WRONG TURNS ON THE ROAD OF LIFE

The Road of Life is not a straight highway. There are curves and hills and turns and detours. The unsuspected changes to our planned route do not show up on our current road map. Google redirections are not available.

A recent reminder of that feeling of helplessness came on my long six-hour trip home along a familiar route.

It was a dark and stormy night. Actually, it was not stormy, but it was definitely dark, and that pretty much sums up all you need to describe this solo adventure in the middle of nowhere.

It was late with no moon. I had been talking on the phone with my wife.

I came to a stop sign. Stop! There had never been a stop sign in this area on my previous trips. The area looked unfamiliar. I became disoriented. Somewhere, I made a wrong turn.

This looked like farm country in the middle of nowhere. There were no signs. No highway numbers. No city destinations. No mile-markers. No lights. No traffic. No cell service. No GPS, not that I would have heeded Siri’s instructions. Usually, Siri’s voice borders on judgmental; tonight, she was giving me the silent treatment.

Siri has never forgiven me for that time I absentmindedly called her Alexa by mistake. It just happened in the heat of the moment.

The time was post-midnight. My fuel gauge was nearing the redlight danger zone. I tried to gain my bearings. I prayed as I turned right down the better looking road. This was no time to take the road less traveled.

The country road was so empty that even the tumbleweeds had moved on, rolling off in search of greener pastures.

I pressed on, trusting my instincts—which, it turns out, are excellent for choosing snacks and mood music but terrible for navigation. I took a left, then a right, then another left, and before long, I was somewhere between “Nowhere” and “Where-the-Heck-Am-I?” Both places are famous for non-existence.

The dark winding road narrowed. The shadows seemed to lean in. They felt like foreshadows of danger. Some were just reminders of stupidity.

My headlights flickered—just enough to make me question my life choices. I taught my kids and grandkids how to manage these moments that define something lost or misplaced.

Stop and think! Retrace your steps, at least in your mind. I tried to remember the last familiar landmark. I think it was the lights of my departing city.

My mind raced back to that stop sign because my car was miles from there. I remembered a crooked mailbox or maybe it was a haunted-looking scarecrow. Either way, they were in my rear-view mirror. There was only one way to go in this present crisis: crazy…I mean…forward.

It started to mist, then rain. I thought I could see a distant light between the swipes of the windshield wipers. Aha! Salvation or, at least, civilization was on the horizon.

I rolled into a small town with only one streetlight. A neon beer sign hung in the window of the only business establishment. All the cars were parked. Every house was dark. The only sound were two dogs howling at one another. They were this community’s replacement for the resounding chimes of London’s Big Ben.

I remember in the old classic screwball comedy movie, It Happened One Night, that Clark Gable knocked on a stranger’s door asking for help. The newspaper headlines reported, “Search for missing heiress.” Those were different times.

Tomorrow’s News flash: Former pastor shot breaking into small town home in the early morning hours. His last words were, “Where am I?”

Sometimes that is the way life feels. The day finds us going down some road we never intended to travel. This was not on our calendar and not in our plan. We were anticipating another day on cruise control when this massive detour permanently changed life.

Where am I? Where am I going? What happened? What am I going to do now? When will this change? What if this never changes?

Stop and Think! Take your mind back to something spiritually familiar.

We know God is sovereign (in complete control) over all things all the time. We know God’s wisdom is infinite (unlimited and unhindered). We know God is fully aware of every seen and unseen detail of our lives. We know everything God does is wise, right, and good. Always, even this.

God is not surprised by where you are in life; it is part of His plan. Whether this present circumstance is due to unplanned events or bad decisions by you or others, this is all part of your journey.

GOD ALWAYS KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE, WHERE YOU NEED TO BE, HOW AND WHEN TO GET YOU THERE.

Talk to God about where you are. Prayer is not telling God something he does not already know. Prayer is placing yourself in the hands of the one who knows and cares and has promised to supply all you need for this life journey to count for good now and forever.

Life changes. Geography. Time. Companionship. Physical abilities. Circumstances. They all change.

Your life is not about time, things, and chance. It will look directionless without help from the #1 Textbook. God does not take life directions from Siri or Alexa or you. “God is beyond the intuitive level of our radar” (David Wells).

All the days of your life were planned for you and written in God’s #1 Textbook before Day One began (Psalm 139:16).

God has a plan for when you do not where you are or why.

God’s Word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105).When you do not know what to do, fix your eyes on God (2 Chronicles 20:12; Psalm 121:1; Psalm 141:8).

Eyes up!

Journey reminder: God’s timing is not the same as your timing. Waiting, changing, resting, and trusting are all parts of this earthly trip. In all things of life, God works for your good (Romans 8:28).

Journey reading: Read and reflect on Joseph’s life journey (Genesis 37-50).

In almost every paragraph, the life question is, “Where am I now?”

The story climaxes with that famous quote, “I am in the place God wants me. Others meant things for evil in my life, but God designed it all for good. Learn to live in faith and not fear” (Genesis 50:19-21).

Most of Joseph’s journey did not look like God was in control for good. It certainly did not always feel that way. Loneliness. Betrayal, Disappointment. Fear. Resentment. Bitterness. Pits. Prisons. Hatred. Trouble. Suffering. Emotional baggage. Crushed dreams. Tears. Valleys where people quit.

Have you visited some of those places in your life journey? You have the same guiding God.

God placed more spectacular technicolor in Joseph’s faith than in his beautiful coat. You are God’s handiwork, His beautiful masterpiece. With every wrong turn, God is adding beautiful color to the tapestry of your life.

The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast (1 Peter 5:10).

Wherever you are now, place all your hope in God. Love fervently and fearlessly. Love God most wherever you are in this life’s journey and everyone with you on the trip will benefit.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come.
Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home
–Amazing Grace, John Newton

A CUP OF HOPE! (Part 2)

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

REVIEW:

HOPE IS THE CONFIDENT EXPECTATION OF EXPERIENCING ALL THE FUTURE GOOD GOD HAS PROMISED…SOMEHOW…SOMEWAY…SOMETIME.

ILLUSTRATION: Fill the cup of coffee. Make it fresh, extremely hot, and filled to overflowing.

  1. The Person of HOPE: Now may the God of Hope.

God identified Himself as the God of Hope

“The God of hope,” points to God as the source as well as the object of hope. The focus is on God as the source of hope…God THE Hope.

The first and most fundamental truth from this verse is that God identified himself as the God of hope.

2. THE PROMISE OF HOPE

The goal of hope is to fill you with all joy and peace (verse 13): “May the God of hope fill you…”

  • JOY is the deep-down sense of well-being.
  • PEACE—sound of mind…lit. bound together…not coming to pieces, not chaos in your circumstances, In the midst of Chaos.
  • FILL means literally to fill “to the brim.” The idea is that what fills a person, exercises control over the person’s affect, attitude, and actions.
  • ALL joy and peace – “All” in Greek means all without exception. Complete. Total.

PART 2

3. THE PROCESS OF HOPE The Process … in believing (in Him) … God has proven Himself truthful and trustworthy. Trust Him.

Note the qualifier — “in believing.” This speaks of our responsibility to continue believing…

The Greek literally reads “in the believing” or “in the sphere of the act of habitually believing.” Our believing is the channel, not the cause. The Spirit fills us with his hope and thus with his joy and peace, through our faith.


Believing (the obedience of faith) means to consider something to be true and therefore worthy of trust. The word means to entrust oneself to an entity with complete confidence.

The #1 Textbook highlights our part and God’s part: Our part is a gift to use (faith, hope, love—gifts from God).

Our part is to live in the constant atmosphere of faith – in believing. The word is in the present tense. It means that you habitually continue to believe God, even in tough circumstances:

ILLUSTRATION: Jeremiah in Lamentations. The exercise of God’s gift of faith is a choice to continuously believe God in spite of horrible circumstances that seem to be contrary to His promises.

This I recall to my mind; therefore, I have hope. The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” (Lam. 3:21-24)

I encourage you to allow this to saturate your thinking, especially in dark and difficult times.

Knowing God and His ways through His Word will show you that He is completely trustworthy.

4. The Power of Hope … by the power of the Holy Spirit … The God of Hope gives the Power to hope.

Hope is supernatural, just like the Power of God. God is in control of ALL things, all the time.

Hope is simply trusting in God’s PROMISE and POWER. Continue believing God is who He says He is…God THE Hope.

The Spirit’s power is the resurrection power (dunamis/dynamite) that gives new life (Romans 1:4). If you have no hope or dead hope, that is not a problem for God who brings creation out of darkness and chaos. Life out of deadness. WOW!

The Spirit is an Enabling Power who strengthens us with power in the inner man so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.

I pray that according to God’s riches in glory that He might grant for you to be STRENGTHENED WITH POWER in the inner person by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians. 3:16-17).

Take Note: Hope comes from God The Hope by God’s Word of promises through the God’s Spirit of power.

I like the preacher Spurgeon’s description: “PEACE IS JOY RESTING; JOY IS PEACE DANCING.”

The PROCESS for God’s POWER to continuously flow in your life is to keep on believing in the God of Hope.

5. The Purpose of Hope… so that you may abound in hope.

So that is a purpose clause. The God of Hope emphasizes His Purpose for giving you hope, joy, and peace.

The ultimate purpose is to glorify God in all things. One way to glorify God is to overflow with hope to others in need of a confident expectation of seeing all the goodness God has promised.

Our hope is super-abundant. The Bible says here, “Now may the God of hope fill you, … so that (purpose clause) you may abound…”

WE BECOME THE CONTAINERS OF GOD’S HOPE.

The word “abound” is an interesting word in this text. It means that we have more hope than is necessary. To Overflow. To Exceed the measurements.

An Illustration from the ##1 Textbook can be found in Matthew 14:20 and John 6 which records the miraculous feeding of more than five thousand hungry people.

Jesus asked Philip to provide all these people the food they needed. Philip said that would be IMPOSSIBLE.

Jesus took the lunch basket of one little boy who had five loaves of bread and two fish. Thank you, Momma. More importantly, the little boy had HOPE of eating a good lunch.

What he did not know was that he had more than enough to share with others…until his believing was connected to the purpose and power of Jesus, the God of Hope.

Jesus fed all the multitude from the gift of that one little basket of food.

Then Jesus asked his disciples to gather what is LEFT-OVER. That is the same word as abound in this Cup of Hope. You have more than enough hope. Gather up your left-over hope to share with others.

Wow! God has given you more than enough hope for what you need today, as well as some to abound to overflowing to help others.

You have more Hope available than you could possibly use! Even in those dark and difficult moments of life, you have an immeasurable, super-abundant amount of hope given to you by the God of Hope.

REXplore Note: “Abounding” is also the word used for the waves coming in on the beach. They crash in, continuously, relentlessly, one after another, unending, never ceasing.

The ocean waves keep coming in, whether you are awake or asleep, whether you are wallowing or wading. That is the way God’s hope comes into your life. No one can stop God’s waves of Hope.

The #1 Textbook describes God’s goodness as waves of grace which God has lavished on us (Ephesians 1:8).

Lavished means over and above any measure, “which God super-abounded to us.” Superfluous. Overflow. Abundance. Considerably more than what would be expected.

Here is another place where the word is used:

May the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all men, just as we also do for you (1Thessalonians 3:12).

God promises more than enough hope for your circumstances, More than enough. Why? You can share that same hope with others! Be like the little boy with the small lunch basket. Trust Jesus that you have more than enough to share!

Our REXplore point: The fullness of God-given hope never reaches a limit in this life. It can always grow and always abound more and more.

APPLICATION

  1. GET TO KNOW GOD BETTER. Read the #1 Textbook.
    • I think J. I. Packer’s book is helpful, KNOWING GOD. Ignorance of God lies at the root of all hopelessness.
  2. LEARN TO THINK IN TERMS OF GOD’S CHARACTER AND NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

Consider the illustration of Job’s test of faith in God’s goodness. Job lost everything. He experienced devastation beyond our imagination, and yet his confession of hope overflowed to us.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away Blessed be the name of the Lord. When this is finished, I will come forth as pure as gold. Though God slay me, I will still trust Him.

Job experienced despair. Job had questions… How? Why? What?

That is when and where you need Hope. That is when and where you find God trustworthy. That is where others see God THE Hope in your life.

3. GOD-GIVEN HOPE IS FOUND IN THE MIDST OF DESPAIR AND DARKNESS.

Let me conclude with a testimony from my cousin, Toni.

My cousin, Toni, was the princess of our family. She was beautiful, smart, strong, and kind. She was blessed with a good husband and two wonderful young boys. She developed terminal cancer in her early forties. She was devastated, as were the rest of our family.

When I visited her in the hospital, Toni asked if she could be honest with me. She said she was so mad at God but felt so guilty saying it. She cried as she poured out her heart about how unfair this was. She continued to weep as she worried about her sons. She asked for my counsel.

I suggested she just tell God what she had just told me. Toni seemed shocked. I shrugged and said, “It is not like He does not already know how you really feel.”

I encouraged her again before we prayed together. Talk it out with God. He can handle your complaints. God will not love you any less. The more you complain TO GOD, the more foolish it will seem since He is the only one who can help you.

EVERTHING GOD DOES IS ALWAYS WISE, RIGHT, AND GOOD.

Everything! Always! The more you express your complaints TO GOD, the more you will end up trusting Him, as Toni did. Her complaints honored God as the God of her trust. Toni did not get answers to all her questions. She did find peace in trusting God to take care of her loved ones.

Here is a lesson. for your times of hopelessness. Tell God how you really feel. Keep telling God no one cares for your soul until you realize how foolish and wrong that is. God never ceases to care for you. Never.

The God of Hope will fill you with joy and peace in believing...

Difficulties in life are part of the process of hope. If you keep talking to God, you will get to the questions that matter. Contemplate the questions God asked of Job and Toni for your encouragement and hope.

Where were you when I formed the foundations of this earth? Did I ask you for counsel on how the sun will come up each morning and the stars at night? Did I need your help when I named all the stars, more than can be counted?

God does not need our counsel, advice, suggestions, plans. The way your life has and will unfold would be what you would want and do if you knew what God knows. Job and Toni understand that now; we are waiting…in faith and hope.

What happens affects generations to come. God is still using Job’s story and Toni’s story to give us hope.

I do not understand my circumstances, but I know God is THE Hope. God is THE Joy. God is THE Peace. God is THE Good in my life past, present, and into the endless future.

4. LEARN TO PREACH TO YOURSELF THE TRUTHS AND PROMISES OF GOD AND THEN PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH.

Preach to yourself. Practice what you Preach.

When you feel overwhelmed with despair or depression, preach to yourself. Tell yourself again and again to Hope in God.

Take Note: The depressed psalmist did this repeatedly when he felt so alone in life.

“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence” (Psalm 42:11).

Take Note: We listen to ourselves going to sleep and waking up. Oh me! Oh my! Oh Wow! Learn NOT to listen to your words and your worries and your anxieties and your gripes and your grumblings; BUT listen to God’s Word.

Read the life stories in the Bible.

Your story is just as significant in the heavenly journals. We are all rough drafts. When God writes the last chapter, it will be good.

As we gaze into the unknown future for HOPE, be reminded that faith, love, joy, and peace show up in the rear-view mirror.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take…the clouds you so much dread…are big with mercy and soon shall break…with blessings on your head. (William Cowper).

I do not know your circumstances, but you can pray this prayer.

I have five loaves and two fish of Hope today …more than enough to share.

I hope you will take some of my hope and share some of your leftovers with someone who needs hope.

I would have despaired unless I still believed that I would still see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

I am praying for you to ABOUND IN HOPE, THE CONFIDENT EXPECTATION THAT WE WILL STILL EXPERIENCE ALL THE GOOD GOD HAS PROMISED   SOMEHOW   SOMEWAY   SOMETIME.

EYES UP! LOVE YOU!

A CUP OF HOPE

Would you like your life to be filled to overflowing with fresh Hope, Joy, and peace?

A PRAYER OF HOPE! (Part 1)

Romans 15:13 is a wonderful prayer that God wants every believer to experience: “Now may the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

MAY GOD FILL YOU UP TO OVERFLOWING WITH HOPE.

I love to use this illustration of my dad’s coffee. He liked his cup to be filled to overflowing and get it as hot as possible, then even hotter. At a restaurant, he would always send the cup of coffee back with the waitress with the request for more and hotter. At home, he always took the overflowing cup of hot coffee straight from the stove to the microwave to heat for an additional one minute. (I KNOW!)

Fill up Dad’s cup and get it hot.  Why not ask God to fill you up with Hope, Joy, and Peace? And ask it to be fresh and overflowing? God will smile and gladly fulfill that request…anyplace…anytime.

In this life, we can easily get swallowed up in darkness and despair. We need some light of hope.

This is a prayer about HOPE at the end of Romans whose theme is salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 8 describes the whole book as it begins with NO CONDEMNATION in Christ and ends with NO SEPARATION from the love of Christ and everything in the middle is God’s promise to cause all things to work out for our good.

That is the theme of all the #1 Textbook from Genesis to Revelation.

God gave us a PROMISE and a PRAYER to pray for yourself, family, church family, friends, and enemies. It is a prayer for when someone is at home,at the hospital, or at the workplace…in times of loss, suffering, or difficult circumstances.

LOOK at some of the words:

  • FILL-to the brim; overflowing 
  • ALL-without exception, no empty spot.
  • SO THAT-Purpose clause/reason 
  • ABOUND-to overflow

I pray the GOD of hope, the God who is the source of eternal hope and the source of eternal life, will fill YOU up, leaving no emptiness anywhere in your life, and literally overflow YOU with joy and peace that comes in believing, that YOU may super abound in hope through the power of the Spirit of GOD. 

ASSIGNMENT: Read that verse again. Does that prayer even come close to describing you? Can you honestly say that your life is filled with all joy and peace in believing? Do you abound in hope? (Assign yourself a Score based on a Scale of 1-10.)

  • JOY. . . PEACE… HOPE     How would you describe your life?

Since we all tend to give ourselves the benefit of a doubt in these matters, I need to ask, “Would your family or co-workers or good friends at church or school describe you as being filled with all joy and peace in believing and abounding in hope?”

To varying degrees, we all fall short of experiencing that verse and so we all can benefit by thinking about what it means and how we can grow in these qualities. I cannot imagine anyone saying, “I am not interested in having joy and peace. I do not want to abound in hope.”

[Or is this your preference? “I would rather be depressed, down, gloomy, negative. I prefer worry, anxiety, fear, turmoil, stress, and chaos. I like hopelessness and living in despair.]

We all want and need these qualities of hope, joy, and peace; and yet even among believers, very few can legitimately claim to be filled with all joy and peace and abounding in hope.

What describes your life right now? Do you have some hope? Little hope? No hope? Completely hopeless?

I cannot imagine that any of us would say, “I do not want more joy and more peace, and more HOPE.

That is a good reason to join in this study of the #1 Textbook. There is HOPE for you and for someone else in your life without hope.

HOPE IS THE CONFIDENT EXPECTATION OF EXPERIENCING ALL THE FUTURE GOOD GOD HAS PROMISED…SOMEHOW…SOMEWAY…SOMETIME.

Hope is a Certainty. Not a wish like hoping for rain. Not a possibility of this or that happening to change your circumstances. Hope is Assurance. You do not know HOW God is going to do it…You do not know the WAY God will do it …or WHEN God will do it…but your confidence is in God.

Your confidence of faith, hope, and love is in the God of Hope who is trustworthy, sovereign, supreme, sure, strong, steadfast and sufficient. That is Biblical HOPE.

Psalm 27 ends, I would have DESPAIRED UNLESS I BELIEVED THAT I WOULD STILL SEE THE GOODNESS OF GOD in the land of the living. That is HOPE

Psalm 23 concludes with the hopeful declaration: For surely the mercies and goodness of God pursue me all the days of my life. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

A common factor among those who are depressed is that they lack hope. Discouraged people and those who are apathetic about life also lack hope.

This is a most practical verse for us all as we navigate life’s trials!

The God of hope wants you to be filled with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How does that prayer become a reality in you?

I want us to REXplore five things:

Part 1: (1) What is hope?

Part 2: (2) Why do you need hope? (3) Where do you find hope?

Part 3: (4) How do you get hope?  (5) What should you do with hope? 

Let’s get started digging into the trustworthy truth of the #1 Textbook.

  1. What is Hope? HOPE IS A PERSON.: God identified Himself as the God of Hope, Now may the God of Hope.

“The God of hope,” points to God as the source and giver of hope. He is also the object of our hope; but the focus of this verse is on God as the source of hope.

In this verse, the is a definitive article in the Greek calling attention to emphasis, which literally translates God THE hope.

Our first lesson: Hope is a Person. If you get to know the Person, you have Hope.

Romans 16.20 is another reference with the same principle. God THE Peace. Peace is a Person. Joy is a Person.

There is nothing you can do of greater worth and importance than knowing the Person of God…through studying the Word of God, which is the purpose of the written Word of God. The #1 Textbook is God’s Self-revelation guide to Relationships of love, joy, and peace.

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, WE MIGHT HAVE HOPE. (Romans 15:4).

Therefore, if we lack hope, the first place we should look is to God, who is the GIVER of true hope. Repeat the Rexploration definition of hope.

HOPE IS THE CONFIDENT EXPECTATION OF EXPERIENCING ALL THE FUTURE GOOD GOD HAS PROMISED…SOMEHOW…SOMEWAY…SOMETIME.

We have reason to hope! What a name for God, – the God of hope, the God of certainty, the God of assurance,

God is our God of hope, not just for tomorrow, not just for the future. He is the God of hope for today, our hope in the present. Make a note of this in your mind and heart: The God of hope changes our view of our present situation.

When you know the God of hope, you have a different outlook on the whole world. These verses are your spiritual binoculars for the changing circumstantial cloud formations. This is your lighthouse for the rough seas in life.

Everything starts with God. If there is hope for joy that is deep and eternal, it will be hope that is founded on God. Any other foundation will fail. Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6).  

THE SOVEREIGN GOD IS A GOOD GOD. GOD IS A GOD OF HOPE. We must know and believe God exists as God, and that he exists as the God of hope.

That is the first and most fundamental step toward hope. KNOW GOD.

The first and most fundamental truth from this verse is that God identified himself as the God of hope.

Biblical hope is certain because it rests on God’s promises.

PART 2

(2) Why do you need Hope? THE PROMISE OF HOPE IS YOUR CONNECTION TO JOY AND PEACE AND ALL THE GOODNESS OF GOD.

The goal of hope is to fill you with all joy and peace. May the God of hope fill you.

Here is the GOAL of Hope. The Bible is the Promise of God’s everlasting goodness to us.

It will take all the coming ages of everlasting time for God to show us the immeasurable riches of His kindness and infinite goodness to us (Ephesians 2:7). 

The God of hope speaks words of promise.

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees (Romans 8:24).

But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly to be filled with all joy and peace (Romans 8:25).

In difficulties, we often lose sight of our God.

  1. Joy is the deep-down sense of well-being that abides in the heart of the person who knows all is well between himself and the Lord. God-given joy is independent of whether circumstances are favorable or unfavorable

The Christian life is to be a life of “JOY”. It is founded on faith in Jesus, whose life on earth began as “good news of great joy for all people” (Luke 2:10).

  • Peace is soundness of mind…literally. bound together…not coming to pieces, not chaos in your circumstances.

Peace is an inward state of quiet which is independent of circumstances.

It is time for a Big Question:  Where would the world notice you have joy and peace? In the best of times or in the midst of your most challenging circumstance? Sickness? Suffering? Stress? Sorrow?

  • Fill means literally to fill to the brim. Metaphorically, the Greek word, pleroo, means to take over, to pervade, to take possession of, and ultimately to control.

This is the same verb used by Paul to command the saints at Ephesus to be continually “filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18). The idea is that what fills a person, exercises control over that person’s affections, attitude, and actions. 

  • All joy and peace – “All” in Greek means all without exception. In other words, this is not a prayer for a percentage, portion, or fraction, but for all the joy and hope that God has promised. Complete. Total. Never-ending.

O God of Hope, fill us up to overflowing with Hope.

007 and the Snow Bunny

The opening sequence of the James Bond film A View to a Kill involves a thrilling ski chase down the icy slopes of a mountain in Siberia. The 007 spy graciously glides and smoothly swerves on an improvised snowboard to evade pursuing enemies with all the iconic action set to the background music of the Beach Boys’ California Girls.

That is how I envisioned my first downhill snow ski on White Mountain. Some winter enthusiasts would not describe my mountainous descent as skiing.

I quickly transitioned to another James Bond classic, You Only Live Twice! White Mountain snow became a burial site for my Black-and-Blue Ego.

I grew up in a small Midwestern town near beautiful lakes which became the playground for boating and water-skiing. The ease with which my younger brothers could pop out of the water and slalom across the lake forced me to be an adaptive learner.

It did not take exceptionally long for me to learn the difference in water and snow skiing. At the lake, you lean backward. That style causes awkward out-of-control falls on the ski slope. There you lean in over the top of your skis and there is no going back.

I pictured myself sipping hot cocoa beside the fireplace at the ski lodge instead of wildly careening down the mountainside at breakneck speed.

When our leader declared it was time to “hit the slopes,” I took his admonition literally. I hit the slopes so many times I had bruises on my bruises.

I wore my new jeans and a wind breaker. I did not want to be overdressed. No one advised me to scotch-guard my blue jeans. I left the hillside with patches of blue-dyed snow, and the mountain left me with icy wet clothing.

Someone loaned me a jacket, beanie, gloves, and goggles. I rented the rest of the ski ensemble. I wrestled with getting into my rental ski boots. Closing the clamps sounded like the Clydesdale horses traveling a brick road with a limp.

I stood in a lengthy line for a ride on the ski lift. It looked as if the people had enough gear for a fortnight in Norway.

I awkwardly shuffled onto the lift, unaware it was not headed to the bunny slope. The lift creaked to a stop at the very top. The wind howled. I slid off the chair—sort of. I tumbled off, skis going one way, hat the other.

I needed assistance just to recover from the full split that left me painfully planted in the snow powder. The thrill of it all is the realization that I paid someone for a ski lift ride up the mountain so I could freefall all the way back down.

As we reached the summit, I noticed the black diamond sign, “Experts Only.” The sign’s skull and crossbones really set the mood. Think steeper and more hazardous.

Expert. Ex-describes “a has been” while spirt signifies “a small drip.”  I am qualified.

My friend took off as he yelled, “There is only one way to go!”

George leaned forward and he was gone, rocketing down the black diamond graveyard like a hyper-charged penguin on Red Bull with flapping poles and flying snow. He was gracefully magnificent as he whizzed out of sight.

I eventually pulled my gear and my heart together as I got my first peek of the view from the top of the mountain. It was a vertical drop into oblivion. Tiny dots—actual expert skiers—zipped gracefully down the run as if auditioning to be extras in the James Bond snow-themed action movie.

The sweet singing sound of Karen Carpenter filled my mind.

I’m on the top of the world,
lookin’ down on creation,
And the only explanation I can find...I am so stupid!

This was a vertical ice slide for a nincompoop–Latin for “not of sound mind.” I stared at the multiple bumps on the slope. They later introduced themselves as “Moguls.” Avoid at all costs.

Where was George? He had been to the ski lodge for a cup of hot chocolate and back on the ski lift eager to make a second run. He waved at me from his chair as he passed by above. “Just let gravity do the work.”

My ski equipment did not work satisfactorily. Apparently, when the skis point downhill, they take off whether you are ready or not.

Suddenly but not intentionally, I was speeding downhill.

Torpedoes full speed ahead; I flailed in the wind and bounced like a rubber ball down the black ski trail. This is probably how all future Olympic downhill racers begin their journey to the gold medal.

My first stop was a face-plant dive into a snowbank. Exactly like it sounds, falling flat on your face, nose first.

I followed my sixth white powder pileup with an “OH-OH-7!” headfirst plunge into a snowdrift. Spectacular wipeout! I needed assistance to get upright.

My suave snow ski maneuvers included somersaults, pirouettes, and creative snow-eating dives. I left a trail of hats, poles, skis, and pride in the rear-view mirror.

I do not know how I survived my first ski trip down White Mountain. I finished the “run” with a bad limp as I traversed down the hill in those big boots looking for my runaway ski.

My mind raced as my feet trudged onward in need of a bathroom. It absolutely did not matter if it were Bunny or Expert.

In the end, I conquered White Mountain…if you count making it all the way to the bottom, skis in hand, boots on, and only minor frostbite on my pride.

My bruised backside could not diminish my triumphant spirit. I was ready to try this adventure again. On White Mountain, a snowbank holds the clear imprint of a surprised, grinning Spiro lad sliding down with arms flailing.

I left an impression on White Mountain and snow skiing left some impressions on me.

First, snow is significantly less forgiving than water.

Second, “bunny” is a better slope for flailing and flying beginners than the less traveled “expert” slope.

Third, the scene of someone snowplowing into a snowbank and buried upside down is not so funny when it is you. My attitude did not improve when a little kid stopped to offer to help me out of my embarrassing predicament.

It is amazing how many people one can meet while buried in a snowbank.

I met gawkers, advisors, paramedics, and one guy introduced himself as Saint Peter. He said something about crashing into the gate.

I also came away with spiritual lesson reminders about trusting Jesus on the slippery slopes of life.

Life can be exhilarating as well as fearful and dangerous. No one starts off as an “expert.”

When you stand at the top of a snowy mountain, no matter what degree of slope, you must trust your equipment, your training, and the path that lies ahead.

In many ways, this mirrors our walk with Jesus.

Just as a skier must lean into the slope and let go of fear in order to move forward, the #1 Textbook for life instructs us to lean into our faith and trust Jesus, even when the way seems uncertain or intimidating.

Here is some great advice for life moguls or icy slopes. Learn to pray like Jehosophat, “I do not know what to do, but my eyes are on you” (2 Chron 20:12).

We cannot control all the circumstances or minimize the unsuspected moguls. But we can learn mental balance and spiritual confidence in the Lord’s presence and guidance. A sense of rhythm and freedom comes from familiarity with the #1 Textbook.

God’s Word is all the equipment you need to mark the way to go, the path not to follow, the correction for when you made the wrong turn, and the training to love the journey (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13).

The phrase “do not be afraid” is written in the #1 Textbook at least 365 times. Why? Because God knows we are afraid as we face new slopes in life. No one starts out as an ‘Expert’ in marriage, parenting, career, and retirement.

There are no Bunny Slopes for practice. Suddenly, you realize the ski lift of life dropped you off at a challenging spot beyond your life skill level.

Nevertheless, it is possible to successfully navigate and overcome challenges encountered throughout one’s life. You can triumph over any terrain.

Jesus invites you to release your anxieties and trust in Him as your guide, instructor, and support. Even when the path is steep or the visibility is low, you are never alone—He is with you every step of the way, even in the snowbanks.

Every day in this life is challenging. God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

Not seeing the outcomes or the ending can be frightening. We can never see the entire picture of what lies ahead. God designed life for us to see a little of what is in front and around us. That is not comfortable but comforting.

As you navigate the slopes of life this week, remember to surrender your fears, trust in Jesus, and enjoy the journey He sets before you.

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19).

This hope empowers your heart to pick yourself up from that last disappointing fall and get on with the journey. There are places to go and people to help. There are snowbanks of faith to be shared with fearful beginners and crippled experts.

Clip on, buckle up, lean in, and fly down this next slope of life. When the snow powder gets deep or the mountainside steep, enjoy the journey. You will have a story to tell and a God to praise.

EYES UP! SKIS STRAIGHT! FULL SPEED AHEAD!

LOVE YOU!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

THE GREAT OUTDOORSMAN

My new college freshman friend was a decorated Eagle Scout. I was kicked out of my Boy Scout pack before reaching the Tenderfoot level.

George asked if I liked being outdoors.

I enjoyed playing football and baseball outdoors, and I practiced basketball in my backyard almost every day.

George was the real life protype for Robert Redford’s Jeremiah Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Revenant. George had more merit badges than common sense as he convinced a group of small-town refugees to accompany him on our first-ever mountain camping trip.

His cry continues to echo in my memory. “Nature builds character.”

George was an outgoing outdoorsman. He planned a weekend camping trip on White Mountain so a few of us could get away from the classroom grind. The tallest place where I grew up was Cavanaugh Hill, the highest hill in the world. It was only slightly taller than the county landfill.

I packed for the adventure using his supply list. I read up on survival skills, which was its own challenge since Google search was still years in the future.

Our first challenge was climbing the mountain. It was fun, filled with laughter and stories from our high school days. Finally, we found the perfect place to rest. How do I know? George de Guide said it was our spot for the night.

Setting up the tent was the next camping challenge. General George laid out the stakes with military precision, then handed us the instructions. Twenty minutes later, my tent looked like a deflated kids’ bounce house.

The flashback memory was too much. I had a confession to make to George and the crew about my traumatic youthful experience in Cub Scouts.

My parents wanted me to become an Eagle Scout. They placed me in a Boy Scout troop, sacrificed precious dollars to buy me the blue uniform, pay the club fees, and purchase the books and project materials.

I failed to achieve the rank of Tenderfoot, the lowest scouting rank.

I FLUNKED OUT OF CUB SCOUTS!

That is right! I memorized all the mottos and lessons. I learned the salutes and pledges. I did the projects to earn merit badges. However, I failed tying knots!

I could do math and science but not knots. It has been a lifetime problem.

My grandmother used a knitting needle to untie the tight knots in my childhood shoelaces. Thankfully, she was not as forceful as Alexander the Great with the famous Gordian Knot. He untangled the complex knot in one quick strike with his sword.

In Cub Scouts, I struggled to learn different knots: square knot, two half-hitches, and taut line hitch. No knots meant no tent, and no tent meant no Tenderfoot badge.

I was trustworthy, loyal, courteous, and brave; but my mental block was just as tangled as my rope. My knots had names like” Unbelievable” and “What in the World” and “Inextricable.” Yep, boys and girls, my scout knots could not be unraveled!

I lost hope of becoming a Scout Tenderfoot during our Cub Pack’s overnight camping trip. I had to set up the leader’s tent, but it rained that night and the tent fell down, soaking our leader and his clothes. It was funny, except to the Cubmaster.

I was eventually dismissed from the club and kicked out of the Pack. “Do Your Best” was a catchy motto, but if your best failed to correctly tie knots, you were “Knot” in the club.

That failure haunted my life then and now. Humiliation. PTSD!  Knot frustration! A mental Knot Block! Tanglephobia!

Anything with a knot starts as a nuisance and ends as a nightmare.

My associates laughed at my story and my current tent debacle. George was more understanding. He diplomatically called my poorly erected tent “modern art” and rebuilt it in under three minutes, narrating his every move like a future YouTube tutorial.

Tarzan swung on branches while we collected wood for the campfire. Our Eagle Scout scolded us for using matches to start the fire. The show-off caveman created fire by rubbing sticks together.

Dinner was next on the agenda. If we had waited for cell phone invention, we could have ordered pizza delivery. Hot dogs and S’mores made up our menu. The crackling fire provided welcomed warmth.

Connection, reflection, and campfire stories fed our souls with lessons learned around the flames of friendship.

As night fell, the woods came alive with mysterious noises: twigs snapping, leaves rustling, and what sounded suspiciously like a frightened roadrunner fleeing Wiley Coyote.

Our Daniel Boone alerted us that the bears in the area were friendly. Camper friend Joel sarcastically asked if we should expect a visit from Yogi Bear and his loyal sidekick, Boo-Boo.

George reaffirmed we had nothing to fear. How did he know? The Boston Strangler was still on the loose. We were also camping near Fall River, home of the famous axe-murderer, Lizzie Bordon.

They are called campfire “ghost stories” for a reason.

As the full moon rose over the pines, the winter night was filled with howling coyote sounds similar to the music track from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The climb, the cold, the cooking, and the campfire chats were memorable. The sub-freezing temperature and the proximity of howling wolves were not as pleasant.

I crawled into my sleeping bag, leaving only my eyes visible, like two disco balls in the dark. Our host suggested putting heated rocks from the campfire in our sleeping bags for warmth. It worked, but my sleeping bag’s bottom melted.

We woke up before dawn from our peaceful sleep, relieved that there was no bugle blast, just the sound of Jungle Jim doing his morning exercises.

I extracted my feet from the melted encasing and stumbled toward the campfire. This was one of the few times in life I sipped coffee. No one brought a Coke or hot chocolate. The breakfast was phenomenal.

Somehow, we made it to the summit just in time for the clouds to roll in and block the view. As we tripped and laughed our way back down the mountain, it hit me: I survived the night and it was fun.

I learned some valuable lessons. I discovered that the wilderness is full of adventure and beauty, and the realization that next time, I am booking a cabin and bringing a cook.

Outdoorsman? Jesus was an outdoorsman.

From the hills of Galilee to the shores of the Sea, he found solace and purpose beneath open skies. He rose with the dawn. He climbed mountains, slept under trees, and walked on water.

He sailed in boats and taught multitudes on the mountainside. He walked down dusty roads, miles and miles from village to village. He noticed the birds and gazed at the clouds. He laid his head on rocks to rest. He meditated in olive groves and along quiet hillsides.

He moved among the rocks and desert wilderness. He appreciated the flowers blooming in the spring and enjoyed the fresh fruit of summer. He moved through the wheat fields ready for harvest.

Jesus taught lessons about seeds needing to be sown in fertile ground, not the rocky byways or among the weeds. He observed the lilies clothed more beautifully than King Solomon in all his splendor,

He taught how the sparrows were so much loved by God that they had no worries. He understood sheep and their need for a shepherd’s care. He called attention to the resilience of the smallest mustard seed.

Storms never frightened him. Surging waves obeyed him. Some nights, he slept in a boat on the sea.

Outdoorsman?

Jesus listened to fish stories and acted as a fishing guide for failing fishermen who landed their largest catch following his instructions. He built campfires in the sand and cooked fish beside the lake.

He shared bread under the stars, the same stars Abraham once tried to count as his heart pondered his promised descendants. The same stars Isaiah declared were beyond innumerable, but all named by God. The same stars in David’s songs that unceasingly declare the glory of God.

Jesus traveled over sea and land to find a lost man crying in the cemetery. He reminded Legion and all his followers that they were never alone, even in the wilderness, even in the darkness, even in the storms of life.

The world was his classroom, the earth his canvas—and in every sunrise and sunset, he saw the handiwork of his Father. In every day, in every place, and in every face, he saw his purpose…to love first and to love most.

Yes, Jesus was an Outdoorsman!

The #1 Textbook describes him as the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the valley, the bright and morning Star, the Sun of righteousness, the Rock of salvation, the Good Shepherd, the Maker of heaven and earth. Fisher of men.

I hope you will get outdoors or at least look outside. Gaze at the stars. Feel the early morning rays of the sun. Marvel at the moon. Notice the birds in the trees or the geese flying by. Smell the flowers.

Pause and reflect on the glory of God highlighted in the grandeur of a majestic mountain, the beauty of a clear lake, the countless grains of sand on a gorgeous beach, the cascading waves of the incessant tide, the cool freshness of an evening breeze, the rhythm of a sudden rainstorm, the purity of a Winterland snowfall.

The canvas of creation was designed to stir our senses, lift our spirit, and draw us closer to our Creator, the lover of our soul. The outdoor creation invites us to gaze on God and breathe in his life afresh and anew with stewardship and wonder.

Everything was created by him as a display of his glory. Every time we see something that strikes us as beautiful or awesome we should praise the Lord Jesus for giving us this great outdoors to enjoy.

Yes, Jesus was an Outdoorsman!

Jesus prayed and wept in a garden. He hung on a cross on a hill called Golgotha. He saw the skies darken as black as our deadened hearts. And he refused to stay inside the closed tomb.

Jesus was a great outdoorsman! The light of the world!

Let His light shine on, in, and through you…Inside and Outdoors!

EYES UP…ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover: Renew Your Resolution

Voted Top Favorite story again.

I received a late-night call from the police. A body was found in the backyard of the missionary house adjacent to our church parking lot. A neighbor had called 911. The person was either drunk or dead. The law enforcement asked me to be there as quickly as possible to ID the person.

What did I feel at that moment? Shock. Apprehension. Worry.

That hot Louisiana August night became unforgettable.

I arrived at the church parking lot within fifteen minutes of the alert. It looked like a crime scene. Police cars, flashing lights, yellow tape barriers, officers with flashlights inspecting the backyard area of the missionary house.

A policeman stopped me to confirm my identity. The officer explained that a neighbor had called the emergency hotline reporting a lifeless body in the darkened backyard next door. Upon investigation, the police startled a young man outside the house. As he sat up, guns were drawn. The suspect was ordered back to the ground where he was handcuffed and questioned.

The police suspected drunkenness or drugs. They inspected the surrounding area for corroborating evidence. They also searched for another body.

I watched from a distance as the police put the arrested man through the field sobriety test. They checked his balance, coordination, and attention span. The officer ordered the handcuffed man to gaze at a moving flashlight, walk a straight line with a turnaround, and stand on one leg.

When the field test was completed, I was escorted to where two police cars faced each other. In the midst of their headlights, a shadowy figure stood in handcuffs, surrounded by several officers. The young man was barefoot, dressed in blue jean overalls with no shirt.

The lead officer asked if I knew this person. As I approached, the shackled young man grinned and spoke, “Hey, Brother.”

The center of suspicious attention was Jim. Jim McCarty was one of my preacher school interns. Oh, my!

Under intense questioning, Jim explained he was lying in the backyard, gazing at the stars, and contemplating the greatness of God’s glory while reciting Bible verses. He was shocked to find his explanation rejected as insanity,

The officers thought this was delusional or drug-induced hallucinations.

I quieted the policemen and freed the handcuffed Jim with a simple statement. “This is Jim. I can assure you that his testimony is absolutely truthful. As strange as it sounds, this is not unusual for him. Jim is different, in a good way.”

The officer responded, ” I would have sworn he was in a dope daze. It only goes to show that you don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Jim was part of our first group of preacher school interns. Each guy was unique and yet similar in his big-hearted love, courageous faith, and God-honoring usefulness to the kingdom. I love them all like sons.

God sent Jim to us by way of a suggestion from my brother who pastored a church in Texas. He had a young man whom he thought could benefit from being in a new environment. Jim had recently dropped out of college for the second or third time. Joe was concerned about Jim’s social development, his aversion to education, and his lack of direction in life. Would we consider taking him under our wings?

Jim arrived in his trademark overalls. He did wear a shirt underneath and, for the church greeting, wore shoes. Jim was a “yes sir, no sir” young man. His slow Texas drawl was noticeable in this Deep South environment. He was polite but slightly socially challenged. He could appear quiet and cautious in his surroundings.

Let me just lay it out there with no intention of alienating anyone. This is just an observation, not a cancel culture comment.

Jim looked and talked like a country boy from Texas. He would definitely not be mistaken for a sophisticated city slicker.

Mr. Green Jeans

This is not an insult, just a meet-and-greet characterization. His appearance reminded me of Captain Kangaroo’s sidekick, Mr. Green Jeans. Since that childhood TV show would be unfamiliar to most of you, think of Festus (Gunsmoke), Gomer (Mayberry), Jethro (Beverly Hillbillies), Woody (Cheers), Hank (King of the Hill), Darryl, Darryl, and the other Darryl (Newhart).

These television characters were not dumb. Old-fashioned to a fault, they were innocently naïve, out of touch with the bad stuff in this modern world. Most of these characters were noted for being friendly, loyal, and philosophical. Their insightful wisdom usually sounded comedic in its simplicity. Jim fit the part, but it was no act.

Social Development? Jim quickly endeared himself to our church family. He was a regular weekly dinner guest for several families. He mowed lawns and made house repairs for widows which, in return, kept him well-stocked in food. No one in our city ate more desserts than Jim. Pies, cakes, pastries, and cookies. He could have opened a Sweet Shop. Somehow, he retained his lean frame.

Jim ran errands, dug ditches, and put-up fences. He was not afraid of work. He joined the ministries to the homeless and neighborhood outreach. Everyone loved this young man in overalls.

Aversion to Education? Jim was an eager and quick learner. He studied the Bible and asked thoughtful questions. His looks and demeanor were different, but he fit right in with the other preacher interns. Deep thinkers. Sensitive hearts.

My goal for the preacher training school was to deepen their devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ before they embarked on more intense theological studies or careers.

We put them through rigorous reading assignments and challenging discussions. We explored Scripture in-depth. We engaged the young men in ministry to at-risk youth to expand their love for others. Then we tested them.

The tests would cover the latest Biblical book. The interns would need to recall verses and passages and expositional points. These were the best and brightest young men I had been around. The tests were challenging.

Something interesting was revealed during the testing time for the Gospel of John. As the preacher guys recalled Biblical references, Jim’s test recited large passages of the text, word for word. On further investigation, Jim admitted he had memorized the entire book of John, all twenty-one chapters.

I have been to school with all kinds of students. Some were very smart and some were educationally challenged.

Carl did not know which way was right and which was left. He was a very fast running back who scored a lot of touchdowns because this quarterback directionally pointed when I called out the play, Right Twenty-Eight Quick Pitch. Our co-captain, Daryl, was greatly disappointed in his English assignment when he discovered that Shakespeare’s Hamlet was not about football. No, Hamlet is not the same as Helmet…so close and yet so far away.

I also attended college with guys who had perfect college admission scores, but no common sense. One knew Latin and Quantum Physics but failed the basics of etiquette. Another could not organize a dorm function but became our country’s Vice-President.

However, this version of Mr. Green Jeans was the most impressive student I have ever known.

As I continued to quiz Jim, he stated he had memorized the other Biblical books we had studied. At one point, Jim memorized the entire New Testament.

As I got to know Jim better, he revealed why he quit college several times. He would register for the classes, buy the books, and read them all before the first class. When the professor began with an overall introduction and slowly waded through chapter one, it left Jim bored and uninspired.

Jim confessed he saw no reason to continue to go to class to listen to something he had already learned! That certainly bested all my reasons for skipping classes.

Jim read all of the #1 Textbook only to discover he had only begun to mine its truth and treasure. This Book cannot be judged by its cover. It is the Word of God. Its supremacy and sufficiency are unfathomable. Its value and worth are immeasurable.

Life Purpose? The country boy was brilliant. However, the most impressive hidden characteristic was the size of his heart. He was also missionary-minded. He traveled with Charlotte Norman and a church group to Oaxaca, the poorest area of Mexico.

Miss Charlotte was a former Garden Club Society member who gave her heart to Mexico missions, inner-city Porch Church, and women prison ministries. Charlotte’s big heart had a huge impact on Jim.

Jim returned to Oaxaca to spend some extended time helping Victor Castanon with missionary work to the outlying mountainous regions. Victor will someday lead the rejoicing of multitudes of the Mixe Indians gathered around the heavenly throne.

The next time we saw Jim, he was accompanied by his new bride, Maria, Victor’s daughter. Maria is the sweetest, kindest, hardest working young lady anyone could meet. God used Maria to focus Jim on his life’s calling.

Jim came back determined to become a doctor. He and Maria planned to return to Oaxaca to open up a medical clinic in the village, as well as provide assistance to the thousands in the surrounding area without medical care.  

This required Jim to finish his college studies which he did in eighteen months. Then he had two months to study for the medical school entrance test, the MCAT Exam.

The time and the educational challenge seemed impossible, unless you were Mr. Green Jeans with an arrest record for loitering in the backyard gazing at stars.

Jim knocked it out of the park. He finished in the top one percent of all applicants. He could get into any medical school. However, Jim thought it best for him to study medicine in Mexico.

So, Jim passed the medical exam again, only this time in Spanish. Medical education is brutally challenging, even more so in a second language. Jim even attended his classes. Upon the successful completion of his training and intern practice in Mexico. Jim and Maria returned to her hometown where they opened a medical clinic for the poor people of that area.

That Mixe medical clinic was just the book cover. Exploits, dangers, drug cartels, late night medical emergencies, long journeys by burro and on foot, and training preachers are all storybook stuff. They are all written in the heavenly journals.

Jim traveled throughout the mountainous area preaching and doctoring. He once preached one of the best Psalms expositions I have ever heard. I imagine he memorized all of it.

Since those early years, Jim has gained physician certification in the United States. The patients have no idea that this “country doctor” in the big city has one of the most brilliant minds and one of the biggest hearts they will ever encounter. They certainly do not know this doctor was once arrested for stargazing.

There is an old saying, “Do not judge a book by its cover.” It is a metaphorical expression which suggests one should not judge the worth or value of someone or something by its outward appearance alone.

You can’t judge an apple by looking at a tree,

You can’t judge honey by looking at the bee,

You can’t judge a daughter by looking at the mother,

You can’t judge a book by looking at the cover. 

(Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover, sung by Bo Diddly, lyrics by Willie Dixon)

Oh, how often we fail to heed that advice. We look at someone’s outward appearance and quickly form some judgment regarding their character or motives. We check off our social media “like” or “dislike” without listening, without learning, and without loving. That is not how the Lord loves us.

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (#1 Textbook).

Judging others is not a spiritual calling. Loving others is our universal challenge.

Whether Jim’s steps lead him over sparsely populated mountainous regions or crowded and bloodied emergency rooms or church parking lots, he will most likely greet you with a smile and a “Hey, Brother!” I can guarantee you he will not judge you by your cover.

Let us all be better at not judging others by first impressions. Misjudgments arise when we focus on the color of someone’s skin, their outward dress, or their dialect.

“We must never forget this as a nation: there are no gradations in the image of God. Every man from a treble-white to a bass-black is significant on God’s keyboard precisely because every man is made in the image of God. One day we will learn that. We will know one day that God made us to live together as brothers and to respect the dignity and worth of every man.” (Martin Luther King, Jr.)

“The Gospel is the power of God to change water to wine, death to life! The whole story is about Him. We just get to be vessels carrying the divine glory!” (Dr. Jim McCarty)

Join me in the march to love first and love most. We are vessels carrying the glory of love. When we love like Jesus, we discover a glorious and defining truth. If every human being were a book, every book would have the same book cover. It would say, “Made in the image of God.”

Life is not about outward appearances. It is about love and character and integrity and faithfulness. A heart will tell you much more about a person than appearance.

May we all work more on our inner resources than our outward appearances.

May we give greater value and worth to the inner beauty of others.

And may we find some time in our busy lives to gaze at the stars as we contemplate the greatness of God’s glory, goodness, and love to us.

NEXT YEAR’S PANEL OF JUDGES

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A NEW YEAR REDO

REDO—to do over again, to repeat an action with hopes of better results.

We all have moments we wish we could REDO. Maybe it was last year or an entire lifetime.

REDO. It is a term woven into the fabric of our culture.

The first time I ever heard that word was when my three-year-old son screamed it at a high school football game. The home team kicker had just shanked the extra point kick.

Kyle yelled, “REDO!”

The phrase caught on with the men in our golf group who began to substitute the ‘REDO’ phrase for ‘mulligan,’ a golfing expression for an additional uncounted golf shot to replace the previous mishit one.

My favorite REDO moment occurred at my younger brother’s wedding. Bill and Angie decided to have a small home wedding just as our college-aged dad and mom had done over thirty years earlier. Like our parents, they decided to save the cost of a larger wedding and use the funds to start their new life together as married college students.

The wedding party was just the immediate family, our pastor, and his wife who played the organ. They also saved the cost of a professional photographer.

Our youngest brother insisted he would capture the moment with his new camera. The young teenager

repeatedly rebuffed all photo pointers suggested by Mom and me. He declared several times with the utmost confidence, “I’ve got this!”

Joe positioned himself perfectly to capture the once-in-a-lifetime-moment of the wedding kiss. The wedding ceremony was brief and beautiful. The young couple looked like clueless lovebirds as they joyfully pledged their lifetime of love.

Our pastor smiled and pronounced them husband and wife as he encouraged Bill to kiss his new bride. It was everything a wedding kiss should be…a once-in-a-lifetime-moment to cherish forever.

I vividly remember the click of a camera shutter capturing the occasion. Then, eerily, and noticeably, there was no flash.

THERE WAS NO FLASH!

I know Joe wanted a REDO. Bill and Angie and, especially our mom, wished there were a REDO button in life for moments like this.

I had another reason for wishing I could REDO that moment. I would take a picture of my youngest brother’s facial expression…WITH A FLASH. The image has a permanent place in my memory storage.

“I’ve got this” lives on in family lore!

My college French professor asked me to REDO the one-on-one mid-term test. My one year of high school French at dear old Spiro High did not propel me into an elite foreign language spokesperson.

Our university mandated every first-year student to take a foreign language class. Mine met at 8 AM five days a week. This did not line up with my college freedom plan not to enroll in any classes that began before 11 AM.

I thought I was successful just making it to class. I did not realize the professor’s expectations of moving beyond my social dating usage of “Bonjour” and “Je t’aime” and “Adieu.” Or in Spiro speak, “Hello. I love you. Goodbye.”

I completely bombed the first conversational test. In the middle of my REDO session, the professor shouted, “C’est fini.”  She expressed her amazement that I could converse some in French. Then she showed me the “coup de grâce.”

It was the final act of mercy to end my suffering. She explained that some people have a mental block which prevents them from learning a foreign language. She had written a “get out of jail free” note which excused me from the university requirement, which excused me from participation in the 8 AM torture classes.

I could not stop her next words and actions. She admitted she was wrong. She said I could learn when I applied myself. Then she tore up the note and placed it in my hand with a smile of encouragement.

I sat there stunned. I said her first impression was correct. I begged for a REDO.

She replied, “The word is refaire and the answer is absolument pas.”

She stared into my disappointed eyes and whispered, “Absolutely not. You will thank me someday.”

I gazed into the depths of her horned-rimmed glasses and responded softly, “Je t’aime, ma chérie.” 

Our session concluded in similar fashion to the ending of the classic movie, Casablanca. My French teacher repeated Humphry Bogart’s iconic line as Rick and Renault walk off into the fog. “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” 

Her ‘someday’ has never come.

There are many important moments in life I wish I could REDO.

Correct the mistakes. Relive the joys.

REDO the low points. REDO the high points.

REDO the regrets. REDO the cherished memories.

Life is a journey filled with twists, turns, successes, and failures. At times, we all wish for a chance to start over—a spiritual REDO that allows us to move beyond our past mistakes, regrets, and missed opportunities.

The concept of a spiritual REDO is not only possible, but it is also central to God’s relationship with us. God’s willingness to give us a fresh start is an expression of divine grace, mercy, and love.

God’s spiritual REDO is rooted in His character as a loving and forgiving Father. The #1 Textbook records stories of individuals who received second chances—Moses after his anger, David after his affair, Peter after his denial of Christ, and Paul after persecuting the church.

The woman caught in adultery, the emotionally damaged Legion and Mary Magdalene, the socially ruined Samaritan woman at the well, and the little corrupt tax-collector all received the intervention of God’s grace for a new beginning REDO in life.

That is what Jesus told Nicodemus. You need a NEW BEGINNING, a REDO.

Spiritual REDO is not about erasing the past but about redeeming it. God takes our brokenness, pain, and failures, and reshapes them for His glory. It is a total renewal REDO. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

God does not hold our past against us. Instead, He calls us to walk in the newness of life, trusting that His plans are good. God encourages us to “forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead…pressing on toward the purpose God has for each of us (Philippians 3:13-14).

God’s spiritual REDO is a testament to His immeasurable love. No matter how many times we fail, God offers us the chance to begin again. Through His mercy and power, we can experience true transformation and walk in the abundant life He promises.

I am thankful for the Lord’s REDO in my life. God did not just redecorate the outside; He completely restored the inner being into its intended purpose. I have not perfected it all yet; I am still learning.

Thankfully, all the classes do not begin at 8 AM.

Keep your EYES UP! Press on to the Goal. REDO when necessary!

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Every new year begins with GREAT EXPECTATIONS and usually slides downhill from there.

This year is going to be GREAT!

This year has turned out GOOD!

This year has been OK!

Then about the time this year becomes the WORST, someone hits the recycle button and its HAPPY NEW YEAR with GREAT EXPECTATIONS!

Charles Dickens’ novel masterpiece Great Expectations examines social class, ambition, love, and redemption through Pip’s journey, showing that loyalty and compassion matter more than wealth or status.

True “great expectations” become real experiences through relationships of cultivated kindness.

Israel and the world had GREAT EXPECTATIONS of a coming King, a Messiah, a Savior. The Christ is coming and he shall be great!

And yet…He was much different from the world’s “great expectations.”

Take a moment to reflect on his relationships of cultivated kindness and his effect on those whose “great expectations” were fading fast or lost entirely.

  • A desperate father grieving over his dying daughter
  • The ill mother of a friend
  • A mother mourning for her dead son
  • A blind beggar
  • Two sisters weeping over losing their brother
  • A man who lost his mind, career, and family
  • An adulterous woman
  • An emotionally out of control woman
  • A paralyzed young man
  • A man with a crippled arm
  • A man outcast from society because of a horrible disease
  • A scandalous woman from the wrong side of the tracks
  • A confused aristocrat
  • A war-torn soldier
  • A condescending religious scholar
  • A tax collector
  • A tax cheater
  • A fearful doubter
  • A drowning man
  • A frustrated cripple
  • A statistically pragmatic nerd
  • A meddling mother
  • Two proud self-serving brothers
  • A fishless fisherman
  • A woman overwhelmed with her work
  • A dying thief
  • A prodigal son
  • An arrogant persecutor
  • A man crying in the wilderness
  • A man wailing in the cemetery
  • A woman sobbing at a deathbed
  • A little boy who surrendered his lunch
  • An older woman who gave away her last penny
  • Some dirty-feet travelers
  • A guy with a withered hand
  • A young inquisitive outdoorsmen
  • A contemplative young man sitting under a tree
  • A loving cousin
  • An injured man with a detached ear
  • A brash, boastful know-it-all
  • Slow learners
  • Non-believing family members
  • A rule-keeper in need of freedom
  • A misguided patriotic leader
  • A confused popular teacher
  • A group of men infected with a disabling disease
  • A man with a hopeless, incurable condition
  • A traitor
  • Religious snobs
  • Racially prejudiced socialites
  • Legal experts sitting on their high horses
  • A self-righteous businessman
  • An extraordinarily rich lawyer who did not have a clue
  • The sick servant of a Roman centurion
  • The unnamed woman hated by the indignant religious guys
  • The three religious guys, too busy with other things for full commitment
  • A man who lost control of his life
  • A mother with an out-of-control daughter
  • A father caring for his special-challenged son
  • The man born blind
  • The brothers arguing over their inheritance
  • The young politician
  • A disloyal friend
  • The forgiven prostitute
  • The little rich crook up in the tree
  • Sinners
  • You and me

Jesus treated everyone as having worth and value because they were created in the image of God.

God gave us the greatest gift, the Son of the Most High.

At his birth, the heavenly angelic host showered him with adoration. Poor shepherds came from their fields and flocks to worship him. Wise men brought gifts for a king.

The world changed that night…and so did our GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

Jesus came to live with us, love us, serve us, die for us, and raise us to new life and a heavenly home where it will take all the coming ages of eternity for God to shower us with His immeasurably limitless and infinitely endless goodness (Ephesians 2:7).

Someday we will experience all God is able to do which will exceed far beyond all we can ask, think, or even imagine. It will take God all of eternity to show us the fulfillment of the GREAT EXPECTATIONS promised in God’s Word.

The story of our earthly life will be highly edited. The great, good, ok, not so good, most painful, and worst experiences will still be part of the story, but we will be freed from the heavy weightiness of this lifetime’s gravity.

We will not carry any emotional baggage into heaven, just memories colored in GREAT EXPECTATIONS of everlasting joy and limitless love.

We will see clearly that Jesus was always with us and for us in every new year…and now infinitely forever.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS!

O come let us adore Him this New Year…CHRIST THE LORD!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! EYES UP!

MAY YOUR BLESSINGS EXCEED THE GREAT EXPECTATIONS OF YOUR DREAMS!

A CHRISTMAS LOVE LETTER

by REX BLANKENSHIP

Oh, the Love of Christ!
Without beginning.
Without ending.
Without interruption.
Without limits.

Relentless. Uncontainable. Inexhaustible.

It created a beautiful universe.
It gives life.
God with us.

Oh, the Love of Christ!

Sleeps in a stable.
Hangs on a cross.
Perfumes an empty tomb.
Glorifies a heavenly throne.

It shines on every face of every race
living at every pace in every space.

Love so marvelous! Love so wonderful! Love for me. A sinner. A rebel. A flawed, fallen, failure.

Oh, the Love of Christ!

It fills the mind with wonder yet surpasses understanding.
Its width exceeds the immeasurable distance of the east from the west.
Its length stretches far beyond infinity.
Its height transcends incomprehensible.
Its depth plunges lower than unfathomable.

Awe. Amazement. Admiration. Appreciation.

Its forgiveness leaves no blemish and no trace.
Its gift floods the heart with love for God and others.
It always stretches for higher levels.
It incessantly overflows beyond all boundaries.

Engulfs families.
Extends friendships.
Embraces differences.
Encompasses enemies.

Heals hurts.
Breaks barriers.

Oh, the Love of Christ!

It’s the Hope of Peace for the Separated. The Scattered. The Stressed. The Storm-tossed.

It’s the Heart of Compassion for the Suffering.
The Sick.
The Sad.
The Sorrowful.

Unsurpassed Goodness.
The storm “clouds you so much dread,
Soon will break with blessings on your head.”

Oh, the Love of Christ!

The Last are Made First.
The Least are Most Favored.
The Lost are Mercifully Found.
From every kindred, tongue, tribe, and nation.

It welcomes us into the basic Two-Step of its Divine Dance.
LOVE FIRST. LOVE MOST.


Oh, the Love of Christ !!!

Jesus loves me! Jesus loves you!

Praying I will Learn more and Love better.
Debate less. Judge even less. Condemn never.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thanks for blessing my life.

DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY CHRISTMAS (Part 2)

All families are ‘dysfunctional.’ They just differ in degree of dysfunctionality.

Jesus had a long history of family dysfunction.

A long time ago in a Galilee far, far away…a Star appeared over the place a child was born.

Jesus’ family Christmas story is chronicled in Matthew 1, the gospel that serves as a swinging gate between the Old and New Testaments. Jesus is presented as the Christ, the Messiah, the King of Kings.

In the middle of Matthew’s gospel is the big question asked by Jesus of his followers. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

The Christmas story can be summarized in that glorious declaration, “God is with us.” The Creator of the universe became a person to live among us, to die for us, to dwell in us, and to reign over us.

It is no accident that Matthew’s account begins with Jesus’ earthly family tree, a very dysfunctional Christmas family.

Matthew had a Jewish heritage and a professional career as a tax collector for the Roman government. That made him very familiar with the Biblical prophecy and the Jewish family lineage connected to the promised Christ.

Interestingly, we usually skip over this introductory section in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. Why? The list of names is long and boring. This genealogical version includes forty-seven names of forty-two generations. We do not know these people.

It is similar to sitting through a graduation ceremony where your main interest is one person. Your attention span is directly linked to where his/her name lines up in the alphabet. We treat this Scriptural section like the fast-forwarded credits at the end of a movie.

Matthew’s account goes back to Abraham. Luke’s records go back to Adam. John traces the family story back to the beginning with God.

The family tree could be labeled with the movie title, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Follow along as Aunt Savannah reads us their stories from the #1 Christmas Book.

  • Abraham-the father of our faith. His nickname might have been Pinocchio, because he always lied to save his hide; but he believed God. He had a lot of skeletons in his closet that were not hidden from heaven’s view. The divinely edited version calls Abraham “the friend of God.”
  • Isaac, the son of Abraham—He was used as a picture of the coming Son of God who would be sacrificed in our place in order to save us. As a dad, Isaac foolishly blessed the wrong son.
  • Jacob, the con man—His name meant “trickster or pretender.” He was a perpetual liar and cheater, but this heavenly edited version reminds us God gave him a new name with a new blessing. He and his descendants would be called Israel, the Prince and People of God. Note: There was an earlier time that no one wanted to be linked to that family tree of liars, fools, and con men. By Matthew’s time, one had to be from the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to have any “street cred.”
  • Judah and his brothers were the twelve patriarch tree limbs of the family tree. Family get-togethers resembled using a blender without the top. These great family markers were men of jealousy, rage, and revenge. They were as unreliable as a weather forecast on April Fool’s Day. The guys sold their brother, Joseph, into slavery and lied to their father that he had been murdered.
  • Perez and Zerah were sons of Judah. Their mother was Tamar, a gossip tabloid headliner.
  • Tamar-Here is the first woman named in the family tree. That in and of itself was considered repulsive to the Jewish patriarchal tradition. Her scandalous story needed editing to hide her unwed pregnancy as the result of an immoral relationship with her father-in-law built on deception, prostitution, and shame. The flaws and stains in her third-marriage scandal had to be silenced from the tabloid gossip headlines. Nobody wanted to talk about Tamar. (Note: I imagine Tamar was cut from the early social media family photos.)
  • Next comes a bunch of hard-to-pronounce names which we would all want to skip over for the sake of brevity and disinterest unless one of them was your grandfather who was a military veteran. You would be angry with the speaker who failed to recognize his contribution.
  • Rahab was the wife of Salmon—This is an attention getter in the family storyline. Look her up on Wikipedia. Rahab was a former prostitute, a street hooker, a harlot. She was Julia Roberts’ Pretty Woman. She believed God. The Lord used her to help God’s people take down the mighty fortress of Jericho. She was rescued by a scarlet thread, not a prince in his convertible. I am certain she was a woman of interest. Now, which one is she in the picture?
  • Rahab gave birth to Boaz who would become a successful and kind businessman. Boaz married Ruth, the outsider of this family. She was a foreigner from the country the entire family hated. Ruth was also a poor, grieving widow. She did not start out as a media darling or a welcomed addition to the family. Ruth was a footnote in the family story until the birth of her great-grandson, David.
  • David—the little shepherd boy, the giant killer, the songwriter, the warrior king. The poster child of the family also needed some editing to his story because of the one standing beside him in the family photo keepsake. Everyone wanted to see what she looked like.
  • Bathsheba—David had an adulterous affair with the married Bathsheba and then ordered her husband murdered. However, David’s character is forever written in God’s Word as “a man after God’s own heart.”

Note: Do you see a pattern here in this family tree? All these people related to Jesus have their life stories edited to a good ending. Their parts in the family story are recorded to give the rest of us encouragement and hope.

BEING RELATED TO JESUS CHANGES YOUR STORY TO GOOD. The bad parts are erased, the suffering parts are useful, and the worst actions are covered in the family portrait by the blood of Jesus.

There were fourteen generations to David and then fourteen more to Jesus.

  • Solomon, the son of David’s adulterous affair, became the wisest and wealthiest king in all of history. His mystifying grandeur was accompanied by an exploration into the foolish world of vanity.
  • We will skip the rest of the names because of time. They carried labels such as rebel, slave, exiled, evil, half-hearted, unfaithful, idol worshiper, good guy. Then, there is the pogo stick king, Jumping Jehosaphat.

Look them up. Learn their story. It helps me feel better about being related to the notorious robber, “Pretty Boy” Floyd.

Jesus’ immediate family must have had some dysfunctional moments. His brothers “did not believe in Him” (john 7:5) even though they were recipients of his selfless love and knew from their mother about the Star’s appearance at his birth.

They even considered him to be crazy, a lunatic instead of the Lord. They claimed he was “out of his mind” (Mark 3:21). Have you ever heard similar words? Irrational? Hypocritical? Judgmental? Unloving? Irreconcilable? Crazy?

Jesus was well aware of the dysfunctional faith in his family. Jesus referred to himself as “a prophet is without honor in his hometown and even in his own family” (Matthew 13:57). I wonder if he wanted to be home for Christmas.

It took years for the unbelief of family members to change. That means there is still hope for you and your family. The story is still being written, and God always writes the last chapter.

Do not stop praying. Do not stop hoping. Do not stop loving.

History is what it is. It cannot be rewritten. You and I cannot change where we came from. We cannot change our family members, although some try. We cannot change our family experiences, good or bad.

However, by God’s grace, we can stand in the family picture next to Jesus. His Person creates a lens filter through which others see us in a more favorable light.

Our names are written in the family story with descriptions like “child of God” or “heroine of the faith”or “follower of Jesus”or “redeemed from slavery to sin” or “dear to God’s Heart” or “beloved family member” or ““the one whom Jesus is not ashamed to be his/her brother.” Some of you are described as “a bride adorned in beauty”or “a good soldier” or “the righteous one.”

Look at you in God’s family photo. “The apple of his eye…His vessel of honor…the dearly beloved…the called and chosen…the child of promise…His crown of glory.”

What about all those bad moments in your life? The skeleton in the closet? The moment of unfaithfulness? The bad attitude and even worse actions? What about the mistakes you made and the messes you caused?

What about family conflicts? What about those moments where you fell and failed? What about when you were the last, the least, and the lowest?

None of that is in the family Christmas story!

There is your picture and your name right next to Jesus. You are called “God’s joy…a new creation…God’s light in this world…the perfection of beauty…the one blessed forever…God’s masterpiece!”

Step back and see the big picture. Jesus LIVES in you to LEAD you to others He intends to LOVE through you.

God carries on His perfect plan with imperfect people. Jesus brings about individual change and generational change. The mistakes lead to miracles. The big messes produce the majestic colors of God’s masterpiece.

Take this to heart:

WE ARE ALL MORE SINFUL THAN WE COULD EVER DARE TO IMAGINE and WE ARE ALL MORE LOVED AND ACCEPTED AND BLESSED THAN WE COULD EVER DARE TO HOPE.

THAT IS OUR FAMILY CHRISTMAS STORY!

Here is our Christmas message:

LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

LOVE FIRST! LOVE MOST!

I pray you hear the Christmas Bells ringing the sounds of Hope and Love.