Month: September 2023

Yesterday, I was blessed with the invitation to come and speak at one of my dear friend’s (Russ Ferguson) No-Retreat Men’s Archery Shoot. It’s some thing that he does annually. It’s a fundraiser that they use to give contributions to someone in the area who needs it. Most often, it’s with someone who is going through a health battle. What is pretty awesome about the location, is that it is the exact location where I got to meet Russ. Years ago. When he was doing a very similar thing for a young girl, who had just been in a car accident and paralyzed. Very similar to me. I am humbled by invitations like this. But I definitely feel like I’m not qualified to do such a thing.

We spoke about the trail that God has laid before us to come to him. The trail is our direct path to eternity. Because it brings us right to Jesus. and that’s how we receive eternity in heaven. Through him. No way around it. But we must take the first step and move that direction. I look back at my life before Jesus. And what I realize is how far off path, or the trail, that I was. I was searching for happiness in all the wrong places. I didn’t realize that I was going to get exactly what I needed from God…when I turned to God. And that’s how he operates. He will give us exactly what we need when we need it. And sometimes we don’t realize it’s what we need until we do get it. Isn’t that cool! 

So now, here is the challenge. Here is my request of you. If you’re off the path, get back on it. Get back on the trail. Remember, the worlds tells us what it has the offer is what we should want. And that’s why there’s such confusion. It’s a mess. Because what the world offers is self gratifying. Plain and simple. And the self gratification is temporary. It’s going to end. For example, if your friendships are built on something that is self gratifying, your friendships are going to end when it is gone. I know from experience. Another way of looking at it is that soft gratification is a Band-Aid. What I mean by that is, eventually it’s going to come off. And you’re left with the problems you had before. There’s only one way to receive the peace and hope we are all looking for. And that is by following the trail to God.

One of the things that brings me great joy is when my phone rings and I see that it’s one of my children’s names on caller ID. Or even when one of the text messages that comes through is from one of them. I love when I get to speak with them. Sometimes they’re calling to just let me know how their day is going. And there are times they call with questions. I even get the opportunity to give them advice. It’s really great to hear their voices. Or to read their words in text. Point I am making here is that I love hearing from them. Just as our father in heaven loves to hear from us.

Do you take time to talk to God our father? Be honest. How often do you do so? Some people make time in the mornings before their day starts. Others that I know do it in the evening time before they go to bed. What a great way to finish the day! Now ask yourself, how is it that you talk to God? What do you do? Do you bow your head and go to your knees? Or do you do you like I do, and talk to him while you’re driving? However it is that you have these conversations, God loves them. He loves hearing from you. Prayer is key to our relationship with our Lord and Savior. Because it is how we communicate with him. So it is something that we should cherish and celebrate at the same time. And trust me, it’s something that God cherishes as well. It might be hard to think of it that way. But it’s true. Our father in heaven loves to hear from us.

The Bible tells us to give all of our worries and cares to God. That’s because God cares about us. So if there were times that are difficult, go to God. Just as children go to their fathers on earth. We can do the same thing with our heavenly father. He wants to help us through those moments. And let’s remember this as well, as much as we know that God is there for us in our moments of need, he is also there for us in our moments of success. What great opportunities those present for us to praise him. To thank him. To love him and celebrate him. So let’s not limit our conversations with God to asking for help. Talk to him when you have something that brings joy. He loves that too. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

In honor of this National Sons Day, let’s celebrate our sons while we are talking about the Son of the living God: Jesus. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Plain and simple. If I asked you what your thoughts would be when you hear the name Jesus what would you say? What comes to mind? Do you think about the story in the Bible where Jesus fed 5,000? What about the last night he spent with the disciples when he washed their feet? Or maybe do you think about the crucifixion? It’s an interesting question. But it’s something that we should really look at.

Jesus performed several miracles that we read about in the Bible. And if you look closely at them, I think you can find a very common theme to them. Jesus was serving others. He was placing their needs in front of his own. He was lowering himself below others. Setting the example on how to truly serve other people. If we follow his example, then others should be able to see his light through us. There should be no question. Our families. Our friends. Our coworkers. People in the community. They all should be able to see him through us. It should be so visible, that they would want to have the same hope that we have. That’s the hope that comes from Jesus. And that’s important because…there are people that we encounter every single day that do not know Jesus. Read that again! They don’t know Jesus. We might be the only people to ever share Jesus with them. Wow! 

So as we celebrate our sons on this National Day, let’s remember Jesus, the Son of the living God. Let’s remember his examples. His examples of loving and serving others. His examples of being hospitable. His examples of humility. Let’s remember his miracles. It’s fine to be in awe of those. But let’s don’t lose track of way he performed them. Let’s find ways to show others who Jesus is. Let’s find ways to show others the love and hope that come from him. I know it’s a heavy burden to bear. It’s a heavy burden because we might be the only people to ever talk about Jesus to someone who doesn’t know him. But while we might view it as a burden, let’s think of the “burden” of the cross. Why that was done. That should be enough motivation for us. And don’t forget this very important point: Jesus loves you. He always has. He always will.

There’s this video going around of Jennifer Garner. The paparazzi took it. I imagine they are on her trail at all times. Anyways, in this video they catch her serving a homeless man in a wheelchair. I’m sure if you search it on the Internet you’ll be able to find it pretty easily. I did. What’s amazing about it is that you can see she has a Ziploc bag of items. Already ready to go. So I’m guessing that she may have a few of these in her vehicles at all times. Just for these types of moments. And as she’s talking to him, she realizes he has no shoes or socks. So she gets out of her car and proceeds to put her socks on his feet. And realizes that her shoes are not going to fit. Next thing you know, she’s approaching the paparazzi, asking him what size of shoes he wears. And here is where the whole thing takes a different turn. The paparazzi guy is so moved by what he’s watching, that he proceeds to give her his shoes. Even though she’s offered to pay him for them. He goes further to give her a blanket that he has. Pretty awesome. I wish there were more videos like this out there.

I believe that we are called to do three things: Love God. Love others. Serve the world. As Christians, I believe these should be rules for us to live by. Maybe there are others I am missing. But these three are pretty big. We talk a lot about finding ways to serve God. We talk a lot about making him the corner stone of our lives. And on Sundays it’s easy for us to do that. Because there is a place for us to go do that. That place is church. But what about the other days of the week. What about the rest of the time outside of the church building. Are we trying to find ways to serve the world? Are we searching them out? Ask yourself these questions. And be honest with yourself.

Serving the world can be complicated if we let it. But at the same time, serving the world can be easy if we let it. But, it’s also easy for us to think that if we are doing things, then we are serving God. And that is not accurate. That can actually be a trap that Satan sets for us. Because he can get us so busy that we lose sight of “why” we are busy. We need to be doing things that serve God. We need to be doing things, because in our hearts, we are following what God is telling us to do. That’s why it’s important to pray to him for guidance. To ask him to tell us what to do. If we do, so, we will be doing exactly what I think we should be doing: Love God. Love others. Serve the world. If we do it in this order, others will see it. And maybe, just maybe, they will begin seeking God first. And then serving as he tells them to do. Let’s go back to Jennifer Garner. The paparazzi were there to film her. And then they watched her serve. And then they jumped in and served as well. Do you get the point?

As Christians, our mission is to glorify God. In all that we do, we are to glorify God. In our homes. In our careers. In our hobbies. In our everything’s. We are to live lives that glorify God. Not easy sometimes. I’m fully aware of that. But it should still be our mission.

The Bible gives us many reasons why the glory of God is our purpose. But do we really need more reason than simply what took place on the cross 2,000 years ago? Jesus’s sacrifice should be more than enough for us. That alone should motivate us to seek out opportunities to serve him in all that we do. We should want to make God look good in your lives.

Take a look at your daily life and try to determine how you can use it to glorify God. Maybe it’s having weekly bible studies with co-workers. Maybe it’s putting together service projects with your families. Or maybe it’s simply playing praise music in your office. Opportunities are there. And I fully believe that they are not hard to fine. We just must want to find them. I’d suggest praying for guidance and God will show you the way. And whatever he shows you, I would do. Because God is not going to stop convicting you until you do it. He’s persistent that way. But that’s a good thing. 

“Found him!” There are not many two word combinations that mean more to an archery deer hunter than…”Found him!” That is the culmination of the whole process of preparing for and putting together a successful hunt. Archery hunting is a whole different ball game compared to firearms hunting. It requires more preparation. It requires more patience. It requires more accuracy. And for those that are blessed by being able to take one of the amazing creatures that God created, it is truly incredible. Last night I heard those words. And it was, as I stated, truly incredible.

What was incredible about getting to hear my buddy yell that to me, what is the fact that he found my buck after looking for a nonexistent blood trail. Actually, two of my dear friends tried to find the blood trail. To no avail. So they began searching blindly, looking for any signs they could find. And by the grace of God, he was found. It really was amazing. He’s a deer that I have been seeing on camera for a while now. He’s a deer that I had an encounter with the night before. Trust me, I don’t take it for granted that I was able to bring him home last night.

Reminds me of our search for something that only comes from our Lord and Savior. I think that all men and women are looking for peace in their lives. Hope in their lives. Love in their lives. And if we search in the wrong places, we will find no existence of any of those. And unfortunately, too many of us do so. I know I did. Trying to find happiness and fulfillment in the wrong places. Believe me…I was searching. There was no blood trail for me to follow. At least I didn’t think so. It wasn’t until I found God, then I realized the trail had been there the entire time. It was me that was not following it. So today, let’s all make sure that we are on the right path. On the right trail. Searching for God. Finding God. Receiving the peace, hope, and love that we are only going to find from him. Let’s do that, and then we can tell others that we have…”Found him!”

Concluding our archery hunt today, the message brought by our volunteer was very fitting for this weekend‘s event. The topic that he spoke on was: “Where is your anchor point?” Those of you that archery hunt, know exactly what this is. It’s vital to shooting your arrow straight. Your anchor point is critical to be consistent and accurate. Your anchor point holds you steady. You’re anchor point makes you “solid” in your stance. I bet by now, you probably have a good idea of where I’m going with this. 

In life, we also have anchor points. And we get to decide what they are. That is called free will. And that is one of the most amazing gifts that God has given us. The ability to choose. Where we place our anchor point can be a vital determining factor on which path we take. Because it’s part of where we aim our lives. The direction that we’re going to go. Here’s something interesting about anchor points. Years ago, archers defined the distance the arrow missed its mark as sin. It didn’t matter if it was just barely off the mark or completely off target. It was still sin. So they had a whole different meeting for anchor points. Today, in our spiritual life, we need to have Jesus as our anchor point. And here’s why…Satan will put things in our path to cause us to miss our mark. In this case, missing our mark is sin. And sin can keep us away from God. 

One of Satan‘s key tactics against us is fear. He uses our fears against us. Because if we begin to fear, then we might begin to doubt that God exists. And if we do that, there are two sins that we have committed. Being fearful. And doubting. These are human. And they are going to happen. But we can’t let them dictate how we view our Lord and Savior. We can’t let them dictate our relationship with our Lord and Savior. If he is our anchor point, they cannot win us over. Those of us that have had children understand what being a father means. Our children look at us for security. Our children look at us for strength. They “need” us to be their anchor points. Just as we need God to be ours. He wants us to look to him for security. He wants us to look to him for strength. Do you see the parallels? So today, just as archers practice securing their shots, let’s practice securing our lives by placing God first and foremost. Let’s practice strengthening our lives by placing God first and foremost. If we make sure God is our anchor point, then that’s exactly what will happen.

Ever feel like life is crashing in on you? When wherever you turn, something goes wrong? Repairs at home, flat tires, sicknesses, relationships gone bad, etc? What do you do in moments like that? Where do you turn? Do you face things yourself? I know I have. I know I have failed doing so. Because those are times that we need to lean on our Lord and Savior. Those are times we need to turn to him. Because he will see us through. He will encourage us because of his love and grace. 

We’ve talked about David many times. His stories in the Bible are so powerful. We can learn from all of them. The one that’s fitting for this devotion is when he returned to the city after the Amalekites had raided it. The citizens were really upset about it. Where was David when it happened? Women and children had been taken captive. The city was burned. Can you imagine? I cannot. And think about this: There are cities today, in this world, that are facing this very same thing. Does your Ukraine ring a bell? It’s 2023. And there are cities that are being raided and burned. Maybe even as you’re reading this…it’s happening. Women and children living this every day.

Here’s my suggestion, that we all need to follow. Myself included. Especially in times where I try to do things myself. (Give me long enough, and I can mess it up pretty well.) But what we need to be doing is placing or concerns, and what we are going through, in God. Turning it all over to him. That’s the key! That is the solution. If we put God at the center of our lives, he will strengthen us. He will encourage us. And something even more incredible about all of this is, we will become stronger! So, when times like this come again, we are better prepared. Let’s remember that today. Let’s remember to turn everything over to him. And let him strengthen and encourage us. He will do this because he loves us. He always has. He always will. 

I just love it when what I have planned is “interrupted” by what God has planned. That’s what happened this morning. There was a topic on my mind to write this devotion on. And it completely changed when I opened up my email this morning and read something that a friend of mine sent me. That’s how God works. He gives you exactly what you need when you need it. And today is an example.

I know I talk a lot about Coach Armstrong. That’s because he was so important to me. To my family. There can be an amazing bond between a coach and player. That’s what we had. It wasn’t about three years of high school basketball. It was a lifetime relationship. The message my friend sent me today built on that. He used to coach girl’s softball. As young as 10 years old. And there’s a bond between one particular player and him that still exists today. Whenever she is around, she will contact him and his wife to get together. And that happened recently. The point he was making was that not only do coaches have impacts on a player’s life. Players can have impacts on a coach’s life. It’s a two-way street. And there is so much truth in that. I’ve always known it. But it didn’t really resonate with me until I read something that was written about it.

Now, please give me a minute to try to explain how I look at this being similar to our relationship with Jesus. I’m sure I’m going to stumble. But bear with me. We all know the impact that Jesus has on our lives. Or if we don’t, we should strive to know it. To learn it. To live it. But what about the other way around? How is it that we can have an impact on Jesus? Or can we? Let’s go back 2000 years. Humans crucified Jesus. Before they did that, they whipped him. They spit on him. They betrayed him. So I definitely believe these are examples of how humans had an impact on Jesus. But can we still today? I believe we can to an extent. Because I believe that we are the hands and feet of Jesus. And the more we serve him, the more people learn about him. And the more people learn about him, the more they can serve other people. It’s a domino effect. It goes, and goes, and goes. So today, let’s make an impact by teaching others about Jesus. And if you don’t know Jesus, let’s talk. He’s waiting to know you. Because he loves you. He always has. He always will.

We all face times in our lives where everything feels hopeless. Like there is no way that we can get through it. For some of us, it may be an illness that we don’t think is going to go our way. For some of us, it may be a debt that we have to pay back and it looks like it’s not going to happen. For others, it may be a death of a loved one that we don’t think we’re going to ever be able to get over. And yet, for others there are things that they face that are just as difficult. Point is, our lives are going to have things like this. I am not a doomsday conspiracist. And I’m not a pessimist. I just know that difficulties are part of life.

The Bible has stories in it that we can learn from. And one of those is the story of David and Goliath. I know that you know the story. But it’s worth revisiting for the point of this devotion. Just think back to that moment in time. That moment in history. David is standing there facing Goliath. How is it going to be possible for him to defeat the giant? All the soldiers there must’ve thought it’s not possible! There’s no way! Wrong!

What I want us to remember about the story is not so much the ending. I want us to remember these key points. I want us to remember what David had going for him. David had faith in God. David believed in God. And he believed that God could get him through anything. Even the moment that he was facing Goliath. Wow! He had no doubt. That is something that we can all learn from. We all can learn from having faith like that. When we believe in our Lord and Savior like David did, we understand how God can show us grace that only he has. We understand that we can get through the tough times that we face. The illnesses. The debts. The deaths. Not impossible to face when we have God on our side. So today, let’s trust that God will get us through. Let’s believe that God loves us. Let’s believe that he always has. And let’s believe that he always will.