It is no longer I who lives, but Christ who lives within me. Gal 2:20

Have you ever wondered if anyone has made more mistakes or done as many dumb things in their life as you? When that nasty thought comes to my mind, I transfer the focus to good old Apostle Paul. Remember, he was the one who claimed to be the heavyweight champion of wrongdoing. He was the worst sinner of sinners, the open terrorist of Christians. Yet God, in His mercy and grace, chose him to do more than a mighty work. In fact, Paul wrote most of the New Testament epistles and, by the power of the Holy Spirit, he is one of, if not the most influential writer ever.

In addition to Paul’s personal example of transforming hope, the scripture he wrote in 2 Cor 5:21 makes me want to shout. It says, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God.” I suppose shouting has its place but it is nowhere near enough for true appreciation to be expressed. It actually convicts me to rely on a more spiritually intense, perfectly natural, and thoroughly practical plan. So my quest is to purpose as best I can to behave in personal revival.

Please note that revival is not available to someone with no “Christ-life” in them. Revival only comes to those who openly carry the Spirit of Jesus in their heart. These stand ready to receive a renewed spark or impetus to move them forward in a higher and more anointed fashion. I know I’m thirsty for such a thing. If you care to join me in this course, what must we do?

1. We must rededicate ourselves to reading the Bible.
2. We need to review and recognize the meaning of the Holy Book.
3. We must restore the scriptural truths of God’s graceful function as our inner guard, guide, and governor.
4. We must rekindle our first love; the One who loved us first!
5. We need to rediscover the strengthening power and momentum of God’s joy when we obey Him.

Family and friends, godly revival is more than a concept when it becomes personal, focused, energized and consistently hopeful in Christ. It leaves no place of welcome in our mind for lasting condemnation or doom and gloom self-assessments. In His name, a personal revival is my prayerful intention and reasonable service for this week and beyond. For God’s sake and ours, let’s be the work in progress He has promised. There is nothing better.

Rom 14:9; Rom 12:1-2; Phil 1:6; Neh 8:10; 1 Sam 30:6

** A note of credit to Pastor David Legge of Belfast Ireland. His sermon transcripts on the Book of Nehemiah were inspiring to this article.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path. Prov 3:5-6

The word Appreciation (with a capital A) comes to mind today. The challenge is how to express the meaning of Appreciation with IMPACT!!! So let’s revisit a compelling story about a man and a parachute and test to see if Appreciation impacts you before, during, or after it’s fully opened.

The Story: Who Packed Your Parachute?

Charles Plumb was a U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a Communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures and shares lessons he learned from that experience! As added credibility, besides serving as a Chaplain while captured, Captain Plumb’s Military honors include two Purple Hearts, the Legion of Merit, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the P.O.W. Medal.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, “You’re Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!” “How in the world did you know that?” asked Plumb. “I packed your parachute,” the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude. The man pumped his hand and said, “I guess it worked!” Plumb assured him, “It sure did. If your chute hadn’t worked, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Plumb couldn’t sleep that night, thinking about that man. Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the trusted fate of someone he didn’t know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, “Who’s packing your parachute?” Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day. He also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory–he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. As we go through this week, let us all recognize and Appreciate people who pack our parachutes.

I am sending you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachutes! And I hope you will send it on to those who have helped pack yours!

May the God of life, love, and light bless you, AND be the primary One who packs your parachute this week….and always!

Rom 1:8; 1 Cor 1:4; Ruth 1:8; Numbers 6:24-26

All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose. Rom 8:28

A word is a word, is a word… Or is it? If I share the word “arithmetic,” for example, the math-bent folks are more likely to lean forward and pay attention while some of the rest of us may want to count ceiling tiles or even worse—run in a panic. The personal perception of the word and what we do with it becomes more critical sometimes than the word itself. In today’s message, may we lead our forward leaners, tile counters, and potential panic attackers to a common answer of encouraging correction; a place where we all can benefit.

Please bear with me through a brief, painless, and surface introduction. One of the unique functions of arithmetic is in multiplication. For example if we multiply 1 x 2 it equals 2. If, however, we multiply -1 x 2 it equals -2. So any positive number multiplied by a positive number produces a positive answer. Any positive number multiplied by a negative number produces a negative answer. Whew!! In faith, I believe none of us got lost. Now let’s graduate together to an even better result…

On a more critical and practical level, this process applied to our thinking can be devastating no matter how you regard the word “arithmetic.” There are times when we behave in a decent pattern (say 100 times) and we make a mistake or blatantly sin one time. The spiritual arithmetic or religious spirit in us leaps in counterfeit joy with the claim that everything about us is therefore negative (100 x-1). As a result, we can get depressed, shrivel up in guilt and self condemnation, or go down in defeat. But God!!

A. W. Tozer said, “No matter how we may argue, true holiness and spiritual power are not qualities that can be once received and thereafter forgotten, as one might wind a clock or take a vitamin pill. Every advance in the spiritual life must be made against the determined resistance of the world, the flesh, and the devil!” We must remember, we may be morally negative on occasion, but we are never a negative as far as our loving Creator is concerned.

Our God is a forgiving God. By His grace and mercy, no matter what knucklehead things we may do, if we honestly repent of our negative behavior, He will put the eraser of forgiveness to our miscalculated act. (1 John 1:9). He comes to bring abundant life, not to steal, kill or destroy us. (John 10:10). Our eternal Father says there is no condemnation to those who walk after Him in Spirit and not in our flesh. In Him, we are free from sin and the ultimate negative—separation from Him or death (Rom 8:1-2).

So family and friends, whether you are an arithmetic whiz or not, welcome to its Spiritual counterpart; one with a positive answer, no matter how negative we may be or have been. According to God’s promise, if we have a loving relationship with Him, He is working out our problems His way for our good. After all, He is not merely a word. He is the Word who goes by the awesome name of Jesus Christ!

John 1:1-14; Jer 29:11

Editor’s Note: Thank God that when we fall, we can get up again and pick up AT THE SAME POINT where we fell. The enemy likes us to think that we are in a spiritual game of Chutes & Ladders where when you fall, you slide all the way down to the beginning (and that all of your good choices = 0). If that were the case, none of us would ever make any progress. PRAISE THE MIGHTY KING! He has turned our minuses into pluses!!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes to pass it is a tree of life. Prov13:12

Many of us have read about Pandora’s Box. In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. Her lot in life (per Zeus) was to be the steward of a certain box. After receiving this gift, she was told not to open it by “friendlier” gods because they suspected Zeus had a devious plan. Pandora’s curiosity finally overcame her, causing her to go against the command of her god. Opening the mysterious box, she soon discovered her terrible error. Plagues for the body and sorrows for the mind exploded from within the box out into the air. In terror, she slammed the box shut. What remained in the box was one last item—hope. It would be the item to which humanity would forever depend.

One of the most beautiful depictions of hope I’ve ever seen was in an e-mail sent to me. There were four lit candles that were labeled: Peace, Faith, Love, and Hope. They flickered side by side, almost as if they were communicating with each other. The candle of peace soon faded out, as did the candle of faith. Not long thereafter, the candle of love dimmed away, as well. The only one that stayed lit was the candle of hope. A child then entered the room and noticed the situation. He boldly declared they all should be lit and proceeded to relight the peace, faith and love candles using the continuing flame of hope’s candle.

Writer Theodore Leonard Cuyler beautifully describes hope as the flower of desire. Its essence bars despair and always expects something good. He declares, “There is no happiness that hope cannot surmount, no grief which it cannot mitigate. It is the wealth of the homeless, the health of the sick, the freedom of the captive and rest of the laborer.”

We may not be Greek mythology advocates, children of innocence, or gifted writers of imagery; however, all of us are alive, keen, and can be honest enough to know that Hope has been around from our beginning. It’s a universal truth that’s stood the test of time and is still accessible to each of us today. Scripture calls hope the anchor of our soul.

For this week and beyond, may the God of hope (the One who truly created mankind) cast His everlasting confidence upon us. May our faith and His grace blend to bring an overflow of joy and strength in Him, for His supply of peace and love is endless. May we realize with total certainty that we are an overcomer simply because we were created by this design. May we celebrate our living hope in Him together—that hope that is too awesome and liberating to suffer captivity within a box.

                                                                Heb 6:19; Rom 15:13

Editor’s Note: And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Eph 6:13

An inspiring story is told by Henry Ward Beecher, who as a boy, had a teacher named Mr. Moody.  During a geography class, Mr. Moody asked a question of a student named Bob Henderson about the great state of Tennessee.  The boy answered quickly and confidently to what seemed a simple question.  What happened next was puzzling.  Mr. Moody seemed totally annoyed at his answer and yelled at the young man to sit down.  The humiliated student did just that — he sat down.

Other students were asked the same question and they all gave the same apparent answer; they too were yelled at in a disapproving voice by Mr. Moody and also told to sit down.  Like dominos, they all retreated safely in the fear of their wayward class authority.

Finally, Henry Ward Beecher was called to give the answer and his answer was the same as the other students.  When the teacher screamed at him to sit down like he did with the others, Beecher held his ground and insisted his answer was correct. The teacher stormed at him for what seemed like forever, ranting and raving in the most intimidating and controlling way.  After Mr. Moody was finally convinced that Henry Ward Beecher would not sit down, he smiled and said, “Well, class, you were all correct, but Beecher here was the only one with the courage to stay standing to defend his answer.”  He not only had the right answer but was willing to stick to it through thick and thin.

Well family and friends, we are in more than troubling thick and thin times in our culture. We are facing angry and determined secular voices that are ranting and raving at that those of us who believe and declare that Jesus Christ is Truth, and foolishly demanding that God must sit down and be quiet.  Not only must we know that God is real in our head, we must believe and be prepared to courageously represent that eternal truth and act accordingly from the depths of our God-loving heart.

As the great Biblical character Joshua so courageously modeled, let’s determine and resolve right now to answer boldly and remain standing in the face of all angry and deceived voices that come our way. Remember, remember, remember…………“As for me and my house we will serve the Lord!!” 

1 Peter 5:9; 1 Cor 16:13; Joshua 24:15; Col 1:23; 2 Cor 1:24; 1 Cor 15:58“

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Phil 2: 9-11

At one time, my wife Cynthia and I belonged to our town-sponsored fitness center.  There was a friendly older gentleman named Ray who also attended. If he was there when we went, he’d always be smiling from ear to ear; and when he wasn’t exercising on one of the pieces of equipment, he’d be greeting someone by their first name. We’re convinced if there was a “mayoral election” at the gym back then, Ray would have gotten all the votes.

In my earlier years in business, there were two very successful people who I was privileged to know and at some point informally interviewed about the secret to their success. One was Sue Wong, who owned a Chinese Restaurant called the Cathay Temple. The other was Manny Gomes, who owned Manny’s Gas and Service Station.  Both told me the same thing. It wasn’t about what seemed most obvious—the best Chinese food or the highest octane gas: it was about a working relationship with people and purposefully calling them by name.

These examples serve as evidence of the influence and success in the “bothering” to know someone by name. A book by Franklin Graham, entitled, The Name , brings this concept and process to the greatest focus. The name he talks about in his book is Jesus Christ—the one name that is the lightning rod because it represents the division of life between good and evil, God and Satan, light and darkness, righteousness and sin and heaven and hell.

Isn’t it amazing how so many people these days are quick to dismiss, defame, or take the name of Jesus Christ in vain? Sadly, it’s bordering on the politically correct thing to do. Before we join those ranks and the eternal consequences associated with such foolishness, we need to know what God’s word says. The Bible says there is no other name for us to rely upon to be saved, that we should pray to the Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus, and one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father.

So what’s in a name? If we’re referring to the real Jesus Christ, the anointed One and Son of the Living God, then it’s the name that profoundly transcends earthly elections or business success. It’s the name that simply means everything!

Family and friends, we share this short closing prayer to our Almighty King… May we bring honor to You and bring glory to Your name by the way we conduct every aspect of our lifestyle. To You and to You alone we pray, in the matchless name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Psalm 138:2; Acts 4:12; Col 3:17; Eph 1:21; Matt 24:24; Rev 15:4

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto you. Matt 6:33

Discussing global funds, bond markets, aggressive annuities and Roth IRA’s is not Cynthia’s or my strong suit. That said, in order to build our finances, we find it necessary to participate in the world’s system of money investment. To do so without wisdom or guidance, however, would be foolhardy, and that’s why we have a trusted adviser to help.

We agree with Psalm 24 verse 1. It says the earth belongs to God. Everything in all the world is His! Therefore, all the provisions we have, including our finances, belong to God and that makes us His caretakers. As born-again believers and followers of Christ, we were bought and paid for with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Since we belong to Christ, so must our finances. It follows then, that we think of taking care of our finances as an obligation to God, not an option to ourselves only. When we accepted this truth, our motivation to develop a healthy financial status became a godly desire to be faithful stewards of our trusted finances within God’s overall portfolio.

By embracing this biblical truth, we have become very cautious about what we do with our money. Our heart is to honor and bring glory to God. With this in the forefront of our minds, we avoid squandering money on foolish things like gambling, drugs, or buying things we do not need. Bottom line for us is not to become obsessed with the love of money but to have enough to invest into God’s work and His loving plan for our own lives and immediate family.

Having a trusted financial advisor work on our behalf is a good thing. We also trust that Jesus Christ did His best for all of us by dying for our sins at Calvary. Jesus Christ is real, He created and owns everything, and He is our primary relationship. There may be 293 ways to make change for a dollar but there’s only one way to enter into God’s eternal home in heaven. Therefore, God must always be our First Investment!

May these “God-valued” words bypass our minds and wallets and land in the center of our hearts.

Have a prosperous week!

Phil: 4:19; Prov 3:5-6; Ps.1:3

Editor’s Note:

Success is as easy as 1,2,3. FIRST Kings, Chapter TWO, Verse THREE.

“And keep the charge of the Lord your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn;” ‭‭I Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Praise the Mighty King!!

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Phil 2:13

Romans 8:28 is the scripture my wife Cynthia and I have relied upon since we were married almost twenty-five years ago. It says, “All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose.” It doesn’t say all things necessarily look or feel good; nonetheless, from God’s perspective, we believe that all things are working together for our benefit… as long as we love God and trust His word. Our choice in this is twofold: one, we can react to challenging circumstances in our lives as victims, merely complaining and surrendering as quitters; or secondly, we can see these same challenges as divine opportunities, helping us mature as thankful and hopeful problem-solvers in the name of our awesome Creator.

May the following prayer resound with a confident, relevant, and personal Message of Hope−a launch pad for a stronger grasp of what is real for this coming week!

Father in Heaven,

I choose to celebrate a level of victory every waking moment this week. In Christ, I can do all things. With Him, all things are possible. Under Your protection, I am safe. Being about Your business is my profitable lifestyle. During my time on earth (including this week), the Lord is my Shepherd. After my temporal journey, I will spend eternity with You, my Father in the Kingdom of Heaven. Your assurance that we can celebrate never-ending victory in Christ is a promise that is as good as it gets. I receive Your awesome gift of victory; I cherish it, I set it deep in my heart, and I commit to exercising it from this very moment! In Jesus’s precious name I pray… Amen!

Have a great week.  In Christ, we are on His way!

Gal 2:20

Editor’s Note:  Praise the Mighty King!

This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Ps 118:24

There is a painful connotation that comes with the idea of getting a ticket involving our automobile. If we choose to speed, drive under the Influence, drive and use a cell phone, violate a rule of the road or neglect our car registration / driver’s license requirement, we are likely to find that to be true in fact.

Lousy connotations and our vehicles aside, let’s focus on the way we’re driven in our personal lives today, and the potential we have to receive a more wholesome citation.

We all live our lives at a certain speed. Just think if an objective speed gun were trained on us. At various times and circumstances, we might be subject to being ticketed for living too slowly or too quickly for our own good. No matter the pace our life happens to be, let’s please stop and read the following poem by Thomas DeWitt Talmage. If we approach these words in a relaxed and cruise-controlled attitude, any ticket we receive will be spelled BLESSING.

For yesterday is but a dream,

And tomorrow is only a vision;

But today, well lived,

Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,

And every tomorrow a vision of hope.                          

May we all have a blessed day and an “auto-ticket-free” week!!

Romans 15:13

Editor’s Note: Habakkuk 2:2-3New King James Version (NKJV)
2 Then the Lord answered me and said:“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.

The One who lives inside of us knows when we should RUN & when we should WAIT FOR IT. May he always guide our speed limit through life.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil 4:13

If we believe God answers fervent prayers, then it’s not a stretch to believe He’ll answer serious questions too. Here is one I asked Him recently:

Heavenly Father, what is influence?

In His infinite wisdom, His response I believe I received went as follows:

Influence literally qualifies as a force. It can be subtle, dramatic, positive, or negative. On a temporal basis, your parents, your siblings, the values filtered into the family unit (whatever form that family unit takes), and the surrounding culture with its economics, educational guidelines, and media promotions all play influential roles. Friendships and social circles promote the exchange and release of influence. One thing to note, however, is that influence, as effective as it may seem to be in one moment, is always subject to change if its basis is something other than the truth I have set and established.

Understand that the influence of one who is committed to his own methods is only capable of subtle, dramatic or negative influence relative to Me and My agenda. Being receptive to My Spirit and love allows one to be positively influenced and to be a vessel capable of sharing the same. The key is to seek dependence in Me.

I am influence in its purest form-Love. My desire comes from an eternal perspective and has never changed. Quite simply, I will for My created beings to become poor in spirit so they may become greatly influenced to manifest Jesus. That, blessed creation, is influence!

Matt 28:19; Matt 5:13; Ps 97:10; Mark 13:31; Jer 32:27