Signs of Fall

Matthew 16:3  And in the morning, 'It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

I am often reminded, particularly in the fall of the year, of God’s relationship with His children.  To many it seem like He speaks in the weirdest fashion, but to me it is exciting. 

As the Lord speaks to us it may be revealed in His creation.  God has been speaking the same message each year since creation and I have found that it is the farmers hear his voice so well.

This week the goldenrod are coming out in full bloom.  For many people that may just means allergy season again.  To the farmers it means that they must get the rest of their vegetables picked and get ready for the winter.  You see, what they have learned is that when the goldenrod reaches full bloom, the first killing freeze will come very soon.

If we pay more attention to the Lord’s messages through nature then perhaps the farmer can be the “prophet”, so to speak, and let us know what kind of a winter we will have for our area. And all he needs to do is take a look at the woolly worm. 

Yes a worm.

You see for decades, when people would make note of the color of the worms in October they could predict the type of winter they can experience that year.  Trust me, I’ve learned that these weather predictions of such creatures in nature can be more reliable that some of our best scientific equipment.

If you ever have the time to talk to an old farmer, just ask him about the signs the Lord places before him from planting to harvest.  There will not be one thing that is magical, mystic, or mythical in what they have learned.  Those signs can range from the thickness and height of a squirrel’s nest, thickness of a blade of corn, planting times for maximum harvest and numerous items being the way in which the Lord reminds us that He is taking care of His children.

I’ve heard people make fun of what they call, “a simple farmer”, but in getting close to country farmers again, it is refreshing to see that many of them have a better understanding of the love relationship that the Lord has for everyone.

What’s the difference?  Probably it is because they physically take the time to see what the Lord has to say. 

What about us?  Many of us stay so busy that we never look at the nature all around us for what the Lord may be telling us.

Shouldn’t our relationship with the Lord depend on more than what we read or more than the times we have our eyes closed in prayer?  Maybe it should also be spent slowing down and looking for the natural signs that give us a message to pass on to others. 

Seeing what the Lord is telling us in nature can help us see the “big” signs He has for our lives.

The funny thing is that it may start with a woolly worm.

Who Said That?

Matthew 3:16-17   After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him."

            In our private moments with the Lord, have you ever asked the Lord a question and then paused for the answer?  Maybe we have said something profound or a little embarrassing and expected the Lord’s voice to come booming down from heaven to give us approval or dismay.

            We have often thought that when we get to heaven, we’ll have a laundry list of questions to ask Him.  It could be about pain and suffering, or poverty, or war, or hate, or many things that come to mind right now.  But don’t you wish He would just answer them now?

            Today’s verses give us the very beginning of the relationship that has been present since the beginning of time.   It’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

Did you realize that we are made in His Image?  You have a physical body just like Jesus, God’s Son had, we have an intellect or thinking capability like God the Father, and a soul that nudges us to what is right or wrong which is our connection to the Holy Spirit.

            At this one location all three are revealed at the same time. Each member of the Trinity has a distinctive primary role (or work):  The Father originates, chooses, and calls us.      The Son reveals the Father and redeems us by means of His own death on the cross.      The Spirit witnesses to Christ, awakens our dead souls, gives us new life, and delivers us to heaven.

But the personal distinctions are not something added onto God's essential being. His being encompasses them all.

 Jesus was faithful to his Father’s wishes, the movement of the Holy Spirit like a dove, and the Father speaking His words of approval.  Therefore at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry what better way to show the people that the Messiah had really come than to speak His approval?

Can we hear the Lord’s voice speak to us?  Are you tuned in or are you saying, “Who Said That?”

I'm Fine

What is your response when a stranger walks up to you and says, "How are Your today?"    Most everyone I know says, "I'm Fine."  Yet your may have had something tragic happen to you just minutes before, but we have been trained to not let people, particularly strangers,  know what is really happening to your life.

Once I thought I'd see how people react when you don't say the usual, "I'm Fine" quote.   I'd respond to their question with, "I'm doing terrible".   At least ten strangers said, "That's good."  If I would response, "I'm doing terrible, how are you?" I'd get "I'm fine" right back.  Only one person out of a dozzen people I asked even stopped to say "I'm sorry, is there  anything I can do?"

We are trained from children to be transparent anywhere and with anyone whether at home, at school, on the street, or at work. 

I learned to wear the work mask by watching a friend.  He was going through some rough times in his life and during a lunch break one of our co-workers asked how he was doing.  To this the man opened up his heart and became transparent and vulnerable to release the troubles he was having.  Two weeks later a position opened up in the company and both men applied in for the position.  During the interview process the man who was given information regarding the other man's issues, brought it out in the interview to demonstrate how the man with the issues could not handle the pressure of the new position.

The one man used the transparency of feelings against the second man in order to get ahead.    When approached the one man said that if he can use any leverage to get the position he would do it.  So we learned to never open up to anyone in the workplace because it would at some point be used against us. 

In today's society we hide so well our feelings and in turn we bottle up emotions until they explode into violent anger, withdrawal from events, isolationism, and a breakdown in the family.   I encourage  you to develop at least one or two close friendships outside of work, or family.  Agree to be accountability partners.    When I did that I had to build a trust and began by sharing small stuff and then see if I was hurt by the friend.  Over time, I related more transparency and became open with them to the point of feeling free to call and say, "I'm struggling today" and knowing it would be OK.

Do you have anyone who you can be transparent with?  I urge this friend to be male to male or female to female relationship.  Too often I see men opening up to women  or women opening up to a man only to lead to an affair and further damage to many relationships.  Some of the worse situations from this behavior is with pastors or ministers.  What starts out as counseling becomes infatuation and then a sexual relationship.  Then a career is lost, the church is hurt, and famailies break up.

So stop saying, "I'm Fine" when you are not and get in a small group that you can trust.  The first step will be yours.  Yes, you can get hurt again, but do not give up because your life depends on others.

Just make the first move.

Cutting the Herd

Have you ever watched shows on the Animal Planet, History, or other networks that gives you a view of how animals in nature survive and grow?  I admit that I turned off the show when this took place because I knew the outcome.

A pride of lions was out hunting in Africa.  They came upon some gazelles feeding in the grass meadow.    They slowly moved towards the herd in a stealth like fashion until one of the lions leaped into action.  The gazelles began the run as a herd together in close proximity.  Two lions had flanked to the side before the attack and entered toward the herd from the side.  The gazelles split up and the lions immediately went after the one of two who broke from the herd.  Soon the chase was over as the one gazelle was taken down.  He was then eaten alive from the hip forward by the pride.

My thought was how awful and heartless was it to get their food in that manner.

For us we are much better in a group than doing life on our own.  So many of us never get a group outside our immediate family to do life together.  Yet the encouragement and celebrations during times in our lives can make us stronger and in a position to help those who are going through stuff in their lives.

I appreciate my church small group and their concern, encouragement and support during the rough times.  I know that through my experiences, I will someday be in a position to help someone who is walking down the same trail.  It is then that I can encourage them to hold on and be connected to a group of people.

Lions will not attack a herd that stands together but desire to cut one of the weakest out and devour them.  My thought is for you to find a group of people who you can do life with.  Learn to be transparent in your praise and prayers.  It is then that you will find the strength to defeat any foe.

Job Moments

When you see a chart for any series of data, you will see spikes both up and down. Sometimes we see charts that have smoothed the line down but that does not reflect the true events impact.   Life has some real highs and some real lows that hit us during periods of our lives. Most of us only want to experience the highs and stay in the best of everything.   The reality is  our lives are not this smooth line that takes life in an easy fashion and gives us only an upward line but our experiences are so varied that some times we are high and other times we are low.

Even though we believe that the Lord wants what is best for us, our hope is that we just want want the best and never experience  rough times.  Yet it is in the rough times that our faith should be strengthened and our resolve to focus more our spiritual relationship be our prime focus.  Still the pain, frustration and the heartache that comes with challenges of life usually make us draw away from our relationship with the Creator.

I call these times, "Job moments".  If you read in the Bible the first two chapters of Job you will see how events had taken Job from the best that life could offer to the very worse.  All because of Satan wanting to prove a point.

As I write this blog with a patch over my eye, I believe that there are Job moments today where we are tested and Satan is allowed to place obstacles in front and on us.  After we made a major commitment to the Lord, I found out that I have a cracked sternum.  Next I pulled a muscle in the lower back.  Next one of our customers had moved out a commitment for a large order to January.  Then I experienced the detached and torn retina.  I pray that enough is enough and told Satan to be gone from our lives.

Still it is important for us to have an increased faith in the faith giver.  God was not surprised by all this and more rough  happenings right now.  We could have turned our back on the Creator but our trust in in Him to care for us.

My blog today is to realize that there are up and down seasons of our lives.  We need to remain faithful to believe in the Lord.  Just like fall is approaching and another summer season is gone, so will the Lord get you through your Job moments to a new season in your life.  We just need to be ready and not turn away from the giver of life and detest the giver of pain and suffering. 

My thought today!

Are You a Dreamer?

What makes a person a Dreamer?  Everyone knows a person that walks to a different drum or sees the multicolor of life and does not hold to just black and white. 

Over the years I have had ideas that have succeeded and some that have bombed. 

Have you ever seen a bug zapper that uses a sex scent to attract bugs?  While at one company I had a bug zapper at my home and noticed that if I was more that 25 feet away from the zapper, bugs would still bite and not go to the black light.  In talking to one engineer, I noted that there has to be some attractant for bugs.  The engineer said, "Bugs are born, they eat, they have sex for procreation, and then they die."   Humm.. .   So the major part of their life is procreation.  What attracts a one bug to another?  It is a scent that we found could be reproduced and so we placed it in a pellet and sat it in the bottom of a bug zapper.  The next morning the bugs were piled up so high inside that it has shorted our the electrical grid.  After some redesign we went to a test market with the new bug zapper.  This unit attracted bugs from as far as 2500 feet away.  The problem was it was so good that bugs would bite people on their way to getting zapped.  So the project was dropped.  That's just one of many my dreams that have been tried and failed. 

What dreams or ideas have come to your mind?  Did you write them down and placed them in a file?  My wife says that I am ahead of my time, so I just write things down and file them away in my computer.  You should write down your thoughts as they come to mind.  Then you need to determine if you should move forward with your dream.  First, does your idea resolve a problem?  Second, can your idea be produced on a mass scale?  Third, can I find someone who can help me get the product to market.  Lastly, am I willing to sacrifice time, energy, and money to see the project through to the end?  These are requirements for a Dreamer to move to the next level.

Are you are a Dreamer or just enjoying what other people create.  Challenge yourself to never overlook a thought that could be the next biggest product to hit the market.  Be a Dreamer that can make a difference in the lives of people around the world!

Taking things for granted

Never take anything for granted.  As you may have noticed, I have not blogged for a few days.  The main reason was that I had to have emergency surgery to repair four tears and one detachment of the right retina.    I admit that I have taken for granted sight and this event has made me quite appreciative of every part of the body God has given.

What starts out as little black dots that float around in the eye to seeing a black circle edging up from the lower part of my eye I realized there was a problem.  Going through surgery in the late night only makes you realize the seriousness of such a surgery. 

Now that I am on the other side, I realize what only having the vision in one eye can mean.  Depth perception is the first thing you notice.  Simple things like picking up a glass require a mind reset.  Stepping off a sidewalk to the pavement can be a real adventure.  Also when you reach out to place your hand on someone's shoulder can be a challenge as I placed my hand on someone's chest when I thought it was their shoulder. Also note that bending over to pick up something takes on a whole new meaning not to mention sleeping upright in the chair for an extended period.   All these are a few of things that first hit me after surgery.    I never will take sight for granted again. 

Your sight is just one of the miracles that is part of your body.  I encourage you to stop for a moment and appreciate the miracles that are your body and take NOTHING for granted.  Don't wait until you lose something that you know you should have appreciated it.

I Am Offended

We hear more each day whereby an agency, government office, businesses, or any number of news stories   are taking God out of any mention in  fear that it will "offend" someone.  Examine this with me.  Why are people today afraid to mention God, Religion, or Jesus?   Jesus intimidated and offended the Roman government, and the religious leaders over 2000 years ago and He is still intimidating and offending the government and people today.   Must be something to this man called Jesus.

Growing up we knew there were Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslim, Atheist and any other religions.  The zealots in churches thought it was only one way and all others were wrong but tolerated.  We did not try and stop them from practicing their religion, but embraced it more and appreciated the freedom given to us in the Constitution.

Today I see the very freedoms given to us in the Constitution being turned around so that the word God is a "bad" word and needs to be removed.  God is not allowed in schools.  Mention of God by an organization on an internet advertisement by Google is now subject to being taxed.  Crosses erected years ago to remember a person who died in an accident along a road now have to be removed.  Why?  Because a few are offended.

Therefore now, "I AM OFFENDED!"   Congress can pray before the start of any session, but establish laws that are careful, "not to offend anyone" because of religious tolerance.  Yet when a tragedy occurs who is the first to the scene?  Not FEMA who takes weeks to even move their headquarters trailer to the location.  It is  the churches and the people who live nearby that give the helping hand.

Look at Nashville and Joplin.  The flood in Nashville was devastating but you never heard about what all FEMA did for the city.  Instead it was the help and heart people along with the churches that reached out to help rebuild this great city.  Next the tornado that hit Joplin.  Once again it was not the government that made the difference, but the local people who stepped up and helped get these people back on their feet.  In fact, Joplin lost it high school, but instead of just saying, "Government, we can not have school for our children until you rebuild us a school", they took it upon themselves  to find a place for an education while the current school lays in rumble.  Hummm. .  not much media coverage on that positive story.

Even though I am offended that God is being removed from any place possible, wait until the next earthquake, terrorist attack, hurricane, or other disaster  and then watch people pray, ask the churches for help, and expect the Government to be their god. 

What in the heck are the people who think God "owes" them everything going to do should the churches and God be removed from everything we call freedom?  I perceive it is coming but wonder what it will take before people realize that the guidelines established by the Constitution relied on Godly reasoning and the principles of the Bible.

What offends you?  Is it this blog that uses the Freedoms we still have to speak out dreams and thoughts?  Or is it something else that is inherently placed deep inside you that is making you uncomfortable? 

The more I draw closer to the Creator, the more I fear that the dreams we have for our children may never see the light of day.  Mainly because most of us are NOT Offended by what is being done in society in just the past 30 years. 

Each one of us can do something amazing to help keep our freedoms.  Are you willing to speak out now or just wait until it is too late and then complain. 

Before I ran for Mayor of a city in Ohio, I was complaining to a Councilman able what the current Mayor was not doing and the issues that he was creating.  This wise ole' gentleman said, " I am tired of you complaining.  Either run for the office and help this place or keep your mouth shut."   Even though that was thirty-seven years ago, I believe it is true today.

So are you going to complain or try and do something about it?   Do you plan on just back and let you lose your freedom?  The choice is yours to do something or keep your mouth shut.

Are you offended enough?

It's Just a Pain

Have you ever had a nagging pain and thought "Wonder what caused that?"  or "Should I go get it checked out?"  Well for about the last few months, I periodically had a sharp pain that would come and then go in the center of my chest.  No it did not feel like a heart attack and it would go away as quickly as it came when I would just lightly rub the center of my chest. 

So at my quarterly doctor's visit, I mentioned it to the doctor and so he had tests run.  It seems that my sternum is cracked.  Humm. . . how did that happen?  I had not lifted too much that I know of.  Yet, I have so much going on at the office and at home which need me to get up and down on the tractor, etc that I just don't have time for pain. 

Yet when I move too quickly or pick up something, I get the reminder that this part of my body is in the healing process.  Therefore this morning after taking pain and inflammation medication, I am reminded of the pain that Paul the apostle went through on a daily basis and I have no room to complain.

This past weekend was our Miracle Sunday and we are seeing God work miracles into lives.  Just know that Satan is hard at work trying to stop God from performing Miracles in our lives.  ON the biggest weekend of the year at our church, the electric went off, someone coming to pray was in an accident, the pastor got sick from Saturday through Monday (although you could not tell by his passionate celebration, praise, and prayers) and so many other things that I know was a Satan distraction all weekend long. 

Stop a minute and read the beginning of the Book of Job (Chapter 1 & 2).  See what God allows Satan to do in testing faithfulness.  In their conversation Satan does things to the body and family of Job that we would call real pain.  Most of us would just figure out a way to blame God. Yet Job's faithfulness did not fail.

The moral to this story is to recognize that it is just pain we experience and it can be a way for us to get distracted from the power that the Lord offers each one of us each day!

As for me I try to forget the pain with other distractions and praise the giver of life.  There's a Miracle out there just waiting to happen in your life!  What Miracle are you waiting on?  Be prepared for Satan's distractions.  Know that it's just a pain.

The Lord's Voice

Matthew 3:16-17   After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with him."

In your private moments with the Lord, have you ever asked Him a question and then paused, waiting for the answer?  Maybe you have said something profound or a little embarrassing and expected the Lord’s voice to come booming down from heaven to give approval or express dismay.

I have often thought that when I get to heaven, I’ll have a laundry list of questions to ask Him.  It may be about pain, or suffering, or poverty, or war, or hate, or many things that come to mind right now.  But don’t you wish we didn’t have to wait.  That He would just answer them now? 

Today’s verses give us a glimpse of the relationship that has been present since the beginning of time.  It’s the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

At this one location all three are revealed at the same time.  We see Jesus being faithful to his Father’s wishes, the Holy Spirit moving like a dove, and the Father speaking His words of approval. At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry what better way to show the people that God’s Messiah had really come.  He speaks His approval for all to hear.

So how can we hear the Lord’s voice speak to us?

Have you ever had an issue in your life and pleaded for the Lord to answer your earnest prayer?  Then within a short period of time, a friend or even a stranger approached or called you and gave you the answer to that prayer.

Today I am struggling with a situation whereby a family has dis-owned their son.  This young man has never given them a problem publicly.  His only issue is that he did not finish high school and wanted to learn a trade.   Arguments ensued over who knows what is best for him and the young man left the home.  He is living in meager conditions but is pursuing a trade.  I have been praying for reconciliation but have not heard the Lord voice as how to help.   Expecting an answer is tough when you want instant results.  In this case it will take everyone reconciling in order for situations such as this to be resolved.  Nevertheless, I pray expecting results.  Be ready to act when given direction in that God can use us to be the answer to someone else's prayer.

Soooo . . . today you should pray expecting an answer.  Most importantly is to listen for the Lord to speak to you.  Your answers may come from the most unexpected place, but you will know that the Lord has spoken to you.  

Listen for His voice!