Category: Book Reviews

Today I am compelled to share Ferree’s writing’s with you. Now 48 years into our marriage, Loretta and I realize that although we’ve been richly blessed, we have no guarantees for tomorrow but are increasingly aware we’re being drawn into worship. We were planned for God’s pleasure and our doing that is worship. Anthropologists have noted that worship is a universal urge , hard-wired into the very fiber of our being – an inbuilt need to connect with God. Worship is far more than music, and not merely a synonym for music. Actually, every part of a church service and far beyond may be acts of worship!

Having just finished her book, I am reminded of Evelyn Husband’s telling in “High Calling” of the Columbia shuttle disaster of 2003, how at her husband Rick’s memorial service while watching video clips of her late husband both sing and speak at his own memorial service, that “in the middle of my immeasurable grief, something happened: I worshipped. I got lost in God’s holiness and provision. I was swept away by his faithfulness and presence. In the depths of my agonizing heartache, God was there comforting and holding me.” King Jesus wants to do the same with us in our daily living, not just during tragedies

PDL author Rick Warren is spot on stating worship is not part of your life, it is your life. Col. 3:23 Message Paraphrase says “Take your everyday life, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work-life, and walking around life—and place it before God as an offering.”

Real worship is all about falling in love with Jesus, wanting to know him, to please him anyway possible, and again, continually, regardless, and best of all, in the absence of fear. I’ve heard it said the safest place you can ever be in this world is in the center of God’s will. Sometimes since covid, because of all the posted no fear signs, it seems that the Christian’s identity with John 3:16 has possibly been replaced by I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect  love casts out all fear; because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.” Actually both verses are so spot-on!

Perhaps we do not usually associate fear and worship typically with widows, but my personal experience with such loss and healing proves otherwise. Therefore, relax and relish Ferree’s experiential wisdom of grieving sent out 1/27/22 via email to subscribers of Plain Values.

Click on the link below to view the email to get better acquainted with Ferree.

https://plainvalues.substack.com/p/changing-the-calendar?r=690o5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email

During the next year, my sophomore year in high school, my biological father came back into my life. My mother and I were staying with a different aunt this time, in a house that actually fronted on a street. One day a man drove up out front and parked his car halfway onto the curb in the yard. My mother called me to the door and said, “Come here, son. Joe Robison’s here . He’s your daddy.”

A tall man, about six feet two, got out of the car and started staggering toward the house. He came inside, smelling of booze and we visited for a while, and I can remember thinking, with the hopeful naivete of a boy who grown up without a dad, Maybe he can play catch with me sometime.

I soon found out he couldn’t even throw a ball to save his life. All he had ever done since he was nineteen years old was open whiskey bottles and beer cans.

When my mother got another in – home nursing assignment, we moved into the patient’s house, and my father came to live with us as well. I didn’t understand why my mother would allow a man who had raped her back into her life, but I had no say in the matter.

I has purchased a motor scooter with money from my job, so I now had transportation and I didn’t have to walk as much. I was really careful out on the roads, but one day a police car turned right in front of me, and I had a terrible wreck.

Just before the collision, the police officer saw me and instantly accelerated, and his car lurched forward so that I almost missed him altogether. If he braked instead, I would have hit the car broadside and would have certainly been killed.

With no time to react, all I could do was hit the brakes, lay my bike down and hope for the best. Like most people in those days, I wasn’t wearing a helmet. They weren’t required and were seldom worn by anyone. But though I miraculously avoided cracking my head apart, I took off the back part of the police car – the bumper and taillights – with my right thigh. To this day, my leg has a big indention where the muscles were compressed in toward the bone.

After radioing for an ambulance, which came pretty quickly, the officer came over, picked me up and moved me onto the grass median. He was really shaken.

“I’m so sorry, son,” he said more than once.

He followed the ambulance to the hospital and later visited me in the hospital and at home and became a real friend.

I got an insurance settlement from the scooter wreck, but I didn’t want to buy another scooter, so I , bought .30-06 rifle, a pre-64 Winchester model  70, hoping that one day I’d be able to go hunting with it.

One day my dad came in a drunken rage and choked my mother until she passed out. Thinking that he had killed her, he left the house and drove off. When I came home from School that day, my mother had marks on her neck. When she told me what happened, I became really angry.

“Son,” she said, “if I hadn’t passed out, he would have killed me.”

I don’t remember if it was later that day or sometime the next day, but when my father came in drunk again, and when he found out my mother wasn’t home, he started cursing me and threatened to kill me.

When he sat down in a chair still cursing me, I ran back toward my bedroom, where I had a baseball bat leaning up against the wall just inside the door. I grabbed the bat and looked to see if my dad was coming after me. If he’d been there, I would have hit him. That’s how scared I was.

When I saw he hadn’t followed me, I dove under my bed and grabbed my rifle. This was just a few days after I had shot an oil can filled with water and blew a hole in it the size of a softball, so I knew what it could do.

I chambered a bullet, went back to the front room, and sat down on a little stool by the telephone, which was mounted on the wall. Sitting maybe twenty feet from my father, and with the safety off, I pointed the rifle at him and said with all the firmness I could muster, “If you move so much as a finger, I’m going to blow a hole in you big enough for someone to crawl through.”

I reached for the phone, dialed 0, and asked the operator to send the police. “My father threatened to kill me,” I said, “but I’m going to shoot him.”

Within ten minutes, the sheriff’s deputy who had hit me with his car was standing at the front door. He had been to the house many times after the accident to visit me, so the minute he heard the address on the emergency call, he came right over.

Here’s the amazing part: although my father sat there cursing me and calling me every name under the sun, he never moved a finger. If he would have so much as raised his hand to scratch his cheek, I would have shot him. And I would not have missed. At age fourteen, my world would have been turned upside down. Who knows what would have happened? But I believe the prayers of the Memorial Baptist Church of Pasadena, and the people who had been praying for years for the little boy who had stayed with the Hales, froze my father and kept me from killing him.

That story is part of the miracle of my life, and that’s why I tell people “Don’t ever give up on your prayers, and don’t ever give up on the people you’re praying for.” We don’t always see our prayers answered, or answered in the way we would choose, but prayer is like love – it doesn’t fail. And it’s an amazing privilege to be able to pray for people.  

MLE now:

 I find it interesting that this Sunday’s Utmost reading focuses in on personality. Personality, Chamber’s reminds us in the Dec 12 Utmost reading, is the unique, limitlessness part of our life that makes us distinct from everyone else. Such perhaps is too vast for us to  comprehend when examining our seemingly mundane lives, but when we read wisdom books such as scripture or  like this boy’s future life being spared possible devastation as portrayed in “Living Amazed,” we suddenly realize the visible portion of our island of our personality is merely the top of a large mountain, and similarly, our personality is much like that island. We really have no idea of the great depths of our being, expressed as our personality, as neither we or anyone can measure ourselves. We may start out life off thinking we can, but if we’re honest, we soon realize there is only one Being who fully understands us, and that is our Creator.

Personality is the characteristic mark of the inner, spiritual man, just as individuality in the Dec 11 reading is described as the characteristic of the outer, natural man. Folks, don’t worry if you’re struggling with all this, I’ve been reading Utmost for fifteen plus years (not continuously though) and I’m just beginning now to grasp its truths.

Our Lord can never be described by individuality and independence, but only in terms of His total Person – “I and My Father are one”(John 10:30). Personality merges, and you only realize your true identity once you are merged with another person. Consider the chemistry activated when love or the Spirit of God comes upon you or another person; you or they are transformed! You or they will no longer insist on maintaining your or their individuality or the isolating portions of your personality. Our Lord always spoke in terms of the total person – “. . that they may be one just as We are one. .” Love is always the overflowing result of one person in true fellowship with another.

I’d be remiss now not to tell you this truth forms the basis of the best book on marriage I’ve found to date. Tim Keller’s book of accumulated sermons titled “The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment With the Wisdom of God” is essential reading for anyone who wants to know God and love more deeply in this life during this culture’s chaos! Consider reading it in 2022. Such wisdom books change lives. Perhaps enjoying self – centered  entertainment for Christ followers will soon no longer be so enjoyed? Perspective?

Consider how even before James reached fifteen years of age and the necessary understanding of the dangers described in Ephesians 6:12 “ For we wrestle not merely against flesh and blood , but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world , against spiritual wickedness in high places,” God reached down and protected this child once again by the earlier prayers of his intercessors. They no doubt were quite limited in assessing or acknowledging the magnitude of the darkness about James, but they chose to concentrate on the provision of God’s abundant light far surpassing James momentary present darkness. These intercessors possessed an opportunity to intercede for James, it was not merely a job or an assignment!

And as James matured spiritually, his book explains his love for David starting off as a shepherd boy through his entire life. James understood he who is forgiven much, loves much, as well as the inverse. It is also evident throughout the book that James fully appreciated God’s continual demonstration of protection.

The question begging an answer now, is do we? Or do I?

Listen to the Kidron Mennonite Church 12/12/21 sermon by Pastor Craig about receiving and dispensing Joy in a dark world. May we be found “pulling” people in, rather than “pushing” them either out or away!

Blessings as YOU GO FORTH TRUSTING IN OUR GOD OF PROMISE>>>>> mle

Taken verbatim from Pages 26-29 in James Robison’s book “Living Amazed.” and then, in Part Two followed by 15 paragraphs quoting from an article from theyeoftheneedle.com from Archbishop Vigano, before in Part Three, my personal comments.  But first the story, then onto real life today!

During my years in Austin, TX, I didn’t have much money or many material things, but I made the best of what I had. I did look forward to Christmas gifts and birthday presents from my aunt and my foster parents. But starting when I turned nine, all the way up until I was fourteen, I didn’t hear from my aunt or the Hales at all. That was very traumatic for me – and, if not for the grace of God, it might have destroyed me – because I thought that the people who had said they loved me had forgotten me.

                One October, when my birthday came and I didn’t get gifts from anybody, I remember thinking, Anybody can forget a birthday, but they won’t forget me at Christmas.

                That December, I painted a watercolor picture on a sheet of paper and hung it on the wall, and that was our Christmas tree and our decorations, because we couldn’t afford to buy a tree or ornaments. When Christmas arrived, and nothing came from my aunt or the Hales, I remembered thinking, They said they loved me, but they don’t.

                That really put a big hole in my heart, made me feel as if I couldn’t trust anyone, and caused me to doubt people’s word. Even after I got into ministry, only the grace of God was able to lift me beyond the trauma of feeling forgotten.

                When I was about fourteen, during a time when my mother was having some sort of trouble, she told me I could call the Hales and go stay with them for a week or so. I was afraid to call them, because I didn’t know if they’d want me. But they sounded so happy to hear from me and said they would come get me the very next day.

                During that visit with the Hales, I had a lot of fun with the kids at their church. On Sunday night, which was right before the Monday or Tuesday when I would be going home, Pastor Hale asked the young people in the church to share what Jesus meant to them. Five or six kids stood up and gave testimonies that were really moving.

                Then Pastor Hale gave the invitation, and when he said, “Would you come and put your hand in my hand, indicating that you want to give your life to the same Jesus that these kids have talked about?” all I could do was grip the chair in front of me. I was so shy, and so terrified, that I just hung on.

                Then I saw Mrs. Hale walking toward me, with tears flowing so freely down her face that she had to hold her glasses in place with one hand. She put her other hand on my shoulder and said, “James, don’t you want to go to Jesus?”

I said, “Yes, ma’am, but I’m afraid.”

“I’ll go with you,” she said. “Could we go together?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I stepped out into the aisle and went forward with her, and in the best way I knew how, I trusted Jesus. As I’ve said many times since that night, I put my faith in the pastor’s hand but I put my life in the Mater’s hand.

                I found out years later that, during the week I was visiting, Mrs. Hale had gone to all the training Union groups – which were discipleship classes focused on missions and Baptist doctrine – and she had told them, “We have James with us, the boy who lived with us when he was a young child up until he was five, and now he’s fourteen, and he’s going back to his mother’s place in the next day or two. Would you pray that tonight he’ll give his life to Christ?” And sure enough, I gave my life to Christ that night.

                That being a Baptist church, they took me right up and baptized me that night – right in my clothes because they didn’t have a robe. And a few years later, when I first started preaching and gave that testimony, somebody asked me, “If they baptized you in your clothes, what did you do when you came out of the water? If your clothes were all wet, what did you wear?”

                The question caught me off guard, because I couldn’t remember. The next time I saw Mrs. Hale, I asked her, “Didn’t y’all take me right back and baptize me after I trusted Christ?” When she said yes, I asked, “Well, what did I do about clothes?”

                Mrs. Hale started crying and said, “James, before I ever left for church that night, I took a change of clothes and put them back by the baptistery. That way, if you got saved, we’d have clothes for you.”

                That’s how much faith, hope, and confidence my foster mother had. In later years, when I was preaching my crusades, Mrs. Hale would come to me after a service where hundreds of people had come to Christ, and she would say, “You know, my son, when I watched all those people come forward, I remembered the night I came and put my hand on your shoulder, and I’m so glad I did.” Here was one lady who touched the life of a boy, and he went on to touched the lives of millions. But it likely wouldn’t have happened if not for her love and prayer and faith. And don’t ever give up on the people you’re praying for. God may have a miracle in the wings.

I briefly debated whether this segment was worthy, or even of significant interest – until I realized how most of my readers are, were, or are about to be parents – whether by birth or adoption – not to mention grands and even the great-grands. And regardless of our “time stamp” as kingdom citizens, or even the origin or the quality of our spiritual parental engagement, the ever absorbing and under-girding interest of we parents is that we enjoy our posterity’s fulfilling their earthly destiny followed then by a family reunion in eternity.

As I compare the Sunday School picnic turbulence of both Robison’s childhood and mine during the ’50’s, over and against the explosive rampant “polarizing fracturing” in our world today, especially in our nations’ institutions, homes included, we are left literally speechless. In fact, speechless is too often our apparent default position as I look around the neighborhood, church included, and listen in on the conversations. I seldom hear anything significant from Christ followers or even general humanity that we  are already or soon will be in the cross-hairs of an extermination/depopulation/effort/attempt against humanity as proposed by the New World Order (NWO).…. mle

Taken verbatim from James Robison’s book “Living Amazed: How Divine Encounters Can Change Your Life.” Pages 20-23.

All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Luke 4:22 NIV

It’s a miracle I was ever born. In fact, if the laws we have today were in effect back then, I’m 99.99 percent certain I would have been aborted.

My mother worked as a practical nurse, giving hospice care to home bound individuals. She had been married at a young age, but by the time she was forty, she was long divorced and working in the home of an elderly man in Houston. The man had an alcoholic son, about ten years younger than my mother, who one day forced himself on her and raped her.

My mother lacked the wherewithal to press charges, and when she became pregnant, as a result of the assault, she went to get an abortion, for all the reasons you would hear today- product of rape, no father or family in the picture, mother living in poverty and unable to care for the child. But when she went in to see the doctor, he refused to perform the abortion.

I don’t know why. Did he see possibilities and potential in that unborn child? Or did he simply believe all life was precious? Whatever the reason, and whatever you might think about it, he refused to perform the abortion.

 When I was old enough to understand, my mother told me the circumstances of my birth and that the Lord had told her, “Have the baby; it will bring joy to the world.” (Interesting prediction, LO!)

As a result, my mother as convinced that I would be a good girl, and she was going to name me Joy. In the delivery room, when the doctor told her she had a son, she said, “No, I have a little girl and her name is Joy.”   

You can call him anything you want,” the doctor replied but you’ve got a boy.”

I was born in the charity ward at the hospital, and my mother immediately placed a newspaper ad seeking foster care for me. This was 1943. Doyle and Katie Hale, a Baptist pastor and his wife from nearby Pasadena responded to the ad and took me in. They raised me for the first five years and were hoping to adopt me. In fact at one time, they had paperwork drawn up, but my mother would never sign it.

When I was five, my mother showed up one day and announced that she was moving from Houston up to Austin and that I was going with her. I clearly remember running away from her and crawling under the pastor’s bed. And I can remember my fingernails dragging across the hardwood floor as my mother dragged me out from under the bed by my foot. I remember that desperate clawing like it were yesterday. It was quite traumatic.

Mrs. Hale was crying so hard that she was convulsing. She had to go lie down. And Brother Hale was saying to my mother, “Please don’t do this, Myra. Don’t do this.”

But my mother insisted. “No, we’re going.”

Brother Hale tried to give her a handful of money to help her out, but she wouldn’t take it.

“We ‘ll be all right,” she said.

But the fact was, she had only enough money for us to get on a bus in Pasadena, on the southeast side of Houston, and ride to somewhere just on the other side of the city. That’s where we got off and hitchhiked the 165 miles or so to Austin. I clearly remember sitting on a little cardboard suitcase with all my belongings in it, and my mother had a bag. I still have that little beat-up suitcase in my office today.

When we got to Austin, we moved in with one of my aunts, and my mother began to look for work. When she found a job, she needed something for me to do during the day, so when school started, my aunt, who was a teacher, paid for me to go to a private school. I was only five, but I went into first grade and got a pretty good kick start on my education. All the way through, then, I was a year younger than everyone else in my class.

Though school always came easy for me – boringly easy – I was so shy and so afraid of everyone during my childhood that I would not even stand in front of a class to give a report. For the first ten years of school, I was so withdrawn that I wouldn’t mingle with the other kids. I carried a brown bag lunch every day, and I ate alone. When they picked teams in gym, I was the kid who was never chosen – because nobody knew me. My mother and I moved so often that I was always the new kid.

We lived in Austin for the next ten years, and over that time we moved so often – fifteen or sixteen times – that the words home and family were meaningless to me. Most of the places we lived did not face a  street or have a street address, and we would get our mail at someone else’s house. I’ve said that our only address during those years was an alley, a creek, or a dump. If it had an address at all, it would be some number and a half. They were typically little one room houses with the living area and kitchen all together with a bathroom attached to it. We lived the longest in the back of a junk yard, with auto parts, wrecks, and other debris lying around. That was the yard I played in.

In junior high, I walked three miles each way to school every day because mother didn’t have a car and no school bus ran anywhere near our house. During the entire ten years I lived in Austin, we never once had a car. And nobody around us had a car.

To be continued tomorrow…  Although none of us likely experienced the material scarcity above as children, we indeed may have suffered far more devastating trauma and abuse, either as a child or in a marriage, for which we’re still seeking healing, deliverance, and reconciliation. Keep reading. The next segment is titled “To the least of these.” I am one of them! Are you?

Continued Blessings as YOU GO FORTH, NOW encouraged and relishing in the fact you possess great hope>>>>> merlin

As told by James Robison on pages 12-19 in “Living Amazed: How Divine Encounters Can Change Your Life.”

When Betty and I had been married about seven years, we leased a hunting property with some friends about sixty miles northwest of Austin TX. We planned to use it as a retreat from the pace and pressures of my preaching ministry, which at the time had me on the road more than 275 days a year.

That summer we drove up to see the property and do some maintenance work. WE took our daughter Rhonda, who was five years old, and my former foster parents, the Rev. and Mrs. Hale. After a full day of work in the hot Texan sun, we still had a four-hour drive ahead of us to back home to the Ft. Worth area, and by then evening had fallen. As we drove through a little town called Marble Falls, I said to Betty, “I gotta have some chocolate milk.”

I was still sweaty from the work, I hadn’t shaved in a couple days, and I was dressed in coveralls and boots, and a big craving for chocolate milk, so we pulled into the first quick-stop market along the way.

As I got out of the car, I noticed thirty or forty high-school age kids hanging around in small groups in the parking lot. Some had their heads down, and I sensed they were troubled about something. Inside the store, I passed a couple of girls who were wiping tears from their eyes, on my way back to the dairy case. I sensed the Holy Spirit saying to me, James, you need to talk to these kids.

When I got to the check-out, I said, ”I’ve seen some folks who are crying. What’s going on here?”

“These kids are really, really  sad,” she said. “One of the most popular students, a football player, was in a car accident, and broke his neck. The kids have been here today praying that he would recover, be healed, but they just got word that he died.”

Again, I sensed the Holy Spirit say, Go talk to these boys and girls. They need to her how much Jesus loves them. The message was as clear as if it had been audible. Here’s a good example of how the enemy gets in and tries to distract us. No sooner had I heard the Lord speak than a second voice – my own voice – began to enumerate all the reasons why talking to these kids was not a good idea.

You need to look out for your family, James. You still have a four hour drive ahead of you. Betty’s tired, Rhonda’s tired, the Hales are tired. You’re wearing coveralls, and you haven’t showered or shaved. And besides, these kids are all over the place out there. How would you ever get them together to talk to them?

When the enemy goes to work on us, it’s not like Cupid shooting arrows of love. He fires suggestions, doubts, and distractions. But when God speaks, He speaks the truth.

James, these kids need to hear how much I love them.

I paid for my chocolate milk and walked toward the exit. As soon as I touched the door handle, I saw all the kids in the parking suddenly come together in a circle right out front.

Okay, Lord, that is just too obvious.

In my dirty coveralls, unshaven, and looking like a bum, I stepped into the middle of the circle, looked around at all the grieving faces, and said, “Excuse me, I was just passing through town, and the lady inside told me you just lost a friend. I’m so sorry to hear that. But I feel impressed to tell you that if your friend was a Christian, he’s in heaven right now, and he’s looking down at you and saying, ‘Whatever you do, don’t miss this! Don’t miss heaven.’ And he wants you to know that Jesus is the way to heaven.”

Now, if your friend was not a Christian, he’s saying, ‘I don’t want you to come where I am right now.’ And if you yourself are a Christian, he’s saying, ‘Why didn’t you tell me about Jesus! Why didn’t you tell me so I didn’t end up here?’

“If you didn’t tell him about Jesus, you have to honestly ask yourself why? And if you know Jesus, you need to understand that your friends here could leave at any moment, like this boy did, and you need to be a witness.

“Those of you who don’t know Christ, your friend wants to make sure that you don’t miss heaven.”

I concluded by saying, “Whatever you might think about what I just said, remember this: on the day your friend died, a stranger who was just driving through town stopped long enough to point you to Jesus and recommend Jesus to you.

Then I walked back to the van, got in, and we resumed our drive home.

That sounds like the end of the story, right? I hadn’t told the kids my name, where I was from, or what I did. Nothing.

Several weeks later. We were doing an area-wide crusade in Austin. That was the crusade where eleven members of the 1969 national champion Texas Longhorn football team came to Christ, including quarterback James Street and receiver Randy Peschel, who would later connect on an amazing fourth-down pass to set up the winning touchdown against Arkansas that sealed the national championship.

After the service one night, several high school kids came up to me and said, “Sir, you’re him. You don’t look like him, but you’re him. You’re the one.”

“I’m the one who what?”

“The one who stopped in the parking lot and told us about Jesus. Sir, that changed our lives.” One of the girls started crying and said, “My dad was an alcoholic and I went home and led him to the Lord. He was  killed just a short time later, but he went to heaven because you stopped at that store.”

“That’s amazing!” I said.

But the story doesn’t stop there.

To be continued in Wednesday AM blog.  Blessings as YOU GO FORTH>>>>>merlin

By James Robison

My Call to Preach…

I was a support person on the platform at a Friday night revival when I heard the Lord say to me very clearly, “I’m going to use you to preach My Truth to the world.”

I’ve often said that when the Lord speaks to me, I hear Him louder than if He were speaking out loud. This was the first time I had ever heard Him speak to me like this, but His word to me was loud and clear: “I want you to be an evangelist.”

This was a mind-blowing prospect for an illegitimate child whose father had deserted him before he was ever born; whose mother had given him away by placing an ad in the newspaper; who had grown up feeling overlooked, unloved, totally rejected, and almost invisible. And now God was saying to me, “Son, I see you. I choose you. And I want to use you.”

“God, how?” I asked. “How would I ever make a living as an evangelist?”

“Where is your faith?” the Lord replied.

I said, “It’s all in you.” And I meant it. At that moment, I yielded my life into the Master Potter’s hand; I gave Him the whole lump of clay.

As I sat there on the platform, it truly was a Holy Spirit-infilling moment. It was as if the Spirit of God swept me up and began to shape something in me – I wouldn’t call it self-confidence but God – confidence –and the kind of boldness revealed in the book of Acts. I felt the power of that boldness and a legitimate compassion for others that just seemed to communicate and resonate with people. And it started instantly.  

Preaching At Petro – Tex

On the following Monday morning after my call, I went back to my summer job at the Petro-Tex chemical plant in Pasadena. I had been working as a painter’s helper in town, but when a job opened at Petro-Tex, I moved over there because of more money. I worked as a pipe fitter’s assistant on a construction site, helping the men who were assembling all the pipes for a big plant addition. I had been there about three weeks after my high school graduation prior to college when God had called me to preach.

The plant workers ate lunch out in the yard every day, where there were a number of large flatbed trucks parked and as many as a hundred men would gather on them to eat their lunches. To a shy kid, they were a huge crowd.

The conversations I heard during these lunchtimes were obscene and degrading. On top of all the cursing, the primary things these men talked about were all the bars and parties they were going to, all the women they were having sex with, and whatever else they were doing on the weekends. It was just awful, nothing but filth.

So there I was , having just received the call to preach, and I was surrounded by some of the vilest and most depraved talk you could ever hear – and it made me sick. I couldn’t eat my lunch. As I looked around at all these men laughing and talking about how “we went to this party . . . and everyone was getting drunk and carrying on. . . ,” I suddenly felt compelled to jump up onto one of the flatbeds and shout with the authority of a coach or a drill sergeant, “Listen! Listen to me!”

The men all turned and stared in my direction.

“Listen!” I said. “I’m just a boy trying to learn how to be a man, and all I’m hearing from you all is how to think filthy, talk filthy, and live filthy. Men, I wouldn’t talk about a dog the way most of you talk about your wives.”

The minute I said that, hot tears started cutting a course down my cheeks, which were covered in dust from the morning’s work. I reached into the back pocket of my Levi’s, where I had a little Soul Winner’s New Testament. I held it up, with those tears in my eyes, and said, “But God loves you so much. He gave Jesus to die for you and to give you life, to show you how to live and how to love your wife and your family. I just want you to know that if I can help you, I’m a helper. If you will just call me, I will tell you how you can know Jesus.”

With that, I jumped down off the trailer. Without question, within me was a zeal and a fire that only can be described as the work of the Holy Spirit. I knew I had been caught up in a powerful force unlike anything I had ever experienced.

Now, with that many hardened souls standing around, you can imagine the kind of feedback I might have received. But there was none of that – no catcalls, no shouting, and no mockery. Only dead silence and a yard full of men, their mouths crammed with entire halves of sandwiches, staring at me in disbelief.

For the next three weeks, before I left for college, I led men to Christ all over that plant.

I mean, it was nonstop, every day praying with those men. I don’t recall doing one lick of pipe fitting work. Instead, all day long, I would hear shouts of , “Helper! Helper!” and I would climb up onto the steel catwalks of the storage tanks they were working on, and the men would say, “You hit me, son. That’s me. You were right. I don’t love my wife like I should. I don’t even love my kids like I should.” And I would pray with them. I was seventeen years old, and I was catching my first glimpse. Of what it means to live amazed.

Years later, when we held crusades in the greater Houston area, men would come up to me after I had preached and say, ”Five years ago . . . eight years ago . . .  ten years ago, you led me to the Lord out there at the chemical plant. We were way up on a catwalk and we got down on our knees.” I met four who were then deacons in their church.

That’s the way my ministry started. And the amazing results never stopped.

I first met James Robison maybe six years ago having never seen or heard of him prior to reading this book, Living Amazed. Actually, I now consider this book as one of the most inspirational recently written books I’ve encountered and am encouraging Christ Followers (CF’s) regardless of age or spiritual maturity to consider reading it. Today I began listening to it again on Audible while exercising on my antique Dyne Aire . . . and am already into Chapter Eight wondering why I ever waited so long to revisit How Divine Encounters Really Will Change Your Life! (Rather, All our lives!)

I personally live by the belief “the ball” is always in our court! Not a popular assumption any longer!

Each morning when I awake, I only have 1 choice to make from 6 options as to how I’ll live out my day and they are 1.) being bad; 2.) being mediocre; 3.) being average; 4.) being good (there’s that word again); 5.) being world-class; and 6.) being Jesus – centered!  

Moreover, our culture today pushes us to be either Ego driven or Victim centered! If you’re struggling with either, inhale the freshness of the Proverbs. Read a chapter every day to enhance your personal clarity! Humbleness of heart is the option of choice for CF’s. Be vigilant in all things by being Jesus – centered. Blessing AS YOU GO FORTH>>>> merlin

By Dr. David Jeremiah

Crudely condensed to 6500 words by merlin in hopes

you’ll read or listen to the 240 page five hour read.

Prescribed to be read on demand to your choosing, perhaps by a chapter daily?

A timely message today for Christ-followers on August 7, 2021, as

 we approach the precipice of our civilization as we have enjoyed it…

Regardless, our way FORWARD as always, is propelled by:

Dreams-Prayer-Choice-Focus-Risk-Pursue-Believe-Invest-Finish

Introduction

Trust me! Your past has prepared you for what’s next and every promise of God will provide you what’s needed.

Chase your future with focus, faith, & fervor

Phil 3:13-14 “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us.”

Tommy Walker song “Forward.”

The older I get, the easier it is for me to want my life to be safe, comfortable, and predictable. But that’s not God’s plan. God loves the new and He is all about bringing newness into our lives and the lives of those around us.

FB Meyer “It is a mistake to always be turning back to recover the past. The law for Christian living is not backward, but forward; not for experiences that lie behind, but for doing the will of God, which is always ahead and beckoning us to follow. Leave the things that are behind, and reach forward to those that are before, for on each new height to which we attain. There are the appropriate joys that befit the new experience. Don’t fret because life’s joys have flown the coop. There are more in front. Look up, press forward, the best is yet to be.”

Ch 1. Dream:

Seize your tomorrow today. As Followers of Christ we can cultivate a dream that outlasts the world, transforms time, changes eternity, and advances his cause and His kingdom for His glory. Remember ancient prophets who had supernatural visions of inspired revelation. Without a dream, we float thru life without catching the current… the majority of our hours are filled with consuming diversions.

                The best dreams don’t start with us but instead are planted in us by God.. If it isn’t rooted, it’s rotten. We get ideas from history and from others inspired today. To develop your dream, think about your heritage, what you love to do, and your life experiences. Everything in your life has prepared you for the next step, so examine what’s already happening in your life and the church. Start where you are and work outward and forward.

                Every dream faces discouragement. That is part of the process of proving its validity.

                Having a deep conviction of what we feel God wants us to do for eternity that will make us men and women of devotion, dedication, and determination.

                As you build your vision, be willing to sacrifice. Dreams are costly, big dreams are expensive…. Money, energy, criticism, unbelief, unplanned obstructions, unfaithful helpers, etc.

I Chron 28:20  Be strong and of good courage, and do it, do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord God – my God – will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.

Ch 2. Pray:

                Lenora Wood – in 1909 an Appalachian teacher offered a dreaming prayer for Raymond Thomas “Father, you’ve given Raymond a fine mind. We believe You want that mind to be developed. You want Raymond’s potential to be used to help you lift and lighten some portion of your world. Since all the wealth of the world is yours, please help Raymond find everything he needs. And Father, we also believe you have even bigger plans for Raymond. Plant in his mind and heart the vivid pictures, the specific dreams that reflect your plans for him after college. And oh, give him joy in dreaming – great joy.  Years later, Raymond told her “The fact that I could sit on your front steps and with no money at all, dream of going to college and achieve it, proved something to me. Very simply, what your mother said was true, any right dream can be realized… And prayer helps you know if it is right and gives you the power to stay with it. The same occurred with Nehemiah!

                How can you be sure the dream in your heart is God’s will, not yours? You must humbly and specifically ask God to place His ideas for your life into your heart and mind. Psalms 24:4 “show me Your ways O Lord; teach me your paths.” Prov 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” God can be trusted with your dreams – to divulge them, develop them, sometimes delay them, and always drench them with his blessings….. When God uses the success, it means the fulfillment of His plan for you. And we have to trust Him, however that unfolds, if we want to move forward.

We have the privilege of praising God for His work in our lives. There’s nothing like the joy of watching God form and fulfill His plan for your life. George Muller writes “The joy which answers to prayer give, cannot be described; and the impetus which they afford to the spiritual life is exceedingly great.”

Ch 3. Choose:

                Feeling Stuck? You have company… Moses-backside of a desert with sheep; Naomi-Moab lost husband & Sons; Elijah, Ezekiel, Peter, Thomas, Paul at Troas, John on Patmos… remember John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” Rom 12: 11 “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep you spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” I Cor 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

                So how do we get off the sandbar and back to sailing in open water?

A. Consider what’s best – realize not everything is equally important. We get so distracted by molehills we can’t charge up the mountain. Not everything is a priority, nor vital, nor every situation eternal! Remember “ the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.” Matt 13:22

B. Clarify what is best! Remember the Greatest commandment Mark 12: 29-31                 

 1. The priority of Loving God..

2. The Priority of loving people James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.”

3. The Priority of loving Ourselves.. Mark 12:31 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Acts 20: 28 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.” If you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t care for others!

4. Choose what’s best!

5. Courage to embrace your limitations… II Cor 12:9 “God’s strength being made perfect in our weaknesses”

6. Courage to eliminate our distractions

7. Commit to what’s best: Priority order:

                I am a person with a responsibility before God

                I am a partner with a responsibility to my wife.

                I am a parent with a responsibility to my children

                I am a pastor with a responsibility to my congregation.

Ch 4. Focus:

A. Focus on God’s Plan

Psalms 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and he delights in his way.” We are not good in ourselves, but we are good in Christ. And in Christ, God not only orders your steps and your stops, He delights in the way He guides you forward. If He delights in His plans for you, shouldn’t you delight in them too?

B. Focus on God’s Prize

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” Phil 3:14

C. Focus on Your One Thing

This is the 4 lane road God wants you to focus on as you move forward:

                Purpose, Perspective, Plan and Prize

Ch 5. Risk :

Get Out of Your Safe Zone

Most of us think of risk as a negative situation to avoid. But risk is part  of life, and it’s a big part of faith. Not every risk is worth taking, but if you’re too overwhelmed by fear to correctly assess a situation a situation, you’ll miss many opportunities for growth, increased strength, deeper faith, and success.

Have you been playing it safe? Too safe? Being a follower of Christ in today’s world is not safe. In his book Seizing Your Divine Moment, Erwin McManus wrote, “I want to reiterate  the fact that the center of God’s will is not a safe place, but the most dangerous place in the world. God fears nothing and no one. God moves with intentionality and power. To live outside God’s will put us in danger, but to live in His will makes us dangerous.”

Think of the people in Scripture who took great risks. Moses wasn’t playing it safe when he returned to Egypt to confront Pharaoh (Ex. 5:1). Gideon wasn’t playing it safe when he dismissed most of his army (Judg. 7:7). Neither was David in facing Goliath, or Esther, or Peter, or Paul, or you, if you want to seize tomorrow and accomplish the dreams God places in your heart.

A. Mr. Risk-Taker

Over the years I’ve had to make many difficult decisions. Left to myself, I might have erred too often on the side of safety and security But there’s a man in the Bible who only occupies 30 verses who inspires me to keep stepping out and taking risks with wholehearted confidence in the Lord. That man is  Caleb. Read the account in a children’s Bible Story book.

B. How to Live Life in the Safe Zone

1. Maximize the Opposition

If you propose to move forward in life, especially if you aspire to leadership, you’ll have to learn what it means to take risks – to live by faith. Scripture  say, “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” II Tim 1:7

                Consider general George B McClellan, whom some called the “Napoleon of the American Republic. It seemed he regularly overestimated the size of the enemy, magnifying the threat. The more daunting the enemy grew in his mind, the less confidence he showed in the field. Although he constantly organized and prepared, he rarely got around to fighting. When he did, his objective seemed to be avoiding a loss, not winning the battle. Lincoln finally wrote McClellan, saying, “If you don’t want to use the army, I should like to borrow it for awhile.” Hmm … remind you of Caleb’s and Joshua’s ten scared spies?

God wants you to go forward. He has adventures, challenges, victories, and meaningful tasks for you. As you look at the rope bridge to your future, are you looking at the ropes or at the holes? If you’re one of those people that are afraid to take calculated risks, worry about every little thing, and having a hard time making decisions in your life, it’s time to take a break and do a little work on yourself. I learned a long time ago that being timid and conservative will get you nowhere.

2. Minimize the Opportunities:

While the ten spies maximized the opposition, they also minimized the glorious opportunities that lay ahead of them. They only had a dim perception of what God had in store for them; they believed in their hearts that God was setting up for destruction, and their unbelief was contagious.

You can read it for yourself in Numbers 14: So all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept all night. And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron… Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (vv.1-3).

Their perception of God would be laughable if it weren’t so tragic. After all the Lord had done for them! Delivered them from slavery, parted the Red Sea, accompanied them with cloud and fire, provided food and drink in the wilderness, promised to be a great nation flowing with milk and honey!

How could they ever so quickly forget all this?

But more even importantly, we must ask ourselves today, HOW CAN WE?

When we forget all the blessings God has provided for us in the past, we’re too apt to minimize His ability to guide us into the future. We may even dread the future and where we think God is leading us. If so, we are exactly where the devil wants us: in a place of avoiding risks and playing it safe. Oh, we of little faith. Don’t put all your efforts into avoiding loss or turn your face away from the future He has planned for you. Instead, go forward with confidence and courage to do the task He has set for you.

3. Jeopardize the Objective:

In their unbelief, the Israelites discarded the precious, powerful future God intended for them. Their act of defiant unbelief incurred a terrible penalty that was meted out in two severe sentences. First, the ten men who gave the evil report were killed immediately by a plague. Second, the children of Israel who listened to the ten spies were told they would all die in the wilderness… only exceptions will be Caleb and Joshua.

What is your Canaan? What does God want you to tackle, to possess, to accomplish for Him? Unbelief forfeits your opportunities and jeopardizes your objective. So let’s keep seizing the moments God provides for us with childlike wonder.

 C. How to Risk Life in the Faith Zone

1. Risk-Takers Stay Exuberant About Their Lives

2. Risk-Takers Stay Excited About Their Futures

3. Risk-Takers Stay Enthusiastic About Their Assignment

4. Risk-Takers Stay Energized About Their God

Only the energy of our God within us can keep us barreling forward into the remainder of God’s will for our lives. The story of Caleb’s life is told in 30 verses in the Bible. Bur six times in those 30 verses, we’re given the secret to his risk-filled, risk-taking life.

Num14:24 But my servant Caleb …. Has a different spirit in him and has followed me fully.

Deut 1:36 …I am giving the land on which he walked, because he wholly followed the Lord.

Joshua 14:8-9 …. Shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God.

Ch 6 Pursue

            Chase Your Dream

In Ch One we spoke about dreams and how to build a vision for your future. What could my life look like in the future? What do I see myself doing? Now we will pursue Purpose… about meaning and motivation. Answers the “why”

A. Present yourself totally to God. Life is about God using you for His purposes. About Jesus showing you how fit into his plan. I can tell you that everything I ever dreamed of doing in my life I discovered in God’s purpose for me.

B. Understand your uniqueness

C. Realize your Responsibility… Responsibility is your response to God’s ability..

D. Pursue God’ Plan for your Life. Look for clues: Keep pursuing God’s good, acceptable, and perfect plan for your life, Look for indications, notice circumstances, follow leads, take initiative.

E. Obey Orders from God’s Word …. Joshua 1:8 “shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.

F. Serve others Selflessly

G. Experience Eternal Life… It begins the minute you believe!! Jesus purchased for us a place in heaven. He compressed the suffering of an entire world of humanity into the few hours that He suffered on the cross. It was suffering to a magnitude we’ll never know. To get out of emptiness and into purpose, you have to go through Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. And when you receive Him as Savior, eternal life begins at that moment for you – and with it comes a life of purpose.

H. No Regrets! Borden’s Dairy in Chicago … Son William mentored by MBI Pastor Dr. R A Torrey, $50 million fortune, passed at age 25 on mission field, Biography “Borden of Yale ‘09” “No Reserve, No Retreat, No Regrets had top billing in Borden’s consecration to God.” We must duplicate.

Ch 7 Believe:

Get Your Mind Right

                Dabo… William Christopher, found Christ at 16, walk on for Clemson football team

As a youth D Jeremiah says his church as a youth was better known for what it was against than what it was for.. should not be our primary focus. Takes a positive attitude to move forward.. We should guard ourselves like Gideon against any self-help ideology that pushes God to the sidelines, magnifies human ability, and doesn’t tell the whole truth. But there is a positive, hopeful, joyful optimism that is totally biblical in its essence and comes from Christ alone

A. Be positive in your convictions

B. Be positive about God’s Love for you. Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, not things present not things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, hall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The loss of hope around us today is rampant, and it is lethal!

Say “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that I may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Rom 15:13 Repeat morning noon & night!

C. Be positive about God’s Plan for you. The book Think Forward to Thrive “Although we often think the past dictates our behavior, the future is what really motivates most of our actions.” Christians of all people ought to be the most curious. Consider Romans 5:2 TLB “For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.”

D. Be Positive in your Conversations

E. Speak Positively to Yourself. II Cor 10: 5 “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” and II Timothy 1:12 “I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” and Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” A Jeremiah sermon outline on how to handle negative thoughts: “Don’t curse them, Don’t nurse them, Don’t rehearse them, Disperse them!

                Consider this: Dr. H Norman Wright says “depending on how active our minds are, we may produce 45,000 thoughts each day. To complicate our minds more, not all these are conscious thoughts, and sometimes they pass so fleetingly, we barely notice them. Every time we have a thought, it triggers an electro-chemical reaction in your body…. Each thought sets off a biological process – about 400 billion at once. Because of that thought, chemicals surge through the body, producing electromagnetic waves. Those set off emotions, which affect how we behave.. Science confirms what Scripture has been saying all along; We are shaped, in large part, by our thoughts.”

F. Speak Positively to Others

G. Be Positive in Your Crises.  Martin Seligman’s book “Learned Optimism”

H. Be Positive in you Countenance… “What’s down in the well comes up in the pail!!!!”

According to the Association for Psychological Science, a University of KS study  found an incredible link between smiling and the ability to recover from difficult episodes in life. There are standard smiles, which use the muscles around the mouth. And there are genuine (or  Duchenne smiles)  … which engage the muscles around both your mouth and your eyes. The real key is your eyes.” Google the study. Consider Scripture. Palms 34:5 “They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.” Ecclesiastes 8:1 “A person’s wisdom brightens their face and changes its hard appearance.”

That inner wisdom comes from believing. It’s not in believing in positive thinking or the power of a positive attitude. It isn’t even believing in ourselves. True optimism comes from deep biblical convictions about the nature of God, knowing He loves you and has an exciting plan that is uniquely yours. It comes from quoting scripture to yourself and reminding yourself and others of his goodness and of the incredible future He has for those who trust him. A firm belief in the God of Scripture will bear you through the crises of life and put joy on your face, unmatched by the world’s best makeup. Your faith makes you radiant

I. Stay Positive! 

“A smile is an asset; a frown is a liability. Some people grin and bear it; others smile and change it. Being happy and enthusiastic is always a choice… Both enthusiasm and pessimism are contagious. How much of each do you spread?” Cathy Free, People, 9/28/17

Ch 8 Invest:

A. Outlive your Life…. Prov 13:11 “Whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Prov 27:23 “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.”

“The real measure of our wealth is how much we would be worth if we lost all our money.”

Austin Carlile story, began a band Of Mice and Men, suffered from Marfan syndrome, discovered he had lost everything, but really had it all! (Read his story and one about  Warren Buffet’s unique investments, See’s Candies, on Pgs. 133-135)

B. Invest in God’s Word:    Psalms 119:89 “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.” I Peter1: 24-25 “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the word of the Lord endures forever. Now this is the word by which the gospel was preached to you.” Jesus said “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.” Matt 24:35.

1. Study His Word:  Paul said, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Tim 2:15

2. Spread His Word:   Jack Murphy, the jewel thief, sentenced to 2244 years met Bill Glass and Roger Staubach and gave his life to Christ and helped write “God’s Prison Gang”

3. Invest in God’s Work

4. Develop a Personal Ministry:

5. Devote Yourself to a local Church:

6. Invest in God’s Wealth: Having already invested in God’s Word and God’s work, next we need to make sure we are investing in God’s wealth – in the rich, endless, and lavish future He has laid up for us in heaven. We are but a vapor here, but heaven is our eternal destination. Therefore, we need to make sure we’re “paying ahead” and investing our lives in things eternal. Recall Matt 6: 19-20 “… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Randy Alcorn in his book, Money, Possessions, and Eternity explains it well:

                “Christ offers us the incredible opportunity to trade temporary goods and currency for eternal rewards. By putting our money and possessions in his treasury while we’re still on earth, we assure ourselves of eternal rewards beyond comprehension.

                Consider the implication of this offer. We can trade temporal possessions we can’t keep to gain eternal possessions we can’t lose. This is like a child trading bubble gum for a new bicycle, or a man offered ownership of the Coca-Cola company for a sack of bottle caps. Only a fool would pass up the opportunity.

                If we give instead of keep, if we invest in the eternal instead of the temporal, we store up in heaven treasures that will never stop paying dividends. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive.”

7. The Legacy of a Well Invested Life:

                Psalms 71:18 says it well, “Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to everyone who is to come.”

If you’ve noticed, that verse is on my Break Free Enterprise business card. It gains greater significance for me everyday as I see my coaching is not only preparing me for eternity, but by helping my peers prepare to live purposeful joyful lives today, I’m really preparing them to die with a spiritual legacy here and beyond…..merlin

                William James said, “The great use of a life is to spend it for something that outlasts it. The Bible calls this being rich toward God. (Luke 12:21). “This one life will soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Ch 9: Finish

                A. You’re not done until you’re done.

While writing Shelter in God, Jeremiah tells of reading Jefferson Smith’s study revealing only 63% of readers complete a book prompting Jeremiah to call his publisher to change the Epilogue to become the Prologue, not wanting anyone to miss the biblical emphasis of truth.

                B. Finish What You Start

Dr J Robert Clinton of Fuller identified about 1000 men and women who were considered leaders in some capacity but found only 49 prominent leaders whose lives could be surveyed as a whole, knowing how they started and finished. Of those 49, only 30 % finished well. The other 40% fell short of God’s plan for their lives – a fact that should jolt us. Thank God for the 30 % – for people like Joshua, Daniel, Peter, and Paul – ho enjoyed walking with God in increasing intimacy throughout their days. They simply kept growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. They remained yielded to Him in all things. Clearly, the greatest finisher in the Bible is Jesus. Thus far we have explored eight critical steps that move us toward God’s plan for our lives.

                There are countless barriers to finishing well, and I’m presenting five that seem to dominate what I’ve read on this subject. But rather than barriers, I prefer to to begin on a positive note, and call them challenges.  Consider the rest of this chapter a s locker-room pep talk delivered to all of us before we head out of the tunnel for the second half of the game.

                1. Stay Focused Till You’re Finished

2. Stay Resilient About Retirement:

Harry Bollback is still active and in his mid 90’s and when asked about retirement, he says “Yes, I retire every night to go to bed so that I can get up the next morning to find out what God has for me to do.

Someone said that a husband’s retirement can become a wife’s full time job. If you do decide to leave your job and retire, remember – retirement is simply God’s way of freeing you for further service, perhaps in Vistas you’ve never yet imagined.

3. Stay Connected To Your Calling:

I’ve observed that those who finish best never consider themselves from their basic calling from God. There is no “best if used before” stamped onto your soul. The Bible says “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). Even Jesus said in John 17:4 about His life “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.” Read the verse again carefully and you’ll notice Jesus did not finish all the work there was to do; but He finished all the work He was given to do. If you do that, you will have a full and exciting life.

4. Stay Vigilant After Your Victories: Consider King David and Elijah.

5. Stay Ready For Redeployment:

And now, the fifth and final key to finishing well: don’t finish at all!

Nine times in the Bible (ESV) we find the words old and advanced in years. I’ve always thought this phrase was an illustration of unnecessary redundancy. If you say someone is old, you shouldn’t have to add the words advanced in years. That seems like piling it on. But every word is important in the Bible, and one day I noticed something fascinating. Many of the times when that redundant phrase appears in the Bible, it’s a description of a person who is about to experience something astounding. For example:

Abraham (age 100) and Sarah (age 90) were “old”, well advanced in “age” as they are about to become the parents of Isaac (Gen 18:11).

                Zacharias and Elizabeth were “old and advanced in years” before they gave birth to John the Baptist (Luke 1:18).

Ch 10 Celebrate

A. Turn Your Forward Into Forever:

We may all need a break now and then, but we don’t need an endless holiday! Heaven will not bore you. It will bring you fulfillment and celebration! All of your dreaming, praying, focusing, risk-taking, and investing – all your forward momentum on earth – is a prelude to greater service, happier work, and richer fulfillment in your heavenly home.

                The apostle Peter said something important about this. Notice the words in italics, for they reveal the attitude we should have about heaven:

                You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day Of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in thee heat. But in keeping with His promise,  we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with Him. (II Peter 3: 11-14 NIV)

                The Bible says, “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (Col 3:1). Will that make us too “heavenly minded”? C.S. Lewis responded this way:

                “A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will found that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get Earth “thrown in”: Aim at Earth and you will get neither.”

What, then, can you and I expect in heaven? What kind of celebrations will we discover in God’s eternal home?

B. Look Forward to a Rousing Welcome.

                Most of us are apprehensive about dying. But the Bible is full of information to alleviate your concern. The apostle Peter said that if you serve the Lord Jesus faithfully, “you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:11 NIV). Your “rich welcome” actually begins before you arrive in heaven. In our Lord’s parable of the rich man and the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side” in heaven (Luke 16:22 NIV). I believe the Lord sends an angelic escort to accompany His departing saints to heaven. You’ll not be forgotten, forsaken, or alone for a single second. And you’ll arrive there to find you are at Home at last!

                If you want to imagine how you’ll feel when you see your amazing new home, listen to what the martyr Stephen said in the New Testament. As he died, he looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He shouted, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” (Acts 7:56).

C. Look Forward to a Rich Reward

                The Bible teaches there will be a moment in the future when our work for the Lord will be evaluated. This is called the judgement seat of Christ (II Cor 5:10). I believe it will occur immediately after the rapture of the church to heaven. This has to nothing to do with eternal destination, for all those in Christ Jesus are heaven-bound by grace. The Bible often describes these rewards as “crowns,” the Victor’s Crown I Cor 9:24-25; the Crown of Rejoicing I Thess. 2:19; the Crown of Righteousness II Tim 4:8, the Crown of Life James 1:12; the Crown of Glory     I Peter 5:4.

D. Look Forward to a Resurrected Body

E. Look Forward to a Renewed Assignment.

Your work on earth, whatever God is assigning you right now, is preparatory to eternal service in heaven. Randy Alcorn writes extensively about this in his book on heaven, saying, “Work in heaven won’t be frustrating or fruitless; instead, it will involve lasting accomplishment, unhindered by decay and fatigue, enhanced by unlimited resources. We’ll approach our work with the enthusiasm we bring to our favorite sport or hobby.”

                He continues, “In heaven, we’ll reign with Christ, exercise leadership and authority, and make important decisions. This implies we will be given specific responsibilities by our leaders and we’ll delegate specific responsibilities to those under our leadership (Luke 19: 17-19). We’ll set goals, devise plans, and share ideas. Our best work days on the present Earth … are just a small foretaste of the joy our work will bring us on the New Earth.”

                Perhaps our occupations in heaven will be an extension of our work on earth or of those duties that brought us the most joy. Of course, some occupations won’t exist in heaven. There will be no physicians because there will be illness. Police officers won’t be needed, nor prison guards. There won’t even be evangelists, for everyone will know Christ.

                But there will be musicians! There may also be teachers, for we won’t be omniscient. We’ll be capable of learning and teaching what we learn. We know there will be layers of authority and responsibility in the administration of the new heavens and the new earth. I expect some will be scientists because God’s new heavens and new earth will be full of surprises to investigate.

                You’ll have plenty of time to undertake new vocations, hobbies, and such pursuits. With eternity to practice, you’ll be able to master great symphonies, create wonderful works of art, play extreme sports, write books, deliver lectures, explore exotic locations, and enjoy thrills without risks. All along the way, there will be meaningful work and fulfilling activities.

F. Look Forward to a Royal Throne

                By far the greatest energy and enthusiasm in heaven will be around the throne of God when we cast our crowns at His feet and worship with full understanding and joy. We have a preview in Revelation 4 and 5, when all the saints angels of heaven sing in a loud voice, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Rev.5:13).

G. Look Forward to a Rapturous Reunion

                Shortly before he passed away from complications from pulmonary fibrosis in 2003, evangelist Bill Bright contemplated the nature of our heavenly experience. He wrote:

                “No reunion in history can even foreshadow what joy we will experience when we see loved ones and friends who went on before us. We are known. We are recognized. (I John 3:2) And we identify our loved ones, family, and friends. Brought together in the exquisite, all surrounding presence of the Lord, our faces beam. Our countenances gleam, and we shout in such delight that angels glance at each other in wonderment: What full-throated, glad-hearted welcomes these blood-washed sinners give each other! How they adore the Lord Jesus! How they love him! How they love each other!”

H. Look Forward to a Risen Savior

                And that brings us to the single greatest anticipation about heaven-our risen Savior. You will see Jesus Himself face to face. There’s no more glorious verse in the Bible than Revelation22:4: “They shall see His face.”

                This is your ultimate goal. This will be the single most phenomenal moment of your life. This is what you’re living for, what you’re waiting for, and what you’re anticipating with all your heart. This is Celebration with a capital C- for Christ. You shall behold Him. As the blind poet Fanny Crosby proclaimed, “And I shall see Him face to face and tell the story saved by grace.”

                The closer we get to heaven, the greater our longing for Jesus’ face. What do you think you’ll be doing an hour after you die? Let me give you the answer to that from Scripture. You’ll be doing the same thing you were doing an hour before you died – seeking to please Jesus in all you are and do. The Bible says, “So our aim is to be please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in heaven” ( II Cor 5:9 TLB).

                Your location may change, but not your core purpose in life. The things that pleased Christ on earth will please Him in heaven; and that means Christ-followers have an exhilarating celebration ahead that make the heavens ring and the angels sing. Don’t miss the celebration and eternal joys of heaven! Jesus died and rose again to take you there, and He’s ahead of you to get everything ready. The only way you can go forward is with Him.

The whole human race is poisoned by sin, and the blood of Jesus is the only cure. He died on the cross for you, and the Bible says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Rom10:9-10 NIV).

There’s no going forward without Jesus!

And with Him, there’s no turning back.

THE END!

Or as simply titled by Amy Morin, LCSW, in her book titled “THIRTEEN THINGS MENTALLY STRONG PEOPLE DON’T DO.”

Mentally strong people have healthy habits. They manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in ways that set them up for success in life. Check out these things that mentally strong people don’t do so that you too can become more mentally strong.

1. They Don’t Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Themselves. Mentally strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them. Instead, they take responsibility for their role in life and understand that life isn’t always easy or fair.

2. They Don’t Give Away Their Power. They don’t allow others to control them, and they don’t give someone else power over them. They don’t say things like, “My boss makes me feel bad,” because they understand that they are in control over their own emotions and they have a choice in how they respond.

3. They Don’t Shy Away from Change. Mentally strong people don’t try to avoid change. Instead, they welcome positive change and are willing to be flexible. They understand that change is inevitable and believe in their abilities to adapt constructively.

4. They Don’t Waste Energy on Things They Can’t Control. You won’t hear a mentally strong person complaining over lost luggage or traffic jams. Instead, they focus on what they can control in their lives. They recognize that sometimes, the only thing they can control is their attitude.

5. They Don’t Worry About Pleasing Everyone. Mentally strong people recognize that they don’t need to please everyone all the time. They’re not afraid to say no or speak up when necessary. They strive to be kind and fair, but can handle other people being upset if they didn’t make them happy.

6. They Don’t Fear Taking Calculated Risks. They don’t take reckless or foolish risks, but don’t mind taking calculated risks. Mentally strong people spend time weighing the risks and benefits before making a big decision, and they’re fully informed of the potential downsides before they take action.

7. They Don’t Dwell on the Past. Mentally strong people don’t waste time dwelling on the past and wishing things could be different. They acknowledge their past and can say what they’ve learned from it. However, they don’t constantly relive bad experiences or fantasize about the glory days. Instead, they live for the present and plan for the future.

8. They Don’t Make the Same Mistakes Over and Over. They accept responsibility for their behavior and learn from their past mistakes. As a result, they don’t keep repeating those mistakes over and over. Instead, they move on and make better decisions in the future.

9. They Don’t Resent Other People’s Success. Mentally strong people can appreciate and celebrate other people’s success in life. They don’t grow jealous or feel cheated when others surpass them. Instead, they recognize that success comes with hard work, and they are willing to work hard for their own opportunity for success.

10. They Don’t Give Up After the First Failure. They don’t view failure as a reason to give up. Instead, they use failure as an opportunity to grow and improve. They are willing to keep trying until they get it right.

11.They Don’t Fear Alone Time. Mentally strong people can tolerate being alone and they don’t fear silence. They aren’t afraid to be alone with their thoughts and they can use down time to be productive. They enjoy their own company and aren’t dependent on others for companionship and entertainment all the time but instead can be happy alone.

12. They Don’t Feel the World Owes Them Anything. They don’t feel entitled to things in life. They weren’t born with a mentality that others would take care of them or that the world must give them something. Instead, they look for opportunities based on their own merits.

13. They Don’t Expect Immediate Results. Whether they are working on improving their health or getting a new business off the ground, mentally strong people don’t expect immediate results. Instead, they apply their skills and time to the best of their ability and understand that real change takes time.

Summarized and submitted by Jonathan Dunn, co-founder of the Dream Leader Institute (DLI)

Good morning readers! My heart is literally singing this morning with the birds as we celebrate this awesome spring delight. Earlier this morning I cruised into a Kindle book I’d read previously by John Bevere titled “X: Multiply Your God – Given Potential” picking up in a section titled “What I Believe.” Once again, I am “compelled” to share this story with you right now, not later today, or this weekend, but now, putting all else aside. And, I likely will never know the why “now!” I am learning to treasure and revere these “compellings.” The opportunity & blessing of Instant Obedience! However, where ever! The following is verbatim beginning on page 171.

“What I Believe”

Let me tell you a story. I had just flown eight hours to Hawaii for a conference. Still in my travel clothes, waiting for my hotel room to be ready, I’d found a spot to rest under a poolside umbrella. It just so happened that a businesswoman was also waiting – she was attending a different conference. We got to talking, and once she discovered I was a Christian author and minister, she began to elaborate on her relationship with God.

It didn’t take more than a minute or two to realize that she didn’t know God. She kept confidently stating what she believed  and very little corresponded to what scripture reveals. While she was still expounding further on her beliefs, I asked the Holy Spirit for wisdom, and He showed me what to say.

When the woman finished her discourse, I asked, “Do you see the man sitting across the pool?”

“Why, yes,” she responded.

“Allow me to you about him,” I said. “He’s a strict vegan – he doesn’t eat anything from an animal, not even honey. His dream is to be on the US Olympic Swim Team. He works out six hours a  day. His hobbies are racquetball, tennis, skydiving, and painting. He’s married to that woman over by the hot tub and she’s ten years younger than he.”

The woman was intrigued but also a little confused as to why I would change the subject so abruptly. She had just shared her deep thoughts of God and, in turn, suddenly I am describing a man across the pool. Her curiosity got the best of her, so she asked, “Is he here to attend the conference with you?”

“No, ma’am”

“Well, how do you know him?” she asked even more curious.

“I’ve never met him.”

Now looking confused and concerned, she asked how I knew so much about him. I have no idea if this is correct, but by the look on her face, I’m guessing she might have thought I was a CIA operative, an FBI agent, a detective, or even a stalker. Her curiosity had been piqued.

I paused, and then said to her, “That’s what I believe about him.”

She was speechless.

“You just spoke with such confidence of your belief of who God is,” I continued. “But almost everything you just said about Him is not true. I know this because I know Him.”

Then I turned, looked her straight in the eye, and said, “What I just did with that man who I’ve never met before is no different than what you just did with God. I told you what I believe about the man across the pool, but chances are that most of what I said isn’t true, and the reason is, I’ve never taken the time to get to know him.”

The woman was listening but appeared slightly shaken.

“God gave us His Word, recorded on the pages of the Bible, that reveal who He is,” I said calmly. “He also sent His Spirit to reveal Jesus to us, who in turn shows us God Almighty, because He is God manifested in the flesh.”

I paused, and then asked gently, “Do you think you may have made up an imaginary god in your mind, one who actually doesn’t exist?

Sadly, either she was not ready to confront her lack of knowing God or she was scared to face the reality of meeting Him. We chatted for a few more minutes and soon afterwards parted ways.

You may be smiling as you read of this encounter, as you think, I know God. I go to church and I have read the Bible. However, before any of us get too comfortable in that thought, we must remember the plight of the Pharisees. They had perfect church attendance, prayed and even fasted regularly, and could quote from memory the first five books of the Bible. (I sure don’t have that  good a record!) Yet, they couldn’t recognize God manifested in the flesh – Jesus, standing right before them.

“Knowing God”

So, who gets the privilege of knowing God? All are invited, but there are established parameters. The door is open for an authentic relationship when we , from the core of our being, make the decision to give our life fully to Him. Not in pretense, but accompanied with corresponding actions including the seldom mentioned “repentance” – our need to walk away permanently from a self-seeking life-style and lay down our life for Him. Matthew 16:24-25 The Passion Translation (TPT) says it well: “If you truly want to follow Me, you should at once completely reject and disown your own life. And you must be willing to share My cross and experience it as your own, as you continually surrender to my ways. For if you choose self-sacrifice and lose your lives for my glory, you will continually discover true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will forfeit what you try to keep.”      

The apostle James writes, “But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves” (James 1:22). The person who hears God’s Word, yet is unresponsive in thought, word, and action, has fooled himself. The Passion Translation calls this “Self-deception,” which I think accurately describes the third steward with one buried talent, the Pharisees, the woman at the pool in Hawaii, and the many others I’ve encountered, who fully believe they are in relationship with God because they attend church and quote Scripture, BUT ARE REGULARLY SPEAKING AND LIVING CONTRARY to His Word. They are sadly misled. It is self-deception; and so deadly!

If you’ve been blessed by this encounter, consider sending it on to others. Today, we are to simply know & obey. Tomorrow or someday soon,  we anticipate eternal peace and our rewards.

Blessings as You Journey Forth>>>>> merlin

Two years ago I was introduced to the author Eugene Peterson by a friend so I ordered the four books he suggested but have only completed three so far savoring them like quality ice cream after an tasty meal (actually ice cream is welcome here anytime) .  And to think I had been incorrectly assuming all along, he had only written The Message! No longer! I find it noteworthy and indicative of the wordsmith he was, that Peterson once commandeered a key word phrase associated with atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche – that the only way to live life is to find a standard and stick to it – and repurposed it to be about following Jesus nonetheless! Peterson literally stole the nonbeliever’s catchphrase, “a long obedience in the same direction,” and made it the name of his own best-selling Christian book first released in 1980.

What makes Peterson’s message so unique today is that he exudes the bedrock transformation of redemption as offered humanity by Jesus Christ. Most believers today view the Nietzsche / Marxist deception that we are now experiencing in America, as being much more sinister in its influence than merely words and ideas behind the smoke and mirrors that lead to the eventual death and destruction of its adherents. Take note, in that The Message, Eugene’s paraphrase of the Bible, has transformed the dusty, ancient Christian scriptures of “faith lived” into imaginative literature for contemporary readers seeking truth for living forgiven and empowered lives today.

While I was reading this chapter 14 (which I’ve summarized below – now with the Preface (verbatim) over 3000 words long; perhaps you can read it in installments while rationing out your ice cream) when I just laughed out loud thoroughly enjoying the lead off hospital incident. The truths of this Kelly parable and the pollster’s definitive “frivolous” report resonates with me as I too at times can mistake a sore throat for a descent into hell. (“Peterson, pray for me!”) Perhaps the best possible antidote is when we can combine an accurate memory of God’s ways with a lively hope in his promises, the essence of Psalm 132 as printed below:

1 O God, remember David,

remember all his troubles!

2 And remember how he promised God,

made a vow to the Strong God of Jacob,

3 “I’m not going home,

and I’m not going to bed,

4 I’m not going to sleep,

not even take time to rest,

5 Until I find a home for God,

a house for the Strong God of Jacob.”

6 Remember how we got the news in Ephrathah,

learned all about it at Jaar Meadows?

7 We shouted, “Let’s go to the shrine dedication!

Let’s worship at God’s own footstool!”

8 Up, God, enjoy your new place of quiet repose,

you and your mighty covenant ark;

9 Get your priests all dressed up in justice;

prompt your worshipers to sing this prayer:

10 “Honor your servant David;

don’t disdain your anointed one.”

11 God gave David his word,

he won’t back out on this promise: 

“One of your sons

I will set on your throne;

12 If your sons stay true to my Covenant

and learn to live the way I teach them,

Their sons will continue the line —

always a son to sit on your throne.

13 Yes — I, God, chose Zion,

the place I wanted for my shrine;

14 This will always be my home;

this is what I want, and I’m here for good.

15 I’ll shower blessings on the pilgrims who come here,

and give supper to those who arrive hungry;

16 I’ll dress my priests in salvation clothes;

the holy people will sing their hearts out!

17 Oh, I’ll make the place radiant for David!

I’ll fill it with light for my anointed!

18 I’ll dress his enemies in dirty rags,

but I’ll make his crown sparkle with splendor.”

(from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

20^th– Anniversary Preface.. (verbatim, not summarized)

As I sat down to revise A Long Obedience In The Same Direction I was prepared to do a lot of changing. I have hardly done any. It turns out there are some things that just don’t change. God doesn’t change: He seeks and He saves. And our response to God as He reveals himself in Jesus doesn’t change: we listen and we follow. Or we don’t. When we are dealing with the basics – God and our need for God – we are at bedrock. We start each day at the beginning with no frills.

So the book comes out in this new edition substantially as I first wrote it. I added an epilogue to reaffirm the ways in which Scripture and prayer fuse to provide energy and direction to those of us who set out to follow Jesus. A few celebrity names have been replaced by new ones (celebrities change pretty rapidly!), and I have changed a few references to current affairs. But that’s about it. It is reassuring to realize once again that we don’t have to anxiously study the world around us in order to keep up with God and his ways with us.

The most conspicuous change has been the use of a fresh translation of the Holy Scriptures, The Message, that I have been working on continuously since the publication of A Long Obedience. In fact, the fifteen Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134) that provide the text here for developing “discipleship in an instant society” provided the impetus for embarking on the new translation. All I had in mind at first was translating the Psalms into idiomatic North American language that I heard people using on the streets and in the shopping malls and at football games. I knew that following Jesus could never develop into a “long obedience” without a deepening prayer life and that the Psalms had always been the primary means by which Christians learned to pray everything they lived, and live everything they prayed over the long haul (No wonder I missed the boat spiritually so long. Only recently did I begin to read the Psalms).

But the people I was around didn’t pray the Psalms. That puzzled me; Christians have always prayed the Psalms; and why didn’t my friends and neighbors? Then I realized it was because the language, cadenced and beautiful and harmonious, seemed remote from their jerky and messy and discordant everyday lives. I wanted to translate these fifteen Psalms from their Hebrew original and convey the raw, rough and robust energy that is so characteristic of these prayers. I wanted people to start praying them again, not just admiring them from a distance, and thereby learn to pray everything they experienced and felt and thought as they followed Jesus, not just what they thought was proper to pray in church.

And so it happened that the unintended consequence of the writing of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction was this new translation of the Song of the Ascents, and then all the Psalms and then the NT and eventually the whole Bible. The inclusion of that translation in this new edition completes the book in a way I could not have anticipated twenty years ago.

Chapter 14. Obedience: (summarized by merlin)

An incident took place a few years ago that has acquired the force of a parable for me. I had a minor operation on my nose and was in my hospital room recovering. Even though the surgery was minor, the pain was great and I was full of misery. Late in the afternoon a man was assigned to the other bed in my room. He was to have a tonsillectomy the next day. He was young, about twenty-two years old, good looking and friendly. He came over to me, put out his hand and said, “ Hi, my name is Kelly. What happened to you?”

I was no mood for friendly conversation, did not return the handshake,  grunted my name and said that I had gotten my nose broken. He got the message that I did not want to talk, pulled the curtain between our beds and let me alone. Later in the evening his friends were visiting, and I heard him say, “There’s a man in the next bed who is a prizefighter; He got his nose broken in a championship fight.” He went on to embellish the story for the benefit of his friends.

Later in the evening, as I was feeling better, I said, “Kelly, you misunderstood what I said. I’m not a prizefighter. The nose was broken years ago in a basketball game, and I am just now getting it fixed.”

“Well, what do you do then?”

“I’m a pastor.”

“Oh.” he said and turned away; I was no longer an interesting subject.

In the morning he awoke me: “Peterson, Peterson – wake up.” I groggily came awake and asked what he wanted. “I want you to pray for me; I’m scared.” And so, before he was taken to surgery, I went to his bedside and prayed for him.

When he was brought back a couple of hours later, a nurse came and said, “Kelly, I am going to give you an injection that should take care of any pain you might have.”

In twenty minutes or so he began to groan, “I hurt. I can’t stand it. I’m going to die.”

I rang for the nurse and, when she came, said “Nurse, I don’t think that shot did any good; why don’t you give him another one?” She didn’t acknowledge my credentials for making such a suggestion, told me curtly that she would oversee the medical care of the patient, turned on her heel and, a little too abruptly I thought, left. Meanwhile Kelly continued to vent his agony.

After another half hour he began to hallucinate, and having lost touch with reality, began to shout, “Peterson, pray for me; can’t you see I’m dying! Peterson, pray for me!” His shouts brought the nurses, doctors, and orderlies running. They held him down and quieted him with the injection I had prescribed earlier.

The parabolic force of the incident is this: when the man was scared he wanted me to pray for him, and when the man was crazy he wanted me to pray for him, but in between, during the hours of so-called normalcy, he didn’t want anything to do with a pastor. What Kelly betrayed in extremis is all many people know of religion: a religion to help them with their fears but that is forgotten when the fears are taken care of; a religion made of moments of craziness but that is remote and shadowy in the clear light of the sun and routines of every day. The most religious places in the world, as a matter of fact, are not churches but battlefields and mental hospitals. You are much more likely to find passionate prayer in a foxhole than in a church pew, and you will certainly find more otherworldly visions and supernatural voices in a mental hospital than you will in church.

Stable, Not Petrified

Nevertheless we Christians don’t go to either place to nurture our faith. We don’t deliberately put ourselves in places of fearful danger, and we don’t put ourselves in psychiatric wards so we can be around those who clearly see visions of heaven and hell and distinctly hear the voice of God. What most Christians do is come to church, a place that is fairly safe and moderately predictable. For we have an instinct for health and sanity in our faith. We don’t seek our death-defying situations, and we avoid mentally unstable teachers. But in doing that we don’t get what some people want very much, a religion that makes us safe at all costs, certifying us as inoffensive to our neighbors and guaranteeing us as good risks to the banks. We want a Christian faith that has stability but is not petrified, that has vision but is not hallucinatory. How do we get both a sense of stability and a spirit of adventure, the ballast of good health and the zest of true sanity? How do we get the adult maturity to keep our feet on the ground and retain the childlike innocence to make the leap of faith?

What would you think of a pollster who issued a definitive report on how the American people felt about a new television special, if we discovered later that he had interviewed only one person who had seen only ten minutes of the program? We would dismiss the conclusions as frivolous. Yet that is exactly the kind of evidence that too many Christians accept as the final truth about many much more important matters-matters such as answered prayer, God’s judgment, Christ’s forgiveness, eternal salvation. The only person they consult is themselves, and the only experience they evaluate is their most recent ten minutes. But we need other experiences, particularly the community of experience of brothers and sisters in the Church and our local congregation, as well as the centuries of experience provided by our biblical ancestors. A Christian who has David in his bones, Jeremiah in his bloodstream, Paul in his fingertips and Christ in his heart will know how much and how little value to put on his own momentary feelings and the experiences of the past week.

A Christian with a defective memory has to start everything from scratch every day and spends far too much of his or her time backtracking, repairing, perhaps even starting over. A Christian with a good memory avoids repeating old sins and should know the easiest way through complex situations. So instead of starting over each day, we continue building on prior victories as well as forgiven defeats.

You ever notice for all its interest in history, the Bible never refers to the past as “the good old days.” The past is not, for the person of faith, a restored historical site that we tour when we are on vacation; it is a field we plow, disc, harrow and plant, fertilize, lovingly work to insure a bountiful harvest.

Christians who master Psalm 132 will be protected from one danger, at least, that is always a threat to our obedience: the danger that we should reduce our Christian existence to ritually obeying a few commandments that are congenial to our temperament and convenient to our standard of living. It gives us, instead, a vision into the future so that we can see what is right before us. If we define the nature of our lives by our mistake of the moment, or the defeat of the hour, or the boredom of the day, we will define it wrongly. We need roots in the past to give our obedience ballast and breadth just as we need a vision of the future to give our obedience both direction and goal.

If we never learn to do this – to extend the boundaries of our lives beyond the dates merely enclosed by our birth and death, and actually acquire an understanding and appreciation of God’s way as something larger and more complete than those anecdotes in our private diaries – we will forever be missing the point of things, by making headlines out of something that ought to be tucked away on page 97 in section C of the newspaper, or putting into the classified ads something that should be getting a full page color advertisement – perhaps mistaking a sore throat for a descent into hell! (“Peterson, pray for me!”) For Christian faith is a full revelation of a vast creation and a grandly consummated redemption. I prefer to define my faith, or your faith, by witnessing our obedient actions in the same direction, as led by the Holy Spirit

Christian living demands that we keep our feet on the ground, but it also asks us to make a leap of faith. A Christian who stays put is no better than a statue, waiting to be pulled down when the opinion poll tides change. A person who leaps about constantly is under suspicion of being not a man but a jumping jack or worse. Our obedience requires we possess the strength to stand as well as a willingness to leap, and the good sense to know when to do which. Which is exactly what we get when our accurate memory of God’s ways are combined with a lively hope in his promises.