Monthly Archives: June 2022

One of the things I love doing in the summer is “a lotta front porch sittin’”. Feet propped up on the table (don’t tell my wife), glass of lemonade in my hand, and a good book to while away the time. It doesn’t get much better than that!

In this busy world we live in, downtime is a precious commodity. We’re always rushing someplace, as Alan Jackson puts it, “tryin’ to make a livin’”. We’re so busy being busy we hardly have time for the things that really matter, like our families, our friends, our God. In working so hard to make sure we don’t miss out on the good things of life we run the risk of missing out on the best things in life.

Jesus understood this. That’s why one day He said to His disciples, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” (Mark 6:31 NLT). The Bible goes on to explain that “He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.” Sound familiar?

Jesus knew that his disciples, even though they were doing God’s work, were in danger of burning out. They needed to get away from the hustle and bustle to recharge and refocus. The same holds true for us over 2000 years later. We all could use more “front porch sittin’”.

Even God Himself rested. Genesis 2:2 tells us, “On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.” Then He went one step further and “blessed the seventh day and declared it holy,” forever setting it aside as a special day for us to “rest awhile.”

If the Son of God felt the need for a little downtime, don’t you think it might be good for you too? And since our Heavenly Father set aside a day for us to get that rest we need so much, shouldn’t we take advantage of it? 

The Sabbath is a day to step away from our busy lives and for 24 wonderful hours just Stop, Look, and Listen – stop our rushing to and fro, look around us at the beauties God has made, and listen for our Father’s voice. There’s so much He wants to say to us.

So, this week, when the Sabbath rolls around, why not accept Jesus’ invitation to “go off…to a quiet place and rest awhile”? You don’t have to go far. Any quiet place will do. As for me, I’ll be right here with my feet up, ice-cold lemonade in one hand and a good book in the other, doing my favorite thing in the whole world, “a lotta front porch sittin’”.

Wanna join me? Come on down!

I love being a father!

My children and their mother are the most precious things in my life. I love to brag about my kids, about how they are making a real difference in the world. I talk about them all the time to my friends, telling about something they did that made me proud or made me laugh, or about how much fun we have on those rare occasions we all get together.

I’m so proud of Rishana and the real difference she’s making in her patient’s lives; of Andrew for his leadership at his work and in his home and for the wonderful husband and father he’s become; and of Alex for his efforts to provide young people with a healthy outlet for their time, by leading out in developing an Ultimate Frisbee league.

I could go on and on about my kids and how proud I am to be their father, but I think you get the jist. They are such amazing people and I love talking about them and spending time with them every chance I get. They are my delight and I love them with all my heart.

That is how God feels about you and I. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “He will take delight in you with gladness…He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” And Psalm 103:13, tells us, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”

Our Heavenly Father loves you “with an everlasting love.” (Jeremiah 31:3). He’s crazy about you! He delights in you! You are constantly on His mind and what affects you affects Him. In fact He says, ““anyone who touches you touches the pupil of his eye.” (Zechariah 2:8). Have you ever gotten poked in the eye? It hurts! That’s how much God cares for you. He hurts when you hurt.

My children are not perfect. Sometimes they make choices that I wish they wouldn’t, choices I know will cause them harm. When this happens it hurts, like someone poked me in the eye, but I don’t stop loving them. They are still my most precious possession.

It’s the same with God. When you mess up He doesn’t throw up His hands and walk away. No, instead, He “with unfailing love” draws you to himself. (Jeremiah 31:3b). Like the prodigal son’s father, your Heavenly Father is constantly watching for you. If you will just turn towards Him He will run to you, throw His arms around you and wrap you in the robe of righteousness paid for with His son’s own blood. That’s how much He loves you.

This morning, if you’ve wandered away, come home to the Father. Don’t be afraid. The Father loves you and promises that “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).You are His delight. Come to Him today. Let Him “calm all your fears” and “rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Come to Father today and then listen to Him sing!

Happy Father’s Day!

62 years old!

Wow! How can I be that old, when I feel so young?

God has been so good to me! I’ve been blessed with a wonderful wife, amazing children, loving parents, great siblings, and terrific friends (who’ve been filling my Facebook timeline with birthday wishes all day). I’ve got good health, a great job working with people I love and admire, and a beautiful home in the country.

I could go on and on, but the greatest blessing in my life, by far, is the reason for all the other blessings – Jesus Christ! He made all these other blessings possible when He gave His life for me on the cross. And His work didn’t end there for “He lives forever to intercede with God on our behalf.” (Hebrews 7:26 NIV).

Having Jesus as my best friend and my Savior, makes all those other blessings even better. It gives me a reason for getting up each morning and brings purpose and meaning to my life. It makes friendships more precious, my days brighter, and even birthday cake taste sweeter.

My life has had plenty of ups and downs over the last 62 years. I’ve lost count of the mistakes I’ve made and the ways I’ve messed up. I look back with shame at some of the things I’ve done, the bad decisions I’ve made, and, most of all, the people I’ve hurt.

But Jesus died so I could be forgiven and rise above all that. With Him in my life I can learn from the mistakes of my past and, by faith, step into a better tomorrow. Because of what Jesus did I can, like Paul, forget the past, look forward to what lies ahead, and “press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:14).

Jesus can do the same for you, my friends. In 1 John 1:9 He promises “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” You can start over. You can have a new beginning, because “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today is my birthday, but I’d love to share it with you. Make it your birthday too. Just accept Jesus as your Savior today. Give Him your heart and accept the wonderful gift He bought for you with His blood – a new beginning! Then hang on for the ride, because the best is yet to come!

For the last couple months Ana has been spending every spare moment planting seeds, repotting seedlings, and preparing the soil of our garden. Now planting time is almost over. Now comes the hardest time of all – waiting for the plants to grow.

Things are pretty much out of Ana’s hands at this point. As much as she’d like to, Ana can’t control the weather. She can’t send the rain or set the temperature. She has no say in how fast a plant grows or how much fruit it produces. For the most part she just has to sit back and wait, hope and pray.

Having children is a lot like planting a garden. We try to give our children a good start, provide a caring home environment, and make sure their needs are met. We invest in their education, surround them with love, and prepare them for the future the best we can. There comes a time, however, when there’s not much else we can do. Things are pretty much out of our hands and we just have to wait to see how they turn out.

Sometimes things go well, but at other times our kids can get a little off course. Those are the tough times for a parent. It hurts so much when these children we love so much make poor decisions, choosing a path we know will only bring them harm. We only want the best for them, but that’s not always in our control.

In times like these, when our children are growing in directions we’d prefer they didn’t take, God’s promise in Proverbs 22:6 can mean so much. God says there, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (NKJV)

This doesn’t mean they won’t wander at times, sending off an errant shoot in a direction you didn’t want them to go. We all sometimes get off track, but just like Ana redirects a wandering vine back on the trellis where it belongs, so God will do all He can to lead our children back to the way they should go.

Remember, God loves our children even more than we do and He will pull out all the stops to save them and help them grow in their walk with Him. So don’t be discouraged. God’s not done with them yet. The same God who “began the good work in [them], will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6 NLT).

Gardens take time to grow and so do children (even after they’ve grown up). Sometimes the waiting time can be hard, but, remember, you gave your children a good start. Now let God do the rest. The Master Gardener’s still at work. Put your children in His hands today. There’s no safer place for them to be.