Turning the Page

At the time of this writing, we are about 13 hours and 44 minutes from turning the page on 2025 to the next one of 2026. People are busy making plans for parties this evening. Bowl games with national title implications will be played over the next couple of days. Many will stay up to midnight to watch the ball drop to ring in next year. 

Like turning the page in a book to start a new chapter, so is starting a new year. Very soon gym memberships will skyrockets as people try to turn over a new leaf. They start out with great enthusiasm. Regular gym members know they will face challenges in their workouts with all the newbies. Many resolutions will be made today and tomorrow. People start with such great intentions. Many will not follow through as the hectic pace of life weakens resolve. 

Most people like a new beginning. A fresh start. To reset. To begin again. If we do the same things in 2026 we did in 2025, why would we expect a different outcome. If we want a different outcome, we may have to do some things differently. Save instead of spend. Read instead of watch television. Pray instead of whine. Workout instead of lounging in the Lazy-boy. Practice patience instead of flying off the handle. Reset the attitude in approaching life. 

I like turning the pages in books. There is adventure in the unknown. Plot twists. New information. Inspirational truths. There is also adventure in turning the page on a brand new year. So many possibilities of what can be accomplished. So many opportunities to make a difference. So many chances to encounter God. I fully expect all the serious God seekers will have profound encounters with the living God in  the upcoming year. We may endure months and months of ordinary routine mundane days. Suddenly all that could change with a God encounter. 

It did for Moses watching sheep one day near Mount Horeb. God caused a bush to burn ablaze without being consumed by the flames. Moses drew closer to see what was happening. That is when God spoke to Moses in a way that would change his life and career forever. You can read about this in Ex 3:1-14. You never know when God is going to show up in a powerful way in our lives. Each day as we turn the page on one day after the other, we should anticipate the next day might be the day God shows up and shows off His power. As we turn the pages on the seasons of the year, we inch closer to the next time God reveals Himself and His purposes. 

Go ahead. Turn the page on the old and look forward to the new. Resolve to live differently even if it is just in small ways. Let your spirit soar with God inspired imagination about what could be and not what currently is. God can change us. He can also change our circumstances. Turn the page on the past and look forward to the future. Turn the page on doubt to faith. Turn the page on apathy to passion. Turn the page on regrets and move forward one step at a time into 2026. 

Glancing Back - Looking Forward

 I write this with only a few days left before 2025 fades into history and 2026 is birthed. There are some who carry many fond memories of 2025. There are others on the other hand, who are not sad to see this year end. The sorrows and hardships made it a year to forget. No matter which end of the spectrum you land, 2025 is fading fast. 

2025 brought many changes for my family. Brenda and I followed the call of God to move to the community of Fritch and start serving the First Southern Baptist Church. We celebrated our youngest son graduating from college back in May. That makes 4:4 out of four of our sons with Bachelors degree. Two of those sons are currently working on their Masters degree. We also lost Brenda's mom in April of this year. She died the day we loaded the moving truck to relocate to the Panhandle. 

In Phil 3:12-14, Paul exhorts us to forget what lies behind. That means we cannot spend the rest of our lives celebrating and trying to relive past successes. Vice versa we cannot get stuck dwelling on our past mistakes. We can certainly learn from them, but we can't get stuck in them. No matter how much we wish, we cannot go back and relive one single day of this past year or any year for that matter. We can't recapture the days we squandered. We can't relive days we strayed far from God. We cannot undo the damage done from our poor decisions. 

Paul also exhorts us to press forward to what lies ahead in the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. God has a call for His people. Unique purpose. 2026 could be the year we step into our purpose like never before. There are things we are supposed to accomplish in 2026. Tasks that will be assigned to us. Projects to complete. People to love and to serve. Places to volunteer. We will accomplish none of  those things if we dwell in past regrets. 2025 is fading like the setting sun. 2026 is about to dawn on the horizon. 

Nothing wrong with glancing back at 2025, and reflecting on how God helped us through the hard times and also blessed us with good times. 2026 is still future tense at the time of this writing. None of us knows exactly what will happen over the next 365 days. What we do know is that God will be there on the good and bad days. We should look forward to the new year. Grand adventures await us if we are willing to seek and follow God. It will be an adventurous journey. Filled with challenges and triumphs. I challenge us all to trust God this year with renewed faith and hope. It's time to focus forward. May we leap into 2026 with all our might as we look forward to that our God will do next. 

The Glory of Grit

One of the definitions of grit is courage and resolve. It is fierce determination to not give up or give in when adversity hits. It is resolve to keep plodding, to keep taking the next step, to keep pushing forward one inch at a time if necessary to get the job done. 

There is a glory to be learned in that. A glory for showing up to work each day even when you are tired and don't feel like working. There is a glory in the grit of the athlete who pushes past pain and to give heroic effort. There is a glory in the wife who cooks, cleans, runs errands, and raises children. Some wives do all that and work a full time job also. There is a grit in the worker who works in a less than glamorous position, is often overlooked, underpaid, and underappreciated. There is a glory in the teacher who shows up everyday hoping at least some of the students get the material taught and actually learn. There is a glory in the preacher who preaches in the backwoods to a small congregation, but preaches like he is addressing an audience of a thousand. 

Grit can be applied in every facet of life. Grit does not get much attention. Glory goes to the people in the spotlight, the ones who draw attention to themselves, the ones who brag about their accomplishments. They have exceptional talent. They coast through life, because they can get by with less effort than most people. They will get the promotions, the large raises, and all the credit for organizational success. 

The grinders who work with grit seldom get noticed. They rarely get promoted. They are not handsomely rewarded with lavish salary packages. Still they get the jobs done. No matter how difficult the task they grit it out. They finish the project. They go in early and stay late. They do more behind the scenes than most people know because they do not try to get the credit for their work. 

I tip my hat to the gritty people who make our world work. They collect the waste from our homes. They build our roads, construct our homes, grow our food, raise our meat, repair our vehicles, clean our offices, serve the tables at the establishments where we eat, and treat our wounds. These people have to deal with ungrateful patrons, unreasonable demands, low wages, and demanding bosses. Like clockwork, they show up on time, they do the tasks others avoid, and they are servants who rarely get the credit they deserve. Such people are to be commended. There is a glory in that. 

A glory all of us can learn. We all need some grit. The courage to give great effort even when nobody notices. The resolve to work hard to get tasks accomplished. To refuse to quit until the job is done. People who will bow their necks, roll up their sleeves, and knuckle down. There is a glory in this. It is a trait to be celebrated. A trait to be desired. Thank you to all of you gritty people. You make this world a better place. 

Serenity in Suffering

 A common plight of all people is suffering. Suffering comes in different ways. Defined suffering is undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. Suffering is woven in the lives of characters throughout the pages of scripture. Once sin entered the world through the original sin of Adam and Eve, suffering has impacted every generation. 

We are often lulled to sleep by times of personal peace and prosperity. When everything is going like we want it to go, we feel immune from suffering. We may hear about it in others. We may even see it in people we know. We make notes to ourselves to do everything possible to insulate ourselves from having to endure those same hardships. 

People work out incessantly to protect their health. I knew a man who rode a bicycle 20 miles everyday. That same man had a heart attack. I've known others who were extremely careful and strict about their diet. They got cancer. Others work insanely to make more money. They think financial security will protect them from suffering. Some of those same people lost everything in bad investments. I've seen godly parents protect their children from bad influences. They taught their children right from wrong, poured scripture into them, as well as prayed over them and with them. Some of those same children rebelled choosing sin breaking the hearts of the parents. People living in war torn areas once lived in peace. Now, they live with the reality that one bomb could destroy not only their property but also their very lives. They struggle through each day trying to survive and keep their loved ones protected. There are Christians who are persecuted all over the world. They are tortured for turning to Jesus. Their families are harassed. Yet they endure the suffering stoically. 

I prayed for a virtuous woman and her family this morning battling breast cancer. She lies in a hospital recovering from a major surgery to remove the cancer weary, but stalwart in faith. I don't understand the reasons one who loves Jesus so much had to suffer so excruciatingly. Months of grueling pain, treatments, surgeries, dashed hopes, and now trying to recover from surgery. She is still strong in the faith. 

A worship minister and song writer I met years ago lost his wife this past year to cancer. He begged his family and friends to pray for healing. God ultimately chose to heal her in heaven leaving him alone with four children to press on without her. He is wrecked. He is now a widower like so many before him. He sleeps in an empty bed on one side. There is an empty place setting at the table. A closet full of clothes remind him of his loss. 

We lost Brenda's mom on April 16th of this year. She died the same day men from Fritch were loading the moving truck to make our transition to a new church and community. Brenda made Christmas ornaments with pictures of her mom on them and sent one each to her two sisters. She talked on the phone to one of those sisters last night as she opened hers while they talked breaking down in tears. Our family is not the only one to have suffered loss this past year. Many people died. Grieving loved ones suffer through this holiday season. It will not be the same. Memories can never replace the person. Pictures can never replace the person. Grief brings a suffering that can last for years and ache in the heart that cannot be put into words. The grief comes in waves. A person may be doing fine one moment, and without warning a song, a picture, a memory, or memento may trigger the tears to cascade. 

So many people suffer financial hardships. Some do so just because times are tough. Prices keep increasing while wages do not always keep pace. Some suffer from poor financial choices of charging credit cards creating more debt. Sooner or later the bills come due and stress along with them. Living under financial suffering is suffocating. Every day people scrap to survive. They try to stretch the dollar as much as they can, but at the end of the day there just isn't enough to cover necessary expenses. 

Things are even worse for those living on fixed incomes who worry each month if they will have enough to survive. They go without needed expensive medications because they can no longer afford them. They eat cheaply on things like toast, crackers, and a luxury meal might be cereal or a frozen dinner. Nobody knows their suffering. They hide it from family and friends preferring to suffer silently than to sound alarms for help. 

There is a serenity that can be found in suffering. See Jesus suffering in agony in the garden praying that the cup of crucifixion might pass. He found serenity in surrendering to the will of His Father. Recall the sufferings of Joseph in Genesis. He found serenity in being faithful wherever he was planted even in prison. Even when wrongly imprisoned, he remained faithful surrendering to God.  Paul suffered for serving Jesus. He could still write that he rejoiced and learned the secret of contentment. That secret was surrendering to the will of God. 

When I prayed this morning, the thoughts of my minor sufferings were frustrating me. That is until God brought revelation to my mind. In each trial I face, I know He has the answers. The thought soaked into my soul that instead of striving with God, instead of becoming more impatient and frustrated, I need to surrender. To submit to His will no matter what it is. To resign myself to accept both His denials and delays in answering prayers. An amazing thing occurred as I adopted that new attitude. Peace permeated my soul. Joy replaced jadedness. Hope engulfed my mind that God is good and knows what is best. None of my sufferings changed. Each one is still prominent. Serenity came when I surrendered it all to God. Just like Ps 55:22 and Phil 4:6-7 command us to do. I trust that can happen for you too as you surrender to His will in suffering. 

Mount Up Like Eagles

 Nobody can control every circumstance in life. Adversities come. Storms slam against us. Pain is universal to all people. While we cannot control these things, we can learn to cope with them. One of the verses that helps me to cope is Is 40:31. I especially love the phrase that those who wait on the LORD will mount up on wings like eagles. 

Eagles are one of my two favorite animals. I once sat on a ranch and had a view of an eagle perched high on a tree limb looking over a lake. I watched that eagle in fascination for well over an hour. I noticed he did not fly in a flock. He sat alone. Other birds flew all around him. He never stooped to their level. He sat majestically on his perch just watching. He was content to be who God created him to be and not a follower of other feathered fowl. What a great lesson for all of us. 

About an hour into watching I witnessed a magnificent sight. The eagle flapped his wings lifting from the perch and soared to the water surface. With skillful precision he reached his talons into the water and snatched a fish. With is prey in hand, he soared off into the distance out of sight. A reminder that God is our provider. There are times we have to wait for His provision like the eagle waited for His catch. God will provide in His way and in His time. 

I went home and studied about eagles after that. Did you know that eagles mate for life? Another lesson for us to be committed to covenant marriage. We are not look and long for what is not lawfully and not covenantly our spouses.  

The fact that fascinated me the most is when an eagle sees a storm approaching they soar high above the storm unphased by the torrential rains and winds. We are exhorted to mount on wings like an eagle as we wait on God's help and endurance whatever we are facing. While we live on this side of heaven, that does not mean we can't gain strength and comfort by what awaits us after and above the storms of life. 

Too often we get caught up in the storms of life. We think they will never end. From the eagle's vantage point, they see the storm's beginning and ending. They understand that the storms will not last forever. So they soar until they blow over. We need to do the same thing in prayer. Soar above our circumstances spiritually until days of calm and peace return. We do this in prayer and by tenaciously clinging to the word of God to anchor our souls. 

Tough times do not last forever. Storms do pass. This is something to be remembered when life is chaotic and people start reacting to life in chaotic ways. I remember that eagle firmly perched unphased by whatever other bird did. Just because people choose to live in fear and anxiety when adversities come does not mean we have to follow suit. We can live with a peace that surpasses all understanding. 

God created us in His image. We are people of faith. Jesus slept in a storm while the disciples panicked. We can go through storms and soar above them in spirit. Through faith in an all powerful God who never grows weary nor ever frets, in the tough times we can endure. We are in His hands. We can rest easy t hat He is still in control. I am not suggesting all these times will easy smooth sailing. We may be tested severely. It is in those times that our faith is strengthened and God shows Himself faithful.  He strengthened us through difficult times in the past. He will do the same thing currently as well as in the future. May He enable us to mount up with wings and soar above trials and tribulations with peace. 

Regret and Repentance

 Have you ever lived in regret? You acted or reacted in a way you wish you could take back. If you could relive that moment, you would do things differently. Make different choices. Sadly, nobody can go back undo past mistakes. No matter how much we may relive those moments in our minds, we cannot undo the past. 

All we can do is repent. To agree with God about mistakes, poor choices, and our sin. It is a sobering thing to look at yourself in the mirror of God's word and admit your guilt. No amount of beating yourself up will change anything. No matter how much you wish you would have acted differently can change the end results. There are consequences for actions. We hurt God, ourselves, and those around us. We have to face the facts like King David did in Psalm 51. The whole Psalm is one of repentance for committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband killed. You can fill the pain, sorrow, and anguish as David repents. 

Repentance is not a word used frequently by most people. It needs to be. It's one thing to live in regret. It is a whole other thing to live in repentance. Regret should lead to repentance. Why repent? Repentance is ultimately redemptive. Repentance is taking responsibility for our own guilt. Repentance is accepting the consequences of our choices. The redemptive part of forgiveness is receiving the forgiveness and restoration from God we do not deserve. God forgives our sin. Ps 103:8-12  I Jn 1:9  Redemption is about God dealing with us in grace as opposed to justice, or what we deserve. 

Regret is condemning. Repentance is painful. Redemption is healing. Regret alone will only heap more guilt on us. Repentance may not be pleasant, but it leads us to cleansing with God. Redemption restores our fellowship with God. 

It is a waste of time living in the muck and mire of regret. Wishing you had said yes when you said no, or vice versa. It does not help our cause when we constantly live in the past missing out on what God has for us next. If God wiped His hands of guilty sinners, He never would have used David, Peter, Saul, and millions of others. Repentance is constantly clearing our sin debt through the shed blood and grace of Jesus. Repentance is living with an undefiled heart. Repentance comes from the kindness of God who leads us to turn from our evil ways and seek His forgiveness. Romans 2:4 Thank God for regret that leads to repentance.