HE HAS OUR BACKS

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble." Psalm 46:1

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“There’s a War out There…”

February 11, 2025 / / 0 Comments

“You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”     (Psalm 32:7)

Last week I wrote a devotion that covered our responsibility as Christians to be role models.  I mentioned the internet in passing, but I would like to talk about something that I saw on TV a few years ago that has some relationship to what I talked about last week.  It was on a show called 20/20 (I am sure you are familiar with it) and as usual it was very well done both in information and production.   It told a heartbreaking story of two twelve-year-old girls who stabbed a good friend 19 times in the woods and left her to die.  The little girl, also 12, crawled out of the woods and was discovered by a bicyclist who called 911.  She said that her friends had stabbed her.  The ambulance rushed her to the hospital to try to save her life and the police began a huge man(kid)-hunt to try to find the two girls.

They located them five hours later, still in the bloody clothes, still carrying the knife.  The girls readily admitted what they did and why they did it.  The shock of the crime spread quickly and for the first time most of the adult world learned of a fictional internet character called Slenderman and the strange influence he had on thousands of young people.  As I watched, I was sickened but not surprised.  I was not surprised because the pace of technology has outpaced  most adults.  This is the first era of teaching where the students are ahead of the teachers and kids are ahead of their parents.

Yesterday in class I asked a student to go to a site on the computer to use a fairly sophisticated tool for creating 3D plans for woodworking projects.  As I watched, he quickly went to the site, did a few mouse clicks, and was full-speed-ahead on creating a project.   Naively, I said that he must have already been familiar with the site.  He said that he wasn’t and, in fact, didn’t even have internet at his home!  It took me hours to negotiate the site and complete a project and he was doing it in minutes.  It is as though today’s kids have developed intuitive skills of computer principles that they cannot explain, but just know.  They are old enough to negotiate any game, site, or activity on the net but are too young to make wise decisions about what to do with what they find.  A very bad combo.  How can these kids be so smart about stuff?  Probably because the average students spends 7 1/2 hours daily on electronic media.  Young teens send an average of 15,000 texts a month.   Ninety-five percent of parents are completely oblivious to what their kids do on the net, who they text, or what they text.   No wonder they are so much brighter than us. No wonder we see so many negative repercussions from their activities.

Back to Slenderman.  The best I can tell, he is a character that was created on the net through drawings and photographs and is presented as real, but of course, was not.  He had almost a cult following of thousands of young people who followed him on the net, contributed to the stories of his sightings and actions, drew pictures of him, sent in supposed photos, and often supported his true existence.  Although his was not real, he had become real.  He was like a shadowy Sasquatch who lived in that mystical world that some say exists and some say is, well, mystical.  He was influential and scary and hardly any adults even knew he “existed.”  The two little girls conspired to murder their friend and spent months planning it. Why? It was to prove that Slenderman was real. When police arrested them, they were on their way to a patch of woods where his mansion supposedly existed, and where they would live with him forever.   The attack was their way of proving loyalty to him so that he would invite them into his home.  It is almost too fantastic to believe.

To check how prolific this Slenderman phenomena is, the producer’s of 20/20 picked out 10 families at the local school and with parent permission interviewed the kids and parents.  Not a single parent had heard of Slenderman, not a single 12 year old had not.  All of the students had visited sites, played games, and listened to stories about his existence.  Only one student was sure that he was not real. The others were unsure.  None of the students had shared their internet “relationship” with this character with their parents.  In fact, when asked, every student admitted that they frequented sites that their parents did not know about.  Some admitted that their parents don’t even ask about their internet exploration. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but if I wanted to take over the the mind of the world, all these changes in young people would be a great place to start.  They are being molded , some a little, some a lot, but molded just the same.

Okay, I have ranted about the “evils of technology” long enough.  What does this have to do with God’s Word where technology wasn’t even a glimmer in the eye?  A lot, I think.   We are in a battle for our kids and for this world and we don’t even know it.  I am afraid we are pulling a Neville Chamberlain.  Chamberlain was the prime minister of England during the years previous to WW II.  He ignored the rise of Hitler, appeased him at every turn, and denied the possibility of war- that is until Hitler had overrun several countries, was firmly entrenched, and was so powerful that the battle necessitated a world war.

Today there is a group that wants us defeated, wants to capture our kids, who wants to see us all dead and gone.  I am not talking about Hamas or ISIS or Al Qaeda or any other terrorist group in the news.  I am talking about who Paul wrote about in Ephesians when he said,  “For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.”  (Ephesians 6:12).  Satan is real and he is on a roll right now.  Unbelievers fall to his possession and believers to his oppression daily.   I know this smacks of the outlandish, but that was exactly what Neville Chamberlain said in the months before Hitler had taken over half of Europe.  He made a treaty with Hitler, trusting that it would result in peace.  In the meantime, Chamberlain threw several countries under the bus, Hitler broke the treaty anyway, and continued his quest for world domination.

Here are a few quotes from Chamberlain and his successor Winston Churchill that explain their opposite attitudes toward the rising unrest around them.  Chamberlain said, “My good friends, this is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing Street peace with honor. I believe it is peace for our time. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. And now I recommend you to go home and sleep quietly in your beds.”  

On the other hand, Winston responded with,  “An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.   We cannot rest easy in our beds.  We are surrounded by crocodiles and if we continue to feed them, we will insure that they will eventually feed on us. “

The question is this.  How are we to approach the rising unrest around us?   Well, today was the current events and historical perspective of our problem.  Next week I will let you know how we as Christians should respond to the war-torn culture we live in. This part was obviously too long on its own, so I will finish up with “chapter 2” next week.

Here is a hint:  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”   (Psalm 91:1)

Eyes are watching us…

February 4, 2025 / / 0 Comments

“Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.”  Philippians 3:17

Years ago Charles Barkley, NBA star, was admonished for some behavior because he was a role model for kids.  He very famously snapped back, “I ain’t no role model.”  Well, he was wrong.  He might have said that he wasn’t a “good” role model, but he could not say he wasn’t “a” role model.  He was in a position of responsibility, but one he did not take very seriously.  He was castigated for living in denial of his role, as he should have been, but we should not jump too quickly on the “beat Charles like a drum” band wagon, especially if we deny that we are role models as well.

Yep, we are all role models and in fact, we ourselves have had role models.  Every day we influence someone and every day we are influenced by someone.  Role modeling is part of our walk whether we like it or not.  We can be like Charles Barkley and deny it, but that doesn’t change it.  We may not like it, because that puts some responsibility on our shoulders, but like it or not, we cannot escape it.

We usually think of role modeling when it comes to children.  Yesterday I heard some sad news about children and the internet and “smart” phones.   The statistics about kids giving out personal information to strangers, the number of hours spent playing games, the kinds of sites frequented, and the dangerous effects from spending so much time on electronic devices was sobering.  The conclusion of the study was that “smart phones” and the like were substituting for the normal activities that kids used to be involved in.

Playing outdoors, reading books, playing games, talking around the table, going for rides, eating meals together and other typical family activities of the past have been replaced by individualized time spent on electronic devices.  The final line of the report was most striking, however.  It said (I am paraphrasing) that all of this behavior of kids was learned mostly from parents.  It said that most kids who spent all their time on electronic devices had parents who lived very similar lives. 

It went on to say that the parent’s example was the most important part of the child’s development.  In other words, parents set the tone for the entire family by establishing behavior by example, not words.  If the parents wanted readers, they needed to read themselves.  If they wanted their kids to talk, they needed to talk themselves.  If they wanted their kids to pray, they needed to pray themselves. The conclusion was undeniable. Parents, through example, have the greatest influence on their kids. To extrapolate even further, everyone’s actions have great influence on those around them. We all have the power to influence- the key is, how do we use it?

When I was coaching, I often read a poem to the players to remind them of their responsibility to others. It was always in any playbook or website I put together.  If I was coaching girls, I put “she” in the poem and if boys, I put “he” in the poem.  Here is a copy of it like I would have read to my football players.

There are little eyes upon you and they’re watching night and day.

There are little ears that quickly take in every word you say.

There are little hands all eager to do anything you do;

And a little boy who’s dreaming of the day he’ll be like you.

You’re the little fellow’s idol, you’re the wisest of the wise.

In his little mind about you no suspicions ever rise.

He believes in you devoutly, holds to all you say and do; and

He will say and do in your way, when he’s grown up just like you.

There’s a wide-eyed little fellow who believes you’re always right;

and his eyes are always opened, and he watches day and night.

You are setting an example every day in all you do;

For the little boy who’s waiting, to grow up to be like you.

Although there are a lot of similar poems, sayings, and songs I could quote (and did quote) about our influence on kids, the fact of the matter is, we are all models of some kind to everyone around us.  The kids on my team were not only influential on those younger than them, but their peers and elders as well.  We are models to our children, grandchildren, nephews, and nieces, but also on our young neighbors, peers, and elders (in my case, there aren’t as many of the elder types any more).  We are, just like Charles Barkley discovered, role models no matter what we want to think.  As Christians we have an added burden.  We represent Christ; we belong to a team; we are not on our own any more.

If people know we are Christians they we scrutinize our actions even more closely.  In some cases, they will feel free to imitate them, believing they must be OK because, supposedly, we are OK.  Jesus taught us to be “flavoring” to the world.  In Mark 9:50 He said, “Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” The way we live should be like salt is to food: it adds flavor, it preserves, and it causes thirst. We add flavor by making godly choices. We preserve by always speaking the truth in love. We cause thirst for God by living out a life of faith before the world.  If we don’t add flavor, don’t preserve the truth, or don’t cause a thirst for God, we are still modeling behavior, just the wrong kind.

We know that we have been influenced by others in our lifetime. In fact, we are still being influenced by others.  Who do we allow to shape us?  Some in our circle are good and helpful, others dangerous and harmful.  One day a farmer grabbed his shot gun to shoot at a flock of pesky crows. Unfortunately, he didn’t see his sociable pet parrot that had joined the crows. After firing a few shots, he walked over to the fallen birds and was surprised to find his parrot badly ruffled with a broken wing. When the farmer’s children saw the injured bird, they asked, “Dad, what happened?” The farmer simply replied, “Bad company.”  First Corinthians 15:33 says that “bad company corrupts good morals” and yet we sometimes “hang” with those who are not beneficial to positive behavior.  We will experience the same  consequences of those we flock with.   If that is the case, we will soon be the person that others should not “hang” with as well.

Proverbs puts it pretty bluntly, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Prov. 13:20  So we are influencers and we are the influenced.  Both positions require discretion.  In one we must examine our own actions in the other the actions of others.  As influencers of our children and others, we should not be like the Pharisees.  Look how Jesus spoke of their influence:  “therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds”  Matt. 23:5.  In other words, though their words might be correct, don’t follow their deeds.  Do we talk bigger than our actions?  The bottom line is that should neither be Pharisees nor follow Pharisees.

Paul told the believers in Thessalonica that he had, through his actions, become a role model for their behavior.  He and his companions had proven themselves as men of God by their consistent dedication to the truth.  Can we look at our those around us and say we are setting an example of how to be and that they should try to be more like us.  Regardless of whether we say it or not- they will be, so what we are should be what we hope they will be.

Proverbs says that “A good name is to be more desired than great wealth” (Prov. 22:1).  A good name is not so easy to earn, but very easy to destroy.  Our character should gain us a hearing to proclaim the gospel to others, not shut the doors.  It is not easy to be a role model like Paul.  Next to Christ, he was what we should strive to be not only for ourselves, but for others. He lived out his faith, so that anyone watching his life would be able to tell there was something wonderful inside him.

If we want to be influenced by others in a positive way, we should surround ourselves with people with people who care about their actions.  If we want to be people of positive influence, we should care about our own actions. It won’t be easy, but Hebrew’s 12:1 says “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us…” Let’s run the race well, knowing that we are being watched and many around us will try to run it just like us.

Motive-action not just Motivation

January 28, 2025 / / 0 Comments

“If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” – Ecclesiastes 11:4

I have long wanted to write a novel. I started my first one when I was in college and amIMG_1170 on chapter eighteen of my current one (been on chapter 18 for a long time now). I kid Elaine because she has started quite a few crocheting projects. Most of them remain the size of doilies. (maybe they are doilies, but I don’t think so). Sometimes people make bucket lists to try to do certain things they wish they had done earlier in their lives and often times they are things that they have always put off until tomorrow.

The dictionary defines procrastination as, “to delay or put off something until a later date, especially intentionally or habitually.”  When I was in school my teacher said that because  of my procrastination I wouldn’t amount to anything and I said, “just wait.” I guess I actually illustrated what she said!  

Many people make jokes about procrastination and as you can see, I make my share as well. But scripture tells us that it really isn’t any laughing matter. The above verse warns us that if we wait for “perfect conditions” to perform our tasks, we’ll never accomplish anything. There is a saying, “Hard work is often the easy work you do not do at the proper time” and that is so often true. Very few jobs that we put off get smaller, easier, or better. I often put off cleaning up the garage and I can tell you that no matter how long I wait, it is never better that I waited!

When we put things off, we put additional stress on ourselves about that task. Soon it seems as though the task is controlling us. It can reach the point of bondage and can even paralyze us. It is never far enough from our thoughts to truly escape it. We would think putting something off would put it behind us, but it is actually in front of us and we see it everywhere we go. Procrastination never simplifies our lives, but instead replaces IMG_1563our joy and peace with dread. Putting something off until tomorrow is like putting a piece of tape over the oil light on our dashboard- it doesn’t take away the problem, it just makes things worse in the long run.

A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn in the road. The farmer who lived nearby came to investigate. “Hey, Willis,” he called out, “forget your troubles for a spell and come on in and have dinner with us. Then I’ll help you get the wagon up.”

“That’s mighty nice of you,” Willis answered, “But I don’t think Pa would like me to.”

“Aw, come on, son!” the farmer insisted.

“Well, okay,” the boy finally agreed. “But Pa won’t like it.”

images-2.jpegAfter a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. “I feel a lot better now, but I just know Pa is going to be real upset.”

“Don’t be foolish!” exclaimed the neighbor.

“By the way, where is he?”

“Under the wagon.”

Richard L. Evans once said, “The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it” and as quickly as life passes, starting tasks at the end might not leave enough time to do them.

The best way to face a task we dread is to focus on the end result. How many times have we finally done something and said, “This is great. Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Probably almost every time we finally do a task! A good way to get started is to enlist God’s help. Second Timothy 1:7 reads “For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness but of power, love, and self-discipline.” God wants us to do things as they need to be done. We like to think that our procrastination affects only us, but that is far from true. Seldom does our inaction affect just us and even a minutes thought will remind us of that. Hardly anything that affects us, affects only us.

God will reward our diligence in not setting aside things, especially spiritual things. Proverbs 13:4 says, “The desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” In Proverbs (3:27-28) we are told, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back later; I’ll give it tomorrow’ – when you IMG_1281now have it with you.” That is a pretty clear statement about procrastination. God doesn’t want us putting off doing good to others. When it comes to mind to call someone, send them a card, or visit them, we need to be quick to respond. Our timely response can make a world of difference in someone else’s life.

When we do the things we should do, when we should do them, we will feel the satisfaction we should feel, when we should feel it. What a shame to have to regret putting something off that we should have done earlier and because of that delay, delay the good feelings of getting it done. Accomplishing a task is a blessing in itself, so procrastinating is putting off our blessings to a later time, and why would we ever do that?

George Burns often told the story about how he wanted to insure his singing voice and he took a tape of his best song into the insurance company. The insurance agent listened to the tape, looked at him and said, “Mr. Burns, you should have come to us before you had the accident.” Some people kid that we should never do today what we can put off until tomorrow, but unfortunately that never quite worksIMG_0997 out for our benefit. I think this little poem illustrates most of our feelings.

Procrastination is my sin, it brings me naught but sorrow.
I know that I should stop it, in fact, I will…tomorrow.

Small tasks that we put off might not be too injurious, but spiritual ones can be. Let’s not put off those things we should do for God, thinking the task will get easier. If we want to read through the Bible, have a better prayer life, start witnessing more, today is a better day to start because tomorrow never comes until it is today. For me, I want to do more things for God and also get past chapter eighteen today. That would be a novel idea.

His Clock is always Right

January 21, 2025 / / 0 Comments

“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

(This is a devotion I wrote a few years back while awaiting the birth of our eleventh grandchild. Since this is the end of the holiday season, I am regifting this devotion to you.)

Well, here it is 5:30 in the morning and I am sitting in solitude of McDonalds once again.  Elaine and I are waiting for an eleventh grandchild to make her way into the world and she is stubbornly remaining in safety of  the womb until arrival is absolutely necessary.   I can’t say that I blame her!  The deadline day was this morning and the doctors said that Laura (mom) could absolutely not go beyond this morning even if inducement was necessary.   Then last night a nurse called and said, “Oops, due to staffing issues we need to delay you one day.  See you on Thursday.”

Wow, have you ever been on a road trip and you are desperate for a rest stop and you notice there is one in two miles and you give your body that message and then you see the sign that says, “rest area closed.”  No matter how gently you try to tell your body there is no restroom in sight, your body does not take the news well.  Well, Laura is experiencing this feeling in triplicate.  Her body is rebelling against the sign that said, “Hospital closed for one day.  Check in then. Have a nice day. “

As we look at today’s verse we see that God has given us a remedy for delays and disappointments.  He doesn’t just say stop worrying like the mean PE teacher who tells his class to stop sweating after a two-mile run.  God gives us the means and the power by which we can stop worrying. 

First of all, He tells us to be square with Him.  We are certainly disappointed that the little bundle of sunshine is behind the clouds for an extra day, especially when we have spent the last few days with Laura walking in town, out of town, up trails, down trails, on beach, in the water, and every where you can imagine in an attempt to speed this little bundle into the world.  Baby has held on tenaciously to the walls of the womb and refused to make an appearance (probably has been hearing all the news in the world today), and the only thing that has happened is Elaine and I gave birth to a whole bunch of sore muscles.  I got in 19,000 steps just yesterday and I imagine Elaine got in more because her legs are shorter than mine.

But regardless of all we did, God had His own timetable and He instructs to not worry.  In fact, He tells us to be thankful for it.    Through the Apostle Paul He says that peace comes from sharing our desires with Him and thanking Him for answering before we even know the answer. Amy Carmichael, missionary to India wrote, “Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace…If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you know what His will is.”  God’s will is that we trust Him and believe that he sees not only our own situation, but how this situation will affect hundreds of others.  We trust that God’s timetable is timely.

I don’t know why the hospital delayed the delivery by a day; they had their reasons, but so did God.  Who knows, maybe the doctor Laura would have gotten worked his way through medical school with crib sheets and the ability to see other’s test papers at long distance.  But I trust God and I trust that someday I might even know why we might be spending another day hiking into waterfalls on steep (beautiful but steep) trails. 

Robert Louis Stevenson tells of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of the terror, one daring man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the steerman, lashed fast at his post of holding the wheel unwaveringly, and inch by inch, turning the ship out, once more, to sea. The pilot saw the watcher and smiled.

Then, the daring passenger went below and gave out a note of cheer: “I have seen the face of the pilot, and he smiled. All is well.”

Philippians tells us that the one who guards our hearts and minds is smiling.  We can be assured that “all is well.”

Don’t Forget to Forgive

January 14, 2025 / / 0 Comments

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Forgiveness is one of the most profound acts of grace we can extend to others. It mirrors the heart of God, who forgave us completely and undeservedly through Christ. Yet, forgiving someone who has wronged us can often feel like one of the hardest things to do. We wrestle with pride, hurt, and the fear of being vulnerable again.

Jesus addressed this struggle directly when Peter asked how often we should forgive someone. His response—“seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:22)—was not a numerical limit but a call to boundless forgiveness. Why? Because God’s forgiveness toward us is equally limitless. Every time we fall short, He remains faithful to forgive, inviting us into His grace anew.

hurt. When we forgive, we are not excusing wrongdoing or pretending it didn’tInstead, forgiveness is a decision to release resentment and trust God to bring justice in His perfect timing. It’s freeing ourselves from the chains of bitterness and allowing His peace to fill our hearts.

One powerful example of biblical forgiveness is Joseph forgiving his brothers in Genesis 45:1–15.   Joseph’s brothers had betrayed him by selling him into slavery out of jealousy. He endured years of hardship in Egypt, including slavery and imprisonment, before God elevated him to a position of power as Pharaoh’s second-in-command. When a famine struck the land, Joseph’s brothers unknowingly came to him in Egypt to buy food, not realizing he was the brother they had wronged.

Joseph had every reason to exact revenge. Instead, he chose forgiveness. In a deeply emotional moment, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, saying:  “Do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.” (Genesis 45:5)

Joseph recognized that God had used even the evil intentions of his brothers for a greater purpose—to save countless lives during the famine. He chose to see his circumstances through the lens of God’s sovereignty rather than through bitterness.

Joseph not only forgave his brothers but also provided for their needs and their families. His forgiveness restored their broken relationship and exemplified the grace and mercy of God.

This story reminds us that forgiveness often requires seeing beyond the offense to God’s greater plan. It encourages us to release resentment and trust that God can bring redemption even from the deepest pain.

We need to ask ourselves if there are any areas where unforgiveness may linger in our hearts. If so, offer those situations to Him, asking for the strength to forgive as He has forgiven you. Remember, forgiveness is not about the one who hurt you—it’s about your obedience to God and the freedom He wants for you. May our hearts reflect the  love and compassion that Jesus has toward us.

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