A Love Letter From A Broken Heart

I've been reading the book of Malachi.

I almost had to stop reading. So much of what God had to say brought some of my own behavior to center stage. But that is what God's word does, isn't it? Shows us a reflection of who we are...who we really are when nobody is looking, or where nobody can see in the darkest recesses of our inner most being.

He starts by saying "I have loved you, but you say 'how have You loved us?'"

Wow. I had to stop there. How often have I said that? In my actions and in my words. In my willing, premeditated sin. In the hearing and ignoring of the promptings of the Holy Spirit. In my hesitation, even reluctance, to trust in Him.

"How have You loved me?" Can there be a more arrogant question? A more foolish question? The tone of this book reminds me of Isaiah 29:13.

I continued on through Malachi 1. God starts talking about the sacrifices. I felt a little relieved. After all, we don't do that anymore, do we? But wait...

Something they said sounds hauntingly familiar. Malachi 1:13. "What a weariness this is..." Wow.

That sounds like me on almost any given Sunday morning.

More to come....I have yet to start on chapter 2....dang it.

Thank You, Father, for Your word. Thank You for the mirror it holds up, so that I may see myself as You do. So that I may see the person You want me to become. Please help me to look closely at the reflection, and never close my prideful eyes to the light of Your Truth. You are indeed a Great King! Forgive me for not honoring You as such with my whole heart.

Mighty Men of Valour

John 15:13

It is Veteran's Day. A day set aside each year to honor those who are serving and who have served our great nation.

I have had the honor that few others have had. The honor of having served during war time with some of the greatest and bravest men in the world.

This is just a quick post to say thank you to the men and women who make up the greatest fighting force on the planet. United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps.

It is because of you that we are able to go about our daily business without fear.

We attend church and boldly write and speak about our God. It is our right as Americans.

This right came at a great price. A price that each and every one of you say that you are willing to pay when you volunteer.

Thank you. Semper Fi.

Contents Fragile - Handle With Care

2 Corinthians 10:3-6


I cannot help noticing that a lot of bad things are happening in the families of friends. Tragic things. Illnesses, accidents and things that just don't seem to be fair.

Every time the news comes on, there is a story about someone's child dying, violent crimes that tear families apart, tragic car accidents or someone's home burning.

It just doesn't seem fair. There seems to be no explanation. It almost makes life seem pointless. People suffering for no apparent reason.

Then you hear about those who are living life outside the boundaries of the law, and prospering. It just doesn't seem fair.

It is in these situations that our faith can be shaken. It is in these trials that we are tempted to ask questions that begin with "How could a loving God..." or "Why".

We've all been through something bad. I know I have. My faith has been shaken. I almost walked away from God because of what happened. A friend recommended that I read the book of Job. It helped, eventually.

I remember how angry my wife was after she found out her mother had lung cancer. She confided in her friend just how angry she was. I'll never forget what our friend told Cheryl. "Kick, scream, yell. He's a big God, He can take it."

Prayerfully ask the questions "how" and "why". Not defiantly.

Unless we are gifted with the wisdom of Solomon, it is impossible to see in the midst of the trial or tragedy. Our wise Father has our best interests in mind. We often don't see it until we are far removed from the tragic time. (Job 42:5)

Psalm 73 is often comforting to me. All of the Psalms, for that matter, are comforting.

I started this post with the scripture reference 2 Corinthians 10:3-6. It is relevant. If we practice taking our thoughts captive in every situation, discipline our minds with prayer and meditation on the things of God, then our faith is not easily shaken. We will not be so quick to exchange the peace of God for doubt and anger.

Thank You, Father, for the hope You hold out and the peace You promise. Help us to trust You, even when we don't understand.

Excuses, Excuses

Romans 1:19-20

People who say that they do not believe God exists are being dishonest. They have exchanged the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:22-25).

There are those who, having come to know God in Christ, testify that before hearing the gospel, they knew.

My wife reads a lot. I will admit that she is smarter (or at least knows more) than me. We have book after book on shelf after shelf in our office at home. She has read them all.

Cheryl, my wife, told me something that she had read about Helen Keller. She said that the person who taught Helen how to communicate with others was a christian. Once Helen had a working vocabulary, the teacher shared the gospel with her. After doing this, Helen Keller's response was, "I always wondered what His name was."

I heard another story similar to Helen Keller's. It was told by my favorite singer and writer in the world. Michael Card. He said that he was in China one time. He was going to do a concert for a group of believers at a university there. The government found out about it, and made them cancel the concert. Michael met with some of the students and sang some songs for them. They started talking, and a few of the students shared testimonies.

A young Chinese woman said that as a child, she knew that there had to be someone who created all the beauty she saw around her. The flowers, the mountains, sunsets, sunrises, the sky, stars, etc....

The young lady said that she met some missionaries in her home town. They preached the gospel, and she said, "Imagine my joy when I found out He has a name."

God is AWESOME!

Standard Feature - GPS

Genesis 1:14-18

They are fixed points in the heavens. Each one ablaze from the sound of His voice and carried on His holy breath. Each one in it's specific place, held steady by the The One Who Is And Was And Is To Come (Colossians 1:15-17, Revelation 1:8). The Ancient of Days. Each one for His purpose. Each one because of His great wisdom and mercy.

He put them there for us to see and enjoy. He put them there to help our understanding of who He is and how His creation works. So we could marvel at our Creator.

He put them there so we would always find our way home.

There has only been one that really mattered. Only one that was used to navigate a group of wise men to the most significant event in all of history. (Matthew 2:1-10)


God is AWESOME!

True Genius

1 Corinthians 1:25-29

I saw something today that sparked my imagination. After turning it over in my little head for a while, the spark ignited a raging inferno.

I couldn't wait to get home from my walk to write this.

Okay, please bear with me for a moment while I set this up. It's pretty cool.

I don't know a lot about rocket science or aerospace technology, so if you are an actual aerospace engineer or rocket scientist, please forgive me.

From what I have read, when a space vehicle is going to be sent to another planet, many complicated (to me, anyway) calculations must be performed. They have to know where the planet is in relation to where the Earth is at the chosen launch date. They use this information to calculate where the planet will be in the time that it takes the space vehicle to travel the required distance. This takes teams of engineers and mathematicians and who knows what else weeks of planning and calculating and simulating. They have to eliminate every possible variable.
A lot of really smart people a really long time for a one shot, hit or go home deal.

Stay with me.

I was watching some birds fly while I was out walking today. That is what sparked my imagination.

A bird of prey, from the altitude it is flying, can spot it's food. The calculations are made. Where the target is in relation to where he is. Where the target will be in the time it takes to travel the required distance. Wind speed and altitude. Angle and speed of descent. Size and weight of target. Depth of target (if it's in the water). Every variable eliminated.

All this happens in a split second. No consulting with others, no calculators or computer simulations. None of that. All the same planning in a millisecond.

These creatures have brains that are tiny compared to ours. Yet they can perform these precise calculations in the blink of an eye. (1 Corinthians 1:27)

God built it all in. Preloaded software.

God is indeed AWESOME!

The Little Things

I heard someone thank God for 'the little things' at prayer meeting earlier this week.

Sometimes a little phrase like that can get the wheels turning in my little head.

The more I think about it, the more blown away I am. God isn't interested in just the big picture. He is interested in every aspect of His children's lives. He is a loving and wise Father who cares deeply about even the little things.

In 2 Kings 6:1-7, the prophet Elisha is with some men who are cutting down trees for lumber to build with. One of the men was chopping away, and his axe head flew off and fell in the water. He was very distressed about it because he had borrowed the axe from someone. Through His prophet, God caused the iron axe head to float so that the man could retrieve it and return the borrowed axe. Cool, huh?

I have a friend who related a story about one of the little things God helped him with. He had a relative visiting, and he thought of a picture that she might have liked to have. When he went to get the picture out of the file he had been keeping it in, it was gone. He knew he had seen it there just a short time ago. He said a quick prayer, "Lord, I know she would really like this picture, please help me find it." (Something to that affect) Just then, a book fell from the top of the filing cabinet where it had been precariously sitting. My friend bent over to pick it up, and low and behold, there was the picture he had been looking for. Wow.

God is faithful in even the little things. If He is faithful in the little things, how much more is He faithful in the big things. We can trust our Wise Father with everything. We simply need to humble ourselves and obey Him. He will see to our needs, and even our wants (Matthew 6:31-33).


God is AWESOME!