A Nation Without Shame

Do I love God enough to be ashamed?  Is my conscience so seared that I can no longer sense the prompting of the Holy Spirit regarding my own sinfulness?  What is shame?  Webster's defines shame as a disturbed or painful feeling of guilt, incompetence, indecency, or blameworthiness; dishonor; disgrace; something regrettable, unfortunate, or outrageous.  I'm actually old enough to remember the very first movie released in theaters that contained a swear word.  My parents flatly refused to allow me to see Gone With the Wind because they were outraged that it contained a swear word.  Grandmother used to wash my mouth with soap if I said certain words.  "Geez" was too close to Jesus, and therefore just like using the Lord's name in vain.  "Darn" was too close to "damn."  I know for a fact that if she were alive today she would have tears in her eyes to hear how far conversation has changed for the worse.

By what standard do we measure our speech?  "Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift."  That's Ephesians 4:29 in The Message.  In the New American Standard translation it reads as follows:  "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."  What is foul and dirty?  What is unwholesome?  What is grace?

Grace is not something we think much about these days, at least not in typical American culture.  In fact, I'd say that grace is, for most people, an unknown word!  This should not be!  Webster's defines grace as favor, esteem, kindness; beauty or charm of form, composition, movement, or expression; elegance with appropriate dignity; an attractive quality, feature, manner, a sense of what is right and proper; decency.  My speech should be full of grace.  Is it?  What is foul or dirty, or unwholesome?  I suppose the correct answer to that is anything that is contrary to the beauty and perfection of Jesus Christ.  My speech should be full of esteem for others, kindness, beauty or charm of form, composition, movement, or expression, elegant with appropriate dignity; attractive in quality, full of what is right and proper and decent.

Am I careful to malign no one, to be uncontentious, gentle, showing every consideration for all men?  (Titus 3:2)  Those attributes are contrasted in verse 3.  The Message puts the words this way:  "It wasn't so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back."  The New American Standard translation says it this way:  "For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another."

Do I really love God enough to be ashamed?  I think the proof of that will be in my speech!  That's a sobering thought.  The real truth is that I often love myself much more than I love God, and when I'm thinking and speaking that way I'm a fool, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, and spending my life in malice and envy, hateful toward others.  Ah!  There's that disturbed or painful feeling of guilt, incompetence, indecency, or blameworthiness; dishonor; disgrace; something regrettable, unfortunate, or outrageous!

From the top down I've included six turtles.  They are interesting in many ways.  The top turtle is an Eastern Painted Turtle.  Second is a Southern Painted Turtle, and following that the Midland Painted Turtle.  Next is the Alabama Red-bellied Turtle, and below that the Florida Red-bellied Turtle.  Finally we have the Red-bellied Turtle.  Although they have similar characteristics, they do not mate with other species.  Midland Painted Turtles mate with other Midland Painted Turtles and lay eggs from which come more Midland Painted Turtles.  In the scheme of nature each one knows its place.  A trained eye can identify which one is which.  Although they have similar features, they are quite distinct.  So if you look at the next picture you know immediately it doesn't belong in this group!

This turtle is neither pretty nor nice!  He or she doesn't make a good pet!  I should be able to tell the difference between this Alligator Snapping Turtle and any of the turtles above!  So too should I be able to tell when my speech is different!  My speech should be full of favor, esteem, kindness; beauty or charm of form, composition, movement, or expression; elegance with appropriate dignity; an attractive quality, feature, manner, a sense of what is right and proper; decency.  If it isn't, it's as obvious as this turtle that it is neither pretty nor nice!  And when that is true I should feel shame.  My shame is not just for me, but rather for my Maker and Lord, Jesus Christ.  He did so much for me through grace and mercy.  How can I do any less?  He died for every person in the world.  How can I look at people and try to make them less?  So once again I ask:  Do I love God enough to be ashamed?

This is one of my favorite photos.  Eldon, my grandson, wants to be like Grandpa!  I sat on the hope chest, so he joined me, and I had my "Bubba Keg" so he brought his sip cup.  I'd like him to reflect all that is full of favor, esteem, kindness; beauty or charm of form, composition, dignity; an attractive quality, feature, manner, a sense of what is right and proper; decent.  What will he learn by what I say?  Much!  It's up to me to be sure it is full of grace, wholesome and good!  The Psalmist said it this way in Psalm 119:5-6:  "Oh that my ways may be established to keep Your statutes!  Then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all Your commandments.  I shall give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments."  Please, Lord, help me learn to reflect Your heart in my speech!      

Focusing on Mission and Vision

Recently I watched a driver with a serious problem with perspective.  At first it was quite funny, but after thinking about it for a few minutes I realized that this driver’s problem is often reflected in the business world of our culture.  What happened was really quite simple.  The driver backed out of a parking space, and wanting to turn left, cranked the wheel to the left, and moved forward, only to hit the car parked to the left.  Backing up, with the wheel still cranked to the left, the driver tried again, and hit the car again.  Each time the driver reversed the wheel remained turned full stop to the left.  That was, after all, the direction in which the driver wished to proceed.

In the workplace, in order to first know what to do, and then do our best, means stopping to think.  I’m not talking about disjointed, microsecond bursts between emails or texts, reports or planning, but really thinking.  What I witnessed with that driver was really the fallacy of misplaced precision.  Because the driver did not take the time to stop and think, do some quality reflecting, that driver was caught in the ever-present thick of thin things–majoring on the minor!

Part of our problem is the rapidly accelerating convergence of new technologies, social media, marketplace dynamics, and the lingering effects of the Great Recession.  I remember as a boy going through whitewater on Sugar Creek, the fastest running water in Indiana, my brother and I paddling for all we were worth to avoid rocks, or being swept beneath a low hanging branch and tipped over, and wincing with every bang on the bottom of the canoe.  The business world of which I am a part reminds me of that journey.  Too often I feel like I’m stuck in permanent whitewater.

To some on this whitewater journey problem solving becomes an addiction.  Let’s be honest!  Some personalities are predisposed to “firefighting.”  They love to multitask.  They become addicted to the challenges, excitement, and reassurance of indispensability (“This company can’t get by with me!”) that comes from incessantly solving problems.  What we fail to grasp is that nonstop action will almost certainly lead to performance degradation!  Even worse, when we’re riding the whitewater we miss the real payoff in management.  It isn’t solving problems, but seizing mission and vision opportunities.

Here are some practical steps to begin budgeting time to think, especially about those mission and vision opportunities that are so important.

•  Recognize the need:  If you don’t feel you really need more time for quality reflection,

    it isn’t going to happen!

•  Identify your agenda:  Take the time to assess your situation and identify what you

    need to be thinking about.

•  Weigh the implications:  Every breakthrough is a break with or break out in impact and

    effectiveness or organizational growth and excellence.  You need to carefully weigh

    the implications of focusing limited resources on one area versus another!

•  Put it on your calendar:  If you’re going to go to the effort, make time to think real by

    getting it on your calendar!

•  Find your structure:  For some an hour or two of uninterrupted quality thought is

    sufficient, while for people like me that is woefully inadequate.  You can get creative! 

    Schedule an hour each week, combined with one entire morning or afternoon each

    month, and a full day each quarter!  Experimenting will help you find your sweet spot.

•  Know when you are at your best for thinking clearly and concentrating.

•  Find the right place:  Where I work, trying to get quality uninterrupted time to think is

    like trying to remain calm while you’re under heavy artillery attack!

•  Make it habit:  Don’t underestimate the power of habit!  It takes consistent discipline
    and at least 30 days to establish a habit.

Wholesome, Healing, Pure, Simple, Virtuous Speech

The Language of Wisdom

As a student of History I often copy the words of great men and women who had a positive impact on others, who led as disciples, followers of Jesus Christ.  Martin Luther King, Jr. says that a genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.  In all sincerity I believe that he was absolutely correct.  Words are the medium by which we influence thought, learning, and change.  Actions are equally important, because they model the reality of what one says, or reveal the hypocrisy of the speaker.  Yet our culture seems bent upon destroying wholesome, healing, pure, simple, virtuous speech in favor of indecent, injurious, dishonest, abstruse, and vile talk.  To what purpose?

When our nation was first getting on its feet a great man named George Washington spoke about this trend.  "The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it."  Jonathan Witherspoon was a contemporary of George Washington, and president of Princeton University.  Note his depiction of a true American patriot:  "[He] is the best friend to American liberty  who is most sincere and active in promoting true and undefiled religion, and who sets himself with the greatest firmness to bear down on profanity and immorality of every kind.  Whoever is an avowed enemy of God I scruple not (would not hesitate) to call him an enemy to this country."

Of course men like George Washington, and Jonathan Witherspoon would be banned from our schools today, because they believed and insisted upon having the Bible in our classrooms and teaching our children from a very young age the principles of Christianity.  Men like James Madison would also be banned.  Of America's future he had this to say:  "We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."  Yet today, the very thing he claimed would protect our future, is no longer permitted in public schools.  The Ten Commandments have been removed.  To what purpose?

Abraham Lincoln understood the purpose.  It was he who said "The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next."  The purpose is to remove that nasty, judgmental, prejudiced principle that goodness has value, because without that "stupid" concept nobody has to feel bad about what they do.  Yet Abraham Lincoln warned us!  "America will never be destroyed from the outside.  If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves."  Martin Luther King Jr. nailed it when he commented upon American culture in his day.  "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people."

Our colleges and universities became hotbeds of liberal and now revisionist thinking, and those of us possessed of common sense and decency were silent.  In America today we are reaping the results of the "cultural and sexual revolution" of the past three quarters of a century.  However!  There is no cause to despair!  Being fearful of what may come won't help either.  Rather we should realize that the so called "silent" majority is not silent!  And we're not worried either.  Despite the horrific injustices and complete self-centeredness of a large percentage of current government officials, the apathy within the Christian Church, and the deplorable conditions of a culture raging against all that is good and wholesome those who follow Christ remain steadfast and unmoved.

Nor is our cry "Listen to us!  We're right!"  Those of us who truly follow Jesus know better than that.  Our cry is usually: "Forgive us for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God."  Jim Elliott penned those words.  If you don't know who he was that fact would not matter to him.  It was he who said:  "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."  Like Abraham Lincoln who wrote these words he believed the truth in them.  "Don't worry when you are not recognized, but strive to be worthy of recognition."

We stand humbly with Jude who wrote these words in his letter, verse 24-25:  "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen." NASB

Here's how The Message states those verses:  "And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating–– to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Yes."  The Amplified Bible puts it this way:  Now to Him Who is able to keep you without stumbling or slipping or falling, and to present [you] unblemished (blameless and faultless) before the presence of His glory in triumphant joy and exultation [with unspeakable, ecstatic delight] —
 To the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion, and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all the ages of eternity). Amen (so be it).

  Remember Paul's words in II Corinthians 10:3-5:  "The world is unprincipled. It's dog–eat–dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way––never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God–tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity." The Message  Here are those same verses in the Amplified Bible:  "For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.  For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds, [Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."

Bottom line?  I know God is in control.  God loves me more than I can ever understand or measure, and it has nothing to do with me!  I can't do anything to earn that love!  But I can, and do with my whole heart, accept it!  All authority and power is His!  No government upon this earth can change that fact, no matter how hard it tries.  My days are full of blessing and promise!  I love my Savior, my wife, my children, my grandchildren, my friends, my church, my community, and my country.  So buck up!  Don't give in to the temptation to respond to evil with evil, or to talk a talk that does not represent the purity of our Lord and Savior!  Father, help me.  Holy Spirit, inspire and correct and teach me so that my lips are filled with words of goodness and wisdom.  Lord Jesus, You never disconnect from me, but I am prone to disconnect from You!  Thank You for keeping me in Your loving hands!

What Is the Right Formula?

Shelter or Permanent Supportive Rapid Re-Housing

Obviously this formula has nothing to do with dealing with chronic homelessness, but it might as well represent the confusion over the argument of shelter or Housing First (permanent supportive rapid re-housing).  With the exception of a very few engineers this equation will represent a mystery to most folks.  For those of you who are curious, it is part of an equation related to passing an electrical current through a blue diamond and relates to hole mobility.  Wow!  Aren't you excited?

Energy bands form as a quantum mechanical consequence (as in Pauli’s exclusion principle) when isolated atoms are brought together forming a crystal.  At that point we distinguish between the valence band, which consists of the electrons forming the chemical bonds, and the conduction band, which consists of electrons of higher energies which can move freely across the crystal.  Electronic conduction only takes place within these bands when one band is partially populated by electrons.

A blue diamond is an intrinsic semiconductor.  It contains relatively small amounts of impurities compared to the thermally generated electrons and holes.  In order to obtain the electron density (the number of electrons per unit volume) in an intrinsic semiconductor, one needs to integrate the electron density n(E) in an incremental energy range dE from the bottom to the top of the conduction band.  The density n(E) is the product of the Fermi-Dirac distribution F(E) and the density of allowed energy states per energy range per unit volume N(E).  Hence the equation.  Now that everyone understands this concept . . . . oh well!

History has shown that rescue missions have collaborated with government-run and government-endorsed programs that do not conflict with the mission's core values and practices.  Here in Lancaster Grace Shelter (Lancaster Community Shelter) and the city and county enjoy a healthy synergy in their efforts to get our neediest citizens off the streets and back on their feet.  That is not true in other places.  Sentiment in some cities toward rescue missions, at least those ruled by federal influence and funding, has moved from appreciation to tolerance.  According to a position paper of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, certain places are leaning toward contempt.

Actually, as our country becomes increasingly diverse it needs a multipronged approach to alleviating homelessness.  Obviously rescue missions and the faith-based community have been, and continue to be, one of those prongs.  At this point I should mention that Grace Shelter is not at odds with the government's end goal regarding homelessness.  Grace Shelter has compassionately served immigrants, veterans, victims of domestic violence, runaways from asylums and abusive families, alcoholics and addicts, and people depending on their own decisions who, for whatever reason, have lost possessions, jobs, and dignity.

Here's the rub.  HUD's approach to alleviating homelessness in America, like many government programs, offers a simplistic solution to a multi-faceted problem that requires a multi-faceted solution.  Housing First and Rapid Re-Housing are not sufficient in and of themselves to end homelessness.  Add to that the fact that decisions regarding the administration of government funding drive the agenda for services for the homeless in many local continuums of care, often without regard for best practices and customized solutions.  What works in downtown Los Angeles doesn't work in the Antelope Valley.  It could be argued that what people believe works in Los Angeles doesn't, but let's not open that can of worms!

Grace staff believes that the most effective plan for reducing homelessness must address the causes of homelessness and not simply treat the symptoms.  A strong sense of community connection and intensive support can decrease unnecessary deaths resulting from the isolation, alienation, and unchecked drug and alcohol usage that can happen in Harm Reduction models.  Legitimate concerns regarding the stipulations and possible intervention that come with accepting government funding has caused us to consider detaching from most or all government contracts.  That would be a mistake, however, because it would cut off important communications and lead to a lack of mutual understanding.  So we soldier on, trying to make our voice heard further away than Acton.

Traditionally, over the past sixty years at least, rescue missions have not readily had a place at the table in collaborative efforts to alleviate homelessness.  There are reasons for this, some good, some bad.  Some in government do not accurately understand what rescue missions do.  Many in the public sector are reluctant to include faith-based organizations in their joint efforts because of  misnomers about the separation of church and state and the popular culture's increasing derision toward anything Christian.  As a result we need to find a solution to help all of the various groups trying to end homelessness to communicate effectively.

For Grace Mission that means collecting, analyzing, and presenting relevant data about outcomes.  This becomes critical for demonstrating the impact of programs and services we offer.  For us that means we have to constantly evaluate our programs and determine if they are indeed successful!  It would be much easier to just accept government funds and do the least amount necessary to fulfill the contract.  Along with that we need to speak out loudly against homelessness in our community and clearly state the harmful results of homelessness in society.  Part of that effort is writing this blog.

Individuals and families are homeless today because of spiritual and relational poverty, which are matters that lie outside of the government's scope and authority.  At Grace Shelter we believe in the divine power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to eternally redeem and permanently restore a life gone terribly off course.  Regardless of popular culture and without disguise or defense, we are passionately and distinctly Christian in our makeup and approach to ending homelessness.

What does all this mean?  We should respond to the needs of those living in government-provided houses, offering adequate non-residential support and services such as addiction recovery, physical and mental health services, spiritual care, and long-term life-skills training that emphasizes eventual independence from government subsidy.  That means more staff and efficient programs, and that means more money.  We cannot go to the government for the funds to provide these services, because government contracts are becoming more and more restrictive about how we share our faith and present our Biblical programs.  So we have to find other funds to make it happen.  If everyone in the Antelope Valley that could afford it would give us $1 a month, or $1 more than they already give, we could do just about anything.  So we have to figure out how to inspire that kind of giving.  

This picture is called "forgiveness."  Study it carefully for a moment.  Note the nail and hammer in the hand of the one whom Jesus so tenderly holds.  That is a picture of me!  That is a picture of you.  Right now, right this moment!  We are sinners undone!  I have nothing to offer God . . . ever!  Every person who is suffering from addiction, or mental illness, could be in this picture!  They are JUST LIKE ME!  If I truly love them, then I cannot in good conscience allow them to continue a lifestyle that is destructive and deadly.  Nor can you or I change one of them!  We don't have the power to change hearts!  Only God has that ability.  Here, of course, I am talking about the one true God, the God of the Bible, the Eternal Triune God.  So how do I help such a person?  By showing love, the same kind of love that God shows me.  I can't do that without His help, and I can't do it any way but the way He says I am to do it.  And therein lies the rub!  Love is described very clearly in Scripture!  Many dislike how God describes loving actions sometimes.

"On the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding."  (Proverbs 10:13 NASB)

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."  (Proverbs 12:1 NASB)

"The one who despises the word will be in debt to it, but the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded."  (Proverbs 13:13 NASB)

"He who spares his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently."  (Proverbs 13:24 NASB)

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."  (Proverbs 14:34 NASB)

Love isn't ever easy.  Acting lovingly requires the power of God in our lives.  Paul made that clear in Colossians 3.  My earthly body is now dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed.  I've put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech.  I am not allowed to lie to myself or others.  Every day I am renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created me, a renewal that comes through the study of His Word, and obedience to what I've learned.  As a result I put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with others, and forgiving others as Jesus forgave me!  And I must put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity!  It is much easier to ignore those in need than to love them enough to do my utmost to show them the love of Christ!  Putting myself above them comes easily to my sinful old self.  That is not acceptable.  God wants me to do what is right, even when it is inconvenient.  Sometimes that means practicing tough love.  It never means allowing someone I love to engage in destructive behavior.

As a result I am diametrically opposed to any program that ignores the real needs of people, does not show this kind of selfless love, and especially ignores the spiritual need.  To offer help to anyone, without expecting anything from them to help themselves, is demeaning and dehumanizing.  It sends a message to them that they are useless, and will never amount to anything.  To do something for someone who could do it for themselves is demeaning and dehumanizing.  It says loudly and clearly that you don't care!

When it comes to lost people without the Lord, and especially without a healthy respect for God and His Word and the relationship He wants to have with us, there are no substitutes.  Every homeless person is worth so much more than you or I could ever imagine!  So let's treat them like they are worthy.  That is our plan at Grace Shelter.

I believe that over the long haul the lives changed in this way will outshine any other programs.  Does that mean those other programs won't help some?  Of course not.  And if we become involved in those lives, what differences might we make?  Think about it.  Think about giving that $1 a month or $1 a month more than you are already giving to Grace Resources.  Please.  You may not know how to reach a homeless person, or what to do in a situation of crisis management, but your support will make you a part of the solution.  We could not do what we do without the support of people like you.  So thank you to all who will consider this and respond to the need!  Every dollar you give says "I love you" to all the people we serve!

Father's Day

Father's Day
As a parent, I often wonder if I did enough, made the best choices, and provided the right kind of model for my children.  I often deal with parents who are much like turtles.  Turtles aren't parents!  They lay eggs and leave them.  Recently I met a mom with eight kids, all with different last names, all from different fathers.  Each of those fathers was very much like a turtle, caring little for the eggs once delivered!  The absence of a father in the home is obviously detrimental to the child.  My dad wasn't the best model for a father, but he loved me.  Knowing that he loved me kept me on an even keel sometimes when I needed it the most.

Then I see a picture of my son, Jeremy, just before deployment, saying good bye to my grandchildren.  Yes, my eyes are filled with tears!  I watch him with his children and see that he is a loving, gentle and caring father.  Watching him with Savanna, our precious daughter-in-law, I see that he is a loving, gentle and caring husband.  Where did he learn those things?  Some, naturally, he learned from me.  Yet I am not so arrogant that I think I was a model father.  I'm a sinner, saved by grace!  No, he learned most of this from his walk with God!  Cathy and I love the song "Because He Lives."  Our hearts are filled with confidence that the God who holds the future holds our children in His capable hands!

Jeff is also a great dad!  Once again, watching him with Brody and Troy I see that he is a loving, gentle, and caring father.  To Tawny, our other precious daughter-in-law, he's a loving, gentle, and caring husband.  Like his brother, Jeff has a close walk with God, and it is from that he is empowered to be the kind of dad he needs to be.  His six foot six inch frame stretched out on the Lazy Boy with tiny little Troy tucked under his arm is one of my favorite pictures.  With this thought, because my grandkids have great parents, I rest assured that they will be taught about the love of Jesus, and that His great love will be modeled in the home.  Like my sons, daughter, and daughters-in-law, my hope is that they will not seek a safe life, but one of obedience to God's call, a life of faith and godliness.

   
What about all those kids who will not have that advantage?  Can I do anything for them?  Yes, I can!  This Yellow-Bellied turtle is a creature that God cares about, feeds, and watches over.  Pastor Chris pointed out this morning from Psalm 146:9 that God supports the fatherless and the widow!  James reminds me that pure and undefiled practice in the sight of our God and Father is to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep myself unstained by the world.  What can I do?  Pray.  Live in such a way that men see my good works and glorify my Father in heaven.  Be salt.  Show love at every opportunity.

When these two kids walked down the isle after saying their vows 40 years ago they had no idea what the future held.  I'm sure Cathy never thought she would pose for the picture on the right with our daughter thirty years after she was born!  Yet here we are!  It had nothing to do with us!  Our God is VERY MUCH ALIVE and working in our lives daily.  His blessings are ours to enjoy, not because we deserve them, or could earn them, but because He loves us!  Have you heard about the love of Jesus?  Did you know He loves you with a love that is so deep and abiding you could never fathom its wonder?  I hope anyone reading this understands that I give all the credit for 40 years of a wonderful marriage, three great kids, and two wonderful daughters-in-law to the God of the Bible.  Was it all wine and roses?  Hardly!  Did He ever let us down?  Not once!  Did He ever not keep His promise?  Not once!  

I may be in my twilight years, but what a beautiful twilight! This is a photograph from the Brooks Range in Alaska.  If one looks close enough one can see the frigid cold snow on the mountain, and know that dangerous creatures prowl at night in this area, predators that kill!  Life is not safe for me, not ever, but it is exciting!  I have a feeling that when death comes it will be one more adventure for me, a transition from this moral coil to my immortal eternal and perfect state.  Why an adventure?  Because Jesus will be with me, each step of the way.  He is my everything!  I am a child of the perfect Father!  That's a thought for Father's Day!  Happy Father's day, Father in Heaven!  Happy Father's day Jeremy and Jeff.

Divine Control

One of my favorite stories from the Old Testament is found in II Kings 18-19.  Sennacherib brought the armies of Assyria to Jerusalem, and Hezekiah is King of Judah.  Assyria destroyed Israel seemly without difficulty, and when Sennacherib came against Judah he was confident and arrogant.  When Hezekiah received that fateful letter he didn't wring his hands in fear and trembling, or shake and wonder what he might do.  He went straight to his knees before the One who is always in control.

It was Isaiah who brought God's answer to Hezekiah.  What an answer!  Let me quote verses 27 and 28 of chapter 19, a rather direct message to Sennacherib.  "But I know your sitting down, and your going out and your coming in, and your raging against Me.  Because of your raging against Me, and because your arrogance has come up to My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came!"  I wonder how Sennacherib received that answer!  Knowing what he was like I imagine he laughed.  After all, the God of Judah was the same as the God of Israel, and He hadn't stepped up to save Israel!  Why would He save Judah?  Why indeed!

Why did God save Jerusalem?  That question is answered in II Kings 19:34.  He defended the city and saved it for His own sake, and for His servant David's sake!  So that night an impossible enemy experienced a very frightening reality.  When God steps in there is no missing His mighty hand.  In verse 35 the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians!  In the morning they all got up ready to conquer Judah, only to discover that most of the soldiers were dead, killed by the angel of the Lord in the night!  What must it have been like?

"Wake the men!  Sound reveille!"  Ha!  Who buried those 185,000 soldiers?  Where were they buried?  The Bible doesn't tell us!  I wish the whole story was there.  Whatever the case, the armies of Assyria must have seemed like the huge crocodile in the picture above, something indestructible, impossible to kill.  For God it was as simple as dispatching one angel!

Do you ever feel like things are out of control?  I do!  But God reminds me again and again of His mighty power.  In truth, God is in control.  He's got this!  Whatever is going on right now is no surprise to Him.  He didn't miss something!  And to the arrogant who think He is silent and far away I would give this warning:  Beware!  God is not mocked!  His power is not diminished!  His control is not slipping!  So my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, be strong and courageous!  Stand firm!  My God has absolute control of His world!  He does not change.  His word is established!  As for me, I will follow Him, and I will fear Him!