Challenge Accepted

 My sons and I often push each other in workouts with the little phrase, "Challenge accepted." What we mean is no matter how difficult, demanding, or downright unpleasant the task is we embrace it. We do not shy away from it. We refuse to back down. We man up and overcome. 

Take that same mentality into life. We face numerous challenges. People around us face difficulties. Just this week I have dealt with numerous people who had surgeries, people facing impossible odds, heartaches, those facing financial setbacks, heavy ladened people, and those worn down by the trials of life. 

Whatever challenges are thrown at us we have a choice. We can embrace the challenge, pray, trudge, work, claim scripture, persevere, and eventually overcome or we can whine, doubt, curl up in the fetal position, quit and be overcome. The choice is ours. I am sad to admit many times I have chosen the latter attitude. 

I find strength and inspiration in Jesus. 

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)
¹  Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
²  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
³  For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus and contemplate the way He embraced the challenge of the cross, it will help us not grow weary and lose heart. To not lose courage. To not give up and quit. 

Jesus joyfully accepted the challenge of the cross. Not just the physical suffering. The spiritual and emotional torment of taking the sin of the world on Himself and the Father turning away in that crucial moment. Jesus endured. He stayed the redemptive course until He finished the work God gave Him to do. He found joy in obedience to the Father's will and completion of the assignment. Can we not do the same with divine help. 

If Jesus joyfully accepted the challenge of the cross and all the suffering that went along with that, why should we think we would live a trouble-free challenge free life. Challenges are part of the human existence. We can embrace them, overcome them, learn from them, and be strengthened by them, or we can try to avoid them, be defeated by them, overwhelmed by them, and resent them. Either way we are still going to face challenges. 

Jesus' example should help all of us to press on and press through trials. To overcome. To persevere. To champion our challenges through Jesus who strengthens us. Sometimes you have to get your mind right to endure hard times. Winning the battle of the mind is halfway to victory. May we not shun the challenges God intends for us, but rather accept them and learn from them. 

Follow Fully

 We change as we age. We become more cautious. Less willing to take risks. Our bodies become more frail. We tend to shy away from challenges we once embraced without giving it a second thought. Life settles into monotonous routines rather than thrilling adventures. We may follow God to a safe extent. Can we say we fully follow God in our old age. 

I can tell you about one fellow who did. He was a brave soul in his youth. He was drawn to adventure and following God in faith no matter the odds. This often made him unpopular with those around him. While they contemplated calculated risks with little chance of failure, he threw caution to the wind and simply fully followed wherever God directed him to do. No matter the impossibilities. It did not sit well with the cautious and cowardly. 

Years passed. In his twilight years, 85 to be exact, his vigor for adventure did not diminish one iota. He was not one to sit around in a rocking chair stuck in safe risk free routine. This guy still thought he could do the same things he did four decades earlier. Instead of looking to take it easy, he volunteered for challenging risky assignments younger men avoided. You may have heard of him. 

His name was Caleb. He and Joshua were the only two spies who challenged Israel to obey God in possessing the promised land. They got outvoted. Caleb had to suffer the consequences of living the boring life of wandering in a desert when he longed to be possessing the land. He had a different spirit about him. 

When Israel finally crossed the Jordan to start possessing the land Caleb had a request of Joshua who was dividing out portions of the land. He wanted to go to war to take the hill country. He said of himself, "I am still as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me, as my strength was then so is my strength is now for war." [Joshua 14:11] War is a young man's challenge. Remember. Caleb had a different spirit about him. He did not give into old age the theory of retirement. He wanted a challenge. He needed a challenge. He still desired to go to war to possess what God had promised. He wanted the hill country. With fortified cities.

Any military person can tell you the most strategic position to defend any place is the high ground. It is a more difficult position to overtake. That is exactly the challenge Caleb asked for. 

That inspires me. I do not want to take it easy as I grow old. I want to embrace the challenges God puts before me. I want to give more of myself to following Him fully into the greatest adventures of my life no matter what my age. I want to believe God for more at 55 than I did when I was 25.

Here is the rub. Caleb did not even know if he would be successful. Listen to what he said, "perhaps the LORD will be with me and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken." [Joshua 14:12] Perhaps. Perhaps God would help him and he would succeed. Perhaps God would allow him to fail and die in the quest. It was a land of giants and fortified cities. That did not deter Caleb. He wanted a challenge. He believed God could defy any challenge to the point of willingly risking his life. 

I don't see that attitude everywhere. People work hard into their retirement years and then want to coast into eternity. They work, scrimp, and save so they can take it easy. Travel, play, rest and enjoy the fruit of the years of their labor. Caleb did not adopt that attitude. He wanted to live and experience God. He needed a challenge. 

How many people retire and spend the rest of their lives in boredom because they do not have a challenge, a calling, nor a purpose. My conviction is that we retire to become full time available to God. I have seen this. I met a couple who are using their retirement years to do full time missions work on their own dime in Honduras. I've met men who travel the world to do disaster relief in their old age. I've also met men who travel the United States to help churches build new facilities. Their work is hard day after day, they live in RVs, eat pot luck meals, are away from their grandkids and kids, and yet love what they do. 

Don't you want to make the last years of your life count for the Lord? I know some are not capable of doing all they want to do because of failing health. For those of us who can, will we not fully follow God by faith into great adventures right to the very end of our days. That is my desire. To fully follow until God calls me home or my health no longer allows me to do so. I heard a man tell me numerous times, "I want to die with my face in the dirt and not my head on a pillow." I think Caleb had that attitude to fully follow with his face in the dirt on a battlefield rather than playing it safe. I thank God for Caleb and pray He would raise more Caleb's today to follow fully in great Kingdom adventures for the glory of God. 

A Time to Embrace

 Most people see me more as a Grizzly bear than a Teddy bear. Rought and rugged. Hard and harsh. Bull dogged determined. Fiercely competitive. Getting close to me for a hug may feel more like hugging a porcupine than a cuddly stuffed animal. 

People think they know me. They know the tough hard-nosed persona. What few people really don't know is the soft and tenderhearted part of me. The man who can be moved to tears especially when it relates to a husband and his wife and a father and his children. I love deeply. So deeply I often feel the pain of others. 

I am not known for being a hugger. Many times, I instinctively put my hand out to shake rather than open my arms to embrace. I hug Brenda. Even though our sons are grown I still hug them. There are few others. 

In Eccl 3:5 we read there is a time to embrace. To put that another way, there are appointed seasons when hugs are appropriate and needed. Like with a parent and child. Hugging children as infants actually enhances their cognitive, emotional, and physical development. As I write this I am looking back through a plethora of memories from my childhood. I cannot recall one clear memory when Mama hugged me. I am not saying she didn't do it. I just cannot remember any instances. Nor can I remember my maternal grandparents, who we lived with for most of my upbringing, ever hugging me. That is not something I have ever noticed before. I did not grow up in touchy feely family. 

To open your arms and let people come close to your heart can be hard for some people. Especially if those people have experienced rejection, abuse, and neglect. It can be hard for such people to open their arms wide welcoming people to get physically and emotionally close. That is just one side of hugging. 

There is another perspective. When you hug someone, it communicates love. Hugs can also comfort people in times of stress and fear. Like a child being held tight by a parent in a thunderstorm. Only adults live through different kinds of storms. They need to be comforted too from time to time. 

I am thinking of a song by Dennis Jernigan. Part of the lyrics of that song sung to God are, "When I cannot feel. When my wounds don't heal. Lord I humbly kneel hidden in You. If I could just sit with you awhile. If you could just hold me. Nothing can touch me, though I'm wounded and have died. I'd need you to hold me moment by moment until forever passes by."

Sometimes we need God to hold us. To give us a hug through His word, moving music or a powerful message through a teacher or preacher. God gives hugs to those who are distraught, depressed, and down and out. Sometimes He does that through other people. Such hugs communicate the compassion and love of God through the arms of one of His followers. 

There are times for hugs. Keep your eyes open and your heart sensitive to the next opportunity God puts before you to be his arms and heart for a hurting soul, an abused child, or someone the rest of society overlooks. One little gesture as simple as a hug could make a world of difference. 

Memorial Stones

 Last year a friend came to visit Brenda and I. Julie is a follower of Jesus. Devout. A serious Bible student. Our families shared many happy memories in the years we served together. She came bearing gifts. She handed me a box. The contents were heavy. I had no idea what it could be. 

I found several round stones inside with a base stone that had a rod attached. All the stones stack on top of one another. They are memorial stones. She included a picture of the back porch where they used to live. She did not have to explain anything else. I knew the significance of the gift. It is one I treasure. Several years ago, I had a profound encounter with God on her and her husband Mike's back porch. I would say it is the most significant God encounter I have ever had. I am not exaggerating when I say that moment with God on that back porch changed my life and ministry. The stones were memorial stones to remind me of that encounter. 

Those stones are sitting on the old pulpit from the old sanctuary that no longer exists in my office. The pulpit reminds me of the faithful pastors who preached before me. I am to continue in their example. The memorial stones remind me of that God encounter on that back porch. I never want to forget that God encounter. Nor do I want to be satisfied with it. I want to hunger for fresh God encounters all the days of my life. 

When you think about significant God encounters that changed the trajectory of your life, where did it occur? Have you ever considered setting up memorial stones to remind you and others. The memorial stones are meant to be conversation starters. When people ask about the meaning, you can relate stories of your God encounter. 

This is exactly what happened after Israel crossed the Jordan River. While the priests were still standing in the middle of the river God commanded Joshua to have 12 men take 12 stones from the bottom of the river to place on the other side. The stones were memorial stones so that the testimony of God could be remembered and recounted. 

Joshua 4:1-7 (NASB)
¹  Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying,
²  "Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe,
³  and command them, saying, 'Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.'"
⁴  So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe;
⁵  and Joshua said to them, "Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel.
⁶  "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you?'
⁷  then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever."

If I were setting up memorial stones, I would have set one up at Abe Martin Football Stadium in Lufkin, TX where I met Jesus as my Savior. I would set one up near the old sanctuary at Denman Avenue Baptist Church where I was baptized. I would set one up at Piney Woods Baptist Encampment in Woodlake, TX where God called and I surrendered to preach. I would set one up at Howard Payne University where I met Brenda and other important people in my life. I would set one up at FBC Hurst, TX where Brenda and I were married. There are many others. I would set some up at Rochelle Baptist Church where I got ordained. I would set some up at FBC Seminole were we saw God move powerfully in a 23-day revival. Now I would set some up for Spring Creek Baptist Church where I humbly get to serve God and these people. So many memories. 

I don't know why we do not take more time for people to share testimonies about God encounters. I think they inspire others to press on in the midst of difficulty. Testimonies are like memorial stones where we remember and recount the many ways God has worked in our lives. In some ways the Bible is just one long record of testimonies of people who encountered God. 

Let me encourage you to find your own memorial stones. To let them be a conversation starter for you to testify. In this way we can continually pass on the legacy of our faith to the next generations. 

How Instead of Who

 When it comes to walking by faith, many get bogged down with asking how impossible things can happen. How can a couple with a young children die to the American dream to take Jesus into a dangerous Muslim country? How can the money be raised for something God is calling to happen? How can the gospel penetrate the dark corners of communities? How can churches minister more effectively outside the walls of the buildings? The logistical how questions are at times not easily answered. 

Serving God is not like running a business. While some churches operate on business principles, walking by faith flies in the face of business principles. While corporate minds ask the logistical questions of how, faith walkers focus on who. Who called them? Who wills certain things to be done? Who has the power to do the impossible? Who is faithful to complete what He wants done. 

Which kind of person are you? Are you a how person? I am not suggesting they are not needed. Dreamers need how people to put the vision together and nail down the details. Brenda is one of those people in my life. I dream and she plans the how. She knows the who that calls me to those dreams. 

Please do not let the how questions keep you from obeying the who. Our God is trustworthy. There are so many things that He wants to accomplish. So many dark corners of our communities that He wants to penetrate with His marvelous light. There are so many kingdom tasks He dreams and calls people to believe Him for. Do not let the unanswered questions of how keep you from obeying Him WHO calls you. The who is greater than our how. 

Does God will it be done? Did He initiate it? Has He called you to join Him? Will it glorify Him? Is His power limited? Are His resources in shorty supply? Can He do whatever He wants through whomever He wants whenever He wants and wherever He wants? Yes, and a thousand times yes.  Trust Him and obey Him. The He WHO calls us to follow Him is greater than all our HOW questions and doubts that He can get the job done. 

Stand in the Jordan

 God calls His people to live by faith. That necessitates some faith steps from time to time. That is something Brenda and I know about. We have repeatedly felt called to take faith steps that did not make sense to onlookers our whole marriage. We have stood on the edge of reality and taken steps of faith into the unknown repeatedly. Those steps have been both frightening and exhilarating. 

In the third chapter of Joshua God called His people to take such a faith step. He called them to go in and possess the long-anticipated promised land. In order to do this, they had to cross the Jordan River. About a million people had to forge the 100 feet wide Jordan River that ranges from three to ten feet deep. 

The promise from God was that He would stop the flow of the water and heap them in a wall so Israel could cross on dry ground. Few of these people had lived to see the miracle of the Red Sea. They heard about it but had not experienced God in such a powerful way themselves. 

I think that describes many followers of Jesus. People grow up in church and hear the Bible stories from VBS, to small groups, to Sunday sermons. Intellectually they know all about God. How many have experienced His mighty power personally? How many have stepped out in obedience when it looked irrational and illogical? Like stepping into a 100-foot-wide river with family, possessions, and livestock. It did not make sense. Especially if you were one of the priests carrying the ark. They were to be the first ones to step. For those who were at the back of the million people mob they had a safety net. They could watch safely from the shore to see what happened to those who stepped out first. 

God does not want us to watch safely from the shore all of our days. He wants us to step into the miraculous. To be a part of His story. To behold His faithfulness. To encounter Him in ways we have never done before. To do that we have to be willing to step into the Jordan when He calls us to do so. 

That first step might be scary. It can be a little intimidating. Fears rise tempting us to stand safely on the shore. God prompts us to stand in the Jordan. To step from the shore into the water. Do we really believe God is faithful to do what He promises. We may say we do intellectually but experientially our actions indicate we do not believe. 

Maybe that is part of the reason why we live in a day of miracle famine. God's people do not trust Him enough to step into the Jordan. 

I refuse to live the rest of my life that way. Over and over again in scripture I read about God calling people to risky adventures. Impossible situations. Improbable causes. When people trusted and obeyed God a miracle happened. Please do not miss this. The miracles happened on the backside of faith steps of obedience not before. 

For three decades Brenda and I have committed ourselves to following God and leaping in faith when He called us to do so. We have testimonies that some find hard to believe. I assure you the stories are true. The testimonies are real. Enough to fill pages of books and hundreds of blogs. Almost every time we had to take a faith step and obediently stand in the Jordan before we saw the faithfulness of God. 

I faced another such step yesterday. God presented an opportunity to me. An opportunity that would stretch me physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. In an already jam-packed schedule, God nudged me to add something else. Another time of teaching the Bible. This time off campus to broken and needy people. I already teach 4 times a week. That means studying for four different messages. To add a fifth teaching each week is not something I took lightly. I was a little hesitant. Reluctant to overcommit myself. God nudged me to step and stand in the Jordan.

My flesh wanted to remain safely on the shore. To watch from the sidelines while other movers and shakers in the kingdom of God did the work and saw the power of God. I prayed and solicited others to pray with me about this opportunity. I set up a meeting with a key leader. It became clearly obvious that God was in it. I could not sit on the shore. I had to step into the Jordan. 

Starting on October 16th, on Sunday afternoon, I will begin teaching the Bible in a substance abuse detox center. I will also recruit a team who are willing to go with me to love on these clients. Clients from all over the nation. Broken people with messy lives. Just the kind of people Jesus loves to transform. Attendance will be strictly voluntary. People from all faiths, socio-economic backgrounds check in this place. Many of them do know the Savior. Many probably seldom darken the door of a house of worship. Jesus is calling me to take Him to them. The word I keep thinking about is REDEMPTION. God wants to redeem people and send them back home transformed and as missionaries. He is calling me to step into the Jordan like the priests carrying the ark. I may go alone in the beginning. 

For weeks I have been asking God to show me what He wanted me to do. Where I was to minister outside the walls of the church. Like some are doing at McGratton Park with skaters every Monday night. God heard and laid this in my lap. I did not go looking for it. He brought it to me. Once again God used His faithful servant Connie Wright to make it happen. That is her story to tell. 

So yesterday in my meeting with the key leader, I committed to step into the Jordan. That will mean teaching and preaching four times every Sunday. Only God can strengthen me. This is not a short time commitment. It is a long-term commitment. Consistency is critical. I trust God will call other people to come along beside me in the Jordan. It is exciting and sobering. 

Exciting because it is another opportunity to see God do something miraculous. Sobering because I know that I do not have the power to change anyone's life. Only Jesus can do that. 

So, I step and stand in the Jordan. There is no turning back. Just like the priests stepping in faith from the shore into the Jordan, they did not see the waters stop flowing and heap in a wall until they fully committed to take that faith step. Here I go again. A step of faith to stand in the Jordan. Is God calling any of you to step and stand with me?

A Pastor's Heart

 Bible study was interesting last night. Lively with discussion. We have been wading through Proverbs verse by verse and chapter by chapter. The topic last night lent itself to everyone paying attention and participating. 

We ended our time by praying for people in the congregation with great needs. Our hearts interceded for the burdened and suffering. It was when I offered the closing prayer that a swell of emotion surged in my heart. Something I could not keep down. Something that had to be expressed. 

I have served Spring Creek as pastor for a little over three years. It has gone by so quickly. So many memories. So many new people. So many others getting older and aging. It is a lot to take in. I never saw Spring Creek as a steppingstone to bigger and better things. 

My relationship with Spring Creek started at a youth camp in Brownwood, TX in 1990. I only brought one student to camp that year from Rochelled Baptist Church. Spring Creek had about a dozen. For some reason the Spring Creek youth minister was seldom around the camp that week. In a divinely orchestrated move of God, I met those students and connected with them. 

Fast forward about eight months. That youth minister invited me to come out to Spring Creek to preach to those students. It was a great reunion. When the service ended, he walked outside to my car with me and then told me he would soon be resigning and moving to another ministry after graduating from seminary. He encouraged me to submit my resume for the job. I did. God called me to Spring Creek just two months before Brenda and I were married. We fell deeply in love with the Spring Creek people. We saw a great move of God as He saved students and added families to the church. 

Our ministry only lasted two years before we left. I am not exaggerating when I say that we might have left Spring Creek, but Spring Creek did not leave us. We remained in touch with a few of the folks for some time. Periodically I would hear about the church needing a new pastor. My interest was always peaked but the timing did not seem right. 

When the former pastor left back in 2019, I heard about it since he is a dear friend of mine. I wanted to be the next pastor. I could not bring myself to submit a resume. I felt I knew too many people in the church, and I did not want to try to manipulate anything happening. I reasoned that if God wanted me there then He would have to do all the work to get me there and I would keep my hands out of it. God worked despite my lack of involvement. The former pastor submitted my resume there without my knowledge. 

When the search committee contacted me, my heart leapt for joy. Then it sunk when I learned that they had over 100 resumes submitted to them. Time passed. They asked for an interview. When Brenda and I walked back through those glass doors a flood of memories washed over our minds. It felt like we belonged there. That search committee asked some of challenging questions. I could have stayed there all night answering those questions. I was saddened when our time ended. Then we waited. 

God moved on them in the following days, and they invited us to come in view of a call to be voted on to be their next pastor. When we walked in the sanctuary that day, I had a rush of emotions. The smell of the sanctuary took me back 30 years. I felt at home. Like we belonged there. The same wooden pulpit remained. The carpet and pew padding were different colors. Everything else was just like I remembered three decades previously. 

They called us. Three years have passed since then. I sat in a room with some of our most faithful attenders last night with a tide of emotion swelling inside. I love these people. I had to tell them. I had to tell them how proud I am of them. They are a generous, hardworking, servant minded, friendly, and loving people. I am humbled, honored, and blessed beyond measure to be their pastor. Our hearts are bonded. It feels like Brenda and I have wed our hearts to this congregation and they have wedded their hearts to us. 

I hurt when they hurt. I grieve when they grieve. I rejoice when they rejoice. I am blessed to be surrounded by some of the greatest people on the face of the earth. Spring Creek is a great church. I am average at best. They could do much better, but I am so grateful God chose us to be here and they love us. They support us. They serve us in multiple ways. 

The roots in our hearts go down deep in the Spring Creek church and community. We do not want to serve anywhere else. We will always be grateful for wonder people in past churches we have served. Those people are dear and precious to us. Now God has planted us here. This pastor is contented beyond measure to be here and prayerfully remain here. 

These people hunger for God's word. They do not want fluff. They want the meat of the word. Like a chef preparing a meal, I sit before the Lord in study to prepare spiritual food to nourish their souls. It's a joy to spend time with them. It is a privilege to have them share their pain with us so we can minister hope. For some we walk the pilgrimage of new life and watching children grow. For others we walk the sad path of suffering as they near the end. It is my desire to walk that path with them to the end. 

God has allowed His lines to fall for Brenda and I in pleasant places. We came to Spring Creek being newlyweds trying to navigate student ministry, school, and work three decades ago. Little did we know that God would bring us back. We came back with four grown sons and seasoned hearts of past pastoral experience. To serve Spring Creek a second time is a blessing for which we cannot give God enough praise. Spring Creek, we love you. We thank God for you. We are proud of you and the labors of love you offer. Our hearts are intertwined with your hearts. Thank you for loving, supporting, and accepting us. 

 1 Peter 5:2-3 (NASB)

²  shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;
³  nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. 

Running Out of Time

 I live with the constant frustration that I cannot accomplish all I want to on any given day. There is not a night that my head hits the pillow that I do not think of things I left undone. No matter how early I get up, how disciplined I am to redeem the time, how diligently I work, or how I try to work from home after hours I cannot cram everything into a day, week, and month that I hope to do. It is a never-ending cycle. 

I have hundreds of books that I want to read in my library and have not. I read as often as I can. I cannot read fast enough to get them all read. Mainly I read early in the morning and at night. I am in the middle of four different books right now. I realize that I am running out of time. 

I've lived more life than I have yet to live. This is a sobering thought. Sometimes I go week and months without writing something. I feel like I should write something every day. Some days I just run out of time or energy. This weighs heavily on me. There are many other blogs to write and books to author. I am running out of time to get those things into print. 

There are prayers to pray. Prayers to seek God. Intercessions on behalf of others. Burdens to unload. Mountains to move. Healings to believe for. 

There are sermons to prepare. Studies to put together. Administrative tasks to complete. Visits to make. 

All of that and I am running out of time. Don't get me wrong. I do not foresee my impending demise anytime soon. At 55 I do realize that my allotment of days is limited. It makes me more strategic about how I invest my time. I cannot do everything. Not even everything I want to do. I can do everything God calls me and wills me to do. 

Life seems so busy. Busier than I remember as a child. It seemed we lived at a slower pace back then. Now we are always on the go. Things to do. Places to be. Deadlines to meet. 

Jesus did not live so frantically. He did EVERYTHING His Father called Him to do. He healed. He taught. He loved. He embraced. He comforted. He rebuked. He worked. He prayed. All of this and His earthly time was limited. He only had 33 years on this planet to accomplish all that the Father called Him to do. I do not read where Jesus ever seemed to get in a hurry. People pressed in to see Him and hear Him teach. They crowded around Him to see or receive a miracle. All of that and He never was frazzled, burned out, or in a rush. 

He was and is God. He also walked the dusty roads of this world as a man. He got tired. We read about Him napping in a boat when a storm arose. He knew physical limitations and that He had a short amount of time to do His work. He made the most of His time. I do not think Jesus had wasted days. He lived a focused God centered life. That is comforting to me this morning. 

Instead of trying harder we all need to rely on Him more. We only have to do what God calls us to do on any given day and trust in His strength to get those things done. 

To make that more personal, I only have to write what He inspires me to write. I only have to read what He knows will benefit my soul, like His word. It my responsibility to lean into Him for the strength and perseverance to get those things done. 

Perhaps the greatest lesson I learn from Jesus is His use of time and how He had time for people. For lepers. For sinners. For friends. For His disciples. For religious rulers. For broken people. For the outcasts most others side stepped past. 

There is a danger of getting so busy that we do not make time for people. We get so driven and focused on tasks in front of us that we miss the people who cross our paths. We can see phone calls as interruptions. Texts as distractions. Unexpected visitors as intruders. Even those we love who are closest to us may not be enjoyed if we are so focused on work. Instead of dinner at the table meals are eaten on tv trays mesmerized by the tube. 

We are all running out of time. We only have so many laps around the sun before our time is up. How will we approach that truth? Will we buckle down to work harder? Will we throw our hands up helplessly in the air knowing we will never get it all done? Or will we seek Jesus and follow His model. Daily seeking to do what the Father wills us to do. Daily looking out for opportunities to minister to people. Not wasting our days but living each day with a God centered focus. 

If we do that, I am convinced when our time is over, when we die and go home to Jesus He will say, "Well done good and faithful servant." That will be a life well lived. 

Trickle of Tears

 The young man is hard working. Incredibly driven. He is not prone to show emotions. Stoic. He is hard on himself. Very determined. Resolute. That is why I never expected to see a trickle of tears in his eyes. 

We talked about something very sensitive to him. The conversation did not start out with any indication it would become emotional. When the conversation turned to the issue that touched a nerve in him the tears formed. He could not hold them back. I saw all the pain welling up in his eyes.  All the pain he has shoved down for a long time came bubbling to the surface. I reached out to give him a hug. 

It makes me wonder how many others live everyday with deep seated pains and sorrows buried beneath the surface. Shoved down so deeply that nobody else is even aware of them. People can do this for a season. Sooner or later that pain will find a way to manifest itself. Ulcers. Stress. Grinding of teeth. Sleepless nights. And of course, tears. 

Some are better than others at choking back the tears and bravely trudging through life. Stoically such people keep their emotions in check. God created tears. They serve a purpose. Tears release the pain hidden beneath the surface. Tears trigger people to rally around the hurting one for comfort and ministry. 

Even Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. People speculate about what caused Jessus to weep. Was it because of the loss of his friend Lazarus. That is unlikely being that Jesus was about to call him back to life. Did He weep because of Mary and Martha? He had spent time in their home. They were his friends. Their grief could have easily been felt and shared. Was it because He knew where Lazarus was and that he was about to be summoned back to life from eternity? Maybe it was a combination of many things. Even Jesus felt pain. He can identify with others carrying pain deep inside that sometimes surface in a trickle of tears. He understands. He gets us. 

I wish I could pray a prayer to make the pain go away for that young man and for each of you. I wish I could hug it away. I wish I could preach or teach something that will make it better. All I can do is pray and love people through it. I carry the pain of so many now. Huge burdens. Travesties. I manage to keep it all down but sooner or later all that pain will become a trickle of tears. A verse I take great comfort in is that God is near to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. [Ps 34:18] He is near all of you caught in circumstances like an animal caught in a trap. He is our comforter and deliverer. Lean into Him who is able to do far more than we can think or ask according to His power that works in us. [Eph 3:20]

Feeding Birds

 Brenda and I were enjoying lunch this past Sunday. We sat in a booth next to a full length plate glass window. Outside two birds caught my attention. They kept finding little morsels of food. What amazed me was they were finding this food on concrete sidewalks and asphalt parking lots. They swooped down and walked about finding a fragment here and there. 

As we got ready to leave an idea popped in my mind. I reached down and took a little bit of food in my hand and dropped it on the parking lot when we walked out and the birds flew away. I opened the door to let Brenda in the car and then walked around to get in myself. Brenda pointed that one of the birds had already found the food. It was downing a grain of rice. I watched in amazement. Then I thought of a verse. 

[Matt 6:26] Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? (NASV)

I meditated on that verse. It amazed me that the Heavenly Father put it in my mind to take some food from my left over lunch to drop on the ground for those birds. I cannot remember the last time I did that. Maybe as a child with some french fries. God loves those birds. He knows each of them. He loves them so much He chose to use me to provide a little sustenance for them. He does not love them enough to die for them. Jesus did that for us humans. 

Are we not of much more worth than birds? Absolutely! In similar ways God has provided for the Edwards family repeatedly by stirring someone to send us money at an exact time when we most needed provision. God does it over and over again. We have shared so many stories in the past. 

I am pleased to announce that my new book is now available through Barnes and Noble and Amazon. The book title is Prayer: Ministry From The Secret Place.  Every dollar from those book sales will go to build a community park in Weatherford near the church. I share several stories of the ways God has provided for us time and time again in the book. All to promote God and prayer.

Just yesterday we were hit with another challenge. I checked the mail and noticed a letter from Wayland Baptist University. Inside was another test. I discovered we owed several thousand dollars for one of our sons who is set to graduate on December 9. He will not be allowed to graduate unless the bill is paid off. I thought of that little bird. The same God who fed it is the same God who provides for our family. He is the same God who provides for you. I know He is faithful. He knew we would owe tuition money. Just this past summer we saw God work to provide for Turner's tuition through an unusual circumstance. Someone contacted us and asked if we had a need when we did have a need. God moved them to send money to cover the tuition. We have experienced it over and over again for three decades. Not one or two stories here or there. Multiple stories of God coming through with provision repeatedly. Enough to fill a couple of books: Behold The Faithfulness of God (2008) and Prayer: Ministry From The Secret Place (2022). 

So we continue to pray, trust, and press on in faith. I know many of you are in the same boat we find ourselves in. We serve an amazing God, with creative genius, omnipotent power, and unlimited resources who is generous to share with His children. 

Let me conclude with one additional story. This past weekend we went to watch Tanner coach and Tucker play at college. I emptied my wallet of all the cash I had to share with them. I wish I had more to give them. On Sunday night we gave money to support a Ukrainian pastor and his wife. Brenda and I talked before the offering. We knew what we could afford. We also felt called to sacrifice. We remembered something a professor in college told us, "You will never out give God." We prayed and decided on an amount that was allocated for another bill. We stepped out in faith. I heard several others in that service gave more than they had intended to do because God stirred all of us. He rallied people in our small church to give over $2,500 to that couple. I was overjoyed. 

God be praised. God be exalted. God be honored. God be glorified. He feeds birds. He provides for pastors on the other side of the world. He takes care of my family right here in Weatherford, TX.