Bearly Time To Have Everything Ready!

So many years we have rushed to put all of the proper pieces in place for the celebration of Christ's rebirth. That is the human side of us doing what we do, get ready! Easter eggs decorated perfectly(well as good as they can get when you're three, and there were a few kids older than me, too), baskets prepared, candies gotten ready for joyful consumption, succulent young turkeys basted and prepared for baking(some folks do ham, but I know for certain my Savior was a Jew and I'm not sure He would like that), and in the most traditional ways of doing things we would be eating lamb, still, on the morrow. I watched the bears in our house watching us as we scurried about preparing stuff. Finally I broke down in tears(that was because of the onions, I'm sure)and that is not unusual this time of year. My heart beats with an anticipation that knows no bounds as I recall the events of the very first Easter morn when the tomb was found to be empty and my sure, personal redemption had been claimed in full.
Easter bonnets, and wonderful dresses will accompany my female counterparts as they "skirt" off to church on what is going to be a beautiful day out here on the Great American Desert. I love that about the girls! I have been praying for days now for the lost and divided souls that we only see a few times a year(Christmas & Easter)with the thought in mind that perhaps this morning, in but a few short hours, we might convey to them the essence of sheer overpowering joy that accompanies the celebration of this "High Holy Day." Okay, we only have an hour or so of their limited time, but, can't we do something that will wake them from their spiritual drowsiness? Maybe there is something we aren't doing, or something we aren't saying.
I would rather believe it is something they aren't hearing or are unwilling to truly hear, that stops the ears to the cause of the commotion! In the studio tonight I was talking with the lead guitar player about Brian Adams and his "WAKING UP THE NEIGHBORS" album from many years ago. I guess if the bears could hear me now they would hear me saying, "That's what I want to do, wake up the neighbors!" And who are your neighbors? Well, Jesus said that was everybody!
As we celebrate this morning my only prayer would be that someone out there who has not heard, would hear and find the wonderful truth of belief in Christ. HE IS RISEN!
Thanks Be To God! No, that is not my only prayer, I digress, because there are so many, but that one is very high on my list. Sons & daughters, brothers & sisters, grandpas & grandmas, and parents everywhere, look through the eyes of your children and know that God is good! So good that He wants each of us to accompany Him to His home and be with Him forever! Happy Easter 2006! In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Pieces Of Peace

Most of the pieces of our personal "peace" space are presently broken! I'm going to take some pictures later to better remember what days like this were all about. Out here on the Great American Desert it is construction season, and it will not end until the snows fall. Today, by the way, is Maundy Thursday! We are headed into the Easter weekend of 2006. This evening there will be a service held in many of the area churches. Folks will be reminded of the night that proceeded the taking of our Savior. Before His taking, though, there was this beautiful time that He spent in an upper room with His followers sharing the Passover meal. The neighbor just south of us is cutting down trees and building a garage\workshop. To the west of us the street which fronts our property is being reconstructed(what this means for our lives is a period of anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks without any way in or out other than hoofing it from a half block away). The north is detour city, and the east border is showing all the signs of female spring fever. The college girls that live next door partied until about 3 in the morning. That is the one side that is quiet today!
Such is life! My mind returns to that beautiful evening in the upper room where the Disciples ate and shared the Passover(sader feast)and Holy Communion. That is one piece of peace that cannot be disrupted no matter how much absolute bedlam surrounds our lives. You and I have that opportunity to walk in the peace of our Lord each day of our lives if we so choose. It won't always be easy! Two nights ago my lovely wife and I sat on the yard swing feeling the gentle breeze of spring and watching the nearly full moon glide soundlessly across a cloud strewn sky. God smiled on us, and as we prayed together and cuddled it was a perfect night. Perhaps it is the memories of such perfection that sustain us when all around seems to be coming apart. As you attend the services of this Easter Tide try to bring the peace away with you as a tiny treasure in your mind of the peace our Savior gives to those who are faithful. The peace that surpasses all understanding and gives back to our lives the beauty of an unconditional love that Christ prepared this night to bestow on us. It is in His love that I write to you. God bless, Preacher.

Ahead By A Nose!

Having had my nose broken four times in the past 40 years has left me with some interesting breathing problems, not to mention an extremely enlarged proboscis(did I spell that right?)! I never give it too much thought, it's just out there in front of me most of the time and it's great for inserting into other people's business(that's one of the reasons it got broke), but the past few years the pressure from not having my "drain" thing working right has given me some cause for concern. I suppose we all have our physical things we would like to get fixed one way or another. That's what gave rise to these thoughts today! How easy it is to focus entirely on what we see on the outside of people instead of looking where it really matters, on the inside! That's one of the great things about God! He doesn't worry about how we are on the exterior, He likes the inside of us to be straight with Him even when our noses aren't. The skull news piece was on Yahoo today and I couldn't resist looking and reading simply because I do think about my nose problem at times. Thankfully I submit that after reading the article I feel greatly relieved, looking in the mirror, that there may be some way to fix the "thing" without major surgery to correct all of the flaws. It's that way in our lives, too. God can look at us in an instant and see the minor defects that we have and correct them immediately through the insertion of grace into our beings and belief in His Son, my Savior, Christ. As Easter approaches I would encourage each of us to look at our insides and see if there are flaws that we might be able to correct with the simple insertion and infusing of the Holy Spirit in our day to day lives. In essence, we might allow God to fill us up and drain off some of that excess baggage we carry with us everywhere we go. At any rate, I love the imagery. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

All Gone Astray?

It was reported by the Associated Press that last July, near the town of Gavas, eastern Turkey, one sheep among a large flock walked to the edge of a cliff and jumped to its death. A second sheep quickly imitated the first, also leaping off the cliff to its death. Then a third sheep followed. Then a fourth. Then a fifth.
"There is no such thing as a sheep that possesses leadership qualities-all are born followers." I'm quoting David Kirkwood, and although I doubt deeply that he has ever spent any time with sheep, has shared some interesting insights concerning people. I was "farm" raised. Growing up one of my duties was to tend the sheep. That was before I was given the free rein of a horse and cattle to watch over. It's a thing you deal with knowing that more responsibility will be given you when you have "grown up" a little more.
David is right about much. When it comes to sheep they are flat out stupid! Did I mention that he was writing about people? Much of the "christian" world is in the same pasture as the shepherds were as they watched their flock go over the cliff, one at a time! Quoting Mr. Kirkwood again he goes on to say, "Sadly, we'll follow just about anyone who appears to know what he is talking about." Have we by default of some sort, or excuse making, given over our reason to people who have not a clue as to where we're going? Somehow I would like for this to not be the "fact of matters" but am beginning to become convinced that people do not really want to see the cliff, or hear the implications that come with jumping off it! (1,499 sheep can't be wrong, can they?)
Our world today is filled with folks that want to share their truth with us. People! It is not their truth you need to concern yourself with. It is yours! You and I need to work through our salvation with all of our strength, all of our intellect, and every resource that is available to enlighten us as to where it is we are going.
I have to quote David one more time, "Sheep are dumb, and I mean d-u-m, dumb. They are easily misled and so are we. As hard as it may be to admit, we generally tend to be followers who let others do our thinking for us. Sadly, we'll follow just about anyone who appears to know what he is talking about." Did you hear that last part? Yup, I reapeated it because that is what has us acting like sheep. Instead of searching for the truth we let others do it for us, and then repeat it as though it were our own. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT, follow every path, act, move, made by someone else or on behalf of someone else. Seek first for what God has called you to do, be, say, give, live, believe, and all the rest that goes with it. Then, and only then can you be certain that you are following the true "Lamb of God!" In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Readin' & Ridin' & Rythmatic

Did I get the "Three Rs" spelled rite? I pray so! This is so cool! They've got a ride coming up that I need to be on but life is attacking our home in so many ways it is unbelievable. My wife is on a heart monitor right now, she had severe difficulties as a result of a new health product that she wanted to believe in. That's my personal spin on how things are today, and other opinions may vary depending on who writes them.
The thing about the ride is real. With tongue in cheek(the entire HD family is predominantly christian to the core depending on how you view walkin' the walk)have brought us, via the HOG(Harley Owners Group)an opportunity to visit some fantastic landscape. Not to mention the fellowship and camraderie that accompanies every venture into the unknowns of life. I've covered most of the routes they are going to ride and have to agree it is spectacular! Most of all I would like to agree with the use of titling. "Saints to Sinners" is the label stuck to this one. How appropo that it runs from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm still laughing over this conjecture of oxymorons. I'm not knocking the territory, I'm enjoying it. Reriding in my mind the highways and cities as they were the last time I was there. In addition to that I'm enjoying the company of the folks that are brothers and sisters spread all over the place. One of my buddies(now quite successful)started a church in his home in Las Vegas after retiring from the ministry at an early age due to theological differences with his denominational affiliations. The guy(Jerry)is not pleasant to look at! He fits better in the biker circles than in the ecumenical libraries, but his life is in Christ. I've got to E this one to him, so he can be ready. Back when all we had was snail mail and the occasional conversation on the phone(land line), I shared with him the agony of birth. Little did we know 25 years ago that Las Vegas would be the most fertile of fields in which to begin planting the seeds of salvation. My hat is off to the HOG heads. You came up with a good one and I will be sharing this with everyone. "Saints to Sinners!" Puts me in mind of Paul when he moved to Rome. Write it as a title and it becomes a book written to help others. Write it as it is being promoted and it should be a cause for common celebration during this wonderful Easter Tide. How? Why, of course, we are all "Sinners to Saints" in the eyes of He who holds the future. He even knows what we will become. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

It's Great To Get Away

This shot was sent "tongue in cheek" from Canada this past week. It seems that some experiences of church camp are not what they're cracked up to be. The blessing isn't shown in the picture. There was no body home! This occurred during breakfast. The most amusing thing about the photo were the accompanying anecdotes and descriptions of people's thoughts on why things happen as they do. We never really know why things happen when they come from the "accidental" realm of our human existence. That is, unless we have a persistent tendency toward the spiritual unseen world that surrounds us at all times. I used to get a kick out of people that were always making something out of nothing. I do know now that there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to little things that just seem to happen in people's lives. Can you imagine the distress the angel holding that particular tree would have been in if the folks in the tent had decided to sleep late? Protection is afforded us in so many ways, and yet we don't really see it as such. Perhaps that has something to do with the need to avoid any pretense of superstitious leanings. We pick them up so quickly that we are really not aware of the baggage they bring into our lives that must accompany us for years. The thing about not walking under a ladder, or black cats crossing one's path, and heaven forbid I should ever break a mirror and be subjected to 7 years worth of misfortune. And it swings the other way, also. We ate out at a casino last evening for the simple reason that it was convenient(half way between us & them)for us to gather there for the absolutely wonderful quisine and the interesting atmosphere. Talk about a place where "luck" is in everyone's back pocket or carried on a key chain. I watched many of the games with a sense of wonder. In particular I was impressed with the manner in which one young man of about 24 years became irritated with a machine that he was feeding $20 bills into. It didn't want to take them all. I thought he was going to say something to the dealer who was an onscreen image, but he refrained. Amazing to watch! All in all it was a wonderful gathering and an opportunity to see a side of humanity that I don't get around much anymore. They're still the same, though. Just as willing as always to rid their pockets and purses of undesirable cash. Ya know, it makes me wonder if I'm not safer sticking to campgrounds! It's a pretty good bet that the tent will be safe from trees falling. Certainly a better way to bet than on a screen similar to this one where the odds of getting three trees in a row is astronomical. Maybe that's why folks refer to it as gambling. How about that eternal bet? I would wager that many folks have no clue if their tent is going to be secure in the next world, that one not made with human hands but existing eternally. The best way to do it is place your faith in the Lord you can know and trust, with your life. He will not desert you, or abandon you, or cause calamity to strike in your life. He is there only to help and preserve that which has been His since He created all of it. In Christ's Love(don't take any wooden nickels), Preacher

Guy In The Sky

How do you envision God and His Son, my Savior Christ? Do you see them as real and visible to the naked eye? Some would interpret all they see around them as the handiwork of God and thus see Him. That is true to the extent that it is correct, but it goes much further than this simple interpretation. For those of us of the Christian ilk I would submit that we see God's presence in all things seen and unseen. To be very specific we have to be able to look at ourselves and others around us and "see" the goodness that God has provided for each of our lives as they relate to all creation. Still, that is not very specific! Therefore, perhaps we can't "pinpoint" anything as tangible proof of God's existence in our lives other than what we can see through the eyes of faith. Now that for me is painting a more vivid picture. Through the eyes of faith is where we must begin if we are to see God. For some this is impossible, for others, impractical! My Native American brothers and sisters believe! That is their starting point! For many in our western world this is the great stumbling block. That which you cannot see with your eyes, feel with your hands, taste in your mouth, smell in your nostrils or hear with your ears is just as real as the senses we have been gifted with as part and parcel of our humaness. It is in the transcendence of the physical that we meet God in the fullness of a reality that is greater than ourselves. If you have not "found" God in your experience of life it very well could be that you are making it harder than it actually is. I often ponder on the statement, "We need God far more than God needs us." Would you like to "see" the guy in the sky come alive in your life? All one needs do is ask in all sincerity and He will become a reality. In Christ's Love, Preacher.