Piercings

Do you have any piercings? I do. Most people would be surprised to hear that. "Bob? Piercings? No!" But it's true. Only a few people know about them. Even fewer have actually seen them, but they exist.

My piercings are more hard core than most. Most people have piercings in their eyebrows, lips, noses, tongues, nipples, belly buttons or ears. Not me. Those are for sissies. Try having your HEART pierced sometime!

Piercings of the heart are usually involuntary. They are inflicted upon us rather than obtained during an appointment. Their initial "installation" is extremely painful and , in some cases, the pain of getting them never really goes away.

My wife's sister lost her husband to cancer. Her heart was pierced in a major way this past weekend when he died. Yet the first news he had pancreatic cancer was worse, I think, than his actual death.

My former boss walked into a room this past weekend and found his brother, dead. Another piercing that very few will ever see. He's too proud to let anyone have a look at THAT piercing.

Have you had your heart pierced?

Heart piercings are basically invisible. All we can see is symptoms as even seeing those is rare. Ironically, the only way to ease the pain from the piercing is    to reveal them to someone else.

Showing our heart piercings to someone who has no piercings themselves seldom results in any healing. Only someone else who has been pierced can truly understand.

Try revealing your heart piercings to Jesus sometime, if you're looking for a cure that is. He's been pierced . . . in His wrists, feet and side.

"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." - Zechariah 12:10

The only one who can truly heal your heart is Jesus. Trust in Him. Offer your aching heart to Him. But be prepared. The resulting feeling, having been healed, is amazing.

How To Heal A Broken Heart - Nick Vujicic

A Memorial

Memorial Day is all about remembering those who gave their lives in service to our country. We can't thank our service men and women enough for all that they have done, and continue to do, to keep us safe. There are other battles that have been waged in our lives though, whose heroes also need to be remembered.

Today we remember Green Bay Packer quarterback Bart Starr who died on Sunday. He was truly a hero worthy of remembrance. I remember meeting Bart when I was in high school. Truly a highlight in my life. When Bart won the Super Bowl I MVP award, a Corvette, he donated the car the Rawhide Boys Ranch - a recovery center for wayward boy in New London, WI.

I get to remember my father and grandfather who served in the military. They didn't die while serving but their lives were worthy of remembrance - living them with honor, dignity and service.

Today I also get to remember the life of my brother-in-law Pat, a cancer battle veteran and casualty who fought and died this past Saturday. A professor at Carthage College, a husband to wife Kathy and father of two amazing girls - Oksana and Nadya.

Pat was a flying enthusiast. Years ago, he and I both flew our R/C planes together. Often crashing them, then laughing. Pat and some others began a program in Nicaragua. Kind of a doctor's without borders thing. Their efforts improved the quality of life for many of the local people. Pat is another hero worthy of remembrance.

You know, each of us has this one life to live here on earth. How will we choose to live it? Will our lives be worthy of remembrance by those we leave behind?

Pilots have a saying called CAVU. It stands for Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited. CAVU my brother. I hope your flight was a good one.

"live a life worthy of the LORD and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." - Colossians 1:10-12

Missing Man Flyover

The Trees

There is an old saying that goes, "You can't see the forest for the trees." What that means is, we can get caught up in all of the details we lose track of the bigger picture.

Our faith can be like that sometimes. We can spend so much time engaged in Bible studies or church council meetings that we can no longer see the simplicity of The Gospel.

Jesus once said that we are to have the faith of a little child. How many little children do you know that are in a Bible study? That would be zero. And Jesus wants our faith to be like theirs? Yep.

"2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:2-4

When we look at our lives do we see life's problems as a long series of frustrating events? Or do we look at our struggles as simply a training exercise for us? It depends on your point of view. Are we looking at the trees or the forest?

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ - Matthew 22:37-39

That's pretty simple. You are now looking at "the forest".

When we struggle in this life we need to zoom back and look at the bigger picture. Are you arguing with your spouse? Zoom back? What is the bigger picture reveal? Life and Faith re as simple as we make them and Jesus wants us to keep it simple.

Forest For The Trees - Huey Lewis and The News

Sick

Well, yuck. Today I am sick. I was sick yesterday too. But I find that, in my sickness, I feel closer to God than when I am healthy. So I rejoice in that, knowing that regardless of the outcome I will closer to my King. And that makes me smile.

Being sick is something none of us really likes. Although my illness has shown me a few things. First off, I miss my friends at work. I usually visit them on Tuesdays but I was sick. Being sick shows me how much I really love them and appreciate them.

Secondly, I have been reading the Bible more. Ironically, I just finished reading Leviticus which is filled with all sorts of rules and regulations about what should be done with sick people. Perfect reading for me. I look forward to being "clean" again and to being allowed back into the camp. LOL!

I think the thing I enjoy most about being sick though is the opportunity to spend more time with God. Whether it's in prayer or simply just thinking about Him, it's all good. I am forced to slow down and rest, which is something everyone needs.

So if you fin your self not feeling so good maybe it's time to reflect on the blessings you still have. Friends, family, a chance to rest and get well, so many blessings.

"Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you," - Exodus 23:25

God loves us whether we are full of energy and feeling well or whether we drained of all life and just staring at the walls. I we look to Him, He will heal us. Maybe not in the way we were hoping but in a way that will bring Him glory. Look to Jesus and be cleansed.

I Look To You - Selah

The Dispersion

What do Pink Floyd and Jesus have in common? More than you might think.

The picture you see here is the cover of Pink Floyd's album "Dark Side of The Moon". What's interesting about the album cover is all about light. Jesus is The Light according to the Bible.

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12

Do you see how the light is split apart as it passes through the prism? This is know as "The Dispersion of Light". There is a link to a short physics lesson at the end of this story. The light becomes scattered.

In the book of Acts, after Stephen's death, the Jews are scattered throughout the neighboring country due to persecution of the Jews by the Romans. Do you know what this scattering of Jews was called? It was called The Dispersion. Weird, eh?

"So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone." - Acts 11:19

Jesus was The Light and now word of His Gospel was being dispersed throughout the world by His disciples. The Light was dispersed!

As a side note, take a look at the shape of the prism in the picture. It's a triangle. A triangle is also a commonly used shape to represent The Holy Trinity - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Yeah, weird. So weird that it's perfect.

Jesus said this about us as Christians.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

Are we shining our light to all nations in the name of The Father, The Son and Holy Spirit? We were commanded  to do that very thing by The Source of our light. Shine on you crazy diamond!

Dispersion of Light

Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

It's Alive!!!

In the 1931 film Frankenstein Doctor Frankenstein uttered those famous words "It's Alive!" over and over again as the monster he created began to move. He then spoke a few more words that are even more scary.

"In the name of God, now I know what it feels like to be God."

That pretty much sums up what is wrong with the pro-choice movement. They want to be in charge of their own bodies, and "be their own gods." I guess I can see their point to some degree. But when a woman becomes pregnant there is another life, another soul and another body inside her. And that body is not hers alone. Half of that new life belongs to the father.

Here are some interesting, and conflicting, facts about "life" and such . . .

When a pregnant woman gets killed by a drunk driver, the driver is charged with a double homicide by the intoxicated use of a motor vehicle. That's two lives! So a fetus is considered alive in our legal system yet it is also legally okay to kill a fetus if the mother wants to. Weird.

Pro-choice often calls a just-conceived fetus a "lump of cells" and that it's not really alive. Yet, if that same "clump of cells" were to be found on Mars, the headlines in tomorrow's newspaper would proclaim three big words. LIFE ON MARS!

100% of the people who are "pro-choice" were born of mothers who chose life for their child rather than abort them.

When someone dies in the hospital and their heart rate monitor displays a "flatline" they are declared dead. Yet with a pre-born baby, their audible heartbeat seems meaningless in terms of their being declared "alive".

I saw a Facebook post recently from a young friend of mine. She is pro-life and against abortion regardless of the reason - rape, incest, etc. She was a child born as the result of a rape. She was standing up for other babies whose lives are threatened with abortion because of a rape. What a brave, strong young lady.

As a Christian I keep going back to a few verses that make me think that God is against abortion as well. Speaking to Jeremiah, the profit, God said,

5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” - Jeremiah 1:5

Before we are born, God knows us. Think about that. How could God "know us" before we were even born? Unless . . .

The other verse that comes to mind is much simpler - "Thou shalt not kill." - Exodus 20:13

If a heartbeat is a sign of life and a baby's heartbeat becomes detectable around 5 weeks any killing of that heartbeat after that is contrary to God's commands. That's the reason for many of the heartbeat bills in state legislatures across our country right now.

Ephesians 1:4-5 tells us that God foreknew us before the foundations of the world! Let us praise God today that our mothers chose life over convenience. Hope and a future over death and distain.

That reminds me of a story. Someone asked God, "Why didn't you ever cure cancer?" God replied, "I did, but you aborted the person I created to do that."

Winning arguments against pro-choice people is a difficult task. Prayer however is a powerful tool in seeking God's mercy and changing people's hearts. Pray!!

It's Alive! - Frankenstein

The Quiet of The Morning

This morning was not a good morning for me. I was pretty frustrated. Do you ever get that way? It's not fun. BUT, I found something today that washed away all of that frustration. Want to know what it was?

A few weeks ago our pastor was preaching out of Mark 6. Right before Jesus fed the 5,000. There is a short passage of scripture that explains it all.

"30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place." - Mark 6:30-32

Do you have a quiet place where you can go to "get away from it all"? I do. For me it's the woods or, more specifically, a trail through the woods.

When I get frustrated in life all I have to do is ask myself, "When was the last time you went for a walk in the woods?" My answer to that question is usually, "Too long ago" and then I go for a hike. I always feel better afterwards.

For me, hiking puts everything in perspective. I begin looking at the beauty surrounding me and I quickly forget about the struggles within me. I can spend time talking with God about my struggles. I watch the birds flying from tree to tree and all my frustrations just fade away.

Jesus often went away to a quiet place and prayed. Why was that do you think? I think it was because He wanted to spend time alone with God. When was the last time you did that?

Do you have a quiet place you can go to? Right now? What are you waiting for?

Fields of Gold - Sting

Answer To Prayer

Did you hear the story of the young couple who were hopelessly lost at sea? The couple began to pray and, well, let's just say this story has an amazing ending.

It was spring break. Going to the beach and swimming in the ocean sounded like typical things high school and college kids might do. But these two weren't prepared for the strength of the ocean waves and it's tides.

The two had been trying for two hours to get back to shore without success. The girl began getting cramps in her legs as the waves began getting taller. That's when the young man offered a desperation prayer.

“I cried out: 'If you really do have a plan for us, like, come on. Just bring something,'” Tyler.

A short time later a boat showed up and the crew pulled them out of the water. When the grateful couple saw the name of the boat they both began to cry. The name of the boat was "Amen."

Both kids were attending a Christian school and both are also alive now and well and praising God for what He has done for them.

Have you ever had a "God moment" when you knew without a doubt that God was with you? They are so amazing! It is always a wonderful faith booster when we get reminded of God's love and provision in our lives.

"He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us in the future. We are confident that he will continue to rescue us." - 2 Corinthians 1:10

Has God rescued YOU yet? If not, all it takes is a prayer and repentant heart for God to reach down and rescue you. Pray a desperation prayer to Him today and see if He doesn't come to rescue you in some amazing way.

"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth." - Revelation 3:10

Amen - For King and Country
Amen Boat News Story

Hummingbird!

Last week a friend of mine wrote as her Facebook status: "Hummingbird!" That made me smile. My wife and I always look forward to our resident hummingbird's return. Thanks to my friend's announcement we had our hummingbird feeder ready and waiting. There is a lesson to be learned here.

Usually my wife and I are unprepared for the hummingbirds, waiting until we see one hovering where the hummingbird feeder SHOULD be but isn't. It's almost like they are looking in the window and saying, "Ahem. I'm hungry and I'm waiting!"

Only then do we hurriedly prepare the "hummer juice" and hang the feeder. If we were REALLY anxious and hopeful for the return of the hummingbirds we would have had our feeders out long before their return.

That reminds me of a story.

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. 4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour." - Matthew 25:1-13

When someone posts on Facebook "Jesus has returned!" there will be no time for us to fill our hummingbird feeder. He will have come and taken those who have prepared themselves, like a thief in the night . . . in the twinkling of an eye. The question is . . .

Will we be ready for His return? Is YOUR hummingbird feeder full and waiting?

Hummingbird - Seals & Crofts

Why?

Joelle 2010

Why is my heart so heavy? Why do I lie awake at night seeking answers to unanswerable questions? Asking "Why?" seems to be part of who I am. Why? Well, there IS a reason.

The answer to THIS unanswerable question is found in two places - the Gospel of Matthew and in a tree. Yes, a tree.

First, from Matthew . . .

"The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me." - Matthew 26:11

Why would Jesus tell His disciples that the poor would always be with them? An unanswerable question? Perhaps. Let's learn something about trees before we answer that question.

Did you know that trees need to struggle in order to help them grow? It's true. Wind blowing against a tree causes it to produce some tougher, "structural" wood that helps it stand up against external forces.

The University of Arizona created and enclosed bionic environment to study plant growth. They had trees in their special enclosure but the trees never reached maturity. They fell over because they structurally could not hold themselves up. They collapsed under their own weight. They needed a struggle in order to grow strong.

Back to the poor in Jesus' statement. "The poor you will always have with you," Jesus said. Why? Here's another question we must answer first. Was Jesus talking about the financially poor? Or the spiritually poor. I think it was the latter.

Basically, what Jesus was saying is "The poor in spirit you will always have with you." There will always be a need for people to come to faith in Christ. Why? So that WE can grow!

Are you a child of God? If you are then you are the person God wants to use to speak to others about Jesus. Is there someone in your life right now who is spiritually poor? Is someone experiencing a storm right now and encountering high winds? Are they in danger of collapsing?

Jesus is the answer to all of the questions the world is screaming for answers to. We know what the answer is. OUR "why" question from Jesus is "Why aren't you telling people about me?"

Oh, the kid in the picture. Her name is Joelle. She is the sister of Chere, the 20-year old kid I told you about last week who was murdered. Joelle is experiencing a storm in her life right now. She has been missing for five days. Please pray for this young soul, that God would place a Christ follower into her life. That she would come to know Christ - our strength and our hope.

Joelle present day

Only Jesus - Casting Crowns
The Role Of Wind In A Tree's Life

Off The Trail

Mike, Bob & Ron (photo by Chris)

When I was in college back in the 70's I used to spend my spring breaks in the Smoky Mountains. My friends and I were quite the adventurers. We didn't know it at the time this picture was taken but we were about to become massively lost in the woods.

Most trails are well marked in our national parks. Except the ones that are no longer in service. Those trails are not marked because they don't really want people walking on them. They might get lost you see. Yeah.

Well, we got on one of those trails. We thought we knew where we were going but before we knew it the trail had disappeared. We were too far down the trail to go back. Too prideful too. So we forged ahead. No GPS, no cellphones, just a crude map we had picked up at the visitor center.

No problem. We knew where we were . . . basically . . . and we knew where we wanted to get to. We just had to climb over this one mountain . . . and then that other mountain . . . and then . . .

We soon began to get frustrated, especially Ron who began to lag behind. At one point we passed a huge log and saw some fur "breathing" inside through a knot hole. We guessed it was a bear. We tried to warn Ron but he wasn't listening to us. Fortunately the bear was asleep.

We eventually made it to our destination. There was even a park ranger waiting for us when we got back to our car. After the lecture, he followed us all the way back to our campsite.

You know, our walk through life is like one big, long hike. The trail we walk is clearly marked by God's Word - The Bible. Yet we seem to wander off the trail every chance we get. It is only through God's grace, and His continual efforts to redirect us back onto the correct path, that we have any chance of making it back to our "campsite" at the end of the hike.

"4 Some wandered in the wilderness, lost and homeless. 5 Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. 6 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress. 7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. 8 Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them. 9 For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." - Psalm 107:4-9

Always carry a map with you on a hike and ALWAYS read God's Work to navigate your way through life. If you do that one thing you will never become lost and you will always find yourself on the right trail.

Not Getting Lost In The Woods 101

The True Gift

It has been said that "giving is better than receiving". Try telling that to a small child with a bag of candy sometime and see how far you get. But the saying IS true. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart.

Last week I was up north. WAY up north in Minnesota der hey. I was visiting a few friends and was reminded that giving truly IS better than receiving.

Do you have a gift? Something you are good at? We all have something like that. The question is, do we share it? Do we use our gifts to serve others?

I have a friend who sews. She has a sewing machine and makes many of her own clothes. But what really makes her happy is using that gift to help others out. She alters wedding dresses and prom dresses for others who can't afford it. She makes quilts for those who have none. And she is blessed by it. It makes her feel good.

Sometimes gifts are less tangible. Like the gift of our time. Have you donated some of your time towards making someone else's life a little better? The Bible is pretty clear about what God wants us to do with our gifts.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." - 1 Peter 4:10

As you go through your day, keep in mind the sharing of YOUR gifts. Use them whenever you can. Visit someone, bake some cookies and deliver them to a shut-in, make some chicken soup and take it to a friend who is sick.

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us." - Romans 12:6

Develop Your Gifts And Talents To Glorify Go

Take Me Home Tonight

I have been walking around for the past two weeks with a song in my head - a hymn - Christ The Lord Is Risen Today. That's understandable I guess. It was Resurrection Sunday not that long ago. But this morning's wake-up song was different. Eddie Money's Take Me Home Tonight. What in the world?

The chorus of the song was playing on repeat in my head so I got up. I didn't want to wake my wife.  LOL! There were a few lines from the song's chorus that got my attention though so I wrote this short story to record them.

Take me home tonight
I don't want to let you go till you see the light
Take me home tonight
Listen honey
Just like Ronnie sang
Be my little baby

"Take me home tonight". Think about that for a moment. Isn't that every Christian's prayer? That Jesus would return tonight and take us home? You betcha!

The second line of the chorus is also interesting if you consider, what if it was sung by The Holy Spirit? "I don't want to let you go till you see The Light." Yes!

And then the last line, "Be my little baby." What was that that Jesus told us in Matthew 18 . . .

"And he said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3

And then again in Matthew 19 . . .

"Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." - Matthew 19:14

Are YOU ready for the Lord to return and take us home tonight? Do you and I have the faith of a little child?

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today - Charles Wesley
Take Me Home Tonight - Eddie Money