Author Archives: rgedison@live.com

Did you hear a scream echoing through the air yesterday? If so, that was Ana and I yelling, “We’re debt free!”

About 15 years ago, we were $60,000 in debt (not counting the house) and barely able to stretch our finances from paycheck to paycheck. Then I heard about Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University, which was being offered at our local church.

After learning the common sense principles Dave teaches, Ana and I started putting them into practice. With gazelle intensity we started knocking down our debt, “living like no one else, so someday we could live like no one else.” I was amazed how quickly we were able to pay it off, once we put our minds to it.

Through the ensuing years we haven’t always been as gazelle intense as we were at first and we haven’t always done the best at following the Baby Steps. In spite of that, yesterday we paid off the mortgage on our house! Praise the Lord! We are finally debt free!

There is one debt, however, no amount of money could ever repay – the debt of sin. Paul says of us, “Because of the weakness of your human nature…you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin.” (Romans 6:12). Try as we might, we can not set ourselves free.

Thankfully, we have a Heavenly Father who “showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8 NLT). Because of Christ’s sacrifice, “you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.” (Romans 8:12). Your debt has been paid! You are free!

This morning God invites you to step into that freedom Christ purchased for you with His blood. Accept Jesus as your Savior today. Give Him your heart. Then shout to the heavens, so the whole world can hear, “I’m debt free!”

I always like the start of a new year. The past is in the past, with all its mistakes and triumphs. “The old is gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV). A clean, unspoiled year, like a mountain meadow after a new fallen snow, lies before us, untrampled, unsullied, full of possibilities, ready for us to make our mark on it.

God has such great plans for each of us in this coming year. The psalmist describes it this way, “How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.” (Psalm 31:19 NLT).

This morning God says to each of us, “Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18, 19 NIV).

This year, if you will give Him your heart and allow Him to direct your steps, God will send “an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” (Exodus 23:20). He will lavish His goodness on you and bless you before the watching world. Put your hand in His today and walk together into a new year. With God by your side, 2025 will be the best year yet!

God bless and have a wonderful New Year!

It’s Christmas Eve! One day to go! The excitement in the air is almost palpable. The stores are packed with last minute shoppers. Presents are starting to pile up under the trees. Stockings “are hung by the chimney with care”, and the sounds of carols mixes with the scent of cinnamon and sugar from the batch of cookies just pulled from the oven.

As the song says, this truly is “the most wonderful time of the year.” I think it’s one of God’s favorite times also, because for a few fleeting hours a large portion of the world’s inhabitants are focused on Him and the wonderful gift He gave us in His Son. The sound of people singing “Away in a Manger” and the “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” must bring joy to His heart, especially when sung by little children who are just beginning to learn of His wondrous love.

However, after tomorrow it will all be over. The presents will have all been unwrapped, the “roast beast” will have been eaten, the carols will all have been sung. We’ll all return to our routines, to the daily grind and, for many, thoughts of the Christ Child will be shelved for another year, right next to the ribbons and bows, strings of lights, and the artificial tree.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Every day of the coming year can be “the most wonderful time of the year” if you will keep your focus on Jesus, if you spend everyday walking with Him. God’s love for us is not limited to one day a year. No, “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is [His] faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:23 NIV).

This Christmas don’t let the joy end at the end of the day. Decide right now to carry it with you throughout the coming year. Remember, every day can be Christmas, if we spend it with the Child!

I know! I know! It’s been ages since I’ve written. My only excuse is it’s been a challenging last couple months. No need to go into details. Suffice it to say, God is good and He’s always there for us, no matter what challenges we face. Not only that, but He uses even difficult times in life to help us grow and for that I am so grateful.

Anyway, enough of that! It’s Christmas! My favorite time of the year! I love the bright lights and carols and cool crisp nights and snow on the ground (haven’t gotten any of that yet, unfortunately). It’s just such a wonderful time of year! And the best part of all is how it reminds me how much God loves us.

Just think about this! Jesus, “though he was God, …did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.” (Philippians 2:6, 7 NLT).

How amazing is that? The Creator of the universe, adored by countless unfallen beings inhabiting countless unfallen worlds, worshipped by “thousands and millions of angels around the throne,” came down to this dirty, little planet and was born a “a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” (Revelation 5:11 NLT, Luke 2:12 NKJV). And why? Because He loves us!

This Christmas week, take time from the hustle and bustle of the season, to remember the reason for the season. Contemplate once again the amazing fact that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV). Now, that’s a gift worth celebrating!

Merry Christmas!

It’s a wee bit windy here in the Walla Walla Valley. The wind blew all last night, with gusts up to 50 mph. Trash cans have been turned over and blown into the street, branches are broken, and anything not secured is in danger of blowing a way. I tried to go for my morning walk, but had to turn back, because I was being knocked back and forth by the wind.

Wind has enormous power for change. The Bible speaks of “four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, hold back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or any tree.” (Revelation 7:1). The four angels are instructed to hold back the wind until God can “put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” (v. 3).

I knew the wind we are experiencing in Walla Walla were coming. We’d seen the forecast, so we were not surprised, so we had time to prepare, to make sure everything that might blow away was secure. But even though we knew the winds were coming, we didn’t realize they would be this strong.

Likewise, we know God will not hold back the “winds of strife” from this earth forever. A day is coming in the near future when those winds will be loosed and there will be “a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then.” (Daniel 12:1a).

Just as we knew the winds were coming, so we know difficult times lie ahead for this earth. But don’t need to be afraid, because we are promised that “at that time [God’s] people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.” (Daniel 12:1b).

No, we don’t need to be afraid, but we do need to be prepared. Now is the time to get your life right with God, “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Give Jesus your heart today. Don’t wait until tomorrow.

The winds of strife are coming. Today “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.” Ephesians 6:13).

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV).

Have you ever wondered about this text? I sure have. How can God expect you to give thanks when your world seems to be falling apart, when you lose your job, are felled by illness, or have been rejected by someone you love? How can you be grateful for loss, disappointment, and suffering?

The truth is you can’t and God isn’t asking you to. The text doesn’t tell you to be thankful “for” all circumstances. It says to be thankful “in” all circumstances. When you are a child of God you can be thankful in whatever situation you find yourself. Why? Because you are never alone. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV).

Today, you may not feel too thankful “for” the circumstances you find yourself in, but you can be thankful that your Heavenly Father will be with you “in” it every step of the journey. So, no matter what comes your way today, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34).

One of the most annoying things I run into at work is when a patient won’t put their phone away so I can get a decent history. I’m trying to figure out what to do for them and they’ve got their head down the entire time texting or scrolling through some social media site. It’s even worse when it’s a parent and they can’t put down their phone long enough to tell me what’s wrong with their kid. Arghh!!

Unfortunately, I do the same thing to God. He’s trying to communicate with me, to keep me on the right track, to build a relationship with me, but I’m so distracted by my work, the bills, some TV program, or, yes, my phone, He can’t get my attention. I’m so caught up with the cares and distractions of this life, I miss out on the most precious thing of all – time with my God.

God knew we would be like this, so He built a pause into our weekly routine, 24 hours when we can put all these worries and cares aside and reconnect with Him. This precious gift is called the Sabbath and it’s my favorite day of the week. For one whole day I get to stop worrying about work, what’s happening in the news, or any of the other innumerable things that grapple for my attention the other 6 days of the week, and just spend time with family, friends, and, best of all, Jesus.

Keeping the Sabbath is not a way to earn your way to heaven. Keeping it isn’t being legalistic, it’s being smart! We all need a break once in a while and the Sabbath is just what we need at the end of a busy week. It is a precious gift God gave us at the very dawn of creation when He “blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:3 NIV).

This evening, as the sun sets and the Sabbath begins, take a break. “Come aside…and rest awhile.” (Mark 6:31 NKJV). Put away whatever has you distracted, whether it’s work or bills or maybe even your phone, and reconnect with Jesus. Give Him your full attention for 24 hours and discover for yourself what a difference the Sabbath can make.

Do you ever feel ordinary? Nothing special? Inadequate? I think we all do at one time or another.

When I face an especially challenging set of patient symptoms, I long for the insight of Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin, or Jonas Salk, the creator of the polio vaccine. But no, I’m just an ordinary PA, seeing ordinary patients, who sometimes have extraordinary problems. And sometimes I ask God, “Why me?”

That’s how Moses felt. For the last 40 years he’d been leading a quiet life in the wilderness, just tending a few sheep, doing nothing special with his life. He was just an ordinary shepherd, leading ordinary sheep through ordinary days. But then he saw that burning bush and His whole life changed.

When Moses encountered God on that fateful day and heard what He wanted him to do, he drew back in fear. Moses had never felt so ordinary, so inadequate, in his entire life. He said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11 NIV).

But God was ready for him. He said to Moses, “I will be with you.” (v. 12). That should have been enough, but Moses still balked. So God did something extraordinary with something ordinary. He said, “What is that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2).

Moses looked in bewilderment at the shepherd’s rod in his hand and replied, “A staff.”

Well, you know the rest of the story. God turned that staff into a snake, used it to transform water into blood, to part the Red Sea, and to save an entire nation. God used the ordinary to do the extraordinary and changed the world.

God can do the same with you. No matter how ordinary you feel, God wants to do extraordinary things in your life, if you will let Him. This morning, He says to you, “What is that in your hand?” What are your talents, your skills, your passions, your resources? He wants them all, no matter how ordinary. Just give them to the Father today. Then get ready! Your ordinary life is about to become extraordinary!

“I wanted to tell you, thank you.” These few words, spoken in a quiet voice by my patient’s mother, stopped me in my tracks. I was busy writing out discharge instructions for her child, my mind focused on the task at hand, but these words broke my concentration. Turning to her I asked, “What do you mean?”

Turns out I’d seen her other daughter a few days before. This child, who is developmentally delayed, had been very uncooperative and the exam had not been an easy one. The mother told me, “You and your staff were so gentle and patient with her. I was going through a rough time and seeing how you treated my daughter made such a difference for me. It encouraged me to keep going.”

It’s amazing how a kind word can change a person’s whole perspective. This mother’s expression of gratitude changed my whole day. I’d been feeling rushed and stressed, complaining inside about all the little things which hadn’t gone right, but this mother’s simple words helped me refocus on what really matters and changed the whole trajectory of my day.

It’s so easy to look at the negative in this life, the small annoyances, the little detours every day holds. How much better to do what this mother did, to look for the good, and find ways to brighten someone else’s day with a kind word or a little compliment.

We each have a choice today. We can murmur and complain and make everyone around us miserable or we can look for the good in the world and the people we meet. Today let’s “encourage one another and build each other up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV). Who knows? Just a couple kind words could make a huge difference in another person’s outlook today. I know they sure helped mine.

God bless and have a wonderful day!

Most of the time when I meet someone, they’re first question is, “How’s it going?”. Many times I’m tempted to tell them the truth, that it’s been a lousy day, that I’m tired and discouraged, and that nothing seems to be going right. But I know they don’t want to hear that, so I dutifully reply “Pretty good” or “Not bad.”

The thing is, even if I told them how I really felt, they couldn’t do anything about my problems anyway. Besides, they have enough problems of their own. They don’t need me dumping on them and just bringing us both down.

No, far better to take my problems to someone who can do something about them – my Heavenly Father. He even invites me to do this, telling me, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). And James 4:10 tells us to “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

There’s nothing we can throw at the Father that He can’t handle. He’s got the answer to all your problems and “when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

No matter what you’re facing today, God’s got you. Trust in Him and He will give the strength to “run and not grow weary…walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31). He’s got an answer for all your problems and “will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

So, the next time someone asks you “How’s it going?” don’t dump all your problems on them. Instead tell them the truth – God is in control!