Harvesting in the Garden Spot

Lucky Man (Evening Prayer)

2011-12-05T17:01:00.002-06:00

Sometimes I find my inspiration for prayers in the songs I hear. My prayer tonight comes from the words of a popular "country music" song "Lucky Man" made popular by Montgomery Gentry. I have slightly altered the words to make it more personal.

I have days where I hate my job
This little town and the whole world too
And last Saturday when the Sooners lost
Lord, it put me in a bad mood

I have moments when I curse the rain
Then complain when the sun's too hot
I look around at what everyone has
And I forget about all I've got

Got some friends who would be here fast
I could call 'em any time of day
Got a brother who's got my back
Got a mama who I swears a "saint"

Yea I know I'm a lucky man
God's given me a pretty fair hand
Got a house and a piece of land
A few dollars in a coffee can

My Yukon's still running good
My ticker's ticking like they say it should
I got supper in the oven, a good woman's loving
And one more day to be my little kids' dad
Lord, knows I'm a lucky man

Beard Trimming

2011-12-01T12:47:00.004-06:00

"No Shave November" has come and gone. This trend during the month of November appears to be growing (pardon the pun) in popularity. The purpose of not shaving (or in my case not trimming) of the facial hair varies from person to person. Some do it for personal reasons, while others are attempting to raise awareness of some good cause.

For me I made a vow to God that I would not trim my beard for the entire month. During this time my desire was to increase my own awareness of the need to pray for people who are fighting diseases such as cancer. I wish I could say that the experience was an incredible success, but alas my truthfulness gets the best of me again.

The truth is after about a week into November, I had fallen back to business as usual. Yet, it was not without its moments. in the last week people have began commenting on my beard. Everytime I was offered the chance to share with them why I was letting it grow. This reminder served me well also.

And so a few moments ago the beard trimmer came out of its cave, and much of my hair has been removed. My prayer is that one day soon, cancer will be able to be removed with such ease.

INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY FROM RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

2011-11-28T15:20:00.002-06:00

I

THERE was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;--
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

(William Wordsworth)

3 Little Pigs and a Big Bad Wolf

2011-11-18T16:44:00.006-06:00

A favorite story in my house is the 3 Little Pigs. The story is of 3 pigs who come of age, and move away from home. For the first time they are away from mother's protection, and must make decisions for themselves. The 1st pig wants to have fun, and does not want to work too hard. He builds a house out of straw, which is not very strong. The 2nd pig is also more interested in fun and games, and does not put in the effort to have a strong house for protection. His house of sticks is not much better than the straw house. The 3rd pig is much different. He takes the time, and puts out the energy to make sure his house of bricks is strong and sturdy. In the end an enemy (the Big Bad Wolf) come along to eat them. The 1st and 2nd house do not protect the first two pigs, but the brick house provides safety for them all. This reminds me of the wise and foolish man that Jesus spoke about. The wise man builds his house upon the rock, but the foolish man builds his upon the sand. What kind of house are you building for you family? Is it sturdy, or will it fail to protect you when the Big Bad Wolf comes to eat you?

Matthew 7:15-27
“Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do many powerful deeds?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” (emph. mine)

An Evening Hymn

2011-11-17T17:36:00.003-06:00

Softly now the light of day
Fades upon my sight away;
Free from care, from labor free,
Lord, I would commune with Thee.

Thou, whose all pervading eye
Naught escapes, without, within,
Pardon each infirmity,
Open fault, and secret sin.

Soon for me the light of day
Shall forever pass away;
Then, from sin and sorrow free,
Take me, Lord, to dwell with Thee.
(George W. Doane)

A Father's Prayer

2011-11-13T21:45:00.004-06:00

Today I gave them food and drink,
Today you gave me your body and blood.

Today I played and laughed with them,
Today you played and laughed with me.

Today I gave them instruction,
Today you gave me instruction.

Today I gave them love,
Today you gave me love.

Today I lost my patience with them,
Today you showed me mercy.

Today I said some things in anger,
Today you held back your anger.

Tonight as they sleep I watch over them,
Tonight will you watch over us?

The Word

2011-11-09T23:23:00.004-06:00

This may seem bold. It may upset a few preachers. I even admit it may be somewhat unfair. This is not well thought out. It is probably full of holes. Naysayers, may wish to pick it apart. Yet, I feel a burden to express an issue on my heart, because I fear in the past I have been the chief "sinner" of this problem. I cannot count the number of times I have heard sermons and lessons on the importance of the Word of God. Yet, what troubles me is the lack of public reading of that very Word within some elements of Christianity. I see short scripture readings in church services as though 3-4 verses will be all the flock can stomach to chew upon. Some well known preachers are marvelous motivators, but the soul can starve to death on the amount of heavenly bread served in their sermons. Other sermons are filled with zip code preaching (you must do this or that, Book/chapter/verse, BCV, BCV), where the scriptures are alluded to but never actually quoted and studied within their context. What is amazing is that the very ones who think others are not preaching the Word are not really preaching much of it themselves. I am thankful to be around a mentor (Milton) that engages the scriptures. I am thankful for recent friends like bro. Spring who has taught me the power of reading long passages of God's word. So I wonder, what would happen if we read entire chapters, even entire books each Sunday? What if our teaching was more expository and inductive in nature? What if we actually preached the Word instead of just talking about doing so? What if? If Only...

Resurrection

2011-04-26T09:48:00.003-05:00

Do you ever go through slumps? It seems like one minute everything is going well, and the next it all falls apart. I wonder if that is the way the followers of Jesus felt when he was crucified. I wonder if they thought all hope was lost. We know they were scared and many of them ran for their lives. Then after three days of sadness and confusion; Jesus rose! Resurrection made these same followers become courageous. Resurrection brought a joy to their lives they had never experienced. Maybe your in a slump today. Maybe your like me, and have gone through an extended slump at times. Just remember that the Lord is the God of Resurrection. Turn to the one who can bring you out of the pit. Easter may have passed for this year, but Resurrection is something to remember everyday.

VBS 2010--What will 2011 have in store for us???

2011-04-22T22:43:00.003-05:00

This was our slide show from VBS last year. I can't wait to see what we do this year. Can you?

The Long Road

2011-04-22T22:34:00.002-05:00

Have you ever made plans to do something that once you finally get around to it your realize just how long it took to get there? I suppose this is how I feel typing this right now. I would like to say I have something amazing to share, but alas I am just trying to write again. I figure if I just start typing then something might eventually spring out from this crazy brain of mine. I pray everyone is well, and I am hopeful that I have a renewed spirit for this blog. It has been a long road, but sometimes life is full of those roads...

Whiter Than Snow

2010-02-02T20:45:00.006-06:00

A few days ago Bixby was blessed with a beautiful covering of snow. I know problems come with winter storms, and that many are weary from clearing the streets to provide safe passage for all; but there is nothing that makes our world look more pure and clean.

As a child I can still remember enjoying collecting fresh snow to make "snow ice cream", avoiding the colored snow of course. However, it is not long until all the snow becomes contaminated. After a couple of days the beauty begins to turn dingy and dirty. The moment of purity fading away.

In Isaiah we read, "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow..." (Isaiah 1:18). How amazing is it that our once contaminated lives can be made perfectly clean? Yet going beyond that we realize that through the blood of Christ we are not only made clean from past sins, but are also being kept clean (1 John 1:7). So unlike the snow that after a few days becomes contaminated and dirty once again, we are made clean and kept clean in the eyes of the Lord.

Praise be to God!

Digging Out of a Mess

2010-01-07T09:18:00.016-06:00

On Christmas Eve, a couple of weeks ago, blizzard like conditions hit in Oklahoma. I was enjoying a night at my mom and dad's for the holiday, and decided it best to wait out the storm at their house. Two days later after digging 4 vehicles out that were stuck in a 3+ feet snow drift; I finally made it back home. Life had thrown us all a proverbial "curve ball".

Isn't that the way life is sometimes? So how are we to react in such situations? Do we get mad at the people who were "too ignorant" to know how to avoid getting stuck, and are now blocking the way for everyone else? Do we sit back and say "you made your mess, so clean it up yourself"? This is closely related to the often used favorite “you made your bed..." Do you brag about how your 4X4 truck would never have had such a problem? Or do you see a person in trouble, which has made a mistake, who has gotten in over their head, which does not have the ability that you have, and help them dig out of the mess they are in?

I know that helping others dig out of a mess can be difficult. There you are with a shovel in hand, snow and ice all around, the wind freezing your face, digging out one person after another. The next thing you know you are slipping around and about to fall yourself. Yet, after time working together everyone is free again, and you have just been blessed with an opportunity to show the love of God to your neighbor.

Are you glad that God didn't say to us, "you made your mess, now dig out of it yourself"? Are you glad that Jesus didn't say "I never would have fallen into that snare of the devil, what is your problem?" Are you glad that instead Jesus came to seek and save the lost? Are you glad God sent his Son to heal the sick and set the captive free? How are you going to respond the next time you have the opportunity to help someone dig out of a mess?

Harvesting in a Frozen Garden Spot

2010-01-06T16:41:00.007-06:00

"Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful."

As I write this, our local weather in Bixby is about to turn frightful. The weathermen are saying our temperatures will soon plummet into the sub-zero range. With a gusty wind expected, wind chill factors may reach toward (-40). We are being warned that such temperatures can cause frostbite in a matter of 10 minutes to uncovered skin. There is no doubt a warm fireplace will be a beautiful sight for many during the next few days. Warm meals, such as chili & soup, will be filling bellies all around. Hot drinks, such as coffee, cocoa, and cider, are sure to be favorites. Isn't it true that we often are able to have great delight in times that would seem to bring fright?

Imagine though if you were without shelter. Imagine being homeless and improperly clothed, without a warm meal or drink to fill your belly. Imagine the feeling of the cold coming upon you, and taking your last breaths away. How special would an act of kindness toward you be during such a frightful time?

At the end of Acts 27 Paul, as a prisoner being transported to Rome, suffers shipwreck and swims for his life. After all who were on the ship make it safely to the island of Malta we read, "The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold" Acts 28:2 (ESV). This kindness was unusual. It was extraordinary.

Whether people are physically suffering from the cold, or whether they are suffering from living in a spiritually cold world, shouldn't we open our eyes to the opportunities presented for us to show unusual and extraordinary kindness to people in frightful conditions? Shouldn't we kindle the fire of Jesus Christ that is so delightful? Jesus taught his followers to love their neighbors as themselves (Mt. 22:39). Here it seems we can follow the lead of the natives of Malta.

Will you find opportunities to Harvest in a Frozen Garden Spot?