Our Father's Tender Love

    I took this picture when we were walking on the boardwalk along the Currituck Sound in Duck, North Carolina in September.  I love watching the sun set, spreading gorgeous color across the sky and mirroring that color in the rippling water.  Such amazing artistry from our wonderful Father!
 

    The words below - written by Max Lucado touch my heart as I consider all that our Father does for us - and how much He loves us:

        Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless, remain that way.  Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, "Do you like it?  I did it just for you."

    

    These golden petunias (in Fort Wayne, Indiana), spread across the ground are breath-takingly beautiful - just as Max Lucado described.  The tenderness of our loving Father in giving us all this beauty that surrounds us daily in some form is precious beyond words!!

    I'm reminded of a chapter I wrote in my book entitled, "Joy in the Journey - a Traveler's Tale with a Twist."  The chapter is Artist's Point - Delight, and begins with the verse, "Say to God, 'How awesome are Your works!" Psalm 66:3.  In that chapter, I describe a visit to the most beautiful spot in Yellowstone National Park called Artist's Point.  Here's a portion of what I wrote:

         "I was thrilled by this wondrous sight - overwhelmed by the power, majesty and scope of what God had created.  I sensed His presence and felt He was saying to me, 'Do the works of my fingers delight you?'

        'Oh, yes, Lord!  Oh, yes!'  I inwardly gushed as tears stung my eyes and I smiled.  I felt ready to burst with the joy of that moment.  Not only for the amazing gift of breathtaking beauty spread out before me, but even more so, for the fact that God Himself would meet me in that place, bend down and whisper in my mortal ear, 'Do the works of my fingers delight you?'

        As my heart overflowed with praise, I sensed His delight in my delight.  I felt God's presence so powerfully, it was as if He opened a crack in the invisible fabric separating the physical world from the spiritual just for a moment - and I felt like He was grinning from ear to holy ear.  I joined in with a grin  of my own, and we had a wonderful time enjoying His wonderful view!"

    This is me at Artist's Point, although it's not a quality photo, you can still see my joy and get a pale glimpse of the view.  "For the LORD takes delight in His people," Psalm 149:4.  I thank my God upon every remembrance of my meeting with Him on that day!  "God, my joy and my delight," Psalm 43:4.

    "How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great king over all the earth!" Psalm 47:2

Autumn Trees

 

Autumn Trees

    Leaves are dropping from the trees, spiraling to the ground in swift succession  Soon, the limbs will be bare and this beautiful color will be a glowing memory.  These trees are in the backyards of my neighbor and I.  We saw the leaves below on our recent trip to North Carolina:

Red against the blue sky in Hickory, NC

Golden leaves in Old Salem, Winston-Salem NC

    I've always loved to see the brilliant colors of Autumn leaves and to hear the crunch of dry beauty underfoot in piles on the sidewalk.  Actually, trees in general are special in my book.  They have such a message to share with us, if we'll just hear it.  Here's a few stanzas of the wonderful poem by Joyce Kilmer wrote way back in 1913 -- it's a classic!

    I think that I shall never see

    A poem lovely as a tree.

    A tree that looks at God all day,

    And lifts her leafy arms to pray;

    A tree that may in Summer wear

    A nest of robins in her hair;

    Poems are made by fools like me,

    But only God can make a tree.

    I've always considered trees to be a living example of faithfulness to God, their maker.  Of course, I realize that a tree has no freewill of its own to do otherwise, but putting that fact aside, we can still visualize faithfulness in the way the tree stands firmly in the place that God has put it.  As the poet said, it's raises its leafy arms in praise to its Creator and helps forest creatures along the way.  The tree produces fresh green leaves each Spring and those leaves provide fresher air and shade for those who are nearby.  Then, in Autumn, their leaves change into a blaze of color for the enjoyment of all who see.  In winter, they rest before beginning their cycle anew the next Spring.

    The Bible has a lot to say about trees.  Here are a few messages God offers us from the tree:

    "Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord...He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit," Jeremiah 17:7-8.

    "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever," Psalm 52:8.

    "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life and whoever captures souls is wise," Proverbs 11:30.

    And even though we consider that trees have no will of their own, yet, we have these amazing verses in God's Holy Word:

    "Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth," 1 Chronicles 16:34

    "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace...and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands," Isaiah 55:12.

    I love it!  God created trees and He can empower them to do anything He wishes for them to do.  I believe He wants them to stand as a reminder to us to be steadfast and faithful in seeking to do the will of God in our lives - and to praise God from whom all blessings flow!

    

The Hoax

 

THE HOAX

     How would you like to purchase a nice Ford truck for $7,000?  How about an extremely nice sectional sofa for $400?  How about a tractor for $1,400 and a freezer for $200?  These were just a few of the 35 items listed yesterday in a Facebook post from a friend of mine.  The 35 items were accompanied by photos that caused increasing excitement as I viewed each one.  The post had been up for 3-hours already and I was fearful that most of these amazing bargains had already been snatched up.

     I called my friend with a list of items that my son and I had decided to purchase, excited about this amazing opportunity.  As soon as my friend answered her cell phone, she laughed saying, "Are you calling about the items for sale?"  

     I said, "Yes!"

     She said, "It's a hoax.  Somebody hacked my Facebook page.  I've already had 26 texts this morning and numbers of phone calls."

    I felt like a deflated balloon.  I'd fallen for the "If it looks too good to be true, then...." hook, line and sinker, and with checkbook in hand!

     The definition of hoax is, "an act intended to trick or deceive people; a widely publicized falsehood created to deceive its audience with false and often astonishing information."

     Yep!  That sums up the Facebook hoax to a tee.

     The question is -- how did so many of us fall for something that on closer inspection seems way too good to be true?

     I guess we might say, we believe what we want to believe, not to mention a well-told lie can be very convincing.  Notice that the definition of hoax only used words like, "trick, deceive, falsehood."  The word "lie" was never used.  The father of lies (aka Satan) prefers to have that blatant and telling word candy-coated.  He loves it when people use the term, "little white lie."  It's as if he's created a little cupcake with white icing that contains a poison pill.  If it looks good, people will swallow it.

     I'm convinced that there is a spiritual message in everything we encounter and experience.  This cleverly designed Facebook hoax is just one example of a believable lie.  

     From the beginning of time, in the Garden of Eden, Satan has been lying and deceiving  people.  When God created a vast and beautiful garden for His precious creations, Adam and Eve, He told them there was only one thing in the whole world that they could not do -- only one thing!  

     Satan/aka Lucifer, the recently fallen angel who was ridiculously jealous of God, wanted to cause havoc on this beautiful, pure scene because he knew it would cause pain to his new enemy, God.  So, he spoke smooth words to Eve, telling her lies mixed with truth in such a way that he deceived her into thinking that taking a bite of the forbidden fruit was actually a good thing to do (read Genesis 3:1-8).

     Oh, my!  It was a lie followed by a sin that changed the entire world!  And, the strange thing is - Satan has been repeating a similar lie to mankind ever since - and it still works!

      Satan and his minions have continued throughout history seeking to deceive and turn people from God.  And millions of people have been just as deceived as Eve.  Scripture tells us, "And no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light," 2 Corinthians 11:14.  Once again, he wraps his ugly, deadly lies in a beautiful box and ties it with a bow - and people stand in line to receive his gift-wrapped box of death.

     The apostle John warned us, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world," 1 John 4:1.  John further tells us in his gospel what Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," 8:31-32.

     Ah, truth!  Truth is the opposite of a hoax and it is the opposite of Satan.  Who doesn't want to be free?  I've never known anyone who would choose to be a captive in a cage over freedom.  Jesus is Truth and He offers freedom to all who will believe in Him.

     So, the next time you see or hear of something in the world that seems too good to be true, test it against the truth of God and - don't click on any links!

Flight

    Larry and I enjoyed a week at the Outer Banks in North Carolina earlier this month.  We revisited the Aviation Memorial situated behind the Visitor's Center near the entrance to the Outer Banks.  This impressive memorial that celebrates the first 100 years of flight is tucked back in the trees and is a hidden gem I recommend.

    There is much of interest there, but I want to key in on a poem written by a young John Magee and give you my spiritual take on it.

   When I read the poem High Flight, written by a young man named John Gillespie Magee, Jr., I saw more than even what he intended within the descriptions of flying through the open space of sky. 

    John, who was a 19-year-old American serving in the Canadian Air Force as a Fighter Pilot and a wartime poet, was inspired to write this joyous poem by a flight he took in a Spitfire on August 18, 1941.  Sadly, John was killed in a plane crash just four months later on December 11 in England.  His poem went on to become what is considered the most famous aviation poem ever written. 

    Here is a picture of the engraved poem at the entrance to the memorial:

    After reading the poem, my mind immediately envisioned our perfected and glorified bodies flying freely through space once we are in Heaven.  Why would I imagine such a thing?

    It's because I believe we will be able to fly, just as John described in his poem, but without the need for an airplane.  Here's an excerpt from my book, "The Rapture -- Imagining the Day that Changes the World Forever."  I just added a new chapter to the book this week, it's entitled "Glimpsing the Wonders of Heaven."

    Here's what I wrote in the book: 

 ~My Take On This Brilliant Poem - 

       When I read this poem, I see the risen, perfected bodies of Christians flying through the sky, unfettered and free.  I see the “craft” the poet speaks of as being our resurrected bodies, unencumbered by earth and sin, perfected into the likeness of the resurrected Christ – who could walk through walls and transport from one location to another in the blink of an eye – as well as rise up through the sky to Heaven as His disciples watched.

      Jesus Christ walked on the earth for 40-days after He was resurrected following His death on the cross.  During that time, He ate food, talked and taught His followers, appeared and disappeared.  He even walked along the road to Emmaus for miles talking with two followers and then joined them for a meal.  As soon as they recognized that He was Jesus, “He vanished from their sight,” Luke 24:31.

      The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. / who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself,” Philippians 3:20-21.

      So, when we are raptured or resurrected from the grave, our bodies will become perfected with abilities like Christ’s own body.  We’ll have strength and abilities we’ve only dreamed of.  I believe that one of those wonders will be the ability to fly through the air, much like Jesus did when He ascended to Heaven.

     When you read this poem, imagine experiencing the joy and freedom of soaring across the beautiful blue sky with arms outspread, feeling the wind in your hair, rejoicing in the God who created and redeemed you.

     At the end of that chapter, I included this paragraph:    When the trumpet sounds announcing that Jesus is catching up His children to join Him in Heaven, we’ll experience our first flight of freedom.  In that moment, we’ll soar up into the sky to meet the Lord in the air.  And -- put out our hands "and touch the face of God.”

   "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV

 

    

 

The Water of Life

 

     These beautiful pink hydrangea flowers have brought me much joy during their short life.  For a month, they stood straight and tall with these lush blossoms proclaiming the glory of God.  Even their crisp bright green leaves are pretty!

     As the weather turned warmer and the flowers began fading, one day the leaves hung limp and the flower head lay to the side.  They looked pitiful!  I realized that they were in dire need of life-giving water and so I filled the watering can and gave the plant a nice, long drink.

     Within hours, the faded blossom heads had righted themselves and once again stood up tall - and even looked brighter.  The limp leaves perked up too and seemed to rejoice at their renewal.  It was an amazing transformation.

     Nature offers so many spiritual messages and this one is no exception.  I'm reminded of Psalm 63:1, where David says, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water." 

      We all need water to live and without it, we grow weak and limp like my poor flower.  The prophet Isaiah wrote, "Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation," 12:3.

       Water is life.  Jesus offers us just such water.  He says to us, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life," John 4:14.

     God tells us in Isaiah 44:3, "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring."

      This verse compares life-giving water with the life-giving Holy Spirit in a way that we can see how vital each are to a healthy life.  Without God's Holy Spirit working in and through us, we will be weak and limp - we will be sad.  We need to drink in the Word of God each day so that we will be spiritually hydrated.  We all want our lives to be as beautiful before the Lord as the wonderful blue and lavender hydrangeas in the picture above.  We need to stay close to the One who gives us strength, purpose and peace.  

       Let's stay fresh in our walk with the Lord each day - inspired by these crisp green leaves and radiant pink flower as it stands upright before its Creator.

       Let's say, with David, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake..." Psalm 23:1-3.

The Genealogy of Jesus

 

   As I studied the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:1-17 and in Luke 3:23-38, I tried to understand what the differences in ancestery might mean.  From Adam to David, the ancestors are, of course, the same, but after that we see a list of different names.  As I thought about it, I wondered if God might be showing us that our legal lineage is more important than our physical lineage?

    

    When we look at Jesus' legal lineage through his step-father Joseph, we see a long list of kings that came after David.  This added to Jesus' right to be King.  Not only that, but the gospel of Matthew is considered to be the book that proclaims Jesus as King, the Lion of Judah.

    Then, we have the list of ancestors in Luke, which is the line of Mary, the mother of Jesus and therefore His physical line.  There are no kings after David, just ordinary men, yet even so, King David as ancestor in Mary's line also gives Jesus the right to the throne of His "father David."  Also relevant is that the gospel of Luke is considered the story of Jesus as a Man.

    It's mind-boggling to realize that God had Mary and Joseph's family trees worked out even before He created the first person Adam!  Through each generation, God knew and controlled the gene pool being handed down until He revealed His choice of Mary to be the physical vessel to be the link between humankind and Heaven.

    It's a mystery, a wonder, a miracle and an act of the most amazing grace!

    At first, I thought surely Jesus' lineage through Mary whose physical gene pool He shared was the more important.  But then, I began thinking of the importance of a legal lineage.  When a person is adopted into a family, that person becomes a legal part of that family, sharing in the inheritance and all the aspects of what it means to be part of that family - as if he were born into that family.

    I began to think of the spiritual aspects of a physical versus legal lineage.  Physically, we are descended from Adam - a natural man - which means we were born a sinful human (not Jesus, of course, who was perfect).  But then, when we were born again as a Believer in Jesus Christ, we became a child of God, adopted into His family.  We are legally a child of God through the price that Jesus paid to cleanse us from our sin.  

    "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," John 1:12-13.

     And so, for us, our legal lineage is by far the more important.  As far as the importance of the physical versus legal lineage of Jesus, I shall leave that up to Almighty God to determine.  I'm just so thankful that He came, that He loved us enough to die for us, that He rose again, and will soon come back to bring us to Himself.  And so shall we ever be - with the Lord.

    

Time

     I'm fascinated by the concept of Time.  From the moment of our conception until we draw our last breath, we are bound by Time.  Our very heartbeat is measured by Time.  A normal heartbeat is 60 to 100 beats per minute, known as "bpm."

    We have 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24-hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 56 weeks in a year.  Our lives revolve around a ticking clock.  

     The antique clock pictured above is literally a ticking clock (I purchased it from an uncle in NC many decades ago).  The pendulum on this clock swings back and forth to mark each second of time.  The swing movement causes a definite "ticking" sound that is a constant reminder that time is passing.

    Sit in a quiet room with such a clock and the constant tick-tock quickly becomes very noticeable.  However, after you've lived with such a clock for a while, you no longer hear the ticking sound as it becomes a background noise your brain dismisses.

     

     Although our every heartbeat is bound by Time, such a concept is so deeply engrained into our very existence that we dismiss the sound and walk through life with little thought to the passing of Time.  I was struck by this thought when I recently heard the song, What are We Waiting For? by King and Country, and the line:  "Why are we wasting all the time like someone's making more?"

    I thought, "Wow!"  We all waste time -- time that is then quickly in the past and no longer usable for us; it's gone, never to be available again.  No one is making more time for us.  That's why the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time..." 5:15-16.

    When God created the world, He also created Time.  God has always lived outside the boundary of Time.  Before the earth was created, there was no such thing as Time, and once the earth is re-formed by God for His kingdom in the future, Time will once again cease to exist and Forever will begin for us.  Our finite, Time-bound minds cannot comprehend such a life.  But, that's okay.  God is the One in control of all that stuff and we can trust Him to bring it all to a satisfactory completion.  One of the things you can count on is that God always has a plan and a purpose for everything.

    So, what should our attitude toward Time be?  We need to ask God to, "teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom," Psalm 90:12.  And the way we can do that is to follow the words of Jesus:  "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you," Matthew 6:33.

    When we seek God's Time management in our lives, we will have time enough and when our Time on earth is up, we can say with Jesus, "I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do," John 17:4.

    I love the Latin phrase, carpe diem - seize the day!