Month: August 2024

The 2024 Summer Olympics completed yesterday. I enjoy watching the athletes. What they are able to do is amazing. This devotion is not about these Olympics. I’m going to talk about an athlete who competed in previous Olympics. Jennifer Simpson is an American middle- and long-distance runner. She’s a four time NCAA National Champion. She won the gold medal in the 1500 meters at the 2011 World Championships, silvers at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships, and a bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the event. She represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, and 2016 Rio Olympics. She entered the 2021 Track and Field trials with hopes of returning to a fourth Olympics. She missed the top 3 spots and did not qualify for the Tokyo Games.

Can you imagine the disappointment? Athletes train for years to compete in the Olympics. And to be so close, yet so far from making it at the same time. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Jenny immediately went to congratulate the three who did qualify. She took defeat graciously. In her defeat, she still found the ability to honor the others. We can all learn from that example. No matter what life brings us, we can step forward with confidence. We can let God take control. We can love him. Put our trust in him. And show our faith in him. Surrendering our lives to him. Stepping forward for him.

There’s another example of this that we can learn from and follow. One that we NEED to follow. That is Jesus. Jesus knew that he had to surrender all of his own desires. He knew that was what it was going to take for our salvation. And just like you and me, I believe he had a choice. He could’ve chosen to not go through what he did. He could’ve turned away from why he was here. I might be wrong thinking that. But he was human while he was on earth. Therefore he could choose. And he chose to step forward. So the question for us all today is, “Will we step forward even when times are hard?” That’s a great question. But it’s one that we should all ask ourselves. So today let’s challenge ourselves to answer that question honestly. And let’s find ways to step forward.

When I was playing basketball, our goal each time we stepped on the floor against another team was to win. When we played in tournaments, we wanted to be the champions. And we wanted to win the conference. We wanted to win the district. And so on. Our goal was to be champions. When I was coaching, it was the same thing each time we stepped on the floor against another team. There’s nothing wrong with those goals. They are what drove us to work together. To put in the work. They helped us keep focused. And there are a lot of lessons that people can learn being part of a team like that. But we must learn to keep things in perspective. Keep our priorities in check. What do I mean by that?

We live in a world of titles. Manager. Director. Boss. Owner. First place. Second place. Third place. Champions! Etc. Is easy to find self-worth with titles. With labels. It’s easy for us to let what we accomplish define us. People recognize titles. How often have you heard somebody say they want to talk to the manager? Or I want to talk to the owner. That’s because they recognize who is in charge. Once again, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the titles. People work hard to achieve those. They work hard to earn those. Effort should be rewarded. But the danger lies in where we place our self worth.

I’m not sure that God loves us for our titles. I’m not sure he loves us for our accomplishments. I might be wrong, but I believe that God just loves us. And since that is the case, this is where we should place our worth. In God‘s love. In Christ. Another reason why we should do this is because if we do not achieve a goal, then Satan can use that against us. He can use self-doubt against us. He can use “failing” against us. He can make us feel unworthy. There is a ton of learning in failing at a task. But that doesn’t make us a failure. It’s a lesson that we can use to work towards our goals. To build on. So let’s try to remember this. God loves us. Not for our accomplishments. He loves us just because he does. So let’s put our worth in God. And let’s be thankful for him in our accomplishments. Our championships. Our titles. And let’s keep our priorities and our focus on God. Let’s know and believe the one true title that matters is…Servant of God.

Barbara will tell you that there are some movies that I like to watch whenever I see them pop up on TV. Even though I’ve seen them multiple times. Warrior is one of those. This movie was released in 2011. The title alone should kind of tell you what it’s about. Basically, it’s a story of a broken family. Involving two brothers and a father who don’t see eye-to-eye. The warrior part of it refers to the family being tied to mixed martial arts and wrestling. It really is one of my favorite movies. Not because of the fighting. But because of the life lessons that it presents. Just a family full of turmoil trying to find peace. Something that was very difficult for them to do. And it’s culminates with the older brother telling the younger brother that he loves him. Which you can tell it’s going to lead to a healing and peace in the family.

The common theme for several of the devotions recently have been on finding peace. That hasn’t been intentional on my part. It’s just been something that God has put on my heart. And I think it’s important for me to listen to what he’s telling me. I have said several times in order for us to have lasting peace, we must have God in our lives. We must have peace with him. If we do that, then we will find peace in our daily lives. Because having God in our lives helps us see things differently. Helps us find God in all that we do. Helps us find ways to love others that we couldn’t love before. We couldn’t love them sometimes because of their doing. And sometimes because of our doing. But with God, we can get past that.

In the movie, the characters didn’t want to work on their relationships. You could see it. They were fine with coexisting. That is no way for a relationship to work. We point a finger at the other person expecting them to make the first step. And even when they do so, sometimes we don’t accept it. Our pride can get in the way of that. We can even find ourselves hoping that they suffer in someway. To the point that we might even celebrate when they do. We don’t want to see them succeed. We even let pride get in the way of our relationship with Jesus. We think we don’t need him. We couldn’t be more wrong. And also just as in the movie, all it takes is one step for peace to start to happen. The brother telling the younger sibling that he loves him changed everything. And that is the same way as a relationship with Christ works. We just need to take one step towards him. That’s it. Accepting him changes everything. If you haven’t done so yet, make today the day you do. And if you have done so already, make today of the day you continue building that relationship. Let’s all make today the day that we strive for eternal peace.

Have you ever had your “hands” in something long enough that you messed it up? Have you ever been involved with something long enough that you messed it up? How about being in control of something, or the decision maker over something, or the leader of something, long enough that you messed it up? It’s interesting to me how this can happen. Even with the best intentions in mind we can do this. We can mess things up. I know I have. I joke a lot about myself doing so. Especially when I’m talking about the ministry. I learned long ago that the best way for me to be the leader of something, is to find the ways for people to use their talents and then to get out of their way.

Our walk with Christ is very similar to what I’m mentioning here. Let me try to explain what I mean by that. Jesus paved the way for us with his death and resurrection. This is something that we cannot deny. Salvation is a free gift for us if we accept it. This is also something that we cannot deny. But in our lives, we can find ourselves in situations where things have fallen apart. We can find ourselves making choices that are very destructive. We can find ourselves with outside factors trying to crush us. And it’s during those times that we might question God. Wondering where he is. Wondering if he exists. Do you see the point I making now? We can get in the way of having peace in our lives. Especially if we are given long enough to do so. 

Receiving eternal salvation does not mean we’re going to have an easy life. In fact, just the opposite can be said. The Bible tells us that the path is narrow. And what that means is the path is not easy. The world’s way is easy. Making destructive choices is easy. And even with Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are still going to find ourselves worried about things. We’re going to find ourselves in difficult situations. Because we’re human. Our lives are going to continue on. And that means our lives are going to encounter hard times. But if we seek God the entire time, then we will find ourselves feeling peace and calm. We can rest assured that we have eternal salvation waiting for us. Even as flawed as we are, Jesus loves us. His heart breaks for us when we make bad choices. When we mess things up. But just like Peter, he will still be there for us even when we take our eyes off of him. And he will lift us up.

I’m often called the “history nerd” of the family. Most of the time it’s because of the history tidbits that I share about topics that we talk about. Other times it’s because I share stories from things that I read or I see. It’s a title that I relish. It’s actually endearing. Because my family does appreciate what I share with them. Recently, another story stuck out to me that I want to share with you. Dayton Webber Is a quadruple amputee that’s playing as a pro in the American Cornhole League. That’s correct. He has no hands. And he has no legs. And he is playing professionally. His story is another one that I think you should try to search out online. It’s pretty amazing.

His backstory is what sticks out to me the most. He was diagnosed with streptococcus pneumonia at just 10 months old and given a 3% chance to live. His parents had to make a decision that I could not imagine having to make. In order to stop the bacterial infection from spreading, they had to amputate both of his arms and legs. No doubt, the course of his life would be different than most. But he does not let his condition dictate how he lives. In the story that I saw, there was a quote that stuck out to me because it’s something that I recall feeling years ago: “The world doesn’t wait.” When I returned home from physical therapy years ago, that’s what stuck out to me the most. The world had not waited on me. All of the lives of my friends had moved on. Mine had been put on pause. That was a tough reality for me.

The point of this devotion is that the “world” will pass us by without a second thought. It will not wait on us. It doesn’t have to. It doesn’t need to. It doesn’t want to. Therefore, the world will not provide us peace that we need. It will not provide the hope that we need. And it will not provide the strength that we need. Especially in times of personal struggles or difficulties. What God gives us is beyond any of our comprehension. What God gives us surpasses anything that the world can give us. And there’s only one way for us to receive what God can give us. And that is Jesus. Plain and simple. It all comes from Jesus. With Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are assured that no matter what earthly scenarios or circumstances that you face, they don’t have any eternal power over you. What is eternal is what we have with God that guarantees our hope of what’s to come. And that my friends…is awesome!

His backstory is what sticks out to me the most. He was diagnosed with streptococcus pneumonia at just 10 months old and given a 3% chance to live. His parents had to make a decision that I could not imagine having to make. In order to stop the bacterial infection from spreading, they had to amputate both of his arms and legs. No doubt, the course of his life would be different than most. But he does not let his condition dictate how he lives. In the story that I saw, there was a quote that stuck out to me because it’s something that I recall feeling years ago: “The world doesn’t wait.” When I returned home from physical therapy years ago, that’s what stuck out to me the most. The world had not waited on me. All of the lives of my friends had moved on. Mine had been put on pause. That was a tough reality for me.

The point of this devotion is that the “world” will pass us by without a second thought. It will not wait on us. It doesn’t have to. It doesn’t need to. It doesn’t want to. Therefore, the world will not provide us peace that we need. It will not provide the hope that we need. And it will not provide the strength that we need. Especially in times of personal struggles or difficulties. What God gives us is beyond any of our comprehension. What God gives us surpasses anything that the world can give us. And there’s only one way for us to receive what God can give us. And that is Jesus. Plain and simple. It all comes from Jesus. With Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you are assured that no matter what earthly scenarios or circumstances that you face, they don’t have any eternal power over you. What is eternal is what we have with God that guarantees our hope of what’s to come. And that my friends…is awesome!

Our Farmhouse property is an ideal location to host veterans whenever we have local events. I say this because we regularly hear how peaceful and quiet it is. How secluded it is. There is no turmoil. There is no city noise. You hear vehicles go by. But that’s about it. One thing we learned years ago is that our guests are all searching for something very similar. Searching for the same thing. Actually, it’s the same thing that we are all searching for. Peace. We are searching for peace. And that is the peace that comes from Jesus. It surpasses everything. Because it’s lasting. There’s no end to it. It’s eternal. Yes…there is definitely peace at the farmhouse. But it’s temporary.

If we were to ask 100 different people what peace is, I’m certain we would get a medley of responses. And I’m certain geographically, there also would be different answers. And no doubt across the world there is certainly going to be different responses. Imagine what somebody from Ukraine would say right now. For me it’s simple. I am pretty sure it’s not a secret that I really enjoy hunting. My favorite type of hunting is for deer and turkey. Because of the wait. Although I truly enjoy providing for my family, the main thing that I take from hunting is the peace that I find in the blind. Yes I’m talking about the quiet. The tranquility. But more importantly, I’m talking about what Jesus gives me. Because when I’m out there, I’m talking to Jesus.

Jesus wants us all to have peace in our hearts. And we can have it. Even during the “storms” of life. Even when times are hard. Even when the future looks bleak. We can have peace. Jesus wants that for us. And what he provides is permanent. But it’s up to us to ask him into our hearts. It’s up to us to seek him in all that we do. If we do so, he will provide it. Here’s something that I read: “It doesn’t matter how intelligent we are, how decorated our resumes are, how many inventions are credited to our names, or how smart, creative, and wise we are—we don’t know how to create peace.” That is 100% true. We can search for it. We can try to replicate it. And we can find it. But we will never be able to create it. It only comes from our Lord and Savior.

In 1994, I was a senior in college. I was in my final semester of getting my Undergraduate Degree in Psychology. I was on track to go on to graduate school. But, I kept feeling like it was the wrong path for me. I knew I was going to struggle with many of the beliefs and thoughts of those programs. Anyways, I had been asked to film a Public Service Announcement about drinking and driving. For those of you who don’t know, I was paralyzed in an accident that was due to drunk driving. The filming took place in the old gym that I had played basketball in during high school. While we were there, I felt the pull to go into coaching. My concern at the time was how I was going to do so in my wheelchair. 

When we were through filming, I stopped by the principal’s office to get his thoughts on me coaching. His advice was brilliant. He said this, “Many of the coaches you see on tv aren’t able to play anymore.” I’ll never forget that. So I prayed for a sign from God to coach or not. His answer couldn’t have been clear or came more quickly. I was called “THAT” night from a woman I didn’t even know. She was asking me to coach their junior high and high school teams. Wow! Talk about instantaneous. It was so clear. I went the next day and began the process to get a degree to teach and coach. I retired in 2011 from doing so. And I finished coaching privately in 2021. I was blessed to work with 100s of kids during that 27 years. 

Now…most of the time God has not responded so quickly to my prayers. He usually makes me wait. And that can be frustrating. Because, we live in a world where we want things done right now. Right then. No hesitation. It’s very fast paced. But we can’t let his hesitation stop us. No response from him might be his answer. But we still must pray. We must still believe. We must still seek wisdom from God. The other day we talked about pressing on. Moving forward for God. We can’t give up. If we do, that’s a victory for Satan. We must remember that God hears our prayers. He hears our cries. He’s bigger than all of our needs and desires. And his timing will always be perfect. That’s where our faith comes into play. So today, let’s have faith and let’s pray continuously. Let’s talk to God. Letting him know our needs and desires. But let’s realize this. He will answer in his own time and that he knows what’s best for us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Noah Lyles won the men’s 100 m dash yesterday at the 2024 Olympics. It was an amazing race. Photo finish. Simply incredible. Next he’s going to be competing in the 200 m dash. Trying to do what Carl Lewis did so many years ago. Win gold in both of those events. As amazing as his achievements have been, and will continue to me, they are more amazing when you hear about his backstory. Noah grew up battling asthma. Even to the point that he had to see doctors and have hospital visits. But he persevered with the support of his family. It’s hard for me to imagine what that must’ve been like for him. But, he pressed on. He kept going. Now he is considered the fastest man in the world. Because…he pressed on.

God has a purpose for us all. He has a purpose for our lives. No matter what we are going through. No matter the difficulties. We must press forward. There’s a purpose. Moving forward is a choice that we have. Just as Noah made the choice to move forward. And that is an act of obedience. It’s a way for us to praise God. To rely on God. To trust God. Moving forward is also an act of defiance. Because it’s an act of defiance against Satan. Because he doesn’t want us to move forward. Because it shows that we are not going let him control us. Influence us. He wants to destroy us. Pressing on defeats him.

Trials and conflicts are going to come. Tough seasons are going to come. Remember there’s always going to be a source. Either from inside you. Or from the outside. I bet that all of us can probably relate. It’s important for us to try to you recognize the sources. And then it’s important for us to make the choice to keep moving forward. To keep pressing on. Headed towards the goal that our Lord and Savior has for us. Let’s remember this: When we are at our weakest, that can be when God can be the strongest for us. Nothing is intimidating for our God. Nothing is impossible for him to overcome. He is here for us. Because he loves us. He always has. He always will.

We are very aware of the fact that Charlie 22 Outdoors is only going to be successful as long as God is the focus. The mission states it very clearly. If we continue to keep our eyes on that, God will bless our efforts. We know that. We often ask you to keep praying that that is the case. That we always keep the mission as the focus. And we thank you for lifting the ministry up. Your support means the world to us. We also know that the ministry is successful because of the talents of the volunteers and others that are involved. We know that going in alone would only lead us to failure. It didn’t take us long to realize the formula to success is to find opportunities for people to utilize their talents and then get out of their way. I often say that I can mess things up if you give me long enough to be involved with it. Can any of you relate to that?

As we continue talking about love, there’s some similarities between what we were mentioning above about going it alone as compared to having God involved. The Bible tells us to love others as God loves us. The only way we can do that is by having God help us love others. Barbara and I love one another. I love her with all that I am. And I believe she loves me the same. But we both will tell you, that we love God first. He is our number one. Each of us is one another’s number two. He’s first. We are second. He is always looking for us to look to him first in our marriage. And we try to do that. And that’s how our relationships with other family members and friends should be as well. He should be first. They should be second. 

There are many reasons why this should be the order. Obviously, if we do it this way, then we will view our relationships as blessings from God. Even when there is turmoil. Because God’s love is a weapon for us. It’s a way for us to battle the attacks that will come from the outside. God can do for us what we can never do for ourselves. And, God can do for our relationships what we can never do for our relationships. No matter the situation. No matter the relationship. If we choose to have God‘s love first, they will be successful. Just as keeping God first in the ministry, it will be successful. So today, let’s all strive to keep our eyes on God. Let’s turn to him first in all that we do. Do this…and watch how your life is blessed.

There’s a saying, love never fails. There’s a lot of truth in that. And I believe that because I believe that in our heart, if we love through everything, then we are at peace. Because that’s a gift from Jesus. When our heart is surrendered to Jesus, love will triumph. Now I know it’s not easy to do this all the time. Especially when someone has hurt us. Or even when there’s a family dynamic that is hard to navigate. But I also know that it is possible. And that is awesome.

Let me try to explain this better. With Jesus as the foundation of our life, we see other people differently. We see difficulties differently. We see tragedies differently. We see hurt differently. The love that we get from Jesus is greater than all of those things. It’s a different love. And that allows us to view things differently. This all contradicts what the world says. I get that. But that is one of the things that makes being a believer so incredible. It’s hard to explain to somebody who is not. But there is a peace in our hearts that only be described by the love of Jesus. His love for us. And then our love for others through Jesus.

Trust me, I have failed at loving others all the time. Many times. I have been guilty to cry out for justice. Especially when someone has wronged my wife or children. My first instinct is to retaliate. But I have been able to navigate and overcome those situations through the power of our Lord and Savior. When I did so, he gave me a peace in my heart. And then it turn gave me the ability to love. I do believe there is a time for justice. Most definitely. But I must trust that God sees, God hears, and God will make it work for good and His glory in the end. Once again, I realize this may not be easy to do. But it is something that we must do. Remember this, God loves your enemy just as He loves you.