On Veteran's Day

When I joined the US Navy in 1960 I was motivated by several things:
1) I knew I would be drafted into the Army because I had decided to not return to college that fall and had no desire to sleep on the ground and eat cold rations while marching who knows where, I wanted to have decent food and a bed to sleep in at night, so I thought the Navy was a better option
2) I had to get away from Marshall County, Ky and try to figure me out without the constant over-protective and watchful eyes of my family. My Mom (God bless her sweet soul) was committed to marrying me off to a girl I had dated in college but was not "in love" with to that extent
3) I figured that since we were not at war I could reasonably expect to live through the experience and might even learn something.

By the time I finished boot camp I had learned so much about the Navy and naval tradition I was, and will forever be, a lifelong admirer of all that it means to wear the uniform of the US military. All my reasons for joining up became dim memories as I adjusted to the routine of shipboard life and slowly understood the real ramifications of where I was and what I was doing.

A few years ago I watched a Discovery Channel special about the newly commissioned USS Ronald Reagan and was absolutely spellbound by the vast difference from my own shipboard experience. For one thing they actually had women sailors aboard that beautiful vessel and they were performing most of the same functions as the men. And doing so with great skill and confidence. Made me very proud to know how far the Navy has come since my own experience. As I watched that documentary I could not hold back the tears of joy and admiration for the crew of that mighty weapon of war and recalling my own days aboard the USS Intrepid, which was about one fourth the size of the Reagan.

One of the ships I was privileged to serve on, the USS Mount McKinley AGC7, is now a NASA museum in New York harbor. The Rose and I plan to go to New York in the near future and stepping foot once more on the quarterdeck of the MtMac is definitely on our agenda.

To all my friends who get so caught up in the ups and downs of the political fussing and fighting in DC, please always know that our country is greater than ANYONE's political agenda. Having spent many weekends in Washington, D.C. I can testify to the greatness of what America really is. You can feel it all around you as you explore the museums, the monuments and especially Arlington National Cemetary.

Every year on this day I am proud of our country and feel very grateful to all those who still believe in who we are as a nation and appreciate that freedom always comes at a price. My constant prayer is that God our Father, in whom we still trust, will continue to bless America. HALLELUJAH!

"So, What's Your Story?"

I'm not sure why but lately I have been looking at people, total strangers, at our local Walmart, at the health club, book store, coffee shop etc, and wonder "What's your story?" Everyone has a story and most want to tell their story if they feel reasonably safe in doing so, and if they are fairly certain someone will actually listen.

Today one of my very good friends posted a sign on Facebook that underscores my thinking here. It was apparently posted in some neighborhood coffee shop and read "NO,WE DON'T HAVE WIFI. TALK TO SOMEONE!" It was handwritten in chalk on a message board. If I lived where I had seen that sign I think I would enjoy just spending some time there to see how many customers read and take that to heart. Human interaction is absolutely critical to real human connection.

Think about it this way. When your phone rings and the voice on the other end doesn't register as someone you actually know, what is your immediate reaction? Are you usually eager to engage that strange voice in some kind of familiar interaction, or is your impulse to just hang up? When you see an email in your inbox from some name you don't recognize, do you always open it and read it or are you at least hesitant to do so? How many voice mails do you just delete every day (or whenever you clean out your inbox) because you don't know the person who sent them?

I'm really not trying to be critical here, just trying to nudge all of us a little to consider how we might be allowing our society to shape our thinking and habits into neglecting the one crucial element in sharing the real good news with others in our world - face time. There are people in your life and strangers you meet every day who want to know the Lord you serve but almost none of them will ever ask. God gave us his Holy Spirit to teach us how to share that good news with others and at some point that will always require some serious face-time conversation.

So, here's my point, if you're still with me. Every morning as you shave, comb your hair, fix your makeup, brush your teeth in preparation for your day, pray this simple prayer while looking at yourself in the mirror - "Almighty Father, I truly want to be involved in what you are going to do in my world today. Please give me a sense of awareness when you put someone in my life today for your own purposes and help me to step into that divine moment with the right words and intentions. Thank you for every opportunity to bring glory to you and share your love with others."

Can somebody say "AMEN & HALLELUJAH!"

"Some Powerful Words To Remember" #1

During my years of ministry I have known and been blessed by a multitude of men and woman, young and not so young, who live their daily lives in the shadow of a verse or umbrella of verses from God's word. As a young teen my grandfather insisted that I attend a scripture memorizing class at our local church building every Sunday afternoon. At the time I wasn't too keen on the idea but I idolized my grandfather so I mostly did it to please him. Now, looking back on it, many of those verses I memorized have stuck with me through some challenging times over all these years. In fact I still quote them from the KJV.
So, I want to encourage the Hallelujah Chorus to adopt a similar stance against our common enemy who only wants to disrupt our lives with his carefully tailored personal attack on our faith and spiritual health. These will be a series of posts that center on some things we just need to constantly remind our hearts to embrace and never allow the enemy to rob us of our peace in Jesus.
So, here we go.
"You dear children are from God and have overcome them (the spirits that serve the antichrist), because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 3:18 NIV
There is always a very personal presence in the life of every disciple of Jesus that will not allow the evil one to dominate. But that doesn't mean he wont always try and try and try.
Probably the two areas of our life in Christ where we are most vulnerable to the devil's attempts to take over our lives are marriage and parenting relationships.
Every marriage is an up and down proposition and at any given time either partner can fail in ways that cause the other partner to react in ways that can easily put the relationship at risk of total breakdown. Having lived through it and walked with many married couples through this tangled jungle, I can testify to how time and space alter one's perspective. What seems to be a deal breaker today, can appear very different after some time to calm down and think through it. People of true faith are never alone in ANY personal struggle, but the evil one can put you in a defensive stance that goes way beyond what might be advisable. The result can lead to emotional disconnect and the evil one achieves his goal of disruption.
So here's the take-away for now. Trust in the One who is in you and listen for his words to rise above the anger or disappointment. Commit John's statement to memory and repeat it to yourself over and over. Allow the greatness of the presence of Jesus' Holy Spirit to dominate. He only wants to do you good, never harm. HALLELUJAH!

"Getting Back Into My 'Hallelujah' Groove"

Now I feel like I am home again, in Texas, with my family and great long time friends. The Rose and I have praised God until we surely have nearly worn him out thanking him for all the beautiful souls who have been there for us during the challenges we had to face over the last six years. We were truly blessed by great neighbors, church family and so many new friends we made in Kentucky. But, it just wasn't home to us any longer. I can't begin to count the times I had to answer the question, "Why in the world would you want to leave this beautiful place to go back to Texas?"
Although we lived in Kentucky for a few years after we married in 1964, and visited with my Dad and Mom several times a year after moving away to pursue a life in full time ministry, which took us to many parts of the country for nearly 25 years, Texas is where we lived longer than either of us lived anywhere. The only reason we left Texas for Kentucky in 2006 was the commitment I made to my Dad in 1991, just before he died after a long battle with debilitating arthritis. I told him I would do my best to keep Mom in her house as long as I could and would see that she was taken care of.
With both my parents gone, that house on Sid Darnall Road by the creek, just wasn't my home any more and I missed being with Michael.
So, now I am able to take my grandson, Gabe, to school every morning and have breakfast with my son and my Rose. We are getting acclimated again to the Texas heat and traffic and living with Mike and our sweet daughter Annette is all the adventure we expected it would be. Life is good. God is a great provider who is more than meeting all our needs. We sleep well, eat good, work out at a nearby health club several times each week and look forward to being able to visit all of our family more in the coming months.
Yes, we miss our family and friends in Kentucky but we stay in touch virtually daily with many of them by phone and computer. We will be making a trip to North Carolina next month and are grateful to have so many open invitations to layover on the way and plan to do so.
We're also very blessed to be back with our church family at Highland Oaks Church of Christ. I served as one of the shepherds of this church for eight years, so we have been welcomed back royally.
"Thank you Holy Father, for the years you blessed us with in Kentucky and great friends we made during the challenges we faced there. Your blessings far outweighed our challenges. And, thank you for the life we have now back with family and friends in a place that truly feels like home." HALLELUJAH!

"Jesus - Our Encourager Forever"

We all need some words of encouragement from others of true faith who have walked in our shoes and dealt with the same challenges. They wont judge or berate because they understand where we are at the moment and they know firsthand that with faith in the love of our Father, we too will get to the other side of every threatening circumstance. These words absolutely encourage me every day -

"Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely  those who come to God through him because he always lives to intercede for them." Heb 7:25 NIV

I have spent many profitable hours just contemplating the implications of this truth about Jesus, which is founded on the proclamation of the great prophet at Isaiah 53:12.
1) I am never alone in my spiritual struggle with our common enemy. Hear and feel in your spirit these words of Jesus as he told his fearful apostles "I am with you always, to the very end." Matt 28:20 NIV
And, NO that isn't only meant for those who actually heard him speak those words. They're meant for all of his disciples because the commission Jesus gave at that time is still very much alive in the will of the Father.
2) The underlying assumption is that we humans will always be susceptible to the temptations that are a daily part of life in a world controlled by the "evil one". We will always have need of a priest who is fully capable and qualified to be our intercessor with the Father. Jesus' priesthood clearly rises far above any that have preceded or succeeded him. This seems to be the central theme of the book we call Hebrews.
3) I sometimes sort of fantasize about what is actually happening between Jesus and God in heaven. I know how to define the word "intercessor" (one who stands between or in defense of), and we can see glimpses of this interaction in Jesus' Revelation. I think probably the best biblical example is John 17. Jesus here pleads with the Father in a way that seems to fit the definition of "intercession". At the very least, I can see him at the right hand of God speaking up for me in my weaknesses and failures. Also 1 John 2:1 further solidifies the reality of the interaction that takes place on my behalf.

I could go on and on about this but surely you get the point. Satan is always a deceiver and discourager just like Jesus said long ago. But, as one who has come to God through Jesus, I live without fear of life or death because I always know Jesus is here helping me through his Holy Spirit and that he is at the right hand of  God speaking on my behalf when I fail. Truly, John's words are thrilling and encouraging -

"You dear children, are from God and have overcome them (the evil spirits from Satan) because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4 NIV  HALLELUJAH!!

"Nothing!?"

"Until a man is nothing, God can do nothing with him." Martin Luther

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death - and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion." Phil 2:5-8 MSG

Selfless thinking is hardly the kind of education most of us appreciate. Jesus didn't either. Nor did the man who wrote those words about him. Its a process from which we learn to hear the voice of God in our painful disappointments and just commit the outcome to HIM.

You may be like me, one who doesn't see myself as a particularly humble person. We all develop the habit of matching our demeanor to the demands of a specific circumstance but more often than not we probably react instinctively rather than selflessly. Doing so is easy to rationalize using the common mantra, "Well, that's just the way I am." as though that sort of cancels out how the recipient of our displeasure may feel.

Somehow, I really don't much care for Martin Luther's assessment of me before God. "Nothing" is a word that I doubt I have ever used in any conversational description of me. Having been taught that I am a person of reasonable intelligence and in some ways capable of achieving whatever I set my mind to I find humility to be a pretty foreign concept in my daily life. You would think after more than half a century of pretty intense Bible study and teaching experience, my spirit would have smothered the pride instinct. To some degree it has modified that reactive way of thinking but there are times when it still explodes on the scene.

To be like Jesus is more a true quest today than at any time in my past. He made the decision to become a slave for me because that was the Father's will. From then to now, Jesus is hands down the most admired, respected and loved leader our wold has seen. Even with all the detractors and skeptics and outright unbelievers Satan has spawned over the centuries, Jesus and his book still outsell any other year after year. 

Hear Paul's final word of testimony to the Philippian brothers and sisters -

"I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who make me who I am.

Receive and experience the amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, deep, deep within yourselves." Philippians 4:13-14, 23 MSG

If Paul can do it, I can too. HALLELUJAH!

"Footwashing? At A School?"

The young man second from left is my oldest grandson, Asher Thomas Patten. His Mom posted this pic on her facebook page, taken this morning at his school, Harding Academy in Searcy, Arkansas. Asher is a bright young guy who is graduating from the 6th grade, heading into Jr Hi next year. He is an athlete, musician, singer, easy on the eyes and deeply spiritual.
I am grateful to Harding Academy for giving these kids a spiritual experience few if any of their parents have ever thought of doing much less actually engaging in washing someone else's feet. Foot washing is just not something our spiritual tradition has taught or practiced, although if you asked, most believe in to some degree. These young men and women actually washed the feet of their teachers. HOW COOL IS THAT!

Many years ago my Dad's father asked me to drive him to the church he had been a sometime member of for many years. As far as I ever knew, the only time grandpa went to that church was when they had their annual footwashing service. At the time I was a teenager and had never seen anything like that or even heard of any church who did so. For some reason this was important to my grandpa so I drove him to the site on a creek behind their church building and for the first time witnessed a footwashing service.

Later, I asked my other grandfather, an elder and teacher in our church, why we didn't do footwashing. I had read Jesus command to his Apostles in John 13 after he had washed their feet and it all seemed pretty clear to me. My grandfather surprised me with a rather casual response that Jesus didn't really intend that we actually wash each others' feet but that we should simply serve one another. So, I dismissed it as the wisdom of a man I respected and trusted completely and hardly thought of it for many years.

In 2003, I worked with a small group of mostly new Christians to plant a new church in a rapidly growing suburb east of Dallas. About a year or so later, as one of the elders of that new church of nearly 100, we decided to just wash the feet of every member. So, we planned a special service and told our folks what we going to do and if anyone was not comfortable with having their feet washed to simply not remove their shoes. Only one younger sister kept her shoes on.

I cant say with certainty that Jesus' command to his disciples at John 13 was intended to be replicated by all succeeding generations or even by the Apostles. There is no evidence I am aware of that those men ever washed each others' feet or taught that practice to the early church. Maybe my church elder grandfather was right, but at the very least, I see no reason to ignore or even condemn the practice. Surely there is a place for disciples of Jesus to follow his example and command in some fashion.

So, thank you Harding Academy for teaching my grandson to serve some special people in his life in this way. I praise their leadership and the young men and women for teaching them the lesson of Jesus in a very memorable way. I am proud of you Asher Thomas and pray the experience will be one more step in your spiritual education that will never be forgotten. HALLELUJAH!

"Me - A Reflection Of Jesus? Really!?"

Okay, I've been out of sight for a couple of months but hopefully not forgotten. I have been teaching a very special series to some dedicated disciples of Jesus and focused all my mental energy on giving them the best I can. So, I backed off the blogging for a couple of months to concentrate on challenging some really good folks to experience Standing On Holy Ground with Moses, Jesus and Paul.

Well, how'd it go, you ask? Only time will tell. I saw and heard some positive signs that are encouraging, but I've also learned over a half century of ministry that listening to Satan is always easier than hearing God. Satan learned very quickly after Pentecost just how to immobilize the faith of Jesus' disciples. Ministry gradually became a profession of a few just like we see today. Most Christians just want to go to their church's building and consider that serving the Lord. Well, yeah it is, but worship, Bible study and fellowship have a purpose that transcends our common need for social interaction with others we're comfortable with.

For me, one of the absolute bedrock statements from the Holy Spirit about my life in Jesus is this -
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NIV

The statement about "unveiled faces" is a reference to Moses' actions when he returned to the Israelite people after being in the presence of God on Mt Sinai and his face literally glowed with the shekinah, the glory of God. He put a veil over his face partly to conceal the fact that the glory was fading. Paul's statement sums up his comparison between the Law given to Moses and the freedom we now have in Jesus.

I have come to think of it more like the freedom to experiment rather than mere law keeping. As we go through the process God initiates and carries out in us through his Spirit, we are slowly transformed into a likeness, a reflection, even a living statue if you will, of his Son, of Jesus. Wow! That is absolutely and truly breathtaking. Law keeping didn't work very well. Grace won't fade like the shekinah from Moses's face.

So, now, with the guidance of his Spirit, we are transformed, changed to look and actually be like his Son. I have been challenged for a long time by this vision of just who and what God wants me to mirror in my world. Law keeping didn;t work out so well for a lot of reasons, but transformation works because it is a work of God through his Spirit. Two critical elements were missing from the Law given to Moses:
(1) Jesus, his eternal sacrifice for all sin, his example of obedience to the Father, and his teaching
(2) The Holy Spirit, all that Paul lays out carefully at Romans 8.

I'm still in the experimental stage of transformation, but I live every day without fear. I can always know that my Father is overseeing this work of his Spirit in my life and am confident that today, I look and sound a lot more like Jesus than at any time in my life. As I progress toward my end on this earth, I feel the transformation speeding up. I pray you do too! HALLELUJAH!

"Who Is My Dictator?" #3

"When we are at our wits' end for an answer, then the Holy Spirit can give us an answer. But how can he give us an answer when we are still well supplied with all sorts of answers of our own?" Karl Barth

"There's nothing worse than insecurity. So many people live in fear because they are uncertain about what comes next and their standing before God, if they even believe in God. On the flip side, there's nothing better than being absolutely sure that the most powerful Being in the universe adores you as his own child. This is precisely the confidence the Holy Spirit offers us." Francis Chan (Forgotten God)

We all live with questions. For some, those uncertainties define their life and they live on the edge of a scary cliff that appears to be an endless "black hole". Ever been there? You try to look ahead but all  you can see is intense darkness. You strive to give some sort of clarity to the enigmas that pop up out of nowhere or you struggle to understand the indifference of your spouse or teenager. Question, questions, questions!

But, we want answers - NOW!

I'm no philosopher, nor am I anything close to a psychiatrist so I am unqualified to offer anything that even resembles a professional scientific judgment. What I am is a husband, father, grandfather, Bible student and observer of human beings. Goes with the territory of half a century of ministry and personal struggle. The most important element of my education has come from reading, listening, observing, prayer and meditation and of course asking questions. Here's what I've learned and can testify to as true.

"The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught us by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:
      'For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?' (Isaiah 40:13'
But, we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 NIV

There is a very logical reason why Jesus referred to what we call the "conversion experience" as being BORN AGAIN. Literally, God wipes out our past, just erases all of it in order to replace all those failures and disappointments with something new and infinitely good, the "mind of Christ". So, we start all over again but this new birth is "from above". What happens, if it is truly the "NEW BIRTH", is we get a new "Dictator".

I said before that this term may sound a bit strange when applied to God's Holy Spirit, but that is what he works hard to be for us, the director, instructor, manager, and sole voice that we learn to hear. And its a lifetime process of asking our questions and patiently trusting that God will gives the answer that is best for us or simply says to us like he did Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you". He may not always give us the answer we had anticipated or wanted. He may give us something more or something different. Or, he may simply say, not yet, deal with it.

Francis Chan is exactly right about God's love and his great pride in his children but that doesn't mean he will always give us everything we want, especially answers to all of our questions. Those answers will come in time and faith in God's fatherly compassion keeps us focused on the future, looking ahead. The Holy Spirit keeps us grounded in that confidence and always leads us away from fear and desperation to absolute peace. Why? Like Paul said, "We have the mind of Christ." HALLELUJAH!





 

"Who Is My Dictator?" #2

Play with this mental image a bit and see if you can identify with it -

"A frequent flyer boards a afternoon flight in Dallas, Tx to Los Angeles, Ca. As she enters her First Class cabin and settles into her spacious seat she is greeted by a friendly flight attendant who assures her that he is eager to serve any need she might have. Soon the plane begins to back away from the gate and taxis out to the runway for takeoff. Within minutes the plane reaches its assigned cruising altitude and the flight attendant informs the passengers that their flight time to New York City will be 3 hours and 18 minutes. WHAT?!!! Our frequent flyer panics, immediately jumps to her feet and begins to shout at the cabin crew that she is on the wrong flight and they must return to Dallas because her critical business meeting is in Los Angeles NOT New York. The flight attendant's training kicks in and he rushes to the frequent flyer to assure her that everything will be okay, to no avail. By this time the experienced business traveler is hysterical and the captain steps into the cabin to get control of the situation. He calmly informs the frequent flyer that she must relax and just enjoy the flight. He tells the flight attendant to bring her a drink and something special to eat and get her the stereo headphones to listen to some music or watch a movie in HD - no worries!

This is my very inadequate attempt at illustrating how Satan convinces otherwise intelligent people to somehow unintentionally get on the wrong flight, headed in the opposite direction than they wanted to go and puts enough distraction before them that they get the sensation of enjoying the flight to a very wrong destination.

Speaking to a group of people who actually believed in him, Jesus said -
You are of your father the devil and your desire is to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44 ESV

Jesus referred to Satan as "the ruler of this world" (John 14:30), "the evil one" (Matthew 13:19) and various other dictatorial names in John's Revelation. He is called "your adversary (enemy)" (1 Peter 5:8), the "ruler of darkness" (Ephesians 6:12), "the ruler of the kingdom of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), and "the god of this age" who "blinds the minds of unbelievers". (2 Corinthians 4:4).

But, he's a crafty dictator who knows us much better than we know him. By long experience, he knows just the right ways to appeal to our very human vanity and calm our fears of the obvious. His appeal is made on the basis that we can just relax, have another drink, watch another movie, listen to some soothing music and enjoy the ride. We know this flight will end but if we have enjoyed the ride and had fun on the way, the destination isn't all that big a deal. Jesus pegged him perfectly, "a murder" and "the father of all lies". Satan knows that with the right combination of incentives, he can control how we think and then he can control what we believe, say and do. Its all around us, Every day. But we tend to overlook much of Satan's misdirection. He even has the arrogance to blame God for what he, Satan himself, does in our world.

Here is my plea to all my readers - be on your guard and watch for Satan's footprints and fingerprints in your life. Explore your inner world. Hear the words that come out of your mouth. Learn to filter your thoughts. Always know that "loveless cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community" (Galatians 5:19-21 MSG) are all tools used by Satan to dictate how we humans live out life. If you pay attention, you can hear him, you can see him, you can feel him, you can even smell him. And, it all lies that appear as truth.

Okay, enough of that. Let's turn a corner and get ourselves on the right flight. Next time!

"Who Is My Dictator?" #1

Many years ago one of my primary mentors in the business world told me, "The quality of our life is the result of the quality of our communication". In the years since, I have seen the reality of that truth play out in every way imaginable. Being a natural Type A, choleric personality I have learned some hard lessons from the mistakes I've made in the quality of my communication.

Its easy to assume that what I believe and want to see occur is always right. I suppose it goes all the way back to my early training which centered around the assumption that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to do. And, although that isn't an entirely bad way for a young kid to think, if it isn't balanced in some way, in the long run it can result in more failure than success. I've witnessed the breakdown of some truly good men and women who assumed that everyone should think like them, act and talk like them and achieve like them. The weakness in that assumption is this - regardless of how talented, driven or confident one might be, none of us can achieve success in any venture without the input and contribution of others. So, we come back to the obvious truth, "the quality of my life is the result of the quality of my communication".

At the outset of his earthly ministry Jesus put communication on the table as a spiritual deal breaker  -
"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45 NIV
"I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:36-37 NIV

One of the truly priceless gifts God has given to us to train our hearts in the art of communication is his Holy Spirit. But, we must allow the Spirit to interact with our own spirit through both his revelation in the Bible and through his personal presence within us. Paul had much to say about this to the early disciples and to us.
"The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
"We have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Rom 8:6,12-14

So, I am either ruled by an evil dictator that is leading me to "death", or a God ordained dictator who is training me for a life of "peace". One of the most obvious ways you and others in your life can determine which dictator is your ruler is by the quality of your communication.

More to come later. Stay with me.

T

"In God We Trust.....but....."

If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that I am not exactly a political "firebrand". I think of myself more in the way of a simple guy trying daily to hear the voice of my Father and align my heart with His words. Politics just isn't my passion. But, I understand the motivation of those who get caught up in the constant debate of one political ideology over another, all under the general assumption we are only trying to do the will of God in some fashion.

I started thinking about this recently after watching Francis Chan's presentation at the Passion Conference in Atlanta earlier last month. He was talking about the trustworthiness of God and how we may sometimes overlook or simply ignore just how faithful our Father is to those who trust Him. I would encourage you to check it out for yourself on YouTube.com and give some serious consideration to his premise.

That train of thought led me to our nation's official motto, "IN GOD WE TRUST". According to the U.S. Treasury website, the official adoption of that motto and its inscription on all of our currency was a rather long and winding road. Our nation's Civil War seemingly generated an outpouring of faith, just like we saw after 9/11. The treasury secretary received "many appeals from devout persons throughout the country" to adopt some form of official recognition of our faith in God on our currency. The first such letter was written by a Pennsylvania clergyman, M..R. Watkinson, dated November 13, 1861. These appeals were heeded by Congress and on March 3, 1865 that bill was passed. But the adoption of our current official motto was not adopted until July 30, 1956 when Congress finally passed the bill adopting "IN GOD WE TRUST" as the official motto of the United States.

I really didn't set out to turn this into a history lesson but I think every American patriot, and I seriously consider myself to be one, should consider this question - can God really be trusted? Is that motto MY OWN? Am I seeing it played daily in the life of my family, my elected officials, my children's teachers, my fellow citizens, my employer, my church?

For me, its kind of like saying, "I don't mean to offend you, but....." Our brains tend to focus on what comes after "but" and that is what we actually hear. Is that what we as a country, are doing with our "Official Motto"? There have been some serious attempts over the years since 1956 to remove God from our collective presence, but so far with little success. I firmly believe that there have always been and always will be a majority of Americans who live simple lives and try every day to listen to more than the latest political argument taking place in Washington. Democracy is a messy proposition. It was when our founding fathers were debating the formation of our Constitution and governmental organization and so it continues today. Politics is probably a necessary risk for democracy.

"IN GOD WE TRUST" is a really a breathtaking ideal, but trust is more than that. Its a commitment. When I truly put my trust in someone or something, I am making a commitment to allow that person or ideal to influence my thinking and my actions. But, simply adopting it as an official statement of faith for someone else will not make it actual. We must make it a personal statement or it isn't a motto at all. Just empty words.

My prayer is that somehow all Americans will come to realize that if we, or I, fail to personally adopt that official motto, where else do we/I put our trust?Answering that question can give you a massive headache.

"In you O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness."
"I trust in you O Lord; I say, "You are my God." My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love."
"Love the Lord all his saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all  you who hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:1,14-16,23-24
"Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lords unfailing love surrounds the man who trust in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing all you who are upright in heart." Psalm 32:10-11

So come America - SING your faith to the Father and your neighbors. We all need assurance from one another that our forefathers made a decision that still resonates throughout our land. HALLELUJAH!





debating the formation of our government and adopting our Constitution. That will

"Yes Lord, I'm Listening"

"ARE GOD'S WORDS TO BE TRUSTED?
Only you can answer that for yourself. Satan will always be present to help us formulate the questions for which we have no answers. They constitute diversion and it's really just smoke and mirrors. If he can undermine our trust in God just a little, he is satisfied with that for the time being. He will always come back with a more complicated question. All of us are susceptible to being diverted away from the dynamic faith God wants to give us, to the fear or dead complacency Satan carefully leads us into. We don't plan it that way and we're never comfortable in that place but stuff happens and a little at a time we can drift away from dynamic discipleship. This is the theme of the writer of Hebrews 2:1 "We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we've heard, so that we do not drift away." Drifting away from God is not an intentional goal. It happens a little at a time over months and years as we neglect to listen to God's words. One day you seem to sort of wake up and look around to find yourself in a strange place, a cold and dark place, like Adam and Eve found after they ignored God's words in the Garden of Eden. Hiding from God won't work. Get out into the light of Jesus and allow his love to bring you back to where your heart wants to be."
That excerpt from my first book came to my attention as I am preparing to deliver that workshop material for the first time since moving to Kentucky from Texas in 2006. The heading of that paragraph, Are God's Words To Be Trusted?, is an important consideration that I highlight during the Standing On Holy Ground workshop because Satan plays with our minds to challenge us to believe what isn't true. He tried it first with Eve in the Garden and it worked pretty well, so he continues that same tactic with all of us who struggle with the challenges of our roller coaster lives.
Recently the Rose and I watched a YouTube presentation of Francis Chan at the Passion Conference in Atlanta earlier this month. His thesis centered around the trustworthiness of God and I highly recommend that if you haven't seen it to check it out.
Yes Lord, I'm Listening is a lifelong commitment that requires some form of consistent discipline to actually spend time in our Father's presence. Drifting away is the only alternative and that always ends in a dark place. Its a choice each of us make. If you're in that dark place all you need do is turn toward the light and let God smile on you. HALLELUJAH!

"More Amazing Grace" #3

There is just something about the word "grace" that makes my spirit happy, makes me smile. I learned a long time ago to feel the power of the words John Newton wrote as he looked back on his life of ignorance of all that God is. His powerful hymn is the story of all of us.
Paul too! Take a moment to ponder Paul's testimony about God's Amazing Grace:

"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows. And I know that this man ..... was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:2-9 NIV

Here was a faithful brother who like John the Baptist and so many others, wore himself completely out in the service of God, but who did so with gratitude and humility because he understood who he was. Paul was martyred in Rome during Nero's long persecution of Christians, but as he told Timothy, "the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge will award to me on that day - and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

So if God is such a loving, gracious Father, why would he allow Paul to struggle with this "messenger of Satan" and eventually die a horrible death at the hands of a Roman tyrant? Many good people have had that same struggle with a similar outcome. Why is that? Why does God give us the same message he did to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you" when what we really need is his immediate intervention in a dire situation?
I cannot, so I will not even try to answer for anything God does or does not do. His grace is always more than enough to get us through our trials and difficulties. It wont answer all of our questions but if we can adopt Paul's trusting faith in the worst of circumstances, God's constant favor will take us to a better place. God does what he chooses because he IS God and I am not. His grace is sufficient. If we can't take it on pure faith in our Father's grace, our faith is self-centered rather than Christ centered.
The beautiful hymn "Amazing Grace" has been performed and recorded by thousands of artists over the years. If you have never seen it performed by the classical group IL DEVO, I want to urge you to go to YouTube, type IL DEVO in the search box and look for the first listing of their Amazing Grace. You will be surprised by their beautiful and truly soul stirring performance at an outdoor amphitheater in Croatia. Every time I see it, I just have to say HALLELUJAH!

"More AMAZING GRACE" Pt 2

When I formally launched a full time preaching career nearly a half century ago, my actual knowledge of God's word was minimal at best. Most of my preaching was simply repeating what I had learned up to that point, which wasn't a bad thing, but God was taking me on a long journey that continues even now. However I will always carry with me a sense of sadness over much of what I sincerely taught during most of those early years.
One of my greatest omissions during at least the first 20 or so years, was the subject of GRACE. Growing up under the constant influence of "performance based" Christianity, I rarely taught on grace and love because I had been trained to believe in God's absolute expectation of perfect obedience to his words. In those years I also encountered the exact opposite theology that we humans are saved by grace plus nothing. I gradually learned that both interpretations are seriously flawed.
Sometime in the middle part of my career I began to lay aside all the commentaries, magazines, sermon outlines and books written from the very narrow performance based perspective. For the first time probably ever, I finally began to truly study and meditate on the words revealed in the Bible by the Spirit of God.
For the next 17 years I studied the Bible exclusively for an average of 3 hours every day using only a few aids such as lexicons, concordances,dictionaries and word studies.
Today I praise my Father for the way he has patiently educated me through all those years of intense study and interaction with a lot of very good men and women, including my Dad who was my most trusted adviser. He always listened and offered guidance that taught me to attain a balance that has given me absolute freedom to just trust the Holy Spirit and the love of God always, in everything. In fact, when we moved to Dallas, Tx in 1977, for the first eight months I ministered at the Hawn Freeway Church of Christ, I preached exclusively on the love of God and how that plays out in the life of his family on earth.
"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this GRACE in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
"The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, GRACE increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also GRACE might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:1-2, 20-21 NIV
The word "ACCESS" in the above passage is from the Greek word "prosagoge" which contains at least two powerful images. The word actually means "introduction". It was the common word for introducing someone into the presence of royalty. It was also used commonly for the harbor where ships at sea could come into a safe harbor from a dangerous storm. Because of Jesus and in him, we have been introduced into the royal presence of the King, the absolute Ruler of all that is; and through him we have gained entry into the safe haven of God's grace.
I no longer hesitate to teach, talk, encourage and praise my Father and Jesus the Son for the free gift given to us all that is always greater than our sin, AMAZING GRACE.
More to come. HALLELUJAH!

Hymn Stories - "Amazing Grace"

In my years of service in God's kingdom I have encountered many who have never heard the wonderful story of the origin of the powerful hymn "Amazing Grace". So, here you go.

The date MAY 10, 1748 is one of those milestones that God inserts into the everyday lives of everyday men and women who attach no special significance to the moment beyond what they experience in  that moment. Such is the case with this very date in the life of one whose life was extraordinarily difficult until that moment.

John Newton went to sea at 11 years old to work on a Merchant ship which his father commanded. He made six Mediterranean voyages until his father retired and then was pressed into service aboard the man-of-war, HMS Harwich. He soon found conditions aboard the ship intolerable and deserted, but was soon captured and returned to the ship, publicly flogged and demoted to a common seaman. His request to be exchanged into the service of a slave ship was soon granted, which brought him to Sierra Leone. He became the servant of a very abusive slave captain until 1748 when he was rescued by another sea captain who had been a close friend of his father. He ultimately became captain of his own slave ship.

Although Newton had some early spiritual training from his mother, she died when he was a young boy so by now he had given up any religious convictions he ever had. On a homeward voyage the ship encountered a particularly violent storm and Newton feared that all would be lost. However he was able to steer through the storm and later in calmer waters he reflected on his thoughts as he fought to reach a place of safety. In his journal, he referred to that night as his "great deliverance" because during the heat of the moment he had actually prayed, "Lord have mercy on us." For the rest of his life he celebrated May 10, 1748 as the day of his conversion.

Ultimately John Newton became one of Europe's most influential preachers, teachers and composers of hymn. "Amazing Grace" was probably written some time between 1760 and 1770. The lyrics and music bear a haunting resemblance to many of the songs sung by the captured slaves on the long sea voyage to a life of hardship and deprivation. Newton was self educated even learning Hebrew and Greek from John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

His greatest contribution to the cause of Jesus Christ undoubtedly are the words of the great hymn "Amazing Grace". He died in London December 21, 1807. He wrote his own epitaph that appears on a marble plaque in St Mary, Woolnoth, UK and on his tombstone:

"JOHN NEWTON , clerk (preacher) 
Once an infidel and libertine
a servant of slaves in Africa
Was, by the rich mercy
of our Lord and Savior
JESUS CHRIST
restored, pardoned and
appointed to preach
the gospel which he
had long labored to destroy.
He ministered near 16 years in Olney, in Bucks
and twenty eight years in this church."

"Amazing Grace" indeed. HALLELUJAH!!

"The Greatest Truth I've Ever Learned"

Looking back on your life can be either depressing or exciting. It depends on where you are as a result of the things you've learned and the choices you've made. We all make mistakes, sometimes early in life that become the hindering baggage we drag along the rest of our lives. But, we can make better choices and learn new lessons from those mistakes unless we live out the lie that someone else is to be blamed for how my life is turning out.
At this time of year most of us probably give some thought to the past year and try to focus on some important ways to improve in the new year that is now upon us. That's not a bad thing to do if we put the emphasis on the right things. Setting goals can be a crucial element for progress and improvement in areas of my life that are important to me. However, truly meaningful goals are those that drill down to the person I am and want to become and let those drive what I do, how I think and the relationships I cultivate.
My beautiful daughter, Michelle, asked me recently what is the greatest lesson I have learned from writing the journal for my youngest beautiful daughter, Felicia, this year. She knows I have been writing a journal for her sister all this year on the subject of the Holy Spirit. I could talk for hours about how writing that journal has impacted my faith and my life, but my answer to Michelle's question sums it all up -
"I have learned from the Holy Spirit to love God as my Father, to love him for WHO he is not just what he does for me."
That may sound like an over simplification of a very complicated proposition but for me it is truly the Greatest Truth I've Learned in all of my 71 years of living. Love is a very personal way of relating to someone in your life and understanding how to relate to the Creator, the Sustainer, the absolute Ruler over all that is, is for me, greater than any other thing I can know.
So, here is a suggestion for you for 2013 - FALL IN LOVE WITH GOD on a very personal level. Begin an unbroken conversation with him, the thread of which you can take up at any moment of any day, and just talk to him. He has been seeking that relationship with you all of your life and now you should seek it too. There are no rules, there is no systematic plan to get you there. Go to Jesus in the Gospels, sit down with David in the Psalms, spend a few months with the Apostle Paul in Romans or whatever you choose, just keep asking your Father to teach you and love on you.    HALLELUJAH!

"Connecting The Dots"

The angel Gabriel made this announcement directly to a young woman long ago:
"He will be great and he will be called the Son of the Most High and the Lord will give him the throne of David and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end. The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God." Luke 1:32-35 NASB

I have an idea that Gabriel's announcement to Mary shook the unseen world with both loud singing and tumultuous shouts of pent up, unbridled joy. That world, like ours, had waited in seemingly endless anticipation for that announcement. However I also think there was a great cry of anguish from that part of the hadean (unseen) world where the Most High had banished his enemies. Satan now knew his everlasting fate was sealed.
God had kept his plan hidden since the creation, even from the angels, to prevent Satan from subverting it. That doesn't mean Satan is more powerful than God, but all Satan had to do was keep Jesus from going to the cross and God's eternal plan would not have come to fruition. Paul often refers to that plan as "the mystery" that God kept hidden. That plan, the gospel of Jesus Christ, wasn't fully revealed until after Jesus' death. This is why Jesus announced from the cross, "It is finished".
As I think about the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' Immaculate Conception, my simple human mind just cannot define it because I can't picture it, I can't imagine it, I can't even speculate about it. I can simply believe it! Or not! With all my heart, soul, mind and strength, I fully embrace all of it with deep gratitude. The Spirit of God brought Jesus into this world in a way that I cannot comprehend, much less explain. The Holy Spirit walked with Jesus every day right up to the very day of his death on the cross and then waited at the tomb to bring him back to life. At that time, the Spirit was still ministering to Jesus but on that first Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection, Jesus sent him back to us just as he and the Father had promised. All of this fulfilled God's ancient promise to Abraham at Genesis 12:3.
So, here we are - some twenty  centuries removed from those heaven and earth shaking events. John had a very moving vision of our day that was rooted in eternity past. You should take the time to read all of it at Revelation 12, but here are a few excerpts:

"And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought back....but he was hurled to earth and his angels with him....Then I heard a voice in heaven say, "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down....They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. Bur woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury because he knows his time is short....Then the dragon.....went off to make war against those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus."

And the war continues to rage on earth that began in heaven long before God created the universe as we know it. This is at least one reason why much of the New Testament uses the terminology associated with war in describing the Christian life. Satan hates every person who "holds to the testimony of Jesus" and since he can no longer prevent God from carrying out his eternal plan through Jesus's death and resurrection, Satan makes war against all of us who call Jesus our Lord.
After writing a long letter to "God's elect, strangers in the world" on the broad subject of "suffering", Peter concluded it with these words -
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resit him, standing firm in your faith because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering." 1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV
We will defeat Satan again because we have "the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony" within our hearts and even the fear of death will not deter our mission.
So here is my word of admonition and encouragement to all of us -
Every day we draw breath, let us praise our Father for his truly amazing grace; let us sing to Jesus for his love and sacrifice; and let us wait and listen for God's Holy Spirit to direct, comfort and challenge us in ways that may not always feel comfortable. Go to your nearest bookstore, buy a new Bible, maybe even one that is a different translation than the one you are most familiar with, and read it, all of it, then go out and seek to do something out of the ordinary for the glory of God in service to Jesus our Lord. HALLELUJAH!

"Hope Is Spelled J E S U S"

Most of my teen and adult life I believed that God was angry at me because of my spiritual and moral failures so I struggled with faith. That assumption probably was not something I was taught by my family but something I learned sitting on a church pew. That was a long time and many miles ago so my memory is likely a bit fuzzy. However, if I heard much teaching about grace, love, mercy etc. from God, I honestly cant recall. Mostly I remember how God hates sin so much he cannot look upon those of us who fail to keep every detail of his laws and expectations. Its that old mantra from James that if you offend God in just one point of his law you are judged guilty of ignoring all of it. (James 2:10)

MAN, AM I GRATEFUL FOR JESUS!!!

Hope is important to me today. Hope has given me the will to keep on trying to serve God better even though I fail now and then. Hope keeps my faith anchored to someone greater than me and my feeble attempts at loving God with ALL my heart, soul, mind and strength. Hope gives me the courage to reach out to others whose lives aren't working and they open one wrong door after another in a desperate search for answers. Hope allows me to forgive myself for my weaknesses and failures because hope also motivates me to get up and try again with the confidence that I can do it better.

Saul of Tarsus learned the same thing I have learned and Paul the Apostle said it better than I ever can:
"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. AND HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT US because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us." Romans 5:2-3 NIV

I cant actually point to the day or even the year that I finally got fed up with the disappointing brand of "once saved, never really saved" that I had embraced and taught for so many years. The realization just gradually dawned on me that I couldn't embrace it or teach it any longer.  So I quit!

I now realize that all those years I had overlooked, neglected and just dismissed these words:
"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have NOW BEEN JUSTIFIED BY HIS BLOOD, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" Romans 5:8-9 NIV

Jesus didn't die on the cross because of God's anger at me but because of God's great love for me EVEN while I was still and am still a sinner. I fear there are multitudes upon multitudes of good people who still live in the same fear I did most of my early adult life. Please don't mistake God's grace for unconditional forgiveness. His forgiveness has always been and always will be clearly conditional. However the hope he has given me in Jesus NEVER disappoints. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee. HALLELUJAH!

"A Tribute For Douglas E. Johnson"

In my half century of ministry experience I have officiated probably more than a thousand funeral services and have always considered doing so a great honor and privilege. In all those years I have been unable to perform the service only twice.
The first was when my maternal grandfather, Sid Darnall, was overcome by a stroke in 1970. My grandmother asked me to officiate his funeral service but I just could not control my emotions enough to speak about my lifelong hero. He had been too important in my life both as a boy growing up with him and as a man. Next to my dad, he was the greatest influence in my life and my faith.
The second was this past weekend when my great friend and brother Doug Johnson lost his long battle with cancer. His beautiful wife of 49 years asked me to officiate his funeral service and at first I agreed but soon realized that my emotions were to strong and backed out. Even now, almost a week later, my grief lingers just below the surface.
Doug was married to my cousin Carolyn whom I have loved all my life since we are the same age and grew up together in Marshall County Kentucky. Her grandfather and my grandmother were brother and sister, but she has always been a sister to me. Like the Rose and I, she and Doug lived all over the US as they pursued successful careers and ended up in Houston, Tx for 30 years. After spending 30 years in Dallas, Tx, the Rose and I moved back to Hardin, Ky in 2006 to care for my Mom and two years later Doug and Carolyn did the same. Since that time the four of us have struggled through the death of our mothers, mine in June 2011, and Carolyn's  in January 2012. Through it all we have laughed and cried and supported each other in every way imaginable. I guess one could say we made life bearable for each other.
Doug Johnson was more than my brother in Jesus Christ. He was my closest friend next to my wife and my children, and we shared something very special. Although he was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, I thought of him as my cousin too. He and the Rose shared a unique relationship also because although she was reared in the Bronx, NY and he in Brooklyn, they were always "homies" who loved each other in a special way. When they were together there was always a lot of "New York" in the room.
I have been encouraged today by these words of Paul as interpreted by Eugene Peterson -
"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us - set us right with him, make us fit for him - we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And, that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves  standing where we always hoped we might stand  - out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.
There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary - we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit. Christ arrives right on time to make this happen." Romans 5:1-6 MSG
So, go on my brother Doug, shout your praise in the Father's wide open spaces and continue to stand tall. We don't grieve for you, but for our loss of your presence with us. We will hold fast to the many wonderful memories you have left us and somehow in God's grace keep going here until we rejoice with you there. You are now cancer free, pain free and most of all HOMEFREE. HALLELUJAH!