Month: August 2023

They were perched above our television set, sitting on our lamps, and adorning the walls of our hotel. Every storefront, street sign, and bus stop had one. It was a swallow. We were vacationing in San Juan Capistrano, California. This quaint town is famous for its annual celebration welcoming the return of migrating swallows. Celebrated in movies, literature and song, the swallows migrate from Brazil to this small town every year in the Spring. At a local restaurant, we struck up a discussion with one of the servers and asked him, “When do the swallows return?”

He smiled and leaned forward. Lowering his voice he said, “They don’t come back!”

“What?”

He chuckled. “They haven’t come back in several years. They think it is because of the new construction, scaring the birds away. They migrate to other areas nearby. We haven’t seen them for many years now.”

“But, all the celebrations, the parade, everything in this city revolves around the return of the swallows!” I pointed at the paintings adorning the walls of the restaurant, all depicting the swallows.

“Uh huh. Ironic, isn’t it?”

That was unexpected. The town’s most famous inhabitants were absent and did not return. If our home is no longer a welcoming place, expectations will be low whether people or swallows choose to return. For some of us, our childhood homes may no longer exist or like the swallows, have changed so significantly that it is unrecognizable and unfamiliar. However, what if there is an imperishable home to which everyone can return, unhindered by anything mankind may do? 

Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. 

Psalms 90:1-2 (NLT)

God has prepared a glorious home for us, a place that exceeds our wildest imagination. It is a home to which we will eagerly return because we have all been made citizens of heaven by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. 

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Philippians 3:20-21 (NLT)

Amen!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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In 1992, the United States used professional basketball players for the first time to represent the country in the Olympic Games. Composed of the leading players of the N.B.A., they crushed their opponents en route to an easy Gold medal. They were nicknamed the Dream Team. A few years later, a team of twelve superstar lawyers represented O.J. Simpson in the 1995 murder trial of his former wife and Ronald Goldman. They were also dubbed the Dream Team and successfully got Simpson acquitted of all of the charges. 

Whether it is a sports competition, a legal trial, or a battle of armies, the respective leaders and organizers will always choose their top performers to ensure victory. It certainly worked for these prior dream teams. Thousands of years ago, the nation of Judah was faced with certain destruction as three armies readied to attack the outnumbered Hebrews. King Jehoshaphat was terrified of the impending battle. So what did Jehoshaphat do? Did he ally with a neighboring kingdom? Did he create an elite force of warriors? Indeed, he did!

They rose early in the morning and went out to the wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the LORD your God and you will be established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” When he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the LORD and those who praised Him in holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the LORD, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

2 Chronicles 20:20-22 (NASB)

Jehoshaphat’s response was to call for prayer and fasting, beseeching God to intervene and help them against their enemies. God answered through a prophet who reassured everyone that victory would be theirs. As a sign of his faith in God’s promise, Jehoshaphat chose his musicians to lead his army, who were triumphant over their enemies!

We have all been in situations in life when we are faced with overwhelming odds. Isn’t it reassuring to know that God blesses us with His dream team? It is not our definition of a dream team, composed of elite athletes, attorneys, or warriors. God is not partial to academic credentials or titles. He chooses the ordinary, the weak, and the disenfranchised to shame the wisdom of the world. God’s dream team is composed of men and women of faith, empowered by His Holy Spirit. 

Amen!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

The intersection was under water and several cars were stranded. I watched the deluge from a storefront, barely escaping it in time. As the rain pounded the roof of the building, I could not even hear the person talking next to me. Then, as suddenly as it began, it was over in 20 minutes, and the sun reappeared. It was a freak rainstorm that pummeled a very small portion of the city I was in. The media didn’t report it since it was so localized. Yet, the damage was similar to storms that lasted for hours. It took months to repair the damage to the roads, buildings, and cars. I was in awe of the sheer destruction in such a brief period of time. 

Freak storms that concentrate its fury in one specific location have been well documented. This is the first one I experienced and it certainly caught my attention. At times, God has also allowed a freak storm in my life to grab my attention. Instead of rain, it was a relational issue. A colleague whom I had trusted betrayed me, literally stabbing me in the front, and in full view of my former partners. That storm also lasted 20 minutes and created great personal and professional damage that still lingers well over fifteen years later. I was also in awe, flabbergasted that something like that could happen to me, especially with a person with whom I had known and trusted for nearly 20 years. 

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.

Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)

Like the rain storm, I was completely caught off guard. Jesus understands what we are experiencing when these freak storms come upon us and comforts us. If I was not grounded in His love, it would have completely devastated me and I would have collapsed like a house built on shifting sands. It took me a long time to recover but only through the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ was I able to rebuild on the solid Rock and Cornerstone of my Lord and Savior. 

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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Mona Lisa.

Nearly everyone knows this song, a classic of the great American songbook. It is an homage to the famous painting and the most popular recording by Nat King Cole that topped the charts in its day and was later voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. What is less known is that it was written for a long-forgotten movie called, “Captain Carey, U.S.A.” The movie was released in 1949 and the song won the Oscar for best original song in 1950. What about the movie? No awards and barely anyone remembers it!

There are many well-known songs that appeared in forgotten movies and musicals that garnered far more fame than the production for which it was written. To the chagrin and frustration of the producers, what should have been the main attraction was pushed aside.

There are many situations in life when something similar occurs. We may be assigned to be the leader for a project for school or work, hopeful that it will garner praise for ourselves. Instead, someone else’s efforts are recognized and our contributions are ignored or even denigrated. While we should be happy that our project was successful, it is difficult to put aside our hurt feelings and bruised egos.

After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 

1 Corinthians 3:5-8 (NLT)

The Apostle Paul may have been addressing similar issues when he wrote these verses in his letter to the Corinthian Church. Many of the church members were engaged in petty arguments by whom each of them were originally mentored and discipled. Paul debunked this attitude and put everything in its proper perspective. Regardless of who was given the lead in the task to spread the Gospel to a particular area, he understood that all involved were only laying the bricks for building God’s Kingdom.

For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. 

1 Corinthians 3:9 (NLT)

In life, our efforts may be overlooked by others. In God’s Kingdom, God sees and knows everything. It is the Body of Christ working together to serve God. If the world recognizes one Christian worker over another, it is a success for all. 

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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For centuries, self-determination has been held as a principle of international law stating that a group of people have the right to choose their own sovereignty. Historians cite such examples of Bangladesh achieving independence from India, the creation of Israel, and Czechoslovakia splitting into the independent countries of the Czech Republic and Slovakia as recent examples. 

Within the last few years, a new application has emerged for children and adults with special needs. Like nations, it empowers the individual and/or their caregivers to be able to make their own decisions and self-advocate to achieve their life goals. Practically speaking, this means that any funds that have been set aside by the government to care for these individuals do not have to be funneled through a federal or local agency but can be given directly to the individual or caregiver, empowering them to make their own life choices. 

The individual has the freedom to choose but with great freedom comes great responsibility.  A family must educate themselves on all the options that are available but also gives them the creativity to arrive at unconventional methods to arrive at the same life goals. Our spiritual relationship with God is similar. His love for us is perfect. He does not force us to love Him. He gives us the freedom to choose Him and receive eternal life and salvation or we can choose to reject Him, condemned to spend eternity in hell. It is a tremendous responsibility and the most important decision we can ever make in this life. 

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.

Galatians 5:13 (NLT)

How will we use the freedom that God gives us? What is our goal? Self determination is a powerful and positive move forward for individuals with special needs empowering them and giving them the freedom to choose and set their own goals. In God’s Kingdom, true freedom allows us to reach our goal by serving others in love to become more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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“Oh man, that was a mistake! I didn’t realize they were pouring that wine I always avoid! Had a big headache the next day.”

My buddy was bemoaning the hangover he always gets when he drinks a particular bottle of wine. It was the effect of the congeners. In alcoholic beverages, ethanol comprises the main alcohol that results from fermentation and/or distillation. However, during the fermentation process, other substances besides ethanol are produced. Some of these substances are aldehydes, methanol, ketones, and tannins. Collectively, these other substances are called congeners. 

Even with good intentions, it is difficult to create a pure product. In food or product manufacturing, quality control seeks to minimize and ideally eliminate impurities. Yet, as hangovers attest, it is nearly impossible. Isn’t this how sin is in our lives?

A little leaven leavens the whole batch of dough. 

Galatians 5:9 (CSB)

Any sin, even those that are seemingly trivial, has the potential to completely destroy our lives. If we ignore the sin, like leaven (yeast), it can quickly permeate our entire being. How can we become pure, free of sin?

If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 (CSB)

We are born sinners and until we are in Heaven with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we will continue to sin. The Good News is that in this life, if we confess and repent of our sins to Jesus Christ, His saving grace of Jesus Christ is able to cleanse and purify our lives of sin. Whether it is just a trace, like a congener, or a large sin, like leaven in a batch of dough, He is able to accomplish what He promised through the power of His Resurrection. 

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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C.P.R. is the familiar acronym for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. If a person experiences a cardiac arrest, a person trained in basic CPR can potentially revive the stricken person. In many public places, a defibrillator is also present so the same person who has experienced a cardiac arrest can also be potentially revived by using this device. Of course, a successful revival depends upon the person administering the CPR or defibrillator to have appropriate training. Simply having accessibility or knowledge is insufficient. 

I lie in the dust; revive me by your word. 

Psalms 119:25 (NLT)

Revive me.

Depending upon the Bible translation that one is using, the word revive is used nine times in Psalms 119, the longest Psalms in the Bible. This entire Psalm exalts the Word of God. Why? It is the power to transform lives. 

If we are unfortunate enough to experience a cardiac arrest, we could be revived by CPR or a defibrillator, but there is no guarantee this will always work. When our souls are downtrodden, beaten down by the worries of the world, and lying in the dust, how can we revive? We cannot do it by our own power. We cannot rely upon others with specialized training. All we need is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and His Holy Spirit will immediately indwell within us, regenerating our soul that had previously been separated from God by our sins. Only by having a reborn soul will God’s Word be able to revive us. 

If we have a cardiac arrest, we may die, unless someone with proper training is present. As tragic as that may be, it will be far worse If we die without Jesus Christ in our heart. Eternal separation from God is not inevitable. Why place your fate in the hands of someone else? Place your destiny with Jesus Christ, the Great Physician, who knows how to heal our broken souls.

Amen!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

Goofy. Crooked. Pathological Liar.

This is just a small sample of political name calling that has been used in the past few years. These are done by the same politicians who make our laws that condemn bullying, labeling and name calling for our children in our school systems. It is a sobering truth that those who cannot do, teach! Mankind boasts of its social and moral advancement but one needs to look no further than our politicians to see how much we have failed to progress even in the 21st century. Does this mean that thousands of years ago, name calling was more sedate, even refined? Not quite. 

And now they mock me with vulgar songs! They taunt me! They despise me and won’t come near me, except to spit in my face. 

Job 30:9-10 (NLT)

Thousands of years ago, Job was one of the richest men in the world. Within a brief period of time, he lost his wealth, his family, and his health. He once held an esteemed place in the city, now everyone mocked him, even making up vulgar songs about him. How quickly we turn on those whom we previously esteemed and honored. 

Social scientists tout that mankind continues to evolve, destined to achieve a utopian society where we will all live in perfect harmony, everyone dedicated to the betterment of the human race. Not quite. We are clearly devolving, not evolving. This is the inevitable consequence of sin in our lives. We are helpless and powerless to stop its relentless destruction.

What is the solution? 

Thanks be to God that He is not vulnerable to human frailties of pride, selfishness, and arrogance. These traits are at the root of our name calling. He desires to transform and conform us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only Man who lived a perfect, sinless life. In spite of the fact that His detractors and enemies called Him names, He never returned their vitriolic attacks. Instead, He responded by dying on the Cross and receiving the punishment for our sins that we all justifiably deserved. Jesus died for all of us even when others spit in His face and called Him names. He did this because He loved us with a perfect love, untainted and unhindered by sin.

This is not quite the dismal and destructive course that man has chosen. It is the joyful and regenerating course that an amazing and loving God has given to us!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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“After I had an opportunity to reflect upon what happened, I realized the emperor was not a god, he was just a man like myself. I was upset with him and how he led so many to a senseless death.”

He did it for his country. He did it for his emperor. He did it for his god. Many years ago, I was invited to listen to the testimony of a former Kamikaze pilot of the Japanese Navy whose bullet-riddled plane crashed into the ocean. He survived to tell his story to others. It took his near-death experience to realize the truth about his faith in his emperor. He spent the rest of his life debunking what he and millions of his fellow Japanese had been indoctrinated with since birth: their emperor was a god, a divine being. To die for him was to die for one’s country. It was a selfish lie.

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 

John 10:11 (NASB)

What a contrast to Jesus Christ. He is the only true God who loves us and willingly lays down His life for us. Even when we did not know Him and those who did, scorned Him during His life, He still died for us so that our relationship with God, which our sins had ruptured, could be restored. It should not take a near death experience to lead us to this realization. 

The only thing Jesus asks of us is to believe in Him. He is the Good Shepherd. He is the Resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. This is no lie. It is the eternal Truth.

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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“I’m sorry I love you.”

“I’m sorry; I love you.”

Same words, but depending upon the phrasing, completely different meanings. Phrasing can mean the difference between a good speaker, writer, or singer and a great one. For decades, laypeople and critics alike have lauded the phrasing skills of Frank Sinatra. When he sings a song, the slight pauses and inflection, the nuances and accents, completely transform an ordinary song into another classic Sinatra recording. Don’t believe me? Take any Frank Sinatra ballad and do the following. Simply try to say the words with the same phrasing that he does in the song, taking the same breaths. Not as easy as it sounds. If you are looking for a suitable recording, the following is a rare Sinatra recording that was originally recorded in 1958 but not released on an album until 1978.

“I Couldn’t Care Less” Frank Sinatra – YouTube

If you are like me, it was very difficult. Of course it was! It is what makes Frank Sinatra the legend that he is. We can all read the same written words but to phrase and express it with feeling is unique and individualized. Thankfully, we can notate the words with punctuations and place symbols that will cue us to take a breath. Without these, it may be very difficult. 

The consequences of leaving out punctuation or incorrectly phrasing a song may lead to raised eyebrows from those reading or listening but probably nothing more serious. Let’s raise the stakes. What if we had to read the Bible and the translation had no punctuation? Interestingly, the original manuscripts of the Old Testament in Hebrew and New Testament in Greek lacked punctuation. Translators decided upon the proper punctuation, based upon the language of the original Bible translations and the language for each Bible translation.

This is why it is important to read several English translations to understand the various nuances that may arise from placement of the punctuation and ordering of the words. Every language has its own punctuation and to properly interpret it, one must utilize the grammatical rules of each language. Rendering a verse in Japanese or Hindi without understanding the original meaning of the phrase may potentially give an erroneous interpretation, much like the examples given above.

When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 

Acts 2:6-11 (NLT)

Someday, when all believers are in Heaven, we will hear, speak, and read God’s Word in the pure language that He intended for all of us to speak. It may be the language with which we spoke during our time on Earth or a completely different spiritual language, yet to be uttered. Whatever the language, we can be confident that there will be no nuances of translation, no lapses of punctuation, and no misinterpretations of phrasing. Like the birth of the Church on the Day of Pentecost, all believers will be able to perfectly speak and understand God’s Word as He intended it. God’s Word is infallible and inerrant because the One who created it is!

Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.

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