The Savor Of A Life Well Spent

Is there anything more sobering than death? Why so morbid Gordon? What's up? These are the things I'm thinking on: death and eternity. Technically, sleep may be a better term for death. I say this because Jesus equated death to sleep, right before raising Lazarus to life. But, wasn't he really dead? Yes, of course, so much so, that decomposition was already at work.

Why? Why am I talking or thinking like this? It's simple, in just a few hours it will be a one year death anniversary of a beloved pastor and friend of mine: Ed Simmons.

Now Ed is in a place with no more pain. Ed is in a place without sorrow. Ed is in a place that Jesus built just for people like Ed. Ed is in Heaven, his flesh went the way of all flesh. His flesh vanished in the vapor called life. Awe! Heaven... you got the jump Ed, but I'll see you soon.

Ed's body may sleep in the dust of the earth, this is true. Yet, the Ed I know and love is at home with Jesus. Still I miss him. For now I know he is in that great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12) cheering us on. Ed, though gone, is doing what he always did. He is preaching and teaching in his soft gentile way through our thoughts, memories, compact discs and first and foremost, through his family. Ed could be proud of the way the little body of Christ in the foothills is thriving in Christ. Ed could be proud, but he wouldn't be. Because Ed knows his service was but a gift from the giver of all good gifts. Thanks Ed, for loving Jesus!

I Know

Testing, this is only a test. I've been blessed with a new laptop and I'm getting used to it finally. Tonight I finally installed a word processor and I'm taking it out for a spin. I'm not one that remembers certain things well. What's that old saying, “Use it or lose it.” It's so true! And spelling is one of those things I lose. It happens regular enough that without spell check, I would look particularly stupid.

So, rather than show off my lack certain skills, I opted to wait before writing much of anything. Instead of writing, I've been reading more. I'm coming to humbling places in God's word more and more often. Daily doing Gods will is my goal in life. Becoming more Christ like is my plan. Still I look at myself and sometimes just wag my head. Why? It's because I see that over and over again I let certain sins knock me off balance. I still see that being Christ-like is an impossibility without Christ at the helm and every now and again I try and grab that helm. I'm that living sacrifice that tries to dodge the filet knife; all along I know the knife of the Word of God there to cut out the cancer: sin. I'm that sacrifice that clinches on the corner alter, wanting to get off the alter. Yet to do so would sever me from the vine, so I don't dare go there! I do all of this! Do you?

I know my Lord and Savior well enough that I can trust Him. So I let go of the helm and let Jesus drive. Funny how thing go much better when the designer takes the wheel. I know well enough that only with the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave is being Christ-like possible. I know that God gave grace and gives grace freely. I know that if I come to Jesus and tell Him I'm wrong and You are right, He will forgive me. So I do just that. I come to Him and keep coming. I come everyday to the throne of grace, if for no other reason than the purpose of confessing my sins a fresh. I know He hears me and forgives me.

Jesus knows us and knows us well; Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. Jesus even knows and understands where we are at and what is going on inside our mind— both spirit and soul. We are the little ones that are weak, earthen vessels. Jars of clay filled with an eternally future soul.

Psst! Gordon, don't you remember Jesus loves me. Of course I do! The bible tells me so!

Technical Difficulties

My hardware upgrade isn't going smoothly and I'm down for repair. Lord willing, I be up and running soon.

In the mean time, talk to and listen to our God and Creator: Jesus!
And trust Him.

         "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fail and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

 yet I will rejoice in the Lord,    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

For the director of music. On my stringed instruments."

Habakkuk 3:17-19 NIV

Image via Google image search: smashing computers

Do You Hear What I Hear?

Dig it!
Do you?
Do you hear what I hear?

Noisy keys and noisy chimes keep on a ringin' long aft' their time.
When time is spent, it don't leave change.
Still those chimes they keep a ringin' long aft' their time.
My ears are noisy, ain't kiddin', they press my mind.

Keep it sane now, keep it in time; still those chimes be ringin' through my mind.
Ain't no solution, no Doc's unlocked the mind.
They say, "It's damaged! Boy you just wastin' time."
But those chimes a be ringing; please fix my mind.

--------------------------------------------------------------

After working in a sawmill for over a decade, a decade later, my ears ring like the "ding" of a boxing bell that never stops. Or it is like the test tone from the old Emergency Broadcasting Network, just it never stops (though much of the time I can just ignore it). The noise! Won't someone turn down the noise! I suppose I should state what I'm even talking about: tinnitus. That nasty ringing in the ears that goes on and on, long after any sound makes a sound. Usually, hearing loss accompanies tinnitus, just not in my case.

I can hear really well. I know hearing anything is a gift from God. Hearing well, well we take it for granted.That is, until you can't hear or you are around someone who cannot.  Being round my wife's dad, who has only about 15% of his hearing, makes you appreciate the gift of hearing God gave me. And believe me I do! Last year I finally got tired of the ringing a went to an ENT doctor. The doc had an audiologist measure my hearing. I told the attendant I could hear fine.  It was that just sinus pressure made the ringing worse and gave me a bad headache too. She did the test and measured my hearing. Sure enough, she was shocked. "You have the hearing of a child." she said.

So okay God, what do I do? One might ask, "Why?" Why bother asking God "Why?" Why not accept it? His ways are above our ways. Sometimes the pressure mounts and the sinus pressure makes my head feel like it's going to explode. Those are the moment when the ringing becomes unbearable--not true, we have to bare the moments. Just bare those moments with Jesus on the other side of the yoke. He will make the load lighter.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29 NIV

Wait Up!

I have not had much usable computer access lately. Until the last few days, I was sharing my sons' laptop. Now things have changed. God let me have my own!

Perhaps I'll get comfortable with it shortly, work out a few kinks and get back to the business of giving God glory!

Faith Words

I've been too lazy and busily preoccupied lately. Perhaps I am too lazy? Preoccupied? Doing what? None of your business! That’s what. I'll just tell you much of it is shopping and returns. This is stupid. I'll just say what I'm thinking. This is my blog. This is my place to vent my feelings on just about whatever I’m thinking or not thinking.

The motivation to write lately is tough. It is too nice out there! The great dawn of summer waiting outside. What? Write, right now? To start with, I don't know what I'm saying most the time. I'm making this up as I go. Not the verses and such, no, I don't make those up. It's just all of the filler I use, rather the Holy Spirit in me uses to hand out nuggets of biblical truth. I don't plan most things well in life. I live for the thrill of spontaneity, especially in writing. For me, most of life just happens and I love its surprises.

Jobs and such just happened mostly came as a result of a need within extended family circles of friends. School after high school, I didn't I knew I didn't want more school. After twenty schools growing up, that was the last thing I wanted. Work and marriage were on my agenda. A family came with this life and eventually I slowed down on the work side of life. Family never ends its seems. It just changes.

Two days from now, I’ll be celebrating 29 years of marriage. It is and was always hard, fun, and most always filled with some dramatic people, of which I am only one. No, it’s not that I don’t have a plan; I have a master plan. I plan to trust the Master. It is a simple plan, yet never simple.

This is simple plan of trust is never simple because it is one of faith. It is a faith, with evidence not seen or measurable, that hopes in the invisible God of Creation. This faith is not in ghost, ghouls or fairy tales. No I have faith in the One true God who established and created all. I have faith in Jesus!

Having hope in the One who started this ball of earth a moving, gives me surety of faith in that which is solid, filled with history and a future already known—save some details. Nevertheless, I still believe in faith that Jesus is on His way to some come as the King of Kings. His plan is not delayed. His plan is not thwarted. His plan is not late. For His mercies sake, we are not destroyed, though we oft’ deserve it. No, we are not destroyed and the sun comes up tomorrow, just as it did today. His mercies are truly new every morning.

Knowing that Jesus is real takes faith; however, it is not just faith without cause. No we have whole countries told futures told, as in relationship to Israel. Israel, who in and of itself,  a reason and reminder for faith.

So are you lacking faith?

Is your faith weak?

Pssst! Here is a little secret.

“…Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Romans 10:17 NKJV

This simple verse holds great truth. Unpack it, get it out and use it. Pull up to the table, do a one sentence study of Gods’ Word.

“Faith comes by hearing.”

How does faith come? “By hearing.”

Can we hear just anything to get faith?  No, faith comes only to those who hear something specific. What does the hearer have to hear? They have to hear to word of God.

Does this mean we only hear as someone speaks the Word of God? Yes. What if no one is around to speak? How do we hear the Word of God? Simple, we read the Word and the Holy Spirit will speak to you, the Words of God.

This is builds you up in the faith. Read the Word of God, to hear the Words of God. Hearing the Word of God allows you to hear the Words of God you need to grow faith.

Perhaps this seems to stoop below your level.

“This is too easy. You mean all I’ve got to do is read Gods’ Word and allow Him to speak to me through His Words?” you think.

Yep, it’s that easy!

Yeah, I’m lazy I like to take the simple effective path and just believe and see God move in His own time. How could it be so easy? Listen to the words of Jesus.

^“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying,‘ What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matt 6:24-34

God Rules!

I've had trouble writing lately. Yet, trouble is what drives me to write in the first place. This same trouble is what drives me to my God. I’m not sure why life is designed this way. It just is. 

Trouble drives some to Jesus and some to Hell. Here is a strange thing. Saints are so similar to heathens, world-lings, sinners or whatever else they are labeled, yet one major difference exists: Jesus. I’m sure this isn't “nice” safe language for our times. Who wants to tell a friend, coworker or family member that they are a sinner? Probably no one wants to say this!

Yes, we might want to tell them that Jesus loves them and has a plan for their life (which is true). Then we get around to why they need Jesus, our sin. Nobody wants to think of sin. Because if we admit certain things are wrong, i.e., breaking a Sovereign Gods' rules, then we have to admit a Sovereign God rules. God Rules!

  Side Note:

         When I was about 20, I had a T shirt that said just that. “God Rules!”  It was from a Christian punk band and I wore it with pride! Not pride in the band that put out the T shirt. I don't even remember what their name was. The band that produced that shirt is long gone. This pride was not in or of me. No, that pride was in our God! Because I knew and know He really does rule.

     

       I had such boldness when I wore that T shirt. I felt invincible. With that invincibility of the Holy Spirit—His baptism—I went out into the night as a witness for Christ!

    

        Our city, way back then had a Friday and Saturday night “Cruise.” Hundreds of teenagers and young adults lined up on our main drag, just to hang out. It was perfect opportunity to tell people of Jesus love for them. And I had the privilege of doing just that.

    

       Do not give up an opportunity to share Christ, you'll never regret it and possibly never get that opportunity again. The city, Marysville CA. USA, soon outlawed that cruising and shut it down. And, it was right for the city to take such action, that cruise wasn't good; it brought problems of all kinds. You can just imagine.

     

       Now that opportunity is gone. My shirt finally died, still God Rules!—

I'll try and get this train back on its tracks. My point being, that if Jesus did not me redeem me, I would be going to hell to. And, if there were no God, I would see no point in staying around just to suffer (not all the time, just too much to stand and for far too long). I would say bye to this world. Maybe that seems extreme? Yeah, I'm kind of the extreme type. ( I really look forward to a new body.)

On the other hand, if I were too cowardly to end life, I would take enough of whatever was available  to relieve the pain. Sorry to say (more like ashamed to say) even believing in God and loving Jesus, I did just that. I took enough of whatever the doctor gave me and more, to numb myself. I wanted to feel as little as possible. 

A decade later, that numb Gordon had to resume a life. A life that dripped with pain. Sure not as much as some and more than others; it was just too much for me.

There were great costs in trying to run away from that nagging everyday pain—that I'm feeling even now. Running away cost me teaching in a youth ministry. It drove my son into a rebellion from God Himself (he has since come home, to Jesus. But the world took its toll.) Running away from this pain drove bitter roots into my marriage. Yet, by the grace of God, I still have a wife; a wife with whom there is no measure. She fits that Proverbs 31 wife more so than any I know. Still though, she’s not perfect; she has me as a husband. This is not even to mention the effects on all of this on my mind and memory.

Those cost and many more have plagued my life. I felt like Jonah running from God. I felt like a man with a twisted arm, with God being the one that twisted my arm; all the while God just waited for me to say “uncle.” I’ve heard a pastor say this, “ Don't you know that Gods' His hand is both on the time and temperature of YOUR storm or trial.” I think Pastor Bob was right!

I really believe this is true. Just read the book of Job or Jonah (That might take a while!) Meanwhile, God is always there in YOUR storm. It’s true. Do you remember in the book of Daniel—chapter 3—the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace?

Who was there with them? Who was the “fourth” in the fire when only three were thrown in? Who did the king think it was? Hint? He thought it was the son of God. Nebuchadnezzar didn't know it was Jesus the Son of God. He just knew someone looking like God was in there. I know it was Jesus. Jesus hangs out in the storm. He’s there comforting it’s victims of a fallen, broken world that is cursed and He is with me in my storm.

If you still might have a hard time believing this concept of God being in and ready to control your troubles. Look no further than Jesus. Look at how and who calmed the wind and waves. It wasn't some hidden event Jesus claimed with no witnesses. No! Jesus did this miracle right in front the disciples’ eyes.

Think of this non-fiction, true story below (Read ahead if you don’t know it. Out of Mark 4) Who told them—the disciples—to get in the boat? Then, who allowed Satan—the prince and power of the air—to whip up the wind and waves? More importantly who calmed those waves? Who stopped that wind from howling? It was Jesus. How did Jesus stop these forces of wind and wave? Jesus did it with a hand full of words. Remember, He is the one who spoke and the world formed!

Imagine speaking to the wind. Do you think it will listen and obey? Sure we spout off from time to time just beating air. Yep! If we speak to the air and ask it to stop moving, we are wasting our breath. Jesus just spoke and it ceased. The wind and wave turned to calm.

One miracle after another flooded the disciples’ eyes. They were overwhelmed, just as we would be. We would be in awe! "Who is this...?" Who can do these things but God? And, then you have Peters’ little water story also. It too is another time the disciples freaked and feared for life (Matt 14:22-36). Still, Jesus in both instances calmed the storm and the disciples fear. ( I BET IT MADE THE  miracles of the Exodus come alive.)

You know, I don't feel so troubled now. Grace walked into my life and peace settled on my soul. Yeah I hurt, I still blow it. Just, I have Jesus by my side and He reminds me He forgives and comforts. And, He is!

Read these verses and think about them.

^“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:35-41 NKJV