Look Beyond the World You See

  • I Got Nowhere to Go

    I Got Nowhere to Go

    Image by Leroy Skalstad from Pixabay

    A Homeless Story

    It was 4:30am and 21° outside. I sat inside my toasty warm truck on the way to work.  As I got off the freeway and pulled up to the light, I saw him standing there. When I asked what he was doing outside at this time of the night, he said, “I got nowhere to go.”

    He didn’t have to tell me he was freezing. I figured that out for myself.

    The week before I saw this man standing in the frigid cold, the heater in my truck went out. It was 32° outside but I sat freezing in my truck because I didn’t have any heat.  It is unbelievable how the cold cuts right through to your bones. I was able to fix my heater and it worked better than ever. But I could not forget how cold I was without it.

    I have struggled giving money to those standing on the street corner. Often, there are so many of them I just don’t think I can help each one. Sometimes I wonder if I am perpetuating their circumstance by giving them money when, if they spent the same amount of effort, they could be paid for working.

    The Break-in

    Then there is a part of me that believes some of those guys standing on the corner are the ones committing crimes.

    A coworker’s home had been broken into, we believe, by a former coworker. The former coworker apparently found living on the streets better than working.

    One day, the former coworker came to where he used to be employed and told a crew member that he knew where he lived. It was at this point the crewmember’s home was broken into. Not long after the break-in, the former coworker came back into the store he had worked at, but this time he was wearing very nice clothes and a smirk to go with it. It was as if he was gloating over the crewmember’s loss.

    The theft may not have been from the former coworker and if you are inclined to believe my speculation is wrong, so be it. Let us just say then that I have a lot of reasons that have clouded my willingness to give another person money because they are standing on the corner asking for it.

    A Fellow Traveler

    But on this particular morning, having personally experienced the misery of the bitter chill, there were no excuses to prevent me from helping.

    It didn’t matter how this stranger arrived at this point in his life. I realized that I was not his judge. The only thing that mattered was that a human being was standing outside, in severely cold temperatures at 4:30 in the morning.

    If this guy was looking for a sympathy vote, then he got it from me. Along with it, he taught me we are all on this journey called “Life” together and I can afford to help a fellow traveler out.

  • I Once Was Lost

    I Once Was Lost

    Image by Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay

    A Personal Story

    The man’s fig tree was barren.  It had never produced fruit and he was done with it.  The time had come to cut the tree down.  Why was this fig tree even using up the ground?

    The keeper of the vineyard understood his boss’ concern over the unfruitful fig tree, but the tree had been planted for a reason.  After all, it was a fig tree and when a fig tree bears fruit, it is refreshing and delightful.

    So, the vineyard keeper asked his boss for some time to cultivate and fertilize the tree in the hope that in time it would bear fruit.  For truly, if the tree started bearing fruit, then all was not lost.  But if after all their effort the tree was never going to bear fruit, then let it be cut down.

    His boss agreed and he went to work.

    The Path of Darkness

    That fig tree was me in 1982.

    I was 22 years old and could not be more barren if I tried.  Living off and on with a married woman, we were doing drugs and I was drinking seven days a week.  As if things could not get worse, I got her pregnant.  Because of our drug abuse, she began bleeding and I agreed to terminating her pregnancy.

    I didn’t even try to save our baby.

    In my sin, I could not have been further from Jesus Christ.  I was lost, separated from God while I walked the path of darkness and the shadow of death.

    This Gentle Soul

    But God sent a keeper of the vineyard to nurture me in the hopes that I would become the fruitful tree He had desired when He planted me in my mother’s womb.  His name was Efrain.

    Efrain was from Puerto Rico.  Ironically, his name in English is Jeff.

    Efrain and I worked together and while he never forced his faith on me, he was there to share his faith when I needed it most.

    It was a long process shared over a cutting table where up to four of us could stand and cut onions, jalapenos, tomatoes and more for the Mexican food we were serving.

    In time this gentle soul became dear to me and I asked him for help in buying my first bible.  He agreed and I made my first trip to a bible store, which was a big step for me.

    I Could Feel the New Life

    At the time I bought my Bible, I lived alone and was working early shifts which meant I was off by mid-afternoon.  Each night I crawled into bed, picking up my bible from the nightstand and read the Gospels which Efrain had encouraged me to read.  And each night as I read those Gospels, I began realizing how far apart from God I was and just how much I needed Jesus Christ.

    I’m sure I didn’t even make it through the book of Matthew, before I felt the need to tell God that I loved Him.  But, no matter how strong that desire was, I could not speak those feelings out loud, even though I was alone in my own apartment.  It was not until the seventh night, when I summoned all of my courage to say out loud, “I love you, Jesus.”

    When I spoke those words, it was as if all the walls I had built in my 22 years came crashing down.  I was born again and I could feel the new life in me.

    After Efrain helped me buy a bible, he moved away to go to school so that he could work in ministry.  I lost track of him and it took me several years to find him and share what he meant to me.  I have since lost track of him again, but hope to see him in heaven on that day God calls me to walk through the veil from this world to the next.

    The Hardest Part

    The next world is the one we don’t see yet, but it is there, ready to be revealed in its time.

    If, like me, you are walking the path that does not lead to Jesus Christ, then let me encourage you.  God loves you and wants you to live with Him when this life is over.  He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to make a way into heaven for you.  The proof is in the Bible.  Here are a couple of verses to think about.

    1. “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20-21

    Jesus Christ will gladly overlook our wrongs if we turn to Him.  It is called Grace and it is His grace to forgive us those wrongs, no matter what they are.

    • “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:3-4

    God wants everyone to live with Him in heaven.

    “Hell was never meant for man.  It was created for the devil and his angels.”  Billy Graham in one of his sermons.

    • For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.  For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:11-13

    The hardest part is calling out to Jesus Christ.  It is getting past the walls in our heart that prevent us from turning to Jesus Christ.

    Don’t Look Back

    Like my friend from so long ago, I encourage you to pick up the Bible and start reading the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  In them, you will find Jesus Christ, His life, and His path.

    God took me from the path of darkness and the shadow of death that I walked and put me on the path of true life.  I can only hope that you will trust me when I say that God’s path is filled with far more beautiful things than we can ever imagine.  Beautiful people, beautiful words, beautiful things and in the midst of them all is Jesus Christ moving in our lives and revealing His true self to us.  I for one, could not ask for anything more.

    Leave the path of darkness and don’t look back.  Turn to the path of life and light today.  You will not regret it.

    A Note to Those Who Believe

    If you believe in Jesus Christ already, then I want to take a moment to remind you that one day, the lost will be separated from Jesus Christ and heaven forever.  In fact, the lost are dying as we speak.  This is not acceptable!

    The lost need our patience right now!  They also need our love, mercy, forgiveness, understanding and more.  They need every chance to turn to Jesus Christ to escape the sentence of Death!

    An Incomparable Fruit

    Hence, the parable of the fig tree.  The lost man is barren in soul and spirit.  Little if any fruit is born toward their fellow man resulting in no treasure in heaven and being separated from the hope, we hold so dear, forever.

    That means that people are going to hurt your feelings.  They are going to cost you in time and money.  The lost are going to anger you and frustrate you.

    But God’s will is that you love others when they hurt you.  Even Jesus Christ called Judas Iscariot, friend, knowing that Judas would betray him.  It is painful to love others when they hurt us, but loving through that pain creates an incomparable fruit that is precious to God!

    Listen to the Heart

    And He wants you to forgive others, even when it costs you.  God can restore the time and money you lose through others.  But what if He doesn’t immediately restore what you have lost?  Then He has treasure in heaven waiting for you.  What we cling to in this life is trash anyway, compared to what Jesus Christ has waiting for us!

    Listen to the heart of the lost and gently share your faith in Jesus Christ if the opportunity arises.  Look to Jesus Christ for the words and timing.  Like Efrain so long ago, you may be someone’s introduction to Jesus Christ.

    Resource

    The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

    “He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’  But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9

  • A Serpent of Slaves

    A Serpent of Slaves

    Image by Silke from Pixabay

    John’s Story

    It was March 21st, 1748, a day he would never forget.  The storm ravaged the ship, ripping the sails and splintering the wood on one side of the ship.  John was too exhausted to man the pumps which removed the water threatening to sink the ship, so he was tied to the helm and did his best to hold the ship to its course.

    In Those Moments

    Through the next 11 hours, John compared the devastation of his life to that of the ship.  He couldn’t speak without profanity, his heart was hard as he sold men and women for profit, he drank like the proverbial sailor that he was and his lust for women were all in stark contrast to the hopes his mother had for him.

    When he was a boy, John’s mother had prayed for him and taught him scripture, some of which he recalled during his time at the helm.  The book of Proverbs came to mind as he thought about the words which paralleled his life in his present circumstance, “When your terror comes like a storm, and your destruction comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you…” Proverbs 1:27.  Although John had rejected his mother’s faith and was critical of anyone else’s faith, he wanted to live and could not help but see the connection between the Word and his life.  It was in those moments that his faith was born.

    Faith and Change Were Slow

    At first, John could not believe he was worth saving.  The words from Proverbs were clear that God would laugh at him.  How could he live so far apart from God and still believe that God would save him?  Eventually John read the bible verse, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Luke 11:13

    Faith and change were slow for John.  He continued slave-trading but eventually changed his work, and sought to build up other’s faith.  He also married Mary, the daughter of the family that took him in when his mother died and his father was gone at sea.  It is said that at the end of his life John wrote their love “equaled all that the writers of romance have imagined.”1

    His Mother’s Prayers

    At age 39, John Newton began his life in ministry preaching what he once tried to destroy.  His mother’s prayers all those years before were finally being answered.

    John spent 43 years of his life preaching the Gospel.  During that time, he wrote 280 hymns, including “Amazing Grace”, was involved in abolishing the slave trade and ministered to people whether they were the poor, working class or wealthy.

    His Word as a Light

    Although John felt he was beyond saving, it is abundantly clear he was not.  Perhaps you feel you are beyond saving, that you have sinned so much there is no way God could possibly love you enough to save you.  That would be no truer today that it was on March 21st, 1748.

    In his life, John Newton certainly would have read the following verses.  I share these with you as proof that God cares about you and wants you with Him in heaven when this life is over.  The world can be a dark place.  God, “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” 1 Timothy 2:4, has left His word as a light for us to follow:

    “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

    For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

    “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Luke 5:32

    I Remember Two Things

    We are on an epic journey through life.  When the time comes, there are only two ways this life will end.  Either we will go to heaven, or the other place.  Please take the time today, right now, to consider that Jesus Christ came to save each one of us.  It is not so difficult to believe that God came in the form of a Man who died on a cross 2000 years ago to pay the price for sin.  Jesus Christ came to repair our path to heaven that Adam damaged.

    I leave you with the words of John Newton, a former slave trader and vile man who was near the end of his life:

    “My memory is nearly gone; but I remember two things:  That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a Great Savior.”  John Newton

    I too must confess that I am a great sinner and Jesus Christ is my Great Savior who delivered me from death to life.

    Resources

    Story taken from:  https://www.bethelripon.com/life-stories/2020/4/18/john-newton-the-great-blasphemer-behind-amazing-grace

    1.  https://www.bethelripon.com/life-stories/2020/4/18/john-newton-the-great-blasphemer-behind-amazing-grace, paragraph 9.

    Additional Resources

    1. Library of Congress, The Creation of “Amazing Grace”
      1. https://www.loc.gov/item/ihas.200149085/#foot1
    2. “Amazing Grace” by Steve Turner

  • Hindsight

    Hindsight

    Image by S K from Pixabay

    A Rich Man’s Story

    The man was rich.  He dressed in the finest linen garments and ate only the best victuals.  His home was one of the finest in the city and he spared no expense for his comfort.  He lived in luxury and ease and nothing disturbed that sumptuous life, except for one man.

    There was a man laying at his gate every day and his name was Lazarus.  Lazarus was a beggar who was dirty and covered in filthy sores.  He was a disgrace to this man’s property and an eyesore every time he passed him on his way to town.  The dogs would even come and lick his sores!

    A Little Charity

    How many times had he passed Lazarus and said no to Lazarus’ request for money?  How many times had he walked by Lazarus and never offered him a piece of bread?  How many times did this rich man just simply ignore Lazarus?

    I mean really, what was it going to take for Lazarus to get the message that he was getting nothing and would never get anything?

    Day after day Lazarus laid at the rich man’s gate.  If he had the opportunity, Lazarus may have chosen to lay at someone else’s gate hoping for a little charity, but the men that carried him, laid him at this gate every day whether he liked it or not.  But Lazarus was grateful for any help he received.  And now his needs were completely dependent on one man.

    Too Busy with Business

    Lazarus saw the rich man walk by every day and every day he tried to say hi to the rich man in the hopes that the rich man would give him something, anything.  But the rich man never did.

    In fact, the rich man rarely if ever spoke to Lazarus.  The rich man never knew or bothered to learn why Lazarus was a beggar or why he laid by this rich man’s gate day after day.

    One can only wonder why?

    I have a feeling that the rich man’s life was a lot like our lives today.  Like us, the rich man was too busy with business and his connections, stopping to learn a beggar’s story just wasn’t on his radar.  In fact, he was probably so busy he barely even thought about the man laying at his gate every day.

    Never Cultivated a Life of Faith

    Well, as with all life, Lazarus died and went through the veil of this life to the next.  Lazarus must have been a man of faith, waiting daily for God’s provision, because upon his passing, the angels carried Lazarus to heaven.

    In time, the rich man died too.  Being rich though, the man never found a reason to rely upon anyone else for his needs and as a result, never cultivated a life of faith.  The ramification of the choices the rich man made in life did not become evident until it was his turn to pass through the veil of this life into the next.  When the rich man passed through the veil, he found darkness, loneliness, flame, and torment.

    In his agony, the rich man saw, and begged for help from the one man he had ignored for so long, Lazarus.  All he wanted was a drop of water from Lazarus to cool his tongue.  But it was impossible.

    A chasm separated the rich man in his suffering from Lazarus and all of heaven’s blessings.

    The rich man begged further, asking that Lazarus be sent to his five brothers and warn them of the place where he was now suffering.  He was told his brothers had the Word and that they should listen to it.  The rich man replied that if one came to them from the dead, they would listen to him.  But the response to the rich man was that his brothers would not be persuaded even if one rose from the dead.

    A Journey We Take Alone

    In our lives today, we have the story of One rising from the dead, Jesus Christ.  The question for us is whether we believe it or are we too busy to even consider it?  We also have the Word which is found in the Bible.

    The path we take through the veil of this life into the next life is a journey we take alone.  What I mean is that we will not have our friends and family with us when we go from this life to the next.

    In the story Jesus told about Lazarus, He said the angels carried Lazarus away, but not the rich man. Because Lazarus believed in Jesus Christ, God sent His angels to bring Lazarus home.

    The rich man never knew God and as a result was never known by God and so the angels were not sent to bring him to heaven.

    They say that hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, it’s obvious to see what we should have done. When we are on the other side, the result of our choice in this life will be revealed.

    I encourage you to take the time to seek Jesus Christ and discover His promise of eternal life in heaven.  The gift is free. Trust me when I say, the blessings of heaven outweigh any suffering we may endure in this life.  All you must do is believe. 

    Resource

    The Rich Man and Lazarus

    “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.


    “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’


    “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’  Abraham said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’  But he said to him, If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31

  • Best Friends

    Best Friends

    Image by Photorama from Pixabay

    Randy’s Story

    We both heard the charging dog bark at us, but what happened next is why I grew up wanting to be like him.

    Randy stood his ground prepared to kick whatever came out of the darkness in an attempt to defend himself, while I turned to run.  A distant voice halted the dog’s attack and neither of us were hurt but the intention of our choices was inescapable.  Randy never made me feel bad for my choice and the memory of that night wandered into the vault of untold distant memories of childhood friends as we walked in the darkness back to our campsite.

    Our Mode of Transportation

    I met Randy when his family moved down the street from us.  There was an established group of kids in the neighborhood but I drifted towards Randy.  Maybe it was because he was confident and outgoing.  I was shy and insecure and his strength bolstered my own confidence.  The fact that our birthdays were only 6 days apart solidified our friendship.  We were the same age and Randy felt more like a brother than a friend.

    Bicycles were our mode of transportation.  We explored the city far and wide on those magnificent two-wheeled inventions.  It was a time in the world when two young boys could go miles from home as they explored their surroundings and life.

    Our longest ride was over 20 miles.  At our request and with our parent’s permission, Randy’s dad put our bikes in the back of his truck and took us to Cave Creek.  I grumbled at the effort it took to get back home, but how I miss those days.

    Diagnosed with Diabetes

    The freedoms we enjoyed afforded us the opportunity for a little mischief that included many rolls of toilet paper and not a few firecrackers.  Fortunately, no one was hurt by our antics.

    We constantly drank Pepsi and ate bags of M & M’s.  It was not uncommon to see us outside the grocery store, leaning against the wall and refreshing ourselves with this favorite combination, our bikes standing ready to bear us at our command.  At least until Randy was diagnosed with Diabetes.

    As a teenager, Randy was found in a diabetic coma, laying on the floor in his family’s living room.  He would have to give himself injections for the rest of his life.

    A Different World

    Growing up in Phoenix, the hot summers kindled a passion for swimming.  Randy’s family had a pool and that helped fuel our obsession.  Twice we went skinny dipping and were caught both times.  Once by his mother as we swam naked in his family’s pool.  The other time was swimming sans suit in his uncle’s pool, we were spied by two neighbor girls.

    As we graduated from riding bicycles to driving vehicles and with endless miles of desert just outside of Phoenix, our world opened even more.

    Plinking with our .22’s was a favorite pastime and the long open miles of desert gave us new freedoms.  A couple of times we even took our rifles out, just wandering the desert, testing our aim and ability to inflict damage on inanimate objects.  It was a different world back then.

    Feeding Time

    Randy and I hunted quail, dove and rabbits in that desert together. We didn’t always find the tender meat we were looking for, but one day we did find a hawk’s nest with two babies inside.  Randy brought one home and raised it.  What a sight it was to see that hawk sitting calmly at the top of a telephone pole outside the back of Randy’s house, the sparrows and other little birds flying around, clearly agitated.

    Feeding time was a piece of chicken that Randy waved around until the bird flew down to receive it.  Randy would throw the meat into the air and the hawk grabbed it mid-flight, returning to his perch on the telephone pole while he ate it.  Eventually, the bird flew away.

    Kicked in the Head

    I couldn’t always be like Randy.  Randy didn’t like cats and once purposely ran over a cat.  I love cats and his actions really hurt me.

    Another time after turkey hunting, Randy pushed the limits of speed and safety in his desire to get home quickly.  I was upset at his reckless driving, but even though I had one or two near-death experiences on that ride home, his reckless driving came in handy on a different occasion.

    I was 16 and got beaten up because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Randy wasn’t with me that night and I suffered a broken jaw as a result of my beating.  The doctor said only being kicked in the head would have caused the bone to break as it did.  My jaw was wired shut for 6 weeks while it healed.

    Randy came to my rescue.  He knew I needed uplifting, so one night we went out in his Bronco.  It didn’t take long to find some open desert we could drive in.  We recklessly raced around the desert in the darkness with only the light of his KC Daylighters and headlights showing us the way.

    Occasionally, a rabbit was spooked and we chased that critter at full speed, doing brodies as necessary to keep it in our sight.  I don’t know what was more painful, the bouncing and jostling of being off-road with a broken jaw while chasing rabbits or laughing at seeing the rabbits in our headlights as they raced to get away.

    Pool Party

    No best friend story is complete without losing a girlfriend.  When Randy wooed Allison away from me, it hurt.  Our relationship was hurt.  But it was only a matter of time before I realized the love of a best friend was more important to me than the love of a girlfriend.  In my heart I knew that Randy was very outgoing while I was shy.  I tried not to blame Allison for being attracted to him.

    Just before we turned 18, I was leaving for Alaska.  Randy threw me a going away pool party.  It wasn’t a big party but that is what made it special.  There was a girl there that I didn’t know, but we connected.  I don’t remember what we talked about, but it was genuine and I never forgot it.  I can still dimly see her face.

    There would be some return visits that allowed us the chance to explore and push the boundaries of life a few more times before the call of adulthood would get in the way and separate us.  As adults, we didn’t need to talk or visit all the time.  We already knew each other through a relationship that tested our bond and blessed our memories.

    Relentless Adulthood

    How do you sum up the relationship of a best friend?  Best friends can be separated by the distance of life but your hearts are never parted.  A relationship built on the shared experiences of childhood is what binds these hearts together so that no matter how many years between visits or conversations, nothing can remove or hide that friendship.  It is the treasure of a childhood bond and is as vibrant as a childhood dream.  A childhood friend is the best of our hopes and dreams and it abides in a childlike faith that you are more one being than two.  It is before the days of adulthood when reality sets in and says, not so fast, you have work to do and it’s not so glamorous as you might have imagined.

    No matter how relentless adulthood is, the treasure of childhood best friends and their memories remains untarnished.  In fact, those days become dearer because we realize as adults just how special they truly were.

    Wait in Wonder

    Randy passed away on March 11th, 2015.  We spoke the week before his death.  It was the first time in our relationship that we discussed faith in God.  How could I know it was to be the last time we would speak in this life?

    Although I sum up our memories, they won’t be as significant to you.  But I share my memories as much to say that Randy was here, that he was part of my life and now the veil of this life has been removed for him just as it will be, one day, for you and I.

    This life is temporary.  God created this life to bless us in fellowship with Him.  One of the treasures He has bestowed on us is the gift of best friends.  Best friends are an earthly reminder of a Heavenly relationship with Jesus Christ.  He testifies of the best He has to offer through life’s most beautiful memories.

    In Heaven there will be nothing but cherished times of treasured relationships with each other and with the God who created us.

    I miss my friend.  We may not have talked all that much as adults, but now we will never be able to reminisce about the good old days.  He was such a significant part of my life it is hard to believe that he has stepped from this life to the next.  He has entered the world that is not seen.  Now I must wait in wonder at what he has discovered until that veil is removed for me.

  • Tell Me, Noah

    Tell Me, Noah

    Image by Greg Reese from Pixabay

    An Open Letter

    Tell me, Noah, did your friends and neighbors believe when you told them God loves them?  Did they believe when you told them their behavior was wrong?  When you told them to have a soft heart toward their fellow man, did they care?

    Tell me, Noah, did your friends and neighbors believe when you told them lying, cheating and stealing were wrong?  When you told them not to sexually abuse children, did they stop?  How about murder? Did they stop taking innocent life or were their hearts too hard to stop?

    Did they believe when you said God made them male and female?  And when you said marriage is between a man and a woman, was their response loving?

    Tell me, Noah, did your friends and neighbors believe there would be a great flood?  Did they believe the world would come to an end?

    Simply Believe

    Well, they won’t believe me either.

    They won’t believe when I tell them that Jesus Christ loves them.

    They won’t believe when I tell them they are eternal beings made in the image of God.

    They won’t believe when I say that Jesus Christ wants to walk with them and help them through this life.

    They won’t believe when I say He came to this earth as a man to offer up His life willingly to pay the price for sin so that they could have eternal life with Him and all they have to do is simply believe in Him and what He has done.

    What Pain

    How did it feel, Noah, when you entered the Ark, knowing that all your beloved friends and neighbors, people you had known for 500 years, were outside when God closed the door of the Ark?

    What thoughts went through your head, what pain went through your heart, knowing that the people you cared about would not be with you any longer because they rejected the voice of truth?

    Tell me, Noah, did you cry?

    No Other Life

    Tell me, Noah, did you secretly search for survivors even though you knew it was impossible to survive outside the Ark? Did you seek the remains of those you loved when the Ark finally rested on dry ground?

    That day you were drunk, was it because of grief at the loss of everyone you knew and cared about?

    Tell me, Noah, did you feel alone?  The only ones left were you, your wife, your sons and their wives.  There was no other life on earth except what came with you.

    When is it too Late

    Tell me, Noah, do you think your friends finally believed when the rains came and wouldn’t stop?  Do you think they finally understood when they saw the Ark floating, knowing you were safe inside?  Knowing that everything you told them was coming true?  Did they believe then?

    Tell me, Noah, how long did your neighbors and friends watch you building the ark?  How long did they have to make the choice to believe?

    Tell me, Noah, when is it too late to believe? I would trust you to know.

    Look Past the World

    I guess some people just have to learn the hard way.  They say that hindsight is 20/20.  Tell that to Noah’s friends and neighbors.  We need a little 20/20 foresight.

    What does it take to look past the world into eternity and discover that Jesus Christ is real?  That everything history says about Him is accurate?  That what the Bible says, is true?

    “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those day which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37-39 NASB

  • Jesus Commands Us to Go!

    Jesus Commands Us to Go!

    Image by Mario from Pixabay

    This man’s story is one I am not qualified to write.  Both he and his music bring me to tears.  I first learned about him through a woman who is no longer in my life.  Immediately, his music touched me and spoke to me.

    Everything is taken from two resources listed at the bottom.  If I have missed notating credit, please forgive me.

    Keith’s Story

    Keith began writing and singing his own songs at the very young age of 6.  Sure, there was music in his blood through the influence of his parents and grandparents, but still, 6 years old?!

    He learned to play the guitar and piano at an even younger age.  The piano was his favorite instrument, but he became bored playing classical music, so Keith would memorize the classical pieces and pretended to read the sheet music during his lessons.

    Confusion and Misunderstanding

    At age 11, Keith signed his first recording contract, singing only his own material.  With photos in the Teen Magazines but only minor success with his music, Keith became disappointed.  By age 14, Keith “felt like a total failure”.1

    At age 14, most of us have barely thought about what we want to do when we grow up, but Keith was more than a decade into his musical career by that time, if you include his singing baby songs before the age of 2 when his mother realized he had perfect pitch.

    When Keith was 15, he ran away from home.  That day, he started a journal, keeping track of his musical life as well as spiritual truths.

    Like so many people, confusion and misunderstanding drove him to drugs and a broken life.  For anyone, once in that hellhole, it is very difficult to escape, but Keith did escape and at age 19 met, Melody.

    The two married a year later, both musicians and both seeking spiritual truth.

    By age 21, Keith found the Rock he had been looking for all those years.  That Rock is Jesus Christ.

    The Greenhouse

    It took a while after accepting Christ, to really understand and believe that Jesus was and is the One True God.  When this point finally sank in, both Keith and Melody were baptized in the Pacific Ocean.2

    They immediately became involved in ministry on the beaches and boardwalks where they lived.3

    Still newlyweds, Keith and Melody opened their home for a pregnant woman in need.4 But it didn’t stop there.  This couple invited so many people into their home that they needed more space.

    Keith and Melody bought another home and rented even more to help house “the homeless, hippies, people fleeing cults, troubled youth, and more.”5 Their home affectionately became known as “The Greenhouse.”

    Top of the Charts

    Keith’s musical career took off.  He went from “concerts of 20 or less, to stadiums of 12,000 people.”6

    Keith and Melody, often gave their time and resources, including albums, away for free.  At one point, the count of over 200,000 albums had been sent into prisons and the poor.7

    By age 28, Keith’s music was at the top of the charts.

    Incredible and Unbound Power

    Keith and Melody had 3 children and a 4th on the way.  Hosting some friends, everyone decided to take a ride in the plane the ministry owned.  Melody didn’t want to go and stayed behind with their one-year-old daughter.

    The group hadn’t been gone long, when Melody got a call that the plane had gone down.  “Too much weight in the small plane prevented it from taking off properly.”8 There were no survivors.  Keith, along with his friends, the pilot and two of his own children perished.

    As I write this today, it has been more than 40 years since I first heard Keith’s music and determined faith.  Perhaps you have heard of him.  His name is Keith Green.

    Keith’s deliverance from drugs and his life beyond the path of darkness and the shadow of death are an amazing testament to the incredible and unbound power of Jesus Christ.

    The Last Days

    There is so much more I can say.  If you are interested in reading more about Keith’s life, I would encourage you to visit the ministry Keith and Melody started many years ago.  It is called Last Days Ministries and can be found at LastDaysMinistries.org.

    I believe we are truly in the last days.  The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is so near.  Please take time today to discover who Jesus Christ is.  May you find a like faith as Keith Green.

    “The Lord says to us tonight, He gave us His Son, why won’t we give Him our life in return, all of it?  Why not?  He loves us.” Keith Green, final words in “Song for Josiah” lyrics.

    Resources

    1. https://lastdaysministries.org/Groups/1000008700/Last_Days_Ministries/Keith_Green/Bio/Bio.aspx, paragraph 3.
    2. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, first paragraph.
    3. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, first paragraph.
    4. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, first paragraph.
    5. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, Ministry Begins, second paragraph.
    6. https://lastdaysministries.org/Groups/1000008700/Last_Days_Ministries/Keith_Green/Bio/Bio.aspx, paragraph 16.
    7. https://lastdaysministries.org/Groups/1000008700/Last_Days_Ministries/Keith_Green/Bio/Bio.aspx, paragraph 13.
    8. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/melody-green, The Tragedy, paragraph 8
    9. Information for this story was taken from the following two resources:
      1. LastDaysMinistries.org
      1. CompelledPodcast.com/episodes/melody-green

  • A Step of Faith

    A Step of Faith

    Image by Ilo from Pixabay

    Peter’s Story

    A Touch of Heaven

    He took a step of faith, but it didn’t work out so well.  Jesus was standing outside the boat and Peter asked to step out and meet Him there, on the water.  He left everything he knew and trusted, the comfort and security of friends and familiar surroundings and expectations for a taste of the unknown.  Peter went to stand with the Creator of the universe in a place mere mortals never dared!

    At first, it was a touch of heaven and majesty.  Peter walked on water!  What an amazing feeling it must have been to defy gravity and do the impossible.  The guys in the boat must have been jealous.

    The Old Knowledge

    It didn’t take long for fear to strike his heart, though.  Peter looked at his circumstances and remembered that people can’t walk on water!  Old knowledge and old emotions swept through him and replaced his faith with fear.

    It was the old knowledge of life without the power of God that caused Peter to remember his circumstances were impossible.  It was the old knowledge of past failures that drove Peter to doubt the living God standing before him.

    Isn’t that what paralyzes the rest of us and keeps us from doing great things for the Lord?  The fear of losing everything scares us into doubting He can and will save us.

    As Peter began to sink, the Lord lifted him up.  He asked, “Why did you doubt?”

    The Place of Impossible

    Are you in the middle of it?  Is there nothing but water as far as your eye can see?  Do you feel alone out there working to make a difference in other people’s lives?  Then remember, Jesus is not going to stay in the boat and yell to you, “Hey!  Are you alright?  Do you need a line?”  He will be in the water with you.

    Do you know why He will be with you?  It is because He dwells in the place of impossible.  As with everything else, He created it.  It is His nature.  With Him, all things are possible.

    Jesus Christ would not ask you to do something He has never done.  When He said, “I will be with you always,” there was never a “but” there.  He meant what He said, that there will never be a time when He leaves you.

    What Great Thing

    I am not sharing these words having never taken solemn steps of faith.  It is frightening to risk it all, but risk is the key.  It’s like moving out of your parent’s home.  You may struggle a little but eventually you get your feet on solid ground.

    I just have to say, thank you to Peter for his courage in trying.  He became to all of us an example of what a step of faith looks like.  It was also that step of faith that revealed the Lord would never let him sink.

    What great thing would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

    The Wealth of His Abundance

    I can’t tell you what the Lord’s will is in your life, but I can tell you that He has prepared a place for you in Heaven.  Have you ever thought about Heaven and what it looks like?  The Bible says there are many mansions.  It also tells us the city and streets are made of pure gold, like clear glass.  The wall is made of jasper and every kind of precious stone.  There are 12 gates into the city and each of them are made of a single pearl.  It is a place of great wealth and abundance.  You will have a place to live and food to feast on.  And the best part?  None of it will cost you a dime!

    If God has spared no expense for your time in Heaven, then is it a small thing for Him to provide for you here on earth?  At what point in Jesus’ life did He charge anyone for what He gave?  In every example, Jesus Christ covered the cost completely.  He spent His life so that you could share in the wealth of His abundance.

    That Deep Intimacy

    Are you living in yesterday?  Are you looking at yesterday’s results and expecting the same today?

    We all have failures as well as ups and downs, mountain peaks of certainty and valleys of doubt and fear.  It is what every Christian who seeks God for their needs and desires will face.  But it is our blessing to walk this path.  It is the path of walking on water with Jesus Christ.  It is being on the water with Him and watching Him work in our lives whether we are building a new home, looking for a new job or struggling with a serious health condition.  And it is a blessing.

    The world does not get to enjoy that deep intimacy of being with Jesus Christ on the water.  It is God’s children who will see Him working in their lives and recognize that it is Him moving.  We get to see His hand moving in our lives.

    It is hearing the songs that speak to our heart at the exact moment we need it.  It is hearing another share words that we need at the exact moment.  It is witnessing miracles, big and small, in our lives and knowing where those come from.  It is moments of deep intimacy with the Lord, knowing and feeling that He is right there with us, standing next to us, filling us with His presence and reminding us that this life is not forever and that one day we will be with Him and never suffer or need again.

    Behold, I will do a new thing,
    Now it shall spring forth;
    Shall you not know it?
    I will even make a road in the wilderness
    And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

  • Feed My Sheep

    Feed My Sheep

    Image by 12019 from Pixabay

    Suzy’s Story

    God Was for Her

    A friend asked her if she wanted to go to church.  Suzy could care less about church but went for her friend’s sake.  She had decided that afterwards she would get high.  Suzy was a drug addict and had been for many years.

    This visit to church was going to be different for Suzy.  She didn’t know it but Suzy was about to be moved by the world she could not see.

    During the message, Suzy was touched by the Holy Spirit.  She saw the barren path of life she had been walking in her drug abuse and all that came with it.  When Suzy realized that God was for her and not against her, she could not contain her faith.  In tears, Suzy ran to the front during the alter call.

    Petrified

    Suzy had her own place to live but rented an apartment with her friend so the two could be close.  Being in the lower end of town, the rooms were small and the appliances old.

    At her first Thanksgiving as a child of God, it was Suzy’s friend that suggested they make a Thanksgiving meal for their neighbors.  Suzy was petrified!  She could not cook and was afraid they would not be able to take care of a lot of people.  Her friend told her to relax.  They would make the dinner together and everything would be alright.

    Suzy and her friend began telling everyone about the Thanksgiving dinner that was being planned.  Many contributed to the dinner and soon their little apartment was filled with bags and bags of food.

    Don’t Worry

    On the morning of Thanksgiving Day, Suzy and her friend got up early to get things started.  Opening the bags of food, they began sorting the groceries and making their preparations.  The two had not gotten far in their work when Suzy’s friend announced that she was going to see her son.  “Don’t worry,” she said, “I will be back in time to finish and serve the dinner.”

    Those words did not come true.  Suzy, a 26-year-old recovering drug addict with no ability to cook a big Thanksgiving meal for a family, let alone an entire building of people, was left alone with all the preparations for this ambitious endeavor.

    Suzy prayed.  She was overwhelmed and asked Jesus Christ for help.  He answered her prayer.

    The Biggest Meal

    Suzy began cooking.  Because of the volume of food, much of it was cooked in different apartments.  Suzy asked her neighbors if she could use their ovens and stoves to cook the Thanksgiving meal.  They consented and so Suzy ran from apartment to apartment, cooking the biggest meal she had ever made with barely the experience to pour a bowl of cereal.

    In her preparations, Suzy said that she even baked homemade bread.  Without knowing beforehand what to do, Suzy said the knowledge just came to her.

    Hours later, the food was ready and people were showing up in numbers far greater than Suzy or her friend had expected.  The line of people went out of the apartment and around the building.  She was terrified that there was not enough food.

    Suzy prayed again.  “Lord, there isn’t enough food for all of these people.”

    His response came back to her.  “There is enough.”

    A Valuable Lesson

    Suzy opened her apartment and set up tables with the food.  The line of people came in her door.  After getting their food, the line squeezed out the same way.  Plate after plate of food was taken by the waiting crowd.  Suzy worked hard to keep the food filled.

    Somehow, Suzy made it through the meal.  When everyone had been fed, she was surprised to see that there were a lot of leftovers.  Like the miracles of feeding the multitudes in the Gospels, God took Suzy’s meal and multiplied it to meet the needs of the hungry.

    From that Thanksgiving meal, Suzy learned a valuable lesson.  She learned that people are hungry.  Suzy began buying groceries and taking them to impoverished neighborhoods.  Sometimes, Suzy had a truckload of food including cold foods like butter and even ice cream.   When Suzy married Mike, they both worked to get food to hungry people.

    Faithfully Ministered

    Each time praying for guidance and protection, Suzy would enter different neighborhoods.  Each time, God directed Suzy’s path and connected her with a person in the neighborhood who would take the food and distribute it to their neighbors.  Even during the hot summer months, the food was distributed before the perishable foods spoiled.

    When Suzy connected with a person in the neighborhood, that person became her contact for that neighborhood.  For example, one day, Suzy had her children with her as she took a load of food to a new neighborhood.  She prayed for safety for herself and her children.  God led her to Sister Jean.

    Sister Jean was a Christian who ministered to her neighborhood with a friend.  These two women faithfully ministered the goods that Suzy brought.

    The Veil of This Life

    There are more stories, but more time would be needed to discover the work that God has done through one faithful woman.

    Do you believe that God speaks to you?  Suzy does.  God told Suzy that He was sending her to feed the multitudes.  She didn’t understand it at the time, but looking back on her life, Suzy realizes that indeed, God was feeding the multitudes through her, one car load or truck load of food at a time.

    Time and again God has spoken to Suzy and fulfilled His words.  Time after time, He has answered her prayers.  Is she special?  No more than you or I.  But she believes.

    Suzy believes in the God who created the Heavens and the earth and everything in them.  She understands there is life in the world that she cannot see.  And Suzy knows that one day, when the veil of this life is removed, she will see the God who saved her and has used her to do His will all these years.

  • I Say to You, Arise!

    I Say to You, Arise!

    Image by lmaresz from Pixabay

    A Dead Man’s Story

    There was no doubt about it.  He was dead.  Laying in the coffin, being carried by the pallbearers, his mother followed the procession.  A great many friends accompanied her as she mourned the death of her only son.

    Who knows when her husband had passed.  It didn’t matter.  Now she was alone with no family left, to live out her days in solitude even though her heart’s desire was for a family to share those days with.  And maybe one day have grandchildren or even great-grandchildren accompany her to the veil that closes this life and opens the next.

    But this journey she hoped for was only a dream, and now it was too late to recreate it.  Her dream was as dead as her son and husband, which only made her son’s passing more difficult.  He carried her hopes through the veil before her.  She would go to him, but he would not return to her.  Or so she thought.

    Do Not Weep

    As this mother was going to lay her son to rest, a Man came up to her and the coffin bearing her son.  Touching the coffin, the Man stood there, a great multitude with Him and said to her, “Do not weep.”

    This Man was none other than Jesus Christ.  He saw the procession carrying her son’s body out of the city to bury him and in typical Jesus’ style, He felt compassion for this woman who had suffered the loss of her husband and son.

    As the pallbearers came to a halt, Jesus spoke to the dead man and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”  The dead man sat up and began to speak, then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

    The Compassion of Jesus Christ

    The Gospels are filled with stories of how Jesus Christ filled the hungry, healed the sick and raised the dead.  The apostle, John wrote, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:25 Clearly, Jesus Christ was busy while He was here on earth and His works clearly demonstrate His compassion for people.

    Why did Jesus Christ come to the earth in the form of a Man?  To save you and I and all the people of His creation.  The path to heaven was broken by the sin of Adam, the very first man who lived.  Jesus Christ came to repair that path to heaven.  And that path is restored.  All we must do is believe in Jesus Christ and what He has done.

    The apostle, Paul said, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:9-11

    Be not unbelieving but BELIEVE!

    Resources

    Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

    Luke 7:11-17 NASB

    Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

    Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us;” and, “God has visited His people.”  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.