A Friday Smile

A serious moment.....

Genesis 19:24-26 (ESV) "Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. "And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

A not so serious commentary...

I saw you smile.

Microwave Myths

We've all heard at least a few of them.

So-called "Microwave Facts".

But are they really facts.. or just fiction?

Inquiring minds want to know.....

Is it dangerous to heat plastics in the microwave?

Can boiling a cup of hot water in one cause it to explode?

Do they leak unsafe amounts of radiation?

Real men aren't afraid of their microwaves.

That's a motto I live by.

Cheesy...yes.

But true.

Of course the fact that I can't cook anything without one is beside the point.

But if these kinds of questions keep you up at night.. click on the link to read this article:

Surprising Facts & Myths About Microwave Ovens:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/microwave-radiation-ovens-460709

"Come"

Walking by faith is a little uncomfortable.

That's the nature of it.

An element of uncertainty is always in the air.

But just an element.

Just enough for us to draw closely to the Lord.

Today instead of an "out of the box" experience God may be setting you up for an "out of the boat" experience.

Both are similar because they're out of the ordinary.

But only one waits for the command to come.

Or to go.

Matthew 14:25-31 (ESV) "And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. "But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear.

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

Yes... Peter faltered.

Jesus came to the rescue.

But Peter was the only one who actually got out of the boat.

Once He knew it was Jesus who said "Come" he didn't delay.

The other disciples may have thought he had gone overboard.

He had.

But don't confuse overboard with overconfident.

He heard the Voice calling to him.

Isaiah 30:21 (ESV) "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."

True, not every moment in life is a "come walk on the water moment".

As far as we know, Peter never did it again.

But when Jesus called to him he jumped in with both feet.

That was his moment.

Are you ready for yours?

A Lot of Laughs

Do you know someone who has one of those laughs that makes you laugh?

A laugh that is so ridiculous.. and contagious... it's in a class all its own?

It would be a sad world if we didn't have folks like that.

Case in point: A woman who has a laugh that sounds like..... a car horn!

Click here for the story: http://www.kcra.com/video/20128494/index.html

Not Just Any Old Port

Smooth sailing ahead.

A wonderful message to those of us who are hanging on for dear life.

The storm season in a life isn't as easily predicted as the storm season in the place where you live.

But the shocking suddenness of it can usher in a fresh awareness of God's presence.

Matthew 8:24-27 (ESV) "And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing." And he said to them, "Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?" Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, "What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?"

Jesus calmly got the disciples to their intended destination.

The same will be true for us.

But it gets better:

Psalm 107:29-30 (ESV) " He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. "Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven."

Their desired haven.

What is a haven?

Haven– a harbor or port.

But not just any old port in the storm.

Their desired haven.

A place where they wanted to be.

This time around God may be saying to you.....

I'm going to calm the storm.

A gentle yet powerful wind will soon be at your back.

A spectacular harbor awaits your arrival.

And oh yeah.

One more thing.

I'll be there to show you around.

Psalm 37:4 (ESV) "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

My Shadow

My heart is so heavy today.

Archie, our beloved 12 year old dachshund, died last night.

I've been putting off posting this entry because I knew it would be a hard one to write.

My eyes are filled with tears right now.

Archie was family.

He was with us for 12 years of ups and downs.

Always loving.

Always funny.

Always driving us crazy!

But Archie was especially attached to me.

He was my shadow.

When I would be up early to do my morning devotions he sat on my lap.

I often called him my "reading buddy."

I read a lot.. and he always sat or laid by my side.

Every day.

Not today.

He had been sick for a few days and we knew something wasn't right.

Turns out he was slipping away.

We took him to our compassionate vet and he told us there were many things wrong.

Too many.

And so we had to make a hard yet loving decision.

My wife and I along with our two boys spent about 20 minutes with Archie before they took him.

It was agonizing.

We cried.

A lot.

We held him.

We kissed him.

We prayed.

And the presence of the Lord was there.

In that moment I experienced a great truth:

God loves us and cares about what we care about.

Archie was so calm, which isn't like him at all.

He was peaceful... looking at each one of us in turn as if to say...

"I love you so much. It's going to be okay."

And then they took him away.

I don't have a theological leg to stand on when it comes to the question...

"Do our beloved pets go to Heaven?"

I like to think Archie will meet me at the gates.. running at top speed.. jumping into my arms.

Even though the Bible is silent about such things, I think about who God is.

He's loving beyond comprehension.

Why wouldn't he reunite us with our precious pets?

When we were in the room saying goodbye, I noticed some wooden words hanging on the wall:

"Loving you for loving me."

"Yes..." I said in a whisper as I held him.

"My love for you will remain even though shadows are fleeting."

High Anxiety

I'm anxious to share some encouragement with you.

Pun intended!

The words of Jesus in Matthew 6 about worry are familiar to many of us as Christ followers.

I return to them when life gets a little uncertain.

Okay.

A lot uncertain.

Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV) "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

A couple of things about these verses are showing up in BOLD PRINT in my life today.

First, even though God feeds the birds every day, they still have to go in search of the food He's supplied for them.

It's what they do.

And they're never stressed out about it either.

I've never seen a bird up in a tree having a nervous breakdown.

What a great example of faith in action!

Secondly, birds live day to day without storing up.

How many fat sparrows do you see?

They don't overindulge because they know there will be enough tomorrow.

Maybe the best thing we can do is get rid of the "What if" questions.

You know the drill....

What if I get sick...

What if there's not enough money...

What if I lose my job...

What if I'm rejected...

What if?

Replace the "What if' with "Even if."

Even if I get sick...

Even if there's not enough money..

Even if I'm rejected...

Even if I lose my job..

The Lord is still with me.

Matthew 28:20 (ESV) "..... And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

It's a choice I make each new day.

Faith or fear.

Which one honors God most?