Monthly Archives: June 2023

Last evening my daughter, Rishana, and Paige, my son Andrew’s wife, joined me at a painting class at a local lavender farm. It was something we’d never done before and we had such a great time!

The setting was just beautiful, with rows of lavender stretching out toward rolling hills of green, and the Blue Mountains of Oregon in the distance. Cows wandered on the hillside, birds were singing in the trees, and the sun was shining. It was the perfect setting to try my hand at acrylic landscape painting for the first time.

I’ve done a lot of drawing with pencil in the past and I’m fairly good at that, but I’ve only tried to paint a couple times, so this was a new experience for me. And I’ve never tried to paint outdoors before, which was a challenge. The paint dried quicker than I wanted it to, the wind was blowing, and, when the sun started to set, it got chilly. My teeth were chattering and my brush was shaking by the time I put the final touches on my “masterpiece.”

In spite of all this, I had a great time. Just being with Rishana and Paige and spending time in the beauty of God’s creation was worth the cost of the class.

Spending time out in nature is never wasted time. Those couple hours on that beautiful farm gave me a few moments of much needed peace and time away from a sometimes hectic schedule.

Psalm 19:1 and 2 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”

Today, if you can, take a few moments to spend a little time outside in nature. Take a paint brush and paint with you, if you want, or just spend the time listening to God speak. Feel HIs peace which passes all understanding seep into your soul and just enjoy a little time away with your Best Friend. Time with Jesus, especially outdoors, is the best part of any day!

God bless and have an amazing day!

On this date, June 19, in 1865, Major General Gordon Granger notified the last of enslaved African Americans in Texas they had been set free – two and a half years before!

The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, setting over 3.5 million African Americans in the Confederate States free. For two and a half years the African Americans had continued to labor under their cruel taskmasters, not realizing they were free. Why? Because no one had told them!

Over 150 years later, millions still remain enslaved, carrying heavy burdens of guilt, addictions, sorrow, and sin. What makes this even more tragic is that these same people were set free over 2000 years ago, when God’s Son died for them on the cross and John 8:36 promises “if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed.” Yet so many still struggle under their heavy loads. Why? Because no has told them they are free!

This June Nineteenth, as our nation celebrates the end of slavery, let us also celebrate the freedom we can find only by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us. And let’s not forget to share this wonderful news with those still entrapped by sin and guilt – they can be free, free indeed!

Best Father’s Day yet!

That was one of my first thoughts when I woke up this morning. For the last 10 years or so, it’s been hit or miss whether I would get to spend time with my children on Father’s Day. We lived 3-½ hours apart, which meant a long drive for either us or them if we were going to be together.

Not this year, however! This year we all live within 3 miles of each other, which means I’ll get to spend time with each of my children at some point in the day. That’s amazing!

Ana asked me last night what I wanted for Father’s Day and I told her I’ve already got it. Just being close to my children is the only present I need.

That’s how God feels about you and I. Psalm 103:13 says, “The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.”

God loves you and he longs to have you with Him. That’s why He gave us Jesus, “his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NLT).

Our Heavenly Father is not satisfied with a long-distance relationship with you. He wants you with Him, not just for a few hours, but forever. So He’s planning a big move for all His children. He’s already got a new home prepared for each of us, just down the street from His palace and Moving Day is just around the corner.

On that day “the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

Forever! I like the sound of that, don’t you? So does your Heavenly Father. He can hardly wait for that day to come. He can hardly wait to be with you and all of His children – forever!

When you finally walk through those pearly gates God is going to be right there to meet you, with a big grin on His face, and arms open wide. For Him that’s going to be, far and away, the Best Father’s Day Ever!

Today is June 14, National Flag Day here in the United States. It is a day set aside to honor the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, which has flown proudly over our nation, in one form or another, for over 200 years.

We fly our flag as a symbol of our national pride, a reminder of the resilience of our country and the principles upon which it was built. We fly it as a beacon of hope to all who come to our shores in search of “liberty and justice for all.”

As citizens of this great nation we take pride in our flag and all it stands for. When we pledge allegiance to the flag we are also pledging allegiance to “the republic for which it stands”, committing ourselves as its citizens to supporting it and helping it reach its full potential.

No matter what nation we call home, God calls us as its citizens to “submit to governing authorities.” (Romans 13:1). He tells us, “Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. (Romans 13:7). In other words, we are called to be good citizens.

At the same time, however, we must always remember that we, as Christians have a higher calling. While we must do our best to be good citizens, always honoring the flag and “the republic for which it stands,” working its “peace and prosperity” (Jeremiah 29:7) we must never forget we are also “citizens of heaven”. (Philippians 3:20). We are “a chosen people…royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.” (1 Peter 2:9).

This does not present a conflict of interest, because as God’s chosen people we will be the best citizens a nation could ask for. We will honor God by honoring our nation’s leaders, keeping the nation’s laws (as long as they do not conflict with God’s higher law), and working for the good of its citizens.

No matter what earthly nation you are a citizen of, no matter what flag you pledge allegiance to today, let your citizenship in heaven guide you to be the best citizen possible here on earth, showing by your lives “the goodness of God,” calling them “out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

God bless and Happy Flag Day!

Mike’s got a new heart!

A little over a month ago I asked you to pray for my friend, Mike Temple, who had had a massive heart attack and was in need of a heart transplant. Well, this last week Mike got his new heart!

The transplant went well, but Mike still has many challenges ahead. His kidney’s took a hit, necessitating dialysis, and he is very weak, but progressing well. Please continue to keep Mike in your thoughts and prayers. There are still many tough days ahead, but he’s headed in the right direction, praise God!

I’m thrilled that Mike has a new heart, but there are so many of you that I care about who are also in need of a new heart. With hearts diseased and broken by sin, you feel like you are stumbling through life only half alive, living in this world “without God and without hope.” (Ephesians 2:12).

The fact is we all were born this way. David laments in Psalm 51:5, “For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” And Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things…desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

All around us we see the horrible results of our conditions. Whether it is the atrocities being inflicted on the people of Ukraine, the almost daily mass shootings that plague our nation, or starving infants in Somalia, the cause of all this pain and suffering is the same – humanity’s diseased and sinful hearts.

But there is hope. Through Jesus Christ we can all receive what we really need – a new heart! That is why He came to this earth, “not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). If you will let Him He “will give you a new heart, and…put a new spirit in you. [He] will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

With his new heart Mike has a new beginning, a new chance at life. You too can experience a new start today. Mike had to wait for several weeks for his new heart, but you can have yours right now. Give Jesus your diseased, broken heart today and He “will give you a new heart” – a heart filled with love and joy and compassion, a heart that beats only for Him and for your fellow man.

Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t even wait another heartbeat. Give Jesus your life right now and start enjoying your new heart today!