Bear in Peace

The task of being removed from our environment is not one to take lightly. We all seek a place of total peace. Out here on the frozen tundra of the Great American Desert our time found at peace is often in the very midst of a roaring blaze of fire. When feet are freezing and breath is gently seen amidst pearls of rising mist there is the essence of "us" that permeates the atmosphere. We are all one, you know, in the throes of our humanity, we are one with our Creator, God. Defined in inumerable ways there is but one path that leads to an eternal life. I believe that is found in my Savior, Christ. There are other ways that are inumerated in the writings of antiquity, but they, also, must lead to the same final conclusion......We were created! Beware of the bear that would cause an intrusion on your place of peace. He is magnificent, but deadly. Only in true peace and harmony with our Creator can we hope to successfully face the adversary. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Let The Rumble And Roar Begin To Soar

Late February, streets are beginning to show signs of life out here on the Great American Desert. Two-wheeled life filled with anticipation of another season on that favorite ride. It's time to charge the batteries and drain old fluids. Along with that comes the necessary cleaning of the machines and shining them up for their days in the sun. The KJV that has been accompanying me in the car is about to be packed away in the saddlebag, along with brochures, invitations, publicity materials, and all of the rest of the important "stuff" that has to travel with us. I've been praying about a laptop to share space with us us this year. It would fit quite nicely in the trunk of the Ultra Classic Electra Glide(that's a Harley bagger), and that way I could stay in touch with everyone all of the time. Wireless communications, the wave of the future is here today! What will it mean for the spreading of the Gospel? People across the globe are getting the message out, but in my heart I believe that true evangelism is a one on one affair. Three cornered, to be sure, with one person who truly wants to see another saved from damnation, the other person who is uncertain of what Christ can do in their life, and God. It's a process, and one that we look forward to with even greater anticipation than the rides and roads that will unwind beneath our wheels. Have you had your perk for the day? If not, here's one of mine. God loves us all so much that He gave His only Son to die for us that we might live eternally. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Prayers Answered

 
Books are being written, money being made, and people struggle and wonder if "God answers prayer." The answer, of course, is yes! That is not a simple yes. It is a resounding YES! Terry e-mailed this picture of his daughter, Sarah, who has been serving in Iraq and is presently home on leave. My son, Justin, just returned from his third and final tour of that land. Prayers answered, right! But it is not that simple. We pray every day for our service women and men. They are in the process of doing what some may later(as they did with the Vietnam "conflict")consider a waste. That is not how it is done, and it is not the way we as a people need to express our gratitude to a country that continues to insure our freedom no matter what the cost. We join the ranks for a lot of reasons, but it doesn't take long for the spirit of comraderie to command a large portion of our daily cognizance. Forgive me if I mispelled that one, it's been a long time since my heart has swelled with so much pride for personally knowing individuals who have been willing to lay it all on the line for me. My Savior did just that 2000 years ago, but when it's the kid from down the street or two states away we tend to forget the level of sacrificial positioning that is necessary for people to do what they continue to do on a daily basis. Not to mention the hundreds of years of sacrifice that has been necessary for us to arrive to this moment. I could preach long and hard on my Savior, my country, and my beliefs, but that is not the point tonight. It is about these beautiful individuals that we often take for granted that are out there doing their sworn duty....no matter what! Keep all of them in your prayers, as well as our entire nation. We may not agree with all of the poitical stances of folks, but we can agree on one thing. Young ladies like Sarah, and young men like my son Justin are deserving of your support in prayer and every other way you can provide from the comfort of our world, no matter what! God bless you kids...you are all in our prayers. In Christ's Love, Preacher. 

Sacred Trusts

I suppose you'll have to click on the pages and maybe even magnify them a bit to make them readable. It's hard to imagine a life so small as the one pictured in the hand above, and yet that life took shape at the very instant of conception. At that moment a soul was invested in the coming together of the gift God has given us in procreation. I know there is a lot of conjecture of when a life is truly a life, but the way I see it we are all just like that infant above. We're all held in the very palm of God's hand, and redeemed by the blood of the Lamb! Too simplistic? Too idealistic? Maybe, but we all have to make our stance according to the leading of our hearts. The article that I put up in pages scanned by a very old Lexmark tell a little about a man, and a lot about how God uses people to carry on the work of the kingdom. We wrestle our human difficulties, and for the most part we are a lot like the person(you'll know what I mean here if you read the pages)who was so shy he had to tell the message from behind an upraised hand for fear of the crowd. God takes that part of us that is the weakest, most vulnerable, and uses it for mighty purposes. What we see as failings in ourselves and others are vastly unimportant. The area we need to develop, every one of us, is trust! It is that simple. Trust is the beginning of courage. Even the very smallest of infants has the courage born in them to struggle for survival. That is the spirit of humankind that refuses to give up, quit, backdown or shutup. We're fighters! Each of us, just as helpless as that baby in the hand above, is comprised of a body, a mind, and a soul that thirsts for growth in every way imaginable. Perhaps we need to see ourselves as that child so that we can help others understand that life is a sacred trust. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Mail Call

Lighter thoughts this evening are dedicated to those people who deliver our mail. Maybe you haven't noticed, but I have. The amount of garbage in our mailbox in the past decade has decreased enormously! Hats off the the USPS! Due to the use of E-Mail and other forms of communication on the net we now are reaping the rewards of an affluent society. So much so that what cost us a penny 100 years ago now costs 39 cents and it still takes three days to arrive from the Great American Desert where my wife and I reside. This is all said "tongue in cheek," of course. I love those folks who do their job in any kind of weather and resist the temptation to shoot one another. It is ironic, though, that leather postcard I posted here a while back probably took less time to arrive at it's intended destination than a post card from the same location would today. What message can this possibly hold for the ecumenical community of which I am a member? Just this: The message is the same. No matter what the cost to deliver it we must continue to deliver it as efficiently as possible. Yes, there are changing attitudes to address! Yes, this is a new century! Yes things have changed since my great grandmother's day! But(and this is a big one), "WE HAVE NOT CHANGED!" We are still the pathetic little buck-passing people that God placed on this earth with only one hope of eternal salvation! Our eternal salvation is found in the Son of our God. Many in the English speaking world call His name Jesus. In other parts of the known world He is known as Yeshua. I believe that wherever we gather to call on the name of the triune God He hears us and responds. It isn't always the response we would like to have, but it is a response, and it doesn't take three days to get here! When we pray and listen, God is faithful and answers our prayers. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Have You Had Your Frill Today?

Today the explanation of "President's" day was shared with my grand daughter. She didn't know who the guys were on the coins, but rapidly caught on to the idea of celebrating birthdays. We had ice cream, chocolate marshmallow! Interestingly enough one of my biker buds declared this "buddies" day and sent me flowers to send on to all of my buds. Last week everyone was giving and receiving flowers. On our kitchen table there resides a vase with a half dozen carnations, three white, and three pink, that my wife brought me knowing fully how much I appreciate them. The lyrics from an old country song come to mind along with lyrics from the rock world. "Love is a rose but you better not pick it; only grows when it's on the vine," and "every rose has it's thorn," were the first of what will now be a night of remembrances.
The beauty of flowers should be one that reminds us of the interaction of human kind with their environment, but for me it runs much deeper. You see, each of us has the ability to bloom in the lives of others and bring beauty to them. Sometimes a smile can be a "flower" in someone else's day. The kind word can have the same impact along with the heartfelt compliment. Kids have a way of picking up the flowers in life every day, but adults have grown up and seem to have lost that magical ability. One of my friends used to say, "don't ever grow up, it's no fun!" Growing up can be fun, though, when we learn to share the beauty of this life with others. I pray you have much to share with those around you, including some flowers for your "buds."
In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Wedding Blessings

About once a month it is my honor to officiate a wedding ceremony for folks desiring to enter into the bonds of "Holy Matrimony." It seems my mind gets really preoccupied with the thoughts of how to bring each union into a faith perspective that is going to somehow assist the couple when things get tough. As we all are painfully aware marriage is not a "forever" thing these days. I spoke yesterday of how things were in the couple's grandparent's time, and about the world we live in today. One of the most personal moments for me in the process of tying another knot is sharing with the couple that no matter where or when, if they have problems in their marraige I will be there for them. So far I have only had to respond to that need once in hundreds of weddings! Fortunately for me I had an out, the couple were experiencing their second set of vows with each other and it didn't work either time. Still, I count that as a failure, not personally, but somehow I feel inside that there should have been something I could have learned before pronouncing them man & wife that might have altered the outcome. Isn't that the way of life, we always think we might have done something different. When we come out of seminary and enter into the world of service in the church we come armed with pre-marital tests, and evaluation tools that are supposed to be cutting edge materials. We also come armed with hours of counseling training and many books to assist us with the task of helping people get off on the "right" foot together. Well, experience provides lessons that no classroom could have ever foretold. The truth of the matter is this:
All of creation hinges on God's will for our lives. If we place God first and "me" second, we can build lasting relationships. These will extend to not only our spouse, but to our friends, children, and if we are truly blessed, our grands and their families. It really is simple, but in our humaness we complicate life with the "I" that we try to satisfy. I shared with a couple this morning that right smack dab in the middle of "SIN" is "I." It's a simple truth, but the more we learn about life and relationships the more apparent it becomes that to truly unite as "one" both must be willing to circumnavigate the tendency toward "I-ness!" Life isn't fair, it's not easy, but we can learn from it and grow if we are willing to set ourselves aside and let God be our guide. In Christ's Love, Preacher.