There they were again
With no way to prevent it
Pushing me toward Him
Who did indeed invent it

They were big and sincere
Loving and rolling
Right down my cheeks
Quite uncontrolling

I’d prefer them to stop
But I love why they came
I owe everything to mom
My life and my name

Tears are a message
A word in a drop
I don’t want to cry
But I also don’t want to stop

Feeling this way
Deep Emotions are real
Being raised by her love
Will this way make you feel

Tears are a message
From a grateful heart
So I wipe them away
Each time that we part.

How often do we find ourselves in situations where we react and say a quick little prayer?

It happens. A simple “God, please help me here.” Or “Lord, have mercy on me.” Those prayers are frequent and good.

In fact, in my recent reading and preaching through the book of Nehemiah, I was so encouraged to see Nehemiah do this very thing.

In Nehemiah 2:4 the king asks Nehemiah a question. King Artaxerxes upon seeing that Nehemiah is sad asks him “What are you requesting?” What the Bible says next is just so awesome.

Nehemiah 2:4b and 2:5a say “So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king …” Did you catch that?

While sad, discouraged, yet faithful Nehemiah was in a conversation with the King, he prayed to God. In the middle of talking to someone else, he talked to God. Nehemiah prayed just a quick little prayer. An arrow-like prayer dart to God.

In essence, this was a brief but powerful glance of faith toward the throne of heaven.

This isn’t all that “pray without ceasing” means (1 Thess. 5:17), but it definitely has to be some of it. Nehemiah was so trusting in God that while talking to someone else he thought to pray to God. How inspiring!

Now we know better than to think that this is the only way Nehemiah prayed. Nehemiah 1 tells of him praying for days that eventually turned into months of prayer.

But this quick little prayer does strengthen all believers to turn to God anywhere at anytime. It shows that prayer can be a natural reaction; a first response; a reflex.

Just as Jesus said in John 15 “apart from me you can do nothing,” may our quick little prayers display that we are dependent on Him.

First day of school poem

It’s the first day of school
’23-’24
And the summer time schedule is here no more.

It’s the first day of school
And the end of summer break
New teachers to meet and new classes to take.

Its the first day of school
Backpacks and new shoes
New Classrooms to find
And good friendships to choose

It’s the first day of school
The kids are nervous excited
Many Parents are extra
And we can hardly hide it.

It’s the first day of school
Lunch box or school lunches
No homework tonight
But paperwork by the bunches

It’s the first day of school
Pencil boxes are glowing
Backpacks are heavy
Supplies lists are growing

It’s the first day of school
Parents hearts are torn
Time is moving too fast
It seems these kids were just born

It’s the first day of school
We ask
Who’s in your classes?
& Gone are the days of hallway passes

It’s the first day of school
Is everyone ready?
We go in prayer
Lord, keep our hearts steady.

It’s the first day of school
179 more
But I can’t wait to hug them
When they come home through that door

This is the scary question that Martha asks Jesus in Luke 10. Life is hard, and when we are feeling the pressures of life we can say things that we don’t really mean. We know from Scripture that Martha loved Jesus and trusted Him. But in this moment (anxiety and trouble over showing hospitality to Jesus the house guest), Martha expresses herself in a way that doubts if Jesus cares about her.

We can all relate to Martha in this situation.

Let me remind us all again — Jesus does care about you! In 1 Peter 5:7 we see “casting all your anxieties on Him because HE CARES for you.”

A few Sundays ago I preached on this passage. And this clip below is me speaking to Martha’s comment ‘do you not care?’

If there is anyone in the world that does care about our struggles, it is Jesus. May we trust Him and His loving care for us!

Does it come with benefits? How many times have you heard this?

A job may pay well, but it does not provide any benefits. A job may not pay all that well, but it provides lots of great benefits.

The benefits matter!

Psalm 103:1-2 says:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, all that is within me, bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits“

God wants us to understand that knowing Him comes with so many benefits. Being a Christian and knowing Jesus has full benefits!

The rest of Psalm 103 goes on to name just a few of the wonderful benefits of being a child of God.

• v.3 he forgives
• v.3 he heals
• v.4 he redeems
• v.4 he crowns you with love and mercy
• v.5 he satisfies
• v.5 he renews

And the Psalm goes on and on. There are so many benefits to being a follower of Jesus.

I wonder, has our outreach failed to model the benefits? Has our evangelism failed to communicate the benefits? Has our discipleship failed to teach the benefits? Do our church people even have the benefits?

When people are new to a job you will sometimes hear them say “But my benefits have not kicked in yet.” With Jesus this is not the case, to know God is to have His benefits! May our faith in Jesus be beneficial, let us forget not all his benefits!

I am reminded of one of my favorite songs to sing (Beautiful Savior) and some of the benefits it lists = Sins forgiven; Conscience cleansed; Death defeated; Life without end.

I recently read through the book of Psalms again. I knew going into it that the Psalms display a full range of emotions. But this time around, I was struck by how often the varying emotions are coming from “the soul.”

The Soul is the realest and deepest part of us. We are to love God and trust Jesus from the soul. We are to follow and obey God from the inside-out, from the soul.

Here are 4 Observations of the Soul from the Psalms: (You can see the full sermon here.)

1. THE HONEST SOUL
   For centuries, Christians have been drawn to the Psalms because of their honesty. There are sad and happy Psalms. There are calm and angry Psalms. There are clear and confused Psalms.

Life is like that. The Soul is like that. We need to be honest about our souls.

A great example comes from Psalm 86. Verse 1 says “I am poor and needy.” And then verse 2 says “I am godly.” And then verse 3 says “I cry all the day.” That is brutally honest!

Honesty requires truth over falsehood. When we are more concerned with the outer life than the inner life then we are more in line with legalism and being like Pharisees and white-washed-tombstones. God is worshipped from the soul. We need to be honest about our souls.

2. THE HURTING SOUL
The Psalms show us that sometimes the child of God hurts. Sometimes the hurt is soul-deep. There are many Psalms that teach us this.

In Psalm 42, we see a strong repetitive emphasis on the soul. We also see this refrain “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?”

So much of faith and church has missed this point. The soul hurts. We need God’s healing love to help with our hurt. We do well to be honest and admit when we hurt spiritually.

3. THE HEALING SOUL
The Psalms also show us of souls that are being healed. Words like “revive” and “restore” are used of the soul.

In Psalm 19:7 we see “the Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.”

In Psalm 23:3 we see “He restores my soul.”

Restoring means that it empties and then needs to be refilled/restored. Which means we can be honest about that. There is a hurting soul, and there is also a healing soul.

4. THE HAPPY SOUL
Praise the Lord, the Psalms also show us the happy soul. Yes, the Psalms are full of emotions. But there is the reality of a happy and content soul. God’s love satisfies deep down. The redemption that comes through Jesus is a soul-satisfying salvation.

Psalm 139:14 says “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well.”

Let us be honest about our souls. When they hurt, let us look to Christ for healing. The healing soul will soon be a happy soul!

Lately I have been speaking a lot more Spanish. Honestly, I have been attempting more to speak Spanish.

And there is a phrase that has become so useful to me. That Spanish phrase is “No entiendo.” Which simply means “I don’t understand.” I usually combine it with “Perdon. Lo siento, pero no entiendo.” (I’m sorry, but I don’t understand.)

Whenever I say this, it helps me greatly with the person I am communicating with. They will usually slow down, say it again, and even say it in a way that is easier for me to understand.

I have found that when I just admit and tell them that I am not getting it, then it helps. And then we figure it out.

Also recently, I read the book of Psalms in the Bible. And in the super-long Psalm 119, I was struck by this frequent expression “Give Me Understanding.”

Psalm 119 verses 34, 73, 125, 144, and 169 all say “give me understanding.”

What a simple and clear and beautiful prayer!

Asking God to give us understanding is a healthy posture of faith and trust. Life can be confusing. We are often faced with situations in life that we don’t understand. Decision-making, conflict, opportunities, open-doors, and so on require some understanding. Looking to God to give us that understanding is the way to go. Following Jesus requires understanding, and God is ready to give it to us.

Psalm 119 models this for us five different times.

I want to encourage you to begin praying “Give Me Understanding” to God, and see how much that helps your faith and relationship with Jesus.

December’s calendar is so full. There is so much going on this time of year.

“I hardly even have time to think.” I have heard this comment before.

Not having time, or taking time, to stop and think is one of our biggest weaknesses. No time to reflect is a problem.

This month I have been reading through the meaningful birth narratives of Christ in Matthew and Luke in the Bible. And it has caught my attention how we are told about both Mary and Joseph’s thoughtfulness. They were contemplative, reflective, deep, and thoughtful. Yes, they were going through some wild, shocking, true and dramatic stuff, but they also took time to “consider” what it meant.

• Matthew 1:20 “But as he considered these things …” After finding out Mary was pregnant, Joseph didn’t just react. He didn’t overreact. He didn’t respond so quickly and brashly. He “considered” the situation. No doubt, his thinking contributed to him being in position for what God was about to do next. His “considering” is a small but key part of the story.
• Luke 2:19 “But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” After Mary had given birth to Jesus, our Savior, the shepherds were notified. After the shepherds came to see the newborn king, they told Mary how they had been notified by the angels in the night sky. Mary’s response was to “ponder” all these things. You can almost picture young Mary sitting in awe of all that God was doing through her to fulfill His promises of sending a savior. Her pondering is a small but key part of the story.
• Luke 2:51 “And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.” In the only Biblical passage about Jesus that isn’t either Jesus as a baby or Jesus as an adult, we have 12 -year-old Jesus traveling to Jerusalem with his family. While there, Jesus gets lost. He is separated from his parents, and they don’t even notice until they are a day’s journey headed back toward home. Once they find their son and re-connect with Him, they are puzzled by his response. Jesus was in His Father’s house focused on the teaching. This scene is another wild and fascinating twist to the life of Jesus. But once all settles and mother, father and son are re-united, Luke says that Mary “treasured up all these things in her heart.”She was reflective. Her thinking is a small but key part of the story.

I know we all have a lot to do. But we must find time to think. It is a small but key part to our story. Finding time and space to contemplate, reflect, consider and ponder will be huge for your life and faith.

Don’t miss what God is doing in your life because you had not thought about it!

This past week we lost another widow in our church. She was 91. 

In the last 2 years, we have had several of our older widows pass away. Its been heavy for our church to think about life without them.

On one had they were ordinary. Nothing flashy. The kind of older church people that just attend.

On the other hand, they were invaluable. In the unseen world, where the Spirit of God blows like the wind and does what He pleases, these widows lives had enormous impact for the Kingdom of God.

As we have spent this last week (and really these past few years) mourning and grieving, I have been reflecting a lot on how their impact has been so large. Here are some thoughts:

• 1) PRESENT -These widow ladies were almost always present. If it happened in our church life, they were there. They attended every event. Bible studies, prayer meetings, members meetings, Christmas parties, women’s ministry events, baby showers, homecoming, pastor appreciation, and everything else.
  They were never too busy. They never had too much going on. They were always there. They heard all the sermons. And by simply being present often, they allowed their lives to have greater impact than they ever could have imagined.
  In Acts 9, we have the miraculous story of God raising Dorcas from the dead through the Apostle Peter. Thats an amazing story. But there is also a little detail in the story that we need to see –> In 9:39 and 9:41, it mentions that the “widows” were there along with Peter. Luke doesn’t tell us why. It doesn’t give us any detail as of why they were there. Other than this, the widows were often there. They were a part of the church, and so they brought substance and participation and encouragement to the church group.
  As we reflect upon the loss of these widows, their presence had such impact. Their absence will be noticeable. They will be greatly missed!
• 2) PRAYING -These widow ladies often battled discouragement because they could not do more. But as we have often discussed together, they were able to pray. And praying consistently and fervently is the best thing any church member can do. Countless times, I have been driving down the road and called some of our widows to ask them to be praying. Many times over long talks, I have assigned prayer responsibilities to our widows. They are thrilled to know that the church is a team. They pray while others serve. I know for certain that the blessing of God upon our work is due to the daily prayers of these widows.
• 3) PRIORITIES -These widows have been used by God to remind us of Biblical priorities. That famous passage in James 1:27 reminds us of God’s prioritizing of widows. Pure and undefiled religion before the Father involves widows. Their simple and slow lives are opportunities for all of us to re-calibrate to that which God values.
  I remember clearly the widows always attending all the funerals to support each other. 
  I remember the many times that these widows have fed young people. We recall the trips to Subway or Red Lobster with them. 
  We remember the time that they invited a group of college students over to their home for a meal. The meal was pinto beans and cornbread. The widows served the plates. It was a wonderful time that God used to grow some young adults toward thinking about their priorities. From their lives, we now understand more greatly the value of widows.
• These widows were special. I cannot think of my time in Fairdale without thinking of them. I cannot think of my family’s growth and development without thinking of them. We cannot think of our church’s healthy progress without thinking of them. In such a humble way, their lives and impact have been invaluable!

Raising children is not easy. Trying to get them to the point of where you want to get them is challenging!

But perhaps even more challenging is finding clarity on what that point is!

In raising kids we should ask often – which way are we going?

Proverbs 22:6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Which way is that way?

Here are 2 concerns we need to recognize in parenting:

• 1) IT IS NOT “THE WAY” YOU ARE GOING
  
  The direction we are to raise our kids is toward God and His ways. “The way” mentioned in Proverbs 22:6 is not the parents’ way – it is God’s way. Parents must be able to self-examine and see how they are living. Parents must be self-aware. Raising kids to be like you if you are not going God’s way will surely result in some confusion and frustration.
  
  If the parents are going God’s way, then praise the Lord! May their kids go in that same direction.
  
  If the parents are not going God’s way, then it is concerning that they kids may end up going that way too.
  
  
• 2) IT IS NOT “THE WAY” YOU WANT THEM TO GO
  
  The direction we are to raise our kids is toward God and His ways. “The way” mentioned in Proverbs 22:6 is not simply whatever way the parents desire for them to go. It is God’s way. Parents must submit their wishes and desires for their kids to God’s purposes for their lives.
  
  Parents often push their kids in directions that they do not want to go. Parents often push their kids in directions that only the parents desire. And sadly, parents often try to live out their goals through their kids.
  
  If the parents’ desires are for the kids to go God’s way, then praise the Lord! May their kids go in that direction, wherever that God-honoring direction takes them.
  
  If the parents’ desires for the kids are not in the direction of God’s way, then it is concerning that the kids may end up going in the way of their parents desires but not God’s way.

Parenting is a gift from God. And Jesus tells us that He is the Way. Whatever children grow up to do and to be, may they do that as they trust and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.