Don Crane - Loving God, Loving Each Other, and Loving Life

Faith to make it!!!

2012-01-25T06:41:00.001-05:00

"Most of the actions of the church are based on what "we" (the church) think we can do verses the basis of faith and what God can do!!!"

Seeking the Mission Impossible!!!

2012-01-23T06:51:00.000-05:00

“[Ask, Seek, Knock] “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NIV

This morning in worship service, we talked about the power of the Holy Spirit. We ask and seek, yet, we do not truly ask for what God is seeking in us. In the above Matthew text, we see Jesus telling us to ask and seek, and the door will truly be open. R.A. Burridge is his book, "Imitating Jesus" states, "Since the Gospels are a portrait of a person, they must be interpreted with a biographical focus upon their subject, Jesus of Nazareth." So, if Jesus is telling us to "ask" and it will be given and "knock" and the door will be opened, it seems reasonable we should....so in view of what Jesus is and what is revealed in His biography...what are we asking? where are we knocking?

A Christ-follower who truly desires to serve the Christ "he/she" loves will discover Jesus and the "person" Jesus is by briefly discovering the biography of Jesus' character in His compassion, His sacrifice and His love for people. Jesus' character was about a driving purpose. That purpose was to live a life of compassion, heal the sick and hurting, and give of his life. Jesus' sacrifice was all inclusive for a fallen creation. He was and is our sacrificial lamb. He was the holy, spotless lamb that was given in our place so that death could be removed forever. Finally, Jesus' love was and is still pleading our case so that we might not stand trial for the death we deserve. He was willing to take on our punishment because of His love for us.

Could it be that we do not have the faith to truly ask or knock. This is not about a wealth gospel, but truly in serving the God we profess to love and want to serve. Yesterday the statement was made, "when we seek the spiritual we forget to seek the One who specializes in the impossible." I could not agree more. God will reveal himself to us in service when we are in prayer and seeking His kingdom. It is then we discover the true nature of Jesus and then we want to give of our hearts, minds, and strength in connecting people to Jesus.

Thus, we seek and knock from the truth of love, redemption, and sacrifice by appealing to the God of mission impossible. We appeal to the God who specializes in the impossible. God is able to bring everything to perfect completion.

So, let me ask you,
"What are you asking and to whom are you asking?" "On what door are you knocking?"

I seek His kingdom so that we might all experience the impossible. Won't you join me? You know I love ya, Don

Integrity & Preservation & Choices

2012-01-18T06:48:00.001-05:00

"But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity ..." (Ps. 26:11).

Integrity is missing in so much of our culture these day. The church and its members must rise to the occasions start "walking in mine integrity." By integrity as a Christlike trait, I do not mean simply sincerity or honesty; integrity rather according to the meaning of the word as its derivation interprets it--complete--wholeness--soundness: that which Christ means when He says, "If thine eye be single or sound, thy whole body shall be full of light."

Christian integrity extends through the complete or wholeness of the character. It is found in small matters as well as great; for the allegiance of the soul to truth is tested by small things rather than by those which are more important. We think that we hate falsehood when we are only hating the consequences of falsehood. We resent hypocrisy, and treachery and deception, not because they are untrue, but because they harm us. We hate the falseness of fake integrity, but we are half pleased with the false praise. It is evidently not the element of untruth here that is displeasing, but the element of harmfulness.

The Christian servant is a person of integrity who hates untruth as untruth: who resents the smooth and polished falsehood of society which does no harm, but deceives the excellence of life. The Christlike integrity turns in indignation from the glittering whitened lie. Integrity recoils from deceptions. So even when things are going bad, winners perform with integrity.

“But as for me, I will walk in my integrity!”

Rise Up and Be a Man!

2012-01-16T06:29:00.001-05:00

One of my heroes is Joseph. He was the step-father of Jesus and he was a Man of God. You can read his story in Mathew 1:18-25. I have always felt that the reality of his choices to follow God would be starting to get hard about a three to four weeks after Jesus was born...right about now after Christmas. Yet, we know, Joseph of Galilee was man that remained strong and was truly a man.

So, how can we men, follow his example. One of the key verses to any Christ-Following Man is 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” What does it men to “act like men?”

I believe Joseph pondered this same question? What am I going to do?

1. Joseph was betrothed. He had a commitment man. He was pledge to be married. There were no sexual relations during a Jewish betrothal period, but it was just as binding as a marriage and MUCH more than a modern engagement. Joseph and Mary were husband and wife in the eyes of all their family, friends, and society. Now she was pregnant.

2. Joseph was a righteous man. To the Jews this mean being zealous to keeping the jewish law. He would divorce her quietly. In other words he loved her enough to sign the necessary papers but to have her judged publicly and stoned to death.

3. Joseph was a listening man. The angel appeared to Him and he listened. We need to listen in order to act like men.

4. Joseph was a chosen instrument of God. All this took place to fulfill the prophecy. “Behold the virgin will be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

5. Joseph was a willing participant. Joseph did what the angel of the Lord had commanded. He kept her a virgin. Who is going to know if he did not? He followed the angel’s direction and named him Immanuel.

The question for us today is, do we act like men?

Men keep their commitments.

Men are righteous and follow the word of God.

Men listen to God, to their wives, to anyone that needs to be heard.

Men are God’s chosen instruments.

Men are willing to go where God is leading.

Join me in striving to be a man...you know I love ya, Don

500 Posts on the Blog

2012-01-11T06:35:00.001-05:00

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV

When I started this blog, I never thought I would reach 500 posts. In fact, I thought it would only last a few weeks and then I would discover what I was looking to do in enhancing my devotional walk. It did not take long for me to realize that the blogging was going to be a new aspect of my life as well as a new ministry God was going to bless. It has been a joy, at times work, and for the most part a blessing.

Thank You for sharing God's word with me. It has allowed us to love God and to learn of His great compassion and power for living. Thank You for letting me share my family with you. The joy of growing children, the love of people around us, and the sorrow of losing people we love, including a very precious little boy and our third son, Nicholas ... are all heightened in knowing you are apart of it all. Thank You for loving life. It is in the loving of life that the abundance of God is truly recognized. Life is a blessing we should never take for granted.

So here is to another 500 posts and wonderful people that take the time to read and try to increase their love for God, love for each other and love for life. As I have said in the past and will continue to say, "As long as you keep reading, I will keep writing." I have also found great pleasure in telling the readers the truth by letting you know, "I love ya!"

Sincerely Yours in Christ Jesus,
Don

Married for 13 years...we made it!

2012-01-09T06:08:00.000-05:00

Matthew 7:24-27

“Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

We made it to year thirteen. Yes, Karen and I have been married for 13 years as of today. I remember the day very well. We had to be married in Gatlinburg, TN because the church of was serving in Sevierville, TN was too small to handle the amount of people that were in attendance. There was a light snow the night before and the mountains were absolutely beautiful. It was a great service and there is nothing like watching your bride come down the isle. My mother and family were all dressed up and gave great support. I did not know Karen's family well then, but they were there all along and it was a start of something good and I know I am a member of the family. I certainly, was blessed that day.

We would honeymoon in Virginia, not knowing that God would open doors for us to serve a church only 70 miles away a year later. We served Gethsemane Church of Christ for 6 years. In those years, we grew together and we would have Matthew and Alice. It was in those years the house would endure storms. Struggles with family, illness, and Matthew's heart surgery would blow against our relationship...yet, with a foundation on God's love we truly have experienced the solid rock. There were some very sunny days in Virginia as well...we became parents.

We have been in Indiana for 5 years and there have been more storms of life. Most notably, Nicholas' death. It was and is the hardest thing we have ever hard to endure...again, God's foundation has remained sturdy and supported us in the storm. There have been growing pains as well. As we grow as a couple, challenges to family and to each other have risen. We look at each other and make a conscience choice to Praise God in the storm while knowing His grace is more than we deserve and His power will sustain us in the great times and the hard times. And yes, there have been some very sunny days in Indiana as well...we became parents again.

Once might ask, how do I get a foundation that is solid? It comes in knowing Jesus Christ on a personal, radical, and relational level. He is the one true God and He will give you peace in every storm. He does not say it will be easy...in fact, Karen and I both would say, "Being married is a very hard thing." Merging two lives is not meant to be easy. The foundation of Jesus in a daily walk of knowing Him, studying the Scriptures, and dedicating oneself to breaking of bread and prayer is the foundation that endures every storm. We can testify to it and recommend it in every marriage.

To you, Karen. I love you and thank you for being my wife for the last 13 years. I am looking forward to another 13 and many more beyond that. You are a blessing and gift to me. I love you.

To the rest of you, build your house on the foundation of Jesus...His foundation will endure every storm. Trust me, I know.

You know I love ya, Don

2012 is Coming!!!

2011-12-31T09:39:00.000-05:00

I love the Imagery this pictures brings! I am ready to received the great things God has in store for this next year. You know I love ya and Happy New Year! Don

My Wish For You!

2011-12-26T00:32:00.002-05:00

Looking forward to a great year ahead...you know I love ya, Don

Watching Santa is a Great family event!

2011-12-24T10:48:00.002-05:00

Norad always produces a great website for families to watch Santa's travels around the globe. It is also great to watch in the US because we are last on the list and can watch it during the Christmas Eve Day. The Link to watch is below:

Watch Santa

Merry Christmas!
You know I love ya, Don

Merry Christmas from the Crane Clan!

2011-12-21T06:06:00.000-05:00

God is Speaking!

2011-12-19T16:03:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s have become a great festival time in our culture. It is probably the majority of the people’s favorite time of the year, but it is also the time of year when life moves faster, stress is greater, and the chaos of the season can easily drown out the voice of the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. It is this time of year, more than any other, that we need to stop and hear God speaking.

Our desire in Christmas is to be reminded that from the very beginning of time, all our failures and fears were on the heart of God as He sent His only Son to bring us hope and confidence necessary to live life to the fullest. The goal in these few minutes is to pause and listen to the voice of God Speaking.

We truly appreciate your reading of this blog. May you be blessed through all the hard work and dedication it takes to pull it off. May each of us hear God speaking in our lives through a child born in a manger and still working in our lives today.

You know I Love ya, Don

Christmas is a time for living!!!

2011-12-14T06:31:00.000-05:00

Christmas is a time for Love; a time for Joy and Peace;
A time to trim the Christmas Tree and a time to stuff the geese.
It's a time when we can come together, however far or near;
To shed a little hope into a world of sorrow and fear.

Yet Christmas could be all year 'round, if only we would try
To gently wipe an old man's brow or soothe a baby's cry.
If we could smile throughout the year as we do on Christmas Day;
Just think what happiness we'd shed along life's weary way.

To give a gift of Hope to one who otherwise has none;
To be a Friend to somebody whom everyone else has shun.
To be Forgiving of our faults, and of our sisters and our brothers;
To Live in Peace and Harmony with ourselves and with each other.

Ah, don't you see that Christmas is more than opening up the gifts;
It's more than singing Christmas Carols and rolling in big snow drifts.
It's a feeling that can stay with you throughout each day, all year;
And all it takes is a loving heart.....and a sensitive little tear...

This poem was taken from http://www.diskworks.com/poem.html

Merry Christmas! Don

I have a sign from God...so do you!

2011-12-12T06:00:00.001-05:00

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” - Isaiah 7:14

How many of us can say, "God has given me a sign?" Well, all of us...every person on this planet, of every color and creed, of every age can say they have received a sign from God. It is the birth of Jesus. Yes, he was born 2000 years ago and yes, He is just as relevant today as ever.

How? To the couple hurting from growing apart and selfish living, Jesus is the answer to our self serving desires and gives us the wisdom to think of the other person before and ahead of thinking of our own desires. To the person scorned by bias and prejudice, Jesus is the one that experienced complete and total rejection and He understands the world is not a place that serves, but Jesus will serve. To the outcast living a life of loneliness, Jesus was alone many times and truly felt alone even in a crowd just like when you attend the Christmas parties with crowds of people and feel like you are the only one there. To the parents of the child that is living outside the love of God and living in sin, Jesus cried over Jerusalem and over the loss of those that did not hear the message of hope. To the Muslim wondering why I have such a large religion, yet live with a whole in my heart that is missing the love and compassion that restores my life with my creator, Jesus rises up and declares, "I am the Way, follow me." I could go on and on and on....

You see ... Jesus is the sign to all the world. The virgin conceived a child and they called him Immanuel, God with us. Jesus dwelt among us so that we might know God. As we grow to know Him, we learn to share that knowledge with others....every other person we come in contact with.

It is every Christ-followers task to go and tell it on the mountain that Jesus Christ was born. Notice we don't shout it into the hole of our self desire, but we shout it out from the mountains and over the valleys so that everyone in the valleys and on the mountains across the valleys can hear..."Jesus Christ has come." Join me in shouting it out and declaring there is hope for every situation...trust in Jesus and He will get you there.

You know I love ya, Don

God Speaking Devotions!

2011-12-07T07:05:00.001-05:00

Deidre Woods has been putting together devotions for our Christmas Musical on December 18th. This is our devotion from Sunday!

I recently got the opportunity to see “A Christmas Carol” on stage in Chicago. A series of events in the life of Ebenezer Scrooge had hardened his heart to the point of no return. I found myself crying as Scrooge’s wife was leaving him. I wanted to shake him. I kept thinking to myself, “Wake up, Scrooge! If you could only see. If you could only see what we see--- A hardened heart, no pity for others, self-centered, and so angry.” But then the tables turn, and he does get to see himself. Each ghost shows him something about himself that he couldn’t see before. As the last ghost concludes her visit, that’s when he realizes how bad it had gotten. You see a sparkle in his eye again, and he can’t move fast enough to right all the wrongs. He smiles again. He runs around town like a crazy man. He seems ready to scream at the highest rooftop through the little town. I think he would have ran to the chapel to ring the bells if he could. Everyone in the town would have stopped to wonder why the bells were ringing. He would have had their attention. He was a changed man, and he wanted everyone to know!
In our times, it wouldn’t do any good to run to the chapel with so much excitement and ring bells over and over proclaiming the good news as they might in Scrooge’s time. No one would even notice today. What would get people’s attention today? The people need to know the good news we have to share. It should get us so excited we can hardly contain ourselves. We should be bursting with happiness as we tell the greatest story ever told. How can you ring your bell this week?
Today’s Prayers: Pray for how you will ring your bell over the next few weeks as we go into the Christmas season with family and friends
Today’s Verse: Matthew 5:16
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Twelve days until our “God Speaking” musical! Thank You, Deidre. Praying God's Blessing on You. Don

The Wonder-Filled God

2011-12-05T07:11:00.000-05:00

Sermon Notes to the above Sermon Video.

Isaiah 9:6

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Mary was an ordinary girl that was given an extraordinary life through the wonder-filled counsellor.

1 - GOD'S WONDERS ARE OFTEN UNEXPECTED.

2 - GOD'S WONDERS ARE OFTEN DIFFICULT TO FULLY COMPREHEND.

Many times we have no idea what God is doing in our lives. But . . . the Wonderful Counselor grants us wonders that are often unexpected and often hard to comprehend...our response is...

3 - WHEN IN DOUBT . . . WE ARE ALWAYS WISE TO TRUST GOD'S WONDERS

Three suggestions on how we can move toward Wonder-Filled faith.

Remember God's Character.

Remember God's Track Record.

Remember God's Gift of His Son.

GOD IS OUR WONDERFUL COUNSELOR

The response, "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said" to God's wonders in your life may change the world, but if not the world . . . they will certainly change you.

www.donaldcrane.com

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You know I love ya, Don

Ordinary & Wonder Filled to the top and over-flowing!!!

2011-11-30T06:28:00.000-05:00

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her"

She was a beautiful, young, vibrant, bubbly, jewish girl. She had dark hair and dark eyes. She was around 14 years old and had it all planned out...she was going to have it all. The wonder in her eyes said enough....Her parents had arranged a marriage to a good man, a solid man, a man with a skill and was well known among the people. He was even a descendant of King David. He was a carpenter and could make anything out of wood. He also handsome and bring great envy among her peers.

He might someday have a seat in the Synagogue. He could build them a nice house and fill it with great carvings, and cabinets, and furniture, and happiness. They were going to have many children and she would be the rave among all the other woman... a wonderful husband, wonderful children, a wonderful house, and a wonderful life.

Mary was an ordinary girl that was given an extraordinary life through the Wonder-filled Counselor.

I don't know what wonders are in store for you this Christmas. Some will sting, some will make you jump for joy, some will take you down uncharted paths, others will stretch you in ways you never imagined. But each surprise comes from the hand of the Father who loves you. And I pray that you respond with the words of Mary . . . "I am the Lord's servant, may it be to me as you have said."

If you respond in that way, who knows, maybe God's wonders in your life will change the world. Yet, if not the world . . . they will certainly change you. I am chosing to make a point and follow Mary's example. You know I love ya, Don

Equation for Intentional & Effect Leadership (& Living)

2011-11-28T05:47:00.000-05:00

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12:28

This verse has always inspired me to be a better citizen in God's kingdom. I see it as an equation for leadership and for productive living. Think of all the times you and I take advantage of the gifts being a Christ-follower brings to everyday life. Let me list a few...security in a great future, blessings of abundant life in joy and sorrow, relational gifts of love and mercy, eternal treasures that will never end, and knowing the creator of all the universe is in love with me. These are just a few of the benefits of God's Kingdom. I also like to notice in the verse that all these benefits and the benefits I didn't mention are "unshakable." In other words, they will never end nor can they be taken away.

Church leadership would do well to connect with this verse as well. Too many times church leadership pushes and pulls to gain position. In my experience, the best and most effective leadership I have had the joy and honor of serving beside has a humble and reverence for God. I think of Bob Russell of Southeast Christian Church. One of the largest church in the United States and Bob is one of the humblest men I know. I think of David Jeremiah and the same applies. Then there is the people in my life such at Lloyd Menning, Bob Kelly, Ronnie Jones and David Woods. Each of these men and their wives served with humility, with awe, with reverence, and a security in knowing their God and His Kingdom was unshakable. I wish there was space, I could go on and on about the effect Christ-followers such as these in my life.

Karen and I have tried to be ministers and Christ-followers after their example. The equation is given out in this verse of Hebrews. First: give thanks...saying thank you to God, His Son, and to others. Second: worship...declare on a public and personal level how much God is worth everything in our lives. Third: live in awe and reverence...allowing the Spirit to grant your heart, soul, mind, and strength an over-powering, over-whelming sense of God's greatness and might. As an intentional leader, I make it my goal to live this equation.

Giving Thanks + Declaring God's Worth + Living in Awe = Effective, Intentional Kingdom Leadership

For those of us that are not leaders, this is also a great equation for daily productive living. A result of the equation is a keen awareness of how unshakable God's Kingdom truly is. The awareness of God's power granted to the humble of heart brings a new and heightened level of God. Although, we may not be leaders in a large scale of the church, every Christ-Follower must always remember their leadership influence on those around them. The world is watching and waiting to point out how Christ does not work. So, we can all say we are leaders of some sort or another. Thus, the equation of Hebrews 12:28 is important to all of us. It is important so that Jesus will be praised and the non-believing world will see that He is Lord.

"Lord, Thank you for this equation that brings benefits to us all. Thank You for the wonderful examples in my life that have made this equation real to me. Please bring thanks, worship, and awe to my life so that I may return it to you and you alone. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

Thank You for sharing this with me and reading it. You are a joy and you know I love ya, Don

Happy Thanksgiving ... thoughts to ponder

2011-11-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. - 2 Corinthians 4:15

Thanksgiving prayers were first uttered by God's people in the Old Testament and God ordained a specific sacrificial offering for thanksgiving. David, the psalmist, wrote many Thanksgiving devotions and Paul the apostle taught that we are to always pray and give thanks to God in all circumstances. When we use the Bible for devotions and for prayers, we are following after the hearts of men and women who led exemplary ideals for worshiping God. This Thanksgiving, if you are looking for good lessons to share with family or for prayers to pray during the day, turn to the Bible and find inspiration that turns a heart towards gratitude and finds the peace that much of the holiday season is promoting.

It's interesting that during the very seasons that Christians celebrate gratitude and the birth of Christ, our lives get the busiest and we are often so overloaded with schedules and shopping lists (turkeys to cook and potatoes to smash) we experience extreme stress and time seems to slip out of our grasps. This is actually the perfect time to stop all activities and reflect upon worshipful Thanksgiving devotions.

God ordained many traditions and specific rituals to teach His people proper responses to His love and mercy. "And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil...." Jesus fulfilled the law of the Old Testament, and because of His ultimate sacrifice, we no longer must practice the laws that were in place to teach us of our shortcomings. But, Christ clearly promoted special times of giving thanks, and the teachings of Paul include turning our attitudes constantly towards gratitude.

Gratitude is a choice. When Nicholas died in January of this year, Karen and I made a choice to praise God even in the hardest time of our life. This Thanksgiving is a blessing because of the two new ones in our family, but it still just as hard because one is missing. Nicholas' absence is the new reality and the normal we will live on this side of heaven. The choice to praise and give thanks is the strength granted by God to live the journey. So, we give thanks and we turn to God's word for sustaining grace in everyday life.

Giving thanks for a great family and for a very special little boy that made last year's Thanksgiving one that I will never forget. You know I love ya and have a great Thanksgiving! Don

Thanksgiving

2011-11-21T19:33:00.002-05:00

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. - Psalm 69:30

THANKSGIVING

I AM SO THANKFUL THAT JESUS CAME
TO THIS EARTH AND ENDURED SUCH PAIN.

FOR YOU AND ME, HE WAS BEATEN AND SHAMED.
OH, HOW I LOVE HIM FOR TAKING MY BLAME.

THANKSGIVING IS A TIME TO GIVE THANKS TO HIM.
PLEASE DON'T FORGET THAT HE PAID THE PRICE
FOR MY SALVATION AND YOURS; HIS SACRIFICE.

I THANK HIM FOR YOU, THAT HE HAS PLACED IN MY LIFE.
ISN'T HE THOUGHTFUL AND SO VERY NICE ...

TO GIVE US OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO LOVE AND ADORE,
THE CHURCH AND THE SMILES AS WE WALK IN THE DOOR?

I AM SO GRATEFUL TO MY LORD, JESUS CHRIST,
THAT LOVES ME AND KNOWS MY EVERY THOUGHT.
I PRAY THAT HE CAN SMILE AS HE KNOWS WHERE I WALK.

MAY YOU THINK OF ME AS YOU GIVE THANKS,
BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ON THIS THANKSGIVING DAY.
JUST BOW YOUR HEAD AND, TO HIM, WE WILL PRAY.

GOD'S BLESSING ON YOU AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I am giving thanks for you...you know I love ya, Don

Gratitude is Thanksgiving all year long!

2011-11-16T06:33:00.000-05:00

"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
2 Corinthians 9:11

"Thanksgiving" is an American holiday that we will celebrate next week. Yes, other countries have a day of "Thanksgiving." Some countries celebrate much like the United States, but there are some countries that take thanksgiving and apply it to holidays or festivals such as the Chinese New Year or in many European Countries there are "Victory Day" celebrations that celebrate and give thanks for the victory over Nazism. Many British countries celebrate, "Boxing Day." Boxing day is celebrated the day after Christmas and is much like the American Thanksgiving. Therefore, most, if not all cultures have a nationally recognized holiday to give thanks.

As I read 2 Corinthians 911, it becomes apparent that giving thanks is a Judeo/Christian concept that spread through all religions over time. God wants His people to give thanks. From the very beginning, God and Adam walked to together and Adam gave thanks to Yahweh. Giving thanks was also a lifestyle for every major God fearing character is the Old and New Testament. I have also lived it with examples of Christ-followers all my life.

My lesson for the day is that I need to have thanksgiving as a way of life. I am not talking about the food, the festivities, and the football...I am talking about....giving thanks. The point of Thanksgiving is to remember the things we have to be grateful for...it is an attitude of gratitude! It's our special time to look to God and say, "Thank You"... not just for the obvious, like food, but for the thousands of fortunate moments, the multitude of blessings that we receive each year. It is seeing life and the blessing life truly is and not taking it for granted.

This past year has been a major journey for most of us. As my readers, you know the ups and downs we have experienced. There were highs and there have been deep sorrow. Thank you for taking it with me and I look forward to many more years of joy and being together.

You know I love ya - Don

Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Today is and would have been Nicholas' First Birthday. How do we wish happy birthday to my son that is with Jesus? This is the dilemma of the day. Alice suggests we have a party with balloons and cake. Now there's a good idea. Matthew suggested we sing. Another good idea. We will probably go by the cemetery and maybe we will take a balloon. So, what shall we do? We will play the day as it comes. One thing is for sure...we will miss him.

I think of 1 Peter 1:3-4:

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you..."

Every Christ follower has a hope that is granted in mercy. The hope is birthed in mercy...it is new life. This new life is in serving and giving of this life to the great and might servant of all man...Jesus. It is hard to understand, yet the more you give and serve the more the new life is realized. I am finding the discovery of eternal mercy in this life, even before the end of this life is achieved. It is the gift received in return to giving and serving...it is the living hope of a great and awesome future. It is the knowledge and awareness of the inheritance that is in heaven.

Back in March I wrote the following and it still applies today:

Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matthew 6:20-21 (NIV)

My computer is crashing on a regular basis this days. Matt is working on a new one, but until then I save and store my data very regularly....wink, wink. I will not let this computer get the best of me. Well, not all the time.
While I was saving and storing data, I recalled this verse and have a very real comfort in knowing that I have stored a very precious treasure in heaven. His name is Nicholas. A entirely new dimension emerged for me. I always thought the treasure would be good works of service and compassion; relational actions that make an eternal difference. I am sure it is those things, but then I think there will be tangible treasures in addition to the memories and actions...a hug, a touch, a smile, and best of all that ability to share life again.

I have a treasure stored in heaven and not even my computer can loose this treasure. Until then, I wait for the Lord.

Nicholas Mark is an inheritance in heaven I look forward to. He is resurrected from the heart issues he felt in this life. He will never perish, spoil of fade...in reality, he is just like the great shooting star that crossed over Indianapolis the day he past into eternity...Shooting stars are always bright, but never last long enough.

Happy Birthday, Little Guy! We miss you and will always love you. Daddy

Best, Better, Great, Greatest!

2011-11-09T06:59:00.000-05:00

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me." Matthew 18:1-5

The disciples come to Jesus and ask, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom?" They are asking the greatest creation of all, the actual Son of God, and the One all creation will worship in the new Kingdom. What arrogance and boldness on the part of the disciples. They are literally looking into the eyes of the greatest One in the Kingdom of heaven and asking, "Who is the greatest?"

Yet, Jesus doesn't zap them down like the fig tree. He doesn't curse them with boils or call down fire to burn them off of the surface of the earth. Jesus could have easily made it so that they had never been born. Jesus doesn't show any anger in the text at all.

Jesus simply call over a child, holds the child and says..."Do what he is." Jesus doesn't tell us to mimic what this child does, but that we are to be what the child is. A child is a follower, filled with joy, amazement, wonder, and innocence. A Christ-follower sees a child and does what the child is.

It is easy for us to look at the disciples and pass judgment on their arrogance. It is easy to point the finger at them. But, are we not just as arrogant, egotistical, and self-absorbed. Every time we decide to do it our way without considering God's direction, wisdom, and support, we are figuratively saying, "Who the greatest Jesus...you or me?" We should not accuse the biblical disciples, you and I are just as bad as they were, if not worse.

So, the next time you see a little child in all their innocence and joy...see yourself in their eyes and don't just mimic the child...be the child. Trust Jesus beyond the words of life and give him everything you hold and the "stuff" that is holding you. You Know I love ya, Don

All this waiting and now all this work!!!

2011-11-07T06:44:00.002-05:00

"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus." - Matthew 17:1-3

After a time ... Jesus took them up a mountain ... and there appeared... Isn't this just like God. First, he makes us wait. We have to wait on a job or we have to wait on word about getting a job. We have to wait for the perfect date for a wedding or we wait for the big birthday celebration. Then, there is the times we have to wait for answers to our problems or for the consequences of our actions. The hardest one of all is when we have to wait for someone else. We know they are going to make a huge mistake, yet we have to wait for them to come through the fire.

After we wait, then Jesus takes us "up" the mountain. He does lead us down the mountain with ease, but we have to walk up the mountain. We are already tired from the wait. We probably have to carry our "stuff." Then, there are the rocks and branches that are in the way. The sun is bright and often hot as you climb to the top. Yet, we follow Jesus up the mountain.

Finally, we see something around the clearing at the top of the mountain. It is a glorious appearing of Jesus along with all the other things we cherish. He is standing with the Moses' and the Elijah's of our experience. We then are in awe of his great power and might. We celebrate, we forget about the wait, and we don't ever think of the work it took to get up the mountain. In the glorious appearing all things are made clear and all the worry, doubt, and struggle disappear. He is good to those who love Him. He is also faithful to bring us the transfiguration in our daily lives.

So, if you are in the wait or following Jesus up the mountain, just remember He is good and it won't be much longer. Keep your eyes open and look for the appearing because it will be glorious in every way.

You know I love ya, Don

Trusting is assurance in the storms...

2011-11-02T06:47:00.000-04:00

This story was sent to me by my Aunt Sue. I pray it touches you as it has touched me.

A pastor had been on a long flight between church conferences. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: Fasten Your Seat Belts.

Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."   As the pastor looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice on the intercom said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke . . .The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if were about to crash.   

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said,

"As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying. The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.   Then, I suddenly saw a little girl. Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly.   Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world"

When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid. The minister could hardly believe his eyes. 

It was not surprising that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, our pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time. Having commented about the storm and the behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.   The child replied, "Cause my Daddy's the pilot, and he's taking me home."

There are many kinds of storms that buffet us. Physical, mental, financial, domestic, and many other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into uncontrollable movement. We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.   Let us remember: Our Father is the Pilot... He is in control and taking us home. I choose to trust in Jesus. You know I love ya - Don

All Saint's Day - Halloween is the night before!

2011-10-31T07:44:00.001-04:00

The Church has always honored those early witnesses to the Christian faith who have died in the Lord. (The Greek word for "witness" is martyr.) During the first three hundred years Christians were severely persecuted, often suffering torture and bloody deaths -- because they were faithful . They refused to deny Christ, even when this denial might have saved their own lives, or the lives of their children and families.

The early history of the Church is filled with stories of the heroic faith of these of witnesses to Christ's truth. The stories of these saints -- these baptized Christians of all ages and all states in life, whose fidelity and courage led to their sanctity or holiness -- have provided models for every other Christian throughout history.

Many of those especially holy people whose names and stories were known, the Church later canonized (that is, the Church formally recognized that the life of that person was without any doubt holy, or sanctified -- a "saint" who is an example for us.) The Church's calendar contains many saint's days, which Catholics observe at Mass -- some with special festivities.

But there were thousands and thousands of early Christian martyrs, the majority of whose names are known only to God -- and throughout the history of the Church there have been countless others who really are saints, who are with God in heaven, even if their names are not on the list of canonized saints.

In order to honor the memory -- and our own debt -- to these unnamed saints, and to recall their example, the Church dedicated a special feast day -- a sort of "memorial day" -- so that all living Christians would celebrate at a special remembrance for the lives and witness of those "who have died and gone before us into the presence of the Lord"...

To read more click All Saint's Day.

May we never forget and have a great All Saint's Day! - Don

2011-10-27T07:10:00.001-04:00

The Cranes at the Buddy Walk 2011 in Indianapolis. What a great day and we even had our Nicholas Mark Crane Buttons. Auntie Bon Bon joined us for the weekend. It was terrific!

Pearls, Pigs, and Peace!

2011-10-26T06:25:00.000-04:00

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." Matthew 7:6

This is pretty strong language Jesus is using. It might seem to go against the teaching he just gave about being non-judgmental in the text prior. In fact, this is a teaching that is connected to the preceding teaching about being judgmental. Jesus tells us that being non-judgmental does not mean we are undiscerning, unwise, and fools in our choices. A Christ-follower is to recognize that there are some people so hardened to receiving the message that they will not listen.

Don't waste time trying to convince them or expound on talents on their behalf. Jesus uses powerful imagery of a well-known proverb to make his point. He has other teachings on the same topic in a softer means elsewhere. It narrows down to a realization that some people will not hear the Gospel message and others will not appreciate your talents and gifts. Those individuals have repeated determination not to hear and their unwillingness to respond does not mean we are to try harder, but simply to try elsewhere! Being a nonjudgmental person does not mean we bury our heads in the sand and/or keep wasting our efforts on those who refuse to hear.

We are to use Godly wisdom in all things...be discerning and be kind. It is not ours to judge or bring down heart ache in criticism. We are to be wise and use our hearts and minds to discern the pearls and talents in our lives to the best of our abilities.

You know I love ya, Don

How to fight the strugles of life...Habits of Praise!

2011-10-24T06:27:00.000-04:00

This is my son Nicholas.

We adopted Nicholas when he was three days old. He had down syndrome and would need to have heart surgery. We didn't fret over that too much because Matthew also has Down Syndrome and had already had heart surgery. Nicholas was born in New York City to a couple that were Moldovan immigrants who are wonderful people. We brought him home to Indiana and after about 5 weeks, he got a virus and that put his blood flows out of rhythm. His surgery would be sooner than later.

On January 4^th of this year, he went in for a complete AV canal heart repair. When he returned from surgery, his blood pressures had trouble stabilizing. For two weeks, we watched the blood pressures go up and go back down...Back to surgery was the plan. A two hour procedure turned into 7 hours. Coming out of surgery, the doctors wanted to meet with us. They told us that he probably would not survive the night. We wanted to be with him.

They took us to the High Level Pediatric Intensive Care Room and we saw our little boy. As we reached in to him, the cardiologist leaned over and told me, “His blood gases are at a rate that he will not be with us more than another couple of hours.”

We chose to hold him and we sat face to face with Nicholas in our arms. At first he was awake and would turn his eyes to us when we would speak. We told him how wonderful he was and how much of a blessing he was to our family. 90 minutes later, his heart rate and breathing repetitions were very shallow, so we asked for the tubes to be removed. And for about another twenty minutes, we had our son in our arms...

In the last nine months, we have been asked, “How are you handling all this...?” The answer, “We are not!” Very early, we chose to praise God regardless. The survival of life's struggles is successful in habits of praise. Making a solid and convicted choice to give God the glory regardless of the circumstance is survival.

For a habit of praise, consider Shaddrack, Messhack, and Abindigo. The made a choice and that choice was a habit of praise in their lives. “King Nebuchadnezzar, even if God does not save us, we will not bow down to you.” The was not a spur of the moment decision. It was a habit in their life that was chosen years earlier. Is your habit the choice to praise God and not bow down, even when it gets HOT?

For another habit, consider John 9. The only miracle where Jesus goes to a blind man. The man is not calling out or pleading. His disciples ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, the man or his parents?” Jesus responds with, “Neither...you are asking the wrong question. The question to ask is how is God going to be glorified through his situation.” Is your habit to ask, “How is God going to be glorified in this situation?”

Consider, the Lord himself. He is in the garden. He knows the cross is just a few hours away. He pleads, “Lord, take this cup from me?...yet not my will but yours be done.” Jesus looked at his struggle to come and his habit is to follow his father's will. What about you...is your habit to do God's will regardless of your struggle?

Survival tips for life's struggles are to make it a habit to praise God in all circumstances...by choosing to praise, asking how is God going to be glorified, and following God's direction and will. I have a new treasure stored in heaven. I have always said, “I am looking forward to heaven because of a new heart that does not have a sinful nature. Then I am going to find Jesus and just thank him for letting me in the door. After that, I know Jesus will turn around and put Nicholas back in our arms.

You want to survive...Make it a habit to choose to praise, ask how is God going to be glorified, and follow God's direction.

You know I love ya, Don

Are you Listening???

2011-10-17T06:52:00.001-04:00

It was September 17^th, 2003. I was about to become a father for the first time. BUT: Hurricane Isabel was headed toward Richmond, VA, our home. So the doctors decided to induce labor and not take the risk Matthew would arrive during Isabel's fury. We are leisurely driving to the hospital and Karen looks over and says, “you can go faster.” I reply, “but I didn't want to make you nervous...” She said nothing, but gave me “the look” and drove faster.

We arrive and the process is started. At 9:30 AM, the world's perfect minster's wife, sweet, kind, and hospitable to a fault...grunts, “I think it is working!” grabs my arm and squeezes so hard, I had a bruise for a week. After several hours of labor, Matthew was not cooperating...so off to an emergency C-section and then the news...He has a heart defect and has Down syndrome.

For six hours we were told over and over how bad things were and then that evening at 11 PM, I was called into Nero-natal intensive care unit to get more information from the Neonatologist, the Cardiologist, and a nurse...they were waiting for me. They give me all the bad news and hurricane Isabel turned into hurricane Matthew. Then I said, “OK, I am the biggest guy in the room and no one is leaving this room until I hear some good news? When do we get to take him home?” The Neo-natologist said, “Maybe by around Thanksgiving IF EVER!” I looked at him and said, “You fired!” Looking over at our little, petite Cardiologist, I said, “you're next.” She stated, “I see this on a regular basis and it is going to be a journey, but we will get you there.” I took that and we began walking out...and Nurse Marie leaned over and said, “I will be giving him his first bath at 3 AM, you come back and we can do it together.” She was listening...All the diagnoses had gotten in the way... all the crisis reports were clouding the goal... all the dreams were changing ... all I wanted to do was be a dad. Nurse Marie, was listening and she heard my request.

With email, facebook, twitter, text messaging, Ipods, I phones, and I pads... we have forgotten the art of listening...The Apostle James stated, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.”

What is speaking to you today?...

God speaks to us everyday....

Spouses, children, and family speak to us everyday...

Neighbors, colleagues, competition speaks to us everyday...

Creation and all its beauty speaks to us everyday...

Our inner conscience speaks to us everyday...

What is speaking to you today? Are you Listening?

Are you willing to lean over and say, “I am going to give him his first bath at 3 AM, come back and we will do it together.”

You know I love ya and want to listen...Don

Friday Funny - "Meet the New Neighbors"

2011-10-14T06:49:00.000-04:00

A Friday Funny worth repeating!!!

My quiet Saturday morning ended abruptly when my 12-year-old son, Billy, and one of his friends burst through the door.

"Hey Dad, announced Billy, "have you met the new neighbors?"

"No."

"Come on Dad, you have to meet them."

"Some other time; I'm busy."

"Dad, you have to meet them now."

From the urgency in Billy's voice, I assumed the neighbors were waiting
outside. I set aside my project and went to the front of the house. No
one was there.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"Well, Dad," he explained, "we haven't met them yet either, but our baseball is in their living room!"

You know I love ya and have a great Friday! Don

Established in 1982

2011-10-12T05:59:00.000-04:00

"Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude." Colossians 2:6-7

Have you ever witnessed the sign over a business or restaurant that states, "Established in ___." You fill in the date. What is the purpose of those signs? The date for the establishment of an organization, business, or even a family is a time for celebration and a means of honoring the beginning of something special.

As in Colossians 2, there is a need to be established in our faith. Our faith becomes the sign for the rest of the world to see. We celebrate in that which we believe while honoring the One in which we have faith. Now, what does it mean for God to establish us in our faith? In this verse that phrase means that we are not simply established, we are confirmed in our faith; our faith is a sure thing. It’s not just a sure thing for today, but it will remain true into eternity (1 Cor. 1:8).

Great! Now we can just close the Bible on that one and live free knowing we are established in our faith, right? Not really! If I know that I’m established in my faith . . . why do I still struggle with doubt and fear? Why is it I do not love others as He has loved me?

Seeing a sign on the side of a building that says “Established 1992,” I certainly don’t doubt their word for it. I don’t look up the record of the building to make sure it’s true. If I’ve done business there and know firsthand what they’ve been doing since 1992, I would be silly to doubt that they were established. Isn’t this what God is saying about our faith too? I can see God has built faith into my life . . . I can see the business He’s been doing in and through me. He is established in me. My actions and responses become that sign for the rest of the world to see.

Learning to demonstrate my "establishing" is not always as easy as hanging out a sign. We work at the example in practicing our dedication and commitment to God and each other. We have a short life time to be a witness and to give testimony to the work in our lives. Personally, I am striving to make every effort to increase the ease in seeing my "established in" sign.

You know I love ya, Don

"Created" He did it...!

2011-10-10T06:19:00.001-04:00

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him." Colossians 1:15-16

Through Jesus, all things were created in Heaven and on Earth. Do we truly realize the significance of being created. Sure, we are the building blocks from our parents DNA, but the reality is that we were created. I am keenly aware that I have a beginning and an end. I have also read the poem of the dash and what we do with the dash on the gave marker between the beginning and the end defines our eternity. Yet, I think if we truly learn and live as if we are created, our action will follow a path of love, compassion, and serving others.

What does it mean to be "created." The definition of "created" is to "bring (something) into existence: he created a lake; 170 jobs were created." I was created and you were created. I was brought into existence, as were you.

This brings me to discovering, I was created has much to do with God’s ability to love me and Jesus' willingness to die for me. What I mean is, the fact that I serve a God who personally created me suggests that I serve a God who is knowledgeable of every aspect of my being, and has a complete understanding of my identity. And I believe that it is this understanding that allows for unconditional love. This knowledge also empowers me to be faithful to Him and to others.

It is possible the reason humans are so inept at loving each other "well" is because we have such a vast misunderstanding of who others are- of their inner workings, of their worth and value. We forget we were created and others were also created. God, however, with a full understanding of our thoughts, mistakes, feelings, intentions, desires, fears, and actions, loves beautifully. Maybe our fleshly bitterness and hate has something to do with our inability to see this full picture of humanity that God is able to see. We truly do not understanding our place in being created.

What a blessing it is to be truly known by the Creator God, who understands us. May we follow His example and love each other as He has loved us.

You know I love ya, your fellow created brother.

Rest, Resting, & Restful ... the rest of the story!

2011-10-05T06:09:00.002-04:00

Following up on Monday's post...

At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants."Matthew 11:25

Another point to ponder and act upon in David Woods' sermon from last week is the above verse. David said,

"God is the determining factor in coming to salvation and finding rest for the soul! It is God who either reveals the truth of keeps it hidden. If you think you are wise and learned, the truth will be kept from your! Only the humble see it and get it. Jesus prayer is very clear about that. This is the reason of when Christians write to corporations whose CEO's endorse and support immoral and destructive legislation. Or when we write to Congress and plead for right choices on morality issues, they don't get it. This is why political correctness flourishes!

Truth is hidden from the arrogant, intellectual-pluralistic minded community! Only the humble who recognize their limitations will receive and submit to the truth of God! The truth of such arrogance and egotistical knowledge is turmoil, hurtful consequences, and living in a lifestyle that God will not bless.

Only the humble will understand and gratefully receive the invitation of Jesus!

The question for us today is, "How humble are we?" David was not talking about living ignorance or as my father-in-law would have said, "ignorance gone to seed." What David and this text is teaching us is rest comes in going to Jesus and living in humility. The heart of of God is revealed in the request of a humble petitioner.

You know I love ya, Don

Come to Jesus!

2011-10-03T06:48:00.000-04:00

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

David Woods preached on the above text Sunday. We are starting a new sermon series titled, "The Heart of Life." It is going to deal with topics such as exhaustion, aging, lust, and a few others. Sunday was the first and this text is the one David started with. The text was about sharing your heart's loaded life with Jesus is the way to finding rest. I wanted to share a very specific section of the sermon with you.

"Reading the verses leading up to this text today, there is a love of unrest going on around Jesus! His cousin, John the Baptist is in prison and is in there because he stood his ground on a moral and spiritual issue with King Herod. Jesus is also surrounded by a generation of people that he describes as whiners, complainers, and dissatisfied continually about somethings! Not that we sound like that today...in Matthew 11:17 it reads, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' The adult generation, he says are acting like children! They were a generation of people that were never pleased, never content. The cities around the vicinity had witnessed the miracles of Jesus and were not convicted of their unholy ways, refusing to repent!

Around verse 25 of Matthew 11, it seems to me that Jesus takes a deep breath PAUSE as he observes the issues all around and prays thankfully to God! The essence of Jesus' prayer is that he is thankful that God set up life to operate by a system of humility! It is not the obstinate or the loud voices of demand that get it! It is not the knowledgeable and wise that get it. It is not the wealthy and famous that get it. The relationship with God is only through becoming humble. This is the only means Jesus is willing to come into a person's heart and reveal the heart of God to people.

And it is from this backdrop that Jesus offers this invitation to find rest from the maddening, dysfunctional lifestyle of the world and to come to Him for rest!

How David phrased these words spoke to me. The humility to live a life in Jesus is to be a humble person. I am thankful for the reminder!!! You know I love ya, Don

Gospel According to John

2011-09-28T06:53:00.000-04:00

“By far the most important development in recent studies on the fourth gospel is the application of various forms of literary criticism, social-scientific analysis, and post-modern readings...The tendency in all of these approaches is to treat the text synchronously, that is, to treat the text as a finished product and to ask virtually no questions about its historical development or its referents.” There are benefits and losses in this type of modern study. A benefit is a refreshing look at the text while removing traditions that hinder the study. The loss is the study looses it look into the beginnings or the historical accuracy.

John is historically accurate in the it has a focus on the dynamics of presenting a witness of the Son of God in Jesus. John seeks to answer the social-textual questioning of “what happened.” In a modern sense, we must not loose sight of the intentional testimony of John to “write down these things so that the reader might believe Jesus is the Messiah.”

The Gospel of John is worth taking a good look at. I strongly suggest it. As it is read the words bring to life how Jesus is the Messiah.

"This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written." John 21:24-25 NASB.

You know I love ya, Don

The "rule"

2011-09-26T06:40:00.000-04:00

The New Testament text was passed along or copied by eager converts to have the written words of their teachers. The autographs were lost because of the organic materials the words were written on (Parchment). Thus, documents were then copied and the texts were spreading through out the region very quickly. As the church grew there was a need to establish a “canon” or group of texts that have authority or the ability to rule over the others. Thus, the books were reviewed by church leaders and given authority by specific criteria. Some of the criteria was asking the authority of the author, eyewitness or to be heard directly from an eyewitness, and the application to the Christian life. As more and more Gentiles were converted, the community of believers became more and more pluralistic and a need arose to condemn minor variations. These debates and declarations truly helped the church clarify its doctrines, it also point out serious threats, such as Gnosticism.

There would be many more threats to the New Testament and the the church, but over the first two-three hundred years the New Testament Canon (Rule) of books was established through a set criteria. This criteria would also face opposition at times and even today there are variations on the “rule” of the books. Yet, in all the threats, the scripture emerged and has an authority so that the reader can be confident it is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Critical thought of the scriptures has always been present among believers. Political changes often affected the spreading of the texts and how the texts were often translated to Latin in response the Roman world and its leadership. As Christianity became culturally desirable, leadership among the groups of believers rose. The leadership started to gather on occasions and these gatherings were labeled as councils. During the councils the leadership would discuss and interpret conflict with in the texts, such as the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D.

I am in a Graduate Class at Johnson University discussing an Introduction to the New Testament. The professor is Carl Bridges. I am enjoying the research and work. The question of the day is, "do you read the rule?" or maybe another way of stating it is, "Do you (& me) allow the rule of the scriptures to rule in our lives?"

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.- Colossians 3:15-16

You know I love ya, Don

Friday Funny - You mean to tell me...

2011-09-23T06:40:00.000-04:00

We have not had a Friday Funny in awhile...I thought I would share this one from the sermon last Sunday...

"The photographer for a National Magazine was assigned to get photos of a great forest fire. Smoke at the scene was too thick to get any good shots, so he frantically called his home office to hire a plane. "It will be waiting for you at the airport!" he was assured by his editor.

As soon as he got to the small, rural airport, sure enough, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled "Let's go Let's go!" The pilot swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air.
"Fly over the North side of the fire," said the photographer, "and make three or four low level passes." "Why?" asked the pilot. "Because I'm going to take pictures! I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures!" said the photographer with great exasperation and impatience.
After a long pause the pilot said, "You mean you're not the instructor?"

Happy Friday and have a great weekend! Don

I want to KNOW!

2011-09-21T06:23:00.000-04:00

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'.” John 8:31-32

The results of hold on to the truth is learning and knowing Jesus. Knowing the Truth comes as we hold on to the teachings of Jesus. The definition of knowing is to perceive directly. It is to grasp with the mind clarity and certainty. Knowing is experience and awareness.

We know Jesus when He becomes real in our lives, in our hearts, and in the holding on to His teachings. As we stay the course and are suspended over the cliffs and valleys of life... knowing what is holding us and what we are holding on to becomes much more real. It is the truth that gives us life...when we GROW in Jesus and GROW in His teachings that awareness only enhances our knowledge of Him...that knowledge then sets us free from the bondage of this world and we have peace with abundant life.

Let me ask you...do you know Jesus? Is He real in your life? Do you have an awareness of Jesus that permeates the very fibers of your being?

How does Jesus become real? When a believer holds, abides in, and cherishes Jesus' teachings. Paul writes it this way in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.”

Looking to KNOW Jesus more, Don

Holding on as if my life depends on it!

2011-09-19T06:06:00.000-04:00

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'.” John 8:31-32

What was Jesus teaching?

1. Love God – Jesus was asked, “What was the greatest commandment?” He tells us that the greatest commandment is to Love God. Jesus teaches us that salvation comes from faith in God and living out that faith. If you love God, study His scriptures, pray to Him and listen to His Spirit within you...then you are loving God and He loves us in return. Loving God is a relationship.

2. Love Each Other – He turned to them and said the second command is to love each other. Jesus taught we are to give to each other on a regular basis. We are to help a person in need. Helping may simply holding a door or taking a meal to a neighbor. Helping and loving others could be offering to watch a person's children, teaching a Sunday School class, or offering to pay for a person's meal. Loving each other is leaving a bigger tip for a waiter or waitress. Loving others is to pray for others, to visit the elderly and care for children.

3. Jesus then taught us that all the other laws can be summed up in the first two.

Let me ask you...do you hold on to Jesus' teachings? I am striving to hold so tightly to Jesus' teaching that you will see the grip marks in the hands of my life.

Hebrews 10:23 records it this way: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”

Holding tightly, Don

Where my help comes from!

2011-09-14T05:10:00.000-04:00

“A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 NIV

Devoted!

2011-09-12T06:42:00.000-04:00

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles." - Acts 2:42-43

When I was in college these two verses were required memory work. Acts 2:42-43 is often said to be the motto of the Church. It can also be said Apostles' teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer is a perfect outline for a worship service. However you read the verse, it is important for the Christ-follower.

What is the action word in the passage? After reading it again, we see the word is "devoted." What does that mean to you or to me? The free dictionary defines devoted as, "Feeling or displaying strong affection or attachment; ardent: a devoted friend. Having been consecrated; dedicated." Thus, as Christ-followers we should have a devotion that displays affection, attachment, and dedication to the Apostle's teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.

The church doesn't seem to be as dogmatic as we once were about devotion. I grew up being encouraged to have daily devotions with God. That is reading and praying on a daily basis. Today, we call it "quiet time with God." Not that quiet time with God is bad, it just makes it less strategic or intentional. You might even say that it is sensitive to the person...yet what does it truly say to the one we are devoted to?

I know I desire to be more devoted. Devotion takes work and dedication. Being a devoted Christian is also hard because of the interruptions that come everyday. This blog has been a great asset for me to layout my daily devotions on a public scale. It is my prayer that as you read these words, you might also become more devoted.

You know I love ya, Don

Holding on to be "Set Free"

2011-09-07T06:49:00.001-04:00

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:32

Truth...what is truth? Men and women have been asking this question through the ages. Pilot asked Jesus this same question at the trial. Dictionary.com states truth as, "Verified Absolute Fact."

Did you know that in 1828 Noah Webster's dictionary gave this as an example when defining truth: "to rely on the truth of spiritual prophecies." Webster seemed to think that spiritual prophecies were based on truth. Today, the many people in the world believe truth to be relative. They feel each person can have their own version of the truth - that there is no ONE truth out there.

Jesus said he came to bear witness and to affirm the truth. What truth was He talking about? In the book of John alone, truth is mentioned 50 times. It seems like it was important to Him and that it should be important to us.

We as Christians are to believe that The Word of God is Truth. And according to the definition of the word truth, we are to view the Bible as fact and reality. The scriptures are God revealing Himself to us. Thus, the ancient texts are revelation of God in Jesus. Jesus is the truth along with the teachings He brought to reality and the teachings of the prophets before Him. When Jesus said to know the truth and the truth will set us free, He was pointing at Himself. Jesus is God revealed.

I wonder how many Christians "know" the truth? Knowing and being aware are two very different things. I am aware of President Obama, yet I do not know Him. I am aware of the African continent, but I do not know it. I am aware of skydiving, but I have never experienced it. Every Christ-follower can "know" Jesus. God can be known beyond being aware of Jesus. He desires a relationship with us. Thus, in the knowing Jesus a person can be set free.

"All knowing God, thank you for the revelation and the scriptures that bring life. Thank you for allowing me the freedom to live in a country that allows me to study the texts freely. Please help me to treasure the truth and know You in a way others will see you in me. Amen."

I know and I am set free...you know I love ya, Don

"Hold It!"

2011-09-05T06:09:00.001-04:00

"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples'." John 8:31

Have you ever truly held on to something? I had a stuffed Snoopy I held when I was a little boy. I remember holding on to a piece of paper my Grandmother had written a note to me on. I held on to the note for years. In fact, I probably still have the note somewhere in a keepsake box. Grandma wrote a short note on an order ticket when we were eating at a restaurant where she was a cook and it was on my plate when the food arrived.

Then there is the Buffalo nickle my mother gave me a few years ago. I hold on to it and remember seeing it in her jewelry box for many years as I grew up. It reminds me of the security of my Mother's voice.

I vividly recall holding all three of my children for the first time. There was something so special about these little lives. It was a God given gift that I was the father to these very precious lives.

I also recall after my first ear surgery in 2007 and how much pain I was in after surgery. The pain medications were not kicking in and I was in terrible pain. I remember holding Karen's hand and the comfort it gave me while we waited. Karen's physical touch brought a sense of comfort and security.

Jesus said, "if you hold...you are my disciples." In other words we must do more than follow, a Christ-follower must possess the teaching. Karen could have just been in the room, I could have looked at the children through a window, I could have just remembered my mother's coin, and thought about my Grandmother's note but I would not have held them in my hand. The possession gave the weight to the reality.

So, I wonder if Christians truly understand what it means to posses the teachings of Jesus? It means that we must possess the teachings of compassion, of grace, and of love. It means that we are fully committed, even if it means that we have to step out on faith, take a risk, or be challenged in the public arena of life. A Christ-follower will "hold" the teaching of Jesus so close that reading and memorizing the scriptures are a necessity of living. The holding of the Biblical teaching is possession and reality of the teaching in actions that are demonstrated.

"Almighty God, Thank you for the teachings. Thank you for revealing yourself to us when we ask. Please help me possess the teachings and hold them close so that others might know I love you. Amen."

You know I love ya and I hold you close to, Don

A Name that Brings Me Comfort

2011-08-31T06:17:00.000-04:00

Philippians 2:10-11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

The mention of Jesus' name is so comforting to me. I have experienced great joy and tremendous sorrow over the years. Jesus promised we would have abundant life. He did not say, "abundant happy life...but abundant life." It is in that abundant life that the name of Jesus is discovered in full power and strength. Why? Because Jesus is the unifying force the holds the universe together. His name is also the source for strength in the abundance. I recall a reading written by Gloria Gaither...

Jesus....
The mere mention of His name can calm the storm, heal the broken, raise the dead.
At the name of Jesus, I've seen sin hardened men melted, derelicts transformed.
The lights of hope put in the eyes of a hopeless child.
At the name of Jesus, hatred and bitterness turn to love and forgiveness, arguments cease.
I've heard a mother softly breathe His name at the bedside of a child delirious from fever,
and watched... as that little body grew quiet, and fevered brow cooled.
I've sat the side of a dying saint. Her body wracked with pain, who in those final fleeting seconds summoned her last ounce of ebbing strength, just to whisper Earth's sweetest name.
Jesus...Jesus....
Emperors have tried to destroy it.
Philosophies have tried to stamp it out.
Tyrannts have tried to wash it from the face of the Earth with the very blood of those who claimed it. Yet it still stands.
And there shall be that final day when every voice that has ever uttered a sound, every voice of Adam's race, shall raise in one mighty chorus to proclaim the name of Jesus.
For in that day, every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess, that Jesus Christ is truly Lord.
You see, it was not by mere chance that caused the angel one night, long ago to say to a virgin maiden: His name, His name shall be called Jesus....Jesus....Jesus.....
Ya know, there is something, something about that name........ (~Gloria Gaither)

It is so true. Just the mention of Jesus brings comfort to those who know Him. It is so true because He is so wonderful to me and He is a servant always willing to serve the needs of others.

"Almighty God, you are truly an awesome God. You bring joy and strength in the hard days. Help me to speak your name with reverence and with comfort to others. Thank you for bringing the name to me. It is in His name that I ask you make these things possible, Amen."

Jesus loves you and so do I, Don

High Places!

2011-08-29T06:46:00.000-04:00

Philippians 2:9 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name."

Have you ever stood on the top of a very high place. I have several memories of high places. One was over looking the Grand Canyon. Other is looking through a clearing at a cascade in the Smoky Mountains. I also recall hiking to the top of the Chimney's in the Smoky Mountain Park with Josh Petlitzer. I have memories of standing on a bridge and over looking a great river flowing underneath and looking out of an observation deck in a high rise in in San Diego, CA and New York City.

There was something special about the high places. It was a little frightening. Heights don't usually both me, but being up high is not a normal place for me to be. My legs get a little shaky and I try to find a balance to hold to. I need an additional balance because my senses were telling me that I was up high and not in a typical location for me to be.

Another attribute that each of these place had was that I could see out. The memory I have is that it was clear and that I could see forever. Even on the bridge and it was a little foggy, I could see. I could also be seen. I remember people looking up at us on the Chimney's in the Smokies starting their trek up the tall mountain. There is was small clearing an they were looking up at us and we were looking down at them. They waved their arms at us and we waved our arms back at them. They could see us....

Jesus had the attitude to be a servant and was willing to work for the others best interest. He was even willing to go to the Cross in our place because He was thinking of our best interest. God responded to this attitude. God responded to this action and willingness to serve. God lifted Jesus to the highest place and gave him a high place. In the high place, everyone can see Him. The key is to take our eyes off of ourselves and our low places and look in His direction. It is a direction of service and thinking of others first. It is then we look up and see Jesus lifted up and God praised. It is a little frightening and doesn't feel as natural as it should, but the place is an awesome view and we are testimonial views for God.

"Dear God, help me to see beyond myself and look up on the high place the great servant lifted up. My I follow His example and please you with faith and action that seeks the well being of others. Please make me a Christ-follower that seeks to bring you and you alone glory! Amen"

You know I love ya, Don

An Appearing Presence!!!

2011-08-24T06:25:00.001-04:00

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus...And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!"- Philippians 2:5 & 8

Jesus was found in the appearance of a man. He was God, yet God chose to be revealed in the appearance as a man. What does it mean to appear? Remember the old saying, "appeared out of no where."

I recall an Elder at the Gethsemane Church of Christ is Mechanicsville, VA. His name was Carlyle Williams and He gave some of the best communion meditations I have experienced. He was also very light on his feet. He would always volunteer to lock up the church at the close of services. So, in this older building and with the lights off I would be leaving the church. Then, appearing out of no where, Carlyle would step up behind you, your heart starts to beat a little faster because of the awareness that there was a presence very close. Carlyle startled the blood right out of my heart many times. He would apologize every time, but he was and I am sure still very quiet on his feet.

When Paul tells us that Jesus appeared as a man, I believe we are to learn that Jesus was the very presence of God. God appeared out of heaven as a man and just like becoming aware of Carlyle presence, so we are also to be aware of God's presence in Jesus. The presence of God in Jesus is one of humility and obedience. It is a presence that draws people closer together, unifies the heart in worship and then scatters people to talk more about the presence in their life. Jesus' presence is the awesome appearance of God.

Paul starts the passage with the declaration, "we are to have the same attitude." Our presence should be one that is known to others as humble and obedient. A presence that thinks of others needs and approaches the need with solutions even if the need is met by a sacrifice on our part. The Christ-follower's presence should be known as a radiant reflection of Jesus.

"Dear Lord, help me be a presence in the world I live. I plead for you to help my unbelief and reveal yourself to me and my family in a way that draws us closer to your presence. Allow us the joy of being obedient in serving others needs while living a life of abundance. I ask for these in Jesus Name, Amen."

It is a joy to study the word with you. You know I love ya, Don

The Next Best Thing!

2011-08-22T06:48:00.002-04:00

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." Philippians 2:5-7

Jesus was God and He know that in the flesh, equality with God was something we could not achieve. In response, He chose the next best thing...He become a servant. In order to be a servant, He had to make Himself nothing. Other translations of the original Greek, state that Jesus "emptied Himself."

If He emptied Himself, what did He let go of? The answer is obvious and profound. He emptied Himself of the power and majesty of God. Literally, He made himself nothing. He openly chose to be a nobody so that He could serve. He freely gave up all that would attract prestige, influence, wealth, and security so that He could serve. He chose to serve because in the flesh He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.

Jesus took the nature of a servant and was found in human likeness. This is God incarnate. I like chili con-carne. That is chili made with meat and no beans. The crudeness of the illustration doesn't hinder the reality of the teaching. The root of the words are the same..."carne" and "incarnate." Both words are talking about meat or the flesh. Jesus was God in the flesh. He also realized the inability to defeat sin and the flesh without the servant attitude required. So, He was found, discovered, realized, and experienced in human likeness.

The writer of Philippians was the Apostle Paul, He writes, "Our attitudes should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." We are also found and experienced in the flesh...we live in the "con carne" state. In addition, we should never consider equality with God. So, the next best choice is to take on the very nature of a servant and follow in Christ's example. In other words, a Christ-follower's attitude should be to fulfill the needs of others. I wonder how many of us are doing that?

"Dear Lord, help me to follow your example and have a servant attitude. Forgive me for my unbelief and my lack of faith. Please give me eyes that see, ears that hear, and hands that serve the needs of others. I need your help in emptying myself of pride, bias, and selfish desire so that I may be filled with you. You know I love you and desire to serve you in all I do. In Jesus Name, Amen."

Thanks for reading and you know I love ya, Don

Dying in order to live

2011-08-17T05:55:00.000-04:00

This is a repost from March of 2009...I needed to read it again...

Jesus also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." John 4:26-29

Imagine with me for moment this following scene:

The farmer from the above scripture is ready to plant the seed. The seeds cries out,"please don't put me in that hole? It is cold, dark, and wet in there. I will die in that hole!"

The farmer responds with, "Yes, you will die in there, but you will also sprout and grow into a mighty tree. You will come alive again and produce much fruit. You will grow very tall and be able to experience the height and depth of my love. You will also know what it feels like to have the wind blow and the sun shine on your leaves."

"But I don't want to die." states the little seed. "I don't want to loose what I have."

"Oh, what you will gain will far outweigh what you will loose in your new life." explains the farmer.

"I am afraid," pleads the little seed.

"Do not be afraid. I will take care of you. You must die to the fear in order to truly live." says the farmer. The farmer then plants the seed and the little seed becomes a mighty tree. The seeds learns in the dark, cold, wet parts of life is where we truly surrender and then we will truly begin to live.

What does it mean to be alive....to surrender oneself to God by declaring God's worth in our lives while recognizing His presence in our lives, by giving to God's purposes, and by lifting His praises in all we do. For when we die to ourselves is when we truly begin to live.
What do you think it means to be alive? You know I love ya - Don

Back to School - some guidelines

2011-08-15T05:37:00.000-04:00

"Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility ... He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
"Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way" Daniel 1:3-8 (NIV)

Alice and Matthew go back to school tomorrow. They are so excited. I recall being miserable the day before I would go back to school at their ages. I started thinking about some of the guidelines that made life in school more productive and probably would have made my experience something to look forward to in contrast to my misery. I starting searching out some websites and thoughts finding Carol's list in "5 Minutes for Faith":

1. Do more listening than you do talking. If you are talking at the same time as the teacher, you may miss some very important instructions.
2. Follow directions. Don’t question what you have been told, just get down to business and follow directions the first time. It will save you much heartache in the long run.
3. Stay on task. Your teacher is smarter than you. Guaranteed. Each task serves a purpose in your overall education. Stay focused on what you need to do and don’t be distracted by others.
4. Come prepared. Don’t show up to school without your homework. Be sure you’ve put thought into what you might need each day.
5. Be flexible. Things will not always go the way you think they should. Smile anyway. Some pizza days could easily turn into fish sandwich days. Make up your mind to be happy no matter what.

I think all of us would do well to take these five guidelines and apply them to everyday life. We must commitment to Daniel's example and not defile ourselves. It is our job as Christ-followers to be the leaders in compassion, integrity, and in growth. So, we make it our goal to please Him, the perfect example for us all.

You know I love ya...and happy back-to-school. Don

"Love"...

2011-08-10T05:58:00.000-04:00

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:16-18

I was asked what love is and I thought about it and tried to explain love as an expression of heartfelt passion toward another person...yet it does not truly describe love. There are theological words that describe love and there many ways love can be interpreted. Yet, that just does not do the job.

I think we have trouble describing love because love is an action word. Action words need to be told by the action that is demonstrated. Thus the text above describes what true love is. Marvin Williams writes about love:

A South African man surprised nine men robbing his home. Seven of the robbers ran away, but the homeowner managed to shove two into his backyard pool. After realizing that one of the robbers couldn’t swim, the homeowner jumped in to save him.The Cape Times reports that once out of the pool, the wet thief called to his friends to come back. Then he pulled a knife and threatened the man who had just rescued him. The homeowner said, “We were still standing near the pool, and when I saw the knife I just threw him back in. But he was gasping for air and was drowning. So I rescued him again.”

In his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul wrote of another rescue: God the Father had saved them from the domain of darkness. This rescue occurred at the death of Christ, but also at the Colossians’ conversion. The imagery Paul used (1:12-13) suggests that believers have been rescued from the dark reign of Satan by being transferred as free people into the peaceable rule of Christ. By Jesus’ death, believers become free citizens in the kingdom of light.

The appropriate response to such amazing grace is to show joyous gratitude by offering God acceptable service with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28).

Our only response to being rescued and loved can be nothing less than to go and love those around us as Christ loved us first. I am going to "go" and "love." I will be looking for you on the journey. You know I love ya, Don

"Go" ...

2011-08-08T05:40:00.002-04:00

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130 NIV

Matthew rides horses every week. It is part of his Hippotherapy to strengthen his core and balance. He rides the horses and receives physical and occupational therapy at TherAplay. They teach him that as he is ready to call out to the horse and say, "Go!" Then the horse will move forward and they get moving.

I couldn't help but think of Jesus while I was watching Matthew on Friday. Jesus also gave us a command. He said, "Go." He was telling us to go physically out to people around us and demonstrate worship in compassion and sacrifice. Notice he says to all people and to go with a purpose. David Branon wrote in June of 2010:

Picher, Oklahoma, is no more. In mid-2009, this once-bustling town of 20,000 went out of business. In the first quarter of the 1900s, Picher was a boomtown because of its abundant lead and zinc. Workers extracted the ore, which was used to help arm the US during both World Wars.

The town faded as the ore began to run out—but the biggest problem was that while the lead and zinc brought wealth, they also brought pollution. Because nothing was done to deal with the pollution, Picher became a toxic wasteland, and the government condemned the land.

What happened to Picher can happen to people. Prosperity can look so good that it’s hard to think about possible downsides. Actions that are detrimental to long-term spiritual health are accepted, and unless the problem is corrected, destruction follows. It happened to King Saul. He began as a good king, but in seeking success he failed to see the damage he was doing. Turning his back on God’s commands, he acted “foolishly” (1 Sam. 13:13) and lost his kingdom (v.14).

In our attempts to find success, we need to watch out for spiritual pollution that comes when we fail to follow God’s clear scriptural guidelines. Godly living always beats toxic living.

To many times Christ-followers go yet they do not go with a purpose in mind. They go and move forward but with out a purpose it is like a town full of pollution. They start to feel scorned and toxins set in along with discouragement. So, what is the purpose Jesus set out for us? The purpose is to go and LOVE! Jesus' words are full of love and are are to follow in His example.

I am going to "go" and I pray I will see you on the journey. You know I love ya, Don

A Special Prayer for Today!

2011-08-03T07:06:00.000-04:00

Open My Eyes by Clara H Scott

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!
Open my mouth, and let me bear,
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Spirit divine!

A Prayer for this day. You know I love ya, Don

Glimpses of Truth...high above the earth!

2011-08-01T06:04:00.000-04:00

LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Psalm 8:1

Welcome August 2011. My desire and prayer for this month is, "Open My eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth God has for me." I don't travel by plane very often. When I do, I never grow tired of looking out the window of the airplane. Since most of my flights are to and from the same cities, the landscape I see is not unfamiliar, yet I have trouble recognizing the landscape from such a different view. Now matter from what view, sunrises and sunsets are never the same, particularly when viewed from the air, above the clouds.

As I think about clouds and how different they look from the air, it occurs to me that I am not physically designed to see clouds from above. I am able to because, through the achievements of modern aviation, I can go where I was not intended to go and see the earth from a different perspective, more like God's perspective.

Through His marvelous grace, I realize that when I fight my daily battles on earth and cannot see past them or deal with them effectively, I can step back and try to look at my life from God's perspective. He is like a strong jet seen from above, and ALSO very intricately involved in my life. The best of both perspectives. Then I perceive my situation differently -- sometimes as different as clouds look from above. God knows the overall scheme of things. From God's perspective, the particular battle I am fighting may not be so big after all...in fact I may be winning a new level of blessing and growth greater than I could even ask for.

"Dear Lord, open my eyes and may I see you and may other see you in me. Amen"

You know I love ya, Don

The Grand Canyon

2011-07-27T06:43:00.000-04:00

Be still, and know that I am God. -Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon silenced me. Mom, Jim, and I were in the process of moving me to Tennessee to take the job at Smoky Mountain Christian Church. The Grand Canyon was not far off our planned route, so we thought we should stop and see the world's largest ditch. What an understatement. When we arrived, all three of us wished we had planned to stay there a little longer.

As I gazed out over the vastness and realized that water had done all this, I had no words. The Canyon stretched before me as far as the naked eye could see. There seemed to be no end to it. In the quiet, I watched light reflecting off the walls, creating splashes of red, blue, purple, yellow. A jagged rock towered nearby, reflecting light to the east side. Light and color glistened on the canyon rim where the trees staggered on the edge. Below I could see the river storming through what looked like cracks and crevices.

That was 16 years ago and even today I do not have words to describe my emotions and thoughts in that moment. I was mesmerized knowing that God created this beauty. But my thoughts turn today as I reflect back on that moment and in my heart the words, "Be still." Anxiety rushes up: worries over relationships, finances, schedules, and wondering if God will see fit to give us another opportunity to adopt a perfect little boy. But as I recall gazing at the scene unfolding, I heard the words echoing across the canyon, "Be still, and know that I am God."

The God who designed this canyon has designed you and me with the same infinite care. He is also the fountain of every blessing. If physical water can create such a vast canyon in the earth, how much more can the God of blessing carve into our anxiety the perfect heart that waits and trusts in the God we love. When we ponder the greatness of God who watches over all creation, both the Grand Canyon and us, silent awe seems an appropriate response.

"Fountain of every blessing and Awesome God, silence my heart. Help me to be still and allow you to take care of my anxieties. Thank you for caring about each of us in the midst of your great universe. I wait and trust in you. In the silence, I search, watch, and praise you for the blessings that carve out my anxieties. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

You know I love ya, Don

Yosemite National Forest Falls!

2011-07-25T06:28:00.001-04:00

Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. -Isaiah 40:28 (NRSV)

When I was in High School there was a morning during my prayer time, I gave thanks for being able to talk to God anywhere, any time, just as millions of people around the world do. I am not sure the date and I do not understand how God hears every prayer and cares for every person, how God knows us all individually as no one else does. Yet I know that with God, nothing is impossible.

A few days later I remembered a trip we took to Yosemite National Park. We camped a few nights and walked to the base of the falls. I recalled how the water was cascading down the side of the flat mountain where the glacier had tore away half the mountain side away. I then imagined how God's blessings cascade from heaven to earth. The water was God's goodness, pouring out love, truth, peace, and joy on everyone. It was a God moment that taught me God is everywhere and that God's power, through the Holy Spirit, never ends. As God pours down blessings on us, we try, through acts of kindness and love, to be channels of that blessing to others. As the Christ Follower waits and channels the blessing, we see entire valleys carved into the darkness of this world.

"God our fountain of every blessing, thank you for your never-ending love for us and for all the blessings you give each day. Help us to be channels of your love as we pray, 'Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen'."

You know I love Ya, Don

Love and Light as License Agreements

2011-07-20T06:54:00.000-04:00

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. -1 John 1:5 (NIV)

I love light. We have up graded our lighting system in the Worship Center at Park Chapel. The license agreement also changed with Martin Lights so we had to buy a new computer and a new USB port that allows for the system to work under the agreement. As I program these new codes and some old codes into the new system, I can't help but think and remember that "love" is our license agreement in the Christian faith.

Both light and love give warmth and produce healing and growth. Light shines all around, without discriminating or requiring that certain conditions be met. Likewise, if I love, I love at all times, even when I don't agree with those I love or when they do not meet my expectations. In our culture today, that seems to be a regular part of life. In reality, God loves me when I don't live in His example or meet up to His expectation.

God is love. If we know God and walk in God's light, we love one another. To have a clearer picture of love is helpful, but I still cannot love on my own. I need God's light and God's love to shine through me. Learning to love has taken time and will continue to take work and dedication to the goal, but it has been a great joy to realize that I can be an agent of healing, growth, and light in my relationships with other people. So can we all, if we allow God to teach us.

You know I love ya and striving to love even more, Don

"Lights of Glory" Another Something to look forward too.

2011-07-18T06:43:00.001-04:00

We sang, "Because He Lives" by Bill and Gloria Gather in church yesterday. In the third verse the last phrase is, "I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He reigns." I could not help by think of these two verses....

2 Corinthians 4:17, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."
and
Revelation 21:23, "The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp."

Theologians define the Light of glory to be, "A supernatural intellectual power infused into the soul, by which believer is enabled to demonstrate God, which never could do on their own with unassisted natural powers." It is called supernatural, because it is not a natural talent or power of our nature, as the talent for poetry, music, painting, skills, athletics, and others, all of which may be developed and highly improved by study, rehearsal, or practice. But the Light of glory is an elevation, expansion, or development of the mind, which comes directly from God, and is, in no sense, the result of human endeavors, except in so far as it has been deserved by a holy life and revealed in heaven.

Thus, God's light can also be seen on this side of heaven in glimpses. When a Christ-follower demonstrates the actions of Christ. Such actions as having a service attitude, a compassion filled heart, and a commitment to integrity while possessing a passion for life are all the things Jesus gave us before He turned to the ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. He loved us and knew that equality with God was something we could not grasp, thus he demonstrated light to us in life. We can also demonstrate this light in our daily lives in service, compassion, integrity and passion.

I also thought about a light that I am missing. As a Child, my mother would refer to my sister and I as lights in her life. I think she was referring to us as a source that brought joy and illumination to her world. As a parent, I understand what she was saying. Matthew, Alice, and Nicholas are a great source of illumination in my life. Nicholas died in January and that light is dim today, yet as we were sing and declaring that as Jesus lives, so I can face tomorrow because there is a light in Heaven, I could not help but think of Nicholas. So, as I see the Lights of Glory in that final day of life, I will see a new and complete restoration of father and son, a source of Joy and light, for a time is currently dim.

Thus, how do I live this truth practically today? The answer is in another verse came to mind in 2 Corinthians 4:6, "For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ." Yes, I grieve this very special little boy and his light is shadowed today, I know that I can face tomorrow, because Jesus lives and in His living, I also can shine a light of glory in the waiting.

You know I love ya and I am also thanking God for your being another light to me, Don

"Waiting" is hard! pt. 2

2011-07-13T06:09:00.000-04:00

Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually. Hosea 12:6

Again from Andrew Murray some comforting and reassuring thoughts during times we are forced to wait. God is moving at his perfect timing. The struggle is in my impatience to wait. Andrew Murray:

Continuity is one of the essential elements of life. Interrupt it for a single hour in a man, and it is lost; he is dead. Continuity, unbroken and ceaseless, is essential to a healthy Christian life. God wants me to be, and God waits to make me; I want to be, and I wait on Him to make me, every moment, what He expects of me – what is well pleasing in His sight. If waiting on God is the essence of true faith, the maintenance of the spirit of entire dependence must be continuous. The call of God, ”wait on thy God continually,” must be accepted and obeyed. Although there may be times of special waiting, the disposition and habit of soul must be there unchangeably and uninterrupted.

This continual waiting is indeed a necessity. To those who are content with a feeble Christian life, it appears to be a luxury beyond what is essential to be a good Christian. But, all who are praying the prayer, ”Lord, make me as holy as a pardoned sinner can be made! Keep me as near to You as it is possible for me to be! Fill me as full of Your love as You are willing to do!” feel at once that it is something that must be had. They feel that there can be no unbroken fellowship with God, no full abiding in Christ, no maintaining of victory over sin and readiness for service, without waiting continually on the Lord.

The continual waiting is a possibility. Many think that with the duties of life it is out of the question. They cannot always be thinking of it. Even when they wish to, they forget. They do not understand that it is a matter of the heart and that what the heart is full of, occupies it, even when the thoughts are otherwise engaged. A father’s heart may be continuously filled with intense love and longing for a sick wife or child at a distance, even though pressing business requires all his thoughts. When the heart has learned how entirely powerless it is for one moment to keep itself or bring forth any good, when it has learned how surely and truly God will keep it, when it has, in despair of itself, accepted God’s promise to do for it the impossible, it learns to rest in God. In the midst of occupations and temptations, it can wait continually.

This waiting is a promise. God’s commands are enablings. Gospel precepts are all promises, a revelation of what our God will do for us. When you first begin waiting on God, it is with frequent intermission and failure. But, do believe God is watching over you in love and secretly strengthening you in it. There are times when waiting appears like just losing time, but it is not so. Waiting, even in darkness, is unconscious advance, because it is God you have to do with, and He is working in you. God, who calls you to wait on Him, sees your feeble efforts and works it in you. Your spiritual life is in no respect your own work; as little as you begin it, can you continue it. It is God’s Spirit who has begun the work in you of waiting upon God. He will enable you to wait continually.

God must, God will work continually. He ever does work continually, but the experience of it is hindered by unbelief. But, He, who by His Spirit teaches you to wait continually, will bring you also to experience how, as the Everlasting One, His work is never ceasing. In the love and the life and the work of God, there can be no break, no interruption.

Do not limit God in this by your thoughts of what may be expected. Do fix your eyes upon this one truth: in His very nature, God, as the only Giver of life, cannot do anything other than work in His child every moment. Do not look only at the one side: ”If I wait continually, God will work continually.” No, look at the other side. Place God first and say, ”God works continually; every moment I may wait on Him continually.” Take time until the vision of your God working continually, without one moment’s intermission, fills your being. Your waiting continually will then come of itself. Full of trust and joy, the holy habit of the soul will be: ”on thee do I wait all the day” (Ps. 25:5). The Holy Spirit will keep you ever waiting.
My soul, wait thou only upon God!

"Lord, help my unbelief and give me strength to be bold and strong during times when I must wait. You are a great God that knows all things and is all things. Please help me to realize it and be patient. You know I love you God and you are so good to us. Thank You! Amen."

You know I love ya, Don

"Waiting" is hard!

2011-07-11T06:00:00.001-04:00

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him, Those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the land.” Psalms 37:7, 9

Andrew Murray writes:

“In patience possess your souls.” “Ye have need of patience.” “Let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire.” Such words of the Holy Spirit show us what an important element in the Christian life and character patience is. And nowhere is there a better place for cultivating or displaying it than in waiting on God. There we discover how impatient we are, and what our impatience means. We confess at times that we are impatient with men, and circumstances that hinder us, or with ourselves and our slow progress in the Christian life.

If we truly set ourselves to wait upon God, we shall find that it is with Him we are impatient, because He does not at once, or as soon as we could wish, do our bidding. It is in waiting upon God that our eyes are opened to believe in His wise and sovereign will, and to see that the sooner and the more completely we yield absolutely to it, the more surely His blessing can come to us.

“It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” Rom 9:16. We have as little power to increase or strengthen our spiritual life, as we had to originate it. We “were born not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of the will of God.”

Even so, our willing and running, our desire and effort, avail nought; all is “of God that sheweth mercy”. All the exercises of the spiritual life, our reading and praying, our willing and doing, have their very great value. But they can go no farther than this, that they point the way and prepare us in humility to look to and to depend alone upon God Himself, and in patience to wait His good time and mercy.

The waiting is to teach us our absolute dependence upon God’s mighty working, and to make us in perfect patience place ourselves at His disposal. They that wait on the Lord shall inherit the land; the promised land and its blessing. The heirs must wait; they can afford to wait.

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.” The margin gives for “Rest in the Lord”, “Be silent to the Lord”, or R. V., “Be still before the Lord”. It is resting in the Lord, in His will, His promise, His faithfulness, and His love, that makes patience easy. And the resting in Him is nothing but being silent unto Him, still before Him. Having our thoughts and wishes, our fears and hopes, hushed into calm and quiet in that great peace of God which passeth all understanding.

That peace keeps the heart and mind when we are anxious for anything, because we have made our request known to Him. The rest, the silence, the stillness, and the patient waiting, all find their strength and joy in God Himself.

The needs be, and the reasonableness, and the blessedness of patience will be opened up to the waiting soul. Our patience will be seen to be the counterpart of God’s patience. He longs far more to bless us fully than we can desire it. But, as the husbandman has long patience till the fruit be ripe, so God bows Himself to our slowness and bears long with us.

Let us remember this, and wait patiently: of each promise and every answer to prayer the word is true: “I the Lord will hasten it in its time.” Isa 60:22.

“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.”

Yes, for HIM. Seek not only the help, the gift, thou needest seek: HIMSELF; wait for HIM. Give God His glory by resting in Him, by trusting him fully, by waiting patiently for Him. This patience honours Him greatly; it leaves Him, as God on the throne, to do His work; it yields self wholly into His hands. It lets God be God.

If thy waiting be for some special request, wait patiently. If thy waiting be more the exercise of the spiritual life seeking to know and have more of God, wait patiently.

Whether it be in the shorter specific periods of waiting, or as the continuous habit of the souls. Rest in the Lord, be still before the Lord, and wait patiently. “They that wait on the Lord shall inherit the land.”

“My soul, wait thou only upon God!”

I am waiting this week on God's power and for His comfort. Your prayers are always a blessing. Thank You and you know I love ya, Don

Interruptions!

2011-07-06T06:36:00.000-04:00

Jesus said to [Bartimaeus], "What do you want me to do for you?" -Mark 10:51 (NRSV)

Bill Adams tells the following story:

A young social worker complained to her supervisor that she had difficulty completing her work. "The trouble," she said, "is that people keep interrupting me."
Her supervisor replied, "But those interruptions are your work."
All of us experience interruptions. However, we can also see possibilities that come to us with them. Looking back, most of us can see how some of the most important relationships we have made, some of the most rewarding services we have performed, have come from what we first saw as interruptions.
Jesus gives us a model for dealing with interruptions. During Jesus' final journey to Jerusalem, blind Bartimaeus boldly called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Mark 10:47). This journey to Jerusalem was an important moment in Jesus' ministry; the salvation of the world was at stake! But Jesus heard Bartimaeus, stopped, and healed him.
The mission God gives us is always about people. We can never justify disregarding God's children. The interruptions in our lives may be God calling us to serve.

I am making it a personal goal to be a "noticer" of life. In order to notice the miracles of God, I have to be willing to be interrupted. Often times this means I am late or a certain job does not get accomplished, but the opportunities for God moments out way any hardship.

You know I love ya, Don

A 4th of July Tribute: "Quiet Hero" by Rita Crosby

2011-07-04T06:26:00.001-04:00

This last month I took the time to read, "Quiet Hero: Secrets From My Father's Past" by Rita Crosby. We had the joy of hearing her and her story at the Gaither Family Fest in Gatlinburg, TN over the Memorial Day Weekend. After purchasing the book and getting a chance to meet Rita personally, I started reading it.

The book retells the story of her Polish father and the secrets he has carried for many years about WWII. Those secrets destroyed Rita's family. In fact, there were years of bitterness that she carried against her father. Following her mother's death and the discovery of a very special suit case, she allows God to start a new work in her and through God's grace and a great deal of grace, she forgives her father and seeks to restore a father/daughter relationship that was in ruins.

While seeking to restore a relationship, she discovers the horrors that her father endured growing up in Poland prior to and during the German occupation. Scenes of dying neighbors, fighting in the resistance, and escaping through sewers are just a few nightmares that he "quietly" carried with him through the years. As the book unfolds, you see forgiveness, a restored relationship between a father and daughter, but every reader discovers a new appreciation for the freedoms we take for granted everyday.

The books ends on a very positive note. In fact, the last third of the book should be history reading in every classroom, much like the movie, "Shindler's List" should be watched by every history student. Today, we fear terrorism and personal wars, we have no concept of what atrocities can happen when war and hatred take a global scope. Rita and her dad get to restore many relationships and meet many new people when experiencing a new democracy in Poland. I highly recommend "Quiet Hero: Secrets From My Father's Past" by Rita Crosby.

The book also speaks to everyone that has a secret past of all levels. Rita took a big risk in seeking out her father and a restored relationship. We all have regrets and sorrows...and many of us have grief and horrors we carry. In the true servant attitude of Jesus and through His example, when we reach beyond ourselves and serve while seeking truth, relationships are restored...we take control of our griefs and horrors. The secrets we carry no longer have control over us.

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Celebrate your freedoms today no matter what country you live in. Jesus died so that all who believe might have eternal life and no longer be slaves to sin. Happy Independence day and you know I love ya, Don

a Unique July 2011

2011-06-30T06:17:00.000-04:00

July

This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens
once every 823 years.

Freedom!

2011-06-29T06:17:00.000-04:00

White marks on the sidewalk were the only signs that remained of the massacre. It had occurred when a death squad killed street kids as they slept in front of a cathedral in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Concerned Christians had marked the sidewalk with chalk as a simple monument to these anonymous children.

If freedom means no rules, no parents to tell us what to do, no school, and no accountability for our whereabouts, then these kids were free. Maybe as children some of us even dreamed of having such freedom. But this tragedy helps us realize that freedom is more than living without structure or rules.

Freedom needs a foundation and a purpose to make it valuable. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, affirms freedom as an important part of the Christian life. But he also says to use this freedom for service and love.

Christians are called to freedom that creates safe places for abused and rejected children, that opens a space for young people to find direction for their lives, that helps people of all ages to find meaning and purpose. Freedom to make a positive difference in the world -- that is freedom indeed! "For freedom Christ has set us free. -Galatians 5:1 (NRSV)"

It is awesome to live in a Country that is ruled by the people and free from oppression. It is also a joy to celebrate our Country's freedom this week, but as we celebrate, let us never forget the price our fellow Americans have paid make to give us political freedom AND may we never forget the price Jesus paid to give us eternal freedom!

Have a great USA Independence Day and You know I love ya, Don

Blow out the Dust!

2011-06-27T06:12:00.000-04:00

If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins. -1 John 2:1-2 (NRSV)

A friend in Singapore wrote:

The air conditioning unit in our home needs maintenance every three months to clear the accumulation of dust from the air filter. Otherwise the air duct gets blocked and water from condensation starts to drip inside our house.
Similarly, wrongs that accumulate in a Christian's life can be a hindrance. However, God has provided a way to clear this accumulation of sin from our lives. First John 1:9 reminds us, "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
When we try to live the Christian life only by our own strength, we will struggle and feel defeated. But we can experience victorious life in Christ when we confess our sins and depend on the power of the Holy Spirit.

I couldn't agree more..."Lord, help me to clean out my life on a regular basis?"

You Know I Love Ya, Don

What a request!

2011-06-22T06:11:00.001-04:00

Prior to Acts 4: 23-31, Peter and John were severely warned not to preach the Good News of Jesus. What happened after that is recorded in Acts 4, starting with verse 23…

²³After they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. ²⁴When they heard it, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and everything in them, ²⁵it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant:

‘Why did the Gentiles rage,

and the peoples imagine vain things?

²⁶ The kings of the earth took their stand,

and the rulers have gathered together

against the Lord and against his Messiah.’

Look familiar? The Early Christians were quoting from our text today in Psalm 2.

²⁷For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, ²⁸to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

They stated the obvious and well known by everyone, yet they did not request retribution. They did not request fire to come down and remove the problem. They did not call in angels to fight their battles. This is what they asked…verse 29.

²⁹And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, ³⁰while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

Now look it how God answers their prayer.

³¹When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

God grants them boldness. God honestly, totally, and with power hears their request. Spending time with Jesus in the Psalms is to hear God calling His people to honestly be open with God. For we serve a open God.

So, let me ask you, “Do you share you life openly with God?” Does Jesus know you openly and do you share yourself as a transparent believer?”

You know I know love ya, Don

Our God is the Same God!

2011-06-20T06:05:00.001-04:00

In Psalm 2, the writer refers to the Kings of this world and the rulers of this world. It tells us that God only laughs at their plots and plans…He rebukes them…He is supreme over all worldly authorities. When we look back at the cross we discover a celebration of a Messiah who is yet to come, yet with confidence there is celebration because…

Our God is the same God that created the world in six days.
Our God is the same God that brought the plagues upon Egypt.
Our God is the same God that brought the millions of Jews out of bondage.
Our God is the same God that split the waters of the Red Sea and lead the people with a pillar of fire.
Our God is the same God that sent fire down from the sky to burn an alter that was drenched in water.
Our God is the same God that punished the Israel nation for worshiping idols and sent them to captivity to Babylon.
Our God is the same God that redeemed the people after 70 years of captivity.
Our God is the same God that kept Jonah alive for three days in the belly of a great fish.
Our God is the same God that touched the hurting, comforted the down hearted, healed the sick, and brought the dead back to life.
Our God is the same God that empowered the disciples to preach the word and establish a church.
Our God is the same God that met Saul on the road side blinded by the light of the truth and the word and then restored Saul to preach that Word with a new name, “Paul.”
Our God is the same God that was crucified on a gruesome cross, rested a day in a tomb, and then destroyed death by defeating death by rising from the dead.
Our God is the same God that is willing to do these same miraculous signs in your life.
Our God is the One enthroned on high and laughs are anything this world might throw our direction.

Listen to these words, Psalm 118:8-9:“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”

So, let me ask, “Do you trust Him?” “Do you Trust God to be the supreme power in your life?”

You know I love ya, Don

Friday Funny - Father and Sons

2011-06-17T08:50:00.003-04:00

In Honor of our Dads Everywhere...find a smile:

“Dad”, announced little Joey, “There’s something I can’t figure out?”

“What’s that Son?” Asked his father.

“Well according to the Bible, the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, right?”

“Yes,” said the father.

“And the Children of Israel beat the Phillistines, right?”

“Yep.”

“And the Children of Israel fought the Egyptians, and the Children of Israel fought the Romans, and the Children of Israel wuz always doing something important right, dad?”

“Yes, they were son.” The father replied.

“What I want to know is this,” demanded Joey, “What wuz all the grown-ups doing?”

You can also check out our Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome Website at DADS.

You know I love ya and Dad, you know I love you, too. Don Jr.

Getting Away from Myself!

2011-06-15T06:19:00.001-04:00

Jesus said, "I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth." -John 14:16-17 (NRSV)

As I spend the summer with Jesus. I am discovering a renewed awareness of things my bias and self-inflated worth tends to cover up. Such as: on some days my thoughts and actions are so un-Christian that I wish I could somehow get away from myself. I'm impatient with others, discontent with my lot, complaining, and in short, just not much fun to be with. I recently had one of those days when I think, "How does the Holy Spirit put up with me?"

God knows me perfectly -- my every flaw, every sin, every thought, and worst of all, every motive. No one else knows me that completely.

The psalmist recognized our flawed nature and God's response in writing kind Psalm 103:13-14 which says, "As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust" (NIV).

I'm thankful that within me lives One who knows the depth of my rebellion and still never lets me go. I can be sure of that because Jesus asked the Father to give me -- and you -- the Holy Spirit forever. And whatever our Lord requests, God is certain to give. My response is to be quiet and to listen. There in lies key to Christian discernment...listening and doing "something" to bring awareness of His power and revelation in our lives.

You know I love ya, Don

"Inside the LIE of inward shame!"

2011-06-13T07:39:00.000-04:00

Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." -John 21:16 (NIV)

We are in a study that is titled, "Spending the Summer with Jesus." In Sunday's sermon, David preached on how the passover was a preview of what God can do for us. He also mentioned how our sin is a reminder of the past life we lived outside of Christ. In many ways that memory can be a disappointment. The memory is also a tool to give us strength in know that is not who we are any longer.

After Judas betrayed Jesus, he was filled with remorse and went out and hanged himself (Matt. 27:3-5). Judas' greater betrayal, however, may have been that he apparently could not believe that Jesus would forgive him and that the Holy Spirit would help him forgive himself.

But Judas was not the only one who failed Jesus. After having promised he'd never desert Jesus, Peter denied him three times. When Peter heard the rooster crow, he remembered what Jesus had foretold and went out and wept.

Later, the risen Jesus came to Peter and asked him three times, "Peter, do you love me?" After Peter answered yes each time, Jesus responded with an assignment. He gave Peter his own ministry: "Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep." (See John 21:15-17.)

The memory of what we've done can be redeemed for good. The new covenant sealed with Jesus' blood is the promise of God's forgiveness. In that covenant, the Holy Spirit is able to bring us to rebirth, re-creation, renewal, and redemption. We can be used for God's purposes, no matter what we've done.

As the words to the song from Matt Maher, "Christ is Risen (Come Awake)...

Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love

To God be the Glory for all things, Don

Us Weeds

2011-06-08T07:14:00.000-04:00

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. -Isaiah 11:6 (NRSV)

Alice and I go for nature walks. Her greatest joy is discovering the first dandelions. On one of our walks, she smiled when she noticed the bright yellow flowers at our feet. "Look, Daddy! Aren't they beautiful?" She was quiet for a moment. Then she frowned and said, "I wish people didn't call them weeds! They're God's flowers too!"

Her words caused me to stop and think about people as God's flowers. We often turn away from people who look different or speak a different language. Even in church, we allow our bias to cloud our thinking. We hinder the Spirit of God by not realizing our lives are owned by the One Redeemer. We may look at entire nations in a negative way. Sometimes we think of those we consider "outsiders" as weeds.

But differences are not a reason to label, reject, or ignore. All of us want to be heard, to be respected, to be understood, to be loved. We are all "God's flowers." Alice causes me to want to overcome prejudices and work toward unity with others. She also reminds me that flowers are not the only beautiful things in the world. In fact, she is one of the most beautiful things I have ever known. She also comforts her dad in allowing me to know that great things are in store for all of us...even us weeds.

You know I Love Ya, Don

Tears & Weeping turned to shouts of His Faithfulness!

2011-06-06T06:58:00.001-04:00

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. -Psalm 126:5-6 (NRSV)

Alice, Matthew and Karen have planted flowers around the house this year. On a sunny day in April they filled the pot with soil, planted the seeds according to the instructions, and set it on our deck and around the yard. Over the coming weeks they faithfully watered the plants, anticipating a colorful display of flowers. Slowly, we saw the transition from seed to seedling to bud to flower (or veggie plant). It's hard to fathom how such a rich tapestry of color could come from such an unspectacular beginning. Seeds that were no more than gray flecks were the genesis of a rainbow of color -- green, blue, red, orange, and yellow.

The flowers remind me of the words of Psalm 126 -- that our sorrows can be the seeds of joy, an un-wonderful beginning that brings a wonderful crop. The psalmist sings of God's redemption in bringing back captives and restoring their fortunes, taking them out of their captivity and deprivation. In sadness can be seeds that God will cultivate to grow a rainbow of joy.

I think this verse brings comfort in transition, loss, and in change. We will always miss Nicholas and as I have written in the past, Nicholas will always be our son...we will thirst for Him until we see him again in Glory and there is great comfort in knowing that we have a treasure in heaven with the name, Nicholas. We have also started considering and praying about adoption again. We are not sure where God is taking us on this journey, but we know that the desire to continue to add to our family is still there. So, we sow in tears and strive to please the God we love. He is faithful and we stand convinced that He will bring joy and a renewed strength in life through our relationship with Jesus. Until then, we enjoy the sights and smells of the flowers as a reminder.

You know I love ya, Don

Making People Thirst - Salt pt. 3

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

An old farmer was in a west Texas church when the guest preacher was preaching and carrying on. The preacher yelled out, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” After the service was over the preacher was in the back of the church when the old farmer came up to him and said, “You were wrong!” The preacher was a bit startled and taken back and then said to the farmer, “How so?” The farmer looked the preacher in the eye and said, “You can make a horse drink…feed the horse salt!”

We like to eat Chinese food. About two hours after I eat and get home, I find that I get thirsty and need some…a great deal of water…Soy Sauce is filled with salt. Look at verse 50 of Mark 9…“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Being at peace with each other is something this world thirsts for beyond measure.

When Jesus was on the Cross, he had been beaten, he had a crown of thorns pressed into his skull, and they had driven nails in his hands and feet. The blood and sweat were dripping off him.

God turns his eye away from Jesus, His Son, in order to pay the price for my sin. Jesus calls out, “I thirst.” I am sure he was dry mouth, but I also see a new view of what Jesus thirty for…Jesus thirst for his Father in heaven.

When our two month old, Nicholas Mark, died in January, I learned a new aspect of thirst. I will always thirst for Nicholas as my son until the day I see him again in Heaven. Jesus was thirsty for His heavenly Father.

When we are the salt of the earth, people should see our lives preserve others, bring heighten taste to daily living and cause people to THIRST for Jesus.

Let me ask you, “Do people thirst for Jesus when you are around?” Does your family, friends, and relationships say, “I want what they have.” The Apostle Paul put it this way:

1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

Do people thirst for God because of you, so that the lost can be won to Jesus?

It is my prayer to be so salty for Jesus, that others that I have the honor of knowing and meeting, thirst for Jesus. Would you join me in Preserving, Enhancing Flavor, and Causing Thirst because we are the salt of the earth? You know I love ya, Don

Thank You, As We remember - Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T06:09:00.002-04:00

I want to take this day and remember all those that have given their life for the freedom we share in America. Thank you!

For more information on what Memorial Day is click the following...Memorial Day!

Have a great Monday. You know I love ya -Don

Starting a new book...Quiet Hero by Rita Crosby. You might want to check it out for Memorial Day.

Enhancing the Flavor of Life - Salt pt. 2

2011-05-25T08:51:00.000-04:00

Mark 9:50…“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

A baked potato with butter, sour cream, pepper, and “SALT.” The salt is the essence of the taste and heightens the tastes of the other flavors. This is why we have salt and pepper shakers on our tables…we want to enhance the taste.

Sodium is an extremely active element found naturally only in combined form; it always links itself to another element. Chlorine, on the other hand, is the poisonous gas that gives bleach its offensive odor. When sodium and chlorine are combined, the result is sodium chloride--common table salt--the substance we use to preserve meat and bring out its flavor. Love and truth can be like sodium and chlorine. Love without truth is flighty, sometimes blind, willing to combine with various doctrines. On the other hand, truth by itself can be offensive, sometimes even poisonous. Spoken without love, it can turn people away from the gospel. Truth without love divides marriages, destroys parenting skills, and diminishes life.

Yet, when truth and love are combined, much like salt and chlorine, in an individual or a church, we have what Jesus called "the salt of the earth," and we're able to bring taste to our culture and bring out the beauty of our faith. Look Mark 10:2-9:

“Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,”

Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

What is Jesus teaching us about marriage and divorce? … Jesus is tough and teaches us that marriage is not about lust. Lust of control, lust of power, lust of fleshly desires and sex, but marriage is about keeping your word and living as a united couple for the purpose of mutual edification.” Thus, married Christians should make a difference in the “flavor of the world we live in, just as salt changes meat’s flavor.”

A Christ-follower’s marriage should be above and beyond the world’s view of marriage. It is our calling to unite together and grow together as a couple, as possible parents, and ultimately in serving God and His people. God allowed divorce as a concession to the people’s sinfulness.

It is important to always be reminded…Sinfulness reduces a person ability to live a God like life...much like water will delude salt.

Let me ask you, “Do you bring taste in the life you live?” Do the people around you say, “I know the essence of Jesus because of you.”? Other than your mother, your spouse knows you better than anyone else…does your spouse see you and know that you bring a flavor filled taste to the world and to your home?

Hebrews 13:1-5, “Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. ³ Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. ⁴ Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Do you bring taste into your world?

Striving to do my best to bring taste into the lives I am blessed to meet! You know I love ya, Don

Preserving Life - Salt pt. 1

2011-05-23T08:47:00.003-04:00

Mark 9:43-48. “If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched’.”

Jesus is passionate about being a source of preservation to right living that He teaches that it would be better for mutilation, then to allow for the sin to continue and loose it all just so that wrong living might NOT continue. Jesus also gives us that “how to” in his teaching.

Look at how Jesus addresses the “causes”: If your hand causes, if your foot causes, if eye causes…Jesus is a tough man on sin and is not willing to compromise on sin. One might ask, “How can I be tough on sin?” The answer is look at the “causes” of sin and remove them. You may have to remove them to the extreme of complete separation. Thus, in order to preserve…one must be tough on sin and be willing to take the steps to remove the causes.

Let me ask you…are you preserving the lives around you? Are you tough on your own sin? If you are series about preserving the lives around you, … then your are not living in sin, you are not allowing your friends to twist the time you are together into a time of sin or compromised living. A Jesus perspective in a Christ-Follower is to be tough on sin and preserve the innocence, the right living, the holy essence of being a believer.

Here is the question? Are you preserving the people around you? If you are, then your family, your friends, and your relationships say, “I am a better person because you are in it.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:9-13, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

This is what is means to be salt that preserves. Doing my best to be a source of preservation! You know I love ya, Don

Kingdom Perspective!

2011-05-18T06:40:00.000-04:00

Mark 3:20-21 & 31-35

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. ²¹ When his familyheard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

This passage is all about having a worldly perspective verses a kingdom perspective. Mary and Jesus' brother had a problem...they saw the world with a worldly perspective. Jesus seizes the opportunity to use it as a teaching moment and teaches a truth that is just as valid today. When we have a Kingdom Perspective and do the will of God, we are not alone but become siblings with Jesus...that makes God our Perfect Father.

Thus, life actions change. These five are big changes that happen when your perspective on life is Kingdom Driven:

You come to church with a destination in mind…I am here to meet Jesus.

A Kingdom Perspective understands that this world is not my home and I am just passing through. A Kingdom Outlook understands this world is hostile to Christ-followers. So, when a person with the outlook that sees the Kingdom, Church is not about me…in fact its not about you either, rather church is about me taking my hurts…my struggles…my praises…my joys…MY LIFE to Jesus! I may like your hat, I may like that we can chat about how the crops are coming or how work is developing, I may even like the coffee at the coffee bar…but those are not why I am here. I am here to take care of business and be with JESUS! I need to worship and I need to demonstrate to Jesus how MUCH HE IS WORTH TO ME…

It is all in your perspective:

Relationships are filled with love and genuine listening.

A Kingdom Point of view is intentional in relationships. Relationships with our Spouses are filled with love and listening. Not just men for woman, but also women for men. Intentional listening also looks for body language and makes the effort to read, study, and learn from the other partner.

A Kingdom Point of view is intentional in relationships with our Children and their children. It is purposefully loving and listening to the needs of these young lives. Biology does not make a parent. It makes it easier to get the job, but the task is hard and it takes work. It has been said and the bible teaches, “The best thing you can do for your children is to have a Kingdom perspective and love your spouse.” A worldly perspective is quick to judge and swift in punishment…yet a Kingdom Perspective realizes that eternal and responds with discernment and wisdom. A Kingdom Perspective at times will guide a child by the answer, “I don’t know, but together we will figure it out.”

A Kingdom Point of view is intentional in relationships with our co-workers, our friends, our neighbors and even in OUR irritating enemies. The question is always, “How would this bring glory to Jesus and build lives…I will not compromise my beliefs, I will not compromise my integrity, and I will not violate you because the culture in which we live allows for it!

It is all in your perspective:

Work is filled with passion.

A Kingdom assessment works with full diligence and dedication. It is showing up 15 minutes early and staying 15 minutes late. It is praying for your boss, your co-workers and your clients…even if the clients bring more finances to another co-worker or maybe your competition. Have a Kingdom assessment is to know that your job is a gift from God and does not belong to you. It is living and understanding that life and your job is but a vapor and that as an employee or owner, God is the owner of all things. We give our first fruits in tithing and in service…all the rest is a loan from Him and he gives us the joy of being stewards of it for abundant living.

It is all in your perspective:

Down time is filled with right living verses sin living.

A Kingdom standpoint is to study the word of God daily and learn to apply its teachings. It is look sin in the face and know that it is wrong. My gut it telling me this is wrong, my mind knows this is wrong and I will not go against the teaching of righteousness and right living just because it feels good.

A Kingdom standpoint looks at wrong living and says, “Get behind me Satan.” I will not allow for sin to dominate my life and compromise my purpose of being a Christ-follower. I am a follower of the Most High King and

I will not covet my friend just because he is retired and worked hard for his/her things and is enjoying them.

I will not lie to a customer to make a sale.

I will not use my words to murder the integrity of another person just because I can or they deserve it.

I will not steal from my employer, even if they will never miss it.

I will not look at the pornography or that person with lust in my eyes.

I will not…I will not…I will not…because I have a Kingdom Perspective and I am just passing through this life to get to the Kingdom that is filled with Milk and Honey…It is filled with Jesus.

You want more…you know this is not it and there is more to come.

Once you have released yourself to a Kingdom perspective…you want more. It is like a rich dessert and a good cup of Tea or Coffee…your soul has tasted heaven it cries out with in you, “Give me another piece of that.”

Your soul knows this is not it…it is what sustains you when your child dies at two months old or any crisis hits your life. I have often said and will continue to say. The thing I most look forward to when I get to heaven is a new heart. I look for a heart that no longer is prone to wonder or sin. Then I plan to find Jesus and just thank Him for letting me in the door. My Kingdom Perspective empowers me with the hope and assurance that as I am thanking Jesus for letting me in the door, He will turn around to an angel or heavenly being to reach for our little baby. He will take Nicholas and put him back into our arms and make all things complete just as he promised.

A Kingdom Perspective lets me come to church with a destination in mind,

it fills my relationships with love and genuine listening,

my work is filled with passion,

my down time is filled with right living,

and it drives me to want more of the Kingdom each and every day.

I am striving for a Kingdom Perspective. You Know I love ya, Don

Childlike Faith!

2011-05-16T06:26:00.000-04:00

I am reading "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent. I highly recommend it. This is an exerpt from page 74 concerning Childlike faith. It touched me and I think it will you as well:

"What is childlike humility? It's not the lack of intelligence, but the lack of guile. The lack of an agenda. It's the precious, fleeting time before we have accumulated enough pride or position to care what other people might think. The same un-self-conscience honesty that enables a three-year-old to splash joyfully in a rain puddle, or tumble laughing in the grass with a puppy, or point out loudly that you have a booger hanging out of your nose, is all that is required to enter heaven. It is the opposite of ignorance. It is intellectual honesty; to be willing to accept reality and to call things what they are even when it is hard."

"Lord, grant me childlike faith and forgive me for my unbelief. We miss you, Nicholas, and we know Lord Jesus that he will always be our son. We also know that you can make another perfect fit for our family as he was. So, forgive us for our unbelief and help us in living an abundant life by having child-like faith. Amen"

You know I love ya, Don

Have Mercy on Us!

2011-05-11T06:51:00.000-04:00

When [the blind beggar] heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" -Mark 10:47 (NRSV)

God is speaking...studying Mark 10:46-52, I was deeply moved by Bartimaeus's experience of regaining his sight. I thought how helpless the sightless man must have felt. All around him, the crowd sought to silence him when he cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Amid all the noise and distraction of the crowd that followed the Master, the blind man's cry for mercy should have been almost impossible for Jesus to hear. Yet, that voice, that cry of desperation, reached the heart and ears of Christ. And he healed Bartimaeus.

How merciful, indeed, is the Lord! No matter what our problems, no matter what interference we may encounter, we can cry out to God, secure in the knowledge that God will hear and respond. God is speaking, may I be quiet enough to listen.

You know I love ya, Don

Little By Little

2011-05-09T06:40:00.000-04:00

God spoke, "Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land." -Exodus 23:30 (NRSV)

I have written in the past few months that I feel my family and I are in a holding pattern, waiting room, and during the Easter season that we are living in our Saturday - between the death and the resurrection. Our culture has such a hard time waiting. In this process, I am definitely part of my culture. I find myself praying, "God please speak to us...." It was Mother's day yesterday and we are missing Nicholas terribly. Matthew and Alice are great joys, yet our nest is missing one.

God gave Moses the laws for Israel and guided the chosen people through the wilderness toward the land promised as theirs. However, God did not promise immediate victory over the people who were occupying the land. Getting rid of the inhabitants all at once would have left the land useless and unattended, because Israel did not have sufficient people to give it proper care. Instead, Israel took over little by little, securing that which could be cared for until they were ready for more.

"Little by little" is not an acceptable pace to many of us who want immediate results. Nevertheless, my experience has been that spiritual growth little by little is far more possible than is instant perfection. The Promised Land is still ahead. Not everything that needs to be driven out has yet been accomplished in us. But we are maturing in God "little by little." Even in our grief, we are maturing in God's love, compassion and comfort. He never said it would not hurt, but that He would never leave us alone in the pain.

You know I love ya, Don

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-06T06:58:00.000-04:00

Perspectives - Mark 3:31-35

2011-05-04T08:51:00.003-04:00

Mark 3:31-35 - "Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

If a relationship with God the Father is the most important relationship someone can have, it makes sense that those who are also sons of God the Father are those that you will align yourself with, share your life with, be accountable to, and love with concrete loyalty and sacrifice.

For whom would this redrawing of the boundary of family be comforting news? For whom would it be unwelcome?

This would be comforting for those who have known a broken family, in which instead of love and security, there was strife and anger and hurt; who know that even family, who are supposed to be the ones to love and protect you, can let you down. For those even with a good family background, who know their sinfulness, their tendencies to want to indulge in the coziness and comfort of just a nuclear family, who know that even these good things and relationships can become a curse and idol when not submitted under the lordship of Christ, and who know that they need the church, people to be accountable to with their struggles, so that they could even build up their family to honor and glorify God in the way that it was meant to by being truly a place of love and peace and forgiveness, through which an open home and family could also draw others to experience the love of God – they would also welcome this.

The Mark passage would be unwelcome news for those who want to make their own circle of their nuclear family the center of their lives, even at the expense of doing God’s will and opening up their lives to be in open community with those outside just their own nuclear family.

Truly Jesus is talking about a worldly perspective verses a Christ-centered perspective. Jesus is not against his family because we see Jesus take care of his mother at the cross. Yet, in this passage his family is trying to help him by giving him advice to be more politically correct. The reality is that in the passage as a whole, Jesus is the new "Heavenly" correct. Having that perspective changes actions, loyalties, responses, and eternal destinations...

More on this to come. You know I love ya, Don

The Holy Bible : New Revised Standard Version. 1989 (Mk 3:31–4:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Singing Makes all the Difference!

2011-05-02T06:19:00.000-04:00

Isaiah 12:1-6 - "In that day you will say:
“I will praise you, LORD. Although you were angry with me,
your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.
Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

I listened with delight as Matthew and Alice sing to me. His happy face mirrored what their words expressed. Often, singing enables us to express longings, hopes, and dreams that cannot be shared by mere spoken or written language.

Isaiah 12:1-6 contains the prophesy that God's people will suffer judgment for their sins and unfaithfulness. But Isaiah also states, "A day is coming when people will sing" (12:1, TEV) in the midst of their suffering. Throughout chapter 12, Isaiah chooses the word sing to describe the exiles' response to God's promise that they would return to their land.

We all deal with losses and disappointments; but we can remain faithful and hopeful because we know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain (See 1 Cor. 15:58) and that God gives us the power and the strength to face life's obstacles. And in the midst of our sadness, suffering, and emptiness, we have Isaiah's promise that a day is coming when we will be able to sing again.

I choose to praise Him regardless of the circumstance. I have found the choice makes the journey's difficulties possible and brings hope in another day that will dawn. You know I love ya, Don

Making Life Easier

2011-04-27T07:09:00.001-04:00

Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle." -Matthew 11:29 (NRSV)

On Monday night, I saw an amazing pair of oxen and their young handler at work on TV. This young man had reared the oxen from calves and spent countless hours training them. I sensed a special bond between the handler and his team.

Most teams of oxen are handled by two assistants because the animals become so excited that they start pulling even before they are hitched to the weight. This young handler, however, worked alone. The oxen waited patiently to hear his command; when it came, they made a terrific pull. "Look at that," exclaimed the announcer. "He doesn't have to drive them! He simply asks them to pull!" While other handlers sometimes used whips and harsh words, it took only a few gentle words from this young man for the animals to pull for him.

Christ is like that handler. Seeing the oxen yoked together, I understood more completely what Jesus meant when he said his yoke is easy and his burden is light. Christ is patient with us. He knows that we are capable of much good. Because Christ's voice is gentle, we need not be afraid. When he calls, we can respond out of love, allowing him to guide us. Because Jesus cares for us, our burden is light.

Sharing our yoke with Jesus makes this life of hope possible. I pray for you often. You know I love ya, Don

He is Risen...Come Awake!

2011-04-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. - 1 Corinthians 15:17 (NRSV)

We have been in a five week study of the evidences of the Resurrection of Jesus. Yesterday morning, Easter 2011, was absolutely electric in the Park Chapel Worship Center. We were celebrating because the resurrection gives us hope! Richard Garland wrote:

ISRAEL'S Roman occupiers had an answer for troublemakers: nail them to a cross! The cross should have been the end of Jesus, scattering his friends and followers. It took amazing courage for the women to come near Jesus' borrowed grave site. But what they discovered would turn the world upside down: "He is not here; for he has risen."
Resurrection lies outside the realm of ordinary proof. But sometimes proof can come from something neither visible nor understood. For example, Einstein predicted that a large source of gravity could actually "bend" space, causing light rays to change direction. Later, demonstrating this change of direction proved Einstein's theory.
So consider Jesus' dispirited disciples and friends, hiding, fearing for their lives. Yet they became a force that changed the world. Something changed them profoundly. We cannot prove or even fully comprehend the Resurrection, but we can see its effect as the disciples experienced Jesus alive again.
Without the Resurrection, the cross would be only a harsh reminder of human cruelty. But the Resurrection "bends the light" to reveal what has been hidden, showing that even death does not stand in the way of the power of Love.

The evidence is overwhelming! Jesus Christ is alive. Easter is the greatest day that ever dawn from the greatest story ever told of the greatest life ever lived! We have hope, may we never stop living it! You know I love ya, Don

Happy Easter From Us!

2011-04-22T17:52:00.003-04:00

HAPPY EASTER FROM US!!!

It's Friday but Sundays Coming!

2011-04-22T09:03:00.002-04:00

Passion Week Summarization

2011-04-20T06:38:00.000-04:00

Sunday: Triumphal entrance at the eastern gate of the temple.

Monday: Fig Tree cursed; Temple cleansing

Tuesday: Jesus authority questioned; Intense teaching of the next temple and the future.

Wednesday: Quiet.

Thursday: Passover Preparation, Passover Meal, Disciples argue about "greatness", Washing the disciples feet, Judas' early exit, Communion/Lord's Supper commissioned, Jesus' teaching in John 15-17, & The Garden of Gethsemane Prayers.

Friday: The arrest int he Garden, the trials before the Jewish authorities, King Herod and then to Pilate, the flogging and beatings, Suicide of Judas, Crucifixion around 9 AM, Jesus' death around 3 PM, Nicodemus & Joseph of Arimethia take down the body and place it in entombment before 6 PM.

Saturday: A day of rest...no events.

Sunday: Jesus defeats death and RISES FROM THE DEAD!

50 days later: Returns through the Holy Spirit

Today: Working among His people and changing lives for Powerful living!

Thank you Dave Woods for this great summary of Jesus' passion week. Have a great Easter! You know I love ya, Don

The Start of Easter Week!

2011-04-18T06:59:00.000-04:00

God made [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. -2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

I remember one Sunday when I was a in my teens. There was a wall in my Sunday school classroom covered with newspaper clippings bearing disturbing words and images. Then I noticed a large piece of paper spread on top of them. It bore one word: Sin. And there was something even larger layered on top of it all - the shape of a large cross.

I know Jesus took my sins away by giving his life on the cross. But seeing that cross covering those images helped me to better understand what Christ did when he took the sin of the world upon his shoulders. I began to ponder the words in 2 Corinthians 5:21.

I am a firm believer in justice, but I am tremendously thankful that our God is a God of mercy. Because of this mercy, the moment we accept God's sacrifice, acknowledge our sin, and proclaim Christ as our savior, we are free - free to live life as God intends it to be and to welcome death as a portal into God's presence.

Thankful for you this Easter...you know I love ya, Don

Palm Sunday....?

2011-04-17T07:03:00.000-04:00

Palm Sunday is the day we remember the "triumphal entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1-11). Some 450-500 years earlier, the Prophet Zechariah had prophesied, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9). Matthew 21:7-9 records the fulfillment of that prophecy: "They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!’” This event took place on the Sunday before Jesus' crucifixion.

In remembrance of this event, we celebrate Palm Sunday. It is referred to as Palm Sunday because of the palm branches that were laid on the road as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem. For more information click questions...You know I love ya, Have a great Palm Sunday! Don

I am Accepted!

2011-04-13T06:38:00.001-04:00

[God] chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. -Ephesians 1:4 (NRSV)

ALL my life I have yearned and worked for acceptance. Getting good grades, working overtime, striving to please anyone, even accepting unkind treatment from others -- I did anything to win approval. When Dad died two weeks before my 17th birthday, my desire for approval seem to just increase. I felt I wasn't as worthy of love, even though everyone I loved seemed to offer it freely.

As I matured approval did not seem to meet the need of acceptance. In loosing Nicholas, I have become even more aware that approval is not the goal. We did everything we could to save him. We prayed, surrendered our hearts, and used every known medical treatment yet still his little heart was not able to maintain life. In this loss, I am finding that I am not alone in the desire for acceptance. I understand that even the most confident among us struggle with acceptance. We all need approval for who we are inside. This is why some actors and other public personalities live or die by the whims of a fickle public. Yet, the Lord accepts us as we are and than loves us beyond acceptance.

But even if we win applause and trophies, the emptiness we experience can be filled only by God. Why? Only faith in God brings true security. Because God accepts us, we can become whole persons. But this is the work of Christ and not because of anything we have done; we can't be good enough or achieve enough to earn God's acceptance. Out of love and boundless grace -- and regardless of our past, our failures, our sins,, and our losses -- God accepts us.

Thank you for reading and for accepting these thoughts...please know I accept you and you know I love ya, Don

THE EVENT!

2011-04-11T06:35:00.000-04:00

The EVENT that changed history, the event that darkened the sun, the event the shook the ground, and the event that defined all eternity is the event of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. This event is a mystery to the world and its views on life. This event confuses even the wisest of minds and brings the brightest achievers to a standing halt. The world still asks the question if it was all a lie or if there is truth in the Easter story.

The Passion Week at Park Chapel is filled with discovery of the above-mentioned events. The power of the Cross of Christ is still as relevant today as it ever was in the past. As a body of Christ-followers, we are going to study, worship, and celebrate the awesome message and puzzling mystery of the Event, we call Easter.

While it may seem that all of this occurred on a hill too far away, too far removed from our life to speak to us, we cannot stand in the distance and expect to experience the magnitude of the cross. We must draw near, listen, and experience the gruesome reality it took to pay for sin. We must face what we can never understand. We must confront the ravaged spotless Lamb to gain just a glimpse of our stain of sin. The cross cannot be explained away. The cross cannot be ignored. The cross cannot be stripped of its cruelty and shame. The cross cannot and will not be denied. The Event of the Cross and Resurrection remains an open invitation to come to the place of mercy and grace. It is the way of the cross the leads us to an abundant eternity.

In preparation for this event, the Worship Choir & Orchestra will be rehearsing the Park Chapel 2011 Easter Musical, “The Event.” It is a musical built from the well-known book by John Fischer, “On A Hill Too Far Away” and the musical arrangements from the musical of the same title. Through its one hour presentation the audience and participants will seek to find how to put the Cross’ mystery back in to the center of our lives and our culture.

The presentation of this multimedia musical will be presented twice in order to accommodate the large crowds we typically draw for our musicals. The first of the identical presentations will be Friday, April 15^th at 7:00 PM and the second will be Sunday, April 17^th at 7:00 PM. There is no charge for this presentation from our Fine Arts department. Mark your calendars and plan to attend. For direction check out www.Park Chapel.org.

You know I love ya, Don

How do you measure yourself....?

2011-04-06T06:29:00.000-04:00

The Measure

Let the grace of the Lord be the measure of your sufficiency;
Let the peace of the Lord be the measure of your quietness;
Let the power of the Lord be the measure of your strength;
Let the goodness of the Lord be the measure of your contentment;
Let the love of the Lord be the measure of your service;
Let the faithfulness of the Lord be the measure of your trust;
Let the beauty of the Lord be the measure of your worship;
Let the fullness of the Lord be the measure of your joy;
Let the sovereignty of the Lord be the measure of your confidence;
Let the promises of the Lord be the measure of your expectations;
Let the coming of the Lord be the measure of hope.

You are my portion, O Lord. Psalm 119:57 AMP

You know I love ya and you measure up...you are wonderfully made by the Creator Himself!!! Don

Wait Until Then...

2011-04-04T06:32:00.000-04:00

A vision for the appointed time ... speaks of the end. ... If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. -Habakkuk 2:3 (NRSV)

What is it mean to say soon? Yulia G. Bagwell of Pennsylvania, USA wrote:

After my first semester in seminary in the U.S.A., I returned to my homeland, Ukraine, for a visit. Upon leaving, I told my family that I would return again soon. Each of us had a different understanding of "soon" -- in six months, in a year, after graduation. But no one really thought that my second return would take so long. Six years have passed, but I have not been home again yet.
When my parents heard that I had finally received permanent-resident status in the U.S.A., they expected me to come home at any moment. In preparation for my expected arrival, they make sure they have a good provision of everything. Their waiting is so intense. Every time they hear a car passing by their house, they hope it is me arriving. But it is not. "Maybe tomorrow," they say.
In Acts 1:11 we read about Jesus leaving his disciples. They believed he would be back soon. In 1 Thessalonians Paul praises the believers in Thessalonica for their deeds of love while waiting for Christ's second coming. How many more saints have been waiting for Jesus' return during the past 2,000 years! As we still wait, we serve Christ in those around us, while saying, "Come, Lord Jesus, come!"

I feel I am in a waiting room. What is next in the marching orders from God? Another way of saying it is that I am living in my Saturday. On Friday, the Lord Died. On Sunday, He rose again. Yet, on Saturday everyone had to wait. I am finding many people live in a Saturday mentality. Always looking for Sunday to come. I am one of those people, waiting to get beyond grief and looking to have new insight into what is to come.

So, until then I cling to the hope that is gained in faith and belief in a resurrected Lord. I also seek to find every joy in the moment of today and the time of waiting. You know I love ya, Don

April Fools Day

2011-04-01T09:59:00.002-04:00

1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop. It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in. Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this the BBC diplomatically replied, "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best." Happy April Fools!

No Fooling around, you know I love ya, Don

The physical being transformed by the spiritual

2011-03-30T15:20:00.002-04:00

While [Jesus] was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. -Luke 9:29 (NRSV)

Jesus went up the mountain to pray. He had announced that he would soon suffer great agony. The religious leaders would reject him, and he would be killed. Jesus, who was fully human as well as fully divine, must have been troubled.

As Jesus prayed on the mountain, God's glory shone through him. His face glowed, and his garments became dazzling white. The great prophets Moses and Elijah, who had died centuries before, appeared and spoke to Jesus about what was to come. Then God spoke from heaven, saying, "This is my son." After this time on the mountain, Jesus was able to face Pilate and the Roman soldiers. He was able to endure rejection, hatred, abuse, beatings, and the agony on the cross.

When we pray, we come into the presence of God, who has unlimited power and abundant resources. Sometimes when we pray God changes circumstances, and sometimes prayer changes us. Whatever form the answer takes, God's message to us is, "I love you, and I am with you always." Too many times we get in a rut and make the prayer all about the spiritual being transformed by the physical. The truth of prayer is that we, the physical is transformed by being in the presence of the spiritual.

You know I love ya, Don

One of My Birthday Gifts

2011-03-25T06:13:00.001-04:00

Psalm 139:13-18

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

Thank you for the great reminder...He is a wonderful God and sustains us beyond our capabilities. You Know I love ya, Don

Birthdays and Worship...what a combo!

2011-03-23T06:30:00.001-04:00

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY. I am 38 years old and feel even younger. So, in celebration I found the following devotional through from Mr. Eldridge. He gives some great insight and if you get a chance hug your mom...she did all the work. You know I love ya, Don

Psalm 95:1-2 - Oh come let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!

This week I read a piece on "Worship" which compared it to a birthday party. At first I thought this rather frivolous until I read further. The birthday person is the center of attention and the birthday cake honors him or her. That person is the center of attention and the rest of us, no matter how important we are, take a back seat. We sing and celebrate the fact that the birthday person was born. This says something about how important a birthday person is. We don't usually celebrate a dog's birthday. The fact is that on this day, so many years ago, God's image came into the world in the form of the birthday person, unique and special, different from anyone else on earth.

When we honor something that God has made, we honor Him. All creation shows His glory, most of all, human kind. When we honor someone for their achievements, if we really think about it, we honor God the Giver, the Enabler.

What does it mean to worship? We are the only creatures on earth given the freedom and intelligence to worship Him as we choose. It is in the act of worshiping our Creator that our dignity is most evident. Worship takes many forms. Like the birthday party it can be a sense of joyous and uninhibited celebration. God is alive! He reigns over the whole world!

Prayer: Heavenly Father help us to worship you with awe, with celebration, in spirit and in truth. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Reigh Eldridge rmeld@nbnet.nb.ca>
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

World Down Syndrome Day!!!

2011-03-21T06:55:00.001-04:00

Today is world Down syndrome day 2011. Many people would think of Down syndrome as a negative. For the five of us, it is the best thing that ever happened. Matthew and Nicholas have changed our lives. Alice has as well, but the extra-chromosome of cuteness makes all five us a better person and adds to the world...so today we celebrate.

Nicholas was not taken by the down syndrome or by God for that matter, Nicholas had a weak heart and his little heart just could not keep up, so we wait for a new day. Matthew is seven and doing very well. We are very proud of our boys. We also thank God for them in our lives.

So, Have a great day, watch the video below for inspiration, and in honor of World Down Syndrome Day...give someone a huge HUG just because...you know I love ya, Don

A Treasure Stored...

2011-03-18T09:32:00.003-04:00

My computer is crashing on a regular basis this days. Matt is working on a new one, but until then I save and store my data very regularly....wink, wink. I will not let this computer get the best of me. Well, not all the time.

While I was saving and storing data, I recalled this verse and have a very real comfort in knowing that I have stored a very precious treasure in heaven. His name is Nicholas. A entirely new dimension emerged for me. I always thought the treasure would be good works of service and compassion; relational actions that make an eternal difference. I am sure it is those things, but then I think there will be tangible treasures in addition to the memories and actions...a hug, a touch, a smile, and best of all that ability to share life again.

I have a treasure stored in heaven and not even my computer can loose this treasure. Until then, I wait for the Lord. You know I love ya, Don

Don Crane - Loving God, Loving Each Other, and Loving Life

Faith to make it!!!

Seeking the Mission Impossible!!!

Integrity & Preservation & Choices

Rise Up and Be a Man!

500 Posts on the Blog

Married for 13 years...we made it!

Matthew 7:24-27

2012 is Coming!!!

My Wish For You!

Watching Santa is a Great family event!

Merry Christmas from the Crane Clan!

God is Speaking!

Christmas is a time for living!!!

Christmas is a time for Love; a time for Joy and Peace;A time to trim the Christmas Tree and a time to stuff the geese.It's a time when we can come together, however far or near;To shed a little hope into a world of sorrow and fear.

Yet Christmas could be all year 'round, if only we would tryTo gently wipe an old man's brow or soothe a baby's cry.If we could smile throughout the year as we do on Christmas Day;Just think what happiness we'd shed along life's weary way.

To give a gift of Hope to one who otherwise has none;To be a Friend to somebody whom everyone else has shun.To be Forgiving of our faults, and of our sisters and our brothers;To Live in Peace and Harmony with ourselves and with each other.

Ah, don't you see that Christmas is more than opening up the gifts;It's more than singing Christmas Carols and rolling in big snow drifts.It's a feeling that can stay with you throughout each day, all year;And all it takes is a loving heart.....and a sensitive little tear...

I have a sign from God...so do you!

God Speaking Devotions!

The Wonder-Filled God

Ordinary & Wonder Filled to the top and over-flowing!!!

Equation for Intentional & Effect Leadership (& Living)

Happy Thanksgiving ... thoughts to ponder

Thanksgiving

Gratitude is Thanksgiving all year long!

Happy Birthday, Nicholas!

Best, Better, Great, Greatest!

All this waiting and now all this work!!!

Trusting is assurance in the storms...

All Saint's Day - Halloween is the night before!

Pearls, Pigs, and Peace!

How to fight the strugles of life...Habits of Praise!

Are you Listening???

Friday Funny - "Meet the New Neighbors"

Established in 1982

"Created" He did it...!

Rest, Resting, & Restful ... the rest of the story!

Come to Jesus!

Gospel According to John

The "rule"

Friday Funny - You mean to tell me...

I want to KNOW!

Holding on as if my life depends on it!

Where my help comes from!

Devoted!

Holding on to be "Set Free"

"Hold It!"

A Name that Brings Me Comfort

High Places!

An Appearing Presence!!!

The Next Best Thing!

Dying in order to live

Back to School - some guidelines

"Love"...

"Go" ...

A Special Prayer for Today!

Glimpses of Truth...high above the earth!

The Grand Canyon

Yosemite National Forest Falls!

Love and Light as License Agreements

"Lights of Glory" Another Something to look forward too.

"Waiting" is hard! pt. 2

"Waiting" is hard!

Interruptions!

A 4th of July Tribute: "Quiet Hero" by Rita Crosby

a Unique July 2011

Freedom!

Blow out the Dust!

What a request!

Our God is the Same God!

Friday Funny - Father and Sons

Getting Away from Myself!

"Inside the LIE of inward shame!"

Us Weeds

Tears & Weeping turned to shouts of His Faithfulness!

Making People Thirst - Salt pt. 3

Thank You, As We remember - Memorial Day!

Enhancing the Flavor of Life - Salt pt. 2

Preserving Life - Salt pt. 1

Christmas is a time for Love; a time for Joy and Peace;
A time to trim the Christmas Tree and a time to stuff the geese.
It's a time when we can come together, however far or near;
To shed a little hope into a world of sorrow and fear.

Yet Christmas could be all year 'round, if only we would try
To gently wipe an old man's brow or soothe a baby's cry.
If we could smile throughout the year as we do on Christmas Day;
Just think what happiness we'd shed along life's weary way.

To give a gift of Hope to one who otherwise has none;
To be a Friend to somebody whom everyone else has shun.
To be Forgiving of our faults, and of our sisters and our brothers;
To Live in Peace and Harmony with ourselves and with each other.

Ah, don't you see that Christmas is more than opening up the gifts;
It's more than singing Christmas Carols and rolling in big snow drifts.
It's a feeling that can stay with you throughout each day, all year;
And all it takes is a loving heart.....and a sensitive little tear...