Month: July 2022

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge it will pass away. And now these three remain, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. I Corinthians 13 selected

It’s hard to believe it, but at the end of this week, Randy and I will celebrate fifty years of marriage. It truly amazes me that God can take two totally different people, blend them together and make a union! It seems like just yesterday on a hot, sultry day in South Georgia that we said our “I Wills and I Dos” in the Friendship United Methodist Church in my hometown. As we exchanged our simple gold bands at the altar, I remember thinking of the inscription we had put inside both our rings, “The Greatest is Love.”

We had few future plans except for Randy to attend seminary, me to begin my teaching career, and us to live in an upstairs apartment of an old house in Decatur. We weren’t even sure at that point that Randy would decide to give in to the call into ministry. That call to the ministry is the last thing he or I would have expected for him, but when God calls, He won’t let go. Randy majored in political science thinking that one day he would enter the law profession. I thought he would make a great lawyer, and selfishly, I thought that would be much better than a life where the minister moves, lives in parsonages, and faces the uncertainty that is part of the Methodist calling.

At the time of our engagement, said to me, “I promise you when we get married, you will never be rich, but you will never be bored.” The fifty year mark has certainly proven that to be true!

All these years later, even though it was hard leaving each congregation, each (well, not all) the parsonages which became our home, and each piece of our heart we left, I wouldn’t change a thing. With each new congregation came new challenges, new perspectives, and new friends which left us with accomplishments, learning experiences, and a stronger love and memories for each other and every appointment.

During those early years I had to do things that I swore I would never do. Things like teaching children’s Sunday School classes, forming and leading the children’s choir, playing (picking) the piano, and hosting groups in the parsonage. I had to sometimes (when the expectations of the minister’s wife were too high) voice the words to members, “I didn’t marry the minister, I married the man.” When we have occasion to revisit some of these churches, the memories flood back, and I can see vividly that what I thought was such a burden at the time turned out to be the greatest blessings of my life.

Each home gave us a chance to work with a parsonage committee as we bargained for a dishwasher, a washing machine, air conditioning, and even a new piece of furniture. Each congregation took us in as part of their family. We celebrated with them, laughed with them, cried with them, and grieved with them. They welcomed each of our children and nurtured them during our time with them. Each name of members of churches brings back memories of our experiences with them. When you have an occasion to face uncertainty together, stick trials out together, and love together, you find the strong love of people who looked to their side in suffering and found the other person there.

Through it all, there is one person with whom you get to share experiences, talk things over, discuss needs, and plan for the future. It makes you realize how important it is to choose your life’s mate carefully. This one decision will bring either 90% of your life’s happiness or 90% of your life’s misery.

Marriage, in my perspective, is a lot like a soloist and the accompanist that perform together. The soloist sets the tempo and the accompanist follows in order to keep the two together. There are times in life where one is the soloist and one the accompanist. It takes the two being willing to play each role that makes life together either heaven or hell.

On this special occasion, I would say I have learned many things, but a few stand out. First, marry only for love. Next, never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them. Thirdly, build on mutual sacrifice. Finally, forgive quickly for life is short.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Randy. I love you lots! Thank you for making life exciting!

If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7

When we look back over the events of the years since the pandemic began, we realize that during this time we’ve done a lot of biding our time until this whole epidemic passes. We got immunized, boosted, and still we find that the whole thing just keeps reconfiguring itself.

Everybody who keeps a calendar, either an old fashioned paper one or the ones we keep on our devices, knows that we check this almost daily to see what’s on the agenda for that day or week. Nobody had Covid-19 on their calendar. It caught us totally unaware, and we were not prepared for all the ramifications it would produce. It is in these hard unexpected times that our identity is forged, and we learn the value of abiding.

Abiding has different synonyms such as bearing, enduring, tolerating, and suffering. It seems that during these last few years, we have began to identity with these as we learn the value of abiding. Abiding means to stay or remain. The word makes us think of home, the place where we find joy, acceptance, encouragement, support, protection, purpose and rest. Abiding gives us a chance to treasure God’s word and renew our pledge to accept it as our highest authority, our compass for direction, our counselor in making decisions, and our benchmark for every relationship and action.

As disciples, our faith will always be put to the test, and it is in these times that we experience the true definition of abiding as we “take up residence and live in” and continually receive, believe and trust that Christ is everything we need. In short, we become a container for God’s spirt to live within us and affect every area of our lives from relationships, to health, to decisions, to marriage, and struggles. Abiding reminds us to remember that every word of God is flawless and to turn to it for guidance. (Proverbs 30:5)

Each of us have to make the decision to abide in Him wherever we are in life. Oswald Chambers said, “Make the determination to abide in Jesus wherever you are now or wherever you may be placed in the future.” Many of us have abided with our family, friends, and with others in the faith during times of death, illness, chemotherapy, surgery, stress, relationships, emotional struggles, health, decisions, and handling overwhelming problems. There’s no way to hurry up the process, so the best advice is to abide and let God work.

So, how do we learn to abide in Jesus? The best way to illustrate abiding in Jesus is to liken it to a tea bag. When you put a tea bag in hot water, something happens. As the tea bag abides in the water, the tea begins to flavor the water until it takes on the taste of the tea. The longer the tea bag abides in the water, the stronger the color and the flavor of the tea. That’s what happens when we abide in Christ and He abides in us. The longer and the deeper we go with Him, the more His presence will permeate our lives. (copied)

I read recently that there are three things we need to do to abide in Jesus. First, we should walk by faith and let Him be the guide. Next, we should spend time focused on Him, the Bible, and His will. Lastly, we should live intentionally as we show others by our example.

The closer we get to God, the more we will want to do what He says. Abiding in Christ daily requires dependence on the Holy Spirit. When we do what He says, we will begin to abide in His blessings.

In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This cornerstone, this solid ground; Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace; when fears are stilled, when strivings cease. My Comforter, my all in all, Here in the love of Christ I stand. In Christ Alone by Adrienne Camp

In Thee O Lord do I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion. Psalms 71:1

When God calls you to a higher purpose, nothing can stop what He has set in motion. Isaiah 14:27

It is pretty commonplace for us to get an offer either by email, letter, or phone offering new or updated services for our phones, television, cars, appliances, etc. that contain the words, if for any reason, you don’t like the service, you can cancel it at any time! Usually, as a bonus, we have ninety days to make up our mind. That’s really a contrived ploy because who can remember to cancel after ninety days??

There are many times when the option to cancel it is advantageous such as a credit card we don’t need, a purchase we ordered that is superfluous, or maybe even a reservation that we are unable to fulfill. When the ability to cancel it is used for necessary purposes, we are glad to have that option. When canceling it isn’t hurting anyone, there’s no problem, but what if it is harmful to others?

There is a cancel it phenomenon or “cancel culture” as it is called today that is sweeping through our nation, our communities, and our lives. This new mindset demands that someone who says or does something that someone else might find offensive, must be silenced or totally cut off. It could be anything that doesn’t adhere to the opinions of others. This kind of cancelling has resulted in people losing their jobs, their careers, their reputation, and it can even result in threats.

Our governing bodies, our schools, and even our churches are cancelling the history upon which they were built, all because those things might be offensive to those in this day and time. Once we change our history, can we ever reclaim the things that made us the people we are today? Do we get a refund on the sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears that was poured into the establishment of these things?

We have seen canceling recently in the lives of politicians, nominees for the Supreme Court, comic strips, and even Dr. Seuss has been a victim. All this because someone got offended! This is not to say that there aren’t things which should be cancelled, but this new culture seems driven by a kind of self righteous behavior on the part of many, and it is very scary.

The world is quick to cancel people, their beliefs, and their thoughts these days, but even though it seems a new fad, this desire to destroy others is as old as mankind. We only have to look back in the Bible where Cain cancelled Abel, where Joseph’s brothers tried to cancel him, where Jezebel attempted to cancel Elijah, and on and on throughout the history of the Bible to see it.

Jesus probably faced the cancel culture more than anyone else. It was this kind of culture that hated Him so much that they eventually crucified Him. When He was nailed to the cross this same culture rejoiced, and the soldiers gambled at the foot of His cross for his garments. This was thousands of years ago, but it is happening among us today. It leads us to wonder what will happen to a culture who cancels Jesus in their lives? In this cancel culture, it seems that when people make a decision to cancel someone or something, it is cancelled for life and never considered again.

Jesus, on the other hand, surrounded himself with people who had been cancelled in that day and called them friends. He had a tax collector, a betrayer, a prostitute, and a thief in his circle of friends. He was never willing to cancel even the baddest of the bad, the worst of the worst, or the most evil of the evil. He even went so far as to give his life to cancel sin so that we all might be forever forgiven.

The story is told of an older woman who lived in a small town. Everyone there called her Crazy because she was known to walk around town talking to herself. She even believed she could talk to Jesus. A new minister moved into town and upon encountering her on the street asked, “Would you do me a favor and ask Jesus what was the last sin I confessed to Him?” “Certainly,” the woman replied. The next day the minister saw her again and asked, “Well, what did Jesus say?” The older woman replied, “Jesus said He doesn’t remember.”

Cancelling sin is only one of the many things Jesus has done for us. In this cancel culture, we would do well to remember His example.

All my debts – cancelled; Satan’s threats – cancelled; Sin’s effects – cancelled; For the ransom was paid. Lyrics to Cancelled Worthy by the Gaither Brothers

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Blessed are the people he chose to be His own. Psalms 33:12

America is living proof that the above verse is true. No nation has been more blessed than America, and our forefathers knew and believed in this verse from Psalms. Our nation was founded with a noble purpose and a godly intention. We are reaping the blessings because of the seed that was planted by the people who came to these shores seeking freedom, justice and liberty. They also brought with them the Bible and the faith in God which sustained them. The pilgrims came with the words, “For the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith.”

Some of the greatest leaders of this nation were also strong believers in God and in our Lord Jesus Christ. George Washington made no secret of his Christian faith. During the Revolutionary War, he issued a call for divine services each Sunday and said, “To the distinguished character of a Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of a Christian.” When a stranger came to the Continental Congress and wanted to know which man was George Washington, a friend replied, “He is easy to spot. When the Congress begins to pray, Washington will be the tall man who will go to his knees.”

The Declaration of Independence declares in part to “..the laws of nature and of nature’s God ‘insist’ that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Great men such as Dwight Eisenhower once declared, “Without God there could be no American form of government nor American way of life.”

So, where is that kind of faith in this day and time? When we ask God to bless America, what have we done to earn His blessings? Although many may not realize it, the secret of America’s greatness was her belief and her faith in God

We are the only country which displays In God We Trust on our currency, has a minister to open the legislature with prayer, and has a Thanksgiving Day to offer thanks to God. Blessed is the nation which receives God as Lord and Savior, but Psalm 97 reminds us that nations that forget God will be cursed. We are beginning to see the truth of this in our nation today.

We have taken prayer out of our schools, dignified adultery, and glamorized immorality. We have come to the place now where we call good evil and evil good. So, why are we letting this happen in our great country?

William Highland says, “The United States has never been less threatened by foreign forces, but never since the Great Depression has the threat to domestic greatness been greater.” We now live in a country which has the largest crime rate, the highest rate of divorce, and moral decay.

All we have to do is look at the headlines in the paper to know that Satan is alive and well and working in this country. Paul Harvey once wrote a column entitled, “If I Were the Devil”, and here are some of his thoughts. If I were the devil, I would begin my campaign with a whisper like the serpent saying the Bible is a myth. I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loathing and less work. I would evict God from the courthouses, the schoolhouse, and the house of Congress. Then, in His own churches, I would substitute psychology and politics for religion and defy science. If I were the Devil, I’d just keep doing what I’m doing, and the whole world would go to hell as sure as the devil.

During the darkest days of the Civil War as Abraham Lincoln was sitting in the Oval Office, the Secretary of War said to him, “I do not believe we have anything to worry about, God is on our side.” The President replied, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my great concern is to be on God’s side.”

My prayer for this Fourth of July is that we as a country get back on God’s side. Then and only then can we pray for God to Bless America.

Happy Fourth of July and God bless America!