MY LAST BREATH…AGAIN

ALL OF LIFE IS A STEWARDSHIP FOR WHAT LIES BEYOND!

EVERY BREATH MIGHT BE THE LAST ONE. That is not cause for fear but for renewed purpose.

Death is certain. The percentages are perfect. It is one common experience we will all share. Death is not funny, but a little humor can ease some of the upcoming grief.

As a college student in Boston, I became fascinated with the old cemeteries along the Freedom Trail. The stone markers. The shorthand summaries. One could imagine life stories connected to the last sentiments.

  1. Ma loved Pa. Pa loved women. Ma caught Pa with another gal swimmin’. Here lies Pa.
  2. I told you I was sick. (Adjacent tombstone) And I was sick of hearing it.
  3. I would rather be reading this.
  4. Here lies my wife. Please let her lie. She’s now in peace and so am I.
  5. We will never know “Why” this chicken tried to cross the road.
  6. I made some bad deals, but I went in the hole with this one.
  7. My wife finally stopped talking so I feel like I am in heaven.
  8. Some thought she was sweet, some thought she was swell, but we all know she went straight to “H-E-Double hockey sticks.” (I think this was a cat.)
  9. Now I know something you don’t.
  10.  Here lies the remains of Jonathan Peas under the sod, but he ain’t here, only the pod. Peas shelled out and went home to God.

A very popular testimony reads as follows: As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, so you shall be. Prepare yourself to follow me. (Read that again.)

On one of those tombstones, another phrase was etched into the rock: To follow you is not my intent, until I find out which way you went.

Appropriate humor can ease the stress and anxiety of certain death. But do not let the jokes distract you from the value of examining how you live your life. In fact, the #1 Textbook plainly and emphatically states that it is better to go to a funeral than to a party (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Why? Hopefully, it will cause you to think about how you intend to live the rest of your earthly life. All of life is a God-assigned stewardship.

Have you ever taken time to consider how your eternal existence can be eternal enjoyment?

God’s Word encourages us to contemplate our impending earthly demise and consider our days in order to make the most of our time. The #1 Textbook also points us to the endless eternity beyond so that we live now in faith, hope, and love.

The unknown part of death is one of the hardest concepts to grasp. We fear uncertainty.

Is death something to be feared? Something to hope? Will it be gain for you? Or will it be loss?

Is death a bitter loss or sweet gain? There is a thin line between sweetness and bitterness. In cooking, it could be the amount of sugar.

In spiritual things, the difference is hope. In a multitude of unanswered questions seasoned with blame and bitterness, you can still hope in God. When hope gets fully mixed into the recipe, you cannot see it; you just taste it.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is sweet gain (Philippians 1:21).

Our hope is not wishful thinking or positive confession or some mystical religious concept. Our hope is a Person. His name is Jesus. Hope in Jesus shapes how we live and how we die.

While Hope offers future blessings, Grief and trials are temporary. They last only for a little while, if necessary. Even a lifetime of suffering is just “a little while” compared to God’s promised inheritance of the riches of all His goodness. That inheritance will never perish, become dirty, or lose its value.

Mark Twain was blunt. “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

As one philosopher stated, it is not the date of birth or the date of death that matters most. It is what you do with the dash in between representative of your life’s stewardship. That dash has eternal implications.

ALL OF LIFE IS A STEWARDSHIP.

Enjoy life but live it for God. Rehearse dying. Yep, that is right.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon said this: “No man would find it difficult to die that died every day. He would have practiced it so often that he would only have to die but once more. Like the singer who has been through his rehearsals and is now perfect in His part and has but to pour forth the notes once for all and he is done.”

The “why” and the “dash” have everything to do with your stewardship and your legacy.

What will summarize your dash? What will be your tombstone testimony or memorial memory?

In life, we do not know exactly where the finish line is. We might get to a point where we know it could be in a few days, but most of the time it sneaks up on us.

All of us know we are going to die, but none of us expect it to come when it does. It usually comes too soon in our timetable of life expectancy. So the issue becomes how to finish strong with an ecstatic burst when you do not know the location or time of the finish line.

FINISHING STRONG IS NOT BY CHANCE OR ACCIDENT; IT COMES FROM HAVING A CLEAR PURPOSE.

What is your purpose for finishing strong? Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for Jesus’ appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). 

There is a crown of righteousness for all who are faithful to Christ and hope to see Him as their coming King.

What is that crown of righteousness? Theological scholars offer several ideas. For me, biblical righteousness is the “life and love of Christ” placed inside of me by the grace of God. My practice of that life and love of Christ is still flawed here on earth because of the remaining seeds of self-love which continue to dwell within me and war for the control of my soul. 

HOWEVER, THE VICTOR’S CROWN WILL BE THE “PERFECTION OF THE LIFE AND LOVE OF CHRIST IN ME” WHICH WILL BE FULLY DISPLAYED THROUGHOUT THE REST OF ETERNITY. 

What joy for me and what joy for others who will then be loved by me! I will love them without any selfish tendencies, without any selfish motives, without any selfish expectations. I will love God and love others perfectly, just as Jesus loves me! 

That is the championship reward for which we entrust ourselves to the God who causes all things to work together for our good. That is the joy for which we agonize and suffer now.

Fight THE Fight!  Finish THE Race!  Keep THE Faith!  Finish strong with an ecstatic burst into heaven!

John Donne wrote what should be the testimony of every Christian who is rehearsing the day of his death. Study this:

“Death, be not proud, though some have called thee mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so. For those whom thou thinkest thou dost overthrow, they die not. One short sleep passed, and we wake eternally and death shall be no more.”

No more death.

I love what was written about Enoch in the #1 Textbook. He walked with God.

My parents lived a very impactful life as a Hall of Fame coach and a highly accomplished educator wife. Both started from humble beginnings.

Dad was one of four brothers raised by a single, uneducated mom. They were abandoned by an alcoholic father. They fled his abuse in the middle of the night carrying all their belongings in pillow sacks. Their new home was in an abandoned chicken coup.

Mom grew up in humble surroundings as part of six siblings with uneducated parents. She was proud to be a coal miner’s daughter.

Both parents received many awards and professional acclaim. They positively impacted the lives of thousands of students and co-workers. Much could be written as their tombstone testimonies.

However, they chose their own epitaph. The tombstone plaque simply reads, “Gerald and Beatrice Blankenship, parents of Rex, Bill, Joe.”

That is their tombstone testimony. Their pride. Their joy. Their love. Their legacy.

What a blessing! What a humbling challenge!

To be loved unconditionally and endlessly is a tremendous blessing. It is also a stewardship responsibility to make sure that investment is not wasted.

You and I are loved by the God of Glory, Eternal Creator, Living Lord, Heavenly Father, Loving Savior, Supreme Majesty, and Sovereign King of kings.

We are loved first and foremost, loved most and forever. We are loved before and above everything else with a love that is independent, infinite, and immeasurable in its greatness.

We are loved with undeserved, unchanging, and unending goodness by the One who is Glorious in all he is, Perfect in all his ways, Faithful in all he does. Always wise, right, and good. Always with us and always for us.

And yet, He has no tombstone. He just writes his legacy in the heavens.

GOD of Rex, Bill, Joe, and YOU.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).

Dear family and friends, please don’t worry about me when my time comes.

I will be cutting down the nets! A victorious, joyful celebration!

Then I will take another breath filled with the life and love of Jesus…never-ending breaths…each breath better than the one before.

Join me in taking a deep breath. What if it were your last breath?

Enjoy your next last breath…again and again.

A Knight in Shining Armor…Again

It was the night I became the Knight in Shining Armor.

I slew the dragon. I beat up the monster. I scared away all the ghosts. And I saved the lovely maiden.

I won her heart…again.

Our beautiful young daughter won my heart at our first meeting. As I pulled back the blanket to get a glimpse of this gift from heaven, she reached out and grabbed my little finger.

Love at first sight. Love always and forever.

For my little sweetheart’s first night home from the hospital, I sat in a beanbag chair and held her all night. I spent the night adoring her and worrying about taking care of her.

So, it was no surprise that in her early years, each night ended up with the little blonde princess in bed with her mother and me. As our family added a baby brother, it became more of an ordeal to encourage my little girl to stay in her own bed throughout the night.

Most nights she ended up back in our bed because she was afraid of the dark. This fear is common among children.

However, my little angel played us like a fear-tuned fiddle.

Her nightly fears seemed to escalate in repetition and extremity until that night it all came to a crossroads. My love and frustration collided.

For the thousandth time, my little girl quietly shuffled into our bedroom and declared she was scared. Even the nightlight was not sufficient for the darkness surrounding her.

I escorted her back to her bed…again. Prayed with her…again. Then gave her a kiss…again. That is what dads do.

She hugged me and whispered about her fears. “Daddy, there are monsters in my closet and ghosts under my bed.”

I finally understood the dilemma. This was not the time for words of assurance. This was the time for action.

It was time to save the damsel in distress.

I rushed out of the room and quickly returned. My head was covered with a silver pot, shoulders draped with large towels, and a broomstick in my hands.

As I galloped into her bedroom on my imaginary white horse, I raised my makeshift sword and shouted, “Do not fear. Your knight in shining armor is here!”

The battle was on! The actions were emphatic. The sounds were dramatic.

I knew if this war was lost tonight, it would be Sleepless in Seattle forever.

I threw open the closet door and quickly destroyed the fire-eating dragon inside. I shouted at the monsters lurking in the dark corners of the room. I beat them into submission, one by one.

This Braveheart screamed, “Freeeeedommm!”

But there were still ghosts lurking under the bed. There was no time to call Ghostbusters. I had a broom. I quickly swept them all out from under the bed. My shouts frightened the scary ghosts as I chased them with my sword from the room, down the hall, and out the back door…never to return.

I returned to hear my daughter declare there was one more monster hiding in the back of the closet. No problem! Clothes and toys went flying as I wrestled with the last monster standing.

I beat him up until the monster begged for mercy. Surrender was not an option. I gave the “thumbs down” motion. This war is over. I carried the last monster’s lifeless body out to the backyard and threw it over the fence.

There is a memorable quote in the Sandlot movie where the baseball star, Babe Ruth, advises young Benny in a dream about the courage needed to retrieve Small’s famously autographed baseball from the nearby yard ferociously guarded by the junkyard dog known as ‘The Beast.’

“Remember, kid, there’s heroes and there’s legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.”

My lovely maiden was saved…again. But that night her hero became a legend.

I remain her Knight in Shining Armor. As the years have passed, King Rex has been joined at the Knights of the Round Table by my daughter’s husband and son.

Their innumerable acts of courage and kindness are the stuff of legends!

Girls of all ages dream of their knight in shining armor. Guys aspire to be that silver savior. Others just show up in boots and jeans with no clue what is going on in life.

Courage. Courtesy. Chivalry. Loyalty. Honor.

Fearless. Faithful. Doers of Good.

When was the last time you made a positive difference in someone’s life?

I had a dream last week that I was running for the office of governor. That sounds more like a nightmare. The campaign staff expressed concern because I did not approve their campaign slogans and advertising.

I kept insisting I just “need to do something good for someone today.” (Sadly, this was a dream.) Eventually, the saying and the daily deeds went viral on dreamland’s social media.

Followers began to spread the message and emulate the practice. In my dream, the “One Good Deed a Day” spiraled in multiplication and became a worldwide movement. What a dream!

Why is that not a deliberate reality in my life?

God’s Word instructs us to always do good to others.

Be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good (Ephesians 5:16).

Honor the Lord by always doing kind and good things for others (Colossians 1:10).

Why does that sound so foreign to our daily lives?

Following my do good dream, I was more attentive to the many acts of kindness by people around me. I watched a guy take someone else’s shopping cart back to the cart area. I witnessed a man carry a woman’s heavy box into the post office. I overheard a lady ask permission to buy another mother’s child candy.

Go good-deeders! Go!

I realize I am not the leader of this movement. I just want an invitation to join you and the other knights at the king’s round table.

Jesus even encouraged us to do good to our enemies.

Love your enemies, and do good, expecting nothing in return…Your reward will be great…You will be acting as sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and to those wicked ones who do not like Him (Luke 6:35).

That is a challenge to add to our plans for the day! We cannot dress in aluminum foil for that encounter. Put on the full armor of God!

Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27).

I have enough enemies to sustain my “do good to someone else” project for months.

Does it matter? It is the difference between War and Peace. How do we make a difference in this world as knights in shining armor?

Conquer evil by doing good (Romans 12:21).

Love First. Love Most. Every person. Everywhere. Every time.

Conquer horrible things done by bad enemies by doing good to them.

If each of us practiced that daily assignment, this world would tilt on its axis.

Every day is an adventure to conquer our enemies within and without. Slay the dragon of selfishness. Beat up the monsters of what might have been. Chase away the ghosts of regrets and unforgiveness. Raise up your sword of love and do one good deed for someone else.

One night long ago, one good deed by this knight in shining armor started a new routine of our daughter sleeping safely and soundly in her own bed. She knows there is a “Legend” nearby.

OK, the next Knight in Shining Armor task is to find a way to help our anxious dog feel safe at night outside my bedroom.

THE DOG DOES NOT NEED TO SLEEP IN OUR BED!

MONSTERS, DRAGONS, AND GHOSTS, BEWARE!

Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.

DARK IS THE NIGHT…AGAIN

It happened again. This was the worst.

The darkness began to press in. Press down. Press all around.

It was not the darkness of night. It was that darkness of the soul which battles and baffles us all. Some more than others.

My soul cried. I prayed for the darkness to disperse or, at least, diminish. When that did not happen, I whimpered, “Oh, no” and I whispered, “How long this time?”

Surely you have been there. Perhaps you live with someone who frequently visits that darkened cave. This darkness of the soul is more prevalent for some personalities than others. For some, it is a constant struggle.

I do not suffer as often or as long or as deeply as most. That does not make me a spiritually better or stronger person. That is just the way God wired me in my mother’s womb. I would need to be strong for others or at least put on a good front.

God has been faithful to give me the strength needed to encourage, protect, and hope for those not seeing any light on their horizon.

Last week, I lost all that confidence. It happened in a nanosecond. I was trying to clean something in the kitchen that did not have to be done at that moment. As I approached the trash can, I dropped several plastic water bottles. Two of them still had water in them but no bottle cap.

Water spilled out over the clean floor. Water. Small amounts of water probably rank as one of the easiest cleanup projects.

It was nothing, right? There are no mind readers for experiences such as this. It was the straw that broke this camel’s back.

My life was going through some stressful situations, but things were not abnormal or worse than ususal. However, in that moment, all the weight of that stress seemed to suddenly shift from God’s care to my ineptitude.

Even when I try to help, I mess things up worse. That conclusion on life was an endless echo in my mind.

My life went dark. Really dark.

I began to cry, to sob uncontrollably. I felt as if I were having a nervous breakdown. Thankfully, no one was there to witness the event or my emotional response. Even if there were, they could not have seen into my soul’s darkness.

If you have ever had the lights turned off in your heart, then you know what it feels like.

Difficulty. Disappointment. Danger. Discouragement. Desperation. Depression.

Darkness. Deep Darkness. Depths of Despair.

It feels as if all the weight of the world has been placed on your shoulders and the light of the world has been permanently extinguished.

Frustration: “How long is this going to last?” Fear: “This will never end.”

I open my heart because I know there are others who fight the same battle and wrestle with the same spiritual issue.

Most likely, you have heard or struggled with this thought: “Christians should never be depressed. Where is your faith?”

Have you read your Bible?

What about the cries of David in the darkness? I am so low; all I do is cry all day (Psalm 38). Why is my soul so downcast? Why am I so discouraged? (Psalm 42). How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever? How long will you look the other way when I am in need? How long must I be hiding this daily anguish in my heart? O Lord my God, I do not want to die in this darkness (Psalm 13).

Can we even speak of the darkness Job endured the night the lights were turned out in the land of Uz? (James 5:11). I hate my life. My soul is so bitter (Job 10:1).

Following a great spiritual victory, Elijah sat in the darkness overwhelmed and alone. The great prophet was so emotionally exhausted that he prayed to die. I have had enough, Lord; let me die (1 Kings 19:4).

Paul recounted the dark nights chained in prison, floating on ship wreckage in the ocean, and the many times he was beaten and dropped off at death’s doorstep (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). We were so burdened we despaired of life itself (2 Corinthians 1:8).

What about Moses sitting in the darkness of banishment, grief, and rebellious challenges to his leadership? Hated. Misunderstood. Alone. (Acts 7:25-29). Nights full of weariness, weaknesses, and worries.

Joseph battled distress, rejection, and false accusations for most of his life (Genesis 42:21). Do you think he ever struggled with despair while in the pit or prison or alone in those dark nights of captivity?

Hannah prayed in the darkness for years and years without seeing the light of hope. Her heart was deep in anguish as she wept bitterly night after night under a rival’s ridicule over her childless life (1 Samuel 1:10).

Naomi’s loss of husband and sons left her with no way out of the darkness. I have no hope. I am bitter about life. The Lord’s hand is against me (Ruth 1:12-13).

Jonah saw the prospect of death as far better than what life offered (Jonah 4:3).

What about Jeremiah’s laments of loneliness and insecurity? Will I ever see the light again? (Jeremiah 20:18).

And what about the spiritual darkness and emotional anguish Jesus experienced in the Gethsemane Garden? Jesus was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death (Matthew 26:38).

Have you read your Bible?

In this world you will have trouble and tribulation with many trials and sorrows (John 16:33).

This earthly life is chasing the wind. What is wrong cannot be made right; it is water over the dam; and there is no use thinking of what might have been (Ecclesiastes 1:12-15).

This world is broken. Life has been messed up.

Death is the big reminder of that reality. Sorrow is never far away. The tracks of our tears are everywhere.

Accidents. Addictions. Abuse. Aging.

Failed marriages. Wayward kids.

Cancer. Conflicts. Wars.

Suffering. Sickness. Self-centeredness. (Dare I say it?) Sin.

[Note: I see sin as the attitude and actions of loving yourself more than loving God or others.]

Almost nothing is as it was created to be. We were created to long for good and pursue happiness. However, we do not control the amount or timing of hurts, hardships, and burdens.

At some points in life, the unwelcome circumstances turn out the lights.

What can you do when dark is the night…again?

Have you read your Bible?


Ask the Lord to turn the light back on just as David did in his darkness. O Lord my God; give me light in my darkness (Psalm 13:3).

“GOD IS STILL GOD WITH THE LIGHTS ON OR THE LIGHTS OFF.” (Alistair Begg)

God is the Creator of light (Genesis 1) and the Father of lights (James 1:17.)

The stories of these Biblical examples were recorded to encourage our faith and hope in God.

They all lived in the cave of their heart’s darkness. Some for moments. Some for years. Some in repetitive cycles.

God did not chastise or express disappointment over their soul’s despondency. God turned on the lights. He sent angels. He renewed strength. He encouraged hearts. God gave help and hope, food and friends, compassion and children.

Sometimes, God spoke in a still small voice and sometimes God roared from the heavens. God was always there, even in the dark night.

Have you read your Bible?

All these encouragement examples learned to trust, smile, and hope…again. They had a change of attitude while still in the shadows of darkness.

Attitude is largely shaped by perception of life’s hardships and burdens.  

The light of God’s Word helps shape and sharpen one’s perception with the reality of truth.

When, Where, and How does that happen?

Have you read your Bible?

Note: This is important:

THEY LEARNED TO REJOICE BEFORE THE LIGHTS WERE TURNED BACK ON IN THEIR HEARTS.

I will always trust in you and in your mercy and shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has blessed me so richly (Psalm 13).

Hannah’s face was no longer sad, and she worshiped God…In due time, Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son (1 Samuel 1:18-20).

So, with the saints of the past, we trust and hope (and even sing) while we are still in the darkness. We might need to cry some as we wait for the Lord’s timing to do us the greatest good.

You are never alone. The night will be followed by light.

There is always a ray of hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is God’s faithfulness (Lamentations 3:21-23).

Compassion always comes after hurt. Hope always replaces despair. Joy always overshadows sorrow. Light always overcomes darkness. Always.

Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God. I would have despaired except I believed I would still see the goodness of the Lord in this earthly life. Be strong and courageous in my heart as I wait on the Lord. God will help me (Psalm 27:12-14).

GOD IS STILL GOD WITH THE LIGHTS ON OR THE LIGHTS OFF.

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

WHEN DARKNESS VEILS HIS LOVELY FACE,
I REST ON HIS UNCHANGING GRACE;
in every high and stormy gale,
MY ANCHOR HOLDS within the veil.

On Christ, the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand. (My Hope Is Built/The Solid Rock—Edward Mote)

FALLING on the ICE…AGAIN

It happened again. This was the worst.

About this time last year, I fell on the ice and cracked my hip. It was very painful, but I survived. So did my stupidity.

This season, I had a foolproof plan to carefully scrape the ice off my car windows. Everything was going fine…until I stepped to the north side of the vehicle.

Suddenly, both feet lost contact with the driveway as I slipped on the ice from the northerner that came in the night before. I fell to the pavement faster than when Ali knocked down his fighting opponent. Howard Cosell did not even have time to shout, “Down goes Frazier!”

I landed on my side and hip. Fortunately, it was not the dumbbell side of my head. In one fell swoop, I body-skated to the end of my driveway. My arms clung to our curb while my feet rested in the road.

My first thought was I hope none of the neighbors saw this. My second thought never made it into my mind because of the horrific pain.

The hurt increased as I assessed the damage. I could not get up. I needed help.

Any slight movement only increased the pain. If a medical attendant had asked me to describe the pain level from one to ten, I would have responded, “Higher.” It was at least triple digits.

I grimaced and moaned as I grappled to get the cell phone from my winter jacket. My loving and adorable and kind and caring wife was inside on the couch in front of the fireplace. I called for help. There was no answer. Maybe she was on the phone talking to someone else. I tried two more times with no response.

By now, I wished a neighbor had witnessed my slippery demise. I cried out for help. All in vain as the strong wind whistled into my ear, “You stupid man!”

That is right; I might be stupid, but I am a ‘man.’ I can manage this. I tried to rise to crawl. Both knees refused to participate.

I decided to slide up the slope. Wrong direction for sliding. Not going to happen.

I remembered my dad teaching his sons to trust their instincts in tough times.

So, I slowly slithered up the slippery slope like the sinuous snake I am, inch by inch.

This was no quick recovery. There was enough time to build Hoover Dam.

Eventually, I pulled my aching body into the edge of the garage where I rolled onto my back. That way, I could feel the pain better.

I tried another unanswered phone call, even a text for “Help!”

I called my daughter in Colorado. I thought she might be able to get to my aid before my wife wondered about my disappearance for several days. There was no answer. I realized they were talking to each other.

I began to yell. I called out for Vicki. I screamed for help! All to no avail.

Finally, after what felt like hours of pain intolerance, the door to the house opened. Vicki was on the phone. She told our daughter, “I think your dad is hurt. I will call you back.”

Wow! What clue helped Miss Marple crack the case of the slithering snake crying in the garage?

Was it that I was flat on my back? Or the moans of discomfort? Or the whimper of incredible pain? I imagine it was the faint whispers begging for help.

Yes, injured people need help. And for the record, stupid people need to be shown sympathy and patience.

I recovered but now I have a greater fear of ice.

I am sure you have fallen at times. It might have resulted in a severe injury. I vividly remember some of my worst falls.

I fell off a ladder near the top of my house while trimming limbs off a tree. As I stepped onto the top of the ladder, my foot slipped. In a nanosecond, I had to make a reactionary decision: Either let my head hit on the brick wall or allow my body to crash through the window of the house. 

In that nanosecond, I chose another option. I went into the “imaginary world of not” and thought it better to just jump backwards and use my athleticism and nimble, cat-like reflexes to land on my feet somewhere in the driveway. It worked…badly. 

Somehow, my head avoided being splattered across the cement driveway. However, my pride had taken a big pounding. I fell twelve feet onto the concrete and landed on my back, not my feet. I looked up to see the ladder falling on my face and chest.

Yep! It was a scene right out of the Roadrunner cartoons where Wiley Coyote falls and then something falls on him.

This cat gave up four of his nine lives in that stupid endeavor.

There was nothing left to do but slowly roll my way into the garage…again. Lying in the unbearable pain of stupidity, I yelled for my wife…again. The only response was the startup sounds of the vacuum cleaner. This was going to take a while.

I recovered but now I have a greater fear of heights.

Not long ago, I was run over by a speeding truck. It was a football player running full force into my chest. I was bulldozed on the gridiron sidelines.

As the game was grinding to its conclusion, I began to mingle with the players along the midfield sidelines. Suddenly, the running back was pushed from behind which accelerated his momentum. It also hastened my demise.

The players on the sideline parted like the Red Sea. They acted like matadors waving their arms as the charging bull aimed its horns at my red cape shirt.

The runaway train was full steam ahead. I had nowhere to go. I was hemmed in. It was time to face the music.

One word described the impending impact. Unavoidable.

One word described the post smash-up. Painful.

The collision was straight on. His helmet and shoulder pads crashed into my chest. My ageing years and added weight prevented me from getting completely airborne. Instead, I just got plowed over.

It was like watching a trainwreck in slow motion! My body was violently knocked backwards. My cap went flying.

My silence shouted, “This is bad.”

My mind radioed the distress signal: “Mayday! Mayday! Houston, we have a problem!”

I had time to think this might be a career ending injury. At some point, my head bounced off the hard ground. I never lost consciousness …except for that period my spirit was floating somewhere above the stadium.

The young players showed great compassion as they quickly reacted to my prone position. I asked them just to let me lie there for a moment.

I needed more time for my mind to do an emergency inventory evaluation of which body parts planned to get up with me. Surely, some appendages had separated or permanently retired from active duty.

Sometimes, it feels as if life has thrown you under the bus. This felt more like the bug splattered on the bus window. SPLAT!!!

Well-wishers surrounded me. A few players volunteered to speak at the memorial service. It is comforting to know that some people will love and miss you when that time comes.

I recovered but now I have a greater fear of collisions.

I recently stumbled at the supermarket and faceplanted on a watermelon right in front of the main entrance.

I recovered but now I have a greater fear of watermelons.

You might conclude from this that I am a clumsy, unathletic, worthless nothing. Not true. I am just directionally insensitive.

Obviously, I have fallen many times. I seem to specialize in falls which accentuate my stupidity! Even then, God was with me. God was with me on the ice, the ladder, the sidelines, and the fruit stand.

God was with me in between the fall and the impact. God was with me in those nanoseconds, saying, “You idiot.” The actual scriptural phrase from the #1 Textbook is, “You foolish man and frail creature of dust.”  

I am certain you have experienced some physical pains this past year. It may have been a fall, disease, surgery, or something minor. All of us have experienced a little more physical pain than a year ago. The greater hurt comes from the emotional pain like grief, loneliness, anxiety, or stress.

In every moment of pain and grief, we all have reason to fall into greater gratitude to God.

My physical injuries could have been worse. The emotional pain you have been through this year could have been worse. We may be a little worse off, but we are still here.

It is especially important that we live out what we are learning about God’s presence and care. God knows when we are painfully falling physically and God knows when our life is emotionally falling apart.

Psalm 139 begins, “God knows what I do and wherever I go. He knows when I sit and when I rise, when I go out and when I lie down. He is familiar with all my ways. He knows all my thoughts. Before there is a word on my tongue, he knows even the secrets of my heart…God holds my right hand.” 

Somehow, through all the stumbles and falls, our lifelong journey falls into place.

That raises the important question for everyone who falls and falls…again?

Are we falling into gratitude? 

You do not have to be flat on your back to count your blessings. But it might help you get a better perspective on life. Every moment matters. Every person matters. Every additional morning is precious.

Falling hurts. If you need to cry, then cry. That is not a lack of faith. But focus on God through your tears.

Falling hurts. When others have been knocked down in life, they need a caring heart and a helping hand. They do not need criticism or condemnation. They need hope.

What can you learn from falling?

You are never, never—no matter whatever is going on in your life, never out of the sight and care of your Heavenly Father. He is holding your hand, even when you are falling.

“Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me…You hold my right hand.  You hold me tight” (#1 Textbook).

“I am the Lord Almighty God who is with you and for you. Do not be afraid” (#1 Textbook).    

When the Biblical patriarch Jacob kept falling again and again, he moaned that “all these things are against me.” He later came to realize that all these things were used by God for his good.

Surely, you have those moments when you feel as if all these things are against you. God is orchestrating them for your good.

As Jacob’s lost son, Joseph, later declared about all the sad and bad things done to him by bad people, “They meant it for evil, but God intended it for good.” 

And God will use all the sad and bad things done to you to bring you greater good.

Jacob and Joseph fell into gratitude. So can we. Even in great grief there is greater gratitude.

I am praying for you and me to be awakened into a greater awareness of God’s presence in every area of our lives, especially in our falls.

Give thanks to God in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

I am praying that we fall into greater gratitude…again and again.

Stay safe!

I HOPE YOU DANCE…AGAIN

I Hope You Dance.

The song with that title sung by Lee Ann Womack stirs my heart with love and prayers for my children and grandchildren. It expresses my sentiments and hopes for them to cherish every moment in life, face challenges with courage not fear, and chase their dreams relentlessly.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid your love ever leave you empty-handed

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one door opens
Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance...I hope you dance

Life is full of opportunities for happiness. However, hope and courage are necessary to navigate the road filled with obstacles, challenges, pressures, and fears.

God is the source of Hope; but is it okay to dance?

I was raised in church where the common phrase was overheard many times, “Baptists do not dance; they do not smoke or chew or go with girls who do.”

I never smoked and did not chew. So, I guess two out of four is not bad.

I was never very good at dancing unless one considered a choreographed imitation of Steve Martin’s wild and crazy non-rhythmic toe-tapping finger pointing happy movements as cute and humorous.

God is the reason to dance through life. He is the only source of Hope and Help.

I pray that your heart might dance as it faces the challenges of life. I hope you feel loved, forgiven, blessed.

As I pray for you and my family, I realize there are too many kids having to grow up without encouragement to dance in hope. Much needed ministries strive to help them.

I want to share one life story where despair turned to dancing.

This youngster grew up in a dysfunctional family. It was a big family, lots of brothers and sisters. He was one of the youngest. His mother died when he was a little boy. His father was immoral, a thief, and an habitual liar who deceived and cheated his way through life.

Somehow, this young boy never lost his sense of wonder.

Besides his untrustworthy father, the boy was mistreated by his siblings. He was abused, bullied, resented, and unwanted. He grew up around crime. His sister was sexually assaulted. His brothers lied to hide their wrongdoings including murder.

The Wikipedia description of his developmental years would read more like the crimes of a mob family than a dancing troupe.

He often felt small and was left empty-handed; but he kept on dreaming.

Eventually, he was ostracized from all his family and became homeless. As a young man, he was in and out of prison. His early life was filled with manual labor and low-level jobs. He even cleaned toilets and mopped floors just to get by. There were bad bosses and undesirable circumstances.

The young man gave faith a fighting chance. When he had many reasons to sit it out, he chose to dance.

He was hated, lied to, and lied about. He was cheated and mistreated. He had no chance to make it in life, just left without help and hope—except for God’s plan.

When one door closed, another door opened. It was all part of God’s plan.

In the midst of all the turmoil and trauma, he gave his life and circumstances to God. God molded him through the adversity and used him as a great vessel to help others all over the world.

Eventually he forgave and reconciled with his family and provided for their needs. He became rich and famous, but most of all he became a godly family man who lived and loved like Jesus.

He refused to let some hell-bent hearts leave him bitter. Whenever he was close to sellin’ out, he reconsidered his place in God’s plan.

His life was characterized by humility, holiness, happiness, and hope. He showed love and forgiveness to those responsible for his traumatic experiences.

Through it all, he never took one single breath for granted. God was with him, in him, over him, and under him.

HIS NAME WAS JOSEPH, A TRAUMA VICTOR…A HOPE POSTER. HIS LOVE CHANGED GENERATIONS FOR THE BETTER. HE LEFT THIS LASTING LESSON FOR ALL OF US AS HE SPOKE TO THOSE WHO HAD MISTREATED HIM.

 “You meant evil against me, BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD, to bring about good for many people.” (#1 Textbook)

But God meant it for good.

That is dancing music!

That describes your life no matter wherever you are on the trauma-hope spectrum.

Hope is not an outcome…it is the ever-growing confident expectation of experiencing all the goodness God has promised…somehow…some way…some time.

I say again to all of us, “That is heavenly music. I hope you dance.”

The young men and women will dance for joy…AND SO WILL THE OLD (Jeremiah 31:13).

There is my personal note from God, “I Hope You Dance…Again.”

Joseph discovered the answers to his questions were found in the person and character of God. When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You (Psalm 56:3).

Hope in God is grounded in the promises of God which are grounded in the person of God revealed in the Word of God.

Do not worry or envy those who cause so much trauma in your life.
They will fade away like winter grass.
Trust in the Lord and do good.
Be kind to others.
Trust God to help you.

Be patient.
Do not give in to anger, fear, or worry.
The Lord directs every step and always holds your hand.
Blessings are coming.

God designed it all for your greatest good.
Our hope is in God.
There is a wonderful future ahead for you. What a different story!
There is a happy ending. (Psalm 37).

What should you do in those moments of desperation where God is your only hope? Preach to your trauma-troubled soul…change your thoughts…change the source for your thoughts.

AND DANCE!

Whenever you focus on your problems, it always spirals into fear, worry, anger, anxiety, depression. You must replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Change the source of your thoughts.

God changed my sorrow into dancing (Psalm 30:11).

Learn to preach to your troubled soul from God’s Word. Remind yourself, “God is my one and only hope…my only rock…my only salvation…my only real hope. God is the solid rock under my feet, breathing room for my soul. Everything I need comes from Him. I will trust and hope in God” (Psalm 62:5).

What are the lessons passed on that taught Joseph, Job, Miriam, David, and Solomon to dance...again?

There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

God is always faithful. Always! God is always with you and for you in every trial and trauma and trouble.

Choose to LIVE. Choose to LOVE.

Joseph experienced a plethora of traumatic challenges. Hatred. Deception. Betrayal, Abuse. Abandonment. Persecution. Slavery. False accusations. Injustice. Imprisonment.

When Joseph faced the challenges of life, he chose to LIVE and LOVE. He came through those traumatic life experiences with forgiveness and without resentment. How? He eventually understood “but God meant it all for good.”

Don’t let some hellbent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to sellin’ out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

I hope you dance

Joseph eventually saw the bigger picture of his life. It was God-designed to be a benefit to so many more people than himself.

Take heart, my friend. You have not yet read the last chapters of your God-written story! Faith and Hope are always future-oriented. Like Joseph, we often see the Lord’s goodness only through a rear-view mirror.

Oh Lord, please give us a bigger perspective than a focus on our past or present troubles. Change our thoughts. Give us wisdom. Renew our faith. Strengthen our hope in the unchanging, unending faithfulness of our God!

Make us Dance…Again!

GOD SHOWED UP…AGAIN!

(Subtitle: The Rock Where God Changed My Life)

It was a big rock sheltered by tall pine trees gently swaying beneath a summer midnight sky brightened by a full moon.

God set me on a rock…and God showed up again.

In the stillness of that moment, my life was changed…forever…again.

I was nineteen.

Although many years have passed and many miles have been travelled, I can close my eyes and return to the reality of that moment…again and again.

This week, I sat on that rock feeling alone. God showed up…again.

[Note: As I was working this past week on this Winsday Wisdom session, I heard an excellent sermon by Grant Rose, Pastor of Shreveport Springs of Grace. He used this title as he preached on one of Jacob’s divine encounters, this one recorded in Genesis 35:9, “God appeared (showed up) again.” I have included some notes and thoughts generated by his message.]

HOW GOD SEES YOU IS TRUER THAN HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF.

HOW GOD SEES OTHERS IS TRUER THAN HOW YOU SEE OTHERS.

The first time this specific rock became so special to my life was the summer following my first year in college. I was happy to be back home. My high school years in our small town were fun, very comfortable with good friends and good experiences.

I went to college sixteen hundred miles away from home. It was not as much fun as I anticipated. I met interesting people, found some future friends, saw historic landmarks, and became the starting quarterback for the Crimson football team. However, I really had little desire to return for another year.

The “opportunity of a lifetime” did not give cause for me to return for subsequent years. Desire for fame and fortune did not resonate in my heart and soul.

This large rock was my place of solitude and peace. I was in the Kiamichi Mountains at the church camp I attended for one summer week ever since I was ten.

The previous summer, my best friend, Mike, and I supervised the guys. We have lived many years in fear of Bobbie returning to our doorstep demanding retribution for the egregious number of push-ups assigned to him for his incessant talking during quiet hours.

This particular summer, my pastor recruited me to return as camp counselor.

Preacher Ewing was wonderful at this summer camp stuff. Fun activities, spiritual talks around the campfire, and the VERY BEST cinnamon rolls. Preacher could cook. While other church campers fed on cereal and sandwiches, we ate fried chicken, steaks, and homemade desserts.

The Preacher did not foretell me I would be the primary and only counselor of seventy-seven youth under the age of seventeen. He did not mention that he and his wife would spend the nights at a hotel in the nearby town so he could be back to start breakfast by 5 AM.

There were two cabins, one for the boys and one for the girls. Mischief and hanky-panky were separated by ten feet. There was also a kitchen cabin of goodies available for late night raids. I was the only one responsible for the oversight of their safety and well-being.

This situation looked as if it were a recipe for disaster.

I began the late-night watchman vigils on the rock. It was the best place to keep an eye on all the cabins as well as any possible nightcrawlers.

I did feel like Jacob on those nights he laid his head down on a rock, sometimes feeling lonely, sometimes feeling treated unfairly. He had nights filled with feelings of shame, failure, and grief.

Then God showed up…again. Each time it changed Jacob into how God saw him and others and the future.

The same can be said of Joseph’s life. The feelings were the same. Instead of the rock location, God showed up in a pit and a prison and a foreign land.

Outwardly, one would think I had an easy life. This night I was fearful of the future. The immediate future. The intermediate future. The distant future.

While my thoughts raced from suspected shadows nearby to places far away, I looked up. I stared at the moon and the stars. I listened to the treetops whistling in the breeze. I was watching over the seventy-seven, but I was alone.

That is when God showed up…again.

I grew up in a home where Mom and Dad loved Jesus. They read God’s Word. I never missed church. I found a personal relationship with Jesus at the age of eight. I renewed that devotion during some special moments at this camp throughout my youth years.

God’s Word taught me how to live for what is right, how to stand alone when necessary. At college, I did not neglect my love for Jesus. I was not perfect and definitely not preachy. I was just trying to get a passing grade in my classes and be better as a quarterback.

I participated in university activities with some guys and gals who were very rich. Some were very smart. A few were both.

One night in late spring, a pebble hit my dorm window. A teammate motioned for me to come down. (We did not have cell phones then, so rock throwing was one of our caveman ways of communication.)

I sat with Bill on the front steps of my dorm overlooking the campus Yard. He wanted to ask me a question, “What is different about you?”

I did not know if that was intended as a compliment or a criticism. He explained that he and others saw an inner strength and motivation that appeared different to how they lived. I did not preach that night. I just know God showed up…again.

This night sitting on a Kiamichi rock was not like any of the other times. I was unsure about who I was, where I was headed, what I should do, or why. I did not have the spiritual navigational skills to explore the horizons or plummet the depths of such questions.

But God showed up…again.

God knew who I was and where I was, as well as what was ahead.

I listened closely that night to the voice speaking to my heart. It was a mountaintop experience. That night, I committed everything to Jesus as Lord of all for all time…again.

God changed me…again. It was a lifechanging moment. It changed how I view God, life, and myself.

As David said from his lowest point, “God lifted me out of the pit of despair…set my feet on a rock, made my future footsteps firm, and placed a new song in my heart” (Psalm 40:1-3).

HOW GOD SEES YOU IS TRUER THAN HOW YOU SEE YOURSELF.

It is truer than how you are thinking or feeling at the time.

I say it over and over. “Everyone needs to find their rock.”

I have been back to my rock several times physically and countless times spiritually.

You have a place where God showed up; go back there. If not, find one. It does not have to be a rock. It can be a chair or your bed. It might be an open field or a small garden. It might be on a mountain or beside a lake. Or the beach!

God shows up in all those places in the Scriptures and in our lives…again and again.

Go there. Take your loneliness and unfair treatment. Take your bitterness and resentment. Take your shame and failure. Take your loss and grief and go there!

When God shows up, it changes you. It changes how you think, feel, and see yourself. It changes how you see others.

You are not running this life race by yourself. You are “in Christ.”

Fully forgiven. Fully loved. Fully heaven bound. Fully graced with the desire and power to love others first and most.

God’s perfect life and love dwell inside you. That is truer than your perception of present circumstances or prospective future. You have been changed by God. See your life and the life of others through that lens.

I went back to the rock this past week. God knew I needed it more than I realized.

I came away singing, “Love lifted me. Love lifted me. When nothing else could help, God’s love lifted me…Again!”

I think I even heard the heavenly roar of the angels!

MY BIRTHDAY BUCKET LIST

One of my recent birthday greetings came with a question: “What type of plans does one make when he gets to your advanced age?”

I immediately texted a reply. “Throw away the old Bucket List and start a new one.”

Bucket List—things a person hopes to do or achieve during their lifetime.

Where do you start? First, find a bucket. Then make a list of things you desire to do before you “kick the bucket.” As time goes by, try to remember where you placed the bucket.

Hopes, dreams, and anticipated adventures brighten life. The clouds of reality necessitate revisions. Some items are checked off as completed. Some evolve because of limitations or need updated by new opportunities.

There is also danger the anticipated list of future activities can become forgotten or lost in the thoughts of present circumstances.

Therefore, a new calendar year or another birthday milestone becomes a good time for reflection on one’s Bucket List.

For example:

(1) See “The Seven Wonders of the World” might be replaced with “See one non-horrifying Wonder in the Mirror.”

(2)”Skydiving” might be updated to “Staying inside the house until all the ice melts.”

(3)“Win an Olympic gold medal in basketball for the United States” can be revised to “Block the basketball shot of my four-year-old grandson in the playroom and do a celebratory dance as if I were John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.“

(4) “Walk along the Great Wall of China” might need to take a backseat to “Skinny Dipping in Iceland.“

OK, let’s get real.

Here are some of my Bucket List items that have been canceled as well as a list of their replacement dreams and aspirations. I hope this will encourage you as you do your Bucket List Spring cleaning and reassessment of future goals.

Here is a quick rundown of my New Bucket List Top Twenty.

1. (Expired) See Elvis perform live in concert. That is not going to happen. Elvis has left the building!

*(Update) Watch my grandkids perform in song, dance, and athletic endeavors.

2. (Expired) Become an astronaut and go to the Moon.

*(Update) Get surgery on my eyes so I can gaze at the stars.

3. (Expired) Invest in Apple stock startup. *(Update) Be grateful I can still eat an Apple.

4. (Expired) Find my baseball card collection that Mom claimed she threw away.


*(Update) Look at pictures of the valuable vintage baseball cards on the internet as I announce to my family for the thousandth time that I owned that card and we would be rich, but my mom threw it away.

5. (Expired) Apologize personally to Olivia Newton-John for the embarrassment, humiliation, and broken heart I caused her by my rejection of the many times she publicly stared into my eyes and declared for the whole world to hear, “I Honestly Love You.” [Note: Olivia recently passed away. The physician lamented that the chronic suffering from her broken heart weakened her “Let’s Get Physical” body. Too much “Grease” to bear.]

*(Update) Stay married by trashing all my Olivia album covers.

6. (Expired) Climb Cavanal Hill in Poteau, the highest hill in the world.

*(Update) Do whatever it takes to get into the refrigerator without help or dietary restrictions.

7. (Expired) Become a back-up singer for the “My Girl” Four Tops Motown group.

*(Update) Sound in tune one time while singing with the church congregation.

8. (Expired) Market the highly competitive and addictive family table game I invented with my brothers, The Inspector Clouseau Space Age Breakfast Game with the Special Ovaltine Overtime Option.

*(Update) Invent a quieter game with a shorter name.

9. (Expired) Own an ocean-view condo at Crescent Beach, Florida, before hell freezes over.

*(Update) See the beautiful sand beaches covered in ice and snow. CHECK-Done.

10. (Expired) Help find the Cure for Cancer.

*(Update) Humble myself to ask for help finding the TV remote.

11. (Expired) Become Governor of Oklahoma by age fifty.

*(Update) Spend ten weeks of my brief remaining lifespan sitting, talking, calling, emailing, and waiting in long lines at government offices just to obtain a copy of my Social Security card, which I have not needed for fifty years. Check (Done)

12. (Expired) Stand in Madison Square Garden in the same place as Billy Graham and preach to thousands of people.

*(Update) Exchange sleeping places with our dog.

13. (Expired) Enjoy playing new card and board games.

*(Update) Live long enough for my wife and sister-in-law to read all the rules and directions of the new game without saying, “Let’s just play.”

14. (Expired) Dunk a basketball like Michael Jordon or Doctor J.

*(Update) Learn how NOT to double-dribble while slurping soup at the restaurant.

15. (Expired) Memorize the New Testament.

*(Update) Try to remember the names of the four gospels.

16. (Expired) Be crowned the winner of Jeopardy‘s Tournament of Champions.

*(Update) Return from the store one time and hear my wife say, “Well done, thou good and faithful stupid servant.”

17. (Expired) Publish the brilliant short instructional and illustrated book I wrote for Angie, my sister-in-law, appropriately titled, Games that are Impossible to Lose.

*(Update) Tell the loser the truth. Barnes & Noble want to place the book in the Fiction section.

18. (Expired) Teach my grandchildren NOT to be afraid of crawdads.

*(Update) Pray my grandchildren NEVER see me using Armor All car cleaning wipes as a napkin for my face.

19. (Expired) WORLD PEACE.

*(Update) Keep everyone in the world away from my last piece of cheesecake.

20. (Expired) Grow up to be like the Lone Ranger. I did develop his private Personna, but not his courage.

*(Update) Just be remembered…like Michelangelo or the statue of David.

[Note: Another sister-in-law’s question: “How long did David stand like that for Michelangelo?” Right. Think about that for a second.]

I hope your Bucket List comes true.

For me and for all those I love, I place this prayer on my permanent Bucket List.

  1. LIVE NEARER TO GOD THIS YEAR THAN I DID THE LAST.
  2. LOVE FIRST…LOVE MOST….EVERYONE…EVERYWHERE…EVERYTIME...

FAKE NEWS The John Harvard Statue

HARVARD UNIVERSITY STATUE

HAS BEEN REDESIGNED TO CELEBRATE ITS LEAST DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE!

That is not the first use of “Fake News” at Harvard.

The John Harvard Statue’s inscription states: John Harvard, Founder, 1638.

That Harvard Yard icon is the most photographed place of the historic university I attended many years ago. It is also a Fake News landmark.

FAKE NEWS!

“Fake News” is false information or stories broadcast or published as news in social media for fraudulent purposes. It can be misinformation intended to influence one’s perception of the truth on social media or used as journalistic clichés and angry political rants.

The centerpiece of Harvard Yard is inscribed with “Fake News” inaccuracies. The Harvard University motto is “Veritas,” which is Latin for “TRUTH.” Ironically, the iconic John Harvard Statue has come to be known as the “Statue of Three Lies.”

  1. The statue is NOT an image of John Harvard, even though his name is written in stone at the statue’s base. The artist used a student model.

There were no “likenesses” of the real John Harvard. Several portraits were destroyed in a fire. The artist used a descendant’s nephew of one of the school’s presidents, Leonard Hoar, as a stand-in model for John Harvard.

[Note: It was a Harvard tradition to name its Houses (upper classmen dorms) after former university presidents (i.e. Eliot House, Lowell House, Adams House). For obvious reasons, there was a reluctance to name a House after President Hoar.

You might need a moment to consider why the University debated the charitable value of Hoar House.]

2. John Harvard was NOT the Founder of the school.

The engraving of John Harvard as “Founder” is also not true. The college was started by a declaration of a Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Harvard was the first generous benefactor to the college. He endowed the school with a large monetary gift and a donation of over 400 books for the college library.

3. Harvard was NOT founded in 1638.

The College began two years earlier in 1636, which established it as the oldest institute of higher learning in the United States. John Harvard’s large donation was given in 1638. The New College was renamed the following year after its renowned benefactor.

Fake News! The statue representation of Harvard TRUTH is NOT an image of John Harvard. He was NOT the founder of the school, and the college did NOT begin in 1638.

FAKE NEWS is not New News.

Some “Fake News” just works its way into our cultural vernacular through substitution or omission.

The original adopted shield and motto for Harvard College was “Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae,” meaning ‘Truth for Christ and the Church.’ The original shield symbolized the vital importance of God’s revealed wisdom from the #1 Textbook. Subsequent leadership of Harvard College considered God’s Word as necessary for the proper understanding and application of educational reasoning.

Sadly, Harvard dropped the Christ reference from its University shield and motto. The relevance of Jesus Christ was diminished many years before that. Some Harvard people got so smart that they no longer needed wisdom. The FAKE NEWS has continued. The school’s research has become very short-sighted in its scope and thesis.

I am most likely the least educationally distinguished and least worldly successful graduate of Harvard…ever. I was blessed by the opportunity and fortunate to survive the challenge. I cherish the friendships.

The favorite part of my give-back to the university occurs when I receive the annual fundraising solicitation from a current student. I ask the volunteer if he is aware of the reason Harvard was founded as an institute of higher learning. Following his response, I always have the opportunity to quote the university’s original purpose:

“Let every student be plainly instructed and consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life. And therefore, to lay Christ at the bottom of the only foundation for all sound learning and knowledge, seeing that only the Lord gives wisdom.”

That is NOT Fake News.

There is no Veritas without Christ. That is the Truth since before the beginning of time. It mattered in the time of Adam’s pursuit of knowledge. It mattered in Solomon’s educational explorations for true purpose and happiness in life. It mattered to the original founders and instructors of Harvard University. Any other foundation for learning and knowledge will NOT be “sound.”

One either builds his/her house of learning on the rock or on sinking sand. When the storms of life come, the Truth is revealed.

Truth or Fake Truth? What is your personal house of learning built upon? Have you ever had your foundation inspected?

Fake news is not a sure foundation for life.

Where did this “fake news” start?

Fake news started in the Garden of Eden when Eve chose to listen to a lie that misrepresented reality. “Did God really say you would die? Maybe God does not want your life to improve to where you do not need to depend on Him.”

The Israelite patriarchs shared fake news of their brother Joseph’s death. The Old Testament hero, Abraham, lied to save his hide. King David used deception to outmaneuver his enemies and then to cover his illicit behavior. False prophets, led by Hananiah, challenged Jeremiah’s lament by swaying public opinion with “fake news” about coming peace in Israel (Jeremiah 28:15-17).

Fake News is not New News.

The Roman Empire was filled with “fake news” for political, military, and economic gain. Octavian Augustus took over as first Emperor by spreading fake news of military hero Antony’s leadership potential as being compromised by his relationship with Cleopatra.

The creation of the printing press was soon used as a source to disseminate “fake news” about the discovery of life on the moon. Centuries later, newspapers circulated theories that the moon landing was a hoax.

Deliberate misinformation, intentional lies, deceitful stories, false propaganda, and political spin are not new to our world. Military warfare, advertising campaigns, and football alignments flourish in the midst of propaganda misinformation, half-truths, and deception.

It never takes long for satire, hoaxes, errors, and conspiracy theories to muddle truth and falsehood into a mixture of confused reality defended by conflicting experts. People choose sides and hatefully criticize those with a different perspective.

These “made-up” stories generate traffic for social media websites which profit from the resulting advertising revenue. The result creates a world-view perception where we do not know what to believe or whom to trust.

“FAKE NEWS” IS NOW USED AS A REFERENCE TO ANYTHING WE DO NOT LIKE OR AGREE.

The truth of God’s Word matters today in an enlightened culture of humanistic education. No wonder minds are darkened, and understanding is lost in a world where people are lovers of self and lovers of money (things) rather than lovers of God.

The time will come when people will accumulate (fake truth) teachers who tell them only what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3).

“Fake News” is not new news. Take note of this quote which sounds as if it might be current cultural commentary.

“Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle…The man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.” (That sounds as if it came from this week’s commentators from the competing news networks. That observation was actually made by Thomas Jefferson in 1807).

Time has not improved our news’ sources.

There is only one reliable source of Truth…God’s Word.

In response to today’s culture, be a student of Truth. Saturate your mind with God’s Word. Evaluate everything through the lens of Scripture.

Think for yourself as you listen to various viewpoints. Demonstrate humility as you share your opinions. There is no need for and no advantage to shouting louder or with more anger.

Remember you always have the Good News. Consider everything through its filter.

What is truth? It depends on whom you ask. Our culture reshapes truth to fit its latest whims. Historical truth is rewritten by social agendas. Scientific truth fluctuates with new discoveries. Philosophical truth varies with each new viral TikTok sage.

Legal truth is changed to accommodate current morality trends. Love twists truth to fit personal convenience. Political truth is redefined according to one’s “Fake News” adherence to CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, or ESPN. To quote my son-in-law’s book, they are all Beyond Bias.

We live in our own man-centered world of “relative truth” and “situational ethics.” University professors and students scoff at the concept of truth. Truth is now clothed in preferences and opinions and lifestyle choices. Our normality has become filled with fake news, edited selfies, and padded resumes.

Does it matter? Yes! Our self-made versions of reality are flawed from inception.

The skeptical Roman ruler, Pilate, responded with the rhetorical question, “What is truth?”

Jesus Christ claimed, “I am Truth.”

Each of us stakes our earthly and eternal life on what we believe. Each of us lays a bottom for the foundation of sound learning and knowledge, hoping it will produce wisdom. You do NOT need to go to Harvard to find the TRUTH. Just be sure NOT to lose it there.

My Harvard professor for a class on the New Testament refused to accept my paper on the subject, A Personal Relationship with Jesus. He argued that had nothing to do with the New Testament material. I wondered if he had ever read the New Testament. Ironically, my highest university grade was earned in a history class for my “fake” Civil War Diary.

This session is not my argument or debate with anyone. I do not condemn those who share a different opinion. I am just stating my college thesis.

The question is whether this #1 Textbook affirmed by the early Harvard leadership is the sole foundation for wisdom. Or is it to be rejected as irrelevant and unnecessary to learning as subsequent university educators propose? I believe it is what it claims to be.

God’s #1 Textbook declares itself to be the sole, supreme, and sufficient source of Truth. “The sum of God’s Word is Truth.” It reveals the Creator as the “God of Truth.” Jesus proclaimed that he came into this world as the “revelation of Truth” in human expression.

Truth means nothing apart from God. That is an unchanging reality whether one comes from Adam or from Harvard. When any person refuses to honor or thank God, his/her thoughts become futile; his/her foolish heart remains darkened. Professing to be wise, they reveal themselves to be fools (#1 Textbook).

One cannot disassociate truth from the knowledge of God revealed in His #1 Textbook. Life does not work that way, no matter how many people lecture, vote, or protest.

Well, for all the Pilates out there past, present, and future, I do not claim to be the expert. But there is One who is proven qualified. No search or soliloquy regarding truth will be successful apart from Him.

Truth is not subjective. There has to be a starting point. Any other starting point than the Creator God revealed in His self-revelatory #1 Textbook will be a person-based philosophy full of hidden flaws and ultimate futility.

Good and evil, right and wrong, honor or dishonor, love or self-centeredness, beautiful or ugly do not exist in the eye of the beholder. They are not subject to personal feelings and cultural winds. They cannot be redefined by social media editorials, political arguments, or mass protests. They come from the unchanging truth of the wise God who has our best interests at stake.

The most important thing in life remains true: Love God and love others. Love first and love most. That is not only what makes this beautiful world go ‘round; it’s also the only way to make sense out of it.

You cannot know who you are or why you are here on this earth apart from God. There is no Veritas without Christo.

Do not let your earthly existence be remembered by “Fake news or Three lies.”  Do your diligent research.

Grab the #1 Textbook today and be plainly instructed and consider well the main end of your life and studies is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life.

Lay Christ at the bottom of the only foundation for all sound learning and knowledge, seeing that only the Lord gives wisdom.

Love First. Love Most.

GRUMBLING & GRATITUDE

Grumbling and Gratitude. I wrote an article about that last year. This week I read a post on that subject by Scott Sauls. My immediate reaction was to GRUMBLE because his writing was much better. I share this with you out of GRATITUDE to God who knew I needed the reminder. I think it will be a blessing to you as well.

GRUMBLING & GRATITUDE (by Scott Sauls)

Grumbling feels harmless enough. It usually starts small—a passing complaint about the weather, a sigh over a crowded schedule, quiet frustration with how something turned out. But C.S. Lewis, in his piercing way, suggests that this mood isn’t as innocent or harmless as it seems. Left unchecked, it can quietly grow into something far more damaging.

Grumbling, over time, hardens the heart.

It’s not that life doesn’t give us legitimate reasons to feel frustrated or discouraged. Life is full of disappointments, losses, and unmet expectations. But when we nurse those frustrations, when we let them take up real estate in our hearts and minds, they begin to shape how we see the world—and how we see God.

The slow drift happens quietly. What begins as a bad mood can settle into a habit of negativity. Discontent takes root, and before long, bitterness begins to bloom. Joy fades. Hope feels distant. Our hearts become closed off—less tender, less trusting, less alive.
C.S. Lewis warns of this slow but dangerous progression in The Great Divorce:

“Hell begins with a grumbling mood, always complaining, always blaming others. But you are still distinct from it. You may even criticize it in yourself and wish you could stop it. But there may come a day when you can no longer. Then there will be no you left to criticize the mood or even to enjoy it, but just the grumble itself going on forever like a machine. It’s not a question of God ‘sending’ us to hell. In each of us, there is something growing, which will BE hell unless it is nipped in the bud.”

Lewis is warning us of how easily a complaining spirit can overtake us. What begins as a passing mood can slowly become a permanent state—a habit of heart that grows and isolates us, cutting us off from joy, from others, and from God. Eventually, the grumbling becomes so ingrained that it feels impossible to turn back.

But God, in His kindness, pursues us with a better way.

Gratitude isn’t about pretending life is perfect. It’s not putting a happy face over pain or denying that hard things are hard. Rather, gratitude is an intentional turning of the heart toward God’s goodness, even in the midst of life’s messiness. It’s a posture of trust, a quiet acknowledgment that God is still present, still working, and still holding us—even when circumstances give us little reason to feel thankful.

Gratitude isn’t just a positive mindset—it’s a spiritual response to God’s constant goodness and grace.

When we choose to give thanks, even for small and ordinary things, it does something profound to our hearts. Gratitude softens us. It steadies us. It pulls us back from bitterness and resets our perspective. It opens our eyes to see God’s presence not only in the mountaintop moments but also in the valleys, the quiet spaces, and even the seasons of waiting and loss.

This is why Paul could write about the peace of God that “transcends all understanding” while sitting in a prison cell (Philippians 4:6-7). His situation was bleak, but his heart was anchored in gratitude. He knew firsthand that thanksgiving is not tied to comfort or ease—it’s rooted in the unshakable character of God.

The Smallest Thanks Can Change Everything.

One of the most meaningful, accessible things about gratitude is that it doesn’t have to be grand or elaborate. It can be as simple as thanking God for breath in your lungs, a quiet sunrise, the kindness of a friend, or the spouse sleeping next to you.

Even the smallest expressions of thanks can turn our hearts back to God.

I’ve found that on the hardest days and seasons, when gratitude feels like the last thing I want to reach for, it’s also the thing I need the most. Not because it changes my circumstances, but because it changes me. It reminds me that God is near.

God’s goodness is not dependent on how my day, week, month—or life—is going. That even when life feels uncertain, unstable, or unfair, God’s love is steady and sure.

Gratitude grounds us in that truth. It draws us out of ourselves and back to the One who holds all things together.

The practice of gratitude doesn’t come naturally to most of us. We’re hardwired to notice and name what’s lacking, what’s hard, what’s frustrating. But what if we began to train our eyes to see God’s hand in every part of our lives?

What if we noticed His grace not only in the blessings we expect but also in the interruptions, the delays, the seasons of waiting? What if we thanked God for His goodness not only after we’ve secured a win, but also after we’ve suffered a loss? What if our response to life on life’s sometimes harsh terms was “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Hm, who have been called according to His purpose” and that nothing in all creation “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:28, 39).

This is not about minimizing pain but about recognizing that God is often doing His deepest work in places we want most to avoid. Gratitude doesn’t erase suffering, but it can keep our hearts soft in the midst of it.

May we become people who notice God’s sovereign, loving hand in every season. People who allow gratitude to shape our hearts and keep them tender, humble, alive to His grace, and expectant of His goodness.

Gratitude is not a one-time decision—it’s a daily practice. Like any habit worth forming, it requires intentionality.

Maybe it’s pausing each morning to name three things you’re thankful for.
Maybe it’s ending the day by writing down where you sensed God’s presence.
Maybe it’s whispering a quiet “thank you” in the middle of a hard moment.

Small habits like these can begin to shift the posture of our hearts. Over time, they can loosen the grip of negativity and open us up to joy—even in the midst of difficulty.

Gratitude is not about ignoring the hard parts of life; it’s about refusing to let them harden us.

One of the most freeing truths we can hold onto is this: there is always something to thank God for.

Always.
Not because life is always good, but because God is.

Paul didn’t write the Philippians about peace and gratitude from an ivory tower; he wrote those words from a prison cell. His circumstances were grim, yet his heart was anchored in something deeper. He knew that gratitude doesn’t rise and fall with our circumstances—it’s rooted in the steadfast love of God.

This is our invitation too.
To lean into God’s goodness.
To trust that He is near.
To let gratitude soften what grumbling would harden.

So, maybe today is one of those days when frustration feels louder than joy. Maybe your heart feels heavy, and gratitude seems out of reach.

But even now, there’s a way back.

Oh grumbling heart, be still.
You are not at the point of no return.
Repentance and rest await you.

May we become people who notice the good and name it.
May we be quick to thank God for the small and ordinary gifts we so often overlook.
May we let gratitude soften our hearts, steady our souls, and pull us back to the grace that holds us fast.

There is always something to thank Him for.
Even here.
Even now.

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

It finally happened. I stood in “the middle of nowhere” last week.

That is correct. I was in the middle of NOWHERE. There was nothing on the horizon in any direction.

Growing up, I often heard my mother utter the phrase, “This feels like we are in the middle of NOWHERE.” That observation usually took place while Dad was driving us somewhere.

I recall the fear of being forever lost when Mom spoke those words, “the middle of NOWHERE.” I admit I never felt whatever she was feeling. I just remember it never sounded like a compliment to Dad’s navigational skills.

The directional assistance of computer-generated Siri had not been invented yet. Our family had a dad who followed his instincts rather than stopping to ask someone for directions. We also had Mom and a map she could not read.

I do think this current generational Siri could possibly have been influenced by my mom’s spirit. Siri is never without an opinion, never wrong, and never silent. I rest my case.

I did not need Mom to tell me this place felt like the middle of NOWHERE. Even Siri did not KNOW WHERE we were.

To circumvent winter storm travel problems, I chose an unfamiliar route. I tell this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence. I came to where two roads diverged. I took the one less traveled. Yes, Robert Frost, it made all the difference.

I was somewhere beyond the Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado observational posts. The location did not show up on any Google map.

“NOWHERE” supposedly represents a place that does not exist or is not readily identifiable.

The middle of NOWHERE” is an idiom description of a completely isolated location, far away from any people, towns, or structures. This place fulfilled all those measurements. It definitely existed and would never be identifiable as anywhere else than NOWHERE.

I can assure you that NOWHERE is not in the proximity of Somewhere and cannot be seen from Anywhere. Neither is NOWHERE considered part of Everywhere. In fact, that would be a contradiction. NOWHERE and Everywhere cannot coexist.

All that uncertainty contributes to the dilemma of how one can KNOW WHERE NOWHERE begins or ends. I did not have Mom’s feeling of Nowhereville; but I could not see anywhere else.

It was NOWHERE to the North and East. The South offered no escape from NOWHERE. The West had all the signs that I was definitely in the middle of NOWHERE.

Suddenly, a tumbleweed appeared out of NOWHERE as it rolled through the wind. Just as quickly, the tumbleweed was gone, NOWHERE to be seen.

This remote wasteland had no human habitation and no infrastructure. Every direction was flat. There were no animals or vegetation other than dead weeds. This was just a vast open space… a wilderness. 

There was one exception. 

Nothing was in sight except a distant small bush. I moved close enough to confirm it was not a burning bush. So, I did not take off my shoes.

Have you ever had a thought come out of NOWHERE? I found the place it came from. I was finally there.

I thought this area certainly did not look like Paradise, but I have never been there either. Suddenly the music from Joni Mitchell came out of NOWHERE.

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Till it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot

I did not see a paved parking lot. However, I did wonder if that small green growth in the middle of NOWHERE might be the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Everything about it signaled, “Do not touch.”

No thank you, Eve. I will just look and not eat…even though that might be the only way to get kicked out of this NOWHERE land.

There were no signs designating this location as the middle of NOWHERE and I cannot tell you how I got to NOWHERE.

However, there was no doubt I was there. If you ever end up in the middle of NOWHERE, I am certain you will KNOW WHERE you are.

I remember the time I questioned one of my teenagers where he was going. As the door closed, his answer was short and simple, “Probably Nowhere.”

When he returned home, I asked where he had been. He shrugged and mumbled, “Nowhere really.”

I asked if he had a good time to which he responded, “Yeah, it was ok.”

I said, “Well that is good because you are going NOWHERE for the next week. That way I will KNOW WHERE you are and that you are having fun.”

Things ended far worse for Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, when he falsely claimed he “had been NOWHERE.” His resulting leprosy lasted more than a week (2 Kings 5:25-27).

NOWHERE is a difficult place to describe. It is almost impossible to give directions to the middle of NOWHERE or offer suggestions for an escape.

Just the experience caused the words from the classic song by the Beatles to roll into my mind like a tumbleweed out of NOWHERE.

He’s a real NOWHERE man
Sitting in his NOWHERE land
Making all his NOWHERE plans for nobody
Doesn’t have a point of view
Knows not where he’s going to
Isn’t he a lot like you and me?

I have a couple of questions for anyone still with me. (My mind will not let this go.)

How do you give someone directions to or out of NOWHERE? 

Is NOWHERE the farthest place from Somewhere? 

Do you have to go to NOWHERE before you have been Everywhere?

This strange location in the middle of NOWHERE was somewhere far beyond the boonies and past the outback. I could see the horizon in every direction with no sight of anyone or any human infrastructure.

How could I call for help when there was no cell service?

I remain quite baffled about my recent experience. NOWHERE is a place that does not exist. So, how did I get to NOWHERE when I was going Somewhere?

I can testify that sadness can come out of NOWHERE. I was happy going somewhere. Now I wondered if I would ever see happiness again.

That sounds like our spiritual journeys. Sometimes that journey feels as if it is going NOWHERE.

Many people do not like where they are physically or spiritually. The sense of some other place or another moment being better can be very strong as they try to get to a better somewhere. They lose their happiness and fear they will never see it again.

Sometimes, our minds feel as if life is stuck in the middle of NOWHERE; but uncertainty or dislike of circumstances are not characteristics of NOWHERE.

Take courage, o my soul. You are never NOWHERE spiritually. That place does not exist.

There is NOWHERE I can be where God is not with me. God is the air I breathe everywhere, anywhere, and even in the middle of NOWHERE.

In spiritual concerns, NOWHERE should be NOW HERE. GOD IS ALWAYS NOW HERE even in the middle of NOWHERE.

Learning to love first and most is part of your spiritual journey with Jesus. Loving is part of being, not doing. Therefore, the journey never ends up NOWHERE.

Whenever you find yourself in the middle of NOWHERE, it is an invitation to get closer to God. 

  • Remember that Enoch walked with God until he was NOWHERE to be found (Genesis 5:24).
  • Moses had NOWHERE that was safe until God opened a way to blessings (Exodus 14:21-22).
  • The Israelites learned there was NOWHERE to go but follow God (Joshua 14:9).
  • Isaiah discovered there was NOWHERE to rest but with God (Isaiah 32:18).
  • Jonah had NOWHERE to run but to God (Jonah 1:1-3).
  • David had NOWHERE to stand until God set him on a rock (Psalm 40:1-3).
  • When the rich man had NOWHERE to store his crops, he trusted in building bigger barns rather than trusting his life to God (Luke 12:17).
  • When Thomas felt stuck in the middle of NOWHERE, Jesus told him and us, “I am the Way…Follow me” (John 14:4-5-6).

I repeat for emphasis. WHENEVER YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, IT IS AN INVITATION TO GET CLOSER TO GOD. 

I consider this a great quest for us this year.

My prayer for you and me is taken from Native Americans missionary David Brainard’s New Year’s prayer in 1746.

“O THAT I MIGHT LIVE NEARER TO GOD THIS YEAR THAN I DID THE LAST!”

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