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I had a neat experience with Brandon this morning. He is my five-year-old grandson. You can learn a lot by working with a five-year-old! Why, just a few minutes ago while cutting down a hedge the lessons were flowing. I was straining my old guts out trying to cut through a 40-year-old plant with a bow saw. I had been at it for about half an hour when up walks Brandon. He grabbed one of my fresh cuts and jerks it out of the chorus line of shrubs. As he does he lets out a war whoop and says, “Grandpa, look what I just did!” My thoughts went carnal, “You little runt! I’ve been straining and grunting for half an hour and you just come up and give a yank on a twig and yell, ‘Look what I did?’”. Then it hit me. That is so often what I do with my Father. He has worked, toiled and detailed every aspect of a particular situation. Then I step in and hoist a twig and say, “LOOK WHAT I JUST DID!” thumping my chest at my great accomplishment. A few seconds passed and Brandon chortled anot...

'Twas battered and scarred, And the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile. "What am I bid, good people", he cried, "Who starts the bidding for me?" "One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?" "Two dollars, who makes it three?" "Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three," More than likely you have heard this poem by Myra Brooks Welch. It is a tearjerker. You can learn more about her at  this link . I felt a bit like this Tuesday as I went to the Salvation Army store to make a clothes purchase. The SA is the missionary’s friend. While there I remembered that just a year ago, at this same location, I had found an old clarinet. I didn’t buy it because I felt that it was too expensive. But that thought sparked curiosity and I headed over to the “Jewelry Counter” again. Sounds extravagant... its not.   The, “ Ring the...

I don’t know about you but I love my family. It is perfect. We are all happy, believe in Jesus and have jobs. We have relatives who believe. We have a good church, houses and cars. We live, in the best country in the world and in general love being who we are. That was a bunch of fluff wasn't it? In my mind it is often the way i think. All things are perfect and wonderful. Everything will turn out good and God is pleased. I wonder how God sees my family? I wonder how many of us are really living for Him and His cause? I wonder how our days are working together for our good and His praise? I wonder. I tend to prejudice my circumstances and situations in my favor. I do this a lot! I see many faults in others that I overlook in me. I see families who are headed for destruction and can tell way in advance what they need to do to avoid God's judgment. The wayward teen, the loud-mouthed husband and the jealous wife stick out like the proverbial sore thumbs. How can they be ...

In Psalm 62:11 and 12 David speaks of the perfect blend, Power and mercy. Power without mercy leads to tyranny. Mercy without power is worthless. In this short psalm David sings of God’s character. He uses strong words like: rock, salvation, strength, glory and refuge to describe him. In  the last two verses he says, “God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. Also to you, O Lord, belongs mercy ....” David’s God, The God of the Bible is a powerful and merciful God. Salvation is about both these. Breaking God’s law launched an impassable barrier, an eternally deep abyss and an impossible problem. Man was severed from God’s perfection and from intimate intercourse with his Creator. Man who was made to commune with eternal God was now impossibly outside His sphere and cast from His realm. Disobedience had wreaked havoc on the perfect relationship. Man still reels from that act. Yet God’s power guided by His mercy worked a plan, His plan. God Him...

Joshua 14 Joshua and Caleb are my heroes. They made good solid choices. As I mentioned yesterday they chose to follow God and His leader Moses. When God spoke they believed Him without flinching. Sent out with ten other leaders they scouted the land. However, when the scuttlebutt came back negative they didn't fall in with the rest. Even though those others were chosen men, Joshua and Caleb weren't swayed. God had said that He would be with them and that the battle was already won. In my reading this morning, the conquest terminated, Caleb had a question. It went something like this, “You remember what Moses told me forty-five years ago when I was a mere forty years old? He promised me some land. I want it now. Please give me that mountain. The one where Anakim’s sons live. You remember them, right? Those “giants” that tripped up our Promised Land entry back then.” So Joshua said, “Hold on there brother! You are way too old for that type of a mission. Good Night, you ...

I  am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word! Psalm 119:107 Where do you turn for help? Maybe where you turn is indicative of where your confidence lies. Assuming that David wrote this the longest psalm, his brief statement in verse 107 was at first puzzling to me. Our teens are memorizing this text and it has been a good challenge. However, during the six months there have been several verses that arrested my attention. This was one. David cries out, I  am severely afflicted ! He is in severe trouble. There seems to be no escape. Where should he turn? The answer comes with his next breath, give me life, O LORD, according to your word! David's trust was not in his great wealth. It wasn’t in his position. It wasn’t in the fact that his army was powerful. His trust was in God and His Word. They were his first recourse. David didn't have as much of the Word as you and I have. At best he had the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy), some of the J...

A friend sent me the following email from a retired missionary lady. I had recently discovered that she was praying for our ministry, even though she had never received an update from us. I added her to my list without really knowing what this saint was doing. As I read her letter, that she said she "just   rattled off ... never expecting that it would be sent to others", I began to sob uncontrollably. Her prayer life had a tremendous impact on me. See if you can grasp what this jewel is embracing. She asked that I not mention her name. So, I didn't. But here is her letter. Dear -----, Sorry for the delay.  I got home Monday night but I had so much mail to go through, bills to pay etc. etc. I just now feel back to normal. When you retire from a very active life on the field,  you feel as though you are not accomplishing anything meaningful and then after (my husband) went to be with the Lord, the day seemed very long.  He was the prayer warrior of the...