Category Archives: Uncategorized

Things went pretty well at my new job this last week, but I did get a lesson in humility along the way. The electronic medical record system they use is Epic, which I used for many years in Wenatchee. Because of this I thought it would be a cinch to make the transition. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I haven’t used Epic in a year and half and I quickly discovered this is not the same Epic I remember!

I was only there a short time before I realized I was going to need some help. So, swallowing my pride, I submitted to hours of instructional videos, Zoom meetings, and working with other providers, learning the ins and outs of this system again. By the end of the week I was experiencing serious information overload. I came home on Friday and complained to Ana, “My brain hurts!”

It was not easy admitting I couldn’t do it on my own, but I’m glad I did, because I’m finally getting the hang of Epic again. I am so thankful for the people who helped me get back in the swing of things. Without them I’d have been totally lost.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus told His disciples, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3 NIV). That phrase “poor in spirit” has always been a little confusing to me. Is Jesus saying if we’re depressed we are blessed? If so, I have a problem with that, because I’ve dealt with depression and I sure didn’t feel blessed by it.

My experience this last week has given me a new perspective on this verse, however. I think what Jesus meant, when He said “Blessed are the poor in spirit”, is we are blessed when we realize our helplessness, swallow our pride, and humbly ask Him for help. When we do, then He steps in and fills us with His wisdom, giving direction to our steps. Then, with Jesus in our corner, ours “is the kingdom of heaven.”

Asking for a little help, when you’re in over your head, is the smart thing to do. When it comes to dealing with the sin in your life, it’s the only thing to do! So, don’t be afraid to pray, “Uh, a little help here, please!. Just swallow your pride, admit your need, and invite the Holy Spirit to come in and straighten out the mess you’ve made. When you do, you’ll find all heaven will have your back!

God bless and have a wonderful day!

I met another older gentleman on my walk yesterday, only this was a little different from the day before. While the first man’s gait had been shuffling and slow, he still walked with purpose, focused on the road ahead. The man I met yesterday was focused, but not on the road ahead.

As I saw this person approaching me down the sidewalk, I could tell something wasn’t right. His head was down, his gait was slow, but he was also weaving a little from side-to-side and he held his hands clenched out in front of him. The closer he got the more worried I became that there was something wrong with him. Turns out I was right – he wasn’t watching where he was going!

As the man passed by me I saw why he seemed directionally challenged. Gripping tightly to his cell phone, he was texting furiously, while listening through earphones. To top it off he had a tablet precariously balanced on his left arm, so he could watch its screen while he walked. No wonder he was swerving back-and-forth.

It would be easy for us to criticize this man for letting his devices distract him, but we’ve all been there. Life is full of things that make us lose our focus. It can be problems at work, relationship challenges, school, or any number of other things. Distracted by these temporary complications, we lose track of where we’re headed, putting us at risk of ending up somewhere we really don’t want to be.

So, what’s the solution? How do we get back on track? We have to take a break, put away the things that are distracting us for a while, and refocus on what, and Who, really matters.

That’s what God gave us the Sabbath for. Jesus said, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27 NIV). Our Heavenly Father knew we, His children, could be easily distracted, caught up in work and other pursuits, forgetting to even take time to rest. That’s why He set aside one day each week for us to take a break, get some rest, and refocus on what really matters, our relationships with Him and the important people in our lives.

This Sabbath, don’t make the same mistake as the gentleman I met, letting yourself get so distracted you start wandering from the right path. Take a break, get some rest, and get back on track. I promise, you’ll be glad you did.

Walk Like You Mean It

God has blessed me with long legs, so when I go on my morning walk each day I cover a lot of ground in a short time. Yesterday, while out walking, I met an older gentleman coming the other way. His gait was fairly slow and shuffling, as he did his best to move arthritic joints, but he had a great smile!

As we passed each other the man glanced at my long-legged stride and, with a smile, shouted, “Walk like you mean it!”

I laughed and we both continued walking, but as I quickly left him in the dust, his words kept echoing in my mind, “Walk like you mean it!” I asked myself, is that what I’m doing? Am I walking through life with purpose, like I mean it, or just meandering from one day to the next?

The apostle Paul, facing trials and persecutions, declared, “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24 NIV).

Paul was walking through life like he meant it, his eyes focused on the goal, dedicated to completing his assignment, to telling the world “the good news of God’s grace.” He wouldn’t let anything stand in his way, so that one day, his task completed, he could declare, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (1 Timothy 4:7).

How about you? Are you walking like you mean it? Are you focused, like Paul, on finishing the race? Or are you just meandering through life with no real goal in mind, content to stroll from day-to-day? If so, I encourage you to pick up your feet, focus your eyes on Jesus, and, from this day forward, walk like you mean it!

Who did you see when you woke up this morning and looked in the mirror?

My sister, JoAnn, asked this question in response to one of my recent posts. Specifically she asked, “When we look in the mirror in the morning and evening, are we seeing Jesus or our own reflection from the day?”

Pretty profound, don’t you think? That sister of mine is a smart woman! She’s cut right down to the crux of the matter. I was blown away when I read this. It made me take another look at myself and ask myself the question, “Who do people see when they look at me?”

Proverbs 27:19 says, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” If our heart belongs to Jesus, then our life will reflect Him too.

John promised “that when Christ appears, we shall be like him…” (1 John 3:2 NIV). I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to wait till then. I want to be like Jesus today and everyday, reflecting HIs love on everyone I meet.

How about you? Who do you see when you look in the mirror? If you don’t like the answer, then invite Jesus into your life right now. Let His love fill your heart till your life reflects no one but Him. Then go and share Him with the world.

Today is my first day at my new and, hopefully, last job before I retire. I had orientation last week in their Richland office, but today will be my first day at the College Place location where I’ll be working.

I’m excited and optimistic about this opportunity, but mostly I’m determined to do things differently this go round. At the job I just left I didn’t have a good attitude. Yes, the job was not ideal and the administration didn’t always make the best choices, but I realized toward the end the real problem was my negative attitude. With God’s help I’ll do better this time around.

Attitude makes such a difference. It can turn a great situation sour and sweeten even the foulest circumstances. To have this type of attitude we need a transformation in how we think. Our natural tendency is to look out for ourselves, to make sure no one takes advantage of us, to build ourselves up. This isn’t Christ’s way, however.

In describing Himself, Jesus said he “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:35 NIV). Jesus, even though He was “in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant…” (Philippians 2:6, 7).

The secret to a positive attitude, whether at work, home, or whatever circumstance you find yourself in is to have the “mind of Christ” and, like Him, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Phillipians 2:3, 4).

This doesn’t come easily to any of us, but can only happen when we fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:2). When we do this we will “be transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.” (Romans 12:2). With a new mind comes a new attitude and with a new attitude we can reach heights we’ve never dreamed of, because to truly succeed we first have to serve.

There’s an old saying that goes, “Rules are meant to be broken.” The origin of this phrase is not clear, but it is usually quoted when someone wants to go against the flow, to follow their own course, without regard to the rules of a society or their employer.

When it comes to human laws and regulations, there are times when this course of action may be justified. Consider the laws which enslaved generations of African-Americans or Hitler’s laws oppressing Jews, leading to the deaths of millions. No one with an ounce of humanity could argue that these rules were not meant to be broken. To do otherwise would be immoral.

When it comes to God’s Law,, however, this saying does not apply. God’s Law is perfect, reflecting the perfect love and character of our Heavenly Father. When we choose to break His law, chaos and suffering are the sure result, not because God is a vengeful god, but because these rules form the very foundation of society and when they are ignored everything comes tumbling down.

David, speaking of God’s Law, declared, “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” (Psalm 119:160 NIV). God’s Law is unchanging, eternal. Man’s laws may change at the whim of whatever party is in power, but God’s Law will never change.

Even Jesus, God in human flesh, declared, “until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:18). So if Jesus wouldn’t change the Law, what makes you or I think it’s okay for us to do so?

At times human rules may be “meant to be broken”, but choosing to keep God’s Law is always the right choice. In fact, Psalms 119:1 says, “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.”

Today, let your prayer be, “Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.” (Psalm 119:33, 34).

Recently our granddaughter came to our daughter with tears in her eyes. Holding up 2 pens in a trembling hand, she complained, “Tata (Aunt), these pens are broke!”

“What do you mean, Bon Bon?” Rishana asked. The pens looked fine, so she had no idea what Bexlie was talking about.

“This one’s red and this one’s blue, but they only write black,” Bexlie replied in disgust.

Trying not to laugh, Rishana patiently explained that, just because the pens were red and blue on the outside, that didn’t mean the ink inside would be the same color too.

When Rishana told me this story later, I had to laugh, but then I got thinking maybe my little granddaughter had noticed something I could learn a lesson from.

It’s so easy for us to jump to conclusions about things based just on what we see on the outside. I’ll never forget the Chinese take-out place we found when we lived in Dayton, OH. On the outside it was a rundown hole-in-the-wall in a bad neighborhood, but inside it was clean and bright and the food was amazing. If I hadn’t looked beyond the exterior, I would have missed out on an incredibly tasty meal.

We do the same with people. One person sports tattoos and piercings in places we would never think to hang jewelry, while another doesn’t have a hair out of place and wears an expensive suit. Looking at their outward appearance we easily jump to conclusions about who we’d rather spend time with. However, if we take the time to get to know them, we may find they’re both just like us – hurting, hoping, just trying to make it through another day. In other words, human.

Thankfully, while we may “look at the outward appearance, the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7 NIV). To God the bum on the corner, the executive in the corner office, and you and I are all the same – His dearly loved children. “God does not show favoritism…” (Acts 10:34). In His eyes there is “neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galations 3:28).

So, learn a lesson from my granddaughter and remember, you can’t judge a pen – or a person – by its color. Only God knows what’s really on the inside. Instead of wasting time judging others, let God use you to write His love is another person’s life today.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Puerto Rico, but, as the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end.” That includes vacations, unfortunately.

It was difficult saying good-bye to Puerto Rico and especially to Ana’s family. There were lots of hugs and promises to keep in touch. We delayed as long as we could, but finally it was time to head to San Juan if we were going to catch our flight.

The flight back had its own challenges. We couldn’t initially land in Atlanta due to weather, so we were diverted to Greenville, SC to refuel, then back to Atlanta. By then we’d missed our connections to Minneapolis, so we were put on a flight to Salt Lake City, arriving there about 2 in the morning. By then we’d been awake for over 24 hours straight.

We got about 4 hours sleep at a hotel, then headed back to the airport to catch our flight to Pasco, WA. We finally arrived home at 2 PM, approximately 36 hours after we started. Needless to say we were tired, but it was so good to finally be home!

Our journey through life can be hard sometimes too. Plans get changed, delays happen, people disappoint, promises aren’t kept. It’s easy to get discouraged when things don’t go the way we hoped, but we can take comfort in the promise that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NKJV).

So, today, whether you’re journeying across an ocean or just down the block, remember “the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). Have a great day!

When we’re home in Walla Walla, WA, we go to Eastgate Seventh-day Adventist Church. It’s a wonderful church, filled with kind, caring people, who truly love Jesus. The praise service is something I always look forward to, with contemporary Christian songs mixed with old time favorites. The pastor preaches practical, down-to-earth sermons, filled with thought-provoking illustrations and spiritual nuggets. I truly love worshiping there.

The one problem with Eastgate, however, is it is too big. With several hundred members, it’s hard to get to know people in a meaningful way. I’ve been going to church there for a year and a half and only know a handful of people. It’s a problem the leadership team is working to solve, but there is no quick fix.

Our first Sabbath in Puerto Rico Ana and I didn’t have that problem. Far from it! Instead of hopping in our car and driving 8 minutes down the highway to Eastgate, we drove about 40 minutes through small towns and down winding country roads deep into the jungle north of Patillas, Puerto Rico. Our destination was the beautiful home of an elderly widow, to worship with her and 7 others who meet each Sabbath to study God’s Word together.

There was no sound system, just two guitars and some faded hymnals. Instead of fancy pews we sat in folding chairs, with comfortable cushions. There was no pastor, just the 10 of us studying 2 Timothy together. The sanctuary was nothing more than her carport, with the door open to the sights and sounds of the jungle beyond.

A fancy, sophisticated church service it was not, but it was truly one of the most memorable worships of my life. That small group sang their hearts out, lifting their voices in praise to their creator. They were not just mouthing the words, but singing each one from the depths of their souls.

When it came to Bible study time, they took it seriously, taking it verse-by-verse, making sure each person understood what was being said before moving on. I could only understand a few words, but there was no doubt about the sincerity of the people who were speaking, All this, combined with the tropical breeze wafting through our meeting place and the sounds of coquis and jungle birds mixing with our words and songs, made this a Sabbath I will never forget.

Jesus once told his disciples “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matthew 18:22 NIV). It doesn’t matter if we’re worshiping in a beautiful, modern church, surrounded by hundreds of people, or in a carport in the jungle with only a handful of believers. The important thing is for us to be together, because when “two or three gather” Jesus is there also and wherever Jesus is is where we need to be.

Choose Your Focus

In many ways Puerto Rico is a land of amazing contrasts. Much of it is a tropical paradise, with lush greenery and beautiful flowers, but there are also dry, somewhat arid areas, with cacti. Luxurious resorts stand next to abandoned buildings. Wealthy neighborhoods are just blocks from areas of abject poverty. Beautiful beaches are marred by discarded trash.

It would be easy to see only Puerto Rico’s defects, if that is where we focused, but that is hard to do when you round a corner to another majestic view or when an ocean breeze touches your face. There is so much beauty to be found there, it seems foolish to concentrate on the things which have gone wrong.

Life is a lot like that. Days of unbridled joy are sometimes followed by setbacks and grief. Once healthy relationships can fall apart due to betrayal or neglect. Health can give way to sickness Prosperity for one may result in poverty for another. Yet, just like in Puerto Rico, beauty can be found, even in darkness, if our eyes and hearts are open to them.

“The world, though fallen, is not all sorrow and misery. In nature itself are messages of hope and comfort. There are flowers upon the thistles, and the thorns are covered with roses… ‘God is love’ is written upon every opening bud, upon every spire of springing grass. The lovely birds making the air vocal with their happy songs, the delicately tinted flowers in their perfection perfuming the air, the lofty trees of the forest with their rich foliage of living green – all testify to the tender, fatherly care of our God and to His desire to make His children happy.” (Steps to Christ, pp. 9-10)

Today, when tempted to concentrate on all the problems in your life, ask God to open your eyes and ears to the evidences of His love that are all around you – the song of a bird in the tree, the warmth of the sun on your face, the smile of a friend at the end of a hard day. Everyday, in myriads of ways God is letting you know you are His and you are loved.

Life is full of contrasts, even in tropical paradises, but we get to choose where we focus. Today,

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.”