From Letters & Papers from Prison

I believe that God can and will bring good out of evil, even the greatest evil.  For that purpose He needs men who will make the best use of everything.  

I believe that God will give us all the strength we need to help us to resist in times of distress.  But He never gives it in advance, lest we should rely on ourselves and not on Him alone.  A faith such as this should allay all our fears for the future.

I believe that even our mistakes and shortcomings are turned to good account, and that it is no harder for God to deal with them than with our supposedly good deeds.

I believe that God is no timeless fate, but that He waits for and answers sincere prayers and responsible actions.  --- Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

GOD'S NOT DEAD

Just saw the movie, God's Not Dead.  Well done!  Go see it.

Here's the trailer...  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMjo5f9eiX8

You Are Salt

March's Newspaper Column

You are SALT!

                 Did you know that as a follower of Jesus you have incredible influence?  Just by being who you are in Christ, you have a powerful influence with those around you – for good or for bad.  Just by walking in communion with the Holy Spirit, you influence your environment with the Presence of God.

Jesus tells his followers that they are different.  Those who receive Him as their Lord and Savior will not be like everyone else in the world.  They have been saved.  They have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.  They have been brought out of darkness into Light.  They have the Holy Spirit living within them; that is, God Himself living within them.  They are not like everyone else, and neither are you - if you are a follower of Jesus.

In Matthew 5:13 Jesus expresses this by telling his followers that they are salt.  Salt is a common item used for preservation; Jesus’ mother would have soaked fish in it or dried meat in it.  Salt also kills germs and was used for other medical purposes; it purifies.  Today, we goggle with it if we have a sore throat; we clean our contacts in saline solution.; and we soak our feet in Epson salt.  Salt is also used on our food as a spice to make it taste better (some of us have medical problems because we use too much salt in our foods!).

Our world is in decay because of a lack of salt. All around us in our families, work places, schools, we see the darkness of decay with violence, murder, immorality, addictions, and dishonesty.  We see this decay in our families, social relationships, and personal struggles.

You may be discouraged and struggling because you are the only follower of Jesus at your work, in your family, or on your team.  Did you know that all it takes is one grain of salt to make a powerful difference? God may use you to salt your entire unbelieving circle – for Jesus lives in you and is with you.  You are the salt of the earth. Just by being who you are in Him, you may be the grain He uses to melt the ice of indifference.  Just by being his follower, you may be the grain He uses to hold back some immoral act or policy.  Just by being a person living in communion with the Holy Spirit, you may be the grain He uses to spice up a terrible relationship or impact a decision.  Jesus said: You are the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13).  So be salt!

The Story of the Cup Cake Kids

Do you ever wonder if you can make a difference?  Dan Owens from Village Church, Vinings, GA began to minister to imprisoned orphan children in Uganda.  Soon his and other children caught on.  Check this out!

Click here for the story of the Cup Cake Kids

A Little Snow at the Beach House

This was a very strange snow storm.   The forecasters said beforehand it had too many variables to accurately predict what was going to happen.  It snowed for over 10 hours, yet only displayed three inches even though the temps were in the upper 20's.  A few miles to the west of us the roads were impassable; we only had a few icy spots.  Atlanta and Birmingham became parking lots.  Some school kids had to spend the night at the school.  Thousands were stranded in their cars or went to nearby homes, stores, churches, and restaurants which let people come in and sleep on the floor.  Cars ran out of gas while sitting in the gridlock.  At least one baby was delivered on the expressway.  Some people are still not at their homes staying in shelters or with people who opened us their homes to strangers.  But at our house... it made for some of the LORD's beautiful handiwork...

Overloaded and Stressed Out!

                  Jesus said in John 16:33 – These things I have spoken to you that in me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.  Following Jesus brings peace into one’s life even in the midst of the great difficulties and tribulations of life.  His peace passes all understanding. It is real and it is wonderful!

                And yet, when I observe the modern-day Christian’s life, my own life included, I don’t see lives saturated in God’s peace. I see overwhelming stress.

I see anxiety. I see financial pressure. I see maxed-out schedules. I see people who are tired and weary.  Does this match up with what Jesus said in John 10:10 – I have come that they might life, and have it more abundantly?

God has given us a body with a soul. And each of our lives has a capacity of what our soul can take on at any given time (usually this capacity is way more than we can imagine). God desires that we might have life, and He desires it to be full. He wants us to have meaningful, fulfilling, lives filled with His Presence – life itself.  However, you and I tend to fill our lives with SO MUCH that we are over that capacity.

This space is called margin. It’s that space between ourselves and our limits. It’s breathing room. It’s that reserve for the unanticipated.  It’s that place for the surprises.  It’s that place between the “abundant life” and deadly lives.

Margin is allowing extra time to get to an appointment.  It is having money left at the end of the month after you pay your bills. It’s coming to the end of your day and having the emotional energy to play with your kids.  It’s having enough time in your schedule to be able to get a good night’s rest.  It is that place where God often meets us.

But too often, because of the choices we make, the debts we take on, our lack of trust in God, our desire to succumb to cultural norms, and allowing technology to control us, our lives end up with too much to do, too much debt, and too much demand. We end up in chaos, being overwhelmed, emotionally exhausted, physically debilitated, and SPIRITUALLY dead.

Is this the way God wants us to live our lives?  Is this the witness He wants us to have to our unbelieving friends?  It’s time for us to take a serious look in the mirror and examine ourselves and the priorities we have for our lives.  We are not only wounding the cause of Jesus; we are hurting ourselves!!

Richard Swenson, in his book, Margin, writes: Overload is not having time to finish the book you are reading on stress.  Margin is having time to read it twice.  Overload is fatigue.  Margin is energy.  Overload is red ink. Margin is black ink.  Overload is hurry.  Margin is calm.  Overload is anxiety.  Margin is security.

Remember the Holidays?

The following is my newspaper column for December....

            Thanksgiving?  Christmas?  Remember those days?  As I write this, it is the week before Thanksgiving and I just drove through a neighborhood where almost half of the houses already have their Christmas decorations up.  Of course, the stores have been advertising Christmas for weeks and there are so many ads for not just “Black Friday,” but also “Black week” – a time for Christmas shopping and special prices.

            I wonder how many of us really remember (or even know) the reasons behind our holidays.   Thanksgiving Day was decreed as a national holiday in 1941 by the U.S. Congress as a day of  “prayer and thanksgiving to God.”  It is supposed to be a day when we the people of the nation along with our fellow citizens give thanks to God for the blessings in our lives, communities, and nation.  However, Thanksgiving is now mostly about family gatherings, family travel, Thanksgiving Dinner, football, and preparing for the big sales the next day.

            I wonder how many of us really remember (or even know) that Christmas is a national holiday set aside to remember the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.  Christmas is a time in which we remember that God entered into our world fulfilling hundreds of prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) living, dying, and rising from the dead for the salvation of human beings.  However, Christmas is mostly about decorations, gifts, family-time, Santa, reindeer, and special music.

            The ancient Church calendar reminds us that Christmas begins on December 25 (or the 24^th on the Eve) and lasts for 12 days.  It is preceded by the season of Advent, a time of preparation for the Messiah’s return and for remembering the Messiah’s birth.

            Remember the holidays?  I hope you will this year.  Christmas can be a deeply spiritual and meaningful time as one recalls the birth of Jesus, prays for spiritual renewal, and celebrates the transformation He brings to one’s life and community.  Take time to remember the real holidays this year! Go to church somewhere on Christmas Eve.  Give of yourself to help someone.  Spend some extra time in prayer. It will make all the difference in your holiday!