Honor to a Veteran

Today, though I was off, my boss asked us for a picture of a veteran (thank you all who have served), and why we are thankful for that vet. Here is what I sent to her:

The veteran I chose to honor is this man, Alvin. When I met him, he had two cats, named Simon and Theodore. Why am I thankful for and honor him? 

Is it because he went to Viet Nam two times? Is it because he served in the US Army, like my own dad? Is it because I don't have a pic of my dad in his service uniform? (Yes, actually. Sorry, Dad.) Is it because when I met him, he looked like a member of ZZ Top? Is it because he loved riding Harleys? Is it because he allows me to call him Neanderthal? Is it because he assaulted me, twice? He really did, and yeah, I get it. I understand why, and it's not because I called him Neanderthal. These aren't the reasons.

Look closer at the pic. Look behind him to the left. See the little girl with the yellow  and white jumper? That's why I honor this man. After his second tour, he was shipped to Korea where he met my mother in law and they had my now bride (which subsequently caused me to have a 4 hour security interview, for my job, focused on my ties to Korea.) 

As for the assaults, my FIL Al is a big man, well he was 25 years ago. He wore biker's leathers. I am told when a guy came to pick up my sister in law for a date, he ran when Al answered the door. (Think of Lurch when he answered the door in the original series Addams Family.) When Al answered my knock, I didn't flinch. The next date, he met me at his drive way, picked me up by my shirt and slammed me into his garage door, a bit harder than he needed. My head dented the door. I didn't flinch. To this day he shows that garage door with pride. The next date, he came after me with a full size lumber axe. (He was 6'4"and proud of his Viking heritage.) I didn't flinch. He then gave me his blessing to date his daughter to which I requested his blessing to instead marry his daughter.

I figured early on, while my feet were dangling as I was against his garage door, that he was only trying to intimidate me away from his daughter; to make me prove myself worthy of his treasured princess; he was being protective of her, just like I had always planned to be with my daughter(s) when that day comes. The old axiom applies, girls marry guys like their dads, of which my bride loves to point out the similarities. 

Thank you, Al, for your service, and your daughter. (She approved this post.) 

Thanks for reading my abbreviated homage.

I Understand. I Care. I Can't.

This post was inspired to a reply to another post of masking up. I have since pondered this, what I want to say, how to say it, and how might it be received. Know that this is not a knee-jerk reaction. I am now long to think, slow to speak, or type in this case. 

 

From watching what is going on in our society, I recall that in the beginning, as New Mexico allergens were sprouting and my bride was making masks for her and my eldest for pollen, we saw that as the threat was growing, masks weren’t effective, so don’t. Now they are. I am not going to argue that here and now. That is for another article that I may not ever write or express more than I have here. The reason I point this out is that there are “two sides” to this debate. Most articles, and all that I have read, only have those who wear masks and those who will not because masks are effective. What is being assumed is that if you wear a mask, you care. If you do not, you are the lowest of spectrum of life.  The other side says, “I won’t wear a mask because I don’t live in fear.” Do not trip over that. I am not to debate that. I am merely summarizing the debate as I have seen it through the lenses of mainstream and social media. I have seen good brothers and sisters in the faith say that as Christians, we should care and it’s no big deal to wear a mask, but it is actually a mark against our Christian witness not to wear a mask. That attitude wounds me, to be honest.

 

I work with people. I love working with people. I have listened to both points of view. I understand and will not dismiss either’s concerns. Yes, there is a fear. Yes, there is my witness that I should consider. Yes, I also see that there is more going on than a virus that has not performed as promised back in February. And yes, I know several of you have lost friends and family to this virus. I understand that. I understand that each side is full of passion, and apart from this virus,

 

I also understand some of the political angles, mainly from my New Mexico filter. Our governor has mandated masks. Violation subjects one to a fine. She is coming on strong to have law enforcement agencies to enforce this. Now some say that she is not allowed to do this action. But she is. There have been citations to previous actions of the NM Legislature back when another was governor that could be applied. But then I believe that this last emergency session of the Round House (our state legislation), gave the governor fiat power to see us through this pandemic. She can pass civil punishment for not complying with the masks. Whether or not she can get people like Sheriff Kim Stewart of my own Dona Ana County, as well as others across the state, to enforce it, that is for them to decide between themselves.  I understand that an approach of one size fits all solution is not a solution. New Mexico is not New York, praise God. You see the entirety of New Mexico can fit in one of the 5 boroughs of New York with room to spare. And yet our population is crammed into the space that is easily three times the size of New York State. I also understand that this little post does not begin to cover what is being overlooked.

 

Let me come back to my Christian witness. I have had one well-meaning person, more, tell me that as Christians, we are to obey the laws of the land. The reference is Romans 13. Peter’s letters tell us that we should live our lives so that Jesus is appealing. So yes, I should wear a mask.

 

Naturally, that brings me to the second charge, that of not caring.  I heard this when last month I posted a math problem. It was the number of active cases divided by the population of New Mexico. The answer was less than half of one percent. I like simple math. Unfortunately, my use of it has called into question my sympathy. Why? Math is hard because it is cold. But if you know me, you know that I am very caring. God even blessed me with a larger heart than most. My cardie is concerned about that.

 

Seriously though, I do care about people. I want to help those who need help. The idea of my hurting someone unintentionally makes me ill. It brings no comfort to the person hurt. And it brings shame to my witness, to my Heavenly Father.  My aim is to encourage, to offer hope.

 

And yet I feel left out. I feel ostracized by society. I know I am not alone. I am a member of a quieter group, a group that seems to be ignored. I saw our governor address my group, but not in a hopeful or helpful way. You see, I am part of the group that Can't. Mind you, not all of us are of the same mind. Some of us would wear a mask if we could, but as many would not wear a mask if they could wear a mask.  Whatever our reasons, we are united in that we cannot wear a mask. Some have medical reasons such as myself. Some have psychological or mental health reasons that are ever as valid as my own reasons.

 

Here, I will divulge information some have advised me not to because it really is not anyone’s business. The other week I posted about wearing my mask to Sam’s Club. In the time it took me to walk to the back of the store, gentle gait in no hurry, I was dizzy. By the time I knelt and took off my mask, I was already losing coherence. I nearly passed out. A friend suggested that it could have been sparked by deep-seated anxiety. She has a valid point that I did not want to dismiss. I was slow in my answer to her, but that question still lingered, because I was upset at how drastically we have changed as a nation, as a community, and mostly by how ugly people were being to one another. Could this have been an anxiety attack? Maybe. 

 

A week later, I had several appointments in a single day because my specialists were finally able to keep the appointments that I made for April. During one visit, I asked the nurse if I could try something. My O2 levels are great, generally at 99. Within a few minutes, my O2 dropped to 94. At five it was at 86 and I became dizzy. Then he put a stop to the experiment. (I think he did not want to explain to my doctor or his supervisor why I was allowed to collapse.) But that was just sitting there, no exertion, with my simple bandana, unlike the proper cloth mask that I wore to Sam’s while walking. One of my other specialists gave me the documentation I would need to carry to carry out my job duties without wearing a mask. It was not anxiety, but an actual issue compounded by my A-Fib. (At least my heart knows how to salsa dance!)

 

And there is more. As a minister, my weakest point of ministry was hospital calling. I do not like to make hospital calls. It is not that I do not care about the people. It is that whenever I visited people in the hospital, I would spend the next two days sick. Why? Because my birth was a bit early, I have compromised immunity. I have no ability to retain antibodies. (At least I will never grow resistant to antibiotics.) Back in February, my son was out and about, as my teens are prone to be. He came home and became ill. After a couple of days, thinking it was safe, I went into his room and upon taking my only breath in his foul air, I knew I was in trouble. In an hour, I was sick. I had a cold. It was the most painful cold I have had. Come to think, it was the first cold I have ever had. For that weekend, I was sick. I fought it with vitamin C. I fought it with diet. I fought it with prayer. The illness was only a few days, praise to our Father. Was it COVID? Who knows? I cannot be tested because that is my nature. I had mumps, a childhood disease that should only be a one and done, twice that I can recall because I did not build a resistance. I got sick easily. I still do.

 

So, know that when you see me in public, I am very circumspect in my actions and where I go and who I see. I deeply appreciate your concern for my vulnerability. I do not make light of it; I will not dismiss it. I have done my own research and have drawn my own conclusions. Because of our Christian witness, half our family wear masks.  Also, if you appear to be less than par, I will not approach you. I will keep you beyond arm’s length. This is something that I have had to live with for decades.

 

Here is what I want you to take away from this: Some may wear a mask. Some may not wear a mask. Some may not be able to wear a mask. When you see someone doing something different than yourself, think of a way to be an encourager. “Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.” – Colossians 4.6

 

Thank you for reading my thoughts. May the Father’s blessings shower upon you.

 

Finding the Blessings in the Storm

This is my old car, Sally. She was a fast car. She was until the day that her oil pump went out. Now she is sitting in someone's driveway waiting to be salvaged in East El Paso. She died on 3/10/2020, just before the world went nuts!

What was I doing when she died? I was on my way out of town to work in Hobbs, NM for the week. I do that a bit. Back in January, I calculated that I have spend 1/3 of my new job away from home. That of itself isn't easy, but by the Father's grace, I have been able. I could focus on the bad that is happening, or I could focus on the positives that I see around me. Someone once observed that I always see the positive, assume the best of a person as soon as I meet them. I believe that is accurate. What you focus on, you will see.

For example, when I first got that car back a couple of years ago, I started noticing other Malibus. To that end, there are 6 other Malibus in Las Cruces that is the same color as mine. One of which lives two doors down from me. Of those 6, one is tinted nearly as dark as mine and lacks the antennae, It is a near perfect clone. It is the same when I was wanting a Bronco. My kids ceased to be amazed at how I could spot a Bronco and know that I wasn't looking at the grill of an F150 or the shell of a K5 Blazer with minimal context. I still can.

Needless to say, I started driving a Malibu, and I saw Malibus everywhere. I wanted a Bronco, and now still can see Broncos everywhere. Oh, that desire was killed by my horde hauler, my Sequoia, of which I see a bit around town, including one that's the same  color with similar sun damage to the clear coat on the passenger side.

Let me get back on point. I choose to look for the positive in others. I choose to look for the blessings in the storm because that's what Paul encourage the Philippian Church, "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable - if there is anything praiseworthy - dwell on these things." (Philippians 4.8 CSB). We are to look for these things. I believe this is also for us to look to see the blessings.

And what blessings are there? For me, this hit me hard. I hate being a one car family. We were one car early in our marriage. She would drive the car to work in the day, and I would drive it to work at night. Sometimes, however, I would need the car during the day, and that found Carol walking home from work because I fell asleep before I would go in to work. I never thought I would see that day again. And now with us having a horde instead of being just a couple...alrighty then.

The car broke down 60 miles outside of Carlsbad. Carol had to come and pick me up. My roadside assistance didn't handle "more than 12 miles". Did I mention that Carol had to work the next day? We got home at 1 am. Now my company is great, but I still had the work to do, and I promised that I would maintain reliable transportation. The company, rightly so, couldn't help me, other than to allow me to claim the time I drove home as well as the miles Carol spent rescuing me. But that meant that I had a problem to solve. How does Carol get around Las Cruces while I am away? Or how do I do my job without my car?

As I waited on the side of the road, that was the first blessing. My car came to a stop along a road in what appear to be a saddle going up the Guadalupe Pass. That saddle not only has a beautiful view of the valley leading to El Paso to the west, and of the valley heading to the Pecos River to the east, but that saddle of a stop, I had 2 bars on my phone for service. Normally driving that highway, I would listen to my Pandora app offline since I couldn't get radio stations, and most of that highway has no reception. (One time, a few miles back from where I stopped, I saw a man sitting up on his big U-Haul trying to get a signal for his phone. Since I was on company time, I couldn't stop to offer help. But I am confident that he had help coming. The car carrier he was towing looked freshly unloaded.) I was not only able to call Carol, my boss, roadside assistance as well as my insurance agent, I was able to look up rentals. I figured since I was heading to Hobbs, NM, I could rent a car. Sadly, the rental store had a two hour window that began at 10 am, which was too late a start for me. So then I figured maybe rent a car.

Blessing 2 came on its heels. Carol had arranged with her co-worker to hitch a ride to work so that I can take my Toy to Hobbs. No problem. Then Friday the 13th came, and Carol was out of work. COVID 19 shut the schools down. Though it was part time, every bit helped. Now she didn't need but a ride for a couple of days and my taking the truck on Sunday through Tuesday wasn't a hardship so much. She still needed a ride to the store, that ride of course provided by a dear friend. Then Monday I received a call telling me that my TDY, and everyone across the board was cut short. I found myself driving between Las Cruces to Lordsburg to Silver City, to Truth Or Consequences. Monday the 23rd, we started home bound. I would venture out for interviews and records only as needed. So the blessing was that I was able to use my truck and the work changed so that we are not really affected by having only one vehicle. To this writing, since the 23rd, I have only needed to head into two three times counting tomorrow.

My job has been at-home traveling into public. Now it's changed so that I am at-home calling into public. So there's the third blessing. I am not putting myself at risk, except when I need to venture to the store for essentials.

And the fourth is that I received a promotion just a couple of days ago. The difference is that now Carol is unemployed, my increase covers what she was bringing in. She can now focus on her soap business, as well as making masks for those who want one.And she's made half a dozen to point. I guess there's another blessing.

I want to encourage you, Reader, to look for the blessings. It is hard. With all that is hitting us from the media, from social media, it is so easy to see the fear. Hear me, I am not saying to downplay the COVID 19. Play it smart, play it responsibly. But personally, I am tired of all that I see that I have tuned out anything COVID related. I want to encourage you to tune out the negative and look to our Father. Yes, it's scary. God never promised that the storms wouldn't hit us. He never promised that He would only give us what we can handle. I can't handle the storms. I am not big enough (last checked, I am pretty BIG). But the Father wants you to look for him. In John 6 beginning verse 16, the disciples are in a boat, rowing in a storm, and are scared by something they saw. Jesus then calmed them, and THEN he removed them from the storm. In Acts 21, the Father warned Paul, gave Paul advanced warning of the storm that was heading his way. Yet Paul told the Church in Corinth that in Paul's weakness, God strengthened him. To the Church in Rome, Paul gave this promise, "God will work all things to the good of those who love Him." - Romans 8.28.

And finally, to make a long post short, which is a little late now, all storms pass. Again, this storm, like others before it, shall pass. Looking to the Father, focusing on His love for us, you'll soon find this storm finished.

Hey, thanks for reading along. May the Father's blessings shower richly upon you.

Deer Stream Enterprise

Thank you for reading this post. I would like to introduce you to my pet project. I will write this in a question/answer format. Feel free to leave your question(s) in the comments, or email me at DeerStreamEnterprise@gmail.com.

1. How did you come by the name, Deer Stream? 
Family is important to me. So when it came to naming this, it was an easy selection. My name is Gaelic translated as deer in a field. My wife's maiden name is Nordic that translates as oak by the stream. So take the first noun of my name, deer, and second noun of her name, stream. (Oakfield is common. And developing an email address for this, so are things Deer Stream, apparently.) That is how Deer Stream Enterprise came about.

2. When and how did this idea come about?
I was working for a company before it went through a restructuring. Because I was moved down to temporary status, I began looking for other work. But my work, though a social services nature, was deemed by many potential employers as not. It was medical field. Odd. And the same employers also deemed ministry, of which I have over 25 years experience, as not, as well. Many jobs that I believe I would fit, I didn't because of the lack of specialized education. So in a night of frustration, back several months ago, I started toying with this idea.

3. Why don't you work on one of those specialized degrees to remain in social work?
Let me answer this with a story from one of my ministries. There was a woman who wanted to be an educator in the public schools. At best, she was only a substitute teacher. So in hopes that she would become a full fledged teacher, she earned her bachelor's. None of the local districts would hire her. She then was advised to get her masters. She did. She still wasn't hired. So keeping to the advice of making herself appealing, she went and earned her doctorate. I met her when she was 63 years old with close to a 6 figure debt. She wasn't hired because by this time, age had become a factor.  I don't want that gamble. If I am going to to advance my degree, it will be a degree with something I have a passion. Helping people is my passion. Listening is a strength. Therefore, the degree I will seek will allow me to become a counselor. Concierge Counselor seems to be the better plan.

4. What does this enterprise actually do?
I am a minister who is a tent-maker by trade. That means that the church doesn't pay me, but I still serve the church. In order to help the church, I have taken many jobs, in retail management, acting and producing, car sales, other sales, teaching, tutoring, optical field, medical field, and even property management and planning.

What I likely will do while going back to school is tutor, drive for Lyft and Uber, network funeral homes for assistance with bereavement, likely network with businesses that are in food industry or in cosmetology for servicing their bladed equipment. I will even sell for you if you have a product that needs to be sold.

5. Since you are with a church presently, why not umbrella under the church?
There are a few answers to this question. The first being that though funerals and potentially weddings do fall under the church, by keeping it apart from the church would protect the church should I do or say something that's not taken well, or is misconstrued. Another reason is that the with the networking for blade honing, and as an independent salesman, I need a business license to operate at the Farmers Market and for tax purposes. This, if I'm in error (except the FM, which they require as per their written policy), I'd rather safe than fined when it comes to taxes and conducting business. Finally, being apart from the church allows it to be portable.

To conclude: I hope that I was able to answer some of the questions. If there is something else you'd like to know, then please ask me in the comments or email me at the address above. Since this is a new venture, I will likely modify this blog posting from time to time. Thank you for reading about my project.

Raising the Bar by Command - Matthew 14.22-33

I know that I tend to use this parable, along with the widow’s offering, more than any other account in the Scripture, but it appeals to me. It’s versatile. There are so many applications. That parable is the one of the Servants and the Talents. You know it.

A man is going away for a spell. He calls in his ranch hands to let them know of his extended absence. While he is gone, he has a project for each of them. He gave the first ranch hand $500 and said, “son, see what you can do with this.” Then he gave to the second ranch hand $200 dollars telling him the same thing, “son, see what happens with this here 200.” To the last ranch hand he gave just $100. Again, the Rancher tells the hand, “son, here’s a $100. See where this leads you.”

Of course, there was no further instruction. The sums each came with carte blanche. After a few seasons, the Rancher returns and looks over the spread. Pleased with what he saw, he called his three ranch hands to come in and give an account to their sums of money. After they retrieved their books and money, they appeared before the Rancher.

The first hand comes up and says, “Hefe, you didn’t tell me what to do, so I got into some stuff. Here’s your original 500 back, and 500 more.”  The Rancher gave him praise for his work.

The second hand comes up and says, “Sir, I thought I might have lost it, but I worked hard. Here’s 400 and more to come.”  The Rancher also had praise to rain on his faithful hand.

The last cowpoke came up, a bit sheepish, hat in hand. “El Hefe, Sir, I know you are an exacting man. I didn’t want to risk losing what you gave me. I couldn’t afford to replace it out of my paltry pay if I even worked for next five years free. So I put it under a fence post in the back 40. Here it is. I didn’t lose a penny of it.”

Of course we know that the Rancher had no praise but proceeded to tell his hand how lazy he thought the hand was. The hand could have played the safe route and invested in a savings account during his absence. Everyone knows that when a post is disturbed, likely there is hidden cache of money that the person wanted to keep safe and away from the banks.

Why this parable is appropriate this morning is that there were no instructions given. Each hand was freely given the money. And it was that the last man had no faith in the faith that the Rancher had in him. Think about that for a moment. The Rancher had faith in the hand that he gave the hand $100. But the hand had no faith in himself or in the Rancher. He didn’t have a clear directive what to do with the money so he didn’t do anything.

Isn’t that how it is with us as Christians? Take stock for a moment. Do you have faith in the Father’s faith in you? Do I trust that the Father’s faith in me will yield fruit for the kingdom? You see he’s given each of us the Holy Spirit by whom we live. But the Holy Spirit is only our guide. He doesn’t command us. He doesn’t rule us. Those aren’t his jobs.

I think we tend to overthink things really. Been that way since back in the Garden with the original couple. They had a simple directive. Don’t eat. That’s it. Only one law in the entire judicial system. Don’t eat. But surely it couldn’t be that simple.

They added a rule to protect themselves. Don’t eat. Don’t touch. But that wasn’t the command. With only one command, there is quite a bit of freedom to do anything one might imagine. But we over thought it and added to it. Satan challenged us on the law. He called the bluff.

And that’s not a contradiction either. God did say they would die when they ate it. But until that time, man was innocence personified. They were immortal in that they ate from the Tree of Life. When they were expelled, they ceased eating from the Tree of Life, and therefore death entered. The couple started dying. Remember, the Tree of Life was blocked by a flaming sword. Man is now no longer immortal but terminal.

Now in Christ, we are overthinking once again. It’s an argument that has been taking place at least from near the beginning of the church. It became an issue with the new Gentiles coming into the faith. Some wanted all to embrace the way of Moses and the Law. Others said that how is that fair when even the Jews themselves were unable to keep the law

So the Apostles and the Elders of Jerusalem thought it over and came to a decision. There would be 3 simple rules: 1) Abstain from sexual misconduct. 2) Don’t eat meat sacrificed to idols (idol worship), and 3) Don’t eat meat strangled or its blood. In other words, they were to respect life, worship God, and stay sexually pure. Everything else is freedom.

But we don’t like such freedom. We want someone telling us what to do, and I think this is why. So that should anything fail, we can pass it back or pass the blame on to someone else. It’s where Peter was in our passage this morning. He wanted something, but instead of acting on his own, he wants Jesus to tell him directly. He didn’t want to just be told, he wanted to be commanded. Does Jesus listen? Let’s read the text:

Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds. After dismissing the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. But the boat was already over a mile from land, battered by the waves, because the wind was against them. Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said, and cried out in fear.

Immediately Jesus spoke to them. “Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s You,” Peter answered Him, “command me to come to You on the water.”

“Come!” He said.

And climbing out of the boat, Peter started walking on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out His hand, caught hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those in the boat worshiped Him and said, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

Peter wanted to play it safe. He wanted Jesus to prove himself to him. But this isn’t going to happen. Instead, Jesus gives Peter a little lesson as to whom Jesus really is. That is why Jesus stayed after sending the disciples away. He needed to remind them, remind us that though he’s living totally as a man, he is still the Great I, the Creator of the Universe. But God doesn’t want mind-numb obedient robots to love him. He has the angels for that. Instead he wants us to have the freedom to love him.

Jesus did, in this interaction, give commands, but never so much to Peter about walking on water. Instead Command 1 was to have courage, that Jesus is with them. Peter and the rest were afraid because Jesus was acting in a manner that they couldn’t wrap around their minds. Jesus was doing something different and unexpectedly.

Instead, Jesus told the disciples to be courageous. Yes, the two are in the same verse, but they are different commands. They are related but not the same. Courage has been often defined as doing something despite the fear one might have. Firefighters for example are courageous running against the flow of people. But the firefighters are still afraid of the fire. Here in the sight of the Son of God, or God with us, the disciples are being told not to be afraid.

Then there is the command to not be afraid. Perhaps the disciples knowing where they were spiritually, being in the presence of someone so holy, it was fearful. Every time that the Angel of the Lord appeared, every time any angel appeared to people, any time something supernatural from God happens, the person or audience is immediately told not to be afraid, with the exception of the Angel of the Lord appearing to Balaam. At that moment, his sins gave him good reason to be afraid. In this moment, Jesus walking on water is supernatural. And Jesus tells them to not be afraid of him, not to be afraid of God. He is with them. He is with us.

Finally, what about Peter wanting Jesus to command him? If Peter were to fail, then whose fault would it be? The one who failed, or the one setting him up for failure. We tend to pass the buck. How often have we heard, “we were just doing what we were told/taught”? If someone else tells us to do something, then I can say that I was set up for failure. But if I have the freedom to do something on my own, then my failure is mine. But that’s situation ethics. You are told to do something, and if you know it’s a wrong or bad command, then obeying makes you as guilty for following through.  

“Peter, if you want to walk on the water, then you are free to walk on the water.” That is what Jesus was saying when he said, “come”. Peter, trust Jesus.

Let me bring it home to us. We want to be told what to do. The problem with being told what to do, once we start looking for such direction, our faith becomes ritual. It ceases to be faith. God has told us to love him with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves. All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. But what does that look like?

Jesus answered that it is being a servant to all. But what does that look like? It’s ambiguous, by design. God wants us to love Him with our mind, so we are free to imagine how we might show love to Him and to our neighbor. There is a preacher who has a dream of eliminating poverty. What will that look like? He’s still working on it. Will it eliminate it through out the community he lives in? He doubts it, but hopes that perhaps one day, it will bring glory to God.

That is a courageous step on his part. What are you thinking about for the kingdom on how to love God and to love your neighbor? Let your imagination soar. Dream. How might you bring glory to His name?

What keeps us from dreaming? Fear? You know how sinful you are, and can God use you with your brokenness? You bet he can and will. Do you fear God? Why? Through this passage, through the word of God, we are promised that if we are seeking Him, looking for him, we will find him and we don’t need to fear him.

He has set this up so that we might be saved, that we might come to him crying Abba Papa. That is what he wants. He wants to hear those precious words from our lips, from your lips. Papa, I love you. He’s so not looking to get us. He wants to love you. He desires to know and forgive you. And he freely does when we accept the work that Jesus did, to taste eternal death so that you and I won’t taste it. My prayer is that you do oft say, “I love you, Abba Papa.”

Then what might you do with such praise and affection? Perhaps it will be greater than walking on water. Listen to His word and come to him with courage free from fear.

Have I lied? A beginning thought...

Thought of Provocation

It has been a while since I have written on this blog. For a while I made some quick videos. It was novel. I do enjoy making the videos, along with the bloopers of my own mistakes. But all in all, I have been given a gift of words. It truly is an amazing gift that the Father has given me, especially since Mr. Roboto was my nickname in school. (After all, I could not talk at a normal pace without stutter. Instead, I talked really slow and monotone.)

Words give me the ability to create pictures, worlds, EVEN LIFE itself. No, I am not blaspheming the Holy Word. God said that I am created in HIS image. He is a creator who has bestowed me with the ability to create as well.  But I have my limitations. What I create with my words are but an inkling of what life is like sustained by our loving Heavenly Father.

 But what do I do with my words, this is what changes for me. I have seen my words be a source of hurt. I have seen my words as a source of passion. I have seen my words as a source of comfort. I have seen my words as a source of change.  I am a wordsmith who enjoys his gift.

Right now, I am in the middle of a couple of writing projects. One is a project to introduce a real person to a group of people who want to know more about him. No, they won’t be able to come and meet him. They are relying upon my ability to use my words to reveal more than what people tend to see when they see him. I am almost done. Its deadline is on the horizon.

My other word project is a repeating one. It’s due every couple of weeks. I use my words to encourage a flock of God, a church family. This is the preaching schedule. I preach 26 weeks of the year, which gives me a lot of time to reflect on the words that I will use, and what it is that I am trying to say to the congregation.

On Sunday nights, we have been travelling through the Prophets in the Old Testament. After all, Jesus told the disciples on the road to Emmaus that the Prophets tell of Jesus. Actually, reading the prophets, I find a lot of overlay between the time of the prophets and what is happening in our time today.

First, I am not saying that in any way that America, particularly the United States, is the new Israel, or the New Chosen People. We are not.  Also, I am comparing preachers to prophets in that they are both responsible for the bringing of a message from God, through His Word. There is some comparison between the two roles.

So this is what we had covered: Jeremiah 14.14. (It’s an easy address to remember.) Actually, back up a verse to 13. “Ah, Lord God! Behold, the prophets say to them, ‘You shall not see the sword, nor shall you have famine, but I will give you assured peace in this place.’” And the Lord said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart.”

Imagine the word, “preacher”, in that small passage. Too often I see, I hear preachers telling people how basically good they are. But how good are we? Am I doing what I need to be doing, am I preaching messages that equip and challenge my brothers and sisters to dig into the Bible because we as a nation are not ok. Our morality is going down rather quickly.

Do I have the courage to tell you that you are wrong? No, I am not being judgmental. I, too, struggle with what I should not. I know what is right, what is good. I know what is wrong. Too often, I find myself doing the wrong. How long will God put up with me? (This was also Paul’s struggle, as he shared in Romans 7.)

Let me bring this home for you. Are you struggling with doing what you know you ought not do? Thankfully, Jesus, the Messiah, rescues you from your struggle, from your dying flesh. (Romans 7.25) But let’s try something: Since there is no condemnation for us who are in Jesus Christ, let us put off the yoke of slavery to our physical wants. Let us draw upon the Spirit within us, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen us to live according to the adoption that we have received.

This post is rather short, and might even raise more questions. I encourage you to ask me. Let me encourage you. Allow me to answer those questions, not as someone who is perfect, but as your fellow saint. (Oh, you do know that is how God sees us, if we are in Christ Jesus.) I am there with you, struggling with the same sin nature. By His Spirit, we will get through this.

Thank you for allowing me to share with you from my heart. The Father’s blessings be yours. 

Hey! We're OLD!

So I sit here, reflecting upon a facebook war, if one might call it such. Robert started it. He said everyone but him was looking old. Robert, you don’t look as old because you shave your head, ya cheat! Anyway, this isn’t about attacking anyone, at least not in the serious form. This is about us getting older. Having a laugh.

We become painfully aware of it with tragedies. We jokingly are reminded when we see a sports star our own age have his midlife crisis in front of the cameras as he signs his “Hail, Mary” contract. (Dude, take a page from the book of Elway and buy an auto dealership and enjoy life. But one must wonder what Minnesota was thinking. Isn’t this where Steve Young retreated, as well?)

Robert’s comments were not the only reason this has been on my mind of late. Truth be told, we are not old. I can’t be. I don’t shave my head like some, and I don’t invest in “Just For Men” like others, but I have less gray today than I did at the 10-year reunion, (though seriously, I have no idea who is using. Care to confess? About using JFM?)

Last month, we had our nieces from Albq visiting us for a few weeks. IT’s always a blast having them here with us. Well maybe not this time. My Candice said, “Uncle Steve, you’re old!” Thanks, Lil Princess. Why do I call you my “favorite niece” again?!

That’s not it alone. There is more. There is a Shell Food Mart where I enjoy the best tap Dr. Pepper around. Everyone there knows me. Everyone there really doesn’t know me, I learned. One of the girls working there said, “I have been meaning to ask you: those boys that occasionally come in with you, are they your grandchildren?”

OUCH!! THAT HURT! OUCH!! Still smarting over that. I went back to talk with one of the few there that I have known going on years. “Actually, we all thought that they were your grandsons.” Did I say, “OUCH!”?

So then we go off to a store in Flagstaff. Winslow is limited on where one goes to buy clothes for my SONS. Walmart. Fantastic selection of girls’ clothing. (Yeah we lack the selection for boys.) So back to the store in Flagstaff. We had someone at the register ringing up our purchase.  He looked like he was 50-ish. “Sir, I must compliment you on your well-behaved grandsons.”  Say it with me: “OUCH!”

Being a preacher, I usually can’t keep my mouth shut. I thought I would share these events with my congregation. Since the mean age of the congregation is 60, AFTER we include my family’s ages, I thought I would be told, “Preacher, you don’t look old.” (Hey, I wanted some ego boosting.)

“Gramps! That is too funny!” Hey! Again, my favorite chorus of this note: (Say it with me.) OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! Seeing this 80 year old lady calling ME: “Gramps”. OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!

I thought I would get sympathy from my dad since he called to let me know he misses his grandchildren who do not live in Yuma. Nope! Not gonna happen. HE had a hoot. We got to talking about the whole event.

Until my friend Kevin moved to 26^th Place, my dad was the oldest dad around. Seriously, he was. I didn’t want to be a senior citizen at my boys’ graduations. I got married earlier. But we could not have children until… Well, I am going to be a senior citizen at my kids’ graduations. Oh well.

The point of these funnies, you must ask? Aging. I really don’t feel old. I don’t see much differences from the pictures of the 20 year reunion from what I saw at the 10 year reunion. I even still remember Uncle Gene’s Black 40 party. HE still looks the same.

Oh yeah, back on aging. I remember when I was younger. I was in college. I wondered why people made a big deal about aging. I thought, “just embrace it, move on.” Now I am there, seeing myself, forcing myself to embrace the fact that I may not be as young as I used to be. (Though I can still walk a 15 minute mile and run it in 7. And I am now 7” taller than I was at high school graduation.)

One might say, “Steven, you are failing to make your point.” Yeah, I know. I am having fun rambling. I used to ramble too much on Sunday morning, so I have to have an outlet for it, so here we are. What was I saying?

Oh yeah, aging. I am… Well I did have a point that I was in the process of making in the long drive of it all. But I got lost. Sorry about that. Enjoy this time & thanks for reading! Gramps Steve