tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45584633331714235282024-03-13T15:37:00.580-05:00Thoughts From the Fields of My LifeThoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-85387244774504996262022-02-22T20:45:00.000-06:002022-02-22T20:45:04.926-06:00One Fall from Being in Serious Trouble<p>My wife Jeanette has walked with a slight limp as long as I
have known her. She has had joint issues that required her to exercise caution
when moving about. For years some degree of numbness has been present in her
hands and feet. Earlier attempts to identify and correct these matters were not
successful. So, she learned to adapt, endure, and move forward without
complaint. Her aches and pains have not stopped her from taking care of her
home, serving as a pastor’s wife, being a denominational servant, or serving as
a mission volunteer. But in recent years these issues have become more of a
challenge. In the past two years her pain has been excruciating and her mobility
has been limited. In the past year she has required a cane and then a walker to
move around the house. The pandemic slowed the journey to discover the causes
of these problems. Our efforts were further delayed by deaths in the family. But
in the course of time, it was revealed that she had spinal stenosis in her
lower back and neuropathy in her feet. Medications and physical therapy helped
with the pain and enhanced her mobility to a degree but it was obvious that her
problems were numerous and complicated. In January we had a consultation with a
neurologist who did a thorough examination. He concurred that she had neuropathy
in her legs and suffered from stenosis, but these things should not be causing
the current level of weakness in her legs, her unnatural gait, enhanced reflexes,
and the tingling and numbness in her feet and hands. He ordered a battery of
blood test and though he was not convinced of the need for it, determined that an
MRI of the neck should be performed. Within a couple of hours, we saw the
results of the MRI on line. It revealed severe spinal stenosis in her neck at
the C-4 ,5, and 6 area. That very afternoon the neurologist office secured an
appointment with the neurosurgeon. The neurosurgeon showed us the MRI images and
explained how the spinal stenosis was putting severe pressure on the spinal cord
and that surgery to relieve that pressure was necessary. He did not promise
that it would correct any of her existing problems but said the surgery needed
to be done in order to prevent much more crippling effects.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jeanette had surgery on February 15. The surgery went well. Later
that day the surgeon’s physician assistant was visiting with Jeanette and in
the course of conversation asked her “when was the last time you fell”? She
replied that it had been 3-4 months. He said they could tell by the bruising on
the spinal cord that she had endured a blunt force impact that likely had been
caused by a fall. Then he said, “one more fall and you would have been in
serious trouble”. When My wife relayed that story to me my soul cried and
rejoiced at the same time. The Lord had been gracious, and she had been spared
from severe physical injury. She is now recovering from the surgery, we have
seen some positive results, and we await to see what the next steps of the
journey might be. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the words of the physician’s assistant keep ringing in
my heart and mind “One more fall and you would have been in serious trouble”. There
is a spiritual lesson in those words for us as a missionary people. Every day we
encounter people who physically and spiritually are on the pericope of death
and Hell. They are one fall from an irreversible eternal destiny. You and I
stand before them with the healing gospel of the Great Physician. The saving
power of the gospel is the only hope they have. We are the ones who must
confront them with the truth about the severity of their predicament and we are
the ones who must deliver the crucial plea for them to believe the gospel and come
to faith Christ. The gospel may sound like foolishness to them, but “one more
fall and they will be in serious trouble”. <o:p></o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-44191241494081083772021-12-22T11:14:00.003-06:002021-12-22T11:14:45.890-06:00In Search of the Prince of Peace<p> Some folks are so broken, much
time and resources they do take</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Time with them is exhausting,
from such efforts we need a break<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">There are those who like to
argue, they have venom in their veins<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Their souls cannot find satisfaction
unless they hold the reigns<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Some neglect truth and justice, bound
by the pace of status quo<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Squelching hope and progress, leaving
souls to wither and plateau. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Yet into this world of darkness
came a great glorious light<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Illuminating fear and blackness with
a beam shining bright<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Stepping into the confusion,
devilish minds did deploy<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Overriding deep division,
increasing faith, love, and joy<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Lifting burdens from our
shoulders, rough and heavy was the freight<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Giving courage to the weary as we
struggle with life’s weight<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">This strength and light came
through a child, from a woman he was born<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">A son with God’s genetics,
heavens gift to a world forlorn<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">He came to give counsel, teaching
us to walk paths that are right<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">He came as the savior, to forgive
and redeem from sin’s might<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">He gave us this mission, to tell the
world of his work and love<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Spread the story of salvation, of
eternal life above<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">As we continue earth’s journey,
filled with sorrow, grief, and death<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Dealing with pain and conflict
until we take our final breath<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">When our hearts seem heavy, when
there is no jingle in our soul<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">By grace through faith look to
the Christ child, keep heaven as our goal<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">While on earth love and serve
him, until the time of our release<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">Then We’ll gather in the throne
room, and worship the Prince of Peace<o:p></o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-64610835114022406612021-10-19T22:06:00.004-05:002021-10-19T22:06:39.646-05:00Being the Sons of God<p>The world is in great need of peace. But how do we find it?
Do we really even want it? Do we understand the cost of peace? Understanding
the cost, would we pay the price? If history is our guide and predictor of the
future the answer is no.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The church is supposed to propagate peace. After all, our
savior, the one whom we call master and Lord, bears the name Prince of Peace (Isa.
9:6). But the occupants of the church are also occupants of this world. Thus, we
find ourselves caught in a trap, constantly pleading “peace, peace” while all
the time peace illudes us.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It was not any different in the days of Jesus. Matthew tells
us that Jesus saw the crowds, all of whom were torn and tattered by the
concerns of this world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needing some
distance from the crowds Jesus retreated to a hillside and sat down. But his
disciples gathered around him. Redeeming the time Jesus began teaching them
about how they needed to live if they were to be his followers. He instructs them
about how to live a blessed life. If they really wish to be blessed and truly desire
to be identified as being his disciple, they will not just pursue peace but
they will seek to be peacemakers. For <b>“Blessed are the peacemakers</b>, <b>for
they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5:9)</b>. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There not very many peacemakers in the world. In fact, there
are not very many peacemakers in the church.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have discovered however, both outside the church and
inside the church, there are a lot of peacetakers. Peacetakers, are those who
require a lot of the energy of those who are around them. Peacetakers are not evil.
They are also not benevolent. Either out of necessity or out of selfishness their
lives are focused on their needs and desires and they are unable or unwilling
to be of much help to others. One of the hard facts of life and ministry is
that we are going to encounter a lot of peacetakers. We must love and minister to
these folks. They are no different than the crowds that Jesus ministered to. They
are like sheep without a shepherd. So instead of complaining we ought to
understand that God has given them to us to shepherd and we ought to be thankful
that we are a sheep that has heard the call and obtained the ability and means
to be a shepherd. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are also going to encounter people who are peacebreakers.
These folks have evil intentions. They will destroy peace. They understand the
mechanics of dividing and conquering and in their tool box they have the
necessary wrenches and screwdrivers and chisels to do the job. Peacebreakers
are calculating souls. They will do whatever is necessary in order to propagate
their selfish ideas and agendas. Jesus had other names for peacebreakers. He called
them broods of vipers and whitewashed sepulchers. We might want to refrain from
name calling. But while we strive to be as gentle as doves let’s remember to
likewise be as wise as serpents. Because peacebreakers will destroy a family.
They will demolish a nation. They will disassemble a church. Peacebreakers need
to be identified, ostracized, and immobilized lest they dismantle the good and
perfect things God has established in our world.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then there are those who are peaceseekers. Peaceseekers do
not like conflict. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peaceseekers will try
to stay out of the way when things are not going well. They are determined to
not incur any wounds and to make it through the war without any scars. They may
be your “friends” but when you need their help, they are likely to leave the
battle field and in search of a place of peace. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We also come in contact with those who are peacekeepers.
Peacekeepers will try to stop the fighting. Yet they will do very little to address
the source of the turmoil that causes the fighting. Peacekeepers never resolve
anything. They are content with the status quo if that is what is necessary to “keep
the peace”. Peacekeepers strive to keep the loudest voices happy even if those
voices are selfish voices. They will allow the preferences of a few to take
precedence over the priorities of the kingdom. This results in gospel abating policies
rather than gospel advancing strategies.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Peacekeepers will try to keep the pot from boiling over but
they will not do anything to turn down the flame or get the raging pot off the
stove. Peacekeepers will tolerate dysfunction, justify vile attitudes, and cover
up sin, all in the name of “keeping the peace”. Peacekeepers will marginalize
the victims and protect the villains. Peacekeepers will ignore truth and allow
a false narrative to prevail. Peacekeepers will placate the powerful and punish
the weak and they will rationalize that it is ok if that will allow the
accepted ways and means of our lives and institutions to continue as they are.
Righteousness may not prevail but that is ok so long as we “keep the peace”.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But Jesus did not come to be a peacekeeper! <b>“Do not think
that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but
a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter
against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a
person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:34-36 ESV).</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus came not to “keep the peace” but to make peace. Jesus
did not make peace by avoiding conflict. Rather, he spent his life stepping into
the middle of conflict, ultimately making peace by the blood of his cross (Col.
1:20).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus encouraged his disciples to be peacemakers. <b>“Blessed
are the peacemakers</b>, <b>for they shall be called the sons of God” (Matthew
5:9)</b>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Peacemakers do not relish conflict. They are aware of the
dangers of conflict and they approach conflict with fear and caution. Nevertheless,
they trust God and seek to make peace in the midst of conflict. They seek to
resolve problems rather than continue in chaos. Peacemakers are not just trying
to tidy up the house and sweep the ugly stuff under the bed. Peacemakers are
not just seeking to negotiate a ceasefire or even to disarm the enemy.
Peacemakers realize that lasting peace will become reality only when the heart
is changed. Peacemakers know that the only way that peace will come to our
broken society is by actively engaging people with the redemptive purposes of
Christ. Jesus demonstrated how we should live here on earth and how we can live
for all eternity. So, to be a peacemaker we must point people in the direction
of Jesus. If we do that, we will be called the sons of God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you were to see a picture of my dad and I together you
would have no doubt that we belonged to each other. People have often said to
me “You look just like your daddy”! I would reply “Well, he was a good-looking
man”. We did look alike. My wife would say that we also thought alike and acted
alike. That is not too bad either.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Twenty years or so ago I was with my dad and he introduced
to me to one of his friends. The friend looked at both of us and said “Well, that
nut did not fall far from the tree. You sure could not deny him”. My dad said “I
would not want to deny him”. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t want my heavenly father to deny me either. I want
to look like Him, and think like Him, and act like Him. If that is going to
happen, I need to be a peacemaker. Because peacemakers are called the sons of
God. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-43264747453803028082021-03-30T14:56:00.001-05:002021-03-30T14:56:18.820-05:00Influencing the Earth<p>When we hear the word meek, we picture someone who is weak. But
this is not how the Bible portrays a meek person. Numbers 12:3 says “Now the
man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth”.
The context in which the Lord made that statement was when Miriam and Aaron
were speaking against and thinking themselves to have equal status with Moses.
Moses did not confront them for this behavior, but God did. He called them into
the tent for a private meeting and stood before them in a pillar of cloud. With
a stern voice God said “hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the
Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so
with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth
to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord”
(Number 12:6-8a ESV). God made it clear that Moses was in charge and was to be
followed. God communicated with Moses not in the haze of a vision or the
figment of a dream but he put his lips directly upon Moses’s lips. He breathed his
very words into the mouth and mind and heart of Moses. God did so because Moses
was the meekest man in all the earth. Therefore, he was in tune with God and
could be trusted. That is a mural of strength.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus surely considered the character of Moses when he said “Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5 ESV). Someone who is
meek is tame as opposed to acting wild. They are wise rather than foolish. Insightful,
not disruptive. Steady not static. Useful instead of harmful. A meek person is
strong yet they possess a gentle demeanor. We might describe the meek
individual as being self-controlled. But in a spiritual sense it is far more
than that. To be self-controlled assumes that we are in charge and accountable
only to ourselves. Yet no matter how much self-control we have we are lessened
by our flaws. We are subject to human frailties. Somewhere in life’s journey
our self-control will meet its match and our souls will surrender in defeat. To
be meek is to be God-controlled. A meek person is one who has been tamed by
God. A meek person has submitted themselves to God and has allowed the Spirit
of God to shape and mold their character. Moses had been subjected to the
arrogance of Pharoah’s household for forty years. Then he spent forty years as
a herdsman in the wilderness. In the barrenness of the desert with his nostrils
filled with the stench of sheep he discovered the aroma of God’s grace.
Submitting himself to God he became a meek man that God could use.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The meek person through his God-tamed strength will inherit
the earth. That does mean that he owns the earth. “The earth is the Lord’s and
the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” Psalm 24:1 ESV).
The meek person may not hold many deeds to property. They may not hold
jurisdiction over defined territories. Their names may lack notoriety. But the
meek inherit the earth because they are able to influence the earth for God and
for good. Leadership is influence. A meek person is able to influence those in
their realm and encourage them to move in a Godly trajectory. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The world is filled with statues. Buildings and roads bear
the names of powerful people. History books tell the stories of conquests and
empires. Some of these great leaders have been agents of good and some have
been tyrants for evil. But eventually statues will be torn down. Buildings will
decay and roads will crumble. The memorials we erected will just be aging
pyramids full of bones. In time the historians usually will expose the complete
story. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The meek will inherit the earth because what has preserved
the earth for generation after generation is not the conquering tactics of
ambitious men. Rather, it is the goodliness and godliness of those who have
lived in submission to the principles of our righteous God. This is what brings
blessings to our world and blessedness to our own souls. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-17598864334380305292021-03-26T06:43:00.001-05:002021-03-26T06:43:03.844-05:00Blessings found in Mourning<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Mourning occurs because we have lost something. Our losses might
be precipitated by mistreatment, misunderstanding, mistakes, mishaps,
miscalculations, misplacement, misdeeds, and various other misconstrued events
of life. If we lose something of limited value we don’t mourn very much. But if
we lose something that is really important to us the grief may seem almost
unbearable. The shock factor alone may open a furrow so deep that it engulfs
part of our life burying it forever. We are going to lose things as we travel
the rugged winding roads of life. Those losses will sometimes rip things from
our souls that cannot be replaced. No matter how hard we try there will be
pieces of ourselves that we cannot find. When that happens, we mourn. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In full knowledge of this certain predicament Jesus made
this promise “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”
(Matt.5:4). To be clear, this promise is to people of faith. The promise is to
people who out of desperation will seek God. Our ears must not be shut to the
voice of God. Our eyes must be open in order that we may see the hand of God at
work. Our minds must be receptacles willing to receive new insights from God. Our
hearts must be permeable so that we can be saturated with the love of God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We cannot obsess about the unfairness of our mourning no
matter how true that may be. Rather we must use our mourning as an opportunity
to reflect and readjust and reprioritize for the future God is developing for
us. The cause of our mourning occurred in our yesterdays. But the promise of
comfort is experienced in our todays and tomorrows. “Weeping may tarry for the
night, but joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5b).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we mourn, we find comfort through new discoveries about
ourselves and God. The Lord corrects aspects of our thinking that are wrong. He
tweaks our understandings of truth and solidifies our grasp of his eternal
values. We find comfort because the Lord is always doing something brand new in
our lives. Jeremiah wrote “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his
mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We find comfort in the midst of mourning as the Lord instills
new ambitions within us. Mourning presents us with new opportunities that we should
not squander. In our sorrows the Lord may give us visions for new avenues of
ministry. In his grace he provides comfort to us and we are able to join his
tribe of wounded healers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We find comfort because of new perspectives. We come to
realize that we are not the only person who has suffered loss. In the process
of mourning, we find comfort as we learn to focus less on our pain and more on
helping others solve their pain. We become less attached to this world and we
grasp for the hope found in the next world. In mourning we are comforted
because the past grows dimmer and the horizon of heaven gets closer. The past
is bitter but heaven becomes sweeter and sweeter as the days go by. <o:p></o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-12680548434306444962021-03-25T09:23:00.005-05:002021-03-25T09:23:59.795-05:00Benefits of Being Poor<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Being poor
is inconvenient. It limits our choices. It makes it harder to navigate our
worlds. Having riches would add a lot of benefits to life. But Jesus said “Blessed
are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:4). Since
I have enough resources to get along pretty well in life, I find comfort that
Jesus emphasized being “poor in spirit”. Even though I am not a pauper I can
still be blessed and have a place in God’s kingdom. But Luke’s version of this teaching
says “Blessed are you who are poor” (Luke 6:20). Indicating that physical
poverty precipitates the benefits of the kingdom. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If we are
poor in terms of physical assets it might make us mean in spirit and drive us
from God. Jesus is saying that being poor should humble us and cause us to
recognize our need for God and drive us to trust God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we possess the riches of this world, we
have to find ways to divorce ourselves of the power of riches and recognize our
need for God. To be poor in spirit means that in spite of whatever riches we possess
we humble ourselves ultimately trusting God for every sustenance in life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we cast our cares on God in this fashion,
we access the power and benefits of heaven. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Wealth and talent
and pride have the power to rob us of humility. They can rob us of eyes that recognize
God. They can cause us to have faith in things that diminish and neglect to trust
in the eternal powers of God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The pains of
life are sufficient to make our spirits poor. But we need to embrace that
impoverished spirit with enough desperation to put our trust in God. We may
lose everything this world has to offer. Our hands may become empty. Our
accounts may be dry. But if our fingers cling to Jesus the kingdom of heaven
belongs to us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-28893065902650046222021-03-11T11:07:00.005-06:002021-03-11T11:07:46.970-06:00Serving the Crucified Christ<p>Filled with hate, ignorant of truth, lacking in faith, and
void of righteousness the Jews had plotted to kill Jesus. Rome took ownership
of their plot and made a statement of their authority in the act of
crucifixion. In the course of less than twenty-four hours Jesus was arrested, accused,
lied about, endured six mock trials, cursed, beaten, and in humiliation
crucified naked before the viewing world. As the sun made its downward turn, he
breathed his last and hung dead on the cross. As the dark of evening approached
there emerged from the shadows a servant named Joseph who was from the town of
Arimathea.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some refer to Joseph as a secret disciple of Jesus. But his
thoughts regarding Jesus were not that secret. The gospel writers tell us that
he was a member of the council, “a good and righteous man” who was himself
“searching for the kingdom of God”. If his attitude regarding Jesus was private
it lost its privacy when in a council meeting, he refused to consent to the
majority opinion to work toward the demise of Jesus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Joseph did not have the power to stop the violent death of
Jesus. He lacked adequate information about the meaning of the event. But he
had enough theological understanding of the significance of Jesus and enough
admiration for Jesus to serve him by administering proper burial.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We think of servants being poor but Joseph of Arimathea was
a rich man. One does not need to be rich to be of service to the Lord. But we
are to use whatever means we have to serve the Lord and His cause. If we have great
means we are called upon to use those means to advance the kingdom and minister
unto people. “To whom much is given, much is expected”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Joseph was a servant with courage. He went to Pilate and
asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was a weak ruler, so we might think that
did not take much courage. Under Roman law the body of someone who had been
executed was considered state property. Pilate could grant that body to anyone
he so desired. Or he could refuse to relinquish the body to anyone. In such
cases the bodies might be thrown into the nearby garbage dump and burned or at
best buried as a pauper in the local potter’s field. Joseph took the risk of
requesting the body from Pilate. But his real act of courage was that he, a
member of the council, was identifying himself with Jesus. He risked being
ostracized by his faith community. He risked trouble with the government. He
risked losing business and position. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Joseph was a rich man but he was not afraid of difficult
work. He engaged in the gruesome task of taking the tortured body of Jesus down
from the cross. He purchased a new linen shroud and with the help of Nicodemus
prepared the mangled body of Jesus for burial. Joseph had a heart willing to
sacrifice. He took Jesus and laid him in his own tomb that had been freshly cut
of the rock nearby. This was the tomb Joseph of had built for his own burial. It
had never been used. But now it had been defiled with the body of one who had
been executed as a criminal. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In reality Joseph’s tomb was occupied by the one who bore
the richness of heaven, the richest of the rich. But Paul reminds us that for
the sake of our salvation Jesus “became poor, so that you by his poverty might
become rich” (II Cor. 8:9). At the time of his burial Jesus had become the
poorest of the poor, stripped of all his wealth by the weight of our sins. Yet
by the sovereignty of God and because of Joseph’s servant heart he lay in a
rich man’s tomb awaiting the day of resurrection when all the richness of
heaven would be restored to him. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-90624677090855993762021-03-11T11:04:00.002-06:002021-03-11T11:04:21.665-06:00Seeing the Crowds<p>Jesus spoke a simple message of hope to people and provided
practical help by healing their diseases and afflictions. So, the crowds gathered
around him. The crowd in one town would follow him to the next town until soon
the crowds were very large. The crowds that gathered were filled with sick,
afflicted, and oppressed people.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The setting for the Sermon on the Mount is revealed in <b>Matthew
5:1</b>. <b>“<i>Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat
down, his disciples came to him</i>”.</b> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus always saw the crowds. He saw them not just as
gathered masses of humanity but as sheep in need of care. Jesus went up on the
mountain not in order to get away from the crowds but so he could observe them.
From the vantage point of the mountain Jesus and his disciples could view the
crowds for what they were. They were people in need of love, grace, mercy, and
instruction. To the government, business, and religious structures of their society
they were just tools, instruments to be used to enhance the desires of the
power structures under which they lived. But to Jesus they were human souls
created in the image of God. The crowds would have siphoned emotional energy
from Jesus yet they strengthened him because in them he saw his purpose for being
in the world. He had come to work for justice in the present world and provide
the path for salvation that would ensure eternal life in the world to come. On
the mountain, with his eyes on the crowds and with his disciples gathered
around him, Jesus posturing himself as a teacher “sat down”. The disciples stood
in the position of learners. Jesus began unfolding truths about the character they
needed to possess and develop if they were going to emulate him and fulfill the
purpose to which he was calling them. <o:p></o:p></p>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">We do not know how attentive the disciples were
or how well they understood. Our real concern should be how much attention we
give to the teachings of Jesus and how well we follow the instructions. </span>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-1353571147133790902021-03-11T10:53:00.001-06:002021-03-11T10:53:16.506-06:00He Opened His Mouth<p><b>Matthew 5:2 </b>tells us that Jesus <b>“opened his mouth
and taught them”. </b>What followed were the profound teachings of the Sermon
on the Mount.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many people open their mouths yet teach us nothing of value.
Profound lessons do not just erupt from our voices. They must first be
processed in a sound mind. They need to be filtered by a righteous heart.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many people open their mouths and teach us falsely. They are
either ignorant of truth or deniers of truth or maybe just plain liars. The
motive of their heart is to de-rail truth by manipulating facts or deceiving the
audience by withholding information. Corrupt minds and vile hearts will never compose and propagate truths that lead
to wholesome societies and upright behaviors.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When Jesus opened his mouth, he taught with clarity. Without
apology he taught divine truths that his mind had processed and formed into
language that simple humanity could understand. He spoke not just words of
truth but thoughts that were ripened and seasoned with wisdom. When Jesus spoke,
he did so with a heart filled with love, compassion, fairness, and concern. The
words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart were found acceptable in
the sight of God. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The teachings that came from the mouth of Jesus are not easy
for us to adopt and assimilate into life. In fact, it is pretty tough to follow
the teachings Jesus unfolded in the Sermon on the Mount. Some of them may seem unpalatable
to our depraved psyches. But the words of Jesus reveal the expectations he has
for those who desire to follow after him. He leaves no doubts as to how we
should structure our lives. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When Jesus opens his mouth, we need to take it as truth. We
may find it necessary to meditate in prayer with him about the details. It may
be prudent to engage in questions and discussions with our fellow believers to
get a better understanding of how we can apply his teachings in practical ways.
But the principles set forth by Jesus are clear. They are not up for
negotiation or amendment. When Jesus opens his mouth, the proper response is to
listen and to obey what we hear. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-3916589769808551662021-02-27T17:51:00.001-06:002021-03-11T10:48:00.973-06:00Personal Resurection<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Matthew 28 takes us to the first Sunday morning after the
crucifixion. Two days prior the disciples and friends of Jesus had witnessed his
brutal execution and saw his body placed in the tomb. Many of them had
restructured their lives in order to follow Jesus. They had found pride in being
a part of his movement, but now they were afraid of being identified as part of
His group. Friday night would have been long and restless and the sabbath they awoke
a dreary experience. When Sunday came, they found nothing in life worth getting
up for. Jesus was dead and their souls were filled with a deep, dark, dreadful
deadness.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While the disciples slept the women had enough gumption to
get up and make their way in the dark to the tomb in order to anoint Jesus’
body. Sometimes when the death rattle of grief gurgles within us we need to visit
the place that reminds us of our despair and engage in useful activity. An earthquake
caused the ground to tremble that Sunday morning. In the aftershock they saw an
angel descend from heaven and roll the stone away from the tomb.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This caused the Roman guards to faint. But these women of
faith were attentive as the angel said “Fear not, I know you come looking for
Jesus who was crucified, but He is not here, for he has risen”. Then the angel tasked
the women to “Go wake up the disciples. Tell them that this is a great getting
up morning because Jesus is not dead but alive. He is on his way to Galilee and
he wants to see you there”. As they were leaving, they encountered Jesus. They
had come to the tomb with deadened souls now fresh life was palpitating within
them.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hearing the women’s story, the disciples made the trip to
Galilee. It may not have been a journey of faith but they went in curiosity. When
they arrived, Jesus met them. “And when they saw him, they worshiped him, but
some doubted” (Matt.28:17).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus was not surprised by their mixture of faith and doubt.
He understood that faith is a process. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
was aware that they were filled with fear and worry and lacked vision and
purpose. He knew that deadness had captured their hearts and that they were in
need of personal resurrection. That day in Galilee Jesus began infusing life
and hope into his disciples. For some the infusion took longer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am an observer of churches and the believers who comprise
the church. Instead of having inescapable hope we are on a death trajectory. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need an infusion of life through an
encounter with the living Christ.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From the hillside in Galilee Jesus told his disciples how to
live with a resurrection faith.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We must first grasp the authority of the resurrected Jesus. “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt.28:18).</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus “emptied himself” of much of his heavenly authority
when he came to earth. But when he came out of the tomb he took back everything
that he had voluntarily emptied himself of. We all face death. No of us shall
escape it. The grave has authority. But Jesus conquered the grave proving that all
authority on earth was His.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jesus returned to heaven having completed the act that made
the salvation of man possible. And he sat down at the right of the Father. Now
all authority in heaven was his. If we want to live with the power of personal resurrection
in our souls, we must grasp the fact that the resurrected Jesus has authority
over all things. No man or nation, can stand in his way.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Secondly, we need to adopt Jesus’ commission to make
disciples of all nations. As resurrected people, we must recognize that our
mission and purpose is to take the gospel not just to the folks in our corner
of the world but to people in every corner of the world.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Through it all we need to rejoice in the forever presence of
Jesus. Jesus said “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). “Always”
means right now. “To the end of the age” means for all eternity.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Whether we live or die we have Jesus! No matter how deep our
sorrow, how great our opposition, how depressed the world might be we can experience
personal resurrection. Even if we don’t want to get up, we can get up, because Jesus
got up. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-11388448948713274082021-02-15T15:41:00.004-06:002021-02-15T15:41:58.206-06:00Treasures New and Old<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The teachers
of the law spoke with dull words that usually failed to increase understanding
and propagate faith. They spoke truth but their logical explanations did not
invoke interest in the human heart or instigate passion in the human soul. But
Jesus could stir a crowd with the power of a story. The words of Jesus did not
enable His listeners to grasp the history of their traditions or the nuances of
their theology. But they went home inspired. Jesus’s parables had one simple
point. The listeners surely did not remember the details of each parable but
what they did recall gave them great lessons to mull over and discuss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus did
not give deductive lectures that the crowds had to choose whether or not to be
a part of. But in His parables Jesus presented inductive thoughts that encircled
those who gathered to listen. When I read the parables of Jesus, I find myself
in the middle of the story. I cannot just walk away from it but I must make a
decision. I can either reject the truth being taught or I can ponder that truth
and examine it. My examination of the truth portrayed in the parable may still
not cause me to embrace it. But it forces me to make another decision. I must
decide to journey with Jesus by following the lessons He taught or choose to
walk another path. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">In Matthew
13 Jesus told a series of parables that compared familiar activities and events
to the kingdom of heaven. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each parable taught
a lesson about the value and the priority of the kingdom of heaven. When Jesus
finished speaking, He asked the disciples “Have you understood all these
things?”. Maybe Jesus grinned when they quickly answered “Yes”. Surely, they
had not understood everything taught in those parables. None of us have. Jesus
did not quibble with their answer but gave a one sentence reply “Therefore
every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of
a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matthew
13:52 ESV).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The scribes
were the teachers of the law. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Humbly it occurs
to me that I, a Baptist preacher, am a scribe who has been trained for the
kingdom. God in His sovereignty called me and gave me some of “the secrets of
the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 13:11 ESV). Jesus said a trained scribe was
like master of a house. The master of a house was in charge of the welfare, the
instruction, the mission, and the hospitality of the house. If one is a
benevolent master of a house, he does not distribute junk to those who live in
or who are guest in his household. But he reaches into his treasure and brings
out the good stuff. The good stuff is that which we value and protect. It is
that which we have discovered in the word of God and store deep within us. The
good stuff, our treasures, are the basis of our convictions. We handle them
carefully and display and dispense of them with prudence. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The scribe
who is like the master of the house reaches deep into his treasure and brings
out something new and something old. I ask myself “what can I retrieve from my
treasure, both new and old, that will enhance the kingdom? How can I take the
old truth and communicate it in fresh new ways”?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I recall days
of yesteryear when I stood to preach with quivering knees and fluttering heart.
It was not just nervousness but it was a Holy Spirit induced unction to
accurately share what I had learned from God. I hope I can still pull from my
treasure a passion for the word of God that translates into orations of
substance that will move the listener or reader toward a greater commitment to
the Lord. I trust that the words that flow from my soul enable people to have a
wide peripheral kingdom vision. I pray that the criteria of the meditations of
my heart are not based on biased earthly allegiances. The church is languishing
because we have divided the kingdom with terms like left and right, white and
black, contemporary and traditional. May God help us who are scribes trained
for the kingdom of heaven to bring from our treasure ideas both new and old
that will lead the church to a broader functionality. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-90426029479868426512020-12-02T12:22:00.001-06:002020-12-02T12:22:28.018-06:00I need Wisdom<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">I need wisdom. I need knowledge also. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I have a reasonable measure of knowledge
and I know how to learn. Acquiring knowledge can be difficult but it can be
gained by our personal grit and study and with the help of others who know how
to point us in the right direction. But gaining wisdom is more difficult. Wisdom
is gained through a lifetime of failures and successes and the painful
experiences along the way. Even then wisdom will not be fully gained unless we
have a desire to learn from our experiences. Wisdom is ultimately acquired when
we seek God’s advice and allow His mind to interact with our minds as we
journey through life. Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning
of wisdom”. In James 1:5 we read “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God
who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him”. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If we are honest, we will all agree that we lack wisdom and
thus all of us are in need of wisdom. We understand however that wisdom comes
from God and that God is delighted to dispense wisdom to us. Wisdom is available
to us when we pray and ask God for insight and understanding and application. We
need knowledge but wisdom is far greater because wisdom enables us to
practically and properly use the knowledge that we have. Wisdom makes knowledge
productive. God desires to be generous in dispensing wisdom to us. God is not
harsh but gives generously to all without reproach. This means that God is not looking
for flaws within us that would disqualify us from receiving wisdom. God is not
looking at our faults to find reasons to not grant us wisdom. If He did none of
us would be worthy of God’s gift of wisdom. God desires to lavish us with all
the wisdom we need. But we do need to ask God for wisdom and we need to ask God
for wisdom believing that God will indeed give us wisdom. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Receiving wisdom from God requires faith. James wrote “But
let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave
of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not
suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). Getting wisdom from God requires a
focus that is grounded by faith in God. This does not mean that we do not
struggle in our faith. God is not asking us to have blind faith. Faith in God
is not ignorant of the realities of the world. God is not saying that we must
have a faith that does not struggle with doubt. Indeed, that level of faith
does not exist in frail humanity. We all struggle in our faith. Faith and doubt
are often, maybe usually, mingled together. But faith needs to be dominate in
our lives. The world around us is a doubting world tossed about by the wind and
the movement of the earth. People who succumb to this kind of doubt are filled
with so much duplicity that they are unable to find stability. In that
predicament they will never discover God’s gift of wisdom. To have faith means
that when the waves of doubt come, we stand firm holding onto to whatever amount
of faith we have. It might not be much faith. It may be faith no bigger than a
grain of mustard seed. It may be a weak faith that finds us crying out “Lord, I
believe, help my unbelief”. But yet it is a faith that is certain of God’s love
for us and is committed to fulfill our life’s purpose of serving God. It is a
faith to which God will reward an abundance of wisdom. <o:p></o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-17440358463360413412020-12-02T12:19:00.001-06:002020-12-02T12:19:29.499-06:00Christmas in COVID Times<p> </p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Midst efforts to resolve a
viral pandemic<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Causing global illness and
death epidemic<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As we process the merits
of our heartfelt fears<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Mixed with worry, doubt,
dread, anger, and sometimes tears<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s not forget about the
virgin who conceived<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A child sent from God, so
our sins could be relieved.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As we shelter in our
places of seclusion<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Where once welcomed visits
are now an intrusion<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As we inhale and exhale
covered by our mask<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While simple routines are
now a cumbersome task<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s recall that to the virgin
a child was born<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who would bring hope, joy,
and peace to a world forlorn<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When six feet apart
striving for social distance<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Has become the new normal
of our existence<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When our multiple efforts
of sanitation<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Instigates within us constant
aggravation<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Visit the manger, see Joseph
and his betrothed<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Gaze upon the child who in
swaddling rags was clothed<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When the news of more COVID
cases scours the land<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When the ones who govern hand
down a new demand<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When after each encounter
we wash our hands clean<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As we hope and pray each
day for a new vaccine<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Listen to the voices of
the angelic throng<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Announcing the Messiah’s presence
in their song<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As new stipulations create
family strain<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And events occur causing
economic pain<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When we come in close contact
with those infected<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Then obey rules of quarantine
as directed<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s treasure the glorious
news of a savior<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who came to remedy our sinful
behavior</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When we grieve a cherished
friend or loved one who dies<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And we can’t properly
gather to say goodbyes <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When we want to weep and
give each other a hug<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But we are restricted to a
stare and a shrug<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s join the angels in
praising the Prince of Peace<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For in His grace and mercy
we will find release<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When each retail store bears
the sign “masks are required”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And every adventure makes
us tense and tired<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When we learn that someone
had a positive test<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And we retreat to our
homes for much needed rest<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Let’s treasure Jesus, ponder
His truth in our heart<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">With fresh faith in Him
tomorrow a new day start<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Midst our expressed concerns
about the world’s future<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Worrying that the wounds
are too deep to suture<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When mental anguish and
fear are out of control<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When encouraging words lack
power to console<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Recall that our purpose is
to give Christ glory<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And our mission is to
propagate His story<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-56976641444028850002020-07-17T00:25:00.000-05:002020-07-17T00:25:43.621-05:00COVID Weary
<br />
I am COVID weary! I guess we all are. The region in which I
live has not yet been touched heavily by the virus. In some ways hiding out and
laying low and limiting what I do is more of an inconvenience that begs for an
answer. Nevertheless, I am COVID weary. I am weary of the fears and the news
and statistics and the disruptions and the politics and the economics and the
complaints and arguments. I am weary of hearing about sickness and death and
dying. I am weary of the warnings of danger and seeing people in face masks and
being told it is not safe to do simple ordinary things. This is not an argument
of whether those things are reasonable acts of mitigation or not. I will assume
that many of the precautions we are asked to abide by have merit. But I am just
weary this mess.<br />
<br />
<br />
In the midst of this weariness I have by calling and
vocation been tasked with helping people, specifically church leaders, develop
an adequate faith response to this crisis. I have been in Christian ministry
for 41 years and this is the most difficult period of time to minister to
people I have ever experienced. In some ways I think the church is thriving in
spite of the stresses we face. But it is a difficult time to walk in faith and help
others explore the grace and mercies of God. So like most everyone else I am
COVID weary.<br />
<br />
<br />
A couple of days ago I was reflecting on my weariness and
the Lord whispered in my ear the ancient warning of the Apostle Paul “and let
us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not”
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(Galatians 6:9 KJV</b>)<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">. </b>The weariness of the times can cause
us to be weary even as we make good faith responses to the situations of the
day. Paul’s warning “Be not weary in well doing” is vital for our day.<br />
<br />
<br />
When we get weary in well doing we tend to ignore the word
of God. Oh we may still read it and understand what it says and may even try in
general to follow the guidelines presented. But we do not internalize the word
and allow it to saturate our souls and permeate our minds. We don’t find any
joy in the lessons of the word of God. The actions of faith we take become
perfunctory. They are just laborious tasks carried out with boredom rather than
acts of love performed with joy.<br />
<br />
<br />
I am asking the Lord to help me not be weary in well doing. I
do not want the weariness of COVID-19 to steal the beauty and happiness and
satisfaction of serving the Lord Jesus. Paul’s warning comes with the promise
that if we can avoid becoming weary in well doing there will be a day of
reaping. These are difficult days but they may be some of the best days of the
church. They may be days that lead to revival. If we can learn to serve God
faithfully, patiently, and constructively during these days I believe we could
see a great awakening in the church. We are all COVID weary. But “let us not be
weary in well doing”. <br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-55518773905263237512020-04-10T23:37:00.000-05:002020-04-10T23:37:05.636-05:00Resurrected WoundedMary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome went to
the tomb on the morning following the Sabbath for the purpose of anointing the
body of Jesus for burial. But when they got there the tomb was open and it was
empty. There they encountered an angel who said to them “Do not be alarmed. You
seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See
the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is
going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you” (Mark
16:6-7).<br />
<br />
<br />
We learn here of a bodily resurrection. A man who had been
publicly butchered on a cross, pronounced dead, and hastily buried inside a
nearby tomb sealed by a huge rock had come back to life. Not just enough life
to make a few restless movements where he was laying but enough life to get up,
shed the burial garments, move the heavy stone and walk out. That had never
been heard of because it had never happened before. A dead man had come back to
life. This once dead man was on his feet walking and the angel knew his plans
and whereabouts. Knowing his plans the angel gave the women an errand “Go tell
his disciples <u>and Peter</u> that he will meet them in Galilee”. This was a
bodily resurrection. Jesus had not been whisked off to heaven. That would
happen later but for now he was on earth in same body he had had for 33 years.
He was walking around in the same body that had been killed. That body bore the
marks of crucifixion. Jesus had been resurrected but he was resurrected
wounded.<br />
<br />
<br />
We know this to be true because after the resurrection Jesus
presented himself alive to all of his disciples except Thomas. Not being
present Thomas refused to believe saying “Unless I see in his hands the mark of
the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand
into his side, I will never believe”. (John 20:25). Shortly afterwards Jesus
appeared to them again and gave Thomas the opportunity to place his finger in
the mark of the nails in his hands and place his hand in the gaping wound in
his side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seeing and being with the
wounded resurrected Jesus was necessary to prove his dominion over death and to
build faith not only in the lives of the disciples but all the generations
since that time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
<br />
That morning the women found an empty tomb and received that
wonderful message from the angel “He is risen; he is not here.” With excitement
they left to spread the news and Jesus met them on the way. They saw the
wounded resurrected Jesus and Jesus reiterated the assignment the angel had
given them “go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see
me” (Matthew 28:9-10).<br />
<br />
<br />
Let’s understand the magnitude of that. It is 78 miles from
Jerusalem to the town of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. That is a 3 day
walking journey if you go through Samaria. If you take the longer but safer
route it is a 5 day journey. Jesus is going to make that journey on wounded
feet. The Roman government with encouragement from the Jewish community had put
him to death in the most debilitating way ever devised by man. He was buried
and then with the miraculous powers of heaven was resurrected in human bodily
form. In that human wounded body he was going to make a 3 day journey along
mountainous goat trails and dangerous roads.<br />
<br />
<br />
But why was he going to Galilee? First of all it was a safe
distance from Jerusalem. The reality of the empty tomb and the rumor of
resurrection would have the government searching for him. Secondly, Galilee was
home. It was a place where Jesus and his disciples could feel safe. Jesus had
spent three years ministering in the region of Galilee. It was from there he
had called them and instructed his disciples. Now he is calling his them to
re-gather with him. It will be a time of fellowship. It will be a time of
forgiveness. Peter had betrayed Jesus terribly. But we should note that the
angel specifically said that Peter should be given the word that Jesus wanted
to see him in Galilee. “Go tell my disciples, <u>and Peter</u>, to meet me in
Galilee”. Peter was a failed soul but Jesus forgave him and had a great plan
for how he would be involved in the kingdom. For Peter and for all of the
disciples Jesus needed to gather them in order to instruct them and make his
commission clear in their lives.<br />
<br />
<br />
Jesus went back to Galilee in his wounded human body to
demonstrate to his disciples that they could go into their worlds in their human
bodies with all their faults and frailties to tell his story and fulfill the
commission that was given to them. It is the same for us. We are called to
serve Jesus. We are not called to serve him with what we do not have but we are
called to serve with what we do have. What we have are our human bodies and our
human minds. We are not Jesus and we have not been wounded in the fashion that
he was. But we have been wounded. We have first of all been wounded by our sin
but Jesus has forgiven us. We were dead in our sin but in Jesus we have been
resurrected to new life. Because he lives we shall live also.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been hurt in this world but we have
the comfort and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. We live wounded but in
Jesus we can go forward with the imperfections of our wounds to fulfill the
commission of Jesus and promote the character of Jesus.<br />
<br />
<br />
After a period of time Jesus went back to heaven where he reigns
forever glorified. As believers we can look forward to a time when we will be
with him with a new body in heaven. But at the present time we are the
resurrected wounded. So let us strive to fill our wounded hearts and minds with
the compassion and love of Christ. Let us journey forward with wounded feet.
With wounded hands let us serve others, bearing one another’s burdens and so
fulfill the law of Christ. <br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-24542165988956402122019-10-08T21:49:00.000-05:002019-10-08T21:51:54.357-05:00Tatooed on the Palms of God's Hands
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">On
September 12 of this year we lost a giant among Illinois Baptist. Bill Weedman
was a faithful servant of</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">our Lord, first as a pastor and then for 25 years on
the IBSA staff. He was a humble man, beautifully educated with a PHD from
Southern Seminary, yet people rarely addressed him as Doctor. He was quiet and
unassuming in so many ways, never drawing attention or recognition to himself.
On the other hand all eyes were upon him because you knew he was someone who
would be true to His word and what he knew to be truth. If you needed a job
done correctly you called upon Bill. He was a wealth of information. If you
asked him a question you better be ready for the long answer. He would start
exhaling information and about the time you thought he was through he would
inhale a breath of air and start exhaling more facts and figures and stories.
And he could preach! His sermons were scholarly and at the same time pastoral,
his delivery clear and without a note. Bill pretty much worked until failing
health got the upper hand. For the last 6-8 years his public presence faded
until it was non-existent. When you are not seen your importance dwindles and
slowly you are forgotten. If people’s memories of you dwindle you just slowly
fade away. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">His memorial service was not
held at a church but a funeral chapel. From 1:00PM until 3:00PM is not prime
time. I think it is correct to say that while Bill knew a lot of people he had
close relationships with only a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When time and memories of a person have elapsed and what is left of the
physical body is just a sack of cremains maybe it is hard to justify showing up
at a memorial service. I am not sure how many people came to the chapel and
signed the guest book and left but when the memorial service began 29 people
were in attendance. Only 29 people, just two dozen and 5. I was not among the
crowd. My wife was there and I am taking some solace that I at least paid my respects
by proxy. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I find it a little sad. It is
disheartening that after a life of ministering to people and assisting others
in ministering to people that only a small crowd comes to acknowledge your
importance. If we view this only from the eyes of this world it is a
discouraging thing. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">In Isaiah 49 we discover a
word of hope for Israel. They were a land, a nation, a people, who surely were
depressed. Their city was in ruins and governments who were not sympathetic to
their history, values, and faith ruled over them with a contrary hand. But the
prophet says they ought to take courage for God has seen their affliction and
is responding in compassion for them. God is writing a new song that will break
forth as such decibels that the mountains around them dance in singing. </span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But they have not experienced that yet.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Isaiah 49:14 “But Zion said. ‘The Lord
has forsaken me; My Lord has forgotten me.’”</span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Here
is God’s response.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Isa. 49:15-16 “Can a woman forget her
nursing child, That she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even
these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the
palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.” </span></b><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
is unfathomable that a mother would forget her nursing child. It is almost
unheard of that a mother would forget the child she has borne. It could happen
but God would never forget His people. This is a strong affirmation of God’s
love and care for His people. God opens His hand and challenges them to look
and see what is “engraved” on the palm of His hand. He has done this not with
some kind of weak ink that can fade or be erased. But it is permanently carved
into His metaphorical flesh. The object engraved on the palm of God’s hand is a
drawing of the walls of Jerusalem. But which walls? Is it the broken down walls
or the glorious walls of the future city? I say that it does not matter. The
walls of Jerusalem is a reference to the people of God that had been and those
that were yet to be engraved on the hands of God. It is a picture that tells us
that God remembers us whether our walls are erect or whether they are crumbled
on the ground. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">How
does this apply to you and me today? We are not Israel. We are not Jerusalem.
We are not a nation enclosed with geographical boundaries. No! We are better
than that! We have seen the Messiah. We have heard his teachings. We have seen
Him crucified on a cross. We have acknowledged His resurrection. We have heard
His gracious offer of forgiveness and salvation and by faith we have accepted
that offer. We are a part of the church of the living Lord Jesus. We are the
new Israel, we are the new Jerusalem. As such we are the recipients of all God’s
promises and blessings and we are the ones responsible for propagating His
mandates. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Thus
this word of hope that Isaiah preached applies as much if not more to us than
it did to those it was originally spoken to. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">God has not forgotten us and
He never will. He remembers us now here on this earth and He will remember us
for all eternity. This promise is ours corporately as the church and as
individuals. </span><br />
<br />
<div align="center" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Isaiah 49:16 </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">is
a beautiful picture of how God remembers and cares for His people.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) translates
that verse like this “Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture
of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually
before me”. </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">What’s that? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did it just say that God has a tattoo? Isn’t
that something? God has a tattoo! </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">I dislike tattoos. I don’t
understand why somebody would want one. The reason is that I have written so
many dumb things in my life that I have learned that before I publish something
to make sure it is something I don’t want to erase. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Recently a young woman told me she wanted to get a tattoo on her arm. My response was "please don't do that. Someone as beautiful as you does not want to mess up her beauty with a
tattoo”. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">But God has a tattoo. I suppose that if you
are going to have a tattoo you ought to make sure it is of something significant. God’s
judgment is great enough that He would not tattoo something onto His hand that
was not significant. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">His tattoo is a picture of
His people. It is an image of His church corporately and it is a picture of you
and me individually!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask the question:
God why would you do that? God’s answer is “I love you so much, and I think you
are so beautiful that I have tattooed a picture of you on the palms of both of
my hands”. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Let me make three quick
applications in regards to what this means for us. </span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It Speaks of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>God’s Protection.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">He has engraved our image not
on the back of His hand but on the Palms of His hands. In the palms of His
hands he hides us and protects us. If the tattoo was on the back of His hand we
would be subject to all the elements of the world. We would be exposed to
gawking of all our enemies and all the </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">enemies
of God. In one sense we experience that anyway because we cannot be followers
of God and live reclusively and still be effective. Yet we can rest assured
that though the world around us may gawk at our faith and our values and even
our existence we find security engraved on and enclosed in the palms of God. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We
are not forgotten. Jesus said <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“I give
them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out
of my hand”. John 10:28</b></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It Speaks of
God’s Preservation</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Why
do we protect something? We protect it so we can preserve it and thus be able
to enjoy it.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I
have a picture of my wife Jeanette and me taken just after we were married. I used
to carry it in my wallet but now I keep that picture in a drawer in my desk.
Every now and then I get that picture out and look at it and I get a visual reminder
of what she looked like then. I get the picture out and look at it so I can enjoy
it. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">God
tattoos an image of us on the palms of His hands so that we will be preserved
for His eternal enjoyment. Now is part of eternity! We are going to be in
heaven with the Lord forever but God enjoys even now and He carries around an
image of us on the palms of His hands. He can open His hands and look at us
anytime He wants to. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It Speaks of God’s Presentation </span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There
is going to be a day when we all stand before God. It is a day of judgment, a
day of accountability. Frankly, I have a little fear of that day. But my fears
are calmed because I know that standing beside me on that day will be my
savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who was and is the physical hands of God
on this earth.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I don’t know what that day will look like but
with a little sanctified imagination I hear my name being called and I see
Jesus opening his hands and presenting me, presenting you, presenting His
church to the heavenly Father. Can you get that picture? There in the midst of
the nail scarred hand is a tattoo of me and you and all the redeemed of all the
ages. We are not forgotten but we are presented to God eternally secure. </span><br />
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-84726224135447051162018-10-30T23:43:00.000-05:002018-10-30T23:43:58.936-05:00Slipping Away Into the Crowd Unnoticed
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today I saw an ambulance with lights flashing on the way to
the hospital. As the vehicles passed me I noticed that the scripture reference
John 5:13 was written above the back door. This evening I looked up the
reference. It says “But the man who was cured did not know who it was, because
Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there”. One Sabbath day in
Jerusalem Jesus met a sick man who was lying near the pool of Bethsaida hoping
someone would put him in the waters so that when the waters were stirred he
might experience their magical healing effects. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That might seem silly but if you have been sick 38 years like
this man had you will cling to any hope you can find. Jesus encountered the man
and asked him a simple question, “Do you want to get well?” without answering
the question the man gave both an excuse and an explanation that since he had
no one to put him in the water that someone else always got in the pool ahead
of him and thus received the benefit of the stirring waters. Without arguing
the man’s reasoning’s and without discussing the effects of the waters Jesus
simply looked at this man who had been sick for 38 years and told him “pick up
your mat and walk”. Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started
to walk. Without saying or doing anything else Jesus slipped away into the
crowd and the man who was healed did not even know who it was that healed him. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I suppose there are several reasons why Jesus slipped away into
the crowd unnoticed. Certainly He had other things to do and other people to
engage. Maybe He did not want to hang around and listen to the complaints and
the questions of the Jews as to why He had healed a man on the Sabbath. For
Jesus discussing rules concerning when and how and where one could do good
deeds was a fruitless and senseless endeavor. Jesus simply went about doing
good and ignored man made illegalities. Perhaps there is another reason Jesus
slipped away into the crowd after healing the man. Jesus had come to seek and
to save the lost. He had come to serve not to be served. Jesus was not
interested in receiving accolades. He wanted the attention not upon himself but
on miracle of a sick man made well and the grace of God that had made it
possible. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we wish to be faithful servants of Christ we need to not be
positioning ourselves hanging around in order to receive praise and credit.
Like Jesus we need to do good and then slip away into the crowd unnoticed. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-16548788480118423532018-05-30T15:27:00.000-05:002018-05-30T15:27:13.239-05:00The difference Between Passing Through and Passing By
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We love to sing the old familiar song “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This world is not my home I'm just a passing through, my
treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon me from
heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore”.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The song jingles in
our head and flows from our lips and gives warm thoughts in the heart as we
think of the beauties of heaven, the loved ones who are already there, and the
thoughts that we will one day dwell there also. I understand the sentiment. But
if we are not careful we can be so busy focusing on our heavenly destination
that we lose sight of the journey that has been set before us. We rush through
life oblivious to the sights, sounds and stories and situations around us. We
are headed to glory but we forget the gospel encounter that is enabling us to
have the hope of glory. In doing so we fail to communicate the doctrines of grace
that will help others join us in glory. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Jesus did not make the
mistake of just passing through. In Luke 18:35-43 we read the story of Jesus
and the blind beggar. The blind man was sitting beside the road cobbling
together a living by the only means available to him. He was begging. He could
not see but he could hear and feel the commotion of the crowds and he inquired
about what was going on. The people told him “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by”
(Luke 18:37). I submit to you that there is a measurable difference between
passing by and just passing through. Jesus demonstrates what that difference
is. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">When you are just
passing through you take the easiest route. You take the interstate and by pass
the towns and crooked roads and the crowds and congestion. You want to get
through the territory and make it to your destination as soon as possible and
with limited stress. But when you are passing by you take the interesting
route. Jericho was a less than desirable town and there was a road that went around
it. But Jesus did not avoid Jericho but ventured right into the middle of it.
He waded into the thick of the crowd where he could touch them and feel their
pulse. He heard their stories. He saw their struggles and recognized their pain.
He stopped and engaged in conversation with the people. His followers did not
understand his concern and methods. When the blind man cried out for mercy
Jesus’ disciples tried to silence him and blockade his access to Jesus. But
Jesus stopped amongst the masses and asked that the man be brought to him. The
disciples and the crowds saw the blind man as a freak to be shunned but Jesus
saw him as a man in great need. The disciples were in passing through mode but
Jesus was in passing by mode and so he stopped and engaged in a dialogue with
the blind man. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The blind man was
desperate and lonely and needy. When asked what he wanted Jesus to do for him
he answered quickly and clearly “Lord, I want to see. It has been a long time since
these eyes have functioned. Let me recover my sight”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus said ok. “Receive your sight”! The man’s
vision was recovered and he followed Jesus around the rest of the day,
glorifying God, telling people what Jesus had done for him. And all the people
who saw it began giving praise to God. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">We live in a world that
is blind in a multiplicity of ways and for a myriad of reasons. They need the
touch of Christ. They need the power of His mercy and grace. They need the
gospel that loves and the gospel that saves and the gospel that heals. They are
not going to encounter that gospel if we just pass through. But if like Jesus
we will take the slower difficult road and pass by and stop and engage them with
the power of the gospel, lives will be changed. Jesus himself does not walk
physically upon this earth today. But we do. While we do let us tell the story
of Jesus and administer the help and forgiveness that Jesus has to offer. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-726433174139429512018-05-27T22:53:00.000-05:002018-05-27T22:55:12.989-05:00The Value of a Tombstone<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Two weeks before my grandmother Ada Cloyd was nine (9) years
old she lost her mother to tuberculosis (TB). Grandma did not talk much and if
you wanted information you had to pry it out of her. I asked her once what she
remembered about her childhood and she said she remembered that when her mother
died she and her two older sisters, ages 13 and 11, and her younger brother,
age 7 were all sitting on the bed around her father as he told them what had
happened. She said that all of them were crying. That may have been my
grandmother’s only lasting memory of her parents because two weeks later her
father was found dead under a tree where he had been plowing with his mules. He
was buried on my grandmother’s 9<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> birthday, May 27, 1916. Uncle
Vince and Aunt Lucy and their daughter, who lived just down the road on the
neighboring farm, moved into their house and provided the care and guidance needed
until she and her siblings were grown. I am sure there were lots of stresses
and struggles with that arrangement but my grandmother always held Uncle Vince
and Aunt Lucy in high regards. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Her parents were buried in the family plot in a country
cemetery. I have visited that cemetery a few times and have observed that many
of the older graves are simply marked with sandstone rocks without name or
words of eulogy or notations of the deceased date of birth and death. Such was
the case with my great-grandparents when they were buried there in 1916. Poor people
have poor ways. There were more critical things to spend money on than a properly
cut and inscribed stone. It was left to family and friends to remember where
their loved ones were buried. It was the responsibility of the older
generations to pass this information and the accompanying stories along. Though
my grandmother had a limited experience with her parents, preserving their
legacy and memory was important to her. Those barren sandstone grave markers
were not sufficient to honor their lives. When she became an adult, perhaps
twenty or more years after her parents death she purchased out of her own funds
granite tombstones that have now for decades marked the resting place of Noah
and Izabel Gill. I was born 41 years after the deaths of my great-grandparents.
But I know their story because someone told me. I can find their graves because
someone respected them enough to buy a tombstone. It is right to honor our
dead. It is good to preserve our memories. It is healthy to recall who we are
even if when we do not know the ancestors in our lineage that made us who we
are. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remembering our loved ones who have
gone on demonstrates our love and gratitude and regard for them. Taking the
time and effort to do so adds value and dignity to our own human story. </span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-68064566050175573802018-02-21T19:44:00.000-06:002018-02-21T19:44:21.180-06:00A Tribute to Billy Graham and Thelma Perkins
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two of the greatest saints of God who ever lived died today
and entered the glories of heaven. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of those saints, Billy Graham, was well known. In his 99
years he had touched every corner of the earth. In one sense he was a simple
Baptist preacher. In another sense he was a giant of a man. <span lang="EN" style="color: #1d2129; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Billy
Graham stated </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1d2129; mso-ansi-language: EN;">"My
one purpose in life is to help people find a personal relationship with God,
which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ". That being so he
fulfilled that purpose well. He preached in 180 countries and in the process
preached to an estimated 250 million people. I have known of Billy Graham all
of my life. As a kid growing up we used to gather around the television and
listen to him preach. Many years later I had the privilege of serving as a
counselor in one of his crusades. I stood within 40 feet of him but never had
the opportunity to meet him personally. I think there were smiles in heaven
today when Billy Graham arrived. And I think there was a smile on his face when
he stood before the throne and met the Lord Jesus. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #1d2129; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
other great saint that passed from earth today and began her days of heavenly
rejoicing was Thelma Perkins. She was not known by very many people outside of
the locality of where she lived. But I knew her well. I first met Thelma Perkins
when I was seven years old. Our family was new in town and we joined the Gano
Avenue Baptist Church where Thelma and her family were members. She became a lifelong
friend to all of us. But we found her worthy of so much respect that none of
us, not even my mom and dad, would address her, by any other term except “Mrs.
Perkins”. Mrs. Perkins spent her 94 years on this earth loving and serving the
Lord through her church and loving and encouraging the people that God placed
in her path. Mrs. Perkins was a homemaker caring for her husband and raising
three children. She was a kind neighbor. She was a gracious host. You would
always get a good meal at her house but more importantly you felt love and
warmth and kindness in her home. She never said unkind words about others and
her presence made you cautious about engaging in unworthy speech as well. She
was one of those people that the love and grace and mercy and kindness of Jesus
just oozed out of. Her kind of character and demeanor is rare in the world.
Mrs. Perkins was an ardent student of the Bible and was a Sunday School teacher
for over sixty-five years. She had a great interest in missions and though she
never traveled that much she prayed for people all over the world. I know she
prayed for me. Her life and example has been an encouragement to me and many
others.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #1d2129; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Billy
Graham got to heaven early this morning. Mrs. Perkins got there about 10:20 AM
eastern time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not sure what the
protocol of heaven is like. But somehow I think that with these two great
saints arriving on the same day that protocol was broken. There must have been applause.
Maybe the heavenly choir got a little extra excitement and danced while they
sang. Surely somebody shouted. I was not there so I don’t know. But I think
that when the Rev. Billy Graham and Mrs. Perkins stood before the throne today
the face of the Lord Jesus was beaming when He said “Well done, my good and
faithful servant”. </span></span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-88410039764360526852017-12-17T17:20:00.000-06:002017-12-17T17:20:39.725-06:00My Christmas Prayer for 2017
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the rhetoric is vile and spewing forth hate</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fill my heart with love, my mouth kind words to relate</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When characters are threatened by accusations</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keep my tongue from promoting the declarations</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When news blares of another sniper with a gun</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">May my sheath, sword, and shield be your majestic Son</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I encounter neighbors burdened and in need</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Grant me the blessing to give, not withhold in greed</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When humankind divides by status, creed, and race</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Help me pursue common ground, guide me by your grace</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When conflict and confusion never seem to cease</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Make me wise so that I might facilitate peace</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When a brother has no one on whom to depend</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Cause me to be silent, listen, and be a friend</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When loneliness and despair threaten to destroy</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bring me hope, that encouragement I might employ</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I see people broken by sins frustration</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Give me boldness to share knowledge of salvation</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When they grapple in darkness unguided by sight</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let my life and voice become a beacon of light</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When people doubt Bible truth and implication</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Allow me patience for a gospel conversation</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When stilled in weariness from our earthly story</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Deliver heavens hope from the Lord of glory.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-85603027178082313992017-12-17T17:13:00.000-06:002017-12-17T17:13:03.466-06:00I Think Maybe I am Getting Old
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think maybe I am getting old. In recent weeks I have had a
hankering to make contact with some old friends. I followed through on those
yearnings. I called an old friend I had not spoken with in a few years. He told
me the sad news of his oldest son being killed in an automobile accident. In
the course of that week I spoke with another old friend and learned some of the
stresses of his life. It is late in the year and I had some vacation time I
needed to take. So this last week I drove to Missouri to see an old friend. We
had an enjoyable visit. But he has a few health problems that concern me
and I know they trouble him. I move on and go see my mother and father in-law.
I enjoyed the evening listening to their stories. They don't have any sons but
since I married one of their daughters they claim me and I am proud of their
claim. On the way home I meditate on my visits and I have a fresh reality that
getting old has some challenges. And I think maybe I am getting old.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I get home and sleep in my bed one night and then take off in
the in the other direction to Kentucky. My purpose is to attend a funeral
visitation for the father of a pastor friend of mine. My friend is not as old
as I am but I know from experience that losing your father will make you feel
old. I continue on my journey and go spend the night with my aunt. We set up
and talk past midnight and I am pretty sure that is past her bedtime. But I
don't want to miss the opportunity share some old memories. Because, I think
maybe I am getting old. Next morning I drive over to the town where I grew up.
I go to the cemetery to visit the graves of my father and mother. I inspect the
flowers resting on top of their stone and I surmise that they are in good
enough shape that they don't need to be replaced just yet. I had made
arrangements to see another old friend. His son is about the same age as me and
I had spent a lot of time at his house when I was growing up, particularly on
Sunday afternoons after church. We have a lot of church stories to tell and a
lot of people to memorialize. I discover that this old friend and I have more
friends in common that are dead than are alive. I think maybe I am getting
old. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I get home and I read an obituary in the Illinois Baptist. A pastor
friend with whom I have enjoyed many moments of sweet fellowship has lost his
wife of 52 years. I call my friend and he reminisces about her life and her
home going. She had been suffering from cancer and her death is bittersweet. I
think my friend feels old and I think maybe I am getting old. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So I am absorbing my recent experiences with old friends. It
causes me to understand that I don't want to spend much time in puny arguments.
Life is short and there is simply too many difficulties and too much sorrow to
waste energy squabbling. I would rather give my life to loving one another and
rejoicing in the love of others. That is my opinion. But maybe I am just
getting old. </span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-72005837188006800312017-12-09T21:15:00.001-06:002017-12-09T21:15:46.937-06:00Conceived in Eternal Love
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Conceived in Eternal Love</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Brent Cloyd, 2017</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Joseph was a young man excited about life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A maiden named Mary was pledged to be his wife</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But then he received news that he could not ignore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">News that hurt and the community would deplore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Though they had not come together she was with child</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This kind of shame would cause them both to be profiled</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being a good man he did not want to cause her pain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To force public disgrace, there was nothing to gain</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll quietly divorce her, he fretfully resolved</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This will be better for all the parties involved</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But as he was dreaming in the blackness of night</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">An angel appeared, spoke to him, and set things right</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Take Mary as your wife, and do not be afraid</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Years past the prophet spoke of a plan that was made</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The child that grows in her is a gift from above</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wrought by the Holy Spirit, in eternal love</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">She is carrying in her womb a precious son</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through him for mankind abundant life will be won</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">You will call Him Jesus, a savior from heaven</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In His powerful name God will stop sin’s leaven</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through His life and story God among us will live</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By His atoning work He has much grace to give</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So Joseph arose, as commanded, without delay</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Took Mary as his wife, The Lord he did obey</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scripture said that from a virgin Christ would be born</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To allow otherwise would create righteous scorn</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So they refrained from sex until after the birth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Denying themselves the natural urgings of earth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the time came there was born a child of great fame</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">God’s precious gift, a savior, Jesus was His name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-30987136145845889422017-11-29T16:03:00.000-06:002017-11-29T16:03:38.539-06:00When God Whispers in Your Ear
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have never had an angel of the Lord speak to me. I have
never heard what I thought was the audible voice of God. The Lord has spoken to
me through the scriptures. He has impressed things on my mind. He has placed
feelings on my heart. He has sent other people to me with directives and words
of encouragement. But an angel of the Lord has never whispered in my ear or
showed up in a mid-night dream. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But when God spoke to Joseph he did so through His angel.
Joseph was engaged to a young girl named Mary. Word got out that she was
pregnant and Joseph knew he was not the one responsible. In despair he wonders
what he should do. In a restless night of sleep an angel of the Lord appeared
to him and made the situation clear. “Mary is a virgin and what is happening to
her is an act of the Spirit of God. She is bearing a son and you are to name
him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins”. And Joseph woke up
from that dream and took Mary as his wife and did not have relations with her
as his wife until after the child was born. As commanded they named the boy Jesus.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not long after Jesus was born an angel of the Lord appeared
to Joseph again in a dream. The command this time was simple but it was direct
and urgent. “Get up, and take the boy and his mother to Egypt and don’t come
back until I tell you it is ok, for King Herod in his wickedness is searching for
the child in order that he might kill him”. So Joseph arose in the middle of
the night and departed to Egypt. Joseph in the course of a year or two had
encountered the angel of the Lord twice and each time he had been called to
radical action that altered his ordinary ambitions and asked him to do
something strange and uncomfortable. What he was being asked to do was helping
fulfill the words of the Lord spoken by the prophets but it was greatly
changing his life. I think it is true that obeying the commands of God always
push us to do and be something different than we ourselves had planned for our
lives. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Joseph and his family lived maybe two years in Egypt. Then
one night an angel of the Lord awoke Joseph again in a dream and said “you can go
back to Israel now. Herod has died and it is safe to go home”. So he arose and
went back to Israel. But once you have been gone from home, going home is never
the same. When Joseph got back to the borders of Israel he discovered that
Herod’s son Archelaus was ruling over the region of Judea and he was as bad as
his father. Once again he received a message from God in a dream and he had to
alter his plans of going back to his original home and instead went to the
region of the Galilee. There Joseph and Mary set up housekeeping in a city
called Nazareth. My guess is they were never quite at home. The people of the
region of Galilee probably looked upon them as outsiders. But there Jesus and
his brothers and sisters grew up. In that area Jesus developed his trade.
Within the small parameters of that region Jesus brought forth His teachings,
called His disciples, and developed His ministry. It all happened like this so
that the words of the prophets could be fulfilled; the Messiah “would be called
a Nazarene”. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the lessons this teaches us is the importance of obedience.
A simple young man named Joseph, in the midst of stress and confusion, heard
the voice of the Angel of the Lord and obeyed. Maybe he argued a little bit,
but we do not have any record that he did. What the record states is that he
obeyed even though it may have meant ridicule, added stress and increased
responsibilities, making uncomfortable journeys, and the loneliness of living
in strange places. He obeyed even though it greatly altered his life. He obeyed
because he believed the voice of God was trustworthy and that heeding that
voice would lead to the will of God being fulfilled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">God communicates to us in a lot of ways. We never know what
method he might use. It might even be through an angel. But I wonder, if God gives
a directive to us, will we obey? Will we follow His instructions even if doing
so calls us to unusual and even radical actions? Will we do it believing that
our obedience leads to the fulfilling of God’s ultimate will? </span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4558463333171423528.post-84993613637372779782017-02-12T23:04:00.000-06:002017-02-12T23:04:04.177-06:00Coming and Going
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Coming and Going</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">"Life is about coming and going". That is what my
cousin Bill said at his mother's funeral yesterday. I wrote that down
(actually I typed it into notes on my iPhone). <br />
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My Aunt Bertie was my mother's sister. She was 86. She had raised five children
and worked and volunteered at a variety of things. She and Uncle Ken had been
married for 69 years. She had done a lot of coming and going. But she had spent
the last twelve years in a nursing home. Alzheimer's had ended her coming and
going. But that did not keep her husband Ken from coming and going to her.
Twelve years of coming nearly every day to the nursing home to see his wife.
Twelve years of going back home to an empty house. Nor did it keep her children
from coming to and fro to visit. Coming to make sure she was taken care of and
then leaving to take care of the other responsibilities in their lives. I am
sure there were times that the coming and going was difficult and probably a
few times they asked why. But some things you just do because it is the right
thing to do. You come and you go because that is what life is about. <br />
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So yesterday we gathered for her funeral. To be honest I argued with myself a
little about whether I should go or not. I had not seen her in a long time and
I did not know my cousins very well. It would be a long trip and would my going
really be that helpful? But her children had come to both of my parent's
funerals and some of them had even made the trip to Virginia when my niece
died. I had been honored by the care and concern demonstrated in their coming
and going. So I decided that I wanted to go and I determined that I should.
Though I had not yet heard my cousin Bill say it, I guess something whispered
in my ear that life is about coming and going. <br />
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So I went. Brock who is always up for a trip came with me to keep me company.
We shook some hands and hugged some necks and caught up on a few people. We
shared a few memories and sang some of my Aunt Bertie's favorite hymns. We
celebrated the life she had lived and we rejoiced in the heaven she now enjoyed.
Then we left. <br />
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I am so glad that I came. There are some things we just need to stop and go do,
because life is about coming and going. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you know sometimes we get so busy with the
comings and goings of life that we forget that life is about coming and going.</span></div>
Thoughts from the Fields of my Lifehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14440952380003684247noreply@blogger.com0