Morning Thoughts

Happy Thursday.  I sure hope it is warmer tonight than it was last night. If not, there will be a lot of disappointed little guys who look so forward to Trick or Treats.  Yesterday, a co-worker and I talked about the difference between doing the right thing and doing the thing you want to do. Sometimes, it’s a tough choice, even for good people. The Apostle Paul was faced with a situation where he could do the right thing, or he could do the easy thing. He was not in a great place. He had been thrown in jail, had suffered beating, had been persecuted, and had been ran of out multiple towns all for sharing the gospel. It would have been one less thing he would have had to deal with, but he chose the tough route—the right thing.  In this book of Philemon, Paul decided to take the side of a slave. I’m sure he wondered first and prayed about what to do in the situation of a run away slave. As a Christian with no political power, should he obey the law or fight injustice? He chose to fight

It’s Wednesday.  Today is little Ozzie’s birthday. He’s nine years old today. It surely doesn’t seem very long ago that his mama called to say “I’m so sorry, but I’m in labor!” We laugh about it now, but we had been home 20 minutes from an 18-hour marathon with her sister’s premature delivery. So, we put our shoes back on and headed to the hospital. Again. But despite our exhaustion for his arrival, we have been richly blessed by his presence in this world for the last nine years.  “And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.” ‭‭Philemon‬ ‭1:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I can use these very same words Paul wrote to Philemon for a message to Ozzie, but Paul wrote them for a very different reason. He was writing to his friend whom he had met in his travels, to urge hi

Happy Tuesday. Today is my grandson Lane’s birthday. When Lane was born, he weighed less than 2 pounds—he was 12 weeks early. He struggled for a couple of weeks but as God protected him and held him tenderly, he began to breathe on his own and put on weight. He was released from the NICU after 44 days. Today, he is a healthy, smart and very active nine year old.  “But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death. Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:17-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Just as God stood by our tiny baby Lane, He stood by Paul and He stands by us, too. The greatest purpose for all our lives is to proclaim God's goodness and His glory to a world who doesn't know Him. Sharing His love to a world desperate for love is a calling we cannot igno

It’s Monday...again! They just keep coming, don’t they? I hope you had a good weekend. Mine started off awful—my team went down in defeat. It was a very sad day in the land of the Sooners. But alas, we move on! No matter how bad last week was, there’s another week, another game and another chance.  That’s how it is in this battle we call life, too. We can fight like champions for a long time and look and feel as though we could take on anything that comes our way. And then, out of nowhere comes a Kansas State and knocks us to our knees. What happened? Where did we go wrong? The why and the where of our defeat probably do not matter nearly as much as how we respond. As warriors, we get up, brush ourselves off, and work harder in our training as we prepare for the next onslaught. According to Paul, that’s the process until we go home.  “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the r

It’s the weekend and time for college football Saturday and to think about worshiping the Lord our God in a corporate setting.  Yesterday, I was at the funeral of a precious saint of God. Testimonies were given about her faithfulness and her devotion to God. What a legacy! And on my way home, I got a phone call from my co-workers who said “Pam, are you alright? You were supposed to be at work 30 minutes ago!” After much stammering and trying to explain I was 40 minutes away, but I was dressed and could be there ASAP. Then, they broke out in giggles and had a big laugh over tricking me like that! That’s a silly example, but we DO have to be prepared at any given moment to preach the word. All sorts of things we are called on to do, we can spend some time studying or “asking the Google” but when we are called on to speak Life to someone, we need to be instant. All of us as children of God are commissioned to be prepared.  “I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who

Happy Friday. Today, a sweet friend of mine will say goodbye to her precious mother-in-law who had Alzheimer’s. It was only three weeks ago, I said goodbye to my mom the very same way. The thing I remember and respect most about my mother was her dedication to scripture. She read her Bible cover to cover I’m sure more than 50 times—she never missed a morning, bright and early reading. While I was growing up, her reading time was 4:45 am.  Doesn’t it amazed you that the Scripture and all it’s worth is so diversified, so rich and so full that we can read it everyday of our lives and always pick up something new. Within those ancient words we find all we need. Everything that we need to know God, know His will, and live our lives with a purpose for Him is inside the pages of our Bibles. It gives wisdom, power, courage, strength, resolve, correction, and truth.  “But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who ta

It’s Thursday and I hope your week has gone well. A couple of days ago, I got a strange video clip that appeared to be from a sweet friend of mine. She of course didn’t send it, but some ornery person was trying to cause issues. We both were once again surprised at the “why” people would do this sort of thing—just to bother other people they may or may not know? It doesn’t make sense, but it happens to all of us and far too often—the hacked accounts, stolen identities—it is exhausting.  “Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people. 2 Timothy‬ ‭3:1-5 ‭MSG‬‬ It’s sad and frightening to read

Its Wednesday.  On Monday, I was on the interstate and all of a sudden the traffic was at a standstill. There was no way to move, to get off or turn around—we were all stuck. And we were stuck for about an hour or so. Right before we started moving, I read why. There had been a terrible accident where a work truck (made from a converted school bus) had ran off the road and hit a commercial propane tank. The truck exploded and the tank caught on fire. Scary for all of those involved with it. The driver was life flighted with severe burns.  I guarantee Monday when that guy jumped in his work truck to start his day, he had no earthly idea of the magnitude of mess his day would quickly become. Sometimes the most innocent of days become the worst nightmares.  Fire is a scary thing. The fire on Monday backed up a few thousand folks and had ramifications of all sorts (I was an hour late to my doctors appointment). It’s very much like James described the words that come from our mouth. Once th

It’s Tuesday  Yesterday was a dermatologist day and of course, he found a few suspicious things to burn and cut off. It’s not a comfortable process, but it’s something that has to be done. Those things that begin to replicate strangely need to be removed.  I continue to study II Timothy, and in chapter 2, Paul tells us to keep our selves pure and avoid worthless talk that leads to bad behaviors because that kind of thing replicates quickly and strangely...like cancer. That’s the kind of thing to remove.  “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus...But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “All who belong to the Lord must turn away from e

¡Es lunes!  Espero que tu fin de semana haya ido bien. Anoche, después de un fin de semana de gente, estaba sola. No es mi forma favorita de star, pero como vivo sola, es de esperarse. Abrí mi Biblia para leer un poco y volví a retomar en II Timoteo y ni siquiera pasé el primer capítulo. Tanto está empaquetado aquí.  "Porque Dios no nos ha dado un espíritu de temor y timidez, sino de poder, amor y dominio propio".  2 Timoteo 1: 7 NTV  He citado la mitad de este versículo innumerables veces a lo largo de los años. Lo he usado tan a menudo conmigo misma, mis hijos, mis amigos, mi madre: "... no nos ha dado un espíritu de temor", pero me detengo allí. Incluso si leía todo el versículo, pensaba en el "poder", pero nunca hasta la noche pasada me golpeó la "dominio propio".  He estado posponiendo el ejercicio durante semanas. Sé que tengo que volver a la rutina, pero parece que no puedo lograrlo. "Nos ha dado un espíritu de autodisciplina&

It’s Monday  I hope your weekend went well. Last night, after a weekend of people, I was alone. It’s not my favorite way to be but since I live alone, it’s to be expected. I opened my Bible to read a bit and I went back to pick back up in II Timothy and I didn’t even get past the first chapter. So much is packed in here.  “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I have quoted 1/2 of this verse countless times over the years. I have used it so often with myself, my kids, my friends, my mom—“...not given us a spirit of fear” but I stop there. Even if I read the whole verse, I thought about the “power” but never until last did night did the “self-discipline” hit with me.  I’ve been putting off exercising for weeks now. I know I have to get back I to a routine, but I don’t seem to be able to make myself. “He has given us a spirit of self-discipline.” Where’s mine? I’ve been given it. My issue is not “do I

It’s the weekend! And this is the day of the Lord! Rejoice and be glad, right? I had a couple of blessings yesterday. One of my best friends came to see me and spend the night. AND a sweet little friend of mine told me she is having a baby! Friends and family. What a difference they makes in our lives.  As I was reading through II Timothy, this passage seemed to scream “Family and friends are so important!”  .  “I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Timothy‬ ‭1:3-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Paul speaks not only the influence of his ancestors on his faith, but of Timothy and how his mom and grandmother caused his faith to be solid. Timothy, whom Paul loved like a son, wholeheartedly serve

It’s Friday Last night was an exceptionally good service and I left ready to go home and absorb myself in the Word. Speaking about the power associated with the Holy Spirit made me think of the caldera of Santorini.  When you look at the island, it’s shaped woke a “c” because the center part is a crater caused by the super explosion of a volcano about 1630 BC. The explosion blew out the top of the mountain and just left a crater where the sides of the volcano collapsed. It is mostly underwater now, but the power it took to blow out a 7 milex14 mile piece (yes, 98 square miles!), 400 for deep must have been an incredibly, crazy event! Scientists tell us that it was the most powerful explosion in history. The tsunamis would have been ridiculous—enough to wipe out countless cities. Some think it may be the reason for the plagues of Egypt. The result was a complete change of landscape not only for this island but for all the islands of Greece. Today, this land supports grapes (4,000 acres)

It is Thursday  and this is my day for corporate worship with fellow believers. I hope your week is going well and you are exercising your faith.   I worked most of the day yesterday and a co-worker and I were having a short discussion of the nature of people and that’s some people are just hard. It is difficult it is to treat everyone with the same love and respect when everyone doesn’t seem to “deserve” it nor do they even begin to treat you with any. It’s hard! And without exercising our faith and utilizing the great grace provided to us by the Father, it is impossible!  When Paul wrote to his disciple Titus, his true son in the faith, he asks the Father and Son to grant Titus grace and peace. Titus was left on the island of Crete (a place Paul had visited a few time) to solidify the church and its leaders.  “I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you...Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, ha

It’s Wednesday Last night I met with my once-a-month Circle friends. We talked and ate and talked and had our Bible/Book study and then we ate some more. We talked about being made in the image of God and how we need to respect that in others, even those we don’t necessarily think are worthy of it—they are made in God’s image. We also talked about was the idea of being born into sin, yet the darkness and depth of or sin doesn’t matter to God. He just wants us to come before Him, confess and be repentant.  When I was on the isle of Rhodes, we were told “Paul brought the Gospel here.” It amazes me that Paul coming to Rhodes is a mere mention in scripture, yet he is credited with bringing the Good News to this place.It makes sense that if he was there for more than a day, he would go to the temple and teach and preach.  “After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.” Acts‬ ‭21:1‬ ‭ A ble

It’s Tuesday Yesterday was one of those days I couldn’t seem to finish anything. Do you ever have those? Aren’t you glad that wasn’t the case for Jesus. He was able to finish what He started. And then, when John was exiled to Patmos, he took it one step further to reveal what was to come to John. Never was it more clear “I am the God who is, who was and is to come” than through the Revelation shown to the Apostle.  “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus....which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” ...and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like bl

It’s Monday! Did you have a good weekend? I worked both days, but it was good. OU beat Texas (I have no idea why that’s such a big deal!) and we started a new series on the Holy Spirit at church. I am very excited to study the person and attributes of the Spirit of God. One thing we know the Spirit does is to help us to love.  When we were in Kudasai, Turkey, we visited a rug factory. An amazing place. Tiny silk worms spin their silk cocoons from silk threads. Those threads are spun out, dyed and turned into beautiful masterpiece rugs. I was in awe (even more so at the price!). But as I watched the “unspinning” of the silk, I kept thinking how wonderfully those silk worms had been made by the Creator. Obviously, nothing made by man can compare with what these little invertebrates can spit out. The wonders of God’s handiwork in this world can just blow me away!  The next thought, however, is how people take that silk, turn it into thread and then, turn it Into a piece of outstanding ar

It’s the weekend!  Another thing we saw just outside of Ephesus was a house that was perhaps the last place Mary lived. There are no references in the Bible outside of Jesus telling John to take care of His mother. John later lived in Ephesus and possibly wrote the book of John from there. The Catholic Church tradition places the tiny stone house as the place that the Apostle John brought her to live out her life.  The little house has a steady stream of visitors and the fence covering the rock wall is covered with ribbon, handkerchiefs, notes and prayers. The stones of the house do date back to the apostolic age, and the house itself is likely around the first century AD.  I think this site was a little hard for me because so much emphasis was placed on the worship of Mary and her power to help. As much as she was a wonderful, devout woman, she was a woman who was not, and is not, God.  But...this place, as with other shrines, does rally Christians to think about the characters of scr

Happy Friday. Yesterday, we had storms and I got caught in Arkansas, so I spent the night with Tal and Tracy. We were talking about the codes and the togetherness of the early Christians. One of the things I remember most about Ephesus is the wagon wheel markings everywhere. The early Christians used this as a sign, in fact this was used before the fish markings. This symbol was made from stacking the first letters of the phrase “Jesus Christ God’s Son Saviour”. IcthysIota – first letter of the name Jesus in the Greek alphabet. X – first letter for “Christ.” O – the first letter for the Greek term for God. Y – “Son,” and E – “Savior” The result is the pizza or wagon wheel that is chiseled into walls, roads and columns all over Ephesus. The signal that brought Christians together.  It was just as important then as it is today that Christians week out one another—for worship, for uplifting each other, to love each other, for fellowship, to pray for each other, to share burdens, to help o

It’s Thursday and I owe my boss something special—yesterday I misread the schedule and he didn’t even blink (well not much). He just took care of me...much like Paul took care of the people of Ephesus.  “...To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians‬ ‭1:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬ “Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬ He calls them the faithful and brothers and sisters. When Paul came to this place, there were about 12 believers but their knowledge was really limited—they didn’t know about the Holy Spirit ro the power available to them. He preached and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God at the temple for three months. Then, he took the ones who believed with him and moved to a lecture hall to continue preaching and teaching for the next two years. Preaching until “...all the Jews and Greeks who lived

It’s Wednesday and I’m dragging out winter clothes! All day yesterday we ran inventory at the store and this morning, we will finish step two before we open. Counting. Counting. And counting some more.  I think about all the thing Paul counted—steps, towns, islands, converts, but most of all, I think he counted his blessings and those blessing were people.  “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:3-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:3‬ ‭NIV‬‬ “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.” ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1:2‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Paul loved people. And he explained why he loved over and over.  “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭2:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬ When he

It’s Tuesday and here in Webb City it’s really starting to cool off, especially at night. I’m not really ready for cooler weather, but it’s here.   Mt Olympus and its 53 peaks, has snow almost all year long. In its shadow sits Thessaloniki, the co-capital of Greece and a busy seaport. It’s a city of more than a million people, on the northwest corner of the Agean Sea with an incredibly long history. It was founded in 315 BC and named after the daughter of Philip II, Alexander’s sister. It became a free Roman city in 41AD.  At the time the Apostle Paul visited Thessaloniki, it was a free city, and pretty evenly divided between the Greeks, the Romans and the Jews. And it had a large concentration of Jews up until to WWII, when there were still more than 50,000 Jews living there. They were all sent to concentration camps and only 2,000 survived. Today, only about 750 Jews live in Thessaloniki and there are 2 active synagogues.  It is evident that the apostle Paul is still revered here and

It’s the weekend! Time to regroup and prepare your heart for a time of corporate worship.  Isn’t it funny how we have expectations or a picture in our minds of how something is going to go or how it looks? That was my experience in Greece. I had this idea of what it looked like when Paul was making his way from town to town, but I was not even close.  Greece is very mountainous with it highest point Mt Olympus that has snow 10 months out of the year and thirteen others exceed 6,000 feet. It’s in the shadow of these rugged mountains that Paul first entered the country into Macedonia (the upper most part of Greece) and headed to Philipi.  Philipi was established by Philip II, the Father of Alexander the Great in 360 BC. It was very much a Roman city and many people even spoke Latin. Philip conquered Macedonia for the strategic location and for it resources—timber and the gold. So this town of Philippi was a busy, commercial town with a lot of money.  When Paul and his companions arrived

It’s Friday and today, we will bury mom. It’s not something I’m looking forward to doing, but her life should certainly be celebrated. As Jeff Easter says “...The one that she lived for wants her by His side. Strike up the band, it’s party time.” So...We will do our best.  The body we bury is but a tent that housed her soul and her soul has been clothed with the immortal and imperishable. “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?””1 Corinthians‬ ‭15:54-55‬ ‭NIV‬‬ Death separates those we love from us, and causes great pain to our human nature. It’s how God designed us—it how we are wired. Yet, as Christian we have cause to rejoice when a saint of God passes from this world. They are literally moving from death to life.  We live in bodies that are corruptible—sickness, disease, and e

Its Wednesday. In looking through old pictures to find ones of my mom, I found all sorts of things that I spent time looking over and remembering (as we do in a box of old pics). As I pondered her nearly 92 years, I kept thinking about the amazing chunk of history she saw!  But why that chunk? Why was she born in 1927 and not 1827 or 2012 or 1000 BC? Why in rural Kentucky to be one of ten kids and not in Virginia or China or Peru? Why that time and place and not some other?  “From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live. God did this so that people would seek him. Then perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us. 'In him we live and move and exist.' As some of your own poets have also said, 'We are his children.'” Acts‬ ‭17:26-28‬ ‭NIRV‬‬ ‬‬ Our time of birth and death are not

Its Wednesday. In looking through old pictures to find ones of my mom, I found all sorts of things that I spent time looking over and remembering (as we do in a box of old pics). As I pondered her nearly 92 years, I kept thinking about the amazing chunk of history she saw!  But why that chunk? Why was she born in 1927 and not 1827 or 2012 or 1000 BC? Why in rural Kentucky to be one of ten kids and not in Virginia or China or Peru? Why that time and place and not some other?  “From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live. God did this so that people would seek him. Then perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us. 'In him we live and move and exist.' As some of your own poets have also said, 'We are his children.'” Acts‬ ‭17:26-28‬ ‭NIRV‬‬ ‬‬ Our time of birth and death are not

It’s Tuesday. Last evening, my mama crossed over to be with Jesus. Both her girls and a granddaughter had their hands on her when she left her broken and battered tent of a body behind. Praise God, she has a new brain.  “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭116:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬  And it was precious in her family’s sight as well.  Alzheimer’s is an awful disease. I hated it stealing the last ten years of my mother’s life and I couldn’t understand why God would leave someone here just to not have their thinking ability. We know God is not a God of random acts but what could possibly be the purpose in that? However... About 20 minutes before my mama passed, one of her caregivers had come in to check her. (Mom spent the last year in a memory care facility.) She just sat in the chair and held her hand and spoke so softly to her. She looked up and said “Your mom changed my life.” Then, she went on to explain how mom would sense when her day was bad and take her