Month: January 2023

The past few years have presented some real hard times for Barbara and me. Hard times for our family. Barbara had surgery a couple times. The virus ravaged several relatives of ours. Our daughters, and daughter-in-law, each dealt with serious illnesses that could’ve ended up with terribly tragic results. In the matter of a few months in 2021, we lost my biological father, my father figure, and my stepfather who raised me. A few months later in 2022, my father-in-law passed away. All of these took place one after another. It seemed like we would get past one moment of stress only to step in to another. They kept coming. And during these times, we still had the day-to-day stressors going on. Through it all, we tried to keep our eyes on God. We knew he would see us through. And he did.

Tough times are going to come. Difficulties are going to present themselves. Times of stress are unavoidable. Even times when we find ourselves at the wrong place at the wrong time. Part of being human is going through moments like these. Some of us more often than others. It’s unfortunate that we have to go through these. But what is FORTUNATE is how we get to choose how we respond. As a matter of fact, how we react can actually help us avoid making the situation worse. And if we react appropriately, it can help those around us react appropriately as well.

In the Bible, Jesus promised us we will have trouble. Because we live in this world, trouble is going to come. No doubt about it. Jesus also promises that he will always be with us to the very end of age. No doubt about it. Examples include Abram, Hagar, Isaac, Joshua, David, and more. Just as he was with them through those difficult times, he will be with us. Nothing is too great for him. Marriage issues. Work issues. Health issues. Money issues. Nothing! Nothing is too great for our God. Knowing this, we should have the strength and confidence that we need to stay calm. And staying calm will help us see God in everything. Staying calm will help grow our faith. And here is what I think is even cooler. Staying calm will help others see God in everything as well. So remember this, God is always present. God will see us through. But it’s up to us to seek him. Seek him and he will be there. He will help you stay calm. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

This past weekend, we hosted veterans for our very first trapping event. It really was an amazing weekend. Our lead guide did an incredible job. He started off the weekend by explaining the different types of traps that we would use. And also what else is out there. He talked about the different types of bait that will go with each trap. It really was educational.

Each day consisted of checking traps that were already set. Collecting anything that was in each trap. And then resetting traps that were sprung. We also learned how to flesh anything that we brought back in. As always, it was a weekend full of faith, fellowship, and food. All while taking in the creation. A true formula for success. But, the most important part was the lesson we learned. The message was on Satan‘s traps. What he does to trap us. And how we get out of those traps. Spot on for the weekend.

Satan is the great liar. He is a snake. Lurking around waiting for that moment. Baiting us. Waiting for that moment when he can trap us. He is good at what he does. And often times, we find ourselves in his traps. Nothing we can do can get us out of it. We are unable to release ourselves. But as much as Satan is at work, God is also. Actually, he’s doing more work. God makes all of his resources for us accessible. All that he has is there for us. He wants us to see his will for our lives. And whenever we find ourselves trapped by the great deceiver, he will be there to get us out. If we listen, we will hear what it is he’s telling us. We will be empowered to do his will. Nothing that Satan has at his disposal has any power over what God has. Truth is, we can avoid all of those traps if we have God in our lives. The traps will still be there. The temptations will still be there. But we will have the weapon to resist. So let’s pay attention to God. Let’s pray to God. And let’s obey what God tells us to do.

I’d like for you to think about something. I want you to think about being convicted. Not being convicted of a crime. But being convicted by God. How many times have you felt convictions? How many times have you felt God telling you to do something? Or to stop doing something? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? More or less? We will all experience being convicted at some point or another in our lives. You can count on that.

And you can count on this as well. God will not stop convicting you until you act on it. read that again. God will not stop convicting you until you act on it. He’s not going away. So you have choices here. Stop doing what he is telling you to stop doing. Start doing what he is telling you to start doing. Or don’t do either, and keep being convicted. Choice is yours. Plain and simple. You get to decide how you respond.

So today, maybe it’s the beginning of you listening to what he’s telling you. Maybe it’s the day for you to open your heart to what he’s telling you. Understand this, whatever he’s convicting you of is for your own good. Whether you like it or not. It is for your own good. And more importantly, it is for his glory. To show others who he is. We have all heard the saying…”The wages of sin is death.” I believe that God convicts us to help us realize that sin lies ahead. It’s his way of showing us what he wants us how to act or respond. And I also believe he does this because he loves us. He always has. He always will.

I read an article about Shaun Alexander. For those of you who don’t know who he is, he was a running back for the Seattle Seahawks. One season he led the NFL in rushing and was named the MVP. In the eyes of many, he was a man’s man. What many men long to be. The article was talking about not only his football talents, but more importantly his off the field life. Including his faith.

They were discussing the NFL lifestyle. All of the things that can come with that. Money. Fame. Women. Etc. When the reporter asked him about those, his response was along these lines. I won’t get this Word for Word. But in essence he said that he avoids placing himself in situation‘s that he will find temptations. For example, he tried to avoid going to bars where he knew that that could lead to going home with someone he didn’t know. You can imagine how many times he was asked to go out by his teammates. The reporter asked him why he didn’t go, his response was he knew that he wasn’t man enough to avoid giving in to the temptations. Wow!

Made me think about me trying to be a man of faith. What I think we should all do when trying to work on our faith. We need to protect what we think about. Which is our hearts. We need to protect what we say. Which is our words. We need to protect ourselves from where we go. Which is our feet. I think if we do these things, we can work on building our faith. To help with this, surround yourself with others who will help you stay on track. Those that love you and hold you accountable through love. And while you’re doing this, strive to keep them on track as well. Hold them accountable through love. If we do these things, and ask God to guide us, he will show us the way. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

There are several things that bring me joy. Truly bring me a feeling of happiness. My grandkids are four of those. Whenever we FaceTime them or we get to see them in person, it just brings pure joy to me. Hard to explain to somebody who doesn’t have grandkids. But Joy is a great word for it. And I think we are all looking for joy in our lives. 

I also think we are all striving to find peace. True peace in our lives. And there are different ways for us to achieve that. One way for me is to be in the deer blind. Early in the morning. Or late in the evening. Even mid day. There is such a calm out there. That’s my time of healing. That’s my time of aloneness with God. That’s a time of peace for me. That’s where I find it. I was questioned a few years ago by one of our board members. What is it that every man is searching for? He says the answer is peace. And there’s a lot of truth in that answer.

Something even more powerful about joy and peace. Something that I read about both of them. Joy and peace are both signs of the kingdom of God. They lead to hope. I want to quote something that I read here: “Joy and peace are evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives! These words do not just describe a cheerful, contented emotional state. They point to something profound at the very heart of our Christian life and witness.” As much as my grandchildren bring me joy, and being in the blind brings me peace, nothing brings me more of either one than knowing I have eternity waiting for me with Jesus in heaven. Nothing! I don’t wanna take anything away from what my grandchildren and the blind do for me. But my true hope comes from the joy and peace that is provided through our Lord and Savior. Or should I say, our true hope. Because you can have it too. God will provide it. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Last night we were having a conversation about investments and insurance. The different options we have for putting our money into. Made me think about what we are fully invested in. And I don’t mean money. I’m not talking about our retirement accounts. I’m talking about our hearts. I’m talking about what we are fully invested in spiritually. What is it that our hearts are focused on? Where do we find ourselves serving with all of our hearts?

I can tell you this: God is fully invested in his plan. 100%. No doubt. He is fully invested. He is going to see it through. He will never waver. He can’t be stopped. He won’t be stopped. Whether we are in tune with that or not, he is going to see it through. He has up to this point. He is doing so now. And he will continue to do so. It’s up to us to join in. That’s one of the most amazing things about being part of the creation. The choice. We get to choose. He gave us the ability to choose. And that’s awesome. Unfortunately, sometimes we choose the wrong choices. We make the wrong decisions. But FORTUNATELY, there is still time. We can choose correctly.

Seek God and he will show you what to do. Have a heart to do his will and he will show you what to do. Ask him to show you his will and he will show you what to do. We are promised that. And God keeps his promises. Fully invest your heart into his plan and he will show you what to do. Isn’t that awesome! We have a God who is so accessible to us that he will show us what to do. We have a God who loves us this much. But it takes us stepping out and fully believing in the plan. We must break our hearts and put all we have into serving him. And he will use us wherever we are to fulfill his plan. If we serve him, there’s no doubt we are where we’re supposed to be. And he can use our situations to serve him and to serve others.

Sometimes we go through periods of suffering. Sometimes we suffer physically. Other times emotionally. Even spiritually. I am sure there are other ways as well. But these are a few. Suffering is never good if it is just suffering. But we all go through it at some point. Then why does God allow suffering? After all, he’s a loving God. Why the suffering then? This is a tough topic. Believers, philosophers, theologians, have all struggled with this. There is no clear-cut answer.

God can use our suffering in a number of different ways. He can use it for good. Ultimately, he can use it to show others his glory. As difficult as it may be, we must have faith and be strong through times of suffering. We can pray for it to be removed. We can pray for it to go away. But instead, I would like to suggest that we pray to have the strength to get through it. I think we should pray for him to be there with us. To show us the way. Then we can show others how he did so. That is for his glory. Not ours.

We must know and realize we are going to go through times where we are shaken. There are gonna be times when we are tempted to throw them in the towel. To give up. There are going to be times where we want to know why. But we should also know and realize that God‘s hands are in everything. We must understand that suffering is part of his plan to defeat evil. And the Bible tells us that God works for the good of those who love him. We have been called according to his purpose. And let’s not forget the ultimate example of suffering. The crucifixion. We should learn from what took place on the cross 2000 years ago. Jesus went through tremendous suffering. All in order to show us the glory of God. That is magnificent and humbling! He did so because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

I have always been interested in history. I think that came from being raised in a military family. My parents made sure that when my father was home we would travel around Germany seeing the castles. My interest continued into college where I graduated and began teaching history in the school system. One thing I know is that history repeats itself. Maybe not exactly. But “maybe” exactly. Human behavior also repeats itself.

One way we realize that human behavior repeats itself is by simply looking at how we question whether we’re right with God or not. Thousands of years ago large crowds were following Jesus. They were questioning the same thing. The book of John shows us this. The crowds wanted to know how to be right with God. Sound familiar? Are you asking the same thing now? Maybe as you read this, you are wondering. But how do we know if we are right with God? That’s a great question.

You could quite possibly be strong in your faith. Be right with God. But lack peace. Or maybe you have both. You know you are right with God and you have peace as well. What an awesome place to be. Or maybe you don’t have either. You know you need God in your heart. You know you are not right with God. And you know you don’t have any peace at all. But the good news is you can have both. The key to having both is simple. It is clear. The key to having both is believing in Jesus. Do that, and you will be right with God. You will know it. And that can give you the peace that we all long for. So maybe today is the day for you to start believing in Jesus. Maybe today is the day for you to ask him into your heart. Maybe today is the day for you to start feeling that peace that only comes from him. It starts with us. He’s waiting. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

I remember years ago when I had to fill in on the 4 x 400 relay team. One of our premier runners had torn his hamstring a weak earlier. Our coach was brilliant. He put me at the third leg knowing that I would be the weakest. Ha. When I received the baton, we were every bit of 30 yards ahead of the second place team. I took off in a full sprint. My adrenaline was pumping. 100 yards, 200 yards, 300 yards, I was doing great. Then I came off the last turn. I hit the wall! Big-time! It was like it just popped up out of the track.

Have you ever done that in life? Ever have times when seems like everything you’re doing is going well? Things are smooth. And then all of a sudden: The wall. Ever feel like you’re doing a good job serving God? You are doing your best for God. Seems like you’re in a good place doing good things and then all the sudden it stops. All the sudden you can’t move forward. All of a sudden nothing you do is working. All of the sudden you feel lost. You begin to question why it is happening. You begin to question God. You need a sign. An answer. You need God to show you the way.

In the Bible we learn about Moses at a time like this. He was being chased by an army. All the way to the Red Sea. Now he was up against the wall. And he knew he needed help. We read in Exodus 33:18: “Please, show me Your glory.” Moses knew he needed to turn to God in that moment and ask for his help. He was desperate. Life will get that way for us too. We will get desperate. But never fear. God will hear your prayers. He will hear your cries. I’m not suggesting that he will part the Red Sea like he did for Moses. What I am saying is that he will provide you with what you need. At that moment. Whatever it is. He will help you overcome. Maybe today you should ask for wisdom and strength. Maybe today you should ask for guidance. Maybe today you need to ask God into your heart. Maybe today! Know this, he is there for you. Always has been. Always will be.

For those of you wondering: I came in about 20 yards behind the first place team when I gave the baton to the fourth leg. He was amazing. I even said I’m sorry as I gave it to him. He took off, passed the lead runner, and we won the relay. Or should I say…he won it.