Got any Bites?

I can not tell you how badly I wanted to go fishing......... but, alas no- my older brother would have none of it- no matter how much I pleaded. You see I was 5 years old and he was 14. I would hear from him and others all the time about how much fun it was to "hang the big one" - To fight him in until you had your prize- a fat slick cat fish or a monster carp that could get as big as.......well really big. The saddest part of it all was the fishing hole was so close- we lived about 100 yards or so from the Augusta Canal in my "growing up" years- a virtual mecca of fish, muskrats, crawdads and moccasins- but it was off limits to me. Mama always said a little boy could get hurt up there. I know my teenaged brothers were always secretly ecstatic when they could escape a little 5 year old snot nosed pest and get about the adventure of the great outdoors. Ahhhh, but my brother William- Simply leaving me home wasn't enough for him- No he had his own special ways of tormenting a little brother who took away his prized " baby of the family" status. You see William was a trickster, and I was on the wrong end of one of his all- time best. This particular beautiful Summer day he had cooked up a "mess of dough balls" the night before and talked incessantly about the Ji- Mongous Carp he was going to catch with his special recipe. Oh, but he felt sorry for me- you know that I had to stay home because Mama thought it was so dangerous- but he could fix all that- He had a plan- I was going to get to fish today!

Yessssss!!!!

Imagine my surprise when William unveiled his plan by taking me to the back of our little 4 room house to the bath room. Rod and reel in hand and a small bag of dough balls- he proceeded to bait up the hook and drop it right down into the toilet bowl- He then let out a section of line and you guessed it - Flushed the toilet. Well......... yes the bait and line dissappeared..... and yes as he explained- we were really only a short ways from the canal........ and of course our toilet flushes always emptied directly into the canal anyway - so what was the difference. According to William all I had to do was be patient and soon enough his wonderful dough ball would work it's magic. Who knows what I might be able to catch- just be patient he reminded me as he skipped out the front door on his way to his own fishing trip! I Corinthians 15:14 and 19 If Christ has not been raised our preaching is useless and so is your faith.......... If only for this life we have faith in Christ we are to be pitied more than all men. (or a little boy who thinks he will catch a fish from the toilet) Oh the wonder of it all- Christ has indeed been raised- the tomb is empty and I have His life in me. It is a life that unites me to my Father- My Creator- and brings me deep into the life I long for.

He was no trickster- He is a Truth Teller

Just ask Stephen as he is being stoned- Just ask Paul as he is being beaten and in chains under Roman Gaurd- Just ask John as he rots away on the Isle of Patmos- Just ask Mary as she comes to an empty tomb- Just ask Thomas as he feels the wounds- Just ask Peter as he hanged upside- down not counting himself worthy to share the fate of his Master

Just ask me- a little boy who never caught a fish that day, but who has felt the Love of a Saviour- Oh the sweet Love of Jesus poured into my broken heart. Life has never been the same.

Father in Heaven, Friend Jesus, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit- Three in One- Holy Triune God- Do not let me be jaded by the tricksters of this world. Please continue to show Yourself Faithful and True to all of us who place our Faith in You for the life we long for. Amen

Love

I remember having a conversation with one of my children-I really don't remember if it was Rebecca or Matthew (I think Matthew) when he was about6 or 7 years old. It was a very wrong conversation- a conversation if I could take back now I would. I really don't know what I was thinking in the midst of this conversation with a 6 year old, but as I think back now- I must have wanted to teach him something about Love. At any rate somewhere in the midst of our talking he looked at me and declared his love for me. Here is where it went bad. I looked at him and proceeded to tell him, "Matthew, you don't really love me or your mommy- you are really just confusing Love with need. You need us and we meet your needs- so you think you love us. One day you won't need us any more- At that point we will find out if you Love us. "He looked up at me with tears welling up in his eyes and cried out, " I do love mommy- I do love you- Don't say I don't" He then proceeded to run to his mommy in the next room crying out, "I do love you mommy- I do- Tell Daddy- Tell him I do". Oh my stupidity- my thoughtlessness for the feelings of a little boy even in the midst of deep thoughts about the nature of Love. It is ironic in a way that in my misguided effort to teach him something about Love I was so unloving.

Well he has since recovered as best I can tell from the wound I delivered that day. In my own effort to recover I did tell him that I really did believe he loved us the best he knew how. The reassurance helped a bit and kept some hold on my original thoughts about Love.

While I regret the conversation because it was with a child who was no where near ready to hear such things- I do not back up one inch from the belief behind the statement- "When you don't need us anymore, when we ultimately become a burden, then you will discover your love for us"

I believe that is the essence of real Love- Agape Love.

It is in the truth that God has no need for us-

We are powerless to do anything for Him-

In fact we turned on Him and yet out of His Nature- His Character- His True Self-

He loves us to the point of suffering and dying so that we might have life-

the life we were made for.

He could have given up on us-

He could have turned on us-

He could have destroyed us all and simply started over, but instead-

In the Life, Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus He demonstrated Love.

I do believe our needs are a blessing. My needs lead me into the beginnings of Love.

When I first met my bride to be she filled up many of my needs. I really thought I loved her- and as best I could at that point I did love her, but now, over 30 years later it is different. Infatuation with her has come and gone a thousand times, but Love has grown.

I came to Christ out of need and He has infused capacity for Real Love into my stone cold heart. I do Love You Jesus- You know I do. I hear Him say in reply,

"You Love Me Charles? Live it out- Feed My sheep- Take care of my Lambs- then My Love is made complete in you."

Lord Jesus- You know all things- You Know I need You- You know I love You as best I can here and now- Grow my Love- strengthen it in all I walk through today and evermore. Amen

It's Okay Mommy

I just read a great post from a family member on facebook- to protect the innocent I won't name names, but suffice it to say this wonderful young mother of two has her hands full. As she was giving her 2 young children a bath recently the older of the 2 (a 3 year old) fills a mega cup full of bath water and is about to take a good long drink. Well this mommy will have none of it and warns the child, "Honey don't do that- Your brother (13 months) may have peeed in the tub." The 4 year old simply looks at her mother, smiles and says, "It's okay Mommy, I already Peeed in the tub." Kids- what are you gonna do, but love'em? I wonder how many times my Heavenly Father has looked down and warned me, "Charles, don't do it." only to have me look back up and say,"It's okay -I got this- I can handle it." even though I have no clue what kind of trouble I am about to get myself into. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowlege Him and He will make your paths straight. 'nuff said - Blessings to all

There Always Seems to be Something

What do I love more than Jesus? my car? my home? my job? my children? my wife? a relationship? my way of life? my standing at church and in the community? my ministry? approval and acclaim in this world? my own personal view of God? my independence? my theology? my causes? my view of how the world should work- fairness? my own vision for my future? There always seems to be something that rivals my love for Jesus. The rich young man had his wealth- the Pharisees had their religion and position-one man had to say good bye to his family-another man had to go and bury his father first- Even Peter had his own vision of how life would play out for him with Jesus- before the crucifixion. All of us have some things- good things- that we look to find our happiness in- that we look for Life in. Things that we will truly place our faith in- give our hearts and souls to- because we believe those things will bring us the life we long for. Like Sirens of old calling to us- like a serpent in a garden long ago. Jesus will have none it! He will always call us higher. Oswald Chambers talks about Jesus' undeviating question- Do you Love Me? Do you Love Me? Do you Love Me more than these? It is the question I must answer every second of every day. "What about you?" Jesus asks as the Sirens call- "Will you leave Me too?" I hope to answer with Peter,"Lord, you know I love You- to whom shall I go- You alone have the words of Eternal Life." Holy Spirit, bring me deeper into Love with Jesus today, So that all the rest simply fades away. Help me to feel my Saviour's Love for me- To live in that Love- And so to love all of those other things- those good things- Not for the life they promise, But for the gifts they are from You. I pray that all these things bring me to a deeper Love for You. Amen

Instruments of Grace

God's Grace His kindness toward me Even though I have done nothing to deserve it Even though I can do nothing for Him in return Even though I have risen up against Him. God's Grace "But God demonstrates His Love for us in this- even while we were opposing Him (sinners) Christ died for us" When I give my life to Christ He comes into me-He comes to life in me so that the life I live is no longer my own- I am His- for Him to live through to all those He brings my way. I am drawn up into Him-my heart united to His Great Heart and brought to life- His Resurrection Life to be lived through me. I have heard it said that the Glory of God is a man fully alive. God's Glory is His Love and Character being fully demonstrated in our lives. I am to be an instrument of His Grace - To become the hands and feet of Jesus. He has shown you O' man what is good and what does the Lord require of you? Do Justly, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly with your God. Lord be in me today to be an instrument of Your Grace- to be Loving, Joyful. pursuing Peace, Patient, Kind, Good, Faithful, Self Controlled, Courageous, Humble and full of Hope. Jesus, Holy Spirit, saturate my heart- join to it in such a way that Iam energized for all these things in You today. Amen

Some Thoughts on Forgiveness

Forgiveness means just getting over it. Forgiveness means I just act like it didn't matter. Forgiveness means forgetting. Forgiveness is an event- Done once and for all. Forgiveness means I have to like you. Forgiveness is the same as Reconciliation. Forgiveness means an offender gets off with no consequence. No, No, No, No!!!!!!!!!!!! At least I don't think any of those are true. What passes for forgiveness these days many times is nothing more than declaring a cease fire while I rearm with anger and bitterness that lead me to more destruction. In the end, I really believe Forgiveness calls me beyond tolerance- To the point that I wish the best for my offender- in fact that I Love my offender- that I wish he would change- that he would repent......... and going a step farther- from Love- that I do whatever is in my power to to help him move toward repentance and wholeness. It does not mean I am soft on him or even need to like him. In fact many times I think it can mean Courageous, Loving, uncomfortable Confrontation. I think of God's forgiveness. I have wronged Him- I have betrayed Him- I have left Him so many times to go my own way. I have rebelled against Him and He has every right to vengeance- to let me suffer the consequence of my betrayal- to sit back and watch while I flounder in my own willfulness and pride all the way to my death. Ah, but that is not His nature- God is Loving- God is compassionate- God is Just and God is Forgiving. My heavenly Father has loved me so much- My friend Jesus has Loved me so much- that He has ransomed me from my captivity to sin and emptiness and hopelessness and death. I got myself into this mess, but He has by His own sacrifice offered me a way out. You might disagree with my theology here, but I believe with all my heart that the sacrifice of Christ made possible God's forgiveness to every human who has ever walked the face of this earth. That being said, forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. Not every man accepts God's forgiveness. Not every man is reconciled to God. Many can not bring themselves to admit they have any need of forgiveness and so reconcilation is never achieved. Many- of their own volition- continue on their prideful way, evermore separated from the Father. Death has it's icy grip on their hard cold hearts and God's compassionate, loving heart breaks for them. Ezekiel 18:31-32 Rid yourselves of all offenses you have committed and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O House of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and Live! And so it is with God's call for me to forgive. The offense did matter. The hurt was real. I am within my rights to look for justice....... but if God can forgive my offense- my betrayal- What right do I really have to hold on to my desire to get even? I can only forgive to the extent that I realize how much I have been forgiven and truly grasp what God did to satisfy justice and offer His forgiveness. My ability to forgive does not depend on the offender's sorrow. God does not forgive me because of my sorrow- He forgives because of His Love. I also am called to forgive not out of my offender's sorrow but out of God's Love in me. Sometimes wrongs end in reconciliation....... and it is a beautiful thing........... but forgiveness without reconcilation is beautiful as well. With or without reconciliation forgiveness is a key to my healing - to my wholeness- to my ability to take hold of the Life I long for- even here on this earth. My ability to forgive- to at least wish that my offender would be healed and made right- is one of the truest signs of God's Love and Life in me. It is what He has done for me. Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus said," But if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will not forgive your sins". Father, because of Your Love in me- because of Jesus in me- I will be forgiving. Amen

What do you Delight in?

I delight in the sound of childrens laughter I delight in going down hill fast on a bicycle I delight in the smile of a friend I delight in seeing a blackfaced fox squirrel on a cold December morning I delight in deep blue skies with cotton ball clouds I delight in seeing my students finally "get it" I delight in reunions with friends I have not seen in a long while I delight in the first drop on a mega roller coaster I delight in seeing a great team at it's best I delight in seeing great acts of courage I delight in the love of my wife I delight in seeing my children happy I delight in music of all kinds I delight in a good cup of coffee "Delight yourself in the Lord" I have been wondering what that means- what it looks like- How to do it. I am not quite sure if the verse is a command- something I am to intentionally do- Today I will set out to delight in the Lord or Is it more that today I will acknowlege God- Abide in Christ-in every thing I think, say, or do and out of that will flow those feelings of delight like the ones I listed above. There is a bit of a mystery to it all for me- but that's okay- maybe even good. I'm sure if I could come up with a formula for how to delight in the Lord I would probably lose some of the wonder of it all. I think I need to be happy with simply trying to love God and Love people moment by moment and see where that takes me. Psalm 100: Shout for Joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship Him with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God- it is He who made us and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. The Lord is good and His Love endures forever; His faithfulness continues to all generations. Father God, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, move in me today to trust You, to abide in You- to remember Your great Love for me- to remember Your goodness. Move in Me Lord Jesus to delight in You- to find my joy in You. Holy Spirit, be so powerful in me that the Love of Jesus is always what guides my thoughts, words and deeds. Amen

The Life to Come

I Love Weddings!

This morning I took off on yet another adventure on my bicycle-
This time I stuck to the pavement however-
At least for a while-
I navigated my way from my home some 10 miles to a path that runs along side the Savannah River-
The Canal Tow Path.
At the point where the Tow Path begins there is a Community Center that sits high up on the bank of the river. This center has come to be known as Savannah Rapids Pavillion. The Pavillion is positioned in an exquisite spot that looks down over the river for an incredible view of a spillway with a waterfall that tumbles into gentle rapids. As I picture it in my mind, I realize how inadequate my writing skills are to describe such beauty.

Over the years,

the Pavillion has become a favorite spot for many a young couple to launch out into their own great adventure of a lifetime together.

Well this morning-
if only for a fleeting moment-
I was privileged to witness one such beginning.
Ah, the excitement of the wedding party as they made their way toward what I pray would be a wonderful celebration of Love for a lifetime. The Groom and groomsmen were pictures of strength as they walked confidently toward the life-changing moment. As the Bride came into view, in all her splendor, I was drawn back in time 30 years to the moment I first glimpsed my Julie on our wedding day.

She was Beautiful-

Radiant-

Incredible beyond words!

I thank God for the memory of her smile as she approached our moment-
The moment of pledging our hearts to one another-
I don't think I will ever forget that smile.

 I Love Weddings!

Revelation 19:7 and on- Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory for the Wedding of the Lamb has come and His Bride has made herself ready. Fine linen bright and clean was given her to wear. The angel said, "Blessed are those invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb".

Thank You Father in Heaven for the Wedding to come-

for the celebration to come-

for the life to come.

Thank you for my marriage here and now to such a wonderful, beautiful, woman.

Thank You that our Love has brought forth life-

for our children.

Thank You for how weddings remind me of the life to come with You-

my Eternal Bridegroom.

Amen

It is written,

" Behold now the dwelling of God is with men

and He will live with them- they will be His".

He Who is seated on the Throne has said,

"Behold, I make all things new".

All praise be to You my Lord Jesus for the Life You have won for us.

Amen

Play Smart

I coached a young man at one point in my career that no one could ever possibly criticize for not playing hard. When this kid hit the floor, he was a whirling dervish- arms flailing wildly in every direction- a blur of motion and energy who was totally committed to every play as if it might be his last time ever touching a basketball................ and if it were............ He was determined to go out in a blaze of glory. Unbridled Passion can be a dangerous thing. When Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the message, "The Kingdom of Heaven is near" His warning to them was, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves, therefore be shrewd as snakes, but as innocent as doves" Shrewdness harnesses and directs passion. There is direction behind the energy. Play Hard- Yes!!!!!!!! But Play Smart as well. So what does it mean to live the Christian life shrewdly........... to Play Smart? Jesus told a parable in which He commended another man for the shrewd use of his master's wealth to win friends for himself- Jesus goes on to tell us that we should use worldly wealth in such a way that when it is gone we will be welcomed by many friends into eternal dwellings. Did you get that- The shrewd use of energy, resources, cleverness, power and position in this world is connected to having many friends in Heaven. The Christian Life is meant to be lived with Passion- Shrewd Passion, that makes every move based on an eternal perspective. This will not be the last time I touch the ball. I do not need to go out in a blaze of glory. This life is about much more than this life. Father God be in me to live for You with passion and conviction- always with an eye toward the reality of eternity. Give me wisdom- even shrewdness- as I manage all that You have given me in this world so that there are many friends to welcome me into Your Eternal Dwellings.