possibly add on our own?  Secondly, our own attempts to add to the word imply that the word is lacking, insufficient and in need of further assistance on our part.  God’s word has power that we can’t add to or detract from.  It accomplishes exactly what He intends for it to do, as stated in Isaiah 55:9-11.

 
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

 
May we spend every moment of our lives totally aligned to the word that God has spoken over us, so that by it we will know the fullness of His blessings He has awaiting us today and for eternity.

 
With nothing further to add…

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Waiting

Posted on August 5, 2010 by day1of1

Few movies have been released with more fanfare than 1997’s Titanic.  Of course, considering it smashed all of the box office records of the day, holding the top spot for over a decade until Avatar overtook it, I suppose the hoopla was warranted.  Many people really liked the movie.  Then of course it became so popular that people started disliking the movie.  It’s funny how we do that, but that’s really not the point.

 
I know you’ve seen it, so you remember the plot.  The part I want to focus on occurs on the exploration boat after Rose has shared her story of the final hours of Titanic.  She provides a number of statistics, followed by an interesting commentary…

 
“Fifteen-hundred people went into the sea, when Titanic sank from under us. There were twenty boats floating nearby… and only one came back. One. Six were saved from the water, myself included. Six… out of fifteen-hundred. Afterward, the seven-hundred people in the boats had nothing to do but wait… wait to die… wait to live… wait for an absolution… that would never come.” 

 
The statistics are factual, so there’s not much to discuss there.  It’s the waiting that piques my interest.  I can’t (and frankly don’t want to) imagine the thoughts that must’ve gone through the minds of the people sitting on the lifeboats.  Hours earlier, they were in formal attire, dining on the greatest ship ever built.  Now they were sitting in total darkness in a small open boat in the middle of the North Atlantic.  They didn’t know the actual numbers, but they knew all too well the tragic loss of life that had just occurred.  Many of them were in shock, or mourning the deaths of their husbands, fathers, sons, and dear friends.  They also found themselves in uncertain circumstances.  It was likely that rescue ships would come, but when?  Would they freeze, starve, or capsize before help arrived?  On one level, they had to be happy to be alive, but with all they had experienced there could be no manner to express it without guilt, shame, and remorse.

 
Waiting has a way of giving the mind opportunities to fill itself with images.  Satan uses these opportunities to do all that he can to derail you from the things God has put in your life, whether they are designed to bless you or test you.  Think about the moments you have where you are truly alone with your thoughts.  For most people, one of two things will fill those times – fears or prayers. 

 
While the enemy tries all he can to distract and destroy, God gives us a simple instruction to help us to better use these times to glorify Him and strengthen our faith.  Paul speaks of these attacks and our best defense in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5…

 
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

 
Our minds will work against us, if we allow them to do so.  Over-thinking and analyzing situations create unnecessary tension, unrealistic expectations, and unfortunate outcomes.  By taking every thought captive we regain a sense of control over our minds.  We keep our perspective, we remain calm, and we  allow the voice of the Lord to speak clearly into ears that can hear and to a mind ready to listen and comprehend the good and perfect will of the Lord in our lives.

 
If you are like me, you have made this mistake – more than once.  Thankfully God is patient and forgiving.  Let the first thought you take captive be the one that makes you regret yesterday’s errors.  Seek His will and find forgiveness and peace in the words of God.

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