Category: Devotions

I watch them bounce and it makes my neck hurt. Then I see them jump off the top and hit the bottom mat and my rear axle hurts. I am sitting In Dubai at the airport watching stuff while we wait for a flight. These kids are bouncing,,,what a cool way to get their energy out. I want to. My mind wants to. My body says NO. I don’t bounce like I used to. I flop hard. These kids make it look so easy, simple, fun and I just see ouch, ooh, whoops and oops. The girl running it doesn’t make it any easier. She encourages them by showing them how to fly high and crash hard. Of course they bounce cuz it’s a trampoline..I still would flip hard trampoline or rubber mattress with cushions all over.

It’s not just my body, my mind doesn’t bounce as well either anymore. Someone hurts my feelings and I don’t let it just roll off my shoulders. Words are said that aren’t true..why should I care if it’s not true, but I do. Why should it bother me, when the creator of the universe is the creator of bounce both physically and mentally. Bouncing means relaxing…bouncing means we have to loosen up. To bounce one can’t worry about hitting anything, but rather using it to change directions… in life,,that’s hard but a good lesson to learn…

Lots of times in life we do things..duh..everyday seemingly we do things. Some things we do because we need to do them. Perhaps because it’s the appropriate thing to do. Wash your face, brush your teeth, walk the dog, sweep the floor…all things that we just do. And then there are things we do because…because perhaps people would wonder if we didn’t do them. But then there are so many things that we could stop and ask ourselves, why do we? Purpose to live life doing what we are empowered and impassioned to do. There are many things we have to do, but the things we have a choice doing, do it with a passion and a purpose. There is a Bible verse that says, whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. Don’t do something without gusto behind the gesture. Make it a God moment when you reach out to do something. Make it a memorable moment for people when you walk into their lives. Make it real. We are headed off to a mission trip. We have no clue really what we will experience. We know that God will take our efforts. And turn them into awesome. We know that the gusto behind the gesture may be bit sluggish till we get on our feet after the plane ride. We know that we will have ahaha moments and oh oh oh moments. We know that whatever we do, we know why we are doing it.. God led out hearts and positioned out feet to walk toward Zimbabwe. Where is your Zimbabwe? Where is God leading you and how are you responding? Do you know why you are doing what you do or are you simply pushing the buttons and standing on the escalator…p

.It was one of those days where it seemed that all had gone perfect. Woke up to the crisp morning on the lake. The snow, the deer, the swans trying to figure out how to swim on frozen water, the bald eagles circling and flying along side the car as we headed south. Our little adventure over early as the “storm” was supposed to hit and we needed to get south in case it actually happened. We walked into church; a strange church for us but one that would make the middle of my day just as perfect as the beginning and the end. It’s like when you take in a breath of fresh air that hits every one of your senses. You breath in and suddenly you tingle with delight. Your lungs feel full, your eyes are free from itchy allergens, your brain clears and you are ravishingly hungry and yet full. The pores of your body stretch to soak in the fresh air and you almost don’t want to exhale because it feels so good to breath.. Was it the singing, or the hugs, or the people actually chasing us down to introduce themselves to two total strangers? Was it the spirit, the sun luring through the windows? Some actually think church should be a dark dingy hall, with lights so low you couldn’t see to take notes if you so desired. They sang, and I could read the music if I didn’t know the songs. Simple, effective, I could hear four parts surrounding me and energy…I am not sure what kind of energy but it was infectious. Teenagers were singing, little kids were coloring and singing. The little boy by us had some pink milk in a milk bottle. It felt almost like…we were at church rather than at a place that sells a product. Church has become that..a product. It seems the image portrayed, the bribing people to come with donuts and coffee. We have missed the simpleness of being together as a community and being who God called us to be: the church not a church. The sermon when they got that far, after singing more and more, and prayer time when people went forward for prayer and confession time, communion, shepherds prayer where the church, the people, prayed for each other and then the sermon. Simply put, the sermon was admonishing using the Bible. Simply preaching out to the Bible. Straight, practical, simple, Biblical and then that’s all. I wanted to breath again to make sure I had exhaled but I was having a reunion of sorts with a few old friends: who would have figured that God would have thrown that on top of a refreshing breath. Some days, God just says, enjoy and inhale. Let it fill your lungs and your heart, your soul and your mind. So, when one had a day like that, does one just assume it’s downhill the rest of the day? Usually… just coast and make it into the bed and be thankful something didn’t pop your bubble. However, as I sat in a chair tonight at cowboy church and the church laid hands and began praying for the trip to Africa, it began to realize that in the past several years, days like these haven’t existed. It’s been being kicked while I was down, can we stab you in the back again, and by the way, we don’t want you here, kind of years. Those days, weeks and years are hard on the heart. It does bring one to focus on the giver of life; maybe not the giver of fresh air, but the giver of life to sustain in the midst of the smog and air pollution that living as a human in a fallen world and dealing with other humans tends to deal us. And then God says, let there be a day of blessing. Let there be fresh air. Let that fresh air vigorate and energize. Let that fresh air provide hope. Let that fresh air come from the unfamiliar and unknown. Let that fresh breath come when one had just about figured life would always smell bad and breathing through your mouth was the only way to not gag at every breath.

As we sat talking after cowboy church one man confessed that he was feeling depressed and lonely and had started driving. He saw the flag flying, advertising cowboy church tonight and stopped. Fresh air. The sweet couple that drove through the snow to encourage the ministry. Fresh air. The one who wrote a check and handed it to me to finish the ‘guitar fund’ for the trip to Africa. Even the icy ride home, fresh air. For when God provides fresh air, its fresh. We use air fresheners and Simply cover up what smell exists. I love candles and have lots of them to burn and make me giggle. However, if I don’t take out the garbage that stinks, eventually the fresh aroma goes back to stinking. God removes the odor, and gives us fresh air that fills every pore in our lungs. Not a minute early and not a minute late. Not too much and not too little. Not what we expect and not what we anticipate but exactly what is required for us to operate spiritually. So tonight, all my senses are full. My eyes can’t hold back the tears, my ears heard so much I almost can’t think anymore, my fingers wore themselves out clapping, strumming and caressing old friends, my nose smells the fresh crisp air of an April snowstorm that didn’t quite make it as they predicted and my taste buds,,,well taste and see that God is good couldn’t be any more true. I will sleep well tonight: I felt well loved today. And the thing that remains was the thrust of the message, 1 Peter, prepare your mind for action. I have a feeling God has some more action planned that I will have to just sit back, hold on and enjoy the ride!

This is from one of my books; one of them waiting to be published.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to lie. Not that I haven’t had the
opportunity to lie but just don’t feel led on a daily basis to try to convince someone of
something I know that is totally false. I normally try to stick with what’s true, basically
because I can’t remember much anymore and I’m not smart enough to keep the lies
straight. When you can’t remember things it’s best to stick with the truth because that
doesn’t change.
The other night at Youth group three of us leaders were sent in the hallway. We
had submitted to the youth minister earlier in the week something crazy we did when we were in Junior high. In the hallway we were told of one of the leaders, one of the three, incidents in junior high. We then went back in the room and sat in the front. The kids asked us questions about the incident and all three of us were trying to convince the kids that we did it.
It was amazing as the story unfolded as the two other leaders lied and made up
stories more amazing than the original. It was hysterical. And the kids believed it; hook,
line and sinker. This went on for 6 times. Each time the participants were more creative
in their fabrication and elaborating on the little information given and just making it up as they went. Only one time did the kids get it right as to who was lying and who was
telling the truth. The last one was about someone who was caught sneaking out of their
house when they were young. The guy in the middle had everyone believing what he
said; even me. It was hysterically funny and yet at the same time a bit alarming. It is so
easy to get caught in making the story better. Each time the kids asked a question those
up front came up with stuff that was just too good to NOT believe. It had to be true
because it sounded way too funny to be a lie.
Every time the two liars stood up and the real truth teller was revealed it was
amazing as to how difficult it was to believe. The others told such incredible lies.
In the world we live in there are times when the truth is so challenged by lies. We hear
people talking and it sounds so real it has to be the truth. We go by what we think not by
what the facts are. We get caught up in the excitement of the moment as the stories
unwind before us and our heads spin as we listen to the stories coming at us from all
sides. We believe and marvel at the most creative story. We listen to everyone and try to
believe it all because it all sounds feasible. Everything in life has to be paralleled with
truth. Everything we hear has to listen to through the truth meter of God’s word. We
look at people’s eyes and think that they wouldn’t lie to us. We can’t look at the amount
of others who think its truth and think that many people can’t be wrong. We have to take
everything we hear, read, see and are challenged in life with to the Bible and lay it side
by side by the principles God laid out. We have to test whether it’s good or evil. We
have to listen and not get caught up in the moment.
Will the real liar please stand?

I think about all the things I think are important. I think of all the cards I have bought to tell people how wonderful they are. I think of parties I have gone to, the special notes I have written and the ways we have celebrated people’s accomplishments. Wow..some have been really cool. Some of the 90th parties we have been a part of have been really cool…. but..I have never, picked up something worth a years salary and poured it all over someone. Not yet… Matthew 26:6-10. “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man shamed Simon the leper, a women came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.” Of course , people were upset. I guess would have thought the same thing. Why waste all this money. What we could have done with the money instead of “waste” it. How did she earn the money? We can give money to the poor…. yeah right! We are very fickle people. At one part of our heart we want to honor people. The other part of our heart is jealous when others are honored. And then again, we have this tendency to criticize what others do seemingly regardless. The leaders of our world do not encourage us to go all out. We are told to be fragile, to save, to have a reason for the things we do, act with a plan, etc. For once, I would like to be known as someone who gave it all. I would like to be known for the person who dumped the bucket, who walked across the street and through the ditch and left the comfortable to jump into a pool of slime. That’s what I would love to be known for. Someone who threw caution to the wind and loved God so much that the temporal things of life didn’t matter. The woman? She was probably a lot like me. Women usually do have the same things in common. It was probably Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. It was probably an expensive jar, it was expensive perfume, but more importantly it was something she had to honor the one person whom honor was demanded. What do I have to give in response to Good Friday? I have a piano, an expensive recording machine, duplicator, cd recorders, guitars, ukeleles, banjo, fiddles; it would be like if I took my guitar and smashed it over Jesus head. Or if I took the bow to my fiddle, actually my great grandfathers fiddle, and let Jesus walk on it. Or I took my beautiful Baldwin upright grand and pushed it down the road for Jesus to sit on rather than a donkey. Value, I have very few things of value but what I have, am I willing to dump them at Jesus feet in response to what he has done for me? What things have a hold of my heart so much that Jesus is second place? Is there anything I wouldn’t dump on the head of the one who was willing to die for me? Looking at the big picture, I have nothing of value that tells Jesus I love him comparably to a years salary like Mary did. I have nothing of value and yet, my value is priceless. My life is to be poured out. I shouldn’t matter. I should take whatever is in my life to give Christ total control whether it be perfume or pianos. So on Good Friday I think about what I can sacrifice… what can I pour out to be thankful, grateful, obliged, pleased or beholden. My actions need to be all hands on deck and all hands open with no clenched fists. I need to hold to nothing tighter than falling through my fingers except to love God so deeply that when I look in the mirror I see Jesus. I see people’s eyes rather than my own, I see people’s tears rather than my frustration and I see eternity rather than today. I need to see the Jesus that is worth the entire bottle of perfume that gets everyone up in arms. I need to dump it all, pour it out and let the smell permeate others. So Good Friday is my challenge to live so that nothing else matters. To dump over the head of Jesus the honor due him, and to be said that what I did was a beautiful thing.