HONORING A HERO

Heroes are hard to come by. They are overrated and over-played by today's standards. Where are the real heroes? Real men and women? People who have faced a giant and won?

David Wilkerson was a true life hero. He faced giants and won. He was no coward or weakling. He spoke truth when it wasn't popular or fancy. He wasn't a gimmick man.

Tragically he was killed in a motor vehicle accident on Wednesday. His death is a real loss to the Kingdom.

He loved the down and outer. He reached out to drug addicts, prostitutes, and drunkards. He spoke God's Word in love and with great faith. He made a difference in this world.

He authored the best selling book "The Cross and The Switchblade" and founded Teen Challenge Ministries, an outreach to drug addicts. His vision was world changing. It was powerful.

Once when I was a young teenager, he laid his hands on me and prayed for me. I will never forget it. He was strong and powerful. I felt God when he prayed.

We will miss David Wilkerson, but we will see him again. He was a real-life hero.

NO MOW WORRIES

On my way to church on Tuesday morning, I saw a small sign on the passenger door of a pick-up truck that read, "No Mow Worries." The driver was pulling a small trailer filled with lawn equipment. I chuckled. That is good.

Worry is spiritual battle. It turns into sin, if we allow it. But worry has a solution.

When I got to my office, I opened my Bible as my eyes fell on Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God."

The following verse tells us that this is the secret to having peace of mind. This is the secret to the guarded mind.

So here is Paul's directive.

Rejoice in the Lord.

Be moderate.

Don't be anxious.

Pray.

Offer thanks.

Peace will follow.

So I choose to have "No Mow Worries".

I will follow the prescription. It will be an effort. But when I am tempted to worry, I will pray.

HE IS STILL RISEN

Jesus is alive. He rose from the dead. He ascended to heaven. He is alive!

Easter is fantastic. I know we celebrated our Lord's Resurrection yesterday, but it isn't a one day a year experience. He lives every day.

He is in my heart. He lives within me. He walks with me. He talks with me. He helps me in all I do. It is true that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

As I pastor I hear many needs. See much sickness. Needs are brought by the boatload. Yet, our Lord has time and care for every need. He turns no one away.

You know that old song, "Because He lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fears are gone....?

So today face it in His strength. Don't walk alone. Let your best friend walk with you. His name is Jesus.

ITS FRIDAY

Its Friday.

We honor His death, His suffering, His sorrow.

Words cannot express or explain His love.

It is beyond comprehension, beyond our grasp, beyond understanding.

Why?

Why would He die for sinners?

Why would He die when so many would reject Him?

Why would He die for me?

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believed on Him would have everlasting life."

That is the only explanation.

"For God so loved...."

THE RIGHT PROGRAM

Our minds can be programed. We can preset and predetermine how we will think and act and react. We do it by what we feed our minds and what we chose to think. Wrong programing leads to wrong results. Right programing leads to right results. It is really that simple.

This past Sunday morning, Wanda asked me to preset our oven to delay cooking to turn on the oven on around noon for 1 hour. She wanted our lunch to pre-cook and be ready when we arrived home from church. I followed the instructions for delayed cooking and preset all the buttons. Thankfully she doubled checked. I hadn't properly programed the oven. I set the oven to come on 12 hours later rather than just 3 hours. Lunch would have been cold and awful if she had not caught my error in programing.

Too often we preset our minds for the wrong thinking. We have put the wrong things in and we get the wrong things out. What goes in is what will come out. Right programing leads to right results.

How many tragedies have occurred because of wrong settings? How many scars are made because of wrong thought processes that led to bad endings? How many lives have been broken because flawed, sinful values?

I made a preset correction and the food was delicious. I took instruction from my beautiful wife. I re-read the instruction manual and made a pre-set adjustment. I wasn't hard-headed or stubborn or proud. It saved lunch. The spaghetti caracole was fantastic.

Do you have a flawed pre-set mindset? Read the manual again. Read God's Word. Set your mind on things above. Things will work out better for you on earth.

JOIN THE TEAM

Teams are group efforts. No one individual should stick out above the other. It is all about the group.

There are sports teams, and family teams, and work teams, and neighborhood teams, and army teams, and on the list goes.

This past weekend I was a part of several team efforts. Some were church teams. One was a neighborhood sort of team. And then there are family teams efforts. All are important and have direct impact on me and many others.

What is a team? Here is a thought.

Tasking together.

Everyone doing their part.

All out effort.

Making it happen.

I know there is much more to being a part of successful teams, but these are just a few thoughts.

CRSIS

Life eventually offers crisis. It comes in many forms. It touches all. The rain hits everyone.

What do you do when crisis hits?

The options are numerous. Crumble. Quit. Cower.

Nope!

Faith surely is tested at crisis moments. Courage must be pulled forward. Fear has to be faced. Vision to see through and beyond the clouds is challenged.

Where does your help come from? How do you muster strength again? When will it end? What will be the outcome?

I have faced crisis, and I have counseled untold people in and through crisis. Crisis is never easy, but it can have eternal impact for good or bad. As believers, we know that God can take everything and work it together for good. That is easy to say, and a lot tougher to live out.

How do you face crisis?

One day at a time.

Trust and trust some more.

Sit in His presence.

Read God's Word

Wait.

Obey God.

Strip away what doesn't matter.

Worship even when there is no feeling.

Hang on.

Hang on some more.

Do what you know to do.

Listen.

Sit in solitude before Him.

Open your heart to caring friends.

Look up.

Take one small step at at time.

Receive His peace.

Tune outside noise off.

Find something good to do for someone.

Don't dwell on self.

Don't give way to self-pity.

Rise.

Rise in His Strength.

Count your blessings.

Look at the needs of others.

Move slowly through the storm.

Look for daybreak.

Praise.

Give God glory.

Find the good.

Go forward.

There is more to be done, but God works through crisis. Let Him.

TELL THE STORY

This weekend Wanda and I enjoyed Sunday dinner with some long-time friends of mine. Wanda had met them only briefly before. Gary and Dee sat during lunch quizzing us about our lives and how God had brought us together. Both sat spellbound as we recounted our love story.

Dee said, "You have to write your story. Some many need to hear what God has done for you."

I have written almost daily for over three years about what God has done in my life. I told the story of Kristy's last days and the challenges I faced after her death. I began a new blog and wrote more.

My plans were to write our story before now, but the hurt of loss and grief was too much. I couldn't bear it. Now God has helped me and I feel like I can reflect with greater clarity. God has been so good to help me and God's gift of Wanda to my life is a huge part of it. Wanda has encouraged me to write it so maybe now is the time.

I am so very thankful for the wonderful wife and life God has given me. There is new joy and expectancy. Wanda and I have so much to be thankful for and that we enjoy together. We both experienced loss, but God has given us new life and new love. We are blessed.

I counsel many individuals who have lost spouses. I know their hurt. Maybe our story would help others in recovering from loss and going forward to God's new plans. Pray for God's guidance in this matter. I know the story needs to be told. I just need guidance.

HOT WATER

These last days have been hectic. From sermon preparation, to counseling, to comforting, to funerals, to church services, to camping with our young boys, I have been busy.

This past weekend I spent Friday night with some of our young guys at a camp-out. Our Royal Rangers went to the state boys Pow Wow just south of Ft. Meade, Fl. It was a great event as the boys enjoyed all kinds of outdoors activities.

Sleeping in a tent on the floor doesn't cut it for me so I took a small mattress. That made the ground some softer, but not much.

Our commander had a well put together campsite even with hot water. Take a look at it. It worked great. That is not a still.

Mark and Cole were there too with their church from Lakeland and stayed about 30 yards or so from our campsite. We got to spend a few moments together.The great outdoors are fun. Fresh air, singing birds, and camp fires are refreshing. It was a super time.

OOPS!

Oops!

I missed a day. Actually, I didn't forget to write and post yesterday's blog. I just didn't write a blog. Normally I post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and have not missed doing that since beginning this blog. But, I took the day off. Just didn't do it. I keep feeling a pull toward writing it as habits tend to do, but I resisted the pull.

I'm back on Friday. The blog continues.

I just took a break. Did you know?

ANNIVERSARY CARDS

Wanda and I celebrated our second anniversary this past weekend. It is April 3. Two years have passed quickly. We have so much to be thankful for. God has truly blessed us.

There are many ways to share your love with your mate. One way is to give romantic cards. Wanda love that and I get her cards from time to time including special occasions.

We enjoyed going off Friday for a trip up to St. Simon's Island, Ga. Big Red was raring to go so off we road to the north.

Both of us had agreed not to spend any extra money since we were doing a trip and eating out. But that doesn't mean not sharing a romantic card.

I took Wanda out for dinner Sunday evening too, as that is our anniversary. On the way to dinner, I stopped by CVS Drug Store and asked her to go in with me. I told her to wait at the door, and I went in to the card section and pulled out a number of really romantic, anniversary cards. Then I took her to the card section and read all of them too her. She laughed and was caught off guard. It was funny, but special as I read them to her out loud.

Yes, I did have a card I purchased for her, but I thought reading a number of them to her was neat. Wanda is God's gift to me. I am blessed!

OUR TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY

This Sunday Wanda and I will celebrate our second wedding anniversary. We were married two years ago in Bartow, Fl., in the church where I pastored years ago. Quickly these two years have passed. It has been amazing.

What can I say about Wanda after two years of marriage?

She is a gift from the Lord.

She is incredibly kind and thoughtful.

She loves me.

She loves our children.

She loves our grandchildren.

She loves our family.

She loves our church family.

She is a wonderful cook and homemaker.

She is an incredible pastor's wife.

She is gifted and talented in many ways.

She keeps a smile on my face.

She is a blessing.

We fell in love over the phone before our first date. We knew from the beginning that God had put us together. It has been an amazing blessing to both of us.

The first year she loved me and waited patiently as I still had to work through grief.

I helped her adjust to moving to a new city away from long time friends and family.

We grew in love and knowledge of each other.

Both of us are relatively mature, underline the word relatively, so our adjustments probably were not as hard as our in our first marriages. Yet, there are set ways that older folks tend toward so that offset some of our maturity.

We took advice of our marriage counselor. He said that when you marry the first time you leave your mother and your father. When you marry a second time, you leave your first spouse. You still love your mother and father and you still have love for your first spouses, but you leave them to go to the new that God has for you. We have done that though we both honor and esteem the wonderful mates we enjoyed in our first marriages.

The adjustments continue for us and for our children, but God is good and He has blessed us. We have been married a total 71 years, just two years to each other.

God is good. I love you Wanda and thank God for you every day.