An Evening Walk

“ And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Gen 3:8
While the rest of this verse focuses on man’s fall from the garden of Eden, I would like to focus on the first half of this verse. Just think about the situation. God is walking in the garden. In the evening. He is looking for Adam and Eve to walk with Him.
Just think of all that you could talk about with God while you walk with Him in the cool of the evening.
Sad it is indeed that Adam and Eve lost their daily walk with God, at least physically.
Then again:
“for we walk by faith, not by sight; “ (2 Corinthians 5:7)
“ For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said, "I will dwell in them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." (2 Corinthians 6:16)
Yes, God still walks with us. Not physically as He did with Adam and Eve in the garden, but He still walks with us. And during our daily walk, we still can tell Him all that we care to tell:
“Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. “ (Romans 8:26)
“But I know that even now, whatever You will ask of God, God will give You. “ (John 11:22)
We need to talk to God.
“Pray without ceasing. “ (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

“Therefore, I desire that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. “ (1 Timothy 2:8)

Daily we walk and daily we talk, to our Maker and our Redeemer. Maybe we don’t have the pleasure of physically walking with God in the garden, but we have the great pleasure of knowing God is with us, constantly.
So, take a walk today. With God

Holidays
It is the holiday season again, and undoubtably, on television, there will be shows about the man or woman all alone at Thanksgiving or Christmas. Of course after the last commercial everything is all right and everyone lives happily ever-after, at least until next week’s episode.
But is it really like that in the real world? Of course it is, many people (how many, who knows) will spend the holidays alone. Some will do so because of choice, others because of choices that they made in the past that will haunt them this year.
I would think that it would be indeed a lonely holiday to celebrate it all alone. Having family together is fun and endearing to the heart.
The question to ask is this, are we truly alone?
Read this: “For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.”
(Romans 14:7)
The Christian knows that he or she is never alone, at any time, any place. The un-believer is truly alone, even when surrounded by the dearest friends and family.
I will be coming home today and will fall into the loving arms of my family. How great it will be to come home to the loving arms of Jesus. I will feast at the table with my children and my wife, someday I will feast at the table with my Lord. It must be truly terrible to die alone, without Christ to receive you.
Until you know the mystery that is Christ, you cannot know what it is to be truly never alone.
Until next time on My Front Porch.

Dwell together!

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! (Psalms 133:1)
In the middle of this year’s election campaign, it would be good for people to remember such a verse. But, it seems unlikely that the politicians will.
As you observe the campaigning, the election year grandstanding and all the hype, we must ask, what if the church looked like this? Posturing, finger pointing, calling each other liars, looking for the negative?
How would the body of Christ look to the world?
How would God look to you, if the only way He looked at you was this way?
Jesus said, “And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. “ (Mark 3:25) also He said: “ Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. “ (Matthew 12:25)
A congregation of the Lord’s church cannot fight among itself and survive, families cannot fight against themselves and survive, and friends cannot fight and survive.
Yes, there will be disagreements, these disagreements cannot escalate into dissension.
Do you think this hasn’t been a problem? Read again;

“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, did not receive us. Therefore if I come, I will remember his deeds which he does, ranting against us with evil words. And not content with these, neither does he himself receive the brothers. And he forbids those who would, and casts them out of the church. Beloved, do not imitate the bad, but the good. He who does good is from God, but he who does evil has not seen God.” (3 John 1:9-11)
Strong words from the “love” apostle John, but read on what he has to say:
“Demetrius has good report by all, and by the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our witness is true. “(3 John 1:12)
So the question is, who do you want to be? Diotrephes or Demetrius? What deeds do you want to be remembered by your fellow brothers and sisters?
Leave the name calling to the politicians, but are for the people of the Lord,
let us dwell together in unity!
Until next time on my front porch...

Those rocks!
Those rocks!

Those lousy rocks!
My pasture has rocks, and I went down last summer and picked up a bunch of rocks took them out of the pasture, and I do think that someone threw them all back in the pasture!
Again, this year I went through the pasture and picked up rocks again! I think I recognized some of those rocks from last year!
No, someone didn’t throw rocks back in my pasture (I think), but anyone who understands how the freeze-thaw cycle works, now what happened. All those rocks were once buried, but now are on top of the ground. So, again, I went out to pick up rocks so I could mow the weeds in the pasture and not get crowned by a flying rock.
I picked up a lot of rocks and all those rocks were quite heavy, but my little trailer and ATV had no trouble getting them up the hill and now I have to figure out where to put them...somewhere I won’t have to pick them up again.
Do you have rocks? No, I don’t mean in the head, but in you or specifically, on your back or just carrying them around in your pocket? What, you mean am I crazy? "Why would I want to carry rocks around?" you say. Well, do you?
I do not mean real rocks, but rocks of a different kind:
-the rock of unforgiveness
-the rock of a bad memory
-the rock of bitterness
-the rock of self-loathing
-the rock of diversive spirit
-the rock of past sins
-the rock of gossip
-the rock of doubt
-the rock of...( you will in the blank)
Do you carry these rocks around, letting them wear you down, day after day? Do you let your past sins rattle in the pockets of your mind? Does self-doubt about your salvation keep you awake at night?
Do you find offense, where no offense exists?
Don’t those rocks get heavy and make life hard to live for Christ?
Jesus in Luke chapter eight, tells the parable of the sower and one part is that the Word falls among the rocks:"And other fell on a rock, and sprouting, it withered away, because it lacked moisture." (Luke 8:6)
Rocks in your life will suck the moisture of your spiritual walk. Slowly the weight that you carry around will make it harder and harder to live for God and you will become focused on yourself and not your walk with Christ.

"For you ought to put off the old man (according to your way of living before) who is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And you should put on the new man, who according to God was created in righteousness and true holiness. " (Ephesians 4:22-24)
"Therefore I remind you to inflame anew the gift of God, which is in you by the putting on of my hands. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore you should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner. " (2 Timothy 1:6-8)
It is no fun picking up rocks, especially large ones. Throw your rocks away and live for Christ, not for self.
Until next time on my front porch.

Remembering...
I am going through my childhood memories today. No...not my own memories, those are fuzzy and indistinct at best, but the ones of my oldest daughter.
For you see, today she went off to college and that means the great seperation has begun.
This is not the first time that one of my children have depart the nest, but it seems to get harder with each one and not easier.
The problem of memory is that we selectively remember things. We like to remember the good things (duh!) and forget the bad. That doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out, but some people do remember the bad, and never, ever, forget it and carry those alwful memories around like a stone around their neck.
"But call to memory the former days, in which (after you were illuminated) you endured a great fight of afflictions, indeed being exposed both by reproaches and afflictions, and while you became companions of those who lived so. For you both sympathized with my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance. Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. For you have need of patience, so that after you have done the will of God you might receive the promise. For "yet a little while, and He who shall come will come and will not delay." Now, "the Just shall live by faith. But if he draws back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him."
(Hebrews 10:32-38)
There are memories to carry and cherish, and there are memories to forget. The writer of Hebrews reminds us to remember our struggles for Christ, to remember the agony that we have had to go through in our service to the Lord. Why? Because, there lies in the future for us "in Heaven a better and an enduring substance." That’s why.
When I think of my days with my daughter, I find myself wishfully yearning fo the days that we enjoyed. The hikes, camping trips, bike rides, movies, birthday parties, and the smiles and laughter.
What I don’t remember is dealing with the emotions of a young woman growing up, the late night illnesses, the stress of the fears all parents have that drives us to be overprotective of our young. I don’t remember getting up at three am to clean up the sudden return of last night’s supper.
Well, God wants us to remember all that. The hard work, the sweat, the fear, the pain. He wants us to remember so that we won’t yearn and wish to return to the "good old days" that we left behind. In other words, to remember that we work for Him and that we look forward to heaven.
We have a better and enduring substance there. We are not to look back over our shoulder, but to press onward to the prize that awaits us.
Until next time on My Front Porch.

 

Forgotten Forever?
Browsing through around the internet the other day, I came across an article about a family researching their roots. The article was about how they found out about a relative that fought in the Civil War, died in a southern prisoner of war camp and was buried somewhere in the distant past.
Through the years, the story about the relative stayed fairly consistent with the facts, but eventually, as is usually the case, the story got mangled, mixing fact and fiction and then the story died out from the family treasury.
The passing of a favorite grandmother produce the impetus to find the story of this forgotten soldier, and beginning with the military the records were set straight and a lost and forgotten relative was remembered again.
Is it irony or what as I drove to town to get some car parts that I slowed down and pulled over for a funeral procession moving to the local cemetery? As I sat there and watched the cars pass by, my mind went back to the Civil War soldier and how his life and story had gone missing for so many years, and of course, my mind went to my own state of being.
I doubt that there is no human since we were created that has wondered if they will be remembered once they depart this earth. Look at all the monuments man has made for those after him to remember. Pyramids, tombs, statues, buildings, cities, and for the common man, the small white tombstones that dot our hill sides in every town. The age old question, will I be remembered for what I have done? Or will everyone forget me?
While we may be appalled at the very idea of being forgotten, there is one thing to say about forgetfulness:
"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12)
"I will remember no more". That is very lovely to hear, that our sins will be forgotten, never thrown back in our faces, there will be no press report in Heaven’s Gazette proclaiming something we did. It will be forgotten.
And God also proclaims to us: "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister." (Hebrews 6:10)
Are you worried about being forgotten, then don’t worry, God will remember you, not your sins, but your work and labor of love, God will remember you because you are His.
I may not remember you ancient ancestors, maybe you don’t know about them either, but God will remember you and will forget your sins. Praise God!

You must remember this

A kiss is just a kiss

(As Time Goes By

Herman Hupfeld)

A kiss is just a kiss? Do you think so? What does a kiss signify?

Well... there is the social kiss, the peck on the cheek that really doesn’t mean anything (what’s wrong with a handshake?)

There is the slobbering kiss your dog gives you, slurp! Yuck!

There is the wonder kiss from your wife, tender and passionate!

The angelic kiss from your little ones...

Every kiss a horse on its nose? It is soft!

A kiss tells the one you love that you love them. Very much; enough to become tender with them, to open up and receive and give love...most of the time.

But a kiss can be deadly...

While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd came up. The man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them, and he came close to Jesus to kiss him. But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"

(Luke 22:47-48)

The signal to arrest Jesus, an intimate touch that betrayed Him. What more horrifying way to betray someone?

What was the result on Judas for his betraying kiss?

"I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What do we care? See to that yourself." Then he flung the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and went outside. Then he went away and hanged himself.

(Matthew 27:4-5)

When we scheme, we often produce some of the most vilest of schemes. We just take a simple kiss and turn it into an act of betrayal. An act of love, a signal to betray.

Judas could not handle to guilt and hanged himself.

A kiss is not just a kiss, so way no how. While the song by Hupfeld is good, it misses the point, a kiss tells a lot. It represents acceptance, love, tenderness and betrayal.

Make sure your kisses are not betraying but loving. Then you too can sing: "A kiss is just a kiss" .

It is sad news...the death of a young person...but what makes is especially hard is that alcohol was involved, an automobile, and poor decisions.
As I go through the school year, I probably will hear of two or three incidents where a young person or persons were injured or killed due to high speed and alcohol.
Poor decisions....terrible consequences....a mistake that someone cannot rebound from.
And of course people ask, why do people do such things? How come this happens? In spite of laws, enforcement, discussions and whatever, it still happens. One time to many.
Not just drinking, drugs, sex, language and walking away from the glorious opportunity to live with Christ.
"For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness." (Romans 6:20)
Notice that Paul tells us that when we live in sin, we are free from righteousness. we do not know how to act rightly, we allow sin to run our lives, and we live the converse of righteousness, unrighteousness. We ignore the consequences of our actions and do not want to be told what we are doing.
As the expression goes, advice is cheap, experience is hard. Sometimes the experience is deadly.
As long as we run from God we have made a poor decision. Are you ready for the consequence?

Boom! Boom! Bang! There go the fireworks, blue, green, yellow, red, in many patterns, shapes and of course in great decibels!
Another Independence Day has come and gone, a celebration of our nation’s independence and a reminder of the very large step many people took a long time ago to separate themselves from a king.
In our land, we hold parades, picnics, shoot off fireworks, dress up in red, white and blue, and just generally have a good time.
Independence hasn’t been easy, it took a lot of struggle to build a country and it has not been a perfect job. But it is still going...
“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(John 8:32)

Independence in the political sense is not the same as in the spiritual sense.

“But the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. “ (Romans 8:2)

Through Christ we are free from sin’s bondage, we are “made independent” from the king of sin and have pledge our allegiance to our new king, the King of Kings.
Through Christ we declare our independence from a life of sin and become part of a kingdom that lifts us up and sets us apart from all the rest.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and do not again be held with the yoke of bondage. “ (Galatians 5:1)

But, just like our country must continue to work to maintain its freedom, we also must continue to stand fast and not lose our independence. We must not fall back and become slaves to sin.

Political rights are written on paper and are only valid as long as people up hold their freedoms. In Christ, our freedom is guaranteed to last forever. It is not dependent on paper or agreements between people.


As long as we know the truth, we shall be free....

SUNSET and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar. (Lord Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1892)

The poem by Tennyson discuss the thoughts that many a man or woman has at the end of their life, the final trip, "crossing the bar".
I like what Tennyson writes, "I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have crossed the bar."
As Paul wrote:" For to me to live isChrist, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better (Phil 1:21-23)"
What better thoughts to have, than to yearn for the presence of Christ, not only in life but in death.
As hard as it may sound or seem, the end of everyone's journey is death--a physical end to life as it now exists, and then a new journey beyond.
Paul yearn to see Christ, to be with him, to look face to face with his pilot when he crossed the bar.
While Paul realised that living was for Christ, dying was his gain. While he walked this earth he served his Risen Savior, after crossing the bar, he was home.
Today we may see only the life we now lead, the problems that we face and the struggles the morrow may bring. Look ahead to the day when you too will cross the bar and see your Pilot face to face. Enjoy life today, but look forward to the day you put out to sea!
Until next time on my front porch.

For we yet being without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will with difficulty die for a righteous one, yet perhaps one would even dare to die for a good one. But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:6-8)


This past week has been one full of memories, both real and others formed from other people’s lives (via words, recollections, television or books).
First there is the sixth anniversary of the invasion of France, commonly known as D-Day.
Then also the 62nd anniversary of the battle of Midway and then finally the passing of a great American president, President Reagan.
First D-Day.
World War II was horrible. It has been written over and over how it could have been avoided ir only this or that had happened, but this and that didn’t happen and war came. To many countries whether they wanted it or not. Not only men and women from this country bot other countries stood up to an evil tyrant and gave their lives.
In the USA we are remembering the sacrifice of many a man that remains forever young. Who fell at Anzio, Scilliy, Tunisia, Normandy, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Pearl Harbor, in the Atlantic, the Pacific, in the air, on the sea and on the land.
Sixty-two years ago the U.S. won an important battle against Japan that basically decided the war (there were still 3 years of fighting to go)–the battle of Midway. Part of that victory was torpedo squadron 8. Out of 15 planes, 30 men, only one returned to his aircraft carrier after the battle. 29 men died in approximately fifteen to twenty minutes, just-like-that-they were gone. But their sacrifice was not in vain. Their wave top attack attracted the Japanese fighters down to the waves and allowed the American diver bombers to sink three of the four Japanese aircraft carriers. And then it was Japan’s turn to lose its young men.....
All over the world, this was repeated, men died for a cause in a country they never heard of.

The comparisons are so obvious. Jesus died for us while we were sinners, evil, lost from God and separate from the freedom that only He can give. And as we read in Romans, it is indeed to die for a righteous person, let along for just any man. But Christ died for us, even when we deserved far less.
Today, as I head out to church to worship my Creator, Lord and Savior, I will remember His sacrifice that He gave for me. Just-like-that-He died for me. Why? Because He loved me so.
Then I will remember the veterans who died to keep my country free and then went home.
Its been a week of remembrance... a week of sacrifice....let’s remember THE sacrifice that sets us all free—each and every day.
Praise the Lord!

IF YOU ARE SO PERFECT, TRY WALKING ON WATER.
(0r, disciples in training)


“He saw that they were straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he came to them, walking on the sea.” (Mar 6:48)

It had been a long day, a day of preaching, feeding (a very large crowd) witnessing a miracle, and now trying to row across a storming sea. “By this time the boat was in the middle of the sea and was being battered by the waves, for the wind was against them.” So there was no doubt that the disciples were weary as they struggled at the oars.
Mark records: “He saw that they were straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. “(Mark 6:48)
I haven’t tried to row across a raging sea, let alone at night, but I have rowed some boats in my life and if you are not use to it, it will wear you out! These men were used to physical labor of this magnitude, remember some were fishermen and there were no outboard motors in those days!
So here they are, hard at work, trying to make way across the sea, against the wind. With fishermen on board, I would think they would realize the problem and not fight against the wind, but return to the near shore with the wind helping them.
Why were they going against the wind? Because Jesus had told them to go to the other side:
“Jesus immediately had his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him, while he sent the crowd away.” (Mar 6:45)
Those who are familiar with the events that unfolded here know that Jesus walks across the sea to the disciples on the boat, they think they see a ghost, Peter tries to walk on the water and
fails, Jesus rescues him and the storm ends.
The question is, why did this all happen? Because Jesus wanted to teach his disciples a lesson on faith, “Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples were utterly astounded, for they didn't understand the significance of the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.” (Mar 6:51-52)
Earlier Jesus had fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish and the disciples still didn’t understand the faith lesson they witnessed.
So Jesus puts them into a storm, walks on water to them, and still they are astounded.

Often we get lost in Peter and his attempt to walk on the water, he looks at the storm and starts to sink and we build a lesson on faith around this, but look at what Jesus did.
(1) He demonstrates the power of God by feeding five thousand people.
(2) He demonstrates God’s control over the elements by walking on the water.
(3) He demonstrates what God can do when He allows Peter to walk on the water.

So we have two miracles and the disciples didn’t get it, and they were there, eyewitnesses to the whole thing!
We see Peter’s faith growing, but it is not the faith we read about in Acts and in his epistles, yet.
It is a sad commentary that we read that their hearts were hardened-meaning that they refused to believe what their eyes had seen. But, I would expect that when times were hard later, they would remember what Jesus could do from this experience and draw comfort from this.
You see, this is an account of disciples in training. It is easy to be critical of the disciples, but they were learning to be the apostles we read about in Acts. The result of their training is that their faith would be there when Jesus wasn’t there. Let's not be critical of the disciples, after all they are human too! They had to learn and they had the master teacher.
Jesus taught them many lessons, some hard like this one, and some not so hard. But train them He did.
So, the next time you think your so perfect, why don’t you try to walk on water?
Just remember, you might be in training for something God has in mind for you.
Until next time on our front porch.

Hidden In the Dirt

The other day I was down by the barn (on our ridge top farm, you are either up by the house or down by the barn, there is no flat land), trying to locate a buried pipe. As I slammed my spud bar (for those of you unfamiliar with farm life, a spud bar is a very heavy tool, about eight feet long that is used to dig holes by breaking through the hard dirt) into the ground I heard a “thunk” instead of a “thud” that usually signifies more dirt. What had I hit below the ground? The pipe? I didn’t think so, it wasn’t a metallic sound of hitting a metal pipe. So I preceded to enlarge the hole and surprise! There, buried under the dirt was a concrete pad! All the years I have walked over it and never knew it was there!
“Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which when a man has found it, he hides it, and for the joy of it goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. “
(Matthew 13:44)
Now I am not saying that the kingdom of Heaven is like a concrete pad under the dirt, but that things can remain hidden right under our very eyes! We don’t know what is there unless we dig for it.
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus tells us that the kingdom of Heaven is like treasure buried in a field? First, He tells us that the kingdom of Heaven is a treasure that is worth so much that the man who found it re-buried it! Have you ever dug something up (say a concrete pad)? Would you want to re-bury it?
Second, He tells us it was hidden. The man had to find it. Go look for it. Search for it.
And then when he found it, it was so valuable he hid it again.
Third, the man sold all he had and bought the field. The treasure was that great. He gave up all for it.
The kingdom of Heaven isn’t really hidden from view. The map to the buried treasure is not written in a strange code that only the owner can interpret and you don’t have to find the old oak tree with the bent branch facing north to find x which marks the spot.
No, God has not hidden the kingdom of Heaven from you. The map is plain for all to read and study. What is hidden is the deep spiritual message that God gives us when we find the kingdom of Heaven.
This kingdom is worth all that we have, in fact, God does not ask for just a little investment, there is no “it won’t hurt at all” ads here. God says, you give me all you have, my treasure is worth this much.
It will take me a lot of digging to uncover that concrete pad, and as I walk through my life, I hope to continue digging into the kingdom of Heaven to uncover its treasures.
What will you do?
Until next time on My Front Porch.

‘24/7"

“24/7" is an expression used to describe a person’s effort as in twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This expression has come about from cable/satellite broadcasts, especially news programs. These programs are on twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Want to know what is happening at three o’clock a.m.? Then turn on the t.v.!
These news programs ratings soared during three events in our nation’s recent history. The first was during the 1990 Gulf War, the third was in the spring of 2003 when our nation again went to war with Iraq. What was the second? The events of 9/11. People left their televisions on twenty-four hours a day. Why? To not miss any of the news. Many were afraid that something else would happen and did not want to not know, while others just wanted to find out as much as possible about what happened.
In the age of instant communication, the entire nation knew at once what had happened. “24/7".
Drop back to the declaration of independence, it took months for this news to reach all the colonies! Or even just twenty years ago, it took, gasp, hours to receive “instant news”. Ahh, technology, its blessings and curses...
But, did you know that instant, “24/7" has always been around, that man didn’t invent it?
In Hebrews 13.5 we read: “ for God has said, "I will never leave you or abandon you."
And again we read: “teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)
Notice that Jesus tells us that He is with us each and every day. That is the original 24/7 isn’t it?
Does your boss tell you to call him or her twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week? Does your sanitation service pick up your garbage when ever you want it too?
Does anybody stand willing and ready and any given moment to be there for you?
Only the Lord can do this and only He is willing!
Now, don’t get me wrong, Jesus is not going to show up at three a.m. to fix your plumbing, but He will be there to hear your cry in the night.
He will be there when you rejoice and the commitment of your child to live her life dedicated to Christ.
He will be there as you walk in His ways and try to obey His Will.
He will be there when you stumble and fall, He will be there to wipe away the fear that we all have in our hearts as the darkness approaches in our life.
24/7 is more than just an expression with the Lord, it is His way. Believe it.
Until next time on my Front Porch.

Christmas with Granny

I have a photograph from Christmas this past year of Granny in a rocking chair with a huge poster of “It’s a Wonderful Life” in the background. It is a nice photograph and captures the moment for time.
Unfortunately, Granny won’t remember it.
Granny is what everyone in my family calls my wife’s mother. Her husband, the grand-children, the sons-in-law and her own children. It is a term of love and respect.
Unfortunately, we have to keep telling Granny that we already opened the Christmas presents and yes, one of her grandsons is married and yes, Granny, its been year since the wedding.
Granny’s father was a preacher, one of those preachers in the 20th century that went from church to church preaching the Gospel. I was fortunate to hear him preach one summer evening in a small rural church before...
He started going to the bank trying to withdraw money he didn’t have at a place he hadn’t had an account for many years...
My wife gave me a CD of his sermons for Christmas this year.
Her grandfather, if he was alive wouldn’t remember them or know who was talking.
In case you haven’t figured out, the preacher had alzheimers and his daughter does too...

So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. (Eph 5:28)
Granny still lives with her husband, who takes care of her. He didn’t leave her, put her away, or whine about live’s misfortune. He has become the walking epitome of love in a modern age of throw-away love.
Note what Paul has written to husbands, love their own wives...In I Corinthians 13, Paul again writes: “Love suffers long and is kind”. And again we read later in the same chapter: “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
Our world is full of heroes, fighting the war on terrorism, saving people in burning buildings, rescuing people lost at sea, stopping crime, lives full of self sacrifice.
And then there are the quiet ones, laboring out of the love for someone else. Not out of duty, tho duty does call, not from a burden, tho the burden is there, but from a deep abiding love.
Someday, Granny will have to have serious help, and then she will meet her Lord, that is the outcome of patients with this disease.
Until that day, my hero will be there, taking care of her.

Until next time on my front porch.

OOPS! SORRY ABOUT THAT!


Recently CNN’s web page posted an article about Trail magazine and a rather bad goof in editing:
“The February edition of Trail magazine gives advice to walkers caught in bad weather on Ben Nevis in Scotland about how to make a safe descent. “
“But the magazine's directions would instead lead readers off the north face of the 4,406-feet (1,322-meter) mountain, which is notorious for its changeable weather and has claimed the lives of several climbers. “
“Guy Procter, the editor of Trail, acknowledged the magazine had inadvertently erased the first of two crucial bearings needed to get off the summit. He said that happened during the editing process.” (Thursday, January 22, 2004 Posted: 8:18 AM EST (1318 GMT)CNN.COM)

All it takes is just one mistake and all is lost. People immediately caught onto the mistake in the magazine, and thankfully the editors posted a correction. But what about a very ghastly mistake that will cause millions to be doomed?
What haven’t you heard? Isn’t it in all the papers? On the television news, I mean, after all we have 24/7 news networks now, one of them will report it, right?
Wrong. Just what is it?
A mistake. A very big mistake that many do not realize they are making.

“ 1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber (I Peter2:1-3).”

The first mistake that happens is that people believe the wrong things told to them by the wrong people. As scripture plainly states there will be false prophets and false teachers and the way they lead is destruction. These people have followed the wrong directions.
The second mistake that happens is that they have make the mistake of not testing the spirits that teach them. John in I John 4 tells us (verse 1)
“ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
The third mistake is to not listen to God’s Word and to “know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God”( I John 4:2-3).
Also John tells us in the same chapter that people “ are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.” which just compounds the problem.
All it takes is a little mis-direction. A little editing, a little different spin on what scripture teachers and a person walks off the cliff into oblivion.
Think what it would be like to be that hiker in Scotland, walking along the trail when all of the sudden the fog closes in. Following the course plotted out for you and using your compass you blithely follow the directions and ....step off a cliff to your doom...all because of the wrong directions.
How many more will be lost because they followed the wrong directions? How many more will walk off the cliff because they didn’t check their bearings, use the scripture to check up the teachings they heard and trusted man’s wisdom instead of God’s?
Are you walking off a cliff?
Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully (I Peter 1:10)

SAY IT AIN’T SO...
Say it ain’t so...Pete!
If you pay attention to the sport news, there is a lot of commenting on the latest book by former athlete, Pete Rose, player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
But about fourteen years ago, he was banned from professional baseball because he was found to be gambling on baseball games, a big no-no in Major League Baseball. This resulting in him being banned for life from baseball and all these years gone by he has denied his involvement in gambling activities...until now.
Now, in his book he admits gambling on baseball games.
What is the big deal? People place bets all the time on sporting events, so why not Pete? Because he was the manager of a team that was playing in the sport he was gambling on.
Historically, many years ago an event took place that explains the reason for the harsh penalty on Pete Rose.
The 1919 World Series resulted in the most famous scandal in baseball history. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox (later nicknamed the Black Sox) were accused of throwing the series against the Cincinnati Reds. Details of the scandal and the extent to which each man was involved have always been unclear. It was, however, front-page news across the country and, despite being acquitted of criminal charges, the players were banned from professional baseball for life. The eight men included the great Shoeless Joe Jackson, pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude "Lefty" Williams; infielders Buck Weaver, Arnold "Chick" Gandil, Fred McMullin, and Charles "Swede" Risberg; and outfielder Oscar "Happy" Felsch.
The aftermath of the scandal was so large that it drove baseball into the draconian policy it now has. Pete Rose has said that if he had abused drugs, all would have been forgiven, but drug abuse didn’t affect baseball as the “Black Sox” scandal did eighty four years ago.
For more on the scandal visit the following site:
http://www.mc.cc.md.us/Departments/hpolscrv/blacksox.htm
Now, what has all this have to do with a weekly Bible devotional? Read on...
"But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:23)
Scripture tells us the terrible price of sin; “Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” (James 1:15)
We cannot hide our sins, for God’s Word tells us that result: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13)
“For the wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23) is a hard verse to read, if we stop there and do not read on. But realize the consequence of sin, acknowledge it and then move on to the rest of the verse: “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
That says it all. You don’t have to wait fourteen years to confess your wrongs, your sins, just realize that “all have fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) and also “For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
Remember, you can’t hide sin, your sins will find you out, and soon or later, accounting will happen for what you have done.
In Christ there is the freedom from sin. Don’t wait like Pete did. Obey the Lord today.

NUMBERS, NUMBERS AND MORE NUMBERS


Numbers, numbers, numbers. There are numbers everywhere you look!
I have phone numbers; one for home, one for work, and one to keep tabs on my daughter.
I have a social security number, a vehicle registration number, a driver’s license number, and a number that tells me where I live.
I have a shoe size, hat size, waist size, shirt size, and of course an IQ number.
I can count one dozen donuts, but not the number of certain colors of M&M’s in a bag.
I have two dogs and two cats.
There are 5,280 feet in one mile, which equals 880 fathoms and if that isn’t enough, that equals 8 furlongs!
There are 24 hours in a day, and there are 8,760.00 hours in a year (looks like a long time when you think of a year that way doesn’t it?).

And to come to think of it, in a normal person’s life of say, 70 years, you will have lived approximately 613,200 hours (depending if you make it to 70 or make it past) which equals out to 25,550 days.
What is the point of all this? The point is that your days are numbered. From one to whatever, your days have a certain number attached to them. Read with me from Job 14.5, “Since his days are determined, The number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass.”
We can also read in Psalms 39:4-5;”"Lord, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.”
Every day is our last one. Tomorrow may never come and you cannot go back and relive yesterday. So what is there to do?
Live today for Christ. Live for others. Live to grow and mature.
While each day has its ups and downs, the groan of an earthly existence, we know that in due course our days have a certain number attached to them and we have limits.
What else is there to do? “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (PS 90:12) We grow in Christ. This is what we do.
Finally, “ And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27)
So, in conclusion, our days are numbered, we don’t know how many, we must be prepared and in Christ we will find the answer to the number.
Until next time on my front porch.

The following post is about my daughter Charity who is celebrating her 18th birthday this week. The big question to ask is "Where did the time go?"

My Dearest Charity,

A long, long time ago, I would come home from work and sit in a rocking chair, hold you on my lap and sing to you:

“Let me call you Sweetheart
I'm in love with you.
Let me hear you whisper that you love me too.
Keep the lovelight glowing in your eyes so true
Let me call you Sweetheart
I'm in love with you!
I am dreaming, dear, of you
Day by day
Dreaming when the skies are blue,
When they're gray;
When the silv'ry moonlight gleams,
Still I wander on in dreams
In a land of love, it seems
Just with you....
Let me call you Sweetheart
I'm in love with you.
Let me hear you whisper that you love me too.
Keep the lovelight glowing in your eyes so true
Let me call you Sweetheart
I'm in love with you!”

And now, the time has flown by and here you are on your eighteenth birthday! Where has the time come?
It seems to be an adult’s lament to say “where has the time gone?” and it is so true. I say this because the time on earth I have been blessed with you has moved too quick to be fair.
I would love to return to watch (and coach, remember?) you in biddy basketball. To get down on the floor and play with you and your dolls or your “stove” you got for Christmas.
To watch you in ballet-you were so beautiful and graceful!- to hold you once again when you fell off your bike and lost your front teeth.
I yearn to have you sit on my lap again during church and “accidentally” push the button on my train tie so that it plays “I’ve been working on the railroad” and during communion at that!
I would take all the heart aches back to raise you once again. To go camping and yell at you and your brother for jumping on the air mattress and putting a hole in it. And then, while I was popping pop corn, you two had the wit to fall asleep!
To watch you ride in the 4-H and Christian girls horse shows again. To wonder what in the world is going on and nobody seemed to be able to explain it too me. I faked like they were though.
I am bless with all the memories you have given me and I hope that the ones you carry are just as pleasant.
Yes, at times, mom and dad can be very trying, but we love you with all our hearts can hold and there is more to spare.
I love you so very much, more than I could every show or say. I will always be there for you and praying for you. My heart has more room for more memories of my dearest Charity.

A blessing for you:
May the wind always be on your face
And the storms behind you
Let the sun shine always on you
Giving you green grass and
Peaceful springs.
May the good Lord bless you with peace,
A home full of love
Clear sailing and a safe harbor.

Love Dad