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Very large ships aren't designed to go backwards. They are built as efficiently as possible to go forward, even to the detriment of not being able to easily go backward. Though some ships can go backwards, it takes expert navigating and precise use of the controls. Most require the help of tug boats. Believers have something in common with big ships. The Lord has designed us to go forward, not backward. He warned us we would face all kinds of obstacles and challenges, yet we are always moving...
We need to be wise about what we start because it may be hard to stop. The little boys were playing "Texas Rangers" in the family car while parked on a slope. Accidentally placing the car in neutral, they ended up rolling backwards down the hill, crashing through a fence, and ending up in the hog pen, unhurt. Their little legs couldn't reach the brake pedal. What they started took its course, frightfully taking them where they didn't want to go. Whether it is starting a fire, an argument, or...
David's brothers appeared before Samuel who called them present to choose from them a new King. David wasn't among them. He was faithfully out guarding the sheep. Though Samuel thought the Lord wanted a particular brother to be anointed because of his stature and appearance, the Lord said no. Finally, Samuel asked if someone was missing and David was brought in. Samuel understood why he was initially wrong about who would be anointed. He said, "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord l...
The process of shearing sheep (usually yearly) doesn’t hurt the sheep but they don’t like it. They are put in a variety of uncomfortable positions and appear much different (seemingly humiliated) afterwards. Sometimes sheep are purposely deprived of food and water so that they are too weak to struggle against the process. Most often they are silent. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. Like a sheep, He was willingly shorn of all His rig...
We are all tempted to be afraid on occasion, especially in the world we are living in today. Jesus spoke to the idea of fear, saying "Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (Jn. 14:27). We are not to be afraid. In place of fear, we are to trust the Lord and receive the peace He gives. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you" Jn. 14:27. Jesus Christ has the authority as the Son of God and the Prince of Peace to give us peace. The peace He gives is described... Full story
My heart was made lighter when I visited a nursing home resident diagnosed with a terminal disease. As we were visiting, she shared how much she enjoyed watching the squirrels climb on the pole just outside her window. Her appreciative and joyful attitude was an encouragement to me. Right at that moment a squirrel came along and grabbed hold of the pole with all four feet, rapidly climbing to the top. I'd never carefully observed a squirrel climbing before, and I was struck at how firmly all...
The tow rope was laying over the end gate of the pickup, hooked to the hitch below. It had been snowy, slushy, and messy. I wondered if the driver had helped so many stuck people that he simply left the rope hanging, readily available for the next person in need. How many people do we meet every day that need a "tow?" Discouraged, defeated, depressed and in bewilderment at the problems of life, we are given the opportunity to help lift them! We are recipients of abundant power and life in...
Soon we will start seeing beautiful fall leaves on the trees. The Bible makes reference to leaves, saying "That person (who delights in God's Word) is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away" Ps. 1:3-4. The Bible says, "the righteous will thrive like a green leaf" Prov. 11:28. The person who loves knowing God's Word and commits to obeying it...
We must be careful we don't drift away from the Lord. A young couple unaccustomed to canoeing on a rough and windy lake (without life jackets) had drifted far from the shore and were in danger. A shoreline resident saw them in trouble and rescued them in his power boat. They hadn't taken the necessary steps to keep from drifting. The Bible says, "We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard (God's word) so that we do not drift away" Heb. 2:1. It's easy to drift from...
It’s sad that we have had to learn some things the hard way. Instead of heeding warnings and instructions, there are times when we’ve done things and ended up suffering severe consequences. A toddler can be warned to not touch a hot, wood burning stove but some have touched the stove and ended up getting burned. The young man (prodigal son) who wasted his inheritance on “riotous living” found himself in the pig pen, wishing he could eat the food he was feeding to the hogs. It was then he came to...
A friend shared that when he was a child his family lived in a large tent on the Columbia Basin prairie, 20 miles north of Pasco. As the dry prairie was being developed into irrigated farm land, he remembers struggling through the extremes of winters' cold and summer's heat in a mere tent, vulnerable to wear and tear and fiercely strong winds. He now lives in a large newer home with a strong foundation, solid walls, and a strong roof only a few miles from the original homestead. The Bible likens...
Fifteen-year-old Michael wanted to be a professional basketball player but he was cut from his high school basketball team. They said he had a "lack of skill." Though the rejection stung, he kept at it and became much more than a capable basketball player. He ended up playing in 14 NBA All-Star games. He also won six NBA titles. He is known to us as Michael Jordan. There are times when we have been rejected because we don't meet some specific requirement or live up to others' expectations. We...
The motorcyclist knocked on my door and explained that he had grown up in my neighborhood and wanted to visit old friends and neighbors. He asked about several families, wondering if I knew where they may be living now. I told him I didn't know and he said with sadness, "I guess what they say is true. Sometimes you can't go home anymore." It was apparent he deeply missed the "home" he'd experienced with friends who he had lost touch with. In Psalm 23 the Lord is identified as "My Shepherd" and "...
Captain, an Alsatian dog, similar to a large Husky, slept loyally by his master's grave for 14 years before passing away. He disappeared after his master died but was found several months later when the family visited the cemetery. Captain had never been to the cemetery before. Cemetery neighbors fed him daily once they realized he slept at the grave of his master. The cemetery director said that when Captain showed up, all on his own, he wandered around until he eventually found his master's...
A well-known picture of Jesus knocking at the door has special meaning. There is no door knob on the outside of the door. It must be opened from within. Jesus doesn't barge in. He doesn't use a wrecking ball to gain entrance. His posture is relaxed and implies that He is gently knocking, intently awaiting our decision to His invitation. The painting illustrates the scripture in Rev. 3:20 "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in, and...
In 1963 Dr. Christian Barnard performed the first human-to-human heart transplant. The surgery was considered a success even though the patient only lived 18 days. When Jesus Christ comes into one's heart (the center of our spiritual and physical life) it results in eternal life, salvation, and transformation. In one of her books Christian fiction writer Janette Oke writes of a youth devotion that was given: "He (Troy) had several hearts to display to the group. A black one represented the...
Those who grew up watching westerns are accustomed to the phrase, "circle the wagons." It meant that when the covered wagon pioneers were in danger of attack or severe storms, they would place their wagons in a circle, providing a wall of protection against the foe. The phrase is used commonly these days to describe the need to take protective caution in one form or another. In this volatile world in which we live, it encourages us to know the Lord promises to encircle our path. "You hem me in b...
It's sometimes difficult to get up and start the day. A small town experienced 39 degrees below zero temperatures and, in the morning, only one car in the whole town was operating. None of the other cars would start. The only one running was started before the extreme freeze (and was kept running) by a very wise person who knew how to prepare. Starting our day off takes preparation. Jesus started his day off rising early in the morning and finding a solitary place where He could commune with...
The boys were happy when their mother wrapped Christmas gifts because it not only meant presents to come, but also the joy of playing sword fights with the empty cardboard wrapping tube. They played swords in a harmless fashion that gave them joy, though the flimsy cardboard tube easily gave way and was quickly destroyed. God's Word is a sword that will never be destroyed. Neither does it give way. It always accomplishes the purpose for which God sends it. It is a victorious and effective Word....
Puppet shows are fun! Though ventriloquists are not as popular as they were at one time, it is still fun to watch them. My youngest brother kept us in stitches with his ability to share his own personality through the "puppet dummy" he used to perform. The puppet was necessary, but it was my brother's voice and character performing through it. We aren't puppets but we do experience the Lord performing His purpose and desires through us. We are given free will as his Divine creation to yield to...
Jesus asked "when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith?" Lk. 18:8. He desires our belief and trust. It surprised me to learn that gold is used in cancer treatment. Experts claim that very small gold particles are excellent in carrying cancer-killing protein. They also distribute the protein without damaging surrounding healthy tissue. Gold is an effective conductor. Understanding this procedure is beyond me but the Bible speaks of our faith in the Lord as being "much more precious than...
Our dog looked like a coyote. When I asked the veterinarian what kind of a dog he was, she said, "A coyote." To this day I'm not sure if she was being truthful, or joking around. If he was part coyote, he sure was timid. He enjoyed the berries that are prevalent on the river dike but he wouldn't stick his muzzle into the bush to retrieve the berry because of the thorns. Instead, he'd stand there, look at me, and wait for me to reach into the thorns (sometimes painfully) to get him what he...
The young couple often picnicked in the cemetery overlooking Dayton. They explained that though many would think it a strange location, they enjoyed the peaceful quietness and the green beauty surrounding them. It was of note that they could be so comfortable in a place where many would be troubled. They attributed their attitude to their personal belief in Jesus Christ who promised to raise the dead. The cemetery held no fear for them. Death seemed to be their friend. Their attitude was very...
The young couple often picnicked in the cemetery overlooking Dayton. They explained that though many would think it a strange location, they enjoyed the peaceful quietness and the green beauty surrounding them. It was of note that they could be so comfortable in a place where many would be troubled. They attributed their attitude to their personal belief in Jesus Christ who promised to raise the dead. The cemetery held no fear for them. Death seemed to be their friend. Their attitude was very...
DAYTON–Nearly thirty years ago Susie and I made a trip to Dayton to be interviewed, which would determine if we would Pastor here. On the way we came across a few sheep on the main highway a couple miles out of town. We stopped, moved the sheep off the road, found the owner, and helped them back to their pen. In all the trips we've made on that highway since, we've never again come across sheep on the road. I believe the Lord was calling us to Dayton to help care for His sheep. Jesus spoke of t...