Friday, May 31, 2019

Once Again

In a world whirling by faster at breakneck speed,
I pause to seek You for You alone what we need,
In a world filled with other's and my private pain,
The tears fall deep in my heart like cascading rain,
There are so many words I hate and abhor to hear,
Like death, cancer, divorce they keep on each year,
They suffer, bleed, hurt treading through their days,
Living wounded in confusion like dense foggy hays,
I feel powerless to intervene with a helping hand,
As I watch their worlds crumble in shifting sand,
I intercede pleading for You to bring them through,
What they really need is fresh encounters with You,
I have no great words of wisdom to help or heal,
I can only come to Your throne of grace and kneel,
There is nothing greater I can do for flock and friend,
So I lift each of them to You in prayer once again.

Nothing

I sat here for the past several minutes watching the cursor blink on the title line. I am going through a bit of writer's block. I stare at a blank screen with voluminous thoughts racing around in my head but nothing gels. For a number of days I just have nothing to write. The words will not come. The messages feel clogged in my mental and spiritual plumbing like a clogged pipe.

Not there are not topics. There is material. Just nothing that touches and inspires me at this time. This pastor is working with a wounded heart. Nothing in my personal life or my family. It's the pain of watching others suffer. I have this sick and empty hollow feeling in my gut. While the world goes on around me my heart and thoughts are largely focused on those battered and bruised by life. I am only able to escape these thoughts for fleeting periods.

Last week we received one bad news item after another. It was not a good week. Tragedy. Fragile families crumbling. Sickness and disease. Even death. Many times Brenda and I have been moved to the point of tears after hearing the bad news. Watching people you love suffer is hard. It weighs heavy.

We're a little dazed. Still standing but wobbly on our feet. And I have nothing to write. It's all too painful and private at the moment. Not that I do not think about writing nearly everyday. Today is not the first time I logged on here and just had nothing to say. Each time I clicked to close this program because I had nothing.

I trust soon God will turn nothing into an abundance of material. Until then I wait and I pray.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Trusting In The Darkness

This world is getting darker. Morally. Spiritually. Intellectually. Darker and darker. Sometimes I cannot believe the things I see happening around me. The United States is a nation that has lost its moral compass. Our currency may read, "In God we trust," but that is not the God of the Bible. It is not Yahweh.

No, society invents gods of their own imaginations. Handcrafted to fit into the modern lifestyle. Shaped to make room for sinful ways. Customized for compromising Biblical truth.

Jesus does not change. [Heb 13:8] He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His standard for truth does not change either. There will be a day of reckoning and what a tragic day that will be. [Gal 6:9]

If a follower of Jesus is not careful they could lose heart in the darkness. It seems we are constantly losing. The enemy seems to be gaining more ground by the day. So many churches are apathetic, impotent and dead. The doors may still be open and the lights still on but the darkness still spreads both inside and outside the doors. Churches have become big business and small ministry.

Even in these dark times what is the child of God to do? Lose heart. Give up. Throw in the towel.  Quit resisting. Cease standing firm. No to all the above. Jeremiah lived in dark times as well as the other prophets. We trust God in the darkness. We trust Him for revival. He has done it before.

Psalm 119:37-38 (NKJV)
37  Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, And revive me in Your way.
38  Establish Your word to Your servant, Who is devoted to fearing You.

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Heavy Blows

As a child I enjoyed watching boxing. I loved Sugar Ray Leonard and many of the heavyweight fighters. In each match, as the fight wore on, the heavy body blows took a toll. Heavy punches to the midsection seemed to suck the wind and energy out of the other puncher. In the beginning those blows may not have seemed to make a difference but they took their toll in the latter rounds.

Heavy handed punches to the solar plexus wore down the opponent. The same thing happens in life. Brenda and I have been dealt some heavy blows in recent days. Nothing concerning us. It is the heavy blows of what is happening to people around us we love. Sufferings abound. Sorrows increase. Sickness is rampant. Sin takes a toll.

The blows are so heavy it produces a sickening sensation. Sleep has been fitful waking up off an on in the night with intercessions. The grief of the burdens are heavy to bear.

We choose to enter into other's pain. When one part of the body suffers and hurts the rest of the body should share in that pain. That is what Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12. Yet the heavy blows of personal trials added with other's takes a toll.

A deep sadness sinks into the soul. Tears well up. The burden weighs so heavily it is hard to breathe. Such burdens must be cast on the Lord. [Ps 55:22] We cannot bear the weight alone.

It is hard to watch people you love grieve, hurt, suffer, get sick, lose heart, and reap the consequences of sinful choices. If you care about people you can't help but enter into the heavy blows of their pain. Such blows take a toll. There is a price to be paid for loving others.

We have a choice. We can choose to ignore the pain of others and not get involved. We can keep others at arm's length away from us so we are not affected by their pain. We could do that. Jesus didn't. Nobody entered into other's pain more than He did. We are to follow His example.

Life hits harder than any boxer. I see it everywhere. Heavy blows land with a crushing thud leaving people dazed and disoriented. In such times the followers of Jesus need God and need the people of God. It is not an easy assignment to enter into other's sufferings. It is what we are called to do. It takes courage to care and have compassion for those hurting. Many times there are no easy answers. The problems are seldom solved over night. It takes stamina to see people through to healing and wholeness.

The heavy blows are real. So is the love of God manifested through His people. Choose to love. Choose to care. Choose to withstand the punishment that comes with those choices.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

The Centrality Of The Cross

Life is hard. There are setbacks, trials, adversities, hardships, sorrows, grieving and innumerable challenges. You have yours and I have mine. How do we endure? How do we keep showing up faithfully for our service to the King of Kings? How do we keep going when so much seems against us?

The centrality of the cross. When is the last time you sat before the Lord in prayerful meditation about what He did on the cross? Look long at His love, mercy, grace and sacrifice. Then look equally long at His holiness, righteousness and justification. He did all that for us. We are the recipients of love, mercy, grace, holiness, righteousness and justification. Go a step further. Look at yourself. Your inconsistencies, the flaws in your character, your sin, your unfaithfulness and unworthiness. How undeserving all of us are for what Jesus did on the cross.

In our age self esteem, self image and self promotion rule the day. These fly in opposition to seeing ourselves fully in light of the cross. We are sinners. Anything redeeming in us is solely because of what Jesus did on the cross. That must never be forgotten. How easily the cross is forgotten though. Forgotten and ignored by a pagan society. Also forgotten by born again believers who get caught in the matrix of family, work, recreation and entertainment.  We have crosses hanging on the mirror of our cars, on the jewelry we wear, and on the walls in our home. Yet the message of the cross is easily forgotten in our minds and hearts.

The Apostle Paul had the cross on his heart and mind continually. The cross remained central to how he lived and endured the tough stuff. Read these verses and let the centrality of the cross sink in.

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)
20  I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 6:14 (NKJV) 
14  But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 

See what I mean. The cross and Jesus' redemptive work there was central to Paul's life and ministry. He saw himself as a man with no rights. His life was hidden in Christ and forever laid on the cross. He had no room for boasting no matter how he endured whether in prosperity or suffering. His boast was in the work of Jesus on the cross. He died to the things in this world others still strive to earn and enjoy. 

Paul suffered. What kept him going? How did he endure with so much going against him? He never lost sight of the cross. 

Many years ago I used to meet with two other preachers for the purpose of accountability. We prayed together. Confessed sin to one another. We asked hard questions about our lives and ministry and we offered hard hitting Bible based counsel. One particular day one of us was whining about the difficulties of life in ministry. This went on for some time. One pastor simple offered one sentence of counsel that day that has sustained me to this day. "In light of the cross so what?" 

Here is the intended meaning. No matter what sufferings and hardships we have to endure can they compare to Jesus' death on the cross? NO. If He endured the cross with joy so can we persevere through our trials. Furthermore, if servants like Paul also suffered but endured because of the cross then so can we. 

It is easy to lose sight of the cross in our fast paced society bent on living for and pursuing the temporal. The cross reminds us of the eternal. Let us stay focused on the eternal for in the end this is what really matters. Keep the cross central in your thinking and living. 

Monday, May 13, 2019

All Out Assault

I am grieved today. For a number of reasons. As I watch and hear about the all out assault of Satan on this world and people it troubles me greatly. It troubles me even more when the assault comes against people I know and love personally. Such is the case today.

Spiritual warfare is real. It is a fight people. A war. A war of many battles. This kind of war can only be fought with spiritual weapons. It cannot be won by might or intellectual prowess. A spiritual war has to be fought in a spiritual way.

God has given us two weapons to fight back. The Word of God. Prayer. I visit with people often who tell me these are two areas they struggle in. They do not know the Word of God. That is our sword. Jesus fought against Satan's temptation with these simple words, "It is written." He then went on to quote some scripture to combat Satan's assault. If Jesus had to battle that way how much more do we need to do the same. We must make reading, studying and memorizing scripture a high priority. Let social media go for awhile if it robs you of time in the scriptures.

Our church has been issued two challenges this year in regard to reading the Word of God. First, to read their Bibles five minutes a day everyday. Just five simple minutes could transform your perspective, hope, peace, and life. The second challenge is to read the Bible through in entirely this year or to at least make significant progress. God uses His word to transform our thinking. [Rom 12:2] He uses His word to train, to convict, exhort, and rebuke. [II Tim 3:16]

We all must become stronger in our prayer lives. In an all out assault you can't win victory by a little prayer here and a little prayer there. An all assault requires an all out retaliation in prayer. How often the intercessions of the people of God fall silent. How often the prayers of God's people are hushed. In these moments we have lost so much ground. Marriages crumble. Children stray and rebel. Laws violate God's law. The rule of the land ignores the Sovereign Ruler. The occult abounds. Darkness dwells where the light has been extinguished. Religious freedoms are lost.

Is the church to lay down and quit? Are the people of God to ignore the word of God because it is antiquated with our modern times and modern morality? NEVER! Should we neglect the prayer closet because we are busy when we are needed to take our watch now more than ever? May it NEVER be.

Children of God, take up your sword, which is the word of God and the powerful ramming ram of prayer and fight. FIGHT for your loved ones. Fight for your family and friends. Fight for your church. Fight for your community and country. Fight while you still can. [Eph 6:10-18]


A Close Call After Midnight

Sunday May 12, 2019 was a long day. First, we served mother's breakfast before our small groups. That meant an early morning of cooking and an earlier arrival than normal. We enjoyed our normal worship gathering. We had a fast lunch because Tanner had to be back in Plainview for work and we needed to move some furniture since he is moving into his own apartment.

That meant Tanner, Taylor and I would drive to Plainview, unload, eat dinner and then Taylor and I would make the trip back home. Eight hour round trip. A LATE night. Everything went smoothly driving out there. We unloaded and ate. We got on the road a little later than I thought we would. My calculations deducted Taylor and I would arrive back in Runaway around 1:00 a.m. I drove the first half and Taylor took over. By the time we changed seats I was getting very sleepy. I told Taylor I would sleep about an hour and awake for the last hour of the trip to keep him awake.

That all changed. First, Taylor swerved to miss a deer darting across the road all while pulling a trailer. Next, he saw a hog. Needless to say these things awoke me. Those were not the close calls. Only a few miles out in the  middle of the road the headlights shown on something big and black. Taylor swerved suddenly to miss a cow in the middle of the highway as black as the night. When I saw it I knew it was too big to be a hog and deduced it was a cow. We started skidding and could feel the trailer jackknifing pulling the back of the truck with it. We were in trouble.

In those seconds several things raced through my mind. I remembered the trailer and thought this could end very badly. I thought about Taylor being behind the wheel. I thought about the lonely stretch of highway we were own around 12:40 at night. It lasted only seconds but felt like time stood still. It seemed to stretch out longer. I also prayed. In those seconds I pleaded for God to steady everything.

Then it seemed as if God gently put His hands on the truck and trailer and straightened them both bringing them back under control while slowing us down. Taylor and I immediately identified God saved us. God kept Taylor alert when I was weary. God showed the cow in time to miss colliding with it. God kept the trailer from whipping us off the road. God kept Taylor from overreacting by breaking harder and oversteering. God also protected us from the deer and the hog. It was a close call but God kept us safe.

I immediately gave thanks to God. In fact, I gave thanks to God off and on for the remainder of the drive. We finally pulled onto the driveway at 1:37 a.m. After that close call we both stayed awake the remainder to the trip. Neither of us had any trouble sleeping once we got into bed. We did not have to arrive home safely. God was certainly not obligated to help us. God protected us. It made me think God is not finished with us. He still has purposes for Taylor and I to fulfill.

I start this day with renewed gratitude. Thankful for life. Thankful I got to see Brenda again last night. Thankful for a good day to spend with my two oldest sons. Precious memories I treasure. I am thankful for the prayers of my wife on our road trip. I am thankful I am alive and able to write this.

Even when I got weary God never slumbered. He remained awake and protected two of His children. So very blessed on this Monday. Truly God's mercies are new every morning. [Lam 3:22-23]

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Good Work

God gave Nehemiah a big task. Rebuild the ruined walls around Jerusalem. Nehemiah prayed and fasted.  He asked for and got favorable authorization from King Artaxerxes to fulfill this mission.

At first Nehemiah did not tell anyone what God put in his heart. Some things God calls people to do seem so outlandish that few would believe they are possible. Nehemiah got up one night once he arrived in Jerusalem to survey the damage. He rode through the city and I am sure prayed about the task before him. A daunting task. A task he could not do alone.

Nehemiah carried God's burden and desire to rebuild the walls. He surveyed the damage. Many of you carry around God given burdens. Maybe God has painted a picture on the canvas of your mind about what He wants to do. You carry that vision around secretly knowing few would believe it if you openly shared. You pray over it. You ponder about it. You dream along with God about what could be. You see the possibilities.

At some point Nehemiah had to cast the vision to the broken down and discouraged people left in Jerusalem. They were defeated and had no vision for better days. Many still live that way. They don't live. They just exist from day to day with no hope for the future and no vision greater than just trying to survive another day. People lose heart when there is no compelling vision to propel them to a higher purpose.

When God give assignments they are big and require God. Those assignments require an activated faith. At some point faith has to be put into action for the vision to come to pass. For Nehemiah, one of those first steps was to cast the vision. His simple words were, "Come let us rebuild the walls." Nehemiah went on to explain how God gave him favor with the king for the expedition.

God took those words of testimony and vision from Nehemiah and stirred the hearts of the people. Here is their response, "Let us rise up and build." Afterwards they strengthened their hands for the good work.

Make no mistake. That wall did not magically appear. By the sweat of their brow and muscle fatigue the wall would be rebuilt. It was work. But the task was good work. It was God's work.

If you love and serve Jesus I am betting He has put some good work for you to do. Maybe it is making intercession. Maybe it is calling to check on the homebound. Perhaps it includes working with unruly children or apathetic teens. Maybe you teach a tiny class or perhaps God assigned you to rebuild a small church. If the work came from God it is good work.

It is good work because it is work that will matter in eternity. There is all sorts of bad work. Things we devote our time, energy and money to that will not matter a hill of beans in eternity. It will all be burned up in fire at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Much of what we give so much of ourselves to has no eternal value.

God's work is good work. I recently sent a thank you to a couple who have gone the extra mile in serving at our church. They busy themselves for the Lord and delight to do so. I sent them a text thanking them for their service. They responded that they did it for the Lord. His good work does not go unnoticed. His good work does not go unrewarded even it appears that way in the here and now. It will be rewarded in eternity.

Volunteers in the nursery may be receive greater honor than the pastor from God. The maintenance personnel may receive greater reward than the greatest musicians and vocalists in churches. A faithful usher and a devoted teacher may make God smile more than the one in the spotlight on center stage.  If the work is from God it is good work. I did not say it would be glamorous work. I did not say it would be easy work. Nor did I say it would be prestigious work. It is work. It is God's good work!

Working for God over the years has meant many things. One day I helped a church member shovel dirt into potholes down his long dirt driveway. On many occasions it has meant helping someone move. There have been times when it simply meant listening to a lonely soul. God's good work has meant mowing, cleaning toilets, sawing trees, roofing, hauling debris to the dump, hauling hay, ripping up carpet, scraping up tile, painting, and moving chairs and tables more times than I can count. That is all part of God's good work just like studying, praying, writing, preaching and teaching.

I love what Nehemiah 4:6 states. The people had a mind to work. They got a clear grasp of Nehemiah's vision. They bought into it. They had a mind to work. O that God would stir people with that mindset for His causes again. It is good work He calls us to do.

Monday, May 6, 2019

21 Years Ago

It just hit me what happened 21 years ago. It was this week. Friday to be exact. I got one of those phone calls you can't forget. Bad news. Another tragedy and I needed to get to the hospital fast. I was tired. I had just returned home from a hospital visit two hours from home.

I grabbed the keys and raced out the door speeding to the hospital. I went to the emergency room to meet with the family. The loved one deceased. The body remained on the gurney. Only this time it was different. The dead person on the table was my mother. After battling heart disease for years she finally got healed in heaven. It was the Friday before Mother's Day 21 years ago.

She never met Tucker or Turner. She died when Tanner was three months old and held him once.  She kept Taylor for the first two years of his life. It's hard for me to fathom that three of my four boys she never got to know. She would have loved them. She also would have spoiled them.

That's 21 Mother's Days I have missed with her. That is 21 years of birthdays and family get togethers we never shared. She still lives in mind. I have many of her best recipes. One bite of those dishes takes me back home and I am a little boy sitting at Mama's table all over again.

I miss our picnics at the lake, trips to the zoo, and family vacations. They were never extravagant in hindsight but they fill my head with wonder. I recall her working hard as a single mother to earn her nursing degree. She had her first heart attack when I was in college. I was preaching a revival in Minnesota when I got a call I needed to go back home early. I was shook up on that return trip back. As soon as I got back in town I went to the hospital. It was not easy for me to see her there.

Just a few months before she died she had another heart attack. She remained unconscious for several minutes until the ambulance got there. Again I was out of town. This time she spent two weeks in ICU in a coma. We stayed for days on end and prayed. The doctors were not optimistic but Mama pulled through. As the doctors feared she suffered brain damage.

My once lively, intelligent and fun mother became like a child. I visited her daily but never knew if she really knew me. I had to feed her once they got off the feeding tube. That was surreal. The mother who fed me, cooked for me, supported me, and sacrificed for me but the tides had turned. Now it was my time to serve her. It was not always easy. Some days she was belligerent. Eventually they had to restrain her hands because she become combative. At times she gnashed her teeth at me and gnawed at the restraints on her hands when she could get them near her mouth. Very hard to recall those days.

I had to put her in a care facility. She was only in her mid fifties. She always seemed pleased when I came to visit but she could not communicate intelligently. It was frustrating. Yet I treasure those memories 21 years later that God gave me the opportunity to honor my mother in her last days.

Then I got that call. The call that terminated my earthly relationship with my mother. I preached her funeral. I bragged on her and then bragged on Jesus who saved her. My mother was not perfect and she and eye definitely had our differences. But 21 years later I wish I could spend Mother's Day with her. I wish I could introduce her to Tanner, Tucker and Turner. I wish she could see the man Taylor grew into she probably could not foresee when she kept him the first two years of his life. Now he is the kitchen baking with his girlfriend. Taner and Tucker are taking finals at college this week. Turner is finishing strong the last few weeks of the school year.

Mother's Day will never be the same for me. It sneaks up on me sometimes before I remember my Mama died this coming weekend 21 years ago. I am not alone. Many people no longer have their mothers to celebrate this time of year. While others rejoice with theirs there are a few of us who have holes in our hearts this time of year. If you still have your mother please cherish her this weekend and beyond. Do not take that blessing for granted.

We Try So Hard

Millions who follow You try so hard to do it right,
They get up early and stay up late into the night,
They read their Bibles with assiduous devotion,
They seek God in prayer with fervent emotion,
They worship with authentic love and passion,
They serve when service is not always in fashion,
Many feel it's all not enough though they try hard,
Disappointed they feel like folding all the cards,
Hold up weary warriors worn from the battles,
Don't give up but climb back into your saddle,
God is demanding, a just -holy righteous One,
He commands us to follow Him in an all out run,
Yet do not forget this important bit of information,
God wants our best but heed this vital explanation,
Our best will never suffice but is like filthy rags,
It is grace that justifies when our best only lags,
It is amazing grace when we try hard and fail,
The grace and blood of Jesus to save from hell,
When we try and fall flat in failure on our face,
Our confidence will always be in amazing grace.



Thursday, May 2, 2019

The Door Of Opportunity

What will you do when the door of opportunity knocks. Many people are so comfortable where they are doing what they're doing they do not even open the door. Others open it to look outside but quickly shut it because opportunity does not always come with security or guarantees. What do you do? Do you ignore opportunity? Do you entertain it?

God sets opportunities before us all the time. What we choose to do with them in large part may determine our usefulness to Him. To a person constantly praying about seeing people get saved and, when God presents the opportunity to share your faith and you do not respond, it would appear that was a wasted opportunity. The same thing can happen on the job. It might happen with a chance to get involved in a new ministry or to sign up for a mission trip.

God gave Israel an opportunity to possess the promised land. 12 spies were sent out. By a vote of 10-2 the spies opted not to possess the land. An opportunity lost. Jonah opted to follow God's call to go to Nineveh. We all know how that worked out for him. Jonah got a second chance. He received a second opportunity to do the work of God and God blessed Jonah's preaching immensely.

When God puts an opportunity before us what should we do? Should we jump in with both feet? Should we wait seeking wisdom? Should we dismiss the whole thing and walk away? I offer some brief counsel at this point.

1.  Pray. Pray seeking the mind and heart of God on the matter. He longs to reveal His plans more than we long to know them. [Amos 3:7] [Jer 33:3]

2.  Read Scripture. One of the ways to best know the mind and heart of God is by reading His word. Read diligently until God reveals what He desires you to do with the opportunity. [Ps 119:105]

3. Seek Godly Counsel. Much wisdom can be found by talking to other people who walk with God and getting their perspective, and hopefully God's perspective, when seek their counsel. [Prov 15:22]

4. Wait For Peace. Wait for the peace of God before jumping into an opportunity. Remember every good idea is not always God's idea. [Phil 4:6-7]

5. Step Out In Faith.  When all the above line up it is reasonable for you to step out in faith into your opportunity. When you have prayed, read scripture and received direction, sought Godly counsel and waited for God's peace a step of faith may still be required. [II Cor 5:7]

Not every opportunity is from God. Some could be sent as a distraction. Obviously an attractive person sent to you making sexual innuendos is not an opportunity from God but a temptation from Satan if that person is not your spouse. You must know the difference. On the other hand, just because an opportunity looks risky does not mean it didn't come from God. The Bible is filled with stories of people whom God led to take risks for Him. Learn to discern the difference.

When God sends opportunity open the door and respond in faith. When it comes in the form of temptation shut the door and flee the opposite direction. May the Lord open our eyes to the opportunities all around us and may He lead us to respond in faith.


Anyone - Anytime - Anything

I actually put my hands on a miracle today. Brenda and I were blessed with a Lincoln Continental with only 53,000 miles on it. We just received it today. The generous giver also went the extra mile and had mechanical work done to repair things that needed repaired. The donor paid for those repairs. How I pray God would reward this donor for such love, sacrifice and generosity. I received a voice mail from this person today saying, "Pastor Matt, I just want you and your wife to enjoy the car." I have not even driven it yet. I can tell you I already enjoy it.

I actually sat down in the driver's seat a few minutes ago. I cranked the car. I put my hands on the luxurious steering wheel. I sat in the leather seats. I felt the cool of the a/c blowing against my skin. I pulled back the sliding roof to reveal a sun roof. What made it even more memorable is I sat there next to Taylor who came home last night. For the fourth time he has been witness to a miracle vehicle. All I can say is God did it again.

After travailing prayer God gave brith to another miracle vehicle. A cream colored Lincoln Continental. I am humbled, grateful, and in awe of the God who can do anything. Why us? Why does God choose to bless us? Others have needs. Others need vehicles. Others have their backs up against the wall and they need miracles too. The same God who blesses the Edwards is the same God who can bless anyone at anytime with anything. Cling to faith brothers and sisters. Cling to faith.

John 14:14 (NKJV)
14  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.