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Responding to the Nudge

June 23, 2015 by areliablefaith

I’ve heard it said that the first ability we need to cultivate in our relationship with God is availability.  Being ready and available to do what He says in His word and what the Holy Spirit nudges us to do is foundational to growing and thriving as a Jesus follower.  Last night I was reminded of that in a very powerful way.  I had a conversation with a gentleman I worked with briefly 15 or so years ago.  After not seeing Al since that time we met again here in Washington where we happen to be working on a project together.  Over dinner he shared a bit of his faith story and it surprised me that I likely played an unknown role in his spiritual awakening.

Our faith conversation started when I mentioned that I had been in church all my life, but it wasn’t until I was 23 that I realized that God was interested in a real, living relationship and not just some dry, ritualistic participation in church.  He mentioned that his story was similar and his awakening to that fact began during his one of his visits to my plant in Calhoun, Tennessee around 2000 – 2001.  He said he was sitting in a meeting and he noticed Proverbs 3:5-6 written up in the corner of a blackboard in the conference room.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

He said he was at a point in his life that he was very successful.  He didn’t have any needs being unmet.  He described a life that many people long for – a happy marriage of almost 30 years, two great daughters, good health, a great job he enjoyed, financially sound – in short, a life that he was satisfied with.  But something about that verse on the blackboard just poked at him.  I call it a Holy Nudge.  And it began a search.  From that moment he began to seek out what it meant to trust in the Lord with all your heart and to submit to Him.  Well what happened to him is what God promises to everyone who will seek Him with all their heart – He found that living, vibrant relationship with God that has molded and shaped his life since then.  He responded to God’s nudge in that small conference room and his life has been changed from a good life to a great life in union with His Heavenly Father.

My heart swelled because I remembered my days at that plant.  I worked there for 17 years.  One of the lessons I learned while there was the vital importance of responding to Gods’ holy nudges. I can vividly remember two holy nudges early in my time at Calhoun that shaped my faith walk and put me into a position to be used in my friend’s life… whether I knew it or not.  One was a failure on my part that God has redeemed.  The second is part of that redemption and directly impacted my friend, Al.

I had only been at the mill a couple months when I was asked to attend a four-day communication workshop being held at a nearby hotel.  The leader’s name was Sid.  Sid was a large, jovial guy who liked to ask probing questions.  He began the week by telling us that he had recently had a serious health scare as the doctors had told him that he had the big C – Cancer.  But just a week or so earlier he had gotten the all clear from the doctors – no more cancer,  he was fine.  Later that first day Sid had us perform an exercise of sharing our “lifeline” with the class.  We took 10 minutes to draw a chart that represented our life to the current date.  We were to identify 2 or 3 defining moments and share them in a succinct manner.  He shared his lifeline first and mentioned the low point of thinking he might die of cancer and then his line turned up when he was told he was cancer-free and that life was going great.  As I drew my life line it had a major positive step change when I met the Lord at age 23 and I spoke briefly about that.  I remember that Sid challenged me pretty strongly about my step change.  Thinking back I remember I felt intimidated by the force of his challenges and felt even a bit like I was being attacked for my faith.

I was probably a bit more demur the next two days of the workshop.  On Wednesday afternoon, Sid said he was shutting down the workshop 30 minutes early and he was opening up a bar tab for us so we could stay and chat.  It was at this point that I got a very clear Holy Nudge to stay and speak with Sid.  I remember it vividly because I argued with God a bit about it.  I rationalized that since I wasn’t a drinker, I would feel out of place.  I was working on a piece of furniture for the house and I reasoned that I could use the extra time to make good progress on my project.  Even though God was nudging, I was coming up with reasons NOT to do what He was asking.  I even remember telling myself that as hostile as Sid was, he probably was only going to belittle my faith some more.  To my chagrin, I have to tell you that I walked out and went home to my project.  I can tell you now that I felt bad about it as I wiped stain on the entertainment center.  I even paused more than once to pray for Sid.  But I felt the conviction of the Lord as I was substituting a “religious act” instead of following God’s Holy Nudge.

The next day was the last day of the workshop.  I think I may have even told the Lord that I would stay and speak with Sid after the class or something like that.  The day started fine, but just before lunch Sid told us that he wasn’t feeling very well and that he was going to end the class early.  He mentioned that he had experienced angina a few years before associated with a heart attack and that he was feeling angina this morning.  He was going to head over to the emergency room to get it checked out.  I remember I volunteered to drive him, but he had already made arrangements.  I headed home and I can honestly say I was really praying for Sid now.  But I also expected that everything would be fine since he was heading straight to the hospital.

At work the next day, Ben, the assistant plant manager swung by my office to see if I was okay.  I relayed to him that I had enjoyed the class, but that I was concerned about Sid since he had headed to the hospital.  Ben realized then that I had not heard the news.  Sid had a massive heart attack at the hospital that evening and did not survive.  I realized that I had been in a position to offer Sid God’s Words of Grace the evening before he died, but I had rationalized and walked away.  I was ashamed and saddened to my core.  I had grieved the Holy Spirit and I missed an opportunity to obey the One Who gave His all for me.

Thankfully, God’s grace and forgiveness extends to us even when we fail Him.  Over time His forgiveness brought restoration to my broken soul.  I knew I had sinned greatly.  I knew I directly disobeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  But the same Holy Spirit reached out to me, lifted me up out of my sorrow and self-pity, and spoke life to me again.

It was probably a little less than a year later when I was asked to supervise a large team of maintenance personnel on a multi-day paper machine outage.  I was a 30 year old engineer who had never really worked on tools like a craftsman, and yet I was supposed to direct, coach, and support the efforts of about 2o maintenance technicians performing a dozen or more jobs.  The work was going over the weekend of Palm Sunday.  The first day was Saturday and honestly, that day is pretty much lost to my memory.  I vaguely remember feeling overwhelmed more than once with the large amount of demands that I struggled to keep up with.  As I drove in to the plant on Sunday morning I remember clearly speaking out my frustrations to the Lord.  I even said, “Lord, here it is Palm Sunday and I am heading to work and I won’t be able to make it to church.  That’s just not right.  I won’t even be able to have a real time of prayer since I’ll be so busy.”

The Lord spoke to my heart, “Pray with your Team.”

“What Lord?”

“Pray with your Team.”

Rationalizations rose up in my mind… “I barely  know these guys… Am I allowed to do something like this? … What will they think?”

But then I remembered Sid.  I remembered what disobedience felt like.  And I remembered that I had committed to the Lord after ignoring the Holy Nudge with Sid, that I would obey when He clearly asked me to do something in the future, no matter how crazy it might sound.  Well His voice was crystal clear this time.  So I gave the results to Him and I obeyed.

I didn’t have much time to think about it, I just did it.  I handled the normal safety topic and explanation of jobs the same as I had the day before, but as I ended I then shared briefly that my preference on a Sunday morning was to be in church rather than working in the mill.  Also since I believed God was present with His followers everywhere, including when they had to work at the mill on a Sunday we could take the time to acknowledge Him while at work.  I then let the men know that I would like to start our work day with a word of prayer and that it was fine if anyone didn’t share my belief.  They could stay while I prayed or head on out to the job.  Noone moved.  Then we prayed.  I felt the Spirit of the Lord take it from there.  I’m not sure exactly what I prayed, but I know I was being obedient and that God was pleased.

That started a pattern that has remained a part of my life.  I have had a number of leadership roles.  Not every meeting results in a Holy Nudge to pray with the group… but a surprising number have.  The Lord led me to start and lead a number of prayer groups and bible studies during lunch periods and before work as well.  As Al was telling me his story last night, I was moved to tears.  One of the other habits I got into was using the blackboards and dry erase boards during our lunch time bible studies and prayer times.  And sometimes I would get a Holy Nudge to leave a verse behind… just in case.

You almost never know how your obedience impacts someone else’s life.  Thank you Lord for giving me a glimpse of this one.

Obey immediately when He gives you a holy nudge and rejoice in being a partner in the Father’s work.

Posted in God Stories, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Spiritual Growth | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The Final Door

June 17, 2015 by areliablefaith

What is the first thing you do in the morning when you wake up?  It’s  probably not what most of you just thought of.  The answer I am looking for is what you do as you are going to do the thing you likely thought of.  You walk through an open door.

Now one of the reasons this didn’t come to mind is because we do it all the time.  I think it is safe to say we pass through dozens of doors every day.  My father raised my brothers and I to be courteous of others and to be gentlemen.  (Truth in reporting, any shortcoming in this area is not due to a lack of effort on Dad’s part, but stubbornness on mine or my brother’s side.)   What did sink in is that doors represent an opportunity.  If I am walking with a group, I will quicken my pace as we approach a door so I can hold it open for others.  In particular, Dad taught me to hold a door open for ladies and children.  What to do for other men was never really clear in my mind…  As I ponder it a moment I have to chuckle as I think of the number of awkward moments as I would approach a door at the same time as another guy and we would both wave the other through.  As we would stand there pedestrian traffic would back up waiting for us to decide.  Many times we would decide to walk through at the same time and then it really got interesting as we now weren’t sure what to do.

A door is simply the access point from one area to another that a person can pass through.  In our home we have doors into the bedrooms.  As I slip out earlier than my wife on most mornings I ensure that the door is closed to minimize the noise that would disturb her sleep and to let the grandsons know not to go inside just yet.  One of the things we liked about our home before we bought it was the welcoming front door.  It is attractive and inviting.  However it also has a deadbolt and is sturdily built.  For friends and visitors our door is opening and welcoming.  But for intruders and persons of ill-intent the door is a barrier.

I can think of many other doors I’ve seen and passed through in my life.  For some of those there is a lot of emotion tied to them – job interviews, the doors of the church as I headed in to await my new bride at the altar, classroom doors at school for the first time, the office door of an unhappy boss, the door of a new shop, emergency room doors.  There are other doors I have not passed through and, for some I hope I never have to – the doors of a courtroom where I am a party to the litigation, into a jail cell, a police station, the door at a home for an employee who has been injured or worse on my watch.

Scott was my best friend in high school.  We did all the things best friends do; we argued some, we played a lot, we had each other’s back all the time, and we grew from boys to young men together.  My job out of college took me several states away and Scott and I didn’t get to connect as often, but when we did it was always great to catch up.  It’s funny, I remember reading Scott’s last letter a number of times… the handwriting was the same, his sense of humor still showed through, and my heart was warmed by the friendship we still shared even though we were hundreds of miles apart.  Shortly after Scott’s 40th birthday my wife called me at work. She had just gotten word that Scott had died in his sleep the night before.  I can honestly say that was one of the hardest blows I have ever suffered.  Scott knew about my faith and he had said he was happy for me, but we had not really taken the time to grow in our faith together.  I still miss my friend, but it is not a sense of gone forever since I am confident that we shared a faith in God and in the completed work of Jesus.

Two and a half weeks ago, I found out on Facebook that Scott’s mom, Liz, was very ill and in her final days.  My heart went out to her husband and her family.  Obviously I prayed for them and their comfort.  I also prayed for the easing of Liz’s pain.  But I also could not suppress a sense of joy as I prayed for Liz.  I can still picture her as the beautiful, young mother who always had a smile even as she foiled another one of Scott’s and my schemes.  I can hear the sweet southern lilt in her voice as she said, “Now boys you know that you’re not supposed to…”  As I prayed for Liz in the days leading up to her passing the recurring picture I had was of Liz approaching a large door.  I could feel the mixture of emotions as she was sad to be leaving her beloved husband, children, and grandchildren, but I could feel the excited anticipation of seeing Her Lord face to face and being reunited with her son, Scott.

I attended Liz’s funeral a week ago.  To me it was a perfect blend of sad farewell, celebration of a life well-lived, and the joy of graduation to something greater.  The memory of it lingers with me.

Additionally the picture of the Final Door remains.  They say that death is one of the two certainties in life.  It is inescapable.  For each one of us we will face that Final Door.  Do you know what is beyond that final door for you?  Do you have an understanding based upon first hand knowledge of someone who has been there and come back?  There is One who is an authority.  The bible says Jesus conquered death and the grave.  Over 500 people saw Him physically returned after He was crucified.  Many of these followers died martyr’s deaths refusing to give up on the truth of having seen Jesus alive after His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.  His promise is life, eternal life, to all who would put their trust in Him.

I encourage you in the privacy of your own home, in your secret place to look into what I am telling you.  Pick up a bible and read what it says.  Begin in the gospels.  Ask God to show you truth.  Comment back to me if you would like to start a conversation.  God wants to enter into a relationship with you and He wants to give you a surety about what you will see on the other side of that Final Door.  Today, right now is a good time to nail that down.

If you already know Jesus and to you the Final Door is simply the passage to your final home, then rejoice with me in the grace God has given us tell someone today about the hope you have within you.

Take care and have a most blessed day.

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Uncertainty… A Lesson in the Fog

June 10, 2015 by areliablefaith

As I rose this morning I wondered if the storm that crashed in upon us at dusk last night would result in a glorious sunrise this morning.  I hurriedly got dressed as an excitement rose within me to commune with the Father and see what the morning light ushered in.  Surprisingly, my excitement only rose when I looked out the window and saw the fog.  Grabbing my bible and hot tea I headed outside.

This morning’s post requires a little background before I get to the good stuff.  I am in a new phase of my life.  At the beginning of this year after almost 32 years of constant employment and increasingly responsible positions within three different companies, I found myself unemployed.  The way the separation transpired left me with unanswered questions and a fair amount of emotional loose ends to work through.  I had the basis of a plan already formulated, but I had not done much work in setting the plan in motion when the separation arrived.  So even as I moved into a time of soul-searching I also moved into hurry-up mode to become an independent consultant in my field of expertise.  Today, five months later I have made more progress on the soul-searching side, but both are progressing.

Which brings me to the lesson in the fog.  Our church is currently going through a series called “Without a Doubt”.  We are looking at God’s faithfulness in life’s most trying times.  As Pastor P said several weeks ago every person is in one of three stages in life.  Either they are in a storm, they are coming out of a storm, or they are getting ready to enter a storm.  Last night’s storm dumped a lot of rain and that moisture created the fairly dense fog this morning.  Storms do that.  Their impact can linger even after the deluge has passed.

The fog after the rain.

The fog after the rain.

Enveloped by Fog.

Enveloped by Fog.

As I prayed this morning I realized that since I came to faith I don’t believe I have doubted God’s love.  I have experienced periods of uncertainty about what the results would be in a storm, uncertainty whether my response would be right and good, uncertainty whether I would stand in the God-honoring way I desire, but I haven’t been uncertain that God is or that He is sovereign.  Digging deeper though, I have been uncertain that God’s love would manifest itself in a way that I could bear.  It was not whether God loves or that He would be with me.  Those are unshakeable truths.  But I recognize in myself the weakness of thought and action that leaves me yearning for more of Christ and less of me.

At that moment I raised my hands and looked up into the grey mist all around and above and I praised the living Lord.  Immediately I thought of what was on the other side of that grey mist – a glorious sunshine that was bright, golden, and warm.  A light that is life giving.  A light that is always there.  A light that I am certain is there.

It dawned on me in that moment that God’s love is the same as the sun.  It is always there… it is life-giving… it is bright, golden, and warm.  My doubts and uncertainty are swallowed in the certainty of God’s love.  It is a redeeming love.  Even if I lose all, God’s love can and will redeem what is lost (See Job 42:10).  Even if the way is dark, God’s love is the light of dawn speeding toward us.  Even if my faith slips and my response misses the mark, God is faithful and just to forgive us and restore us because of His love.

I had two key take-aways from the message this weekend that apply in every storm and in the fog.  First, if the situation we are in is not good, then God’s not finished.  Second, in the times when I cannot see God’s hand, when I can’t understand what is going on, I can always, ALWAYS trust His heart.  Let the storm come.  Let the fog roll in.  Let the darkness settle upon us.  In all things and in every situation God is there, God is light, God is life and God is love!

As I finish this blog I look out the window and within the past five minutes the fog has lifted.  I think I will take that as I sign I got it right.

The fog has lifted!

The fog has lifted!

AWESOME!  He is SO GOOD!

Rejoice today my friend.  God’s love is precious and it is near.  Take hold of His hand today and let us rejoice!

Posted in God, God Stories, Prayer, Vision, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Treasuring Your Wife

June 8, 2015 by areliablefaith

I love my wife.  I realized I loved her fairly early in our relationship and it was with great joy that she said yes to my marriage proposal after we had been dating about 5 months.  During this time I have never not loved Lisa.  I wish I could say that she has always felt loved, but I know that at times she has not.  This realization has been one arrived at through a rather drawn-out season of learning.  The Lord kept bringing me back to Ephesians 5:25 until I finally learned and acted upon His prompting to take love to another level.  Here is my post with my friend as we walk through Proverbs.  This is from Friday’s reading in chapter 5.

Proverbs 5:18.  “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.”
Lisa and I have been married for over 30 years.  Any couple that has been together for any time has had their share of difficulties.  We have had ours although in God’s grace, none have been too serious.  Probably our most persistent issue has been that we get too busy with our jobs, activities, and doing things for the kids that we forget to take time to nurture our marriage.  Make no mistake – the most important earthly relationship a married person has is the one with their spouse.
I went through a season beginning about 7 years ago that the message the Lord laid on my heart was Ephesians 5:25.  “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her…”   This went on for about 4 years.  During that time I repeatedly tried to “Band-Aid” an acceptable response.  I would take this prompting to mean that I needed to “do more” for Lisa, which I would do for a while, but I would soon drift back into busy-ness.  I would again notice the lack of passion and depth in our marriage and I would seek the Lord and He would point to the same verse.  Now I have sought to walk closely with the Lord for 32 years.  I know Him to be real.  He has actively guided me.  For the majority of the time prior to this, there were things He would bring to light that needed changing in me, sometimes it might take me a little while to get it right, but usually in short order He had brought about the change in me He desired and the next lesson would begin.  So for a single lesson to continue for 4 years was different and very humbling.  God had to eventually break me in a very painful and powerful manner.  You can read about it in depth in this blog in the post entitled “Broken Legs, Mended Hearts”.
Here are a few truths that I learned from that season that tie into this verse in Proverbs.
1) Our relationship with our wife is the best barometer of our relationship with God.  If we can’t get the relationship right with the most important human being who we can see, we will struggle with the relationship with the most important One who we happen to be unable to see yet.
2)  God knows the deep things that must be rooted out in our lives.  He loves us enough that He will do the work that needs to be done to get them out.
3)  The first step is not adding more “spiritual” things to our to-do list.  The first step is dying to self and allowing God to replace our wishes, wants, and desires with His desires.
There is an amazing thing that has happened since I reached a deeper place of dying to self and better serving Lisa.  God immediately put a fresh love for Lisa in my heart.  Before anything actually changed in our relationship, God was already making changes inside of me that would become the fertile ground that grew a renewed and deeper love between us.  In a practical way, my love began expressing itself in her love language again which is Quality Time.  My love language is Acts of Service which isn’t on Lisa’s love language radar at all, so all my work to try and show her love in my love language missed the mark.  As God worked in my heart I didn’t have to consciously think about how to show her love.  Since we have been through the Love Language training and recognize the truths of the Five Love Languages my brokenness now sought to effectively demonstrate itself to her.  However since our love had gotten stale and we both were so busy, we had forgotten the need to be intentional in this area.  Once I started truly dying to what I wanted, I became focused upon pleasing Lisa and our relationship has grown and blossomed.  It has been really great the past three years or so.
Oh, I almost forgot.  The fact that I was dying to my desires did not mean that my deepest desires now were totally neglected.  The good ones, the godly ones, the best ones now became the desire of my wife.  God began prompting Lisa to meet my needs at a much deeper level too.
There is a lot of godly wisdom in the verses of Proverbs 5, particularly about avoiding the temptations of the wayward or adulterous woman.  However I have found that if I focus upon doing the BEST thing, I don’t have to spend nearly as much time and effort on not doing all the wrong things.  Dying to self and loving your spouse in practical ways are two sides of the same coin.  Here’s to doing the BEST thing.
I hope you enjoy today’s reading.  Drop me a comment or ask a question if you would get a chance.  I’d love to interact with some of my readers.
Be blessed and be a blessing to someone today.

Posted in Marriage, Responsibility, Spiritual Growth | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

A Sweet, Sweet Fragrance

June 5, 2015 by areliablefaith

Two and a half years ago my wife and I felt prompted to make an addition to our home.  It seemed a little odd since we were facing an empty nest within 8 months as our youngest of four was about to graduate and head off to college.  As we continued to pray the nudge became a clarified vision and so we began the process.  The addition was to add a pool and a garage with an apartment over head.  We designed it, found a builder who worked wonderfully with us to get it done before the two weddings we had that year, and by Memorial Day we had a new swimming pool and pool house.  One of the most exciting aspects of the process for me was the opportunity to design and add the landscaping.

One of the coolest features we designed was a cedar pergola to connect the pool house with our home.  This turned out really nice creating a rather strong contrast of the red cedar against the grey-brown brick of the buildings.  Additionally it framed a small courtyard that needed the creative landscape touch.  One of the things I envisioned were vines climbing up the pergola and providing an additional degree of natural shading as well as seasonal color.  I found some plants that appeared like they would work and I added them into the plan.

Today, two years after completion of the project I regularly begin my day talking to the Lord on the pool house porch.  This morning I was struck by the wonderful fragrance that wafted in and around the little courtyard from one of the honeysuckles that we planted.  The plant has climbed the 12 feet to the top of the pergola and is covered in delicate pink blossoms.

As I breathed deeply I thought about how that little honeysuckle is like believers who grow into committed followers.  Two years ago the plant arrived in a pot that I easily held in the palm of my hand.  We were careful to plant it in good soil.  We amended the soil and added the appropriate fertilizer.  We also watered it whenever conditions warranted.  A regular task through the growing season has been the training of the plant.  You see honeysuckles spread broadly in their natural state.  They tend to be invasive and a nuisance.  We had in mind a vertical growth that looped up and over the pergola.  So on at least a weekly basis we have had to maneuver the branches into the correct direction.  Additionally we have pruned it removing dead and damaged growth as well as branches that weren’t heading in the right direction.

There are parallels with the growth and training of this little plant and followers of Jesus.  The start of our life in Christ is a very delicate time.  If the enemy can’t stop us from hearing and responding to Jesus’ call to save us, he will double down to keep us from growing in our faith.  He hates all Christians, but if he can prevent us from becoming effective, then at least he doesn’t have to worry about us working in tandem with God to expand the kingdom.  During this period of vulnerability it is crucial that new believers be properly connected to a vibrant body of believers who will ensure they are fed, nurtured, and encouraged.

A major challenge for new believers is the process of sanctification that we begin when we say YES to Jesus call upon our lives.  Salvation is God’s gift given the moment we say yes to Him.  Our new life in Christ begins then.  It would be wonderful if all bad habits and sin tendencies were immediately removed at that time too, but it doesn’t work that way.  My personal experience is that some of my sin tendencies disappeared immediately.  Some did not.  1 Thessalonians 4 talks about living to please God which we do as we sanctify ourselves from the old habits and sins.  In a very close comparison this is like the pruning that takes place on that little honeysuckle we planted.  Unhealthy branches and branches that aren’t going the right way have to be removed.  The same is true in our lives.  And these things take action on the part of the new believer usually in alignment with the body of believers they are connected to.

Time is also a similarity between our honeysuckle and the believer.  I have seen a few new believers “flame out.”  In every case they jumped forward with great enthusiasm and vigor, but they wilted within a relatively short time frame.  They had not taken the time to grow, to develop the roots of faith needed to withstand persecution and the various attacks of the enemy.  Jesus talks about this in the parable of the sower see Matthew 13:1 – 23, but especially verses 20 & 21.  As I mentioned before the early stage of plant growth is a very vulnerable time.  The roots must develop depth to be able to withstand a dry spell.

I have a lot of perennials that I have planted.  One of the worst things you can do for a perennial is water it too often.  This results in shallow roots with no depth.  If you then leave for a week or two and there is no rain you are liable to return to dead plants.  This is one of the reasons that the Lord doesn’t just make life all fun and games.  We must experience times of difficulty, challenge, and dryness to cause us to persevere, stretch ourselves, and grow our faith.

Finally I mentioned the wonderful fragrance coming from the honeysuckle.  In the old testament the burning of incense was a prescribed act of worship.  Symbolically we view the drifting up of the incense smoke and fragrance as representative of our prayers and offerings rising to God.  As we spend time in the Word of God, the Bible; as we sit under good, solid teaching; as we apply ourselves to serving others; as we seek to hear and obey God, we will grow in our faith.  It may be all small steps, but they are steps none-the-less.  We begin to take on the mind of Christ more and more.  We are like that honeysuckle stretching, reaching, and growing.  And in our season to blossom, we will burst forth in fragrant, beautiful bloom.  Our devotion and love of the Father will manifest itself in the flower and fruit of a life established and growing in Him.

Let me finish the story about why God gave us the vision to expand.  About the time we finished building, my sister’s house sold essentially out of the blue.  They looked around for some place to live, but that wasn’t working out.  Again that nudge from the Lord convinced us to offer up our home.  The day after our youngest son moved into College, my sister and her family moved in with us.  The extra room made it work fine.  And then 8 months later, our oldest son who had moved away for what seemed like a good job opportunity, realized closer to family was important.  So their family of 4 moved in with us.  So when the vision was given we wondered why soon-to-be empty nesters would be adding on rather than downsizing.  We didn’t know, but we clearly sensed the Lord’s leading so we obeyed.  And because we did we have been blessed to grow so much closer to our grandsons, son, and daughter-in-law as well as my sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and nephew.  I’m convinced that despite the challenges that three families living together will invariably bring, we have all grown through this experience.  And I believe that part of that sweet fragrance is the love and service we have given to one another these past two years.

Be blessed my friend and be a blessing to someone today.

Our Fragrant Honeysuckle

Our Fragrant Honeysuckle

Climbing the pergola this honeysuckle looks and smells wonderful.

Climbing the pergola this honeysuckle looks and smells wonderful.

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Listen to be Wise – Proverbs 1

June 4, 2015 by areliablefaith

I have a friend who agreed to walk through Proverbs with me over the month of June.  We are going to each read a chapter a day and then share our thoughts about one verse from the chapter that impressed us.  Here are thoughts from Proverbs, Chapter 1 on June 1.

Chase’s choice – Proverbs 1:7  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
      “The fear of the Lord” here to me is submission to the Lord, an open heart and mind to him. My bible states when we fear something, we either run from it or submit to it. I agree, my salvation was very similar to this as a lot of people’s may have been the same way.
      Once we have the fear of the Lord, it is a healthy fear as the fear we have of electricity or parents.  It is a healthy fear or respect which causes you to act appropriately. But while seeking wisdom the fear or submission unto the Lord is the controlling principle of wisdom.  This principle should not be abandoned and a person cannot just fully focus on the idea that we must just acquire wisdom alone. I believe that is where the fools despising wisdom comes in.  They do not begin with that respect or appropriate fear.
My choice – Proverbs 1:5 “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”  and Proverbs 1:33 “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”
On proverbs 1:7 you made a wise choice.  I always picture God’s awesome majesty, holiness, and righteousness when I consider “the fear of the Lord”.  Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”.  That being the case, we all have reason to fear the judgment that we correctly deserve.  The hope of favor with God can then begin to make us desire to walk right and submit.  When we combine His majesty, holiness, and righteousness with His love, mercy, and grace – we have the awesome combination that causes us to joyously submit.
My verse was verse 5, “let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.”  The last verse, verse 33, also echoes the theme.  In verse 33 it is wisdom itself speaking saying, “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”  Verse 5 tells us what we are to do.  Verse 33 tells us what the results will be.  Wisdom is the correct and consistent application of knowledge.  I have met many very intelligent people who weren’t really very wise.  They struggled with making the correct application of the vast knowledge they possessed.  I love knowledge, but I have learned that I would rather be wise than just smart.
The common thread in these two verses is listening.  It’s funny, but I spent a lot of my younger married years listening to experts about things, but I spent the majority of my time with my wife and family telling rather than listening.  The Lord has shown me that my wife and even my children can be excellent dispensers of truth and wisdom.  That doesn’t take away from trying to learn from experts, but it means that I should not overlook or despise the sources of wisdom the Lord will use close to me.
One more thought that you may have also heard.  God gave us two ears versus only one mouth.  Wisdom is using this reminder that we are to listen twice as much as we are to talk.  I haven’t studied it so thoroughly as to say if it is exactly 67% listening to 33% talking, but I know the general rule is true.
Be blessed today and be a blessing.

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Alpha and Omega

June 1, 2015 by areliablefaith

You are wiser than the wisdom of all the wisest sages for You were their teacher.

You are stronger than the strength of all men and machines that have ever been.

You are fairer than the combined beauty of all the fairest maidens that have ever lived, for You formed them.

Your justice and righteousness renders the whole of righteous human judgment that has ever been rendered insignificant in comparison.

Your goodness is our succor. Your mercy is our hope. Your creativity is unmatched. Your favor gives lightness to our steps.

You, Oh Lord, are the One.  You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.  You are the source from which we spring. You are the Hope to which we aspire.  You are the reward to Whom we return when our life here ends.

Lord God, the joy which I feel in the midst of life’s trials are a gift from You.

The sweet fragrance of honeysuckle that gently wafts its way to me as I contemplate the wonder of who you are further reminds me that you are all these things – creativity, beauty, comfort, humor, wisdom, and more.

As the psalmist said, “Heaven is Your home and earth is Your footstool.”  This day, the foretaste of our final home from the footstool is glorious because You are there in fullness.

I am overwhelmed with You.

I find myself filled up with peace and a gentle, bubbly joy in the sure and certain knowledge that You are here and that You love.

Words fail to capture the complete wonder and gratitude that I feel, so I simply say,

“Thank You, LORD.”

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Turn Toward the Sun

May 28, 2015 by areliablefaith

It is a coolish late spring morning where I live.  As I slipped outside into the early dawn my shorts and t-shirt provided slightly less warmth than I needed, but the beauty of the pre-sunrise sky drew me in and kept me from going back inside.  As I walked I meditated upon my study the night before on spiritual growth and the classical disciplines which help us in that growth.  As I look back on my life I can see that it has been a series of growth spurts and plateaus.  It is probably much like a tree which grows rapidly during the spring and summer and then rests through the fall and winter.  I suspect we all have “growth rings” of a sort.  I recognized two other things.  Deeper intimacy with the Lord and increased practice of one, and usually more, of the spiritual disciplines were present during the times of growth.

There is an essential order to the process.  It is crucial that we recognize and keep before us the goal of our life, the goal of spiritual growth is to grow in our intimacy with the Lord.  Jesus’ death on the cross was not simply so that we could go to heaven one day.  No, His death was to remove the curse of sin which separated us from the Father and opened the door to a life of intimacy with Him.  The curse is removed immediately, but intimacy comes over time as we collaborate with the work of the Holy Spirit inside us.  So the essential order is 1) accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, 2) make intimacy with God our primary goal in life, 3) practice those activities which lead to greater knowledge of and intimacy with the Lord, and then 4) experience all the benefits, privileges, and responsibilities of a life surrendered to Him.  The benefits, privileges, and responsibilities begin showing up as soon as we begin our spiritual journey, but what I experience today is so much more than what I did when I was a young Christian.

I had been exposed to small doses of the classical disciplines over the first couple of years of my faith walk by more mature believers, but the real breakthrough came when someone gave me the book, Celebration of Discipline – The PATH to SPIRITUAL GROWTH by Richard Foster.  It is succinct, well-researched, and written in a way that I could easily understand.  I recommend it to anyone seriously desiring to grow spiritually but unsure what steps to take.  In the near future I suspect my posts will include things we discuss in our Home Group since we will be studying this over the next three months.  I am very excited because I sense the Lord wants to do something new and fresh in our group and in me.

As I continued to walk outside a shiver hit me due to the chill in the air even as my excitement was building.  I stopped and turned to look at the sunrise just as the sun was becoming visible through the trees on the horizon.  Immediately the chill was gone and I sensed a warmth on the outside that mirrored the warmth I was feeling on the inside as I had been meditating and praying to the Lord.  In that moment I was struck by the fact that as we look to the Son, Jesus, and grow in intimacy with Him, God the Father draws us into His warm embrace and fills us with His grace more and more.

At Pentecost, God poured out the Holy Spirit upon the disciples as tongues of fire.  So it is when we make it our life goal to live in intimacy with Jesus, the Holy Spirit will warm us with His Holy fire.  The closer we get to Jesus, the more we surrender ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us.  His fire is a refining fire though.  It will burn up the chaff in our life – those things that are not God’s best for us.  But with the purging and refining comes something so much better, so much greater – a deeper, richer faith and an intimacy with the Lover of our Soul that we were created for.

And that, my friend, is glorious!

Go forth to be blessed and be a blessing to someone God puts in your path today!

A pre-dawn sunrise viewed from our SC home.

A pre-dawn sunrise viewed from our SC home.

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Leaving a Legacy – Harvey’s Chapel and Pick’s Pond

May 19, 2015 by areliablefaith

Gravestone of Mom's Grandparents, Charles Washington "Wash" Wyatt and Julia Pearl Edmonston Wyatt.

Gravestone of Mom’s Grandparents, Charles Washington “Wash” Wyatt and Julia Pearl Edmonston Wyatt.

Family gathering at Pick's Pond around 1988 or so.

Family gathering at Pick’s Pond around 1988 or so.

This past weekend my wife and I accompanied my parents to the annual Harvey’s Chapel Homecoming in Marmaduke, Arkansas (population 1,111). My Mother’s parents and at least two generations prior are buried there. For the past few years I have been researching our genealogy and have built a fairly sizeable family tree using my grandmother’s 40 years of research on Dad’s side of the family, my Mother’s recollections and assorted notes, and Ancestry.com. I was excited to go to the reunion to meet cousins who might share my interest in genealogy and be able to help flesh out my tree. My most recent finds have been ancestors from England back into the 1300 – 1600’s (which I find really cool), but the time in Arkansas gave me a fresh appreciation of a more personal reason we traveled the 600 miles – to build relationships with friends and family and to experience a common life that we share as God’s children. I want to share vignettes from the weekend that provided life lessons for me.

The first day we drove to the Harvey’s Chapel cemetery to place flowers on the assorted graves. As we walked from grave to grave Mom recited stories from her childhood visits each summer to Arkansas from her Michigan home. I saw my great grandparents with new eyes and a keener appreciation for what life was like in the 1940’s and 1950’s in rural Arkansas. Mom’s mother passed away when she was only 5 years old giving birth to a baby sister who also passed.

Mom at her Mother's Grave in the Harvey's Chapel cemetery. Her mother was Lorene Zelma Wyatt Pickler.

Mom at her Mother’s Grave in the Harvey’s Chapel cemetery. Her mother was Lorene Zelma Wyatt Pickler.

Mom, Joy Pickler Moss, sharing stories from her childhood summers spent in northeast Arkansas.

Mom, Joy Pickler Moss, sharing stories from her childhood summers spent in northeast Arkansas.  Harvey’s Chapel is in the background.

Mom telling Wyatt, her youngest grandchild, about his relatives.

Mom telling Wyatt, her youngest grandchild, about his relatives.

Yet Mom’s maternal grandparents, Charles Washington “Wash” Wyatt and Julia Pearl Edmonston Wyatt, were her second family and played a huge role in raising her. I had their names, basic life details, and pictures from my Ancestry.com research, but listening to my Mom and later several of my cousins, I began to see them as real people with trials and challenges, hopes and dreams, times of loss and times of abundant joy – not much different from you and me. It was like the black and white pictures I have took on color and life while listening to the stories from their loved ones.

Later that day we headed to Pick’s Pond where, as children, our family would regularly spend the fourth of July Holiday. Grandpa Pickler purchased the land and with the help of my uncle Don, built a series of catfish ponds on the property in Crowley’s Ridge near Boydsville, Arkansas for Grandpa’s retirement. Sadly, Grandpa was diagnosed with Chronic Leukemia in his late 50’s and his health deteriorated fairly quickly limiting the amount he was able to do on the farm. Yet I still fondly remember his fun-loving antics and his love for his grandkids. He always wanted to “tell me a secret” only to get me close enough to nuzzle my ear with his grizzled chin – a trick I now do with my two grandsons.

Fishing on the big pond at Pick's Pond in 1985

Fishing on the big pond at Pick’s Pond in 1985

Bo. the black Labrador retriever, loved to play king of the inner tube - and he often won.

Bo. the black Labrador retriever, loved to play king of the inner tube – and he often won.  About 1974.

A favorite game of "bounce the boys".

A favorite game of “bounce the boys”.  About 1988.

Step three of the Game Bounce the Boys.

Step three of the Game Bounce the Boys.  About 1988.

Seining one of the breeder ponds.

Seining one of the breeder ponds.  About 1988.

Mom - Joy Pickler Moss, standing in front of the Big Pond at Pick's Pond.

Mom – Joy Pickler Moss, standing in front of the Big Pond at Pick’s Pond.  About 1977.

The farm at that time was basically a large open field with six ponds on the gently sloping hills. One thing that Grandpa insisted on is planting lots of trees on the property. He lined his driveway with “little-bity” pine trees and surrounded the “big” pond with small cypress trees.   I feel certain he knew he wouldn’t see these trees grow to maturity, but it was his desire to leave something of beauty and worth for future generations. I was stunned when we pulled into the driveway.

Pick's Pond, May 2015.

Pick’s Pond, May 2015.

Another view across the Big Pond at Pick's Pond, Ma 2015.

Another view across the Big Pond at Pick’s Pond, Ma 2015.

Fishing under the Cypress trees at Pick's Pond.

Fishing under the Cypress trees at Pick’s Pond.  May 2015.

2015-05-15 13.41.05There was no field. Nor were there any little-bity trees. Instead was a beautiful pine canopy over-shadowing the tree-lined drive with forests on either side. An even more amazing sight awaited at the big pond where Grandpa’s cypress trees now soar above the shoreline providing shade respite from the brutal summer sun.

Grandpa Pickler around 1975 - 1977.

Grandpa Pickler around 1975 – 1977.

My heart was full of thankfulness for my Grandpa’s vision and desire to make something beautiful for those of us to follow and for my uncle Don who helped Grandpa turn his vision into something tangible.

The next vignette came on Saturday evening when we gathered at my first cousin Kelly’s home in Piggott, Arkansas. Since Kelly was a lot younger than me we did not play together a lot as children. As we drove up I saw the landscaping Kelly and her husband Jamie had installed and we had an immediate connection that I didn’t realize existed. I enjoy landscape design and making those designs become a reality. We talked extensively about plants, landscaping, and the challenges of our hobby.  Today instead of being simply my younger cousin with a husband and two fine sons, my relationship with Kelly has taken on depth and life through our similar experiences and passion. This theme repeated itself throughout the weekend as I met new family members, 2nd and 3rd cousins, who shared some of the same interests and tastes as me, but had experienced life in a much different place and time. The sense of what a small world we live in and the impact of shared DNA was really fascinating.

Our final event was the Memorial service at Harvey’s chapel on Sunday morning. The chapel is now only used this one weekend a year. I guess it seats about 60 or 70 folks comfortably. With the rain showers that began about 45 minutes prior to church time, I wondered if the crowd would be pretty sparse. As we entered it was definitely a throw-back to simple days and the small country church. My sister said she was half expecting Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie to slip in. As 10:30 arrived I looked around and happily noticed that the church was almost filled in spite of the nasty weather. The service was camp meeting style with songs and order of service a good bit different from what I am used to. But there were a number of things that were welcome touch-points for me. The scripture used was the same tried and true Word of God that I read every day. The verses were familiar ones God has used numerous times to guide, strengthen, and challenge me in the past. During the invocation the speaker quoted CS Lewis, one of my favorite authors. But the thought that sticks with me is that my ancestors over 150 years ago met in this same place seeking to establish a community of faith. One relative donated the land. Another relative started the church meetings in their home. Many others made up a large portion of the congregation. Even the current Memorial fund which helps keep the grounds maintained and the building in good repair has been funded in large part by other relatives. While the community now gathers at other newer and larger churches on Sundays, the fact remains the roots for those churches are the small country churches like Harvey’s Chapel and they stand on the legacy of our forebears in the faith.

The lessons reiterated from the weekend. We are connected to the family of faith throughout history. Those that have gone before us sweated, cried, cheered, prayed, and lived so that those following would have a place to stand… a place to live… a place to worship God.

We are more alike than we realize and God made us that way intentionally. God is most interested in relationships. Person to person, but especially person to living Lord. Strive to really get to know the people God places in your life. Ask God to make those connections from which relationship grows. And out of those relationships, the life of Christ can be shared.

We may not always fully comprehend the purpose for the events of our life until much later. In fact when the group met in the Edmonston’s home in 1859 for the first time as what would become the Harvey’s Chapel congregation, I would be really surprised if anyone spent much time thinking about the fact that in 2015 a group of 60 believers from all over the US would still be meeting in the church they would birth. Jesus talked about faith the size of a mustard seed, though extremely tiny, able to produce amazing results. I saw that this weekend in a little country church and the families that have lived, loved and served the Lord in a steady faith.

Have a blessed day and be a blessing to someone today.

A few more fun pics from Pick’s Pond.

Don explains why these mulberries taste so much sweeter.

Don explains why these mulberries taste so much sweeter.  It’s the fertilizer.  This tree sits over the old outhouse.

Keith's double handful of sweet mulberries.

Keith’s double handful of sweet mulberries.

I think Don left the truck parked there a little too long.

I think Don left the truck parked there a little too long.

Cousin Anna, Don Pickler's youngest daughter.

Cousin Anna, Don Pickler’s youngest daughter.

Mom wins the fishing contest this day. Day is awfully proud of his entry although I don't remember why.

Mom wins the fishing contest this day. Day is awfully proud of his entry although I don’t remember why.

Sister Christin Joy Moss and Cousin Kelly Robinson Wilson.

Sister, Julie Elizabeth Moss Denton, and Cousin, Kelly Robinson Wilson.

My parents and siblings with our entries in this day's fishing contest.

My parents and siblings with our entries in this day’s fishing contest.

Uncle Don shows off his physique.

Uncle Don shows off his physique.

Keith and Julie. Keith's description of an Arkansas 4th of July trip. "Go to Grandma's. eat a biscuit, and sweat!" July 1989 I think.

Keith and Julie. Keith’s description of an Arkansas 4th of July trip. “Go to Grandma’s. eat a biscuit, and sweat!” July 1989 I think.

We ate watermelon until just before it started growing out our ears.

We ate watermelon until just before it started growing out our ears.

Cousin Jason and my oldest daughter, Rhiannon. About 1988.

Cousin Jason and my oldest daughter, Rhiannon. About 1988.

Eric's jet ski on the big pond. Jason prefers Rhiannon power though.

Eric’s jet ski on the big pond. Jason prefers Rhiannon power though.

Eric takes Rhiannon for a ride on the big tractor.

Eric takes Rhiannon for a ride on the big tractor.

Aunt Allene was Mom's Mother's sister. This is Aunt Allene and Uncle Rex's 50th wedding anniversary.

Aunt Allene was Mom’s Mother’s sister. This is Aunt Allene and Uncle Rex’s 50th wedding anniversary.

Aunt Fay and Uncle Roy. Fay was Grandpa Pickler's little sister.

Aunt Fay and Uncle Roy. Fay was Grandpa Pickler’s little sister.

Dad, John Moss and my lovely wife, Lisa. This is about one year into our marriage. We just reached 30 years of wedded bliss last month.

Dad, John Moss and my lovely wife, Lisa. This is about one year into our marriage. We just reached 30 years of wedded bliss last month.

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Like the Weather

May 9, 2015 by areliablefaith

Life is a lot like the weather.  Sometimes it is wonderful like blue skies and pleasant temperatures.  Other times it is rainy, dull, and dreary.  And on occasion a storm or hurricane decides to roll through.  For those in the northern climes we’ll say a blizzard blasts you.  Today I sit on a balcony at Myrtle Beach as tropical storm Ana decides to come ashore.  As storms go Ana is relatively mild.  Still the wind gusts and at times driving rain are scuttling the plans of many as we hunker down inside and plan to “make the best of it.”

Today several of our friends are going through hurricanes in their lives.  A precious 2 year old succumbed to cancer yesterday.  Another friend lost her only brother who leaves behind a wife and two young daughters.  Other friends are dealing with struggling relationships – marriages being attacked and threatened.  These painful events are akin to the wind, rain, and battering waves that threaten to destroy beach, buildings, and any soul who mistakenly wanders out into the storm.

Jesus talked about exactly these sorts of situations and He used a weather metaphor to do so.  In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus describes the wise and foolish builders.

“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. 25The 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. 26But 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. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

I am an engineer so I know that there are many steps in building a good, solid house.  Jesus really emphasizes only one point in this story – the foundation.  You can do everything else in home construction perfect, but if you have a poor foundation the home will not stand when the earth shakes or the severe storm hits.  Jesus and His teachings are the only truly solid foundation for life.

 Just a little bit later in Matthew we see a real life example of Jesus’ authority demonstrated.  Crossing the Sea of Galilee Jesus falls into an exhausted sleep in the boat when a squall breaks out.  From Matthew 8: 23 – 27:
23Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
For some storms in our lives Jesus will step in and calm the storm… the layoff passes us by, the diagnosis is marvelously / miraculously wrong, the wayward child comes to their senses and returns home.  For many storms though the Lord, in His infinite wisdom, chooses to walk with us through the storm rather than still the storm.  The promise of scripture and the experience of followers everywhere is that if the Lord doesn’t calm the storm, you can be certain He is with you in the storm.  That is my story.  Jesus’ peace, comfort, and grace have sustained and carried me through every storm I’ve experienced.  And on the other side I am a better person with a stronger faith because of it.  I have been in a particular storm for the past year plus, but I see the end of this storm on the horizon and I am excited.
As I’ve written the bands of wind and rain have continued to sweep through and yet I feel joy in my heart as if it where a beautiful, spring morning.  I know Him who is the foundation of life and He is my strength and shield.  I don’t know where you are in your life, but there is a truth our pastor says fairly frequently.  “Whoever you are you can be certain one of three things is true.  Either you are in a storm, you’ve recently come through a storm, or there is a storm in your future.”  This would be pretty discouraging IF we didn’t have a sovereign God who knew how to bring good out of every storm and Who walks with us through them.
If Jesus and His words are your life foundation, then join me in praising Him in the rain.  If you do not yet know Him, please comment to my blog and I will be happy to reach out and introduce you to the Lover of your soul who wants to be your foundation.  Ask the Lord to help you know Him.  Also pick up the bible and start reading.  The gospels are the best choice, but I would be happy to correspond with you and give you some suggestions based upon your life situation.
Be blessed today and be a blessing whether you are in the sunshine or in the rain.

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