Teacher or Student?

In my last story, I shared our Youth Group Bible Study regarding Paul at Mars Hill. Today you will read about what happened shortly after that lesson was delivered. It's pretty cool.

[If you missed the last story, you can read it here]

After the Bible study, one of the other youth leaders ran an activity where kids were paired up with someone they didn't know too well. It was each kid's job to learn things about each other through a series of questions. This mimicked Paul walking through Athens and learning about its people.

After that activity it was snack time and all of the kids went back to their old familiar friends. All except one that is. One of the kids sat down next to me and started a conversation. Just like Paul did in Athens.

This kid asked me who my favorite singer was. I initially said Steve Perry from Journey, but then said, "He's too old," wanting to related to my questioner's age. I thought for a moment and then said, "Dave Frey from Sidewalk Prophets."

"How about you?" I asked.

"Josiah Queen."

We quickly shared videos of our favorite singers. After listening to each of them, we agreed that they actually had similar sounding voices. Now we both had new singers to listen too. (Examples below)

Did you pick up on what just happened? One of our youths actually listened to our teaching!! There may be hope for humanity after all! Lol!

But something else happened. I, the teacher, also learned something. And it was part of my teaching. I taught myself? Yep.

This was one of the verses I used in my Bible study. 

“My word that goes out from my mouth, shall not return to me empty; but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing which I sent it.” – Isaiah 55:11

It seemed kind of out of place in my study when I wrote it down, but God used it to remind me of something. These kids are smart, when they want to be. They even teach their teachers sometimes. Now, another verse comes to kind.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to him and He will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Make Heaven Crowded - Josiah Queen

You Love Me Anyway - David Frey - Sidewalk Prophets

To Know You

There is a place in Athens, Greece that is known as the Areopagus (aka Mars Hill). The Apostle Paul spoke there during his 

second missionary journey. This one account gives us all great insight into how to talk with others about our faith in God.

Open your Bibles to Acts 17 and scroll down to verse 16. We find Paul, waiting for his traveling buddies, Silas and Timothy.

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace, day by day, with those who happened to be there." - Acts 17:16-17

Athens is in Greece (1,802 miles from Jerusalem), and who did the ancient Greeks worship? Verse 16 says they worshipped "idols." These "idols" were their gods - Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Athena, Artemis, Ares, and Aphrodite to name a few. They had many gods.

So, what did Paul do here? Did he continue to wait for his boys before preaching? Or, did he get to work? He got busy! He didn't wait for a more opportune time. He shared the Gospel, wherever and whenever. 

I was at Walmart yesterday and I was wearing one of my VBS shirts (pictured above). I passed a dad and his two kids by the "Back To School" aisle, I noticed one of the kids staring at my shirt. Mission accomplished!

"My word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:11

If we look at these Acts 17 verses, we can "observe" Paul's evangelical checklist:

Verse 16: He observed

Verse 16: He was distressed

Verse 17: He reasoned with them

Verse 19 & 22: He met with them

Verse 23: He redirected the conversation to Jesus.

Paul had mixed results in Athens, but some believed. Then it was off to Corinth! 

Paul was obsessed with sharing the Gospel. Are we? Or do we just blend in with the crowd?

Words Fixed?

The world is still reeling from the presidential debate this past Thursday night in Atlanta. Wow. But as big a news story as that was, I am not going to be writing about it today. You're welcome.

Instead, I was reminded during my reading about who is really in charge in this world and just what we need to do to restore honor and respect to this country that we love so much. The solution is found in the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 11. Here's a summary:

1. Love the Lord your God. (v1)
2. Keep His requirements, His decrees, His laws, and His commands. Always. (v1)
3. Observe all the commands. (v8)
4. Love the Lord your God and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul. (v13)
5. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other Gods and bow down to them. (v16)
6. Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds. (v18)
7. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. (v18)
8. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (v19)
9. Write them on your doorframes of your houses and on your gates. (V20)

Verse 22 then says this:

"If you carefully observe all these commands.  . ."

Yes, all these things listed above are COMMANDS from God. How are we doing with those commands? And notice that God says ALL.

I'm thinking that I'm at about 50%, on a good day. Do I have any Bible verses written on my doorframes? Anywhere? Uhh....

Are we teaching God's Word to our children? God is telling US to teach them, not pass it off to a pastor or Sunday school teacher.

IF we do ALL of these things, God tells us that we WILL be blessed. Otherwise, if we don't, we WILL be cursed.

Turn these nine commands from God into a daily to-do list. Can we check all the boxes each and every day? Probably not. That's why we're all still sinners. But we CAN try.

And then we can thank God for Jesus, "who takes away the sins of the world."

Deuteronomy 11

God Reveals Himself

Samuel. He was prophet, the last of Israel's judges. He lived during the time of Saul and David. Samuel was powerful and strong in The Lord from his youth.

"The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word." - Samuel 3:19:21

Did you know that there is an often dormant gift from God awaiting all those who believe in Him? There is. It's right there in bold for all to see. The last three words of verse 21 above.

"He (God) revealed Himself to Samuel THROUGH HIS WORD."

God will do the same for all of His children. However . . . in a recent Barna group survey, not many Christians are making the choice to read these days. Only 48% of Christians in 2021 read their Bible at least 3 times A YEAR.

How is God going to reveal Himself to us, THROUGH HIS WORD, if we're not reading, and studying, His Word, the Bible? Hmm.

In my previous story I talked about our need to be salt to those around us. God revealed that to me, through His word. I read the Bible. God revealed to me, through His Holy Spirit, that I need to get out of the house more and into the community in order to become that salt that hasn't lost its saltiness.

God revealed to me that I need to spend more time after church, hanging out with my brothers and sisters. I need to spend time listening to THEIR stories, not telling them mine.

What will God reveal to YOU today as you read His Word?

The Woman In The Red Dress

One of the reasons I love The Matrix movie so much is because it is filled with allegory and metaphor. Hidden meanings and subtle messages. It is therefore much like the Bible in that regard.

The Bible has many such hidden treasures, waiting for the reader to uncover. Unfortunately, many of today's Bible readers are, as Morpheus says in the movie, "not ready to be unplugged."

What good is reading something if you don't understand it?

Take Luke 23:43 for example. When Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in paradise," do you think Jesus was talking about heaven? No. 'Paradise' in Greek means "a garden," not heaven.

Getting back to The Matrix, look at the woman in the red dress. What does she represent in the life of a Christian? The woman represents sin.

Instead of listening to his teacher, Neo becomes distracted by the woman in the red dress. Sin. Morpheus, Neo's teacher, then asks Neo, "Were you listening? Or were you looking at the woman in the red dress?"

There are so many distractions in this world right now. We all have our diversions, our sins, our distractions. Do they keep us from following our Teacher? Jesus? Do they keep us from understanding His Word?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’" - Matthew 7:21-23

We too must understand the will of our Father in heaven. To do that we must understand the meaning of His words. What HE thinks, not what WE think.

Morpheus: "If you are not one of us, you are one of them."

Jesus: "Whoever is not with me is against me." - Matthew 12:30

We must be in God's Word, daily. We must study it and learn from it if we are to learn and grow and know what God's will is. When was the last time you opened your Bible? Last week? Last year? Do it now and grow!

The Woman In The Red Dress - The Matrix

The Word - Sara Groves

Double Barrel

In Psalm 23, David writes about God being his Shepherd. We immediately get an image in our minds similar to the one above. Making us "lie down in green pasture" and leading us "beside still waters." But that's only part of the picture. A shepherd always carried TWO tools of the trade with him or her.

"Thy ROD and thy STAFF, they comfort me." - Psalm 23:4

In the painting above we see a shepherd's staff. This staff is used for guiding the sheep. The hook it's end can be put around a sheep's neck to pull them back to where they belong.

A shepherd's rod, a little shorter and straight, is used as a weapon and a means of protection. It is used to ward off any wild animals who might be interested in devouring the sheep. Lions and bears are two examples of these. Satan is another.

Jesus protects us and He guides us. He guides us with the Holy Spirit and with His Word - The Bible. He also protects us with these same tools, but also with His angels.

"For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways." - Psalm 91:11

These two shepherd's tools protected and comforted David. And they should do the same for us as well.

Can you think of any examples of shepherds using these items in the Bible?

Aaron - "Aaron threw his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent." - Exodus 7:10

Moses - "Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground." - Exodus 14:16

David - "When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock, I went out after it and attacked it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth; and when it rose up against me, I grabbed it by its mane and struck it (with his rod) and killed it." - 1 Samuel 17:34-35

We should be comforted knowing that God is watching over us, to keep us safe and to "guide us into all truth." (John 16:13).

Got Bread?

How often do you eat? Morning? Noon? Night? All of the above? Or do you only eat once each week? Each month? Umm... you're not hungry?

Of course my opening question is about Jesus. He is our daily bread.

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread." - Matthew 6:9-11

Our daily bread. Jesus is the bread of life.

"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." - John 6:35

In the Old Testament book of Exodus we read how God kept His people alive in the wilderness. He gave them mana to eat.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day." - Exodus 16:4

God gave them 'bread from heaven' every day. The bread represented what God would later provide in Jesus.

And how often do we need Jesus in our lives? Every day. So why do we leave our Bibles sitting on the shelf? Do we think we know it all? The Bible is a big book! Lots of bread to digest.

God wants us to read it every day.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." - Deuteronomy 6:6-9

"They are not just idle words for you. They are your life." - Deuteronomy 32:47

"Experts" (whoever THEY are) tell us that the average human can survive anywhere from 8 to 21 days without food (bread). Three days without water.

Jesus has plenty to eat and drink. It's in His Word. He has plenty to eat. So, what are we waiting for? Aren't you hungry?

"Take and eat." - Matthew 26:26

Bible Basics

As the return of Jesus approaches I have been thinking a lot about those who don't know the Lord. I have also been thinking about those who say they know Him but the fruit they exhibit in their lives tells a different story.

When Jesus reaches down and removes His church there will not be any answer for those who yell out, "Hey wait! What about me!?!"

King David has some advice. David said this to his son before he died. It's good advice. And a little bit scary.

“The Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." - 1 Chronicles 28:9

So, today I thought I would offer up some basic truths about God's Word.

The Bible

1. Get it
2. Read it
3. Believe it
4. Understand it
5. Apply it
6. Repeat it

We need to understand that some people will never do any of these things. God understands that. That's why there is a hell.

This frustrates the believer because we have compassion for the lost. Even God wishes 'that none should perish' (2 Peter 3:9).

This will frustrate the believer until we are with the Lord. That's just the way it is. But let me encourage you in this way. Think about the future, when we are all with Jesus.

Everyone there will be rejoicing. We will be singing hymns and praising the Just Judge who brought us there - all because of Jesus. Jesus shed His blood and took our place in death so that we could live, forever,  with Him.

God's offer of eternal life is available to all. All we have to do is believe.

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

The Parable of the Cache

We had an overnight visit from our grandson this past weekend. We did lots of fun things. And then there was our hike to the state park.

Our walk started off beautifully. All the leaves on the trees are changing color. Yellows, reds, and browns in various shade to mix with the greens of the pine trees.

I thought it might be fun for our grandson to go on a geocaching adventure as we walked so I downloaded an app and discovered there was a treasure near our house over in the state park.

Things were going fine for a while until we had to go cross country to reach our destination. We trudged through a lot of nasty raspberries and other unfriendly things.

As we neared our hidden treasure we came across a trail in the woods - the Ice Age Trail. That's when I realized that there was a much easier way to get to where we wanted to go. Oh well.

Then my phone vibrated and said we were within 20 feet. Our grandson then began searching more intently. And then, there it was. Sitting in plain sight next to a log.

Our grandson quickly began opening the box and discovering fistfuls of treasure. And there you have the parable for today.

We all are on a journey in this life that we are living here on earth. Some of us have it pretty easy. Some of us struggle. And there IS a treasure that awaits all those who seek it and find it.

God said, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

Are we seeking God with all of our hearts? He has promised we WILL find Him if we do so wholeheartedly.

Open up God's Word and discover the treasure IT contains. Trust in Jesus and your heart will then contain that treasure you have always longed for. Love.

Share the love that God gave YOU with everyone you meet. And KNOW that there is more treasure awaiting each of His children, in heaven.

A Famine of Hearing

Have you ever read the book of Amos in the Bible? Not likely, unless you have read the entire Bible. It's not a book that is quoted often in church. Amos was one of the MINOR prophets so, you know. But God used Amos, and the other prophets to deliver messages to His people. He has a message for you and me.

God said that we could tell whether a prophet was from Him by whether or not their prophecies came true (Deuteronomy 18:22). Here is one of Amos's prophecies. Is it true?

“The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, when I will send a famine through the land - not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." - Amos 8:11

Do you think that Amos's prophecy is true? I do! Oh, my goodness!! The news is filled with stories of people who need to hear God's Word!

So, how do you think they're going to hear it? I'm no expert on social issues but I'd be willing to bet that most criminals and murderers are not church goers. Most. SO how will they hear The Gospel?

Well, they're not going to learn about Him on television. Or in our public schools. They probably won't even learn about the one TRUE God in some of our churches these days. So how will people learn about Jesus?

Go look in a mirror.

After Jesus was raised from the dead, He came and spoke with the 11 remaining disciples (Judas was dead). He gave them a command to "make disciples of all nations." That command wasn't just for them. They too would soon be dead. God's command was, and is, for everyone to share the words of God with everyone they meet.

Who will God place before us today that needs to hear His words of hope and salvation?

Feeling Stressed Today?

Satan is alive and well and working in the world in which we live. How do we handle all of the stuff he throws at us? Scripture says that he prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8) Will that be us today?

People deal with stress in different ways. Some drink alcohol, some use drugs. Others meditate or try to think happy thoughts. What do YOU do? Have you tried reading the Bible? Have you tried meditating on God's Word or the blessings He has given us?

Wellness books are all the craze these days. Their authors must think we have a lot to be mindful about, and we do. But the thing we have to be mindful about is not our feelings, fluffy white clouds, listening to ourselves breathe, or what kind of tree do we think we are. We need to be mindful about the things of God.

"3When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" - Psalm 8:3-4

Let's consider the tree for a moment. Why do they basically look the same above ground as they do below ground? Who designed them anyway? God. How do they turn the carbon dioxide into oxygen? They take our "waste" and make it something we need to survive? Who does that? God. 

We spend so much time trying to soothe ourselves; trying to be mindful of our own well-being. Perhaps, if we were more mindful of God, everything else would just fall into place.

Dessert

When my wife and I went on an Alaskan cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary we were given some advice. "Eat the dessert first, in case the ship sinks." Funny. But good advice.

When people ask me about reading the Bible I always suggest they read the Book of John first. Same advice.

I usually refer to The New Testament as "dessert" whenever I am reading through the Bible. The Old Testament is good and all, but the New Testament is Jesus! The dessert buffet!

I love reading the words of Jesus - our King and Savior. It seems like Jesus was always teaching just one step beyond what the Pharisees and The Law of the Old Testament had in mind. Here's an example that I just read the other day.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven." - Matthew 5:43 - 45

One step beyond people's thinking at the time.

Are we thinking and living that "one-step-beyond" life? Are we living our lives and telling others about the dessert buffet of Jesus? I need to do a better job of that. I spend more time eating the desserts of His Word than telling other people where the buffet line starts.

We need to first embrace His Word, then devour it. But we also need to tell others about it. How did WE come to know Christ? Didn't someone tell US? The dessert of The Gospel is what everyone needs to hear. But they do need to HEAR it.

Absorb Me

There are times when I feel quite alone in this world. That's when I reach for you. You are always there by my side. You comfort me when I am afraid. You encourage me when I feel unworthy. You remind me that I am loved, seemingly saying, "Hold me, open me, absorb me."

There have been times when my eyes have become weary from examining you and I simply draw you to my chest, close my eyes and drift off to sleep. There is nothing I enjoy more than spending time with You - reading your Word.

Your Word comforts me. It truly does. I can be depressed or sad but picking up my Bible and reading certain verses always lifts me up.

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." - Psalm 119:105

"Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31

"May my cry come before you, LORD; give me understanding according to your word." - Psalm 119:169

Few people on earth can comfort us the way God can through His written word. Our biggest problem as a people group is that we don't spend enough time reading it. We don't make enough of an effort to apply it to our lives either.

Many times I have found myself watching the news or some movie on television and suddenly stop and ask myself, "What am I doing?"

"How is this honoring God right now?"

That's usually when I pick up the remote, turn off the world, and begin reading my Bible. It doesn't take long before I am in a better place - a different world - where God is all around me and I feel like I am home.

Maybe I'm weird. Maybe? Probably. But it just feels right when I am immersed in my reading. It's like I am becoming part of the book itself. I'm not reading myself into any of the characters in the Bible but it's like I am there with them - a witness through my reading.

So many of life's problems can be put in their place simply by knowing God's truths. They comfort us in times of trouble. They truly are a light unto our path.

Thy Word - A Mullett Family Video

Consider This

My wife and I are taking a trip through the upper peninsula of Michigan. Our plan is to relax and just enjoy ourselves. That still might happen but day one was filled with challenges.

First off it rained most of the day. That's alright I guess. We were driving for most of it. But driving in the rain is not fun for me, especially when you're stuck behind a semi. I could barely see the road through all of the spray from his tires.

Finally we cam to a town and decided to stop. I was glad for that. A chance to relax and take things easy. Or so I thought. We went into an antique store. Usually I hate that but they had some old tools and old books.

However, when I looked closer at the bookshelves I found some interesting titles like the one in the picture. I considered what the label said - "Satanism: All Reasonable Offers Considered." I thought about that for a while. I believe what is says is true.

We humans love our various religions. Even atheists have their religion. There are countless denominations and faiths. Which one is right I wonder? As a Christian I believe in The Five Solas.

Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone

Sola Fide - Faith Alone

Sola Gratia - Grace Alone

Solus Christus - Christ Alone

Soli Deo Gloria - Glory of God Alone

That's it. Anytime somebody adds something, some "consideration", we're starting to get into the area Satan wants us to get into. "All reasonable offers considered."

There is only one true church - those who have placed their faith in Christ, serve the One True God, we give Him all the glory, believe that God's Word is inerrant in its original text and that we are saved by God's amazing grace. There are no other considerations to be given.

If you are considering anything to be true other than those five things perhaps you should check which bookshelf section your Bible is in.

In Christ Alone - Owl City

Switching Tracks

As we go through life there are times we must make life-changing decisions about what path we are on. Perhaps it's a job, a church or a relationship. All we know for sure is we need to get on a different track.

So, how do we know if it's the right move? Is it our selfish selves that are driving the change? Or is it God Himself through the Holy Spirit?

When I get to moments like that in my life I invariably ask myself this question. "Am I doing the right thing?" And that's my biggest problem. I am asking myself  that question and not God.

Prayer can be frustrating sometimes. We ask something of God and then we don't get any clear answers about what we should do. There is a reason for that. I think it's because God wants US to make that decision. He wants us to ask ourselves, "What does God want me to do?" and then do it!

If we think every decision through and make our decisions based on our knowledge of God, we end up making the right decision every time.

I changed jobs once. I had wrestled with the decision for months. When I finally made the move to switch, on my way home I saw a bald eagle fly across the road in front of me. It actually turned its head and looked at me. I'm not saying God directed that eagle to do that but it was very reassuring to me. Kind of a sign.

I made one of those big decisions last week. Should I have done what I did? There was that question again. Doubt enters in and we wonder. Shortly after making that decision I saw an old friend in town. They wondered if I would be interested in using one of my God-given gifts to help him out. Of course! Again, very reassuring to me.

Have you ever gotten confirmation that the big decision YOU made was the right one? It seems to happen more than just occasionally. But we shouldn't need confirmation from God. We should know in our hearts which direction is right. We should know what the right track is we need to be on. Our confirmation is in God's Word!

"105Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." - Psalm 119:105

Step into a new day
We can rise up from the dust and walk away
We can dance upon our heartache, yeah
So light a match, leave the past, burn the ships
And don't you look back

Burn The Ships - For King and Country

Mid-Faith Corrections

Watching an eagle landing is an amazing thing to see. One bird managing all those feathers and wind conditions requires a lot of coordination. Yet an eagle manages it all without a thought.

When we launched a rocket to the moon back in the late 60's the astronauts also had to make several mid-flight corrections to keep themselves on target. The same goes for us in our walk with Jesus.

We can go along fine for a while, thinking everything is okay, but then something happens and we suddenly find ourselves off course. We find we are getting farther and farther off the path that Jesus had us walking on. What do we do? It's time for a change. Time for a mid-flight correction. of our own.

Have you ever found yourself off-track in your faith. Maybe you were sitting in church one day and heard the pastor say something that made you do, "What!?" Have you ever made a mid-faith correction? And how do you know you are right in doing so while everyone else is just sitting there doing nothing?

The answer is simple. Reading The Bible is our constant. It is the "runway" when our spiritual plane is being tossed about by the wind. Prayer too is an essential tool that keeps us going in the direction God wants us to. Seeking the direction of God's Holy Spirit is crucial to our walk with Jesus.

"5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

Read The Word, pray, and follow in obedience. You will soon find out you are walking right by Jesus once again.

Slow Motion Eagle Landing
Cross-Winds Landings During A Storm

Hidden Gems

This summer, as you travel around this great country, take some time to stroll along a beach. You just might find something quite valuable. Like yourself . . . or God.

Walking along the beach can be quite relaxing. Listening to the rhythmic waves as they come ashore, watching the birds flying overhead - all are very calming things to do. But have you ever tried looking for beautiful stones scattered along the shoreline?

Looking for cool stones or beautiful semi-precious works of art can also be quite relaxing. Look at the countless numbers of stones and grains of sand as you walk. Each one is unique. There are no two stones exactly alike. Kind of like you and me. We are ALL unique.

"There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing." - Proverbs 20:15

Every once in a while there are beautiful examples of God's workmanship to look at - whether stones or humans. They are precious to behold.

Reading the Bible is like walking along the shore. You can wade through it like you do when you walk along the beach, you can immerse yourself in the water, and you can also stop and examine the scriptures. There are plenty of gems to be found in its midst.

Stand on the shore sometime and try to calculate the number of grains of sand, the quantity of water drops in the sea. It cannot be done. Yet God created them all. HE knows their number.

Each individual stone on the shore is special and unique and worthy of examination. So are each of us. So is each person in our lives. Take the time, as you walk through life, to examine the people you meet along the way. Each one is precious in God's sight. They should also be precious in OUR sight as well. We are ALL precious to God.

Lake Superior Waves

Problems Sleeping?

Lately I have been having trouble sleeping through the night. Like for the last several years. Why is that? I suppose one could say that my body is changing as I get older. That's true. I AM getting older and my body seems to change almost daily. But is that it?

Something wakes me up at night. Sometimes I have to go to the bathroom, sometimes I hear the wind or the rain, sometimes it's a passing Harley coming home at 2:00AM. Some thing always seems to wake me up. And that's the problem.

Once I am awake my mind takes over and I begin to think about crazy stuff. Like last night I heard it begin to rain. I started thinking about whether it was actually rain or wind. If it was wind, did it blow the tarp off the things I have covered? Were they getting wet?

You see what I mean? So how does one get back to sleep?

Last night I opened up the Bible app on my phone so I could read in the dark. I read five chapters in the Book of John - at 1:00AM. Reading usually makes me sleepy but the chapters I was reading was mainly Jesus speaking. That proved very calming to me.

So, the next time you can't sleep try reading God's Word. Not that it's boring, it's calming. It reminds us that, even though the world seems to be falling apart around us, God is in control. He is still sitting on His throne and we are his beloved children. We shouldn't have a care in the world.

"Be still, and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." - Colossians 3:15

In His Presence - 3 Hours of Peaceful Music and Scripture

The First Days

Image by Fernando Puente

Well, I've been retired now for one whole week and I've discovered a few things. For one, it's weird waving goodbye to your wife in the morning. Except for being sick and off from work, that never happens. Well, it's happening now and it's weird.

Another thing I've discovered is that it's really easy to sit down and watch TV for extended amounts of time. I already knew that but being retired and the only one in the house, well, it's dangerous! Therefore I don't turn the TV on except for weather or a pre-approved, pre-DVR'd show. Newton Minow, former chair of the FCC, called television "a vast wasteland." Ol' Newt was right!

As I walk around the house I am finding unfinished projects of mine from decades gone by. I am now finishing them. That's a good thing. I'm fixing an old, handmade window frame right now. That doesn't mean much to you perhaps but it has been sitting on my workbench for years! I guess that's a goal of mine - to find the top of my workbench. LOL!

Another nice thing is, I can play my music as loud as I want without my wife leaving the room or rolling her eyes at me. Have you ever heard the band Skillet? Perhaps the volume isn't high enough yet. Ha ha!

I do miss the time spent with my friends at work though. That sucks. Just seeing their faces everyday always made me smile.  I miss that.

But I think by far the best thing that has changed since I have retired is the increased time I have been able to spend reading the Bible. God's Word is like a rock in my life. When things are going badly I can always stand firm upon it and weather any storm.

I am currently reading through Leviticus and, although it can be a little hard to get really excited about, there are a few gems hidden in all of its rules and regulations. This one touched me deeply. Speaking about God's sacrificial system for sin, God dictated this to Moses.

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life." - Leviticus 17:11

Jesus sacrificed HIS blood on the cross for OUR sins.

Why are there tears in my eyes right now?

Father, thank you so much for leading me to this point in my life. A time where I can take my time. Take my time reading your word. Take my time serving others. Take my time in worship and in prayer.

Thank you not allowing me to fall into the time-wasting traps the world offers. You remind me each day who is really important - You, my friends, my family, the things I do to worship and serve you. It is important not to leave thise things behind.

And thank you for your sacrifice and your calling us to Yourself that made this all possible. I love you, Lord. You are my hero. Amen.

Hero - Skillet

Found One!

When my sister and were young we didn't have the toys kids of today have strewn all over the house. We got hand-made gifts at Christmas and we were satisfied. Happy! We didn't know any different.

Entertainment was cheap back then too. I'd spend time hunting for frogs & turtles in the swamp but when Mom and Dad said they were taking us to the Rollways, "Let's go!"

The Rollways are pictured at the left. Old-time loggers used to roll logs down the sand slope and into the Manistee River where they'd float downstream to the sawmill. The hill never recovered from that and still looks pretty bare today. It was in that bare, gravely soil that we found the treasure of our childhood - Petosky Stones!

They were not very plentiful but someone would always yell out when they found one and we'd all go running to see it.

Reading the Bible can be like that. There are Petosky Stone verses scattered all throughout scripture. Here's one that caught my attention this week. It's from the Book of Nehemiah. Found one! :)

They were reading out of the Book of The Law . . .

^"13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. ¹⁴ They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded through Moses, that the Israelites were to live in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month (The Festival of Tabernacles) ¹⁵ and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem: “Go out into the hill country and bring back branches from olive and wild olive trees, and from myrtles, palms and shade trees, to make temporary shelters”—as it is written." - Nehemiah 8:13-15

Temporary Shelters . . . Temporary Homes.

Let's move to the New Testament Book of 2nd Corinthians.

"5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." - 2 Corinthians 5:1

What is a tent? Well, it is "a temporary shelter." 2nd Corinthians says that our bodies are a temporary shelter - a temporary dwelling place. We are living on earth, our temporary home if you will. Our permanent home is with our Lord in heaven.

^"14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come." - Hebrews 13:14

When I saw the words temporary shelters written in the Old Testament I immediately thought about the New Testament concept of this world being our temporary home. All of the Old Testament festivals have new testament meaning. Look closer. Can you find the "Petoskey Stones," hidden in plain sight in God's Word?

The seven "B.C." festivals were actually prophesied events. Four of the festival prophesies have already been fulfilled. Three have not - The festival of Trumpets (Christ's return), The Day of Atonement (The Great Judgement) and . . . the Festival of Tabernacles (A New Heaven and a New Earth). Our permanent dwelling place.

As we walk through this life, as we read the Bible, let us always be aware that there may be treasure to be found. The treasure of friends, of serving others. In the words we read in the Bible, take the time to search diligently as you read. You wouldn't want to miss a real gem of a verse that has the power to open up your heart even wider than it already is.

Take time this day to read God's Word. Search thoroughly like my mom taught us kids to search for Petoskey stones. You WILL be rewarded. Found one!!

"I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." - Isaiah 45:3

Tips For Finding Petoskey Stones