On the Road Again

 In just a few hours I will lug out my old, weathered suitcase and pack for my next preaching trip. Something I have done numerous times before. I am headed northwest to the mountains of New Mexico. Three things make this trip unique. One is that I will miss my 32nd wedding anniversary. This is not the first time I have missed it due to preaching some camp, revival or being on a mission trip. We will celebrate when I return home. The second unique part of this trip is that Turner, our youngest, is going with me not just to attend, but to actually do the morning teaching. That will make this camp all the more special for me. Lastly, I preached camps for this church in New Mexico nearly two decades ago. Some of the same people are in leadership. The students are new, but we are seeking the same God. 

Only for Jesus would I leave the woman I love so dearly and the flock I cherish. For Jesus I pack my bags, load up in the vehicle and make the near five-hour drive to FBC Sudan, TX where we will spend the night and get up tomorrow to make the rest of the trip. Only for Jesus would I willingly sleep in a strange bed and eat camp food. Only for Jesus would I leave Spring Creek when so many exciting things are going on. Only for Jesus would I invite another to stand in the pulpit in my familiar place to preach this Sunday while I pour Jesu and the Bible into students elsewhere. 

I've hit the road hundreds of times over the past 35 years to preach and teach. It is a gift. I am humbled God chooses to use me to minister to students at my advanced age. I will keep doing so as long as He opens the doors. I will follow where He leads. This week it is up in the mountains to meet with God. This fall it will be in a classroom teaching Bible at Pinnacle Christian School.

The hour is early. I could not sleep. Praying through so many things. Praying through all God is calling me to join Him in doing. Praying for this camp. Praying for Brenda while I am away. Praying for things on the horizon. 

I am excited about the opportunity to preach again, but not so excited about leaving home. Predictably I have procrastinated until the last minute to pack. Turner packed last night. I always wait until the last minute. Been that way for decades. I think it is because I would only hit the road again for Jesus. By nature, I am more of a homebody. Lord knows I certainly have a lot of work to do around me right here. For these few days I put all that on hold. I hit the road again to chase God high on the mountain with some students and adults. It's all the more special that I get to do it with my son this time. 

On the road again. I just can't wait, well maybe after a little more sleep, to get on the road again. 

Reunion

 After a lengthy separation of months, Tanner and Tucker came home for a few days yesterday. They had quite an adventurous trip. 

Their first challenge happened in the small town of Matadore, TX. You may have heard of this small west Texas town. A tornado ripped through there this past week killing several people and causing widespread destruction. The roads were closed down and the guys had to backtrack 30 minutes to get around. This put them on a much later arrival than they anticipated. 

They were less than an hour from home with the second trial happened. A blow out. On the same tire we just replaced 14 months ago in Tucker's car. He had another blow out coming on one night. He once again was stuck on the side of the road. He loaned his jack to a friend and never got it back. They were stranded on highway 199 between Jacksboro and Springtown. 

I called a deacon for help. We drove 45 minutes to get them fixed up. That is when obstacles three and four happened. When the guys pulled off the road to get out of the way of traffic they did not park on level ground, the road and ground sloped to the right. We could barely get the jack under the car. Next, we could not get the car jacked high enough to get the spare on it. A couple of more cranks on the jack and then it happened. The car rolled off the jack. We started over and the car rolled off the jack a second time. A hole had to be dug  in the ground before success in order to finally get the spare tire secured. 

What a reunion. I greeted both of them with a hug. It had been a long time. We celebrated at dinner with our three sons and an adopted son in our hearts. Taylor and Abby were enjoying new wed life. We laughed. We feasted. We recalled favorite memories. The reunion was well worth all the trials. 

Isn't that the same way it will be when we get to heaven. All the setbacks, sorrows, sufferings, sacrifices, and sin will be worth it when we endure to the finish line and see Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. [Heb 12:1] It will have been worth it to be reunited with Jesus and our loved ones. Press on. Do not lose heart. Persevere. [Gal 6:9] Our eternal reward will be worth it. It will be a glorious reunion. 

Tragedy

tragedynoun1 the tragedy of his early death | an age of tragedy and conflict: disaster, calamity, catastrophe, cataclysm, devastation, misfortune, misadventure, mishap, reverse, vicissitude, setback, trial, tribulation, affliction, blight, injury, adversity, sad event, serious accident; shock, blow; pain, sorrow, misery, distress, agony, unhappiness, sadness, disappointment; informal bummer. 
Tragedies happen all around us. Accidents, calamities, weather catastrophes, and senseless murders. I preached the funeral today for a gentleman that was murdered. No other way to say it but cold blooded murdered. What do you say to families on such occasions? What words of comfort can you really give? Some preachers try to be clever. They try to sound eloquent. I learned a long time ago to just tell the truth. Sometimes we do not understand why bad things happen to people. Like I always say, we live in a sinful fallen world filled with evil people who do evil things. It doesn't always make sense.The only real comfort I can give is to point people to the truth of God's word. They may not like everything God's word has to say. Some of it is harder to digest than others. Like when God says in [Is 55:8-9] that His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. He knows what He is doing even if we do not. One of the things I share at most funerals is [Heb 9:27] which states it is appointed once for man to die and after this comes the judgment. Death is not something most people think about from day to day. Yet it happens all the time around us. People just don't consider the truth that it will happen to them eventually should Jesus tarry and to those they love. Death is just as much a part of life as a newborn baby born. Children are born and others die. It is part of the cycle of life. Sometimes they die in tragic circumstances. Death is 100%. None of us are immune. There is a year, a month, a week, a day, an hour, a minute, even down to a second when we will bring our last breath on planet earth. Many do not think about that day and prepare for it. That is a foolish mistake. The salvation of the soul is the most important thing anyone can ever do. Not to do it is to face certain damnation. It is worth consideration and asking Jesus for forgiveness, salvation, and redemption. Failure to do this will lead to certain eternal doom. No exceptions. I have preached the funeral of a three month old baby who died of SIDS. I have preached the funeral of a young mother cut down in the prime of life. I have preached funerals for those who died in car wrecks. Others included people who died from cancer. One person fell off their roof. Alzheimers has claimed the lives of others for whom I officiated at their funerals.   I had never preached the funeral of someone who was murdered before. That was a first. Tragic. Sorrowful. In any and every circumstance the truth of God's word still prevails. His truth is applicable on all occasions. His truth is timeless in tragedy as well as in triumph. Verses like [Ps 34:18], [Ps 23:1-6], [Ps 46:1], [Ps 50:15], and [Jn 16:33] never become outdated and irrelevant. They are never obsolete. In tragic times I know of no better words than the words of scripture to help people through the toughest seasons of their lives. In those moments God's word comforts, strengthens, and brings a measure of peace when nothing else can. It is on those words I choose to build my life and encourage others to do the same. For surely if we do build on that solid foundation, we will not crumble when the storms of life slam against us. [Matt 7:24-29] We can still have help and hope to carry on.  

Tug Of War

 Last night I coached in a lineman challenge. One of the events included two athletes squaring off over a car tire. Both put their hands on the rim and at the whistle each tried to pull his opponent toward a line while gripping the tire. Our guys were outweighed 50 to 100 pounds across the board. We did not win a single match. Seven individual matches and seven straight losses. Our guys tried hard, but they were powerless to resist the bigger and stronger guys on the other side.

Every day of our lives we live in a tug of war in the soul. The Spirit tugs against the flesh. The flesh, or carnal nature, tugs back against the Spirit. The stronger one wins. When the Spirit wins, we honor God. When we flesh wins, we sin against God. 

Our question is how we ensure more victories in the Spirit and less defeats in the flesh. 

Do we more often yield to the desires of the Holy Spirit or surrender to the unbridled desires of the flesh? If we do not walk with God, stay in His word, pray, meditate on scripture truth and resist the urges of the flesh we will fail. I have and so have you. We get busy. We neglect devotions. We become spiritually weak. We are powerless to resist temptation. 

I saw this personified last night. One of our competitions was to do as many bench press repetitions as possible. Each of the seven team members took a turn. The last time we competed in that event we only lost by ten repetitions a few weeks ago. One of our best athletes has missed the past few weeks of summer workouts. Last night he did half the repetitions he did a few weeks ago. He was obviously weaker because he had not worked out. The muscles atrophied. It was shocking to see how much strength he lost in those few weeks since we last competed. 

In the spiritual realm if you are not doing the heavy lifting of consistent devotions you will fail. You will be weaker. Less able to stand firm against the wicked schemes of the devil. You will be all too willing to give into fleshly impulses.

Which is winning the tug of war in your soul today? Which one is being strengthened by repeated surrender? How are your spiritual workouts going these days? Are you winning more spiritual battles than you are losing? Which one tugging in your soul is having the greater influence over you?  You know what to do. 

There Are Only Two Genders

 What is happening to our society? There was a time when doctors really wanted to help people. Not push a political agenda like "gender affirming care" so they have free license to mutilate the bodies of confused and impressionable youngsters. THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS. No matter how many body parts are removed or added there are still only two genders. I don't care about preferred pronouns such as they, theirs, and them. God created he and she. There are boys and girls. There are men and there are women. That is the way God designed it. 

Genesis 1:26-27 (NASB)
²⁶  Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
²⁷  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God is not the author of confusion. The confused sexual identity of people is a demonic delusion from the father of lies Satan. Not God. At conception DNA is set in place. The gender of the baby is determined by God in the womb. No matter what surgical procedures are done, it does not change the DNA. That is a fact no doctor can deny. Yet some butchers with physicians' degree are all too willing to put little children under the knife to pad their pockets to satisfy a political agenda.  

Has anyone stopped to consider that if globalist want to depopulate the earth, one way to do it is to mutilate people so that they cannot reproduce. This ideology is being promoted in schools. When I think back to my elementary and high school teachers many of them had a profound impact on my life. They saw potential in me and encouraged me to fulfill that potential. They did not come with a political agenda. Not so with some teachers today. Some want to "queer" the classroom disguised as promoting inclusivity. They push homosexual and transgendered books in the classroom. One teacher recently had students build dolls that are used in pagan idolatry worship practices. Another teacher made a porn video after hours in the very classroom she taught in. Others have gone on social media and boldly announced their intentions to push children into transgenderism. This is blatant brain washing and manipulation of innocent young minds. Those teachers still keep their jobs and new ones just like them get hired. School administrators and school boards are all to happy to coalesce with the LGBT agenda. 

How has the church responded? The majority have remained silent. Not a word. Not a sermon. Not a strong stand. Others have gone to the opposite extreme. Filled with hate they rage against the sinners. Jesus called out sin but loved the sinner. Some churches cave to political peer pressure. I read an article where some transgender people were being considered for ordination by one denomination. WHAT? One church held a PRIDE PROM inviting homosexuals to celebrate their debauchery in the house of God. What an abomination to holy God. It is sin to celebrate what God forbids. I don't care how many companies embrace it, how many celebrities applaud it, what law makers legislate it, or what courts rule for it. THERE ARE STILL ONLY TWO GENDERS. GOD DESIGNED GENDERS AND HE CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 

I cannot understand the logic behind parents taking their young children to homosexual parades filled with debauchery. Or how they could ever think taking their children to transgender/drag queen story hour at public libraries is a good idea. Or how allowing their precious babies to crawl over lustful men who lie on the floor and are grooming those children to prey on later. Parents would not toss their children into a den of vipers. How is allowing their children to be groomed any less dangerous. 

From the backwoods to Hollywood. From your house to the Whitehouse. From the strip malls to the Las Vegas strip. From the pine thickets to Philadelphia and all points in between. There are only two genders. No matter how many commercials are made, books written, surgical procedures performed, motion pictures filmed, GOD CREATED THEM MALE AND FEMALE. 

I Will Follow

 Following Jesus has been the thrill of my life. He has led down some unexpected paths. As a high school senior praying about where to go to college I never planned to go to Howard Payne University. I had never even heard of it. I just wanted to go somewhere and play football. A guy from my church who attended Howard Payne told me about it. My youth minister contacted the football coach at HPU and scheduled a visit for me to tour the campus. That coach offered me a football scholarship. I accepted. Two years later I met Brenda with whom I have been married to for 32 years. 

A random phone call from a former church member in a previous church led me down the path of coaching high school football in a private Christian school. I never saw that coming. I spent a great deal of time coaching my sons in youth sports. I even put on my own summer workout programs for my sons and a few of their friends. I never dreamed I would coach professionally. That is exactly what I've done for the past two years in addition to serving as pastor at Spring Creek. It all started with a phone call received in a hospital parking lot in Denton, TX. 

I longed to come back to Spring Creek as pastor after decades of being gone from serving as youth minister. It was a dream that seemed dead and buried. Then I got an unexpected phone call from a familiar voice from the past who was the chairman of the pastor search committee at Spring Creek. Out of 100 candidates Brenda and have been humbled that God chose us to live in this community and to serve these people again. It has been four years and as they say time flies when you are having fun.

Some months ago, I was in a meeting when a fellow minister from another church told me about a Chrisitan school looking for a church facility to meet in for their hybrid model school. I made contact with the head of the school which led to several conversations and meetings. Just a week ago I met with the leadership of Pinnacle Christian School to sign a building lease agreement. What I never saw coming was God leading me to be more than an observer of this school. He drew me to become a participant. To join the staff teaching the Bible to high school students and playing with kids as a P.E. coach. 

My plate was pretty full before taking on these added responsibilities. In another surprise move, God led me away from my coaching role at Trinity Christian Academy. I've loved my time there. Prayed and wept tears in intercession for them. Witnessed some major God moves on that campus in prayer meetings, retreats, and chapel services. It became apparent that to follow God into my new role I had to say goodbye to student athletes I have poured my life into for the past two years. The excitement of following God into a new adventure is countered by the bitterness of leaving young men I have poured Jesus into for two years. 

When I committed to following Jesus, I meant it. From the depths of my soul, I meant it when I prayed in a little hotel room back in 2000 at the Riverbend Conference Center in Glenrose, TX committing the remainder of my life to following Jesus. That one prayer on that memorable day still holds me forever surrendered to following God's will. Verses like [Mark 1:17], [Matt 16:24], [Rom 12:1], [ Gen 12:1], [Is 6:8], [Heb 11:8], [Luke 9:23], [Matt 9:36-38] have fueled that desire to follow Jesus.  

Many Christians spend much of their time figuring out what is the least they have to do to follow Jesus. Others throw caution to the wind and abandon themselves to the will of God. Which one are you? Does the desire to fully follow Jesus permeate your prayers, your passion, and your purpose? Do you eagerly anticipate God's revelation of how, where, and what He calls you to do in service for Him? Do you really want to follow? 

Following Jesus does not always lead down pleasant paths. He does not always lead down easy trails to traverse. He does not always lead down risk free roads. Will you follow anyway? Even if Jesus calls down roads that lead to suffering and sacrifice will you still follow? Even when the task looks impossible will you still put shoulder to the harness of hardship and follow? Will you follow when doing so stretches you way beyond your comfort zone? Will you follow when no others go with you? Is following Jesus really necessary? Is it required? Read [Matthew 16:24] for an answer. Try on [Rom 12:1] as you contemplate your commitment. What will you do with [Is 6:8]? We are called to follow. May we do so all the way to the finish line. [Heb 12:1] 

A Providential God Moment

 My schedule was pretty jammed yesterday. I had an early appointment which lasted up until nearly lunch. I wolfed down a quick bite before two afternoon appointments back-to-back. The first of those appointments was to meet with a sales rep to sign some contracts for painting we are having done at the church. Three weeks ago, this guy dropped in for a cold turkey sales call. We just happened to be taking bids on the project, so I showed him what we needed. We got a bid and yesterday we finalized the contracts. 

It dawned on me as we sat in my office I had never witnessed to the guy. So, I did so. Turns out the guy is a believer. As we talked further, he told me he used to be a youth minister as well as working in public education. What happened next floored me. He spoke about another career path he took that is something God has been pushing me into for weeks. I could not believe he spoke of the very thing God is pushing me to do. I sat stunned. I told the man our meeting was providential. 

We were just talking about God's new calling on my life when my second appointment arrived waiting outside my office. I did not get to finish our conversation, but I told the man we needed to talk more. I plan to schedule another meeting with him as soon as I am able. 

For any Spring Creek readers please rest assured that God is not calling me to leave Spring Creek. What I am at liberty to say at this time is that God has led me away from my coaching role at Trinity Christian Academy to accept a new role of teaching the Bible and coaching P.E. classes and weightlifting classed at Pinnacle Christian School which will begin meeting at Spring Creek starting this fall. 

That meeting to sign contracts was more evidence that God is leading in this move. God is not just leading me but calling me to some faith steps that I am not at liberty to share just yet. I would not say God is leading me to these faith steps. I would say He is shoving me into those steps. 

I gave God my yes decades ago. To go anywhere to do anything at any time. You cannot pray a prayer like that and not be called on it. Suffice it to say, God is pushing me to one of the greatest faith steps of my entire life. I am excited, energized, apprehensive, and maybe a little scared. He still has my yes. The adventure of following Him has led down some unexpected paths in the past. Once again, His will is leading down unfamiliar territory. Territory He calls me to possess. Territory that requires courage and faith. I will be able to elaborate in the days ahead. 

I'm humbled at this latest God encounter. It is not as dramatic as Moses' burning bush experience. Afterall, who expects to have a God moment signing contracts for painting. You never know when and where God will show up in the most ordinary of circumstances. For Abram it was a devotional encounter that changed the trajectory of his life. [Gen 12:1-3] For Moses it was an encounter at the burning bush while watching over sheep. [Ex 3:1-12] For David it was an ordination after being called in from watching his father's sheep. [I Sam 16:1-13] For the disciples it was a providential God moment when Jesus called them to follow Him after fishing. [Mark 1:16-18] For Paul it was on the Damascus Road going to persecute Christians. [Acts 9:1-5] For John it was while being exiled on the island of Patmos. [Revelation 1-22]

Today could be your day for a providential God moment. I am not satisfied with my encounter yesterday. I am already seeking for the next one. Dear reader, do not grow weary in seeking. You just never know when God is going to show up and alter the course of your mundane routine with encounters with Him. Those encounters can lead to glorious adventures that will thrill your soul. Keep watching. You just never know when God is going to show up in a providential God moment. 

Dream On

 I have been a dreamer all my life. I am not referring to night-time dreams. I have certainly had my share of them. I am talking about dreams of a preferred future. A goal to strive for. A plan to achieve. I had dreams and aspirations as a child. I carried those with me in my teen years and into young adulthood. Now on the backside of middle age and staring senior adulthood square in the eye I am still dreaming. 

Maybe I should say I am dreaming God's dreams. Things I believe He inspires in my mind. They are not good ideas. They are God ideas. Things God desires to do. Some of them look impossible. God specializes in the impossible. He is an expert at using the most unlikely characters to achieve His purposes. He is not looking for abled people but rather for available people. 

God looks for men and women who dare to dream His dreams and then go a step further. To believe God to make them come to pass and to act on them. Acting on dreams requires faith. Sometimes huge, frightening and risky steps of faith. That is often where the immeasurable, impressionable, and immutable power of God is displayed. 

Every good idea is not a God idea. God ideas often look impossible. The odds make the achievement of the dream seem improbable. There are definitely things finite humans cannot do. That is why we must rely on God to achieve the desires of His heart. If He wills a dream to come to pass, He is more than capable to work to make it come true. He works in supernatural and extraordinary ways. Ways that defy logical explanation. Ways that are a wonder to behold. Ways that glorify Him because everybody will know only God could do those things. 

So, we should prayerfully sit with God and let Him spill His dreams into us. No matter our age. God used Caleb in his 80's in the book of Joshua. God still worked through Charles Stanley in his 80's. I know a man who spends part of his Sunday afternoons at a substance abuse detox center ministering those caught up in addiction, and he is in his mid 70's. I know some senior adults who spend their Monday nights at a local skate park ministering to skaters. God also uses young people. I watched a 20-year-old minister the word of God this summer to people much older than Him very powerfully. That young man feels called to the ministry and told me recently teaching the Bible is what he was meant to do. All of these people are dreaming God's dreams. 

God recently dropped a huge dream in my heart. Unexpectedly. That dream has consumed my thoughts and prayers for the past few days. An audaciously large dream that will require God to bring it to pass. A dream that will require faith and complete reliance on God. A dream that will bring Him glory. A dream that will impact many lives. God's dream is pushing me out of my comfort zone. More like shoving. Pushing me to unfamiliar territory. Not geographically but spiritually. I am all in. Already taking the initial faith steps to set this dream in emotion. 

I say dream on people. Sit before God and dare to dream His dreams. Your life is sure to take some exciting turns if you do. The glory of God is sure to be promoted if you do. Dream on. 

The War Zone

 Many of us at Spring Creek have been in a major spiritual war for the past 15 months. There has been gut wrenching pain. Demonic activity. Setbacks. Delays. Wicked schemes. Lies. Slander. Pure evil. At times it seemed the forces of hell were released against us. 

We prayed. We interceded. At times we warred through prayer. Tears fell. Hearts bonded through fervent intercession. The battle was fierce. The progress seemed very slow. We wondered why God did not intervene faster. Through it all we clung to God through prayer. Even when weeks turned into months of waiting and evil prevailing. Still the church prayed. 

Finally, God pushed back the forces of darkness and victory was won. In the end, intense spiritual warfare happened over a 24-hour span. It meant some intercessors getting up early in the morning to battle. Others prayed throughout the day as the war waged on. A small band gathered at the church and prayed when evil seemed to prevail. God won in the end. God moved the mountain that had stood for 15 months. God lifted a heavy burden that felt unmanageable at times. God won. Satan lost. Now the saints rejoice. 

I do not let my guard down. I know other prayer battles will follow. I am not hanging my armor so as to rest. There is much more to believe God for. Many more skirmishes to fight out in prayer. There are other victories to secure. There are other strongholds to be broken. With sword strapped on and the shield of faith I prepare to reengage in battle. Soldiers do not come out of battle unscathed. Wounds happen. The body and spirit weaken. This is not the time to grow weary and faint hearted. Too much is at stake. May the army of God rise to fight the forces of darkness another day. May we stay in the war zone advancing the cause of God against the forces of darkness that stand in our way. All things are possible with God. 

Prayer Retreat

 Tonight, Spring Creek will host a prayer retreat. Over the years I have been on numerous prayer retreats. Some of my most memorable encounters with God happened on prayer retreats. I felt a burden to lead our church to do the same thing. While there will be some teaching on prayer, a good portion of our time together will be spent praying. Some of those times will be personal in nature. At other times the group will pray together. 

There will be one session tonight followed by two sessions Saturday morning. The intent is not to spend all our time teaching about prayer, but to actually pray. Few have signed up. Large numbers were never the intent. We wanted people to gather who really have a heart to pray and to learn to pray more effectively . 

Several questions will propel our first session. Describe the level of satisfaction of your prayer life? What do people hope to get out of the retreat? Explain the motivation for attending the retreat? List the topics of prayer that are most interesting to you? 

Prayer is a fascinating topic. Many preachers have preached on it. Many teachers have taught on it. There are no shortages of seminars, prayer conferences, books on prayer, and videos on how to pray more effectively. I cannot possibly add anything more tonight. I can try to gently lead people to have their own encounters with God through prayer. Once people experience God through prayer, they are much more likely to want to experience more of Him. 

We will not offer shortcuts to effective praying. We will provide the opportunity to grow in prayer. Our time together will be no more effective than the devotion we are willing to devote to it. The devotion we are willing to devote to seeking God. I pray for some real God stuff to happen this weekend. 

Jesus retreated for prayer. See [Mark 1:35] So should we. In our hurried rat pace world, we should slow down and retreat with God from time to time to get our priorities in order. God is willing to be found for serious seekers. Read [Jer 29:12-13]. I trust God will reveal Himself to God chasers this weekend. I hope you come with expectation. 

God Chasers

 I noticed her when I rounded the corner on the way through the gym. A junior girl sitting on the floor waiting for summer workouts to begin. She had her Bible out reading it with a hi-lighter. This is not a onetime event. She has done it all weekend long. Her family has to drop her off early so they can get to work on time. She goes in the gym to spend time alone with her God. This girl radiates joy every time I see her. She made a deep impression on me the first time I met her a year ago. That has only grown in the time I have known and observed her. 

Seeing a sixteen-year-old committed to having time alone with the Lord moved me. I wish all adults were as committed as she appears to be. Adults are quick to make excuses about how busy they are to try justifying why they do not meet with the Lord consistently. Being busy is no excuse. Most everyone is busy. Jesus certainly was and He still got up early to spend time alone with His Father. We really have no excuses. It is not a time problem. It is a priority problem. It is a heart problem. 

If a teenaged girl loves God so much that she carves out time for Him before working out, shouldn't all of us work just as diligently to carve out time for devotions also? Moses did. Moses made pursuing God a priority. He frequented the tent of meeting to inquire of God. God met with him in that tent. Moses enjoyed encounters with Yahweh in the tent of meeting. God spoke to Moses as to a friend in that sacred space. 

Moses did not have a Bible in his lap, but God gave him the Law in His hands and heart. Moses hungered for more. He was not satisfied with past God encounters and past miracles. Moses wanted more. It fueled the passion to seek God.  Moses had a hunger for the living God. 

So did David. David hungered and thirsted after more of God. That hunger propelled David closer to God. Not with a Bible in his lap but rather a pen in his hand to capture beautiful worship prose. David challenges us to be people after God's own heart. To remain in constant pursuit of Him. To be a private worshiper before being a public worshiper. 

I am not satisfied. I know there is more of God to discover. I know there is more to learn, more to experience, more to encounter, and more to be revealed. I do not want to become content in my condition. I want to be a God chaser in hot pursuit of Him and His will. It might require a great deal of time alone. It might mean some sleepless nights. It might necessitate some early mornings. It might require some extended time to linger with Him. The reward is well worth the effort. I pray the desire for more of Him never subsides and that He will use me to challenge others in their pursuit of Him too. May we all devote ourselves to being God chasers. 

Encouraged

 A few days ago, I wrote a blog titled, "0." I recounted a day when nobody read any of the blogs. Not one. I mused about the usefulness of writing. In the end, I concluded that God called me to write and what He chose to do with that writing ministry was His choice. He called me to be faithful. 

I admit I was discouraged when I clicked on the stats link of the blog and saw the zero. God knew my heart and thoughts. What happened next defies logical explanation. The very next day after I wrote the "0" blog I checked the stats for how many had hit the site. It went from 0 to 84. There has not been that many people going to this site in years. It is on rare occasion that even double-digit numbers of people read material posted here. Why would 84 people go to the site other than God directed them to do so to bolster the waning hopes of a weary wordsmith.

God encouraged me. It was like God said, "I called you to write. I can draw large numbers to this site anytime I want to. Be faithful to write what I inspire in you and leave the results up to me." My heart and hopes soared when I saw that 84 number. God exhorted me to keep putting pen to page. 

I know that if I had a social media presence, I could boost the readership. I am convicted not to be on social media. I do have a desire to increase the volume of readers. I am limited to these few things. I pray God will choose to use this material around the world both in my lifetime and after I'm gone. Next, I rely on you the reader to share these articles with family and friends. If you have read for any length of time you know the topics of these blogs varies widely. There is another way you can help. There is an option that you can click on the homepage of this site and choose to follow these blogs. If the site had more followers, the volume of readers could potentially increase. 

By God's help, strength, and inspiration I have every intent to keep writing. I truly believe God will use one sentence of one blog to help one person at some point. That is the dream. That is the point of pounding these keys. To glorify God and hopefully help people. 

This week God did the encouraging for this old scribe. At a low point God ushered in a wave of hope and reassurance. His wind blows in my sails propelling me to write on. This is my second blog this morning. Hopefully many more will follow in the days ahead. I believe God to use them as He best sees fit. 

Midnight Stroll

 I don't know what happens when we get older that causes us to have trouble sleeping. I have talked to many who awake in the middle night unable to go back to sleep. They get up to read, pray, watch tv, or remain in bed tossing and turning. I have had my fare share of sleepless nights. Typically, between 2:00-3:30 a.m.  I read the story of one such man who got up to take a midnight stroll when sleep evaded him. That little night walk proved pivotal. 

2 Samuel 11:1-5 (NASB)
¹  Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
²  Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.
³  So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
⁴  David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.
⁵  The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant." 

The first thing we notice is that King David remained at home while the troops were out fighting for him and the advancement of Israel. At this time in David's life, he had multiple wives. He did not lack for companionship. Instead of leading the troops David remained at home. Instead of satisfying his sexual desires with one of his wives he chose to walk on the roof. If David had chosen to go with his troops the blight on his character would not have happened. Idle hands are the devil's workshop. 

The second thing to note is that one night David could not sleep. People should be careful what they do when they are unable to sleep. Be careful of what they view. A midnight stroll on the roof turned into a pornographic watch party of a beautiful woman taking a bath. David should have turned away and walked away. He didn't. He kept watching and lusting. He lost his sense of morals, honor, and integrity. He forgot His God. He forgot his own family. Lust consumed him. 

David inquired. Many times, David inquired of God. On this night David inquired about the woman taking a bath. Big difference. Wrong inquiry. The man that God would say was a man after His own heart did not desire God that night. David desired a one-night fling. He desired a night of passion with a complete stranger. 

We learn that Bathsheba was the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah. David had daughters. One of them was violated by a stepbrother and David got angry. He had no such regard for Bathsheba. She was a sex object. Someone to fulfill his sexual fantasies and to gratify is unholy desire that played out in his mind as he stood gawking at this woman taking a bath. She was married. The covenant wife of Uriah. She was off limits.  Bound to another. None of that mattered. David stood, stared and commanded that she be brought to him. 

The Bible says she came to him, and David laid with her. That is a pretty tame way of stating what really happened. David committed adultery. He acted out his sexual fantasies. He forgot his covenant marriages. He forgot his God. He violated the law of God. He threw away the sacred for a night of sex. He was unfaithful. 

Bathsheba was not innocent. We do not read one single word about her resisting or refusing David's lustful passion and sexual advances. She did not honor her wedding vows. Was she so flattered that the king of Israel found her attractive and desirable. Did she lose her integrity starry eyed by the celebrity of David and his attention? She was all too willing to give her body to a man other than her husband. 

All of it started with a sleepless night and a midnight stroll. A night when David threw caution to the wind to pursue unbridled passionate lust. A night when a late-night bath turned into porn show for a king. 

You know the rest of the story. Bathsheba got pregnant. David tried to hide it. He had Uriah killed. He married Bathsheba. Everything seemed fine. Nobody would suspect anything except those messengers who went to bring Bathsheba to David that night. And oh yes God. God spoke to the prophet Nathan and revealed David's sin. David's night of passion ended up costing more than he could ever have imagined. God told David the sword would never depart from his family. In the following days, David's own children committed rape, murder, and one son tried to take the throne from David and had sex with some of David's wives while David and his followers ran for their life from Absalom. 

That midnight stroll cost David more than he ever wanted to pay. His lustful decision took him further into sin than he could ever have dreamed. 

What does any of this have to do with us? We may not be able to sleep on occasion. We can't help that. We can resolve what we do with that time. Clicking on the tv and watching inappropriate things is an unwise use of that time. Worse is clicking on the computer and getting caught up in romantic fantasies of past lovers via social media. Way worse is clicking that mouse on the computer to something that is XXX. Unlike David people may rationalize they are not hurting anyone while viewing pornography. I beg to differ. Each pornographic image is seared into the mind. Those images are often tried to be reenacted in the real-life marriage bed. Wives are compared unrealistically to cosmetically surgically enhanced women who are made over for the camera. They trade their bodies for unholy acts captured on film for a fistful of dollars. Women click on the same images to indulge in romantic fantasies that exclude their covenant spouse. 

Pornography is more addictive than drugs some experts say. Once a person is hooked, they typically stay hooked for a long time. Freedom is possible, but not without some pain along the way. 

My counsel is to be on guard. Be very careful on those sleepless nights. Be resolved what you put before your eyes. Be very purposeful what you do with your time when sleep evades. Do not be enticed by Satanic forces to his snares. Pray. Read. Stay away from anything remotely sex related that will prove to be a noose around your neck. Sin will take you further than you ever intended to go and cost you more than you ever wanted to pay. I wonder if in the later years of David's life if he ever reflected on that midnight stroll and wished he could take it back. Maybe have gone to war with the troops. Had not stopped and stared at Bathsheba when he glanced at her bathing. Walked away from watching. Sat down to pray and seek God rather than seeking sexual solace in the arms of a stranger. May we all be warned. May we learn valuable lessons from David's midnight stroll. 

0

 I had a dream back in 1998. To write for others. I wrote for years but never shared them. Those writings were too personal and I did not have confidence anyone would want to read them.  I first began writing a little book I made copies on a copy machine and spiral bound it. I gave copies away for free. After that, I began writing on a website different articles God inspired. Everything changed in 2008. 

I was introduced to the world of blogging. That first blog www.nocompromisefbc.blogspot.com generated over 100,000 hits and close to 2,000 articles posted over a decade. The years of 2014-2017 were not good years for me personally. I fought depression and those dark toxic thoughts often made their way into print on the screen. That is not something I am proud of. I wrote from raw honesty. Not easy for many to digest. The readership dwindled.

It was around this time I knew I needed a change. I got off all social media. I also created a new blog. A fresh start with followhard638.blogspot.com. The 638 comes from Psalm 63:8 where David wrote his soul followed hard after God. That became my heartbeat.

Fast forward five years. I have lost count of the number of blogs written. What troubles me most these days is how few readers there are. Today there were zero. Not one person clicked on it in the United States or around the world. Out of hundreds of articles written on numerous topics not one person read any of it. This past week there were days when there were four readers, six, and one day ten. 

On the no compromise blog there were days when I would notice over 100 people reading. With zero I wonder what the point is in writing. It does not seem to be making a difference. Few notice. I only write because I feel called to do so and I want to help people. As Vance Havner used to say, "To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." 

This is a matter I have prayed about over the years. I dreamed that the blogs would spread all around the world and help someone. Every so often people from other countries will click on them. Most recently people did so from Switzerland. 

I question very often whether I am wasting my time in a ministry that is producing no fruit. I do not have the solutions. I have to content myself that writing is therapeutic for me. Long before God ever called me to preach, I felt a desire and call to write. Going all the way back to elementary school. 

So, I keep pounding these keys hoping that something I write helps someone somewhere at some time. I am not looking to get famous. I certainly do not write for the money. All the money from my latest book is being donated to Spring Creek. To date I have not seen a penny. I guess the book sales have not been very robust. 

I am not giving up on my dream. Maybe I will never see the fruit of these labors in this life. Maybe God will use it after I'm gone. So, with a prayer under my breath, I plead with God for no more zero days. I also pray for more inspiration and greater anointing to write things that make a difference for people. God will do with this writing ministry what He things His best. I write and leave the results to Him.