Blog Archives

“OPEN MY EYES, LORD!”

6/28/2022

As I write this, my eyes are bothering me. Soaring temperatures combined with a lack of rain have made for hot, dry, and dusty conditions here in east Tennessee. As a result, after spending three hours cutting grass and weed-eating, my eyes are itching and burning from all the dust.

At least I know what I am suffering from and how to alleviate the problem. Rinsing my eyes thoroughly in the shower helped a lot. Following this up with eye drops has helped even more. Hopefully, after a good night’s sleep, my eyes will be much better in the morning.

As I write this, however, my heart is also bothering me. While out walking a few days ago, I came across a young bull in my neighbor’s pasture which was repeatedly turning in circles. As he did, he continually lifted and lowered his head. Every second or third turn, he stumbled; and every fourth or fifth turn, he actually fell down.

I immediately called my neighbor, who was out cutting hay in another pasture. When he got home a little while later, he got the young bull into the barn and promptly began treating it for a severe case of conjunctivitis, or as it is more commonly known, pink eye.

I did not know it; but it seems this is a common problem for cattle in years such as this one, where we get extremely high temperatures earlier in the summer than usual. Apparently, once the disease sets in, flies (which love to plague cows), easily transmit the infection from one animal to another.

The reason my heart is bothering me is because I spoke to my neighbor today and he told me that, despite all his efforts, the young bull’s eyes were too far gone. As a result, he had to have the poor animal put down.

And for this reason, as I write this, my conscience is also bothering me. You see, the more I have thought about it, the more I have come to see a spiritual parallel here. There are many ways the Bible pictures those who are without Christ. Among them… as dead and in need of life, as sick and in need of healing, and yes, as blind, and in need of sight.

Whatever metaphor one uses to describe them, they are clearly in need of the Master. Without His restorative work, they cannot hope to be made whole.

I have asked myself a hundred times what might have been the outcome if I had happened upon the pitiful young bull just a little while earlier. Or if I had only called my neighbor sooner. (After all, I stood there for several moments observing the creature in its agony before I realized I needed to do something on its behalf.)

In like manner, I have pondered how many needy souls I have happened upon, and how many of them I could have and should have helped earlier than I actually did. Who knows what their eternal destiny proved to be; and what role my response to their condition, whether belated or not, played in the whole matter.

In short, the Lord has used this whole episode to open my own eyes! He has underscored for me the fact that I need to see those around me who are in peril. And seeing them, I need to act on their behalf. For in truth, as terrible as it is, physical blindness still cannot compare to spiritual blindness.

The 9th chapter of the Gospel of John records the story of the blind man who healed by Jesus. The story concludes with him testifying that he did not know just Who Jesus was, but this … “one thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

I myself have much the same testimony. While I have always been blessed with reasonably good physical eyesight, I was nonetheless spiritually blind until the day Jesus Christ came into my life. Once He did, He gave me a similar testimony. And for this reason, I too now boldly proclaim that “Once I was blind; but now I see!”

And as one who can now see spiritually, may I be careful to use my spiritual eyesight to see others all around me who are in need of the same healing hand of Jesus! Thus, my prayer is: “Keep my eyes open, Lord!”

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/niv/john/9.htm.

SYNCHRONIZED LIVING!

6/24/2022

One of the blessings of being retired is being able to have a tad more spare time than one does when he or she is working and earning a living. Down through the years, in anticipation of retiring one day, I made a list of the things I always wanted to do, but never really had the time or opportunity to undertake. I am now slowly working through this list of activities.

Included on it are a few television shows I always wanted to watch, but never really had the opportunity. Now that I do, I find and record these shows whenever they are on, so I can view them at my leisure.

One such show is the old black and white Perry Mason series that was broadcast in my childhood. My mother always loved to watch it; so I remember it being on. But at the time, the story lines were well over my head. These days, I find myself full of admiration for how well the show was written, acted, and produced.

Nevertheless, while viewing an episode recently, I was struck by the fact that for whatever reason, the soundtrack was out of sync with the picture. I’m sure it was a glitch in the way it was being broadcast and not something in the original production and airing.

Suffice it to say that the whole thing was rather surreal. Voices would be heard when no mouths were moving on the screen. Conversely, mouths would be moving on the screen when no words were being heard. And this went on for several minutes.

Of course, the problem magically went away when the next commercial came on. (I guess the advertisers will not long stand for what the consumer must otherwise endure!) Thus, by the time the program resumed, the matter had resolved itself. But the experience of seeing and hearing inconsistency in the actors’ performances has stuck with me.

As I have pondered this simple matter, I have been led to ask myself a few questions regarding whether or not there is any inconsistency between the things I myself say and the things I myself do. To begin with, do I say things at the wrong time? Do I speak when I should not be speaking? Do I speak when others should be speaking? In such times, do my words speak more about me than I intend? Or even realize?

Conversely, do I not speak when I should be speaking? Do I remain silent when I should clearly be saying something? And if so, does my silence condemn me in such moments?

What is more, do I say things that are out of sync with my actions? Do I say one thing and act another way? Or vice versa? If and when this happens, do my actions actually speak louder than my words? Equally as significant, perhaps, is just how glaring any and all such occurrences may be to others when I myself fail to grasp what I am displaying!

After all, is it not more than a little strange that I can pick up fairly quickly on any inconsistencies in others when their words and actions are not in sync, but can somehow remain blissfully ignorant of any such behavior in my own life?

Of course, perception is one thing; but destruction is quite another. So maybe the biggest question of all is just how detrimental my own inconsistencies are to others. When I display words and actions that are out of sync with one another, what does that do to my testimony as a believer?! How destructive is such behavior to my Christian witness?!

The Bible repeatedly admonishes us as believers to practice consistency in order not to cause others to stumble. Consider just two of Jesus’s statements about the importance of our witness – the first from the Gospel of Matthew (chapter 5, verse 16, Amplified Version), and the second from the Gospel of Luke (chapter 18, verses 1-3, Amplified Version)…

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence, and [recognize and honor and] glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

“Stumbling blocks [temptations and traps set to lure one to sin] are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of these [a]little ones to stumble [in sin and lose faith]. Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]!”

Such admonitions are given to us with good reason! For whenever our testimony is out of sync, we clearly run the risk of influencing others to live their own lives out of sync as well.

Of course, the whole purpose in Christ having come to earth was to get us back in sync! It was sin that put us out of sync in our relationship with the Heavenly Father; and it was the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus Christ, that put our relationship with Him back in back in sync.

But while our relationship is back in sync, our fellowship is not always so. The former has been fixed permanently; but the latter requires attention on a regular basis. This is precisely why the Apostle Paul cautions us not to give way to the old self.

In verses 22-24 of the 4th chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, he remind us how important it is “to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Given all of this, may I be faithful to keep my own testimony in sync. May my words and my actions always match up - in the eyes of others, in my own eyes, and above all, in God’s eyes!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/matthew/5-16.htm;

https://biblehub.com/amp/luke/17.htm;

https://biblehub.com/bsb/ephesians/4.htm.

SEE ALSO:

https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-41-war-within-romans-721-25;

https://bible.org/article/%E2%80%9Cold-man%E2%80%9D-and-%E2%80%9Cnew-man%E2%80%9D-paul.

"NIP IT IN THE BUD!"

6/20/2022

My title today comes from one of the most famous law-enforcement agents in American History: Barney Fife. Garnering five Primetime Emmy Awards for his portrayal, Don Knots brought the well-intentioned but bumbling fictional character to life in 143 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show.

Numerous quotes floating around in popular culture today trace their origins back to Mayberry’s beloved Deputy. But none are as well-known and oft repeated as: “Nip it in the bud!” Those with either an agricultural background or a horticultural bent instinctively understand the meaning of this phrase. It references the practice of pinching off the bud on a plant before it opens into a leaf or a flower.

Thus, Webster’s Dictionary gives the general meaning of this phrase as: “to stop something immediately so that it does not become a worse problem”. In light of this, as I write this blog post, I am especially thankful for those who properly practice the fine art of bud-nipping.

Yesterday afternoon, I began what can only be called the delicate art of prepping for my five-year colonoscopy. This was my third go around; so I pretty much knew what to expect. And I am happy to report that, “in the end”, all went well.

The Doctor found only one small polyp, which he promptly removed. Otherwise, my internal plumbing seemed to be in good-working order – enough so that I was given the “all clear signal” and told to plan on coming back in another five years.

As my wife drove me home today, I was reminded of Solomon’s admonition in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs (chapter 17, verse14, KJV), where he states: “The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.”

Other translations of this verse are insightful:

NIV: “Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.”

NLT: “Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.”

CEV: “The start of an argument is like a water leak--so stop it before real trouble breaks out.”

AMPLIFIED VERSION: “The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes]; Therefore abandon the quarrel before it breaks out and tempers explode.”

In their “Commentary on Proverbs 17” in The Pulpit Commentary, Joseph Exell and Donald Spence Jones shed additional light on Solomon’s meaning here…

“The small rift in the bank of a reservoir of water, if not immediately secured, is soon enlarged and gets beyond control, occasioning widespread ruin and destruction; so from small and insignificant causes, which might at first have been easily checked, arise feuds and quarrels which extend in a wide circle, and cannot be appeased.”

By and large, I have no control over the appearance of colon polyps. But I can take the prudent steps to see that what is currently a small and benign problem does not become a larger, more serious matter. This is what I earlier did today; and thankfully, as a result, the little problem has now literally been “nipped” in the bud!

I encourage any and every one to undergo this simple procedure at the appropriate stage of life. Twenty-four hours of going hungry and getting cleansed is a small price to pay in light of the promise of years of digestive and nutritional health.

But I hasten to add an additional encouragement as well. I urge any and every one to realize that small polyps are not the only things that might well need to be nipped in the bud. Other things might also need to be given attention when they are small and before they become larger.

Such things include simple misunderstandings, minor disputes, seemingly insignificant slights, and/or any of dozens of other matters that so often pop up in the midst of our dealings with others. The occurrence of these things can even be beyond our control.

But even if this is the case, it still behooves us to be sensitive to their presence, and then to seek ways to nip them while they are still small and relatively harmless. Failing to do so can put us at risk. For unless they receive needed attention, insignificant matters can well become significant ones.

When it comes to our digestive systems, little polyps can become big ones. Likewise, when it comes to our interactions with others, little situations can become big situations. Let us learn to deal with each of these matters at the earliest possible opportunity after their discovery.

As Deputy Fife so aptly put it: “Nip it! Nip it! Nip it!”

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/17-14.ht.m.

COMMENTARY SOURCE:

https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/tpc/proverbs-17.html#copyright.

SEE ALSO:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSyueBoC9mE.

A WEEK OF BLESSINGS

6/17/2022

What a week! It’s Friday evening and I am utterly exhausted. Overjoyed, but exhausted. I just got home and cleaned up after being blasted by water balloons tonight in the culminating celebration of a week of Vacation Bible School at church.

I tried to count up the total number of Vacation Bible Schools of which I have ever been a part. It is somewhere between 30 and 40 as an adult volunteer. This does not include all the ones of my childhood and teenage years. These would easily push the truer number closer to 50.

This much I do know. As a Pastor, I learned that the week of VBS each summer at church would be one of the most demanding of the entire year. During this week, Pastors tend to be Jacks of all trade and masters of none. By this I mean that we often have no specific responsibility; and yet we are called upon to do a great many things.

Even as a young Pastor in my mid 30s, I remember how tired I often was as the end of each day of VBS. This was not just from being on my feet in sandals or flip flops all day; but from the additional stress that typically accompanies the week’s activities.

All that being said, I still looked forward to VBS each and every year. Why? Because I knew the impact VBS had on me as a young child. I remember the fun activities, the crafts, the good food, and the games we played. I also remember how much of the Bible I learned in such times.

Nor will I ever forget meeting genuine missionaries who were home on furlough for the very first time while at VBS. The stories they told, the artifacts they displayed, the costumes they wore… all these things set my imagination on fire.

If VBS had this kind of impact on me, then hopefully it can and will still do the same for little boys and girls today. Little wonder that my wife and I made certain that our three children all experienced VBS week each summer growing up. And nowadays, we hope the same for our grandsons. For this reason, the four that are old enough were taken to VBS with us each evening this week.

Tonight, they enjoyed their share of hot dogs, hamburgers, ice cream, inflatable bounce houses, and water slides, and yes, hitting Granddaddy with water balloons. But that is not what brought joy to my heart. What did thrill me was watching them sing the lyrics to the songs we learned, as well as correctly yell out the answers to the Bible trivia questions that were posed to them.

The theme this week was “Give us, Lord, our daily bread.” from Matthew 6:11. By the end of the week, among other lessons, my grandsons had learned how God once fed the Israelites manna in the wilderness, how He fed Elijah and the widow at Zarephath, and how He fed the 5000 with 12 basketfuls left over, and how He fed His disciples on the shore of the sea of Galilee.

Let’s just say that my own soul was fed as I watched their little souls nurtured in the faith of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Kudos to all those volunteers who showed up to make this possible for them and scores of other children this past week. Jesus Himself had a lot to say about children.

For instance, he once said: “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me, and whoever welcomes Me welcomes not only Me, but the One who sent Me.”

To which He added: “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Little wonder then that He also went on to say: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

What is more, the Bible tells us that, once: “...the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. ‘Truly I tell you,’ He said, ‘unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”

All these things were already on my mind when I received a text from my daughter telling me that two of my grandsons “prayed for daily bread in their bedtime prayers, unprompted. So sweet.”

Her commentary spoke volumes. Knowing what hearing such prayers from them means to me, I can only imagine what they must mean to their Heavenly Father above!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/bsb/mark/9.htm;

https://biblehub.com/matthew/19-14.htm;

https://biblehub.com/bsb/matthew/18.htm.

IN PLAIN VIEW…

6/11/2022

Perhaps the side mirror on your car contains the same warning as does mine: “WARNING: OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR!” Such a warning is fitting whenever we are looking behind us. But I discovered this week that other objects in view may also need to be accompanied by a word of caution - even ones out in front of us. Such admonition might read: “WARNING: OBJECTS IN VIEW ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR!”

It happened this way. As I was out walking, I happened upon a good sized slug making its way across a driveway. Normally, one might expect to see an accompanying slime trail. None was present; but I chalked this up to the fact that the heat from the summer sun had likely dried it up fairly quickly.

It was only when I was upon the creature that I realized something was remiss. I bent over to take a closer look; and discovered that what I had supposed to be a common slug was in fact not a slug at all. It was rather a leaf. To be sure, it was a leaf that very much looked like a slug; but it was not a slug! It was merely a leaf.

As I walked along, I turned and took one last look. It was then that all doubt was removed. Viewing the thing in retrospect plainly confirmed that I had been mistaken in both my original impression and my resultant assumption.

Continuing my walk, I thought about how symbolic this whole little episode had been. And how telling! After all, how many times over the years have I approached a situation and drawn a conclusion about how things were, only to find that it was not as I had initially assumed. In all such cases, looking at the matter in retrospect clearly showed that I had been mistaken in my initial assumptions.

Such a realization leads me to ponder just how much trouble and/or difficulty I could have avoided if I had not jumped to so many conclusions on so many occasions. Probably more than I could ever count.

Of course, what’s done is done; and the past is the past. There’s no sense crying over spilt milk, as it were! But, while I cannot do anything about the past, I can do something about the future. And for this reason, maybe I‘ll just resolve from this day forward not to draw too many conclusions prematurely!

Proverbs 25:8 tells us: “Do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?” While this is very specific advice given for a very specific context, it nonetheless represents the general truth I am attempting to convey. That truth is that we should be careful about being hasty in all our affairs. For whenever we do, we run the risk of finding out that we were wrong to jump to conclusions!

If this is true of life’s situations, and it is, then how much more true is it in life’s relationships?! Remember what Jesus told us in Luke 6:37: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…”

I pray the Lord helps me not to jump to conclusions in the many unfolding situations of my life. I pray even more that the Lord helps me not to jump to conclusions in the various relationships of my life! For when I do the first, the results are often bad enough. But when I do the latter, the results can be devastating.
May the Lord help me to look into the future the way I so often look at the past!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/proverbs/25-8.htm;

https://biblehub.com/luke/6-37.htm.

THAT LOVING FEELING!

6/7/2022

Some thirty-six years ago, before our kids were ever born, in celebration of our approaching third wedding anniversary, my wife and I went on a date night to see the original Top Gun movie, starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. These days, our children are all grown up and married with kids of their own. But tonight, in celebration of another approaching wedding anniversary (this time our thirty-ninth), I took her out on another date night. And together we took in another movie - you guessed it, the new Top Gun sequel, once again starring Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer.

I enjoyed the first movie very much. I will now have to say that I enjoyed the second installment even more. The plot was fairly credible, the acting was decent, and the flight scenes were over the top, far surpassing those of the original movie. Add to that the fact that there was very little profanity and zero gratuitous sex scenes, and one can see why I found the second movie even more enjoyable than the first.

True, Tom Cruise is no spring chicken! Nor is Val Kilmer. No amount of make-up will hide receding hairlines, age-related wrinkles, or changes in body structure. And yet, while they are nowhere as nimble as they once were, they are still active enough at their age; enough so that their respective performances were quite believable for the rolls they played.

And of course, they are not alone. All of us, including my wife and I, have aged considerably since 1986. Many moons and many miles have taken their toll on us as well. In spite of this, I am just as much in love with her now as I was back in the day; and few things are as enjoyable as a night out with her, my beautiful wife.

Wise old King Solomon once wrote the following in the Old Testament Book of Proverbs (chapter 18, verse 22): “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.” I am living proof that this Bible verse is true!

I found the woman who was to become my wife forty-six years ago this summer in that most “target rich” of environments - a tenth grade Sunday School class. I took one look at her and decided: “So, you’re the one!”, and immediately decided to act, lest I “lose her forever”!

So I said “Excuse me, Miss...”, and asked her out. She promptly replied: “No. I don't date students.” But I persisted and told her: “You can run, kid, but you can’t hide!”, and assured her that “if others trusted me, maybe she could”. Long story short - I kept after her; and seven years later, I eventually “hooked her”. She finally stopped running, said “Give me a call. I’ll fly with you!”, and agreed to meet me at the altar of that same church.

Needless to say, I was thrilled, knowing full well that there would have been “no points for second place” had she chosen anyone else over me! As a result, we have now enjoyed one long “walk in the park” together - one in which I have been blessed beyond measure!

At times, we have felt “the need, the need for speed”, and our journey together has been as fast and furious as two F-14s in a dog fight. At other times, it has been as slow as the same two jets taxying to their hangers. At times, we have soared high together in accomplishment, “going Mach Two with our hair on fire”! At other times, we have fallen well “below the hard deck” in bitter defeat.

But through it all, we have stayed together, we have stayed on course, and we have never yet “crashed and burned”. We have even scored a victory or two together along the way.

Admittedly, these days, neither of us are spring chickens. Let’s just say that my own “ego is writing checks that my body cannot cash!” But after all this time, I still find her beautiful. She is the love of my life; and I look forward to the rest of a long, long flight together. I’ll gladly “be her wingman anytime” and forever!

In turn, I can only hope she never gets to the point that she decides she “has had enough fun for one day”, discovers that “she's lost that loving feeling” for me, and “bugs out”! I freely admit that “I'm lucky to be here!” But for now, at least, I'll “call the ball” and say that “it's looking pretty good so far”!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/niv/proverbs/18.htm.

TOP GUN MOVIE QUOTES:

https://screenrant.com/top-gun-best-quotes/;

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/05/15/30-best-quotes-top-gun-its-30th-anniversary/84317882/.

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM…

6/2/2022

Our three year old grandson and his five year old older brother spent the night with my wife and me this past Sunday evening. We had a blast as we all made the absolute most of the evening and then the night together. The following morning, after a magnificent breakfast consisting of pancakes, cinnamon rolls, and leftover popcorn, my wife delivered him and his brother back to their home.

Neither of us thought much more about the night’s events until we received the following text from our daughter late last night:

Buckaroo (his nickname) said his first big boy prayer tonight (instead of singing the blessing song as we always have). He borderline yelled it saying: “Thank God for catch lightning bugs. And play frisbee. And thank God for come inside. And thank God for watch spiderman and suk-a-man beat the bad guys at Yaya and Granddaddy's. Thank God for play. Amen”

Wow! Neither of us thought all that much of any of the activities with which we had filled their evening. But little buckaroo did! Obviously, he had himself a marvelous time catching lightning bugs, playing Frisbee before coming inside and chowing down on popcorn while watching Spiderman and “suk-a-man” (also known as Superman) defeat their respective enemies here at Yaya’s (my wife’s) and my house.

We were both moved by his little prayer. First, because these simplest of activities that we had undertaken with him had obviously meant far more to him than either of us had ever dreamed. One never knows just how much he or she impacts a child just by spending time with them, even in the simplest of activities!

And second, because of the sincerity and authenticity of his prayer. From his little perspective, his heart was simply filled with joy! He asked for nothing – not one single thing. Instead, he just thanked God for what all he was happy about! He spoke from his heart, with no pretense, and no agenda.

My wife pointed out that her strong suspicion is that his Heavenly Father was even more pleased than either his earthly father, mother, Yaya, or Granddaddy were with his prayer!

And for that reason, the prayer of her heart this day is that she would learn to pray in like fashion – just praising God for all His blessings without even asking for a thing! I echo that sentiment!

In the 6th verse of the 11th chapter of his Old Testament Book, the Prophet Isaiah of old declared that there would come a day when a little child would take the lead. In our case, at least, his prophecy has been fulfilled.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE: https://biblehub.com/niv/isaiah/11.htm.