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When we first moved to Western Washington in 2001 one of the things I was amazed at were the raspberries and blackberries. I was used to the small, wild berries we had back East, but these things were huge! You could fill a bucket in no time and they were everywhere. The problem was, if you weren’t careful the plant’s thorns would tear you to shreds!

Thinking about this, I was reminded of Paul’s complaint in 2 Corinthians 12:7. He said, “So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”

Paul goes on to say, “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, ‘My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.’” (v. 8-9)

I don’t know what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was, but I think we all can relate. Each of us has had our own “thorn,” something painful in our lives which tears at our peace of mind, rips at our hopes and dreams, leaving us feeling wounded and torn.

For some the thorn may be a physical impairment, for others a job they hate, but can’t afford to leave. For still others it may be a difficult relationship or financial difficulties. Whatever our “thorn” it is difficult to see it as a blessing, but we must remember we serve a God who “causes everything to work together for the good.”

Our Heavenly Father knows just what we need and sometimes allows thorns and brambles, trials and difficulties, to come into our life, so we can realize our dependence on HIm and that His grace is all we need. It is only when we come to the point of recognizing our utter helplessness without Him that we can be truly victorious.

I don’t know what “thorn in the flesh” you’re dealing with today, but maybe it’s time to stop fighting with God over it. Instead, trust that He knows what’s best and like Paul, “take pleasure in [your] weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that [you] suffer for Christ. For when [you are] weak, then [you are] strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Remember, hidden amongst the thorns is delicious fruit and within each trial God hides a blessing. Today, stop worrying about the brambles and seek the fruit!

I’ve been in medicine for over 37 years and I’ve seen a lot of things change in that time. When I started out we didn’t have computers in my Dad’s office. All our charts were handwritten and the notes usually covered about a half a page. Now, everything’s done on computers and my notes run 4-6 pages.

There’ve been so many other changes. Cell phones, smart watches, and digital x-rays. HIV, avian flu, and COVID. We used to give antibiotics for the mildest cough, but now we avoid them unless absolutely indicated. Treatment methodologies which were standard practice 30 years ago have fallen by the wayside, as new research has pointed us in different directions.

One of the most exciting changes is the rise of Lifestyle Medicine, which uses diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes as first line treatment for chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer prevention. I’m going to the annual Lifestyle Medicine Conference in Denver this next week and can hardly wait to see what the newest research shows in this rapidly growing field (actually I’m looking forward to the food most of all – it’s usually fantastic!).

Change is not limited to medicine. Whether it’s technology, agriculture, social science, politics, or almost any area, the rate of change can make you dizzy. Nature too changes constantly, one season following another. Even relationships can change in a moment. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, leaving us wondering what we can really count on.

Thankfully there is One who never changes – Jesus Christ! He “is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8 NLT). Even when everything else seems to be falling apart around you, He is the solid Rock you can build your life on.

Change is inevitable, except when it comes to our God. The “mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him…” (Psalm 103:17). When your world is spinning out of control, hold on to Jesus. He loves you with an everlasting love and that’s one thing which will never change.

As a writer and a speaker I love searching for just the right word or combination of words to get my point across. As Solomon said, “…it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!” (Proverbs 15:23 NLT).

Unfortunately, too often, I’m more likely to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. I’ll get upset at a co-worker for not getting something right and a harsh word slips out. Then I have to spend the rest of the day mending fences. Another time I might mean to give a compliment and end up insulting the other person by mistake. It’s no wonder James described the tongue as “restless and evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8).

Words have so much power, both for good or evil. As Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Words can build bridges or tear them down. They start wars or heal wounds. They can express love or spew hatred.

In the end, it all comes down to who we put in control of our tongues. If we give God control He will teach us when to speak and when to stay silent. When we do speak our words will be “a life-giving fountain;” (Proverbs 10:11), will “encourage many,” (Proverbs 10:21) and may even “save lives.” (Proverbs 12:6). That’s the power of words, when we let God have control.

Today, before you do anything else, and especially before you say a single word, ask God to take control of your tongue. Let your prayer be, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14). Ask Him to give you “the right thing to say at the right time” and determine to use the power of words to share His love everywhere you go.

For some reason my mind seems to think the middle of the night is the perfect time to solve all the world’s problems, or at least the ones in my little corner of it. I wake up at 1:30 or 2 in the morning and my mind just takes off, filled with ideas, worries, and problems. It makes it really hard to get back to sleep.

The one thing I’ve found which helps is to refocus my thoughts. Instead of lying awake worrying about all the questions in my life, I refocus my thoughts on the One who already knows all the answers. I try to follow David’s example who said, “I lie awake thinking of [God], meditating on [Him] through the night.” (Psalm 63:6 NLT).

Instead of rehashing my problems, I think about His love and thank Him for His blessings – my wife sleeping by my side, my children and grandchildren, direction for my steps, forgiveness for my sins – the list goes on and on. As I do this, all those other thoughts fade away and, usually, I’ve only gone a short way down the list before I’m sound asleep again.

So, if worries and cares wake you up tonight, instead of numbering your problems, try counting your blessings. Thank God for all the things He’s done for you and say to yourself, “Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.” (Psalm 116:7 NIV). Refocus your thoughts on Jesus, instead of your worries and cares, and soon you’ll be sleeping like a baby – and probably snoring a bit too!

“It’s just another book,”
I’ve heard some people say.
But I know it has power inside
to help all who’ve gone astray.

It can take a broken spirit
and make it whole once more.
When read by a weary soul,
his strength it will restore.

It can lead a long lost sinner,
back to the narrow way,
To give his heart to Jesus,
begin again to pray.

It gives sad and grieving hearts
hope for better days ahead
When death is overcome
and no more tears we’ll shed.

It promises a day is coming
when the skies will open wide
And Jesus will come to take us home,
to be always by His side.

The Bible’s not ”just another book.”
It’s God’s love letter, pure and true.
It tells of how He gave His Son
to bleed and die for you.

So, don’t wait another moment
to open up it’s pages
Read there what Jesus did for you,
that holy Rock of Ages.

Then get down on your knees.
Give Him your heart today.
Study daily in His Word
and you’ll find a better way.

We’re still going through the process of unpacking our stuff from our move here. It seems like an unending process sometimes, but it’s worth it when I discover things I thought were lost or thrown away in the move.

A couple days ago I discovered a duffel bag filled with clothes tucked into a closet. As I started unpacking it I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple shirts and a favorite sweater I’d thought were lost. It was like finding hidden treasure!

The shirts and sweater were pretty wrinkled, enough so Ana threw them in the wash. She tossed in some soap and started up the washer. Those clothes got soaked, scrubbed, tossed about, and spun around. Then they were thrown into the dryer to be subjected to the heat and more spinning. You’d think after all that they’d look even worse than before, but actually they looked great, with not a wrinkle in sight.

In Ephesians, Paul tells us “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word…” (Ephesians 5:25-27 NIV).

Without Christ, we’re a mess. Stained, wrinkled, and just plain filthy. But God loved us so much He didn’t leave us in this condition. He sent His Son to die for us, so we could be cleansed by His blood and washed “with water through the word…”

Separated from God by our sins, we were “without hope and without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12). But Jesus changed all that. Now we are clean in Him. But God’s not done with us yet. He wants even more for us. He wants to be able to “present [us] to himself as a radiant church…” (Ephesians 5:27).

In order to accomplish this God sometimes has to put us through the wringer. He lets life toss us about. He allows circumstances to send us spinning. Finally, He uses the heat of hardship to burn away the dross in our souls, so when He is done we will be “without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:27).

This process doesn’t seem “pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11). When we finally walk through Heaven’s Gate we will know it was worth it all. With a shout of joy we will throw our crowns at Jesus’ feet and thank Him for putting us through the wringer, so we could stand before His throne, without stain or blemish and not a wrinkle in sight!

I’ve been waiting for God to answer a certain prayer for a long time. You don’t need to know the details, but it’s pretty important to me. Everyday I talk to Him about it. Ok, I admit, sometimes it’s more pleading than talking. It’s just so hard waiting for Him to answer. I’m afraid He’ll say “No”, but also terrified He’ll say “Yes” because, when that happens, everything changes.

Waiting on the Lord is sometimes difficult, but lately, something has been changing. No, not in this thing I’ve been praying about. The change is in me. The more time I’ve spent talking to God about this, the less important it’s become for me. I still want it, but I’ve found something else I want more – this closeness with God I’ve found from spending so much time struggling with Him.

It’s sort of a settling in my soul, a realization that what really matters is not getting what I want, but wanting what I’ve got. It’s being satisfied with the way things are, if that’s what God wants them to be. I guess that’s what Paul was talking about when he said, ”I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11 NIV).

It’s okay to want something good really bad. Jesus even said we should “should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1). I think sometimes, however, God doesn’t answer our prayers right away, because He wants something better for us – a relationship with Him.

If God gave us what we ask for right away, we’d say “Thanks” and be on our merry way, missing out on the chance to get to know Him better. So, instead, He makes us wait, lets us struggle with Him in prayer, and the more time we struggle, the more we learn to trust. He gives us time to grow closer to Him and, in the end, that is the best gift of all.

Jesus promised His Father “will give you whatever you ask in [Jesus’] name.” (John 16:23). But you may have to wait a while before you get an answer. This isn’t always easy, but the wait is always worth it in the end. So, while you’re waiting for God to answer, make good use of the time to get to know Him better. You may just find He’s what you’ve been waiting for all along.

One of my favorite memories is of spelunking with Dad and Uncle Ben in a cave in Tennessee when I was a teenager. As I remember, the cave was set in the middle of the field. There was this large crater in the ground, with a path leading down into it.

When you got to the bottom, the only way into the cave was through a small tunnel in the rock. The tunnel was just large enough for a man to crawl through on his belly. About half-way through, the tunnel turned sharply to the left, before entering the cave.

I remember pushing my backpack ahead of me as I squirmed forward. I’m a little claustrophobic and I could feel the walls closing in on me. When I got to the turn I felt a moment of panic, certain I was going to get stuck as I navigated the corner. After taking a couple deep breaths I was able to press on. Moments later I dropped out of the tunnel into the cave itself.

What I saw took my breath away! I was in a huge cavern with massive stalactites and stalagmites and multi-colored rock formations. It was incredible! I was so glad I hadn’t given up when I was crawling through that narrow tunnel. If I had I would have missed out on the beauty of that amazing cave.

Jesus warned “small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:14 NIV). It goes against our human nature to take the narrow way, to do the difficult thing, but we miss out on so much when we choose the broad road, the easy path.

Being a Christian can be uncomfortable, unpopular, and just plain hard, but in the end it will be worth it all. When we finally walk through that narrow gate that leads to the tree of life, all the difficulties and hardships we’ve faced along the way will seem like nothing, as we behold the wonders of Heaven.

If you’re going through a tight place in your life, not sure you can turn the corner that lies ahead, don’t despair. You are not alone. Jesus has already gone before you. Keep your eyes on Him and He will lead you safely through that narrow way to your glorious new home. So, don’t give up. Press on! You’re almost there!

The news recently told of an Australian sailor, Timothy Shaddock, who, with his dog Bella, spent 3 months floating in the Pacific Ocean off of Mexico. He had set sail from La Paz, Mexico, but ran into bad weather. His boat crippled, he drifted out of the Sea of Cortez into the Pacific. Three months later they were finally rescued when a tuna boat’s helicopter spotted them 1200 miles from land.

We love to hear stories like this, of people who have drifted out to sea and survived. Sometimes it happens due to bad weather or an engine malfunction. At other times it’s just that the person wasn’t paying attention to the tides or the weather and got swept out to sea.

This is often what happens to us as Christians. The apostle Paul warned that “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (Hebrews 2:1 NIV).

We get so busy with our daily lives, just making a living, putting one foot in front of the other, we stop paying attention to what really matters, things like spending time with God and studying His Word. Before we know it we’ve drifted away from Him and the Truth and aren’t sure how to find our way back.

Don’t let this happen to you. Don’t drift through life, without purpose or direction, “carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” (Hebrews 13:9). Anchor yourself to the Rock, Christ Jesus. Study His Word everyday, reviewing the truths you have learned and discovering new depths of His love for you. Spend time talking with Him and seeking His direction for your life. If you do this you will never drift away from His sight, but will alway stay safely in the Harbor of His love.

I’ve discovered something I really don’t like about College Place – Spiders!

They have these spiders here that, in the Fall, seem to be everywhere. They spin their webs on my mailbox, on the railings of our front porch and between the plants in the garden.

The thing I hate most is when they make long strands of webbing across the sidewalks. I’ll be walking along, minding my own business and the next thing you’ll see is me frantically flailing my arms, trying to free myself from the spider web I just walked into. It gets on my face and sticks to my arms and hands. The only thing it doesn’t get into is my hair, but only because I don’t have any.

Now, I’m not afraid of spiders. I’d just rather not get entangled in their webs when I’m walking down the street. That’s a good way to ruin a perfectly good walk!

The thing is, I usually don’t see the web strands before I get wrapped up in them. If I saw them I’d avoid them. Sin’s a lot like that. I may not even be looking for trouble, but I’m also not watching where I’m going. Before I realize it I’ve walked into some temptation Satan has strung across my path and I find myself all tangled up in old habits and sins I thought I was done with.

I can free myself pretty easily from a spider web, but when I get entangled once again in old sins and temptations I’m pretty helpless on my own. I struggle and flail about, but I can’t get free without help. Thankfully, help is just a prayer away. God promises “call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” (Psalm 50:15 NIV).

So, don’t despair if you’ve gotten caught once again in Satan’s web. Call on Jesus and He will set you free from “the sin that so easily entangles.” (Hebrews 12:1). And “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36).